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Emperor Taizong of Liao

Emperor Taizong of Liao (25 November 902 – 18 May 947), personal name Yaogu, sinicised name Yelü Deguang, courtesy name Dejin, was the second emperor of the Khitan-led Liao dynasty of China.

Background
Yelü Deguang was born in 902, before the founding of the Liao dynasty. His father was the Yelü clan chieftain Yelü Abaoji, and his mother was Yelü Abaoji's wife Shulü Ping; he was their second son. As a young adult, he was described by the History of Liao as serious in his appearance and kind in his disposition, and often participating in his parents' governance of the state.

In 922, by which time Yelü Abaoji was the emperor of the Liao dynasty, Yelü Deguang was given the title of Generalissimo of All Forces (天下兵馬大元帥, Tianxia Bingma Da Yuanshuai), and he was put in charge of commanding incursions into the territory of Khitan's southern neighbor Former Jin. In 923, under him, Liao forces captured Jin's Ping Prefecture (平州, in modern Qinhuangdao, Hebei), and also defeated the Huxun Tribe (胡遜) of the Xi. It was said that he later followed Emperor Taizu in defeating the Khitan Jueli Tribes (厥里), forcing the submission of the Dangxiang tribes in the Ordos Loop region, conquering the garrisons of the Hexi Corridor region, capturing the capital of the Gansu Uyghur Kingdom, defeating Balhae, and destroying the Dalugu Tribes (達盧骨).

In 926, Emperor Taizu decided to conquer Balhae. In a campaign, he captured the important Balhae city Fuyu (夫餘, in modern Siping, Jilin). (This appeared to have ended the Balhae state, even though Emperor Taizu did not at this time capture Balhae's capital Longquan.) Emperor Taizu set up a Dongdan Kingdom over the old Balhae territory, with its capital at Fuyu, and made Yelü Deguang's older brother Yelü Bei its king, with the title of "Imperial King of Man" (人皇王, Ren Huangwang), echoing the titles used by himself ("Imperial Emperor of Heaven," 天皇帝, Tian Huangdi) and his wife (Yelü Bei's mother) Empress Shulü ("Imperial Empress of Earth," 地皇后, Di Huanghou). He gave Yelü Deguang the title of "Generalissimo Crown Prince" and made Yelü Deguang in charge of the Liao capital Linhuang (臨潢), which Yelü Bei had previously been in charge of.

Shortly after conquering Fuyu, however, Emperor Taizu fell ill and died while still at Fuyu. Empress Shulü took over effective leadership of the Liao dynasty, and she and Yelü Bei began the trek of escorting Emperor Taizu's casket back to Linhuang, leaving one of Emperor Taizu's younger brother Yelü Anduan (耶律安端) temporarily in charge at Dongdan. Once then returned to Linhuang, she wanted to divert the succession away from Yelü Bei, as she had favored Yelü Deguang. However, formally, she called an assembly of the chieftains, along with Yelü Bei and Yelü Deguang, and stated to them, "I love both of my sons, and I do not know which one to make emperor. You can decide which one you wish to support by holding his rein." The chieftains, knowing that she favored Yelü Deguang, rushed to him and held to his rein. She thereafter declared him emperor (as Emperor Taizong). Yelü Bei, angry over this turn of events, took several hundred soldiers and wanted to flee to Later Tang (Jin's successor state), but was intercepted by Liao border guards. Empress Shulü did not punish him, but sent him to Dongdan.

Initial years of reign
Emperor Taizong honored his mother Empress Shulü as empress dowager, and created his wife Lady Xiao Wen, who was a niece of Empress Shulü's, empress. It was said that he was filially pious toward his mother, such that if the empress dowager were ill and unable to eat, he would also not eat, and that if his mother were displeased at him, he would not dare to meet her until her temper had been soothed.

In 930, Emperor Taizong created his younger brother Yelü Lihu crown prince. Later in the year, apparently in reaction to being bypassed again, Yelü Bei fled from Dongdan to Khitan's southern neighbor Later Tang (Jin's successor state).

In 935, Empress Xiao, after giving birth to her and Emperor Taizong's second son Yelü Yanchege (耶律罨撤葛), fell ill and died. There would not be another empress during the rest of Emperor Taizong's reign.

During Later Jin's establishment
As of 936, Later Tang was embroiled in internal strife, as then-emperor Li Congke was suspicious that his brother-in-law Shi Jingtang the military governor (Jiedushi) of Hedong Circuit (河東, headquartered in modern Taiyuan, Shanxi), would rebel against him. At the advice of the imperial scholars Li Song and Lü Qi (呂琦), Li Congke considered entering an alliance with the Khitan to ward off the possibility that Shi would seek aid from Khitan. However, when another imperial scholar, Xue Wenyu (薛文遇), argued against it by predicting that Emperor Taizong would demand a marriage alliance, Li Congke changed his mind and never made the alliance proposal.

Not long after, in summer 936, Li Congke, under Xue's suggestion, issued an edict moving Shi from Hedong to Tianping Circuit (天平, headquartered in modern Tai'an, Shandong). This caused Shi to fear that he would be executed if he left Hedong, and so he rebelled. With Li Congke then sending an army, commanded by Zhang Jingda, to attack Hedong, Shi sent emissaries to Khitan to request aid, promising that, if Emperor Taizong would support him as the emperor of China, to serve Emperor Taizong as a father and to cede Lulong Circuit (盧龍, headquartered in modern Beijing) and Hedong's prefectures north of the Yanmen Pass to Khitan. When Shi's emissaries arrived at the Khitan court, Emperor Taizong was pleased, and he stated to Empress Dowager Shulü, "Your son had dreamt that Master Shi would be sending messengers here. Now it has happened.  This was the will of heaven." He sent a reply that he would lead his entire empire's forces to aid Shi in the fall.

Meanwhile, Zhang put Hedong's capital Taiyuan under siege. Taiyuan was running low on food supplies, but its defenses held. In late fall, Emperor Taizong himself commanded 50,000 cavalry soldiers (but claimed publicly that it was 300,000) and headed for Taiyuan. When he arrived at Taiyuan's outskirts, Shi urged caution and not immediate engagement, but Emperor Taizong did not listen. Rather, he engaged Zhang's army immediately, crushing it and lifting the siege on Taiyuan. The remnants of Zhang's army took up position at Jin'an Base (晉安寨), near Taiyuan, but the combined Khitan/Hedong forces then put it under siege. While continuing to siege the Later Tang forces at Jin'an, Emperor Taizong created Shi emperor, having his state known as Jin (referred to by later historians as Later Jin. As part of Shi's enthronement announcement, he announced the agreement to cede Lulong and parts of Hedong, for a total of 16 prefectures, to Khitan, as well as to submit a large amount of silk each year as tribute.

Li Congke ordered Zhao Dejun the military governor of Lulong to command another army to rescue Zhang at Jin'an, but Zhao himself wanted Emperor Taizong's support to be emperor of China, and therefore halted some distance away at Tuanbo Valley (團柏谷, in modern Jinzhong, Shanxi), while he sent secret emissaries to Emperor Taizong's camp, negotiating with him. Zhao, who submitted bribes of gold and silk to Emperor Taizong, promised the terms of being fraternal states with Khitan and that Shi would be allowed to retain Hedong. As Zhao's army was still a strong one, Emperor Taizong was enticed. Shi, hearing of this, sent his close advisor Sang Weihan to plead with Emperor Taizong, arguing that the Khitan/Later Jin forces would prevail and that he should not turn his back on Shi. Emperor Taizong, after consideration, agreed with Sang and rejected Zhao's overture.

After Jin'an had been under siege for three months and ran out of supplies, Zhang's deputy Yang Guangyuan assassinated Zhang and surrendered the remaining Later Tang army, which Emperor Taizong turned over to Shi. Then they began to march toward the Later Tang capital Luoyang. With Yang having surrendered, Zhao's army lost its morale and also collapsed, and Zhao surrendered. At that time, Li Congke, who had himself led another Later Tang relief force northward, decided to return to Luoyang, but once he returned to Luoyang saw that the morale was crumbling and that many more generals were already surrendering to the combined Khitan/Later Jin forces. Emperor Taizong escorted Shi to Lu Prefecture (潞州, in modern Changzhi, Shanxi), and then, citing his belief that the Han Chinese would panic if Khitan forces actually arrived at Luoyang, stayed at Lu while Shi approached Luoyang. Li Congke, finding the situation hopeless, committed suicide with his family. Prior to the suicide, he had Emperor Taizong's older brother Yelü Bei executed. Shi entered Luoyang and established his authority there. He had Yelü Bei's casket escorted with honor back to Khitan.

After Later Jin's takeover of central China
Emperor Taizong returned to Khitan proper with a number of Later Tang generals that he had detained. He also established Lulong's capital You Prefecture (幽州) as the southern capital, to facilitate the governance of the newly received 16 prefectures. He respected the captured official Zhang Li and listened to much of Zhang's advice.

