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A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
A
Afghanistan
Africa / Congo
Arab World - Arab
Spring
Archeology
Armenia
Artificial Intelligence – Cybersecurity -
Cryptocurrency
Asia and Cold War
Asia’s WWII
Australia
B
Brazil
Buddhism
C
Celts
China
China
- Movie Industry
China
- Taiwan - Hong Kong
China
/ US - South-East Asia
China
- Oceanic Powers
China Xi
Jinping
Chinese
Hegemony
Climate
Change
Cold War
Colonianism
D
Dalai Lama
E
East Asia
Economy,
see World - World Economy
Egypt
Empires
Enlightenment
EU - Europe
Europe
Extremism
F
Fascism,
see Second World War
First World
War, see also WWI
G
Gaza
Globalization
Global Jihad
Greater Han-Han Zhou Dynasty
H
Haiti
Hamas
Hawaii
Hitler,
see Second World War
Human Origins - Humanity
Houthis
I
Illiberal Democracy
India
International
Relations
International Systems
Iran
Iranian-Palestinian
Iraq
Islam
Israel
And Hamas
Israel
In Gaza
Israel - Palestine - Jerusalem
J
Japan
K
Kurds
L
Latinoamerica, see also South
America
M
Middle East
Moscow To
China
Myanmar - Rohingya Crisis
N
Napoleon
NATO
North
Korea
Nuclear
Peril
O
Oman
P
Pacific War
Pakistan
Palestine: see Israel – Palestine – Jerusalem
Political Qigong
Psychology - Psychiatry
Putin
Q
Qatar
R
Russia - Central Asia
Russia - Putin
Russia - Tsar
S
Second World War, see also WWII
Slavery North America
South America
South Asia
Spy
Agencies - Secret Intelligence Services
Syria Crisis – Lebanon, Yemen
T
Taiwan
Taiwan Conundrum
Thailand
Turkey
Turkey In Context
U
UAE
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United Nations, UN
United States
V
Venezuela
Venice
W
Warsaw
Pact
World - World Economy - History - Politics
WWI,
see also First World War
WWII,
see also Second World War
Z
Zionism
A
Afghanistan
Africa / Congo
Arab World - Arab
Spring
Archeology
Armenia
Artificial Intelligence
Asia and Cold War
Asia’s WWII
Australia
Afghanistan Still Threatens The Region And Beyond.
Why Pressure Is The Best Way.
The Forces That Could Threaten The
Taliban’s Control.
What can be said about US involvement and the current situation in
Afghanistan
What next with Afghanistan
Predicaments of Pakistan in Afghanistan
The SA Election for
Worse and for Better.
A Sort
Of 'Out Of Africa’.
The Youthful Continent.
Africa’s Ukraine
Dilemma.
From Past To Next Fifty Years.
Deep-Rooted Factors. (Part 3)
Trade,
Colonialism And Uneven Development. (Part 2)
The New
Out Of Africa Theory. (Part
1)
Belgium’s
Africa Museum Had a Racist Image. Can It Change That?
Head of UN,
Ban Ki-moon, seeks to appoint investigator for fatal crash of Dag
Hammarskjöld
Case Study:
The French Rwanda File:
South
Africa and AFRICOM
The
Hamitic theory of race and the role it played in the Rwandan Genocide:
Case Study P.1:
The Creation of Belgium
Case Study P.2:
The Start of Belgian Empirialism: When
Texas was to be a Belgian Colony
History of the former Belgian Congo
P.1:
Egypt in Central Africa
History of Central Africa
P.2:
King Leopold's Media
our earlier comment about Blood Diamonds
The Red Sea.
Saudi
Arabia Is On The Way To Becoming The Next Egypt.
Will
Saudi Arabia Get The Bomb?
The
Coming Arab Backlash.
The UAE And
Its Talest Building In The World.
Why A Spate of Diplomatic Deals Won’t End Conflict.
Key To The Russia-Ukraine Conflict.
How To
Deal With The Saudi Arabia Problems.
What
Needs To Happen Next.
The Making Of The Middle East.
The Making Of The Modern Middle
East Part 2.
The ‘Arab’ And The Syrian Question.
Enter: Arab
Spring 2011
Göbekli Tepe revisited part three
Göbekli Tepe revisited part two
The world’s earliest cities and what it means for today
Ancient Globalization
In the
Beginning
Genes or Behavior?
The Archeology of Worldwide War and Peace
They Built
the First Temples?
The
Earliest States
Truth In History: Inventing Archeology
Case Study:
Archeology of the Middle East Today
Nationalism: Ancient Egypt, Judea, Armenia, Japan?
‘King
Arthur’
Click to enter:
Fringe Archeology Update
'Archeological
Fantasies' continue:
The Mother of all Theocratic States: Lemuria
September 2004, Cult Archeology: Civilization One Book (excerpt)
Neo Paganism
From Mircea Eliade to Carlos Castaneda
The Truth About Carlos Castaneda
The Myth of the Noble Savage
Reader Comment: The Myth of the Noble Savage
Celts and Druids Speaking
From N. Pennick to Celtic/Northern Literature
The Temple of a Nation, Stonehenge
And Who Owns Ancient Remains?
Neo-Shamanists and Pagans Today
Why We Never Found Atlantis
The Atlantis Syndrome P.1
The Atlantis Syndrome P.2
The Atlantis Syndrome P.3
Cuba's Gateway To Atlantis P.1
Cuba's Gateway To Atlantis P.2: Cocaine
Gateway to Atlantis P.3: Seven Cities, El Dorado
Gateway to Atlantis P.4: Urheimat der Arier
Cuba's Atlantis
Why, and what happened
Major Case Study:
So what really happened in Armenia
(Updated version)
Case Study:
Armenian Genocide
Crypto in China and Beyond.
AI Large Language Models.
The New Empires Of The Internet.
Cryptocurrency And The Bankman-Fried
Case.
Bydance And TikTok.
The Test.
The New Threat.
Generative Artificial Intelligence.
How Artificial Intelligence Will Transform
The Military.
The Ramifications Of Artificial Intelligence
(AI) Part Two.
The Ramifications Of Artificial Intelligence (AI) Part One.
There Is No Time To Waste.
Get Ready For Artificial Intelligence.
An Extensive Overview Of How Crypto-Currency Fraud Functions.
The Illusion Of China’s AI Prowess.
The Battle For Brains.
But There Is A Solution.
Blockchain
Analysis.
Cryptocurrency-Based
Crimes Part Four.
Cryptocurrency-Based
Crimes Part Three.
Cryptocurrency-Based
Crimes Part Two.
Cryptocurrency-Based Crimes.
Tackling
The 2023 Problem Of Cybersecurity.
Weaponized Artificial Intelligence.
The logic of human nature and
causal networks
Dismantling the myths
of AI Part Two
Dismantling the myths of AI Part One
The question about current medical
efficiency and that of digital authoritarianism versus liberal democracies
Introduction
P.2 The Malay Theatre
P.3 The Vietnam Theatre
P.4 The Korean Theatre
P.5 Indonesia and China Burning
P.6 1945-1950
P.7 Vietnam War and World Decolonization.
Was the Cold War inevitable?
…investigae in the following part
Introduction: Gorbachev's Last Days
Was the Cold War Predetermined? Investigating
the Beginning of the Cold War P.1.
Was the Cold War Predetermined? Investigating the Beginning of the Cold War
P.2
Investigating the End of the Cold War P.1
Investigating the End of the Cold War P.2
Investigating the End of the Cold War P.3
Major Case Study:
From hot to Cold War: Asia's WWII
Genocide
In Australia.
B
Brazil
Buddhism
Bolsonaro Redux.
Far-Right Movements In The Two Countries Are Deeply Interconnected.
The
Current Situation.
Far-Right
Rioters Invaded Brazil's Federal Representative Institutions.
Why the political climate in Brazil matters to the rest of the world
Discussion, Buddhism
A new understanding of
Buddhist's past and at least one possible future
C
Celts
China
China
- Movie Industry
China
- Taiwan - Hong Kong
China
/ US - South-East Asia
China
- Oceanic Powers
China Xi
Jinping
Chinese
Hegemony
Climate
Change
Cold War
Colonianism
Major Case Study:
The less-known aspects of early Irish
and Scottish Nationalism
Recherche sur ce qui ne va pas avec
les Celtes
Foreign Policy for the World.
Will America and China
Heed the Warnings.
The China Sea
Syndrome.
Modi’s Tough Stance
Could Invite, not Deter, Chinese.
When
Israel Was in China.
The Cold War Between
China, Europe, and the United States.
China's Quest to Innovate.
Crypto in China and Beyond.
Lai
Ching-te’s Precarious Balancing Act.
The
World's Second Most Populous Country.
US-China Relations.
The Real Motives For China’s Nuclear
Expansion.
Importance Of The Middle Powers.
Overview Of Chinese Spy Activities.
A Problem With China's Economy.
China Today And Tomorrow.
Competition With China To Be Won.
Misconceptions About China.
China’s Economic Collision Course.
Cold War China Xi Jinping And The United
States.
President Xi's Thought.
From Moscow To China.
But It Can Still Prevent Chinese Hegemony.
Chinese Spy Operations.
But Where Is This Going?
Will Xi’s Military Modernization Pay Off?
Beijing Seeks To Extend The Hegemony Of
Mandarin.
More Likely To React To External Threats.
The Real Toll Of Beijing’s Belt And Road.
Why America And China Will Be Enduring Rivals.
Berlin’s Delicate Balance With Beijing.
The End Of China’s Economic
Miracle.
A Form Of Preparation For War.
The Global South.
Living On The Edge.
Blinded By The Fight.
How Institutional Balancing Promotes Stability In Asia.
U.S.-Chinese Rivalry.
China’s Affinity With Russia Is
Over.
The Virtue Of Low Expectations.
China Is Ready For A World Of
Disorder.
What Does The West Know About Xi’s China?
Why China Is Rewriting The Law Of The Sea.
The Technology Trap.
The U.S.-Chinese Economic
Relationship.
Lifelines And Chokepoints.
The Consequences Of China’s
Peace Deal.
The Consequences Of China's
Demographic Decline.
How To Spy On China.
The Bad Advice Plaguing President Xi.
The Question Of Chinese Military
Support For Russia.
Russia And China Behind The Scenes.
The New Age Of Great-Power
Competition.
Spy Ballons TikTok And Chinse Intelligence.
Xi Jinping Preparing China For
War.
China Will Lead The Next
Technological Revolution.
Sweeping
Belt And Road Initiative.
Solidify
Global Divisions For The Coming Decades.
China Is Practicing How to Sever
Taiwan’s Internet.
Possibility That Chinese Spy
Balloon’s Path Over The US Was Accidental.
Why Are Meteorologists Tracking
The Location Of The Chinese Balloon?
China’s Indo-Pacific Folly.
On The Leaks Of A War With China
Plus A Recension In Europe.
What The Cities Of The Future
Will Look Like.
The Looming Taiwan Crisis.
Detention
Camps.
The
Story of Why The Chinese Can Travel Again.
What
Made Taiwan Understand How Perilous This Situation Is.
Can
China Take Taiwan?
Why It
Is Of Importance.
The
Skirmish In Arunachal Pradesh Reflects Beijing’s Confidence, And New
Delhi’s Diminished Deterrence.
The
Meaning Of China’s Dangerous Decline.
Why
Saudis Don’t Want To Pivot To China.
The Nowhere Road With An Answer
To It.
It Took
Just Seven Words That NBA-China’s Viewership Approaching Pre-Banned Levels.
How China Manipulates The Media.
We
Address Why There Is No Inevitability In China's Decline To India's Rise.
China's
Economy.
Will Xi
Learn From History?
What Is Achievable In East Asia?
China
The Global Power And Russia The Junior Partner.
Why XI
Might Prefer Détente.
What To
Expect From Xi's Third Term.
What To
Expect From The Xi-Biden Meeting.
China’s
Past And Xi’s Future.
Reactions To China's Spy
Operations. Part 5
The Circumstances That Allow
Chinese Spy Operations To Thrive. Part 4
The Way To The White House. Part 3
The Chinese Police Service
Stations. Part 2
Chinese Spies Part One. Part 1
How To Build A Better Order.
We
Analyze The Reasons Why.
Can A
War Over Taiwan Still Be Avoided?
The Revelations Of
Document Number Nine.
Large
And In Charge
The
World According To Xi.
China's
COVID-19 Politics To The Test.
China's
Growth In Peril.
China's
Global Security Initiative.
The
Forbidden History
The
Future War Between China And The US.
Xi
Jinping And Present-Day China.
Point Of
No Return.
The
United States Does Not Need To Beat China.
Whereby
The Truth About Taiwan Is.
China
Needs To Reach An Understanding And Russia Does Not.
Nancy
Pelosi’s Visit To Taiwan.
What Is Happening Here?
Xi Unleased.
Whose
China Sea Is It?
Facing A Window Of
Vulnerability Over Taiwan.
China Could Invade Taiwan.
China’s Motivations.
Geopolitical
Consequences Of Taiwan War.
Why
Should Taiwan Be Seen As A Part Of China?
What the situation looks like going forward
China's pursuit of greatness
part two and conclusion
China's pursuit of greatness
China the Pandemic and Sovereignty
The Actual History Behind The Seven Years In Tibet With Brad Pitt.
How The Movie Industry
Became Chineses Diplomacy Part Four.
How The Movie Industry
Became Chineses Diplomacy Part Three.
How The Movie Industry
Became Chineses Diplomacy Part Two.
How The Movie Industry
Became Chineses Diplomacy.
The Interconnected
Fates Of The World’s Democracies.
The Taiwan Conundrum.
Taiwan Today.
Once More The
Question Of Taiwan.
The Trouble With The South China Sea.
Taiwan Is An Important Partner.
Xi Jinping's Hawkish Forces He Can’t Control.
How To Avoid Catastrophe.
Don’t Panic About Taiwan.
The Looming Taiwan Crisis.
What
Made Taiwan Understand How Perilous This Situation Is.
Can China Take Taiwan?
Major Case Study:
The lead up to present-day China and the
making of the ChinaTaiwan crisis
After Hong Kong deterrence vs Taiwan?
Taiwan going forward
What the real future of Hong Kong might look like
Mapping the new reality of Hong Kong
How China will handle
its future development
Understanding modern
China
From Vancouver to
Auckland and Hong Kong understanding the new Chinese nationalism
Will China now crush
the protests in Hong Kong?
What does it all mean
Increased friction in
the South China Sea and why
Outlook for the world
China, US, Europe, N.Korea,Venezuela, and the way forward with Iran
Today’s legacy of the
Tiananmen crisis
Unveiling China’s big
science
Is China planning to
take Taiwan by force?
Thus has China’s new
Silk Belt and Road failed? Updated
15 Feb. 2019
China’s ticking
time-bomb. Updated 4 Jan. 2019
China’s New Nationalism
China has “no historic rights” in
South China Sea: Continue…
From Chinese Yuan
adjustment to the fall of world markets; the lesson to learn
.. the Huns to their Mongol related
origin in what is now China Continue ...
The
Philippines In The South China Sea.
How concerned should we be when Chinese growth runs out?
The importance of South and East Asia
Which way will the West turn?
Left or right?
Understanding the 100 years of the current
regime in China Part Two
Understanding the 100 years
of the current regime in China
China’s multifaceted great power projection
The rivalry between America and
China in South-East Asia
Where will the China/US
competition lead the world?
Major Case Study:
Investigating the India-China
standoff Part Three
Major Case Study:
Investigating the India-China
standoff Part Two
Major Case Study:
Investigating the India-China standoff Part
One
South-East Asia between China and the US
Major Case Study:
Developmental forces in East and West as
drivers of psychological change
Major Case Study:
The re-invention of Chinese History,
Nation, Language, and Territory Part Three
Major Case Study:
The re-invention of Chinese
History, Nation, Language, and Territory
Major Case Study:
The secrets of China’s new maps unveiled
Will a coming conflict make the military
disasters of Vietnam, Afghanistan, and Iraq pale in comparison?
China’s new claim about the border with
Bhutan
China’s larger geostrategic game
The fall out from the current
crises
Are the U.S. and China headed for a Cold
War?
The 21st Century Arms Race
From bloody nose attack to nonmilitary
options? Plus
update 18 January.
Will the Standoff Lead to a Second
India-China War? With
Update 29 Aug. 2017
South
China Sea: Risks of a clash caused by China’s
paramilitary ships that could bring U.S. forces to bear in defense of U.S.
allies
Uighur terrorist attack in China, a
shoot-out between the Koreas along their disputed maritime border and, to
top it off, a coup in Thailand
..China considers its territorial
waters
..We must go to war with Japan…History
as a political weapon:
China Today
The Why of Khmer Rouge Terror
The
East Asian World Order
The concept of Han Chinese
China's
New Nationalism
The Early
Chinese Empires
The true
voyages of Zheng He
There now
might be increased diplomatic pressure on Beijing to reduce its presence in
the South China Sea
Globalization and Empire:
Introduction
P.1 Indian Ocean's Business as Usual
P.2 Indian Ocean From Business to Power
Broker
Oceanic Powers, US/China: Conclusion
Case Study
Chinese Religion: Daoism:
Historical Overview of Daoism
Origin of
Daoism
Daoist
secrets of ritualized alchemy to internal Neidan meditative alchemy
Tantric ‘internal’ alchemy P.1
Tantric practice in China P.2
The Politics of Qigong:
The Taiping
Rebellion, Boxer Uprising, and Falung Gong
From Red Turban to Ming Tax Collecting
The Island of Seven Cities:
Research Report:
China Beyond Zheng Hi
From Persia to China
Research Report P.4:
China's Reinvented Historic Legacy
Case Study:
When China Woke Up to the World
Chinese and other Empires of the World
What Next
with China? P.1.
What Next with China P.2.
China Xi Jinping And The
United States.
But
It Can Still Prevent Chinese Hegemony.
…Their Failure To Act Fast Enough
On Climate Change Violates Their Human Rights.
Preparing For A Future Of
Extreme Weather.
Measure The Harm Of Climate
Change.
The search for Nextpolis
Apocalypse Never:
Why Planet earth is shutting down
A history of the end of the world
From
climate change denialism to the Brazilian rainforest fires and solutions
going forward
Here
is a blueprint as to how to approach the problems:
The
Weather as influenced by El Nino going forward
The
world going forward:
Putin and the Cold War Part Two
Putin and the Cold War Part One
The economy of
Colonialism:
Major Case Study:
Part one, Part two,
Part three
The economics of colonialism part three
The economics of colonialism part two
The counterfactual view that explains
colonialism
D
Dalai Lama
The Next
Dalai Lama.
The future Dalai Lama
E
East Asia
Economy,
see World - World Economy
Egypt
Empires
Enlightenment
EU - Europe
Europe
Extremism
The Greater East Asia
Co-Prosperity Sphere, Part One Of Two.
What Is Achievable In East Asia?
Countdown
Egypt: Why Egypt's Mursi will either resign or be sacked on 3 July
What next with Egypt and Syria to Jordan
Consequences for the balance of power
between the Brotherhood and the military
Protesters Storm Muslim Brotherhood Offices
Ghosts Of Empires Past.
This Is
Particularly True For Empires.
The transformation of the Russian Empire
part two
The transformation of the Russian Empire part one
The Holy Roman Empire, the Reformation, and the birth of the
Netherlands
Beginnings and endings of Empires
The concept of
Han Chinese
The East
Asian World Order
Whose Enlightenment?
When Europe Fell Apart.
The Promise And Peril Of EU
Expansion.
The Truth About European
Colonialism In The New World.
How The EU Will Learn To Wield Its Power.
Europe’s Geoeconomic Revolution.
Coudenhove-Kalergi And The Pan-Europa Movement.
Berlin’s Delicate Balance With Beijing.
Time To Expand The UN Security Council.
Europe’s Real Test Is Yet To Come.
Poland 1941.
Europe And Russia’s Aggression In Ukraine.
On The
Leaks Of A War With China Plus A Recension In Europe.
The
German Connection.
How The
War In Ukraine Will Remake The Continent.
The
Gripping Story Of How A Plot Would Take Over Germany.
Germany’s
Unlearned Lessons.
Germany
Just Averted Its Own Jan. 6, And Maybe The Fourth Reich.
Inflation
And Economic Uncertainty.
Why This
Could Last For Years.
Greece expected to strike a deal with the EU
The
fate of Europe in 2013
Will
the European Crises soon be over?
The
Start of Europe’s fragmentation
Why the European crisis has been solved
(for
a while).
Europe’s Crises Worsening
The financial crisis Europe faces it has
not wanted to admit even exists (with graphs)
Eurozone’s Debt crisis no
longer just about Greece. Continue…
Introduction
Critical
Investigation:
Research Report: Conflict and Ethnicity
Research Report: Ethnoclass in Eastern Europe
Religion and Modern Politics P.1: Bakunin's
Christianity
Religion and Modern Politics P.2: From 'New
Right' to Habermas Today
P.1: The New World of 'Sociology'
P.2: Signor Mazzini I Presume?
P.3: Social Democrats, A Political Religion
Updated:
P.4: The 1914 Clash of Civilisations
True History of the European Community,
P.1: Its WWI Origin
True History of the European Community, P.2: Which Europe?
P.1
Globalization and Economics: A Search for the Holy Grail?
Cold War and Modern Historiography
Including
major case study "From Belgium to Kososovo and back"
Towards a New Sociology of Religious Nationalism P.1
Towards a New Sociology of Religious Nationalism P.2, Part 3-a, Part 3-b:
The Politically Incorrect Guide to Religion
P.1
The Future of Democracies Around the World
How To Understand Extreme
Right-Wing Parties.
F
Fascism,
see Second World War
First World
War, see also WWI
Revisiting the First World
War Part Three
Revisiting the First World
War Part Two
Revisiting the First World War
Major Case Study:
A
new investigation about the First World War
Major Case Study:
Revisiting the Origins of the
First World War
Major Case Study:
Beyond the Treaty of Versailles
Treaty of Sèvres on 10 August 2020
new complex patterns and alliances were formed (many of them in the Middle East)
…an
interesting section about “The Flemish Lion”
The tribulations and consequences of the
Treaty of Versailles
Why World War I was pivotal to the creation
of the modern Middle East
World War I became known as the war to end
all wars
A complete timeline of what happened
Shantung the Versailles Treaty and the
Manchurian episode
A Somewhat Hidden History of the Balfour
Declaration
How the First World War started P.9
How the First World War started P.8
How the First World War started
P.7
How the First World War started P.6
Leading up to the First World
War P.5
Leading up the First World War P.4
The almost First World War P.3
The almost First World War P.2
The almost First World War P.1
The conspiracy theory that gave rise to
Hitler:
P.1 Reparations and the famous Article 231
From Versailles to the Making of the
Modern Middle East P.8:
British rule, Arab Spring-revolt, and the
Syria crisis today
From Versailles to the Making of the
Modern Middle East P.7:
The unresolved sectarian issue in Lebanon
today
From Versailles to the Making of the
Modern Middle East P.6:
The importance of oil, the ‘Arab question’,
and the British
The true history of the Balfour Declaration
and its implementations P.4
The true history of the Balfour Declaration
and its implementations P.3
The true history of the Balfour Declaration
and its implementations P.2
The true history of the Balfour Declaration
and its implementations P.1
From Versailles to the Making of the
modern Middle East P.6:
The Paris Peace Conference deliberations
From Versailles to the Making of the
modern Middle East P.5:
The Syrian question
From Versailles to the Making of the
modern Middle East P.4:
The ‘Arab’ and the ‘Jewish’ question
From Versailles to the Making of the
modern Middle East P.3:
The Menace of Jihad and How to Deal with It
From Versailles to the Making of the
modern Middle East P.2:
The Arab question and the ‘shocking
document’ that shaped the Middle East
From Versailles to the Making of the
Modern Middle East P.1:
The ‘Arab revolt’, Britain, and the
Collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East
The second First World War
The Real Russian Origins of the First World
War
A new investigation why the First World War
broke out
G
Gaza
Globalization
Global Jihad
Greater Han-Han Zhou Dynasty
Southern Gaza City of Rafah.
Why it is Crucial that it Not Be.
Gantz’s Gaza Plan.
Gaza
After Gaza.
Witness To Palestine.
The Way Going Forward In Gaza.
The Food Weapon.
Palestinian Option.
How Israel Fights.
Israel And Hamas.
America’s
Hypocrisy On Gaza.
The
Path To A Regional Order.
Requiem for Hyperglobalization.
Deglobalization.
Is this the end of Globalization?
The
'out of Eden' peopling of the earth
… For example:
Historical Overview
Historical Truth in the Age of
Globalization, P.1
The Myth of 1492 - Historical Truth in the
Age of Globalization, P.2
The Myth of The Industrial Revolution -
Historical Truth in the Age of Globalization, P.3
What the East Thought the West - Historical
Truth in the Age of Globalization, P.4
P.1, Mutual Contact
P.2, Violent Occupations
P.3, Broken Treaties and the Sex Trade
P.4, Disease and Changing Worlds
P.5, Controlling Landscapes
P.6, Administering People
P.7, WWII of Indigenous Populations
P.8, Enter the 21st Century
History of Globalization: In and out of India P.1: The First
Trade-Wars
History of Globalization: In and out of India P.2: The First
Multinational Companies.
"Globalization Flat or Round?"
What do Naomi Klein's "No War" have in common with with
two other recent books: "The Fire This Time: U.S. War Crimes in the
Gulf" or "The Iraq War : A Military History"?
…others are in complete denial of what is happening to them or soon
will happen
Postscript: Where did all the Money Go?
Why this complicates the reaction to the
Paris attacks:
Paris and the end times of ISIS:
…why Islamic history
The Future of the Islamic State:
The Salafist Resurgence
Jemaah Islamiah and Global Jihad
Case Study:
Beyond Terror and Martyrdom: The Future of
the Middle East
Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, and Salafi Jihadism:
Interview with Eric Vandenbroeck
Radical Islam and Global Jihad Today
Report:
Beyond
Terror and Martyrdom: The Future of the Middle East
The Islam Code P.1.
The Islam Code P.2.
Conclusion:
The Islam Code P.3.
An Exact Overview of the Growth of Modern
Radical Islam P.1
An Exact Overview of the Growth of Modern
Radical Islam P.2
An Exact Overview of the Growth of Modern
Radical Islam P.3
Pictural Overview of the Middle East Today
Global Jihad P.1
Global Jihad P.2
Global Jihad P.3
Global Jihad P.4
Global Jihad P.5
Global Jihad P.6
Global Jihad P.7
Conclusion and Implications:
Global Jihad P.7
The apocalypse within:
Updated
Case Analysis:
SA in Indonesia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Chechnya
Future World Jihad P.1
Future World Jihad P.2
Future World Jihad P.3: The Nazi Connection
Future World Jihad P.4: Jerusalem’s Armageddon
Future World Jihad P.5: What Now?
…Evidence
Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, plus more
Global Jihad
Case Study:
Central Asia P.1
Central Asia P.2
Central Asia P.3
Major Researchproject: Future World Jihad P.5
The Quest for World Jihad: Introduction
The Quest for World Jihad P.1.
The Quest for World Jihad P.2.
…we described the significance of the Ottoman Empire in the context
of today's world jihad
…let alone an inevitable, consequence of World War 1. The Quest for World Jihad P.3
…six part investigation of British encounters with Islamic warfare
The Quest for World Jihad P.4
Bin-Laden’s Bookshelf p.1 and 2
…2006 30 Jan. al-Qaeda nr.2 on bin-Laden's Truce''
Updated
The
Background Story of 7/7/2005 in the UK:
Today's War on Terrorism
A New 'Jihad' Wave?
Pakistan
The Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad P.1: Egypt and the Sudan
The Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad P.2: Somalia and Lebanon
The Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad P.3: Wahhabi's and Shi'ites
The Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad P.4: Iraq
The Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad P.5: Afghanistan
The Hidden Roots of Modern Jihad P.6: Strategic Lessons
From Hitler to the "Arab Reich"P.1
From Hitler to the "Arab Reich" P.2
From Hitler to the "Arab Reich" P.3
From Hitler to the "Arab Reich" P.4
A Convergence of Militant Islam and the New Right?
fringe groups not yet mentioned
The concept of Han Chinese
The East Asian World Order
H
Haiti
Hamas
Hawaii
Hitler,
see Second World War
Human Origins - Humanity
Houthis
Who Will Lead Haiti?
