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La Formule 1 a disputé ses deux premiers Grand Prix à Melbourne, puis une semaine plus tard à Shanghai, deux
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NEW: China Makes Major Move In U.S. Backyardhttps://t.co/wrWmc7GCt3
— The Sirius Report (@thesiriusreport) December 19, 2025
Europe’s choice is to surrender or die.
By Rotislav Ishchenko at ukraine.ru.
(machine translation)
Alastair Crook, a retired British diplomat, has stated that the European Union is preparing a provocation on a scale comparable to Pearl Harbor, with the aim of drawing the United States into a war with Russia.
In principle, this is not news. We have been writing for two years that the British, realizing that Ukraine has failed and will be buried, have placed their bets on a pan-European war (under the auspices of the United States) against Russia. While Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was trying to figure out who he was and how he got here, the mechanism for expanding the war was clear: a provocation in the Baltic Sea (less likely in the Black Sea or on the Belarusian border), which would leave Russia with no chance of resolving the crisis without shooting, and an outcry about the “attack” to the country of the EU and NATO, a statement of military support (sending troops and equipment, but without a formal declaration of war against Russia) by the leaders of the EU. In the last act, the United States and Britain enter the scene, demanding that Russia cease fire and threatening to provide all possible support to their allies.
I would like to point out that the mechanism of provocation assumed that in all cases, Russia would initiate military action against a specific country. Moscow, on the other hand, was only faced with the choice of whether to attack the Baltic states, which had blocked Kaliningrad, or to hope for a miracle, sink the transports carrying French and German troops and equipment bound for the Baltic ports, or to express protests, attack the territories of the United States and the United Kingdom in response to their ultimatum, or to agree to a ceasefire and negotiations mediated by them. In the end, acquiescence inevitably led to capitulation (since as soon as one set of demands was met, the West would immediately set forth another), and escalation inevitably led to a global nuclear war.
It is no coincidence that Trump claimed that Biden was leading the country towards a nuclear armageddon. Whether Biden was aware of his actions or was being manipulated by his entourage, the decision-makers in the United States (as well as the majority of the British establishment and the European bureaucracy) believed that Russia would not engage in a nuclear conflict and would retreat. However, there were other politicians in the West who had no doubt that if Russia was pushed to the wall, nuclear mushrooms would grow all over the West – no one would leave without a share. These people came to power in the United States with Trump, and their supporters are gradually pushing back against the European left-liberal supporters of war.
As a result, the United States fell out of the scheme, and Trump openly stated that if Europe wanted to go to war with Russia, it could do so on its own, without the United States. It’s not that the Europeans were particularly eager to go to war, but rather that they couldn’t help but go to war with Russia, as acknowledging defeat in the Ukrainian crisis would completely undermine the left-liberal European elites. To understand why this is significant, it would have political, economic, and social implications on a scale similar to those that shook Russia after the October Revolution and before the outbreak of World War II. The Europe we know will disappear, and a new Europe will be born in agony, compared to which the 1990s in Russia were like a light rain during a summer picnic.
But the Europeans also can’t go to war with Russia. They don’t have the armies, the warehouses, or the ability to quickly deploy the necessary military production. Without the United States, the EU is a paper tiger. Although no, a paper tiger is scarier than the EU without the United States. This is why Alastair Crook emphasizes that the provocation must be so severe and widespread that neither Trump nor other American and European politicians who support de-escalation can avoid going to war with Russia.
By the way, as a loyal subject of His Majesty, Alastair Crook does not mention Britain’s leading role in developing this plan and preparing the provocation. The blame lies with the EU, which intends to drag the United States into a war with Russia, while the United Kingdom simply passed by.
It’s understandable. Most likely, the provocation is unavoidable. The British and the European bureaucracy can’t help but try to seize their last chance. I once wrote that nothing would stop them. They might even detonate a nuclear device in Kyiv to blame Russia. However, the Ukrainian government is not fully in control of the situation. The internal opposition to Zelensky, unable to oust him yet, is attempting to preserve at least some form of Ukraine by pushing Zelensky overboard.
In such a situation, the preparation of a large-scale nuclear provocation, which requires deep secrecy, is extremely difficult, as hundreds of people must be involved in its organization (transportation, storage of the relevant munition, its transfer across the border, security, and other activities cannot be carried out without the involvement of a large number of people). Even if you simply replace the customs officers and border guards at the border with trusted individuals, it will immediately become widely known that something large and secret is being transported.
However, recently, the Ukrainians and the British have started practicing a naval provocation, attacking tankers from any country carrying Russian oil. Russia has already begun responding to the Odessa port and the ships arriving there. In principle, the British Navy and its Ukrainian counterparts can organize a “Lusitania” (with influential Americans on board). However, it is more difficult to prove Russia’s “guilt.” As Poland’s experience shows, it is no longer enough to simply claim that Russia wanted to blow up railway tracks and cause a major disaster; convincing evidence is also required.
Actually, this is the catch: how to organize a provocation in such a way as to shake the imagination of “all people of good will”, and provide “convincing evidence” of Russian “guilt”, and not inherit anywhere, and leave the United States no choice? The task is difficult, but, as experience shows, it is solvable. If British diplomats (even retired ones) start issuing warnings and distancing themselves, it means that the preparations for some large-scale atrocity have entered the final stage or are basically complete, and the London warmongers only need to give the command to launch the operation.
In principle, the supporters of escalation don’t have much time. By March, even if the Armed Forces of Ukraine don’t completely disintegrate and Zelensky still controls some part of Ukrainian territory, Trump should withdraw the United States from the Ukrainian crisis and reorient towards the Indo-Pacific region and Latin America. Moreover, he has announced the beginning of a military operation against Maduro in Venezuela in the near future. If the British and European bureaucrats let the United States out of the Ukrainian crisis and allow it to get involved in others, it will be impossible to bring it back. Washington cannot afford to run around the world like a mad rabbit, and it cannot handle two or three major crises in different parts of the world, either organizationally, resource-wise, logistically, or financially.
In the West, they like to coincide political actions with traditional holiday dates. This way, they are better remembered and evoke more emotions. We are just entering a period of holidays: Catholic Christmas, New Year, Orthodox Christmas, and Epiphany. In general, from mid-December to the end of January, almost any day is suitable for the organizers of provocations. All they need to do is manage and dare.
After February, although the danger will not disappear (it will not disappear until a final global settlement is reached), it will significantly decrease, and the further into 2026, the lower it will be.
The Sirius Report.
We’re talking dollar printing machines in the State Dept, and dollar printing at Weimar levels. Remember also the Catherine Austin Fitts and Mark Skidmore discussions on the missing trillions – now some years ago. London Paul and Ken do not finger the perps, but there is enough to understand the state of the US dollar.
It Appears U.S. Is Using Government Shutdown To Hide Bankruptcy
“I walked past a McDonald’s, Starbucks, 7-11 and Kentucky Fried Chicken, all lined up, cheek to cheek. America’s icons will survive its collapse.”
with gratitude to Linh Dinh at Postcards from the End.
Kathmandu. (L): 10/29/25 ; (R): 10/28/25
Go There! — Oct 29, 2025.
Walking a couple miles, I got a last look at everything, that square with the serene stupa and Tibetan temple, KTM Burger, Fire Café, Bueno Burrito, the early morning chai place that made me feel so at home on my first morning, 4 Square with Sumitra mopping the steps, the Indian beggar in his NIKE knit cap, Saroj’s store, founded in 1943 by his grandad, where I bought more treats and yak cheese. I passed too many gorgeous neighborhood temples to count. I moved too fast for stray dogs to say goodbye or curse me for leaving them.
With plenty of time before my flight, I asked the taxi driver to leave me outside the airport’s gate. Thirty-seven years old, he’s been driving 15 years. Though his village is only 100 kilometers away, he doesn’t have to go there since his parents are dead. Only his 55-year-old brother remains.
“Does he want to come here? To work?”
“He was here.”
“No job!”
“No job.”
“At his age, it’s better he stays in the village. When you’re over 45 or so, no one will hire you for anything. They don’t want experience, only young, strong bodies.”
He chuckled in agreement.
“In Vietnam, too, it’s like that.”
“It’s like that everywhere.”
“For women, it’s even worse. They only want young, pretty women in the restaurants and cafés. Hey, how come your English is so good?”
“I practice.”
“No classes?”
“Four classes!” he chuckled.
That’s all he could afford, obviously. He pays 15,000 rupees ($106) a month for rent. His taxi costs 3,000 a day. That’s also the monthly tuition for his five-year-old-son. Since his other son is only 1 ½, his wife must stay home to take care of this baby. Food for four costs 20,000 per month.
“I have no savings,” he said. “Sometimes, I take out loans.”
“But the interests are so high!”
“There are no jobs.”