In 937, Xu Gao, the regent of Later Jin's southeastern neighbor Wu sent an emissary to Khitan to try to establish friendly relations. Emperor Taizong also sent an emissary to Wu in return. Later in the year, Emperor Taizong changed the name of his state from Khitan to Liao. He modeled his government after Chinese states', and made Zhao Dejun's son Zhao Yanshou a chief of staff (Shumishi) and chancellor. Later, after Xu seized the Wu throne and established Southern Tang as its emperor, he continued friendly relations with Liao, but on one occasion decided to assassinate the Liao emissary once the Liao emissary crossed into Later Jin territory, hoping to blame Later Jin for the assassination and disrupt Liao and Later Jin relations.

Meanwhile, Shi Jingtang, as Later Jin's emperor, continued to be very submissive to Liao. In 938, he offered honorific titles to Emperor Taizong and Empress Dowager Shulü, and sent his senior officials Feng Dao and Liu Xu to the Liao court to officially present the titles. During Shi's reign as Later Jin's emperor, he referred to himself as "subject" and "son," while referring to Emperor Taizong as "father emperor." Whenever Emperor Taizong issued edicts to him, he would receive them in a side hall rather than his own imperial hall, to show respect. Whenever at the Liao emperor's and empress dowager's birthdays or the deaths of key Liao officials, he would often present gifts, including also to Empress Dowager Shulü, Yelü Lihu, Yelü Anduan, the two chancellors in charge of Liao's southern and northern branches of government, and key Han officials such as Zhao Yanshou and Han Yanhui. Further, even when Emperor Taizong sent arrogantly-worded edicts, Shi would respond meekly. Therefore, throughout Shi's reign, there would be no disputes between Liao and Later Jin.

In late 938, Shi, fearing that Yang Guangyuan, then the military governor of Tianxiong Circuit (天雄, headquartered in modern Handan, Hebei), would be difficult to control, and therefore divided Tianxiong and moved Yang to be the military governor of Heyang Circuit (河陽, headquartered in modern Luoyang, Henan) and the defender of Luoyang. It was said that after this movement, Yang began to be resentful of the Later Jin imperial government and entered into secret communications with the Liao court.

In 939, fearing that An Chongrong the military governor of Chengde Circuit (成德, headquartered in modern Shijiazhuang, Hebei) would rebel, Shi moved An's potential ally Huangfu Yu (皇甫遇) the military governor of the neighboring Yiwu Circuit (義武, headquartered in modern Baoding, Hebei) to Zhaoyi Circuit (昭義, headquartered at Lu Prefecture). Emperor Taizong tried to use this opportunity to inject himself into the commissioning of Yiwu's military governor, proposing that the Liao official Wang Wei (王威), whose father Wang Chuzhi had previously ruled Yiwu in alliance with Later Tang's predecessor state Jin, be made Yiwu's military governor. When Shi refused (based on the rationale that Wang needed to go through several layers of promotions to qualify (from prefect to military prefect to defender to military governor), Emperor Taizong sent back the angry response of, "How many layers of promotion did you go through from being military governor to be the Son of Heaven?" Shi, in fear, sent a rich tribute and promised to make Wang Chuzhi's grandnephew Wang Tingyin (王廷胤) Yiwu's military governor.  That somewhat placated Emperor Taizong.

An Chongrong, in addition to considering a rebellion against Later Jin, was particularly hostile to Liao. Whenever Liao emissaries passed through Chengde, he would curse them and sometimes even kill them. In 940, he seized a Liao emissary, and then submitted an arrogantly-worded petition to Shi, demanding that he terminate his submissiveness to Liao and turn against Liao for its mistreatment of the Chinese people. Sang secretly pointed out to Shi that turning against Liao could not yield any benefit — and, in his evaluation of Emperor Taizong, referred to Emperor Taizong as being "more intelligent and brave than other people." Shi listened to Sang, and instead tried to persuade An against provocative behaviors against Liao. He also sent Yang Yanxun (楊彥詢) the military governor of Anguo Circuit (安國, headquartered in modern Xingtai, Hebei) as an emissary to Liao, to explain to Emperor Taizong, who was angry over An's killing of Liao emissaries, to explain that An's provocative behavior did not reflect a chance in Later Jin's overall submission.

In winter 941, An Chongrong's ally, An Congjin the military governor of Shannan East Circuit (山南東道, headquartered in modern Xiangyang, Hubei) rebelled against Later Jin. Shortly after, An Chongrong, hearing of An Congjin's rise, also did so. The Later Jin army against An Chongrong, commanded by Shi's brother-in-law Du Chongwei, quickly defeated An Chongrong, and An Chongrong was killed by his own officers. Shi had An Chongrong's head delivered to Liao. (An Congjin, however, would not be destroyed until shortly after Shi's own death.)

Despite An Chongrong's defeat, Emperor Taizong continued to send emissaries to Later Jin, rebuking Shi for the fact that Tuyuhun tribesmen, whose grazing lands were part of the territory ceded by Later Jin to Liao, were often defecting from Liao back to Later Jin. It was said that this caused Shi much fear and caused him to fall ill. In summer 942, he died. After a discussion between Feng Dao and the Later Jin imperial guard general Jing Yanguang, they decided that the state needed an older emperor, so instead of supporting Shi's youngest and only surviving son Shi Chongrui (石重睿) as Later Jin's emperor, they supported his adoptive son and biological nephew Shi Chonggui, who was an adult, as Later Jin's emperor.

Initial deterioration of relations
Shortly after Shi Chonggui's succession to the Later Jin throne, the tone of the Liao-Later Jin relationship began to change, as Shi Chonggui, at Jing Yanguang's advice and against Li Song's, did not submit a petition but rather sent a letter to the Liao court to announce his succession, essentially declaring the states equal. Moreover, in the letter, he did not refer to himself as "subject" but only as "grandson." This caused Emperor Taizong to be angry and respond, "How do you dare not to first report to me before taking the throne?" Jing authored an insolent response on Shi's behalf. Thereafter, Zhao Yanshou, who was then Liao's military governor of Lulong, began to advocate that Emperor Taizong attack Later Jin, hoping that Emperor Taizong would replace Shi with Zhao himself. Emperor Taizong began to be enticed.

Meanwhile, Jing upped the hostility by arresting Qiao Rong (喬榮), the Liao commerce officer stationed at Later Jin's capital Kaifeng, and seizing Liao's commercial assets. Further, the Liao merchants were arrested and killed. When Qiao was released later in the year and allowed to return to Liao, Jing gave him an arrogant speech:

"Tell your master: the deceased emperor [(i.e., Shi Jingtang)] was placed in his position by the northern dynasty [(i.e., Liao)], and that is why he claimed himself to be a subject and submitted reports. The current emperor was placed in his position by China itself. The only reason why he subordinated himself to the northern dynasty is that he did not forget the alliance the deceased emperor entered.  It was enough for him to claim himself to be a grandson; there is no reason for him to claim himself to be a subject.  The emperor of the northern dynasty should not be deluded by Zhao Yanshou such that he insults China.  You have seen the soldiers and horses that China possesses.  If the grandfather is angry, he can come and battle us.  The grandson has 100,000 sharpened swords waiting for him.  If he were defeated by his grandson, he would become the laughing stock of the entire world. Do not forget this!"

As Qiao feared that Emperor Taizong would blame him for the loss of the Liao wealth, he flattered Jing and requested that Jing write his words down on paper. Jing had his secretary write down the words and give them to Qiao. When Qiao presented them to Emperor Taizong, Emperor Taizong was incensed, and therefore became resolute that he would attack Later Jin. He had the Later Jin emissaries detained at You Prefecture and refused to see them himself. Even though Sang Weihan repeatedly suggested that Shi Chonggui revert to subservience to Liao to avoid a war, Jing repeatedly stopped Shi from doing so.

By winter 943, Yang Guangyuan, who was then Later Jin's military governor of Pinglu Circuit (平盧, headquartered in modern Weifang, Shandong), was in a mutually-suspicious relationship with the Later Jin imperial government, and, while he had not yet rebelled, was in communication with Emperor Taizong, urging him to attack Later Jin due to Shi's defiant behavior. Emperor Taizong thereafter gave Zhao 50,000 soldiers from Lulong and Datong (大同, headquartered in modern Datong, Shanxi) Circuits, asking him to manage the campaign to capture central China, stating to him, "If you gained it, I will make you emperor." He also often stated to the Han people in pointing to Zhao, "This is your Lord."

