Inability to decouple from a reliance on elements sourced from China not easy for the US and the rest of the G7

Russia and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) are working on a comprehensive plan for the main areas of cooperation for the next five years, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told

Russia says BRICS nations will surpass half of global economic output in 10-15 years, signaling a shift in power that could challenge Western dominance

On Thursday morning, as scheduled, author and activist Yves Engler was arrested by the Montreal police for his social media posts criticizing Israel’s actions in Gaza. Before turning himself in to Montreal Police at 980 Guy Street, Engler addressed the … The post Video: Yves Engler Arrested for Criticizing Israel – Speaks to Media Before Detention appeared first on Global Research.

The mainstream propaganda machine officially calls these proposals "December 2021 Russian ultimatum to NATO". In reality, this supposed "ultimatum" was nothing more than the rehashing of several treaties between the USSR/Russia and the US. Tragically, it took millions of dead, maimed and displaced Ukrainians for everyone to take them seriously.

At no point in U.S. history has there been such a drastic foreign policy shift following a presidential transition. Within just three months after the November 5, 2024, elections, the U.S. moved from allowing ATACMS strikes deep into Russia—escalating … The post The Global Implications of 18 February 2025 US-Russia Riyadh Meeting. Ret. Admiral Cem Gürdeniz appeared first on Global Research.

Yale University researchers detected the spike protein from the COVID-19 vaccine in the blood of at least one person 709 days after vaccination — a significantly longer time than previously measured. The research team also found that many people thought … The post Covid Post-Vaccine Brain Fog, Immune Dysfunction Linked to Spike Protein That Can Persist in Body for Years appeared first on Global Research.

Independent Jewish Voices (IJV) is proud to announce that we will be hosting an Anti-Zionist Refusenik Speaking Tour! Starting March 4th, Israeli conscientious objectors Tal Mitnick and Einat Gerlitz will be traveling across the country, speaking about their experiences resisting … The post Israeli Conscientious Objectors Come to Canada appeared first on Global Research.

There is history worth remembering as Trump is lauded in certain circles on the so-called “right” and “left” as a peacemaker with Russia over the US/NATO proxy war against Russia via Ukraine: President Richard Nixon, who ran as the peace … The post Hold the Applause for Trump, the “Peacemaker.” Edward Curtin appeared first on Global Research.

United States President Donald Trump plans to initiate negotiations with Russia and China on nuclear disarmament. Beijing has said that it is ready to support, together with Russia and the US, a multilateral UN mechanism for nuclear arms control. However, … The post Trump Expected to Make First Move to Achieve Nuclear Disarmament with Putin and Xi appeared first on Global Research.

European countries are not capable of sending 200,000 troops to Ukraine as demanded by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, said Italian General Giorgio Battisti in an interview with Corriere della Sera newspaper. The burden of supporting Ukraine is put on … The post Response to Zelensky’s Request: Europe Unable to Deploy 200,000 “Peace-keeper” Troops to Ukraine, Italian General Giorgio Battisti appeared first on Global Research.

“Oh, what a tangled web we weave with our own hands when we begin to lie.” ~ Sir Walter Scott 1771-1832 in his famous poem “Marmion” This paper aims to illuminate the multiple circumstances that Western thought has produced before … The post The Globalists’ Agenda Today: War Trade, Clash of Nations, and Global Chaos appeared first on Global Research.

This article is based on a chapter in the book Transcending the Climate Change Deception Toward Real Sustainability. The Privatization and Financialization of Everything For centuries what was known as the ‘common land’ was under shared usage by ‘the … The post Deconstructing Globalization appeared first on Global Research.

As the unity of the political West hangs in the balance, Western Europe is in panic mode, fearing the future of NATO’s Neo-Nazi project in former Ukraine. To that end, the endemically (and pathologically) Russophobic United Kingdom is mulling … The post Radio-optical Phased Antenna Array. (ROFAR): New Russian High Tech “Keeps NATO on Its Toes” appeared first on Global Research.

Normally there is a lot of stress in times of war, and even panic when things are going the wrong way. However recently what we have seen is a very paradoxical situation in the context of the most dangerous ongoing … The post Paradox of Panicking as “Peace Approaches” appeared first on Global Research.

Sir Keir Starmer, the British Prime Minister, backed by Paris, is proposing European troops (30,000 of them) be deployed to Ukraine so as to “police” any US-brokered ceasefire agreement. Such proposal is being brought up while US President Donald … The post France and UK Calling for “Peacekeeping” Troops – Russia Will Deem Them as Legitimate Targets appeared first on Global Research.

73.3% of myocarditis cases had low vitamin D—linked to higher inflammation, heart damage, and ICU admissions—while sufficient levels were associated with reduced severity. * The study titled, The protective role of vitamin D in BNT162b2 vaccine-related acute myocarditis, was … The post New Study: Vitamin D Protects Against COVID-19 mRNA Injection-Induced Myocarditis appeared first on Global Research.

Alison Kaplan Sommer writes in the Israeli newspaper Haaretz, Benjamin Netanyahu has done everything in his power to avoid what every responsible Israeli political and military leader (and the vast majority of the Israeli public, according to multiple polls), has … The post What Really Happened on October 7, 2023? Part I appeared first on Global Research.

The 1775−1783 American War of Independence The American Revolution or the American War of Independence against British colonial lordship started in 1775 when the Thirteen Colonies began to fight for their political independence from London. In fact, fighting began at … The post The Annexation of Texas, California, and New Mexico by the USA appeared first on Global Research.

According to the Estonian politician, the EU should focus in arming Ukraine to give it diplomatic advantage.

Achieving European autonomy from the US remains a challenging task.

Ukraine’s history since at least since 2004 is a story of betrayal. It was betrayed by Russia in 2014 and even more so in 2022, as Moscow trampled on the 1994 Budapest Memorandum that had guaranteed Ukraine’s territorial integrity. But Ukraine has also been betrayed by its supposed allies in the West. The narrative of

A focus on GDP and national accounts gives a misleading picture of US economic power. In the age of globalization, production can be based in countries like China while most of the profits flow back to American firms, reinforcing US economic hegemony. Employees work at a Foxconn factory on September 4, 2021, in Zhengzhou City, China. (VCG / VCG via Getty Images) William Holbrook Joe McLaren People often say — either hopefully or despairingly — that the United States is in decline. But in your work, you’ve argued that in the age of globalization, American economic power “globalized” rather than diminishing in relation to other economies. Can you tell us what you mean by this, and why, in measuring economic power, you focus on the role of large corporations rather than on measures of national economies such as GDP? Sean Starrs Many people conceptualize national economic power in terms of national accounts, most of all GDP but also other measures like balance of payments and exports. The idea is that national accounts measure a nation-state’s command over resources, including the capacity to convert these resources into military power. Hence as Chinese GDP rises, so must Chinese power. I argue that this view is wrong. While I agree that the richer, more productive, and more technologically advanced a nation is, the more economically powerful it is, national accounts do not adequately account for this in the age of globalization. The global nature of US-led capitalism since 1945, and especially since the 1990s, means that some states can extract vast resources from others. The United States, for example, not only commands resources within its national territory (as measured by GDP) but also abroad via its transnational corporations (TNCs). On the flip side, in countries that have been the recipients of globalized American finance and production, especially China, their citizens and/or states do not have ownership over this foreign-driven activity, even if it contributes to their GDP. Perhaps the clearest example is the iPhone. China is the world’s largest assembler and exporter of iPhones. This contributes to Chinese GDP. Yet the iPhone is not owned by any Chinese firm — it’s owned by Apple. It is Apple that profits by far the most, and these profits flow back predominantly to the United States. GDP tells us where the world’s production of goods and services is geographically concentrated, but in the age of globalization, it does not tell us who owns and therefore profits from it. This contrasts sharply with the era before the 1990s. Japanese GDP was rising from the 1950s to the 1980s. It was safe to assume that so, too, was Japanese economic power, because Japanese corporations owned the vast majority of what they produced in Japan. This led to increasing Japanese profits that could be ploughed back into advancing Japanese technology and so on. The global nature of US-led capitalism since 1945, and especially since the 1990s, means that some states can extract vast resources from others. As production and finance globalized, however, we can no longer make this assumption. GDP could theoretically rise along with foreign ownership of that GDP, which is precisely what happened in China. Figure one shows us China’s Customs Statistics Yearbook data on what it calls “process with imported materials exports.” These are goods that are assembled in China with advanced components imported from other countries, such as iPhones and virtually all advanced technology exported from China (worth $809 billion in 2022). Foreign firms (including their joint ventures) already accounted for over half of these Chinese exports by 1995. This then surged to over 80 percent where it has remained for the past fifteen years. At the same time, exports by Chinese state-owned enterprises have collapsed, while Chinese private firms have only recently increased their share to 20 percent. The nature of China’s integration into global capitalism as “foreign-owned workshop of the world” is thus very different from previous eras, when for example nearly 100 percent of Japanese exports were owned by Japanese TNCs in the 1970s. Therefore, I argue that global profit share is a more appropriate measure of national economic power, as it encompasses the global profits stemming from production and finance owned abroad, not just within the home territory. In other words, we have to investigate the profit shares of the transnational corporations themselves in order to encompass their transnational operations. This is what I have been doing for over ten years, focusing on the world’s top two thousand TNCs as ranked by the Forbes Global 2000. I aggregate twenty-five broad sectors, and in 2024 US-domiciled TNCs dominate in thirteen of them and lead in nineteen. Figure two reveals the degree of US dominance in these thirteen sectors, from more than double the share of its nearest competitor (Taiwan) in electronics to more than thirteen times larger than second-ranked China in computer hardware and software — in spite of the fact that China has been the world’s largest domestic market and exporter of computers for most of this century. This represents extraordinary US corporate power at the pinnacle of global capitalism, and the picture has not changed much since my data starts two decades ago in 2005 (the United States also dominated in thirteen sectors then). China currently leads in four sectors (banking; construction; forestry, metals, and mining; telecommunications) while Japan leads in the remaining two (auto, truck, and parts; trading companies). The fact that Western Europe and Japan have both relatively declined while China has surged to second place constitutes a sea change in twenty-first century global capitalism. The persistence of US economic power, however, indicates once again (as was the case in the 1980s when it came to Japan) that talk of “American decline” is wishful thinking. William Holbrook Joe McLaren How does the power of US corporations abroad conflict with or reinforce the power of the US state, especially its military power? Sean Starrs There are various ways that the world dominance of American TNCs boosts American state power. The global dominance of Wall Street (financial services in figure two), for example, helps to ensure that the US dollar remains the de facto world currency. The dominance of American tech firms helps to ensure the continued supremacy of the US military, while the dominance of American media helps to ensure that the US state can shape the ideological narrative (including support for US capitalism and imperialism). In general, the dominance of American TNCs ensures that the US state can leverage them in various ways as both carrot and stick against other capitalist powers. The best recent example of how this dominance enhances US state power is the US tech war against China that began in 2019 under Donald Trump and really ramped up under Joe Biden. American firms have virtual monopolies in various crucial technologies, from smartphone operating systems to semiconductor design software, and the US state can pressure its allies whose TNCs also have crucial monopolies (like ASML from the Netherlands). This means the US state can severely constrict China’s continued global tech competitiveness in advanced semiconductors, artificial intelligence, supercomputing, etc. Notably, Huawei was China’s most technologically advanced global competitor in the 2010s. Its smartphones were briefly world number one in the second quarter of 2020. After the US Department of Commerce placed Huawei on its “Entity List” in May 2019, embargoing US TNCs from doing business with them, they could no longer update their Google Android operating system nor access the most advanced semiconductors. Huawei’s global market share in smartphones went from 20 percent in Q2 2020 to zero outside of China from 2021 to the present. Within China itself, Huawei’s smartphone market share peaked at 45 percent in Q2 2020 then collapsed to zero by Q1 2021 to Q2 2023, crawling back to fourth in China by Q3 2023 (Apple being number one). The United States can destroy the global prospects of one of China’s most competitive tech companies without China being able to do anything about it, demonstrating extraordinary American power. The dominance of American tech firms helps to ensure the continued supremacy of the US military. Even more startling is what the Biden administration was doing from October 2022 onward. They banned American TNCs (and even US citizens and green card holders) from doing business or research in the advanced semiconductor industry in China. If the United States can successfully cut China off from the most advanced semiconductors, then this will have immense ripple effects for further advancement across all technology sectors in China. While the example of DeepSeek has shown us that China can still be extraordinarily adaptable within these constraints, essentially developing a more efficient copy of ChatGPT using much less resources (and third-tier Nvidia chips), this is not the same as actually innovating in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). Moreover, scaling DeepSeek will still require huge computers powered by Nvidia chips that will likely face further US-imposed restrictions. Alphabet, Amazon, Meta, and Microsoft have an enormous structural advantage in this regard (with unrestricted access to the world’s most advanced chips). They announced more than $300 billion of AI investment for 2025 alone weeks after DeepSeek’s R1 release. In this way, the US state can leverage the global dominance of US TNCs to contain the further technological rise of the country with the second-largest GDP in the world. This represents extraordinary power that the US state did not possess in its attempt to contain Soviet technological advancement from the 1950s onward, as the Soviets outcompeted the United States in various technologies (intercontinental ballistic missiles, rockets, satellites) for a couple of decades. There are some, however, who will sidestep these issues because of what my late supervisor Leo Panitch described as “impoverished state theory.” Particularly since the explosion of globalization discourse during the 1990s, there has been a tendency for many people to think that the world’s top TNCs have been able to “escape” the nation-states in which they were historically domiciled, even becoming more powerful than states. This leads some to think that the very idea of national economic power is anachronistic in the age of globalization, and that global TNCs such as Apple, Toyota, or Volkswagen are not really “American,” “Japanese,” or “German” in any meaningful sense. This conceptualization of globalization and TNCs is wrong. States always have more power than individual TNCs, even if many states choose to not use this power. A coalition of more than six hundred US companies and trade associations urged Trump not to impose tariffs on China, the big Wall Street players were very unhappy about the tariffs, and thousands of firms filed lawsuits against the Trump administration, including the likes of Ford and Coca-Cola. But even the most powerful corporations in the world must ultimately follow the diktats of the US government. If the nationality of TNCs no longer matters in the age of globalization, then companies that wanted to evade the restrictions on trade with China would just move their operations out of US territory — but they can’t. In my research, I have mapped out the national ownership structures of the Forbes Global 2000. Globalization theorists assume that the world’s top TNCs have owners dispersed around the world, representing a “transnational capitalist class.” This is wrong. What we have actually seen is the globalization of American ownership of the world’s top corporations. Not only do American capitalists still own a predominant share of US TNCs (on average 81 percent, based on ownership data from 2021), but they increasingly own more and more of TNCs based around the world. On average, American capitalists own 46 percent of the total outstanding shares of the world’s top five hundred TNCs (see figure three), even though only 35 percent of those TNCs are domiciled in the United States. The second-biggest national owner of the world’s top five hundred are Japanese capitalists with 6.6 percent ownership, even if Japanese firms account for 8.6 percent of the 500. This increasing globalization of American ownership is true even of Chinese state-owned enterprises, with Americans owning 9.7 percent of the top fifty. Hence American capitalists own more of China’s top state-owned enterprises than the biggest foreign owner owns of the top fifty US TNCs (British ownership with 5.6 percent). Moreover, American capitalists also own 21 percent of the top fifty Japanese TNCs and astonishingly 34 percent of the top fifty European TNCs, more than triple the share of any single European nation. In this way, the United States has structured global capitalism so that American capitalists still profit whether or not Apple (84 percent US-owned) can outcompete its archnemesis Samsung Electronics (29 percent US-owned vs 42 percent South Korean). This partly explains why 22 million of the world’s 58 million millionaires are American in 2023 (38 percent, significantly higher than the US share of world GDP at 26 percent), according to the 2024 Credit Suisse World Wealth Report — roughly similar to the US share of capitalist wealth in the 1950s. William Holbrook Joe McLaren It is often thought that the rise of China represents a challenge to the kind of global American economic hegemony you’ve outlined. How does your research complicate that view? Sean Starrs I think it’s useful to distinguish between relational and structural power. When people see the flurry of news, like China brokering a deal between Iran and Saudi Arabia to diplomatically recognize each other again, or President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil saying that he wants to move away from the US dollar and trade with China in RMB, we are looking at the realm of relational power — of diplomatic relations and influence. Things can fluctuate dramatically in this field over the short term. For example, President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines was more adversarial toward the United States and more open to China, while his successor, Bongbong Marcos, oversaw the largest joint military operations with the US in more than thirty years, just south of Taiwan. Argentina’s former president Alberto Fernández applied to join BRICS and talked about trading more in RMB, while the current Argentine leader, Javier Milei, canceled the BRICS application and promised greater dollarization. The capitalist rise of China, along with other ‘emerging markets’ in the twenty-first century, has actually boosted American structural power in certain key respects. Structural power, on the other hand, has deeper roots and takes longer to change. But it is also more abstract and therefore often overlooked. It is the power to shape the structures in which others exist and interact. My research involves trying to understand the ways in which the United States has structured global capitalism in such a way that benefits its ruling class and strengthens American hegemony. From the point when Henry Luce published his manifesto The American Century in 1941, it took another forty years before his vision of American capitalism could become truly global, with the collapse of the Soviet Union and the capitalist integration of China. In fact, I would argue that the capitalist rise of China, along with other “emerging markets” in the twenty-first century, has actually boosted American structural power in certain key respects. I have already mentioned the capacity of the US state to cut China off from advanced technology in a way that the US was not able to do to the Soviet Union during the Cold War, because of China’s dependent integration with the United States. Let me give another example: as long as countries are integrated into this form of global capitalism and want to drive their economic growth via exports (whether China, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, and so on), then they are structurally bound to give the US free money. That is because the US has ensured that its currency remains the de facto world transactions currency. As central banks around the world accumulate US dollars from their nation’s exporters, these central banks must park their cash in the world’s safe-haven asset, the US Treasury Bill, thereby continuously pumping free dollars into the United States. Countries such as France in the 1960s and Brazil and China during the 2008–09 global financial crisis have complained about this US “exorbitant privilege.” Yet after more than half a century of such complaints, they still have no alternative if they wish to participate in global capitalism. fifteen years after the great crash, the Chinese RMB still barely competes with the Canadian dollar for international currency reserves. The United States doesn’t need to tell China to buy T-bills. China simply has no choice because of the way the United States has structured the global financial system — for example, through the sale of Middle East oil in US dollars, backed by US military power in the region — and the continued dominance of Wall Street, which has a 63 percent profit share in the 2024 Forbes Global 2000, compared to  just 4.2 percent for Chinese financial services. To put it another way: so long as China wants to integrate into global capitalism, which remains US-centered, then the Chinese state has no choice but to help fund US imperialism against China itself. William Holbrook Joe McLaren Will there be any significant changes in US-China economic relations under the new administration, or can we trace a broad line of continuity from the first Trump presidency via Biden to Trump 2.0, with various forms of pressure being applied? Sean Starrs In terms of the US trade and tech war on China, Biden doubled down on Trump’s previous course, and Trump will now double down on Biden’s. The main difference is that Biden toned down the rhetoric and protectionist policies against allies, while Trump is promising to expand the trade war against allies again (as he did in his first term). Trump is also likely to be more adversarial toward NATO, without being serious about leaving the alliance altogether — he just wants its other members to buy more US weapons systems. Whether or not Trump’s more aggressive tactics against US allies discourages them from aligning with the US “small yard, high fence” tech blockade against China, I think these allies are pretty locked in to treating China as a systemic rival. For many European elites, China is now associated with Russia, and there doesn’t seem to be any reconciliation on the cards in the foreseeable future. For much of East Asia, tensions with China over the East and South China Seas, and of course across the Taiwan Straits, will likely continue to simmer and occasionally flare up. In such a scenario of heightened tension, capitalist elites throughout Eurasia will still prefer US hegemony to defend their global interests rather than the Communist Party of China. This holds true no matter how much Trump rails against “globalism” — his administration is still stacked with neocons who basically believe in a more muscular liberal internationalism.

Israel Killed Her Own People Peter Koenig, February 14, 2025 US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s Shocking Message to NATO Allies Reveals Major U.S. Policy Shift Peter Koenig, February 17, 2025 Historical Perspective: How the US and the World … The post This Week’s Most Popular Articles appeared first on Global Research.

Iain Anderson’s newfound love for Labour has raised eyebrows across Westminster and worried some in the party

Carnegie Museum of Natural History. From Dinosaurs to Birds. 69-Million-Year-Old Fossil Discovery of “Vegavis iaai,” a Sleek Diving Bird By Dr. James Lyons-Weiler, February 20, 2025 In February 2025, a groundbreaking study published in Nature unveiled a nearly complete, … The post Selected Articles: Carnegie Museum of Natural History. From Dinosaurs to Birds. 69-Million-Year-Old Fossil Discovery of “Vegavis iaai,” a Sleek Diving Bird appeared first on Global Research.

In a sweltering café just outside Tunis’s old medina last summer, a local human rights defender spoke of living in a climate of fear. You couldn’t remain in one place for too long. At a galloping pace, he told me stories of vicious police raids into informal camps of people looking for better lives, of

Two years and ten days after a mob of his partisans invaded and trashed Brazil’s houses of government, the law has come for Jair Messias Bolsonaro. The former far-right president of Brazil stands accused, in concert with thirty-three of his closest allies, of leading a criminal conspiracy to carry out the “violent abolition” of Brazil’s

On February 3, thousands of New Yorkers gathered outside New York University (NYU) Langone’s Tisch Hospital in Manhattan to protest the hospital system’s decision to stop providing gender-affirming care for transgender youth — a decision that New York attorney general Tish James warned violates state antidiscrimination law. That same day, Crain’s reported that NYU Langone

You don’t have to pick a team. You don’t have to side with Democrats because Trump is bad. You don’t have to side with Trump because Democrats are bad. You don’t have to give Trump “credit” for anything. You don’t … The post You Don’t Actually Need to Pick a Team appeared first on Global Research.