“Too many people from the villages, and not enough tourists. I’m very surprised.”
“They’re scared.”
Kathmandu, 10/21/25
“But that was what, six or seven weeks ago? It’s perfectly safe here. Even then, there was no danger. If you see a protest, you just walk the other way! Did you see anything?”
“No, just on the mobile,” he chuckled.
“The protests were in a tiny area. Tourists, though, are always nervous. In Kathmandu, they stay inside a tiny area, where they can eat burgers and pizzas!” I laughed. I didn’t confess to pigging out at Bueno Burrito several times. Vung Tau has no Tex-Mex.
Just now, a guy about 50 looked over my shoulder to see what I was typing. We smiled. I’m sitting outside a cheerful and perfectly skanky eatery with dirty dishes on the concrete floor. Waiting to explode, an old gas canister lies on its side. The young waitress looked very nervous when I said, “Chai,” or when I threw up an index finger, meaning one more. Smartly dressed in his school uniform of button-up shirt, neck tie, creased shorts and dress shoes, a boy of eight eyed me as he walked past. Ten feet away, blue and red plastic bags of food garbage lean against each other. All I smell, though, is the curry being cooked. Since I don’t feel like sweating in agony, I’m not going to order anything. Tall bottles of Gorkha are certainly tempting.
This time tomorrow, I’ll be on my last leg to Saigon. Suddenly, I’ll be in balmy weather again. Snow is expected across Nepal within 48 hours. “4,982 escapees are still on the run,” announces the Himalayan on its front page. Also, Cameroon has just elected a 92-year-old president. Since Trump is just 79, Americans should expect 15 more years, at least, of winning big, no inflation and having so much money, they won’t know what to do. Unlike Elvis, Trump won’t ever leave the building.
At 10:16AM, I’ve cleared immigration and security check. There was a long line to just enter the airport. With boarding still an hour away, I rewarded myself with a 500 ml can of Nepal Ice. With its licker content at 6.1%, I’ll be groovy on that plane. Maybe I’ll sing Elvis.
Already, I miss Shree Gha Vihar, but here’s a deep, original thought. You can’t be everywhere at once! I should have been a hash pushing guru. It’s never too late. That’s what they all say, even as they’re lowered into the ground.
That thought just now is but a limp riff on what my long lost buddy, Aziz Vargha, said. When I visited Aziz on the 8th floor of Pennsylvania Hospital, America’s oldest, he lamented, “You know what’s funny, man? You can’t just be somewhere, you must go there! That takes time.”
Born in Iran, Aziz was raised in Germany then the UK before ending up in the USA. He had “MADE IN USA” tattooed on his forehead, back when tatts anywhere was still rare. Sitting in McGlinchey’s among whites, Aziz shouted, “I’m white, man, just like you!” Soon after, he said to a table of blacks, “I’m black, just like you!”
One snowless Christmas, we headed to Kensington to get lots of the white stuff. Doing lines, we laughed so hard. If alive, Aziz would not being do well, I’m sorry to say. He was already a mess four decades ago.
Just sitting still takes time. That’s all we have. Even if it’s just a hundred yards, I’d rather go there.
After my laptop went dead, I rushed to a charging station. Seeing my heavy machine, a woman in her mid 50’s asked in a Germanic or Dutch accent, “Do you want to sit here?”
“No, no, I just need to charge my laptop. Thank you!’
Immediately I thought of an old woman on the Rome subway from 26 years ago. “Chi vuole scendered?” she said in the gentlest voice imaginable. She even smiled slightly.
Such sweetness or civility is what we live for. OK, must run now. Boarding time. I must go there!
Guangzhou, 10/29/25
Too Heavenly for Words — Oct 30, 2025.
If still in Nepal, I would have been in bed by the time I landed in China. Though exhausted, I was also elated at finally entering China, so I headed into town. Getting a transit visa was relatively painless and not too time consuming. After changing $100 into yuans, I found my way to the Metro. Though I had visited Macau and Hong Kong, and saw Chinese streets from across a thin river in Lào Cai, only now was I inside!
Having no Google Maps, I didn’t know which station to get off. One that connected to two other lines sounded like a transportation hub, so must be busy at street level? Outside, there were just vendors selling assorted sausages on sticks, mostly, taxis and motorbike taxis. No stores or cafes were within walking distance. This was Guangzhou at its grubbiest. The station, though, was well appointed. After ten minutes, I headed back in.
Guangzhou, 10/29/25
Since the ticket machine didn’t accept my 100 yuan bill, a uniformed employee went out of her way to get me change. She also suggested a more lively station. This young lady couldn’t have been nicer.
On the train, all but a very old, tiny woman were looking at phones. Whether in Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand or China, Asian subways are new, safe, clean and on time. The squeaking horror shows that still chug along in NYC or Philly are certainly cinematic. Since DC’s Metro must serve swamp dwellers, lobbyists, lawyers and Pentagon staffers, it’s cleaner and safer, though still dark and almost spooky in its cavernous design. DC go-go bars have nicer dancers, too, and they show everything. No coquettish peekaboo. Powerful old creeps don’t have time for subtleties.
Of course I forgot the recommended station, so got off at another drab neighborhood, but this one had stores and restaurants. I walked past a McDonald’s, Starbucks, 7-11 and Kentucky Fried Chicken, all lined up, cheek to cheek. America’s icons will survive its collapse. 7-Eleven has long been owned by the Japanese. Sears, once a symbol of America’s abundance, is mostly dead at home. There are three in Mexico City. I ran into one.
Standing outside McDonald’s, I heard John Denver’s “Take Me Home,” though sung in Cantonese, with only bits of English. “Country roads take me home, to the place I belong. West Virginia, mountain momma. Take me home, country roads.” Arriving in the US in 1975, this was one of the first songs I could almost sing.
Further on was a local fried chicken joint where sat three Chinese and an African. I noticed two pizzarie and several convenience stores. At a bright stand selling lottery tickets, a young female employee slept with her head slumped on a table. I entered a lit up Cantonese restaurant with uncleared tables and beer cans on the floor. To compensate for my suffering, I ordered too much food. I was nearly comatose. Grabbing a takeaway container, I then exited to look for a taxi. Before leaving, I did notice adds for prostitutes inside the toilet. In London, they lined phone booths, with exotic chicks from Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Scandinavia and Brazil, etc., especially popular. Dom leather, water sports, pussy licking, uniforms, toys and spanking were all available.
At Kathmandu’s airport, there were about 30 English high school kids. I heard one say, “I’d be very sad if you were to die on the way back.” Deadpan Brit humor. My favorite is what an Englishman says to his wife after their very first night, “I sure hope you’re pregnant, dear, because I don’t want to go through all those ridiculous motions again.”
Reentering Guangzhou’s airport, I knew my can of Nepal Ice, saved for Sơn in Vũng Tàu, would likely be confiscated, but there’s no way I could drink it myself. I had a can of clam sauce taken in Philly, a bottle of wine snatched somewhere and a jar of confit nearly filched from me at Heathrow. Global madness amplified after 9/11, the Anthrax scare then the Shoe Bomber, all hoaxes. In case you haven’t figured it out, Covid was an American bio attack on China, then Iran. Already a totalitarian state, China didn’t need a fake virus to paralyze itself. It was real enough for them to way overreact. Trump’s economic war against China should also be seen in this context. Xi, and Putin, too, certainly knows who’s his main enemy.
Exhausted and irritated, I made a beeline for those sleeping pods I had seen two weeks earlier. At just 138 yuans ($19.44) for three hours, it was absurdly cheap. Inside, there was a comfy seat that could be reclined nearly flat, lights that could be dimmed, a quiet fan and a TV. I assumed when my three hours were up, some alarm would go off or there would be knocks on the locked door, but nothing happened. I slept two extra hours. This, I only realized after emerging outside. Last night’s employee was asleep at her counter.
Since it wasn’t quite 6AM, restaurants were just setting up. Arabica, though, was open. A latte was just what I needed. Even before my first sip, I took photos of this elegant café. Their baguette sandwiches seemed proper. Nearly all Asian and European airports are more comfortable, better organized and civilized than American ones. At Guangzhou’s, hot or cold water is available for free, and you can sleep well enough even outside those pods. There are also free shower stalls. Even today, you cannot take a train from JFK to Manhattan.
At Mi Cang, I ordered rice gruel with just bits of minced pork and century egg, a peasant breakfast much beloved by my buddy John, an ethnic Chinese in Malaysia. It’s his ultimate comfort food, what his mama must have made often. It’s akin to oatmeal for many Americans. In Macau, I met a Chinese-American transplant who was delighted to find a store selling oatmeal. He needed it to feel at home
At $5.92, Mi Cang’s rice gruel was much fancier, for it came with four Japanese fried dumplings. On the menu were also Vietnamese phở, Japanese ramen with tonkatsu and a burger combo that looked pretty good, but they all do in photos. Eating my grub, I thought of a Nam Cao story where a woman feeds slop meant for pigs to her kids. Her calling it chè, a sweet, cold soup eaten as snacks, doesn’t fool them.