Liao incursions into Later Jin territory
In spring 944, Emperor Taizong made a major incursion into Later Jin territory, using Zhao Yanshou and Zhao Yanzhao (趙延照) as his forward commanders. The Liao forces first captured Bei Prefecture (貝州, in modern Xingtai, Hebei), and then grouped near Yedu (鄴都, capital of the former Tianxiong Circuit). Shi Chonggui tried to respond diplomatically, but his emissaries could not get through the Liao army and reach Emperor Taizong to deliver his letters. He also sent a number of generals to respond, with Jing Yanguang in effective command of the overall operations, but also himself went to the frontline. The second Liao thrust, led by Yelü Andu toward Hedong, however, was repelled by Hedong's military governor Liu Zhiyuan. Later Jin's prefect of Bo Prefecture (博州, in modern Liaocheng, Shandong), Zhou Ru (周儒), who was in secret communications with Yang Guangyuan, surrendered Bo to Liao forces, and encouraged them to cross the Yellow River at Majiakou (馬家口, in modern Liaocheng), to join forces with Yang. Jing was convinced by Yan Kan (顏衎) the acting military governor of Tianping that if Liao forces were able to cross the river, disaster would ensue, so the Later Jin imperial forces concentrated on battling Liao forces at Majiakou to prevent them from successfully crossing, and were able to do so. In anger, Liao forces slaughtered Han civilians that they had captured, which led to fiercer resistance from the populace. Later in spring 944, the armies commanded by the two emperors confronted each other near Yedu, but did not engage each other. Eventually, the Liao forces withdrew, pillaging as it went along over Later Jin's territory north of the Yellow River. Yang led his own troops west from Pinglu's capital Qing Prefecture (青州), and tried to meet the Liao forces at the Yellow River, but by the time he reached there, Liao forces had already left. Shi then sent the imperial guard general Li Shouzhen to attack Yang, and in winter 944, Yang's son Yang Chengxun (楊承勳) put his father under house arrest and surrendered. (Yang Guangyuan was later secretly killed on Shi's orders.)

In winter 944, Emperor Taizong again made a major incursion into Later Jin territory, using Zhao Yanshou as his forward commander. Shi was initially going to lead the Later Jin army himself, but fell ill at that time. He sent a number of generals to try to cut off the Liao army movement, but then, in fear of the Liao army's strengths, pulled back to the Yedu region, allowing the Liao army to advance unimpeded to Yedu, pillaging the Later Jin territory as it went along. However, the Liao army then withdrew in spring 945. As the Liao army withdrew, Shi sent Du Wei (i.e., Du Chongwei, who changed his name to observe naming taboo for Shi) and Li in command of an army to give chase. They crossed into Liao territory and captured Qi (祁州) and Tai (泰州) (both in modern Baoding), but soon received news that the Liao army had turned around and was heading for them. They tried to withdraw, but became surrounded near Yangcheng (陽城, in modern Baoding). Du panicked and was reluctant to engage the Liao army, but at Fu Yanqing's advocacy, Fu, Zhang Yanze, Yao Yuanfu (藥元福), and Huangfu Yu (皇甫遇), attacked the Liao army fiercely, causing the Liao army to panic and flee. After Emperor Taizong was able to regroup at You, he caned each of the chieftains who were part of the operation several hundred times, with only Zhao Yanshou escaping punishment.

It was described that, by this point, the incessant Liao incursions were rendering Later Jin's imperial army fatigued and its border regions desolate. Liao itself had also suffered many casualties to its soldiers and animals, and the Khitan people tired of the campaigns. Empress Dowager Shulü tried to urge Emperor Taizong into a more conciliatory posture with Later Jin. Meanwhile, Sang Weihan, who had taken over much of the military responsibility from Jing by this point, also was urging Shi to take a reconciliatory approach. In summer 945, Shi sent the emissary Zhang Hui (張暉) to the Liao court, apologizing and begging forgiveness. Emperor Taizong responded, "Send Sang Weihan and Jing Yanguang to come see us, and cede the two circuits of Zhen (鎮州, i.e., Chengde, as Zhen was the capital of Chengde, now renamed Shunguo (順國)) and Ding (定州, i.e., Yiwu, as Ding was the capital of Yiwu) to us, then there will be peace." Shi found the response insulting, and cut off further communications. He considered an alliance with Goryeo's King Taejo against Liao, but then found out that Goryeo lacked the strength to attack Liao, and so abandoned the idea.

Liao's destruction of Later Jin
In 946, there were rumors that Zhao Yanshou was planning on defecting to Later Jin. This rumor was believed by the Later Jin chiefs of staff Li Song and Feng Yu. They had Du Wei write a letter to Zhao, encouraging him to do so, with the officer Zhao Xingshi (趙行實), who had previously served under Zhao Yanshou, delivering the letter. Zhao Yanshou wrote back (to try to lead Later Jin forces into a trap), stating, "I have long been in a foreign land, and I want to return to China. Please launch a major army to support me, so that I can pull myself out and return with it." Subsequently, under Emperor Taizong's orders, Liao's prefect of Ying Prefecture (瀛州, in modern Cangzhou, Hebei), Liu Yanzuo (劉延祚), also offered to defect to Later Jin. Shi thus put Du and Li Shouzhen in command of an army to attack north, with the stated objectives being to first recapture the prefectures previously ceded to Liao, and then to destroy Liao. When Du and Li advanced, though, they were met by a large army that Emperor Taizong personally commanded. The Liao army eventually surrounded the Later Jin army at Zhongdu Bridge (中度橋, in modern Baoding). After Emperor Taizong made the promise to Du to make him emperor if he surrendered, Du and Li surrendered their army. Emperor Taizong had Zhao comfort the Later Jin soldiers and told him that the Later Jin army was now his, and then prepared to advance south. With virtually the entire Later Jin army having been given to Du and Li for this northern campaign, then-Later Jin capital Daliang was left essentially defenseless, and Shi Chonggui felt compelled to surrender, ending Later Jin. Emperor Taizong subsequently entered Daliang.

Temporary rule over central China
Emperor Taizong declared himself the emperor of China as well, reneging on his promises to Zhao Yanshou and Du Chongwei. He gave Shi Chonggui the title of Marquess of Fuyi (i.e., "marquess who turned against righteousness) and moved Shi and Shi's family to a desolate part of Liao proper, away from Shi's old realm. Nearly all of Later Jin's officials and military governors submitted petitions to him, acknowledging him as emperor, except for two circuits on the western periphery, whose military governors Shi Kuangwei (史匡威) and He Chongjian (何重建) refused to accept Liao rule.  Fearing of the strength that the old Later Jin imperial army still possessed, he considered slaughtering the soldiers, but as Zhao pointed out that doing so would merely open the Later Jin realms open to attack and occupation by Later Jin's southwestern neighbor Later Shu and southeastern neighbor Southern Tang, he decided against the idea.  He kept the Later Jin military governors who came to Daliang to pay him homage at Daliang, while commissioning a number of Liao generals (of both Khitan and Han ethnicities) to take over the circuits. Believing that his rule was firm, he spent much time feasting, and he stated to the former Later Jin officials, "We know everything there is to know about China, but you know nothing about our land." To congratulate him for this great victory, Empress Dowager Shulü sent wine, delicacies, and fruits from Khitan lands to Daliang. Whenever he drank the wine that she sent, he stood up and stated, "This was bestowed by the Empress Dowager. I do not dare to drink it sitting down."

However, in this jubilation, Emperor Taizong then carried out acts that alienated the people of the land that he just conquered. When Zhao pointed out that tax revenues needed to be collected to supply the Liao soldiers that came with Emperor Taizong, Emperor Taizong responded, "Our land has no such customs." Rather, he sent out the Liao soldiers into the countryside to pillage it, referring to it as "threshing the grass seeds" (打草穀). This caused many deaths of Han adults, and the Han young and old were forced to hide themselves in trenches to avoid the same fate. It was said that all civilian wealth and animals in a region that included Daliang and Luoyang, and Zheng (鄭州, in modern Zhengzhou, Henan), Hua (滑州, in modern Anyang, Henan), Cao (曹州, in modern Heze, Shandong), and Pu (濮州, in modern Puyang, Henan) were all destroyed. He also ordered that all in the capital, as well as in prefectures that he sent emissaries to, force the populace to turn over their wealths so that they could be (ostensibly) rewarded to the Liao soldiers, but in reality he planned to transport back to Liao proper. This led to resentment among the Han, and growing sentiment to expel the Liao forces.

One of the leading Later Jin military governors who, while submitting to Liao, did not go to Daliang to pay homage to him, was Liu Zhiyuan the military governor of Hedong, who made excuses to stay at Taiyuan but who also did not immediately declare resistance to Liao. Emperor Taizong tried to get him to commit by sending emissaries to him to award him a cane (which was only matched by what Emperor Taizong awarded to Yelü Anduan, as the emperor's uncle) and also having the emissaries state to him, "You did not serve the southern dynasty [(i.e., Later Jin, as Liu, while outwardly a vassal of Shi Chonggui's, made no attempt to save him)], and now you are not serving the northern dynasty [(i.e., Liao)]. What are you intending?" Meanwhile, Gao Conghui, the ruler of the semi-independent state of Jingnan, submitted tributes to Emperor Taizong, and Emperor Taizong sent awards of horses in return, but Gao also sent emissaries to Liu, encouraging him to declare himself emperor in resistance to Liao. Southern Tang's emperor Li Jing also sent emissaries to Emperor Taizong, congratulating him on destroying Later Jin, and requesting permission to send construction workers to repair the tombs of Tang emperors (as Li Jing claimed to be the legitimate successor to Tang). Emperor Taizong refused, but still sent emissaries to Southern Tang in response.

