The Evangelical Pope | Europe … Free at Last

Each week we let Saint Pope John Paul II share meaningful signposts to spark socio-economic resolves through justice and righteousness combined with mercy and compassion; in short, love.

               " ² Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.” (Read all of Romans 15 NIV Translation)

Berlin, 23 June 1996 | The new building of Europe we discuss yearns for a free Berlin and a free Germany. Most importantly, it requires the space to breathe, with open windows allowing the spirit of peace and freedom to flow in. Therefore, Europe needs dedicated openers—individuals who safeguard freedom through solidarity and responsibility. Not only Germany but all of Europe benefits from the vital contributions of Christians.

To the people of Berlin and all Germans, whose peaceful spirit helped open this Brandenburg Gate, I address my gratitude and words of encouragement.

               Don't extinguish the spirit! Keep this gate open for you and all people!

               Keep it open by the Spirit of love, by the Spirit of justice, and by the Spirit of peace! Keep the gate open by opening your hearts!

               There is no freedom without love.

Humankind is called to be free.

To everyone listening right now, I declare: this complete and perfect freedom has a name—Jesus Christ. He is the one who testified about himself:

               I am the door.

In him, the door to complete freedom and fulfillment is opened.

He is the one who truly liberates humanity by removing darkness from the human heart and unveiling the truth. He completes his journey as our brother and demonstrates his solidarity with us by sacrificing his life. He frees us from sin and death, enabling us to see his face in our neighbor—the face of our true brother.

He reveals the Father's face and serves as the bond of love for all. Christ, our Redeemer, embodies our freedom.

Excerpted from (translated from German):

Pastoralbesuch in der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (21.–23. Juni 1996), ABSCHIEDSZEREMONIE ANSPRACHE VON JOHANNES PAUL II. Brandenburger Tor (Berlin), Sonntag, 23. Juni 1996

https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/de/speeches/1996/june/documents/hf_jp-ii_spe_19960623_berlino.html

THINK! | A Way to Getting to Know the OTHER and One ANOTHER

I Think Therefore I am" (a Unique Creation in the Image of God!)

I Think NOT, Therefore I'm WHAT? (A Robot in God's Image?)

By: Abraham A. van Kempen

29 December 2025

The unscrupulous sow seeds of misinformation to feed the mindless with propaganda. It becomes alarming when the misinformed believe in their own publicity. It’s like when the blind lead the blind. Of course, in the land of the blind, the one with one eye is king.

Areopagus of the Modern Age

The media can inform billions about various parts of the world and different cultures. Indeed, they have rightly been called "the first Areopagus of the modern age... and for many, their primary source of information, education, guidance, and inspiration.

Please continue reading …

Have a wonderful week,

Abraham A. van Kempen

Senior Editor

Building – Not Burning – the Bridge Foundation, The Hague
A Way to Get to Know the Other and One Another

GUEST EDITORIAL | WHO ARE THE DELUDED ‘EXPERTS’ TRYING TO SEND GERMANS TO WAR WITH RUSSIA?

The price of stifling dissent is not only dishonesty, but it’s also self-harming incompetence.

By Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany working at Koç University, Istanbul, on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, the history of World War II, the cultural Cold War, and the politics of memory

@tarikcyrilamartarikcyrilamar.substack.comtarikcyrilamar.com

Substack.com
25 December 2025

Annotated by Abraham A. van Kempen

Tarik Cyril Amar, PhD, is a renowned historian and specialist in international politics. He earned a BA in Modern History from Oxford, an MSc in International History from the London School of Economics (LSE), and a PhD from Princeton. Originally from Germany, he has lived in the UK, Ukraine, Poland, the USA, and Turkey, and is fluent in Russian, Ukrainian, English, and his native tongue, German.

His scholarships include the Holocaust Memorial Museum and the Harvard Ukrainian Research Institute. He also served as the director of the Center for Urban History in Lviv, Ukraine. Originally from Germany, he has lived in the UK, Ukraine, Poland, the US, and Turkey.

Dr. Amar’s book, 'The Paradox of Ukrainian Lviv,' was published by Cornell University in 2015. He is currently working on a study about Cold War TV spy stories and a new volume on Ukraine's international response. He has shared insights through interviews, including on Rania Khalek Dispatches and Breakthrough News.

Have Germans Finally Had Enough of Propaganda Sold as Expertise?

Dishonesty and Self-Harming Incompetence are the Price of Stiffling Debate

Western governments and media elites take pride in supporting and promoting freedom of thought, opinion, and debate.