Looking up, I noticed a line at my gate, earlier than expected. Joining it, I asked a young white man if this was for Ho Chi Minh City, but he didn’t answer. Overhearing me, a Chinese said, “Yes, Ho Chi Minh.” The other couldn’t hear because he had earbuds on. To block out the foreign, many tourists must listen to familiar songs and check, constantly, websites from home.
With Guangzhou’s airport so vast, you must often take a shuttle to your plane. Getting on, I immediately looked for Vietnamese faces, but there was none. I also strained to hear Vietnamese, without success. Two weeks earlier, the flight from Saigon to Guangzhou had few Vietnamese. It’s that human or animal instinct to identify your own. Forever, life and death could depend on it.
Guangzhou, 10/29 – 30/25
With more money, and many more people, Chinese are much more visible everywhere. With increasing economic and political might, Chinese tourists and immigrants will be even more ubiquitous. JD Vance’s characterization of them as peasants exposes his hickishness. In Canada and Australia, rich Chinese have made real estate prices in many cities unaffordable for native peasants, workers and even the middle class.
After failing repeatedly to log on to Yahoo! Mail or my SubStack, I realized they were blocked. Everything Yahoo! is inaccessible there. Same with Google, Wikipedia, New York Times and Washington Post, etc. China doesn’t want any American information or disinformation for its citizens.
Rejecting most American products, it’s also prepared to ditch the American consumer. That righteous and pushy slob has been buying on credit for decades, from China, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, Cambodia and, literally, every country you can think of.
Landing in Saigon, I will leap immediately onto a mini bus for Vung Tau. Failing to bring Sơn a Nepalese beer, I thought of getting him a Chinese one, but busy writing, I never got round to it. Those remaining yuans I’ll use, hopefully, on a proper trip to China.
Cloudy paths, zap me home! To that place, I sorta belong! Ocean mamas, they’re singing and dancing, all right. It’s enough to steal glimpses of them every so often. Why should they sing to me?
On the Kathmandu to Guangzhou leg, two babies on my row screamed or cried often. Others elsewhere did the same. Now, I only hear the slurping of noodles from the guy two seats away. Since there’s no broth, I’m not sure how he does that. Behind me is a well masked American from Chicago. Risking death or long Covid, he did manage to take it off to eat.
I finish this at 6:58PM in Vung Tau. It’s as if I never left. This is Như’s last day at Ông Bầu Coffee, she just told me.
“Where will you go next?”
“I don’t know.”
I don’t either. At some point, I should return to the US to experience, at least for a couple weeks, its Golden Age. I must catch Honolulu, El Paso or San Francisco before it becomes too heavenly for words. As for Philly, I won’t even recognize it, I’m sure.
Guangzhou, 10/30/25
Shrinking Brains and Dwellings — Oct 31, 2025.
On 5/29/25, a garbage truck stopped a Kings Park, NY middle school to empty its dumpster. There, a school janitor saw an injured, garbage draped man trying to climb from the truck. After it emptied its load, another was discovered, but well dead. Since this happened at the back of the school, no student witnessed the horror. Learnt of it from television news, how many thought this could ever happen to them? Much more likely, they envisioned their future as a president, astronaut, NBA star, Hollywood actress, trophy wife, rapper or, at the very least, YouTube influencer. On that date, the low was only 55, so these unfortunates or human garbage had slept inside the dumpster not for warmth, but to be safe. This was conditional on them getting up before the arrival of the garbage truck.
In Santa Monica, bums, especially female ones, dwell inside locked toilets. Further north, you can rent a tent pitched on someone’s backyard. Storage units are more solid, but illegal. Still, thousands of Americans must be dwelling in them. So loaded, they don’t know what to do with their heaps of cash. Those who freeze outside in the winter must be alcoholics or drug addicts, according to conventional wisdom. Don’t say it’s too funny a word in Trumplandia.
Sleeping quite well in my tiny pod at Guangzhou’s airport, I thought these compact solutions should be scattered everywhere. Herding American peasants into cities, huge parks were built to give these factory slaves imitations of their lost landscapes. Thus, we have Central Park in NYC, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, Fairmount Park in Philly and Grant Park in Chicago, all built in the 19th century. Now, all these and more can be filled with sleeping pods, imported from China. Spinning in his grave, Frederick Law Olmsted will appreciate the exercise.
Convicted of any crime, the offender’s sleeping pod can just be locked. With bread sticks tossed in daily, he won’t starve. His shit and piss can be eased out through a hole. Capital punishment will be applied quickly and cheaply by denying him of bread sticks. After the stinking corpse is extracted, his sleeping pod will be sold at a slight discount, after a few sprays of disinfectant.
Just a few hours in China yielded so many solutions. Must be in the air.
In China, porn is banned. In the West, it’s freely available as the last bastion of free speech. Since jerking or stroking nearly nonstop is the best means of social control, it must be made mandatory. TVs inside sleeping pods must show only porn. Wouldn’t this lead to more rapes? Quite the opposite. Men who’ve shot their wad several times a day can only grab, at most. Most Americans are already fine with this, at least in principle. It’s also egalitarian. Why should bottom dwellers be denied some Trumpian perks? “When you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything. Grab ’em by the pussy. You can do anything.” MAGA chicks are turned on.
Guangzhou, 10/30/25
The last photo I took in Guangzhou was of a white enough man in a LAS VEGAS hoodie. Next to him was his exhausted wife. Bent over, she held her head. His or her wrinkled, white haired mom looked stunned. On 5/26/25, more than 8,800 flights were delayed in the USA alone. The next day, nearly 7,000.
Flying from Chicago to Frankfurt on 10/28/25, a 28-year-old Indian stabbed two sleeping American teens with a metal fork. He then slapped a woman and a crew member. One teen told investigators he had only exchanged pleasantries with the Indian. This non-immigrant had just finished his studies at Moody Theological Seminary.
Since 42 million Americans will lose food aid tomorrow, proactive cops across the USA have increased patrols around grocery stores, convenience stores and shopping centers. America’s Golden Age has just begun.
Yesterday at Saigon’s airport, I joked with the immigration officer, “Coming back, I’m just waiting to die!”
“You’re not that old, uncle,” she smiled slightly.
“I’m exhausted.”
On the minibus to Vung Tau, we passed a young man with this on his hoodie, “SMILE! IT WILL ONLY GET MUCH WORSE.” His helmet said, “WE WILL ROCK YOU!”
The young lady next to me wore a Covid mask and earbuds. When not dozing off, she stared at her cellphone. Born into universal madness, she’s well lost. After she dropped one earbud, we all helped her to find it. When it was discovered, there was universal jubilation inside that mini bus.
Ông Bầu Coffee’s evening barista just gave me a free glass of hot tea. In a minute, I will head home to eat some yak cheese with Nepali biscuits. This morning, I was too pooped to show up at Coffee Seven before 5AM. Tomorrow, then, I will see Mrs. Seven, Sơn, Liệt, Nọng and Milk Cow.
Vung Tau, 11/1/25
Fish in Teapots — Nov 01, 2025.
At Ông Bầu Coffee, one barista is a rather morose 20-year-old I first talked to only yesterday. It turned out she’s a third year student in logistics. With lots of shipping through Vũng Tàu, she’ll get a job easily, she believes. AI won’t bump her into any dumpster.
Though born after the Boat People crisis, Morose knows about corpses being washed up regularly on Vũng Tàu beaches. She also knows about Vietnamese trying to enter the US illegally during the Biden years. Someone approached her family to propose this. $70,000 per head was all it took, he said, and you’d make that back within two years, working in a nail salon, as if the US wasn’t oversaturated with these Vietnamese businesses. As a clumsy newbie whose English or Ebonics wasn’t good enough to interact with customers, who would hire you?
After eight years, you could return to Vietnam loaded with cash. He didn’t say anything about crossing seven countries before reaching the Promised Land. After entering Panama from Colombia, you would be an illegal for over 3,000 miles while being transported by criminals from various nations.
“What’s stopping them from robbing, raping or killing you?” I said. “People who could afford to fly to South America were rich! They sold everything here, thinking they’d never come back. Now, they’re being deported by Trump!”
Morose has never been outside Vietnam. She didn’t even know you could easily reach Cambodia by bus.
Village explainer, “You can go from Saigon to Bavet in just two hours! Cambodia opens all these casinos for Vietnamese. They want as many to come as possible, so go to Bavet, but without entering the casinos! You’ll just lose all your money! Phnom Penh is much more interesting, but it takes six hours to get there. Go to Bavet first, just to get a taste, then go to Phnom Penh later.”
