Issues discussed:
Another cycle of escalation is likely to start in the Middle East.
It, again, has the potential to engulf the region into a war, which would have dire global ramifications.
The question we need to be asking is, who is driving this deepening escalation?
I just finished a great interview with Neutrality Studies about the striking similarities between Finland and the Philipines what comes to their militarization by the U.S. I had very little prior knowledge on the situation in Philippines and it was stunning to hear that essentially Philippines is being militarized against China the same way Finland is being militarized against Russia. I had had one prior interview with Pascal Lottaz about Finland, NATO and Ukraine, but this one was very revealing. The interview will be published during the weekend or right after that. You might also want to check my interview with Colonel (ret.) Douglas MacGregor.
This week I have managed to return from my 2+ week vacation, and I started to think that updating the geopolitical situation would be in order considering, e.g., the latest cycle of escalation starting in the Middle East. In this entry, I will provide some details of what has occurred with some speculation, while continuing to sketch the worst-case scenario, which we seem to be following. I urge you to check my two previous pieces detailing an economic worst-case scenario for war in the Middle East and the worst-case scenario for Israel-Iran war.