Trump’s remarkable Middle East tour is all about striking megadeals and outfoxing China

There has never been a US presidential visit to the Middle East like this one.

This week, success will be measured not in conventional diplomacy, peace deals, or arms sales, although Donald Trump did make some news by lifting sanctions on the Syrian leadership, urging Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to join the Abraham Accords by normalizing relations with Israel, and agreeing to a $142 billion weapons package for Riyadh.  

Trump’s remarkable Middle East tour is all about striking megadeals and outfoxing China

Venezuela and Burkina Faso Strengthen South-South Cooperation +

“Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro greets Ibrahim Traore – the Chavez of West Africa – at the Burkina Faso embassy in Moscow. Maduro says he is so proud of Traore for standing up to and defending his country from vicious imperialism.” – Tim Anderson

Venezuela and Burkina Faso Strengthen South-South Cooperation

Related:

Venezuela: Maduro Meets Putin, Xi, Traoré in Moscow During Commemorations of Victory over Nazi Germany

Who did Maduro meet with in Moscow? – In pictures

Australia-Philippines Military Public Affairs workshop

YouTube / Facebook

Throughout the three-day course, we’ve looked at the strategic, operational and tactical levels.  We’ve looked at the operational framework in which both nations work.  Some of the considerations that we have to work together with.  We’ve looked at media programs and media talent and preparing that talent and facilitating media embed programs.  And we also unpacked and looked at photography workshop as well, where we’ve been able to have lots of fun looking at the kits and the tools, and taking some photography and vision in order to amplify key messages into the region.

ADF | Australia-Philippines Military Public Affairs workshop

Related:

Great communication begins with connection

‘The workshop got our nations on one page to deliver the right information and messages that we want to convey across the globe.’

Embedded journalism:

The original purpose of embedding was to control journalists, according to Helen Benedict, a professor at the Columbia Journalism School.  Citing award-winning Australian journalist Phillip Knightley’s book “The First Casualty: The War Correspondent as Hero and Myth-Maker from the Crimea to Iraq” which describes how the U.S. government invented embedded journalism in response to critical coverage of the Vietnam War.  As civilian casualties in Afghanistan reached 5,000, the Pentagon sought a media strategy that would bring attention back to the military’s role in the war, especially the role played by ordinary American service members.  This would require bringing war correspondents on side.

What are Information Operations?

To obtain a competitive edge, information operations and warfare entail obtaining intelligence on opponents and disseminating propaganda.

DefinitionInformation operations are tactics used to sway people’s opinions and affect how decisions are made.

More information:

Embedded Journalism, Media Manipulation & Apathy

2012 NDAA – Propaganda – MISO – InfoOps – PsyOps

SeaLight document

Trump pledges to drive wedge between Russia and China

Former US President and 2024 Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has vowed to disrupt the increasingly close relationship between Russia and China if he is reelected. During a live interview with journalist Tucker Carlson in Arizona, Trump accused President Joe Biden’s administration of fostering an environment that allowed Russia and China to solidify their ties, a relationship Trump believes poses a significant risk to US interests.

Trump pledges to drive wedge between Russia and China

US Ban on Xinjiang cotton is likely reducing Western artillery shell production

US Ban on Xinjiang cotton is likely reducing Western artillery shell production

Now, after passing this legislation [Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act], the West is bitching that China is withholding cotton from them, and that cotton cellulose is hard to find.

Related:

Europe battles gunpowder shortage amid Ukraine war

“To make powder, you need a specific kind of cotton, which mostly comes from China,” he said.

European Commissioner for Internal Market Thierry Breton on Friday told reporters in Paris that the bloc also faced challenges finding the raw materials for gunpowder.

Nitrocellulose, also known as guncotton, is a key ingredient in gunpowder manufacture.

*Xinjiang*