Besides selective feminism that sometimes neglects women in Libya, Iraq, and Palestine, and a different view of “democracy" involving vote manipulation and lawfare to sway elections, their claim of a "superior public sphere" is often used to justify Western interventions and regime changes.

Western countries often promote their dedication to freedom of thought, information, and open debate. However, this stance can sometimes be used to justify interference, subversion, and violence elsewhere. Ironically, within their own borders, this claim of superiority is quite fragile—if we're being honest.

Anyone observing BBC and Western outlets' coverage of the Gaza tragedy sees that they often serve as tools of unaccountable influence and political interests, operating without clear moral boundaries.

While genocide exemplifies the West’s Orwellian manipulation, many other cases exist, such as the deceptive justifications for brutal wars against Iraq, Afghanistan, and Libya.

A key feature of these disinformation strategies—covering bias, omission, and misinformation—is the use of credentialed experts. These experts lend their authority to mainstream narratives, mainly those propagated by governments and elites. Nevertheless, it's important to recognize that not every expert participates. Western expertise is carefully chosen and curated to support the messages that the establishment seeks to persuade the public to believe and trust.

Read more
‘Stupid’ Western Europeans came to peace talks to prepare for war – Lukashenko

As a result, in the West, particularly in the EU, people's options for different opinions have become more limited, making it harder for them to access or discuss a variety of viewpoints.

One aspect of this curbing operation is ruthlessly repressive: Experts who dare to think differently and speak publicly are personally targeted by a system reminiscent of Kafka's works, filled with life-destroying punishments. Under the guise of “sanctions,” the EU and its member governments are proud to operate without acceptable evidence standards, refusing victims any chance for a hearing, legal process, or defense.

Once in East Germany, during the era of authoritarian socialism, the feared Stasi secret police called this tactic “Zersetzung,” meaning “disintegration.” Rather than imprisoning dissidents, they targeted their social, professional, and economic lives, gradually dismantling them. Similar extremes connect the dour authoritarian socialists of the Cold War era with the assertive EU radical-centrist extremists of today’s 'values' movement, as the saying goes.

The expected psychological impacts of repression—such as anxiety, stress, and trauma—are intentional parts of the broader strategy. Each silenced voice serves as a subtle warning, deterring others from speaking up. This occurs outside formal legal systems, through bureaucratic processes that often appear invisible and unaccountable. Welcome to the European Union of 2025, where 'values' seem to influence actions. It feels as though the rule of law is more of a relic than a true guiding principle, if it ever genuinely existed.

Supporting specific voices while sidelining others plays a key role in shaping public opinion and disseminating information. Similar to Stalin's strategy, though less extreme, silencing dissent and promoting favored narratives are characteristic of authoritarian tactics. Experts aligned with those in power tend to have advantageous careers. Notably, mainstream media, especially television, often consult these experts for interviews, quotes, and stories. This dependence—especially when experts appear on popular talk shows—greatly influences the topics the public discusses.

Read more
Orban mocks Kallas with a Hitler comparison.

Even with the occasional token figure—a (somewhat) odd man or woman put there mainly for others to criticize—the outcome still seems quite monotonous, reminiscent of the dull programming once aired on Cold War-era East Germany’s state TV.

Over the past decade, the unified Germany has become a clear example of this model, especially concerning Israel’s (unacknowledged) Gaza Genocide and the Ukraine War. Regarding the war, only a handful of experts have appeared on mainstream outlets over the years, showing stamina that would be commendable if their insights, forecasts, and advice were not so monotonously repetitive and often inaccurate.

Their names may be familiar to many, and a nearly complete list of prominent figures would include Claudia Major, Florence Gaub, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, Carlo Masala (currently dealing with plagiarism accusations), Sönke Neitzel, Christian Mölling, and Marcus Keupp.

Please continue reading...

GUEST EDITORIAL | THE STARMER REGIME IS TURNING BRITAIN INTO A POLICE STATE

The UK’s crackdown on protests against the Gaza genocide is the worst example of the authoritarian trend evident in Western Europe.

FILE PHOTO. A Palestine Action activist is arrested by police officers in Manchester, UK, on November 22, 2023. © Martin Pope/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

By Tarik Cyril Amar, a historian from Germany working at Koç University, Istanbul, on Russia, Ukraine, and Eastern Europe, the history of World War II, the cultural Cold War, and the politics of memory

@tarikcyrilamartarikcyrilamar.substack.comtarikcyrilamar.com

Substack.com
28 December 2028

Annotated by Abraham A. van Kempen

The UK is experiencing its largest and most notable prison hunger strike since 1981. Since early November, eight activists held in pretrial detention for protesting against the Gaza Genocide have been demonstrating against Israel’s ongoing mass killings, Britain’s complicity, and their own mistreatment by the same notorious legal and prison system that previously tortured Julian Assange for the US.

