Author: nick

ScheerPost Staff For decades, the dream of a “Greater Israel” has been treated by its advocates as an inevitable project of regional dominance, sustained by military superiority and unwavering support from Washington. But according to former U.S. Ambassador Chas Freeman, that project may now be colliding with the limits of power itself. In a wide-ranging conversation with political scientist Glenn Diesen, Freeman argues that Israel’s wars in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Iran have not strengthened its strategic position but instead accelerated its diplomatic isolation, strained its military capacity and eroded the international support on which its ambitions depend. Freeman’s…

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Consumer sentiment has fallen to the lowest level ever recorded since the University of Michigan began tracking the data in 1952. The index declined to 44.8 in May as Americans increasingly fear inflation, rising fuel costs, and economic instability tied directly to the expanding conflict with Iran. This is precisely how stagflation unfolds historically. War drives commodity prices higher, governments increase spending, central banks become trapped, and the population loses confidence in the future. The political class always pretends inflation is some mysterious event. Anyone could have seen this coming. Inflation rises during periods of war and geopolitical instability because…

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Juan Cole Informed Comment Whiskey Pete Hegseth, speaking 82 years after the Allied storming of the beaches of Nazi-occupied France, appears to have sided with . . . the Nazis. He said, “Sadly, today, different European beaches are stormed by different dangerous ideologies. Beaches in Spain, in Italy, in Greece and Bulgaria. Boats and men arrive. When will European capitals do something about that invasion?” He compared the 156,000 US, Canadian and British troops who landed at five beaches on the Normandy coast of Vichy France on June 6, 1944, to the desperate “boat people” coming to today’s Europe in risky voyages…

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After a trip to Japan, tourists often return dazzled by the beauty of the land, the politeness of the people, the safety of the cities, the world-class transportation systems, and the delicious food. Many also come away with the impression that Japan enjoys a high degree of economic and personal freedom. Construction flourishes. Businesses thrive. Goods from all over the world are available, and shopping seems to be a national pastime. Homeless people are nowhere to be seen. People travel freely throughout the country.  But behind Japan’s economic success lies a government and a legal system that clearly prioritize social…

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