Meanwhile, with the original Later Jin-commissioned military governors no longer at their circuits, many circuits began to raise in rebellion against Liao, starting with Baoyi Circuit (保義, headquartered in modern Sanmenxia, Henan), whose officers assassinated the Liao-commissioned deputy military governor Liu Yuan (劉願) and supported one of their own, Zhao Hui (趙暉), in rebellion against Liao. Not long after, Liu Zhiyuan declared himself emperor at Hedong (initially without a new name for his state, but later known as Later Han. After Liu's declaration of himself as emperor, many of the circuits resisting Liao pledged allegiance to him.  This included many agrarian rebels, causing Emperor Taizong to lament, "I did not know that the Chinese people are this difficult to rule."  He sent some of the military governors back to their circuits with Liao soldiers escorting them, but was unable to stem these rebellions.

In late spring, tired of dealing with these rebellions, Emperor Taizong convened the officials at Daliang, stating to them, "It is soon to be summer. It is not easy for me to remain.  Let me return to the greater empire [(i.e., Liao proper)] for me to pay homage to the Empress Dowager.  I will leave a trusted person here to be the military governor." He prepared to take the entire Later Jin imperial administration's officials with him, but there were those who advised him that doing that may cause the situation at Daliang to go out of control, so he took only the highly honored officials with him, while leaving the rest at Daliang. He commissioned his brother-in-law (Empress Xiao Wen's brother) Xiao Han as the military governor of Xuanwu Circuit (宣武, headquartered at Daliang), and left Xiao in charge of Daliang, while withdrawing from Daliang himself.

Attempt to return to Liao proper and Death
As Emperor Taizong withdrew, as he crossed the Yellow River, he lamented, "When I was at the greater empire, I was pleased to shoot and hunt. I am, instead, saddened here without so.  Now as I am returning to the greater empire, I would not regret it even if I died." As he travelled past cities laid desolate by his army, he lamented, "The fact that I did all this to China was the fault of the Prince of Yan [(i.e., Zhao Yanshou)]." He also commented that it was also the contributions of his official Zhang Li.

Emperor Taizong's departure from Daliang, however, only continued to embolden the Han rebels, and soon, the key Yellow River ford of Heyang (河陽, in modern Luoyang) fell. When he heard of Heyang's fall, he lamented:

"I made three errors, such it was right that the realm is rebelling against me! First, I extracted the money from the circuits. Second, I let the soldiers from the greater empire thresh the grass seeds.  Third, I did not let the military governors return to their circuits quicker."

Meanwhile, when Emperor Taizong's train arrived at Lincheng (臨城, in modern Xingtai, he began to become ill. By the time that he reached Luancheng (欒城, in modern Shijiazhuang), his illness became worse, and he was running such a high fever such that he had ice stacked on his chest, abdomen, and limbs, and was chewing the ice, to try to relieve the fever.  Shortly after, he died.  The Khitan generals cut open his abdomen and stuffed it with salt, to allow continued transport north.  The Han sarcastically referred to him as "dried emperor."  The Khitan chieftains supported his nephew (Yelü Bei's son) Yelü Ruan to succeed him as emperor (as Emperor Shizong), and Emperor Shizong was able to take over the throne after fighting off challenges, first leveled by Zhao Yanshou, and then leveled by Empress Dowager Shulü and Yelü Lihu.  However, Liao was unable to retain the lands that Emperor Taizong seized from Later Jin, which eventually all became part of Liu Zhiyuan's Later Han state.

Family
Consort and issue(s):
 * Empress Jing'an, of the Xiao clan (靖安皇后 蕭氏, d. 18 February 953), personal name Wen (溫), Taizong's first cousin
 * Yelü Jing, Emperor Muzong (遼穆宗 耶律璟; 19 September 931 – 12 March 969), 1st son
 * Yelü Yanchege, Imperial Uncle Qinjing (欽靖皇太叔 耶律罨撒葛, 935 – 969), 2nd son
 * Palace lady, of the Xiao clan (宮人 蕭氏)
 * Yelü Tiande (耶律天德, d. 948), 3rd son
 * Yelü Dilie, Prince of Ji (冀王 耶律敵烈, d. 978), 4th son
 * Yelü Bishe, Prince of Yue (越王 耶律必攝, d. 973), 5th son
 * Unknown
 * Princess of Yan (燕國公主), personal name Lübugu (呂不古), 1 st daughter
 * Married Xiao Siwen (蕭思溫) and had issue (3 daughters including Empress Ruizhi)
 * Yelü Chaogui (耶律嘲瑰), 2nd daughter

title: Emperor Taizong of Liao


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Eugene Carson Blake

Eugene Carson Blake (November 7, 1906 – July 31, 1985) was an American Presbyterian Church leader.

From 1954 to 1957 he served as president of the National Council of Churches in the United States; from 1966 to 1972 he served as General Secretary of the World Council of Churches. He also helped organize and would subsequently participate in the 1963 March on Washington.

Life and career
Eugene Carson Blake was born in St. Louis, Missouri on November 7, 1906, the son of Lulu and Orville Prescott Blake. He graduated from Princeton University in 1928 with a Bachelor of Arts and the Princeton Theological Seminary in 1932 with a Bachelor of Theology. He would also attend classes at the University of Edinburgh.

From 1928 to 1929, he taught at the Forman Christian College in Lahore; from 1935 to 1951, he was the minister of Presbyterian churches in America, holding pastorates at churches in New York City and Albany, as well as serving as the Senior Minister of Pasadena Presbyterian Church in Pasadena for eleven years.

From 1951 to 1958, he was stated clerk of the General Assembly of the PCUSA, and of the United Presbyterian Church until 1966. He served as the president of the National Council of Churches from 1954 to 1957 and the General Secretary of the World Council of Churches in 1966. Blake retired from the World Council of Churches in 1972.

Blake became a trustee of Princeton Seminary in 1954.

Although an experienced and talented administrator, Eugene Carson Blake is best known for his forthright stand against racial segregation as well for his progressive stance on a number of issues affecting Protestant church denominations. In 1960, he preached a sermon calling for the unification of a number of major Protestant denominations into one separate church. This sermon is considered to be the impetus for the 40-year Consultation on Church Union ecumenical effort to unite ten mainline denominations.

In 1963, Martin Luther King Jr., Eugene Carson Blake, and eight other civil rights leaders called for a March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. King, Blake, and the other organizers met with President John F. Kennedy at the White House before the event, and subsequently participated in the demonstration, marching down Constitution Avenue with linked arms. At the Lincoln Memorial, Blake spoke to the marchers following A. Philip Randolph and before John Lewis. Martin Luther King gave his "I Have a Dream" speech a few minutes later.

Death
Blake died in 1985. He is buried in Stamford's Long Ridge Union Cemetery.

Archival collections
There are multiple collections of Eugene Carson Blake's papers at the Presbyterian Historical Society in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They include papers relating to his tenure as stated clerk of the General Assembly, correspondence and addresses, and personal papers from 1940-1966.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Eugene Carson Blake


text:
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User talk:Swiftfan

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Jefferson State Community College

Jefferson State Community College (informally Jeff State) is a public community college with multiple campuses in Alabama, including the Jefferson Campus in northeastern Birmingham, Alabama (eastern Jefferson County), the Shelby-Hoover Campus in northern Shelby County, the St. Clair-Pell City Campus in Pell City, and the Chilton-Clanton Campus in Clanton. It is the largest college in the Alabama Community College System.

Accreditation
Jefferson State is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to award the associate degree. Individual academic programs are nationally accredited by 10 different professional evaluating organizations

Huntingdon College offers a bachelor's degree program that has classes at two of Jeff State's campuses. The courses are accelerated so that students can attend class one night a week and complete their bachelor's degree in a traditional time frame. Classes last 5 weeks and students can receive financial aid through Huntingdon for this program.

History
Jefferson State Junior College was established on May 3, 1963, by an act of the State Legislature. The first students enrolled at Jeff State in September 1965. The Alabama State Board of Education officially changed the name of the school to Jefferson State Community College on February 23, 1989.

The original campus is located on 274 acre in Center Point, Alabama. The thirteen buildings that make up the campus are named for community benefactors (H.Y. and Ruby Carson, John B. Bethune, Harvey DeRamus, and Eugene Fitzgerald), elected officials (James B. Allen, George C. Wallace, Lurleen B. Wallace, and Harold C. Martin), and former Jeff State presidents (Leroy Brown and George L. Layton).

The college opened an extension center in Shelby County, Alabama in January 1993. In June 1996, the center was designated a branch campus by the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. The Shelby Campus in Hoover, Alabama has buildings on 60 acre and is adding a manufacturing center in late 2020.

In 2003, the Alabama State Board of Education revised the college's service area to include the western part of St. Clair County, Alabama. Classes began meeting at the St. Clair Center in Moody, Alabama in Fall 2003. On April 22, 2004, the board approved another instructional site for St. Clair County in Pell City, Alabama, and classes started meeting there in Fall 2004. With 50 acre deeded to the school by the St. Clair Economic Development Council, Jeff State constructed a new center in Pell City. The college offered classes in that three-story facility in Fall 2006.

In 2007, the Board again revised the college's service area to include Chilton County, Alabama and approved construction for a multipurpose instructional facility in Clanton, Alabama. The new center was completed and classes began in Fall 2008.

