Thursday marks the tragic death of a 23-year-old Russian man, Vladimir Popov, at the Elysees Dream Beach Hotel in Hurghada, ... Read more

For Donnie Adams, a 52-year-old man from Tampa Bay, Florida, a simple bite had life-altering consequences, as reported by WFLA. ... Read more

… The post Julian Assange: Ese pedazo de libertad que nos falta appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post Africa is Sharply Divided. Contradictory Relations with Russia appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post 30% of Americans Have Fatty Liver Disease appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post Military Escalation: Poland and Baltic Countries Could Send Troops to Ukraine – Former NATO Chief appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post “Vaccines Have Been Pulled for Much Less”: Dr. Aseem Malhotra Makes Waves in Australia Renewing Call for Withdrawal of COVID Shots appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post Experiment in Progress: Neurological Damage from the mRNA Vaccine appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post Some Sudden Deaths Caused by COVID-19 Vaccines, Autopsies Confirm appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post Billionaire Biden Donor Bankrolled 2020 Election Social Media Censorship Effort appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post What’s Next to the Moon? An “Apex Body” and Digital ID to Rule Us All appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post Lockdown Dissenters Were Muzzled in the U.K. as Well as the U.S. appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post Japan Begins Secretly Releasing Irradiated Water From Fukushima Disaster Into the Ocean appeared first on Global Research.

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa have become the new geopolitical, economic and diplomatic platform for developing countries

George Padmore was one of the most important figures in Pan-Africanist and anti-colonial politics during the twentieth century. Born in Trinidad, he subsequently moved to London, where he became a key organizer of networks that brought together some of Africa’s future leaders in the struggle against European domination. Padmore became a high-profile communist activist in

The imminent expansion of the BRICS (Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa) bloc could be a game changer. Albeit a slow starter, the group-set up in 2001, is now gaining momentum with several countries including Saudi Arabia, Iran, and UAE set to join the group. The expansion reflects a clear shift in power play as the Global South now gains a credible voice on the world stage

No elected president has been denied his party’s nomination for a second term since Franklin Pierce in 1856. The last time one even faced a serious primary opponent was 1992, when Pat Buchanan challenged George H. W. Bush for the Republican nomination. And the last time it happened on the Democratic side was when Ted

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post Diplomatic Recovery in the Middle East: Iranian Embassy in Riyadh Reopened appeared first on Global Research.

Calls mount for alternatives to using dollar for global trade

Opinion polls ahead of Greece’s election had generally credited the conservative New Democracy with a strong lead over main rival Syriza. Yet the scale of its success in the May 21 vote nonetheless came as a political shock. Except for the November 1974 elections, which came just four months after the fall of the colonels’

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post COVID Propaganda Roundup: Pfizer Knew mRNA Shots Sicken Infants in April 2021 appeared first on Global Research.

Various sources are claiming that at least 3,715 service members, 52 tanks and 207 AFVs have been neutralized, along with a range of other supporting assets, including 134 lightly armored and transport vehicles, five jets and support aircraft, and at least two helicopters. In addition, 48 artillery pieces and 53 drones of various types were destroyed as well.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post NATO Return to Asia Is a Threat to ASEAN and Continent appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post Racehorses at Churchill Downs. Horses Fitted with Wireless Devices appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post First There Were Neo-Nazis, Then There Were No Nazis, Then There Were appeared first on Global Research.

… The post EE.UU. en el Caribe, ¿interés genuino o preocupación por China? appeared first on Global Research.

Canadian journalist reports reality of local civilians, exposing Kiev’s violence against ethnic Russians.

With tensions escalating between Israel and Iran, Israel's new, more hawkish cabinet is reportedly far more likely to approve attack on Iranian nuclear sites than government was ten years ago. The post Israeli cabinet likely to approve Iran strike should Netanyahu pursue it – report appeared first on World Israel News.

With tensions escalating between Israel and Iran, Israel's new, more hawkish cabinet is reportedly far more likely to approve attack on Iranian nuclear sites than government was ten years ago. The post Israeli cabinet likely to approve Iran strike should Netanyahu pursue it – report appeared first on World Israel News.

Vice President Harris reportedly took aim at Israel's judicial overhaul only after she learned that one of the plan's architects was present at the event. The post Report: Kamala Harris made veiled attack on judicial reform after learning MK Rothman was in the audience appeared first on World Israel News.

Vice President Harris reportedly took aim at Israel's judicial overhaul only after she learned that one of the plan's architects was present at the event. The post Report: Kamala Harris made veiled attack on judicial reform after learning MK Rothman was in the audience appeared first on World Israel News.

When I taught at an alternative public school for kids with exceptional social-emotional, behavioral, and learning needs, one of my students — I’ll call him Dante — got As in every class he took. School staff would frequently elevate Dante’s extraordinary focus and commitment as an example for his peers. In the spring of Dante’s

On Tuesday, as apocalyptic wildfire smoke began to blanket the East Coast, the digital media start-up Semafor hosted the “definitive conversation on permitting reform” — sponsored by lobbyists for fossil fuel interests and set up as a victory lap for special guest Senator Joe Manchin, a West Virginia Democrat, who had just pushed through a

Dr. Naomi Wolf Uncovers Pfizer’s Depopulation Agenda, as Evidenced by Its Own Documents The Vigilant Fox, June 5, 2023 Russia Forewarned UNSC and UN Secretary General of Kiev’s Plan to Destroy the Kakhovskaya Dam Prof Michel Chossudovsky, June … The post This Week’s Most Popular Articles appeared first on Global Research.

The Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, Rabbi Moshe Azman, comes under Russian fire while filming video statement. The post WATCH: Ukraine’s chief rabbi comes under fire from Russia forces appeared first on World Israel News.

The Chief Rabbi of Ukraine, Rabbi Moshe Azman, comes under Russian fire while filming video statement. The post WATCH: Ukraine’s chief rabbi comes under fire from Russia forces appeared first on World Israel News.

15-Minutes Lockdown. “Immobilize the Greater Part of Humanity” By Konrad Rękas, June 08, 2023 The same people who today forbid us to use private cars, previously effectively limited and eliminated public transport. Bus and train lines subjected to commercialisation … The post Selected Articles: 15-Minutes Lockdown. “Immobilize the Greater Part of Humanity” appeared first on Global Research.

Ramzi Kassem repped an Al Qaeda terrorist; now he’s setting immigration policy for Biden. The post A Gitmo terror lawyer who threw stones at Israel goes to the White House appeared first on World Israel News.

Ramzi Kassem repped an Al Qaeda terrorist; now he’s setting immigration policy for Biden. The post A Gitmo terror lawyer who threw stones at Israel goes to the White House appeared first on World Israel News.

Too many liberal feminists purport to want to #SmashThePatriarchy without really understanding what this concept means and how it infiltrates our everyday lives. A Greek word that means “the rule of the father,” patriarchy has long worked to oppress all people who lack the social position or necessary requirements to become patriarchs (such as being

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post NATO to Send Force to Ukraine appeared first on Global Research.

Amid warming ties between Israel and Morocco, Knesset Speaker presents his Moroccan counterpart with miniature Koran created with Israeli technology. The post Knesset Speaker presents Morocco with world’s smallest Koran made with Israeli nanotechnology appeared first on World Israel News.

Amid warming ties between Israel and Morocco, Knesset Speaker presents his Moroccan counterpart with miniature Koran created with Israeli technology. The post Knesset Speaker presents Morocco with world’s smallest Koran made with Israeli nanotechnology appeared first on World Israel News.

Amid heavy criticism for his Nazi act in mock SS uniform during recent show in Berlin, Roger Waters repeats the performance during show in London. The post Roger Waters again dons his faux Nazi uniform – this time during London performances appeared first on World Israel News.

Amid heavy criticism for his Nazi act in mock SS uniform during recent show in Berlin, Roger Waters repeats the performance during show in London. The post Roger Waters again dons his faux Nazi uniform – this time during London performances appeared first on World Israel News.

Ten years ago today, twenty-nine-year-old Booz Allen contractor Edward Snowden identified himself as the source of a series of bombshell revelations about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) domestic surveillance. Those revelations were the source of stories published by the Guardian and Washington Post about how the NSA obtained US persons’ telephone records directly from a

Ukraine continues pursuing false hope of NATO membership.

Testimony to FBI deemed by the bureau as 'highly credible' claims then-Vice President Biden was paid millions by senior official from Burisma, the same company which included Hunter Biden on its board. The post Biden allegedly received $5 million from Ukrainian company in exchange for oil rights appeared first on World Israel News.

Testimony to FBI deemed by the bureau as 'highly credible' claims then-Vice President Biden was paid millions by senior official from Burisma, the same company which included Hunter Biden on its board. The post Biden allegedly received $5 million from Ukrainian company in exchange for oil rights appeared first on World Israel News.

Wednesday evening at 2035 Whiskey Road was the site of a shocking and frightening encounter. At approximately 7:30 p.m., Aiken ... Read more

Records show Siemens agreed to boycott of Israeli goods to secure $360 million deal with Turkey. The post Germany’s Siemens facing American scrutiny for agreeing to boycott Israel appeared first on World Israel News.

Records show Siemens agreed to boycott of Israeli goods to secure $360 million deal with Turkey. The post Germany’s Siemens facing American scrutiny for agreeing to boycott Israel appeared first on World Israel News.

President Biden laughs off House Oversight Committee investigation of allegations he was involved in international bribery scandal. The post WATCH: Biden pushes back on bribery allegations, asking ‘Where’s the money?’ appeared first on World Israel News.

President Biden laughs off House Oversight Committee investigation of allegations he was involved in international bribery scandal. The post WATCH: Biden pushes back on bribery allegations, asking ‘Where’s the money?’ appeared first on World Israel News.

On June 2, 29-year-old Izzac Murillo of California was given a sentence of 54 years to life for the assault ... Read more

'This is election interference at the highest level,' says Trump after historic decision by Department of Justice to indict former president over classified documents. The post Trump indicted in classified documents case appeared first on World Israel News.

'This is election interference at the highest level,' says Trump after historic decision by Department of Justice to indict former president over classified documents. The post Trump indicted in classified documents case appeared first on World Israel News.

The two leaders also discussed military and intelligence cooperation, and artificial intelligence. The post Iran arrangement would not obligate Israel, Netanyahu tells Blinken appeared first on World Israel News.

The two leaders also discussed military and intelligence cooperation, and artificial intelligence. The post Iran arrangement would not obligate Israel, Netanyahu tells Blinken appeared first on World Israel News.

Less than two weeks before the 2016 Iowa GOP presidential caucus, then-candidate Donald Trump attempted to solidify his Christian bona fides during a speech at Liberty University. Trump declared, “We’re going to protect Christianity…. Two Corinthians, 3:17, that’s the whole ballgame…is that the one you like?” Though he would eventually garner overwhelming support from America’s conservative Christian voters, the usually self-assured candidate appeared somewhat out of his comfort zone. The awkward phrasing aside, the follow-up question – “is that the one you like?” – revealed almost explicitly that the campaign would appropriate language that did not come naturally to the candidate. Seven years after Trump’s speech at Liberty University, what are we to make of the intermingling of religion and populism? Enter Tobias Cremer’s The Godless Crusade: Religion, Populism, and Right-Wing Identity Politics in the West, which evaluates this question on four interrelated arguments using Germany, France, and the United States as case studies. First, Cremer argues that right-wing populist movements emerge in response to new social cleavages. Traditional social divisions around class and religion have given way to an identity-based divide between cosmopolitans and localists. As Cremer writes, “many voters are beginning to think…more in terms of a new contest over the status of ethnocultural, racial and civilizational identities of majority populations in the West.” A number of factors have contributed to this new split in Western societies, including secularization, globalization, and immigration. Second, amid the rise of right-wing populism, Cremer argues that religious identity is turning into a cultural, rather than religious, concept. The secularization of religious identity creates a useful tool for right-wing populists who “use Christian symbols and language as cultural identity markers, while often remaining distanced from Christian doctrine, ethics and institutions.” In addition, right-wing populists leverage religious language to imbue a spiritual significance to things associated with the nation – territory becomes a “sacred homeland” and immigrants become “dangerous others.” Third, Cremer argues that right-wing populist rhetoric is usually most successfully making inroads among non-religious voters or non-practicing Christians for whom Christianity can be more of a cultural marker. Religious practice, on the other hand, has tended to correlate with a relative “immunity” to populism. Germany’s right-wing populist Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) party, for example, performed much better among non-religious voters in elections between 2014 and 2021. Cremer also notes that, despite later success, Trump’s early support in the 2016 GOP primary was strongest among the religiously unaffiliated. Fourth, and closely related, the ability of right-wing populists to overcome the relative immunity correlated with religious practice depends “on the availability of a ‘Christian alternative’ in the political landscape and…on churches’ and faith leaders’ willingness and ability to publicly denounce the populist right and create a social taboo around them.” In Germany, the populist right has been held in check because Christian voters have long found a home in mainstream parties and the major churches have been vocal in condemning the AfD’s appropriation of religion. In France, however, the center-right political bloc has eroded, with French politics divided between President Macron’s center-left movement and the far-right represented by Marine Le Pen and Eric Zemmour. Forced to choose between the two primary options, many practicing Christians have chosen the right-wing populist parties. Moreover, Cremer observes that Catholic bishops have softened their rhetoric toward the far right. In the United States, meanwhile, Cremer observes that globalization, immigration, and other factors fostered an identity crisis and malaise in a large section of the population. Trump took advantage and, in doing so, transformed the Republican Party into a more identitarian – rather than faith-driven – political entity. Absent any political alternative, and with faith leaders not cultivating a taboo against right-wing populism, immunity to right-wing populism has diminished among practicing Christians. Cremer’s book is a rigorous analysis of the interplay between religion and right-wing populism and a necessary read for understanding the politics of the past decade. But what are its implications for the future, particularly the United States? The democratized and decentralized character of American Christianity renders it difficult for a voice or small group of voices to speak on its behalf and cultivate social taboos that apply to politics. If trust in institutions continues to decline, alongside secularization, the prospects for a definitive Christian witness vis-à-vis populism, akin to what Cremer argues has happened in Germany, seems unlikely. The book also offers a cautionary lesson for American Christians moving forward. The transformation of Christianity into a cultural concept in the West has facilitated its subordination into a prop in the service of nationalistic populism. But what is the end that Christians seek? Is it the kingdom of God? Or the expansion of their own power under the pretense of sacralizing a nation? The intermingling of Christianity and nationalism risks reducing the potency of the Gospel message by making the former a cover for the latter. The post “Two Corinthians” – Religious Populism in the West appeared first on Providence.

I just feel like sadly the Democratic party has been hijacked by loud voices of far-left socialists and I don’t think they represent many of the people with liberal views. The post Beauty queen who lost Iraqi citizenship for taking selfie with Miss Israel makes congressional run for Democrats appeared first on World Israel News.

I just feel like sadly the Democratic party has been hijacked by loud voices of far-left socialists and I don’t think they represent many of the people with liberal views. The post Beauty queen who lost Iraqi citizenship for taking selfie with Miss Israel makes congressional run for Democrats appeared first on World Israel News.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post ‘Patriot Front’: Could the Feds Make a Psy-op Any More Obvious? appeared first on Global Research.

The congregation claimed that the city had visited their property more than 126 times over a two-year period. The post City of Miami Beach settles discrimination case against Jewish synagogue for $1.3 million appeared first on World Israel News.

The congregation claimed that the city had visited their property more than 126 times over a two-year period. The post City of Miami Beach settles discrimination case against Jewish synagogue for $1.3 million appeared first on World Israel News.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post Lie, Cheat, and Steal: The CIA’s Disastrous Scientific Legacy appeared first on Global Research.

Not many people could have imagined how a violent change of government would turn her into Israel's greatest enemy, but luckily for us - E. had already prepared. The post An Iranian Jew who was beaten up as a child is behind the establishment of the IDF’s secret anti-Iran unit – report appeared first on World Israel News.

Not many people could have imagined how a violent change of government would turn her into Israel's greatest enemy, but luckily for us - E. had already prepared. The post An Iranian Jew who was beaten up as a child is behind the establishment of the IDF’s secret anti-Iran unit – report appeared first on World Israel News.

Military sectors are ramping up efforts to “green” warfare. To support the rebranding of the military as a “driver of climate action,” arms industries from Europe to North America are demanding recognition as ESG-friendly sustainable investment options. That is: environmentally and socially responsible businesses. Arms industries bring security, we are told. And security is a

'It's a matter of time before political assassination will occur in Israel,' Barkat said. The post Israeli anti-government protestor tries to attack Economy Minister in Boston appeared first on World Israel News.

'It's a matter of time before political assassination will occur in Israel,' Barkat said. The post Israeli anti-government protestor tries to attack Economy Minister in Boston appeared first on World Israel News.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post 15-Minutes Lockdown. “Immobilize the Greater Part of Humanity” appeared first on Global Research.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post Breaking: Mission Impossible: Ukrainian Navy Nord Stream Pipeline Edition appeared first on Global Research.

Amit Halevi's plan would give Muslims control of the southern end of the Temple Mount complex, which contains the Al Aqsa Mosque, while Jews would receive the central and northern areas. The post Israeli MK proposes dividing Temple Mount between Jews and Muslims appeared first on World Israel News.

Amit Halevi's plan would give Muslims control of the southern end of the Temple Mount complex, which contains the Al Aqsa Mosque, while Jews would receive the central and northern areas. The post Israeli MK proposes dividing Temple Mount between Jews and Muslims appeared first on World Israel News.

All Global Research articles can be read in 51 languages by activating the Translate Website button below the author’s name. To receive Global Research’s Daily Newsletter (selected articles), click here. Click the share button above to email/forward this article … The post Military Aid = “Junk Weapons”? Germany’s Leopards, IRIS-Ts Not Holding Up Well in Ukraine appeared first on Global Research.

The Left suffered a historic defeat in national elections held in Greece two weeks ago. Syriza, in opposition since the Right came to power in 2019, was crushed at the polls, losing to New Democracy by a full twenty points. All preelection polls had suggested a narrow victory for New Democracy, but the results were

New Foreign Policy Concept ranks China, India and SE Asia as diplomatic priorities while West slips just above Antarctica

About five years ago, the Federal Government of Nigeria and China entered into a currency exchange agreement. The transaction, which was valued at Renminbi (RMB) 16 billion or N720 billion was aimed at providing adequate local currency liquidity to Nigerian and Chinese industrialists and other businesses, thereby, reducing difficulties encountered in the search for the United States Dollar

South America's second-largest economy could become an important part of the multipolar world while solving its own crisis

In the halcyon days of 2016, when something like the conventional and pundit-sanctioned laws of politics still seemed to apply, the official gatekeepers of American conservatism mounted a multipronged strategy designed to neutralize Donald Trump. In a trial run of the tactic that would so badly fail Hillary Clinton that November, some fixated on his

Choosing the top 5 of the most ludicrous claims, among stories such as the "Ghost of Kiev" and "the last stand of the Snake Island defenders", or pickle jar air defenses and the "Goat of Kiev", has been quite a laborious task.

The manufacturers of “forever chemicals” used in products like nonstick pans and waterproof clothing knew about the dangers their materials posed more than forty years before the general public, according to previously secret industry documents. By following the same playbook as Big Tobacco, including suppression of their own research, the companies successfully stymied regulation for

Ukrainian government imposes strict rules on journalists, allowing only information favorable to the regime to reach Western readers.

The current Writers Guild of America strike reminds us of the lasting effects of major political and labor action in the entertainment industry on the kind of material that gets produced. The most dramatic instance of this is, of course, the 1950s McCarthyist red-baiting, which resulted in the Hollywood blacklist. Not only did the anti-communist

Oliver Stone’s brand is antiestablishment controversy. In his features and documentaries, Stone has blazed a trail as a cinematic scourge of the status quo. Platoon (1986), the Vietnam War veteran’s unflinching, grunt’s-eye view of that imperial debacle, won the Best Picture Academy Award, while Stone scored the golden statuette for Best Director. That year, Stone

Zelensky will appeal to the Swiss parliament for weapons on June 15.