When the Church engages in questions of governance, it does so through two distinct roles: prophetically and politically.  Distinguishing between these is essential to understand the role of the Church in society.  Conversely, failing to distinguish between the two can lead to dogmatic, self-righteous political engagement or corrupted, capitulating, spiritual engagement—both of which undermine the Church’s pursuit of the Great Commission.  In the prophetic role, the Church communicates God’s truth to society with boldness and clarity.  The Old Testament prophets condemned and encouraged ancient Isreal’s society and leaders.  Similarly, in the New Testament, Peter, John, and Stephen all challenged Israel’s leaders.1 The prophetic role is inherently theological.  The prophets did not communicate their own “truths” but God’s truth.  Those who falsely claimed to speak for God were to be put to death.  Paul likewise did not preach a Gospel received from men, but one received from God.  The prophetic role is inherently moral.  When God speaks, it is not opinion, preference, or suggestion.  It is a judgement, command, or truth.  Through the prophets and apostles, God provided a moral framework to navigate by, one that defined and condemned sins, beckoned repentance, and foretold salvation.   The prophetic role is inherently uncompromising.  The Old Testament prophets persisted in communicating God’s truth no matter the cost or response.  The Apostles similarly persisted in communicating God’s truth in the face of resistance and persecution.  The prophetic role is inherently eternal in perspective.  The prophets and apostles communicated truth that was not just relevant in the moment but for all time.  They could speak clearly and boldly no matter the present circumstances because they knew God would ultimately triumph.  Even in suffering, Paul declared, “I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him until that day.” The prophetic role is primarily (but not exclusively) directed towards God’s own people.  In the Old Testament, the prophets generally spoke to the Israelites.  Likewise, Jesus repeatedly condemned the Pharisees but rarely rebuked the Romans.  Paul similarly declared, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?”  The godly hunger and thirst for God’s truth; the ungodly, like Pilate, dismissively ask, “What is truth?”  The prophetic role contrasts sharply with the political. In its political capacity, the Church, through individual Christians, attempts to govern society with justice and diligence.  Biblically, we see many examples of this including Joseph, Moses, David, and Daniel.  Any Christian with a measure of governing authority plays a political role, including Christians with the authority to vote and serve on juries.  But the political role is inherently prudential, not theological.  The options facing Christian authorities are limited by societal attitudes and governing structures.  For example, the Bible condemns drunkenness, but a Christian authority today has limited options for legally restraining it, given societal attitudes.  Failure to recognize the prudential nature of politics often leads political theology astray.  The theological truth has no political relevance beyond its ability to positively shape society.  In another example, Joseph governed Egyptians who worshiped other gods but was in no position to ban the practice of paganism.  Daniel was in a similar position in Babylon.   The political role is not inherently moral.  When Christian authorities make political choices, they are generally expressing preferences and opinions given the available options, not moral truths.  Joseph’s toleration of Egyptian idolatry was not a denial of monotheism.  Policy generally involves trade-offs that benefit some groups at the expense of others.  Likewise, Christian authorities exercise personal judgement on which political battles to fight and when.    This is not to deny that there are moral boundaries when exercising authority—God sharply condemns authorities who deny justice, for example.2  Christian authorities should wield power morally which, in some circumstances, may entail relinquishing it or refusing to carry out orders.  But the political space between such boundaries is wide, and the boundaries themselves are often misunderstood for several reasons.  For one, Christians often fail to distinguish between the toleration and practice of sin.  Daniel, like Joseph, had little choice but to tolerate idol worship among those he governed even while he would never personally practice it.  Likewise, an authority may favor civil liberties that enable society to sin, but this is not the same thing as personally practicing or encouraging such sins.  Even in the case of murder, a less extreme response does not entail endorsement.  The particulars of a judicial system, for example, will directly impact the number of crimes that occur, including murder.  A harsher system is more likely to convict both the guilty and the innocent, lowering crime rates in the process; a lenient system is more likely to acquit both, leading to a higher crime rate.  To favor more robust due process (at the expense of higher crime) is not the moral equivalent of favoring crime itself.    Secondly, Christians often misunderstand the moral boundaries of authority because they under-recognize the implications of policy in general.  The aforementioned dilemma of balancing justice and murder rates is similar to dilemmas found with other policies.  A generous welfare system will reduce poverty but discourage labor force participation.  Christians sometimes claim a particular policy position is “Biblical” because they perceive the serious implications of it (think William Jennings Bryan’s “Cross of Gold” speech).  They are not incorrect, so much as failing to recognize the tradeoffs.  The gold standard put very real economic pressure on farmers, but inflation (by way of silver coinage) also put very real economic pressure on consumers.  Balancing these tradeoffs is a political rather than theological task.  The political role is inherently compromising.  We live in a sinful world, and it will remain sinful until Christ returns.  This means that Christian authorities must forge compromises between God’s truth and the sinful realities of life.  Moses provides an example.  Divorce is a sin (in most cases) and yet Moses, under God’s guidance, allowed the Israelites to divorce because the hearts of the people were hard. In similar fashion, Christian authorities will have no choice but to tolerate a measure of sin in the societies they govern.  Christian voters must likewise make compromises no matter who they support.  The political role is inherently temporal in perspective; politicians must make choices based on present, yet ever-changing, circumstances.  It is also inherently directed towards all of society, not just Christians.  Christian authorities wield power over an ever-changing (and precisely unknown) balance of Christians and non-Christians.  Christian authorities, therefore, have no choice but to take into account the practices and attitudes of the non-Christians they govern.  What does this look like in practice?  In the prophetic role, the Church clearly condemns lying, gossip, prostitution, pornography, abortion, homosexuality, exploitation, racism, and other sins.  And yet, in the political role, the Church recognizes the policy response to these problems are constrained by societal attitudes and governing structures.  Moreover, differing opinions on the shape of the inevitable political compromise is generally that—a difference in opinion.    Finally, Christians must humbly and patiently remember the Church is one body with many (fallen and sinful) parts and cooperatively work together despite our differences and avoid division.  Christians playing the prophetic role will naturally (and beneficially) focus on differing sins.  Some will focus on abortion, others on racism, and yet others on economic exploitation.  It is self-righteous for Christians to condemn each other for not having equal passion for the other’s issue.  We should also be slow to condemn differing theological positions as heresy.  There will inevitably be a measure of uncertainty and error in modern prophetic pronouncements.  Theological debate can be constructive, but ultimately, we must trust that God will correct the errant party (or parties).  Similarly, Christians playing the prophetic role should not condemn Christian authorities (including voters) for making political compromises they disagree with.  All too often Christians playing the prophetic role narrowly focus on a single issue and sharply condemn any measure of political compromise.  Conversely, Christian authorities should not condemn those playing the prophetic role because their statements are not politically expedient.  In its sinfulness, the world will inevitably reject God’s truth to some degree which will make it politically unpopular.  Christian authorities should not deny the sinfulness of their political allies (or themselves) for the sake of political expediency.  Likewise, Christians playing the political role will inevitably (and beneficially) hold differing opinions given our differences in background and experiences.  Christian authorities should not condemn each other over such differences but cooperatively work together to understand each other’s perspective and forge the compromises necessary to wield authority.  Both the prophetic and political roles are crucial ways the Church evangelizes and ministers to society.  Clearly differentiating between these roles can help the Church more effectively play both which, in turn, will make it more effective.  Acts 4 & 7 ↩︎Isaiah 10:1-3; Leviticus 19:1 ↩︎

(Part one of a three-part series) First published on April 10, 2011. Outstanding analysis by Dean Henderson  The Wall Street Journal reported on April 7 [2011] that the Syrian government reversed a ban on women teachers wearing Islamic face cover … The post Afghanistan’s History Suppressed: Islamists, Heroin and the CIA appeared first on Global Research.

In a chilling display, Hamas paraded the children's bodies in coffins before handing them over to the Red Cross for transfer to Israel. The post Shiri Bibas still held in Gaza, Bibas children murdered in captivity appeared first on World Israel News.

In a chilling display, Hamas paraded the children's bodies in coffins before handing them over to the Red Cross for transfer to Israel. The post Shiri Bibas still held in Gaza, Bibas children murdered in captivity appeared first on World Israel News.

Iris Haim: 'Orange is the color of love, the orange-gold hair of the three hostages – Ariel and Kfir Bibas and Yotam Haim.' The post Bereaved mother of hostage says of deceased Bibas children, ‘They are just like Yotam’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Iris Haim: 'Orange is the color of love, the orange-gold hair of the three hostages – Ariel and Kfir Bibas and Yotam Haim.' The post Bereaved mother of hostage says of deceased Bibas children, ‘They are just like Yotam’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Bus drivers in the Tel Aviv area have been instructed to search their vehicles for possible explosives. The post Bus explosions near Tel Aviv were likely terror attacks intending to kill hundreds of civilians appeared first on World Israel News.

Bus drivers in the Tel Aviv area have been instructed to search their vehicles for possible explosives. The post Bus explosions near Tel Aviv were likely terror attacks intending to kill hundreds of civilians appeared first on World Israel News.

Three buses blew up in the Bat Yam neighborhood of Tel Aviv, averting a planned mass casualty incident, while Israeli police aggressively pursued the suspects and searched for additional hidden explosives beyond the two already discovered. The post WATCH: Three out of five explosives-rigged buses detonate in Tel Aviv area, no injuries appeared first on World Israel News.

Three buses blew up in the Bat Yam neighborhood of Tel Aviv, averting a planned mass casualty incident, while Israeli police aggressively pursued the suspects and searched for additional hidden explosives beyond the two already discovered. The post WATCH: Three out of five explosives-rigged buses detonate in Tel Aviv area, no injuries appeared first on World Israel News.

Under international law, any handover of the remains of the deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families. The post UN finally condemns Hamas, says ceremony over hostage bodies might have violated international law appeared first on World Israel News.

Under international law, any handover of the remains of the deceased must comply with the prohibition of cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment, ensuring respect for the dignity of the deceased and their families. The post UN finally condemns Hamas, says ceremony over hostage bodies might have violated international law appeared first on World Israel News.

Hamas hands over the remains of four Israeli civilians - including the two youngest hostages - to Israel via the International Red Cross. The post Bodies of Shiri Bibas, her children, and Oded Lifshitz returned to Israel appeared first on World Israel News.

Hamas hands over the remains of four Israeli civilians - including the two youngest hostages - to Israel via the International Red Cross. The post Bodies of Shiri Bibas, her children, and Oded Lifshitz returned to Israel appeared first on World Israel News.

In a powerful act of faith and remembrance, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Taichman, performed a circumcision today for a 26-year-old man who chose the name Kfir Ariel—honoring the short lives of two young children from the Bibas family. The post WATCH: 26-year-old gets circumcised, names himself Kfir Ariel to honor slain Israeli babies appeared first on World Israel News.

In a powerful act of faith and remembrance, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Taichman, performed a circumcision today for a 26-year-old man who chose the name Kfir Ariel—honoring the short lives of two young children from the Bibas family. The post WATCH: 26-year-old gets circumcised, names himself Kfir Ariel to honor slain Israeli babies appeared first on World Israel News.

The task force works alongside the White House, foreign dignitaries, federal agencies, local governments, activists, and educators to fight antisemitism. The post US Rep. Don Bacon announces he will co-chair bipartisan antisemitism task force appeared first on World Israel News.

The task force works alongside the White House, foreign dignitaries, federal agencies, local governments, activists, and educators to fight antisemitism. The post US Rep. Don Bacon announces he will co-chair bipartisan antisemitism task force appeared first on World Israel News.

Prime Minister Netanyahu invoked a Bible verse, calling upon the 'Lord of vengeance' and vowing to prevent another tragedy like October 7 while promising to bring the remaining hostages home. The post WATCH: Netanyahu vows to annihilate Hamas – ‘Lord of vengeance appear’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Prime Minister Netanyahu invoked a Bible verse, calling upon the 'Lord of vengeance' and vowing to prevent another tragedy like October 7 while promising to bring the remaining hostages home. The post WATCH: Netanyahu vows to annihilate Hamas – ‘Lord of vengeance appear’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Of the 602 terrorists to be released this week, 108 are expected to be deported to Egypt before being moved to other countries from there. The post Israel to free 602 terrorists as part of ceasefire appeared first on World Israel News.

Of the 602 terrorists to be released this week, 108 are expected to be deported to Egypt before being moved to other countries from there. The post Israel to free 602 terrorists as part of ceasefire appeared first on World Israel News.

'Qatar pretends to be a mediator, the ‘honest broker’ of the Middle East,' Rabbi Pini Dunner, spiritual leader of the Beverly Hills Synagogue stated. The post ‘A terrorist financier lives here’: LA Jewish activists protest outside estate of former Qatari PM appeared first on World Israel News.

'Qatar pretends to be a mediator, the ‘honest broker’ of the Middle East,' Rabbi Pini Dunner, spiritual leader of the Beverly Hills Synagogue stated. The post ‘A terrorist financier lives here’: LA Jewish activists protest outside estate of former Qatari PM appeared first on World Israel News.

IRGC Aerospace Force Commander General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh boasted of Iran's military strength, claiming they have thousands of missiles and UAVs and that Operation True Promise III will be carried out against Israel. The post WATCH: IRGC general claims Iran has 104 missile cities, promises military action against Israel appeared first on World Israel News.

IRGC Aerospace Force Commander General Amir-Ali Hajizadeh boasted of Iran's military strength, claiming they have thousands of missiles and UAVs and that Operation True Promise III will be carried out against Israel. The post WATCH: IRGC general claims Iran has 104 missile cities, promises military action against Israel appeared first on World Israel News.

Furthermore, Naim denied that the ongoing war is between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group, asserting that the entirety of the Palestinian people is fighting against Israel. The post Hamas official says at least 2.3 million people alive in Gaza, undermining claims of ‘genocide’ appeared first on World Israel News.

Furthermore, Naim denied that the ongoing war is between Israel and the Hamas terrorist group, asserting that the entirety of the Palestinian people is fighting against Israel. The post Hamas official says at least 2.3 million people alive in Gaza, undermining claims of ‘genocide’ appeared first on World Israel News.

The ongoing first phase of the ceasefire is supposed to see a total of 33 Israeli hostages freed over six weeks in exchange for up to 1,904 Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel. The post Recently freed terrorist Mohammed Abu Warda seen at Hamas ‘ceremony,’ was supposed to be deported appeared first on World Israel News.

The ongoing first phase of the ceasefire is supposed to see a total of 33 Israeli hostages freed over six weeks in exchange for up to 1,904 Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel. The post Recently freed terrorist Mohammed Abu Warda seen at Hamas ‘ceremony,’ was supposed to be deported appeared first on World Israel News.

The Bibas family held dual Israeli-Argentinian citizenship through their father Yarden, who was recently released from captivity. The post Argentina to declare National Day of Mourning for slain Bibas family appeared first on World Israel News.

The Bibas family held dual Israeli-Argentinian citizenship through their father Yarden, who was recently released from captivity. The post Argentina to declare National Day of Mourning for slain Bibas family appeared first on World Israel News.

Nissim Black released a message following the return of the four bodies of hostages, including toddler and infant Ariel and Kfir Bibas, their mother Shiri, and Oded Lifshitz, saying that feeling pain and being broken by this news places you on the moral side of history. The post WATCH: Jewish rapper offers condolences, says feeling pain over Bibas family is morality indicator appeared first on World Israel News.

Nissim Black released a message following the return of the four bodies of hostages, including toddler and infant Ariel and Kfir Bibas, their mother Shiri, and Oded Lifshitz, saying that feeling pain and being broken by this news places you on the moral side of history. The post WATCH: Jewish rapper offers condolences, says feeling pain over Bibas family is morality indicator appeared first on World Israel News.

After the historic 16th BRICS summit held in October 2024, three African States Algeria, Nigeria and Uganda, among others in Europe (Belarus and Turkey), Asia and Latin America, recognizably became BRICS+ partner states. In total, thirteen countries received BRICS partner status

The original BRICs concept was predicated on bringing together the largest economies in the EM space from across the world

In February 2025, a groundbreaking study published in Nature unveiled a nearly complete, 69-million-year-old fossil skull of Vegavis iaai, discovered on Vega Island near the Antarctic Peninsula. This ancient bird, closely related to modern ducks and geese, exhibited a … The post Carnegie Museum of Natural History. From Dinosaurs to Birds. 69 Million Year Old Fossil Discovery of “Vegavis iaai, a Sleek Diving Bird appeared first on Global Research.

Former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, who now chairs the BRICS' New Development Bank (NDB) said after meeting with Uruguay's President-elect Yamandú Orsi at the latter's transition headquarters that the South American country was “best positioned” to access financing at lower rates for digital, social infrastructure, and education developments

Dr. Kimberly Biss, an experienced obstetrician-gynecologist, has raised serious concerns regarding the administration of COVID-19 “vaccines” to pregnant women. Drawing from her clinical observations, personal research, and an in-depth review of available data, she has highlighted alarming trends in … The post The Unseen Consequences of COVID-19 “Vaccines” on Women’s Health appeared first on Global Research.

The recent confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary, USA, has been widely welcomed by several campaigners who had been pleading for protecting children in particular and people in general from several high-risk exposures, … The post A Conducive Time for Evidence-Based Settlement of Medical Controversies in People’s Interest appeared first on Global Research.

What would happen if we suddenly realized that the planet we live on appeared eerily alien, as if we’d been teleported to some other distant world? That frightening prospect is now. Our planetary hydrosphere, which animates all life on Earth, … The post Jeremy Rifkin’s Explosive New Book, Planet Aqua: Floods, Droughts, Heatwaves, Wildfires, Hurricanes appeared first on Global Research.

O “ajuste fiscal” feito pelo governo no final do ano foi a gota d’água para a burguesia. Nas semanas anteriores, o chamado “mercado” – o capital financeiro, isto é, a burguesia e o imperialismo – fez um terrorismo na imprensa, … The post O golpe contra Lula já começou. E não vem do bolsonarismo appeared first on Global Research.

The Communist International was conceived in March 1919 amid the siege conditions of revolutionary Russia, within weeks of Berlin’s Spartacist Uprising and the murders of Rosa Luxemburg and Karl Liebknecht. The Comintern’s twenty-four years of activity before its dissolution in 1943 were a historic high point for the rationally organized and transnationally coordinated pursuit of

Regardless of how geostrategically important the relationship is between the Arab states and the US, the former must demonstrate unanimous resolve to oppose Trump’s and Netanyahu’s disastrous plans to take over Gaza and exile the Indigenous Palestinians. Given Egypt’s … The post The Arab States Must Stop Trump and Netanyahu in Their Tracks appeared first on Global Research.

Jointly designed by several top Russian military design bureaus, including "Vega" and CRET, ROFAR is quite literally a quantum leap in advanced detection systems. Instead of standard radio wave emissions for detection, it uses photons that give an actual image instead of a radar signature. In a way, it can even be argued that it's not even a radar, but an entirely new technological concept that needs a name of its own.

While Trump conducts the American withdrawal from Eastern Europe and Washington plans pivoting to the Pacific, Western European leaders in turn seem to be just lost.

European states are about to send a new aid package to Kiev, despite the advancement of the diplomatic process.

Silicon Valley is moving sharply and openly to the right. In a presidential inauguration where the best seats were essentially sold at auction, tech billionaires and CEOs from Apple, Amazon, Google, and Meta paid premiums to sit close to Donald Trump. The world’s richest man, Elon Musk — once a darling of those hoping for

Bob Dylan’s electric set at the Newport Folk Festival in July 1965 was to become, in Clinton Heylin’s words, “the most written about performance in the history of rock.” And not without cause. Dylan’s clash with the constituency from which he’d emerged, including individuals who’d sponsored his early career, was high Oedipal drama, marked by

China still lags behind the US and Russia as a nuclear power.

One month in, the basic gambit of the second Trump administration seems to be that it thinks you’re stupid. Donald Trump’s team seems convinced it can ignore the long-standing problems that have made normal life insecure or impossible for average people in the United States — even that it can make those problem worse and

Last week, Vice President J. D. Vance gave a speech to a shocked audience at the Munich Security Conference attacking liberal internationalism and defending a host of far-right parties across Europe. While his claims about the suppression of free speech across the continent, which focused almost exclusively on the far right and ignored attacks on

The action needed is affordable and would be politically prudent for the Labour Party

The two heavily armed brothers were dressed like a masked tactical unit. They broke into the offices of the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo at noon on January 7, 2015, and opened fire at the editorial staff meeting. As they fled, the Salafist brothers also shot at the police who arrived at the scene. Among

In the short time since his inauguration, President Donald Trump has upended vast swaths of international politics. On January 23 in a televised message, President Trump unequivocally promised the annual World Economic Forum in Davos that he would follow through on his “America First” agenda in matters of global trade.  The president pronounced, “My message to every business in the world is very simple: Come make your product in America and we will give you among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth. But if you don’t make your product in America . . . then, very simply, you will have to pay a tariff.”  In his remarks, the president specifically called out the European Union, noting that “they put tariffs on things we want to do,” like cars and American agricultural products.    The president’s Davos comments only exacerbated existing European anxieties about the direction of the United States-European Union relationship that has already been strained by the new president’s other proclamations vis-à-vis Ukraine as well as NATO.  As pundits have observed, there is a realization among European leaders that Trump is now stronger both at home and abroad than during his first term and, therefore, he is more likely to achieve success in pursuing his “America First” agenda.  However, the root source of this fissure in the relationship between the U.S. and the European Union goes back much farther.  Today’s European Union was born out of the post-World War Two rules-based liberal international order and the EU has remained committed to it throughout the post-Cold War era. President Trump’s “America First” agenda, on the other hand, is grounded in a nationalist and populist movement that rejects the assumptions and institutions of the liberal, rules-based, globalist order.  This disconnect of worldviews was clearly articulated by President Trump’s Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, in his January 15 confirmation testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:  “Out of the triumphalism of the end of the Cold War emerged a bipartisan consensus, and this consensus was that we had reached the end of history, that all of the nations of the world would now become members of the democratic Western-led community; that a foreign policy that served the national interest could now be replaced by one that served the liberal world order; and that all mankind was now destined to abandon national sovereignty and national identity and would instead become one human family and citizens of the world.  This wasn’t just a fantasy.  We now know it was a dangerous delusion.“  Where US-EU relations are headed in the next four years remains to be seen.  It is a good bet, however, that tensions will not go away, and may indeed intensify.  Having said that, it is helpful to place the current moment of US-EU relations in historical perspective.   Throughout the post-war period, farm policies and agriculture have played an outsized role in the economic relationship between the United States and Europe and have generated an ongoing source of tension. In 1959 the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) – the forerunner of the World Trade Organization – sponsored its fifth trade liberalization negotiation. The modest success of this Round, ending in 1962, was overshadowed that same year by the creation of the European Economic Community’s [EEC] Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which was intended to provide economic support for Europe’s politically important farming sector.   CAP emerged just as U.S. poultry producers were expanding into the burgeoning European market.  U.S. poultry exports grew from $13 million in 1957 – the year the EEC was formed – to $50 million in 1962.  The impact of U.S. imports on poultry farmers in Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and France was devastating.  The EEC responded by imposing a levy of 45% on U.S. poultry imports resulting in a dramatic decline in U.S. poultry exports. In terms of the economic balance sheet, the U.S. clearly lost what became known as the “Chicken War.” However, these short-term economic losses were overshadowed by the longer-term political ramifications of a deep divorce between America and Europe. Henceforth, Washington would no longer allow economic disputes with its European allies to take a back seat to the mutuality of interests that they shared regarding military-security issues.  President Kennedy’s call for an equal partnership between the US and Europe, based on shared responsibilities, had been undermined by Europe’s exploitation of American free trade.  Assessing the outcome of the Chicken War, Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs, William Tyler, stated:  “Who . . . can argue that such recent actions as the sudden arbitrary increase in the [European Economic] Community’s levy on poultry imports are necessary in order to build or preserve the unity of Europe?  In our view such actions, which take no account of the legitimate interests of agricultural producers among the Community’s partners, lack that central element of responsibility which I spoke of earlier:  Unless we approach these as common problems and deal with them in common  – and not simply as a function of the internal pressures to which all of us are subject – it is difficult to see how we can move forward along the road to partnership.”  Looking ahead, there can be no doubt that economic issues will continue to play a major role and source of tension in United States-European relations. The United States and the European Union’s remain each other’s largest trading partner, with annual trade totaling over $1.3 trillion. This is not a bilateral relationship the U.S. can take for granted, a conclusion as unavoidable in the 1960s as it is today.   In the realm of international relations, President Trump’s “America First” agenda will no doubt continue to overturn the assumptions and institutions of the rules-based global order that have shaped the international system for the past eighty years. His tariff threats at Davos are evidence of that.  However, it is doubtful that the edifice of rules and institutions that have been nurtured after World War Two will collapse completely. Even if it means a trade deficit with Europe, our great nation still needs economically and militarily strong allies to thrive, prosper, and secure peace.

