Russia’s Short March to Food Security
When I wrote my China’s long march to total food security NEO article last month, I had intended to dovetail it with Russia’s accomplishment of being more self-dependent on feeding its people. What they both shared was having to deal with US sanctions before they reached their goal. While China’s sanctions came compliments of Mr. Trump, Russia...
Nord Stream 2 Crosses the Danish Finish Line
‘With a gentleman I am always a gentleman and a half, and with a fraud I try to be a fraud and a half’…Otto von Bismark, Prussian statesman Nord Stream 2 got the green flag from the Danish government to connect with the landing station at Lubmin, Germany. The decision was melodramatic from the Danes, with a route just outside its territorial waters...
China’s Long March to Total Food Security
Earlier this year, China announced adding 5 million more hectares to its 42 million already connected farmland and shooting for 60 million hectares by 2022. This is part of China expanding, modernizing and restructuring its agriculture industry from top to bottom for maximum production and efficiency. With my growing up in a small New England town, the term...
Israeli Post-Election Countdown – Can Bibi Survive?
“Just societies cannot be run by big money or armed forces with their too narrow agendas. Limitless desire for wealth and blind ambition must be watched and contained as potential public dangers." - Plato Israel’s election is not really over until a new government is formed. Without a new government, it will be faced with the possibility of a third...
US Denial of Sovereignty – Unipolarism Laid Bare
“With a gentleman I am always a gentleman and a half, and with a fraud I try to be a fraud and a half. ~ Otto von Bismark, Prussian statesman who dominated German and European affairs from the 1860s until 1890. American Unipolarism may seem like a Trump-inspired creation, but it has deeper roots. As a concept, Unipolarism was created long before...
Stepping Back from the Brink of War in the Gulf
While heads of state enjoyed their few minutes of limelight at the UN podium last week, the Persian Gulf continued to sizzle. Fortunately, we had verbal cruise missiles and drones flying that don’t cause as much damage or kill people. There was endless chanting of “we think Iran...
The Israeli Election that Almost Never Was
The dust from the Israeli election is beginning to settle after the preliminary count, showing Benny Gantz with 32 seats and Netanyahu with 31. The close race was expected, but the big surprise was that the United Arab Party received 13 seats, two more than expected, and became the third largest party in the Knesset. You can...
Geopolitical Tectonic Plates are Shifting
With the world on fire in so many places, trying to write an overview can be a daunting task when a book-sized effort is really needed. But our commentaries here can help readers begin to connect the dots as to why this is all happening, what the downside risks are to us, and what options we have to try to approach it better...
Could the Fall of Khan Shaykhun begin the End of Jihadi Idlib?
As I began typing this new NEO submission reports were coming in that SAA forces and its allies had cut the M5 road to Aleppo just north of Khan Shaykhun. Reports are now coming in that Syrian troops are not just blocking the road, but attacking southward down highway...
US-Turkey Showdown on Kurdish Security Zone
We have all been here before. Turkey has troops lined up on the Syrian northeast border and announced it will proceed alone with its incursion against the Kurds if it does not get cooperation with the US. After three days of negotiations we have a report that an agreement to form a joint command operation center has been agreed upon...
World Teetering on the Brink says Federal Reserve and EU Commission
“Don’t worry about the mule, just load the wagon.” – an old Southern American saying. We had an unusual double header last week with the Federal Reserve and the EU commission making two apparently uncoordinated statements, but that could not have come at a better time. I will...
Election Interference vs Rand Corporation Full Spectrum Assault on Russia
Americans have endured endless media coverage about election interference as if that were some horrible class of crime. But it really isn’t, and never has been. The latest examples are Trump’s weighing in to support Bibi Netanyahu for re-election, without which the ex-general...