Commonsense notions of development associate it with capitalist modernization. Such notions assume that cumulative economic growth enables poor countries to become more like rich ones. To facilitate such growth, policymakers, international institutions, and many academics urge poor countries and their populations to adopt modern ways of thought and action, dispensing with familial or communal loyalties

Following on from last week’s post about the prospect of deterring both Russia and China from their more malevolent ambitions, the present proposal is that the US must commit to significantly increasing defense spending. The proposal is grounded in the assertion that doing so is feasible, on a practical level, because we are constrained from doing so by any dearth of resources. Fears that we have to choose between bread or bombs—that is, feeding the poor or funding our military—are unfounded. To be sure, the purely economics argument is well outside my lane (full disclosure: I scored 14% on the math portion of the GRE – but, hey, that doubled my practice score so it was really kind of a win). I can also read well enough to grasp that there is disagreement as to how to measure GDP—and, by extension, how to measure US economic strength versus our adversaries. Matthew Kroenig takes a bullish stance and insists the US can presently afford to outspend Russia and China at the same time: The United States possesses 24 percent of global GDP compared to a combined 19 percent in China and Russia. This year, the United States will spend $778 billion on defense compared to only $310 billion in Russia and China. I know there are arguments to the contrary, but the majority opinion—among the reliable opinion-makers anyway—seems to stand with Kroenig. True, some of those who do also qualify their agreement with the caution that US economic superiority is unlikely to remain the case, even into the near future. That said, many of these and others will qualify this qualification by noting that it might actually remain the case. A good back-and-forth between Kroenig and Emma Ashford and on all this can be found here. But whatever the truth of relative US economic strength, it remains a fact that the US both can spend more on defense and must spend more on defense. The US could double its defense spending and still remain beneath its Cold War average (close to 7% GDP). Given that the current geo-political climate is every  bit as dangerous as the Cold War climate, the increase in spending is simply common sense. On top of this, we ought to yoke (or cajole (or possibly coerce)) our allies to contribute more deeply to the defense of the free world—and, indeed, their own. Taken together, the US and its treaty allies and partners possess upwards of a walloping 60% of global GDP. But this shared strength can’t be taken for granted. A world in which the US abandons Ukraine in favor of a pivot to Asia is likely a world in which much of Europe falters in its responsibility to provide sufficiently for both Ukraine and its own security—as suggested by the general French and German instinct over recent years to placate rather than confront Russia. US leadership, properly calibrated, ought to shift from a model that too often appears to depend on the US defense of Europe to one in which US leadership of the transatlantic alliance serves as a key contributor to European self-defense, including through the continued provision of the nuclear umbrella, to overall vision, and coordination of that vision. I also understand enough about economics to know that this isn’t a situation in which we can simply throw money around and walk away stronger and with the free world better defended. The US Defense Department—like any other—is a government bureaucracy. There’s going to be fraud, waste, abuse, and misdirected spending. We should fix that as best we can. Among much else, acquisitions should be tailored to the mission sets. If it’s right to assume that Europe will be primarily be the domain of land-based armies and the Pacific of sea power – with air power and new technologies heavily involved in both theaters – then it would make sense, broadly, for European allies to invest in armor, artillery, and air and new tech; while Asian allies focus on naval mines, harpoon missiles, surface and subsurface assets, and air and new tech. On the homeland, missile defense will require an infusion of cash, we’ll need to shore up our technological edge over our adversaries, and, crucially, we’ll need to upgrade and restructure our nuclear assets, and we’ll need to focus on rebuilding and streamlining the defense industrial base. On this last point, key industrial readiness indicators suggest we are going in the wrong direction. For instance, in 1985 there were 3 million workers in the defense industry. Now, it’s 1.1 million. While efficiencies have presumably increased since the 1980s, it’s pretty clear we’re still drastically underpowered. Experts point out that COVID demonstrated how vulnerable US supply chains are and the Ukraine conflict continues to demonstrate how high-intensity conflicts between peers is massively different than counterterrorism operations in the way it consumes military assets and munitions. Our support of Ukraine against Russia has revealed weaknesses in the U.S. defense industrial ecosystem. We should fix those too. Pure economics aside, the philosophical arguments are plain. One might think back to 2015 and Russian incursions into Sweden’s sovereign territory to get a handle on what readiness requires. Back then, you might recall, Russian fighter bombers were indulging in a spate of flirting with and actively penetrating Swedish airspace. Further down the vertical, submarines, assuredly Russian, were provocatively prowling Sweden’s sovereign waters off Stockholm. This isn’t something that would so easily have happened in the Cold War. Then, Sweden’s navy was much more formidable presence in the Baltic. Comprising dozens of surface ships and submarines, their hunter assets were well-stocked with an array of torpedoes, anti-submarine grenades, depth charges, and some of the most capable air assets in the world. Their coastline was guarded by multiple artillery battalions secreted along a network of mountain hideaways; and their army, nourished by the Viking tradition of ledungen– a standing army supported by local defense forces of citizen-soldiers always at the ready – could mobilize hundreds of thousands of battle-ready men within hours. Complacency following victory in the Cold War, naivety, and poor decisions conspired to hobble that capacity. An estimable military developed over centuries was dismantled in barely more than a decade. Some claim that by 2004 a mere 6% of Swedish combat units remained. Her air force was cut in half. The navy too. In 2013, General Sverker Göransson, Supreme Commander of Sweden’s military, was asked how good the Swedish military was. He reportedly answered, “We can defend ourselves against an attack against a localized target…for about a week.” One place, one week. And a couple years later Russian bombers were crowding Swedish airspace and Russian subs playing in the waters just off the beaches of Sweden’s major cities. To whatever degree the present state of American military readiness—including the ability of our defense industrial ecosystem to support it—is comparable to Sweden’s state-of-affairs in 2015, the Christian realist should stand aghast in equal measure. No one should love spending money on instruments that break things and kill people. Much is often made by progressive American Christian brothers and sisters about the US spending more money on defense than the next however-many-countries combined. Christians will play the Cassandra against the manipulations of the Military Industrial Complex and fear those with vested interests in warmaking. Many point to Eisenhower’s “The Chance for Peace” speech in which he laments the opportunity costs of defense spending: Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some fifty miles of concrete pavement. We pay for a single fighter plane with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people. The cautions—and the lamentation—is not entirely misplaced. But we also have to remember that a nation, like a family, must budget for both its values and its responsibilities. These ought not be competing factors. Paul’s letter to the Roman church teaches us that the government bears the sword for specific reasons. God’s mandate for the sovereign power is that they maintain the human goods of justice, order, and peace, without which human flourishing cannot take place. Our responsibilities emerge from, rather than compete with, our values. Having spent too little money (or spent it unwisely) on her national defense, Sweden inadvertently abdicated this responsibility and is became reliant on the beneficence of others who spent sufficiently to protect her. Worse than this, Sweden’s martial weakness risked emboldening Russia and encouraging the ambitions of the worst of Russian leaders. All this reminds us that strength is stabilizing. Those who quote Eisenhower’s speech need to remember that while he lamented that military expenditures took away from better things, he nevertheless understood that the spending had to happen. “A vital element in keeping the peace,” he said several years after his “Chance for Peace” address, “is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction.” Eisenhower understood that peace in our world is best assured through strength – both of arms and the credible willingness to use them. Our defense budget is not, seen in the right way, about buying instruments that break things and kill people. It’s about buying the tools required for peacemaking. You can buy all the bread you want, but if you don’t have basic security and the rule of law, there will be nothing to prevent the rapacious taking it from you. How a nation spends its treasure reflects where its heart is. The two-front fight that is hard upon us will require that we put our heart into it. For the sake of all that is good in the world. And lest we pay a far greater—and possibly unpayable—price for not doing so. The post Russia and China at Once — Part II: We Must Increase Defense Spending appeared first on Providence.

Rex Goodell, a 26-year-old from Lincoln, Nebraska, tragically took the lives of his wife, Emily Goodell, 23, and her new ... Read more

This week, 34-year-old Eric R. Meagan was charged with one count of murder after allegedly killing his mother, 56-year-old Victoria ... Read more

On Sunday morning, Virginia Beach Police were stunned upon arriving at the 1300 block of Wren Place. The body of ... Read more

The past two years have seen a fresh wave of graduate worker militancy marked by bold strikes, new organizing drives, and whopping union election victories. Indeed, the six largest union filings with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in 2022 were all for graduate worker unions. Amid this surge, one union is showing up a

Marcus Garvin, 33, was sentenced to 45 years in prison last week for the murder of his ex-girlfriend, 30-year-old Christie ... Read more

On Monday, 19-year-old Ethan Orton was sentenced to a maximum of life in prison with the chance for parole after ... Read more

Twenty years ago, Chicago was in the process of one of the greatest — and most misguided — experiments ever attempted to reform public education in America. It was an effort to completely reshape city schools in the image of the market by emphasizing school-to-school competition, merit-based pay, and a disastrous game of survival of the fittest

Despite its economic shortcomings, Algeria’s geographic position, fast-growing population, and warm relations with all BRICS countries, makes its bid a strong one

Russia's company on Svalbard, Trust Arktikugol, has recently entered into a strategic partnership with a university in Arkhangelsk. The company will actively develop a research station together with the BRICS states and needs support in this work, says the director

Non-oil trade between Iran and several BRICS nations has increased last year

The supply chain disruptions caused by pandemic lockdowns have been a leading cause of the economic chaos of recent years, feeding the rage of consumers paying sky-high prices for suddenly scarcer goods. But they’ve also been a bonanza for the firms making those goods, who have outright admitted to using the headlines about inflation to

Astonishingly (although unsurprisingly), the NYT somehow managed to find the "evil hand of Putin" behind all this with claims that "in the short term, that threatens to reinforce Putin's propaganda and giving fuel to his false claims that Ukraine must be 'de-Nazified' — a position that ignores the fact that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is Jewish".

Contradicting the latest narrative, Kiev's officials have previously revealed their intention to destroy the dam.

It was never a sure thing that the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) would hold a strike authorization vote, a move that would grant the union’s board of directors the ability to call a strike should negotiations with the studios over a new three-year contract fall apart. The possibility has

The specter of anti-Russian nationalism haunts Europe: Russophobic discourse and the rewriting of history is used today both in Ukraine and Poland as a pretext to persecute and even outlaw dissent.

On Tuesday, tragedy struck Richmond, Virginia at the Huguenot High School graduation ceremony when two people were killed and five ... Read more

With the largest private sector labor contract in the United States set to expire at midnight on July 31, the eyes of the American labor movement are on United Parcel Services (UPS) and the nearly 350,000 Teamsters like us that work there. Talk is coming from all corners of a potential strike. International Brotherhood of

Germany continues supporting Ukraine despite its involvement in sabotage of energy flows.

Florida governor and Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis is working to harness the power of big money in open defiance of federal election laws — betting that no one will hold him accountable. In a political era dominated by wealthy and often secret donors, the activities undertaken by DeSantis and his outside group allies still

The History Wars – internecine academic fights over historical interpretation – have existed for as long as humans have been chronicling events. The most famous recent version of this recurring battle, the Historikerstreit, came in late 1980s Germany and roiled the world of German letters. It involved two divergent interpretations of the Nazi period’s place in German history, but it also reflected arguments over contemporary West German politics. Disputes over the singularity of the Holocaust, the culpability of German society for Nazi atrocities, and the teleological unfolding of German history blended with arguments on German nationalism, potential future reunification, and social and historical guilt. The fracas was erudite, high-brow, and philosophical. Its influence is still felt today, during similar debates over Germany’s role in the world and how historical memory should inform it. Not all historical disputes are as serious-minded and carefully-argued as the Historikerstreit. In fact, the current version taking over the Anglosphere is much less sober and much more antagonistic than its German predecessor. Instead of a debate over issues of interpretation and context, we are in the midst of a full-bore attack on Anglo-American history as such. This new History War crosses the Atlantic: American history is under siege by revisionist views of the founding, while British history is routinely lambasted as terroristic, genocidal, and morally indefensible. Mobs have destroyed statues, historic names have been changed under activist pressure, and frenzied protests surround any prominent figure who dares espouse a nuanced view of the past. The revisionist idea that Anglo-American history is profoundly evil is now regnant in the academy, the media, and the political left. It is in this context that Nigel Biggar, renowned ethicist and Regius Professor of Moral & Pastoral Theology at the University of Oxford, has released his latest book, Colonialism: A Moral Reckoning. Inspired to weigh the moral record of British imperialism by the strident efforts to paint it as uniquely immoral, Biggar compiled a complete dossier on the most common revisionist claims, putting them – and the Empire they decry – to the ethical test. A Sunday Times bestseller in the United Kingdom, the book serves as a strong counteroffensive in the Imperial History Wars, working through the myriad moral arguments modern anti-colonialists make against the British Empire and assessing their veracity. The organization of the book lends itself well to this complicated task. Colonialism is segmented into eight main chapters, each on a distinct critique of the British Empire. There are chapters on imperial motives, slavery, racism, land, cultural assimilation, economics, governance, and the use of force. Since each chapter deals with an overarching issue, the book bounces around chronologically. This could be challenging to follow, but Biggar’s writing is so clear that it works. The author presents the simplistic anti-colonial case, assesses its claims by referencing primary source documents and the testimony of other historians, and enters an informed judgment based on the evidence. The seriousness with which Biggar treats this task is quite contrary to the approach of his opponents: “One surprising thing I have seen is that many of my critics are really not interested in the complicated, morally ambiguous truth about the past.” When reading Colonialism in comparison to the work of its detractors, this is self-evident. Unlike those critics, Biggar is curious about the complexities of Empire and has a strong moral framework for judging it. In a book which makes moral assessments about colonialism, having such a consistently applied, clearly-stated ethical rubric is necessary. One may agree or disagree with the framework Biggar chooses, but his holding to it allows the reader to fairly assess whether he has proven his claims – and, more importantly, whether the anti-colonialists prove theirs. The book relentlessly hits on the crux of the matter: that context and intentions are vital for making historical moral judgments. Context is key, as is the question of comparison; this is evident in the chapter on economics, which correctly evaluates colonial outcomes against contemporary alternatives, not idealistic utopias. When this is done, anti-colonialist claims collapse. With respect to intentionality, a factor that imperial critics often deliberately obscure, Biggar provides transparency. Anti-colonialist activists assume – without evidence – the intentions of colonial administrators were uniformly evil and irredeemably bigoted. When the historical record is examined, the reality is far more complex. Biggar shows the aims of these imperial figures were often benign, even when implementation was flawed. A case study involves the controversies over famine relief: administrators sought to ameliorate suffering and rectified early failures. Famine was a fact of life for all of human history, and global relief campaigns were far more difficult to accomplish in the era before air travel. Still, imperial policy tried to reduce famine through irrigation, incentivized farming, and targeted relief efforts – the intentions were good, even if the results were lacking. One excellent chapter breaks down the Empire’s use of force and whether it was morally justifiable. As with earlier sections, the moral frame being used – in this case the Christian theory of ‘just war’ – is detailed and defended. Contrary to critics who view any and all imperial uses of force as unjustifiable, Biggar lives in reality, where state violence, or the threat thereof, is necessary for the perpetuation of governance. He delves into several highly-criticized events over the history of the British Empire, from the Opium Wars to the Mau Mau Uprising, and weighs the moral claims made about them. The analysis is fair-minded, direct, and thorough. What matters most to Biggar is whether the force used is consistent with a distinct rule of law or whether it is arbitrary and capricious. In this respect, the Empire stands strong, especially when compared to its contemporary substitutes. Biggar shines perhaps brightest when Colonialism debunks various myths about the Empire which have been promulgated as fact by the anti-colonial left. One such falsehood is of a centralized, London-directed British Empire; this could not be further from the truth. In reality, the Empire was decentralized and the influence of the metropole in the colonies was often quite weak. Biggar explains this reality and usefully focuses on the on-the-ground administrators over the purported decision-makers in London. This reorientation of the imperial story enlightens the reader about the actual powers in the colonies. The light-touch approach of the Empire after the loss of the American colonies in 1783 – in part due to overly-intrusive governance – forced colonial authorities to work with locals, not simply rule them. The interplay between governor and governed created native partnerships that proved highly useful upon decolonization, as they laid the groundwork for competent independent authority. Biggar also takes on a chronic issue in the Imperial History Wars: the tendency for anti-colonial advocates to wildly exaggerate claims of British perfidy while downplaying the barbarity of native cultures. This hypocritical relativism is anathema to a considered review of the Empire’s morality, and Biggar rightly skewers it. Critics accuse the British of killing millions by choice or neglect, but these claims are decontextualized at best and invented at worst. In an egregious case of the latter, scholar James Daschuk argues that Canada perpetrated a “genocide” on native people via its deliberate mismanagement of an 1880s famine. Contrary to these explosive assertions, Biggar details the actual famine-suppression efforts and seeks to put the episode into perspective, writing: “the number of native deaths attributable to starvation on the Canadian plains from 1879-1883 was somewhere in the region of forty-five. No, that is not a typographical error.” The other side of the coin, the purposeful indulgence of native atrocities, is deftly handled in Colonialism, particularly in a discussion of the Benin Expedition of 1897. Activists falsely claim that Britain’s intervention was murderous and unprovoked, while excusing the manifest evils of the Benin regime, including widespread, gruesome human sacrifice. Biggar focuses his fire on Oxford archaeologist Dan Hicks and his book The Brutish Museums, which typifies the “ethical schizophrenia” of the anti-colonial mind. In just ten pages, Hicks’s work is thoroughly and masterfully dismantled both philosophically and historically. The chapters on racism, slavery, and cultural genocide tackle the most commonly-proffered anti-colonial arguments. When discussing the history of British abolitionism, Biggar sums up the failure of anti-colonial arguments perfectly: “The basic problem with the anti-colonialists’ equation of British colonialism with slavery, and their consequent demand for cultural ‘decolonisation’, is that it requires amnesia about everything that has happened since 1787.” Likewise, a tidbit later in the book is a powerful, factual riposte to cries that the Empire was imbued with racism: “in New Zealand the vote was extended to all Māori adult males in 1867, twelve years ahead of being given to their European counterparts, when the property qualification was abolished.” Colonialism is replete with memorable lines that distill essential moral truths, including in the discussion of so-called ‘cultural genocide’, when Biggar posits that “No culture has a moral right to be immune to change or even to survive. … That may be sad, but it was not unjust.” But Colonialism is not merely a discussion of history and ethics; it has a great deal to say about the current age as well. The historical distortions promoted by anti-colonialists are in service to a contemporary political project, one which is illiberal and anti-Western. Their critiques are based entirely on the desires of the present, not the verities of the past. It is this broader project that Colonialism seeks to expose and attack, a task which the book excels at. The recasting of British history from a source of pride to an infinite well of shame requires society to forget the reality of its past, and it is this forgetting that anti-colonial activists wish to inculcate across the Anglosphere. Biggar cuts to the core of this problem, writing: If the anti-colonialist narrative were true, Britain should abandon its post-1945 role as a main supporter of the US-dominated liberal world order and settle down instead to emulating penitent, virtually pacifist Germany. But, as this book has shown, the anti-colonialist narrative is not true. He is correct here; the anti-colonialist narrative is not true. But it is seductive. Cultural self-confidence is what drove the British Empire to abolish slavery, fight and win two world wars, liberalize the international order, and bring prosperity and the rule of law to billions. It is what propelled the United States to defeat the Nazis and Imperial Japanese, take on the Soviet juggernaut and prevail, and maintain and expand the British-built liberal world order. The Anglosphere needs a confidence boost if it is to overcome the challenges of the 21st century. In that respect, Nigel Biggar’s Colonialism is a welcome shot in the arm. The post <strong><u>Reckoning with </u><em><u>Colonialism</u></em></strong> appeared first on Providence.