How to Deal with Hamas.
Consequences of the
Israel/Hamas War Part Two.
Consequences of the
Israel/Hamas War.
The Day After.
Israel And Hamas
From Pearl Harbour On.
The True Story Of Hawaii.
2020 9
July:
Rediscovering Hawaii's place in the pacific
Rediscovering Hawaii's place in
the pacific
And Then
It Got Cold.
The Mystery Of Inequality.
The Myth of Human Origins
When humanity almost got wiped out
The Measure Of Their
Effectiveness Will Be In How The Houthis Respond.
I
Illiberal Democracy
India
International Relations
International Systems
Iran
Iranian-Palestinian
Iraq
Islam
Israel
And Hamas
Israel
In Gaza
Israel - Palestine - Jerusalem
The Rising Threat Of Illiberal
Democracy.
How
Indian Voters Constrained Modi.
Bharatiya Janata Party Suffer a Setback.
Modi’s Tough Stance Could Invite, not
Deter, Chinese.
Modi’s Middling Economy.
The British 'Company’
And The Conquest Of India.
The Fate Of Over 1.4 Billion
People Hangs In The Balance.
Modi's New Messenger.
The Teacher To The World.
The Story How Hardeep Singh
Nijjar Was Killed In Canada, September 2023.
India’s Massive Military Restructuring.
Will India Surpass China To Become The Next Superpower?
India As It Is.
India Won’t Side With Washington Against Beijing.
India’s Great-Power Opportunity.
Kashmir Today.
The Urgent Issues That Preoccupy Much Of The Developing World.
Why It
Is Of Importance.
The
Skirmish In Arunachal Pradesh Reflects Beijing’s Confidence, And New
Delhi’s Diminished Deterrence.
A Critical Look At Narendra Modi's
India Today.
India’s
Ruling Party Is Losing Control.
Why I Killed Gandhi.
A New Look At The History Of Partition.
Major Case
Study:
A movie, a new book, and what India stands for
today
Ladakh fighting
Major Case Study:
The Hindu right in context
Could India and China Go to War?
Kashmiri militants
What is really happening in India?
The empire within an empire that changed
the future fate of India
The impeachment of the first
governor-general of Bengal
Jammu and Kashmir
What happened with Kashmir and
why it matters
“I think it is probably a god-gifted
ability”
A concern is that it might leed to more
violence in Sri Lanka
The 10th anniversary of an assault that
raised fears of war with Pakistan and why in the end it was about Kashmir
Revisiting India’s Harappan
civilization .. where the Indo-European languages came from, enter:
..."Indian
Mujahadeen" like recent
attacks in Ahmedabad and Jaipur
Why Orissa
Introduction
What is happening in India today?
What happened with Kashmir and why it matters.
Update
… India's tech sector following explosions
…began on Wednesday, 26 November
…repercussions in reference to Kashmir
…including that the Indian air and missile forces were
placed on war footing
Kashmir is a victim of the disputed division of
British India during the transfer of colonial power in 1947.
Partition of British India's Geostrategic
Cause.
…Through
Burma and Back
India: The Clash Within: The World's
Largest Democracy?
Deciding to go for facts rather than
fiction today:
The Eurasian Industrial
Revolution.
Bose
movie, published in: Return of the Swastika, 2007 P.1
From Japan to Burma, P.2
From Nagaland to Burma, P.1
From Nagaland to Burma, P.2
sometimes also encountered in our research
report about Europe
Politics in S.Asia P.1
Politics in S.Asia P.2 post-1966 Indira
Gandhi
Politics in S.Asia P.3 Competitive Populism
…in
Madras Henry Olcott stated…
Political Religious Violence in Asia P.1
Political Religious Violence in Asia P.2
Political Religious Violence in Asia P.3
…Fascism and Communism
Matthew Specter And Jonathan Kirshner’s New
Books.
…the rise and fall of a principle of
hierarchical sovereignty. See:
…vassalage system employed in Europe
some fifteen hundred years later. See:
S.America that led up to the League
of Nations Conference at Montevideo. See:
…most likely resulting in failure. See:
…boundaries between political units
will increase. See:
The state is not the only form of
political unit to have existed…See:
… former Yugoslavia … See:
… crisis in Yugoslavia -- the
question we next answered is why. See:
… a nascent American imperial that
represents the status quo. See:
The Past and Future of the Nations
P.1: Introduction
The Past and Future of the Nations
P.2: China and Tibet
The Past and Future of the Nations
P.3: Islamic Empires
The Past and Future of the Nations
P.4: Christians and Pagans in Europe
The Past and Future of the Nations
P.5: Protestant Reformation
The Past and Future of the Nations
P.6: From God To Proto-Nationalism
The Past and Future of the Nations
P.7: Demand for increased boundaries
The Past and Future of the Nations
P.8: Federalism and its Consequences
…disintegration of Yugoslavia…
State Behaviour in the International System P.1
…legal tradition…
State Behaviour in the International System P.2
…during 2003 Iraq Standoff.
State Behaviour in the International System P.3
The Kyoto Protocol and Africa.
State Behaviour in the International System P.4
United States, the United Kingdom,
Australia, India, and Sierra Leone.
State Behaviour in the International System P.5
Conclusion and Outlook:
State Behaviour in the International System P.6
From Belgium to Kosovo P.1
From Belgium to Kosovo P.2
From Belgium to Kosovo P.3
From Belgium to Kosovo P.4
From Belgium to Kosovo P.5
From Belgium to Kosovo P.6
From Belgium to Kosovo P.7
Introduction
Conclusion
The Iran-Israel Relationship.
Escalation Could Set Israel And
Iran On A Collision Course.
What
Narges Mohammadi’s Nobel Means For Iran.
Iran’s New Patrons.
The Iran Gamble.
We Investigate A Sorbid History
Under Pressure.
Israel’s Dangerous Shadow War With Iran.
An Even More Intransigent Regime.
Iran’s
Question Of Legitimacy.
Iran’s
Anti-Veil Protests Have Already Succeeded.
The enduring relationship between China and Iran
What next?
What to make of the Iran protests?
Why Tehran Is Winning the War for Control
of the Middle East
Iran - Gaza Offensive: Why the Iranian connection will complicate
the situation
Iran threatens to block Strait of
Hormuz oil route, yet
why they will not
Military steps up plans for Iran attack?
Introduction
Modern
Iran P.1
Modern Iran P.2
The Iran Papers P.1
The Iran Papers P.2
The Iran Papers P.3
The Iran Papers P.4
The Iran Papers P.5
Conclusion: The Iran Papers
…Iran…
Iran-Chinese relationship
Iran
and its conspiracytheories
Whoever Succeeds Him Won’t
Change Course.
Why Tehran’s Hard-Liners
Choose To Escalate.
Why Iran And Israel May Not
Be Finished.
The Cascading World.
Iran's Strategy.
A Detente Option For
Iran.
The
Iranian-Palestinian Marriage Of Convenience.
What is to follow after Iraqi Prime
Minister Adil Abdul Mahdi's resignation
The End
of the Islamic Republic As We Know It Part Two.
The End
of the Islamic Republic As We Know It Part One.
Early Islam and the decay of Rome part two
Major Case Study:
Early Islam and the decay of Rome part one
The Day After.
Hamas’s Future.
Israel From A Singaporean Perspective.
The Rafah Operation.
Pressuring
Allies Not To Retaliate Against Attacks Raises The Risk Of Spiraling
Conflicts.
Hamas Part Two.
Qatar And The Hamas
Leader.
These Are The
Three Options.
Only Way Is To Defeat
Hamas.
Israel And Hamas.
Stuck
In Gaza.
Why Israel Will Remain In Gaza.
|
Israel - Palestine - Jerusalem
|
When
Israel Was in China.
The
Iran-Israel Relationship.
Palestine: a British
Dilemma.
Regional Ties of Israel.
Where the Case Stands Now.
The Land that is Israel.
Consequences of the
Israel/Hamas War Part Two.
Consequences of the
Israel/Hamas War.
Can America’s Special Relationship With
Israel Survive?
How it Could be Done.
When The Palestinian Flag
Was Raised At Harvard.
But This Is Equally
True For The United States.
Why International Law Is
Failing.
Judicial Reforms As War Of
Words Escalates.
The Coming Arab Backlash.
Jordanian Fighter Pilots.
Dilemmas Of The Gulf
States.
So What Is It All
About?
Relations With Israel And
American Leadership.
Israel's Cyberabilities.
The New Capacity.
Witness To Palestine.
Where This War Will
Go Next?
The Food Weapon.
Palestinian Option.
How Israel Fights.
Israel And Hamas.
America’s
Hypocrisy On Gaza.
The Path To A
Regional Order.
The Measure Of Their
Effectiveness Will Be In How The Houthis Respond.
Gaza Makes A Nuclear
Iran More Likely.
Regional
Conflicts Resemble World War II.
Why Peace Remains
Possible.
The
Ongoing Houthi Attacks.
The Choice Cannot Be
Clearer.
Gaza Historical Role.
But Far Greater Risks May
Emerge If He Doesn’t.
Why Israel Will Remain
In Gaza.
Researching Israel’s Goals And
Strategy.
How Hamas Has United Israelis
Behind The War.
The Iranian-Palestinian Marriage
Of Convenience.
The Way Going
Forward In Gaza.
The
Future Of The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
Why Israel Won’t
Change.
Protest The Netanyahu
Government.
What Does It Mean To
Defeat A Terrorist Group?
The Gaza Case.
It Is A Pattern That Is
Already Playing Out Again.
Why Did Antony Blinken Attend A
Meeting In Doha?
The No Blueprint
Assault.
The Protests In Israel.
Duelling Speeches.
The End Of Israel’s Gaza
Illusions.
What To Do About Gaza, And
What Gazans Think.
Israel Enter Gaza Imminent.
Misinformation About
The Israel-Hamas War Is Flooding Social Media.
Erdogan And The
Hamas-Israel War.
Escalation Could Set Israel And
Iran On A Collision Course.
The
Israeli/Hamas Conundrum.
Return The Gaza Strip
To Palestinians.
A Strategy Beyond Revenge.
Why Washington
Should Restrain Israeli Military Action In Gaza.
Time To Step Back From The
Brink.
Hamas Rise To Power.
How The Conflict
In The Middle East Came About P.1.
Crises In The Middle
East.
Gaza Redux Part One.
Hezbollah, Israel,
And Tehran.
The Why And How Of The
Surprise Attack On Israel.
Operation Al-Aqsa Flood.
What A Saudi-Israeli Deal Could Mean For The Palestinians.
Debating Israel’s One-State Reality.
Confronting A One-State Reality.
The US Is Indispensable To Israel’s Safety And Security.
Israel’s Dangerous Shadow War With Iran.
How To Prevent A Third Intifada.
The Holy Land and its contestants
Major Case Study:
A critical history of Palestine P.2
Major Case Study:
A critical history of Palestine
P.1
The story of British
Policymaking at the End of Empire and the Creation of Israel P.2
The story of British
Policymaking at the End of Empire and the Creation of Israel P.1
Jerusalem Unveiled
Paris Peace Conference redux 15
Jan.2017
The Hajj, Muslim worshipers at the
Grand Mosque in Mecca: What
two million people are about to do here
The Palestinians' Real Enemies
The Gaza offensive: Egyptian-Israeli relations, other groups
than Hamas, wider relevance or importance
A Brief History of the Jerusalem Problem
The Problems with Israel and
Palestine P3: The Palestinian Challenge Beyond Israel
The Problems with Israel and
Palestine P2: Geostrategy of the Palestinians
…Israeli military incursion…
P1: Geostrategy of Israel
J
Japan
To China and South Korea.
East Asia’s
Coming Population Collapse.
Tokyo
Aims To Counter Growing Chinese And North Korean Aggression.
The Consensus From Canberra To Tokyo.
The Japanese Attempt to Solve the Mongol Question
Major Case Study:
Asia after China
Japans dealing
with China
Identity in Japan
Anglo-American ascendance
The U.S. financial siege of Japan:
The U.S. Oil Shortage that never was
…Turkish and Japanese foreign
policies, and why: Continue...
Cold War Japan
…demanded that Japan open its doors to
foreign trade
The U.S. financial siege of Japan:
The U.S. Oil Shortage that never was
Making the New Japan:
The New Japan P.1:
The New Japan P.2:
Asia-Pacific Rim Hegemony:
An Assessment P.1.
Asia-Pacific Rim Hegemony: From
Japanese to Chinese Containment?
An Assessment P.2.
K
Kurds
What next with the Kurdish conundrum?
L
Latinoamerica,
see also South America
Mexico On Edge?
Who Will Lead Haiti?
Bolsonaro
Redux.
When The
Past Does Not Go Away.
The Haitian Government Is Dependent On International Power.
Far-Right Movements In The Two Countries Are Deeply Interconnected.
The
Current Situation.
Far-Right
Rioters Invaded Brazil's Federal Representative Institutions.
A
History Of Making Bad Situatiuations Worse.
Latin America 2022.
Democracy Or Authoritarian Populism?
M
Middle East
Moscow To
China
Myanmar - Rohingya Crisis
The Red Sea.
The
Region’s Perilous Security Conditions.
The Making Of The
Middle East.
The Making Of The
Modern Middle East Part Seven.
The Making Of The
Modern Middle East Part Six.
The Making Of The
Modern Middle East Part Five.
The Making Of The
Modern Middle East Part Four.
The Middle East Gamble.
The Making Of The
Modern Middle East Part Two.
The Making Of The
Modern Middle East Part One.
The Path To A
Regional Order.
The Measure Of Their
Effectiveness Will Be In How The Houthis Respond.
The Problems With
The Middle East.
Part One:
How The Conflict In The Middle East Came About P.1.
Crises In The Middle East.
Why A Spate of Diplomatic Deals
Won’t End Conflict.
Key To The Russia-Ukraine Conflict.
How To
Deal With The Saudi Arabia Problems.
What
Needs To Happen Next.
The Making Of The Middle East.
The Making Of The Modern Middle
East Part 2.
The ‘Arab’ And The Syrian Question.
Making of the Middle East's hidden history Part Two
Making of the Middle East's hidden history
Part One
Why World War I was pivotal to the creation
of the modern Middle East
Why Tehran Is Winning the War for Control
of the Middle East
The Syrian civil war and the Middle East
going forward
From Versailles to the Making of the
Modern Middle East P.8:
British rule, Arab Spring-revolt, and the
Syria crisis today
From Versailles to the Making of the
Modern Middle East P.7:
The unresolved sectarian issue in Lebanon
today
From Versailles to the Making of the
Modern Middle East P.6:
The importance of oil, the ‘Arab question’,
and the British
From Versailles to the Making of the
modern Middle East P.6:
The Paris Peace Conference deliberations
From Versailles to the Making of the
modern Middle East P.5:
The Syrian question
From Versailles to the Making of the
modern Middle East P.4:
The ‘Arab’ and the ‘Jewish’ question
From Versailles to the Making of the
modern Middle East P.3:
The Menace of Jihad and How to Deal with It
From Versailles to the Making of the
modern Middle East P.2:
The Arab question and the ‘shocking
document’ that shaped the Middle East
From Versailles to the Making of the
Modern Middle East P.1:
The ‘Arab revolt’, Britain, and the
Collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East
Does the Middle East Need New Borders?
The contradictory web that fuels conflicts
in the Middle East
Forecast for Asia, Europe, Sub-Saharan
Africa, Former Soviet Union, Middle East/North Africa, South Asia, Latin
America
Case Study:
Beyond Terror and Martyrdom: The Future of
the Middle East
Pictural Overview of the Middle East
…conflict in Yemen seems anything but over:
Jerusalem Unveiled
Paris Peace Conference redux 15 Jan. 2017
The
Syrian civil war and the Middle East going forward
The
true history of the Balfour Declaration and its implementations P.1
The
true history of the Balfour Declaration and its implementations P.2
The
true history of the Balfour Declaration and its implementations P.3
The true
history of the Balfour Declaration and its implementations P.4
Geopolitical
Implications
The
Shi’ite-Suni Devide
Case Study:
Shi'ite Lebanon and Hezbollah
The
Occupation and its Legacy, P.1
The
Occupation and its Legacy, P.2
The
Occupation and its Legacy, P.3
Unknown to most we checkep up who and what Hezbollah really is
Who/What Hezbollah really is: The Larger Picture
…the new conflict between the
post-Christian West and Islam…Case Study
Research Report:
The Iran US Conflict
also in the case of China…
Research Report:
The Iran US Conflict Today
Israel is the 'Zion' of prophecy, part of God's plan
We frequently pointed out…
Case Study:
Pan-Arabist Media
The New Pan-Arabism P.2:
Research Report:
Saudi-Arabia
and Terrorism:
World Jihad
From
Moscow To China
|
Myanmar
- Rohingya Crisis
|
The Situation in Myanmar Today.
The
Future of Myanmar.
Major Case Study: Myanmar
and the looming war for its borderlands Part Five
Major Case Study: Myanmar
and the looming war for its borderlands Part Four
Major Case Study:
Myanmar
and the looming war for its borderlands Part Three
Major Case Study: Myanmar
and the looming war for its borderlands Part Two
Major Case Study:
Myanmar and
the looming war for its borderlands Part one
What Myanmar as a failed state may look like:
What next with Myanmar
The ongoing tragedy that faces the Muslim
Rohingya communities of western Myanmar
Major
Case Study:
The
consequences of the Arakan Campaign
…in reference to faulting Myanmar
...where she is planning to deny any wrongdoing by the
armed forces and defend Myanmar against charges of ethnic cleansing or
genocide
The politics of statelessness investigation
The Rakhine/Rohingya Conundrum
What next with Myanmar and its Chinese
influence Plus update 2 February
Myanmar update
Myanmar P.6:
Mawlamyine and beyond
Myanmar P.5:
Past the Golden Rock to Karen (Kayin) State
Myanmar P.4:
The Challenge of Unity in a Divided Country
Myanmar P.3:
Two kinds of Monks
Myanmar P.2:
To Myitkyina and Kachin State
Myanmar P.1:
Discovering the background from where
today’s Myanmar evolved
China/US, 2013 projection for
Myanmar/Burma
Myanmar's Shame:
…the Panglong agreement
Aung San was assassinated just over five
months later.
…crisis or political uncertainty, was the military. Continue…
….most Burmese watched and waited, untroubled by the small flurries
of activity among Europeans. Continue...
…inter-communal hatred versus the Karen and others. Continue…
…and thus contributing to the confusion. Continue…
…Asia weighed heavily on the minds of the British. Continue...
…as they had been doing for years. Continue…
…or minority tribal leaders to hold out for too much. Continue...
…of a favorable conjunction of the stars. Continue...
…Burma soon had all but become one of the first 'failed states’. Continue...
The return of Japan post WWII. Continue...
N
Napoleon
NATO
North Korea
Nuclear Peril
Enter Napoleon:
The End of NATO?
The West Needs A Strategy For
After The Counteroffensive.
How To Keep The Country Safe Without NATO Membership.
Today's NATO Meeting In Vilnius.
The Next Few Years Will Be Crucial.
NATO’s East Deterring Russia.
Let Ukraine Join NATO Now.
Why NATO Must Admit Ukraine.
The Leaked Documents.
How To Protect Ukraine Without
NATO Membership.
Explaining The NEW NATO Strategic Concept.
What the situation looks like going forward
The Coming North Korean Crisis.
What Putin And Kim Want From Each Other.
A Form Of Preparation For War.
The Korea Model.
Today's Situation In Korea.
Major
Case Study:
The
Korean War in context
The news from N.Korea
The USA “ready to fight tonight” claim
Will the U.S. accept a nuclear N.Korea or
intervene P.1
....N. Korea … Continue…
What Proliferation
Means For Global Security.
The Return Of Nuclear
Escalation.
Confronting The New Nuclear Peril.
O
Oman
Major
Case Study:
Charting
the future of Oman
P
Pacific War
Pakistan
Palestine: see Israel – Palestine – Jerusalem
Political Qigong
Psychology - Psychiatry
Putin
The Pacific Space.
The five days that made Pearl Harbours as
a key for the worldwide war.
Part Eight Can a potential future Pacific War be
avoided?
Part Seven Can a potential future Pacific
War be avoided?
Part Six Can a potential future Pacific War
be avoided?
Part Five Can a potential future Pacific
War be avoided?
Part Four Can a potential future Pacific
War be avoided?
Part Three Can a potential future Pacific
War be avoided?
Part Two Can a potential future Pacific War
be avoided?
Part One Can a potential future Pacific War
be avoided?
Imran Khan’s Long March.
The 10th anniversary of
an assault that raised fears of war with Pakistan and why in the end it was
about Kashmir
Predicaments of
Pakistan in Afghanistan
For an
overview of Pakistan enter here:
Introduction:
…to support an Islamic State in Pakistan
…controlled by British political
officers with the help of tribal chieftains...
Continue P.1
…Blood and chaos were
everywhere."
Continue P.2
…some ways to think about territory,
history, and ethnic belonging. Continue P.3
…key theories of nationalism.
Continue P.4
Who Made Pakistan? P.5: The Militarization of Pakistan
P.6 India's Backlash
…under
civil/military rulers before turning Islamic during the last decade and a
half. Continue P.7
With the case of Indonesia, India, and Pakistan…
Case Study:
The
Politics of Qigong
Rationality
and progress
The logic of human nature and
causal networks
So what to do about bias?
The secrets behind the making of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Part Three
The secrets behind the making of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Part Two
The secrets behind the making of the
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Part One
So what is with Psychological Science?
Here are eight ways how we can form more
accurate views of the world
The Secret of Positive Thinking, Self Help
books and Happiness
The Politically Incorrect Guide to
Psychology and Psychiatry
From New Thought to Self
Improvement Books
Putin And The Right
Q
Qatar
Two
longtime rivals battle by proxy and why this crisis will get worse
Case Study:
Qatar's
master strategy or opportunism?
R
Russia – Central Asia
Russia - Putin
Russia - Tsar
Agreement Not Be a Formal Binding.
To Sow that Fear in Moscow.
Russia’s Quest for a Gateway to Iran and the
Middle East.
To Run the World.
Putin Threatens the West with
"Special Ammunition."
Russia’s Pro-Putin Elites.
Foreign Propagandists.
The Russian Volunteer Corps.
The Anti-Western Club.
The Five Futures Of Russia.
Too Many European Politicians Are
Failing To Confront Russia.
Like In The First World War?
What Putin And Kim Want From Each Other.
What The West Still Gets Wrong
About Russia’s Military.
What It Will Take To Break Putinism’s Grip.
The Wagner Paramilitary Group.
Russian Ethnonationalism Chauvinism.
The Dangers Of Russian Disorder.
Think Twice Before You Launch A
Conflict.
The War Of Endurance.
Blinded By The Fight.
Crimes Without Punishment?
China’s Affinity With Russia Is
Over.
The Treacherous Path To A Better Russia.
How Wars Don’t End Ukraine,
Russia, and the Lessons of World War I.
Prepare For A Brutal War.
1984 In Russia Today.
Stalin’s Secret Force.
The Latest News.
The Question Of Chinese Military
Support For Russia.
A Partial Victory Will Solve
Little.
The
Coming Russia Disintegration.
The
Presence Of Kishida In Kyiv And Xi In Moscow.
Russia
And China Behind The Scenes.
The
Limits Of Economic Warfare.
How To
Prepare For Peace Talks In Ukraine.
The
Russia That Might Have Been.
Looting
As A Potential War Crime.
How Long
Can This Not-Quite-Total War Be Sustained?
Russia’s
Anti-Jewish Dimension.
Europe
And Russia’s Aggression In Ukraine.
The War
Will Go On Into Next Year.
Russian
Patriotic Death Cult.
Russia
Is Losing The War.
Can
Moscow Learn From Its Failures In Ukraine?
Export
Control Cooperation From Allies.
They Can
Do Business With.
2023 Is
The Decisive Year.
Why The
Sanctions In Russia Are Already Biting Hard.
How
Putin Is About To Lose His War.
The War
Will Likely Continue Until The End Of 2023.
To
Prepare For Russia’s Collapse.
Russia's
Target Of 300,000 Additional Troops.
The
Russian Crisis.
To Know
Stalin And What Followed.
To Recognize The Stakes.
We Have To Prepare For Russia’s Defeat But Also Its Return.
A Decentralized Entity Can Reform Itself From The Inside Out.
In 1954, Crimea Was Transferred From Russia To Ukraine.
A Re-Assessment.
Why Policymakers Around The World Should Take Note.
Revisiting the Ambassador-Lockhart Plot Part Four.
Revisiting The Ambassador-Lockhart Plot Part Three.
Revisiting The Ambassador-Lockhart Plot Part Two.
Revisiting The Ambassador-Lockhart Plot Part One.
What should not be taken off the table when
talking with Putin
We show in seven maps how Ukraine came about
Major Case
Study:
Putin Has Long Tried to Balance Europe. Now He’s Working to Reset It
What the situation looks like going forward
Ukraine today
Why Putin believes Ukraine was given to Russia
Putin and the Cold War Part Two
Putin and the Cold War Part One
The transformation of the Russian Empire
part two
The transformation of the Russian Empire part one
Why Putin claims that most of Ukraine “was given”
to Russia
Gorbachev’s reforms
Imperial Russia and Qing China
Revealing Harbin’s
interesting Russian history
Major
Case Study:
Spys Invade Russia P.7
Major
Case Study:
Spys Invade Russia P.6
Major
Case Study:
Spys Invade Russia P.5
Major
Case Study:
Spys Invade Russia P.4
Major
Case Study:
Spys Invade Russia P.3
Major
Case Study:
Spys Invade Russia P.2
Major
Case Study:
Spys Invade Russia P.1
The Svalbard/Spitsbergen Saga
Major
Case Study:
Was the Cold War inevitable?
A German and British plot to take the last Tsar
Ukraine as a test case
Major
Case Study:
When
Spies invaded Russia P.6.
British spycraft in Bolshevist Russia
Major
Case Study:
When
Spies invaded Russia P.5.
What must develop into a civil war
Major Case Study:
When Spies invaded
Russia P.4.
How North
Russia evolved into its military phase
Major
Case Study:
When Spies invaded Russia P.3.
The alleged
protecting of supplies propaganda
Major
Case Study:
When Spies invaded
Russia P.2.
To mold
irregular warfare into a method which honored the Imperial myth
Major
Case Study:
When Spies invaded Russia P.1
Major
Case Study:
Why is Ukraine so important to
Russia
From Rasputin to little known aspects of
Nicholas’s II abdication and the situation in Russia
British Imperial Agents invade
Russia P.2: The
British Banking scheme to control Russia’s economy and the Allied
intervention
British Imperial Agents invade
Russia P.1: here
the lesser known aspects surrounding the events of 1918
Captives of the Russian Civil War
P.4: From White
resurgence to the Anglo-Soviet Trade Agreement
Captives of the Russian Civil War
P.3: The rise and
fall of Komuch’s People’s Army
Captives of the Russian Civil War
P.2: The
Counterrevolution and the Anatomy of Allied Intervention
Captives of the Russian Civil War
P.1: Why and how the Czech Legion conquered the Siberian
railway
Concerns Russia could use the alleged plot in
Crimea to justify more military incursions into the Ukraine
…Russia vis a vis a US plane: We
tell you why it happened
Russian Aristocrats, Putin, and European
extreme right wing parties
The main question now is whether Russia
will push back with what power it has left or find a way to compromise with
this shifting worldview
Case Study:
The ‘decline of the West’ and a
look behind Putin’s new Eurasianism
Intelligence scoop of what is happening
with the Ukraine and the standoff between Russia the US and Europe:
Resurgence or is Russia Doomed? Continue:
Enter the Unfolding Crises in Europe and
the Ukraine/Crimea:
The Qaddafi libel against Gorbachev and the
last days of the Soviet Union
…Russia wants to increase its
influence. …China might be concerned, plus… Continue:
Russian Eurasianism: A New Ideology of
Empire?
