Messages at Shangri-La

by Brian Berletic

During this year’s Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth laid out an alarming vision for the future of the Asia-Pacific region, a vision that includes the same type of U.S. military encroachment and confrontation that has turned Europe, North Africa and the Middle East into devastated battlegrounds over the past two decades.

Messages at Shangri-La (archived)

Trump billionaire tech ally Peter Thiel sells ‘smart’ AI ‘war fighting’ system to NATO while talking up U.S. trade war with China

Trump billionaire tech ally Peter Thiel sells ‘smart’ AI ‘war fighting’ system to NATO while talking up U.S. trade war with China

Thiel went on to say he believes some industrial capacity should be moved from China back to the U.S., where it will be handled mostly by AI and robots, and the rest should be moved from one communist country, China, to another communist country, Vietnam.

So don’t believe all the talk about Trump wanting to leave NATO. His buddy and financial backer, Peter Thiel, is totally invested in NATO as a war fighting machine.

Tyranny & Tantrums: A Rant on America’s Collapse

America is to going to hell in a hand basket, and the cracks in its foundation are glaring. As Linkin Park’s Burn It Down echoes, “We’re building it up to break it back down,” the cycle of destruction and collapse feels all too familiar. Institutions meant to uphold democracy are being dismantled, only to be rebuilt on even shakier ground. Power is concentrated in the hands of a few, while the vulnerable are left to fend for themselves. Like the song’s imagery of betrayal and downfall, the current political landscape mirrors a system that prioritizes control and greed over people. The flames of collapse are fanned, and the question remains—what will rise from the ashes?

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Elon Musk Pretends He’s Leaving The Job He Supposedly Doesn’t Have To Not Return To The Job He Supposedly Never Left

There are a few ways to think about Elon Musk’s announcement this week that he’s stepping back from DOGE. The first is that he’s leaving a job he officially doesn’t have. The second is that he’s returning to a job (Tesla CEO) that he’s supposedly been doing this whole time. The third, and perhaps most interesting, is that none of this actually makes any sense at all.

Elon Musk Pretends He’s Leaving The Job He Supposedly Doesn’t Have To Not Return To The Job He Supposedly Never Left

Imperialism Waging Genocidal Wars Against Humanity: ‘Israel Lobby as Puppet Master’ Theory

Editorial Comment:  I refer readers to this scholarly, in-depth article by Niloufer Bhagwat that correctly positions Zionism in the imperialist hierarchy: “Contemporary Zionism Pursues its Assigned Role as an Advanced Military and Intelligence Base of Anglo-American, European Imperialism.”

She states in the introduction:

“The real nature of Zionism and the  Zionist Israeli project, which is closely allied to and an extension of Anglo-American and European Imperialist policy and global reach and constitutes an advanced military and intelligence base in occupied Palestine, in the heart of the Middle East, aimed at controlling governments and resources of a wider region, including Iran, the Horn of Africa, East Africa, Central and South Africa, and South Asia and Eurasia… this nature has not been analyzed in depth by jurists, with a few exceptions, for several reasons.”

Zionism is not controlling America or Europe. It is a proxy force deployed by imperialist governments to serve their interests.  The Zionist lobby has undeniable and formidable power, but it exists and its influence is sustained precisely because it serves empire.  

Imperialism Waging Genocidal Wars Against Humanity: ‘Israel Lobby as Puppet Master’ Theory

On Tariffs, It’s Good to Be “Tim Apple”

Tariffs are advertised in the name of helping American workers, but what do you know? They turn out to favor the powerful and politically connected. That’s the main message of President Trump’s decision to exempt smartphones and assorted electronic goods from his most onerous tariffs.

On Tariffs, It’s Good to Be Tim Cook

Related:

Tim Cook gifted Donald Trump a $6,000 Mac Pro after he lowered tariffs on parts Apple needed from China

At the time Apple and Cook were applying a charm offensive to persuade then-President Trump to remove tariffs on certain components that came from China. Cook asked Trump if he could meet him in person to make Apple’s case, a gesture the former president found “impressive,” he told Bloomberg. Trump was particularly pleased at the time that Cook reached out, especially considering his acrimonious relationship with other tech CEOs. 

[2019] Apple dodges iPhone tariff after Trump confirms trade deal agreement with China

Although the trade deal affects billions of dollars worth of goods, it’s a particular victory for Apple CEO Tim Cook, who has personally worked to keep communication open with the Trump administration. Cook’s charm offensive culminated last month when he gave Trump a tour of a Mac Pro assembly plant in Texas. That computer is assembled in the United States, and Apple was granted tariff waivers for several of its components.

“Of course people are going to be laid off because of this”: US autoworkers react to the launch of Trump’s global tariff war

Within hours of the imposition of President Trump’s sweeping tariffs against the world, the impact was felt by autoworkers in North America, with the announcement of thousands of layoffs by Stellantis at plants in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“Of course people are going to be laid off because of this”: US autoworkers react to the launch of Trump’s global tariff war