The de-dollarization threat looms as the Chinese yuan assumes a more active role in international payments and as the BRICS block grows. But how realistic is it that another fiat currency could dethrone the dollar?

Country’s economy is growing faster than China’s, and its short-term goal is to become a $5-trillion economy

Syria, in major support of the de-dollarization of the global economy, has encouraged the BRICS nations to lead the development, empowering the Chinese yuan to become the global currency

US and Canadian warships challenged by China in the Taiwan Strait.

Sunak determined to advise Biden to support Ben Wallace candidature despite some EU members’ reluctance.

"Ukrainians cannot support the dynamics of advancement either in width or in depth, they cannot logistically cover mass movements, but more importantly, they cannot establish a stable rear. In fact, for the counteroffensive to make sense at all, they would first have to disrupt both Russian logistics and the rear, as well as cut their lines of communication. But how can they achieve this? With what?" – Captain Liner.

As a Hillsdale College student, I had the great blessing of learning with Bradley J. Birzer, the Russell Amos Kirk Chair in American Studies. From the Civil War to the works of J.R.R. Tolkien, the American West to the poetry of T.S. Eliot, Dr. Birzer guided me through some of the most important themes in my education. I owe him an immense debt of gratitude.  Last month, Birzer published a new essay collection, Mythic Realms: The Moral Imagination in Literature and Film, which captures something of the magic I encountered in his classroom. A sequel to his earlier work Beyond Tenebrae, Mythic Realms is a series of reflections on both classic and popular culture from a Christian humanist perspective. For Christians worried about how to pass on the faith in trying times, Birzer’s work in Mythic Realms can serve as an inspiring model and guide. What exactly is Christian humanism? Early in Mythic Realms, Birzer says it is a worldview rooted in the way early Christians combined Platonic and Stoic philosophy with Hebrew revelation to understand the mystery of human life and the Incarnate God. In his Gospel, St. John shows how the eternal can enlighten all human beings – and Birzer argues that this is the founding idea of Christian humanism. Beauty is ultimately a signpost to God, a flash of light in a dark world. The Christian humanist seeks to build a culture oriented around such beauty, a culture that can point to man’s divine destiny. Sadly, though, the Christian humanist also knows that man is a fallen creature. We fritter away the glories of Western civilization in our pursuit of worldly pleasures, forsaking the truer, eternal joy of our heritage for passing fancies. What is needed, then, are works of creativity and worship that can remind mankind that God created us for great things. Such creativity “will save civilization before it succumbs to self-destruction,” Birzer writes in the introduction. Birzer takes many of his cues from twentieth-century Christian humanists. The great crises of World War II and the Cold War drew out equally great thinkers and writers who renewed the moral imagination in their own time. In the United Kingdom, the Inklings – especially C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien – led the charge. In the United States, no Christian humanist stood taller than Russell Kirk (the subject of a magisterial biography Birzer published while I was his student).  Essays on Lewis and Tolkien, in particular, demonstrate the value of myth to the Christian humanist project. Their novels proved, according to Birzer, that a modern writer could “promote one’s philosophical and religious beliefs without being overly blatant” and “create art while avoiding the pitfalls of the ever-present ideological morass and political propaganda of the era.” Narnia and Middle Earth are almost second homes to many readers because the mythologies the authors created were not only interesting in their own right, but morally edifying, too. For Christian humanism to be a living project, however, it must be more than a longing for the Middle Ages. Narnia and Middle Earth can teach Christians something about how to live, but fictional worlds cannot be the places where we live. Tradition is not meant to mummify society or culture. Birzer’s work in Mythic Realms points to the way Christian humanists can avoid becoming simple-minded reactionaries.  One of the distinctive characteristics of Birzer’s Christian humanism is its deeply-felt Americanness. He praises Willa Cather in one essay, for example, for “creat[ing] an American Myth” in her novel O Pioneers!, tied to the spirit of the frontiers. Birzer points out, though, that Cather’s pioneers are no “rugged individualists,” struggling to make it all on their own. Rather, “those immigrant farmers brought with them the skills, manners, and attitudes of the old world.” The pioneer towns, clinging to their traditional Christian faith, were able to endow American freedom with deep religious meaning. The faith was the beating heart of the communities the pioneers needed to survive harsh frontier conditions — it both made life possible, and it made life worth living. Similarly, Birzer’s own scholarship helps readers and students understand the relationship between the faith they hold and the world around them. The faith of Cather’s pioneers did not alienate them from America – in fact, it made them better Americans and enabled them to tame the wilderness. Likewise, Birzer’s Christian humanism does not alienate his students from the modern world – rather, it makes them better suited to serve and improve it. In this spirit, the second half of Mythic Realms is dedicated to applying the Christian humanist perspective to popular culture. From Christopher Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy to John Hughes’s ‘80s movies, Birzer examines how Christian humanist themes are present in unexpected places. These essays are fun, to be sure, but they are also deeply serious. They represent a mode of cultural engagement that is both critical and appreciative, and a desire to find truth and beauty even where others may not look. Brad Birzer is the leading proponent of Christian humanism today. In Mythic Realms, he effortlessly blends historical scholarship, literary criticism, and a charming approach to thinking about pop culture. In the midst of immense civilizational rot, Birzer’s work is a refreshing reminder that Christians are more than capable of offering a vital, inspiring alternative to the mire of modern life. The post Brad Birzer’s Christian Humanism for the Modern World appeared first on Providence.

Lord Jim O'Neill, who coined the acronym BRICS in 2001, talks to us about the future of the bloc and its implications for Africa

Brazil is backing Argentina’s entry into the bank, its head Dilma Rousseff said

ASEAN countries have improving ties with Russia as they look to access its markets and source cheap energy and commodities

RDK is ideologically based on the WWII-era "Russian Liberation Army" (ROA in Russian) that was directly allied and subordinated to the Wehrmacht during the "Barbarossa" invasion. Considering such historical parallels clearly indicates what similarities there are not only between the current Neo-Nazi junta and their Bandera forefathers, but also between their respective backers.

Hungary might not “credibly fulfil” tasks of EU Council presidency, MEPs claim.

More and more, Zelensky seems likely to be replaced in Kiev.

Joe Biden’s problem is not his age per se but his deteriorating mental and physical capacity. This is not a distinction without a difference since the two often diverge. Of course, this is not to deny that they often go together, as I can affirm from my own experience. I am younger than the President but notice my own deterioration, and not only my knees. Ideas and arguments still come easily, but remembering names, which are usually disconnected from any analytical threads, is much harder, something my friends of similar age also report. In an academic discussion I can quote verbatim from Why Liberalism Failed or some other volume and discourse on the themes of that book by, by, by … that guy, whatshisname? If someone nudges me with “Deneen” then that is enough to jar the old synapses and I can quickly add “Patrick Deneen” and further drone on about why I found the book unpersuasive, mainly because it is too rationalistic, as though politics is the unfolding of abstract ideas. In other respects, my memory is still excellent. I can even remember things that never actually happened—or at least never happened as my memory says they had. I remember on the morning of 9/11 being evacuated as part of a remarkably disciplined crowd from the Capitol itself, where we were about to hold a much long-planned event on Sudan. But, later, I have been corrected by many other participants that we were not exiting the Capitol but the adjacent Rayburn House Office building. This was a mere block away, so the key themes are true but, still, there was something important which my memory had blurred, perhaps to increase the drama of the occasion. This latter seems to be a widespread malady, especially among politicians and senior journalists who recount amplified or even false versions of their adventures under fire. So, yes, of course our mental powers usually do deteriorate with age. What was I saying….? Ah yes, but age itself is only one dimension and is not per se determinative.  I am working on a book about John Perkins, who is 93-years-old, born a sharecropper in Mississippi in 1930. He’s slowed down a bit but he has still been turning out almost a book a year, a lot more than I have. Konrad Adenauer served in a key and demanding role when in 1949 at the age of 73 he became the first chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, tasked with rebuilding a country that had become a pariah and that had been devastated a mere four years before. He inherited from its foreign military governors a broken, divided, and vilified country. He bore this load for fourteen years, stepping down only in 1963 at which point he was 87. He served a further three years, until he was 90, as the leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), a party he co-founded, and which was the dominant force in the country under his leadership. Whether you agree with his politics or not, by nearly every account, he was on top of the job—indeed, his critics charged that he tended to make most of the major decisions himself and treated his ministers as mere extensions of his authority. Whatever he may have been, he was not a fading political force. Or take Andy Marshall, the long-time head of the Pentagon’s Office of Net Assessment. This is a think tank in the Department of Defense. It was not merely one of such many outfits but was a core one—hence the “net” assessment—a place where to draw on many, many resources to reach an integrated overview of the world situation we face. He was a genius at this, the Yoda of the Defense Department. In an interview in 2012, Major General Chen Zhou, the main author of four Chinese defense white papers, stated that Marshall was one of the most important figures in changing Chinese defense thinking in the 1990s and 2000s. The Washington Post obituary was the one that referred to him as the “Yoda” of defense policy. He retired in 2015 at the age of 94. On May 27, Henry Kissinger had his hundredth birthday, and I still read eagerly anything he writes. You can disagree with what he says, but he is certainly not past it. I wouldn’t put him in a position that requires energy in the executive, but even now he would be a wonderful advisor. Nancy Pelosi was until January 2022 the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Born in 1940, she is older than the President by about two years, but in office until she was 81, did not appear to have lost a step. To borrow a CNN phrase, she was in her prime. Many Republicans, stymied by her political abilities, would perhaps have wished fervently that she had shown more of Biden’s deficiencies, but she did not seem to. In a slightly related matter, several of the more scurrilous tweets that regularly cross my desk intimate that she drinks a lot. I do not say that this is true but, if it were, I would have advised Democrats to follow Lincoln’s advice. The New York Times reported in 1863 that “When someone charged Gen. Grant, in the President’s hearing, with drinking too much liquor, Mr. Lincoln, recalling Gen. Grant’s successes, said that if he could find out what brand of whiskey Grant drank, he would send a barrel of it to all the other commanders.” Where was I…? Oh yes, it is not President Biden’s age per se that is key, but the fitness of his mind and body. He may at times be sharp and alert, but perhaps only for a limited period each day. His official schedule is reportedly very light–little in the early day or after the late afternoon. But what if one of the newly released to Ukraine F-16s attacks Russian territory and Putin responds with a tactical nuclear strike on a relatively unpopulated area? This would require an horrifically difficult decision from any American President. FDR, Truman, Eisenhower, Reagan, even at the top of their game, would be very hard pressed in knowing how best to respond. But it is much more terrifying yet if the question of proper response were to land on the desk or phone of a tired and befuddled President. We should avoid the common American infatuation with youth and a tendency to exclude the old because they are old, as if this world were created yesterday and we hubristically believe that we can learn little or nothing from what has come before. The young can learn from the experience of the old just as the old can learn from the novelties created by the young. There are people much older than we who function very well, in politics as elsewhere. And older people can also bring vast practical experience unavailable to the young. We need experienced Yodas who have actually “been there.” If not, fail we shall and regret we will. The worries about President Biden should not be focused on his age: the world is full of older energetic, talented people. The key issue is the reported deterioration of his faculties. We should focus not on age but on ability. The post It’s Not the President’s Age, But His Failing Faculties appeared first on Providence.

Emerging markets around the world are interested in joining the BRICS group which is more focused on business than values

For many years, many countries around the globe were getting concerned over Washington’s impositions of economic and trade sanctions as a form of weaponisation of the dollar, prompting them to diversify their portfolio of foreign currency reserves

As the United States struggles to maintain influence across vast parts of the Global South, the expanding BRICS bloc led by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa is receiving more applications than ever before, signaling a growing shift in the international economic order

This is yet another proof that the US readiness to engage with the most radical groups to further its geopolitical goals is bound to backfire virtually every time. The illegal entity in Pristina was founded by a volatile mix of Islamic and narco-terrorists with close links to Al Qaeda and even ISIS. Washington DC itself has had them on its list of terrorist organizations until 1998.

Even among Ukrainian journalists, there is criticism of Kiev's propaganda.

China and Russia have been promoting stability and development in the Middle East.

Ukraine’s entitled behaviour will not sway NATO member states.

In a secular age, two mythic stories starkly contrast good and evil with an inter-generational appeal:  J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and George Lucas’ Star Wars.  Both reemphasized the distinction between objective good and evil in an age marked by moral opacity.  One aspect of Christianity, as with other religions, is its casting of humanity’s ultimate struggle between our tendencies towards vice and virtue, something Tolkien and Lucas clearly understood.  In our heart of hearts, we realize that belief does matter, from the box office to the Oval Office.  Ask those in corruption-riddled countries:  can you trust your government and its bureaucracy to serve the people honestly?  Many will answer with an emphatic no and wish for a world where the distinction between good and evil was clearly distinct. In his May 11 article Heroes and Anti-Heroes, Eric Patterson provides a wonderfully concise definition of a hero: “A hero is someone who fights against something larger than himself for something larger than himself.”  And further, “Heroism is about the moral quality of the action, not the amount of power at one’s disposal.”  Whether sourced from fiction, myth, or history, the quality of heroism is defined by courage to do the right thing, despite all temptations and discouragement.  Lucas and Tolkien understood the power of heroic myth and wove it deftly into their stories.  In an interview with Sally Kline, Lucas said: “I was trying to say, in a simple way, that there is a God and that there is both a good side and a bad side.  You have a choice between them, but the world works better if you’re on the good side … I wanted it to be a traditional moral study … there is always a lesson to be learned.” Belief does matter in ways that reflect the moral barometer of society and the health of its political institutions.  John C. McDowell records Lucas saying: “The dark side…is like a huge cancer, alive, festering – both a reminder of a moral state and, at the same time, symptom and symbol of a very sick society.” In Star Wars, young Anakin is seduced by Palpatine to the Dark Side by essentially blurring his distinction between good and evil.  In the novelization The Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover, Palpatine tells Anakin: “Good is a point of view, Anakin.  And the Jedi concept of good is not the only valid one.  Take your Dark Lords of the Sith, for example.  From my reading, I have gathered that the Sith believed in justice and security every bit as much as the Jedi.”  Palpatine’s greatest power, even beyond his Force Lightning, is his verbal deception and dissimulation;  He is the proverbial snake in Lucas’ Eden. In Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings, the One Ring clearly represents a power analogous to Original Sin.  Joseph Pearce in Tolkien Man and Myth, cites Tolkien: “This Catholic theology, explicitly present in The Silmarillion and implicitly present in The Lord of the Rings, is omnipresent in both, breathing life into the tales as invisibly but as surely as oxygen.” Personally, this was hard at first to see as a young man reading Tolkien, when the most salient things were dragons, Nazgul, Orcs, and ring magic.  As an adult, one appreciates the deeper level of religion and myth that permeate both Tolkien and Lucas. Christ’s salvific sacrifice is symbolized clearly in both Tolkien and Lucas as well.  When Palpatine thinks he has converted Luke to take his father’s place, Luke instead mercifully and defiantly throws down his lightsaber, telling the emperor he has failed, and that he is a “Jedi like his father.”  Luke defeats Vader’s evil not with force of arms, but with a more primal and basic force:  the power of love and the appeal to mercy in Vader.  Luke’s wager is Christ-like:  to gamble that love is a power even stronger than the power of Palpatine’s deception, and he was right.  Lucas completes his mythic tale of good and evil with a classic religious lesson. Frodo’s march to Mt. Doom also parallels Christ’s last footsteps to Golgotha.  Joseph Pearce described it well in Tolkien: Myth and Man: “The parallels with Christ’s carrying of the Cross are obvious … Frodo’s burden may even lead the reader to greater understanding of Christ’s burden.  All of a sudden, one sees that it was not so much the weight of the Cross that caused Christ to stumble but the weight of evil, symbolized by Tolkien as the Eye of Sauron.” The power of the ring, and the need to vanquish it runs throughout the story:  the perennial temptation of original sin pulling mankind to grab that power which will delude us into thinking we are equal with God.  Tolkien understood myth was the true power of a story calling to the deepest niches of human psychology, what Carl Jung might call the “archetype.” Tolkien and Lucas have tales of myth, but they have been so popular because their themes resonate so clearly with real life.  They allow us to escape the world while retelling its perils on a bolder, more heroic scale; a world where good does indeed conquer evil though not always with lightsabers or swords as one might expect.  In our world, we witness incessant striving after power, with myriad quotidian choices between good and evil.  In the comfort of our first-world security, we often forget these beliefs matter as long as Starbucks never runs out of coffee and the grocery store is always well-stocked.  Yet the health of political-economic institutions invariably depends on the integrity of the belief systems upon which it invisibly depends. Adam Smith called the function of our moral conscious the “impartial spectator,” while Abrahamic faiths simply call this God.  And the sheer idea of God gives vitality to Smith’s impartial spectator, and the struggle of good and evil, in a way not totally different from the works of Tolkien and Lucas.  Indeed, one need not win a philosophical argument about the factual existence of God to see that conceptually this matters to the health of a political culture.  The post Star Wars, Tolkien, and Religion: Belief Matters appeared first on Providence.

Former Congressman Ron Paul says the dollar’s prominence has already started to wane as countries around the world tire of American interventionist policies

Brazil President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said he’s actively working to help Argentina overcome its financial crisis after meetings with its president, Alberto Fernandez, in Brasilia

BRICS is an acronym for five of the leading economies in the world: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. Together, the nations are looking to establish their own currency, BRICS, in order to decrease the influence of the US in the global trade market by means of de-dollarization. New countries are already showing interest in joining the organization, including Egypt

Weatherhead Fellow and former engineering economist for Saudi Aramco Jenny Spalding addresses the evolution of the US-Saudi oil-for-security bargain and its effect on global energy security. by Jenny Spalding... Read more about The Deal That Keeps the Oil Flowing

By including Taiwan in the US nuclear umbrella, the question of war between Beijing and Washington DC would become "when" instead of "if".

Zelensky’s top aide calls for the measure in order to avoid “new aggressions” in the future.

Ukraine’s manpower shortage is delaying long-anticipated counterattack.

