Author: nick

Stars and Stripes, Perhaps Not Forever

Geopolitics & War

[ad_1] In late 1861, Union soldiers in Bloomfield, Missouri, found the local newspaper’s office empty and decided to put it to good use. Stars and Stripes covered the activities of the three Illinois regiments. Their commander in chief, of course, was US president Abraham Lincoln. Over time, the paper gained direct funding from the military, but with supposed “editorial independence,” and a mission “to provide first-hand reporting from bases around the world and unbiased, credible news to America’s military.” Those who worked in uniform abroad through two world wars and after, often not in a position to visit a newspaper stand…

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How to Stop Chinese, Russian Support for Iran’s War Efforts

Economy & Power

[ad_1] Washington policymakers are easily shocked. They expect U.S. primacy. Even in war they presume deference to Washington. Easy victories. Pliable enemies. International support. Yet such events almost never happen. Certainly, the surprise February attack on Iran, again amid negotiations, produced none of these results, despite President Donald Trump’s apparent assumptions to the contrary. He seems to have expected surviving Iranian officials to seek his approval before appointing new leadership. This was a fantasy perhaps understandable over 30 years ago, when President George H.W. Bush, preparing to attack Iraq, declared, “What we say goes.” But no longer. But it isn’t…

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What South Korea’s Israel Snub Means

Media Bias

[ad_1] The Republic of Korea and the State of Israel were both founded in 1948, out of the wreckage of colonial empires upended by the Second World War. The two governments did not establish formal diplomatic relations until 1962, but they were on the same side for much of the Cold War, with Israel balancing against anti-American forces in the Middle East and South Korea doing the same in East Asia. Despite difficult security environments, each would not only survive, but develop into a prosperous, developed society. And, used to having their legitimacy questioned, both Israel and South Korea learned…

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Bessent Suggests Economic Warfare Against Iran Could ‘Blow Up the Global Financial System’

Geopolitics & War

[ad_1] With the United States unable to militarily defeat Iran in President Donald Trump’s illegal US-Israeli war of choice, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday escalated the administration’s economic attacks on Tehran, warning countries and companies around the world that continuing to do business with the nation could expose them to punitive sanctions. “Let there be no ambiguity as to the position of the United States,” Bessent said during a news conference unveiling what the Trump administration is calling Operation Economic Outcast. “An economic engagement of any kind with this murderous regime will expose those responsible to the full reach…

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Board of Peace Chief Blasts Israel For Ignoring Gaza Truce

Economy & Power

[ad_1] The Board of Peace’s High Commissioner Nickolay Mladenov warned Israel that continuing to attack Gaza is extending the conditions that caused Hamas to attack on October 7, 2023. “These strikes do not change the status quo that produced 7 October 2023. They preserve it.” Mladenov told the UN Security Council on Wednesday.  “Will another strike on a munitions depot stop Hamas from rearming or loosening its grip on Gaza? It will not.” His remarks follow Israel’s rejection of the Board of Peace’s plan to disarm Gaza that was endorsed by President Donald Trump. Late last month,  Trump announced that…

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