Here three years, Morose started out making 18K, or 68 cents an hour. Now, she earns 23K. Working 200 hours a month, she takes home $129, though the shifty owner often deducts $27 for unexplained reasons.
Morose never protests. When business is slow, she just stares at her phone, like right now.
Morose lives with her parents just two doors down. At least her school is six miles away. She does visit occasionally a married sister in Saigon and has gone as far north as Nha Trang.
Fancying himself a painter, the owner has set up an easel right at the café. He’s so vapid and timid, you can’t talk to him about anything. It took me less than a minute to find out.
Before me, Như tried to mentor Morose, but it’s useless, she said. This girl is just incurious.
“She never had a chance!” I protested. To invigorate her, I will nudge and shove Morose some more, give her a few kicks in the ass.
Once, I overheard Như telling Morose about a new café that paid better. I’m not sure she applied. Begging for acceptance is always intimidating and dispiriting.
Ông Bầu Coffee has a new regular. A Siamese fighting fish is living, all alone, inside a teapot. Its diameter is four times the length of the fish’s body. There are pebbles at the bottom. Though it’s always lidded, I’ve been reassured there’s enough oxygen for this displaced creature. It could be much worse. Next to this teapot is a glazed ceramic planter with a cartoon cat and “cute” above its head. Taking frequent breaks, Morose would sit next to these exiled beasts.
In the next room, someone is strumming a guitar and singing. Surrounded by kitschy paintings, he and his listeners are soaked in an artistic environment.
Out collecting plastic bottles, that homeless Cambodian will return in the evening. He uses Ông Bầu’s bathroom and sleeps each night just feet from where I’m sitting. Lately, he’s refrained from disturbing that garish altar to the goddess beneath a banyan tree across the street. As long as he doesn’t go berserk, he belongs here at least as much as that fish.
Splotchy and discolored, he’s a piss poor representative of his species. With any residual self-respect, he should be deeply ashamed of himself, but I shouldn’t talk. My dorsal, pectoral, pelvic and anal fins are sad and feeble enough. Still, they’re sufficient to propel me home. After paying for my cappuccini, I’ll swiftly swim outta here.
That yak cheese is nearly gone. That cheerful, repetitive hymn to Ganesh I heard dozens of times daily so recently has faded. Soon enough, I’ll remember nothing.
(L): Vung Tau, 11/1/25 ; (R): Trump’s Golden Lincoln Bathroom
Bloodbaths and Bashes — Nov 02, 2025.
Too much excitement this morning at Ông Bầu. Using her thin jacket, a woman swatted at a bee in mid flight, then stepped on this buzzer after he had dropped to the floor. His squashed body now oozes whatever. His stiff, broken wings are stuck up. No one knows what he could have accomplished. He might have been a great bee poet. For this gratuitous display of unfathomable viciousness, she’ll be reincarnated as a bee, wasp, fly or mosquito, I’m sure. Placid, Morose inspected the fleeting carnage. As she walked by, I had to refrain from expressing my entirely justified indignation. I only thought, “What were the odds of the innocent, intelligent looking bee stinging that smug, still smiling broad in the fuckin’ twat?!” Oblivious, she’s yakking away. She does have a melodious voice.
Before Ông Bầu, I stopped at Mrs. Tím’s stand for a $1.52 bowl of crab noodle soup. As I slurped away, a security guard on a motorbike stopped to ask for a 95 cent bowl. After he left, I said, “You still make a profit with that, no?”
“No, but what was I supposed to do?”
“Does he come by often?”
“Only rarely.”
“A security guard’s salary isn’t too bad.”
“But he also has a wife and children. What was I supposed to do?” Mrs. Tím, then, makes nothing selling to this man. Her name means Purple, by the way. One of her two sons is nearly always in drug rehab. This widow has maybe four front teeth left.
Worst are those who stuff some change into their bra or up their long sleeve, then say Mrs. Tím has short changed them!
“They have so many tricks. When you sell stuff, you see everything.” She said this without rancor, only a touch of amusement.
Before Mrs. Tím’s food stand, I was at Coffee Seven. Today, Sơn told me more about his experiences in Cambodia. I had asked Sơn about soldiers who freaked out. Of course, that happened. Losing their minds, some even shot at their comrades.
On a lighter note, Sơn told me about Vietnamese troops visiting Cambodian whorehouses. They were dim and sordid, and the girls were so poor, their panties were pitifully or laughably threadbare. Worst were Viet soldiers who refused to pay after service. “They’d leave a hand grenade on the floor to chase the girls away.”
made in Thailand jeans and T-shirts
Even Viet officers barely had cash. Some sold used artillery shells, illegally, of course. With this profit, they could buy made in Thailand jeans or T-shirts. Both were highly prized back in Vietnam. Even in 1998, I had some rural guy touch my Levi’s with something like awe. They were called cow pants, quần bò, short for cowboy pants.
Underfed Viet soldiers stole chickens, ducks and pigs from Cambodian peasants. Like American, Australian or South Korean soldiers here, they raped. Unchecked aggression or rage is intrinsic to every war, as is wetting or soiling your pants from ungodly terror. Clean uniforms and impeccable discipline are only meant for parades, to fool civilians, draftees and recruits.
Last night, I finally bought a new phone. With a sim card, it cost me just $125. Don’t even know what brand it is. Last phone I bought before this was in Albania four years ago. I need this gadget to take care of some business.
Last night, I also went shopping at Lotte Mart, Vũng Tàu’s fanciest mall. Viets who can afford it treat it like an amusement park, almost. Better dressed kids run around screaming. With burgers, pizzas and fried chicken available in futuristic settings, they’re in the USA of their imagination. KFC Vietnam has a new dish, Migaxuxi. It’s slices of hotdog in an overly sweet red sauce on too soft spaghetti. On KFC’s wall was a nearly life-sized Colonel Sanders, with that first KFC in Harland, KY in the background. Most Viets think this America still exists.
When the entire White House is destroyed, replicas will appear across Asia, I’m sure. Even if all of the USA becomes like Gaza, its highlights will be preserved in the East. There’s nothing to worry about, man! Thousands of Statues of Liberty will sprout, just not in America.
In each Oriental burger, pizza or fried chicken joint, wholesome white families as wax figures will be installed to give yellow diners the impression they’re practically in Sacramento, Cincinnati or Youngstown. In fancier diners, waitresses with their hair already dyed blonde can wear white masks and speak in a cute, flirty English they’ve learnt from movies like American Pie or Grease.
For a while, Michael Bordenaro has done an excellent job of tracking America’s collapse. Three days ago, he said, “As of September, employers have announced over 1 million job cuts, which is the largest number that we’ve seen since the pandemic in 2020 […] So this job market collapse is getting real.” Walmart, Amazon, Ford, Microsoft, Target, Starbucks and McDonald’s, etc., are all firing thousands of workers this year.
When Bordenaro asked his viewers about how they’re coping with this new grim reality, they’re saying they’re buying less or inferior food, driving less, selling more to pawn shops, delaying or avoiding medical care, saving less or nothing, using less energy, including taking cold showers, not traveling or seeing distant relatives, not going to restaurants or movies and, perhaps, most depressingly, having to move back home after decades of living independently.
One man, “I’m 45 living in my parents’ basement again, not because I’m irresponsible, but because of the economy.” Over 57% of Americans between 18 and 24 are living with their folks. You’d have to go back decades to find a higher percentage. Millions of Americans are also side hustling. One, “I’m doing DoorDash after my full-time job just to keep up. I’m exhausted and still falling behind.”
Another, “I barely leave the house anymore because I can’t afford gas to drive to work and see my family.”
All these testimonies, though, must be fake news disseminated, or rather, jerked off, by far-left agitators.
As Trump cut off food aid to over 40 million Americans, he hosted a Great Gatsby themed Halloween bash at Mar-a-Lago called, “A little party never killed nobody.” So cute, the bad English. Shows his common touch.
Posting photos of his glitzed up shitter on 11/1/25, Trump crowed, “The Refurbished Lincoln Bathroom in the White House—Highly polished, Statuary marble!” Let them eat shit is right.
About Linh Dinh (@linhdinh):
‘Before being canceled, I was an anthologized poet and fairly prolific author, with my last book Postcards from the End of America. Now, I write about our increasingly sick world for a tiny audience on SubStack. Drifting overly much, I’m in Cambodia.