In an insightful essay published last week at Foreign Policy, Gabriel Scheinmann, the executive director of the Alexander Hamilton Society, argued that U.S. support for Ukraine yields multiple goods: including the defense of Taiwan. It’s an assertion bracing and, somehow, both timely and evergreen all at once. Ever since Putin launched his abhorrent invasion, there has been an ongoing debate about whether the United States can provide support for Ukraine while also meeting other essential responsibilities, including, chiefly, countering a revisionist China hellbent on shaking up the status quo. Many see this as a zero-sum game, believing we can choose only one ambition or the other. Critics of military assistance to Ukraine insist that whatever treasure, attention, or resources we direct to Kiev to help them deal with Russia takes away from the attention, resources, and treasure we can spend against China. With Beijing the bigger and critical threat, the decision is simple. Allying ourselves with Ukraine against a bully might feel morally satisfying, but it will prove deadly to stopping China. Scheinmann insists these critics are wrong. Measures taken to support Ukraine, he argues, “are helping modernize U.S. forces, revive dormant defense production, develop and accelerate processes for building and fielding weapons, and spur the largest defense buildup by the United States and its allies in 40 years.” The benefits extend far beyond Central Europe. While there is much more to do, Scheinmann canvasses a number of different ways in which American defense industries, spending, innovation, and processes are becoming more streamlined, efficient, and effective. “The United States is still not moving fast enough to deter a Chinese attack on Taiwan,” Scheinmann cautions, “but U.S. military aid to Ukraine is helping it get off the blocks.” Christian realist observers should be heartened. Scheinmann’s critics are right that supporting Ukraine feels morally satisfying—but only because doing the right thing is morally satisfying. At the same time, it is indisputable that China is a threat that can be neither ignored nor underprepared for. The idea that we might realistically be able to deal with both Russia and China at the same time is a moral and strategic boon. That’s a good thing, because, as the political theorist, Matthew Kroenig, Senior Director of the Atlantic Council’s Scowcroft Center, insists: the U.S. really doesn’t have a choice. From even before the Russian invasion began, Kroenig has argued that the U.S. has to develop a strategy—and the capacity—to deter and, if necessary, defeat Russia and China at the same time. This is not merely coupling moral with strategic interests. Each interest is in play in both Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Advancing these dual interests is not simply about what we must do. It is about who we are. From our inception, Providence has been guided by the simple belief that the routine work of foreign policy and the maintenance of the international system is analogous to the creation mandate to cultivate the Garden. In the space of international affairs, the mandate includes tending to the tasks that uphold public safety, execute justice, and promote human flourishing. This responsibility, scripture makes clear, is shared by all peoples. It is the God-given duty placed upon governing authorities—those over whom there is no one greater charged with the responsibility to protect the innocent, requite injustice, and punish evil with the aim of creating and preserving the conditions necessary for order, justice, and peace. Given its power—held in substantial reserves of economic, military, and political might—the U.S. has a commensurately larger share of stewardship responsibilities. While the American government rightly prioritizes the safety  and security of the American people, this special obligation is not our only obligation. We believe the United States should continue to lead the world, in collaboration with allies, partners, and friends. Our Classical and Hebraic moral and intellectual inheritance has given us a deep sense of the responsibility to use power well and generously so that it is sufferable to those beneath it. We are not perfect. But we are a good bit better than the other leading options. Therefore, the U.S. cannot afford to choose—and the world cannot afford to have us choose—between Europe and the Indo-Pacific. Washington’s strategic objective must be to maintain peace and stability in both regions. The Goodnews, both Scheinmann and Kroenig insist, is that the resource-rich U.S. has the capacity—if we can maintain the will—to both walk and chew gum at the same time. In order to build the capacity to do so, Kroenig has several recommendations. I’ll enumerate some of them briefly here and take them up in greater detail in future posts. First, the U.S. must commit to increased defense spending. China is a greater threat than the Soviet Union was during the Cold War, therefore a meaningful defense spending increase must follow recognition of this fact. We could double our present defense spending and still remain below our Cold War average as a percent of GDP. American economic power can sustain this. With a GDP that outguns both Russia and China combined, we can afford to outspend them. There is no need to make “bread or bombs” compromises. Secondly, our increased defense spending will be next to meaningless if we do not spend it wisely on the fighting assets we need, if we do not innovate and leverage new technologies, and if we do not adapt acquisition and production models to build it all at the required scale and pace. Our support of the war effort against Russia has revealed weaknesses in the U.S. defense industrial ecosystem. We must fix them. Third, whatever the strength of the U.S., Kroenig advises, even the walk-and-chew-gum camp know we can’t take on both Russia and China alone. Therefore, the U.S. must actively lead its allies in Europe and the Indo-Pacific to leverage their strengths and increase their own capacities. Ukraine has demonstrated what the Central and Eastern nations are capable of if they are given the resources to fight. U.S. allies and partners need to do more. We can help them do it. Lastly, whether we like it or not, we need to dust off the Cold War playbooks and modernize—both technologically as well as in theoretical scope—our nuclear weapons and strategy. Russia’s nuclear saber-rattling has reinforced that nuclear weapons can be used to abet conventional aggression. Beijing will certainly have grasped its meaning. We can expect China’s nuclear build up to proceed apace and for its nuclear assets to be deployed as a shield for its aggression against Taiwan and leveraged against U.S. intervention. The U.S. must accept that it must now counter two near-peer and nuclear armed adversaries. We need the numbers and kinds of nonstrategic nuclear weapons that can deter, at the very least, both Russia and China at the same time and that both adversaries would believe we would be willing to use in a last resort. In the meanwhile, while the war in the Ukraine has clarified some of what lies ahead of us, these essential lessons are emerging from a battle that is not yet concluded. The Western alliance that supports Ukraine must decide to commit to a resolute conclusion. That conclusion should be a Ukrainian victory and a Russian defeat. Ukrainian victory will be characterized by the Ukrainian people securing and maintaining a democratic, independent, sovereign, unbroken, and flourishing nation marked by order, justice, and peace and with the ability to deter aggression and defend herself. This defeat will be characterized by Moscow’s failure to achieve its strategic goal of destroying the Ukrainian nation and national identity and advancing its interests across the wider European landscape. Because this is so, the U.S. must lead the way in giving the Ukrainians the weapons they need to win. The debates about what precisely these are will be hotly contested. The resolve to give them should not be. With a clear strategy coupled to clear goals and backed by prudence and power and the clear willingness to employ that power if necessary, the U.S. just might prove able to walk and chew gum at the same time. And, if we do it right, we won’t have to step in it when we do. The post Russia and China at Once: Ukraine, Taiwan, and the Challenge of a Two Front War appeared first on Providence.

BRICS’ economic rise also marks an important challenge to the US-led ‘liberal world order’

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Algeria, Egypt, Bahrain, and Iran have formally asked to join the BRICS group of nations

BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are expected to discuss measures to relax some trade hindrances, increase trade among member states and promote post-pandemic economic recovery, said Ayanda Ntsaluba, an official from the South African Chapter of BRICS Business Council

Russian President Vladimir Putin himself has issued a stark warning to the Neo-Nazi junta: "[The drone attacks] are designed to prompt a reaction from Russia… they provoke mirrored actions. Well, we will see what [we can do] about it."

NDB seeks to counter the influence of Western-dominated multilateral banks – Bloomberg.

The strikes targeted civilian people and demilitarized areas with no military facilities.

Should Christians idealize dictatorships or even suggest dictatorship for America? In the current “post-liberal” moment, there’s a new Christian authoritarian chic. Recent examples include a conservative Christian finding virtue with East German communism, and another extolling a “Protestant” Francisco Franco for America. The first example is American Conservative editor Helen Andrews, who’s Eastern Orthodox, in a book review for Compact, a new post-liberal journal, called “What Soviet Nostalgia Gets Right.” Andrews laments the decline of birthrates in East Germany after communism fell, perhaps due to the “end of universal subsidized daycare and lavish ‘birth-year’ maternity leave, which had been a jewel of the East German welfare state.”  There was also the “loss of a sense of purpose.” And Andrews notes: Most post-Soviet countries are more prosperous now than in 1990, after experiencing temporary declines during the period of “Shock Therapy.” But drug use and street crime, which had been rare in East Germany, were brought in with reunification, along with pornography and sex shops. Those old-timers who have sensed a rise in overall disorder and degeneracy have a point. And: The bargain that East Germany offered is basically the one China offers now: Stay out of politics, and we will leave you alone, and in return, we will deliver rising living standards. Most people are happy to take this deal, and in the case of China, the rest of the world doesn’t condemn them for it. Twenty years ago, the vast majority of Chinese graduate students stayed in America after earning their doctorates. Now the trend is to return to China. They are voting with their feet. As to East Germany’s infamous police state, Andrews says: “Even pervasive surveillance, excruciating for independent thinkers, was an annoyance at most for the average person.” And regarding complaints about East Germany’s lower standards of living compared to West Germany, Andrews responds: In fact, by many of the indices of consumer wealth—percentage of households owning a car, a fridge, a washing machine, a TV—East Germany performed very respectably, especially by the end of the 1970s. If its consumer products were fewer and shabbier than the West’s, its leaders said, with some justification, this was made up for in other ways: free health care and daycare, subsidized public transport, excellent schools. Andrews blames West Germany for isolating East Germany in a virtual “trade embargo” at least until 1970. She does not mention East Germany’s treatment of religion. Of course, Andrews’s ultimate point is not to glamorize East Germany but to deride liberal democracy and free markets.  She writes that “for millions of people who lived under a different system, the superiority of liberalism wasn’t obvious. To take their views seriously is also to consider the possibility that alternatives exist now, too.” What are those “alternatives” to liberal democracy? For American Reformer executive director Joshua Abbotoy, it’s possibly an American one-man personal dictatorship. He tweeted: “Basically, America is going to need a Protestant Franco.” American Reformer is an online Calvinist publication at least adjacent to Reformed advocates of a “magisterial” Protestant confessional state. Another postliberal Reformed online polemicist, Nick Solheim of American Moment, supportively tweeted his endorsement, attaching a pro-Franco podcast.  Abbotoy later added: “I don’t personally want Franco or Pinochet. Their regimes were less than ideal in many ways. I want a virtuous citizenry capable of self-governance. But at this point you need to have your head in the sand if you don’t see parallels to 1930s Spain.” The point behind the Franco endorsement was that at least Franco knew how to manage the Left. His management was defeating Spain’s leftist regime in a brutal civil war, killing tens of thousands of opponents, incarcerating hundreds of thousands, and reigning through a one-man, one-party dictatorship for almost 40 years until he died. Spain’s choices in the 1930s were indeed grim. The Republican regime, although elected, bolshevized through its reliance on support from Stalin. Factions within the regime waged a “red terror,” killing thousands of priests, lay Catholics and other perceived opponents. Their victory likely meant a communist or at least pro-Soviet Spain. Franco of course was backed by Mussolini and Hitler, who expected Franco to join them in their eventual war with the world. To his credit, Franco, although sending “volunteers” to fight with the Nazi invasion of the USSR, declined to war against the West. After winning his own civil war, he waged his own “white terror,” which often involved working thousands of adversaries to death in concentration camps. Among other crimes, children of adversaries, often before their imprisonment and ultimate death, were stolen and awarded to Franco supporters. Across four decades, no opposition to Franco was tolerated. Spain’s Catholic hierarchy supported him against the leftist Republicans but later chaffed under his rule, when it was clear that their privileged status required subservience to him. Among other powers, he claimed authority over appointing bishops. Spain’s Catholic prelates later broke with the dictatorship, especially after Vatican II affirmed religious freedom with other human rights, and supported Spain’s post-Franco transition to democracy. Abbotoy, in his defense of Franco, noted the “Republicans intended to carry out a pogrom against Christian peoples in Spain, and Franco stopped it.”  More specifically, Franco defended the Catholic Church, which was the only fully legal religion in Spain. He was not interested in defending other Christians or religionists. Protestants, with Jews and others, were banned from a public presence in Franco’s Spain. As religious groups they could not directly own property or openly publish their religious materials. Typically, Protestants worshipped in private homes or in disguised buildings, which sometimes were still closed by the police. Under Franco’s law, “no other external ceremonies or manifestations than those of the Catholic religion shall be permitted.” Protestants were banned from government and faced obstacles even in private industry. There were no legally recognized Protestant marriages. In 1956 the only Protestant seminary was closed. Catholic religious instruction in schools was mandatory. American Protestants, both Mainline and Evangelical, commonly complained about Franco’s suppression of Spanish Protestants, for whom they prayed. As Franco was a Cold War ally who hosted a U.S. airbase, the U.S. said little to nothing about Franco’s repressions. Advocating for a “Protestant” Franco echoes a new generation of Calvinist theocrats like Stephen Wolfe, author of The Case for Christian Nationalism, which advocates for a “theocratic caesarism.”  In this vision, a Calvinist ruler would privilege Reformed believers over Catholics and others, which is farcical. Wolfe’s fantasy aside, there can be no “Protestant” Franco because Protestantism is the direct opposite of dictatorship. Protestantism, with its stress on the individual believer’s direct connection to God, is intrinsically subversive to repressive regimes. Dictators like Franco, no matter their own religion, typically fear and suppress most forms of Protestantism, which they see as uncontrollable. “Liberalism” and modern democracy are largely the fruit of Protestantism. Most Calvinists and others who stressed humanity’s total depravity ultimately realized that no ruler or small clique can be trusted with arbitrary power. There must be constant safeguards and counterbalances. No hierarchy, ecclesial or political, merits complete trust. In contrast, dictators, by nature, even when “Christian,” inevitably are tyrants, jailing, torturing, and killing their enemies, stealing from the public treasury, operating on fear and paranoia, and unwilling to surrender power. Some of us are old enough to recall “Franco is still dead” jokes from the mid-1970s. Franco, of course, retained power beyond his cognitive and physical capacities. Late night comedians wondered: “Is Franco still dead?” Thankfully, he is. Neither of the writers extolling Franco and communist East Germany is old enough to recall much of the 20th century, whose dictators perpetrated epic crimes on hundreds of millions. Some young Christian post-liberals think our own times are uniquely terrible. But contemporary America is superior to a single day under Franco, communist East Germany, or any dictator.    The post Christian Dictatorship Chic? appeared first on Providence.

In leading the military support of Ukraine’s fight against Russia, introducing a massive package of sanctions and weaponising the dollar, Washington has caused a backlash that is rapidly driving the world’s leading emerging markets (EMs) together into a bloc led by the BRICS, who are clubbing together and de-dollarising in case they are next up to face US-led Western ire

Two nuclear reactors and eight steam generators for the Kudankulam NPP in India and the Tianwan NPP in China have been transported through the central streets of Volgodonsk in Russia, where they were manufactured, to a specialised berth on the Tsimlyansk reservoir

The New Development Bank (NDB), an institution established by the BRICS group of major emerging economies, is reportedly in discussions with Saudi Arabia regarding its potential membership as the tenth member of the bank

There's no indication London will stop escalating, as it's now at the forefront of the initiative to deliver F-16 fighter jets to the Neo-Nazi junta. Moscow is well aware of this and has made efforts to communicate with the UK, but to no avail. London's rabid Russophobia seems to be clouding its judgment, leaving Russia with no other option but to just cut contact.

Moldova is not interested in liberalism but in imposing Russophobia.

Republic politician denies responsibility but does not clarify the situation appropriately, thus justifying Russia’s legal measures against him.

Mr. Loconte’s essay is adapted from a talk he delivered for the Charles Malik Institute on April 27, 2023. The idea of the university, of an institution devoted to freedom of thought in the pursuit of truth, stretches back nearly a millennium. Its origins can be traced to the Italian city of Bologna, when a daring and powerful woman—yes, a woman—invited a famous scholar to teach Roman law to a small group of ambitious young men. The Countess Matilda, heiress to vast tracts of land in Tuscany and a friend of Pope Gregory VII, was as fervent in her quest for knowledge as in her piety. In 1080, the discovery in an Italian library of texts of Roman law, compiled under Justinian in the sixth century but lost for many years, created a sensation. As historian Harold Berman explains, Europeans viewed Justinian’s law as “the ideal law, the embodiment of reason,” and applicable everywhere. The texts were copied and began to be studied as students gathered to hire teachers to expound their meaning. A popular and dynamic teacher known as Irnerius caught the attention of Matilda, and in 1088 she arranged to have him teach in her native Bologna. It marked a quiet yet profound revolution in the history of education. The Bologna students quickly organized themselves into a guild, what they called a universitas, a term from Roman law to describe an association with a legal personality. It was a bottom-up affair. The students paid the salaries of the professors themselves — and penalized their instructors if they were not fulfilling their academic duties. After securing a charter from the city of Bologna, the school drew teachers and students from all over Europe and from other disciplines — medicine, theology, philosophy, the liberal arts — and organized them into an academic profession. This spontaneous experiment marked the birth of the university, the oldest in the world, and the first institution to establish academic requirements and award degrees. The principle of academic freedom had taken root. The city of Bologna, under the slogan libertas, had sought to escape feudal rule and become a free commune. There was a spirit of innovation and freedom at Bologna, where the city and the university collaborated to preserve their independence and advance a common educational vision. By the end of the twelfth century, the University of Bologna was renowned as the premier center for higher learning in Europe. Students from across the continent were drawn to its culture of truth-seeking. Graduates could teach anywhere, spreading their reputation as La Dotta, the Learned. The Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I (1122–1190) granted special protection to Bologna’s foreign scholars, ensuring them “freedom of movement and travel for the purposes of study.” As a result, some of the most innovative and creative minds of the Middle Ages — including Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petrarca, and Erasmus of Rotterdam — studied at Bologna. A noblewoman named Bettisia Gozzadini, after studying philosophy and law at Bologna in 1237, became the first woman in history to be awarded a university degree and allowed to teach at the university level. Even during the turbulent years of the Protestant Reformation, the university kept its doors open and protected Protestant students from prosecution by the Inquisition. A New Inquisition Well, the spirit of the Inquisition—a secularized version of it—is alive and well in the West and working its mischief in the modern university. Before we try to get to the heart of this mischief—the intellectual and moral crisis of the university—let’s remind ourselves why it matters. In fact, it matters supremely to every citizen in the United States and in the West more broadly. This is what makes A Christian Critique of the University, by Charles Malik, published just over 40 years ago, so vitally important to our cultural moment. As Lebanon’s first ambassador to the United States, Malik was a key figure in the debates over the meaning of human dignity and human rights at the inception of the United Nations. An Arab intellectual and committed Christian (Greek Orthodox), Malik understood the crucial role of the universities in shaping the beliefs and assumptions of generations of leaders in virtually every sector of society: in education, politics, the media, entertainment, the sciences, the arts, and religion. “The great Western institution, the university, dominates the world today more than any other institution,” wrote Malik. “No task is more crucial and urgent today than to examine the state of the mind and spirit in the Western university.” Charles Malik had raised the alarm two years earlier, in 1980, at the dedication of the Billy Graham Center at Wheaton College (IL). In that talk, called “The Two Tasks,” Malik warned the evangelical community that, in their passion to win souls, they must not neglect the life of the mind. He cautioned them against the sin of anti-intellectualism. “If Christians do not care for the intellectual health of their own children and for the fate of their own civilization,” he said, “a health and fate so inextricably bound up with the state of the mind and the spirit in the universities, who is going to care?” Tragically, we cannot depend on the current progressive, secular leadership of America’s universities to care about the intellectual, moral, and spiritual health of the academy. But the problem is not just on the Left. With a handful of wonderful exceptions, we cannot depend on the current leadership in the conservative Christian community to appreciate the depth of the problem. The new Christian Right seems as indifferent to the great cultural and intellectual inheritance of our civilization as the woke Left. And this is why Charles Malik is the man for our moment. It was Malik, a generation ago, who warned us that “the fundamental spirit of the whole university is determined by the humanities. Philosophically and spiritually, where the humanities stand, the entire university stands.” Let that truth hang in the air for a moment: where the humanities stand, the entire university stands. The disciplines of history, literature, politics, philosophy, economics, the arts, and religion: this is the lifeblood of the humanities. It is here where the most important questions about human nature and the nature of human societies are asked. It is here where the collective wisdom of the West in grappling with those questions is transmitted. It is our inheritance, our cultural birthright. Yet we are in the process of selling our birthright for the thin gruel of social fads and social engineering utterly detached from the moral norms of Western civilization. Truth-Seeking in the Academy The problem runs much deeper than the explosion in gender studies, racial narratives, and political yardsticks for diversity, equity, and inclusion. The problem, I believe, is profoundly spiritual. The problem lies in the rejection of the concept of a Creator. We are in the midst of a cultural rebellion against the God of the universe upon whom we—as creatures—depend for life and truth and meaning. The mission of the earliest colleges and universities in colonial America was to educate men and women in such a way that they would, through the course of their lives and vocations, honor God with their hearts and their minds. With this foundational belief, universities were committed to truth-seeking. They were confident that truths about the nature of God and the world that he made could be discovered—and, once discovered, would demand our obedience, if we hoped to live lives of virtue and meaning. This was one of the themes that animated the career of the English philosopher John Locke, who helped to lay the foundation for government based on natural rights, human freedom, and human equality. Recall the importance that Locke attached to the impartial search for truth, in his Essay Concerning Human Understanding: “This I am certain, I have not made it my business either to quit or follow any authority in the ensuing discourse: truth has been my only aim.” Locke’s commitment to truth-seeking also animates his Letter Concerning Toleration. “No man can, if he would, conform his faith to the dictates of another. All the life and power of true religion consists in the inward and full persuasion of the mind… Every man has a commission to admonish, exhort, convince another of error, and by reasoning to draw him into truth.” Toward this end, Locke brought together a circle of friends to discuss and debate the big questions of life. He laid down the “Rules of a Society” for those who wanted to participate. Rule #3 was this: he must affirm that he “loves and seeks truth for truth’s sake, and will endeavor impartially to find and receive it himself, and to communicate it to others.” Truth-seeking was not a product of skepticism for Locke. Rather, truth-seeking began with the belief in a loving and just Creator, and it was the obligation of every individual seek the truth if he hoped to please his Creator. As Locke put it in his Thoughts on the Conduct of the Understanding: “But I am not enquiring [into] the easy way to opinion,” he writes, “but the right way to truth, which they must follow who will deal fairly with their own understandings and their own souls.” This outlook has been at the heart of the creative genius that has shaped our civilization for millennia. Few statesmen of 20th century understood this fact better than Charles Malik. “More than by anything else,” he wrote, “Western civilization is defined by total fearlessness of and openness to the truth. To the extent this civilization begins to harbor reservations about this fearlessness and this openness, it ceases to be itself, i.e., Western.” Today we are afraid of the Truth: the facts about God and our mortal lives that we seek to evade at almost any cost. Oxford, the Inklings, and Western Civilization We need to recover a passion for the humanities. Historically speaking, it’s difficult to imagine any hope for cultural renewal without a renewed commitment to the humanities. We must avoid silly nostalgia about our history and cultural inheritance. There is much in our past that we must renounce, patterns of thought that we must guard ourselves against—because human nature has not changed and there are hatreds and philosophies and schemes of domination that reappear in every generation. But the purpose of the university is not primarily to denounce our past, but to recover its treasures: to help each generation understand what the search for beauty, and virtue, and truth can look like. What might it look like? It looked like the circle of scholars, authors, and friends who gathered at Oxford University, throughout the 1930s and 40s, to reclaim this older tradition. They called themselves the Inklings, those who dabble in ink, and were led by C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. They met every week to share with one another whatever they were working on as authors: to critique and sharpen one another as thinkers and writers. Lewis’s first work of epic fiction as a Christian, The Space Trilogy, was tested in the presence of the Inklings. It is a story about the Fall of Man and the Will to Power. Tolkien read out loud to his friend, C.S. Lewis, virtually every chapter of his epic story of the battle for Middle-earth. Without Lewis, he confessed, he never would have finished The Lord of the Rings. The authors of these imaginative works about the struggle between good and evil were rooted in the literary canon of the West. They were nourished by what philosopher Russel Kirk called “the permanent things.” One of the supreme goals of the university, properly understood, is to direct the minds of each generation toward these “permanent things.” This is one way to cure each generation of what C.S. Lewis called our “chronological snobbery”—the vain belief that virtually everything in our past has been displaced by our current fads and modes of thinking. Lewis delivered this precise message during a moment of existential crisis: in September of 1939, after Germany invaded Poland, when Britain was once again at war and when the fate of Western civilization sat on the edge of a knife. The rector of St. Mary the Virgin Church in Oxford asked Lewis, himself a veteran of the First World War, to speak to the undergraduates in his congregation. Here is what he told them: “What we need most, perhaps, is intimate knowledge of the past… A man who has lived in many places is not likely to be deceived by the local errors of his native village; the scholar has lived in many times and is therefore in some degree immune from the great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and the microphone of his own age.” The cataract of nonsense has grown to epic proportions and threatens to overwhelm us. Joining the Resistance And this brings us back to the University of Bologna. Today, with eleven schools and more than 86,000 students, it ranks among the top academic institutions in Europe. Its history is intimately bound up with the city of Bologna. In the historic squares, for example, it is not the statues of political or military heroes that dominate — but rather the tombs and memorials to medieval professors. It is largely forgotten that the popular term alma mater, used by university graduates around the world, comes from the University of Bologna: Its full name is Alma Mater Studiorum Universita di Bologna, or “the Nourishing Mother of Studies University of Bologna.” The modern university could use some nourishment, Bolognese-style. Unlike the contempt for Western civilization that animates much of the academy, the students at Bologna paid homage to their cultural inheritance: the classical-Christian tradition. Unlike the tribalism and grievances that characterize campus culture, Bologna sought to create an academic community devoted to meeting the physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual needs of its members. The University of Bologna, in the words of the historian Tom Holland, became “a new nerve center for the transfiguration of Christian society.” But could the modern university once again become a nerve center for moral and spiritual transformation? It certainly seems unlikely. We are living, as the Scripture reminds us, in enemy-occupied territory. Let that not be forgotten. That gives us a special role to play, a special privilege and obligation. We need to become part of the Resistance: outposts of intellectual seriousness and Christian virtue and moral sanity that expose the darkness of our own crooked and perverse generation. “The problem is not only to win souls but to save minds,” Malik warned. “If you win the whole world and lose the mind of the world, you will soon discover that you have not won the world. Indeed, it may turn out that you have actually lost the world.” Hearts and minds—they are waiting to be won. They are waiting for us to reach them. The post The Crisis of the University appeared first on Providence.