Introduction
The Next European Battleground?
Russia’s Geostrategic
Predicament and Power Today P1
Finding the West
…following part
Introduction: Gorbachev’s Last Days
Case Study:
Russia’s Move Towards the Right
Global Jihad Case
Study:
Central Asia P.1
Central Asia P.2
Central Asia P.3
Research Report:
Russia’s
Geostrategic Roots Today
European policy that is about to change now …Comment
…more questions than answers.
Comment P.1
Comment P.2:
…transforming the face of Eurasia
Predicting the next half Year:
Russia’s New Map: The Third Rome
A History
of Eurasianism
The New Map of Russia
Russia’s
New Map P.2: A History of Panslavism
Russia’s
New Map P.3
World
Revolution: The Roots of Modern Russia
How the
End of the Cold War Occurred
After the
Cold War: America over the Brink
What Led To The Dissolution of
The Soviet Union 1991
Central Asia: Why The Great Game
Heats Up
Why The Great Game Heats Up P.2: Azerbaijan
Putin Threatens the West with
"Special Ammunition."
Russia’s Pro-Putin
Elites.
Putin And The Right.
Bolshevik Rule.
Too
Many European Politicians Are Failing To Confront Russia.
What Does Putin Want?
What Putin And Kim Want From
Each Other.
What It Will Take To Break
Putinism’s Grip.
Why There Can Be No Negotiations
With Putin.
The Beginning Of The End For
Putin?
Crisis Abates, But Questions Remain.
Is Worse To Come From Putin?
How Putin Revived Stalinism.
Dictator Without Borders.
Putin’s Forever War.
Putin, The Suspect.
Putin Remains In Day-To-Day
Government.
Sanctions Can Help End Putin’s Imperial Pretensions If The West
Keeps Its Nerve.
The War
Started Due To Putin's Policy Failure.
War in
Ukraine Has Revealed About Putin’s Regime.
Indications
Putin Decided To Give The Missile That Downed MH17.
They Can
Do Business With.
2023 Is
The Decisive Year.
How
Putin Is About To Lose His War.
Calling
Out Putin's Excuse.
Russia As State Sponsor Of Terrorism And
More.
Putin And Ukraine’s Nuclear Reactors.
The Ukrainian Saboteurs Behind Enemy
Lines.
Divide And Conquer.
The
Polish Incident That Is Changing It.
We Investigate The
Nonproliferation Conundrum.
Why
Putin Gladly Tells You Is No Khrushchev.
What Is
Needed For The Russian Economy To Grow.
China
The Global Power And Russia The Junior Partner.
Putin And Stalin.
Turkey
And Russia: Friends For Now.
What To
Do About Putin.
We
Assess The Possibility Of Regime Collapse.
The
Outcome Of Significant Wars Ultimately Comes Down To Attrition.
The Way
Forward For Russia.
Putin
Puts Faith In The Poor Man's Weapon.
The War
Might Last Another Year And What That Means.
Our
Source In The Kremlin Speaks Up.
What
Happens To Russia’s Periphery.
Why
Today It Becomes More Likely Putin Will Lose This War.
A Fear
Greater Than Putin.
The End Of Putin’s Bargain With The People.
Climbing The Escalation
Ladder.
How To
Build A Better Order.
Policy For A World In
Crisis.
Putin's Private Army.
Why Is There Little Hope For A Quick
Rebound.
Wait For The Tide To Turn.
They Will Be Front And Center In Domestic And
Global Politics.
Naturally, There Can Be No Excuse, Only Ruthless
Punishment.
Assessment Of How The Russia-Ukraine
War Is Progressing.
Peter Took Russia Into The Future. Putin Pushing It
Back To The Past.
Russians Are In For A Rude Awakening This Fall.
There Is A Risk Of Serious Harm.
China Needs To Reach An
Understanding And Russia Does Not.
Bad Timing Of Global
Agriculture And Food Supply Chains.
Russia’s Security Concerns
And Allay Its Anxieties.
China’s Motivations.
Fantasy Is Not History.
When The Economic Recovery Comes.
Putin’s Entire Ukraine Invasion Hinges On The Coming
Battle Of Kherson.
Convicted For The Usurpation Of Power.
This Will Put One Side At A Disadvantage.
Russias Fifth Service.
The Ukraine/Russia War.
Fighting Climate Change Through Trade.
Time For New Trade Agreements.
What Next With The World Energy Situation.
Whose Middle East?
What If The War In Ukraine Spins Out Of Control?
Can Austria Stay Neutral?
Explaining How Far NATO Can Go.
Western Fears Of Putin.
Why Libya Could Be Putin’s, Trump Card.
The Case For Diplomacy.
He Has None.
This Is Not A Victory.
The Key To Victory In Ukraine.
A
Need To Build A Better World Order.
A Global Cold War.
Part Eight
From 1917 To 2022.
Part Seven
From 1917 To 2022.
Part Six
From 1917 To 2022.
Part Five
From 1917 To 2022.
Part Four
From 1917 To 2022.
Part Three
From 1917 To 2022.
Part Two
From 1917 To 2022.
From 1917 To
2022.
The Hidden History Of The Glastonbury Festival.
Can Putin
Survive?
Why The
Russian Army Is Facing A Long, Grim Fight In Ukraine.
Why Do Russian Sanctions Persist As A Tool Of Diplomacy?
Why Ukraine Reached A Pivotal Moment.
Why Kyiv Needs An Immediate Solution.
The Why Of The Road To War.
The Putin Challenge.
Putin’s Challenge To The West.
Why Putin’s Ukraine War Is An Inflection Point For The West.
Why It Is Too Soon For A Lasting Diplomatic Settlement.
What Candidate Status Would Mean.
Russia’s Early Failures Doesn’t Make It Less Dangerous.
Russian Army Would Have To Collapse.
The End Of Climate Policy.
Why Does China Neither Endorse Nor Condemn Russian President
Vladimir Putin’s War?
What
The G7 Foreign Ministers Will Do.
Belgian Lessons.
What Will The Consequences Of Mobilization Be?
The Kremlin’s Questionable Worldview.
Understanding The Kremlin’s Worldview.
Putin’s Revisionist Worldview Part One.
The Re-Invention Of History And National Identity.
Why The War In Ukraine Is Shifting.
Understanding Putin’s Revisionist Worldview Part Three.
Understanding Putin’s Revisionist Worldview Part Two.
Understanding Putin’s Worldview Part One.
The Wargame.
How Serious A Threat Is Putin.
The War About Food Supplies.
Infiltrating The Highest Level Of Government.
Meanwhile, Russians Are Fleeing Their Country In Doves.
Revealing Putin’s Inconsistencies While Striving For A New
Empire.
Geostrategy Of Russia.
Putin’s Victory Speech.
The Murder Of General Wrangel An Equally Famous
Ballerina.
The Atomic Option.
A “New” War, Twenty Years In The Making.
Exposure To Russian Intelligence Services.
Major Case Study:
The Mongolia Factor.
Moscow’s Suez Moment.
What
Putin Has In Mind Next.
Who Is The Tsar Of Russia.
Life For The Tsar.
S
Second World War, see also WWII
Slavery North America
South America
South Asia
Spy Agencies - Secret Intelligence
Services
Syria Crisis – Lebanon, Yemen
The Special Operations Executive In France
And Elsewhere.
Hitler's Aristocrats Part Six.
Hitler's Aristocrats Part Five.
Hitler's Aristocrats Part Four.
Hitler's Aristocrats Part Three.
Hitler's Aristocrats Part Two.
Hitler's Aristocrats Part One.
Major Case Study:
The Pearl Harbour attack and its consequences
Part Two
Major Case Study:
The Pearl Harbour attack and its consequences Part One
The post-WWII new order part two
The post-WWII new order part one
The old order is crumbling, and a new order
is rising
Axis states understood they
settled the moral low ground.
The Second World War created the
conditions for transforming Europe and the entire global geopolitical order.
Creating a new
world order part one.
How the various countries
justified WWII Part One.
Major Case Study:
From the Manchurian Incident to Word War II
Part Four
Major Case Study:
From the Manchurian Incident to Word War II
Part Three
Major Case Study:
From the Manchurian Incident to Word War II
Part Two
Major Case Study: From the Manchurian Incident to
Word War II Part One
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and
Poland Part Sixteen
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and
Poland Part Fifteen
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and
Poland Part Fourteen
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and
Poland Part Thirteen
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and
Poland Part Twelve
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and Poland Part Eleven
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and Poland Part Ten
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and Poland Part Nine
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and
Poland Part Eight
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and
Poland Part Seven
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and
Poland Part Six
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and
Poland Part Five
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and Poland Part Four
… Trianon (1919 and 1920)
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and Poland Part Three
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and Poland Part Two
Major Case Study:
Russia, Germany, and Poland Part One
How Britain hoped to avoid war
with Germany in the 1930s
Major Case Study:
The Vatican archives and World War II
When Britain gave Hitler the
go-ahead
Hitler’s Bolshevism and the myth of the
Jewish Conspiracy
Major
Case Study:
London, Madrid, and the creation of
Washington, D.C.
Case Study:
S.America P.1: Overview
Case Study:
S.AmericaP.2: Economic Musings
Case Study:
S.America P.3:
The Road to Independence
Case Study:
S.America P.4:
Che and Castro
Case Study:
S.America P.5:
From Chile to Brazil
…and distribution networks: Research Report
Hugo Chaves
Anonymous activists threaten to
expose Mexican drug cartel secrets, here the
context:
A Nuclear Collision Course In South Asia.
Introduction
... traders that "turned
sovereign". And Burke sought the impeachement of the companies
Governor, Warren-Hastings...
History of
Globalization: In and out of India P.1: The First Trade-Wars
History of
Globalization: In and out of India P.2: The First Multinational Companies
So let us
start with the most important one, language
… a gendered/racial categorization of the
Indian populace by the British gave rise to several stereotypes like the
manly Sikh, the devious Maratha, and the loyal Gurkha
…a reaction to the warfare 'with France in
Europe', that 'The British Company' proceeded to involve itself more
actively with 'local politics.' This becomes particularly apparent when one
doesn't only consult British, but also French sources
Hindutva
The Secret
Backround of the Kashmir Problem
…overview of Atlantis and
Lemuria:
'World
Hindu Council'
Bengal: Making a New Hinduism:
Politics or Culture?: The Making of Religion in India Today, P.1:
Politics or Culture?: The Making of Religion in India Today, P.2
Politics or Culture?: Hindu and Muslim
Fundamentalism Today
Reformed
Aryans, in East and West
Reformed
Aryans, in East and West: The Anti Aryan Myth
Reformed
Aryans, in East and West: Seek Mason, Will Travel
Reformed
Aryans, in East and West: Are you a Sikh?
Reformed
Aryans, in East and West: Polynesian Aryans
Reformed Aryans, in East
and West: The Orion Myth
Reformed
Aryans, in East and West: Aryan Christianity
our overview about India
|
Spy Agencies – Secret Intelligence
Services
|
The Spy that Defeated the Nazis.
The Agents Who Risked All
Behind Nazi Lines.
The Noor Inayat Khan
Story.
The Spying Program.
How To Spy On China.
The Harrowing Story Of A Double Agent.
Possibility That Chinese Spy
Balloon’s Path Over The US Was Accidental.
Why Are Meteorologists Tracking
The Location Of The Chinese Balloon?
Codename
Madeleine.
The
Secretive PWE Political Warfare Executive.
The
Inside World About Spy Agencies Revealed.
Meet the new world today’s spy agencies
part three
Meet the new world today’s spy agencies part two
Important
Case Study:
Meet the new world today's spy agencies
|
Syria Crisis – Lebanon, Yemen
|
The
Path To A Regional Order.
The Measure Of Their
Effectiveness Will Be In How The Houthis Respond.
Regional Conflicts Resemble World War II.
The
Ongoing Houthi Attacks.
U.S. Strikes Targets
In Syria.
Yemen's Humanitarian Crisis.
Time To Move On.
What Needs To Happen Next.
The Making Of The Middle East.
The Making Of The Modern Middle
East Part 2.
The ‘Arab’ And The Syrian Question.
Making of the Middle East's hidden history
Part Two
Making of the Middle East's hidden history
Part One
..conflict in Yemen seems anything but over
The Syrian civil war and the Middle East
going forward
Did Aleppo's Grozny moment arrive? If
there was ever any hope of salvaging the latest cease-fire in Syria, there
isn't anymore
Investigating the never-ending Great War
As suggested
by me earlier … International
rivalry and the battle for Syria
...Aleppo, question is for how long
…entered the Ramouseh Artillery
Base… Who
are the rebels and how will Assad and Russia respond
.. Syrian Civil War…The
make or break battle currently underway, rebels appear to be losing
FM denounces "cynical game" of
Syrian regime and rebuked Moscow
How close is ISIS to defeat, and will
Turkey invade Syria?
Does the Middle East Need New Borders?
Fighting in Syria seen problematic for
Damascus while exit strategy for Assad under discussion
Obama’s Syria and What the Confrontation
Will Look Like:
The Sunni-Shia struggle
The Arab World in Transition 2013
Why the War in Syria will not end with the
removal of the al Assad regime
Why Assad Won’t Use Chemical Weapons, yet
why we should still be worried
The contradictory web that fuels conflicts
in the Middle East
Upcoming turmoil in Asia?
Lebanon and what next with Syria: Charting
the course of future events
Background forms the rebel Free Syrian Army
supply lines in Lebanon
T
Taiwan
Taiwan Conundrum
Thailand
Turkey
Turkey In Context
The Perils of the Taiwan Strait.
Major
Case Study:
The lead up to present-day China and the
making of the ChinaTaiwan crisis
After Hong Kong deterrence vs Taiwan?
Taiwan going forward
Is China planning to take Taiwan by force?
Taiwan Conundrum
Thailand, China, And The US.
Uighur terrorist attack in China, a
shoot-out between the Koreas along their disputed maritime border and, to
top it off, a coup in Thailand
Thailand and the Political and Economic Volatility
in Important Markets
The insurgency in
Thailand: Multiple Dilemmas
Erdogan’s Tumultuous Leadership.
Turkey In Context.
Will Erdogan Stay in Power?
Erdogan’s
Foot-Dragging On Sweden And Finland Is Causing Headaches For Western
Leaders.
Turkey
And Russia: Friends For Now.
Turkey in context today
Conclusion
about what is really happening in Turkey
Turkey's
government fears second coup
Turkey’s
new Sultanate
Why
Turkey shot down the Russian Jet
… more
than a year ago
…Turkey
and Armenia…
Turkish bid for EU membership …. today:
Introduction
Evolving Turkey P.1
Evolving Turkey P.2
Evolving Turkey P.3
Evolving Turkey P.4
Evolving Turkey P.5
…aligned itself
…former Islamist
Conclusion and Bibliography
Case Study:
…Turkish and Japanese
foreign policies, and why. Continue...
Erdogan’s Tumultuous
Leadership.
Erdogan
And Hamas.
Turkey In Context
U
UAE
Ukraine
United Kingdom
United Nations, UN
United States
The UAE And Its Talest Building In The World
Agreement Not Be a Formal Binding.
How to Create a Durable Peace in Europe.
Stop Fearing Victory.
American Aid Alone
Won’t Save Ukraine.
The Way Forward In
Ukraine.
Obstacles To Diplomacy In
Ukraine.
What NATO Membership Will
Require.
Winning The
Battle But Losing The War.
Why The War Might Defy
Expectations.
Preparing For American
Abandonment.
The Quiet Transformation.
The Ukraine-Taiwan
Tradeoff.
All This Could
Encourage Further Adventurism.
Negotiations Over
Territory.
The Missing Escalation In
Ukraine.
Will The West Abandon Ukraine?
What Ukraine Needs Right Now Is Time.
Ukraine And Next.
Back In The Ukraine Trenches.
The War Of Endurance.
Postwar Ukraine.
End In Sight For The Ukraine War.
Ukraine And The American War Machine.
How Wars Don’t End Ukraine,
Russia, and the Lessons of World War I.
How The West Can Secure
Ukraine’s Future.
What Really Happened To The Kakhovka Dam?
Let Ukraine Join NATO Now.
Vexing The Ukraine War On The Ground.
How Ukraine Learned To Fight.
Beyond Ukraine’s Offensive.
A Loophole In The Law.
Ukrainian War Going Forward.
Ukraine Today.
Why NATO Must Admit Ukraine.
A Partial Victory Will Solve
Little.
Waiting On Weapons.
Ukraine And U.S. National Security.
The Presence Of Kishida In Kyiv And Xi In Moscow.
A Plan For Getting To The
Negotiating Table.
The Promise Of Military
Adaptation.
How To Protect Ukraine Without
NATO Membership.
Ukraine’s
Determination.
How To
Prepare For Peace Talks In Ukraine.
The
Conversations When Ukraine Wins.
Fortifying
Ukraine.
Make The
Position Of The Russian Military Untenable.
Key To
The Russia-Ukraine Conflict.
The
Urgent Issues That Preoccupy Much Of The Developing World.
The War
Will Go On Into Next Year.
An Even
More Intransigent Regime.
Ukraine’s
Coming Electricity Crisis.
What
Ukraine Needs To Liberate Crimea.
Breakthrough
In Ukraine.
Kennan
On Ukraine.
Reading
Like A Spynovel This is What Happened.
Why Some
Wars Don’t End.
Russia As State Sponsor Of Terrorism And
More.
Putin And Ukraine’s Nuclear Reactors.
The Ukrainian Saboteurs Behind Enemy
Lines.
Divide And Conquer.
How The US Can Help.
The Situation Ukraine Is Facing This
Winter.
We Analyse What The Result Of The
Airstrikes Will Be.
Putin's Atomic Gamble.
Game-Changer For Current And Future
Conflicts.
How Ukraine Can Take Back All Its
Territory.
Ukraine As A Poison Pill For Putin.
Putin’s Eventual Replacement.
Putin Threated Nuclear Response.
The UNGA Meeting.
The Nuclear Strike Aimed At Shock?
Mobilize, Retreat, Or Something In Between?
Why Support For Ukraine Will Withstand
Russian Pressure.
Is Ukraine Going To Win This War?
Africa’s Ukraine Dilemma.
Xi Jinping's
Strategic Predicament And The View From Washington.
From Ukraine
to Taiwan.
Putin's Victory
Speech.
How
The World Lost Faith In The UN.
Palestine: a British Dilemma.
The Agents Who Risked All Behind Nazi Lines.
The Red Book.
Royalty And The Nazi's
Part One.
The Secret History Of The
Glastonbury Festival.
Sunak Hopes To Mend Fences With Europe.
The UK Today.
Why The House Of Windsor Will
Ultimately Fall.
Can Sunak Save Britain?
The
Limits Of Monarchy.
The UK
Can Be Leading By Supporting.
The rise and fall of the Thomas Cook Group
Boris Johnson’s Majority Falls to One Seat,
Heightening Chances of an Election
Boris is back…Today’s
cabinet appointments sends a clear signal however
The next steps of Theresa May
"We're out", well sort of. The
Implications and Germany's nightmare:
What will happen after Brexit:
Their Words Should be Taken Seriously.
Will America and China Heed the Warnings.
But He Cannot Fire Them.
Where the Case Stands Now.
Can America’s Special Relationship With
Israel Survive?
How One
Man Seduced the U.S. Navy.
The End of NATO?
The Ongoing
Investigation.
Washington’s Fears
About Energy Markets.
Why U.S.
Credibility And Resolve Is At Stake.
The Tiktok Ban Shows How
Decisions End Up Rushed.
Why TikTok Needs To Get Out
Of The Hands Of The Chinese Government.
Showing An Industrial
Strategy.
Blinken-Xi Talks Also
Highlight Continued Areas Of Disagreement.
The Patron’s Dilemma.
The Politicization Of
The U.S. Military.
Japan Defense And China
Springboard.
US New World War.
Explaining America’s Global Role.
The
New American Way Of Trade How The USMCA Does What NAFTA Couldn’t.
Bracing For Trump 2.0.
The West Needs A Strategy For
After The Counteroffensive.
Why America And China Will Be Enduring Rivals.
Can America Protect The Peaceful Transfer Of Power?
How To Boost Cooperation.
The Formula For Managing Migration.
The Overlooked Influences On Donald Trump.
Think Twice Before You Launch A
Conflict.
The Global South.
Living On The Edge.
How Institutional Balancing Promotes Stability In Asia.
Ukraine And The American War Machine.
The Virtue Of Low Expectations.
The U.S.-Chinese Economic
Relationship.
Spread Too Thin?
Ukraine And U.S. National Security.
A Plan For Getting To The
Negotiating Table.
The New Age Of Great-Power
Competition.
The Leaked Documents.
America Fill The Missile Gap.
The Promise Of Military
Adaptation.
How Elites Misread Public Perceptions Of The War.
We Investigate A Sorbid History
Under Pressure.
The US Is Indispensable To Israel’s Safety And Security.
China Is A Paper Tiger.
Technology Defines The Future Of
Geopolitics.
Does Technology Win Wars?
Rattled By China, The U.S., And Its Allies Are Beefing Up Defenses
In The Pacific.
How
Biden White House Operated Under Cloak-And-Dagger Secrecy.
Far-Right
Movements In The Two Countries Are Deeply Interconnected.
America
Is Back.
U.S. To
Boost Military Role In Philippines As Fear Of Taiwan Conflict Grows.
Export
Control Cooperation From Allies.
What To
Expect From Xi's Third Term.
What To
Expect From The Xi-Biden Meeting.
Have Americans, As Is Claimed,
Been Conned?
Is A Major War To Come?
The United States Does Not
Need To Beat China.
A candid look at the why two atomic bombs
What the situation looks like going forward
Revisiting the Paranoid Style in American
Politics
The election could be a highly fluid situation
The Cost of Chaos review
Major Case Study:
The secret background of the
attack on Pearl Harbor part two
Major Case Study:
The secret background of the
attack on Pearl Harbor part one
Major Case Study:
The origins of Trumpology
Why Washington should push for a resolution
to a disastrous war
The racist lie that is fueling the US
terrorist attacks
Includes update 20 April 2019: Why Robert Mueller is ending his report
How Israeli, Saudi, and Emirati officials
influenced Trump to strike a bargain with Putin
What Robert Mueller Knows
The Trump/Russia investigation
what can be said today
Woodrow Wilson, Versailles, and the making
of Eastern Europe
American Ascendance P.1: Asia in the New
Spatial Order
American Ascendance P.2: The China Blockade
American Ascendance P.3: The Japan Blockade
American Ascendance P.4: Opium War
The Anglo-Saxon Ascendancy: A Concise
Overview P.1
The Anglo-Saxon Ascendancy: A Concise
Overview P.2
…over the course of the Mexican
Revolution
...glaring
misadventures in Iraq
America at a Crossroads P.1:
The Truth about the Cold War
America at a Crossroads P.2:
Superpower Politics
America at a Crossroads P.3:
Anti-Americanism
America at a Crossroads P.3:
The Last
'WWIII'
Possible Future Conflicts from a US Point of View
V
Venezuela
Venice
The worsening situation will make 2015 a
crucial year for Venezuela:
The history of Venice beyond 2021
W
Warsaw
Pact
World - World Economy - History - Politics
WWI,
see also First World War
WWII,
see also Second World War
The abandonment of the Warsaw Pact part three
The abandonment of the Warsaw Pact part two
The abandonment of the Warsaw Pact
Requiem
for Hyperglobalization.
The Hidden Driver of Modern History.
Sixty-Eight Countries Will Hold Elections.
Deglobalization.
The Farmer Who Feel the Heat First.
Infrastructure
Is Remaking Geopolitics.
The Rest Of The World.
Why It Will Not
Surprise.
The Rising
Threat Of Illiberal Democracy.
…Their Failure To Act Fast Enough
On Climate Change Violates Their Human Rights.
Why Academic Links Are Essential In A Fragmenting World.
The World Outside The Great Powers.
Why It’s So Hard To Forecast
Authoritarian Aggression.
How To Reduce The
Vulnerabilities That Free Markets Create.
There’s No Such Thing As A Great Power.
The State Of The World.
The World To Come.
Why The World Still Needs Trade.
Political Violence In Authoritarian Societies.
The Defence Of Global Order And Address Global Crises.
Make The Center Vital Again.
How To Survive A Great-Power Competition.
Managing A Multipolar World.
How The Fight For Resources Is Upending Geopolitics.
Tackling The Opportunity For Change.
Counter
Autocracy.
2023
Anual Forecast.
The
World Has Changed.
Those
Who Cannot Remember The Past Are Condemned To Repeat It.
Understanding The World By Means
Of A Geopolitical Approach.
This
Highlights A Socio-Economic Challenge That The World Needs To Tackle Before
It Gets Worse.
The
Long-Term Trend Is Concerning.
What To
Expect In 2023.
Remaining Robust Enough When
Malign Actors Are Denied Access.
The
World Faces A Zeitenwende.
Let Us
Be The Last Generation To Do So.
The Profound Economic And Financial
Shift.
The Direction Of The World Economy.
The
Global Effects Going Forward.
What the situation looks like going forward
China's pursuit of greatness
Economics and real-time revolution
From East to West and back to
East?
A few countries to look out for the next
six months
How the end of an age is not the same as
the end of history
Major Case Study:
The outlook of the world in 2020
What 2020 will bring P.2
What 2020 will bring P.1
From new economics to new
politics
Major Case Study:
North and South Korea, China, Russia, the
US, Iran, Mexico, India, Central and South America, Turkey, and so on
A look at other developments going forward
in 2017
Forecast for Asia, Europe, Sub-Saharan
Africa, Former Soviet Union, Middle East/North Africa, South Asia, Latin
America
Apocaliptic Politics During the 20st
Century and Beyond
World Finance
Introduction
World Finance Today:
Worldwide
History of Stock Markets and Economics
World Finance Today:
Worldwide
History of Inshurance Risks
World Finance Today:
Worldwide
History of the Housing Bubble
Following an assessment of current finance crash;
the international situation,
Europe, China/Japan and S.America, plus Korea…Continue...