The hunger strikers demand the release of documents showing Britain’s Israel Lobby influencing the government and call to end the absurd label of their Palestine Action organization as a 'terrorist.'

The activists are charged with breaking into an Israeli arms company's British branch and infiltrating a Royal Air Force base, vandalizing planes with red paint and crowbars. Elbit is involved in Israel’s operations in Gaza and other crimes, as detailed in UN rapporteur Francesca Albanese's report, “From economy of occupation to economy of genocide.”

Britain’s Royal Air Force has tarnished its reputation by conducting reconnaissance over Gaza to support Israel's violence. Official claims that these flights are solely for rescuing hostages are, as Matt Kennard states, “preposterous." Since these missions are part of Israeli intelligence efforts—known for torture—the UK is complicit in that crime.

Long ago, as an undergraduate history student at Oxford, I observed the deep pride still linked to Britain’s 'finest hour,' when the nation stood firm against Nazi Germany's invasion after its attack on France. Over a thousand brave Spitfire pilots from World War Two must be turning in their graves. They protected their country from a fascist, genocidal German regime. Today, the Royal Air Force supports a Zionist, genocidal Israeli government in committing mass murder.

What an incredible shame! At this late stage, some retired high-ranking officers, with at least a shred of conscience and honor remaining, are finally speaking out to call on Britain to cease its demeaning support and collaboration with Israel.

Read more
EU won’t succeed where Hitler and Napoleon failed – Italian deputy PM.

Terrorism involves using large-scale violence against civilians to instill fear for political goals. Palestine Action's activities do not fit this definition, nor do comparing activists to Al Qaeda and ISIS, which is absurd. Israel’s violence for ethnic cleansing aligns more with terrorism.

The hunger strike has encountered official resistance, with Justice Secretary David Lammy literally avoiding the families of the participants. As is common in NATO Europe, the mainstream media have largely followed the government narrative, nearly to the point of blackout coverage. Some activists, physically exhausted and at high risk of death, have recently ended their hunger strike, while others continue. Despite the danger of police repression under Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government, they have still gained public support.

Please continue reading …

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EDITOR’S NOTE | Read Ben Norton’s article below.

A Ring Of Irony

Russia and China will probably do it again, a déjà vu in the making: Russia stepping in to help save Europe from itself, while China comes to the rescue across Asia, shielding the region from European neo-colonialism.

• Few in the Collective West realize that Russia lost 22-27 million of its best to defeat NAZI Germany, while China lost 20 million of its citizens to defeat Japan.
• They’re at it again—saving the planet from terror against itself.
• What a bitter pill to swallow.

WHEN THE USSR AND CHINA SAVED HUMANITY: HOW THEY WON THE WORLD ANTI-FASCIST WAR

The Soviet Union and China defeated fascism in WWII, but the West later downplayed their heroic roles. During the First Cold War, the US recruited former Nazis.

Leer en español aquí.

By Ben Norton
Substact.com
27 December 2025

2025 commemorates the 80th anniversary of fascism's defeat in World War Two. Sadly, many people today have a limited understanding of this crucial conflict.

The defeat of fascism in WWII was not solely achieved by the United States and its Western allies; this is a myth often perpetuated by Hollywood movies.

In reality, the Soviet Union and China played a crucial role in defeating fascism in WWII. However, their significant contributions were later overshadowed by the West, which launched the First Cold War against the global socialist movement.

About 80% of Nazi casualties occurred on the Eastern Front during the Third Reich’s brutal, scorched-earth confrontations with the Soviet Red Army.

Over 26 million Soviets lost their lives in the Nazi regime's genocidal conflict. In contrast, just over 400,000 Americans and approximately 450,000 British people died.

This means that 62 Soviets were killed for every US American who died in WWII. Yet, tragically, their sacrifice has been forgotten in the West – or, better said, erased from public consciousness for political reasons.

Even Winston Churchill, a staunch anti-communist, racist, colonialist, and former supporter of Hitler, acknowledged that the USSR defeated Nazi Germany. Churchill was responsible for overseeing the British empire’s severe atrocities, such as the Bengal famine in 1943.

In a speech in August 1944, Churchill acknowledged:

               “I have so far left out the clear, essential point, which is that it was the Russian Armies that did the majority of the work in destroying the German army. While we managed to hold our position in the air and at sea, no other force could have been mustered in time to seriously weaken and break the German army without suffering the severe losses and brutal fighting inflicted by the strength of the Russian Soviet Armies.”