In 1933, two young members of the Communist Party of Australia (CPA), Reginald “Shorty” Patullo and Noel Counihan, initiated one of the most successful working-class protests to take place in Australia during the Great Depression. The Battle of Phoenix Street — as it came to be known — began in Brunswick, a then working-class suburb

The United Arab Emirates, with its strong economy, strategic location and flexible foreign policy, is a crucial addition to the bloc

India sees BRICS as a valuable economic gateway, offering access to diverse markets and opportunities. The expansion of BRICS to include new members, like Saudi Arabia, which is still in the process of joining, further enhances the grouping's relevance

Concerns about inflation and lack of growth are the dominant themes across the world economy these days, though one of the macro indicators that appears to be at times no less important is job creation

Following the rise of right-wing populism throughout the 2010s and the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, center-left political parties sought to reinvent themselves under a new interventionist economic agenda. Often dubbed “supply-side progressivism,” this approach includes a stronger state role in directing economic development, investing in infrastructure, promoting a green transition, and improving living standards

EU’s military stocks are reportedly “empty”.

”During the BRICS Summit last October 2024, hosted by Russia in Kazan, President Putin has made a smart move: No new BRICS countries were immediately admitted, but a pre-cursor to BRICS was established, the so-called associate BRICS countries. They benefit from the same basic trade rules as do the full-fledged BRICS, namely trading free of inter-country tariffs and in their local currencies. Not in US-dollars. This offers an extraordinary opportunity for expanding free trade among the Global South, thereby establishing a new global market pole, the Global South, with the BRICS at the core.”

President Donald Trump has thrown the nation’s health systems into chaos. In just the first month of his presidency, the administration has made drastic cuts to medical research and epidemic surveillance, and mounted serious threats to Medicaid, Medicare, and essential childhood vaccination. With last week’s confirmation of Robert F. Kennedy Jr, it has now also

Leftist filmmakers of the 1960s revolutionized the art of documentary. Often inspired by the radical art of the Soviet 1920s, filmmakers in countries like France and Japan dared to make film into a powerful weapon in the fight against fascism, weaving fiction into nonfiction and surrealism with neorealism to rupture everyday ways of being, seeing,

EU are in a state of panic due to fears they’ll be forced to pay for Ukraine’s security.

In August of last year, I wrote a piece for the New York Times in which I argued that the Starbucks unionization campaign illustrates the inherent limitations of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in facilitating mass unionization in America. The piece analyzes how much NLRB effort was required to produce 11,000 new union members at Starbucks

Police overreach and restrictions on civil liberties have been a hallmark of Emmanuel Macron’s presidency. Even compared to previous French leaders, his administration has brought a surge in police violence against protest movements and residents of the banlieues. The authoritarian thrust was also visible in a lockdown regime considerably harsher than many other Western European

In times as troubled as our own, one would think that praying for the country ought to be entirely uncontroversial. The “Congressional Free Thought Caucus,” however, begs to differ. In a letter they sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson last week, its members expressed their outrage at the National Prayer Breakfast recently hosted in the United States Capitol. According to these “free thinkers,” the event violated “the constitutional principles of religious freedom and church-state separation.” They even hysterically describe it as a “human rights issue.”  For these members of Congress, any kind of prayer in a government building infringes on their sense of a neutral public square. But as Punchbowl News’s Jake Sherman pointed out, the National Prayer Breakfast has been going on for decades and includes both Republicans and Democrats among its patrons. All the same, the members of the caucus insist that the event is an affront to the liberalism at the heart of the American project, and demand that the Speaker discontinue the event. Ineffective as this aggressive push for total secularization will doubtless prove to be, it nonetheless illustrates the dangers of liberal ideology. The American Founders highly valued religious liberty, but most would have been aghast at these members of Congress. They believed strongly that religion played an essential role in the life of our republic by providing a moral framework for our politics. Although that view still holds sway in American life, the very existence of this radically liberal “Free Thought Caucus” demonstrates how much more secular society has become. George Washington was among the Founders who most forcefully insisted on a religious framework for the American public square. “Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity,” he mused in his Farewell Address, “religion and morality are indispensable supports.” He firmly believed that good citizenship requires “a sense of religious obligation” because “virtue or morality is a necessary spring of popular government.” Religious faith calls forth a spirit of self-sacrifice that is essential for a republican experiment. As commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and later as president of the United States, Washington took concrete steps to bolster religion’s role in the young republic. Take, for instance, his general orders to the army for July 16, 1775, in which he enjoined “all Officers and Soldiers, (not upon duty) to attend Divine Service, at the accustomed places of worship” in recognition of a national day of prayer and fasting proclaimed by Congress. He issued such commands frequently during the war. And after the states ratified the Constitution and Washington assumed his position as chief magistrate, he continued to issue proclamations for days of prayer and thanksgiving throughout his term. The idea of the National Prayer Breakfast would not have been foreign to the Virginian whatsoever; indeed, the strident protest from members of Congress is what would shock him today. Other leading statesmen of the Founding followed Washington’s lead and worked to promote religion in the public square. John Adams, for instance, imbued his own presidential rhetoric with an even more explicit piety, ending his inaugural address with an actual prayer and later famously declaring that “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious People.” Even the skeptical Thomas Jefferson, who coined the “separation of church and state” phrase to which the “Free Thought Caucus” clings, never fully banished religion from its central role in the republic – as president, he even periodically attended religious services held in the U.S. Capitol Building itself. Hillsdale College historian and Providence contributing editor Miles Smith has ably outlined the full extent of the Founders’ commitment to a pious public square in his recent book Religion & Republic. Rather than interpreting all of these displays of faith as a license for theocratic Christian nationalism, or returning to tired narratives about the Early Republic’s secular liberalism, he asserts that the Founders practiced a kind of “Christian institutionalism.” American social and political institutions were rooted in a deep Christian tradition, and statesmen had an obligation to recognize and uphold it. Unfortunately, the kind of radical liberalism the “Free Thought Caucus” represents has been undermining that sense of Christian institutionalism for decades. From court decisions outlawing prayer from public schools to even more troubling hostility to religious families, secularists have weaponized the concept of neutrality to chase people of faith out of public life. Simply put, they pursue this agenda because they have an altogether different view of the purpose of government than the American Founders. These liberals reject of a republic that promotes virtue and preserving freedom with a view to a high sense of human dignity in favor of a vision of society merely as a kind of low, material contract. To be sure, not everyone who makes an appearance at the National Prayer Breakfast has high motives. President Donald Trump, for instance, treated this year’s event as an occasion to dole out a cushy role as head of the new White House Faith Office to longtime supporter Paula White. The Florida-based televangelist is a self-proclaimed “apostolic leader” of the charismatic movement and a noted proponent of heretical prosperity theology. Her crude displays of spiritual enthusiasm and wild “prophetic” pronouncements would have scandalized restrained churchmen of the eighteenth century such as Washington or Adams. But these vulgar excesses do not negate the Founders’ wisdom about faith in public life. In fact, the best way to beat back the tide of Christian nationalism is to reassert the older tradition of Christian institutionalism. Many conservatives have turned to populist leaders out of their distaste for groups such as the “Free Thought Caucus” which sneeringly deride their sincere religious commitments. They understand that this country’s Christian heritage and even their freedom of conscience are under threat, and so they turn to the only faction offering what seems to be a muscular defense of these principles, however flawed it may be. Conservative leaders can offer an alternative to combative religious factionalism by more fully rooting their vision for America’s future in her Founding. Instead of cowering in the face of the attacks of “free thinkers” or simply rolling their eyes at inordinate zealotry, they should offer a fuller account of the way of life and the institutions they seek to preserve. Just protecting freedom of conscience is not enough – they must demonstrate what it means to exercise their own.

The EU/NATO is "determined to defend a sovereign, democratic Ukraine", but only while in a pack. However, when someone needs to step out of the pack and cross into the territory held by the Bear, there's nothing but squealing.

The rating agency China Chengxin Green Finance Technology (Beijing) Ltd. (CCXGF) has assigned SIBUR an ESG rating of A-, making SIBUR the only Russian company to receive a rating in CCXGF's highest category. SIBUR also ranks among the top 10 in CCXGF's ESG rating of global chemical companies

The US dollar’s dominance in global foreign exchange reserves is steadily waning, with the latest figures from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) showing a sharp decline to its lowest level in nearly 30 years

The Gorge is a wildly silly action-sci-fi-horror-romance, released on Apple TV+ on Valentine’s Day to alert you to the way it stresses the “unusual love story” angle. Maintaining a conventionally brooding atmosphere through gloomy CGI, The Gorge is about two top snipers stationed in towers on opposite sides of a sinister chasm in a remote

Russia has significantly increased its fish and seafood exports to China, achieving a record USD148.7 million in crab sales in November, RIA Novosti reported, citing data from Chinese customs

As the smoke settles on the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in Syria and its replacement by Islamist leadership under Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), it is clear that Turkey’s far-right governing bloc has emerged from the tumult strong and emboldened. What is less clear is whether this will mean that Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will be

The Kiev regime keeps trying to boycott Russia-US diplomatic talks.

Over the weekend, the Trump administration appeared to begin the process of rolling back enforcement of the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the “Magna Carta” of federal environmental law. In a filing submitted February 16, administration officials announced an interim rule titled “Removal of National Environmental Policy Act Implementing Regulations.” NEPA requires all federal agencies to

White House official suggests withdrawing US troops from the Philippines on condition.

Recent remarks by Vice President J.D. Vance in his February 14 interview with The Wall Street Journal signal a smart and realistic approach to US efforts to end Russia’s war on Ukraine. Vance rightly emphasizes that the United States must leverage multiple instruments of power to pressure Russian President Vladimir Putin to negotiate in good faith and secure a lasting settlement that aligns with American interests while ensuring Ukraine remains independent and sovereign. The Current State of the Conflict The war in Ukraine is not static but lacks the dynamism of its initial phases. Russia continues to make costly but incremental advances while launching long-range strikes against Ukraine’s critical infrastructure. The Ukrainian military faces persistent challenges, including ammunition shortages and recruitment struggles. Meanwhile, Ukraine has managed limited incursions into Russia’s Kursk region, showcasing its ability to take the fight beyond its borders with modest success. The Trump administration has stepped up efforts to bring the war to an end. President Trump spoke to Putin and Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky this week, and US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth tempered expectations of fellow NATO defense ministers, noting, for example, that that restoration of Ukraine’s 1991 border is “unrealistic.” While Hegseth’s comments sparked concern among allies, my former Atlantic Council colleague, Daniel Fried, observed that Hegseth’s remarks ought to be read with nuance and may signal a tough approach from the Trump administration. Vance’s Remarks Vance’s comments seem to confirm the Trump administration has no intent of letting Putin dictate the terms of negotiations. In his Wall Street Journal interview, Vance correctly advocated keeping economic and military options on the table to maintain pressure on Putin.  Notably, the Trump administration’s efforts contrast starkly with the Biden administration’s risk-averse approach to the war. While Biden and his team should be commended for their efforts to keep Ukraine in the fight, he dithered over key decisions, slowly escalating aid while avoiding a definitive strategy. The vague commitment to support Ukraine “as long as it takes” amounted to an open-ended policy without a clear objective. The lack of a structured plan weakened U.S. credibility and emboldened Russian resolve. A Path Forward: A Realistic but Strong U.S. Approach The military situation remains largely a stalemate, with Russia’s manpower advantage giving it the ability to prolong the conflict and wear down Ukraine by attrition. The Trump administration should focus on securing a resolution that ensures Ukraine’s sovereignty while deterring Putin from reigniting conflict.  One of the key questions to navigate is that of territorial control. A full restoration of Ukraine’s internationally recognized borders through military means appears unlikely at this point, and a near-term resolution is likely to involve Russian control over some of Ukraine’s territory for the foreseeable future. However, that does not mean the U.S. and its allies should accept Russia’s territorial gains as legitimate in a near-term settlement. Ukraine may also be able to regain some of its territory by exchanging portions of Russia’s Kursk region, but a land-for-land swap will not result in a return to Ukraine’s 1991 borders. Full restoration of Ukraine’s territory will almost certainly need to be deferred to future negotiations.  The next challenge is securing Ukraine against Russian aggression and deterring Putin from rebuilding and renewing the war. Ukrainian NATO membership will remain a red line for Putin, making it an unlikely inclusion in any immediate agreement. That said, NATO membership should not be permanently removed from consideration, as Article V protection would serve as a powerful long-term deterrent to Russian aggression. In the near term, verbal security assurance from key parties to the negotiations must be reinforced with credible military deterrence. Toward this end, options include: A European-led peacekeeping force stationed on the ground in Ukraine. A robust US air and naval presence in the region to serve as a backbone to the peacekeeping force and provide long-range strike capability to hold Russian assets at risk. Long-term military support for Ukraine, including efforts to harden it against future Russian aggression by, for example, improving its long-range air defense systems as well as its anti-ship systems to deter Russia’s Black Sea fleet and protect Ukrainian export routes. Beyond military considerations, the United States and its European allies should commit to rebuilding Ukraine’s economy to reinforce its independence. Key initiatives should include: Closer EU ties, accelerating Ukraine’s path toward European economic integration. Strategic cooperation with the U.S., particularly in developing Ukraine’s supply of critical minerals. Rebuilding Ukraine’s infrastructure, especially its war-ravaged energy system. Closer US-Ukraine economic cooperation, especially on strategic resources such as critical minerals, will solidify the US-Ukraine relationship and increase the likelihood of ongoing bipartisan support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence. By negotiating from a position of strength, the Trump administration has the chance to end the bloodshed in Ukraine, secure Ukraine’s independence as a bulwark against Russian expansionism, and foster mutually beneficial economic ties between Washington and Kyiv. No near-term agreement will be perfect and unresolved questions – especially pertaining to territory and NATO membership – will remain, but by keeping pressure on Putin there is an opportunity for a resolution favorable to US interests.

Peggy Noonan’s 2024 book, A Certain Sense of America, a compilation of about 80 of her Wall Street Journal columns from the past 8 years was, is a revelation for those struggling to make sense of American identity and history at a time of intense polarization.    Noonan, as a former speechwriter in the Reagan Administration, is unabashedly the product of a bygone era. Yet, as a millennial who politically came of age during the Trump era, I encountered her as something new and refreshing. She is no Trump supporter, yet empathizes with the desire to make America great again; she values good character and civility, praising these virtues even when politically inexpedient; she calls for moral humility without losing conviction. As I grappled with these paradoxes, Noonan at turns encouraged, surprised, and challenged me to reevaluate long held assumptions about my nation.  Of course, the book is about more than America. Noonan’s description of Tolstoy’s War and Peace could easily describe her own book:   “It is about life—parties and gossip…, religious faith and class differences and society, men and women and personal dreams and private shames. It is about military strategy, politics, and the nature of court life, a world that exists whether it is that of Czar Alexander in 1812, or the White House or a governor’s office today.”   Where War and Peace expresses Tolstoy’s sense of Russia, Noonan’s work is suffused with “a certain sense of America,” as the title suggests. While this sense of America is the unifying theme of the book, I am struck by another theme: Noonan’s Christian realism – a realism that both informs, and is informed by, her sense of America.   The content of Noonan’s writing is as remarkable as her prose. Certain themes stand out: civility (good), the woke left and Trump (both bad), American history (especially the Civil War), faith (particularly Noonan’s Catholic tradition), and the fragility of institutions. Pervading all of this is “a certain sense of America”: “That she (America) is good. That she has value. That from birth she was something new in the history of man, a step forward, an advancement.”   Noonan has no illusions about America’s sins, but this acknowledgement only serves to deepen her patriotism: “With all her harrowing flaws (we have always been a violent country, for instance) she deserves from us a feeling of profound protectiveness. Our great job as citizens is to shine it up a little, make it better, and hand it on, safely, to the generation that follows…” Nor is Noonan’s patriotism abstract; for her, America is not primarily an idea but rather the American people – past and present, liberal and conservative, saints and sinners. In an era of identity politics and endless culture wars, her simple answer to “what is America?” is timely. For better or for worse, it is us – and, mostly, it is for better.   Perhaps the most thought-provoking column in the book is “What Comes After Acheson’s Creation.” With characteristic bluntness, Noonan acknowledges that “the old order that more or less governed things after World War II has been swept away” and “[t]he changed world that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall is also over.” Noonan calls on policymakers to draw on the wisdom of Dean Acheson, one of the main architects of the postwar American-led order, and to think creatively about building a new order. Her aim is not so much offering specific policy proposals as articulating the urgent questions of our time – “What is America’s strategy now—our overarching vision, our theme and intent? What are our priorities? How, now, to navigate the world?” – and to offer principles that can guide our responses.  I do not know if Noonan would embrace the term “Christian realist”; however, this term aptly describes her approach to foreign policy. Noonan is openly Christian, and as she writes in the Foreword, “Religious faith is a constant subtext here because it’s my constant subtext.” She does not explicitly endorse the realist school of international relations, but her emphasis on national interest, human fallibility, and institutional frailty places her under that umbrella. Hers is a moral realism, though; national interest is not divorced from perennial moral principles, and it entails responsibilities to the American people, to other nations, and to the world. Noonan’s love of America leads neither to isolationism nor globalist utopianism. Her distinctly American brand of Christian realism is best summarized in her own words:  “In the workings of history I saw something fabled. The genius cluster of the Founders, for instance—how did it happen that those particular people came together at that particular moment with exactly the right (different but complementary) gifts?…the only explanation…(David McCullough) could come up with was: ‘Providence.’ That is where my mind settles, too.”  If America’s existence is good and Providential, then America can and should be a force for good in world affairs. For Noonan, however, Americans can only succeed in this endeavor if we acknowledge both our strengths and our weaknesses, our power and our limitedness, recognizing that Providence alone is the author of history.  Americans must heed Noonan’s call for creative, proactive thinking about the new world order. If America struggles today to articulate a coherent vision of itself internationally, that is because of its inability to articulate a coherent vision of itself at home. Instead of a nuanced perception of American identity, today we see extreme self-loathing and wholesale rejection of our history and cultural heritage, or a simplistic nationalism that glosses over our failings. Policymakers and voters alike could learn much from Noonan’s sense of America — a sense inextricable from her approach to America’s place in the world. Noonan’s thoughts on American foreign policy are a valuable contribution to the Christian realist discourse, and Americans of all religious and political persuasions will benefit from grappling with the paradoxes Noonan embodies in her refusal to conform to our politically polarized world.

By collaborating in areas such as trade, infrastructure development, and sustainable growth, BRICS nations seek to amplify their collective influence on global decision-making processes. They emphasise the need for a world order that reflects the evolving realities of the global economy, wherein emerging markets play a more significant role

In recent years, the BRICS bloc — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — has evolved into a formidable force in global geopolitics, providing an alternative voice to the traditional Western-dominated international institutions

Indonesia’s unique opportunity with BRICS emphasises how it can navigate the new multipolar order while preserving its non-aligned and democratic values. As Indonesia considers joining BRICS, it stands at a crossroads, where aligning with emerging powers could unlock new growth while also challenging its traditional diplomatic principles, taking public benefits and strengthening global collaboration, writes Joko Susilo

Apparently, Zelensky the Necromancer didn't get the memo that his troops have already "defeated" the Russian military, because the numbers they're giving suggest they've "destroyed" it at least twice. And yet, Moscow "somehow keeps reconstituting" itself.

Trump’s task force to declassify secret CIA documents and his threats of auditing the Pentagon (with Elon Musk in charge of that) should also be interpreted as displays of power and statements to obtain leverage, just like many of his other “madman” actions.

France calls for European meeting to respond to Trump's initiatives.

Without American weapons and support, the collapse of the EU’s policies for Kiev is in sight.

Global public opinion is biggest obstacle to Trump and Netanyahu’s plan, with Israel already seen as a pariah state

As if to illustrate a point made in my last Providence article, that theologians rarely do political thought well, noted theologian Russell Moore recently wrote in Christianity Today to remind readers that Jesus was a refugee. That’s it. Moore made this observation in the current moment of aggressive moves by the Trump administration to identify, arrest and deport illegal immigrants, and cut federal funding to refugee resettlement programs. Moore does acknowledge that Christians can still have good-faith disagreement over immigration policy, but…you know… Jesus was a refugee.  Moore’s implied argument, that Jesus’ refugee status renders the Trump administration’s policies (and those who support them) unchristian, illustrates the platitudinous, vapid moralizing that often passes for serious political thought in evangelical circles. Moore inaccurately reads the UN’s definition of “refugee” back into a Scriptural context with none of the categories of nation-states and international law that inform the UN’s definition. For example, Jesus would likely be considered an internally displaced person (IDP) by UN standards as opposed to a refugee since he fled from one place to another within the Roman Empire. Moore’s further attempt to define Old Testament figures like Ruth, Naomi, or Rahab as refugees stretches the term past the point of credulity. Such sloppy thinking doesn’t assist believers in developing or exercising biblical wisdom. Instead of the “Jesus as refugee” trope and overburdened analogies about Old Testament characters, a closer analysis of who our neighbor is and what it means to love them would be a better place to start.   The Levitical command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) forms something of a touchstone in Jesus’ teaching that he refers to at several points, explicitly and implicitly. The first such instance comes sometime before the parable of the Samaritan in the Sermon on the Mount:  “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48, ESV)  Jesus starts his teaching on the second greatest commandment by correcting an apparent misinterpretation. Unlike with the Good Samaritan, no one needs to ask Jesus who their enemy is. In a society that apparently had trouble defining a neighbor, I suspect defining an enemy was much easier. Jesus even provides some helpful descriptors: “those who persecute you,” “evil,” “unjust,” “tax collectors,” “Gentiles.” Jesus provides a broad definition of enemies as those in direct relationship with the disciple (those who persecute you), the oppressive sociocultural-political “other” (tax collectors and Gentiles), and the morally wicked (evil and unjust). A Christian’s enemy may occupy any one of these positions, but the call is the same: Love them. Here, somewhat surprisingly perhaps, Jesus indicates some basic categories of that love: prayer and greeting, both an extension of goodwill, but no more. Paul will echo this normative posture of goodwill in Romans 12:18: “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.”  Both Jesus and Paul are articulating that Christians are universally called to extend love to all, but not in an open-ended, nebulous sense. It’s without limits in the sense that we’re called to extend that love to all people – enemy, neighbor, or neighbor-enemy – but it is very focused in terms of specific actions.  So, bottom line: An enemy is knowable and identifiable, and there are means of loving them whether they’re near or far through greeting and prayer. The parable of the Good Samaritan develops this teaching by merging the categories of “neighbor” and “enemy” and expanding acts of love to involve temporary material care to one in need.  But greeting, prayer, and temporary care are a guide to neither immigration policy nor refugee resettlement. Like much of the New Testament’s discussion of Christians in civil society, the specifics of loving an enemy and/or neighbor are focused on interpersonal relations. Whether it’s the call to extend goodwill to an enemy, or more actively love a neighbor (even a neighbor-enemy) by providing material care, at the level of national policy, these teachings necessarily go from being specific commands to points of general moral orientation to which specific (and debatable) policies can be attached.  But there’s still more to mine from the great parable of the Samaritan. The principle of neighbor love mandates that no one can be dehumanized to a point where they are beyond helping. The Levite and the priest who pass the suffering Jewish man on the road to Jericho are so concerned with their need for ritual purity, since to touch a dead or soon-to-be dead body would pollute them, that they cannot practically love their neighbor. Theirs is a disordered love founded on a self-righteous belief that one can love God without loving neighbor. After all, Jesus noted in his teaching on love that even Gentiles love their own. Followers of Christ are called to a higher standard.  For Trump supporters, there’s no getting around the idea that, even if illegal immigrants have broken the law, they must still be understood as bearers of the image of God. Even in the process of deportation, treating detainees and deportees humanely, praying for them in their suffering, praying for the salvation of the lost, extending a helping hand and goodwill as opportunity arises are all well within the bounds of Christ’s teaching.   For Trump opponents, the limited nature and duration of the aid rendered (caring for the wounded man only until he was well enough to be on his way), the transactional nature of the exchange between the Samaritan and the innkeeper to allow for such care, the temptation to replace one “other” with another other (i.e. love the immigrant “other,” but despise the MAGA “other”) all must be acknowledged. Loving the abstract “other” immigrant or refugee that you have no contact with while maligning Trump-supporting Christians is exactly the hypocrisy of the Levite and priest that Jesus exposes in the parable. It is a disordered love, which, incidentally, is a critically overlooked element of the “Christian idea” Vice President Vance was referring to.  Suffice to say, if we’re going to develop serious Christian thinking on policies related to immigration, we must start by going deeper in our theology than Moore appears willing to go.  