While the world has been watching the "no limits" partnership between Russia and China grow into “a relationship that probably cannot be compared with anything in the world," Russia has been growing quietly closer to the second largest country in the world

Economist Peter St Onge just issued a major warning on the fate of the US dollar and the quality of life in America

The foreign ministers of the BRICS group of major emerging economies will meet in South Africa on June 1-2 to discuss pressing geopolitical issues, including the bloc’s first enlargement in over a decade as it seeks to position itself as a representative of the “Global South” and provide an alternative model to the Group of Seven

The regime reportedly called for Taurus projectiles with a range of 500km, which are enough to successfully attack the Russian capital.

If forced to “pick a side”, most countries may end up “decoupling” from the US instead.

The reasoning behind the attack was likely manifold and since the ship is providing security to the TurkStream and Blue Stream, it's certainly not outside the realm of possibility that the Kiev regime was trying to jeopardize the two key Black Sea natural gas pipelines.

Kilicdaroglu would have made Turkey serve US interests once again.

“The Army has always had its ups and downs, we’re heading for a down… but you have to have faith.” These words of encouragement from a general to a young captain in the waning years of the Vietnam War, published in Rick Atkinson’s The Long Gray Line, are entirely relevant today. The novel, published over thirty years ago, offers poignant insight into problems facing a military and, in particular, its veterans in the wake of an unpopular and mishandled war. The book’s narrative, running from pre-war patriotism to post-war despondency, contains a noteworthy therapeutic element for veterans of both the Vietnam War as well as the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Yet, the overall encouragement is in keeping faith through troubled times, maintaining your character and values, and recognizing the imperishable significance of service to something greater than yourself. The Long Gray Line follows the lives of the West Point class of 1966, nearly all of whom grew up in an era of national post-WWII reverence for the military. As they begin their education at West Point in 1962, the men of ’66 are filled with patriotism, pride, and a hunger for the adventure their fathers shared two decades earlier. Atkinson’s novel details their vigor and energy during their time at West Point and as they begin adulthood— service in Vietnam ever-looming— followed by their struggles as the civilian population grows increasingly hostile to the war effort, eventually turning on the soldiers themselves. In many ways, Atkinson’s work foreshadows the experience of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who witnessed 9/11 and came of age in service to the nation over the last two decades. The young men in The Long Gray Line serve harrowing combat tours and witness the deaths of more classmates than almost any other West Point class. Yet, if that were not enough, their homecoming is unlike that of any prior generation. Returning home from the jungles of Vietnam, they find a nation amidst drastic upheaval, far different from the America that reverentially celebrated Memorial Day parades in their youth. Far from unified, the country they come home to is divided among fundamental cultural lines: rural and metropolitan, young and old, white and black. The Army the men served or still serve is collapsing as a result of lowered standards, relaxed discipline, and a break from the core values taught at West Point. The weight of the rejection from the American populace and questions about the justification and conduct of the war leads each character down a different path to personal peace. And in this space, Atkinson masterfully addresses the question veterans continually grapple with: “Was it all worth it?” The character of a military chaplain, Reverend James Ford, provides the answer. His story is interwoven throughout the book as he counsels cadets at West Point, visits them in Vietnam, presides over their funerals, and struggles with feelings of futility in the war and its aftermath. It is Ford’s narrative that provides precisely what is needed in times of uncertainty and despondence: a dose of faith and an acknowledgment of purpose. He stands, as the chapel does at West Point, on a hill in the background, overlooking the campus and its cadets, reminding the soldiers of the higher calling to serve and of the seven Army values learned at West Point: loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity, and personal courage. It is these values, and a deeply instilled sense of fraternity, that binds the men of ’66 to each other and their nation. In this brotherhood of shared values they can fully understand the honor of their service within the context of a mismanaged war and find purpose for life going forward. Even at a time when, as Atkinson puts it, “church, family school – all the traditional temples of moral instruction – had been weakened.” For veterans who served in Afghanistan or Iraq, The Long Gray Line will feel familiar. The similarities are stark, particularly the sentiment that everything the modern Army is experiencing has happened before. But after Vietnam, the men who kept faith with the Army’s values became the men who rebuilt the institution into the world-class military of the 1991 Gulf War. Notably, as several of the book’s main characters grapple with how to rebuild an Army and preserve the character of West Point, they join together to build a monument in Washington D.C. to the Vietnam War dead. The monument, in its minimalist design, is drastically different than any other on the mall, focusing the onlooker’s attention solely on the names of the dead, removing the politics, politicians, and the war’s leaders from thought. The graduates of ’66 lived through the firestorms of combat and the cultural and political storms that gripped their nation in the 70s. “Honor,” Machiavelli warned, “is impossible in a defeated country.” Yet the men of ’66 along with many veterans of modern wars, show just how wrong Machiavelli was as they hold true to the Army values regardless of the bleak circumstances. Today’s Army is imperiled by a crisis of leadership and morale, just as it was post-Vietnam. Recruitment is struggling, retention is increasingly costly, and American support for the military is plummeting. Most worryingly, veterans, once the military’s best advocates, are less likely to recommend service to friends and family. The army is no stranger to this kind of crisis, and as Army Chief of Staff Fred C. Weyand said in the later years of the Vietnam War, “Americans have a long and proud tradition of irreverence toward and distrust of their military.” How a military works through these issues to rebuild itself, and how individual men and women find value in service to a sometimes-ungrateful nation are the evergreen lessons of Atkinson’s novel. It may take a visit to a large stone chapel, a conversation with a chaplain, or simply a recommitment to the values we know are true, but the nation can endure and thrive with the help of a few veterans who keep the faith. As Memorial Day is upon us, and veterans across the nation take time to remember fallen friends and their service, The Long Gray Line may offer exactly the encouragement needed to recommit to core values. The post Faith and Values: Revisiting The Long Gray Line appeared first on Providence.

The provocative actions of Ukraine and the involvement of NATO in the conflict can lead to a direct clash between Russia and the members of the alliance.

South Africa hosted the BRICS Academic Forum in Cape Town, where discussions focused on the most pressing issues on the BRICS agenda such as the modalities of BRICS-Africa cooperation, including through the advancement of the African Continental Free Trade Area

The appeal of the BRICS organization is more evident than ever before. Reportedly, 19 countries from around the world have expressed an interest in joining the group as members or observers

The Indo-American strategic partnership is a long-term trend that no one, including Russia, will be able to reverse. Russia needs to realize that the Indian political elites are expanding their contacts with the Americans not because of “pressure from Washington”, but because, in their opinion, cooperation with the US is in New Delhi’s national interests. At the same time, Moscow has the right to expect from New Delhi a similar attitude towards the Russian-Chinese “relations of comprehensive partnership and strategic interaction of a new era,” writes expert Gleb Makarevich, Deputy Head, Centre for the Indian Ocean Region Studies, IMEMO RAS

According to the University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs, illegal and truly unprovoked US invasions of Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Yemen and Pakistan in the last over two decades have resulted in at least 4.5-4.6 million deaths, while anywhere between 38 and 60 million people have been displaced.

Besides being irresponsible, the threat seems highly “optimistic” and unrealistic.

Increasing the debt ceiling won’t save US from economic woes.

US and NATO are trying to solve their own problems by escalating the Eastern European crisis and should it spiral out of control this could lead to a dangerous war.

Right-wing presidential candidates tout commitment to the West, but severe financial crisis could necessitate a shift

Iran and Saudi Arabia are on the road to join the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) which is considered as the most powerful substitute for the West

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva agreed to strengthen bilateral relations during a meeting in Hiroshima, the first between the two dignitaries

Zelensky's attempts to self-promote as some kind of a military leader despite the sore absence of a clearly defined plan of action have pushed most of the military elite into opposition, as he essentially turned the military into some sort of a theater of his with the sole purpose of waging an infowar, resulting in needless massive casualties for the Kiev regime forces.

The plan will severely hurt European interests while attending US anti-Russian plans.

Ukraine’s spring offensive will seemingly not happen with summer now around the corner.

A remarkable event occurred at the beginning of the year, to which few gave much attention. The GDP of the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) surpassed that of the G7 countries (Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States) in terms of purchasing power parity

Bank starts road to redemption with capital markets return

The G7 countries as with fear look at drift of India BRICS aside

The No START Treaty Act would effectively ban any future arms control talks between Russia and the US if it didn't include China. This issue is most likely the main reason why Washington DC did everything in its power to undermine the New START in the first place.

Brazil strengthens ties with Russia despite Western pressure.

US authorities are struggling to explain the images showing American weapons in Russian territory.

Amidst the BRICS collective’s push to eliminate the reliance on the US dollar, Russia’s Finance Minister, Anton Siluanov, stated that more than 70% of trade between China and Russia is settled in their respective local currencies

Despite the fact that the BRICS+ initiative was first proposed in 2017, there is still hardly any concrete framework or overarching concept advanced by any of the BRICS countries

The Federation of Indian Exporters Organization (FIEO), India’s apex trade body, also signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Business Russia to promote trade and investments between the two countries, during the on-going delegation visit

CNN admits that even US officials are skeptical in this regard, noting that "Russia also has extensive anti-aircraft systems that could easily shoot down the F-16s", adding that "Ukraine has not been conducting many air missions with the fighter planes it already has for precisely that reason".

The purpose of the operation was to distract the world's media and prevent the newspapers from reporting Russia’s territorial progress.

Kurdish-led SDF implicated in plan to attack Russian forces.

According to Mauro Vieira, Brazil notes "the gradual and balanced process of the expansion of the NDB, which admitted three new members (Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, and Bangladesh) in 2021

Khabarovsk BRI investments reach US$1.6 billion in 2022, China trade up 31%

Continuing its shipments of reactor components to India, Russia’s integrated nuclear power major Rosatom has shipped a reactor pressure vessel and four steam generators

Tsikhanouskaya spreads fake news on Lukashenko’s health.

Despite Western, Ukrainian propaganda, the reality of the battlefield shows Moscow militarily controls the conflict.

"What we're seeing now is… a 'wartime arms expo'. And it certainly seems that way with various NATO systems being sent to the AFU. We have the 'Patriot', NASAMS, IRIS-T, 'Hawk', etc. Coupled with various Soviet-era ones, this 'salad of systems' is a real logistical nightmare that is bound to get worse, " – Colonel Wolf.

European leaders have had enough of the conflict and would be directly impacted by an escalation.

Another major financial institution is ditching the US Dollar in what comes as yet another major blow to Washington. According to recent reports, the New Development Bank (NDB) of BRICS nations will offer loans in the local currencies of member states

Algeria, Egypt, Indonesia have asked to join the group

The magic bone for BRICS to bring them together is its diversity. Each member country brings a unique set of economic and political landscapes to the forum, which has created a rich tapestry of interests and perspectives

New Delhi defends its interests despite constant Western pressure.

The Swedish government must be prepared to leave the EU, as the troubled bloc should not take its national interests for granted. The Sweden Democrats leader insists that the government must ensure it's ready in case such a decision is ever made by the Swedish people and to formally legitimize any threat to withdraw from the EU in future negotiations with Brussels.

The case shows very clearly how the Ukrainian state can be considered a terrorist organization.

Creating an integrated and effective system for airspace defense is a great challenge for Kiev, more serious task than simply receiving plenty of weapons from the US and NATO allies.

India is set to step up its purchases of Russian coking coal this fiscal year to cash in on lower prices and diversify its imports, trade and industry officials said

Gas supplies to China expected to hit 22 billion cubic meters in 2023, says Russian deputy prime minister

BRICS countries urged to promote trade among themselves

The scandal is yet another huge embarrassment for the Neo-Nazi junta, particularly as the head of the Supreme Court himself was arrested in connection to taking bribes to the tune of several million dollars. This means that the highest authority responsible for upholding the law is breaking it in the most blatant way imaginable.

Most western media is biased and propagandistic in its narrative of the conflict, always trying to make it seem like Kiev has the advantage over the Russians.

Demand for the Chinese Yuan is increasing as more and more nations opt against using the U.S. Dollar. Russia’s Sberbank CEO, German Gref, said that demand for the Chinese Yuan is increasing within the country

Iran’s trade with BRICS member states, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, reached 43.28 million tons worth $34.98 billion during the first 11 months of last Iranian year

Ambassador Sabino Vaca Narvaja held meetings with BRICS Bank President Dilma Rousseff and Foreign Minister Qin Gang in Shanghai

It remains to be seen whether this will be enough to end the conflict or whether the regime's military will be forced to remain in the trenches, even without proper supplies.

CNN immediately resorted to damage control to save the "Patriot's" reputation, as it only arrived late last month and just recently entered service, claiming that "a US-made 'Patriot' air defense system was likely damaged, but not destroyed".

In the aftermath of the Russia-Ukraine war, India has been purchasing oil from Russia at a discounted price. The US has not opposed this decision publicly but earlier this year, some US officials had alluded to the possibility of imposing sanctions on India for purchase of Russian oil, though the US later on clarified that Washington was not “looking to sanction India”

Dilma Rousseff, president of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB), and Chinese Finance Minister Kun Liu, who is also vice-chairman of the NDB’s board of governors, have extended an invitation to Argentine Finance Minister Sergio Massa to attend the Bank’s 8th annual meeting

Brazil anticipates its collaboration with Russia on space matters within the framework of BRICS to mature, Brazilian Space Agency Coordinator for Satellites and Applications Rodrigo Leonardi told Sputnik

According to unsubstantiated claims by Western big outlets, the head of the Wagner Group would be selling out Russian positions to Ukraine’s intelligence.

Russian issued repeated warnings that the hazardous effects of munitions containing depleted uranium would be impossible to control or even assess the exact areas that would be affected. However, the UK's response has been almost completely Pilatian, as London officially rejected bearing responsibility for any possible consequences of the use of depleted uranium munitions.

Pro-US Kilicdaroglu is not expected to win the 2023 Turkish election.

Brazil has increasingly become involved in the structures and institutions of the international organization - BRICS

China and South Africa have a longstanding relationship that dates back to the era of the anti-apartheid struggle. This relationship is characterized by strong solidarity between the two countries as they work to promote their shared interests and values

De-dollarization is currently a prominent topic of discussion across the globe. Many nations have stepped forward to reduce their reliance on the dollar and implement an alternative financial system

Establishing the NATO office in Tokyo could open the path for an office in Seoul too.

For the West and its proxy regime, it is interesting to make Belarus involved in the conflict.

One should never underestimate the importance of the politics of memory and its consequences.

When Moscow launched its counteroffensive against NATO aggression in Europe, Western project in Ukraine was about to collapse in mere days. Precisely that would've happened had it not been for the blatant meddling of the political West.