The
Genetics of Finance: Putting the Credit Crisis in Perspective
|
WWI, see also First World War
|
The tribulations and
consequences of the Treaty of Versailles
Why World War I was
pivotal to the creation of the modern Middle East
Shantung the Versailles
Treaty and the Manchurian episode
A new investigation why
the First World War broke out
The Real Russian Origins of the
First World War
Major Case Study:
What led to the Frist
World War P.1
Major Case Study:
What led to the Frist
World War P.2
Major Case Study:
What led to the Frist
World War P.3
What led to the First
World War P.4
From Versailles to the Making of the Modern Middle
East P.1:
The ‘Arab revolt’,
Britain, and the Collapse of the Ottoman Empire in the Middle East
From Versailles to the Making of the modern Middle
East P.2:
The Arab question and the
‘shocking document’ that shaped the Middle East
From Versailles to the Making of the modern Middle
East P.3:
The Menace of Jihad
and How to Deal with It
From Versailles to the Making of the modern Middle
East P.4:
The ‘Arab’ and the
‘Jewish’ question
From Versailles to the Making of the modern Middle
East P.5:
The Syrian question
From Versailles to the Making of the modern Middle
East P.6:
The Paris Peace
Conference deliberations
From Versailles to the Making of the Modern Middle
East P.6:
The importance of oil, the
‘Arab question’, and the British
From Versailles to the Making of the Modern Middle
East P.7:
The unresolved sectarian
issue in Lebanon today
From Versailles to the Making of the Modern Middle
East P.8:
British rule, Arab
Spring-revolt, and the Syria crisis today
The true history of the
Balfour Declaration and its implementations P.1
The true history of the
Balfour Declaration and its implementations P.2
The true history of the
Balfour Declaration and its implementations P.3
The true history of the
Balfour Declaration and its implementations P.4
WWI's Religious Ideology
From Colonization to de-Colonization
…newly researched documents...took this a step further
From Shandong to Versailles:
China's participation in the First World War
Why We
were Entering a Century of Genocide
The
second First World War
The conspiracy theory
that gave rise to Hitler:
P.1 Reparations and the
famous Article 231
Investigating the
never-ending Great War
|
WWII, see also Second World War
|
From Hitler to Stalin P.1
From Hitler to Stalin P.2
From Hitler to Stalin P.3
From Hitler to Stalin P.4
From Hitler to Stalin P.5
The Nazi Documents P.1: The Russian Connection
The
Secret War Between the Allies:
The Final Secret of WWII: The Murder of
Hitler
The Secret Archive
Hess/Hitler overture to England
The Mistake of Peter Longerich
Alternative Histories of the 20 to 21
Century we start with the making of WWII today
…the Cold War: Continue:
…Comment
Asia and Cold War
The
Vatican’s War P.1
The
Vatican’s War P.2
The
Vatican’s War P.3
From Belgium
to Kosovo Research
The
Vatican’s War P.4
The
Vatican’s War P.5
The
Nazi/Vatican Connection P.6
The
Valkyrie Debate P.1
The
Valkyrie Debate P.2
The
Valkyrie Debate P.3
Protestant
Nazi Hopes P.1
Protestant Nazi Hopes P.2
Protestant Nazi Hopes P.3
Protestant Nazi Hopes P.4
Protestant
Nazi Hopes P.5:
Conclusion
Z
Zionism
The way to Zionism Part Three
The way to Zionism Part Two
The way to Zionism
|
Esoterica
going Mainstream
|
Esotericism,
Freemasonry, and Conspiracy
…main aspects of Western esoteric traditions
have their foundations in antiquity…
Case Study:
From Numerology to Magic and Esoteric Christianity
Hermetic Alchemy and Zosimus of Panopolis and Iamblichus P.1
Hermetic Alchemy and Zosimus of Panopolis and Iamblichus P.2
Hermetic Alchemy and Zosimus of Panopolis and Iamblichus P.3
New History of the Hermetica P.1: Hermes
Times Three
New History of the Hermetica P.2: The
Sabian Myth
New History of the Hermetica P.3: Middle
East Disporea
The Rosicrucians
Freemasonry
The Occult Revival in America P.1
The Occult Revival in America P.2
Alleged New Age Religions
the
Goetheanum
Harry Potter 6 and Gnosis: The Search for
the Higher Self
…founder of Scientology L.R. Hubbard to
create a 'moonchild' by means of 'Magic'…
first ever history of this idea rooted as it is, in Paracelsian
Magic
Reincarnation: The Invention of a Modern
Myth
New Age or Emerging Religions?
The 1920's
Vinland Map - A Legend is Born
Alternative
History books:
The Nazi Occult Myth
ABC News UFO's: The Day After
UFO's as Conspiracy Theory
From Esotericism to Pop Culture
From Esotericism to Pop Culture P.2
Update
From
Aleister Crowley to Scientology
Case Study:
New Religious Movements –
Rudolf Steiner/Waldorf Schools P.1 of 2
We successfully questioned the term "Gnostic" and
"Gnosticism"
Dan Brown's two recent books
Case Study:
New Religious Movements -
Spiritualism
P.1
Case Study:
New Religious Movements:
Spiritualism
P.2
Case Study New Religious Movements
Spiritualism P.3
Case Study New Religious Movements
Spiritualism P.4
Case Study New Religious Movements
Spiritualism P.5
Case Study New Religious Movements
Spiritualism P.6
P.1: The Making of Spiritism
P.2: Christian Spiritist Conversion
P.3: To England Now
P.4:
Occult Orders
P.5: Taming the Wild Spirits
P.6: Revelation of the Revelation
P.7: Text Related Occult Conversions
P.8: An Occult Sociological Profile
P.9: Phenomena on Trial
P.10: Theosophical Fights
P.11: Nazis and The Occult
P.12: Cults of the Self
P.13: The Esoteric
P.14: The Never Ending Mystery?
P.15: Psychic Androginity
P.16: Cosmological Searches
Comment: The Forgotten Monarchy Discovered
From Robert Anton Wilson to the Da Vinci Code Prank: The Californian
Illuminati
Introducing
H.P. Blavatsky
H.P.Blavatsky
and her 'Masters' of the Theosophical Society
Search
For Astral Projection: The Investigation
The
Hodgson Report
The
Hodgson Report P.2
The
Hodgson Report P.3
Finding
the Theosophical Masters and Mahatmas
Blavatsky's
Final Work
After
Blavatsky P.1: Krishnamurti, the Fashioning of a Mahatma
After
Blavatsky P.2: Fashioning the Future Race
Race and Literary
Nationalism
Enter
Scientology:
Investigating,
UFOs Seeing is Believing?
The
Secret of the Cabalah/ Qabbalah
New History
of Jewish Kabbalism
Establishing the Christian Kabbalah, P.1: Rewriting Frances A. Yates
Establishing
the Christian Kabbalah, P.3: F.M. van Helmont
Zosimos
of Panopolis and the Book of Enoch
While somnambulist ventures like the
Course in Miracles have been well researched…
The Key of Solomon P.1: The Making of Witchcraft
The Key of Solomon P.2: Occult Science
The Key of Solomon
P.3: Magical
Revival
Conspiracy
Theories P.1
Conspiracy
Theories P.2
Conspiracy
Questions or Answers?
The
Rise and Fall of the Silver Shirts
auf Deutsch
Towards
"a Sociology of Conspiracy Theories" P.1
auf Deutsch
Towards
"a Sociology of Conspiracy Theories" P.2
auf Deutsch
Towards
"a Sociology of Conspiracy Theories" P.3
Neoplatonism, Philology and Nationalism
Geschichtliche Entwicklung des Ariermythos
The True Story Behind "The Aquarian Gospel" Movie:
Conspiracy
Theories
DaVinci
Code Matrix
From
Invented Witchcraft To The Carlos Castaneda's legacy
The
'Werdegang' of Mary Wigman:
The
'Werdegang' of Mary Wigman P.2:
Inventing
The Mormon Tradition
Major Case Study:
Paganism and Early Christianity in N. Europe P.2
The
Positive Thinking Movement P.2
Case Study:
Ungern P.1: The Revolution
Self Help Books as Popular Culture: Introduction
Self
Help Books as Popular Culture P.1
Self
Help Books as Popular Culture P.2
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15 April: Europe plans
‘coalition of willing’ for Hormuz security mission, but sans US.
15 April: Mine litter in
the Hormuz strait and Exposes US limitations of mine-clearing.
Post-war Iran will probably experience a time
of transition and internal power struggles. While this is happening, Iran’s
leadership will not be able to make concessions that fundamentally alter
the Islamic Republic. More limited deals might be possible. Iran could, for
instance, relinquish its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in exchange
for sanctions relief. But transformational deals are not going to happen
during a leadership transition and on the heels of a war that Iran believes
it won. A Test of Wills in Iran: Trump Is
Still Underestimating Tehran’s Resolve.
Few
issues capture observers’ attention like the rivalry between China and the
United States. Analysts scrutinize political trends and profile political
leaders in both countries. Economists track indicators of relative
financial and commercial strength, pondering the paradox of two economic
behemoths that are both incompatible and interdependent. And military
experts watch the balance of forces with increasing concern as China’s
conventional and nuclear capabilities grow in number and quality. How Overconfidence Could Draw America and China Into a War.
The
blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has started.
To get an agreement, Washington must pair pressure
with genuine inducements, including a clearly articulated vision of what a
final arrangement will deliver for Iran, the United States, and the wider
world. The JCPOA’s preamble envisioned a transformation in Iran’s
relationship with other countries, but that vision was never fully
operationalized. A future agreement must go further and define not only the
nuclear constraints Iran would accept but also the political and economic
relationship it would gain in return. It must do so in terms concrete enough
to gain domestic support on all sides. How to End the Iran Crisis. Tehran Needs Positive Incentives, Not Just Pressure.
The status of the Strait of Hormuz will
remain unchanged, with only limited ships to be allowed after US-Iran talks
fail: Fears that U.S.-Iran talks will collapse, along with Iran's ongoing
efforts to formalize its authority over the strait by imposing transit fees
and limiting traffic, will likely keep shippers cautious.
When the dust clears, Iran is likely to retain
the potential for some sort of nuclear program, but the United States
should be able to gain some restrictions on it. (Whether those restrictions
will be more or less than the ones contained in the nuclear deal from which
the United States withdrew in 2018 remains to be seen.) Some sanctions on
Iran will be lifted; others may continue. The passage of ships through the
Strait of Hormuz is likely to be restored, but on new terms that will
probably advantage Iran. Why the
Cease-Fire With Iran Will Hold The De-escalatory Logic That Will Shape
Negotiations.
US Vice President JD Vance, special envoy
Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner flew in on Saturday and
met Iranian Parliamentary Speaker Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf and Foreign
Minister Abbas Araqchi for two hours before a rest, according to a source
from mediator Pakistan. US-Iran
negotiations under way, Trump says Strait of Hormuz being cleared.
Washington and Tehran: Negotiations Under the Hammer of Military Buildup.
The best hope for the ceasefire talks in Pakistan
is that both the United States and Iran have strong reasons to call a halt
to the war. Ceasefire or no
ceasefire, the Middle East's reshuffling is not yet done.
Under Viktor Orbán, Hungary has become
Russia’s most valuable subversive asset within NATO and the EU, using its
veto power to obstruct the organization’s foreign policy and security
decisions. If victorious, Orban could deepen Budapest’s links with Moscow,
putting Hungary on the path toward “Belarusization” - turning it into a
Russian client state with little realistic prospect of a pro-Western
government-on the EU’s periphery or outside it altogether. Orban’s success
could also galvanize other right-wing populists and aspiring criminal
autocrats who have long looked to Orban as a model, from Georgia and
Slovakia to the United States. A Last Chance for Hungary Orban’s Mafia
State Could Fall, or Cement Itself.
A
satellite image shows a closer view of the tunnel entrances at Isfahan
missile complex before reported air strikes, Isfahan Province, Iran
Whichever path it takes, the United States
will face considerable challenges. Even at the height of its post-Cold War
power, Washington failed to translate its militarily decisive war against
Iraq into long-term regional peace and stability. Perhaps the most
important difference between 1991 and today is that the United States no
longer enjoys its status as the world’s sole superpower. A prolonged
campaign to contain Iran after this war would lay bare the limits of U.S.
power in an era increasingly defined by the capacity of its friends and
foes to challenge it. To avoid repeating the disasters that followed the
misguided policy toward Iraq, Trump must be prepared to do what leaders
could not in the 1990s: take yes for an answer from even the most dislikable
foe. How a Cease-Fire Can Lead to Disaster: The
First Gulf War’s Lessons for What to Do, and Not Do, in Iran.
US-Israel-Iran
war timeline - On Wednesday (Apr 8), the US and Iran agreed to a ceasefire
following a last-minute diplomatic push by Pakistan. The announcement came
just about 90 minutes before US President Donald Trump’s deadline to
destroy Iran’s “whole civilisation” if Tehran failed to open the Strait of
Hormuz. As the West Asia war comes to an end, here is a timeline of key
events of the war.
Iran
war uncertainty and Trump's shifting stances led to massive volatility in
oil, gold, crypto and stocks. This enabled states, corporate firms,
traders, and speculators to profit billions through bets, disruption, and
strategic market moves. It was virtually a heist. Who made the money?
Iranians
celebrate in Tehran after Donald Trump announced a US-Iran ceasefire. Iran
opened the Strait of Hormuz, easing global tensions as oil prices dropped
sharply.
Kuwait,
UAE say they are under attack by Iranian drones and missiles despite the
ceasefire.
A
political storm has erupted in Washington after U.S. President Donald Trump
announced a two-week ceasefire with Iran. Top Democrat Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez has renewed her call for Trump’s impeachment, saying the
ceasefire “changes nothing.” In a sharply worded response, she accused the
President of pushing the United States into a dangerous conflict without
Congressional authorization and warned of catastrophic global consequences.
Ocasio-Cortez also raised concerns over alleged corruption and self-enrichment
within the administration, claiming financial interests are being
prioritised over national security. She said the situation has crossed the
threshold for impeachment or even invoking the 25th Amendment.
Iranians react after a ceasefire
announcement at Enqelab Square in Tehran on April 8, 2026.
Although debt sustainability has been a
growing issue for at least five years, the war in Iran has introduced the
kind of sudden global economic shock that makes it all but certain that a
prolonged debt crisis is coming. The executive director of the International
Energy Agency recently declared that the war in Iran is the greatest threat
to global energy security in history and that politicians and markets
underestimate the scale of the crisis. It will take years for some of the
damaged oil and gas fields to resume operations, and although the
cease-fire may ease shipping tensions in the short-term, there remains no
permanent resolution to the standoff over the Strait of Hormuz. In the
meantime, inflation is likely to rise, increasing pressure on the Fed to
raise interest rates. The poorest countries will then suffer most as their
governments are forced to restructure budgets to meet interest obligations
rather than invest in their own economic growth and their populations. How
the Iran War Will Upend the Global Economy: The
Risk Is Not Just an Energy Shock, but Also a Debt Crisis.
Whether Washington’s approval keeps tanking,
flatlines, or rebounds is thus up to American officials. How they conduct
the war in Iran, how they handle Gaza, and whether they can find a peaceful
resolution to the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be important in
the years ahead. The best thing they could do would be to quickly wind down
the war in Iran and lean on Israel to give the Palestinians basic rights
and, eventually, sovereignty. To rehabilitate its image, in other words,
the United States must match its deeds to the principles it once professed
to hold: a commitment to international law and support for human rights,
democracy, and rules-based order. It must apply such principles not just
when it serves its interests, as in Ukraine, but equally across the globe. America Has Lost the Arab World Wars in Gaza, Iran, and
elsewhere, sinking Washington’s Reputation, maybe for Good.
Strikes on infrastructure would not produce
capitulation. They would invite retaliation, reinforce regime resolve, and
likely trigger escalation across the region. The assumption that pressure
alone can break Tehran is not a strategy; it
is wishful thinking.
Israel
says it has hit a major Iranian petrochemical site, which it claims
produces half of Iran's petrochemical output. The new attack on the
Asaluyeh site comes after Donald Trump threatened bigger attacks on Iranian
infrastructure if the Strait of Hormuz is not open by Tuesday. In an
expletive-laden threat, Trump said, "Tuesday will be Power Plant Day,
and Bridge Day, all wrapped up in one, in Iran. There will be nothing like
it. Frantic, last-ditch diplomacy is accelerating," although one insider
tells us there needs to be a ceasefire first. The White House says Trump
has not signed off on any ceasefire plan. Meanwhile, Iran says the
intelligence chief of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, Majid Khademi,
was killed in a US-Israeli strike on Monday morning - Israel later claims
responsibility, and attacks continue across the region - including in
Lebanon, where Israel accepts it killed the wrong people in a strike on
Sunday.
Iran
rejects temporary ceasefire, as Trump sets deadline for reopening Strait of
Hormuz. Trump and Iran have traded threats over the vital shipping route.
Meanwhile, Israel says it has killed two senior Iranian officials.
The era in which Gulf states could rely on external
powers to manage regional security is coming to an end. To protect their
interests, they will need to build collective capacity, manage rivalries,
and shape the balance of power themselves. Such measures may not stop the
current war, which is being dictated almost entirely by Iran, Israel, and
the United States. But Gulf states can shape the environment in which the
conflict’s consequences unfold, and they can help prevent the next
conflagration. Avoiding the Next Gulf War: How
America’s Allies in the Region Can Get Out of the Cross Hairs.
The disruption to Middle Eastern supplies is
just the latest example of a growing trend of energy weaponization. It is
not just oil and gas flows that are at risk; China’s dominance in the
emerging clean energy economy gives Beijing plenty of levers to pull. And
as great-power rivalry intensifies and the international economic order
fragments, countries are increasingly willing to exploit the dependence of
others on global energy markets, using sanctions, export controls,
cyberattacks, and maritime pressure to advance foreign policy objectives. The Iran Shock and the Dangerous Allure of Energy
Autarky.
The niece and grand-niece of the deceased
commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, Gen Qasem Soleimani,
have been arrested, the US State Department has said. Hamideh Soleimani
Afshar and her daughter's lawful US permanent resident status was revoked
by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Hamideh
Soleimani Afshar and her daughter's lawful US permanent resident status was
revoked by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
|
|
Israel’s
warning: Israel says it will “escalate”
its strikes in response to waves of Iranian missile fire. Fresh strikes
have been carried out across the region, with Iran reporting overnight
attacks in multiple cities. Iran’s Red Crescent says the
death toll in the country is now nearly 2,000.
The
US expects to end its operation in Iran in "weeks, not months",
Secretary of State Marco
Rubio says, after a meeting of G7 foreign ministers. He says the US can
achieve its goals "without any ground troops" being deployed to
Iran, adding Tehran may decide to set up a tolling system for the Strait of
Hormuz.
The
US expects its operation against Iran to conclude within
weeks, not months, and Washington can meet all its objectives without
using ground troops, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on
Friday.
Trump
on Friday (Mar 27) suggested that Washington may not honor its NATO
security commitments if allies continue to refuse military support in West
Asia, expressing disappointment over Europe’s reluctance to help secure the
Strait of Hormuz.
A
cease-fire needs to lead to longer-term negotiations between the United
States and Iran. The mediating coalition must commit itself to securing a
more lasting accord that would deny Iran a pathway to obtaining nuclear
weapons and pave the way to ending the enmity between the two countries. In
the last hours of their ill-fated negotiations in February, Tehran and
Washington seemed to be on the verge of a political breakthrough. This
process needs to be revived. Absent a diplomatic track to bring about a lasting
nonaggression pact, a cease-fire would only serve as a reprieve before the
United States got sucked into another war with Iran. The Price of Strategic
Incoherence in Iran: For America, the War’s
Benefits Won’t Outweigh Its Costs.
Iran’s
English-language daily, the Tehran Times, carried a warning to Washington
under the headline ‘Welcome To Hell’ on its front page on Saturday. The
Daily said that any US troops who set foot on Iranian soil in case of a
ground invasion will “leave only in a coffin”. The warning comes a day
after US media reported that the United States is considering the
deployment of up to 10,000 additional troops to the Middle East.
JD
Vance says he'll get to the bottom of UFO files. Also, he thinks aliens are demons.
Yemen's Houthis join the Middle East war: What are the possible repercussions?
As
it waits on Washington, Beijing will continue to exercise caution. Despite
the tectonic shifts in U.S. foreign policy under the Trump administration,
the Chinese leadership’s overarching objective remains unchanged: balance
short-term risks, including energy shocks, trade disruptions, and market
volatility, against its longer-term objective of strategic autonomy and
stable relations with Washington. That calculation reflects something
fundamental about China’s worldview. What the Iran War Means for China: Beijing Fears American Volatility More Than American
Power.
Occupying
Iran's Kharg Island could be 'dangerous and risky' for US forces.
US-Iran
War: Deadly Strike Hits US AWACS, Key Aircraft Destroyed At Saudi Prince
Sultan Air Base. Donald Trump threatens to "obliterate" Iran's
power plants and oil wells if a deal is not reached "shortly",
the latest at a glance.
Globalization
has not ended. But its latest iteration risks serving less as an antidote
to geopolitical turmoil than as a contributor. Low-income countries in the
early stages of development need access to global markets to build up their
manufacturing sectors. An expanding manufacturing sector, with jobs that
pay higher wages than agriculture and other primary production sectors, can
still help countries build a middle class capable of supporting a vibrant
domestic economy. If global trade and financial flows continue to fragment,
however, this development path could be shut off, leaving a large share of
the world’s population that will have missed out on the benefits of
globalization’s prosperous early decades. The downstream political effects of such
an economic retrenchment could make the backlash of the early twenty-first
century appear quaint by comparison.
|
If
Iran’s pragmatists or reformists do manage to gain power, the country’s
future could look much different from its past. Its new leaders would
likely focus on improving the economy and broadening the government’s base
of support, a task that would force them to search for ways out of
perpetual conflict with Washington. They might therefore pursue either a
grand settlement with the United States or a series of compromises that
together produce concessions on the nuclear and military fronts in exchange
for sanctions relief. Doing so would give Iran’s people a reason for hope
and, by extension, less desire to rebel. The Real War for Iran’s Future: Who Will Determine the Fate of the Islamic Republic?
Even
if the Islamic Republic holds out through the active phase of conflict, the
aftermath could spell its undoing. At present, there may be no coherent,
competent political organization that can mount a meaningful challenge to
even a war-weakened regime. But the tremors from the conflict will be
long-lasting, and their impact will unfold and probably magnify over time.
The thousands of U.S. and Israeli airstrikes will leave a massive
reconstruction bill, and an even more radical, thuggish leadership in Tehran
will struggle to navigate its internal antipathies and a region beset by
instability and intensified hostility. The Islamic Republic’s endurance may
enable its leaders to dodge capitulation for now, but their victory may
well sow the seeds of the regime’s demise. The Third Islamic Republic: A War’s Unintended Consequences, for
Iran, the Middle East, and the Global Order.
Israel
says prepared to keep striking Iran for ‘weeks to come.’
Right now, the Gulf states look vulnerable,
and they are. If the Strait of Hormuz can be reopened, a lasting rise in
oil prices will benefit the Gulf oil exporters. But the many other
disruptions caused by the war and any lingering threats from Iran will
likely hurt their non-oil economies in the near term. On March 11, Goldman
Sachs projected that if the conflict lasts through the end of April, Saudi
Arabia and the UAE could see their 2026 GDPs shrink by three to five
percent. For Kuwait and Qatar, which lack alternative export pathways to
the Strait of Hormuz, it is estimated that the decline in GDP could be as
high as 14 percent. That projection now seems low, given that it predated
the Iranian attack on Qatar’s main LNG facility, which is expected to drive
losses of $20 billion per year in exports for up to five years. Qatar’s
2025 budget for government revenue was $54 billion, to contextualize the
scale of the loss. A Post-American Persian Gulf? The Iran War Will Accelerate the Region’s Economic
Transformation.
The war with Iran is about more than just
Iran. It is about whether the Middle East can finally have a hopeful
future. The region might remain trapped between recurring proxy conflict,
weak state authority, and cycles of ideological mobilization. But a far
less powerful regime means the region could become more stable - organized
around state interests, U.S.-backed security arrangements, economic
interdependence, and Israel’s integration. The Iran Imperative: How the U.S. and Israel Can Shape a New Middle East.
As
Iran and the United States take these immediate measures, they can start
articulating a permanent peace deal. Much of this agreement would likely
address nuclear issues. Iran, for instance, would commit to never seeking
nuclear weapons and to down-blending its entire stockpile of enriched
uranium to an agreed level below 3.67 percent. Simultaneously, the United
States would move to terminate all Security Council resolutions against
Iran, eliminate U.S. unilateral sanctions against Iran, and encourage its
partners to do the same. Iran must be allowed to actively participate in
global supply chains without hinderance or discrimination. The Iranian
parliament, in turn, would ratify the International Atomic Energy Agency
Additional Protocol, thus placing all its nuclear facilities under
permanent international monitoring. The United States has, of course, asked
for more stringent conditions - namely, zero enrichment. But U.S. officials
know full well that such demands are fanciful. The
United States will not be able to get from Iran what it tried and failed to
achieve in two unprovoked wars of aggression.
President
Trump's threat
to “bomb Iran back to the Stone Age” could well begin from April 6, the
deadline he had laid down on March 26, after claiming progress in talks
with Iran.
The
US-Israel war with Iran is into its second month, and there's increased
attention on how much money America is spending on the conflict. Recently,
the Trump administration signaled it would be requesting further funds. But
there are increasing demands for greater transparency over how much the war
is costing.
As
Iranian and American forces race to locate a crew member of a US fighter jet
that went down inside Iranian territory, military experts have shared
insights on how fighter pilots are trained to survive behind enemy lines.
This comes after Tehran said that it had shot down a US F-15 warplane. US
media reports suggested that American special forces had rescued one of the
two crew members, while the other was missing. So far, no information about
the pilot has emerged as both nations continue to search.
The Revolutionary Guards said they had
targeted various areas in Israel in a wave of missiles and drones. Israeli
media reported that two warheads from an Iranian cluster missile landed
near Israel’s Kirya military headquarters in Tel Aviv. Later on April 4, the Israel Defense Forces said they had
detected more missiles launched from Iran towards Israel.
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Mexico’s
strongest case against unilateral U.S. action is the one whose defense
requires the most from the Mexican government: demonstrating that it can
and will address the cartel threat effectively through its own sovereign
mechanisms. The lesson that decades of navigating this relationship teach
above all others is that Mexico is most effective when it engages the
United States from a position of confidence rather than anxiety. That
confidence must be demonstrated, not merely asserted. The El Mencho
operation - the strongest evidence ever assembled for the country’s
sovereign capacity - must be treated as a template, not a conclusion. Can Mexico Avoid a Confrontation With the United
States? How Sheinbaum Can Counter Trump’s Threats.
The
current war may end with an Iranian leadership in place that remains
resolutely hostile to Israel and the United States. If such a regime
decides to pursue nuclear weapons, it will likely have learned to keep its
nuclear activity under wraps and to disperse sensitive nuclear equipment
and materials. It will have also probably concluded that remaining
indefinitely at the nuclear threshold is more dangerous than crossing it.
It therefore may create the conditions to rapidly build a nuclear weapon in
secret: maintaining smaller stockpiles of highly enriched uranium,
preserving centrifuge expertise, and developing the technical components
required for weaponization in ways that are harder for inspectors and
intelligence services to detect. The
Stunning Failure of Iranian Deterrence And Why It Augurs a More Dangerous
World.
How
the Iran war has left Europe facing yet another energy crisis. The knock-on effects of the conflict now whipping through
the Middle East are awakening ghosts of crises past that shook the European
Union.
Energy
prices spike: Brent crude, the global oil benchmark, hit $115 a barrel this
morning after Israeli strikes sparked Iranian retaliation on energy
infrastructure across the Middle East, including on Qatar’s critical
liquefied natural gas hub Ras Laffan. Threat of retaliation: US President
Donald Trump threatened to “blow up” the world’s largest gas field, a key
Iranian asset, if Tehran keeps up its attacks on Qatar. He also said the US
“knew nothing” about Israel’s plan to strike the South Pars field, but
sources have said that the US was aware of it. Contradicting statements:
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said Trump could not tolerate Iran getting
“closer and closer” to obtaining nuclear capabilities. The US intel chief
said yesterday in prepared remarks that such capabilities had been
“obliterated” last year. Tulsi Gabbard is facing lawmakers’ questions on
Capitol Hill again today. Diplomatic showdown: Saudi Arabia said it
“reserved the right to take military action” against Tehran, while Qatar
expelled Iran’s military and security attachés.
Israel’s
mass protest movement has demonstrated that the country retains a vibrant
and powerful civil society, and that its people are capable of action
outside formal electoral channels. Such engagement remains one of the few
defenses against economic stagnation and a further descent into
illiberalism. If Israel’s business leaders, especially in the high-tech
sector, mobilize, they may be able to stop the slide downhill. Jewish
communities around the world and liberal foreign governments may help, too.
But this much is certain: Israel has a tough road ahead. The Two Israels: A Socioeconomic Divide Shapes the Country’s Politics,
and Its Aggressive Foreign Policy.
Like
Iraq, the United States and Israel appear to have seen Iran’s internal
tensions as an opportunity to weaken or topple the government: Washington
began its military buildup in response to the recent protests. Like
Khomeini, Khamenei might have interpreted the buildup and coming attack as
a pathway to strengthen the Islamic Republic. For years, and well before
the bombings began, Khamenei frequently invoked memories of the Iran-Iraq
War to illustrate how wartime experiences would make individuals more spiritual,
and thus more supportive of Iran’s theocratic government. How Iran Sees the
War: External Escalation, Internal
Consolidation.
Beijing’s
intention is clear. Its new Five-Year Plan, adopted in March, asserts that
the country will focus on reducing reliance on foreign technology and
imports while accelerating domestic industrial modernization and technology
innovation. China will pursue dominance in emerging technologies by
spreading its bets across a range of sectors such as robotics, 6G mobile
communication, and embodied artificial intelligence (meaning AI integrated
into physical objects such as robots and drones). Chinese leaders view this
portfolio approach to spurring technological advances as having better odds
for national progress than the United States’ all-in bet on artificial
general intelligence. Beijing wants to lock in China’s centrality to the
global economy, accelerate economic growth, and reduce its vulnerability to
Washington’s export controls, sanctions, and investment restrictions.
