“British Defense Secretary Wes Streeting recently said the U.K. has 1000 days to be ‘ready with our allies to fight and win.’ The enemy is obvious: Russia. The catch: London doesn’t have the cash to fight, and ordinary folk aren’t interested. This latest reminder that war with our Slavic foes is imminent is vague and unspecified, and frankly tedious.” (11/03/26)
“Lebanon’s Ministry of Energy and Water has begun shutting down the supply of electricity to approximately 100 public institutions that have outstanding bill payments, according to local media. The decision, which began to take effect on Monday, marks a further escalation in Energy Minister Joe Saddi’s dispute with the government. Saddi recently began boycotting cabinet meetings over what he claims is the government’s failure to address his demands to increase power supply, reduce the burden of fuel costs and settle unpaid bills to the state-owned electricity company.” (11/03/26)
“The narrative surrounding the Ukraine war often marks its beginning on February 24, 2022, when Russia launched its full-scale invasion. But the rivalries and political decisions that brought the two countries into conflict stretch back centuries. The start of the Cold War, meanwhile, was the beginning of sustained US efforts to further antagonize Ukraine’s relationship with Moscow.” (11/03/26)
“[T]hese elections are different, and will be memorable—not because anything will happen, but because they constitute the last contest of the Trump era. Donald Trump will never lead the GOP to the polls again. Whatever happens today—and it’s probably not going to be very pretty for the Republicans—will set the stage for a year and a half of vicious infighting over what the post-Trump party is going to be. Analysis, spin, and recrimination will be the order of the day. Of course Trump will still have two more years to inflict war and/or peace on the rest of the world. And of course Trump is going to keep his hand in GOP politics as long as he’s alive and able to get a television crew out to wherever he’s living and golfing. But this is the day from which his power will wane.” (11/03/26)