Jeff State has had four presidents: Dr. Leroy Brown (1964-1971), Dr. George L. Layton (1971-1979), Dr. Judy M. Merritt (1979-2014), and Keith Brown (2018–present; interim: 2014–2018)

Campuses
The Shelby-Hoover campus is in Shelby County, partially in the City of Hoover and partially in an unincorporated area. The Math-Science Building and the General Studies Building are in Hoover while the Health Science Building is located across the city line. The Birmingham Supplementary School Inc. (BSS, バーミングハム日本語補習校 Bāminguhamu Nihongo Hoshūkō), a part-time Japanese school, holds its classes at the Shelby-Hoover campus, while its office is at the Honda Manufacturing of Alabama, LLC facility in unincorporated Talladega County, near Lincoln. The school first opened on September 1, 2001.

Libraries
A fully stocked academic library is located at all four locations of Jeff State. The libraries contain over 135,000 items including books, periodicals, videos, and government documents. Access to over 52,000 electronic books and millions of articles is available through the library's website.

Facts
Jefferson State was also home to WJSR radio. The station went silent in 2014.

Approximately 10,004 students enrolled in 2010, the highest enrollment ever seen at the college.

Beta Lambda Delta, the Shelby Campus chapter of two year institution Honor's Society Phi Theta Kappa, came in as Fourth Alternate internationally in 2007, taking home 7 awards total. In 2008, the Beta Lambda Delta Chapter was named Most Distinguished Chapter International, the highest award available to a Phi Theta Kappa chapter. The chapter also received the award in 2009, the first time a chapter has taken the top honor two years in a row, in over 30 years.

Jeff State's Students in Free Enterprise, SIFE, Team received the second runner-up award at the SIFE Regional Competition in Atlanta, GA, on Monday, April 4, 2011.

title: Jefferson State Community College


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Expedition 13

Expedition 13 was the 13th expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), and launched at 02:30 UTC on 30 March 2006. The expedition used the Soyuz TMA-8 spacecraft, which stayed at the station for the duration of the expedition for emergency evacuation.

Astronaut Marcos Pontes launched with Expedition 13 on the Soyuz TMA-8 spacecraft and became the first Brazilian in space. He returned with Expedition 12 on Soyuz TMA-7 after a nine-day mission.

Thomas Reiter, from the European Space Agency, became part of the Expedition 13 crew in July 2006. Reiter was launched with the second "Return to Flight" mission on Discovery (STS-121) on 4 July 2006. Reiter became the first European long-duration crew member on the International Space Station when he officially joined the crew of the ISS at 19:13 UTC on 6 July 2006 upon the complete installation of his Soyuz spacecraft seat liner, allowing him to return to Earth aboard the docked Soyuz craft.

Reiter's arrival restored the station crew to three members for the first time since May 2003. The station's crew size had been reduced to two when shuttle flights were put on hold after the Space Shuttle Columbia accident on 1 February 2003.

Crew

Cosmonaut Dmitri Kondratyev was originally assigned to the flight but he was replaced by Reiter several months before launch.

Back-up crew

 * 🇷🇺 Fyodor Yurchikhin Commander and Soyuz Commander – RSA
 * 🇺🇸 Michael Fincke Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer – NASA
 * 🇫🇷 Léopold Eyharts Flight Engineer – ESA (France)

EVA 1
The first spacewalk for Expedition 13, performed by Pavel Vinogradov and Jeffrey Williams, began on 1 June, and ended on 2 June 2006.

It was originally scheduled to include a golf shot off the space station but the event was postponed to Expedition 14, as NASA was still evaluating the risks.

The spacewalk ran behind schedule, requiring an extra 50 minutes to be added to the length in order to complete the camera replacement. The EVA began 1 June, at 23:48 UTC and ended 2 June at 06:19 UTC, lasting 6 hours and 31 minutes. Other tasks during the walk included repair of a vent for the station's oxygen-producing Elektron unit, and retrieval of experiment packages.

EVA 2
The second spacewalk for Expedition 13 occurred on 3 August 2006. The spacewalk was performed by Jeffrey Williams and Thomas Reiter, it began at 14:04 UTC and ended at 19:58 UTC, for a duration of 5 hours and 54 minutes.

During the spacewalk the astronauts installed the Floating Potential Measurement Unit (FPMU), installed two Materials on Materials International Space Station Experiment (MISSE) containers, installed a controller for a thermal radiator rotary joint, replaced a computer and installed a starboard jumper and spool positioning device (SPD), inspected a radiator beam valve module and installed another, installed a port jumper and SPD, tested an infrared camera, installed a light on the truss railway handcart, replaced a malfunctioning GPS antenna, installed a vacuum system valve, moved two articulated portable foot restraints, photographed a scratch on the airlock hatch, and retrieved a ball stack for inspection from PMA-1.

title: Expedition 13


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User:Pekinensis/most beautiful women with Wikipedia articles

 * 1) Felicity Kendal
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Collective Security Treaty Organization

The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) is an intergovernmental military alliance in Eurasia consisting of six post-Soviet states: Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, and Tajikistan, formed in 2002. The Collective Security Treaty has its origins in the Soviet Armed Forces, which was replaced in 1992 by the United Armed Forces of the Commonwealth of Independent States, and was then itself replaced by the successor armed forces of the respective independent states.

Similar to Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and the Inter-American Treaty of Reciprocal Assistance, Article 4 of the Collective Security Treaty (CST) establishes that an aggression against one signatory would be perceived as an aggression against all. The 2002 CSTO charter reaffirmed the desire of all participating states to abstain from the use or threat of force. Signatories are prohibited from joining other military alliances.

Operational procedures
Similar to NATO, the CSTO maintains a Parliamentary Assembly.

CSTO employs a "rotating presidency" system in which the country leading the CSTO alternates every year.

In order to deploy military bases of a third country in the territory of the CSTO member-states, it is necessary to obtain the official consent of all its members.

Military exercises
The CSTO holds yearly military command exercises for the CSTO nations to have an opportunity to improve inter-organizational cooperation. The largest of such exercises was held in Southern Russia and central Asia in 2011, consisting of more than 10,000 troops and 70 combat aircraft.

Peacekeeping force
The Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) maintains a peacekeeping force that has been deployed to areas of conflict, including Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. The force is composed of troops from member states and is designed to provide stability and security in the region.

On 6 October 2007, CSTO members agreed to a major expansion of the organization that would create a CSTO peacekeeping force that could deploy under a United Nations mandate or without one in its member states. The expansion would also allow all members to purchase Russian weapons at the same price as Russia.

In January 2022, the CSTO deployed 2,000 of its peacekeepers to Kazakhstan to quell the local unrest.

Collective Rapid Reaction Force
On 4 February 2009, an agreement to create the Collective Rapid Reaction Force (KSOR) (Russian: Коллекти́вные си́лы операти́вного реаги́рования (КСОР)) was reached by five of the seven members, with plans finalized on 14 June. The force is intended to be used to repulse military aggression, conduct anti-terrorist operations, fight transnational crime and drug trafficking, and neutralize the effects of natural disasters.

Belarus and Uzbekistan initially refrained from signing on to the agreement. Belarus did so because of a trade dispute with Russia, and Uzbekistan due to general concerns. Belarus signed the agreement the following October, while Uzbekistan has never done so. A source in the Russian delegation said Uzbekistan would not participate in the collective force on a permanent basis but would "delegate" its detachments to take part in operations on an ad hoc basis.

On 3 August 2009, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan criticized plans by Russia to establish a military base in southern Kyrgyzstan for the CSTO rapid reaction force, stating, "The implementation of such projects on complex and unpredictable territory, where the borders of three Central Asian republics directly converge, may give impetus to the strengthening of militarization processes and initiate all kinds of nationalistic confrontations. […] Also, it could lead to the appearance of radical extremist forces that could lead to serious destabilization in this vast region."

Foundation
On 15 May 1992, six post-Soviet states belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States — Russia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan—signed the Collective Security Treaty (also referred to as the Tashkent Pact or Tashkent Treaty). Three other post-Soviet states—Azerbaijan, Belarus, and Georgia—signed in 1993 and the treaty took effect in 1994. The CST was set to last for a 5-year period unless extended. On 2 April 1999, six of the nine—all but Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Uzbekistan—agreed to renew the treaty for five more years. At the same time, Uzbekistan joined the GUAM group, established in 1997 by Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, and Moldova, and largely seen as intending to counter Russian influence in the region.

The CSTO was founded in 2002 when the six member states agreed to create the Collective Security Treaty Organization as a military alliance. As an attempt to develop a successor alliance to the Warsaw Pact, the CSTO is comparatively weak.

2003 to 2012
In 2004 the CSTO was granted Observer status in the UN General Assembly.

During 2005, the CSTO partners conducted some common military exercises.

Uzbekistan withdrew from GUAM in 2005 and joined the CSTO in 2006 as a full member and its membership was later ratified by the Uzbek parliament on 28 March 2008.

In October 2007, the CSTO signed an agreement with the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), in the Tajik capital of Dushanbe, to broaden cooperation on issues such as security, crime, and drug trafficking.