Trump, Xi, and the Case for Strategic Calm: How
America Can Take Advantage of the Status Quo.
The Strait of Hormuz, a major maritime choke
point for global energy trade, has experienced ongoing geopolitical and
economic disruption since 28 February 2026, following joint military
strikes by the United States and Israel on Iran, which included the killing
of Iran's supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. In response, Iran launched
retaliatory missile and drone attacks on US military bases, Israeli
territory, and other Gulf states, while its Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps (IRGC) issued warnings prohibiting vessel passage through the strait,
leading to an effective halt in shipping traffic. Going Forward.
UK
foreign secretary denounces 'reckless Iran threats' after missiles fired at
Diego Garcia. Iran reportedly fired two ballistic missiles at an Indian
Ocean base, but neither reached the target.
The
Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that it has carried out wide-scale air
strikes in Tehran, hitting dozens of targets. The IDF said the Israeli Air
Force struck sites overnight used to produce critical components for
ballistic missiles, including a complex belonging to the Islamic
Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The IDF added that it also struck several
Iranian defense systems across Tehran. While the UK hits back at Iran's
attack after missiles were fired at Diego Garcia.
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The
Iran war has entered its fourth week with the US and Israel continuing
their air strikes on the country and its top leadership. Now, with Trump
urging NATO and EU allies to help the United States secure the Strait of Hormuz, the key oil route, Iran has
mocked Washington for "begging" the European Union for help. In
fact, it has offered to protect Greenland from Trump.
Three
weeks into the war, the United States faces a stark choice: continue
escalating in pursuit of ill-defined objectives or recalibrate and seek a
way out. The most prudent course is the latter. Trump should declare that
the U.S. military has substantially achieved the more limited set of
military objectives - degrading Iran’s capabilities - and signal a
willingness to halt further escalation. He should pair this message with
assurances and public statements that the United States will rein in Israel
and will support future attacks on Iran only if Tehran restarts its nuclear
program or strikes regional partners. The U.S. Has No Good Options in Iran.
Trump Needs an Off-Ramp.
The
Pentagon speeds up the deployment of 4,500 US Marines and the 11th MEU to
West Asia following Trump’s 48-hour ultimatum to Iran over the Strait of
Hormuz. Trump orders the speed up of US
troops to West Asia amid Strait of Hormuz crisis as Iran ultimatum looms.
China
is not shedding the labor-intensive industries that might be expected to
migrate to Southeast Asian countries with lower costs. Industries in
Vietnam, for instance, face immense pressure from the millions of cheap
orders - worth $2 billion monthly - that flow into the country every day
from Chinese e-commerce platforms. Imports of cheap Chinese textiles and
garments contributed to Indonesia shedding nearly 80,000 jobs in those
sectors in 2024. Local producers cannot compete with the scale and efficiency
of China’s world-leading industrial ecosystem. More than 2,000 economic
development zones in China offer firms access to both upstream and
downstream suppliers all in one place. A large renewable energy firm like
Trina Solar, which assembles panels at an industrial park in eastern
China’s Jiangsu Province, for example, can find tempered glass, aluminum
frames, and other essential components within arm’s reach. Other Chinese
firms have turned to robotics and factory automation to offset rising labor
costs without moving production abroad. Midea Group, the home appliances
giant, has invested billions to convert its facilities into highly
automated “lights out” factories that can operate with as few as ten
percent of the workers required previously. Government policy has
reinforced this shift with national directives and heavy subsidies to
promote industrial automation, particularly in the low-skill manufacturing
sectors most vulnerable to offshoring. China
Is Squeezing Southeast Asia As Imbalances Grow, a Backlash Is Brewing.
Although
China and the United States are economic peers, China’s population is four
times as large, and its GDP per capita is only one-fifth of that of the
United States. China must, in other words, still find room for economic
growth to satisfy the aspirations of its people. Attempts by other
countries to stifle that growth are not only bound to fail but will also
create lasting resentments among the Chinese. The solution is stable trade
regulations, open financial markets, and technological exchanges that are only
restricted by clear and demonstrable national security needs. American and
other foreign companies still have a great deal to offer in China if they
are allowed to compete on equal terms. How
America and China Can Avoid the Blunders That Led to World War I.
The
United Nations' top rights official, Volker Turk, on Wednesday urged states
to end the Iran conflict, describing the situation as extremely dangerous
and unpredictable. Iranian strikes pose
‘existential threat’, Gulf states tell UN.
In
search of an intellectual framework to explain Trump’s worldview, the
administration and commentators alike have turned to realism. The realist
tradition has roots that run through U.S. presidents as diverse as John
Quincy Adams, Dwight Eisenhower, and George H. W. Bush, as well as
prominent thinkers including Hans Morgenthau, Kenneth Waltz, and John
Mearsheimer. Academic realists have spent decades questioning whether
states seek security or maximum power, under what conditions alliances are
beneficial or entangling, and whether the post–World War II liberal
international order was anything more than window dressing for American
hegemony. They also readily acknowledge that intellectual realism doesn’t
easily translate into clear prescriptions for U.S. foreign policy. The
False Promise of “Flexible Realism”: Trump’s
War on Iran Reveals a Foreign Policy Without Principles.
The
Gulf states are not pro-Iranian. They are frightened of Iran and angry
about its targeting of their economic assets and infrastructure. But they
are also, for the first time in a generation, seriously questioning the
value of their alignment with Washington. That doubt is precisely what Iran
has been working toward. A Gulf that no longer fully trusts Washington’s
security guarantees is a Gulf less willing to host American bases, share
intelligence, or finance U.S. military operations in the region. Iran’s
long-term security depends not on defeating the United States militarily
but on making the cost of the U.S. presence in the Gulf too politically
expensive for its Arab hosts to sustain. Iran’s
Long Game Decades of Preparation Are Paying Off.
A
compromise with Iran would not entirely end the risk of a new war and would
require continued American vigilance. Critics might decry it as too little
to justify the huge military effort and risks of the present campaign.
Nevertheless, compromise now would contribute more to the underlying goals
of regional stabilization and American credibility than the alternatives of
regime change or allowing Tehran to re-create the means to threaten the
region. And most importantly, it would prevent Iran from becoming a trap
for the United States, similar to what Ukraine has been for Russia. The War
in Iran Could Become Like the War in Ukraine: How
America Can Avoid a Russian-Style Quagmire.
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Israel
launches "wide-scale" strikes on targets in western Iran, the Israeli
military says Iran and Israel traded strikes overnight, while missile and
drone interceptions have been reported in Gulf states Meanwhile, US
President Donald Trump says Iran wants to make a
deal to end the war, but he doesn't want to yet "because the terms
are not good enough" Any hopes the US may have had that its massive
firepower would somehow force Iran to sue for peace on Washington's terms
have been frustrated. Trump adds the US has "demolished" Kharg Island, Iran's critical oil export hub, but
that "we may hit it a few more times just for fun." Elsewhere,
the UK says it is discussing a "range of options" to secure the
Strait of Hormuz after the US called for countries to help secure the
shipping lane.
At
least eight injured in missile attacks as cluster munitions cause
widespread damage; IRGC threatens to ‘pursue and kill’ Netanyahu; US orders
evacuations from Oman, Iraq.
Earlier,
Japan’s strategy was to leave geopolitics to the United States so that
Tokyo could focus on economic growth and improving diplomatic ties with
partners around the world. Every Japanese government since World War II had
interpreted the peace clause of Japan’s constitution, which renounces the
right to wage war to resolve international disputes, to mean that Japanese
forces could not participate in coalition military activities with the
United States or other regional allies except for the purpose of defending
Japan (the so-called ban on collective self-defense). This clause was the
perfect excuse to keep Japan out of wars in Vietnam and the Middle East.
But for Abe, facing a rising China, it was a liability. Japanese leaders
could no longer step aside while the United States led the way; the
Japanese archipelago, after all, would now be on the frontlines of any
future conflict. Instead of avoiding entanglement in American wars, Japan
now needed to help shore up U.S.-led deterrence in Asia. How Takaichi Can Triumph.
External
Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said India’s direct talks with
Iran helped reopen shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, allowing Indian
LPG carriers to pass safely. He stressed there is no blanket deal for
Indian vessels amid tensions linked to the Iran–Israel war. Special Coverage.
Even
if Trump’s successor resumes praising voluntary ESG standards and
reinstates key environmental regulations, it will be harder than ever for
the public to believe that companies can really be motivated by the desire
to make the world cleaner and fairer. Moderation in politics is undergirded
by broadly shared economic growth. For years now, public anti-system
sentiment has led to electoral wins for “outsider” or extremist parties.
The source of such sentiments is not difficult to understand: contemporary
capitalism is not working for most people. To avoid a deepening spiral into
political extremism and dysfunction, governments everywhere will need to
ditch the Friedman doctrine for good. The realization that corporate ESG
was a fiction creates a true opportunity for the actions that will change
the world for the better. Good Riddance to Corporate Social Responsibility:
The End of an Unnecessary Fiction.
The
Trump administration is right that the transatlantic relationship needs to
be restructured. The universalist, legalistic approach to international
trade pursued in the 1990s is not appropriate in an era of great-power
competition. The new trade deals that Washington signed with the European
Union and the United Kingdom in 2025, with their focus on economic security
and tackling Chinese overcapacity, are a step in the right direction. Yet
Washington’s other actions have undermined these achievements. Trump’s
repeated willingness to accept Putin’s manipulations at face value has
baffled and frustrated Ukraine and its close European partners. The
president’s chaotic approach to negotiation has undermined the very trade
deals his administration has negotiated. Worst
of all, Trump’s push to acquire Greenland has forced NATO partners to
question the fundamental assumptions on which the alliance is based.
Underneath man shopping in Tehran March 15.
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Trump
could continue to prosecute the war in Iran by persisting with his
devastating aerial campaign. But this is already yielding diminishing
returns, given that the U.S. military has already struck most of its
targets. The alternative is to put American boots on the ground. That comes
with awful risks and is precisely what Trump, as a presidential candidate,
repeatedly pledged never to do. But it may be the only way to ensure an
Iranian regime more amenable to his demands. Trump may also consider smaller,
more targeted operations related to maritime security or Iran’s nuclear
program. But these, too, would pose significant risks to American soldiers
and likely prompt retaliation, and there is little chance that they would
lead to Iran’s capitulation. How the US’s War on Iran Backfired. Will Tehran Now Set the Terms for Peace?
Trump
seeks Help to reopen Hormuz. Europe Says No. After months of bashing
allies, the White House finds itself fighting largely alone. In addition, a
30-hour blaze, 600 sailors without beds: Massive
fire engulfs USS Gerald R Ford. While China said on March 17
that it will provide humanitarian assistance to Middle Eastern countries,
including Iran.
Proof
of life or final message? Ali Larijani's X post fuels speculation after
Israel claims Iran's top official is dead:
Israel's
defence minister says its military has killed Iran's security chief Ali
Larijani in a strike - read more about him. Larijani was last seen in
public at a Quds Day march in Tehran on Friday. Iran has not confirmed
whether he has been killed or injured.
Drones and rockets were launched at the US embassy in Iraq's capital
Baghdad overnight, in the second such attack of the war, BBC Verify
examines videos of interceptions. The UAE's defence ministry says it is
intercepting drones and missiles from Iran, with Qatar saying it has also
been targeted by missiles. One Iranian tells BBC Persian the war is
"really destroying my nerves", while Tehran's Ministry of
Intelligence says it has confiscated "hundreds of Starlink
devices", which are used by some Iranians to access the internet. In
the US, a top counterterrorism official resigns over the ongoing conflict,
saying "Iran posed no imminent threat to our nation."
The
Middle East now appears to be moving away from a recent period of cautious
de-escalation, marked by an uptick in multilateral diplomacy and greater
consideration of regional frameworks grounded in the principles of
collective security. In its place, a more confrontational geopolitical
environment is taking shape - one defined by renewed military competition,
hardened alliances, and diminished prospects for diplomatic accommodation
and security coexistence between Gulf states and Iran. In this sense, the
Middle East may be returning to an earlier era, one in which security
dilemmas dominated regional politics and cooperation became increasingly
difficult to sustain. Unless a major diplomatic breakthrough halts the
current escalation, the Gulf and the broader Middle East may be entering a
prolonged period of instability marked by persistent military
confrontation, rising economic uncertainty, and the steady narrowing of any
space for regional cooperation. The clock, in many ways, seems to be
turning backward. How the Iran War Is
Returning the Region to a More Insular, Conflict-Prone Era.
The
U.S.-Israeli strategy is likely to produce one of four possible end states
for Iran. The most likely among them is that the regime survives. It
crushes any revolt that follows the end of the air campaign. It appoints a
new leadership and begins rebuilding everything that it lost. It will be an
Iran without former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who, for all his monstrous
behavior toward his own people and the rest of the world, took care to
avoid actions that would provoke a major U.S. response. The next version of
the regime, with his son, Mojtaba Khamenei, at the helm, is likely to be
more reckless, aggressive, anti-American, and anti-Israeli than its
predecessor. It is likely to be far more committed to developing nuclear
weapons - to deter another U.S. or Israeli attack, at least, and possibly
to enable Iran to attack other countries. This version of Iran could well
be worse for the United States and Israel than the prior one. How to Raise
the Odds of Regime Change in Iran: The
U.S. Can Make It Easier for Iranians to Revolt.
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A
report claims Trump’s advisers urged him to outline an exit plan for the
Iran war and adopt stronger messaging to maintain public support. The White
House dismissed the report as false, saying Operation Epic Fury will
continue until the president decides the war’s objectives are being met.
The
U.S. military cannot afford to wait until the 2030s for its stockpiles to
be restored and increased. And the United States cannot afford these
expensive systems in this new age of war. Firing a multimillion-dollar
missile at a projectile that costs $35,000 is as unwise as it is
unsustainable. LUCAS shows that there is another way. Just as Roosevelt
recognized that World War II required mass production, so, too, must
policymakers recognize that, in the age of precision mass, the U.S.
military requires more than just exquisite capabilities. It needs drones,
it needs them in droves, and it needs them now. Iran’s Drone Advantage: The Pentagon Copied Tehran’s Technology but Is Still
Struggling to Keep Up.
During
his time as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in the early post-Cold
War era, Colin Powell, who later served as U.S. Secretary of State, argued
that the United States should not commit to a war unless it has
overwhelming force, an exit strategy, a vital national interest, a clear
objective, and broad support. This idea, which became known as the Powell
Doctrine, has been sidelined in recent years. Yet it remains relevant.
Perhaps the ultimate objective of the Powell Doctrine was not to avoid defeat,
per se, but to avoid mid-sized wars. And for great powers such as the
United States, avoiding middle-sized wars means being very careful about
the small wars it gets involved in. The Curse of
Middle-Sized Wars In Iran, Trump Risks Falling Into a Familiar Trap.
US
Senator Chris Murphy said a briefing on the Iran
war revealed unclear goals and an “incoherent” strategy by the Trump
administration. He warned that the conflict could become an endless war.
His remarks come as Trump and his team issue conflicting statements on the
war’s endgame.
Prime
Minister Narendra Modi emphasized that the ongoing crisis underlines the
importance of India becoming energy secure and economically independent. He
said the Middle East crisis and the resulting energy shortage show how
important it is for a nation to be self-reliant.
A
banner is displayed at Valiasr Square in central Tehran on March 10, 2026,
depicting Iran's late supreme leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini (L)
watching as his successor, the late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei (C), hands over
a national flag to his son and new supreme leader Mojtaba
Khamenei (R).
Three
commercial ships have been damaged by "unknown projectiles" in
the Strait of Hormuz. Here's why the shipping channel
is so important: 23 crew members on board
one ship are being rescued.
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Should
the regime in Iran outlast the U.S.-led campaign, it will likely declare
victory. It will make this declaration on moral grounds, claiming that it
had successfully withstood a war conducted by two of the world’s most
powerful militaries and aimed at ending the Islamic system. Such claims are
what held the regime together during its nearly eight-year war with Iraq in
the 1980s and allowed it to deem that disastrous conflict, which killed
hundreds of thousands of Iranians, a win for the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The Dangers of a Weak Iran: How a Wounded
Islamic Republic Can Still Threaten the World.
The second on the
left is Prince Reza Pahlavi, the former crown
prince of Iran.
Oil prices soar
past $100 as tankers are attacked in the Gulf and Strait of Hormuz.
Even
if the United States and Israel pursue a maximalist strategy of
decapitation, hoping that the regime eventually runs out of replacements,
detailed succession planning and the IRGC’s decentralized structure provide
enough redundancy to prevent the collapse of the Iranian state. A scenario
in which the IRGC decides to dispense with velayat-e faqih. The New
Khamenei: How America and Israel Solved
Iran’s Succession Problem.
Faced
with the unappealing task of trying to defend the strait in the middle of a
shooting war, the United States might try to respond to Iran’s escalation
with escalation of its own. But those choices present problems, too. For
example, the United States might decide that it needs to control the
Iranian coast by inserting Marines or special operations forces, but the
entry of ground forces would raise the risk of casualties and a quagmire.
Or the United States could try to escalate its bombing campaign to coerce
an end to the war, but the United States and Israel may be running out of
targets with which to bring about such pressure on the regime. Indeed, this
is likely why the regime now seems much more willing to close the strait
than ever before. The Hormuz Minefield In the
Strait, Iran Holds the Advantage, and the U.S. Has No Good Options.
A
dramatic anime-style video of the Iran war has gone viral on social media.
The video depicts the US and Israeli strikes on Iran that killed Iran’s
supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. Following Khamenei’s death, his son Mojtaba Khamenei has been chosen as the new
supreme leader of the Islamic Republic. As the tensions escalate, the war
has expanded to Iran’s neighboring Gulf nations, which Tehran has accused
of aiding the US and Israel in the strikes.
Successive
US presidents have talked about the need to “pivot” to Asia and concentrate
US efforts on meeting the economic and military challenges posed by a
rising China. The war in Iran demonstrates, yet again, that the wider
Middle East has a way of sucking America back in. Trump’s National Security
Strategy, published just last November, said Iran had already been
significantly weakened and that the Middle East was consequently a less
troublesome region. How the bombing of Iran sent shockwaves around the
world. Two weeks in, and the consequences of
Operation Epic Fury are being felt around the world.
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Israel
carries out attacks on Lebanon and Iran, saying
it hit a missile launcher in Qom and an “aerial defence system” in
Isfahan, while blasts are also reported in Tehran. Iranian attacks were
reported in Israel, with air raid sirens in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, and explosions
seen in the sky as strikes were intercepted.
Iran's
army said Saturday its navy had launched a wave of drone attacks targeting
Israel as well as US bases in the UAE and Kuwait, as the regional war raged
into its second week. ~~ "The Iranian Navy targeted American bases and
occupied territories with a massive wave of drone attacks," the army
said in a statement carried by the official IRNA news agency. ~~ It said
the targets included the UAE's Al Minhad base and another in Kuwait, as
well as a "strategic facility" in Israel.
Iran's
President Masoud Pezeshkian said today that his
country will not surrender to the United States and Israel after the US
President’s latest warning that there will be “no deal” with Tehran unless
it agrees to an “unconditional surrender”.
Israel
announced a new wave of “broad-scale” strikes on Tehran on March 7 as the
escalating war in the Middle East entered its second week. White House
Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said when the President determines Iran no
longer poses a threat to the US and the operation’s goals are realized,
“Iran will essentially be in a place of unconditional surrender, whether
they say it themselves or not.”
President
Trump has vowed to hit Iran "very hard" today, and says the US
military is considering new targets in the country.
Trump’s
warning: US President Donald Trump says Iran “will be hit very hard”, with
new areas of the country under consideration for “destruction and certain
death.” Whereby the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) announced that
‘Iran is capable of a 6-month intense war.’ Trump
accuses UK PM of seeking to 'join wars after we've already won.'
Reza Pahlavi 'Accepts' Transitional Leadership
of Iran:
Bombing of
Tehran:
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Mojtaba
Hosseini Khamenei (born 8 September 1969) is an Iranian politician and Shia
cleric who, following the death of his father,
has served as the third supreme leader of Iran since 8 March 2026. A member of the Khamenei family, he is the second son
and successor of Ali Khamenei.
A
foreign policy approach that bashes allies for “civilizational erasure” and
treats alliances as encumbrances is unlikely to prevail in great-power
competition over time. The twenty-first century is already being defined by
the global competition between liberal democracies that emphasize
individual freedoms and illiberal autocracies that emphasize collective
goods. In this global contest, the United States cannot succeed
economically, diplomatically, or militarily without cooperating with its
closest allies. For decades, U.S. alliances have been rooted in a shared
devotion to the principles of liberal democracy, and American strength has
been determined by how closely it hews to these ideals at home and abroad.
A postliberal foreign policy risks squandering this source of enduring
strength and leaving the United States weaker as a consequence. The
Postliberal Superpower: What Abandoning
Democratic Allies Will Cost America.
If
Iran’s strategy is to widen and politicize the conflict, the United States
faces a choice. One path is doubling down: the United States could ramp up
its airpower campaign by bringing additional air assets into the fight to
suppress Iranian launch capabilities and create the conditions for
extending aerial control over the skies and surveillance on the ground. As
with the imposition of no-fly zones against Iraq in the 1990s, doubling
down to reestablish escalation dominance and control can be tantamount to a
strategy of permanent aggressive military containment and control over
Iranian airspace, one that could last for years. The adoption of precisely
this extended aerial control and surveillance approach with Iraq in the
1990s only set the stage for the 2003 U.S. ground invasion. Permanent
aerial occupation does not lead to political control, and without greater
political control, Iran will continue to pose a plausible threat to U.S.
interests - especially since its nuclear program persists in some form or
another. In this way, an ostensibly restrained policy could actually
precipitate greater commitment. Why
Escalation Favors Iran, America, and Israel may have bitten off more than
they can chew.
Wars
are not judged by how well they start. They are judged by how they end, and
by whether the country that started the fight is stronger or weaker when
the guns finally go quiet. The U.S. troops executing these operations are
serving with extraordinary professionalism, but that cannot substitute for
clarity of purpose. The questions being asked too quietly right now are the
ones that will ultimately determine whether this war is worth
fighting. What Is the Endgame in
Iran? Trump Needs to Figure Out What He Wants,
and Quickly.
The
Trump administration is currently trapped between the specter of a global
economic recession and a naval catastrophe. As the conflict with Iran
intensifies, the world’s energy arteries are constricting to a point of
“nonlinearity,” where every day the Strait of Hormuz remains closed doesn’t
just double the economic pain, it multiplies it exponentially. The Trump administration is working to resolve the
oil crisis on several fronts.
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Eric
Vandenbroeck, seen here after crossing Iran, arrives at the border of
Afghanistan:
Pentagon
briefing: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the goal of the strikes on
Iran was not regime change, “but the regime sure did change and the world
is better off for it.” Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said
the war against Iran would not be a “single, overnight operation.”
Expanding war with Iran: Iran’s top official said Tehran “will not
negotiate” with the US. Israel and Hezbollah are trading blows as the
conflict widens, while explosions have been heard in Gulf cities, including
Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Doha.
Trump
flags potential escalation in Iran assault. He also said it was the “last,
best chance” to hit the US's arch-foe in his first public comments since
launching the operation.
Taiwan
should better maintain its position as an indispensable player in the
global economy and work to enhance its value to the world. This means
continuing to embrace Taiwan’s democratic institutions, civil society, and
human rights record, which remain critical sources of international
legitimacy and soft power. The fact that international assessments have
repeatedly ranked Taiwan as one of Asia’s most robust democracies, and in
many cases one of the world’s, is a point of pride. Taiwan’s democracy is
nonnegotiable. Taiwan Doesn’t Have to
Choose Cross-Strait Peace Requires Working with Both Beijing and Washington.
Following
the limited use of force against the Houthis, a bilateral agreement
produced a better outcome than ignoring the attacks on U.S. shipping. It
was also better than using pure military force, as Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates attempted for years. Likewise, the world is better off
without Iran’s nuclear sites at Fordow and Natanz, and without Soleimani
running the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The jury remains out on
Venezuela, but it is still possible that a democratic transition occurs and
the country avoids a descent into domestic chaos. Short, sharp uses of
force that preserve flexibility in decision-making, leverage ambiguity and
surprise, minimize the chances of quagmire, and end with a “good enough”
outcome might be the best approach to many cases. Trump’s Way of War: Iran, Venezuela, and the End of the Powell
Doctrine.
Although
the United States probably can’t unseat the regime with airstrikes, it has
a rare chance to influence Iran’s next political order through diplomacy.
Trump may be inclined to deal directly with whoever is left standing after
the war, but he must avoid any deal that cements the power of the current
elite. There are already reports that some historically pragmatic regime
officials, such as Larijani, have tried to restart nuclear negotiations
through Omani mediators. A bad agreement could be a lifeline for the
vestiges of the revolutionary state. Now that U.S. and Israeli strikes have
taken out some of Tehran’s most menacing leaders, Washington and its
partners should set a high bar for deciding with whom they will negotiate. How Long Can the Iranian Regime Hold On? Change Is
Coming, but It Won’t Be Fast.
Thousands
of ships stuck in the Strait of Hormuz:
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Australian
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Wednesday there was “no
justification” for Iran’s attacks on civilian areas in the Middle East in
retaliation for US and Israeli strikes.
Beijing
is an unentangled superpower, but one with key interests at stake. How China Sees the War in Iran.
Is
Hezbollah Still a Threat? Iran’s Favorite
Proxy Is Not What It Once Was.
The Gulf Dilemma
As
the United States considers how best to protect its interests across an
array of theaters, Israel should be a security partner of choice. But if
questions about the value of the partnership continue to mount, that will
make it increasingly difficult for U.S. military leaders to turn to Israel
for help in times of both crisis and peace, America and Israel’s War to
Remake the Middle East: The Perils for the
Region, and the Alliance.
The
U.S. and Israel’s attack on Iran is the most consequential military
operation in the Middle East in more than two decades. The killing of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali
Khamenei has plunged the Islamic Republic into its gravest crisis since the
1979 Revolution.
Fundamental
questions remain unresolved: How long will the war last? Does the U.S. want
a transfer of power to a new government in Tehran or full-blown regime
change - and if so, how? Will the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps
collapse or harden? And what is the economic cost of this war? (Already,
oil prices have surged and shares have slid.)
President
Trump embarked the United States on a risky path in his first
administration when he rejected a nuclear deal that, although imperfect,
had been working to limit Iran’s enrichment capabilities. Over the
following eight years, sanctions and negotiations failed to bring about a
new agreement. Last June’s U.S.-Israeli strikes set back Iran’s nuclear
program but did not end it, and Trump’s inconsistent focus on and
assessment of the issue since then have only made it harder to reach a
successful outcome. He must now take responsibility for the nuclear risk
the world is facing and lay out a clear plan for fixing a problem that, in
his two terms as president, he has made manifestly worse. The Abiding
Question of the Iranian Bomb: America Needs a
Plan for Tehran’s Nuclear Program.
On
February 28, U.S. President Donald Trump authorized a massive military
campaign against Iran. Working in concert with the Israel Defense Forces,
the U.S. military undertook strikes that first targeted the regime
leadership, killing Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and others, and then
expanded to a broader assault on Iranian security forces. In the last few days, strikes have been launched
against the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, the Iranian missile program,
the Iranian navy, and even local police buildings.
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Iranian
students stage first large anti-government protests since deadly crackdown.
The
United States and its allies should start by getting their relationship on
a firmer footing. This will not be easy. Tensions between the Trump
administration and European governments have nearly boiled over on multiple
occasions, including because of U.S. designs on Greenland. A full break
between the United States and its allies would leave the continent much
more vulnerable to Russian aggression. Moscow has been careful to avoid a
direct conflict with NATO thanks, in large part, to Washington’s military
presence in Europe and its clear commitment to the continent’s defense.
Without that, Putin might become less cautious. Open fractures must
therefore be avoided. The Tragedy of Great-Power Foreign Policy: Do Realists Hold the Solution to a World in Crisis?
