The conventional wisdom talks about globalization slowly going into reverse - but the facts speak the opposition. Trade is however slowing between 🇺🇸 and 🇨🇳 - but that’s just 2% of global trade. The rest looks like booming. @DHLGlobal
Tech beats tariffs: global trade growth accelerates and globalization sets new record. group.dhl.com/en/media-relat…
There hasn’t been an active nuclear weapons program in 🇮🇷 since 2003, as confirmed by all Western intelligence agencies, but now Netanyahu is trying to scare the voters in Israel 🇮🇱 with images of a nuclear attack against Tel Aviv. He seeks a mandate for renewed war. cdn.i24news.tv/uploads/4f/e5…
Here @ecfr on different post-election scenarios for 🇷🇸. All will have repercussions throughout the region.
An unfair election and small-scale manipulation may not be enough to stop a shift in popular attitudes, as Viktor Orban’s stunning defeat in Hungary showed earlier this year. ecfr.eu/article/between-vuci…
Voting has started in 🇷🇸 with the future of the Vucic-run rule there to be decided. There might well be controversy in interpreting the result that will be announced.
It looks less than good in Tirana 🇦🇱 tonight. Hooligans and troublemakers no doubt, but against the background of genuine grievances.
Will see what the Israel 🇮🇱 election results in, but there is a very serious risk of an escalating conflict in the Gulf region by November. Everyone is likely to lose from it, but that is unfortunately unlikely to stop things.
Iran’s message is stark: If the U.S. and Israel restart their air campaign, Tehran will respond with strikes not only on American bases and warships but on airports, pipelines and other civilian targets in the neighboring countries of the Persian Gulf. on.wsj.com/4zP83nD
Yes, Bosnia 🇧🇦 deserves better than the current international and domestic stalemate.
Bosnia deserves better than permanent probation eualive.net/bosnia-deserves-… Bosnia's own political class, too many of whom remain trapped in the past and act provocatively precisely because the High Representative's powers shield them from consequences. By Christopher Geidt
Massive turnout yesterday evening supporting the Students List prior to Sunday’s election in 🇷🇸. But it’s not yet of the size that brought down Milosevic once upon a time.
Carl Bildt retweeted
Who counts as a "middle power"? @carlbildt suggests that it is any country that must rely primarily on soft power to advance its interests. project-syndicate.org/commen…
War is about to start up again. The 🇺🇸 would not do this move if they were not planning to restart military operations.
The US State Department is preparing to order the departure of embassy staff and their families from across the Gulf amid fears of renewed regional hostilities, Reuters reports, citing unnamed US officials.
🔴 LIVE updates: aje.news/r3rtel
Is something happening in Pyongyang 🇰🇵? Unusual blockage or breakdown of all internet in the country. Could be accident, but could also be deliberate to stop the spread of information.
Nearly all North Korean websites have been offline for over 24 hours, cutting off global access to state media and official portals.
The cause of the nationwide outage remains unclear, with possibilities ranging from maintenance to external attack.
nknews.org/pro/nearly-all-no…
Things go from bad to worse. Trump 🇺🇸 seems to regret that 🇷🇺 didn’t conquer 🇺🇦 immediately, and blame the failure on some incompetent 🇷🇺 general. Who feeds him this strange stuff? Or does he just invent it because he wishes it was so?
Readers added context they thought people might want to know
Russian tanks did use highways to Kyiv in 2022 and took heavy losses. The main reason the 40-mile convoy failed was it lacked fuel and food. Ukraine blew bridges, flooded the Irpin, and ambushed columns.
nbcpalmsprings.com/2025/08/15/fac…
rusi.org/explore-our-re…
npr.org/2022/03/01/108…
mwi.westpoint.edu/urban-warfare-…
euronews.com/my-europe/2025…
Naturally the riots in 🇫🇷 are big in the news, but it looks fairly volatile in 🇦🇱 as well. Protests have been going on for weeks, and they certainly don’t look like calming down.
After today’s meeting in Oslo 🇳🇴, which hopefully repaired some of the damage created in the last few days, the Trump 🇺🇸 envoy Witkoff will fly to St Petersburg alone to meet Putin 🇷🇺. Expect Putin to sell him another diversionary maneuver. It normally works.
US Presidential Special Envoy Steve Witkoff’s plans to visit Russia on Wednesday have been confirmed, a source told TASS:
vk.cc/d35YOj
Is 🇪🇺 heading for a big 🇫🇷 crisis in the years ahead? @ecfr looks at the different issues with a possible RN leadership, and to this should of course be added the no less serious fiscal and financial problems that could be coming.
Carl Bildt retweeted
While we in the rest of Europe must prepare as best we can to defend ourselves against every kind of hybrid attack, the central thrust of our response should be to redouble our support for Ukraine. ecfr.eu/article/the-more-put…
There will be MAGA people in the 🇺🇸 unhappy with a vast majority of voters in the province of Alberta voting to remain part of 🇨🇦.
Strong majority of Albertans vote to remain in Canada, rejecting referendum question on separation theglobeandmail.com/canada/a…
In the series of truly remarkable statements by Trump 🇺🇸 this ranks very high. He’s gone “full Putin”.
Its obvious from their respective public statements that Trump 🇺🇸 and Netanyahu 🇮🇱 believe they need each other for a further round in their so far failed war against 🇮🇷. Wait for November.
US President Donald Trump's endorsement of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ahead of Israel's elections has sparked backlash from US Democrats, policy analysts, and liberal advocacy groups, while Republican allies praised the move.
jpost.com/american-politics/…
