Source: Independent Institute
by Daniel Sánchez-Piñol
“President Donald Trump’s worldview essentially consists of dividing countries into two camps: those whose leaders flatter him or kowtow to his demands and those whose leaders balk at such subservience. In this view, dictatorships—even avowed enemies of the United States—are fine, as long as they play the game. This is not new in American politics. It echoes the famous quote attributed to Franklin D. Roosevelt about Nicaragua’s military dictator, Anastasio Somoza Garcia, who ruled the country from 1936 until 1956 (when he was assassinated): ‘He may be a son of a b****, but he’s our son of a b****.’ True to this maxim, Trump turned his back on Venezuela’s democratic majority, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, and recently signed the so-called biggest oil deal in world history with leftist Delcy Rodriguez, who was put in power after the U.S. captured and removed Nicolas Maduro in January.” (09/21/26)
“Russian anti-war party Yabloko has surprisingly managed to win a seat in a regional parliament, despite being largely banned from elections across the country. The liberal opposition party secured 6.38% of the vote in the Nizhny Novgorod region on the Volga, gaining a seat in the regional Duma on Monday for the first time. The result caused a stir across Russia because the party was barred from standing across almost the entire country after a ruling by the Surpeme Court. … Experts said the party was likely excluded from the national election because the Kremlin judged it could actually win seats in parliament. Yabloko leader Nikolai Rybakov has positioned the party as the only force campaigning for a ceasefire in Russia’s war against Ukraine. All other parties support the invasion, which has been ongoing for more than four and a half years.” 909/21/26)
Source: Foundation for Economic Education
by Cláudia Ascensão Nunes
“As discussions unfold over the EU’s proposed ‘associate membership’ for Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney has repeatedly stressed his desire for an economic and geopolitical partnership that preserves national sovereignty. This alliance serves the mutual interests of both the European Union and Canada by reducing strategic dependence on major third-party trading partners, particularly the United States and China. The paradox is that the core economic instrument designed to unite Canada and the EU, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), remains without full ratification by 10 EU national parliaments, nearly a decade after entering into provisional application. Rather than dismissing the concerns of these 10 member states as blind protectionism, one must understand that Brussels’s excessive regulations created the conditions for this impasse.” (09/21/26)
Source: ProSocial Libertarians
by Andrew Jason Cohen
“I recently heard Chiara Cordelli, a political theorist at the University of Chicago, on a podcast, talking about her article ‘What is the Wrong of Capitalism?’ (APSR 2025). Cordelli says that the real problem with capitalism is its impersonality. Her thinking seems to be that because there is noone running the system, there can’t be any democratic control over the system—no one to take direction from the demos. Given that, she seems to think, we can’t but be alienated from the system—because it is not a person with whom we could connect. Cordelli’s description of the capitalist system seems spot on (at least in this regard). Her view that this is something to bemoan is, in my view, a mistake. What she sees as problem, I see as the real benefit of capitalism.” (09/21/26)
“The United States has threatened to effectively ground Iranian airlines worldwide from Wednesday (23 September), warning foreign companies that provide services to the carriers that they could face secondary sanctions, reports Al Jazeera. … The warning extends beyond the airlines themselves to airports, fuel suppliers, ticketing companies and other businesses that support their international operations.” [editor’s note: All those entities should respond affirmatively: “Fine, we won’t do business with Iranian airlines. Or with US airlines.” – TLK] (09/21/26)
“I was still in college the year of the Gulf War. At the time, I opposed the war; and in hindsight, I still do. But I freely admit that the U.S. planned its war carefully. They assembled over half a million troops, got buy-in from almost all their allies, and after four days of ground combat, the U.S. was totally victorious. After victory, however, conflict with Saddam Hussein persisted for 12 more years. Why? Because although the U.S. had a careful plan for the war, they decided to wing the peace.” (09/21/26)
“Major television networks suspended their White House pool coverage and will no longer send camera crews to cover President Donald Trump’s pool events, standing in solidarity with CNN after Trump denied White House access to reporters for three outlets. The move from the five networks that make up the television pool ‒ ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News, in addition to CNN ‒ means a broadcast television feed that is distributed widely for media won’t be carried for most of Trump’s events. Bryan Boughton, D.C. bureau chief of Fox News and chair of the television pool, relayed the decision in a Sept. 21 email to pool members. … The White House pool, which rotates daily, is composed of a small group of reporters given close face-to-face access to the president during events. The pool includes one network camera crew, which broadcasts a television feed that is shared with other networks.” (09/21/26)
Source: Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression
by Jacob Gaba
“‘Fake News’ — that’s why President Trump says he banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the White House. Since our country’s founding, presidents have bristled at the press. What’s different here is barring entire news organizations from the White House grounds because the president dislikes their reporting.” (09/21/26)