In October 1944, Churchill stated:

               “I have always believed, and continue to believe, that the Red Army was responsible for destroying the Nazis.”

The USSR aimed to preemptively strike fascism by planning a surprise attack on Nazi Germany in 1939, just weeks before Hitler's invasion of Poland. Soviet military leaders officially approached British and French officials in August 1939 to establish an alliance against Nazi Germany, but both London and Paris declined. While the USSR had a million troops ready for combat, Western European nations were not.

The capitalist nations of Western Europe and North America expected Nazi Germany to attack the Soviet Union, viewing it as their primary adversary. Consequently, Western imperial powers had long engaged in appeasement towards Hitler, signing disgraceful agreements such as the 1938 Munich Agreement, which permitted Nazi expansion across Europe.

Western capitalist “liberal democracies” and fascist regimes both shared a mutual hatred for communism. Wealthy oligarchs who held power in Western governments feared losing their privileges if their workers were inspired by the Bolshevik Revolution.

In the 1930s, the US State Department viewed fascism favorably as an alternative to communism, and the US chargé d'affaires in Germany praised the supposedly “more moderate section" of the Nazi party, led by Hitler himself, which "appeals to all civilized and reasonable people."

It is important to note that Japan formally allied with Nazi Germany in 1936 through the Agreement Against the Communist International, also known as the Anti-Comintern Pact. In 1937, Benito Mussolini’s fascist Italy signed this pact, followed by fascist regimes in Spain, Hungary, and other European nations over the next few years. A shared intense and violent anti-communism ideology united these fascist powers.

Although many people are unaware of the Soviet Union’s key role in defeating Nazi Germany in WWII, the remarkable contribution of the Chinese people in overcoming the Japanese Empire is even less recognized.

In Europe, WWII started in 1939 with Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland. For China, the war began earlier, in 1931, when Japan invaded Manchuria in northern China.

The Chinese people resisted Japan’s aggression for 14 years, while the imperial regime attempted to expand and colonize more Chinese territory.

By the end of 1945, about 20 million Chinese had died as a result of the war. This equates to roughly 48 Chinese deaths for every U.S. American casualty in WWII.

In China, WWII is referred to as the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, which was part of the broader conflict known as the World Anti-Fascist War.

On September 3, 2025, China hosted a significant event marking the 80th anniversary of fascism's defeat. The ceremony included prominent leaders from nations that are once again confronting imperialism and fascism, such as China’s President Xi Jinping, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin, North Korea's Kim Jong-un, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, and officials from various countries across Asia, Africa, and Latin America, including Cuba’s President Miguel Díaz-Canel and Nicaragua’s Laureano Ortega Murillo.

The United States has long taken credit for the defeat of the fascist Japanese empire, but this erases the enormous, heroic, 14-year contribution made by the Chinese people.

Although the United States was briefly allied with the USSR and China during WWII and provided substantial military support via the 1941 Lend-Lease Act, Washington quickly ended that alliance in 1945.

In fact, even before WWII officially concluded, the United States had begun recruiting fascists to aid in waging the First Cold War. US intelligence agencies facilitated the escape of many Nazi war criminals through the notorious Operation Paperclip. Rather than facing justice, these genocidaires helped Washington in its later confrontations with the Soviet Union and its communist allies in Eastern Europe.

Later, the CIA and NATO established Operation Gladio, hiring fascist war criminals as foot soldiers in their global imperialist campaign against socialism. Adolf Heusinger, a former top Nazi military officer, was appointed as the chair of NATO’s military committee, while former Nazi Hans Speidel became the commander of NATO’s land forces in Central Europe.

The United States rehabilitated Nazi war criminal Reinhard Gehlen, who led Hitler’s military intelligence on the Eastern Front during WWII and later headed the CIA-supported Gehlen Organization to assist Washington in its Cold War efforts against communists.

The United States did not defeat fascism; it restructured and integrated fascism into the capitalist empire that Washington established after WWII, centered in Wall Street and powered by the dollar.

In 2016, the modern German government released the findings of the Rosenberg project, a study examining classified documents from 1950 to 1973. It revealed that during the Cold War's peak, West Germany's government—then part of NATO—was staffed by numerous former Nazis.

In fact, 77% of senior officials in West Germany’s Justice Ministry had been Nazis. Ironically, there was a lower percentage of Nazi Party members in the Justice Ministry in Berlin when Adolf Hitler himself was in charge of the Third Reich.