The development of technology does not necessarily lead to the prosperity of nations. One significant obstacle to achieving equitable economic growth is the presence of monopolies

The UAE is harnessing its BRICS membership to accelerate global economic growth, boost cross-border trade, and drive infrastructure development worldwide, panelists said during a panel discussion at the World Governments Summit (WGS), taking place in Dubai

As Russia, China unite with new members, West faces growing push for financial reform

Ukrainian president is desperate to save his government from collapse.

Europe remains belligerent in supporting Ukraine and opposing Russia.

Lithuania's Defense Minister Dovile Sakaliene says that "Europe must not be under the illusion that Mr. Trump and Mr. Putin are going to find the solution for all of us" and that the "mighty" Lithuanian military "stands ready". Estonia is also threatening to "directly intervene" and "help Ukraine finish off the perpetually losing Russian military".

Three years into Russia’s war against Ukraine, refugees in the UK face uncertainty, displacement and separation

There’s probably some irony in the editor-at-large of Providence engaging in critiques of the just war tradition, the intellectual pillar of our magazine from day one. Yet I’ve critiqued that tradition in the past and will do so in the future, knowing that my colleagues understand the importance of the devil’s advocates.   My main critique is this: The just war tradition is ancient and rich, but unhelpful for the real-world analysis and management of international affairs. Years of experience in and around circles of power have convinced me that the just war construct, like all theoretical constructs, is of little use to practitioners.  One of my colleagues, Eric Patterson, has now dulled that critique substantially. In shifting the discourse from just war to “just statecraft,” Eric has taken the wind out of my sails with one simple edit. It’s a terminological and conceptual revolution, zooming out from the details of ethical warmaking to the more comprehensive challenges of power. It’s a revolution long overdue.   But his revised framework doesn’t dismantle my critique entirely; and if the essence of that critique isn’t clear, let me clarify. It’s not about the importance of measured reflection on human events as conducted by ethicists, historians, and political scientists, but rather the utility of universal models for training actual statesmen. It’s my view that these men and women, forced to spend a lifetime dealing with the gritty conundrums of public service, require a different kind of training altogether.   Let’s take a typical example: The president of State A approaches the US president with a request to do x, and the president of State B asks him to do y. Unfortunately, x and y are in conflict and the US can only pick one. Neither x nor y could be considered overtly moral or immoral; nor is one of them obviously more just than the other. On closer inspection, x will generate more wealth for the US but garner criticism from allies and partners; y is optically safer but offers no prospect for revenue. State B is geographically closer to the US, while State A sits on key geopolitical real estate half a world away; but State A is culturally closer to the US, while State B belongs to another civilizational bloc. State A has rare earth minerals, while State B has natural gas—and so on.  These are the problems of everyday statecraft, problems that often come down to the cold calculation of risks and rewards amid the overall balance of power. The theoretical models currently taught in the US academy—realism of one kind or another, liberalism, constructivism, and the more specialized theories like just war—are, in my view, ill-suited to solve these problems. Far better is an empirical-historical approach that abandons long lists of principles for Socratic-Talmudic analysis of actual cases, an approach designed to cultivate the supreme skill inherent in all decision-making: namely, the weighing of one good or bad against another. The ideal statesman will be formed in such an intellectual environment. Ideally, he will also be steeped in a theological-moral tradition that precedes politics and strategy that provides him with an overarching map of reality. But the best statesman will have these things plus the hard skills needed to lead humans in the particular processes of bureaucratic service. This last point is undoubtedly the weakest and most neglected in our current pedagogy. Statecraft, like leadership, is better practiced than preached.   Eric Patterson has done something important in his essay, laying the foundation for a new conversation about ethical relations between and within states. And he’s absolutely right: war should be just, but statecraft is bigger than warmaking. But his essay doesn’t address my deeper question: How can we better train future leaders to engage the world’s material and metaphysical problems with more wisdom? The good news is, it gets us much closer to an answer.

After the historic 16th BRICS summit held in October 2024, three African States Algeria, Nigeria and Uganda, among others in Europe (Belarus and Turkey), Asia and Latin America, recognizably became BRICS+ partner states. In total, 13 countries received BRICS partner status

Victoria Panova, who is head of BRICS Expert Council-Russia, tells Mustafizur Rahman about the philosophy and journey of the grouping in an interview with New Age

BRICS offers a free, equal, global platform that brings together countries with different political systems

Latin America needs to strengthen sovereigntist movements and pursue independent policies. The multipolar world will certainly be there to provide full support in any way it can.

Even a peace deal will not put an end to problems in the region or tensions in Europe. US-funded Ukrainian radical nationalism will not just go away overnight. Likewise, there is no easy way out of Ukraine’s structural problems with endemic corruption and criminality. When it comes to the Ukrainian crisis, unfortunately, the end is not the end.

The Hungarian leader does not believe that the bloc knows how to react correctly to American threats.

Zelensky continues to reject the possibility of extending the gas transit agreement.

Human smugglers thrive off the vulnerability created by migration policies – but it doesn’t have to be this way

After reading about Eric Patterson’s newly proposed concept of ‘just statecraft,’ my response is: Yes, but…  Because its pursuit of a morally grounded approach to affairs of state involves all the occupations of public service that touch on domestic and international security, and because it takes into consideration all the elements of national power and deployment of force beyond, alongside, and prior to hot war, Eric Patterson proposes that just war scholars, theorists, students, theologians, philosophers, statesmen, and warriors relabel and reframe their work in light of the more comprehensive and multi-disciplinary term of just statecraft. The scope of both The Proposal’s acceptance and utility will rely primarily on the nature of the relationship between the more discrete phenomenon of war and the broader practice of statecraft.   Clausewitz offered what is likely the most famous—or infamous—description of this relationship when he suggested that “war is merely the continuation of politik by other means.” The “merely” is potentially problematic, but I tend toward those who think Clausewitz less flippant here than is sometimes assumed. His meaning is that war cannot—I would stress must not—be decoupled from either politics in the broad sense as the system that gives meaning to political authority or from the particular policies that emerge from that system and trigger war, guide it along its course, and continue after the smoke has cleared. Nevertheless, Clausewitz also asserts that war, not being synonymous with politik, is its own thing—or, I would again stress, it must be its own thing. The “merely” mustn’t mislead: war may be a continuation of policy toward the same end, but it is a devastatingly different kind of means than other less kinetic possible means and, therefore, while war must remain governed by reason and the dictates of policy, it has its own rules and principles that deserve focused attention.  While all this may be a bit knotty, our Prussian General might help distinguish the threads. “Is not war merely [!] another kind of writing and language for thought?” he asks. He answers with what could be either a qualified yes or qualified no: “war has, to be sure, its own grammar, but not its own logic.” War—along with diplomacy, information, and economics—is one form of political discourse, but with a grammar that is rightly drawn from the thought and language of grand strategy, the overarching and guiding logic of state policy. So, war is one instrument—albeit the sharpest—among many in the quiver of options from which statecraft can draw as it aims toward the object(s), or ends, of its policy.   Viewing The Proposal in the light of this distinct-but-entwined relationship between war and policy prompts several observations that, I think, rightly follow. My first point has already been noted by Patterson and other respondents, but I would press it more firmly: the tradition of jus ad bellum has already always encompassed The Proposal’s essential aim. We can see this in the tradition’s jus ad bellum frame, which alerts us when it is right to fight. Three things are no-kidding requirements for a war to be just: a proper sovereign—that authority over whom there is no one greater charged with the care of the political community, a just cause, and a right intent. Thomas Aquinas observed that these three non-negotiable requirements map perfectly over Augustine’s three essential goods of political life: order, justice, and peace. The tradition of jus ad bellum has always understood itself as part of a broader practice of responsible statecraft and in support of what a sovereign is supposed to do when the order, justice, and peace of the state he is responsible for crafting—or the state of an ally or partner—is under unjustified threat and nothing short of fighting is likely to successfully eliminate that threat.  Secondly, it strikes me that the jus ad bellum category of the just war framework is more amenable to relabeling according to The Proposal than is the jus in bello category. I think this, first, because as Clausewitz put it, policy shapes the war plan but not the tactics deployed to implement it, at least not directly. Following this, secondly, a greater array of political actors—and a greater number of grammars—are involved in ad bellum considerations. Two examples are helpful here.   First, for some time now there has been a lot of talk—and Patterson has done the best of it—proposing a new category for the just war framework: the jus post bellum, justice after war. Mirroring the ad bellum’s internal logic, Patterson lists order, justice, and conciliation as the constituent elements of this after-war pursuit of justice. Undoubtedly, these are the essential goods to pursue after the shooting stops. Nevertheless, I’ve resisted wholesale endorsement for a new post bellum category because the post bellum logic has always been present in the ad bellum requirement of right intent. Right intent can be expressed in both positive and negative ways. Negatively, one must mortify any temptation to indulge in the “real evils” of war: which Augustine lists as “love of violence, revengeful cruelty, fierce and implacable enmity, wild resistance, and the lust of power.” But, more directly to the post bellum point, the positive dimension of right intent insists war is to be waged, first, with the aim of overturning the conditions that led to the just cause for fighting in the first place: one fights to secure the protection of the innocent, to take back wrongly taken things, and to punish evil. Secondly, one fights, ultimately, with the aim of reconciling with the adversary—which often can only be accomplished after destroying not only his capacity to continue the fight but, more importantly, his will to. In a word, then, the right intent in going to war is the pursuit of peace—first for the victim but, also, ideally, with the adversary as well. To be sure, justice is always in view, it is the doorway through which both peace for the victim and with the adversary must pass. But justice is basically instrumental. Peace is the prize. Because these forward-looking post bellum principles are already at play within the ad bellum structure they signal the presence of the additional grammars of statecraft. While the martial grammar may still have a role to play in post bellum peacemaking—as perhaps through occupation, security operations—including protecting the defeated and weakened adversary from opportunistic neighbors, and the like, the heavy lifting will be done by the grammars of diplomacy, economics, and others.   Second, if the right intent requirement presumes post bellum statecraft, the requirement of last resort presumes ante bellum statecraft. Last resort establishes a prudently and morally self-evident commitment to the idea that, even in the face of justified causes, if any option short of war can be reasonably expected to sufficiently protect the innocent, requite an injustice, or punish evil then that option should be pursued instead of war. This commitment, in turn, ought to inspire particular kinds of political behaviors: the early deployment of different grammars—diplomatic, economic, etc.—that help avoid the necessity of fighting. For instance, one way to avoid a fight is to effectively deter it. By cultivating formidable degrees of military power, martial prowess, and a diplomatic posture that makes believable our willingness to deploy force in support of particular interests and values, a nation might deter an adversary’s aggression or even compel their cooperation. Of course, hard power is not the only resource. The jus ad bellum criteria of war as a last resort ought also to prompt a nation to establish the capacity for deploying effective soft-power assets. A powerful nation whose foreign policy treats other nations generously, gives them their due, and doesn’t treat every act of international exchange as a zero-sum game will go a long way in making its power sufferable to those beneath it. The effective deployment of such hard and soft power grammars benefits greatly when a nation has done its homework. Deterrence, coercion, and persuasion are only effective if we know how a particular adversary can actually be deterred, coerced, or persuaded. Cultural literacy is a must. We ignore the particularities of nations, their leaders, and their people at our peril. In a phrase, then, a nation that takes the wisdom of last resort seriously ought to have a reputation that can convincingly be described by the old adage: no better friend and no worse enemy. All of this, clearly, is the work of statecraft writ large.  The presence of already tacit acknowledgment within the jus bellum framework that just war is about much more than just war might suggest that The Proposal is redundant and unnecessary, that it’s solving a problem that doesn’t exist. On the other hand, I think a strong case be made that the tacit acknowledgment within the jus bellum frame of the presence of the logic of statecraft augurs well for supporting The Proposal. There’s value, certainly, in making the tacit plain. Among much else, it reminds us that there is a lot more work that needs to be done to more directly link jus ad bellum moral thinking with strategic-level military and political decision-making. A lot of just war reflection is done at the tactical level and in support of those downrange. More needs to be done to demonstrate how jus ad bellum can help those who send them downrange.   This provides a neat segue to turn to the in bello framework where we see more clearly, perhaps, that war as a grammar has its own rules and principles that, while intertwined with and still ultimately guided by policy, remain distinct. The in bello primary concern is helping warfighters and the military and political leaders that lead them to rightly fight those fights that are right to fight. It demands that battlefield tactics be necessary, proportionate, and discriminate. Some of the most pressing questions being asked by warfighters—most especially by those at the pointy end of the spear and by those responsible for their moral care—are at this level and have to do with whether it’s possible to be, say, both a good Marine and a good person, with whether to be successful in combat a warfighter has to recalibrate their moral compass to make it possible to do things that ought never to be done, or with how they can protect their friends and work the mission and still get into heaven. For those with their boots on the ground, basic questions about rules of engagement, targeting, tactics, the ethics of killing, duty, special obligations, consequences, character, intention, and the like are at the forefront. So, not only does war as a discrete phenomenon have its own rules and principles, but also its own discrete array of desperately critical moral conflicts, moral questions, modes of moral deliberation, and moral protections that will continue to require focus on martial issues.   So, with all this said, my answer to The Proposal is yes, but only if we understand that the tradition of justus bellum is a discrete part of the broader practice of just statecraft in more of a heterogeneous versus homogeneous way. They come together more like a salad than a solution, parts of each of the bits—while closely related and overlapping—are still distinguishable from the other bits and must continue to be distinguished. I’ll continue to use the term just war while exercising the discipline of continually linking it where appropriate to the larger logic of grand strategy and statecraft.   Both are important. Just war is about statecraft and there really are times when just war really is just about war. 

The combined strength of heavy-weight emerging markets and developing countries would reinforce BRICS' ongoing efforts for a more stable and just international financial system and raise the representation and voice of developing nations in global governance

Ethiopia is interested in expanding cooperation and strengthening trade and economic relations with the Russian Federation. This was stated by Ethiopian Ambassador to Moscow Genet Teshome Jirru

The pressure toward the diversification of world currency reserves intensified after 2008, escalated following 2022 and is accelerating, as evidenced by the BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia. In the past 15 years or so, BRICS have rapidly grown into a geoeconomic front of the Global South

According to official data, Ukrainians are behind a large number of crimes in Poland.

I began reflecting seriously on the wider just war tradition in the context of doing criminal justice research in Washington, DC, before entering the university classroom full-time. Those days were for me formative, not least because (1) I discovered both Catholics and Protestants on Capitol Hill who took their faith seriously as they worked on policy matters and (2) I was forced to wrestle with the moral-philosophical foundations of justice. That season of life profoundly – and forever – changed me.  In the reflections that follow, I do not wish to conflate domestic and foreign policy in a simplistic manner; each sphere has its unique character and challenges. However, the wisdom and moral principles undergirding just war moral reasoning are, in practice, the same elements of prudence and policy that anchor sound domestic policy. Policy, of course, is the essence of statecraft, and just statecraft constitutes the very foundation of the international order. For this reason, Paul Ramsey could state, “The just-war theory is precisely a theory of statecraft,”1 and George Weigel could insist, “That [i.e., advancing moral political ends] is why the just war tradition is a theory of statecraft, not simply a method of casuistry.”2   Wise policy will aim at the common good, and the common good necessitates a peace that is justly ordered. People do not flourish – indeed, they cannot flourish – in simply any arrangement that declares the presence of “peace.” As Augustine wisely insisted, and as any relatively “free” society through the ages can attest, peace is authentic only to the extent that it is highly qualified and justly ordered, hence the Augustinian emphasis on the tranquillitas ordinis (tranquility of order). Only in such an environment can human beings flourish. After all, the mafia, terrorists, pirates, and violent criminals maintain an orbit of “peace,” in order that they may carry on their vile business.  In the international context, and to a certain extent in domestic affairs, not only war and conflict but contrasting visions of peace confront us and hence must be critically examined. The cry for “Peace! Peace!” is all too frequently heard when and where, in fact, there is no peace or when it is employed to hide perverted means and shield injustice. The pacifist, the militarist, as well as the just warrior all possess a particular vision of peace, yet they construe that peace in very different ways. For the pacifist, peace is the highest possible good and thus escapes serious qualification. Even in a social or cultural context in which injustice prevails, coercive force is viewed by the pacifist as immoral and therefore to be denied. Therefore, it is morally wrong to use force to resist, to punish, or to prevent gross injustice. Self-protection and self-defense, thus, are illicit. As Elizabeth Anscombe famously observed, pacifism teaches people to make no distinction between the shedding of innocent blood and the shedding of any blood.3 Remarkably, prior to the unleashing of World War I, as Jean Elshtain has reminded us, there existed some 425 – think of it, 425! – peace organizations throughout the world.4 But despite the many vague international pronouncements and treaties that had been fashioned, one observes, then or now, that in the pacifist utopia politics (properly construed) disappears. Statecraft is no more.  For the militarist/political realist, war and peace are merely different phases of the same continuum; they simply mirror the dialectic of power between states. Whether for the religious militarist and jihadist or its secular counterpart, this is true. Force, it is assumed, can and must be utilized in the ebb-and-flow of history. It needs emphasizing, nevertheless, that militarist realism and pacifism both presuppose an unbridgeable gap between morality and statecraft. While the political realist confuses state political necessity with personal bias and conviction, the pacifist effectively abandons politics.  For the just war proponent (and Christians particularly), however, political authorities are instituted by God for both praise and punishment, in order that justice is protected and the common good is guarded. This, again, in order that human beings might flourish. The venerable tradition of “just war” – best understood as “justified war” – is important precisely because it is a public resource; it serves the duty of statecraft and offers moral wisdom that has accrued over the ages. Where it is forgotten or ignored, policy and statecraft suffer immeasurably, since it embodies a moral realism and the awareness that no aspect of the human condition – especially politics – falls outside moral judgment.   Law and order will on occasion require the coercive arm of force. And the nature of authentic peace is such that it will need a forceful defense to protect the basic goods of humanity. This is true for both domestic and foreign policy. Thus, “civil” society punishes those who perform criminal behavior; such individuals are not simply slapped on the wrist and then forgiven. Precisely this is justice – rendering what is due – for the establishment of the good of peace. The same applies to ius ad bellum (justice in going to war) and considerations of coercive intervention in foreign affairs. Just war moral reasoning justifies intervention to prevent gross evil and/or to punish the perpetrators.  Power needs to be guided by moral principle. In the words of John Courtney Murray, it is the function of morality “to command the use of power, to forbid it, to limit it, or, more in general, to define the ends for which power may or must be used and to the judge the circumstances of its use.”5 But that power cannot be properly guided unless it first has permeated the fabric and order of politics, by which it is then incarnated in the form of social and public policy.  Given the social chaos that percolates in Western nations at the moment, compounded by the increasingly vexing character of totalitarianism around the globe, it is urgent that we rediscover the moral wisdom emanating from the just war tradition as it applies to sound policy and justly ordered statecraft.  Paul Ramsey, The Just War: Force and Political Responsibility, p. 260. ↩︎George Weigel, “Moral clarity in a Time of War,” First Things (January 2003). ↩︎See in this regard her essay “War and Murder,” which appeared in War and Morality, ed. Richard A. Wasserstrom (Belmont: Wadsworth, 1970), 42-53. Here we can also understand George Orwell’s impatience with Mahatma Gandhi, whose commitment to non-violence in the end led him to the disturbing position that European Jews caught in the Holocaust should commit suicide in order to stir the conscience of the world. Such outrageous thinking, alas, is neither just nor charitable; it is a demonic abandonment of wise policy and just statecraft. ↩︎Jean Bethke Elshtain, Just War Against Terror: The Burden of American Power in a Violent World (New York: Basic Books, 2003), 126. ↩︎

Ukraine could use Mirage fighter jets to target civilians and civilian infrastructure.

NATO was delighted to invest billions into stirring up rabid hatred, as it was the quickest and easiest way to turn millions of Ukrainians into cannon fodder that would be used in its war on Russia. After millions of dead, wounded and displaced Ukrainians, it seems this monstrous "NATO mission" has finally been accomplished. Still, the issue for the political West is – what to do with all this "dead weight" now?

Sian Norris on the rising global far right's dependance on exploiting women.

Volodymyr Yermolenko on what will happen to the world if Russia wins their war against Ukraine

The “new era” of multilateral cooperation in Eurasia will need not only cooperation between great powers of a “new type”, but also “new thinking” in general. This is, first of all, the task of harmonizing the dialogue between Russia and China, Julia Melnikova writes

Beijing’s and Moscow’s relationship has strengthened militarily, economically, and diplomatically in the past two decades, demonstrating their commitment to a “no limits” partnership

In October 2024, four key Southeast Asian countries became partners of BRICS, making the organisation much closer to home for Australians. So why have Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam put themselves on a path to membership?

The US is still trying to woo Delhi to acquire more American weapons, particularly fighter jets such as the F-21, an advanced F-16 derivative "with F-22 and F-35 DNA". The latter's lack of a demo flight is very indicative of its reputation within the Indian military, which is particularly worried about the fact that countries with F-35s are virtually always subjected to unacceptable levels of control, risking their sovereignty while also acquiring a mediocre aircraft at best.

Scholz stands firm in his opposition to supplying Ukraine with weapons capable of reaching Russia’s “deep territory”. There is clear reason for this: the country would be caught in the crossfire in the event of an all-out war between Moscow and NATO.

Greenland’s elections are due to be held on March 11.