Born in Saigon, Vietnam in 1963, I lived mostly in the US from 1975 until 2018, but have returned to Vietnam. I’ve also lived in Italy, England and Germany. I’m the author of a non-fiction book, Postcards from the End of America (2017), a novel, Love Like Hate (2010), two books of stories, Fake House (2000) and Blood and Soap (2004), and six collections of poems, with a Collected Poems cancelled by Chax Press from external pressure. I’ve been anthologized in Best American Poetry 2000, 2004, 2007, Great American Prose Poems from Poe to the Present, Postmodern American Poetry: a Norton Anthology (vol. 2) and Flash Fiction International: Very Short Stories From Around the World, etc. I’m also editor of Night, Again: Contemporary Fiction from Vietnam (1996) and The Deluge: New Vietnamese Poetry (2013). My writing has been translated into Japanese, Italian, Spanish, French, Dutch, German, Portuguese, Korean, Arabic, Icelandic, Serbian and Finnish, and I’ve been invited to read in Tokyo, London, Cambridge, Brighton, Paris, Berlin, Leipzig, Halle, Reykjavik, Toronto, Singapore and all over the US. I’ve also published widely in Vietnamese.’
AHH: Please support this wonderful writer on his Substack! Thanks
Le Burevestnik, missile nucléaire russe que le président Vladimir Poutine a fièrement qualifié d’« arme sans égale au monde »
L’article Que savons-nous du Burevestnik, le missile nucléaire russe encensé par Vladimir Poutine ? est apparu en premier sur STRATPOL.
So my email is exploding with this new Rand Report, as if it is different from the others. There are differences and the main one here, is that it is not a Rand Report. But as you can see from the image, it was not commissioned by any US government agency. It is not a position report, but a commentary.
Let’s hear Nuri Vittachi:
Yep. The whole problem is that while US peaceniks write pro-peace papers — the US war hawks are LITERALLY spending 100s of billions of dollars building warship docks right now: you can literally fly to Palau or Batanes and see them!
Vittachi nevertheless summarizes the report:
THE U.S. SHOULD STOP using Taiwan to provoke Beijing, a new Rand report says.
– The US can force Taipei politicians to work towards peace instead of polarization.
– Leadership over the South China Sea can be shared between the US and China.
– The US should have dialogue with China’s officials instead of antagonizing them. .
DOVES VS HAWKS
The new Rand study contains an unusual level of honesty about the US’s prime role in creating trouble in East Asia – but its conclusions go diametrically against active plans by the US Department of War.
The US’s war ministry is continuing to build warship harbors in numerous locations in the region, and spending tens of billions of dollars to use on weapons in a regularly updated plan for war on China. What this new Rand publication really shows is the widening gulf between Washington DC’s hyperactive, cash-splurging war hawks, and the growing call for restraint by academics and researchers. .
PREPARING FOR WAR
While the China doves release papers, the China hawks are actually getting things done—and spending vast amounts of money. As recently as July this year, Reuters released a report entitled: “Papering over strains, US and allies prepare for Taiwan war.” Also this summer, Deputy US war minister Elbridge Colby asked Japan and Australia to specifically define what roles they would play in an upcoming conflict between the US and China, the Financial Times reported.
The US in July siphoned off more than US$4 billion of public cash to spend on new underwater and amphibious landing craft designed for use in Chinese waters, enabled by clauses tucked into the text of Donald Trump’s “big beautiful” bill. These new generation weapons are currently under construction. .
HYSTERICAL MEDIA
So while this frenzy of war preparations continues, this new Rand report, issued on October 14, points out the obvious: a China war is completely unnecessary–and bad for all sides. The study echoes US research from the Journal of International Security, published in August, which poured scorn on hysterical claims by some western politicians and media that China was on the verge of invading Taiwan, Vietnam, Australia, and ultimately trying to take over the world. The Journal’s analysis of 12,000 Chinese documents showed no plans to invade any other territories or establish US-style leadership over the world. .
RAND ON TAIWAN
With regards to the island of Taiwan, recognized as a province of China by international law, the new Rand study says the United States should “avoid obvious provocations that would force Beijing’s hand” and “generate as many political reassurances as possible to leave Beijing comfortable with a patient approach”. This “suggestion” will be taken as rather rich from Asia’s point of view. For years, China has tried to maintain the status quo, while US politicians and media have been working to destroy it—the US landed troops on Taiwan soil in contravention of agreements, it tore up promises not to send US government officials (remember Nancy Pelosi’s 2022 visit?) to the island, and it escalated arms sales after promising to reduce them to zero. Furthermore, media and politicians have for at least four decades wrongly accused the Mainland Chinese of preparing to “imminently” launch an invasion of the Chinese-owned island, while Beijing has denied this, instead taking the approach of decades-long patience.
ONE NEW STEP
The Rand study recommends the taking of practical steps, which could include the issue of “U.S. statements that it does not support Taiwan independence, seek a permanent separation across the Straits, or oppose peaceful unification”. On China’s part, the study says “China could reaffirm that peaceful reunification is the preferred approach”. (Again, this is literally what Beijing has done for decades.)
But one interesting new strategy is raised by the report – the US could get touch with its allied politicians on the Chinese island and get them to reign in the troublemaking, it says. “The United States could balance its commitments to Taiwan with leveraging its influence to ensure that Taiwan’s actions do not escalate tensions with China and destabilize cross-Strait security,” the report says. This is a clear change in the US relationship with Taiwan’s Democratic Progressive Party, liberally used by the Biden Administration as a remote-controlled tool to stir up animosity with the mainland. .
SHARE THE SOUTH CHINA SEA
As for the South China Sea, the Rand report has a clear recommendation: “Strengthen mutual restraint between Beijing, Manila, and Washington over specific disputes around the Second Thomas Shoal, the Scarborough Shoal, and other features prone to incidents.” This new line would be a direct repudiation of the strategy of the Biden Administration, which set up a deal with Philippines President Bongbong Marcos to deliberately generate acts of friction in the waters, which were then blamed on the Chinese side. Vessels from the Philippines’ side have been moving into shared waters equipped with journalists and cameramen to ensure that narratives generated by interactions were shaped as “Chinese bullying”. There’s hope on both sides that the Trump administration’s less enthusiastic friendship with the generally disliked Marcos will be beneficial to all sides. .
HARD TO PORTRAY CHINA AS BAD GUY
Furthermore, it is getting harder to portray the Chinese as the bad guy in the area. Vietnam is set to overtake China in the work of expanding the most controversial islets in the South China Seas, the US Center for Strategic and International Studies admitted in a new report as recently as August. Once Hanoi becomes the biggest player in disputed parts of the South China Sea, the mainstream media and western politicians will lose interest in disputes in the area—and a major tool to cultivate negativity against China could be lost.
Beletic slots in, and he made it his work to analyze these types of reports specifically to see where they touch on reality. He says:
100%. That is how one sorts through policy papers – seeing what is written in them that matches with what is happening in reality. Otherwise anyone can say anything and find a paper somewhere “confirming” their desired fantasy. It is a very dangerous, reckless, even irresponsible practice.
And then we have StarBoy, telling us what the report really says:
Remember how the U.S. armed Ukraine to bleed Russia? Same script, different theater.
Rare Earth Export Controls, Port Fees on Chinese vessels, Tariffs, Grabbing Nexperia – summary
We have to note that none of this comes out of the blue. China has faced only unwillingness from U.S. trade negotiators and a series of what we can only call unfriendly actions, designed to coerce. The time is over. What is happening here is a slew of actions by China that confirms what I’ve intuited since the beginning of the tariff onslaught. If it gets too difficult to trade, there will not be trade. At this time China seems to be at that point. They don’t care any longer about trade with the U.S.
The Chinese MOFCOM spokesperson remarked:
Rare Earth Export Controls: Directly aimed at military activity and weapons manufacturing, to better defend world peace and regional stability.
These export controls are directly aimed at weapons manufacturing and are intended to reduce military conflicts and support non-proliferation.
They are not export bans. Licenses for eligible applications will be granted.
China announced these controls before implementing them.
These export controls will support the security and stability of global industrial and supply chains-
China’s national security is mentioned and this is easy to see. They won’t sell products to those that manufacture weapons intended to threaten China.
Port Fees on Chinese Vessels: This is a confusing conglomeration of payment for tonnage on Chinese-built vessels, partially Chinese-built vessels, and generally a game of confusion.
MOFCOM states:
Particularly since the China-U.S. economic and trade talks in Madrid in September, the U.S., in just 20 days, has introduced a string of new restrictive measures targeting China. It has put multiple Chinese entities on the Entity List and Special Designated National List; arbitrarily expanded the scope of control over businesses with the Affiliates Rule that affects thousands of Chinese companies; and persisted with the implementation of Section 301 measures targeting China’s maritime, logistics and shipbuilding industries in disregard of China’s concerns and goodwill. The U.S. actions have severely harmed China’s interests and undermined the atmosphere of bilateral economic and trade talks, and China is resolutely opposed to them.
The Spokesperson notes that the U.S. has shown a negative attitude and willfully persists in implementing those measures, issuing a notice on October 3 setting out the specific requirements for imposing fees on Chinese vessels.