'Not
for terrorism': Canada to revoke 26/11
mastermind Tahawwur Hussain Rana's citizenship.
The
United States’ aggressive trade policies have presented an additional
challenge, especially as they arrive amid a weakening of the multilateral
trade system. In July 2025, Japan and the United States agreed to a 15
percent tariff rate on U.S. imports from Japan-a reduction from Trump’s
original proposal of 25 percent-in exchange for Tokyo’s commitment to
invest in the United States and purchase U.S. defense equipment. But this
arrangement did not take the traditional form of an international agreement
with a dispute-settlement mechanism. In the absence of such legal
assurance, either party may be tempted to depart from the deal if it judges
that the other party has not implemented its terms to a satisfactory
degree. With such arrangements, Tokyo and many other capitals are forced to
navigate an increasingly delicate balance of interests, relying on
subjective judgments rather than predictable rules. Japan’s National
Security Reckoning: How Tokyo Is Adjusting
to a More Dangerous World.
In
December 2025, newspapers in India carried an arresting, dystopian image:
scores of young people sitting obediently in rows on an airstrip in the
eastern state of Odisha to take an exam. Over 8,000 test takers had lined
up under the sun to compete for 187 posts in the police service. That so
many people were willing to take an exam in such inhumane conditions is
revealing. In India, government jobs have long been coveted because they
bring financial security and a measure of social prestige. But the candidates
in Odisha were vying for the lowest rung of the police service. Such a
large volume of candidates for such a poorly paid post reflects widespread
desperation among educated youth. India’s economy has failed to generate
opportunities for the country’s many young people, even as it has recorded
an average annual GDP growth rate of six to seven percent over the past
three decades. The US Needs an Alliance Audit. Not All Partnerships Are Worth Sustaining.
Activity
is not continuing...': Canada makes U-turn on terror
accusations against India ahead of Carney’s visit.
Strategically
speaking, Trump has no great reason to attack Iran. Tehran is a threat to
Washington’s Middle East interests, yes, but it poses no immediate menace
to the United States. In the aftermath of Iranians’ widespread protests and
their subsequent brutal massacre, sustained economic and diplomatic
pressure would have further weakened the regime without risking open
conflict. But this president is rarely satisfied with quiet victories. As a
result, he has made a major, flashier demand. Either the Iranian government
agrees to a grand nuclear deal in which it gives up all nuclear enrichment
and its missile program, or Washington
attacks.
The
convergence of Israeli despair, political paralysis, and Trump’s savior
appeal creates a rare opportunity for the United States, as well as for
Israelis and Palestinians. Israelis want to change the status quo but do
not currently trust their political leaders to do so. They do, however,
trust Trump to do it for them. In this sense, Trump is Israel’s best hope
for overcoming the country’s missing strategic doctrine, eroding democratic
foundations, and failed political leadership. The task for U.S. policymakers is now to build a
diplomatic architecture around this reality.
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Donald
Trump has ordered the deployment of Task Force Scorpion, America's first
Kamikaze drone unit, against Iran following the collapse of nuclear
negotiations, Bloomberg reported. The experimental military drone unit is
capable of self-detonation and is the latest addition to the military
build-up in the Middle East. This comes as the latest round of talks
between American and Iranian officials collapsed in Geneva over Tehran's
nuclear program. The two sides failed to reach a consensus on ending uranium
enrichment and dismantling Iran's nuclear facilities, the Wall Street
Journal reported. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump’s son-in-law, Jared
Kushner, have been leading the American delegation, seeking to resolve
tensions through diplomacy before they escalate militarily. US Central
Command spokesman Tim Hawkins said, "We established the squadron last
year to rapidly equip our warfighters with new combat drone capabilities
that continue to evolve." Hence, Ali Khamenei faces the gravest crisis of his 36-year tenure,
with the economy struggling under tightened sanctions and renewed protests following major unrest and a
bloody crackdown in January.
Beijing
is not scrambling to take advantage of Trump’s chaos because it does not
need to. It can take the same tack it always has: cooperating when possible
and retaliating when necessary, always with an eye to its own national
interests. It is ultimately Trump who is doing the heavy lifting of
shattering trust in the United States and pushing the world into China’s
arms. The United States needs to work hard to regain the trust of its
allies or risk forfeiting its most powerful advantage, soft power, over China.
China Is Winning by Waiting: How
Beijing Turns Predictability Into Power.
Shortly
before 3 am New York time, explosions have been reported in multiple
Iranian cities, including the capital Tehran, after Israel and the US
launched strikes Saturday morning. The US military is planning for several
days of attacks. Part One: Introduction.
Is Iran targeting US bases across the Middle
East after joint strikes? From Bahrain and Qatar to Kuwait and the UAE, key
American installations are on alert. Which
American military bases could be in Tehran’s sights?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on
Sunday (1 March) warned Iran of striking “thousands of targets” in the
coming days. He also called on Iranians to “overthrow
the regime of terror”. This comes after the US and Israel launched
strikes on Iran a day earlier, attacking over 30 targets and killing Iran’s
supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. The operation was named ‘Epic Fury’ by the US
and ‘Lion’s Roar’ by Israel. The attacks came amid heightened tensions
between Washington and Tehran over its nuclear program. In retaliation,
Iran launched attacks on Israel and US military bases in the region,
including in Bahrain, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan.
Any
strike that costs the United States lives and treasure could be a
potentially significant political blow to Trump, particularly given that he
ran for office based in part on avoiding military entanglements. Iran also
seems to believe that Trump’s preference is for limited and spectacular
rather than sustained and open-ended campaigns. Tehran may be hoping that
if it demonstrates the potential for unlimited escalation, Iran may be able
to dissuade Trump from pursuing his campaign further, just as he pulled the
plug on a costly and unwinnable war against the Houthis in Yemen last year.
Trump’s Iran Gamble: How the Latest
Strikes Risk Opening a Pandora’s Box in the Gulf.
There
is an urgent need to better educate military operators on the strengths and
potential shortfalls of AI, especially AI-assisted decision-making tools.
Beyond education, operators need training and guidance on how to
effectively use new AI systems, which will be a challenge considering how
quickly these systems evolve. At the same time, important work still needs
to be done on the systems’ reliability, transparency, and cybersecurity
before commanders can trust and implement them consistently. These needs
should drive the Pentagon to embrace closer relationships with frontier AI
labs, the world’s leading experts on the technology, and contract not only
for technology licenses but also for field engineers and data scientists to
help expedite safe and effective AI adoption. This is, at least in part,
why the failure of negotiations with Anthropic is so concerning: ensuring
U.S. national security will require bolstering such partnerships, rather
than dramatic public spats. China’s AI Arsenal: The
PLA’s Tech Strategy Is Working.
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The
US military is preparing for Iran operations. Iranian politicians were seen
chanting "death to America, death to Israel" while wearing
military uniforms after the European Union designated Iran's paramilitary,
the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a "terrorist
organization". A second US carrier
heads to the Middle East.
Wars
are contests of will and endurance as much as they are contests of systems.
Washington is visibly impatient, seeking a settlement by the summer, but an
artificial timetable cannot easily be imposed on this conflict. This is
not, and was never, simply about land. Moscow aims to impose its will on
Ukraine and destroy it as an independent state with a distinct national
identity. Ukraine suffers from exhaustion, but not desperation. Although
Ukraine faces challenges, time is less and less on Russia’s side, however
much Moscow portrays the situation otherwise. Moscow cannot wish away the
fundamental mismatch between the military means it has available and the
political aims it seeks to achieve. Ukraine’s War of Endurance: The Fight for Advantage in the Conflict’s Fifth Year.
February
15-16, 2026, hundreds of thousands of people in the Iranian diaspora held
major solidarity rallies globally, including in Toronto (approx. 350,000)
and Munich (approx. 250,000) to support anti-regime protests following
intense security crackdowns in Iran. Protests
featured flags, chants for freedom, and addresses from exiled leaders.
Trump's
new world order has become real. Europe is having
to adjust fast.
US
and Iranian officials are set to meet in Switzerland on Tuesday for a
second round of talks. Iran says the meeting will focus on its nuclear
programed the potential lifting of economic sanctions imposed by the US.
Washington has previously indicated it wants to discuss other issues as
well. The US build-up of warships and fighter
jets tracked near Iran. Location of the US aircraft carrier, the USS
Abraham Lincoln, near Iran.
One
thing all Chinese in the world have in common is the Chinese New Year
today:
Global
frameworks have proved insufficient for many of the defining challenges of
the twenty-first century. Progress is more likely to come from persuasion,
coalitions of the willing, and direct cooperation among governments. This
concrete action will not just produce tangible and positive results; it
will also uphold democratic values-and in a more convincing way than the
lofty bureaucratic architecture of global institutions ever could. The
United States and other democratic states must stop deferring to the
sclerotic global order and find their own solutions to the major problems
of the age. The Globalist Delusion.
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US NAVAL ASSETS
IN THE MIDDLE EAST
The
reason why the US has not taken any steps to attack Iran yet is that they
are currently taking measures that the various bases in the region (which
Iran threatens to strike) are safe in case of an attack. The intention is
to complete what the 12-day war failed
to do.
In
2024, Fumio Kishida, then Japan’s prime minister, told the U.S. Congress
that he detected “an undercurrent of self-doubt among some Americans about
what [the United States’] role in the world should be.” Today, that
undercurrent looks more like a tsunami, and countries in the Asia-Pacific
region are already seeking higher ground. What is left in its wake - where
the United States maintains its commitments, and where it pulls back-will
affect the lives of hundreds of millions of people in Asia. It is therefore
time for Americans to discuss not what would make for an ideal strategy,
but how to enact a realistic one. Even that may not be enough to contain
China’s growing influence. But after falling short of its grand ambitions
in Asia, the United States has left itself no other option. Asia After
America: How U.S. Strategy Failed and Ceded the
Advantage to China.
As
outlined in its most recent five-year plan, Beijing is extending the same
state-coordinated industrial strategy that propelled its rise in clean
energy manufacturing into emerging sectors such as autonomous vehicles,
artificial intelligence, and robotics. The objective is not simply
participation but leadership by anchoring next-generation technologies in
domestic supply chains and scaling them before global competitors can catch
up. The United States will benefit from its role as an oil and gas supplier
for decades to come, but China will erode its competitor’s technological
edge. U.S. firms still dominate AI models and chip design, but scaling
those operations depends on U.S. grids that remain fragmented, aging, and
contested. The United States has the resources, capital, and innovative
capacity to compete, yet political disagreements have prevented it from
adopting a workable strategy. Before it is too late, U.S. energy and
critical-mineral policies must be redefined to prioritize integration and
innovation over raw extraction. Washington will have far more success
embracing opportunities across oil, natural gas, nuclear, renewables, and
batteries than by focusing strictly on fossil fuels. Energy Dominance With
Chinese Characteristics: Why Beijing Holds the
Power in the Century Ahead.
US
prepared to strike Iran as early as this weekend, but Trump hasn't made a
final call.
For
U.S. policymakers and planners, this lesson should prompt a reassessment of
the prevailing assumptions about future wars with Russia or China. Although
short, decisive conflicts remain possible-a rapid Chinese attempt to seize
Taiwan or a Russian thrust into the Baltic states, for example-and early
nuclear escalation cannot be ruled out, the war in Ukraine undercuts the
idea that great-power wars would necessarily be brief or quickly escalate
to nuclear use. A desire to keep the conflict geographically or militarily
contained, the fear of nuclear use, and the difficulty of either winning
outright or finding an acceptable off-ramp may instead push adversaries to
fight prolonged wars of attrition while attempting to contain escalation.
Ukraine and the New Way of War; Learning the
Right Lessons for the Conflicts of the Future.
Over
the past few days, one of the largest numbers of US bombers, fighter jets,
transport planes, and mid-air refueling tankers in modern history made its
way towards Iran US military moves into place for possible strikes on Iran.
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China's
President Xi launched his anticorruption campaign around 2012, following
the downfall of Bo Xilai, who had been his rival to succeed Hu Jintao. In
its lurid details, that case evoked an airport novel: Bo’s wife had
murdered a British businessman who had been a fixer for the family.
Although we do not yet know what operatic feuds or basic miscalculations
led to Zhang Youxia’s demise, his ouster is a reminder of the folly of
applying algebraic logic to the dramatis personae of China’s political hierarchy.
There are likely to be many more acts in this unfolding play. The real
question for Xi is whether he can write the denouement that has so far
eluded him: a military that lives up to his unforgiving standards of party
loyalty and operational proficiency. President
Xi's Latest Military Purge Signals China’s Leader Is Entering a New Era.
As
US warships and aircraft have amassed in the region for a potential strike
on Iran, the country’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, suggested that
talks could take place imminently. Donald Trump on Saturday said Iranians
were “seriously talking to us” as he hinted at a deal to avert military
strikes against Tehran. Iran has destabilized
the Middle East for too long.
The
immediate effect of China’s seeking to manipulate trade ties for leverage would
be an increase in the price of strategic products for the United States,
which would last for the duration of the crisis. Although such costs are
real, they need to be weighed against the economic burden of subsidizing
several domestic industries indefinitely, a burden that decoupling or
de-risking policies would impose even in peacetime. Without a corresponding
security benefit, these economic costs do not appear to be justified. The
Paradox of Wartime Commerce: Why States Keep
Trading Even in the Midst of Conflict.
What
Trump wants from Iran talks, and what Tehran is prepared to give. Iran’s nuclear program, missile arsenal, militia
network, and crackdown on protesters could all feature in upcoming
negotiations in Turkey.
When
the world asks, “Why is Taiwan so important?” we have a clear answer: by
working with Taiwan, allies and like-minded democratic countries will not
only find common ground. They will also stand to gain things they cannot
access elsewhere: added security, more prosperity, and vital knowledge
about democratic resilience. Whether Taiwan’s allies and partners are more
focused on values or interests, Taiwan can help. The Free World Needs
Taiwan: Solidarity Will Protect Prosperity.
Whereas
Russia is threatened by the success of states that slipped its grasp, China
is threatened by the structure of a one-sphere world. Lacking a sphere of
its own, Beijing’s late-twentieth-century ascent depended on integration
into the U.S.-led order. That strategy delivered extraordinary growth, but
at a price: it bound China to an international system designed to prevent
the emergence of new regional hegemons and to entrench open markets, open
information, and enduring U.S. military primacy. What enabled China’s rise
also constrained its expansion and threatened its political foundations. The U.S. Can Project Power with Little Constraint,
and Its Rivals Cannot.
As
Russia struggles to assert itself globally, Putin has become even more
obsessed with Ukraine. The situation on the battlefield is sustainable for
Moscow. Russia’s frontlines are holding, and its forces are making gradual
territorial progress, but Moscow is far from winning. Despite the flurry of
Ukraine-related diplomacy, peace talks have gone nowhere. Trump’s position
on the war continues to oscillate. Meanwhile, Europe is discovering its
agency and will not tolerate a peace plan tantamount to a Ukrainian surrender.
Assisted by Europe, Kyiv will refuse to yield preemptively to Russia. The
Limits of Russian Power: Why Putin Isn’t
Thriving in Trump’s Anarchic World.
Because
the United States has been pulling back, Europe will need to find military
formats and structures outside NATO with which to defend itself. And
although a European army remains unlikely for the foreseeable future, the
continent’s countries will have to create larger multinational military
formations to deter Russia. (There are already small examples of such
attempts, including a French-German brigade and some EU battlegroups,
although they have yet to be deployed.) In addition, the continent should
establish European command structures that tightly integrate the Bundeswehr
with other armed forces and offer an alternative to NATO structures at
times of transatlantic tensions. Deeper European military integration would
constrain German power by subjecting Germany to collective decision-making.
It would even hedge against an AfD-led government by making it virtually
impossible to extricate the Bundeswehr from joint initiatives without
taking drastic and unpopular measures, such as leaving the EU or other cooperative
European institutions. Europe’s Next Hegemon: The
Perils of German Power.
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The
decision to publish this deep dive and extensive article, into the modern
history of authoritarianism, going as far back as Mussolini and Hitler, was
initially inspired by a February 6 publication in Le Monde pointing to
metrics by which democracy is seriously declining. What History Reveals About Authoritarianism’s
Animating Force.
The
Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) has transformed from an Islamist militia into
an authoritarian statelet, with its leadership seeking to consolidate power
and exert greater control over northern Idlib. The group's public
appearance of moderation has been used to appeal for its removal from the
U.S.-designated foreign terrorist organizations list, but this has not been
met with genuine ideological change. HTS is
supporting foreign terrorist groups such as Hamas and Palestinian Islamic
Jihad.
China
has embraced what it calls “new quality productive forces.” In this model,
productivity gains are the core of growth, and Chinese leaders intend to
use innovation and industrial upgrading to concentrate these gains in
manufacturing. The hope is that by developing their own proprietary
technology, Chinese firms will be able to lead emerging industries as
varied as biotechnology and electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles
(better known as flying cars), which will, in turn, allow them to generate
higher profit margins than when they were merely producing low-cost
knockoffs of existing technologies. Beijing’s
Growth Model Is Still Broken and It’s Hurting China and the Rest of the
World.
If
navigated well, middle powers can turn their strategic predicament into an
efficient division of labor backed by hard mutual leverage. On their
current trajectory, however, they are headed for a trap in which they will
bear the brunt of AI-driven disruption while capturing few of the benefits.
The outcome would be dire: two great AI powers barreling toward a
technological revolution with most of the world’s computing power and
talent, leaving most of the world’s citizens behind. The AI Divide: How U.S.-Chinese Competition Could Leave Most
Countries Behind.
Other
countries cannot simply expect that China and its authoritarian regime will
follow the Soviets into history’s dustbin. Indeed, contrary to Western
hubris, smart authoritarians have shown themselves to be adaptable and
competent. To meet the challenge of an innovative China, then, they must
lean into the strengths that have made it a technological powerhouse:
world-class educational institutions (and the overseas talent they
attract), well-regulated and deep financial markets, global financial
leadership, a robust culture of entrepreneurship, a vibrant civil society,
and a unique position at the center of innovation networks in both Europe
and Asia. China has shown that, through adaptation, authoritarian regimes
can innovate effectively and compete with democracies. How well other
countries deal with the rise of smart authoritarianism depends on whether
they can adapt, too. China’s
Smart Authoritarianism: How the CCP Balances Control and Innovation.
Today,
Iran celebrates the 46th anniversary of the 1979
Islamic Revolution with nationwide rallies, marking the final day of
the "Ten-Day Dawn" celebrations. The events featured mass public
gatherings in Tehran's Azadi Square, military displays, and speeches
emphasizing regime resilience, national unity, and achievements in science
and technology despite economic sanctions. The celebrations marked the
overthrow of the Pahlavi dynasty and the
establishment of the Islamic Republic, with ceremonies also held by Iranian
embassies abroad. The Pentagon reported that a second aircraft carrier
strike group is preparing to deploy to the Middle East as the U.S. military
readies for a potential attack on Iran. This happens in the background of a
possible strike by the United States, along with Israel, to strike Iran.
If
China and the US lose this chance for a new normalization, it will be
impossible for them to protect their strategic interests in the future.
There is but a fleeting moment for the two countries to recalibrate their
goals and approaches toward each other. As Mao put it in a January 1963
poem urging revolutionary action, and as Nixon famously quoted during his
historic 1972 visit to China, highlighting the urgent need for U.S.-Chinese
engagement, “Ten thousand years are too long. Seize the day, seize the hour!”
America and China at the Edge of Ruin: A
Last Chance to Step Back From the Brink.
Iran’s
opposition cannot operate purely at the theoretical level. Its members will
need to agree on some kind of tangible program for what happens immediately
after the regime falls to avoid state collapse. But it should be
nonideological and technocratic, focused on stabilizing the country’s
currency, keeping basic services running, and preventing looting and
violence. The opposition should have a clear timeline for elections and
forholding a constitutional convention. Without such planning, fear of chaos
will continue to be the regime’s strongest weapon. Many insiders who might
otherwise defect will stay on to avoid civil war, cycles of revenge, and
territorial fragmentation. Iran’s Divided Opposition: Only a Unified Movement Can Threaten the Regime.
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Israel hit a missile defense site near an
international airport, and an air base is seen in Isfahan, Iran. The summer
war stripped Iran of many of its air defenses and destroyed roughly half of
its surface-to-surface missile launchers. While Iran took to rebuilding its
air defenses soon after the conclusion of the war, it still has not fully
recovered from this loss. As former Iranian President Hassan Rouhani
remarked in early December, “The skies over Iran have become completely
safe for the enemy.” From an operational
standpoint, it looked likely that Israel would prefer to strike while the
current window remained open.
Addressing trade imbalances and other
twenty-first-century problems, such as climate change, will demand agility
from Trump and the presidents who succeed him. These leaders will have to
wield a mix of tariffs, capital restrictions, threats, and interventions in
currency markets. If Washington policymakers and U.S. trade partners recoil
from the aspects of Trump’s trade policy that reflect a well-considered and
historically American pragmatism just because Trump pursued them, and
insist on a return to a principle-bound trading order that cannot secure
global prosperity, they will miss a valuable opportunity. The Case for Upending World Trade.
Geopolitics in the age of AI will not be
simple. But without a disciplined way of thinking, strategy will collapse
under the weight of hidden assumptions and agendas. By mapping possible
worlds and the choices they demand, this framework offers a way to see
through the fog. The task for policymakers now is clear: treat AI not as a
single story but as a shifting landscape. If American leaders learn to
think this way, they will define whatever AI age emerges. If not, others
will do it for them. Geopolitics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence: Strategy and Power in an Uncertain AI Future.
At the World Economic Forum in Davos this
month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged Europeans to “stand up
for themselves” and break what he described as the continent’s dependence
on Washington’s lead. Many leaders felt unjustly admonished. Already, the
coalition of the willing is beginning to adopt the habits of a more
formidable security apparatus: regular, detailed military exchanges among
Europeans, the construction of a new command and control framework outside
NATO, and early efforts to coordinate force generation and sustainment
among a core group of willing states. But Europe’s broader rearmament drive
is still largely unfolding within NATO frameworks. To become truly
strategically self-reliant, the continent will need to develop the capacity
to plan, command, and sustain operations at scale and to anchor Ukraine’s
security in a long-term rearmament strategy that does not rely on the
shifting preferences of Washington. Europe has begun to organize itself for
a new era. Whether that effort succeeds will depend on its capacity to
sustain Ukraine’s defense. Fortress Ukraine: How
a Coalition of the Willing Can Rearm Kyiv Without Washington.
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In Southeast Asia, China has cultivated ties
with Cambodia, which now acts as Beijing’s proxy to undermine regional
responses to Chinese encroachments on disputed islands and other features
in the South China Sea. In Europe, Hungary, the recipient of 44 percent of
Chinese foreign direct investment in the EU in 2023, has vetoed EU
statements critical of China, endorsed Beijing’s peace plan for Ukraine,
and established a security partnership with China. China’s Economic
Statecraft Is Working: Why China Can
Succeed Even With an Imperfect Strategy.
Threat of US-Iran war escalates as Trump
warns time running out for deal. US president
says armada heading towards Iran is ‘prepared to fulfil its missions with
violence if necessary.’
The United States and Japan stand at a
pivotal juncture. As Tokyo continues to take bold steps to prepare for an
era of prolonged confrontation with China, Washington’s commitment is
wavering. Tokyo has done the hard part. Now it is time for Washington to
step up. If it doesn't, it will prove Beijing right that the United States’
alliances are temporary, its promises are hollow, and its power is in
decline. Japan Can’t Go It Alone. Tokyo Has Stepped Up on China. Now It’s Washington’s Turn.
President Donald Trump predicted on Jan 30
that Iran would seek to negotiate a deal rather than face American military
action, “I can say this, they do want to make a deal,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office.
After years of deliberation, the European
Union recently decided to designate the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps a
terrorist organization, placing the organization alongside groups such as
al-Qaeda. Europe’s move can serve as a model of the types of decisive
action Washington should now rally allies to take. Tehran’s brutal
repression of the protests has dramatically reduced the prospect of gradual
reform through engagement with the regime. That possibility may have
existed a decade ago, when many Iranian people were still clamoring for
regime reform and celebrating the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, the
2015 nuclear deal. But after the first Trump administration’s withdrawal
from the JCPOA, years of escalation, and the regime’s decision to slaughter
its own people, that path has narrowed. The Islamic Republic is a pariah
state, most likely in a death spiral. America’s Best Chance to Transform
Iran: The Right Way to Deploy Military Threats,
Pressure, and Support for the Opposition.
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Iran’s supreme leader blamed former
President Trump for inciting the deadly protests that have killed over
3,000 people, according to a US‑based rights group. The European aviation
authority warned airlines to avoid Iranian airspace amid heightened
tensions and the risk of misidentification following threats of a US
strike. Meanwhile, the Kremlin said President Putin was mediating to de‑escalate
the situation after speaking with both Israeli and Iranian leaders. What next for Iran's supreme leader?
European Union leaders will hold an
emergency meeting in the coming days to discuss US President Donald Trump’s
latest tariff threat as they explore possible retaliatory measures. EU leaders to meet on US tariff threat over
Greenland and potential retaliation.
Green innovation is accelerating fast: in
2025, green patent filings increased by around 20 percent worldwide. Most
patents, however, are held in a handful of advanced economies. Diffusion
channels are therefore critical: the UN’s Climate Technology Center and
Network has funded nearly 400 technical assistance projects in more than
100 developing countries, and the World Intellectual Property
Organization’s GREEN program connects providers of sustainability
technologies with customers seeking to adopt them. After Paris Environmental Policy in an
Interdependent World.
The task for international organizations and
coalitions is to ensure that autonomy remains cooperative rather than
isolated: to align incentives, mobilize capital, diffuse technologies, and
sustain confidence that diverse actions lead to collective outcomes. Today,
success will be defined less by grand bargains than by whether different
global centers of action can move in concert toward shared prosperity. Breaking Beijing’s Hold on the Global Economy.
In the years to come, Europe’s success
vis-à-vis Russia will not be measured by how forcefully it condemns shadow
attacks, or even by how effectively it punishes them, but by how
consistently it deters them. The task, then, is to make plain to the Kremlin
that any act of shadow warfare will be met not with mild rebuke, as in the
past, but with a strong response. Moscow must understand that there are
escalating costs to its aggression. How to Win the Shadow War with Russia: NATO
Must Escalate to De-escalate.
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Should Pakistan
actually be four different countries? As illustrated below, its name itself
provides hints of such. Back in
2019, we presented an introduction to how the world was becoming more
unanchored compared to earlier years. Leading to what it was like by 2023.
Since World War II, the global order had an anchor, a system of two
great powers, the U.S. and the Soviet Union, around which the rest of the world was organized. Today, China has effectively replaced Russia as a global
power. To this, we can also add that while one understands the importance
of Greenland, it is hard to see why it cannot remain in Danish hands,
especially when there is already a U.S.
base there.
Confronted over Greenland, Europe is
ditching its softly-softly approach to Trump. Something in Europe has snapped.
If Trump wants 2026 to be a year of critical
minerals collaboration, he must stop imperialist rhetoric on Greenland.
Europe condemns Trump’s ‘new colonialism’ as Greenland crisis grows. French President Emmanuel Macron gave a thinly
veiled critique of Trump’s foreign policy, warning of a world “where
international law is trampled underfoot.”
As we reported, Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah
Ali Khamenei, in his secret hideout these days, knows he is now a marked
man. He will not be sitting on his veranda anytime soon. When discussing
what the United States might do next to help the protesters in Iran, US
President Trump has mentioned Qassem Soleimani and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
Hence, over the last few weeks, the Iranian regime has faced remarkable
challenges. How the Iranian Regime Break
Will Come Gradually and then Suddenly.
In the past, Beijing has delayed action on
Taiwan because it knew it could not risk action that would fail. It was
confident in its strategy for “peaceful reunification,” believing that the
rise of China would eventually make Taiwan want to unify with it. That
calculation is now changing, both because the past several years of
great-power competition have shaken Beijing’s timeline about its ascent and
because its confidence about a forceful bid for Taiwan is growing.