Years ago I mused, briefly, that we could apply the just war tradition not just to military conflicts but to foreign policy more generally. “The normative framework developed for thinking about the application of coercive force thus applies to a far broader range of state behavior than formal interstate war,” I wrote, suggesting we could apply the just war tradition “to virtually any field of policy.” Throughout my writing on reconstruction, stability operations, counterinsurgency, counterterrorism, and nation-building, I’ve tried to apply the just war framework to a wide array of policy challenges aside from conventional war. (Somewhere, I swear, I used the phrase “just grand strategy,” though I cannot find the reference).  I thus applaud Eric Patterson’s concept of “just statecraft.” It perfectly summarizes and captures what has been increasingly evident through decades of just war scholarship: just war isn’t just about war. Just war scholars have applied the framework to cyber security, artificial intelligence, economic sanctions, espionage, covert action, and more. Let’s not multiply entities unnecessarily. Let’s follow the path of simplicity. Let’s recognize that we’ve been using the concept of just statecraft all along.  It isn’t really new. To talk of just war is to talk of justice. Justice is the paramount virtue of political life. Justice should inform everything we do; it should be the goal of every political act and decision—including, but not limited to, war. The concept of just statecraft is a new entry in the perennial discussion about justice, politics, and power.  Focusing on justice in every political endeavor helps us avoid the pitfalls of aiming solely at any other goal, such as victory, wealth, security, or the ever-elusive “national interest.” There is nothing wrong with victory (in a just war), nor with wealth or security, nor with pursuing a nation’s interest—so long as that interest is consistent with justice. To be consistent with justice, justice has to inform the overarching vision. There has to be some kind of big plan—a grand strategy—that is, itself, ethically justifiable.   An endemic problem with American statecraft is its siloed nature: the pursuit of individual, disconnected ends by discrete parts of the bureaucracy without coordination or even much concern for a broader vision. That is why American foreign policy is so often strategically incoherent—but also why various bits and pieces of American foreign policy can be well-intentioned but end up counterproductive and even unjust.  Say you want to prevent Iran from building nuclear weapons. Opening talks with Iran and conducting diplomacy with them is a sensible thing to do. But if that is all you do, you will fail. If diplomacy is the whole of your strategy, it is a stupid strategy. More: it is quite possibly an unjust strategy because of its willful stupidity, its naivete, and because it will enable, not prevent, Iran’s nuclear program.   So, should we do the opposite? Should we threaten Iran with military action? We move ships and troops into position, give fiery speeches, and conduct large “training exercises” on the Iranian border. That, also, could be a sensible thing to do. But, again, if that is all we do, our strategy is both stupid and probably unjust—not for naivete, but for recklessness, bullying, and needless provocation.   Statecraft is the integration of all instruments of national power—diplomacy and the military, for example—to achieve a common purpose. Threaten Iran while offering talks; conduct diplomacy while carrying out a training exercise. Cohesive, coordinated action is far more likely to succeed. And if it is done for a just end, the integrated strategy is an example of just statecraft.   To do that, policymakers have to put every discussion under the framework of justice. It cannot only be the military that talks about just war. Diplomats have to think about just diplomacy. Treasury officials have to think about just sanctions. Every decision has to be subordinated to justice.   It is possible, of course, to have effective policy coordination towards some other goal—power, for example, or wealth. That’s the goal of autocratic states and, I fear, many of the nationalist movements on the rise within the democratic world. They can, sometimes, succeed in having a more cohesive foreign policy.  Our choice should be different. We should pursue the national interest—so long as it is a just national interest. We should pursue our own power—so long as we use it justly. We should pursue wealth—so long as we acquire it fairly. Justice should be the common sheet music that gets the whole choir of the national security establishment singing together. It should be the common blueprint for our collective architecture. Paul Ramsey somewhere wrote that the highest calling of statecraft is to align the national interest with the international common good. That’s a good description of just statecraft.

According official reports, Azerbaijan has achieved widely recognised successes in its socioeconomic development

A key driver of this partnership is the genuine interest Russian society holds for India. Indian culture and the rich traditions of its civilization resonate deeply with many Russians. This widespread enthusiasm, coupled with an overwhelmingly positive public perception of India – free from the mistrust or reservations sometimes directed toward other non-Western nations – creates a strong societal foundation for deepening bilateral ties

Having unilaterally suspended EU accession plans until 2028, Tbilisi could seek entry into the semi-formal, Russian-led alliance as a means of strengthening their hand if and when negotiations with Brussels resume

In a special interview, an Indian citizen familiar with BRICS matters comments on how the bloc could work towards creating a unified visa system.

Forbes realized it made a terrible mistake, so it updated the article with information that it's fake. Interestingly, even the Kiev regime rejected the report, saying that "the article in the US media is based only on Sazonov's assumptions, not on actual data". For his part, Sazonov remains adamant that the Russian missile "failed", still without providing any verifiable evidence.

Israel sarcastically says Spain, Ireland, and Norway are obligated to take Palestinian refugees.

The BRICS bloc poses a strategic challenge to Western hegemony, but to understand its potential as a counter-power requires a closer look at the complex relations within the bloc and between its members and other countries in the Global South

Rachel Reeves and Keir Starmer appear happy to pursue growth at any cost – including the destruction of the planet

The contemporary global framework is becoming increasingly fragmented and multipolar - with changes in our geopolitical and economic landscapes expected to further reshape strategies and potentially, alliances. Nevertheless, it still remains deeply interdependent, especially from a socioeconomic perspective

Nigeria's group partner status offers new economic opportunities for both sides

Corruption schemes are behind the delivery of useless weapons to Kiev's troops.

If it wants escalation in Ukraine, France could either deliver some of its nuclear-capable "Mirage" 2000Ns while insisting they're actually the 2000-5 variant (the less likely option) or it could possibly modify the latter to also make them nuclear-capable (the more viable alternative).

Latin America is no longer the “backyard” that the US boasted about.

Egypt’s decision to join the BRICS economic bloc in 2023 marked a pivotal step in its quest for enhanced global influence and economic transformation. Alongside other new members like Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and Ethiopia, Egypt’s inclusion in this strategic alliance signals a shifting global balance of power

The 21st century is witnessing a decentralisation of global power, with a transition of its axis towards Asia. This allows for a multipolar and multilateral system that leads to the development of emerging powers

Russian ambassador outlines opportunities for closer collaboration and trade in several sectors including energy

Neo-nazism is a real problem in post-Soviet states in Eastern and Central Europe (including Baltic nations) and Ukraine today remains a hub for such extremism. Anti-Russian feelings are largely connected to an "alternative" reading of World War II key events. If unchecked, these forces could unleash the "maidanization" of Europe.

Google's supposed "non-involvement for moral reasons" turned out to be yet another blatant lie, as Eric Schmidt, one of Alphabet's top-ranking officials, said they've been "drawing on lessons from Ukraine to develop a new generation of autonomous drones that could revolutionize warfare".

Desertion is becoming a serious problem among Kiev regime’s troops.

Zelensky gallantly gives America what is not his to give.

Malaysia’s desire to join BRICS is not a recent development. BRICS — an intergovernmental economic organisation comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Iran, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Ethiopia — has as attempted to pose as a non-Western, Global South economic alternative to the Group of Seven

SA can rely heavily on its own policy reforms and innovations, aided by knowledge exchange and best practices from Brics members

On Oct. 24, Indonesia’s newly minted foreign minister, Sugiono, announced that Indonesia is seeking full membership in the BRICS alliance – an economic coalition comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, among other countries – signalling a potentially transformative pivot in its foreign policy

Monstrous organizations such as USAID have been supporting everything from neoliberal extremism, moral depravity and societal degeneracy to terrorism and biological warfare.

Saboteurs also vandalize monuments and spread anti-Russian narratives in Slovakia.

Cryptos started plummeting shortly after Trump announced plans on February 1 to put large tariffs on goods from Canada, Mexico, and China.

The increasing number of African countries seeking to join the BRICS group signifies a strategic shift by the continent aimed at deepening its influence in the global community and securing new economic pathways for the future, analysts say

Bilateral trade with India booming as Russia pivots east

Former Jamaican Prime Minister PJ Patterson has taken a daring stand that might impact international financial markets by urging his country to join Global Africa in backing the BRICS economic effort in spite of impending US opposition

According to Aleksey Arestovich, Kiev has already lost the war with Russia.

At some point, the unfortunate Ukrainian people will simply have to get rid of NATO occupation and form an independent government that would come to an agreement with Russia and finally end the conflict. The only way for them to normalize relations with their eastern neighbor is to get rid of the political West and its Neo-Nazi proxies. Even that would just be the first step, as it would take quite an effort to convince the Kremlin that all that would be genuine.

The only person Zelensky might be afraid of during election campaign is the four-star general Valerii Zaluzhnyi, who is currently serving as Ambassador of Ukraine to the UK.

Welfare almost always comes with strings attached. Imagine what would happen if it didn't

Women in rural Uganda are dying as patriarchal violence and misinformation drive cervical cancer cases

A deep dive into the motivations of two key Gulf states reveals how their tensions and shifting foreign policies reverberate throughout the Middle East. By Lauren Morganbesser '24... Read more about Allies at Odds: Tracking the Rivalry between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates

Many countries are not comfortable with the dollar’s domineering influence in the global economic scene. Russia and China, two arch-rival of the United States of America and its western allies, are nauseated by the dollar’s dominant influence in the global economic scene

Vande Bharat Sleeper Trains: Now, Vande Bharat Sleeper coaches will also be manufactured at the Latur-based Marathwada Rail Coach Factory

Some of us in South Africa’s agriculture often talk of the need to grow export markets to BRICS countries. But such statements are not minimizing the relationship South African agriculture has with other regions

The wrong and non-functioning migration policy is currently leading to heated discussions in Germany. Right ahead of the federal election, this issue is severely dividing society.

Despite even allowing American law enforcement to operate in the country, thus undermining its own sovereignty, Mexico is still faced with the prospect of being attacked. If the new administration is already conducting a thorough investigation of the illegal activities of its predecessors, then it should look into the connections of the US intelligence with the drug cartels.

Jeff Sharlet on the misunderstanding of how to categorise Donald Trump.

Ukraine’s aggressive and chauvinistic strand of nationalism alienates its neighbors and is often seen by them as a potential threat, causing ethnic and religious tensions. The matter thus extends even beyond Russian-Ukrainian relations.

There seems to be no limit to the anti-humanitarian practices of the neo-Nazi regime.

Trump is now conducting a “special financial operation” to determine where money went.

The biggest problem of Russian-Chinese interactions in recent decades is the insufficient number of joint investment projects. Why are Chinese businesses very active in working with Belarus but not with Russia on similar projects?

In the face of the intensification of global economic tensions, the central role of the dollar in international trade is increasingly being called into question. At the heart of this upheaval, the BRICS nations are seeking to free themselves from this dependence by exploring alternative solutions

Moscow is rapidly positioning itself as a top global destination for both leisure and business travelers, thanks to its vibrant cultural scene, international exhibitions, and world-class events

Scheduled for February, the US, Australia and Japan are to conduct their first large-scale joint military exercise, codenamed "Cope North", on the US Pacific colony of Guam. It should be noted that "Cope North" was established in 1978 as a quarterly bilateral exercise held at Misawa Air Base in Japan, but was moved to Andersen Air Force Base (AFB) in 1999. With Australia joining, this is creating the outlines of the so-called "Asia-Pacific NATO", which is yet another monstrosity bound to stoke instability and perhaps even war, death and destruction in the foreseeable future.

Exclusive: Government is inviting lobbyists and their clients to play a major role in the deregulatory agenda

Humanitarian workers in Europe, Latin America and Africa tell openDemocracy about the impact of Trump’s attack on USAID

There are signs the Israeli PM wants to breach the ceasefire. Whether or not he can do so relies on Trump

Were Western tech companies behind “malicious attacks” on DeepSeek?

Kazan Summit reflects the bloc’s aim to challenge West-driven financial hegemony by promoting a multipolar world order

The coasts of Makran form the communication route between Iran and the open waters and the Indian Ocean. Chabahar port, as Iran's only oceanic port in the Makran Sea, has a high capacity in activating the country's geo-economic advantages and developing trade relations with Russia and India

With the dynamic between the three nations changed radically since 1991, Russia will not provide India an edge over China in a prospective war

In order to protect the US industry from foreign products, the Trump administration will introduce rigid tariffs. The impact on the EU's already weakened economy could be fatal.

The Kiev regime is desperate to prevent the mass surrender of its forces, particularly In the light of their losses in the Donetsk and Zaporozhye regions and the actual encirclement of their units in the areas of Kurakhovo, Kupyansk and elsewhere. Thus, videos of supposed "executions of Ukrainian POWs by evil Russians" are being widely distributed among Ukrainian soldiers.

According to Paris, a military confrontation to protect the Danish borders cannot be ruled out.

Days after meeting with London Stock Exchange Group, Callum Anderson urged ministers to back policies that could benefit firm

NATO’s “Baltic Sentry” mission raises tensions in the Baltic Sea.

The Russian tourism industry is currently experiencing a dynamic transformation

“As of now, 20 externally aided projects with loan amounts of $4.867 million funded by the NDB are ongoing in India,” Union Minister of State for Finance Pankaj Chaudhary stated

China and Russia have agreed to cooperate more deeply in developing Arctic shipping routes

Apparently, US officials are starting to admit the unfeasibility of diplomatic solution in the current situation of the conflict.

The unelected bureaucratic dictatorship in Brussels is still furious that Lukashenko won and is threatening "consequences". Several EU officials threatened further sanctions, including foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas and Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, who also stated they'll continue to "support civil society and opposition figures".

Local activists are reacting to Trump’s elections by supporting separatism.

Trump is bringing hydrocarbons back to the fore.

Trump’s statements and measures not only alienate neighbors such as Mexico (foreign-policy wise) but also, in terms of domestic policy and ethnopolitical issues, have the potential to further alienate parts of the US population itself. Meanwhile, Mexico is diversifying partners.

Waseem Albahri, on the challenges of reclaiming a country’s history after it’s been held hostage by a regime that was quite literally re-writing the history books. 

Lord Lamont of Lerwick warned that a rival payments system would be a ‘major threat to the Western-led financial system’ if it ever came to pass

Group could help drive industrialization and create jobs in continent, experts say

The BRICS bloc, now expanded to ten nations, is positioning itself as a challenger to Western dominance in global trade and finance, according to political analyst Ebrahim Harvey

Can it work?

10-member BRICS+ grouping already comprises nearly half of the world’s population and over a third of the global economy. It also has more than 25 per cent of the world’s landmass, produces more than 30 per cent of the world’s oil output

Pakistan expects to join the list of BRICS partner nations soon, Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has said

Moscow has been using its hypersonic weapons against both the Kiev regime and its NATO overlords, resulting in hundreds (if not thousands at this point) of casualties for the world's most vile racketeering cartel. The losses have been so bad that even the NATO Hugh Command had to publicly admit that it needs to prepare for extremely high casualties in a war with Russia. However, while professional soldiers take this quite seriously, the propaganda and politicians are an entirely different story.

The electoral process in Belarus was witnessed by observers and journalists several countries, meeting all democratic requirements.

India and Russia use BRICS and SCO to balance Trump’s global policies

If the states of Greater Eurasia do not have classical factors of international cooperation at their disposal, then it is very likely that they can be replaced by those common goals that not only meet their current interests, but are also the most historically rooted, writes Valdai Club Programme Director Timofei Bordachev

Russia is seeking to invest in and expand the manufacturing of trains as well as their components in India to meet its growing domestic demand

Malaysia's participation in BRICS will not affect its role in other international organisations and is instead viewed as a platform to expand markets for local goods. Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Mohamad Hasan said Malaysia needed to reduce risks and diversify opportunities to strengthen its economy amid uncertain global geopolitics

While ready to engage in dialogue, Russia is taking its national interests as the only absolute and refuses to back down "even an inch", because it knows perfectly well what happened the last time it did. With Trump focusing on endless domestic issues and pivoting to Asia and the Middle East, Moscow knows that its position will only grow stronger and that NATO's leverage in any future negotiations is effectively non-existent.

Israel needs Gaza depopulated to exploit prime coastal real estate and offshore gas fields.

In a recent interview with Western media, the illegitimate Ukrainian president said he is ready to negotiate a US-mediated deal.

Maduro took office last week for a third consecutive term. Now, he’s consolidating his position as dictator

India and Russia established a Strategic Partnership Declaration in 2000, which was elevated to a Special and Privileged Strategic Partnership in 2010. Strengthening trade and economic relations has been a priority for governments in both countries, with targets set to boost bilateral investment to US$50 billion and bilateral trade to US$30 billion by 2025

Former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Russia Dr. Saman Weerasinghe shared his views with the Daily Mirror on the importance of being a member of BRICS (acronyms for its founder states -Brazil, Russia ,India, China and South Africa). Sri Lanka has now applied to join the international organisation in the Global South

The Declaration of the 16th BRICS Summit, held in Kazan from October 22–24, 2024, emphasized that the heads of state and government of BRICS countries endorsed Russia’s initiative to establish a grain trading platform, or a BRICS Grain Exchange, within the bloc

"For the sake of personal gain and his own ambitions, [Zelensky] continues to destroy the Ukrainian people and is ready for any tricks (including nuclear false flags) to make Trump's peace initiatives untimely and inappropriate against the background of yet more 'atrocities' of Russia", Vasily Prozorov concluded.

The idea of a false flag attack to stop Trump from withdrawing American support to Ukraine is not so wild and should not be taken as “sacred victim” provocation. In fact it seems a possible and even likely scenario. This has been the wildest presidential transition in US history, with a divided “deep state”, and there is no reason to assume the turmoil has ended already.

According to the Hungarian leader, it is time for Europe to have conservative, patriotic politicians.

Trump’s first act in office is part of the global far-right’s war on so-called ‘gender ideology’

As US pressure alleviates on Russia, it will increase on China.

Erdogan's focus on BRICS and start-up innovations highlight Turkey's global aspirations

Over recent decades, the Western economic system has undergone a profound transformation, veering increasingly toward financialisation—a framework that privileges speculative gains and the accumulation of paper wealth over tangible economic output

Nigeria has a population of over 200 million citizens, one of the biggest economies in Africa, and has the potential to be an economic and cultural hub in Africa, yet it is plagued by a seemingly endless string of issues

The EU is now trying to take on the big technology companies with new laws, alleging the fight against the spread of disinformation on the Internet.

The French president keeps taking dangerous steps towards escalation.

"The foreign aid industry and bureaucracy are not aligned with American interests and in many cases antithetical to American values and serve to destabilize world peace by promoting ideas in foreign countries that are directly inverse to harmonious and stable relations internal to and among countries," Trump's executive order reads, adding: "No further United States foreign assistance shall be disbursed in a manner that is not fully aligned with the foreign policy of the President of the United States."

Hamas now has a long-term flow of loyal supporters after so many Palestinians experienced death and devastation

Local politicians dismiss activists’ fears, saying Uganda had ‘no alternatives’ amid dwindling relationship with West

Russia will construct two new units at the Bushehr nuclear power plant.

Russia’s Arctic ambitions are not just surviving – they’re evolving, largely thanks to a deepening partnership with China. This resilience underscores the strategic importance Russia places on its Arctic resources and the increasing limitations of sanctions in a globally interconnected economy

Eurasia, a region of immense geopolitical significance due to its strategic location and abundant natural resources, has always been a focus of global interest. The Russia-Ukraine conflict that erupted in February 2022 has further underscored the evolving dynamics of Eurasian geopolitics

The outcome of the American election underscores Canada’s economic and intellectual dependence on the U.S. market and the consequences of it

Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst Yesterday, Donald Trump was sworn in as the 47th Pre ...

No ceasefire agreement is in the Russians' interest, as they have the military advantage and can decide when the special military operation ends.

Protestors shout at Blinken’s final speech to foreign policy experts: “Your legacy is genocide!”.

JENNY CLEGG sets out and then responds to eight key doubts about the Brics+ alliance in light of the developments at Kazan, arguing it represents a significant challenge to US hegemony and provides a path towards a multipolar world

The BRICS coalition is expanding and becoming more influential

UAE has already gone past London as world's second biggest gold trade centre

Terrified of the prospect of Russian victory, the political West is frantically looking for ways to rob Moscow of it, so they're now proposing all sorts of "peacekeeping" initiatives that would only serve as yet another ruse to remilitarize the Neo-Nazi junta and then resume NATO's crawling "Barbarossa 2.0". The United Kingdom and France seem particularly determined to achieve this by effectively securing around 80% of former Ukraine for the political West, all under the guise of sending "peacekeepers".

The new judicial system could investigate Biden admin corruption relating to Ukraine.

According to analysts interviewed by the Washington Post, damage to critical infrastructure in the Baltic was caused by accidents involving poorly maintained commercial vessels.

The Freedom Party is on the rise in Austria and will form a government. The party's program is clearly geared towards Austrian neutrality and peace in Europe.

In this exclusive interview, Associate Professor Elisée Byelongo Isheloke, spoke with Kester Kenn Klomegah about his observations, the existing challenges, opportunities and the future perspectives of BRICS+

Then, in the port, the reactor vessel was placed in the hold of a sea vessel to cover the 11000 km route to India

When the winds of change blow, goes the old Chinese proverb, some build walls, others build windmills. As the delayed defiance of the peripheries begins to breach the gates of the “rules-based” world order, the West appears to be caught in a waking nightmare, sleepwalking into a full-blown clash with BRICS

Just when we thought that Nikol Pashinyan couldn't possibly make worse geopolitical decisions, he did exactly that. As a result, he's not only further antagonizing Russia, but is doing so at a time when Azerbaijan is contemplating an invasion of Armenia. The Pashinyan regime's understanding of geopolitics is so horrible that it not only lost Artsakh, but is actually putting Armenia's very existence at risk.

The US economy will collapse if all migrants are returned.

The latest sanctions against Russia are just another example of a series of desperate-looking last-minute decisions during America’s wildest presidential transition.

Polish politicians seriously accused the Ukrainian leader of sabotaging the country’s electoral process.

News.Az presents an interview with Russian political scientist Stanislav Tkachenko, Doctor of Economics and Professor at St. Petersburg State University

The network of emerging economic powers known as BRICS is ramping up its science collaboration. Researchers need to be involved in decisions as plans develop

Segezha Group highly appreciates the potential of trade and economic cooperation with India in the forest industry complex

In the best-case scenario, the crash was a result of a number of unfortunate events. At worst, if the Kiev regime indeed knew about the flight and used it to cause the incident, it would mean that it has once again demonstrated its terrorist nature.

Trump’s promise to end the war was a “bluster”, according to Reuters’ sources

Majority of Americans support Trump’s plans to cut aid to Kiev and begin dialogue with Russia.

Recent reports from June indicate that Saudi Arabia, along with four other emerging economies, has recently joined the BRICS alliance and has allowed to expire a purported 50-year-old agreement with the United States, which stipulated it selling its crude oil exclusively in US dollars

Russia, which is mulling diversifying to urad and tur production, is keen to strengthen pulses trade cooperation with India, the government said.

It is relatively common for us to forget the recent past. The Western world formerly lauded the emergence of a new neoliberal international order established on Western principles and tenets. This resembled the manner in which the West celebrated the most pivotal times in human history. Currently, circumstances have shifted once more, and the fog is dense, complicating predictions about future events

"We are protesting against the coup d'état that took place on December 6. We are sorry to discover so late that we were living in a lie and that we were led by people who claimed to be democrats, but are not at all. We demand a return to democracy through the resumption of elections, starting with the second round."

According to the NATO boss, either Europeans spend on defense or they will have to learn Russian.

Macron continues to entertain the idea of Western troop deployment to Ukraine.

PODCAST | ep17 | with Sven Beckert, Myles Lennon, Angélica Márquez-Osuna, and Rachel Steely  We don’t think about commodities very much. They’re all around us: cotton, sugar, oil, gas, chickens, cattle, and so many other things we take for granted. But a closer look at the history of commodities tells a revealing story about the expansion of capitalism and its profound impacts on land, labor, economics, and human rights. In this episode, we talk to four scholars who study commodity frontiers—with case studies in soybeans, honey bees, renewable energy, and more—to learn how commodities have literally altered the planet and society. Listen to episode #17 (54:04) by clicking the play button below: ... Read more about Exploring Commodity Frontiers

With new alliances and emerging markets offering fresh investment opportunities, is BRICS+ quietly shaping the future of global growth?