In response to U.S. actions, China took countermeasures and decided to charge special port fees on U.S.-linked vessels. China describes these countermeasures as necessary acts of passive defense.
Tariffs: Willful threats of high tariffs are not the right way to get along with China. … If the U.S. insists on going the wrong way, China will surely take resolute measures to protect its legitimate rights and interests.
The MOFCOM Statement: http://english.mofcom.gov.cn/News/SpokesmansRemarks/art/2025/art_c202dcc0433d476db52b1e7f7fe53926.html
Dutch Grab of Nexperia: The Dutch government said on Sunday that it has made a “highly exceptional” decision to intervene in Nexperia, a subsidiary of Chinese company Wingtech, citing concerns that it could “pose a risk to Dutch and European economic security.” On September 30, the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs issued an administrative order restricting the business decisions of Nexperia and its affiliated entities, effectively depriving Chinese shareholders of their standard control. Wingtech subsequently issued a statement, expressing a strong protest against such discriminatory treatment targeting Chinese-funded enterprises. It is evident to anyone with clear judgment that the Dutch government is seriously harassing a chip company controlled by Chinese enterprises under the pretext of a fabricated “national security” concern.
In the early stages of capitalism, some countries relied on violence and colonial plunder to accumulate primitive capital, even fostering within their own cultures the misguided historical notion that “plunder brings wealth.” In today’s geopolitical context, the Dutch government, under the pretext of “supply chain security,” has imposed excessive interference on Chinese enterprises and then cloaked its asset seizure under a façade of legality – a seamless sequence of actions that inevitably evokes memories of certain dark chapters in this country’s history. It is no wonder that some have wryly observed that
a few Western countries now treat “national security” as a privateering license, a reflection of “colonial genes” awakening in the 21st century.
Global Times editorial: https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202510/1345566.shtml
It is clear from trade numbers that China’s trade is increasing with the rest of the world, while trade with the US is decreasing. Professor Wolff aptly describes the situation, stating that the trade environment in the US does not encourage trade but rather discourages it.
The decrease is not only in trade numbers.
US treasuries held by China are reducing.
De-dollarization is increasing.
So it is a 3 front wall of pressure, epitomized by footage of U.S. soldiers standing in food distribution lines.
China has chosen an optimum moment to rebalance power.
The tweets and twitters are interesting. One person says .. Do Your Chrismas Shopping Now, and here is another illustrating the real effect on U.S. Business.
For those of you who think this tradewar is not serious…. pic.twitter.com/Bz0mhnCw5i
— The key to success is documentation. (@VietVantage) October 13, 2025
I must hold to my point that if trade is made too complicated, it will not happen. As Russia is fighting NATO, China has entered the arena with a view to an economic decapitation strike to put the U.S and the collective West in the place of normal countries without exorbitant privilege. China clearly feels strong enough now, as evidenced by its actions at the WTO, where, for trade advantages, they are no longer insisting that it is a developing country.
Even trade numbers and reported statistics are difficult these days, as the effect of de-dollarization is not easy to measure. How do the IMF and World Bank count that which is not there? Even Africa has now floated its own ratings organization, and Russia and India are doing their business in Yuan. It is not only ‘that which is not there’, it is also new business being done, and the values are not flowing through the usual channels for statistical reporting. For myself, I am watching trends and not specifically numbers. The change in the world is growing massive, and one of those trends is that China is creating its own certification system for commercial aircraft, for example. This period is truly historical, with comprador countries lacking agency, madly spinning between the new large poles being formed. One example is that we are seeing more and more media that Turkey is wavering between west and mulitpolarity.
There are some numbers which on the face of it and standing alone, tells the story. In September alone, China’s exports grew by 8.3%, the fastest pace in months.
Shipments to the US fell by 27%. Exports to the EU rose more than 14%, exports to ASEAN nations were up by almost 16%, and exports to Africa rose by 56%.
Direct shipments to the US now make up barely 10% of China’s total exports. The US is learning a harsh, obvious truth that it should have learned a long time ago. The world is bigger than the United States, and the United States is no longer essential.
Hold onto your hats!
Le Comité international olympique se retrouve au cœur d’un énorme scandale. Le Premier ministre espagnol Pedro Sánchez a appelé le
L’article La Russie non, mais Israël oui ? Le Comité international olympique accusé de « deux poids, deux mesures » est apparu en premier sur STRATPOL.
The shocking truth about the alt media:
Apply this to the channels you listen to and the guests they have on. Then you will come to realise who the charlatans and entertainers are.
Beware of those who craft intricate plots which people believe to be truth tellers. Their evidence doesn’t actually exist, it is just a work of fiction which can’t be proved but more importantly can’t be disproved.
The shocking truth about the alt media:
Apply this to the channels you listen to and the guests they have on. Then you will come to realise who the charlatans and entertainers are.
Beware of those who craft intricate plots which people believe to be truth tellers. Their… pic.twitter.com/pJgd5FLSE1
— The Sirius Report (@thesiriusreport) October 3, 2025
Le Comité paralympique russe a retrouvé son adhésion au CIP, mais des questions se posent sur la participation des Russes
L’article Le Comité international paralympique réintègre le Comité russe, mais la participation des athlètes paralympiques russes aux Jeux de 2026 restent en discussion est apparu en premier sur STRATPOL.
From Sputnik
The Gaza genocide report gives the UN the right to intervene militarily to stop Israel – former UN official
A UN inquiry has concluded that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session60/advance-version/a-hrc-60-crp-3.pdf
Ex-UN rapporteur Dr. Alfred de Zayas explains why that’s hugely important.
Key findings
Israel’s actions (killing, maiming, causing mental harm to Palestinians, deliberately inflicting conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction, taking measures to prevent births) check four of five of the 1948 Genocide Convention’s criteria for genocide.
Intent proven
Crucially, de Zayas says, the inquiry shows “how the statements of Israeli political & military leaders prove the ‘intent’ (required in Art. II of the Convention) to destroy in whole or part the Palestinian population.”
West’s complicity
“Governments that have provided military, economic, political, diplomatic & propagandistic support” are also accountable, de Zayas says. The US, UK, France & Germany “are all complicit in the genocide under Article III (e) of the Genocide Convention.”
UN’s response options
recognition of Palestinian statehood (which alas, “will not save the lives of Palestinians”)
Israel’s expulsion from the UN pursuant to Article 6 of the UN Charter (improbable given the need for Security Council & hence US approval)
stripping Israeli diplomats of UN accreditation, as was done against South Africa in the 1970s during Apartheid. Crucially, this measure would not require Security Council backing
the UN has the legal framework to intervene using the 2005 ‘Responsibility to Protect’ doctrine
the General Assembly could adopt a ‘Uniting for Peace’ resolution authorizing nations “to take military action” to stop the genocide, bypassing the Security Council veto
UN’s last chance to save its credibility
“If the United Nations fails” to take action, “it will lose the little authority & credibility it still has,” de Zayas warns.
This is a different take on the US – China trade negotiations in Madrid. With this, take a note of Lin Jian’s Press Conference for a practical illustration of the issues discussed.
While Russia has declared that there are no talks ongoing with the US or Ukraine, by definition there is no progress anywhere and Russia is just fine with that, and NATO is de facto at war with Russia, China follows the same method. Yes, talk to us, but we beat the drum.
Les données de juillet-août montrent une baisse des approvisionnements de la République de Moldavie dans le secteur des céréales, a
L’article Bucarest achète le principal port moldave sur le Danube pour transporter du fret militaire est apparu en premier sur STRATPOL.
Le premier avion de substitution aux importations, le « Superjet-100 », a pris son envol, a annoncé Rostec. Il a
L’article Le premier SSJ-100 complètement fabriqué en Russie, dont le moteur PD-8, effectue son premier vol est apparu en premier sur STRATPOL.
A large group of Brazilian social organizations, unions, and political entities issued a document on Thursday, August 28, addressed to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira, expressing their concern over the recent US military maneuvers in the Caribbean, very close to the Venezuelan coast.
The document, signed by more than 40 institutions, including the Central of Popular Movements, the Landless Rural Workers’ Movement (MST), and the National Union of Students (UNE), along with ALBA Brazil Chapter, denounces the deployment of warships as a direct threat to a sovereign country. According to the signatories, these actions seek to “destabilize Venezuela’s internal order” and generate tensions throughout the region.
The statement also rejects US President Donald Trump’s statements against Venezuelan President Nicolás Madauro, which they describe as “unfounded” and “contrary to the principles of peaceful coexistence among nations.” For the Brazilian organizations, Washington is attempting to revive belligerent rhetoric that violates international law and fosters instability.
