Welcome to The Now

 

 

 

  Key Points/Highlights: The Iranian vessel was not part of the conflict; it was returning to Iran from a training exercise being conducted in India (before the US and Israel attacked Iran). India is in a energy boondoggle much like Europe: In India's case, they put all of their "chips" in oil resources from West Asian vassal states that (because they house US military bases) are being bombed by Iran and prohibited from sending anything through the Strait of Hormuz .   China is sending materials (and parts) to Iran so they can continue to make weapons...and they are using routes that the United States cannot disrupt easily. As Brian Berletic put it : "It remains to be seen how effective Iran's strategy is - b ut sinking Iranian warships at dock or in non-combat transit is symbolic, not symptomatic ."

Growing up, I was led to believe that the one thing stopping the entire planet from suffering a nuclear winter was that those in charge (aka the world leaders) cared too much about themselves or those close to them to ever put us all in that situation. Now (especially in light of what's happened over the last few months), I am not too sure. Back in January 2023, the US Navy Commander David Post for the US Naval Institute attempted to address the " value and limits " of deterrence. First he sought out a definition: Two leading deterrence scholars, Alex George and Richard Smoke, define deterrence as “simply the persuasion of one’s opponent that the costs and/or risks of a given course of action he might take outweigh its benefits.” Deterrence, therefore, hinges on a rational process of calculating costs and benefits and will succeed when the opponent concludes that the considered activity will not be worth the effort. Honestly, I like this definition, even though it implies...

 

 Before the tariffs, the relationship between India and China (both BRICS members even after India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power). Now ? Well: Also, consider that President Trump's geopolitical meddling also made Brazil a closer ally to China .

 

 Hakim has something to say about this:

 

 

 

 Of course in order to do so, they have to blame India for having the gall to want to purchase cheaper gas.

 They did put out a statement : " The Black Agenda Report editorial team is grateful to our readers for their support and patience. Last week we were unable to publish BAR due to circumstances beyond our control.   BAR’s web site was hosted by News Click, a media organization located in India, whose offices were  raided  by that country’s government, ostensibly on a search for “foreign influence.” This investigation was prompted by a  New York Times story , which claimed that a News Click co-founder promoted what they called “Chinese propaganda.” News Click has denied these charges but the police raid and seizure of devices prevented access to Black Agenda Report’s site.  We have returned this week with the help of a new web host. The new site is still in the design phase and there will be some changes in the near future as we make necessary adjustments. We appreciate your continued understanding as we rebuild our online capabilities.  Thank you a...

  Not the type they warn you about in the media to be certain .

 If America thought that trying to make Russia and China into the new international boogeymen was going to influence foreign affairs in its favor, they greatly overestimated their importance on the world stage : NEW DELHI, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Indian companies are using Asian currencies more often to pay for Russian coal imports, according to customs documents and industry sources, avoiding the U.S. dollar and cutting the risk of breaching Western sanctions against Moscow. Reuters previously reported on a large Indian coal deal involving the Chinese yuan, but the customs data underline how non-dollar settlements are becoming commonplace.  India has aggressively stepped up purchases of Russian oil and coal since the war in Ukraine began , helping to cushion Moscow from the effects of sanctions and allowing New Delhi to secure raw materials at discounts compared to supplies from other countries. Russia became India's third-largest coal supplier in July , with imports rising by ove...

Lakshmi, a young girl from India with two extra pairs of arms and legs , had a successful surgery to get the extra limbs removed . However, she won't be out of the woods for another 72 hours.