But once the Sacred Months have passed, kill the polytheists ˹who violated their treaties˺ wherever you find them,1 capture them, besiege them, and lie in wait for them on every way. But if they repent, perform prayers, and pay alms-tax, then set them free. Indeed, Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.
[The AI-generated Jihadist in the video's thumbnail looks familiar and reminds me of Ahmed al-Sharaa (appointed transitional president on January 29, 2025). Al-Sharaa previously used the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani and led the opposition group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).]
Tiananmen Square is a large public city center in Beijing, China, famous both as a historic cultural landmark and as the site of the tragic 1989 pro-democracy protests and military crackdown.
The 1989 Protests and Crackdown
Sparked in April 1989 by student-led mourning for reformist leader Hu Yaobang. Grew into massive demonstrations calling for free speech, press freedom, and an end to corruption. Suppressed on June 3–4, 1989, when the military cleared the area using armed troops and tanks, causing widespread casualties. Immortalized globally by "Tank Man," an unidentified civilian who blocked a column of tanks.
Censorship and Status Today The events of 1989 remain heavily censored and a taboo subject within mainland China. The physical square remains a heavily guarded public space requiring advance registration to visit.
For A Speech To Europe 2026, historian and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Anne Applebaum will address whether Europe’s time has come and what characterises this historic moment in her lecture »The European Moment«. Applebaum is among the most prominent voices on the rise of authoritarianism and the fragility of liberal democracy, and she puts the challenge squarely to her audience: »This is the hour of Europe — but do the Europeans even know it?«
Relying on the insights of economist Michael Pettis >, Patrick breaks down why trade surpluses and deficits are driven by domestic savings and investment choices, rather than trade policies or tariffs. From China’s systematic suppression of household consumption to the United States' structural trap as the global consumer of last resort, the underlying economic imbalances forcing this trade war cannot be fixed by podium announcements.
The Magioso Don has aimed his avaricious glance and his braggadocious lies at Greenland. Since "national security" is mostly ruse, establishing American bases is insufficient to satisfy his greed. Why does he insist on owning Greenland?
a) Canada's Arctic Islands and Canada's Northwest Passage offer oil, minerals (gold,
diamonds, zinc, copper, lead, nickel, iron ore, and REEs), and a sea route (control is contested, but held by Canada).
b) Oil (exploration for which the Greenland government banned 2021-6-24).
c) Minerals (mostly still beneath ice).
d) Thwarting China and Russia (neither of which has made a move towards occupation).
e) Dissolution of NATO. In
2023, Congress passed legislation (Section 1250A of the NDAA) prohibiting the
president from withdrawing the U.S. from NATO without a two-thirds Senate
majority or an act of Congress. Occupation of a NATO-protected nation would dissolve NATO and abrogate the USA's committment to military assistance of former allies.
Conversely, the militaries of other NATO nations would be arraigned against> the US.
The prominent political union of the region is the Gulf Cooperation Council, which includes all Gulf Arab states except Iraq. Most Gulf Arab states are former protectorates of the British Empire. Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region, and especially Qatar, stand accused of funding militantIslamist organizations, such as Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. According to the 2025 Global Peace Index of the Institute for Economics and Peace (IEP), the seven countries had varying degrees of success in maintaining peace amongst their respective borders, with Qatar ranked number first amongst its regional peers as the most peaceful regional and Middle Eastern nation (and 27th worldwide), while Kuwait ranks second in both the Persian Gulf and the wider Middle East (31st worldwide), followed by Oman in the third spot (52nd worldwide). On the other end, Iraq was ranked last among the Gulf Arab States, at 16th in the Middle East and 147th worldwide.
What if the Iranian regime wanted the US and Israel to attack Iran? After all, it is easier to defend than to attack and all of Iran's ammunition is sitting ready in Iran.
But how to lure a foolish, arrogant narcissist into making a stupid mistake? Hm. How about pretending to truck recovered enriched uranium to safety from the bunkers struck in 2025? How about putting about false intelligence that the strikes had been unsuccessful and that something like 40kg of 60% enriched uranium remains? How about staging/evoking protests in the streets, posting videos of the mayhem, and putting about rumors of mass killings by the regime? Maybe our friend Vlad could put a few words in the useful idiot's ear? Yeah! That might work to lure an arrogant bully into a carefully-laid trap. On the other hand, my imagination might be misinterpreting observed events. Regardless, much though I think the CiC is strategically impaired, I hope that I am wrong and that this isn't a trap.