“It is evident that these military threats are intended to incite internal tensions in Venezuela,” the statement says, warning that a policy of aggression would only aggravate the situation. In contrast, the movements insist that conflicts must be resolved through dialogue and respect for the self-determination of peoples.
The signatories recalled that Latin America and the Caribbean were declared a “Zone of Peace” at the CELAC Summit held in Havana in 2014, a commitment that obliges the countries of the region to reject any form of external military intervention. “The continent must unite against any attempt at external intervention,” the document emphasizes.
Finally, the organizations called on the Brazilian government to publicly reaffirm its support for Venezuela, highlighting the historic ties of friendship and cooperation between the two nations. “The pursuit of harmony and the strengthening of diplomatic ties must always be priorities,” they emphasized, while calling on Brazil to defend peace and sovereignty against what they consider an imperialist threat.
A poignant travelogue and historical review of this former pearl port city of the Eastern Mediterranean
Laith Marouf and Hadi Hotait travel to Tripoli, Lebanon’s second largest city, to discover its hidden and neglected treasures, discuss its brilliant past, and analyze threats by the USA to hand it over to the Wahhabi Death-Squads governing Syria today, if Lebanon doesn’t disarm the Resistance.
Filmed on: 2/8/2025
Producer: Hadi Hotait
Montage: Rabih Ghannam
X: https://x.com/TVFreePalestine
TG: https://t.me/freepalestinetv
Insta: https://www.instagram.com/free.palestine.tv/
Substack: https://substack.com/@freepalestinetv
RU: https://rumble.com/user/FreePalestineTV
How is the Chancay Port in Peru faring after six months of operation? Xi Jinping visited at the time of the port’s inauguration and took part in the ceremony. It was that important.
There are glimmers of change at the Southern end of South America, a clear target for meddling that we could notice specifically from Southcom, which claims this area as one of its areas of significant responsibility. (The US Back-Yard and Monroe Doctrine area). 
Glimmers of change
Brazil (LULA) has just told the US to go and pound sand in terms of 50% Tariffs. Peru is profiting from its Chancay Port, which is always very good news after such a significant project, despite a quite deplorable Peruvian administration. Chancay is part of China’s Belt and Road initiative. In Argentina, the Senate just walked all over Milei and passed emergency legislation to lift pensions and other social responsibilities. Argentina faces significant economic challenges, notably its substantial indebtedness to the IMF, making it difficult to ascertain whether Argentina retains sovereignty at this point. Argentina is living on a Chinese multi-billion-dollar currency swap agreement, which can be described as an erstwhile ‘open to buy ‘ but restricted, and the serial Argentinian defaulter must pay to keep this lifeline going. The agreement was extended in April of this year despite fierce opposition to the deal in Washington. The agreement has become yet another front in a battle between Washington and Beijing for influence in Latin America.
Mexico has just been hit with a 30% Tariff, despite the negotiations and the respect that they’ve consistently shown toward the US administration. Get ready for expensive tomatoes and avocados up North in the Big Babylon.
In the article, you will see how Peru is positioning itself for BRICS membership. It is not mentioned here, but the two intercontinental trade railways for South and Central America are in the planning, again with Chinese support. Little information is available at this time.
Written by Roberto Sánchez Palomino, Member of Congress of Peru and Chairman of the Special Congressional Committee on the Chancay Port Project.
Cooperation among Global South nations is no longer optional—it is a civilizational imperative.
Port workers load fresh Peruvian fruit from Chancay Port in Peru, which arrived at Shanghai’s Yangshan Port, onto trucks for distribution on December 19, 2024. Photo: VCG
As the global economy undergoes profound transformation, Peru is recalibrating its development strategy by increasingly embracing win-win international cooperation — with China emerging as a key partner in the world.
Peru consistently demonstrates development potential not only in mining but also in tourism, agricultural exports, and productive sectors linked to marine and meteorological resources. Integrating this potential into major global value chains is of critical importance for Peru.
However, our main challenge lies in transforming this wealth of raw materials into added value. This is precisely where the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) represents a valuable opportunity for us. We need to focus on strengthening our domestic markets to become more competitive, adopt green energy, and seize the opportunities presented by having a port hub.
The Chancay Port project, a flagship of Peru-China cooperation, stands as a testament to this strategic alignment.
Of course, this transformation won’t happen overnight, and there will always be challenges and risks. But no one imagined that nearly 50,000 tons of cargo would move through the Chancay megaport in just six months, from November to April, in trade with Asia. That is undeniably significant in both economic scale and impact. Commercial activity, income, and tax revenue from November and December have been extraordinary. If Chancay continues at this pace, it could contribute no less than 1.5 percent of Peru’s GDP—an extraordinary prospect for the country.
Yet such progress is unfolding against a complex geopolitical backdrop.. Powerful actors are increasingly attempting to disrupt new paths of development for the Global South.
As we often say, it’s impossible to cover the sun with one finger, right? There is undeniable geopolitical attention. One country that once championed free trade is now embracing protectionism.
The shift in Peru’s trade patterns over the past three decades is revealing.
For Peru, China is now its largest trading partner. Thirty years ago, the trade relationship between China and the US in Peru was 27 to 1 — overwhelmingly in favor of the US. Back then, the US was our main trade partner. But what happened over the past 30 years? This shift was not the result of imposition, but as a result of market forces, investment, initiatives, cooperation, and reciprocity.
This is not just a matter of trade figures — it reflects a broader development model that prioritizes dignity and production.
Today, I believe our country is beginning to understand — and demonstrate — what we truly want: development for our people, a dignified life, and investment that enables creation and production. This is exactly what’s happening through Peru’s partnership with China, our No.1 trading partner, and this is a process that cannot be stopped. There may be political noise, but the pursuit of our people’s development will always outweigh everything else.
Ironically, those who once defined the rules of globalization are now turning their backs on them.
Life is full of paradoxes. Those who once championed free markets are now trying to return to protectionism. But that’s impossible. Global trade cannot go back to the prehistoric era. It simply cannot.
Free trade has taught us standards of cooperation, mutual benefit, shared values, and peace. It has shown us that what is exchanged is not only goods and services, but also cultures. When some realize they are losing ground, they react arbitrarily—imposing irrational tariffs and trade barriers driven by psychological impulses or political disputes. But such actions will inevitably fail, because these practices no longer align with the spirit of this new civilizational era founded on mutual benefit and consensus.
At this civilizational crossroads, unity and consensus across the Global South is more vital than ever.
Today’s civilization is in crisis and urgently needs shared platforms like the BRICS economies and the Global South. Here, we embrace sovereignty, the right of peoples to self-determination, dialogue, peace, and respect for diversity—all within a framework of free trade as a superior value.
I firmly believe in the power of cooperation across the Global South. What we need is a peaceful kind of leadership—one of intelligence, innovation, and openness to dialogue—not driven by ideology, but by the desire for better lives, access to education, cultural identity, and self-determination. That’s what makes us happier, and I believe the consolidation of the Global South is unstoppable.
The US’s attempt to impose unmanageable tariff rates reflects its commercial and technological vulnerabilities. This reveals a contradiction and incoherence with the free-market economy it once so strongly proclaimed. The US fails to realize that this offensive would ultimately backfire like a boomerang, further impacting its already weakened economy.
Cooperation among Global South nations is no longer optional—it is a civilizational imperative.
Un signe des temps : la Russie et l’Occident commencent à avoir de plus en plus de contacts dans le
L’article La Russie et l’Occident se rapprochent de plus en plus dans le sport est apparu en premier sur STRATPOL.
London Paul analysis: Paul discusses why the US is begging Russia to end the war and why this is an immensely complex issue. He further discusses the ongoing new Russian offensive now underway.
Le 28 avril 2025 vers 12h35, le réseau électrique Espagnol a subi un évènement soudain, qui a provoqué l’effondrement de
L’article Comprendre le black-out en Espagne et Portugal du 28 avril 2025 est apparu en premier sur STRATPOL.
The Russian leader underscored the necessity of bolstering the UN’s central role in international affairs
MOSCOW, May 8. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin highlighted the renewed importance and relevance of the United Nations amid the ongoing efforts to establish a more equitable global order. Speaking at a banquet held on his behalf for the guests invited to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Victory Day, he stated, “Today, as we move on toward a fairer world, the demand for and significance of the UN are once again on the rise.”
He underscored the necessity of bolstering the UN’s central role in international affairs, emphasizing, “It is crucial to strengthen its core coordinating function to effectively manage global issues, and to ensure strict adherence to the fundamental norms and principles of international law enshrined in the UN Charter – upholding their integrity, interconnectedness, and full scope.”
He remarked that this topic was a point of discussion at last year’s BRICS summit in Kazan, an event attended by many of the same delegation leaders present in the Kremlin today.