Likewise, in Japan following WWII, US occupation authorities freed Japanese war criminals from prison and employed them to establish an imperial client regime. The CIA played a role in founding and financing the influential Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has largely functioned as a ruling one-party system in Japan since 1955, with limited exceptions.

Notorious war criminal Nobusuke Kishi oversaw genocidal crimes against humanity targeting the Chinese people as an administrator of Japan's puppet regime in Manchuria, Manchukuo, during WWII. After the war, the United States strongly supported Kishi, who led the LDP, established the de facto one-party state, and became prime minister of Japan.

Even today, the Kishi dynasty remains one of Japan's most influential families. Shinzo Abe, Kishi’s grandson, led the LDP and served as prime minister from 2012 to 2020, aligning Japan closely with the United States, while opposing China and rewriting WWII history.

In summary, following the Soviet Union and China’s efforts to defeat fascism in WWII, the US empire later recruited fascists to combat socialism worldwide.

It is crucial to understand these facts and set the record straight today, as 2025 marks the 80th anniversary of WWII's end, and it’s evident that the West has not fully learned the right lessons.

The planet continues to suffer from severe imperial violence and is nearer than ever to another world war.

The United States and Israel have been engaging in actions that many describe as genocide against the Palestinian people in Gaza, with atrocities that evoke comparisons to the crimes against humanity committed by fascists during WWII.

Fascism has its roots in European colonialism. The genocidal tactics that the fascists inside Europe later used were the same as those used by the European empires in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

Nazi leader Adolf Hitler drew inspiration from the genocidal actions of the German empire in southern Africa and the genocide carried out by US colonists against indigenous peoples in North America. Additionally, the Nazis were influenced by the racist laws of the US government targeting Black Americans, exemplified by the Jim Crow apartheid system.

Given the strong ties between fascism and Western imperialism, it is not surprising that the US regime is increasingly taking on fascist characteristics. Washington politicians often blame immigrants and foreigners for various domestic issues, such as rising inequality, poverty, and homelessness. Their only responses seem to be more violence, racism, and war.

The growing political desperation and instability in Washington are mixing with the greed of US corporations within the military-industrial complex. These companies profit from war and are therefore motivated to promote more conflict rather than peace.

The United States, as NATO's leader, has been conducting a proxy war against Russia in Ukraine, involving the Ukrainian people as pawns in an imperial conflict. This tragic effort has destroyed an entire generation of Ukrainians in a futile attempt to uphold US global dominance.

The US has also employed its Israeli ally to fight against the Iranian people, aiming to topple Tehran's revolutionary government and install a puppet regime, similar to the previous king, the shah, who was supported by Washington.

Currently, the US empire's primary focus is on the People’s Republic of China. US imperialists see China as the sole nation capable of challenging and potentially defeating Washington’s global dominance.

The US empire is conducting a Second Cold War against China, utilizing various tactics in this hybrid conflict. It imposes sanctions and tariffs to fight economically, controls the dollar system in financial warfare, and uses media to disseminate disinformation and fake news as elements of an information war.

A key element of the US empire’s approach in this information war is to diminish the Chinese people’s significant role in defeating fascism and imperialism during WWII.

This is why it's essential to defend the facts and teach accurate WWII history today. If we fail to correct the historical record, fascists and imperialists in the 21st century could exploit ignorance, enabling them to commit similar crimes as their ideological predecessors from the 20th century.

BUILDING THE BRIDGE! | A WAY TO GET TO KNOW THE OTHER AND ONE ANOTHER

Making a Difference – The Means, Methods, and Mechanisms for Many to Move Mountains

Photo Credit: Abraham A. van Kempen, our home away from home on the Dead Sea

By Abraham A. van Kempen
Senior Editor

Updated 19 January 2024

Those who commit to 'healing our broken humanity' build intercultural bridges to learn to know and understand one another and others. Readers who thumb through the Building the Bridge (BTB) pages are not mindless sheep following other mindless sheep.

They THINK!

• They want to be at the forefront of making a difference.
• They're seeking the bigger picture to expand their horizons.
• They don't need BTB or anyone else to confirm their biases.

Making a Difference – The Means, Methods, and Mechanisms for Many to Move Mountains

Accurate knowledge fosters understanding, dispels prejudice, and sparks a desire to learn more about the subject. Words have an extraordinary power to bring people together, divide them, forge bonds of friendship, or provoke hostility. Modern technology offers unprecedented possibilities for good, fostering harmony and reconciliation. Yet, its misuse can cause untold harm, leading to misunderstandings, prejudices, and conflicts.

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The views expressed are solely those of the author and may or may not reflect those of the Building the Bridge Foundation