On March 9, 2021, the former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO, Admiral James Stavridis, co-authored a fiction novel with Elliott Ackerman, another former U.S. military officer. The book, entitled 2034: A Novel of the Next World War, imagines a kinetic war between the United States and China. Given the pedigree of its authorship, the novel provides a compelling window into the psychology of NATO’s military leadership and, correspondingly, the foreign policy establishment behind it. To those familiar with said psychology, the events of the novel will not be surprising. It begins with a...
Philippines
Lew Rockwell Was Right About China
Over the last year, I have focused much of my work on opposing the New Cold War with Russia and China—particularly with China. In a recent piece, “‘No One is Calling for War with China,’” I tackled a claim that I’ve been hearing recently. I understand the argument to go like this: “advocating tougher China policy is not advocating war against China.” In a very literal sense, this argument is correct. Those who advocate tougher China policy are not literally suggesting war with China. But even real dyed-in-the-wool China hawks aren't demanding war. So, if not literally calling for war is...
News Roundup 3/30/2022
US News The Pentagon delays awarding a contract to build a cloud for the Department of Defense until December. [Link] Norwegian soldiers arrive in the US to train with the Minnesota National Guard. [Link] Russia A majority of Americans believe Biden has not been tough enough on Russia. [Link] NATO members are split on talking with Putin and on what weapons to send Ukraine. [Link] Four European countries expel over 40 Russian diplomats. [Link] Turkey says meaningful progress was made during the latest Russia-Ukraine talks. After the talks, Moscow announced it would reduce its military...
News Roundup 3/6/2022
US News Brett Hankison - a former Kentucky police officer who fired into Breonna Taylor’s apartment was found not guilty of endangering her neighbors. [Link] The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the FBI in a case brought by Muslim men who were spied on. [Link] Haiti Haitian soldiers killed a journalist during a protest. [Link] At least 150 Haitian migrants landed in the Florida Keys. [Link] Russia Several states are taking action to ban Russian products. [Link] [Link] Twitter will issue a warning and limit the reach of tweets that link to RT and Sputnik. [Link] Senator Joe Manchin says the...
Macron-Putin Meeting Produces Potential Deal as Biden Continues Threats – News Roundup 2/8/2022
The meeting between French President Emmanuel Macron and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin has produced a potential agreement to de-escalate tensions over Ukraine, according to officials in Paris. The Financial Times reports that Putin has “moved towards de-escalating the Ukraine crisis by promising not to undertake any new ‘military initiatives’ and agreeing to withdraw thousands of Russian troops from Belarus after the completion of planned exercises.” While Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov clarified that any deal would “require agreement from France’s EU and NATO allies, first...
News Roundup 1/31/2022
US News Biden is planning an executive order that would regulate crypto and NFTs as a matter of national security. [Link] The US will begin its Global Lighting nuclear war games. [Link] Russia Biden says he will send troops to Eastern Europe in the near term. [Link] The US doubled its naval presence in the Black Sea in 2021. [Link] Citizens of NATO countries are enlisting in the Ukrainian armed forces. [Link] NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the alliance has no plans to send combat troops to Ukraine. [Link] The Pentagon says Russia is increasing the number of troops on...
News Roundup 1/16/2022
Corrected on 1/17 to say the USS Nevada visited Guam, not Taiwan. Covid Covax claims to have distributed one billion covid vaccine doses. [Link] The US donates 2.8 million Pfizer covid vaccine doses to the Philippines through Covax. [Link] The US donated four million covid vaccine doses to African nations through Covax. [Link] The US donated three million Pfizer covid vaccine doses to Egypt through Covax. [Link] US News Ohio police officers will face no punishment after dragging a paraplegic man from his car by his hair. [Link] Haiti Jamaican authorities arrested former Haitian Senator...
News Roundup 1/10/2022
Covid Massachusetts hospitals will begin reporting different stats for those hospitalized because of covid and those who were hospitalized for a different reason and tested positive. [Link] New York has canceled surgeries at 40 hospitals across the state. [Link] Moderna says it sold $17.5 billion in covid vaccines in 2021. Moderna expects the number to increase to $18.5 billion - or more - in 2022. [Link] The Pentagon awards a contract to Revival Health for 13 million at-home covid test kits. The amount of the contract was not disclosed. The tests will be counted as part of Biden’s plan...
News Roundup 12/22/2021
Covid American diagnostic test makers are expecting record revenue fueled by Covid testing. [Link] Biden will deploy 1,000 medical personnel to medical facilities in January and February. [Link] Massachusetts will deploy 500 National Guard to medical facilities. [Link] California will require all healthcare workers to take a booster of a covid vaccine. [Link] The US donated over 1.7 million vaccine doses to Bangladesh through Covax. [Link] The US donates over 3.4 million vaccine doses to the Philippines through Covax. [Link] Israel will start offering a 4th dose of the covid vaccine to...
News Roundup 12/14/2021
US News Victims of former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar have reached a $380 million settlement with USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympics Committee. [Link] Chicago will pay $2.9 million to Anjannette Young. In 2019, Young was handcuffed naked in front of offices as they executed a search warrant on her home, however, they had the wrong address. [Link] Chicago will pay $1.2 million to the family of Pedro Rios. An autopsy shows Rios was shot in the back by police but video of the 14-year-old’s killing has not been released. [Link] Vice President Kamala Harris announces the Biden...