“The costs of this war will put added pressure on the Federal Reserve to keep interest rates low and increase its purchase of Treasury bonds in order to monetize the federal debt. The pressure on the Fed will also increase as other countries reduce their purchase of US debt. These reductions will be motivated by concerns over the economic instability caused by the US government’s out of control spending and by resentment over the US government’s hyper-interventionist foreign policy. These factors could also accelerate the increasing rejection of the dollar’s world reserve currency status. A loss of the reserve currency status will cause a dollar crisis, leading to an economic crash worse than the Great Depression.” (03/09/26)
“When Americans initially hear the facts about the Emirates, most are incredulous. How can anywhere be 88% foreign-born yet remain a country? Isn’t ‘guest worker’ just a euphemism for ‘slave?’ But once you see the UAE with your own eyes, it’s hard not to scoff at these naive complaints. The UAE is totally a country, and no one buys plane tickets to become a slave. After Americans spend time in the UAE, their most sensible remaining critique is simply: ‘This immigration system works fine over in the Middle East. Maybe better than fine. But the American people would never tolerate the extreme inequality.’ … But are Americans really such egalitarian pearl clutchers?” (03/09/26)
“Within hours of American munitions striking Iranian soil, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy posted a statement that the Western press largely treated as a diplomatic footnote, but it was a signal that what happens in the skies over Tehran has a direct impact on the ground in Ukraine. President Zelenskyy explicitly endorsed the strikes, called Iran ‘Putin’s accomplice’, noted that his country has absorbed over 57,000 Iranian-supplied drone attacks, and took aim at Moscow: ‘Whenever there is American resolve, global criminals weaken. This understanding must also come to the Russians.’ Zelenskyy’s framing of the war in Iran through the lens of Ukraine’s war is not incidental. Whatever Washington’s stated objectives, the president, who has lived through the Ukraine conflict since the 2022 invasion, understands that Iran has been an active accomplice in Russia’s war against Ukraine, and the United States has now acted against that accomplice.” (03/09/26)
“While we won’t know what’s in the files until their release, it’s possible to speculate a bit about the likely content based on the many past government disclosures on the subject. But the bigger mystery may be whether any released material could ever satisfy the public’s insatiable curiosity about the possibility of discovering or contacting lifeforms from beyond Earth.” (03/09/26)
“On the surface, everything between Vietnam and the United States looked better than it ever had. In September 2023, President Joe Biden and General Secretary Nguyễn Phú Trọng signed a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, elevating relations to their highest diplomatic tier. American officials toasted prosperity. Vietnamese leaders smiled for cameras. The messaging suggested a new chapter in a relationship once defined by napalm and body counts. Then, in early February 2026, a very different story emerged from behind the curtain.” (03/09/26)
“Global inequality has narrowed and the poor are gaining ground. If the system feels rigged, we should look to government policies that suppress competition and reward insiders.” (03/09/26)
“It is not surprising that a genocidal government would commit more crimes against humanity in this war, but it is important to recognize and condemn those crimes when we see them. Poisoning the air that the entire population breathes is a horrifying crime. The U.S. and Israel are inflicting monstrous collective punishment on one of the largest cities in the world in a war they started. The attackers have made clear through their actions that this is a war to wreck Iran and hurt its people.” (03/09/26)
“Many people want to be done with Covid lockdowns as a topic. The trouble is that Covid lockdowns are not done with us. Nothing like this had ever been tried in real life, a forced stoppage of most human activity as it affects the material and social world. The impact would be far reaching, long lasting, and devastation – one of the more significant calamities of modern times. Prevailing economic weakness and resulting stagnation for living standards is only one result. It’s nowhere near over.” (03/09/26)