Putin reflected on the journey toward establishing a new framework for global security and the founding of the United Nations, which was initiated in May 1945. “It is our duty to the generation of victors,” he emphasized, “to harness the immense potential of this institution to its fullest extent.”.
This is serious. A mistake could dump us into a broader war in a hot minute. I’m thinking the US should stop its shooting because it does not know what it is shooting at.
DUBAI, April 27. /TASS/. Three Russian sailors from the crew of an oil tanker were injured in the US strikes on the Yemeni port of Ras Isa on April 25, Houthi foreign minister Jamal Amer said.
“On Friday, the target of the US aggression was a ship docked in the port of Ras Isa, which was preparing to unload oil. As a result of the strikes, three Russian sailors received injuries of varying severity,” the official wrote on his X page.
According to him, the names of the sailors are Roman Kashpor, Igor Kazachenko and Artyom Vanin. They were picked up by the coast guard. The Russian citizens were hospitalized, the minister added.
Ras Isa is the largest oil loading port in the part of the Yemeni territory controlled by the Houthis of the Ansar Allah rebel movement. It is located on the shores of the Red Sea in al-Hodeidah governorate.
Earlier, the Al Arabiya TV reported that the US struck a tanker carrying military equipment on April 25. The American servicemen carried out five airstrikes on Houthi positions in southern Sana’a and seven more strikes on barracks in the Marib governorate.
Paul and Ken discuss the real reasons why the Trump administration caved in with respect to global tariff policies.
@realDonaldTrump
Based on the lack of respect that China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the Tariff charged to China by the United States of America to 125%, effective immediately. At some point, hopefully in the near future, China will realize that the days of ripping off the U.S.A., and other Countries, is no longer sustainable or acceptable. Conversely, and based on the fact that more than 75 Countries have called Representatives of the United States, including the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the USTR, to negotiate a solution to the subjects being discussed relative to Trade, Trade Barriers, Tariffs, Currency Manipulation, and Non Monetary Tariffs, and that these Countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape, or form against the United States, I have authorized a 90 day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately. Thank you for your attention to this matter!
In the press conference following: Trump blames his ‘STUPID, incompetent’ predecessors for not taking trade war to China
‘I don’t blame China for what happened’ he adds.
A few random comments from reliable China commentators:
Clown show on steroids: So it comes to pass. Trump had no choice. China won’t care, it knew this was coming since Trump was elected.
Idiotically, everyone now knows that this is a personal US vendetta against China.
Deliberately tank the market, does insider trading – Art of the Deal.
He is warmongering and trying to destabilize East Asia.
Jesus—Trump just said that he will be looking at exempting certain US companies from tariffs. Reporter asks: “How will you determine that?” Trump: “Instinctively”. Sounds like whoever will bend the knee and kiss the ring.
Ken and Paul discuss recent developments with regards to Greenland and how, not only has the US been humiliated, but Nuuk has now reached out to China.
It is a short story, and little detail is available currently, but there is enough for this story to cause further chaos. The empire wants to deny China and Rusia (shadow fleet) from ports and waterways.
For a quick start, listen to Seun Foo here: https://globalsouth.co/2025/03/28/as-china-retaliates-against-panama-ports-deal-us-wants-chinese-tech-assets-for-tariff-relief/
The idea is for the US to constrict ports and shipping lanes used by China, as well as Russia’s shadow fleet. This is untenable for China, and they will not allow it. The first shot in this fight that was going to drag on was the buyout of two Chinese ports situated as part of the Panama Canal. Note that China built them as part of the infrastructure of the Panama Canal. The buyout became huge, and at the end of the day, the deal was set to buy a number of Chinese ports.
The deal, led by BlackRock, the world’s largest asset manager with an enormous pool of $11.6 trillion in assets, was announced earlier this month . BlackRock agreed to lead a group that would buy Hong Kong firm CK Hutchison’s controlling interest in 43 other ports around the world, comprising 199 berths in 23 countries.
It was expected among the China watchers that China would block the deal. Chinese antitrust regulators are now investigating, as far as the media goes, only the two ports in the Panama Canal, but actually the whole of the Hong Kong firm, CK Hutchison. This deal is now delayed, and my expectation is that it will not go through, or perhaps some partial deal will be cut. (Remember Jack Ma, who did not put China’s requirements first. After years, he is only now allowed to enter into a room with the Chinese business community).
The closing of this deal was set for next week, and again, among the China watchers, it became an issue of ‘Will China stop it?’ or ‘Won’t China stop it?’. I would not be surprised if the Chinese did not put money on it for a quick gamble. (I would have if I only knew where to put a few silver slivers, lol, but then again, I am not a gambler.)
President Donald Trump has incorrectly claimed that China controls the canal (Panama controls it, although China owns ports on both sides of the crucial maritime passage). Trump has threatened to have the United States once again take control of the canal between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, and at that point, Blackrock and their consortium stepped up with a deal.
This is not the end of the story.
The US wants to break China’s vast economic clout. China says it is easy to start a trade war, but not easy to win a trade war. Panama is set to cancel the registration of 128 ships that are sanctioned by the US, its allies, or the United Nations, according to Ramón Franco, the general director of the Panama Maritime Authority. At least 70 of these vessels, including tankers, have already been removed, and more are expected to follow. This move aligns with Panama’s commitment to penalize blacklisted vessels, though it will result in a loss of up to $2 million in revenue.
Panama, which manages one of the world’s largest flag registries, is responding to growing scrutiny of the “shadow fleet”—ships used to transport sanctioned cargo, particularly in relation to Russia and Iran’s oil and energy sectors. I am not sure how deep Venezuela is into shadow shipping, but with the latest sanctions on Venezuela’s oil trade, I expected them to enter the shadow fleet in a big way.
This is still not the end of the story.
So, if we talk about Trump, we spell that Tariff. Trump’s plan goes further. He wants to impose tariffs or port taxes on China-linked vessels operating in US ports. Of course, this will bring the economic house down. Competition will be distorted across the whole of the container shipping industry. And he wants to charge Caricom ports if they receive products from China through the US, which is common. How is that for a double whammy?
According to estimates, Cosco Shipping, a Chinese state-owned shipping line, would be one of the most affected, facing a 15% increase in costs for transporting containerized goods on the Trans-Pacific route. This looks like an underestimation to me if all the nickel and diming is added together, and then tariffs must be added as well.
The US says in order to avoid the application of port taxes, shipping companies must meet specific requirements to avoid their port taxes:
Increased freight costs, delivery delays, a potential restructuring of trade routes, and cargo diversion to non-US ports will be the order of the day. The shadow shipping fleet will only grow, and other ship registries will be used. Before we can watch this for too long, we will have serious economic consequences that you and I will feel in our pockets and in what we purchase.
I’ve seen this warning: If anyone wants to buy anything, absolutely anything, that requires a sea shipment, you should do it now. Things are going to get ugly and the only ones who end up paying for all this mess are the end users.
Trump continually says that the whole world is unfair to the US. Sure, sure but somehow, that story gets old.
China’s Premier Li Qiang, in a gathering of global executives in Beijing a few days ago, said that China is prepared for possible unexpected shocks from the outside. He urged the business leaders to “resist protectionism” and defend globalization. The US cannot compete as it has lost its manufacturing base. These methods will not bring it closer to rebuilding a manufacturing base if there is no trust. Li warned that “decoupling and breaking supply chains would only deepen crises” while pledging to further expand market access in various sectors for foreign investors.
If the world returns to the law of the jungle, it will be a step backward in history and a tragedy for humanity.
The old canard that we’ve heard hundreds of times during our lifetime – Iran may not have The Bomb, and the current almost desperate push to get Iran back into some kind of negotiation with the US has much less to do with The Bomb and much more with the Suez Canal. It also explains the bombing of Yemen. Iran notified that the requirements from the US for negotiations are suddenly impossible; for example, Iran may not do a whole range of things, and that includes support for the resistance. In the end analysis, I think the new requirements, if it is written today or not, are for control of the Suez Canal. Trump believes he is the King of the World, and he wants to get his world under his control.
Michael Hudson spells out the problem:
… sanctions and threats are the only thing that the United States has left. It no longer can offer other countries a win-win situation, and Trump has said that America has to be the net gainer in any international deal it’s made, whether it’s a financial deal or a trade deal. And if America is saying, any deal we make, you lose, I win, that is not a way to attract people into making deals with you.
And Trump’s way of negotiating: when you don’t have very much to offer economically, all you can do is offer not to hurt other countries, not to sanction them, not to do something that will be against their interest. And other countries want to get away from that strategy of American diplomacy.
How soon will this shipping and ports ‘house of cards build with bluster’ of Trump fall apart? Not even here can it offer other countries a win-win situation. We still are in a ‘just-in-time’ supply line shipping economy. If this falls, the results will show very quick in our wallets and on our household shelves.
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