On 6 October 2007, CSTO members agreed to a major expansion of the organization that would create a CSTO peacekeeping force that could deploy under a U.N. mandate or without one in its member states. The expansion would also allow all members to purchase Russian weapons at the same price as Russia.

On 29 August 2008, Russia announced it would seek CSTO recognition of the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Three days earlier, on 26 August, Russia recognized the independence of Georgia's breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

In 2009, Belarus boycotted the CSTO summit due to their Milk War with Russia. After refusing to attend a CSTO summit in 2009, Lukashenko said: "Why should my men fight in Kazakhstan? Mothers would ask me why I sent their sons to fight so far from Belarus. For what? For a unified energy market? That is not what lives depend on. No!"

After Kurmanbek Bakiyev was ousted from office as President of Kyrgyzstan as a result of riots in Kyrgyzstan in April 2010, he was granted asylum in Belarus. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko expressed doubt about the future of the CSTO for failing to prevent Bakiyev's overthrow, stating: "What sort of organization is this one, if there is bloodshed in one of our member states and an anticonstitutional coup d'état takes place, and this body keeps silent?"

Lukashenko had previously accused Russia of punishing Belarus with economic sanctions after Lukashenko's refusal to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, stating: "The economy serves as the basis for our common security. But if Belarus's closest CSTO ally is trying ... to destroy this basis and de facto put the Belarusians on their knees, how can one talk about consolidating collective security in the CSTO space?"

During a trip to Ukraine to extend Russia's lease of the Crimean port Sevastopol in return for discounted natural gas supplies, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev was asked about whether Belarus could expect a similar deal and responded: "Real partnership is one thing and a declaration of intentions is another; reaching agreement on working seriously, meeting each other halfway, helping each other is one thing and making decisions about granting permanent residence to people who have lost their job is another." The Belarusian President defended himself against this criticism by citing former Russian President Vladimir Putin's invitation of Askar Akayev to Russia after he was ousted as President of Kyrgyzstan during the 2005 Tulip Revolution.

The following month, President Medvedev ordered the CEO of Russia's natural gas monopoly Gazprom to cut gas supplies to Belarus in a dispute over outstanding debts. Subsequently, the Russian television channel NTV, run by Gazprom, aired a documentary film which compared Lukashenko to Bakiyev. Then the Russian President's foreign policy adviser Sergei Prikhodko threatened to publish the transcript of a CSTO meeting where Lukashenko said that his administration would recognize Abkhazian and South Ossetian independence.

In June 2010, ethnic clashes broke out between ethnic Kyrgyz and Uzbeks in southern Kyrgyzstan, leading interim Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva to request the assistance of Russian troops to quell the disturbances. Kurmanbek Bakiyev denied charges that his supporters were behind the ethnic conflict and called on the CSTO to intervene. Askar Akayev also called for the CSTO to send troops, saying: "Our priority task right now should be to extinguish this flame of enmity. It is very likely that we will need CSTO peacekeepers to do that." The organisation was considered by some a "paper tiger" since it failed to intervene.

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev said that "only in the case of a foreign intrusion and an attempt to externally seize power can we state that there is an attack against the CSTO", and that, "all the problems of Kyrgyzstan have internal roots", while CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha called the violence "purely a domestic affair". Later, however, Bordyuzha admitted that the CSTO response may have been inadequate and claimed that "foreign mercenaries" provoked the Kyrgyz violence against ethnic Uzbek minorities.

On 21 July 2010, interim Kyrgyz President Roza Otunbayeva called for the introduction of CSTO police units to southern Kyrgyzstan saying: "I think it's important to introduce CSTO police forces there, since we're unable to guarantee people's rights on our own." She also added: "I'm not seeking the CSTO's embrace and I don't feel like bringing them here to stay but the bloodletting there will continue otherwise." Only weeks later the deputy chairman of Otubayeva's interim Kyrgyz government complained that their appeals for help from the CSTO had been ignored. The CSTO was unable to agree on providing military assistance to Kyrgyzstan at a meeting in Yerevan, Armenia, which was attended by Roza Otunbayeva as well as Alexander Lukashenko.

On 10 December 2010, the member states approved a declaration establishing a CSTO peacekeeping force and a declaration of the CSTO member states, in addition to signing a package of joint documents.

Since 21 December 2011, the Treaty parties can veto the establishment of new foreign military bases in the member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO).

On 28 June 2012, Uzbekistan suspended its membership in the CSTO.

2013 to 2022
In August 2014, 3,000 soldiers from the members of Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia and Tajikistan participated in psychological and cyber warfare exercises in Kazakhstan under war games managed by CSTO.

On 19 March 2015, the CSTO Secretary General Nikolai Bordyuzha offered to send a peacekeeping mission to Donbas, Ukraine. "The CSTO has a peacekeeping capacity. Our peacekeepers continuously undergo corresponding training. If such a decision is taken by the United Nations, we stand ready to provide peacekeeping units".

In July 2021, CSTO Secretary-General Stanislav Zas was criticised by Armenian politicians for calling an incursion by Azerbaijani forces onto Armenian territory a "border incident", where the CSTO remained inactive during the conflict. In July 2021, Tajikistan appealed to members of CSTO for help in dealing with security challenges emerging from neighboring Afghanistan. Thousands of Afghans, including police and government troops, fled to Tajikistan after Taliban insurgents took control of many parts of Afghanistan.

On 5 January 2022, CSTO peacekeepers were announced to be deployed to Kazakhstan in response to anti-government unrest in the country. On 11 January the same year, CSTO forces began their withdrawal from Kazakhstan.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 there has been no CSTO involvement or official participation of other CSTO members in the conflict, apart from Belarus which agreed to house Russian troops which then attacked Ukraine from across its border. Following the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive, the border between Ukraine and Belarus was cleared of Russian forces.

2023 to present
Relations between Russia and Kazakhstan have deteriorated since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. The latter has refused to recognise the Donetsk and the Luhansk People's Republics.

After the start of renewed fighting between Armenia and former member Azerbaijan on 13 September 2022, Armenia triggered Article 4 of the treaty, and a CSTO mission including CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas and Anatoly Sidorov was sent to monitor the situation along the border. Similar events also took place near the Kyrgyzstan–Tajikistan border throughout 2022.

After the CSTO mission took a rather uncommitted position in the conflict, criticism towards CSTO membership inside Armenian political circles increased, with the secretary of the Security Council of Armenia, Armen Grigoryan, even stating that he saw no more hope for the CSTO. The lack of Russian support during the conflict prompted a national debate in Armenia, as an increasing percentage of the population indicated doubt as to whether it is beneficial to continue CSTO membership, calling for realignment of the state with NATO instead. This coincided with a visit from Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi to Yerevan on 17 September 2022, largely seen as an effort to reorient the security alliance structure of Armenia.

To discuss the results of the CSTO mission sent on 15 September 2022, an extraordinary session of the CSTO was held via videoconference on 28 October 2022. With the leaders of all member states and CSTO Secretary General Stanislav Zas in attendance, the meeting was chaired by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who concurred with the report presented by the Secretary General while also reiterating the importance for a clear political assessment of Azerbaijani aggression and a roadmap for the restoration of Armenian territorial integrity.

A regular Collective Security Council meeting took place on 23 November 2022 with the leaders of all CSTO members present to discuss matters of international and regional security. After Pashinyan refused to sign the joint declaration because it did not "reach a decision on a CSTO response to Azerbaijan's aggression against Armenia", speculation arose regarding the continuation of the CSTO. Secretary General Stanislas Zas indicated that, though numerous measures in the diplomatic as well as military spheres were generally agreed upon, no consensus regarding the situation on the border could be reached. On the occasion of the meeting and in the midst of the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko stated that many in their countries had started to discuss the possibility that the CSTO may cease to exist if Russia loses the war in Ukraine. He later expanded on his opinion on the matter, stating that the CSTO will continue on and nobody will fall, if there is unity. Meanwhile, during the meeting in Yerevan, large groups of protestors gathered and called for the withdrawal of Armenia from the CSTO and for the country to develop closer relations with the United States and the West. In the aftermath of the meeting, the US think tank The National Interest released an analysis on the current state of the CSTO, concluding that, while the alliance is in a fragile state, only few other nations could fill the void created by a possible Russian exit and step in as a power broker in the region. Economic dependencies between the member states have also increased since the start of the invasion and would dissuade the alliance from splitting up.

The diplomatic friction continued into January 2023, after Pashinyan refused to hold common military drills, because the organisation did not unequivocally condemn Azerbaijan over its perceived aggression. In response, Dmitry Peskov, the Press Secretary of the President of Russia, stated that Armenia remains a very close ally and promised to continue the dialogue. To mend their ties, Sergey Lavrov offered the deployment of a CSTO mission along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border on 2 February 2023 within one or two days, "if our Armenian allies, friends are still interested in it like before".

In May 2023, after the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan escalated, the Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that Armenia could consider withdrawing from the treaty due to the lack of support from Russia in the conflict. In an interview with CNN broadcast on 1 June 2023, Pashinyan stated that "Armenia is not an ally of Russia in the war in Ukraine".