The digital economy has emerged as a significant force within the BRICS countries, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. These nations have recognized the transformative power of the digital revolution and are actively embracing the opportunities it presents

The geopolitics of the Caspian region has been undergoing a rapid change in recent years due to the geopolitical realignment in the post-Soviet Eurasian space and the neighbouring Persian region. In this context, India, because of its historical geo-cultural connectivity with the Caspian region, can play a major role in shaping the geopolitical dynamics of this region

FESCO, one of the largest private transport and logistics companies in Russia, has announced that it has signed an agreement with an Indian logistics group to develop maritime transportation between the two countries

Imran Khan poses the greatest threat to Pakistan’s military monopoly on political power.

It seems the Caesar Act will soon be used against US "partners" that have been nearly 100% compliant up until recently. This includes Saudi Arabia and Jordan, both of which still have extremely close relations with the Pentagon.

Zelensky’s demands for "more time" sound like an excuse for the failure of the Ukrainian counterattack.

American mediation attempts on Nagorno-Karabakh show an overstretched Washington seeking to project power both in the Pacific and in Eurasia.

China is courting Russia to consolidate its power in the Arctic, even as it builds a fifth research station in Antarctica

Ambassador of Kazakhstan Yerkin Akhinzhanov met with BRICS Sherpa of the Republic of South Africa Anil Sooklal, Kazinform cites the press service of the Kazakh MFA

The US dollar is continuously facing backlash. Now Russia thinks that BRICS should do more. It has floated the idea of common currency

While South Koreans prefer the current status quo, the US is worried this could greatly weaken their ability to form a wider and more compliant anti-Chinese coalition.

According to data released by the Moscow’s investigative committee, 5,000 ethnic Russian civilians died in Donbass region since 2014.

Fox News host accuses CIA of bringing Biden to power.

PODCAST | ep12 | with Ahmet Akbiyik, Andrew O’Donohue, and SZ The presidential election in Turkey this spring is shaping up to be the most consequential in decades. Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has led the country for twenty years, is facing the staunchest opposition in his career in the form of an unprecedented coalition of six parties, called the “Table of Six.” Their presidential candidate, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, has been widely described as low-key, bland, and uncharismatic. But could he be the perfect person to unseat Erdogan? To get us up to speed on this exciting election, we speak with three Graduate Student Associates whose research takes us into the governance, politics, and culture of Turkey—past and present. Listen to episode #12 (31:15) by clicking the play button below: ... Read more about Can Erdogan be Unseated?

China and India will lead the world through their contribution to the global gross domestic product expansion, followed by the US, according to a recent International Monetary Fund (IMF) report

Transmashholding (TMH) the largest manufacturer of locomotives and rail equipment in Russia, won a global bid to supply produce, supply, and maintain 120, 16-car long-distance Vande Bharat trains for the Indian Railways

India is set to overtake China as the world’s most populous country by the end of June, U.N. estimates, posing huge challenges to a nation with creaking infrastructure and insufficient jobs for millions of young people

It remains to be seen how successful such projects will turn out to be, as well as how long it will be possible to carry them out while ignoring Washington’s warfare against Germany.

Western disinformation agents claim that Moscow would be militarily weakened, which obviously does not correspond to the reality of the current conflict.

The political West is decades behind Russia in hypersonic weapons development, so this propaganda story accomplishes at least two objectives – promotes US-made air defenses after humiliating failures and "tarnishes" the reputation of Russian hypersonic missiles.

Poland deepens servitude to Washington in delusional bid to attain great power status.

India, as it presses the pedal on a free trade agreement with Russia to boost economic and trade activities, has a message to the world — that New Delhi will be guided by strategic autonomy and dynamics that suit the country’s macro-economic fundamentals

The campus in Wenchang county, home to China’s fourth spaceport, aims to be up and running by September 2025

India's JSW Steel (JSTL.NS) plans to sell specialty steel products to Russia this year, a senior company official told Reuters

Warsaw’s alliance with Kiev and its quest to become a European power is welcomed by Washington as a means to counter Berlin and any European strategic autonomy amid a complicated geopolitical and geoeconomic dispute.

The West continues to pump resources to Ukraine despite impossibility of halting Russian forces.

If Helsinki and Washington DC were to go ahead with such plans, it would be the first case that a country has hosted even American nuclear weapons after the end of the (First) Cold War. The same goes for Poland, whose insistence on having nuclear weapons deployed on its territory has already pushed Russia to deploy its own tactical warheads in Belarus.

Former German volunteer publishes book showing how Ukrainian troops kill prisoners of war on the battlefield.

The forum of emerging economies, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS), is very much in the news. There is much global interest in the economic developments in this group, especially as it relates to creating an alternative economic order which includes a new reserve currency to replace the US dollar

A flurry of diplomatic visits to Moscow and Beijing from Western leaders and the Global South suggest they aren’t quite alone

South Africa took over as the chair of BRICS on Jan. 1, 2023, during a challenging economic period, both domestically and globally. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine and the West's sanctions have worsened the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on economies globally, leading to soaring energy and food prices, which have had a disproportionate effect on the global South

The Polish general's concerns are hardly misplaced considering that he's getting unbiased military reports from Polish and NATO services. Expectedly, such reports are extremely unlikely to ever be published by the mainstream propaganda machine, but General Andrzejczak's words alone should be enough to indicate the actual state of the Kiev regime forces.

Kiev's neo-Nazi regime has violated an important redline, which may not remain unanswered on the battlefield.

The EU supports Moldova’s dictatorial policies against the opposition and citizens alike.

South Africa-Russia relations are not new. They date back decades before South Africa arrived at a democratic dispensation in 1994; a journey in which Russia provided a lot of support. During the recent visit to South Africa of Russian Foreign Affairs Minister Sergey Lavrov, it was agreed that the two countries need to further deepen relations and cooperation in most spheres, including political, economic, security and social ones, as well as in multilateral and international forums

International politics is an arena where there are no permanent friends or foes, there are only permanent interests

The two countries are on pace to hit $200 billion in turnover this year

According to recent data, Ukraine lost 15.000 troops in April alone.

Ukraine wants to pivot New Delhi away from Moscow, attempting to undo decades of fruitful and longstanding relations.

Citing "a person familiar with the calls", Semafor reports that "senior Ukrainian officials had raised their objections to Carlson's coverage of the war to Fox Executives".

Be it in the Pacific or in Eurasia, India diplomacy is to remain based on the pragmatism which has characterized it since the Cold War.

The IBSA forum, which was established in the early 2000s as a means to strengthen cooperation among three key emerging economies, is seen to have become dormant in recent years

India and Russia are discussing a free trade agreement (FTA), the Russian trade minister said, an announcement that could deepen bilateral commercial ties that have flourished since war broke out in Ukraine

East China's coastal city of Xiamen in Fujian Province saw its foreign trade with BRICS countries jump 57.3 percent year on year to 24.77 billion yuan (about 3.6 billion U.S. dollars) in the first quarter of 2023

The mainstream propaganda machine usually claims that the Kiev regime doesn't have the capacity to create dirty bombs. However, recent reports about "sensitive US nuclear technologies" in Ukrainian nuclear power plants (NPPs) show such claims are patently false.

The goal of the maneuvers was to neutralize the regime’s production of weapons and ammunition.

US Treasury disingenuously denies there is a banking calamity.

CAR Trade and Industry Minister emphasizes the need to expedite this work and maintain the current pace of progress following the visit of the BRICS delegation to the nation

Who would have expected that the BRICS nations could rise as the potential rival of the G7 countries, the World Bank and the IMF combined? But that once seemingly distant possibility now has real prospects which could change the political equilibrium of world politics

Urges that sanctions be imposed on only high-valued diamonds of one carat and above

The usage of advanced weapons like the "Iskander" to destroy a relatively small unit primarily revolves around sending a clear message to all radicals within the Neo-Nazi junta forces – their war crimes have not been forgotten, let alone forgiven.

Seoul military support to Kiev would contribute both to the continuation of the conflict in Eastern Europe and to increasing tensions in the Korean peninsula and the entire Indo-Pacific region.

Xi advises Zelensky to resolve conflict with Russia through dialogue and negotiations.

West will continue to promote chaos in Georgian internal political scenario until it gets its objective of heading the country to war.

'Zimbabwe is considering joining BRICS, a group of likeminded States, like us'

A major Chinese textile manufacturer Dasheng Group plans to expand business in Russia and start direct shipments without intermediaries

The new Lula administration has brought Brazil’s China policy back in line with its traditional approach, after the anti-China rhetoric of Jair Bolsonaro

If Erdogan leaves office (one way or the other), the US will be more than happy to expand its support for "freedom and democracy" efforts in not only the Southern Caucasus, but (even more disturbingly) in Central Asia as well. This would not only (re)ignite additional hotspots in the region, but could very likely spill over to China's Xinjiang province.

The US is trying to push its allies into the UNSC to weaken Russian influence.

The measure could lead to an unprecedented escalation in the Ukrainian conflict.

The geography of partnership between India and Russia continues to expand beyond New Delhi and Moscow to the other regions of both countries

To realize its Arctic plans, Russia desperately needs non-Western partners to jointly develop the Arctic. Therefore, Russia sees China as a suitable option

WION has learnt that the Indian Government's Department of Space is facilitating the technology transfer of Russian-origin 'RD-191' semi-cryogenic rocket engines to Indian industry

The crisis also reflects the failures of Western foreign policies.

According to Slovak top lawmaker, NATO should stop giving “false hopes” to Kiev.

CNN admits that the "sensitive US nuclear technologies" in question "could be used in a way that undermines US national security interests", which is disturbingly similar to earlier US claims about the so-called "biological research labs".

Trump calls for presidential candidates to undergo cognitive tests.

Perceived threats to the dollar’s role in the global financial system are nothing new; they have been a frequent occurrence since the 1980s. But until would-be challengers can find a credible alternative to the dollar for their own savings, the greenback’s dominance will not really be in doubt

The BRICS nations are focusing on increasing their international roles and “enhancing coordination on key multilateral platforms,” Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs reportedly revealed after a meeting with BRICS ambassadors. He stressed “the need for joint efforts to counter destructive actions aimed at destroying the established security architecture.”

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin has said the economic co-operative bloc of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, known as Brics, is open to new members

Incessant Western-induced tensions serve as a testament to the notion that the UN should be reformed. Former UK PM Liz Truss floated the idea last year, one of the very few things she was right about, although her reasoning for the move was anything but altruistic.

The case raises suspicions about possible US involvement in Ukrainian terrorist attacks on Russian territory.

Preparations for Ukraine’s anticipated offensive is far from complete.

The year 2022 saw ever-increasing sanctions on Russia imposed by the US, EU, and their allies. The track record of Western sanctions shows that they are quick to be imposed, but very slow to be removed. Given the current international diplomatic situation, it is reasonable to assume that sanctions on Russia are going to remain in place for a very long time – India will need to plan accordingly

China is ready to show more of its films to Russian viewers, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said

Economist Nouriel Roubini, also known as “Dr. Doom,” predicts that the global reserve currency system will shift from unipolar to bipolar. He expects most countries that attempt to reduce their reliance on the U.S. dollar to propose the Chinese yuan as an alternative to the USD

Borrell's controversial statements seem to be indicative of a major (and rapidly growing) divide between the EU as a (geo)political entity and its top member states. The EU's head diplomat might have been seeking a counterargument to French President Emmanuel Macron's recently revealed stance voiced earlier in the month that boils down to the EU essentially minding its own business, taking care of its own numerous issues and just leaving China alone.

Seymour Hersh’s report validate what has been said by many Russian authorities months ago.

New sanctions package on Russia will fail like the previous ones.

The BRICS nations have long been challenging the existing world political order and are about to reset the global monetary system, says Azza Radwan Sedky

The visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Moscow last month and the summit he had with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has sharply divided opinion among Indian experts

The expansion of Egypt’s strategic relations with Russia, China, Brazil, South Africa and India and the increase of joint projects and investments between the two sides are motivations for official participation in BRICS

The US is left with a choice – further escalate, not only with Russia, but the rest of the world as well, or find an off-ramp. Otherwise, its inflation will surge so much that the "doubling" of the Pentagon's budget will happen on its own.

Yoon’s wish to deliver weapons to Ukraine endangers South Korea.

The measure sounds absolutely irresponsible as it could lead to new wave of escalation.

Updates to the existing India-Russia Bilateral Investment Treaty and recommencement of the India-Eurasian Economic Union Free Trade Agreement are all underway in Delhi as the BRICS makes its global trade presence felt

Although the dollar continues to be the dominant global currency, Russia and China could dent this dominance

African leaders recognize the importance of engaging with the BRICS as a new and dynamic partner for Africa's development and integration. They are committed to building strategic and sustainable partnerships that advance Africa's interests and contribute to shaping the future of the global economy in a more equitable and inclusive manner

Brazilian authorities had impolite attitudes on several occasions during Russian minister’s trip.

The latest reports indicate Washington DC has not only drastically reduced the presence of ISR platforms in areas close to Russia, but has even completely halted the flights of its extremely expensive RQ-4 "Global Hawk" spy drones, the Flightradar24 tracker website reports.

Europe seems to be at a crossroads about its role in the global arena.

Warsaw continues a policy of servitude to Washington.

New Development Bank’s Board of Governors—which includes representatives from Brazil, China, India, Russia, and South Africa (the BRICS countries) as well as one person to represent Bangladesh, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates—elected Brazil’s former president Dilma Rousseff to head the NDB

Tunisia is eyeing a potential alliance with the BRICS nations bloc, which includes emerging economies such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa

Putin’s grand plans hinge on an India-China thaw. Can he convince Xi to ease tensions with India?

Serbia will never accept the German-Franco plan for Kosovo.

While the Chinese Navy is among the world leaders in terms of capabilities of its surface combatants, having up to 400 land-based anti-ship missiles so close to many of its homeports leaves its ships vulnerable to surprise attacks or possible saturation strikes.

India's G20 presidency provides a crucial opportunity for India to showcase its leadership skills and take forward its global economic governance agenda

Russians purchased more Chinese cars in the first quarter of 2023 than Ladas, Russia's most popular, locally made vehicle, data showed, evidence of Beijing's growing presence in Russia's economy as Western carmakers head for the exit

Saudi Arabia's cabinet approved a decision to join the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), cementing the increasingly close ties between the Middle East oil producer and China. The move is also another brick in the emerging closer ties between what can be called the BRICS bloc of leading emerging markets

Lula's support for de-dollarization is important, but it does not define his foreign policy.

How does the world's largest cartel of arms producers solve the issues with the precision of their weapons? Well, more weapons! With the Kiev regime potentially acquiring thousands of additional JDAMs, US MIC contractors get even more billions of American taxpayers' dollars.

The de-dollarisation process has started and cannot be reversed.

The world is changing at a dizzying pace. Two powerful blocs that can determine the future of humanity are rapidly solidifying

The Russian Chamber of Commerce and Industry opened its office in New Delhi with an intention to enhance trade and economic cooperation, according to the official statement

China and Brazil recently finalized a trade deal in their own currencies completely bypassing the dollar, but that’s not the only bad news for the world’s reserve currency

According to Russia’s parliamentary investigative committee, Washington would be working to create an “universal' genetically engineered bioweapon”.

Somewhat surprisingly, despite increased NATO pressure, Macron has not only refused to take back his statements, but has even reiterated them, openly declaring that "being an ally does not mean being a vassal … [or] mean that we don't have the right to think for ourselves."

Eurosceptism will only deepen as Brussels fails to deal with European issues.

The BRICS collective, comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, is working on a common currency in an attempt to ditch the US dollar and push back against America’s dominance. The move comes as Moscow and Beijing call for de-dollarisation in the face of Western sanctions

New Development Bank and Contingent Reserve Arrangement may be able to fulfill their original mission under Dilma Rousseff

China’s yuan has replaced the US dollar as the most traded currency in Russia, a year after the invasion of Ukraine led to a slew of Western sanctions against Moscow

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This measure could lead the current conflict to a new level of escalation, with very serious consequences.

The hard truth is that worn out Ukraine has no capacity to reclaim Crimea, however ultra-nationalist factions will pressure against any cease-fire.

Kuleba desperately wants NATO to directly intervene in Ukraine war.

The US propaganda machine wants us to believe that a 21-year-old intelligence technician who just graduated and held the rank of airman was privy to top-secret intelligence on the Kiev regime's offensive plans, Russia, South Korea, China and other global hotspots.

Russia has been utilizing soft power in India since the 1950s to develop a robust relationship with the South Asian country. Over the years, Russia has built a significant cultural, educational, and economic relationship with India, which has helped in maintaining a stable strategic partnership between the two countries

Professor Anil Sooklal, Ambassador-at-Large for Asia and BRICS during an online engagement with business during the BRICS economic indaba, said the purpose of the gathering was to solicit the support of, and galvanise, South African business behind the BRICS Programme of Work

India, Russia and China are emerging "major powers" with notable influence and Beijing was ready to boost ties with Moscow and New Delhi, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning said

Congressman Michael McCaul bluntly stated that the US would go to war over China's breakaway island province on the basis of "protecting the world's semiconductor supply".

John Kirby says there’s no suggestion Egypt is supplying Russia with 40,000 missiles.

According to a recent report, Germany would be failing to fulfil NATO’s military obligations.

BRICS countries overtook G7 in 2020 by making up a larger share of global GDP in PPP terms, with China & India respectively in second and third positions globally that year

China’s dominant position in its partnership with Russia has implications for India’s security and critical technology choices

China’s yuan is gaining global momentum as Russia is set to use the currency in settlements with other world economies, while Brazil and China are ditching the dollar in bilateral trade

Virtually the entire US propaganda machine has been disseminating the „leaks“ for days and neither the Pentagon nor the White House have pressed any charges or activated any emergency mechanism to prevent further revelations.

According to recent reports, Ukraine’s neo-Nazi regime may have lost grip of its intelligence agents.

Western media now begrudgingly admits Ukraine is in a desperate situation.

Relations between Brazil and China are expected to move to a higher footing, as the two countries prepare to celebrate the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties next year

Increasingly, following the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian war more than a year ago—and the subsequent, unprecedented sanctions that were leveled against Russia via the U.S.-dominated global banking system—key, ascendent geopolitical actors are taking steps to reduce their dependence on the U.S. dollar

South African consumables are replacing European products

With the US ability to project power globally going down faster than most people could've imagined, the belligerent thalassocracy might try to revive the infamous Monroe Doctrine, leaving well over 600 million people in Latin America exposed to "freedom and democracy".

According to recent leak, Kiev’s regime will lose its anti-air capability by May.

The Old Guard are returning to secure Kosovo’s independence after failing to achieve this.

The BRICS countries, accounting for over 40% of the world’s population, have made significant progress in the last few years towards sustainable development

Members of the BRICS countries have been holding a seminar in the eastern Chinese city of Yangzhou in Jiangsu Province, focusing on governance and cultural exchanges. Representatives from Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are attending

Transition to settlements in national currencies is the first step," Alexander Babakov said

True to his last name, in December McCarthy stated that "the greatest threat to the United States is the Chinese Communist Party". Considering the fact that he's the third highest ranking US official and second in line for the US presidency, such statements are a borderline declaration of war, to say nothing of McCarthy's continued support for additionally arming Taipei.

According to a Ukrainian diplomat Kiev will admit its losses in the future, after the end of the conflict.

Facing severe domestic problems and protests, it remains to be seen whether or not Macron will be able to push some of his bold goals, which also depend on a lot of intra-European political articulation.

Kiev does not have the resources to capture Crimea.