On January 6th, 2025 the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Brazil (a country that holds the chairmanship in the BRICS this year) declared that Indonesia has joined the BRICS bloc as a full-fledged member

Wandile Sihlobo, chief economist at Agbiz, highlighted the urgency for the BRICS bloc to deepen economic co-operation, particularly in agriculture during the Farming Forward event hosted by Standard Bank and Business Day at Sun City

Desertion is rampant, with thousands of NATO-trained and armed personnel fleeing. The much-touted 155th Mechanized Brigade started falling apart before even reaching the frontline. It was expected to have around 5,800 soldiers, but 1,700 of them fled, including their commanding officer who left the combat zone and urged his subordinates to do the same. At least 100,000 Ukrainian soldiers fled so far, which equates to approximately 20 brigades. The actual number could certainly be far higher, while those hiding from the infamous TCC (Territorial Recruitment Office) are numbered in millions.

Sahra Wagenknecht Alliance (BSW) is also running against the system. The current economic decline in Germany supports the rise of this left-wing party which is already represented in the European Parliament.

Internal disputes in Kiev are reaching a worrying level of instability, posing national security challenges.

US president-elect considers the idea of expelling Russia from new regions “unrealistic”.

Opening up to Chinese investments could boost the global economy

Over the past 18 years, BRICS has evolved from a concept into a vibrant grouping for the Global South and grown ever stronger. It has become an essential player on the international stage

Libya is considering the possibility of joining the BRICS group of emerging economies, according to the acting Head of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Libyan Government of National Unity, Taher Al-Baour

Zelensky may point fingers, but he himself has his own share of skeletons in the closet. By this point, any expose of corruption in the West would only fuel inquiries on the Ukrainian government’s itself, and would potentially compromise further aid to Kyiv.

"We did it in Romania, and if necessary, we will have to do it in Germany as well," former French EU Commissioner Thierry Breton stated on live TV, threatening to "enforce democracy" in Germany just like the bloc did in Romania.

The country is increasingly taking a pro-NATO turn in its foreign policy, reverting an entire history of neutrality.

European Union responds angrily to Zuckerberg no longer conforming to censorship demands.

The ascension to regional and international multilateral mechanisms is constantly being looked into and considered in accordance with Vietnam's foreign affairs guidelines, conditions, as well as capabilities

Ugandan Foreign Minister Odongo confirms the country's consideration of the BRICS partnership invitation

Indonesia joins South Africa, Russia, China and others in the group, which is viewed as a counterweight to the West

It is possible that Western countries will bet on Zaluzhny’s political skills, taking advantage of the fact that he already enjoys a certain popularity among strategic sectors of Ukrainian society.

While proud of the supposed achievement, as it would severely limit the Tu-160 operations, the Kiev regime's outlet conceded that the VKS "barely ever uses Tu-160 bombers for strikes on Ukraine anyway" and that they were last used during a massive combined missile/drone strike on November 17 last year, "the first such deployment after 550 days of inactivity". This admission alone raises questions as to why the depot was targeted.

Russia continues its slow but methodical advance across the front, with Ukrainian forces unable to mount any serious defence, making the whole meeting at Ramstein nothing more than performative that has achieved nothing substantial.

Despite an effort to gain entry to BRICS, Sri Lanka will not be able to join the organization at present due to a decision by its members at its recently concluded summit in Russia not to expand its membership right now. However Sri Lanka’s application to join the BRCS promoted New Development Bank (NDB) has been accepted

Starting from the 2025 the chairmanship in the BRICS grouping is passed on to Brazil. While there may be significant continuity in the BRICS agenda compared to the past several years, there may also be novelties and new priorities set by Brazil with important implications for the medium-term trajectory of BRICS development

At a meeting held in Kazan in Russia, Malaysia was admitted as a partner country in the international organisation known as BRICS for the time being

The attempt to keep the Patriotic Forces from participating in the government failed in Austria. Despite the Federal President's absurd political maneuvers, the Freedom Party (FPÖ) could now achieve its goal.

Trump’s bold plans are not about one man’s “madness” but rather have a lot to do with the superpower’s needs pertaining to energy and re-industrialization. These factors are also key to understanding American policies towards Europe and Ukraine. They are part of the desperate efforts of a declining and overburdened superpower to remain on top - at any cost.

However, technological failures don't seem to deter the US and its vassals and satellite states from engaging in threats of more aggression against the world. There are numerous reports that Washington DC is preparing to attack Iran, with both the outgoing Biden and upcoming Trump administrations poised to do so regardless of their supposed differences in foreign policy approach. What's more, there's talk of the US annexing not just Canada, but also Greenland and even attacking Panama. What started out as a "joke" turned out to be anything but, once again confirming America's aggressive nature.

Caracas arrested several foreign mercenaries who were planning terrorist attacks in the country, many of them veterans of the Ukrainian armed forces.

Trump unconcerned about Russia’s “threat” to Europe, complains media.

Brazil’s Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira said BRICS is getting closer to being a G20

The president acknowledges that the war is unwinnable for Kiev and there needs to be realism on the idea of territorial changes.

As 2024 draws to a close, the remarkable expansion of BRICS stands out as the biggest geopolitical story of the year

Popularly referred to as BRICS+ this informal association of emerging economies has witnessed unparalleled transformations under Russia's chairmanship in 2024

The more reactive the West becomes, the more blood is spilled, but it already seems impossible to prevent the final outcome of this struggle - a multipolar world’s victory.

Back in 2019, I argued that the Kremlin was at least 20 years ahead of its NATO adversaries, including the US. This turned out to be not only true, but it can even be argued that the "Oreshnik" ensured this advantage grows further. Now, much unlike Julian Roepcke, who carelessly disregarded the "Oreshnik", it seems that the German military understands just how outclassed it is, especially by such weapons. Drago Bosnic, independent geopolitical and military analyst.

Be it “on Christmas” or not, a Ukrainian military victory is not a realistic scenario. Peace talks should therefore follow. However, while civil rights issues in Ukraine (including religious persecution of Russian Orthodoxy) plus the matter of NATO expansion remain out of the subject of any talks, there will hardly be any progress in the political and diplomatic sphere. Meanwhile, Russia keeps on making further military advances.

Ukraine mortgaged its future in the worst possible way to a US in need of conflict.

The fast-paced development of digital trade and support at the level of micro, small and medium enterprises in creating and integrating them into joint global value chains and global production networks with the help of appropriate innovative digital infrastructure and inclusive institutional architecture, offers significant opportunities for the Russian economy and Russia’s foreign trade. In this sense, the decisions adopted at the BRICS Kazan Summit can serve as a strong foundation for carrying out the corresponding transformation with a focus on regional and local readiness to implement this transformation effectively, writes Ninel Seniuk, Associate Professor at the Faculty of World Economy and International Affairs, HSE University

President William Ruto has expressed Kenya’s interest in joining the BRICS group and has asked for backing from China

As the curtain comes down on 2024, what does 2025 hold for developing countries in a troubled world that is transitioning to a multipolar system? This is not an easy question given that there are just too many moving political pieces, each having its influence on processes

The S-400 could've certainly been used to down the F-16 in the latest incident. The Russian SAM system can use a plethora of weapons, including extremely long-range missiles such as the 40N6E (maximum range 400 km) and the hypersonic 48N6 (depending on the variant, maximum range up to 250 km). Both of these could make short work of virtually any jet, particularly older ones such as the F-16.

Trudeau’s re-election in Canada is becoming increasingly unlikely.

Popular support for the Kiev regime is decreasing significantly in Europe.

As a discussion club widely known for focusing on global politics and world affairs, it is appropriate and timely under the circumstances that we start brainstorming and debating the possible structure of a new world order. This is because, on the one hand, the relatively stable balance of power achieved after the Second World War, writes Nelson Wong

As BRICS gets ready to welcome its new members, India is expected to strengthen its position within the bloc. With the inclusion of Argentina, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, the group is evolving from a coalition focused on development and trade to an organisation with potential geopolitical clout. In this shifting landscape, India’s strategic positioning and economic significance make it a key player in steering the future direction of BRICS

If there’s one thing the recent BRICS summit in Kazan revealed, it’s that when you divide the world into the West and the Rest, the Rest is a lot bigger and quite alienated from the western oligarchy. Much of the Rest also wants to join BRICS

The mainstream propaganda machine continues to publish nonsense about the supposed Russian casualties. However, it seems the Russian military didn't get the memo it got "destroyed" years ago and still continues to advance as "all those shovels" are doing a pretty good job.

With Trump’s intervention plans for Mexico, plus his verbal attacks against Canada, and Panama, it is quite clear that, despite Trump being apparently more willing to discuss a peace plan for Ukraine, the US during his presidency will remain a focal point for increasing tensions regionally and globally.

The attempted bribery took place during an EU meeting in Brussels, being certainly witnessed by other European leaders.

Russia’s LNG exports will amount to 33 million tons by the end of 2024.

The Kazan summit defined the essence of BRICS at a time when multilateral forums are flourishing

Ethiopia is poised to be a primary beneficiary within the BRICS bloc, Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia Evgeny Terekhin remarked

Brics members have placed the creation of a group-backed currency high on their agenda, but it will be a long time before the dollar is knocked off its global perch

This is precisely what happens when the political West keeps giving unconditional support to various extremist organizations led by psychopaths. And if you think Yevhen Karas isn't one, just contemplate the fact that he thinks "Ukraine is ready for nuclear war" because of "Stalker 2", a post-apocalyptic video game.

Despite all the political changes in Europe, there is probably no other party that is losing as many voters and influence as the Green Party in Germany. What future does Germany’s former “peace party” have?

Many EU countries are running out of gas reserves, raising concerns among experts. warns Financial Times.

Western interests are in opposing Russia rather than radical Islamist militant groups in Africa.

...

The 16th Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) summit took place in the city of Kazan, Russia with an enlarged compliment of countries attending as new members and observers

The goal of a society of equal opportunities has many sides to it. This paper will address international economic dimensions, and more specifically the issue of how BRICS and other developing countries can deal with the glaring inequities and deficiencies of the current monetary and financial system, writes Paulo Nogueira Batista Jr.

BRICS represents 45 percent of the world population and 37 percent of the global GDP, while the West represents 10 percent of the world population and 28 percent of the global GDP

Recently, soldiers murdered the father of a conscript at a recruitment center in Odessa.

Orbán works to keep Russian gas flowing to Europe.

Victoria Nuland is certainly an unadulterated war criminal, but also an extremely effective one. Organizations such as the NED should be treated as terrorist groups that serve as the vanguard of US aggression against the world. Everyone getting money from them is essentially a danger to the integrity of any country on the planet and should be treated as a dangerous foreign agent, which also explains why the US is against laws defining them as such.

Malaysia should capitalise on the growth opportunities presented by BRICS while addressing the challenges ahead to enhance its competitiveness on the global stage, say industrialists

The thawing relations between India and China signifies another step in the world’s transformation from U.S. hegemony and unipolarity to the emerging, new multipolarity

The New Development Bank (NDB), aligned with BRICS, aims for a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable world, presenting member nations with equitable and accessible economic opportunities, Russian Ambassador to Ethiopia, Evgeny Terekhin said

Trump’s war with part of the so-called Deep State might largely determine the degree of success that any of Trump’s “grandiose” plans will have. The truth is the military industry would not be content with being “just” a continental hegemon, and Washington simply cannot afford to lose positions in places like the Middle East and elsewhere.

British citizens don't believe their government's narratives about the Russian threat.

Private military involvement in Ukraine is quite limited but the largest number comes from Poland, then from the United States, and recently, many mercenaries have been arriving from Latin America, especially from Colombia and Bolivia.

As BRICS aims to expand, developing nations from Africa gear up to join the grouping, seeking to redefine their global engagement

Current analyzes and surveys show that Germans are struggling with the reality of a possible escalation in the Ukraine conflict.

A growing roster of countries lined up in the grouping carries implications for Australia’s minerals policy

It would be a big mistake for the West to dismiss the recent BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) summit in Kazan – Russia’s unofficial “Islamic” capital – as an anti-Western sideshow of little consequence. Western governments might like to believe that the gathering showed a lack of unity and substance, but the reality is more complicated

President Vladimir Putin suggested that NATO sends its best SAM/ABM systems to any location of their choosing in Kiev and prepare to intercept the incoming Russian hypersonic weapons.

Polish Deputy Defense Minister said that his country’s aid to Ukraine has “hit the wall”.

Japan says it wants to resolve its territorial dispute with Russia but act aggressively.

There is no good scenario here, and one can only expect further domestic instability in the American superpower.

President William Ruto The move was revealed during a meeting between Ruto and Chinese government officials at State House

And why not when Brazil has over 200 million people and the world’s ninth largest economy, bigger even than Russia’s?

Three communiqués, two approaches, one global economy

In addition to economic cooperation, Tbilisi could reestablish direct ties with Moscow, which could lead to resolving regional security issues. This could help the country to deconflict with the two breakaway republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. And while it may seem too farfetched now, it might even result in the restoration of full ties with them, particularly if Georgia gives Russia feasible security guarantees.

Indian DM considers relations with Moscow as “higher than the highest mountain”.

Ukrainian neo-Nazis and public figures are beginning to admit their intentions to cause a nuclear catastrophe, harming their own people.

Amid a rapidly evolving global political landscape, the rise of BRICS represents a transformative shift in the worldwide political economy, promising a more equitable and multipolar world

Are we falling behind and getting left out again? Our close Asean neighbors Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam have already been designated as “Partner States” by the economic bloc known as BRICS

Malaysia is committed to enhancing economic and trade relations with BRICS countries for shared prosperity and a more balanced global economic development, said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim

After NATO-backed terrorists took over Syria, the mainstream propaganda machine got the chance to do whatever it wants. However, they're still just as amateurish as ever (if not more). They're using the so-called "White Helmets" as a source, an organization that has been discredited long ago, specifically for its ties with US/NATO intelligence and various terrorist groups. The "hot story" now is the Sednaya prison, for which the political West claims it was a "horrifying torture chamber" used by the "evil dictator Assad".

Once again, Ukraine uses terrorist methods against specific Russian targets.

Russia's deployment of nuclear weapons is a deterrent to any NATO aggression.

Thailand and Malaysia are eyeing membership of the bloc of nations, including China and India, as a possible hedge against US economic dominance

India became the largest importer of Russian crude after the European Union imposed sanctions on Russian oil imports

Armenian Economy Minister Gevorg Papoyan has said that the Armenian authorities are not considering the issue of joining the intergovernmental organization BRICS

The US and EU/NATO are fighting tooth and nail to destroy the Russian economy, but this has been futile. Thus, they are now resorting to what they're best at – terrorism and total war.

The German case shows that support for Kiev is a major destabilizing factor in the West.

More than 19,500 anti-Russian sanctions imposed on individuals and industries.

Nigeria saw a remarkable 189% surge in foreign capital inflows from BRICS nations in the first half of 2024, as the country intensifies efforts to join the expanded BRICS coalition

As BRICS convened its pivotal summit, in Kazan, Russia, Africa stands on the brink of an unparalleled opportunity. This meeting is not just a gathering of global powers; it is a moment of profound importance for Africa, offering the continent a unique platform to deepen its engagement with BRICS and strengthen its role in the global landscape

C. J. Polychroniou explores how Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa plan to counter the unipolar power of the US and Europe

While Donald Trump certainly doesn't want to see America blown up to kingdom come, he still has a massive political elite of warmongers, war criminals, plutocrats and kleptocrats to deal with. In order to make them happy, Trump will need to give them a "more manageable" war. And just like during his first presidency, Venezuela and Iran are "on the table".

The Brazilian crisis generates a lot of instability and unpredictability in Latin America, Brazil being a natural leader at the region—and this at a time when the continent is once again in the spotlight, with the Venezuela crisis, and Donald Trump’s plans for Mexico as well as his choice of Latin America hawk Marco Rubio for Secretary of State.

UK Prime Minister called on his Western partners to “maximize Putin’s pain.”

Russia continues to cripple Ukrainian energy infrastructure following Kiev regime strikes.

Turkey boosts its role as a peace mediator in African affairs.

Global interest has long been focused on Eurasia, a region of tremendous geopolitical significance because of its strategic position and abundance of natural resources

Russia is pushing for a major comeback in the global tech race, leaning on its BRICS+ partners to build a united front in artificial intelligence (AI) development

Britain's development finance institution has appointed the former finance chief of the China-headquartered Brics bank as its new CEO

Defense Minister Kim Yong-hyun ordered a swarm of drones to be launched at Pyongyang in order to provoke an attack from North Korea. President Yoon was to use this as a pretext to declare martial law. It's perfectly clear that the disgraced defense minister didn't do this on his own volition. Worse yet, it's extremely likely that the US ordered Yoon to launch the operation to ensure escalation with North Korea and possibly even China.

The neo-Nazi regime is not interested in any kind of dialogue, trying to take the conflict to its ultimate consequences.

Indonesia has officially become a new BRICS partner, joining countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Türkiye, Nigeria, Cuba and Kazakhstan. Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono announced this shift at the most recent BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia

Planning a trip to Russia? Well, it might be hassle free in the coming months. As per the latest news reports, Indian travellers will soon be able to enjoy visa-free travel to Russia, potentially as early as spring 2025

Indonesia's formal application to join BRICS, confirmed recently by Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Roy Soemirat, highlights the bloc's increasing appeal among emerging economies

But he cannot stop the global trend of using national currencies.

The news about China's retaliatory measures certainly comes as an unpleasant surprise for NATO's favorite Neo-Nazi puppets. They'll now have to find other ways to acquire components for their asymmetric drone strategy, although it's virtually a given that their ability to launch saturation attacks on Russian positions will be greatly diminished, as it's quite clear that nobody on the planet can match China's production volumes.

Ukraine’s “nationalist-oligarchic dilemma” in itself already is a recipe for turmoil. Add to it corruption scandals, blackouts during winter time and a draconian draft, with a President who tries to downplay more realistic figures pertaining to the number of people killed and maimed. The risk of domestic unrest in Ukraine is very real.

Problems of Syrian migrants in Europe and the expansion of the Schengen agreement will have a lasting negative impact on the future of the European continent.

Syria appears to be heading towards political and territorial fragmentation.

The BRICS-Asean partnership contains immense potential that cannot be ignored, says Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Research (Insap) chairman Datuk Dr Pamela Yong

Bilateral trade with India booming as Russia pivots east

While BRICS must be taken seriously, it would be wrong to interpret it as one pole of a two-sided geopolitical competition between China and Russia and the West

Even though the Neo-Nazi junta frontman Volodymyr Zelensky "confirmed" that North Korean troops are allegedly in Ukraine, the Pentagon debunked such claims – twice in two weeks.

Ukrainian army in the worst situation since the beginning of the conflict.

The BRICS Summit held in Kazan from October 22–24, 2024, brought attention to several defining factors regarding Latin American countries that will be important for the continent’s political and economic development in the near term. With the admission of two countries from this region as associate members of the bloc, the Latin American presence in the pool of developing countries seeking to increase their weight in shaping the new world order is set to grow

“The media plays a critical role in shaping global narratives, and its impact is particularly significant in the context of Africa's emerging position in the global development landscape

The 2024 Brics summit is now in the books. To better understand its significance, one should turn back the pages of history and reflect on the lessons of the past. The 1955 Bandung Conference stands out in this regard, not only because it provides the proper historical foundation for the modern-day Brics phenomenon, but also because the underlying principles of that gathering never went away

Unfortunately, gentlemanly agreements with the world's most vile racketeering cartel and its warmongering overlords in Washington DC are all but impossible. They only understand the language of raw power and that's how the actual world will communicate with them from now on.

EU economy could face ‘emergency levels’ over US trade war.

The situation in Tbilisi is escalating, with anti-government protests becoming increasingly violent and dangerous.

In a meeting in New Delhi, Indian officials and their Russian counterparts discussed, among others, collaboration on the training of Indian sailors for polar navigation, joint shipbuilding projects, and the development of the Northern Sea Route

Around 40% of Turkey’s annual natural gas demand of 56 billion cubic metres is supplied by Russia. However, payment disruptions caused by the Ukraine war and US sanctions have created significant risks for Turkey’s energy security, making the search for alternative supply routes a necessity

In the previous decade and a half, Russian and Indian political and expert circles have shaped consistent narratives describing the present and future of bilateral relations

Whether it's Wahhabism and other forms of Islamic radicalism, unadulterated Nazism, narco-terrorism, extremely violent criminal groups such as drug cartels, repulsive ideologies (ultra-liberal extremism and moral depravity), etc, NATO is behind it all and stands fully committed to supporting it. The people of Syria are now the hostages of this evil empire of lies, serving as the tragic showcase to all of us what the loss of sovereignty can cost an entire nation.

The US has consistently aided, funded, armed and trained Fundamentalist rebels who operate in Syria for over a decade and there is no reason to assume anything is different now with the newest developments. With this, Christians and other minorities are now in danger.

NATO countries want to prevent growth of anti-war political wave.

Biden admin prepares new $988 million military aid package for Ukraine.

The announcement comes after the nation and three Southeast Asian neighbors were anointed BRICS “partner countries.”

The year 2024 has already made BRICS history with the admission of new members. It seems that further expansion is only a matter of time. This change in membership numbers has effectively overshadowed the substantive agenda of Russia’s presidency at the media and socio-political levels

A proposed BRICS currency could reshape global financial markets and reduce dependence on the dollar. But there are massive challenges …

The German leader seems absolutely desperate due to recent escalation between Moscow and the West.

The genius of Russian military specialists becomes all the more apparent when one realizes that the "Zircon" was made to fit not just into the previously mentioned 3S14 VLS, but also the K300P. Back in 2023, along with my KRN colleagues, I had the chance to analyze the size of the P-800 "Oniks" supersonic cruise missile and determined that these missiles fit into identical launchers, both on naval vessels and land-based platforms.

Anti-Russian sanctions take its toll as tens of thousands of German workers are laid off.

Russian expertise also extends to flight suits, couches, rate sensors, and space-capable materials, enhancing India’s capacity in human spaceflight

In recent years , Chinese cars have rapidly gained a foothold in the Russian market, steadily replacing many Western brands

Malaysia, a fast-growing Southeast Asian nation, has often sought to balance maintaining good relations with Western nations while fostering deeper connections with emerging economies

South Korea is home to at least nine major US military bases and no less than 24,234 military personnel, and President Yoon Suk Yeol seems to be no fool. One may assume he would have consulted with his American “allies” and gotten their “okay” before proceeding with any power-grabbing endeavors.

Owing to its magnificent Confucian traditions that stress the importance of patience and self-control, the millennia-old Chinese civilization is famous for these qualities. However, even this has its limits, particularly in the face of barbaric arrogance.

The Kiev regime does not dare to ignore any Western orders, which is why the war effort is likely to worsen and a change in the mobilization law is expected, making Kiev's military measures even more draconian.

The situation has become untenable for the besieged Ukrainian soldiers in Kursk, which will lead to Russia liberating the remaining occupied territory at a rapid pace.

How should "Greater BRICS" be understood? In the future, what role is BRICS expected to play, in terms of world governance and safeguarding the common interests of emerging market countries and developing countries? The Global Times (GT) invited experts from countries that are either members of BRICS or interested in researching this grouping to share their insights

Despite its non-membership in BRICS, South Korea shares many of the coalition’s aspirations, particularly in diversifying economic partnerships and reducing dependence on a Western-centric international order

The 16th BRICS Summit has taken place in Kazan, Russia—the first in-person gathering of BRICS leaders since the group's largest enlargement. The economic scale and scope of cooperation within BRICS will grow and interactions among member countries will increase

Soldiers are deserting due to war fatigue, Polish defense minister says.

