Russia’s ‘special military operation’ causes $152B of direct damage in Ukraine since Feb. 24, 2022, the World Bank estimates– The UN forecasts that $486B will be needed for recovery and reconstruction as the war has devasted swathes of Ukraine and millions in need of aid– Russia has had …
Read More »US takes lead with 21% share in global LNG market
The US has increased its share in the global liquefied natural gas (LNG) trade from 1% in 2016 to 21% by the end of 2023 to become the world’s top LNG exporter. According to Anadolu’s compilation of data from CEDIGAZ, the International Information Center on Natural Gas, the …
Read More »After South Carolina, Trump’s March to the Nomination Quickens
The reality has been clear for weeks, since former President Donald J. Trump trounced his opponents across the frozen fields and icy highways of Iowa. But his overwhelming victory on Saturday in South Carolina, where he defeated Nikki Haley in her home state, makes it all but official. …
Read More »Biden vs. Trump Polls: 2024 Race Is a Dead Heat, Despite Democrat Panic
We are at one of those junctures in the long path to the November general election in which Democratic fears — bordering on incipient panic — about Joe Biden’s reelection prospects have flared up. The most recent incendiary material was the offhand comment by Republican special counsel Robert …
Read More »The political vultures circling Biden and Trump
“What if?” That is the much-hoped-for question now pinballing within the minds of certain politicians and staff members with regard to President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump. None may want to publicly admit to such eager anticipation, but some are not only thinking about the question, …
Read More »Netanyahu says no deal yet on Gaza cease-fire, remains bullish on Rafah operation
“You can’t have victory until you eliminate Hamas,” Netanyahu said, adding that likely expanded operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah are “weeks, not months” away from completion. The draft deal includes the release of up to 40 women and older hostages held in Gaza in return …
Read More »Arab States Are Giving Palestinians the Cold Shoulder. Here’s Why.
Former U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker on why Arab states won’t accept Palestinians fleeing war. Israel is poised to launch a ground operation in the city of Rafah on Gaza’s border with Egypt, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees have fled in the four months since Israel began …
Read More »Evaluating Joe Biden’s Foreign Policy: A Missed Opportunity for Democracy
Patrick Quirk and Tess Mcenery The next presidential administration should view democracy promotion as a statecraft tool proven to advance U.S. interests rather than a normative crusade. Summary: The article critiques President Biden’s foreign policy, highlighting failures in deterring Iranian aggression and inadequately supporting Ukraine against Russia, while acknowledging …
Read More »Will the West Fall Like Ancient Rome?
Are the Chinese the new barbarians, intent on triggering the fall of the West? Or is China risking internal failure? The geopolitical dominance and future of the “West” seem threatened. Hard right-wing commentators like Steve Bannon and Nigel Farage draw parallels with the fall of ancient Rome. In …
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