Washington must realize that the current combination of factors offers what
Beijing could perceive as its best opportunity to take Taiwan. A Perfect
Storm for Taiwan in 2026? How a Convergence of Factors Could Tempt Beijing to
Act.
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What
can Trump offer Big Oil to bring US capital back to Venezuela? The Fate of
“America First”: How the Assault on Venezuela
Threatens Trump’s Promise.
More
than 2,300 have been arrested in Iran, according to a US-based human rights
group, as the internet blackout enters another day. Many demonstrators in Iran have been calling for
the return of Reza Pahlavi.
Iran’s
leaders are facing a perfect storm of crises. Bloody crackdown could spell the end.
Denmark
challenged the United States with its move to acquire Greenland at the
International Court of Justice, but the case languished in procedural
purgatory, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed it as
“nonsense.” Indigenous Greenlandic voices remained split: although some
elites embraced U.S. investments, most residents warned of coming
environmental degradation and cultural erasure. None of that mattered. U.S.
contractors continued to deliver services. Washington concluded its association compact with
Nuuk, assumed full authority over Greenland’s defense and security affairs,
and asserted a claim that Greenland represented a U.S. “special economic
zone.” Trump declared victory.
Whatever
the pressure of this moment, there's no sign Iran's leaders are changing
course. Iran's rulers face the biggest
challenge since the 1979 revolution.
The
plain fact is that the Khamenei regime’s days are numbered, at least in its
present form. Even with brutality, the ayatollah and his cohort are
struggling to drive protesters off the streets. Missiles are not needed.
Iran’s citizens can topple the theocrats on their own. Many thousands of Iranians are again risking their
lives to protest their authoritarian, theocratic regime.
In
the months ahead, Washington must make a crucial distinction between
reacting to a change in regime that is underway and a policy of proactively
pursuing regime change. Going forward, the United States might need to
react to the internally generated collapse of regimes in Iran and Cuba, as
it did in Iran in 1979 and the Soviet Union in 1991. When this happens, the
question is how best to use traditional foreign policy tools to influence
the outcome. The best approach is to offer substantial economic help if
specified conditions are met, although in Iran, the United States should
also be prepared to provide support to the opposition and weaken the
government, given the many threats posed by Iran to U.S. interests. The
Trouble with Regime Change: What History
Teaches About When and How to Pursue It.
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The
United States is a superpower, but that does not make it omnipotent. There
are many situations in which, no matter the effort invested, success will
be elusive. There are also situations in which the United States might have
a chance of success, but where unilateral action is still not warranted,
given the risks and who is most likely to suffer should something go wrong.
Both cautions apply to any conceivable U.S. military operation in Iran,
creating a prohibitively high risk-to-reward ratio. Trump has no credible
option to directly defend Iranian protesters, while indirect means to
protect the Iranian people through deterrence or disruption of regime
forces are unlikely to buy much time. The costs of failure (Iranian
retaliation against protesters or the United States) are real; the costs of
success (another failed democratic transition produced by military
intervention) would be tragic. Iran and the Limits of American Power: What a U.S. Military Strike Would and Would Not Achieve.
Washington
isn’t solely to blame for its deteriorating relations with India. Some of
the United States’ grievances, such as New Delhi’s close ties to Moscow,
are legitimate. Before the invasion of Ukraine, Russian oil amounted to
less than one percent of Indian imports. Now that Trump has endorsed
bipartisan legislation that would increase tariffs on India and other
countries that import Russian oil; Pressure
is building on New Delhi to finally halt energy imports from Russia.
The
Trump administration believes that American power is at an apex. But more
than twenty years ago, when the United States was indisputably the world’s
only superpower, the Bush administration overestimated its own power and
erred badly by neglecting to bring other countries into decisions about
Iraq’s fate. It believed its power was so supreme that when its efforts to
gain regional support for its invasion failed, it assumed it could deliver
a positive outcome without it. Instead, Iraq’s neighbors, particularly Iran
and Syria, saw incentives for undermining the U.S.-led transition. And far-flung powers, including China and
Russia, took advantage of the United States’ quagmire in Iraq to advance their
own interests, profiting from diminished scrutiny from Washington.
Son of Iran’s last shah confident rulers
will fall, as Trump holds off on intervening in unrest. He also said he is ‘uniquely positioned’ to lead Iran
as he predicts the end of the regime.
While Europe focuses on the war in Ukraine
and the prospect of pared-back American security assistance, trouble is
brewing in the southeast corner of the continent. Three decades ago, in
November 1995, the U.S.-brokered Dayton Accords ended the Bosnian war, a
three-and-a-half-year ethnic conflict that killed roughly 100,000 people
and displaced two million. The settlement imposed a complex power-sharing
structure on a divided country, promising the state of Bosnia and
Herzegovina a new start. Bosnia’s Unfinished Peace: Growing Turmoil in the Balkans Threatens European
Security.
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Cuba
has only one choice: liberalize its economy. This includes permitting
private business to operate in more industries, opening the private sector
to foreign investment, and letting these firms trade free of state
intermediaries. It also means cutting fiscal deficits and actually unifying
exchange rates for government-owned and private businesses at levels that
reflect real economic conditions. Just as important, the state must
increase legal guarantees and tax incentives for domestic and foreign companies
that build productive capacity. Even with U.S. sanctions, such steps would
at least give Cuba the chance to begin rebuilding its economy and attract
greater foreign investment. Cuba on the Brink: Where Will the Island’s
Crisis End? Cuba seems poised to slide
further into economic decline.
Regional
governance remains the best antidote for weakening multilateralism. It is
an essential building block of global governance and has a long history of
supporting international cooperation. Since the end of the Cold War,
regional institutions have expanded, and their role in facilitating trade,
resolving conflicts, and developing shared standards has grown. Now they
must support weakened global institutions and take on more responsibilities
themselves. This shift will not only help sustain multilateralism but could
also improve on it, by harnessing regional strengths and facilitating
innovative, bottom-up solutions to the world’s most intractable problems. How Multilateralism Can Survive Global
Institutions Are Declining, but Regional Cooperation Can Fill the Gap.
Following
the capture of Maduro, Trump said that the US will run Venezuela as
captured Maduro lands in New York. He added that US forces were ready to
conduct a second, “much bigger” wave of strikes if necessary. The US plan to “run” Venezuela will be a
complicated task, says former ambassador.
Denmark
PM urges Trump to stop ‘threatening’ Greenland. The US president’s latest
threat comes a day after Washington bombed Venezuela and abducted its
president. The wife of Trump’s deputy
chief of staff posted a contentious image of the Danish autonomous
territory, featuring the colors of the US flag, on her X feed, with a
single word above it: SOON.
If
President Trump and Marco Rubio, Secretary of State, succeed, they will
reshape hemispheric politics and validate a hard-edged vision of U.S.
leadership. If they fail, the costs will echo for years - fueling
migration, empowering adversaries, and reinforcing skepticism about
American intervention. Venezuela’s future will be decided not by Maduro’s
removal, but by the discipline, restraint, and economic imagination applied
in its aftermath. The End of the Beginning in Venezuela: The Real Challenges and Risks for U.S. Policy
Are Still to Come.
Trump’s
internationalism, and the similarity in his thinking to that of former
presidents such as Jackson, Polk, McKinley, and Roosevelt, does not mean
that his often impulsive and idiosyncratic decision-making style is a
positive thing for U.S. foreign policy. But in his approach to national
security, Trump is not nearly as unprecedented a figure in American history
as is sometimes alleged. His philosophy centers on the pursuit of national
power, not simply as the main priority but as the overwhelming fixation.
Yet if not leavened with a more inclusive vision that takes the legitimate
interests of other countries into account, such a simplistic pursuit of
national interest can fail catastrophically. What may have worked for the
first half of the country’s history, ethics aside, did not work thereafter,
and it is unlikely to begin working now. The Illusion of Isolationism: Why No One Should Have Expected Trump to Retreat.
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Trump’s
Venezuela raid plunges Greenland and the Western military alliance into
uncertainty. US attack on Greenland
would mean the end of Nato, says Danish PM.
In
the AI era, deterrence can no longer rest on capabilities and resolve. It
will require leaders, defense strategists, and other decision-makers to be
able to preserve the reliability of their information environment - even
amid widespread digital distortion. The Fog of AI: What the Technology Means for Deterrence and War.
Trump’s
deployment of a massive naval flotilla in the Caribbean naturally evoked
memories of gunboat diplomacy, when the United States routinely sent naval
forces to the region as an instrument of coercive diplomacy or a prelude to
intervention. A hundred years ago, gunboat diplomacy was closely associated
with President Theodore Roosevelt and rationalized by the Roosevelt
Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine, in which Washington
claimed the right to intervene in Latin American countries to maintain
stability.
The
new, twenty-first-century challenges will demand international frameworks.
The diffusion of resources in a multipolar world presents policymakers with
the potential to reframe a world order around the concerns of weaker states
that are also vital economic partners. And they must do so: the truth is
that today, the absence of any international order, even if imperfect,
would be a problem for global stability. A world premised on one-off
transactions between nations will prevent the development of the kind of
long-term, grand strategic thinking required to ensure that the
exploitation, imperialism, and violence of the nineteenth century does not
simply resurface - or even reemerge in a worse form. The Transactional
Trap: How Foreign Policy Dealmaking Can Sow
Violence.
It
is uncertain, however, whether Trump’s intervention in Venezuela will
become a testament to American power or expose its limits, and eventually
contribute to its erosion. Many countries are already responding to Trump’s
punitive use of tariffs by hurrying to strengthen diplomatic and trade ties
with Asia and Europe. Some states, including Brazil and Colombia, are
experimenting with building closer defense and tech ties, respectively,
with China. The Shock Waves of Venezuela: How Maduro’s Capture Could Transform Latin
America.
Defense
tech leaders often speak about “unleashing” the power of the market by
cutting regulations. But the defense sector is an inherently distorted and
flawed marketplace. It is defined by a single dominant buyer, significant
barriers to access, and large capital requirements; no amount of
deregulation or deference to Silicon Valley can correct for that. Rather
than cede yet more ground to the private sector or design policy around an
unachievable vision of self-administering contracts available to flashy but
untested firms, Washington must grab the regulatory and institutional reins
to create and manage competition within the limits of a monopsony market.
It must negotiate and oversee contracts that extract the best performance
from the private sector, encouraging the competition that Silicon Valley
rightly claims is currently lacking. And it must decide when public
in-house research, development, or production is the better investment for
the future. What Silicon Valley Gets Wrong About National Security: Defense Tech Innovation Requires Government
Intervention.
As
countries grow stronger, they often feel more insecure. When the United
States annexed the Philippines, greater power led to a feeling of greater
vulnerability. As Roosevelt admitted to William Howard Taft in 1907, “The
Philippines is our heel of Achilles.” If Trump starts running Venezuela, he
will not simply find Venezuela impossible to control; he, and his
successors, will find it impossible to let go. The New Imperial Age: Trump, Venezuela, and a Century-Old Vision of American
Power.
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Chinese
reach creates room for other regional and international actors to play
a role in Myanmar and balance China’s outsized influence. India and
Thailand are deeply involved in Myanmar’s west and south because they
coordinate border security with both the central government and rebel
groups operating along their borders, facilitate cross-border trade, and
manage humanitarian access points for refugees fleeing Myanmar. In addition
to Thailand, members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations can
promote quiet political dialogue among opposition groups and then
collectively with the junta without aligning with any side. The United
States and its allies, meanwhile, can help build local administrative
capacity, deliver emergency medical services and food aid, and reinforce
safe humanitarian channels beyond China’s primary zones of engagement. How China Carved Up Myanmar Beijing’s Strategy
to Create Stability Through Dependence.
Trump
has confirmed that he spoke to Maduro on the phone on 21 November. While he
did not reveal what was said in the call, Reuters news agency reported that
Trump gave Maduro a one-week ultimatum to leave Venezuela along with his
close family. It said that Maduro did not take him up on the offer of safe
passage. Gunboat diplomacy on steroids’: Trump
Strikes Security Deals to Surround Venezuela.
In
December 2025, the legacy and memory of former Chinese leader Hu Yaobang were prominent due to the recent
November 2025 commemoration of his 110th birth anniversary, with President
Xi Jinping attending and giving a speech that strategically reframed Hu's
reformist image to support current Party goals, sparking analysis on
political narrative, loyalty, and memory management within China's elite
circles.
A
coup d'état in Myanmar began on the morning of 1 February 2021, when
democratically elected members of the country's ruling party, the National
League for Democracy (NLD), were deposed by the Tatmadaw. Myanmar’s election is derided as fake, but the
nation’s suffering is all too real.
Today,
Somaliland has been recognized as an independent country by Israel. Somaliland,
home to roughly six million people, enjoys relative peace and stability.
Its proponents argue that it should not be shackled to Somalia, which has
long been wracked by Islamist militant attacks. History of Somaliland.
Clashes
broke out on Syria’s coast between protesters from the Alawite religious
minority and counterdemonstrators on Sunday, killing at least three people
and injuring dozens of others, health officials said. In many cases, the attacks appear to be by Sunni
extremists and jihadis motivated by sectarian hate.
AI
already has the potential to deceive key decision-makers and members of the
nuclear chain of command into seeing an attack that isn’t there. In the
past, only authentic dialogue and diplomacy averted misunderstandings among
nuclear-armed states. Policies and practices should protect against the
pernicious information risks that could ultimately lead to doomsday. How
Deepfakes Could Lead to Doomsday: America’s
Nuclear Warning Systems Aren’t Ready for AI.
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Iranian
President Masoud Pezeshkian said in an interview that the current war with
the West is worse than Iran’s deadly war with Iraq in the 1980s. Iran’s president says his country is in a full-scale
war with the West.
For
Ukraine and its European supporters, they
might already feel that they are at war with Russia. Nevertheless, Europe
will have to take on a far greater share of supporting Ukraine, but if
the United States were to turn its back on Ukraine, as it sometimes
threatens to do, that would be a colossal burden.
China
conducted a second day of live-fire military drills around Taiwan on
Tuesday, staging rocket launches and naval-air exercises it said were aimed
at simulating a blockade of the self-ruled island. China mobilised army, naval, air force, and
artillery units around Taiwan on Monday for its "Justice Mission
2025" exercises.
While
on Monday, authorities attempted to shift blame for the unrest to enemy
nations, the regime has redirected its strategy toward the protesters. Tear gas and arrests: Iranian regime
continues crackdown on protesters amid economic unrest.
The
attack last week, on a dock purportedly used for shipping narcotics, did
not kill anyone, people briefed on the operation said. But it was the first
known U.S. operation inside Venezuela. The
CIA Was Behind Venezuela Drone Strike.
In
2026, Trump is scheduled to visit Xi in China, Xi is likely to visit Trump
in the United States, China will host the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation
forum, and the United States will host the G-20 summit. These events
provide vital occasions for the two leaders, as well as Chinese and U.S.
policymakers more broadly, to make deals, build relationships, and begin
shaping a grand bargain. If Washington and Beijing can use this moment to
bridge their divide, it will not only reset relations between the two
leading powers but also provide stability and opportunity for the rest of
the world. The Case for a Grand Bargain Between America and China: How Trump and Xi Can Reset Relations.
China
took its feud with Tokyo over Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Taikachi’s
recent comments on Taiwan to the United Nations, as tensions between the
East Asian neighbors deepened and ties plunged to their lowest since 2023. If Japan dares to attempt an intervention in the
cross-Strait situation, it would be an act of aggression.
Finland
seizes a ship sailing from Russia after suspected cable sabotage. Russian
ship suspected of sabotaging undersea cables. Soviets
At Sea.
The
Venezuelan oil tanker with a Russian flag on its ship, following which
Putin filed a complaint with the US State Department. Although securing Russian protection may be a long shot
for the Bella 1 under international law, Russia’s diplomatic intervention
could complicate the attempt to seize the tanker, which stems from the
United States’ continuing conflict with Venezuela.
With
the current unrest in Iran, Reza
Pahlavi, Crown Prince of Iran, is now, all of a sudden wanted:
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How
Chinese Weapons Transformed a War Between Two Neighbors. China urged
Cambodia and Thailand to end their border war in July. But weeks earlier,
it had sent rockets and artillery shells to Cambodia, Thai intelligence
documents show. Thailand’s leader vowed on Saturday to continue fighting,
as fighter jets struck targets just hours after US President Donald Trump
said he had brokered a new ceasefire. Whereby today Thailand declares curfew along the coast as the
Cambodia border fighting spreads.
A
mass shooting in which 15 people were killed during a Hanukkah celebration
at Sydney’s Bondi Beach was a terrorist attack inspired by the Islamic
State, Australia’s federal police said Tuesday. How
It Unfolded.
More
than 120 Belarusian political prisoners have been let go by Lukashenko in exchange for the lifting of
sanctions.
Today,
at least 11 people have been killed and 29 injured in a shooting on
Australia’s Bondi Beach, which targeted the Jewish community, police say.
The attack, which took place as hundreds gathered to celebrate the first
day of Hanukkah, has been declared a terrorist incident. Police have
confirmed that there are two known suspects, one is dead, while the other
is in a life-threatening condition in the hospital. Officers have secured
and removed explosive devices found in a nearby vehicle. Antisemitism Alive and Well.
The
next Colombian administration would be unwise to advocate for a mere return
to the status quo ante, which Trump clearly views as having benefited
Colombia more than the United States. Rather, it should focus on the
critical interests that Trump has identified in the region, drugs,
migration, Venezuela, and Chinese influence- and determine how best to
collaborate with the United States in one or more of those areas. As the
successes of Plan Colombia demonstrate, a fruitful partnership between
Bogotá and Washington is not just possible but desirable as well. The
Needless Rift Between America and Colombia: How
to Rescue Washington’s Most Important Partnership in Latin America.
Unless
the United States can maintain air and maritime superiority over key
contested areas, it will find that the rest of its military force structure
will struggle to produce relevant combat power against China in any
Indo-Pacific clash. America’s Drone Delusion: Why the Lessons of Ukraine Don’t Apply to a
Conflict with China.
Australian
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says his government will crack down on hate
speech following Sunday's deadly shooting at Bondi Beach that targeted a
Jewish festival. A task force will be set up to properly respond to
antisemitism. The Fallout of the Bondi
shooting.
Countries
that want to diversify their foreign policy strategies will likely find
themselves in a situation like India’s. Rather than decoupling from the
United States, whose power and influence remain significant, these
countries can reduce risk and improve their resilience by developing closer
relations with a variety of partners and speeding up efforts to build their
own economic and security capabilities. But countries that adopt this
strategy not only face the promises and downsides of a diversified approach;
they also make the whole web of international relationships exponentially
more intertwined. Any geopolitical change could set off a chain reaction of
consequences as countries simultaneously rebalance their own carefully
calibrated portfolios of partners. How to Survive in a Multialigned World: The Indian Way of Strategic Diversification.
The
Chinese nation and the Russian nation were, in fact, great imperial
civilizations, and few inhabitants of those places dispute that they
deserve to be great again. The centrality of narrative in the operation,
legitimacy, and survival of authoritarian regimes makes them vulnerable.
They are especially exposed where they are most active: in wielding
history. China drills home stories of what it calls its “century of
humiliation” beginning in the 1800s, and these resonate with large numbers
of Chinese people. The Weakness of the Strongmen: What Really Threatens Authoritarians?
What
Europe has lacked so far is the political will to act until events force
its hand. This reluctance is precisely what has left Europe in the position
it is in now, where neither its traditional ally in Washington nor its
adversaries and competitors, including Moscow and Beijing. A delay is too
risky when the United States is becoming an unreliable partner, and Russia
is not hiding its revanchist, aggressive aims. The continent needs to step
up now to strengthen its defenses and regain its competitiveness.
Otherwise, Europe risks reinforcing the perception that it can be divided
and managed rather than treated as a global economic and strategic player.
Europe Is Missing Its Moment. It’s Time to
Finally Reform, or Risk Irrelevance.
For
now, many U.S. allies feel threatened by China and Russia, making it
unlikely that they would go so far as to team up with Beijing or Moscow to
balance against the United States. And most Asian and European partners
probably won’t join alternative geopolitical groupings such as the BRICS -
a ten-country bloc named for its first five members, Brazil, Russia, India,
China, and South Africa - given their differences with those countries and
their desire to avoid a major crisis with Washington. But an “America
first” strategy taken to its logical extreme could force U.S. allies to
distance themselves from the United States to a degree that would have been
virtually unthinkable during the past 80 years. The Allies After America In Search of Plan B.
Restoring
calm to Yemen will not be easy, and the effort will need to include
security guarantees for the Red Sea and for Gulf neighbors as well as
address the STC’s demands for southern independence. It will ultimately
require bringing the Houthis into a political process and refocusing their
attention domestically by giving them a stake in a better future. A deal
may well stall in the face of many competing interests. But doing nothing
will be far worse, all but ensuring that Yemen’s problems continue to spill
out into one of the world’s most vital shipping lanes and the greater
Middle East. The Middle East’s Most
Overlooked Threat.
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The
US has built its military presence in the area and carried out at least 21
strikes on boats it said were carrying drugs, killing more than 80, without
providing evidence. Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro has said the US
actions are an attempt to oust him. Why is Trump threatening Venezuela's
Maduro? America’s Revolution of the Right: The Forces Remaking the Region
in the Age of Trump. The US is
preparing to carry out strikes on Venezuela.
Researchers
know that the expense of raising a family is a downward pressure on
fertility rates, so they should ask why housing costs have skyrocketed as a
proportion of income in the United States, Europe, and elsewhere.
Regulations for childcare, particularly in the United States, could be
responsible for an undersupply of daycare facilities. The adoption of new
norms for both maternity and paternity leave remains fitful, so researchers
could probe how work cultures disincentivize taking leave - and therefore
having children. The policies that may help raise birthrates should not, in
the short term at least, be evaluated purely in terms of their effect on
fertility levels but in the ways they, for instance, ease financial burdens
for families, improve educational and health outcomes, and make it easier
for people to reconcile the demands of work and family. The Depopulation Panic What Demographic Decline
Really Means for the World.
When
world leaders met for sideline meetings at the Asia-Pacific Economic
Cooperation forum in October, Sanae Takaichi and Lee surprised their
domestic audiences with an overwhelmingly positive encounter. The Japanese
prime minister, who had expressed fondness for South Korean cosmetics,
seaweed, and television dramas days earlier, bowed to the South Korean flag
- a move considered respectful that was widely covered in the South Korean
press. After the summit, the South Korean president, for his part, told a
domestic audience that he was “no longer worried” about having Takaichi as
his counterpart, a statement embraced by Japanese media. Lee is reportedly
considering traveling to Tokyo to visit Takaichi in January 2026. By
deepening cooperation across ideological lines and managing expectations,
Tokyo and Seoul have a rare opportunity to construct an alignment resilient
enough to withstand the political winds of the future. Are Japan and South
Korea Poised for a Historic Breakthrough? An
Unlikely Partnership Could Allow Tokyo and Seoul to Counter...
A
century ago, America refused to shoulder its burden, and the international
system collapsed, leading to World War II. Today, there are many other
stabilizing forces in the world, but an America that looks mainly after its
backyard will leave the world rudderless, unstable, and chaotic. Let’s hope
we will not have to learn that lesson again. Trump’s Doctrine Is ‘Make
America Small Again.’ A hemispheric
focus makes little sense for a global economic and military giant.
In
contemporary international relations, security is not just something
countries seek for themselves. It is also a concept they use to justify
controlling, constraining, and directing others’ behavior. When political
scientists speak of “securitization,” they refer to a process through which
a particular issue is portrayed as an existential threat, justifying
extraordinary measures instead of something that governments can address
through normal politics. How America
and Iran Can Break the Nuclear Deadlock: Ending the Cycle of Hostility and
Threats.
Democrats
are playing by the rules of a game that no longer exists. They are relying
on sterile communiqués, predictable conferences, and cautious diplomacy
while their opponents have become more ruthless, more imaginative, and
better networked. Halting the expansion of the illiberal international will
require democracy’s defenders to rethink their approach. The Illiberal International Authoritarian Cooperation
Is Reshaping the Global Order.
According
to President Trump, striking boats, seizing oil tankers, and threatening to
attack Caracas are all necessary to stop the flow of illegal fentanyl into
the United States. But this is based on faulty reasoning. Fentanyl is
perhaps the primary cause of American overdose deaths, yet there is no
evidence that Venezuela produces fentanyl at any significant level. These
operations thus do not bolster U.S. security. Instead, they risk starting a
major new conflict that would consume massive amounts of American
resources, easily pushing spending beyond what the recently passed, nearly
$1 trillion defense budget provides for. And that enormous budget is itself
unlikely to bring Washington a sense of peace. To people across party
lines, the dollars devoted to the Pentagon are meant to shore up U.S.
security. With Great Power Comes Great Insecurity: Why Stronger States Are More Fearful Than Weaker
Ones.
Ukraine's
President Volodymyr Zelensky has given details of an updated peace plan
that offers Russia the potential withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the
east that Moscow has demanded. Zelensky
moves towards demilitarized zones in the latest peace plan for Ukraine.
Erdogan’s
desire for a Turkish-led order, a Pax Turkica, endures, but the foundations
of that order remain brittle. If he cannot deliver on this grand vision, Erdogan
risks a self-reinforcing cycle of domestic decline, with public
disillusionment and dwindling legitimacy further straining an already weak
economy. A regional project meant to showcase Turkish resurgence could
instead become a reminder of the gap between ambition and ability. Erdogan
might be able to escape this cycle by broadening his domestic political
tent, rebuilding Turkey’s institutions, and appealing to the country’s
professional elites and business community. But all that would risk
exposing his rule to criticism and weakening his strong hold on power.
Erdogan may harbor the dreams of an Ottoman sultan, but modern Turkey
remains hobbled in its own backyard and mired in domestic problems.
Although Ankara will remain a major player in the regional order and a
dominant one in Syria, it will not be able to turn back the clock to the
time when it was the single dominant force in the Middle East. Erdogan’s
Imperial Delusions: Turkish Power Does
Not Match President Trump’s Ambitions.
Turkish security
forces have detained 115 individuals suspected of membership in the Islamic
State (ISIS) and planning attacks during Christmas and New Year
celebrations.
The
drone threat is no longer theoretical. It is here, it is accelerating, and
it will only grow more challenging. The United States still has the means
to shape the environment before a crisis forces its hand, but the window is
closing. How to Secure the Sky.
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If
international AI deals are to help the United States in the long term, they
should be designed to complement, rather than cut into, the domestic AI
industry. That means Saudi Arabia and the UAE will need to quickly deliver
on their promised investments in AI infrastructure within the United
States. It also means the United States needs to act with urgency to build
AI infrastructure at home, in part by removing permitting bottlenecks and
increasing domestic power capacity. Projects in the Gulf already benefit
from looser regulations and cheaper energy. The United States’ ability to
generate gigawatts of new electricity for AI will set the ceiling for how
much global demand can be served from U.S. territory. Compute Is the New
Oil: America and the Gulf Must Work Together
on Artificial Intelligence.
Despite
Trump’s erratic behavior, Washington remains a more desirable partner for
most governments. But the administration will need to reconcile its
“America first” orientation with the reality of an increasingly multipolar
world by combining transactional deal-making with a broader strategic
framework that delivers real benefits to other countries. The first Trump
administration’s creation of the Artemis Accords offers a useful model. It
framed the accords as rules-based, transparent, cooperative, and inclusive
while also providing capacity-building programs in areas such as space law,
resource governance, and satellite data. Initiatives that embody this same
type of innovation, openness, and true partnership distinguish American
leadership from Chinese leadership, and they provide the best chance for
sustaining U.S. influence across the uncharted frontiers of the
international system. How China Wins the
Future: Beijing’s Strategy to Seize the New Frontiers of Power.
Despite
much speculation to the contrary, Trump has neither abandoned Ukraine to
Russia’s will nor walked away from the problem as one that is too hard to
solve. And the U.S. national security apparatus has the expertise and skill
needed to manage a complex diplomatic undertaking, if only the
administration could find a way to reliably control its own bureaucracy,
which it does not trust. The Time to End the War
in Ukraine Is Now.