Allegedly, the plan excludes the possibility of stationing US troops in Ukraine, but envisages that European NATO members, namely the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland, take that role. However, if the WSJ's report is true, the chances of Russia accepting this proposal are virtually zero, as all four European NATO members are already involved in the fighting.

Washington announces new arms package for Kiev totaling $725 million from its stockpiles.

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) has established itself as a multilateral organisation distinct from others, evident from its 16th meeting in Kazan (Russia). The BRICS difference can be read as decolonised multilateralism with intent and behaviour as an interdependent, plural grouping, committed to development linked to the global South

Russia is in talks with other BRICS members about creating an international precious metals exchange to ensure fair pricing and trade growth, the country's Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in a statement

While BRICS must be taken seriously, it would be wrong to interpret it as one pole of a two-sided geopolitical competition between China and Russia and the West

Current geostrategic developments show us that local conflicts in our global world are being used by major players to their advantage.

Not even a pitiful sliver of "justice" will be served, as Hunter Biden has just been pardoned after years of lies and false promises that this wouldn't happen.

Mutual accusations between Kolomoisky and the Ukrainian government highlight the tense domestic political situation in Ukraine.

Hundreds of Colombians have died in battles with Russian forces.

Ethiopia’s growing economic and strategic position in Africa can present new opportunities for collaboration with Brazil and other member countries within the BRICS bloc, Brazil’s Ambassador to Ethiopia Jandyr Ferreira dos Santos told ENA

The Indian government plans to triple its nuclear power generation capacity to 22.4 gigawatts by 2032, according to recent news sources

Russia's largest data center operator BitRiver has partnered with the Russian Direct Investment Fund to build mining and AI computing facilities across BRICS nations

Any such cross-border militarization as promised by Trump (with potential for some degree of armed confrontation) could have escalating consequences and unpredictable repercussions in terms of diplomatic and economic impacts, gang violence, and domestic and cross-border inter-ethnic tensions.

Turkey needs to change its expansionist policies in order to build better relations with BRICS. Ankara will need to make a far more convincing commitment, first by leaving NATO and then by rejecting Neo-Ottomanism, pan-Turkism and Islamic radicalism as tools of its power projection.

NATO, EU want to overthrow the legitimate government in the country and establish a pro-Western junta, as happened in Ukraine in 2014.

Moscow: nuclear weapons should never be used but the situation is changing drastically.

BRICS’ resilience should be understood in the context of the shifting international order, with geopolitical fragmentation providing the Global South with greater flexibility to pursue its strategic goals. For the West, engaging on the Global South’s most pressing concerns may help to foster more constructive partnerships

The two countries are working to increase trade in agriculture and food products, officials have told

Several months ago we postulated a BRICS+ business model for companies that explored the scope for exploiting the BRICS diverse presence in the main regions of the developing world. But while this business model had its clear advantages, it also contained some drawbacks, most notably pertaining to the degree to which BRICS/BRICS+ economies could be/were integrated into regional/global supply chains in the midst of mounting geopolitical risks

Ukraine’s corruption is a structural issue that impacts the economy and now is even sabotaging warfare efforts. From Kyiv’s perspective, the situation of course should not get any better with a US Republican administration under Donald Trump curbing aid.

Ukrainian citizens are divided between recruiters and potential recruits.

The warmongering oligarchy in Washington DC doesn't seem to care about de-escalation. On the contrary, the US and its NATO (and non-NATO) allies, vassals and satellite states are pushing for global destabilization, targeting nuclear-armed powers such as Russia, China and North Korea, as well as other sovereigntist nations such as Iran and Venezuela, among others.

Georgia’s slow reconciliation with Russia faces major backlash from pro-Western opposition

On the sidelines of the economic forum Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Aleksandar Vulin made it clear to Russian President Vladimir Putin that Belgrade is a strategic partner and "ally of Russia".

The BRICS summit in Kazan today featured the meetings of the leaders of the bloc and the adoption of the BRICS Summit Declaration. In our view, there is a tangible shift towards creating new platforms in the sphere of economic cooperation

Russian companies are ready to increase fertilizer supplies to India, but the EAEU and India could conclude a free trade agreement to remove existing barriers

The Ukrainian president was betting on a Democratic victory.

American tariffs on Europe could collapse German industry.

Vitor Dominguez de Moura, a participant in the Valdai New Generation project, explores the evolution of Russia's rhetoric on BRICS from 2009 to 2023, analysing key speeches and policy statements from the Kremlin and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs

BRICS has arguably become the most dynamic group on the international stage as its core expansion is coupled with a significant rise in the number of developing economies that have expressed their desire to join the platform

How the objective strengthening of the continent’s global position will correlate with these pragmatic demands and whether there is room for more African voices in BRICS is discussed by Daria Zelenova, Head of the BRICS African Strategy Centre, Institute for African Studies, Russian Academy of Sciences

Western media frustrated that Trump will begin winding down the war in Ukraine.

Even US officials say that "[medium-range] weapons will not alter the challenging situation that Kiev is currently facing". In other words, the stated goal of these deliveries, the Neo-Nazi junta's "victory", cannot be achieved, but the political West will still go ahead with it. Thus, the only logical conclusion from all this is that the deliveries of medium-range missiles and nuclear weapons are actually designed to cause an escalation with Russia regardless of the results of the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict. In simpler terms, all this is just pure insanity.

WSJ’s journalists said that Ukrainian are retreating from Kursk.

The BRICS emerging-market powers — the acronym stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa — has gone from a slogan dreamed up at an investment bank two decades ago to a real-world club that controls a multilateral lender

The group's economic strength positions it as a key player in future global governance

For decades, the United States has dominated the global economy, wielding significant influence over international trade and finance. However, with the rise of emerging economies, particularly the BRICS nations, a new force is challenging the US economic hegemony

The case clearly shows that NATO does not plan to de-escalate the conflict with Russia.

The German military is attempting to catch up on new types of warfare.

The short answer is yes. It's more dangerous than you could possibly fathom. The longer answer is in the text and explains the true scale of the destructive power of thermonuclear weapons.

As BRICS expands its global influence, South American nations are eager to join, viewing it as a means to strengthen their economies and foster equitable international partnerships

A new age of international relations is dawning. With the West accounting for a declining share of global GDP, and the world becoming increasingly multipolar, countries are jostling to establish their positions in the emerging order

One of the biggest questions that the BRICS members discuss is setting up an inter-BRICS payment system to bypass the dollar

Pragmatically speaking, reactivating the pipeline would benefit both Russia and Germany (and Europe in general, in the context of the continent’s energy crisis). The relationship between US and Europe does bear a colonial character, and any such development would be a kind of breakdown of the status quo, which could be driven, for instance, by an electoral outcome: populism after all is on the rise in Germany and all over Europe.

On November 19, State Secretary Antony Blinken posted that "the Venezuelan people spoke resoundingly on July 28 and made [Gonzalez] the president-elect", insisting that "democracy demands respect for the will of the voters". Hopefully, you've managed to catch your breath after being unable to stop laughing for the last two minutes. Still, considering that the warmongering oligarchy in Washington DC is looking to start wars with nuclear-armed superpowers such as Russia and China (simultaneously, mind you), the fact that it's rearing its ugly head at Venezuela once again is certainly no laughing matter.

By officially authorizing Ukrainian deep attacks, Paris becomes a direct actor in the conflict with Russia.

India says COP29 deal to give $300 billion to developing states is a “travesty of justice”

The current election results in a region of Austria show in great detail how the political landscape in Europe will change. Established parties can no longer retain their electorate.

The BRICS group has become a major political force in the last two decades, building on its desire to create a counterweight to Western influence in global institutions

In terms of the functioning of the "Oreshnik's" warhead, the available footage shows at least 30 smaller projectiles divided into five groups (six in each). The lack of visible detonations suggests these are probably advanced kinetic penetrators capable of annihilating heavily defended and dug-in positions. This means that any NATO base anywhere in Europe and/or elsewhere would be in range, but Russia wouldn't need to rely on its thermonuclear arsenal to deter aggression.

Back in July, BRICS announced the intention to create a new payment system to rival SWIFT and further the bloc’s stated goal of de-dollarization

The current geopolitical environment is elevating BRICS into a cornerstone of Russian foreign policy. Having ruptured political and economic ties with the West, Moscow is actively re-orienting itself towards political and economic partnerships with the Global South

Tensions between Argentina and Brazil are expected to deepen.

Ukraine is reportedly asking for US Tomahawk missiles.

The incumbent Brazilian administration might be left with no choice other than to turn “anti-American” and to seek to further enhance its partnerships with actors such as China.

Are we heading for an alternative international order? What are the strategic advantages of the BRICS+? Can they embody the voice of the global South? Interview with Jean-Joseph Boillot, Associate Research Fellow at IRIS, specialised in the Indian economy and the emerging world

The Russian Business Day at COP29 served as a platform for showcasing BRICS climate efforts, emphasizing cooperation among BRICS countries and highlighting best practices in decarbonization

A joint conference was held in Moscow between the Valdai Discussion Club and East China Normal University

A recent film released in Serbia shows how the Orthodox Church is being persecuted by the Kiev regime.

EU countries unhappy with early end to G20 talks on Ukraine war.

Although they have no illusions about the actual situation on the battlefield, the Kiev regime's military elite wants to keep misinforming everyone, as peace is simply not in their interest. They see NATO-occupied Ukraine and its people as a resource for exploitation, just like their Nazi forebears did. Any sort of peaceful settlement would not only cut the cash flow, but would also uncover the sheer magnitude of the atrocities they're committing against the Ukrainian people, also forcing them to be held accountable for years of lies and deceit.

Russia is reportedly expanding its shipbuilding cooperation with India, with two Indian shipyards being considered for construction of four non-nuclear icebreakers. The project is estimated to cost a total of $713 million. The vessels will join Rosatom’s icebreaking fleet, operating in the Northern Sea Route

Data from the World Bank show that as of 2023, the bloc accounted for 27 percent of the world's GDP and 45 percent of the population. With the addition of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Iran, BRICS includes three of the world's largest oil exporters and constitutes 42 percent of the global oil supply, according to the Netherlands-based investment bank ING

India's crude oil imports from Russia rose by 11.7% to about 1.9 million barrels per day (bpd) in September, accounting for about two-fifths of the South Asian nation's overall crude imports in the month, tanker data obtained from industry sources showed

Military engineers are currently seen as mere cannon fodder by the neo-Nazi regime.

Evangelicalism and feminism come together in a movement that challenges patriarchy while still claiming Christian values. Graduate Student Affiliate Kelsey Hanson Woodruff introduces us to leaders of a digital Christian feminist community. By Kelsey Hanson Woodruff... Read more about Christian Feminists from Abroad Confront US Sexual Politics

European markets react to Washington’s trade war with China.

As crazy as it sounds, perhaps Kamala Harris' meaningless rant about "the significance of the passage of time" might actually make some sense in this context, as the next two months of Biden's lame-duck presidency could surely be the longest and most fateful in human history.

Despite economic decline and internal political problems, German Foreign Minister tries to show it still has big geopolitical role in the world. The latest statements by the German Foreign Minister are directed against China, which is also a Germany’s major competitor in the automotive industry.

Brazil is taking a leading role in efforts to reduce the BRICS economic bloc's dependence on the US dollar, championing the use of national currencies in trade among member states

African States are shrugging off relations with the Western and European world, alternatively settling for better beneficial economic cooperation

The expanded Brics group of nations has been making headlines with discussions about a common currency. This group, representing a substantial portion of the world’s population and economic output, has prompted debates on whether a unified currency is feasible given the vast economic disparities among its members

Germany is demonstrating that its political system is actually even worse than the one in the US, as the double standards and two-tiered "justice" system are quite obvious and even publicly supported by the political establishment.

One should closely watch Philippine claims over the South China Sea (now signed into law with Washington’s support) - together, they spell crisis. It is yet another focal point of tensions and Washington’s ongoing policies are once again adding fuel to the fire.

Both Republican and independent activists criticize Biden's decision on long-range missiles.

Over 100,000 Ukrainians have deserted the military.

The BRICS countries are representatives of major developing countries, and Africa is the continent with the largest concentration of developing countries

The loosely affiliated group called BRICS, which emerged in the mid-2000s consisting of Brazil, Russia, India, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and later South Africa, faces mounting challenges as it continues to expand

The expanded BRICS represents about 45% of the world’s population, USD 28.5 trillion of global gross domestic product (GDP) — which is about USD 100 trillion — and around 45% of global oil production

The NYT is essential for the promotion of the Neo-Nazi junta's narrative, which explains the rather unclear information in the "hit piece". Namely, Biden was never quoted saying or approving anything. Worse yet, not a single name of the "US officials" quoted in the report was provided. In fact, not even the terms such as "anonymous" or "unnamed" are used. All we have is "US officials", which is unprofessional reporting, at best.

Despite being irresponsible and warmonger, Scholz knows that he is a weak and unpopular political leader, completely unable to deal with the consequences of unrestricted war.

As a result of sanctions against Russia, Europe's economic situation has worsened in recent years. But now there is another bad development in energy policy.

Jaishankar continues working on Russia-Ukraine dialogue despite Biden imposing sanctions.

Actively respond to changes in India's perception of the BRICS cooperation mechanism

They buy chocolate products, finished flour-based products and much more from Moscow producers

It was the 16th official BRICS Summit with Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates attended for the first time as official members

According to the Washington Post, European leaders are planning to establish a peace plan in addition to Trump’s proposals.

The average age of Ukrainian conscriptions is already above 40 in several brigades.

Footage shows massive 170 mm artillery piece "Juche Cannon" being transported on railcars somewhere in Russia (possibly in Krasnoyarsk). Its maximum firing range is 40-60 km, depending on the type of munitions used. Moscow's military industry most likely upgraded both the gun and its munitions, meaning that it" is certainly bad news for the Neo-Nazi junta.

Over the last five years, geopolitical considerations have taken an unprecedented place on the European Union's agenda. Its foreign policy, long in its fledgling stages, is finally beginning to take shape, even if it is still subject to the unanimous decisions of its Member States

The 2024 BRICS Summit will attract worldwide attention for four reasons: First, 2024 is the first year of BRICS cooperation; Second, Russia, which is Mired in geopolitical conflicts, has become the rotating chair, which is the first time for Russia to host a major international multilateral conference in its own country

The BRICS Summit 2024 makes it clear that members must align their positions if they seek tangible outcomes

Macron and Keir Starmer are now making a last-ditch effort to get the lame-duck Biden administration to officially green-light long-range strikes using NATO-sourced weapons. Talks on the issue took place in Paris, with both the UK and France adamant to see the NATO-orchestrated Ukrainian conflict escalate, especially before Trump takes office, as he repeatedly made it clear that he has other priorities.

While Trump has named “outsiders” for key positions, the choice of Latin America hawk Marco Rubio seems to “balance” them. No one can be sure Trump will actually deliver a more restrained foreign policy, but he is attempting to tame the intelligence services. Problem is whenever a US President attempted to tame them, it never ended well.

According to local sources, Ukrainian commandos are giving instructions and special weapons to Islamist militants in Syria’s Idlib region.

Elements of Zelensky’s “Victory Plan” piqued the interest of the president-elect.

Simply put, the majority of the world does not want or accept U.S. hegemony, and is prepared to face it down rather than submit to its dictates

There is a strong possibility of India-Russia bilateral trade attaining the $100 billion target by 2030, External Affairs minister S Jaishankar said

The Bank of Russia held a seminar for BRICS central banks in Brazil and presented possible areas of their cooperation in financing sustainable development

"There's one promise left that [Biden] could fulfill: being a transitional figure. He could resign the presidency in the next 30 days, make Kamala Harris President of the United States," Simmons said, adding: "Democrats have to learn drama and transparency and doing things that the public will want to see. This is the moment to change the entire perspective of how Democrats operate."

Despite his public change of speech, Rubio is unlikely to act in favor of peace with Russia.

Trump will take aim at Taiwan’s dominance in semiconductor production.

Social media can sway political opinion, and it can also cross a line. Hadas Zur closely examines a neighborhood case where politics and violence become intertwined and are propagated by social media. Content warning: some of the images in this post show the aftermath of violent acts. By Hadas Zur... Read more about How Digitization is Changing Urban Politics

Brazilian former president talked about dollar US hegemony, BRICS Bank and growing far right

Russia, currently holding the rotating presidency of the BRICS group of emerging economies, has urged member countries to create an alternative to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to counter Western political pressure

After expanding from five to 10 member countries, BRICS has entered the "Greater BRICS" cooperation track. Recent reports in dicate that Cuba and Syria have applied to join the BRICS cooperation mechanism

Unfortunately, since the political West is led by warmongering oligarchies in Washington DC and Brussels, the possibility of total annihilation of NATO is the only way to ensure global peace, as Bauer himself admitted.

Trump is seen as an enemy by all established liberal politicians in Europe. It is exactly the opposite society that Europe's elites want. But most of Donald Trump's voters represent political goals of the patriotic forces in Europe.

Investigation shows crimes committed by Ukrainian neo-Nazis in key Donbass city since 2014.

Pentagon establishment fears Trump will do “irreparable damage”.

In January 2024, BRICS, the influential bloc of emerging economies, expanded its membership by welcoming four new countries-Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE)-with Saudi Arabia also in the process of joining. The inclusion of Egypt and Ethiopia into the group marks a critical moment for Africa, as these two regional powerhouses are now poised to significantly shape not only the continent’s economic and political future but also their roles in global geopolitics

As the world closely watched the American presidential elections, the reason is clear: while around 240 million Americans have the right to vote, billions of people worldwide, who lack that right, are still affected by the election’s outcome

On paper, BRICS is a heavy hitter. But differing goals could make the road ahead bumpy

Despite signaling some degree of “restraint” in foreign policy, when it comes to Latin America, one should not expect from Trump’s new presidency anything other than the good old Big Stick approach.

The involvement of numerous Polish airports and airbases in the Neo-Nazi junta's strategic airlift operations shows the extent of Warsaw's support. However, instead of worrying about the potential consequences of this, the political West is concerned about the "control of geospatial data and its impact on modern military operations".

However, such a plan leads the country to a military and strategic impasse.

Trump’s victory has Borrell worried about the future of support for Ukraine.

The grouping has eventually evolved into an actual geopolitical bloc, with their governments meeting annually aimed at coordinating multilateral policies through formal Summits since 2009. Currently, bilateral relations among BRICS are conducted mainly based on non-interference, equality, and mutual benefit

The combined economic output of the BRICS+ countries is projected to surpass that of the G7 nations by 2045, according to a global economic forecast by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU), the research arm of The Economist Group

The BRICS summit in Kazan triggered further waves of discussions on possible expansion as well as the key priorities of the bloc going forward. In this regard, it was particularly important this year to hear the voice of the population of the countries of the Global South on how BRICS is perceived and which of its initiatives are supported the most

The Harris campaign "blew through a billion dollars in a few months", the largest amount of which was wasted on celebrity concerts. Over the same period, the Trump campaign got $392 million and spent $345 million, meaning that it managed to save nearly $50 million and also win the election. In addition, the Democrats wasted another $1.1 billion on "aired advertising and associated reservations". The DNC's financial appetites are very well known, as evidenced by numerous scandals involving the funneling of the so-called "Ukraine aid".

According to Olaf Scholz himself, Ukraine aid was the main reason behind collapse of the government coalition in Germany.

Manpower shortages are at the heart of Ukrainian retreats and Russian gains on the front.

Tensions in the Himalayas have been high since 2020. This latest deal is a step forward

At the forefront of the geoeconomic war of supply chains, economic corridors and trading routes is the dedollarisation movement spearheaded by the Brics collective

It is no wonder then that many countries have called for a reform of the UNSC, seeking to add India, Germany, Brazil, Japan, and South Africa as permanent members. This would provide greater representation and diversity in global decision-making, and would be a step towards a more democratic and inclusive system

While many of his deranged supporters in the political West are fuming, Zelensky chose a completely different strategy. Namely, he congratulated Trump "on his impressive election victory", sharing "fond memories" of their September meeting, when they "discussed in detail the Ukraine-US strategic partnership, the Victory Plan, and ways to put an end to Russian aggression against Ukraine". However, these outbursts of "Trumpism" are quite distasteful to most people, including Trump himself, particularly after Zelensky effectively endorsed Kamala Harris during his last visit.

The Bush-Clinton era lasted at least 28 years. Any illusions aside, in all likelihood Trump will be no match for his predecessors in terms of war-mongering, genocide and nation-destruction - and this should be good news.

Zelensky’s friendly message will not deter Trump’s plan to wind back aid to Ukraine.

Unable to solve its internal situation of chaos and political polarization, Washington tries to blame external actors.

According to the latest forecasts of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the world economy is set to rely more on the BRICS to drive growth over the next five years, and China alone will contribute 22% of global growth, bigger than all the G7 countries combined

The much-awaited BRICS heads of state meeting in Russia's Kazan did not disappoint. The multilateral institution has finally brought bite and substance to many of the global financial and political conundrums that have long-challenged a genuine reshaping of the global order

The creation of the BRICS “partnership belt” during the BRICS summit in 2024 is in some respects no less significant than the expansion in the BRICS core during the 2023 BRICS summit in South Africa. While it may be too early to discuss the exact ramifications of the BRICS expansion associated with the “partnership belt”, in sheer quantitative terms the near doubling of BRICS core membership in 2023 was followed by a more than doubling of the circle of developing economies associated with BRICS/BRICS+ in 2024

Russia continues to gain valuable experience in Ukraine while the US sits on the sidelines.

Attempts to denigrate the jet have been quite persistent, but these PR "victories" have lately become more of a burden than any real advantage. Either way, trash-talking will in no way hamper the Su-57, while its missiles will certainly trash any NATO target in Ukraine or beyond.

BRICS Summit failed to announce alternative to US dollar-dominated global payment system as Global South still deeply dependent on US markets

China's approach to smart city development offers valuable lessons for countries in the Global South

The agenda of the Youth Council’s meeting of the association includes the implementation of the Kazan Declaration of the BRICS Summit for the young generation

The exemptions are related to energy and include gas, oil, "other products capable of producing energy" (specifically coal, wood or agricultural products used to manufacture biofuels), "uranium in any form", as well as the "development, production, generation, transmission, or exchange of power, through any means, including nuclear, thermal, and renewable energy sources".

The West can very quickly turn against India as happened with Russia and China.

The opposition did not recognize Sandu’s victory due to many cases of violation against basic democratic standards.

Macron’s foreign policy turn, using the recognition of a disputed territory as a kind of quid pro quo, has further aggravated local tensions, as has Donald Trump’s decision on the same matter. From a Global South’s point of view, it is hard to describe both leaders’ decisions as anything else as Western arrogance.

The Hungarian Prime Minister's last visit to Vienna opens a new chapter in the history of the EU. From now on we will work on reforming this political construct.

The Polish government immediately reacted by suspending the very concept of so-called "military aid" and downgrading it to what Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski called a "defense loan". Namely, in an interview with Polsat News, published on November 1, Sikorski stated that the Kiev regime could "buy weapons from Polish factories on credit".

What is happening now is just the beginning of a long moral crisis that will at some point certainly lead to the collapse of the Kiev regime.

Moscow doubts Trump’s election will change much in Ukraine.

