Future Global Order Pivots on Ukraine Proxy War

Russia’s gradual advance in the Donbass region appears to be forming an operational encirclement of Ukraine’s last major defensive line—its “fortress belt”—a development that could decide not only the fate of the war but also the shape of the emerging global order.

Future Global Order Pivots on Ukraine Proxy War (archived)

Related:

Russia’s Swift March Forward in Donbass [Pokrovsk is the prize]

Musk Trump Drama, US bond market, chaos everywhere. How did we end up here?

In this explosive episode of the Awakening podcast, we expose the hidden story behind Scott Bessent, George Soros, and the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis — and how it still shapes today’s China–US rivalry. From secret battles in Hong Kong to Elon Musk’s outburst in the Trump White House, we connect the dots between past financial warfare and the crumbling foundations of the U.S. empire. Premier Zhu Rongji’s defense of Hong Kong wasn’t just about currency — it was about the future. Watch till the end to understand how China is helping other countries break free from dollar dominance.

Musk Trump Drama, US bond market, chaos everywhere. How did we end up here?

US Economic Warfare Drives Venezuelans and Cubans to come to the US

US Economic Warfare Drives Venezuelans and Cubans to come to the US 

Yet, Secretary of State Marco Rubio says Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua are the “enemies of humanity.” In contrast to the US, these countries provide their people with free healthcare and education from preschool through university, and housing for all. And they invade no one.

Previously:

NED targets Cuba with $6.6 million in 2025

Trump Administration Restores US National Endowment for Democracy’s Funding

The plan behind Washington’s violations of the One-China Principle

By Brian Berletic

While much of the world’s attention is currently focused on the economic fallout of the tariffs imposed by the United States on allies and designated adversaries alike, they are only one part of a much wider strategy aimed at what U.S. policymakers themselves claim is a bid to maintain the U.S. as “the world’s dominant superpower.”

The plan behind Washington’s violations of the One-China Principle

Trump’s ‘100% tariff’ on non-American movies sounds bad for anime

ClandesTime 154 – Hollywood Goes To Space Command

Trump’s ‘100% tariff’ on non-American movies sounds bad for anime

Hollywood production has been of particular interest to the president since he took office for his second term. In January, Trump named actors Jon Voight, Sylvester Stallone, and Mel Gibson as “special ambassadors” to Hollywood in order to crack what was apparently wrong with the business. According to Deadline, Voight has taken the title seriously, and recently met with studios and artistic guilds to better understand the issues plaguing production. The potential of a national incentive to bring more production back to the U.S. is a rare bipartisan issue in the industry, at least on the surface; since the wildfires that swept the Los Angeles area in early 2025, many in the film business have rallied the California and national government to incentive studios to shoot local.

Trump’s Hollywood Ambassadors: a dream team of cinematic patriotism, expertly trained in the fine art of Pentagon-approved storytelling. Each has worked closely with the Defense Department’s Entertainment Media Office, ensuring that military narratives get just the right heroic glow. Now, under Trump’s watchful eye, they’re promoted from script advisors to official cultural envoys—because nothing says diplomacy quite like a blockbuster-ready version of history. If reality ever gets messy, don’t worry—they’ve got years of experience cleaning up inconvenient details. /s

Related:

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The ‘Foreign Policy Consensus’ Is Alive and Well in Washington

The ‘Foreign Policy Consensus’ Is Alive and Well in Washington

by José Niño, Libertarian Institute

Brian Berletic, a former U.S. Marine now residing in Thailand, believes something bigger might be at play with Trump’s foreign policy agenda. The talk of foreign policy restraint vis-a-visa Russia is merely a facade. Berletic pointed out that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth’s “division of labor” framework during his February 2025 address in Brussels will only increase tensions with Russia.

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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.

Tariffs, Economic War, and the Emerging Post-American Order

Tariffs, Economic War, and the Emerging Post-American Order

My commentary: The tariffs imposed under the Trump administration are not genuinely aimed at revitalizing American industry. Rather, they function as a tool to destabilize China’s economic growth and position the U.S. to provoke a potential military confrontation. These punitive measures are designed to persist unless nations acquiesce to the administration’s demands, effectively coercing them into aligning with its confrontational economic agenda against China. 

Disclosure: Van Jackson used to work for Center for American Century (CNAS). 

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