Keeping
the Levant fractured will not bring stability to the Middle East. The
Shiite communities that once undergirded the axis of resistance must be
incorporated into the region’s political and social life. And Iran must see
that it can reap more benefit from diplomatic and economic engagement than
from resuming its disruptive military efforts. Shiite groups have been
weakened, but trying to keep them subdued by excluding them from politics
will only make them prey for future Iranian efforts to rebuild its proxy
network - and imperil any broader vision of regional peace. What Comes
After the Axis of Resistance? The Abiding
Power of Sectarianism in the Middle East.
More than 1,900 flights from China to Japan
scheduled for this month have now been cancelled, the figure
representing more than 40% of the flights from mainland China to Japan
scheduled for December, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported on Monday,
citing data from online platforms.
China
has released more details about a mid-air stand-off between Chinese and
Japanese fighter jets that occurred on December 6, 2025. The incident, in
which Japan’s Defence Ministry claimed the Chinese ship-based J-15 fighters
from aircraft carrier Liaoning had locked fire-control radars on Japan’s
F-15 jets in international airspace near Okinawa, has further raised
tensions between the two nations. An audio recording, purportedly of the
radio communication between the two navies before the Liaoning began its
flight exercises that day, was also published on December 9 by
Yuyuantantian, a social media account run by state broadcaster CCTV.
Syria
feels lighter without the Assads' crushing weight. But now there are new problems.
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What
we did not anticipate a year ago was the Trump administration’s routine
subversion of the law, and even the U.S. Constitution. Although the
Constitution gives Congress, not the executive branch, the authority to
appropriate funds and set tariffs, Trump has usurped that authority,
freezing or canceling spending appropriated by legislators and dismantling
entire agencies established by Congress. He has also repeatedly imposed
tariffs without legislative approval, usually by declaring national emergencies
that did not exist (neither Canada nor Brazil posed an “unusual and
extraordinary threat” to U.S. security). The Price of American
Authoritarianism: What Can Reverse Democratic
Decline?
History
does not Repeat Itself, But It Rhymes. Deserving a recap is 'the war
of all wars', the First World War, no doubt, is what led to the
Second World War, in which Japan participated, hence drawing in the whole Pacific Region.
US
Sends B‑52s as China–Russia Military Pressure Mounts Over
Japan
In
the Middle East, the eastern Mediterranean, and the Caucasus, Turkey has
too often resorted to confrontation or empty gestures, such as suspending
diplomatic contacts, issuing highly charged public statements, and
announcing new initiatives but not following through. The way Turkey’s
influence will grow is instead through sustained dialogue and
confidence-building. It is crucial to maintain positions consistent with
international law to play a constructive role in these regions. The full
normalization of relations with Armenia and the opening of the
Turkish-Armenian border, for example, would be an important step in this
direction. Turkey’s Second Act: What a
Democratic Restoration Offers the Country’s Citizens, and the World.
Beijing
will continue to use incremental tactics and economic coercion against
neighbors to pressure them to decouple or distance themselves from
Washington. In the coming years, the extent to which Beijing attempts to
eject the United States from its region politically and militarily will
likely define the principal arena of U.S.–Chinese strategic rivalry. “Don’t
make us choose” has been the mantra of many East Asian countries, including
some U.S. treaty allies. But under bipolarity, the luxury of choice is not
one afforded to small countries in a superpower’s backyard. Countries will
be forced to choose, and choose correctly according to their neighbor, or
risk the consequences. The Multipolar Mirage: Why America and China Are the World’s Only Great Powers.
Nuclear
deterrence is almost a taboo subject in Europe, since there is no good
alternative to the American umbrella: the French and British nuclear
deterrents are ill-equipped to counter Russia’s vast nuclear arsenal. But
Europeanizing such a deterrent opens countless dilemmas, such as financing
an expanded French-British nuclear capability, determining how decisions
would be reached on its use, and providing the conventional military
support needed to enable a nuclear deterrent and strike force. Europe’s global role and what must be done to escape a
lost decade.
Deadly
Clashes Upend Thailand-Cambodia Cease-Fire. Pictured underneath, the Thai
Prime Minister dismisses Trump's calling him as just asking how things are
going. The Thai Prime Minister announces the results of discussions with
"Trump" on the Thailand-Cambodia situation. He explained today
why the war has been continuing. Thai
Military Launches Coordinated Strikes Targeting Cambodia's Financial and
Drone Warfare Capabilities.
The
suspected gunmen in the Bondi Beach attack threw explosives at the start of
the deadly incident and had practiced shooting weeks before. The pair
"meticulously" planned the attack for several months and, two
days before the shooting, visited Bondi for reconnaissance. We mentioned
the Bondi situation as soon as the initial arrests
were made.
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For
decades, Pakistan’s invisible state allowed the generals to rule without responsibility
while civilians absorbed the costs of failure. The Field Marshal Asim Munir
model reverses that bargain. By making Pakistan’s military power public,
putting the army chief at the center of tariff policy and oil exploration,
and at the negotiating table with miners and tech firms, the generals
promise efficiency and speed. The bargain also collapses the distance
between the uniform and the republic. This is not a creeping coup. It is
something slicker: strategic integration. The military has institutionalized
its dominance rather than disguised it - Pakistan’s Quiet Coup: The Making of a New Model of Military Rule.
The
Pope visits Istanbul's Blue Mosque (the former Hagia Sophia).
China
has its own problems, with deflation, slowing growth, and an industrial
glut, but President Trump’s “America First” policy opens up new
opportunities for China to boost its global
influence. It will present itself as a more reliable partner,
particularly in the global south, where it is striking a string of trade
agreements. It is happy to do tactical deals with President Trump on
soybeans or chips. The trick will be to keep relations with America
transactional, not confrontational.
Japanese
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s active presence on social media has
captured the public’s interest. While her honest and humorous posts draw
people in, they pose the risk of online backlash. Japan's PM Takaichi’s personal touch on social media
draws bouquets and brickbats.
Although
Hamas won support initially, as the costs of conflict rose and the
realities of what future governance would require grew clearer, that
support diminished, and the public’s appetite for a negotiated settlement
by a Palestinian-led, internationally backed administration grew. A
cease-fire that exists mostly on paper, however, would push opinion back
the other way. Where popular attitudes go next depends on whether
Palestinians are given a real chance to imagine a future that is not just
war by other means. Are Palestinians Ready to Shed Hamas? How Other Factions Might Gain Ground.
US
lawmakers demand answers over Hegseth's Venezuela boat strike claims. The US military carried out a second strike, killing
survivors on a suspected drug boat that had already been attacked.
The
1975 convening of the Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe
offers a stark contrast to Yalta. Thirty-two European countries, plus
Canada, the Soviet Union, and the United States, met in Helsinki to create
a European security structure based on rules and norms applicable to all.
They agreed on fundamental principles governing states’ behavior toward
their citizens and one another. It was a remarkable feat of multilateralism
at a time of major tensions, and it became instrumental in precipitating
the end of the Cold War. The West’s Last Chance: Build a New Global Order Before It’s Too Late.
The
post-Cold War era of unchallenged American primacy is over, and a new
period of global competition has taken its place. As the United States
withdraws its foreign aid, understanding the subtleties of China’s economic
statecraft is more important than ever. Policymakers must analyze where and
how Chinese money flows. Doing so will allow the United States and its
allies to gain valuable insights into Beijing’s strategic focus, and
perhaps even begin building a more targeted and effective response. Foreign Aid With Chinese Characteristics Where
Beijing Is, and Isn’t, Seeking Influence.
Both
Europe and India face similar predicaments that could bring them closer
together. Neither side feels able to rely on the United States as they once
did. Both seek new partnerships to help protect themselves from a more
capricious Washington. Until only six months ago, India seemed destined to
align ever more closely with the United States, in part to fend off future
Chinese aggression. Now, Trump’s pressure campaign means that India will
pursue a renewed multialignment, not out of ideological conviction but as a
practical necessity. The ultimate irony of Trump’s approach is that it is
producing precisely the outcome it sought to prevent: a more multialigned
India, invested in multiple partnerships and less susceptible to
bludgeoning pressure from the United States. The
India Trump Made Where American Bullying Is Leading New Delhi.
The
best thing that can happen to Russia is that it discovers the limits of its
imperialism the hard way - by getting bogged down in Ukraine. By contrast,
winning the war (and this is what Putin clearly hopes to accomplish,
whether on the battlefield or through peace negotiations) would only
further inflame Putin’s hubris and encourage more aggression. Russia should
face the consequences of its misguided policies, not reap the rewards of
territorial enlargement. It should be made to realize that there are better
ways to achieve greatness than invading one’s neighbors. For the sake of
peace, Trump should not place further obstacles in the way of this belated
realization. America’s Magical Thinking About Ukraine: A Bad Deal Is Worse Than No Deal.
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The
Middle East is no place for idealism and lofty ambitions. It is, instead, a
place for power and realism, which makes it perfect for this U.S.
president. For now, oil continues to flow, the Iranian threat has been
diminished, the fighting in Gaza has subsided, and there are no major
upheavals. In a region known mostly for chaos, these are consequential
achievements. Trump’s Middle East Order:
The President’s Transactional Style Is Well Suited to the Region.
How
did the first cities form at all, when it makes no sense for farmers to
leave the land and congregate, and what happened to the Mayan cities? New Model of Urbanization Challenges the Paradigm
of the Mayan Collapse.
Israel’s
international isolation as a result of the war in Gaza represents a clear
and present danger for the country. Leaders of the Netherlands, Spain, and
Switzerland have said publicly that they would arrest Netanyahu if he set
foot on their territory. Germany and the United Kingdom, which have armed
Israel for decades, are restricting weapons sales. Changing attitudes in
the United States are particularly alarming for Israel. Americans under the
age of 45 are more than twice as likely to sympathize primarily with the
Palestinians as they are to sympathize primarily with Israel. Although
these changes in public opinion have not yet translated to changes in
policy, Israel cannot expect the disconnect to persist indefinitely. The End of the Israel Exception.
The
findings suggest that Trump should drop his quixotic push, which risks
placing Syria’s current government in direct opposition to the preferences
of the vast majority of its citizens. Instead, the United States and its
allies will have more success if they continue to provide Syria with the
financial and technical assistance it needs to rebuild and address its
internal social challenges. By doing so, they can help the state become a
stable U.S. partner in a critical region for American interests. What Syrians
Want: A New Survey Shows the Promises and Perils
Facing the Country’s New Government.
Putin
arrived on Thursday evening, 4 December, in Delhi and was greeted with a
hug and handshake by PM Modi at the airport, followed by a private dinner.
Russian newspapers say the leaders spoke for 2.5 hours last night, but
details haven't been released yet. Delhi has turned into a fortress, and
security is tight at the venue of the joint business forum Bharat Mandapam,
one of India's largest convention centers that hosts important global
events, including the 2023 G20 Summit. Security officials are conducting
sweeping checks with sniffer dogs, handheld scanners, and metal detectors.
More than 100 business leaders and ministers from India and Russia will be
meeting here to work out crucial trade agreements. Putin in India and why Delhi needs Moscow.
Sweeping
Trump strategy document seeks to reframe the US’s role in the world, slams
Europe. The US National Security Strategy aims to reassert influence in the
Western Hemisphere via a "Trump Corollary", increasing its
military presence. It also warned that Europe
faces “civilizational erasure.”
How
Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro defied all predictions. The leader mocked by some is now the longest-serving
president in power in Latin America.
In
an ideal world, the United States would still be the best security provider
for U.S. allies. But these allies do not find themselves in an ideal world,
and the possibility that the United States under Trump or one of his
followers will ultimately do the right thing by its allies is more in doubt
than perhaps at any time in the nearly 80 years since the modern U.S.
alliance system took shape. Hoping that the United States eventually does
the right thing or rediscovers the benefits of strong alliances is not a
viable long-term strategy. The prudent step is hedging. America’s allies
remain committed to Washington for now, but they are anxious enough to
start looking elsewhere for support. How
Much Abuse Can America’s Allies Take? Longtime Partners Will Soon Start to
Drift Away.
Resolving
the conflict in Ukraine would demand not just flexibility but close
coordination with allies and carefully plotted incentives to curb Russian
aggression. This is incompatible with the project of imposing
American-style conservatism on Europe. Contending with China’s reach in the
Indo-Pacific and beyond will benefit from Washington’s talent for
persuasion rather than for imposing tariffs. And if the United States is to
minimize its military footprint, it will have to look past civilizational
patterns and affinities, whatever these may be, and establish global
partnerships that are based on mutual respect. Having campaigned on
moderating American power, Trump has shown himself to be enamored of it and
the world-changing options it creates. Trump’s Power Paradox: What Kind of World Order Does His National Security
Strategy Seek?
The
Royal Thai Army says it has launched air attacks along its disputed border
with Cambodia, following deadly clashes. Thailand says one of its soldiers
was killed and eight others injured after troops came under Cambodian fire
on Monday morning, 8 December. The New War
Between Thailand and Cambodia.
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One
summer evening last year, a couple’s therapist, Henrik Lenkeit, 49, was
watching a TV documentary about German Nazi SS master Heinrich Himmler,
architect of the Holocaust. After the show ended, Lenkeit poked around the
Internet for information about Hedwig Potthast, Himmler’s rather gruesome
mistress featured in the documentary. Suddenly, Lenkeit saw his grandmother’s face in an image of
Potthast posing with Himmler.
Underneath
Rafah, southern Gaza, the war is not over. Scores of Hamas militants, split
up into independent cells, are behind Israeli lines. Now mediators try to find a solution that
doesn’t collapse the month-old ceasefire in Gaza.
First
comes the warning, that disembodied voice over the tannoy: "Your
attention please. Air siren in the city. Please move to the shelter on the
minus second floor." Then comes the mosquito-like whine of the
incoming Russian drones, massing in their hundreds just above the clouds. Russian Drone Terror Tests Europe.
Debates
over “free trade” cannot be separated from questions of sovereignty. To
sustain a stable and fair global system, policymakers must recognize that
integration entails shared constraints. Countries cannot insist on the
freedom to engineer domestic imbalances while also insisting that other
countries absorb them. Unless major economies accept equivalent limits on
their ability to manage credit, currencies, and external accounts, the
world will see recurring beggar-thy-neighbor tensions, protectionist backlashes,
and a fragmented trading order. The arithmetic of global accounts
guarantees it. How to Fix Free Trade: A Global
Customs Union Could Solve the Problem of Imbalances.
Venezuela
will be unable to carry out a free and fair contest until its new
institutional framework is consolidated and the economy is clearly
rebounding, a process that is likely to take three to five years. Even
then, elections must proceed under a predetermined schedule: first local,
then regional, then parliamentary, and finally presidential. The transitory
judiciary, electoral, and oversight bodies that embody the power-sharing
arrangements will have to remain in place, with the same split membership,
through at least the first post-transition presidential term. A Grand Bargain With Venezuela American Force Won’t
Dislodge Maduro, but American Diplomacy Might.
Former
inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun is the only accused
person who is present in court today. Chowdhury pleaded guilty in July for
his involvement in the uprising last year and has given testimony as the
state's witness. Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and
another co-accused, ex-interior minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, have both
gone into hiding. Stun grenades were fired at
the Dhaka protest as soldiers deployed.
For
the foreseeable future, the BRICS are likely to continue muddling through,
attracting new members, producing grand declarations, and occasionally
coordinating positions, but falling well short of becoming the basis of a
new model of global governance. Trump has reminded BRICS members why the
bloc matters, while simultaneously exposing why it cannot rise to the
occasion. BRICS Is Missing Its Chance, United
by Trump’s Hostility but Too Divided to Seize the Moment.
Google
boss warns 'no company is going to be immune' if AI bubble bursts. Every company would be affected if the AI bubble were
to burst, the head of Google's parent firm, Alphabet, has said.
In
an age in which many nations face the dual, often competing imperatives of
population decline and anti-immigrant populism, Japan’s approach is a case
to watch. If it succeeds, it could offer a pragmatic blueprint for how to
grow and integrate a migrant labor force without fracturing social trust.
If it fails, it may reinforce the perception, both in and outside of Japan,
that the promotion of even carefully managed immigration is politically
unsustainable. Japan’s Stalled Immigration Experiment: The Uncertain Future of a Promising Approach.
Selective
nuclear proliferation requires careful management to fulfill its potential,
but it offers genuine ground for optimism. The case for it remains as
controversial as ever, but it doesn't matter greatly which countries get
the bomb. If the proliferators are allied, stable governments and
responsible members of the international community, then more nuclear
weapons might indeed be better. America’s Allies Should Go Nuclear: Selective Proliferation Will Strengthen
the Global Order, Not End It.
Defending
against information warfare will require partnership between the public and
private sectors, organized by the White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy. The creation of formal channels for collaboration with
social media platforms, leading AI research labs, and cybersecurity firms
would enable the U.S. government to share intelligence about particular
threats, codevelop advanced technologies to help detect AI-generated
content, and establish industry-wide best practices to counteract AI’s
magnification of disinformation. Through the White House’s involvement, the
fight against information warfare, now a niche policy concern, would become
a central organizing principle of U.S. national defense. AI Is Supercharging Disinformation
Warfare, And America’s Defenses Aren’t Ready.
Britain’s
domestic spy service, MI5, warned lawmakers on Tuesday that China’s
intelligence services are posing as recruiters to target people who work in
Parliament, just weeks after the collapse of a case against two British
nationals accused of spying for Beijing. Chinese Spies Using LinkedIn to Target British
Lawmakers, MI5 Warns.
It
would be premature to declare the relative improvement in China’s
soft-power position a definitive victory for the country. For now, Beijing
seems to be holding back rather than fully taking advantage of the United
States’ decline. It presents itself as a reliable and accessible
developmental partner, as it did before the second Trump administration,
but it has also been cautious about expending more resources abroad.
China’s ideological message still draws largely on resentment toward the
West, rather than presenting a compelling alternate international vision or
offering concrete, replicable policy lessons. Many foreign publics remain
wary of China, especially when it comes to global leadership. The New
Soft-Power Imbalance: China’s Cautious
Response to America’s Retreat.
U.S.-Saudi
Bonhomie Masks Divide Over Nuclear Technology. The Saudi crown prince’s flashy trip to Washington
was not enough to secure a formal atomic cooperation accord.
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The
only way for Trump to be able to declare victory credibly is for Maduro to
go. Trump is obviously reluctant to launch strikes inside Venezuela. It’s a
fair guess that it isn’t the problem of how to legally justify and defend
such strikes that is deterring him, but his own doubts about the chances of
success. And if Trump backs down, he would not acknowledge defeat; he would
instead claim that his only goal had been to depress drug trafficking. He
would declare victory and cite statistics showing that the number of drug
shipments on boats in the Caribbean had gone down, which it would have. How to Topple Maduro and Why Regime Change Is the
Only Way Forward in Venezuela.
Trump’s
New Ukraine Policy Is Old Hat. The White
House may soon preside over the first negotiated defeat of a modern
democracy.
China
spat with Japan on Taiwan deepens, reaches UN: What’s it all about? The spat has rapidly escalated into a trade and
diplomatic war set to affect businesses on both sides.
Senators
claim Rubio told them the 28-point proposal was a Russian plan, not an
American one. We must do everything to strengthen defense against Russian
attacks, says Zelensky. Ukraine's Western
allies say 28-point plan would 'leave Ukraine vulnerable'.
Borders cannot be changed
by force, says von der Leyen:
Top
US and Ukrainian officials said Sunday they were making progress toward
ending Russia's war in Ukraine, yet they didn't elaborate on how the US
plan to achieve peace was evolving after talks in Geneva. Many of
Washington's European allies have expressed concerns that the plan is far
too conciliatory to Moscow.
Long-wave
geopolitical cycles do not last forever. The most important question facing
Americans and the divided U.S. polity is whether the nation can gather
itself to recognize the perils of the moment, find the wisdom required to
navigate it, and take collective action to prevent - or more accurately,
postpone - the next global convulsion. Unfortunately, as Hegel observed, we
learn from history that too often we do not learn from history. When
American strategists crafted the Cold War strategy that was the foundation
of the long peace, their vision lay far beyond the conventional wisdom of
earlier eras. To sustain the exception that has allowed the world to
experience an unprecedented period without a great-power war will require a
similar surge of strategic imagination and national determination today.
The End of the Longest Peace? One of
History’s Greatest Achievements Is Under Threat.
Japan’s
Defence Minister, visiting a military base close to Taiwan, said plans to
deploy missiles to the post were on track as tensions smolder between Tokyo
and Beijing over the East Asian island. Japanese stocks related to tourism
and retail declined on Monday after China issued a warning to its citizens
not to travel to the country. Japan to
deploy missiles to island near Taiwan, Defense Minister says.
Traditionally,
Russian intelligence has suffered from poor coordination between separate
agencies. But because sea operations are based on joint
military-intelligence operations, they appear to have largely escaped this
problem. Since Soviet times, Moscow’s different intelligence services,
including the military intelligence and the FSB, have cooperated closely at
sea. Moreover, the presence of official military boats, as the surveillance
ship observed near the UK this fall, alongside shadow fleet ships, suggests
the extent to which shadow tankers may be coordinating with the military
and intelligence apparatus. Over the past six months, Russian warships have
also been observed escorting shadow fleet vessels in the Baltic Sea and
even the English Channel. Moscow’s Offshore Menace: How the Shadow Fleet Enables Russia’s Hybrid Warfare in
Europe.
The
US still has points of leverage it can use against China. But the strategic
incoherence of Liberation Day, the subsequent de-escalation of the trade
war, and the administration’s efforts to mollify Beijing ahead of the South
Korean meeting have led China to conclude that Washington is not prepared
to escalate. To the extent China does want a stable equilibrium, it wants
to get the United States accustomed to a new one, on Beijing’s, rather than
Washington’s, terms. A year into the second Trump administration, it has
made startling progress toward that objective. How
Xi Played Trump, Beijing Gambled and Is Now Reaping the Rewards.
Whereas
resumption of full-scale nuclear testing would allow the United States to
answer some pressing questions about the fitness of its stockpile, it would
provide even greater benefit to China and Russia. When Trump posted on
social media that China and Russia were already testing nuclear weapons, he
was likely referring to hydro-nuclear experiments with ultralow yields,
which are not detectable without an onsite presence. (If China or Russia
were doing nuclear tests in the multi-kiloton range, it would almost
certainly be detected by the elaborate international test-monitoring system
established by the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization.) Lessons
From Los Alamos: America Has the Most
To Lose From Restarting Nuclear Testing.
If
the world’s most powerful country is seen to be disregarding both
international law and its own domestic statutes, it risks further
undermining the very legal order it built and encouraging transgressive
behavior by others. The impetus to imitate the United States’ rule-breaking
may arise not only in illiberal states but also potentially among other
Western democracies. The Real Costs of
Washington’s Use of Force.
Colombian
president says oil is ‘at the heart of’ US pressure campaign on Venezuela. Venezuela has what are considered the largest oil
reserves in the world.
Right-wing
parties, no less than their centrist and liberal counterparts, are aware
that in an increasingly unstable geopolitical landscape, their countries
may have to fend for themselves. Confronted with a hostile world, Europe’s
right may rediscover, perhaps reluctantly, the practicality of Europe’s
decoupling from an unreliable United States. Ultimately, Trump’s impact on
Europe bears many similarities to Mikhail Gorbachev’s influence on the
Eastern Bloc in the 1980s. Gorbachev-mania dramatically reshaped the
communist regimes of Eastern Europe, and in the process helped Moscow lose
its sphere of influence. The Paradox of Europe’s Trumpian Right: How America’s Weaponization of Ideology Could Backfire.
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China’s president, Xi Jinping, has met with his American counterpart, Donald Trump,
for their first face-to-face talks in six years. Trump emerged from the
meeting in South Korea in a buoyant mood, describing it as a 12 on a scale
of one to ten. He is now saying the US
will lower tariffs on Chinese imports, with Beijing giving the US better
access to rare earths in return.
Trump
has authorized a CIA covert operation against Venezuela. His administration
has already targeted “drug boats” in the Caribbean. Trump calls Maduro a
“narcoterrorist” and has declined to answer if the goal is regime change in Venezuela. Is it just about
drugs? Or is something bigger going on that might affect the entire region?
And how will Venezuela’s backers, Russia and China, react? The pink part on
the map is the Orinoco Belt, a vast oil reservoir in eastern Venezuela,
home to the world’s largest petroleum deposits.
Former
US Vice-President Dick Cheney has died at the age of 84 - ex-President
George W Bush calls it "a loss to the nation and a sorrow to his
friends." Cheney, VP under President Bush from
2001 to 2009.
The
United States can build a better model of engagement that recognizes the
American and Pacific Island interests are already aligned in seeking to
deter aggression and coercion in the Pacific. But to sustain that deterrent
capacity, the United States and its partners must recognize the political,
economic, environmental, and social concerns of the islands themselves.
Supporting the islands’ sovereignty and democratic institutions, and
sincerely addressing their interests, is not only good for Pacific peoples.
It is a cost-effective way for Washington and its allies to preserve the
fragile balance that keeps the Pacific as peaceful as its name. The Pacific Islands Challenge in America’s
Tug of War With China, Oceanic Democracy Is Caught in the Middle.
Even
as the Trump administration makes positive moves to rebalance its security
commitments, it is undermining the United States’ economic and diplomatic
standing. From imposing draconian tariffs and sanctions to conducting
seemingly random military strikes in Iran and off the coast of Venezuela,
the administration has approached friends and foes alike with self-serving
aggression - even though successfully navigating a more multipolar world
will require strong, lean global partnerships. Ultimately, this half-baked
strategy for multipolarity may be just as bad as no strategy at all. Making
Multipolarity Work: How America Should
Navigate a New Global Order.
A
strong United States, backed by partners that want to share the burden of
the defense of freedom, will prevail against the autocrats, tyrants,
communists, and terrorists wishing to do Americans and their friends harm.
A stronger country will allow Americans to find opportunities to bring an
end to conflicts around the world that were otherwise thought to be
insurmountable. The Case for Trump’s Second-Term Foreign Policy: Peace Through Strength Is Delivering
Stability and Security.
Japan’s
biggest obstacle to revitalizing a free and open Indo-Pacific strategy is
its own political reality. Although public support for the newly formed
Takaichi government is high, because the Liberal Democratic Party is not in
the majority, it will have to deal with a fragile coalition in which it
cannot call all the shots. Takaichi will also have to address numerous
domestic challenges, including how to manage a continually aging
population, a shrinking workforce, and one of the highest debt-to-GDP ratios
in the world, as well as how to implement social and financial changes -
including updating tax structures to reward innovation and attract talent -
that Japan needs to remain competitive in a borderless digital economy.
Japan Can Keep the Indo-Pacific Open and Free With America Stepping Back. Tokyo Should Step Up.
Kyiv
cannot break Russia’s oil industry overnight. But by forcing Moscow into
constant firefighting - whether putting out actual refinery fires or
preventing a second-order economic conflagration - these attacks ensure
that Russia will have to pay an ever higher cost to maintain stability. For
now, the refineries will keep operating, the pumps will keep running, and
exports will continue - but with rising costs, shrinking margins, and a
reduced capacity to recover from attack. The Slow Death of Russian Oil: Why Ukraine’s Campaign Against Moscow’s Energy
Sector Is Working.
Each
generation of Republicans turns out to be more radical than the last.
Ronald Reagan was more right-wing than Richard Nixon, and Trump is more
right-wing than Reagan. By the 1980s, Barry Goldwater, once the avatar of
the Republican far right, was seen as a libertarian critic of the party’s
social conservatism. So, too, Cheney, who in a previous generation served
as a champion of the hard right, ended up as a symbol of resistance to the
MAGA movement. But even if Cheney never intended to give rise to the Trump
movement, many of its actions are rooted in his legacy. The Cheney Effect: How Dick Cheney Became the Accidental Architect of
Trump’s Power.
It
will be important to try to keep an initial fight over Taiwan limited to
provide Chinese leaders a pathway for de-escalation. Chinese leaders might
back down after claiming to have taught Taiwan a lesson or taken some
contested territory. Yet China’s own messaging before a conflict could set
a higher bar: Chinese lead | |