The dominance of the US dollar has been causing increasing problems for economies around the world. As a result, there is a growing undercurrent of interest in finding alternative reserve currencies. China is pushing for the yuan to become a reserve currency, but a possible BRICS+ Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) may have the edge

Minister of International Relations and Cooperation Naledi Pandor has reiterated that South Africa remains on friendly terms with Russia

In an effort to establish an effective bilateral relationship of communication and cooperation in the road transportation, logistics, Intelligent Transport System (ITS) and green mobility sector, the first meeting of the India-Russia Working Group on Roads and ITS was held in the national Capital

Anti-Russian confederation plan in Eastern Europe would serve Polish interest in annexing regions in western Ukraine.

Trump is still the most popular Republican leader and remains one of the only voices in the West advocating a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine.

Although these weapons might not seem as important as Russia's hypersonic missiles or its doomsday strategic arsenal, they are no less valuable on a tactical level. Thousands of howitzers, MLRS, tanks, air defense systems, command posts, weapons production facilities, ammunition, etc. have been destroyed by these extremely cost-effective weapons.

China and Brazil have undergone discussions and decided to trade in their own country’s currency. These are seemingly calculated moves by Brazil and China, both which are BRICS nations

Union external affairs minister S Jaishankar said that Russia will turn more eastward since its relationship with the western world has changed after the 2022 Russo-Ukrainian War

Chinese tourists return to South Africa as Covid-19 restrictions ease

Defense Secretary under the Trump administration, Christopher C. Miller, was so frustrated with the jet that he referred to it as "a monster" and "a piece of... (you get the idea)". Even the late John McCain, well known for anything but enmity towards the US MIC (Military Industrial Complex), called it "a textbook example of our broken defense acquisition system".

Paris could be looking to improve its defense capacity in the midst of a tense world, but the action could also be aimed at mitigating the effects of the serious domestic crisis.

China pushes for negotiations as Philippines deepens military ties with the US.

As South Africa chairs the Brazil-Russia-India-China-South Africa grouping, and prepares to host the next annual summit scheduled for August this year, The bloc recently eclipsed the G7 group of developed countries in share of real global GDP

China completed its first purchase of liquefied natural gas (LNG) using cross-border yuan settlement. It comes amid rising acceptance of the yuan in the international market

Ever since the meeting of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his/her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, foreign policy experts sitting in India have started interpreting it in different ways

Erdoğan blasts US Ambassador for meeting with opposition leader Kılıçdaroğlu.

According to Western mainstream media, the Atlantic military alliance tries to control Kiev’s anger by giving it more money.

Stoltenberg was right to say that the admission of Finland is truly historic, but only in the sense that Helsinki is essentially repeating the same mistake as over 80 years ago when it joined the Axis led by Nazi Germany.

Russia and India are looking at expanding the use of the Northern Sea shipping route that passes through the Artic and which could include the building of processing facilities, Russia’s Interfax agency reported

The trade and economic partnership between Russia and China present a promising outlook with significant growth potential

Russia’s Gazprom is increasing gas supplies to China and expects soon to reach the maximum planned level through a Siberian pipeline, its chairman said, highlighting Beijing’s importance as his country’s top export market in the face of Western sanctions

However, what the US political establishment is afraid of is that others will soon follow Japan's example.

Despite its existence, the “psychological front” has another meaning in current tensions.

UN refuses to call out Kiev for escalating nuclear rhetoric.

Strict admission criteria needed: Ex-Goldman chief economist. Group should focus on climate finance, boosting trade, health

India was the biggest buyer of seaborne Urals oil in March and the country's demand for the grade means Russia has to maintain high exports, two traders said and Refinitiv Eikon data showed

Asian economic giants China and India have launched separate programmes in an attempt to reduce the dominance of the US dollar in international transactions and allow them settle business in their own currencies

Vladlen Tatarsky had more than half a million followers on social media and became a symbol of Russian patriotism.

In the meantime, the world is working towards creating conditions for peaceful coexistence and cooperation of the globe's numerous civilizations. Organizations such as BRICS and SCO (Shanghai Cooperation Organization) are rapidly expanding by admitting new members.

Ursula von der Leyen and Macron are sending mixed signals to China.

Diplomat claims exhausted “Ukraine needs everything, everywhere, all at once” - it remains to be seen how much the US-led West is willing to give, while the Washington world system collapses.

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It offers a diplomatic forum and development financing, outside of the Western mainstream

No element of military alliance

Russia has proposed to create BRICS geological platform for data sharing with an aim to enable the BRICS countries to exchange data on their mineral reserves and extraction technologies

It seems that high-profile US political figures committing any crime can get away with it as long as they support the official narrative, even when the said narrative leads to a world-ending thermonuclear exchange.

US top general exposes a realistic point of view about the contemporary scenario during a hearing with parliamentarians.

For the British, it is not so clear how much good the TPP deal can do: one of the reasons why London views the agreement as so important is partly geopolitical.

US unintentionally accelerated de-dollarization.

Russian flag carrier Aeroflot has increased the frequency of its flight services on the Delhi-Moscow route to seven times a week against four weekly services earlier, from March 26, a statement said on Monday.In addition, the airline has also started operating a Boeing 777 jet along with Airbus A330 to cater to passenger traffic between the two capital cities, Delmos Aviation, which handles cargo operations for Aeroflot in India

The Chinese and Russian space agencies have selected five study objectives for the international research station on the Moon, which they plan to operate by 2035, an official source confirmed

Fromer Brazilian Presidient Dilma Vana Rousseff elected as new President of The New Development Bank (NDB), succeeding Marcus Troyjo

After over half a decade of testing, AGM-183A was barely able to achieve Mach 5 before being incinerated by the extreme heat. After at least half a dozen (publicly admitted) consecutive failures in testing, the US Congress threatened to cut further funding for the project.

The objective may promote mutiny, boycott and terrorism operations against the local government, favoring Kiev-NATO’s interests.

Zelensky admits Ukrainians are on the brink of war weariness.

It is noted that the Arctic agenda is becoming more global

India and Russia will organise a mega business meeting amid plans to push bilateral trade to $50 billion this year, from a record $31 billion in 2022 following a sharp rise in energy and fertilizer imports by India

Russia's Rosatom and China's Atomic Energy Authority (CAEA) have signed a Comprehensive Programme for Long-Term Cooperation in the field of fast-neutron reactors and closing the nuclear fuel cycle

How exactly does Yerevan plan to keep Moscow's continued support to maintain security in Artsakh and even possibly enter into a conflict with Azerbaijan (and by extension Turkey) while the Sorosites keep making anti-Russian moves is anyone's guess at this point.

Orbán advances Hungary’s interests out with Western alliances.

According to Russia’s UN Ambassador Dmitry Polyanskiy, big pressure was the reason why countries abstained from supporting Russia’s investigation project.

Brazil's Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira told the website Metrópoles that his country would like to have Argentina join the BRICS group, but insisted that for such a move to happen it would depend on the consensus from the other bloc members

South Africa knows why it joined the BRICS alliance. It knows the current dominant capitalist system is not the panacea of all our global problems. It also understands international relations and foreign policy politics require compromise and diplomacy, not rigidity, writes Oscar van Heerden

A railway bridge between China and Russia over the Amur river in southeast Siberia was approved last week

Taipei is working with the US on developing and manufacturing advanced UAVs, including on the ostensible ability of these drones to autonomously coordinate their attacks and act as a swarm, or more precisely, "swarms-of-swarms", as the program's name clearly indicates.

Cambodian PM begins backtracking criticism of Russia.

This is part of a larger context, beyond the Middle East: that of the decline of the US world order.

Measure could start another wave of escalation in the Ukrainian conflict.

Last year, bilateral trade between China and Russia rose by 29.3 per cent, year on year, to US$190.3 billion

The New Development Bank (NDB), formerly known as the BRICS Development Bank, is keen to invest in Bangladesh's public and private sectors that have been growing impressively for years

Imports of refined aluminum from Russia surged 94% to about 538,600 metric tons between March 2022 and February 2023 from the previous 12 months

While the decision to send nuclear weapons to Belarus was officially made after the United Kingdom announced it would supply depleted uranium munitions to the Kiev regime, the actual reasoning might have to do with much more sinister plans by the United States.

Netherlands is the brainchild behind €1 billion NATO fund aimed at Russia.

Chinese state energy giants have made a number of multi-billion dollar investments in Russia, one of China's top oil and gas suppliers, across various stages of the energy supply chain

India’s exports to Russia have exceeded the levels before the war outbreak in Ukraine

Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Moscow to meet with President Putin at a diplomatic juncture. The town of Heihe bordering both nations is a sign of the unity between the two

The Global South is fed up with “alignmentism” which is largely promoted by the political West. Uriel Araujo, researcher with a focus on international and ethnic conflicts.

We often hear that Russia is just a regional power with an economy the size of Spain's, a military budget that has been consistently smaller than the Saudi one, etc. And indeed, on paper, this may seem true. Taking into account nominal GDP as the only measure of power, one might fall into the trap of believing such statistics. However, the reality is quite different.

Warplanes previously stationed in the Middle East are being transferred to regions nearer Russia and China.

Germany and Japan revive WWII alliance with new military cooperation.

China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination for a new era has boosted sci-tech and innovation cooperation between the two countries

India-Russia trade and economic partnership across sectors including railways, agriculture and pharmaceuticals have received a boost with slew of meetings and arrangements held during the past week

Russia sees a boom in Chinese classes as it seeks to tighten ties with China

The US is utilizing its ISR capabilities to enhance the underhanded tactics used for stoking tensions between global powers such as China and India. With the Asian giants being the pillars of both Greater Eurasia and the multipolar world led by BRICS nations, it's adamant for America to ensure Beijing and New Delhi remain locked in perpetual border disputes.

The situation could lead to a major escalation, possibly having nuclear impacts.

“Already past the point of no return”: JPMorgan says on impending US recession.

South Africa will be hosting the 15th BRICS Summit in August this year. This will be the second time the summit will be hosted on South African shores since 2018

This indicates the seriousness of the organization: not to admit everyone at once under unclear principles, Russian Federation Council Speaker Valentina Matviyenko said

Russian Consul General to South India, Oleg Avdeev, was speaking at the Economic and Investment potential of Altain Region event

China and Russia will further expand their cooperation in areas such as information technologies and advanced AI, involving approximately 80 new projects assessed at over $165 billion. This includes aircraft and machine tools manufacturing, space research and strengthening of military cooperation, including further unification of Moscow's and Beijing's know-how.

Washington could start a campaign against the incumbent president and clandestinely support opposition and even Kurdish groups.

America's military-industrial complex is unable to produce weapons fast enough to protect allies.

Putin says that Russia is “resisting neo-colonial ideology” like Africa.

According to a top politician in Zimbabwe, the group is seen as a new power in international affairs as the debate around UN reforms and new global order emerge

"The US as the main stockholder of the Fund has absolutely no desire to discuss reforming of the current international monetary system, its downsides, and prevent such attempts," Aleksey Mozhin said

Russian Chairman of the Federation Council, Valentina Matvienko has met with the Chairman of the Algerian Council of the Nation, Salah Goudjil, in Algiers

It seems only in Russia "genocide" is conducted by getting the children safely evacuated from an active warzone to a summer camp and then helping the father, an enemy combatant, to pick them up and go wherever he pleases.

According to the Polish ambassador to France, his country will send troops to fight the Russians in Ukraine, if Kiev fails to defend its "independence" with its own forces.

Kadyrov promises revenge on Ukrainian soldier who burnt the Koran.

India’s Reliance Industries Ltd. has shifted most of its oil traders from Mumbai to Dubai, executing a plan announced in 2021, but which now coincides with the city’s growing stature as a commodities hub

Against the backdrop of the Russian Central Bank’s devaluation of bank balance sheets, the volume of corporate loans in China’s RMB Yuan in Russia is growing; and are offered by an increasing range of players

South Africa continues to integrate more closely into the structure of BRICS while developing stronger cooperation with Moscow and Beijing within the framework of the organization

Can an overburdened and overextended America maintain its sea hegemony while engaging in land wars?

In a recent statement, an American official made it clear that the Ukrainian regime must reject any peace proposal after Xi Jinping's visit to the Russian Federation.

Reconciliation opens the path for Saudi Arabia and Iran to join BRICS.

Perhaps the most adequate way to describe the ICC is to paraphrase Voltaire's definition of the so-called Holy Roman Empire and say it's neither international nor a court. However, it certainly can be considered criminal given its history of blatant violations of actual international law.

Beijing became one of the latest places in China to adopt the China-Europe freight train platform, as localities vie to participate in the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative

Currently, Aeroflot is operating seven weekly flights to India while no Indian airline is flying to Russia

Realpolitik and the lessons of history might prompt the world’s major powers to lay down their weapons in some regions and/or in some sectors, preferring to join forces for the good of humanity. One of these regions is undoubtedly the Arctic, where cooperation over competition might lead, one day, to make the long-dreamed-of Bering Strait crossing a reality, writes Valdai Club expert Emanuel Pietrobon

As the political West pledges more support for the Neo-Nazi junta, it's making it increasingly difficult (if possible at all) to come to a peace settlement with Moscow. This undermines the emergence of a new security architecture in Europe.

US authorities violate Switzerland’s principle of neutrality and insist that all countries should send their weapons to Ukraine.

The former president says it’s “very unfair” for the US to foot the bill for Ukraine and not Europe.

Chinese views of India are very complicated – but generally based on a sense of superiority and self-confidence

The share of China’s yuan in Russia’s import settlements in 2022 jumped to 23% from 4%, Russia’s central bank said, also noting a rise in the yuan’s share in exchange trading in February

Through its chairship, South Africa will work with its BRICS partners to advance the African agenda for growth, development and integration and to advocate for the needs and concerns of the Global South

Only a few days before the downing, Kiev regime forces conducted numerous attacks on civilian settlements in the Donbass. Apart from the regular indiscriminate shelling, the Neo-Nazi junta is using US-made PGMs (precision-guided munitions) to attack the people of Donbass, with NATO drones providing the targeting data.

Russian authorities want clarification from the Ministry on whether this is the guidelines given to Canadian diplomats in Moscow.

Britain’s updated defence and foreign policy prioritises confrontation with Russia and China.

Former President Dilma Rousseff has held virtual meetings with finance ministers from the BRICS countries (the bloc comprising Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa)

Chinese carmakers have seen a recent gain in popularity in Russia following the departure of western alternatives

The route now also includes Jeddah in Saudi Arabia as port of call

The interests of not just the current US administration, but virtually the entire political establishment have been connected to foreign regimes, particularly Kiev, where the DNC's top leadership (including the Biden family) has a vested interest.

Contradicting Western propaganda, Kiev’s officials are hopeless that there will be a "game changer" with Western weapons during this spring.

Washington wants a NATOized Europe to pivot to Asia, but its own policies keep Europe deindustrialized and dependent.

China says the US, UK and Australia completely disregard the concerns of the international communities and the agreement will lead to “error and danger”.

India has embraced Russia in a “special and privileged strategic partnership” that features regular dialogues between the heads of state as well as ministries, substantial advanced arms sales, and intergovernmental commissions to cooperate in trade, energy, science, technology, and culture

Brazil’s agriculture ministry said that 90 local firms have been cleared to export corn to China in the first two months of the year, taking the total to 446

The Krasnoyarsk Economic Forum has been taking place in Siberia, an event at which the development of Siberia, taking into account the current economic and geopolitical situation, is discussed

The case of Mexico is quite telling that no country can hope to feel safe, no matter how closely it worked with the US authorities. For decades, the country has been ravaged by drug cartels, themselves often deeply connected to the infamous CIA and other US intelligence agencies.

Now, Ukrainian authorities demand that an important religious place in Kiev be abandoned by Orthodox monks, which sounds unacceptable to the Christian people.

The next generation of American politicians will be more consumed by China than Russia.

The West seems to be exerting more influence on Mongolian society in order to initiate domestic political instability and sabotage Russian and Chinese projects. However, strong traditions of state governance, reliance on national interests, and reliable neighbours should help Ulaanbaatar to withstand any crisis, writes Valdai Club expert Andrey Gubin

India and Russia reviewed bilateral trade and economic cooperation, including the deficit in bilateral trade, during a virtual meeting between external affairs minister S Jaishankar and Russian deputy prime minister Denis Manturov

China's exports and imports with Russia surged at a double-digit pace in January-February from a year earlier, customs data showed, as China said it had to advance relations with its northern neighbour in an increasingly turbulent world

The Kiev regime troops tasked with air defense recently reported that the Russian Aerospace Forces (VKS) used at least six 9-A-7660 "Kinzhal" air-launched hypersonic missiles at once, complaining that they have no means of intercepting such weapons.

According to Zaporozhye’s local authorities, Ukrainian officials are not interested in negotiating projects for nuclear protection.

Slovakian and Polish MiG-29 fighter jets will not change the course of war in Ukraine.

South Africa will host the BRICS Summit in Gauteng province on August 22-24, said Minister in the Presidency Mondli Gungubele

As Indian banks are not ready to give eBRCs to those who export to Russia and get the proceeds in rupees

With the G20’s focus on gender-based digital inclusivity alongwith the Hon’ble PM’s vision of this decade being a Techade, BRICS CCI WE, the women’s vertical of the BRICS Chamber of Commerce and Industry hosted its 3rd Annual Summit and Felicitations 2023 on the theme – Women Shaping the Techade

While Donald Trump's approach was more isolationist and focused on economic warfare, the Biden administration is showing much more belligerence, as well as a tendency to relegate portions of its power projection to allies and vassals such as the UK, Australia, Japan, etc.

The Ukrainian government is carrying out terrorist attacks abroad.

This could be a repetition of the same mistakes all over again, with sanctions backfiring, thereby alienating partners and boosting Eurasian integration.

The US became “a destabilising bully” instead of “a peacekeeper and honest ‘world’s policeman’.”

In recent years, the energy partnership has played a crucial role in Sino-Russian trade and economic cooperation. The partnership between China and Russia in the oil and gas industry is one of the most significant developments in the global energy market

It is reported that Russia has common trade space within the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), South Africa participates in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), while Brazil is a member of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR)

TMH offered the lowest bid for 200 sleeper trains

McGregor warned that "this is now a slow slide into [global] war that many people have really worried about for a long time" and that the US is faced with either admitting failure or pushing for a direct confrontation with Russia.

By attacking the Parliament, the protesters seem to be blackmailing politicians in order to force them to adopt an open pro-Western stance.

“Sanctions on Russia have begun to erode the dollar’s decades-old dominance of international oil trade”.

India is looking to partner with global aircraft manufacturers, including Embraer SA and Russia’s Sukhoi, to make small planes locally as it seeks to improve connectivity in tiny towns and far-flung areas

Russia, India and China will hold a trilateral meeting at the ministerial level this year

Russian and Indian scientists are developing a Marsoplane to investigate the Red Planet, with hopes to test a technology demonstrator by the end of 2024

The range of the missiles used by Russian fighter jets is considered a dangerous challenge for their NATO rivals. This is particularly true when it comes to the unrivaled R-37M hypersonic air-to-air missile with its staggering maximum engagement range of 400km.

The tactic used by the agents was the same that led to the death of Daria Dugina. One of the terrorists involved also participated in the Bryansk provocation.

Western and Ukrainian leaders continue to downplay the importance of Bakhmut.

The survey reflects the view of the citizens of various countries — US, UK, EU 9, Turkiye, China and India on the perception of the general masses of their diplomatic relations with Russia

South Africa took over as Chair of BRICS on 1 January 2023 in a difficult national and global economic environment

Argentina and Brazil recently announced preliminary plans to form a common currency known as the 'sur', meaning south, to be used in bilateral trade-related transactions in Latin America

Turkey legally bought Serbian rockets and declared itself the end user, but it violated both the contract and international law by reselling the aforementioned rockets to the Kiev regime.

Germany “got a slap in the face from US, but can do nothing but obey” - political analyst.

Lavrov and Blinken met for the first time in New Delhi since last summer.