On 3 September 2023, during an interview, Armenian prime minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that it was a strategic mistake for Armenia to solely rely on Russia to guarantee its security. Pashinyan stated, "Moscow has been unable to deliver and is in the process of winding down its role in the wider South Caucasus region" and "the Russian Federation cannot meet Armenia's security needs. This example should demonstrate to us that dependence on just one partner in security matters is a strategic mistake." Pashinyan accused Russian peacekeepers deployed to uphold the ceasefire deal of failing to do their job. Pashinyan confirmed that Armenia is trying to diversify its security arrangements, most notably with the European Union and the United States.

During the 2023 Armenian protests that began following the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, demonstrators surrounded the Russian embassy in Yerevan criticizing Russia's refusal to intervene in the offensive. Some protesters called for the rejection of the Alma-Ata Protocol, and Armenia's withdrawal from the CSTO.

Armenia declined participating in military exercises and the CIS summit in Kyrgyzstan in October 2023 and asked for Russian peacekeeping forces to return to Russia. The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, went further in late October saying he saw "no advantage" in the presence of Russian troops in Armenia. Currently around 10,000 Russian troops are in stationed in Gyumri.

On 23 February 2024, Armenian Prime Minister, Nikol Pashinyan, confirmed that Armenia has frozen its participation in the CSTO. Pashinyan stated, "We have now in practical terms frozen our participation in this treaty" and "membership of the CSTO was under review" during a live broadcast interview. On 28 February 2024, during a speech made in the National Assembly, Pashinyan further stated that the CSTO is "a threat to the national security of Armenia". Responding to Pashinyan's remarks, Dmitri Peskov stated that the CSTO charter does not include provisions for a "frozen membership" status. On 12 March, Pashinyan said that the CSTO needed to clarify "what constitutes Armenia's sovereign territory", as the organization had not come to Armenia's defence when requested following Azerbaijani troops crossing the border into Armenia's internationally recognized territory. Pashinyan said that if the CSTO's response did not align with Armenia's expectations, the country would officially withdraw from the organization. On 8 May 2024, Armenia announced it had stopped making financial contributions to the CSTO, leading Russia to state that it was still obligated to pay its membership dues. On 12 June 2024, Armenia announced that it would formally withdraw from the alliance at an unspecified later date, with Pashinyan stating, "We will leave. We will decide when to exit...Don't worry, we won't return".

Member states
Map showing the CSTO members, observers and associated members. Includes the Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, the Russian-occupied territories in Georgia, and the breakaway republic Transnistria.

Member states of the Collective Security Treaty Organization:

Non-member observer states in the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly
The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia and the Wolesi Jirga (lower house) of the National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan were accorded observer status in the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly in 2013, though the Islamic Republic collapsed in 2021 as the Taliban took over. Also, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union of Belarus and Russia has observer status in the CSTO Parliamentary Assembly.

Potential membership
In May 2007, the CSTO secretary-general Nikolai Bordyuzha suggested Iran could join the CSTO saying, "The CSTO is an open organization. If Iran applies in accordance with our charter, we will consider the application". If Iran joined it would be the first state outside the former Soviet Union to become a member of the organization.

In 2021, Uzbekistan, after becoming observer to EAEU on 11 December 2020, conducted a bilateral military exercise with Russia and trilateral military exercise with Russia and Tajikistan, while its president joined a CSTO meeting as a guest, sparking rumours about potential reentry into CSTO.

Secretary General
The current secretary general is former Kazakh Prime Minister Imangali Tasmagambetov, who took office on 1 January 2023.

Information technology and cyber security
The member states adopted measures to counter cyber security threats and information technology crimes in a Foreign Ministers Council meeting in Minsk, Belarus. Foreign Minister Abdrakhmanov put forward a proposal to establishing a Cyber Shield system.

Military personnel
The following list is sourced from the 2020 edition of "The Military Balance" published annually by the International Institute for Strategic Studies.

title: Collective Security Treaty Organization


text:
WHR

WHR may refer to:

In health and wellness

 * World Health Report, flagship publication of the World Health Organization
 * Waist–hip ratio, a ratio of the circumference of the waist to the hips
 * Waist-height ratio, a ratio of the circumference of the waist to the height. (In US usage, the form "waist-to-height" and the abbreviation WtHR, are more common.)

In transportation

 * West Horndon railway station, a mainline station in Essex, England
 * Welsh Highland Railway in North Wales
 * West Highland Line (West Highland Railway) in West Scotland
 * Wells Harbour Railway in Norfolk
 * Whittingham Hospital Railway in Lancashire, England

Other

 * Whirlpool Corporation (New York Stock Exchange ticker symbol)
 * World hotel rating, a hotel rating and labeling system
 * Waste heat recovery

title: WHR


text:
Talk:Alex Karras

Greek?
Beside the obvious, is there an actual good source that says he's Greek? (and I don't mean IMDB) JackO'Lantern 06:56, 7 April 2006 (UTC)
 * He was given the character of George Papadopoulos on Webster (TV series) because of his Greek origins. He is also featured in the DVD Greek Americans and yes he gives an interview, not just "mentioned", in the documentary. Mallaccaos, April 14, 2006

Karras's autobiography ("Big Guys Don't Cry") went extensively into his Greek heritage. I believe he is second-generation. 64.65.160.35 15:58, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Karras's greatest role was monday night football with Dandy Don Meredith. They would put Howard Cossell in his place from time to time by publicly reminding him he never played a game of football in his life. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.41.132.229 (talk) 19:13, 9 June 2009 (UTC)

 * Karras says he's Greek. In Greek Americans: Struggle and Success, Charles C. Moskos has this story:
 * The most prominent Greek-American sports figure has been Alex Karras....Reflecting the assumption that persons are Greek whose last names end in an 's' preceded by a vowel, Karras tells a delightful story. "When I was with the Detroit Lions I never pushed hard against Johnny Unitas because I thought he was a Greek. Then I found out he was a Lithuanian and I knocked him on his ass."
 * Moskos's note gives the source as The New York Times, December 26, 1975, page 61. --- OtherDave (talk) 15:15, 28 October 2010 (UTC)

More needs to be said about his role in Webster
I saw where Webster was mentioned in the introductory paragraph; however, there is nothing - nothing at all - in the Acting Career template about his role in Webster. That was his signature role as an actor. This is like leaving Fonzi out of Henry Winkler's bio.--Hokeman 01:19, 12 August 2006 (UTC)

 * "White Guy Rap" skit with Jim Belushi on Saturday Night Live? Hello! Maybe not Very significant among his accomplishments, but my favorite role of his - damn Damn funny. "We're white guys, and we take no crap!" 166.128.122.147 (talk) 19:13, 13 September 2008 (UTC)

SIL
what's the sil? (assistant coach to bob lombardi)98.117.200.229 (talk) 07:16, 7 January 2009 (UTC)Toyokuni3 (talk) 07:17, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

 * 13 years later, and we still don't know what an SIL is. Yet, the bots won't let us change it. Geeze, it's like "2001: A Space Odyssey." 2601:283:8300:45D0:0:0:0:F4A1 (talk) 02:43, 8 March 2022 (UTC)

Pet Clam??
I remember a story of how he had a "pet clam" that he would carry around in a bucket with him. Is this true? It would be great in the "trivia" section. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.112.171.7 (talk) 11:46, 28 January 2009 (UTC)

Did Karras play "Super Jock"?
When I was a kid in the seventies, I remember seeing some commercials about toys called "Super Toe" and "Super Touch." The former had to do with football, the latter with basketball. Those commercials were hosted by a big fellow called "Super Jock", and I seem to remember him being played by Alex Karras. Am I correct, or is my memory faulty?24.56.113.189 (talk) 16:48, 5 December 2009 (UTC)
 * I researched my own question on the Internet. According to IMDB, it was indeed Alex Karras.24.56.113.189 (talk) 16:54, 5 December 2009 (UTC)

Has dementia
Also reportedly is Suing the NFL Ebrockway (talk) 00:51, 13 April 2012 (UTC)

Webster
Webster was on ABC from 1983-87, but the show continued on in first-run episodes in syndication until 1989. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.237.34.211 (talk) 22:14, 10 October 2012 (UTC)

Greek Orthodox
Adding that he was a Greek Orthodox Christian. LoveMonkey (talk) 20:01, 29 October 2012 (UTC)

Non-free file problems with File:Webster Cast.jpg
File:Webster Cast.jpg is non-free and has been identified as possibly not being in compliance with the non-free content policy. For specific information on the problems with the file and how they can be fixed, please check the message at File:Webster Cast.jpg. For further questions and comments, please use the non-free content review page. --  Toshio   Yamaguchi  10:56, 7 October 2013 (UTC)

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title: Talk:Alex Karras


text:
Talk:Shawn Kemp

Relationship with Mike Fratello
I would love to see some info about Kemp's relationship, or lack thereof, with Mike Fratello during his Cleveland years. It was during this time that Kemp gained weight. With the Memphis Grizzlies, Fratello was often harsh with Stromile Swift, a player similar in many ways to the younger Shawn Kemp. Rag-time4 (talk) 03:38, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

there should be a picture of him —Preceding unsigned comment added by Pankow93 (talk • contribs) 08:29, 22 November 2008 (UTC)

Illegitimate Children citation
Is this a citation: "Kemp has been subjected to many paternity suits, having fathered seven out-of-wedlock children with six different women.[1]"? --DerRichter 19:01, 24 October 2007 (UTC) in sports illustrated issue from sept 1996 it was reported that he has 9 children with 8 women, it may have changed since then, but its more than 7. plz change —Preceding unsigned comment added by 184.57.80.125 (talk) 05:28, 1 March 2011 (UTC)

Unwritten Rule?
Is there a secret rule that states that if you are a fan of a particular celebrity, you may not devote a sufficient amount of time on a wikipedia article discussing negative/unfortunate aspects of their character/life?. 98.237.8.197 (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 02:40, 17 July 2010 (UTC).

please add a photo
i am not one who rides the mj or lebron or kobe train, Shawn Kemp has been and will forever be my favorite player ever. i love the style he had the game he had and the contributions to the NBA he has never received gratitude for, please add an image of him, thank you. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Battlecat1979 (talk • contribs) 11:14, 12 February 2013 (UTC)

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text:
Percy Edwards

Percy Edwards (1 June 1908 – 7 June 1996) was an English animal impersonator, entertainer and ornithologist.

