Author: M Barbu

War, Power, and Hegemony: The U.S. Strategy in Ukraine

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict has resulted in nearly $300 billion in expenditures, over 150,000 lives lost, and the displacement of more than 10 million people, as reported by The Washington Post. While the war is framed around a simple ‘YES’ or ‘NO’ to Ukraine’s NATO membership, a deeper analysis suggests that the conflict is a strategic battle over maintaining global hegemon status and somewhere for mineral resources, particularly between the United States and Russia. It is also to undermine the silent rise of China’s threat against USA’s unipolar hegemony by stopping the subsequent bandwagoning of countries in Asia and Africa.

Geography

So the US is sending Carrier Strike Group One (CVN-70 USS Carl Vinson) to the Middle East, leaving CSG-5 (CVN-73 USS George Washington) to “hold the fort” in the western Pacific from the semi-safe environs of its quasi-permanent berth in Yokosuka, Japan.

Al-Qaeda-linked ‘rebels’ in Syria say they ‘love Israel’. USA gave them billions in weapons & support

The United States spent billions over years arming and training militants in Syria, many linked to Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

Current US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan admitted back in 2012 that “AQ [Al-Qaeda] is on our side in Syria”.

In December 2024, armed extremists overthrew the Syrian government and seized power in the capital Damascus, in an operation sponsored by NATO member Turkey.

The IMF’s Bottomless Bottom-Line Cruelty

Everyone knows there are many extremely poor countries in the world, but people rarely talk about why. These nations are sometimes collectively called the Third World (being neither the Western First World or the Soviet-aligned Second World); the more recent euphemism is usually the “developing world.” Whatever the name, these states are imagined by most Westerners to be scary, struggling places, and they tend to take the blame for global woes like terrorism and unsanctioned migration. Some of our greatest billionaires polish their public personas by donating to charities that supposedly aid the people trapped in grinding poverty across parts of Africa, southern Asia, and Latin America.

The New Salafism in Syria – The Syrian Observer

Acknowledging the wounds inflicted by the Assad era should have led to the recognition that Syria’s tyrannical past must not dictate its future possibilities, Hossam Abu Hamed argues in Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

One of the enduring shortcomings of the Syrian revolution is that, after decades of tyranny and the regime’s monopolization of public life, Syrians never forged a shared political narrative for their future. While they united in calls for freedom and dignity, these remained abstract ideals without a coherent political program—though they swiftly agreed on one tangible goal: the overthrow of the Assad regime. The absence of a unifying narrative may have contributed, among other factors, to the revolution’s failure to achieve its ultimate aims.

Syrian Jews Urge White House to Lift Sanctions on Damascus – The Syrian Observer

The campaign has found an unlikely ally in Mouaz Moustafa, the executive director of the Syrian Emergency Task Force, who was previously a vocal proponent of sanctions against the Assad regime due to its extensive human rights violations, Shaam news writes.

A group of Syrian Jews, some of whom recently returned to Damascus to inspect their ancestral properties, have called on the U.S. administration to ease sanctions on Syria, arguing that these restrictions hinder their efforts to restore some of the world’s oldest Jewish synagogues.

Iran’s Mullahs Can Never Change, Never Be ‘Friends’

The Islamic Republic of Iran is not a normal state, or even a conventional dictatorship. It is an ideological entity that derives its very identity from opposition to the United States, Israel and the West.

From the moment the Islamic Republic was born out of the 1979 revolution, its core identity was forged in opposition to the United States and Israel. These were not just foreign policy stances but central tenets of the regime’s existence. The regime refers to the United States as the “Great Satan” and Israel as the “Little Satan,” righteously positioning itself as the force of divine justice against these supposed embodiments of evil.

Zionist-Hindutva Nexus: A Historical and Political Investigation

The convergence of Christian-Jewish-Zionist extremism, European neo-Nazism, and Hindutva ideologies — aided by arms lobbies and imperialist interests — has contributed to a global climate of war hysteria, racism, blasphemy, and social unrest. This paper examines the historical and political foundations of the Hindutva-Zionist nexus, exploring its impact on India’s political trajectory.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad delegations discuss ceasefire implementation in Gaza

A delegation from the leadership of Hamas has met with a delegation from the Islamic Jihad Movement in the Qatari capital, Doha, and discussed the progress of implementing the ceasefire agreement with the Israeli regime.

The Hamas delegation was headed by Mohammed Darwish, Chairman of the Leadership Council, the Islamic Jihad Movement delegation included the resistance fighter Ziyad Al-Nakhaleh and his deputy, Dr. Mohammed Al-Hindi. They met on Thursday in Doha, according to a statement issued by Hamas.

America First Or Peace In The Middle East? – OpEd

This report highlights the contradictions in Trump’s second-term discourse—the inconsistency between the idea of “America First” and peace.

There is substantial evidence suggesting that Trump’s strong return to power will only accelerate the destruction of the remnants of the status quo in the Middle East—a process he initiated during his first presidency. Without a doubt, Trump 2, by any measure, will be a complete disaster for the Palestinians and their aspirations for an independent state. The continuation of pro-Israel policies, along with the escalating trend of occupation, will sideline diplomatic solutions, which—alongside the prospect of normalizing relations between some Arab countries and Tel Aviv—will further weaken hopes for the establishment of an independent Palestinian state.