Whether one agrees or not with Sachs and others, it is difficult to understand why calls for a peace proposal would be so ill-received by today’s American Establishment.

Indian astronauts, who are a part of the potential team for a human space flight mission in 2024, have returned home after completing required training in Russia

Renaissance of Russian interest vis-à-vis Africa started much earlier than Russia – West relations collapsed due to Ukrainian war. And it was result of the realization that Africa will be increasingly important in decades to come

The agreement on setting up the New Development Bank by BRICS countries was reached on July 15, 2014

The aim was to provoke Moscow in order to demand more help from the West, but the consequences may be disastrous for the neo-Nazi regime.

The new document, published by the "Military Thought" magazine run by the Russian Ministry of Defense, attracted little attention in Western media, although such changes are made only once in several decades or even longer.

EU’s diplomacy chief equalises assistance to French dairy farmers to sending arms to Ukraine.

The corruption factor in Ukraine and its American connection is not merely of interest to the police authorities: it has geopolitical and geoeconomic implications.

Over the past year, hundreds of global brands have fled Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine. That’s forced Russians to find alternatives for everything from smartphones to cars

The number of countries wishing to join the BRICS group of countries and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) has witnessed a sharp increase in recent years, currently reaching up to 20

Worker rights are the cornerstone of a fair, just and prosperous society as they ensure that employees have access to safe working conditions, a BRICS meeting was told in Muldersdrift, west of Johannesburg

US officials claim they're unable to audit Ukraine-bound weapons once they leave Poland, but the real issue is if they even want to know. Considering the nearly mythical status they've given to Zelensky, revealing his involvement in arms smuggling could be rather "uncomfortable" and might even backfire.

Russia could respond to any South Korean provocation by boosting ties with North Korea.

If the city is fully liberated by the Russians, the "Ukrainian victory" rhetoric will be discredited, making western support unpopular among public opinion.

People-to-people exchanges between South Africa and China have gained new momentum as the two countries have recently co-hosted the third meeting of the South Africa-China High-level People-To-People Exchange Mechanism, during which new cooperation agreements have been signed

BRICS group of nations has started to debate the inclusion of two new nations, Iran and Saudi Arabia, into their global bloc

India's imports of Russian steel rose to an eight-year high during the first 10 months of the financial year that began in April 2022, government data compiled by Reuters showed

The West mounts pressure on India to sever its ties with Russia.

Serbia is a perfect example that appeasement will not only fail to produce the desired results, but also backfire. Despite well over two decades of accepting virtually every political West's "suggestion", the blackmails continue.

The objective would be to blame the Russian side, thus damaging Moscow’s image among public opinion.

India and Russia formalised a protocol on cooperation in the civil aviation sector

Russia’s deputy prime minister has said the construction of two gas pipelines from Russia to China will attract up to $94bn in direct investment, news agency TASS reports

Russia is planning to introduce visa-free travel for citizens of up to 11 countries as well as ease entry requirements for citizens of six others, including India

Lavrov stresses that attempts to maintain a pro-western order “are totally futile”.

The unprecedented US hypocrisy is seen in attempts to portray others as supposed "war criminals", while America's central role in starting numerous wars is ignored. Virtually the entire establishment in Washington DC is involved in warmongering and war crimes.

Now, the Chinese government is absolutely certain that its Western adversaries want war, not peace and diplomacy.

Investigating this act of sabotage could pave the way for rethinking Germany’s and Europe’s relationship with the US: a friendship which often has resembled veiled enmity.

Similar to what has already happened with Russian crude oil, there are signs that the country’s refined fuels are finding new buyers outside Europe, with Asia and the Middle East the leading new customers

The Union Cabinet approved the signing of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the India and Republic of South Africa for cooperation in the 'disability sector'

The "historic" relocation of 12 cheetahs from South Africa to India is a measure of "goodwill" between the two BRICS partners to share the gene pool to ensure the survival of a species, senior officials from both countries have said

Regardless of whether the reports about the upcoming major Russian offensive are true, at worst, Moscow certainly has the capacity to continue and maintain its special military operation.

The EU, and not Russia, has weakened since the start of the special military operation.

Egypt ratified its participation in the New Development Bank (NDB) — a multilateral development bank (MDB) established in 2015 under the direct guidance of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS). Egypt followed after the admission of Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates and Uruguay

The BRICS group of nations is to decide this year on whether to admit new member states into the bloc, as Saudi Arabia and Iran formally seek to join

Certain African countries that are facing foreign exchange problems and issues with US Dollar and Euro mobilisation are also showing interest in the rupee (INR) trade mechanism

Despite Russia's best efforts to maintain the agreement, incessant US noncompliance with existing treaties and crawling aggression in Eastern Europe left Moscow with no other option.

Gitanas Nauseda's proposal could be the path to catastrophe, as the absence of limits on anti-Russian military cooperation would eventually drive the conflict to the nuclear level.

US President disingenuously tells Ukrainians that they can still win the war.

Russia has offered to jointly produce the 100-seater Sukhoi Superjet airliner in India

The South American nation is now eyeing North to increase it geopolitical influence

The Iranian president assessed his visit to the PRC as successful and fruitful

Since Biden took office, the US has been experiencing a plethora of issues, but instead of tackling the problems, America keeps trying to divert attention by inciting wars and destabilization around the globe.

Germany’s ruling coalition is at risk of collapse.

For Transnistria to be "demilitarized", Moldova must stop threatening the region and start respecting the local people's right to political autonomy.

A senior South African official said that the BRICS summit to be hosted by the country this year will discuss how to restructure the global political, economic and financial architecture

Argentina and Saudi Arabia may soon join the BRICS group, which would bolster the multipolar world order

The Brazilian ambassador to Russia, Rodrigo de Lima Baena Soares has announced that the nation is looking to receive investments in its energy sector from the Russian gas giant Gazprom

The measure shows that there is an interest in raising BRICS partnership into military cooperation, but India and Brazil seem hesitant.

Despite it, Lukashenko’s offer to act as a mediator in Ukrainian conflict should be taken seriously by Washington.

The Munich Conference not only failed to produce the desired results (Russia supposedly isolated), but it even strengthened the multipolar world, as neither India nor China proved malleable in any way, showing their sovereignty is untouched by the political West's pressure.

Nuland encourages Ukrainian terrorism against Crimea.

More than a dozen countries express interest in membership

Brazil leads the way in challenging the dollar hegemony

Russia and China have signed an intergovernmental agreement on gas supplies through the Far East route, the Russian government said

Although new European sanctions may bring some damage, especially to Iran, they could also backfire as the previous ones have and may end up boosting Eurasian integration.

Unfortunately, the ability to turn America into a giant radioactive glass desert is the only way to ensure the belligerent thalassocracy will think twice before attacking. And the American people should hold their political elites accountable for such a state of affairs.

Maia Sandu deepens authoritarianism in Moldova.

Rumors about UFOs generate collective panic, distracting the population and convincing public opinion to support military projects.

Sustainable, significant commodities demand is keeping Russian Railways on track for servicing Asia

As its military campaign continues in Ukraine, Russia is in the process of boosting its energy trade with India by stepping up supplies of crude oil and Liquefied Natural Gas

China became the main destination of Brazilian corn exports in January by volume, surpassing traditional importers like Japan, Iran and Spain, according to revised trade data released by the government

There are now reports and video evidence that even Ukrainian women, refugees, disabled people, including amputees and the visually impaired are also increasingly being forced into the ranks of the Neo-Nazi junta forces.

The eleventh special emergency session of the UN General Assembly will resume activities on late February.

SpaceX puts bounds to Ukrainian services for weaponizing Starlink.

India's proposal for a biofuels alliance to promote cleaner fuel has attracted interest from a number of countries, including Russia and Brazil, Oil Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said

Science, business, language are priority Russian subjects in government-led talent push

The founding tenets of the bloc are in many ways interesting and close to Pakistan, so theoretically it can join BRICS. Muhammad Taimur Fahad Khan, Research Associate at the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad (ISSI), told it to TASS

If the United States is unconcerned with direct attacks on a country with the most powerful thermonuclear arsenal on the planet, who else can feel safe when having to deal with what Pepe Escobar described as the "Rogue Superpower"?

New Delhi seeks to break out of 'buyer-seller hierarchy' in defence cooperation.

Measure sounds like a provocation with the aim of generating collective panic.

The first ship loaded with 10,000 tons of Russian corn left Russia's Zarubino Port and will arrive in the Port of Qingdao in East China's Shandong Province within days, the Global Times learned

Currently, Moscow prioritizes the strengthening of relations with Beijing, which is reflected not only in political relations but also in the economy, especially in energy cooperation

President Lula seeks to replace economist Marcos Troyjo with former president Dilma Rousseff in charge of Banco do Brics. The change should take effect before Lula’s trip to China, scheduled for March

"The war in Ukraine is consuming an enormous amount of munitions and depleting allied stockpiles. The current rate of Ukraine's ammunition expenditure is many times higher than our current rate of production. This puts our defense industries under strain," Stoltenberg said.

NATO warns that Ukraine is running out of ammunition.

US dual containment policy will increasingly count on proxy actors and proxy wars, but Washington cannot reconcile its Middle East and European goals.

The alliance would be about to request that its members increase their ammunition stocks, since shipments to Kiev would be leaving them in a critical reserve situation.

Even though its capital, Brasilia, is about 7.000 miles from the North Pole, Brazil has consistently expressed interest in the Arctic region throughout the 21st century

Energy sector relations between Brazil and China are likely to improve under Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, local experts tell BNamericas

He predicted in a Financial Times column the emergence of a bipolar currency regime

While both the US and the Neo-Nazi puppet regime insist that the role of the US is "strictly advisory" and that Kiev could use the HIMARS on its own, they admit they "don't want to waste valuable ammunition and miss", so they "usually choose not to strike without US confirmation".

German citizens dissatisfied with their government's irresponsible stance.

Macron’s peace conference proposal is a sham

Russian Ambassador to India Denis Alipov said that Russia wants to diversify its overall cooperation with India and the ties between the two countries are not directed against anyone at a conference on 'Next Steps in India-Russia Strategic Partnership; Old Friends New Horizons' in New Delhi

A major Chinese construction and engineering company agrees to help develop Russia’s largest titanium deposit located in the Russian Arctic. Expansion of an Arctic deepwater port and a new railroad to the port are also part of the development plans

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization Film Festival in India has become a platform for dialogue for Russian and Indian film industries. Indian filmmakers are interested in filming in Russian regions, and in opportunities of co-production with Russia

Whether Washington is ready or not to “sacrifice” its proxy efforts in Syria in exchange for having Sweden into NATO still remains to be seen.

Zelensky vehemently denies reports that he sacked Defence Minister Reznikov.

A video taken during the summer of 2022 shows the Kiev regime pilot Lieutenant Colonel Dmitry Fischer, who claimed that the F-16's performance is significantly inferior to that of the Su-27. He based the assessment on his personal experience in flying both aircraft.

The Ukrainian president's trip is focused on garnering international support, but its military impact will be close to null.

Russia's largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) producer, Novatek, is close to a deal to supply gas to GAIL (India) Ltd as it seeks alternative markets to Europe, three industry sources said

Russia supports India's commitment to becoming a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC), said Moscow's Ambassador to Delhi Denis Alipov

Modern technologies are not only the source of economic growth but also the basis for the realization of global prosperity. Consequently, many states are seeking to develop science and technology through international cooperation. Currently, BRICS nations focus on strengthening, expanding and deepening cooperation in science and technology

Faced with months of military failures, as well as the prospect of a virtually imminent Russian offensive, the Neo-Nazi junta is desperate to sway public opinion in its favor.

US hopes Ukraine can be an alternative to Russian and Chinese sources of rare earth minerals.

According to sources on the ground, there is a practice of bribery and exploitation by officers to prevent young Ukrainians from being drafted into the army.

Kazakh and Russian companies are discussing the construction of a pipeline to gasify northeastern Kazakhstan and export fuel to China, Energy Minister Bolat Akchulakov said

A workshop recently held in this capital discussed the role and peculiarities of Russian language teaching in 50 educational institutions in India

The Parliament approved an agreement that allows Egypt to join BRICS group's New Development Bank, which comes as a significant addition that supports development plans and priorities of the country, and enhance Egypt's ability to achieve its economic, political and social objectives

The US fields 5,428 warheads, with at least 400 land-based ICBMs. In other words, the current American nuclear arsenal is over 13 times larger than China's, while its land-based ICBMs outnumber Beijing's by more than 20 times.

According to Borrell, Moscow is manipulating information and using the press as a weapon, which is why the ban is necessary.

Israeli actions could provoke Russia to be closer with Iran.

China and India will account for half of the global economic growth in 2023 versus just a tenth for the US and the EU combined, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF)

South Africa would do well to look after its relationship with China says Hywel George, Director of Investments at Old Mutual Investment Group

Outstanding third-grade senior high school students who are learning Russian language in ordinary senior high schools in Henan province will be selected to study in Russia

Donbass’ officials reported that Russian troops have suffered chemical attacks from Ukrainian forces.

Turkish Hürseda Haber reported, citing unnamed Israeli intelligence sources, that Russia and the Kiev regime lost 18,000 and 157,000 soldiers, respectively.

PODCAST | ep11 | with Dustin Tingley, Jeff Colgan, and Aleksandra Conevska  Green technology has come a long way, to the extent that it can, in theory, be scaled up to solve the world’s energy problems. If this is true, then why does the US lag so far behind in transitioning away from fossil fuels? This episode addresses the politics of climate change by looking at the sources of public distrust. To frame the discussion, three scholars investigate the nature of major economic transformations, the youth movement, and what we can learn from other countries. Listen to episode #11 (52:08) by clicking the play button below: ... Read more about What Is Holding Up the Transition to Green Energy?

The dollar's supremacy in global trade faces fresh challenges as several countries float plans to use local currencies in commerce

A major Chinese state-owned enterprise was in discussions with representatives of one of Russia’s mining and metals companies to help develop the massive Pizhemskoye titanium and quartz deposits located in Russia’s Komi Republic near the Arctic Circle

January was a busy diplomatic month for South Africa. The country hosted Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov and US treasury secretary Janet Yellen. Josep Borrell, vice-president of the European Commission, was also in town

USAF sent its much-touted F-22 fighter jets to shoot down the balloon. The jet that costs $334 million apiece and nearly $70,000 per flight hour fired a nearly half a million dollar missile to down a weather balloon, as if the target was no less than an alien spacecraft invading the US.

The possibility of NATO's implication seems the most plausible at present.

Lula’s government is seeking partners to finance a number of projects to save the rainforest.

The West now has its “eyes” on Moldova to push it against Russia, Lavrov says.

The newly-appointed Consul General Mahesh Kumar at a Republic Day reception in Johannesburg said India is ready to welcome more investment from South Africa into the country

Russia, which is becoming India's main trading country, is making many important efforts to overcome the economic barriers of Western countries to develop rapidly and not be left alone

Russia and China prepared a draft intergovernmental agreement on gas supplies via the "Far East" route, which involves the construction of a cross-border section across the Ussuri River to the Chinese city of Hulin

Russian economic growth will exceed that of Germany, while the UK will go through a recession, as its economy was at its worst in over 300 years and is expected to perform even worse this year.

The possibility of Kiev annexing Russia’s Crimea is remote, according to US sources consulted by Politico.

Western sanctions against Russia have not only backfired but are also reconfiguring international trade, what may pave the way for new opportunities in Eurasia.

Kiev believes Russia will launch Spring Offensive on February 24.

The BRICS, five major emerging economies, together represent about 26% of the world’s geographic area, inhabitant of 2.88 Billion people which is about 42% of the world’s population and accounted for a quarter of the global GDP. The enlargement of BRICS was talked on June, 2022 at the groups summit which took place in Beijing

India and Russia have completed 30 years of signing the treaty of friendship and cooperation

Egyptian MPs approved an agreement that allows Egypt to officially join the new Development Bank to be set up by the BRICS economic group which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa

Germany is unlikely to compete with China in South America’s resource industry.

While the Kiev regime insists that "Ukraine fully commits to all international obligations in the sphere of mine usage, including the non-use of antipersonnel mines in the war," HRW confirmed the claims were "incompatible" with the situation on the ground.

Belarus is considered to become the main springboard for the upcoming offensive.

Recently, the Egyptian desire to be part of the BRICS group, which is an economic alliance that includes Brazil, Russia, India and China, and was established in 2006, and South Africa joined it later in 2010

Major equipment for India's Kudankulam 5 is complete at the factory of the Russian supplier, Atommash

India and Russia can explore energy alliance in the back drop of their burgeoning energy ties that includes trade and investments, suggested DB Venkatesh Varma, India’s former envoy to Moscow

Kiev’s neo-Nazi regime adds Zoran Milanovich’s name to Myrotvorets’ kill-list due to his anti-war, pro-peace position.

Perhaps the best summary of just how immensely profitable it was for Germany to do business with Russia was an analysis by renowned expert Zoltan Pozsar, who presented a chart showing how "$2 trillion of German value depends on $20 billion of Russian gas".

CSIS urges US to promptly hoard critical weapons.

Due to Europe’s largely self-imposed energy crisis, the continent badly needs gas from Gulf states such as Qatar.

Russian Railways has plans to negotiate an increase in the number of container trains via Zabaikalsk with Chinese partners to ten ones per day

20 of the scholarships are for doing MBBS

Alexey Bondaruk, deputy head of Department of external economic and international relations, Government of Moscow, said that firms in the Russian capital city can provide consultancy in these areas

Israel and Azerbaijan could be involved in the drone attacks against Iran.

A four-star USAF general sent a memo to his officers that predicts America will be at war with China in 2025 and tells them to prep by firing 'a clip' at a target, and "aim for the head".

Estonia’s plan to install St. Petersburg-targeting missiles will spectacularly backfire.

As part of the British Commonwealth, Canada has a complex relationship with the monarchy. A Canadian scholar examines the British Crown’s reliance on religious and military symbolism to invoke its authority, especially with regard to upholding treaties with Indigenous peoples. By Pamela Klassen... Read more about Remembering the Queen of Canada

PODCAST | ep10 | with Susie Petruccelli, Justin Morrow, and Isabel Jijón  There’s a shadow over World Cup Soccer this year, and it’s become impossible to separate the sports from the politics. Host country Qatar gained notoriety for bribes, exploitation of workers, and antigay laws. In this episode, a group of athletes and scholars take a close look at the concept of “sportswashing” and consider what’s at stake for professional athletes who might want to take a stand against a host country’s civil and human rights abuses.  Listen to episode #10 (49:37) by clicking the play button below: ... Read more about The Politics of Sports

The complicated supply chain of wind turbines exposes contradictions in the realm of international affairs. Kristin Vekasi breaks down the physical components and the fraught dependencies of this green technology. By Kristin Vekasi... Read more about Wind Power, Politics, and Magnets

The recent US Ambassador to India offers insights on trade relations between the world’s two largest democracies, the goals of the Quad, and how to counter Chinese dominance in the Indo-Pacific. By Roshni Chakraborty... Read more about The US-India Relationship: A Q&A with Kenneth Juster

A scholar goes back to his hometown in Nigeria to study the informal transportation network that deeply affected his youth. By Michelle Nicholasen... Read more about Buses and Bribes: Lagos’s Shadowy Transit Network

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.

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 answer we received was: “Do not worry, we will not let it become a problem, either for you or for Europe.” Yet today, with energy … The post The Many Faces of Nord Stream Two appeared first on Jamestown.

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 Patriarch of Constantinople, Bartholomew I, signed the Ukrainian Orthodox Church tomos in 2019, granting it autocephaly—independence from the Russian Orthodox Church (see EDM, July 26, … 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.

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. An outline of plans for the further institutionalization of the movement at the administrative levels makes this clear. Officially, the Kremlin has been working on … 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.