Biography
When he was a child, bird impressions were often done with the assistance of hands on the mouth, however he was able to do them without. During World War II, Edwards worked at Ransomes, Sims & Jefferies in Ipswich.

Edwards became a household name after playing Psyche the dog in the radio series A Life of Bliss, which he reprised for its television adaptation. He was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in 1993 for services to ornithology and entertainment. In 2009, Sir David Attenborough presented a special BBC radio panel game, The Percy Edwards Showdown, dedicated to Edwards's life and career. He is buried in the churchyard of St Mary's, Polstead, Suffolk.

title: Percy Edwards


text:
Talk:Babyface (musician)

Redirect/Disambiguation
I'm not sure if this page deserves to get the redirect from "babyface". I think it's better that it's redirected to the disambiguation page, whoever's looking for Kenneth Edmonds can go from there. I'd make the changes myself but I don't know how to do the redirects. 82.123.27.215 16:49, 28 December 2005 (UTC)

Fall Out Boy and Babyface
If I'm not mistaken, Babyface is co-producing Fall Out Boy's new album, Infinty on high. This should be mentioned somewhere. FinalWish 19:42, 20 January 2007 (UTC)

This definitely doesn't deserve the redirect from "Baby Face."

What his worth? And the song "On the Line" he did with Micheal Jackson

Solo career?
This article completely skips over any discussion of his commercial success in his solo career. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 66.245.8.9 (talk) 06:24, 20 March 2007 (UTC).

Requested move

 * page moved to Babyface (musician) by proposer, who agrees Babyface should be a dab page. Station1 (talk) 01:46, 7 November 2009 (UTC)

Kenneth Edmonds → Babyface — - [The subject is better known by his stage name "Babyface." It is customary on Wikipedia when a person is known to the public by a stage name that the article be titled under that name (e.g. Flo Rida, Akon, Rihanna, Fergie, Jay-Z). The birth name can still redirect and be mentioned in the opening sentence.] --Shaliya waya (talk) 01:38, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

 * Oppose I think the professional wrestling term (which has been used a lot longer than this rapper has been around) is just as likely, more more likely, of a search target.  TJ   Spyke   15:45, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

 * This does not mean he should be disambiguated as "Kenneth Edmonds." If it were necessary to disambiguate, "Babyface" would be the dab page, while this page would be titled Babyface (musician) and the wrestling term would be titled Babyface (wrestling). Shaliya waya (talk) 18:17, 30 October 2009 (UTC)

 * In the end, I agree it is fair for Babyface to be the disambiguation page. Shaliya waya (talk) 00:50, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

 * Oppose — the disambiguation page Babyface will be at the top of the November 2009 list of dab pages with the most incoming links. --Una Smith (talk) 03:35, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

 * Oppose Babyface should stay as the dab, all the other meanings derive from the look of a baby, and the musician is just one of several, so if you wanted to displace the dab, it should go to the original (pre wrestling meaning), but please just leve it the way it is. Graeme Bartlett (talk) 09:55, 1 November 2009 (UTC)

Respectfully; Wiki community, c'mon?
This page deserves a little more detail concerning "Face"'s undeniable contribution to Pop music history, and thus contemporary history — Preceding unsigned comment added by Mattspringer1983 (talk • contribs) 05:04, 29 September 2011 (UTC)

my name is austin white a recording artist,producer songwriter. im a big fan and would consiter it an honor to work with you  you are the man  — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.138.47.143 (talk) 05:05, 29 January 2012 (UTC)

Missing Artwork
Looks like the album Christmas with Babyface is missing from this page. I'll let someone else do the work on that. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Zeroparallax (talk • contribs) 07:57, 14 January 2018 (UTC)

title: Talk:Babyface (musician)


text:
User:Bjimba/list of musicals

Blanked to remove category link, and all the links to the various musicals (which already caused three people to fix links on this page). Feel free to revert if/when this is further used. Thanks for working on cleaning up the List of Musicals! JesseW, the juggling janitor 04:04, 2 December 2005 (UTC)

title: User:Bjimba/list of musicals


text:
User talk:Georgeglass

Welcome!

Hello,, and welcome to Wikipedia. Thank you for your contributions. I hope you like the place and decide to stay. Here are a few good links for newcomers: I hope you enjoy editing here and being a Wikipedian! By the way, please be sure to sign your name on talk pages using four tildes (~~~~) to produce your name and the current date, or three tildes (~~~) for just your name. If you have any questions, you can post to the help desk or ask me on my talk page. Again, welcome! NSR (talk) 20:04, 24 August 2005 (UTC)
 * The five pillars of Wikipedia
 * How to edit a page
 * Help pages
 * Tutorial
 * How to write a great article
 * Manual of Style

title: User talk:Georgeglass


text:
Talk:Monsieur

"is now generally used as an honorific for all men"

in what language?! English or French?

 * But this is clearly untrue. I've corrected.  --Daniel C. Boyer 20:11, 25 August 2006 (UTC)

Abbreviation
The article presently reads: "Written Monsieur Dupont, Mr Dupont; the plural is Messieurs (abbreviation: Mrs)."

I've only ever seen the abbreviated forms M. (singular) and MM. (plural). I'm changing the article accordingly. Opera hat (talk) 15:46, 11 September 2008 (UTC)

 * Mr and Mrs aren't used really often, but they are. They're still correct in French. It's an old linguist quarrel, to know which form is the best, and which form must be erased from dictionaries. But actually, both are correct and used.
 * I'll add these forms in the article, and precise they're infrequent. --Mr Hart (talk) 09:47, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

It may be a regional thing, but in South-West France, Mr seems to be the almost universal usage. Perhaps a native speaker could comment. Dorset100 (talk) 18:25, 18 August 2009 (UTC)

Monsieur as a royal title
Here are all the men eligible to have been called "Monsieur" since 1599:

Monsieur with a first name
I removed the sentence about the use of Monsieur with a first name, wich was: This title may commonly be also prefixed to a first name (e.g. Monsieur Jean), unlike Standard English "mister".

It is never, absolutely never, used with a first name. If you see Monsieur with a first name, it must be a figure of speech, not a common use. Monsieur Jean is correct only if "Jean" stand for the last name. But it's correct to use Monsieur with the complete name, like Monsieur Alain Blanchard.

—Mr Hart (talk) 10:30, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

Pronunciation
Since the pronunciation of this word doesn't jibe with the spelling, would someone add it? (My French isn't good enough.) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 129.49.73.8 (talk) 14:20, 9 December 2009 (UTC)

"M." listed at Redirects for discussion
The redirect [//en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=M.&redirect=no M.] has been listed at redirects for discussion to determine whether its use and function meets the redirect guidelines. Readers of this page are welcome to comment on this redirect at  until a consensus is reached. BD2412 T 13:12, 10 May 2024 (UTC)

title: Talk:Monsieur


text:
Sabaneta

 Sabaneta may refer to

 * Sabaneta, Antioquia, Colombia
 * Sabaneta, Dominican Republic
 * Sabaneta, Barinas, Venezuela

title: Sabaneta


text:
User:Kestenbaum

I'm Larry Kestenbaum, an attorney and politician in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

I have been County Clerk and Register of Deeds for Washtenaw County since 2005.

I'm also the creator and webmaster of The Political Graveyard web site.

Some of my personal web projects:

 * The Political Graveyard
 * Eight Dollar Tip

My work web site:

 * Washtenaw County Clerk/Register of Deeds

Wikipedia news
On August 2, 2006, I was quoted in a Detroit Free Press story about Wikipedia:

 * "This is the way people are looking for information," Kestenbaum said. "They're looking to Wikipedia for it, so Wikipedia better be ready for it."

 * He compares Wikipedia to "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy," the often-flippant, always-friendly electronic encyclopedia from the Douglas Adams novel of the same name. That too was compiled by correspondents from all over the universe.

title: User:Kestenbaum