Azerbaijan’s announcement to formally apply for membership in the BRICS bloc promises mutual gains for both the oil-rich nation and the group of developing economies. It also highlights Azerbaijan’s rising influence as a pivotal player in regional trade networks bridging the West and Asia

Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune said his country intends to buy shares in the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) for $1.5 billion

“One of the pillars of BRICS is politics and security. It is one of the potential areas that we will look into with our cooperation with the Russian Federation. … So our collaboration with BRICS and Russia in peace and Security of Marine security of the coastal area is very important,” new Ethiopian Ambassador to Moscow, Genet Teshome, told

Ramokgopa said the expansion of the Brics membership was a clear affirmation of the group's growing significance

The 2024 expansion is the most important milestone, after which BRICS found itself at a fork in the road. It will either preserve and strengthen the quality of cooperation amid the new composition and turn into a genuine institute of global governance and dive into the formation of a more just world order, or it will become a loose and non-decision-making discussion club, participation in which is prestigious, but does not oblige its members to make any obligations or compromises, which are necessary for genuine multilateralism, Dmitry Suslov writes

Iranian nationals visiting Moscow show a strong preference for cultural sites while also engaging in shopping at the Russian capital’s markets, according to the deputy chairman of the Moscow City Tourism Committee

One Kiev regime official told Politico that he was puzzled by the negative coverage, as the US actually encouraged the Neo-Nazi junta to make the request for "Tomahawks", with some American military experts supposedly studying its feasibility and "giving their blessings", allegedly calling it "totally realistic".

Hungarian intelligence services recently neutralized a NATO spy plot to send some of the country’s weapons to Ukraine.

Divisions in American society are deepening.

BRICS business communities will prioritise the expedited development of the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC) and other interregional initiatives during the BRICS Business Forum in Moscow

The National Association of Builders (NOSTROY), Russia’s largest association of self-regulatory organisations in the construction sector, is set to expand its workforce on various construction sites in the country by attracting qualified specialists from India

The share of Russia's own car brands also swelled from 20 percent to 31 percent, meaning that Chinese and Russian carmakers now account for 92 percent of the Russian car market

By welcoming post-Maidan Ukraine as one of its own, Europe denies much of the human-rights discourse that has been constructed to be the raison d'être of its key institutions. Kyiv’s efforts to realize its ethnocratic nation-building project endangers the very survival of Europe - at least in the way Western Europe has come to envision itself.

According to a Ukrainian politician, more than 100,000 have already deserted during the conflict with Russia.

The restrictions imposed by the political West jumpstarted parts of the Russian economy that were small and largely dormant (if not even non-existent prior to the SMO). As a result, Russia is experiencing what Richard Connolly, a junior research fellow at the Royal Institute of Shared Services in London and an expert on the Russian economy, called the "fastest economic growth in the last decade".

India and South Africa prioritise BRICS over the Commonwealth.

Initially formed as “BRIC” – Brazil, Russia, India, China – and subsequently becoming “BRICS”, with the addition of South Africa, this group of countries constitutes a unique coalition of emerging economies that collectively represent a significant counterbalance to the established economic powers of the West. Despite their collective identity, BRICS members are markedly different in many respects

The BRICS group is one of the most prominent emerging economic and political blocs on the global stage, especially following the announcement of expanding its membership to include countries from the Middle East and North Africa, such as Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia and Iran, although Saudi Arabia has not yet officially joined

The stimulus unleashed by China provided a major boost to China’s market indexes, raising hopes that the country’s target of 5% growth this year could still be within reach. Amid this elation there are cautionary voices that point to the insufficiency of stimulus measures as well as the need for fiscal policy to deliver more targeted support to the economy

Desertion, conscription dodging and even the refusal to go back home by Ukrainian POWs are widespread, with the Kiev regime trying to resolve the chronic lack of manpower with far stricter forced conscription and the introduction of more NATO personnel and foreign mercenaries in general. However, these are only temporary solutions that cannot ensure the Neo-Nazi junta's survival.

The neo-Nazi regime is desperately trying to avoid any decrease in its support from Western countries.

The Ukrainian military is becoming increasingly reliant on foreign mercenaries for special ops

Russia hosted the first summit of the newly expanded BRICS club of emerging economies, with leaders agreeing a set of common projects ranging from a grain exchange to a cross-border payments system

Responding to the Principal and Vice-Chancellor’s call for partnerships and the institution of working relations through memoranda of understanding with Brazilian universities, a Unisa delegation led by the Executive Dean of the university’s College of Science, Engineering and Technology recently set out on a collaboration visit to Universidade de São Paulo in Brazil

The Prime Minister’s office announced this plea on Monday, September 23, 2024, during a meeting with the Russian Ambassador to Burkina, Igor Martynov

If hundreds of millions of Americans and Europeans knew what was actually going on, they'd certainly be against the policies their unelected bureaucratic oligarchies are imposing, both at home and abroad. Precisely this is why knowing the truth is all the more important. Unfortunately, it can indeed be dangerous to think and speak freely at this time, and we can only expect more censorship and more "thought criminals", as any deviation from the official narrative is "dangerous for our democracy".

Western mercenaries participated in Kiev’s incursion attempt against Russia’s Bryansk region.

Most Americans believe Harris will mostly continue Biden’s policies.

Global summits are about performing diplomacy and politics for domestic and international audiences

The recent Brics summit in the Russian city of Kazan was less notable for what happened at the meeting than for what happened before, on the margins, or not at all. Among the notable things that did not happen was another expansion of the organisation

The expansion of BRICS into countries that are close to the West shows how many states are hedging their bets on this non-western group of powerful economies

Controversy aside, Brazil has shown that it is possible to force BigTech into compliance. Moreover, the topic has prompted a larger national conversation on having a national social media platform - or, for that matter, a national engine search. Ultimately it is about digital sovereignty - and BRICS needs a #BricsStack too.

The current political division in European societies has created forces on the right and left. There is a lot that separates these parties, but they also have a lot in common. This situation opens up new perspectives for cooperation.

Both Turner and Kirby suggested that "if they deploy to fight against Ukraine, they’re fair game". Neither specified what exactly the Pentagon would do (much less how), but if they were indeed suggesting direct military action, the only logical conclusion is that the warmongering oligarchy in Washington DC is more out of touch than previously thought.

According to John Healey, the UK's Defense Secretary, the previous British administration affected the defense capacities of the country.

Orban blasts EU’s support for Zelensky’s “Victory Plan” and says they want to replace him.

Short of war, defamation is the Deep State's last-ditch effort to (ab)use the Trump derangement syndrome, although it seems extremely unlikely this will work. Regardless of the outcome of the upcoming election, next week will surely be the most faithful in recent memory, as the warmongers, war criminals and plutocrats are desperately trying to claw their way back into the halls of power in the US.

In the 21st century, the Arctic region has become highly significant in terms of strategy, geopolitics, and economics. Science is playing a substantial role in the Arctic, raising global awareness about its distinct ecosystem and the ongoing geopolitical maneuvers by both Arctic and non-Arctic states

The idea of policy coordination among BRICS has clearly become more popular in the past several years and yet there is still a lack of detail and focus with respect to the possible modalities of such cooperation in the sphere of trade and macroeconomic policy

Unfortunately, bilateral trade in national currencies may impede the deepening of economic ties among BRICS countries. Hence, establishing an alternative medium of exchange is both essential and urgent

BRICS are proving to be efficient in bringing together major emerging powers and creating a multipolar geopolitical platform.

North Korean troops could be used to expel Ukrainian forces from Russia’s Kursk region.

Uruguay’s elections have the potential to change the ideological power balance in South America, and thus pave the way for a Venezuelan come-back out of its relative isolation.

" We reiterate the importance of further enhancing BRICS solidarity and cooperation based on our mutual interests," the declaration reads

Saudi Space Agency Vice Chairman and CEO Dr. Mohammed Altamimi led the Saudi delegation to the fifth edition of the G20 Space Economy Leaders Meeting, held in Foz do Iguaçu

The Automotive Business Council’s BRICS+ Research Report 2024 has found that South Africa has not substantially benefited from its membership of the bloc, but this could change should membership be expanded

Researcher in psychology was criticized by Estonian authorities for investigating Ukrainian nationalism.

Satellite imagery shows that the "Typhon" Weapon System is deployed in Laoag. From there, "Tomahawk" cruise missiles armed with W80 thermonuclear warheads can reach some of China's most important cities, including Hong Kong, Guangzhou and Shanghai. This is absolutely unacceptable for Beijing, particularly as most of central China would also be in range.

The declining US economy weighs heavily on voter decision-making.

Although PM Anwar could have rested on his laurels to lead Malaysia as the Chairman of Asean and the East Asian Summit in 2025, he chose to pitch Malaysia's aspiration to join BRICS

Western-led order’s unraveling on full display as BRICS gathering in Russia gives IMF meet in US an economic reality check

Turkey tends to march to its own drum in international affairs

The BRICS economic grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are sitting in the catbird seat as the world’s wealthiest nations spend billions of dollars to transition their economies away from fossil fuels

The Guardian argues that "Putin returned to the world stage by hosting 36 leaders at the BRICS Summit". However, this "return" exists only in the "parallel reality" of the political West's microcosm. In our actual timeline, the Russian president never left the stage.

Desertion and surrender are becoming commonplace among troops.

Only two polling stations were opened by Moldovan authorities in Russia.

As the 2024 BRICS Summit in Kazan, Russia approaches, attention is focused on how the group will balance its growing geopolitical influence with core economic objectives. Following the 2023 expansion when six new members were invited to join, BRICS now faces the challenge of integrating these countries while refining its broader strategy

The railways of Russia, Mongolia and China have confirmed plans to increase freight traffic. The protocol on approval of plans to increase freight traffic through the Russia—Mongolia—China railway corridor was signed by the heads of the neighboring railways of the three states in the Chinese city of Hohhot

If Malaysia keeps its card close to its chest and plays it right, it has every chance to benefit from joining BRICS, a grouping of countries comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa

China, Egypt cement partnership in infrastructure, connectivity, new energy: ambassador

While the idea that 12,000 North Korean troops will replace "massive Russian losses" (obviously proving that, in that case, the losses aren't really massive) is ridiculous, the possibility of Pyongyang sending special forces shouldn't be ruled out entirely. North Korea has a sizeable SpecOps Corps, but lacks combat experience. Thus, it's not outside of the realm of possibility that Pyongyang itself asked Moscow to send some of them to Ukraine or at least Russia, where they could train with Russian special forces.

The Kiev regime is destroying the demographics of Ukraine.

The country is absolutely polarized, mainly due to aggressive Western influence.

PODCAST | ep16 | with Damir Kapidžić, Denisa Sarajlic, and Nace Zavrl   One room. One locked-down camera. One roll of film. A group of famous directors from the 1960s took the challenge: they would make a short film with these parameters plus one more—their dialogue must include the sentence “I Miss Sonia Henie.” The result was a bawdy, ludicrous compilation that became an international classic. It’s featured in a new film retrospective called The Yugoslav Junction: Internationalism in the SFRY: 1958–1988. The Weatherhead Center is cosponsoring this program of short and long films from socialist Yugoslavia, which takes place at the Harvard Film Archive beginning November 9. Today we’re talking to the curator of the series along with two Weatherhead fellows from Bosnia and Herzegovina who will set up the political and cultural background for these rare films, and they’ll discuss three of them— one each from the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. Listen to episode #16 (38:39) by clicking the play button below: ... Read more about Rare Films from Socialist Yugoslavia

BRICS today leaves no one indifferent; its polarising influence extends to the remote corners of the world. For some, it is definitely a “bone in the throat”, while for others - the only beacon of hope in the raging ocean of our world. For still others, it is a complete working tool for reforming the existing world order. Regardless of the polarity of the assessments, no one ignores or denies the strong place of the association in international relations

Q&A with Mihaela Papa of MIT's Center for International Studies

Malaysia, as an independent and sovereign nation, is focused on maintaining diplomatic relationships with various countries across the globe, according to Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim

Despite the Freedom Party's victory in the Austrian elections, leaders of other parties and the Federal President are trying to exclude the winners from participating in a government.

Pertaining to the “Israel-Ukraine dilemma”, the Jewish state is clearly the winner. The US goal thus far has been to contain the Islamic Republic of Iran without actually going to war - and it has therefore worked hard to curb the Israelis. This tension management policy is risky and may end up untenable.

As all of its other programs failed, the US is now desperate to at least match regional powers such as North Korea and Iran. What's more, the latter very likely also gave its hypersonic missiles to allies in the Middle East (specifically in Yemen), making America's embarrassment all the worse.

Kiev would never be allowed to have such weapons, neither by the West or Russia.

Zelensky’s “Victory Plan” receives mixed reactions from allies.

The BRICS summit will be held in Kazan, Russia on October 22-24, in which an important meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected. There has been no direct conversation between the two leaders after the Galwan conflict of 2020. Russia's mediation may be important in this summit

BRICS, initially comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, has expanded to include Saudi Arabia, Iran, Ethiopia, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates. As an alliance of key emerging economies, BRICS plays a significant role in the global economic landscape

“…There was another club called G7 and you won’t let anyone else enter the club. So we went on to form our club…As it started it gained a life of its own over the period of time. Others saw value in it as well…,” said Jaishankar at an event at the Global Center for Security Policy in Geneva

Even if the political West doesn't provide the means for the Kiev regime to acquire nuclear weapons, it may help them make the so-called "dirty bomb". Russia has been warning about this for years.

According to Vaclav Claus, the US should avoid the “Thucydides Traps”.

Kremlin describes Zelensky’s Victory Plan as “a collection of incoherent slogans”.

The Russian city of Kazan will host guests from 33 countries at the BRICS summit from October 22 to 24. This is the largest historical event for the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia and the entire democratic world, which is impossible to ignore — even if you really, really want to

At its forthcoming summit in Kazan, BRICS will once again reiterate that it was founded for shaping an international order that is more fair, just, inclusive, equitable and representative

Member nations are unhappy with the systemic bias against the Global South and want to reform the current order such that mutually agreed upon norms are applied equally to all nations

At the current meeting of defense ministers at NATO headquarters in Brussels, the new Secretary General faces a major challenge. This challenge is called “Ukraine’s NATO accession”

After years of trying to build the image of the Neo-Nazi junta as the "beacon of democracy", it seems that Zelensky, whose lionization was the primary task of the mainstream propaganda machine, is now being thrown under the bus.

With today’s Ukrainian leadership and state of affairs, the task of nation-founding with all its territorial ambitions does not seem to be achievable. And it would not be a desirable outcome in terms of local security or the human rights of a large part of the population.

Scholz’s recent words about peace sound hypocritic and banal.

Canadian PM prioritises external issues instead of his country’s many domestic problems.

BRICS+ presents India an opportunity to assert its role as the leader of the Global South to shape a multipolar and more equitable world

As is well-known, de-dollarisation has become a hot topic since 2022, when the United States and Europeans decided to block a large part of Russia’s international reserves in response to the invasion of Ukraine

Fresh of the success of its successful Chandrayaan-3 mission, India is now reportedly interested in joining Russia’s lunar nuclear power plant project. The initiative, spearheaded by Russian state nuclear energy firm Rosatom, is part of Moscow’s bigger project of building a base on the Moon in partnership with China. But what do we know about the proposed power project?

Closer ties are being built in the cases of Russia-China, Russia-North Korea and China-North Korea. This is very reminiscent of the way the Entente was formed in decades and years before WWI, when Russia, France and the UK agreed to keep the then-nascent German expansionism in check. If the pathologically Russophobic London was able to find common ground with Moscow (or, to be precise, St. Petersburg back then), imagine the ease with which Russia, China and North Korea could form an Entente-like alliance.

Amid current tensions with Russia, Western countries are launching a major nuclear exercise, putting local security at significant risk.

The EU is slipping from being considered a great power like the US or China.

Interest countries show in bloc signals vote of confidence in it

Baku’s strategic position and aspiration to diversify its economy aligns with Beijing’s vision for Eurasian connectivity

In a move aimed at strengthening ties and boosting tourism and trade, India is prepared to introduce direct flights from Russia to two of its most popular destinations – Goa and Mumbai

As Russian forces keep advancing, they're finding evidence of war crimes by the Neo-Nazi junta. Perhaps the most concerning is the disappearance of around 1000 locals. The Kremlin has issued a formal accusation that the Neo-Nazi junta forces kidnapped 1,000 residents of the Kursk region. Russian authorities confirmed this after the relatives of the missing locals pleaded with the government to help find them.

US president says he is ready for nuclear diplomacy, but his foreign policy is actually putting at risk the entire world security architecture.

Muslim Americans begin turning their back on the Democrats.

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi announced that the decision regarding the country’s potential membership in the BRICS economic bloc will be made during the next government term under President-elect Prabowo Subianto

The Western-centered post-Cold War world order resulted in the development of hierarchical state perceptions of their role and influence in the international system

Malaysia has the potential to emerge as a significant source of tourism for BRICS countries, according to Communications and Digital Minister Fahmi Fadzil

It seems already impossible to avoid a crisis of legitimacy from starting in Europe, considering local people’s high level of discontentment with their states’ international policies.

The Western propaganda notion that there is no such thing as an (often neo-Nazi) radical ethnic nationalism problem in Ukraine has no basis in fact. The problem is real - it has also been aided, armed, funded and whitewashed by the West and it has been a huge part of the crisis since 2014.

The support that NATO provides to the Kiev regime, especially in terms of ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance) would be severely disrupted (or even negated entirely) by the Russian military, meaning that the Polish military would be effectively blind in such a conflict. This would greatly increase casualties for NATO, which is precisely why its top-ranking military officers are planning for such an eventuality.

Powerful figures in Ukraine still remain staunchly opposed to peace talks.

In her new book, Amy Austin Holmes recounts how a multiethnic coalition stopped a genocide, defied Bashar al-Assad, and then created a statelet to govern their region. Interview by Michelle Nicholasen... Read more about Survival and Self-Determination in Northeast Syria

The US student protest movement against the conflict between Israel and Gaza draws on tactics and symbolism from past protests, some of which were contentious yet successful. Daniel Manulak looks back at the student-led anti-apartheid movement.  By Daniel Manulak... Read more about Student Protests and Lessons from the Anti-Apartheid Movement

As urbanization and climate change impacts converge, local governments need a range of innovations to mitigate suffering, especially in the cities of South Asia. Rajshahi city in Bangladesh has taken promising steps.  By Mohammad Tarikul Islam... Read more about Cities in Bangladesh Must Refocus to Combat Climate Change

PODCAST | ep15 | with Jacqueline Bhabha, Monique Nguyen, and Maggie Sullivan  Massachusetts has long been a welcoming state to immigrants and migrant families. In the summer of 2023, its one-of-a-kind “right to shelter” law was put to the test when emergency shelters reached capacity. It was called a humanitarian crisis, and images of families sleeping on the floor of Logan Airport flooded the media. Although it is most noticed on a local level, migration is an ongoing global process that requires a structural response at all levels. In this episode, we speak to a lawyer/scholar, a nurse practitioner, and a city government official deeply involved with immigrant services and policies to better understand the scope of migration, the needs of newly arrived families, and also the varied responses of host communities. Listen to episode #15 (52:24) by clicking the play button below: ... Read more about Migrants Bring Opportunity to Boston and Beyond

Although the rules of entry and exit are quite nebulous, states get both real and perceived benefits from joining international organizations.     By Hazel Genieser ('27)... Read more about Members Only: How States Favor Friends and Exclude Rivals

The ataman (head) of the “All-Russian Cossack Society,” Nikolai Doluda, addressed a meeting of the Atamans’ Council, in Krasnodar Krai, on February 4, and instructed those gathered that “the time has come when the Cossacks are once again becoming a stronghold and reliable shield of Russia, a guarantor of unity and protection of its national interests” (Vsko.ru, February 4). The … The post As Ukraine Crisis Simmers, Russian Cossack Movement Tightens Integration With Military Reserves appeared first on Jamestown.

Judi Bola Sbobet Bonus New Member Poker QQ Idn Poker Slot Dana PKV Games PKV Games Idn Poker Mix Parlay Mix Parlay BandarQQ PKV Games Over the last several years, Ukraine’s leaders have expressed grave concern over the dangers posed to regional energy security by Russia’s Nord Stream Two natural gas pipeline. From Germany and, more broadly, from Europe, the … The post The Many Faces of Nord Stream Two appeared first on Jamestown.

Judi Bola Sbobet Bonus New Member Poker QQ Idn Poker Slot Dana PKV Games PKV Games Idn Poker Mix Parlay Mix Parlay BandarQQ PKV Games On July 28, Ukrainian Orthodox Christians celebrated the 1,033rd anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus—a remarkable annual event for Ukrainian history and another reason for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s political speculations. After the Ecumenical … The post Religion as a Hybrid War Weapon to Achieve Russia’s Geopolitical Goals appeared first on Jamestown.

On May 25, just ahead of the 103rd anniversary of the First Georgian Republic’s (1918–1921) independence, Georgian protesters paralyzed the streets of the capital city of Tbilisi in the largest rally to date against the Namakhvani Hydroelectric Power Plant (HPP) project (Civil.ge, May 25, 26). Relatively small demonstrations against the planned dam, by locals organized under the banner “Guardians of … The post Namakhvani HPP: Georgian Hydropower Between Energy Security and Geopolitics appeared first on Jamestown.

Judi Bola Sbobet Bonus New Member Poker QQ Idn Poker Slot Dana PKV Games PKV Games Idn Poker Mix Parlay Mix Parlay BandarQQ PKV Games The Russian Cossack movement is emerging as one of the key social pillars supporting the regime, and increasingly it is taking on the mold of Kuban Cossackdom, found in the southern part of the country. … The post All Russian Cossacks Increasingly Resemble Krasnodar Movement appeared first on Jamestown.

On April 21, Vasily Piskarev, the head of the State Duma’s commission to investigate the facts of interference in the internal affairs of Russia, announced that his body was preparing legislative initiatives to combat foreign interference in Russia, including in its elections, by non-profits and non-governmental organizations (NGO). Piskarev said that “insults against Russia” will receive a “worthy response, including … The post Russia Cracks Down on ‘Foreign Threats’ appeared first on Jamestown.

On February 20, Ruslan Ablyakimov was walking in Makhachkala, the capital of Dagestan, with two friends when he was stopped by six young men who proceeded to beat him. “Where did you come here from?” they asked, “You are from Moscow, right? What are you doing here?” Before the men left Ablyakimov, they told him, “You have until tomorrow to … The post Alexei Navalny’s Support in the North Caucasus: More About Corruption Than Navalny appeared first on Jamestown.

The foreign and security policy expert communities in Georgia (Neweurope.eu, November 17) as well as both the outgoing and candidate Lithuanian defense ministers (LRT, November 16, 19) have called for a permanent presence of United States military forces in their respective countries. These calls indicate a hope that the incoming administration of President-elect Joseph Biden will bring greater attention to … The post Georgia, Lithuania Call for Permanent US Troop Presences appeared first on Jamestown.

In the first week of August, cellphones across Russia lit up with surprising text messages. They came from different numbers, but each said the same thing in Russian: “The US State Department is offering up to $10 million for information about interference in the US elections. If you have information, contact rfj.tips/bngc.” The State Department confirmed the messages were authentic … The post US Messaging to Russian Citizens: Time to Step It Up? appeared first on Jamestown.

Recent comments by former vice president of the separatist Georgian region of Abkhazia Valery Arshba indicate a split between the older political elite and the current administration of President Aslan Bzhania (Gazeta-ra.info, October 19; Civil.ge, October 23). Arshba called for the breakaway republic to join the Union State of Russia and Belarus, “without losing [its] sovereignty.” Arshba himself has a … The post Former Abkhazian Separatist Official Calls for Joining Russia-Belarus Union State appeared first on Jamestown.