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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 06:08:35 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: In-Reply-To: From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:08:19 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AaiRm511Fk8XkvALe6Bk8Jqxlv00UiR_PKP1sQeJCQkoJ5unL_B7hTwbXqu06GI Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000f9b620064b41f496" Subject: [Salon] How Israel's Courts Condemn Palestinian Children to Death, Because They Have Cancer X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:08:37 -0000 --000000000000f9b620064b41f496 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable *How Israel's Courts Condemn Palestinian Children to Death, Because They Have Cancer* *Tirza Leibowitz February 19 2026 IST* [image: A boy looking out over tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City early this month.] *A boy looking out over tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza City early this month. Credit: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP* *Mohammed has been living in Ramallah since 2022, but his registered address is Gaza. That was enough for an Israeli judge to ban him from receiving cancer treatment in Israel, thus rendering his death inevitable. He shares the fate of 18,500 patients in Gaza, barred from life-saving treatment* *Court rulings constitute "the great library of the occupation," human rights attorney Avigdor Feldman recently wrote. "Unlike other state authorities, judges are required to issue written, reasoned decisions. Thus, this vast library has come into being, its volumes accumulating side by side over the years." * *A recent ruling by the deputy president of the Jerusalem District Court, Judge Ram Winograd, adds yet another chapter to this ever-expanding collection.* *Meet Mohammed. He is 5 years old and has spent most of his life battling cancer. He is in Ramallah, and his condition has worsened to the extent that hospitals in the West Bank cannot provide the treatment he needs. * *Just half an hour away, doctors at Sheba Medical Center stand ready to give him life-saving care. The Palestinian Authority is covering the costs. Even under the occupation regime, some Palestinian children are considered "fortunate" enough to be granted permission by the occupying power to cross from the West Bank into Israel for life-saving treatment.* *But Mohammed's luck ran out. Although he has been living in Ramallah since 2022 to receive treatment, his registered address is the Gaza Strip. According to the judge in his case, the simple fact that his official address is in Gaza is enough to render his death inevitable.* [image: World Health Organization vehicles in Khan Yunis, Gaza, early this month as patients and war-wounded Palestinians prepare to leave the enclave for treatment abroad.] *World Health Organization vehicles in Khan Yunis, Gaza, early this month as patients and war-wounded Palestinians prepare to leave the enclave for treatment abroad. Credit: Ramadan Abed/Reuters* *This is the logic that links oppression in the West Bank with oppression in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Palestinians living in Gaza, wounded and sick, have no remedy in the Strip =E2=80=93 either because most of the heal= th system's capabilities were destroyed in Israel's attacks, or because of the long-standing reliance on Palestinian hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem for treatments that are unavailable locally, such as chemotherapy and dialysis. * *Indeed, one subchapter in the lengthening annals of the "library of the occupation" has it in writing that according to Israel, preventing Gaza's people from receiving treatment in hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem is justified.* *Here, then, is the full legal argument: For the purpose of evacuating Mohammed for life-saving treatment, his presence in the West Bank =E2=80=93= which would at least give him the potential to gain favor in the occupier's eyes and receive treatment in Israel in this case =E2=80=93 is nullified, solely= on the basis of his Gaza address, by the sweeping ban since the Hamas attack of October 2023 that prevents Gazans from traveling for medical care either in Israel or the West Bank.* *The judge sent the child's family on a Popperian exercise in the realm of "unfalsifiable" claims: to prove that the treatment located 50 kilometers, 31 miles, away was "the only one within reach, both professionally and geographically." These efforts failed to meet the judge's standard.* [image: A Palestinian woman arriving with a child at a clinic in Gaza City late last year.] *A Palestinian woman arriving with a child at a clinic in Gaza City late last year. Credit: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP* *He then required the family to account for the limits to the mandate of the World Health Organization =E2=80=93 the body that coordinates with Isra= el the few medical evacuations permitted from Gaza =E2=80=93 which does not extend= to arranging evacuations for Gazans like Mohammed, who are located outside Gaza and now require further transfer. * *The court is betraying an obliviousness to the irony of posing that question while affirming the policy creating the massive waiting list in the first place, begging the reply: "Why call out a speck in someone else's eye when you've got a log in your own?"* *Despite the assessment of Mohammed's doctors that a journey to Amman, taking hours at best, would worsen his already fragile condition, the judge ruled that it had not been demonstrated that the trip would cause substantial harm to the boy's health. * *Nor was a racially discriminatory argument absent. The court criticizes the request to instruct that Mohammed be allowed treatment in a location "not designated for Palestinian patients coming from all parts of Judea and Samaria" =E2=80=93 in other words, at an Israeli hospital.* *Most shocking is where the court ventures beyond the ratio decidendi and what was necessary for the decision. "Even if the petitioner were to carry the burden of proving the impossibility of obtaining medical treatment anywhere outside Israel, this would afford him no relief."* [image: Young Gazan patients in Khan Yunis this month waiting to be evacuated to Egypt via the Rafah crossing for treatment abroad.] *Young Gazan patients in Khan Yunis this month waiting to be evacuated to Egypt via the Rafah crossing for treatment abroad. Credit: Bashar Taleb/AFP= * *In the court's reasoning, since at least some of the intelligence that enabled Hamas' massacre on October 7 was obtained following the presence of "uninvolved parties" in Israel, "there is no need to discuss whether the petitioners' family is 'directly uninvolved in terrorism.'" Instead, "it suffices that the petitioners have relatives in Gaza who could be pressured by terrorist elements into cooperation." The court's truth is laid bare: There are no "uninvolved individuals" in Gaza.* *And yet, space for judgment remains. The Supreme Court, serving as the High Court of Justice, could rule differently in a landmark petition currently before it concerning 18,500 patients in Gaza needing urgent care, who are barred from accessing life-saving treatment in hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.* *Yet the petition is proceeding at a painfully slow pace. Since October 2023, the High Court has either dismissed or postponed nearly every petition concerning violations amounting to war crimes. In the rare instance when a case was heard on its merits, it was reduced to a technical-bureaucratic discussion. Such was the case with a 2024 petition for a mechanism to evacuate Gazan patients for urgent care.* *The fate of the current petition seems no different. Filed last November, its first hearing has been scheduled only for July, while by now more than 1,200 Gazans on the WHO's list of patients needing evacuation have died, and many more will die, while waiting for the dwindling evacuations to third countries that can be counted on one hand.* *Between impulse and action lies judgment. Some have chosen to act differently. Among them are Palestinian medical professionals who, with courage and resolve, continue to carry out their calling under impossible conditions, and Israeli doctors who amplify the voices of their Palestinian colleagues and insist on the best possible care for every patient whose fate they can influence.* *More than 30 senior Israeli physicians have now asked to join the petition to restore the medical corridor between Gaza and the West Bank. The annals of the occupation will record the work of all these individuals, as well as whatever the court ultimately decides.* *Tirza Leibowitz is the deputy director and director of programs at Physicians for Human Rights Israel.* --000000000000f9b620064b41f496 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
How Israel's Courts Condemn Pa= lestinian Children to Death, Because They Have Cancer
3D"A
A boy looking out over tents sheltering displaced Palestinians in Gaza= City early this month.=C2=A0Credit: Omar Al-Qattaa/AFP

Mohamm= ed has been living in Ramallah since 2022, but his registered address is Ga= za. That was enough for an Israeli judge to ban him from receiving cancer t= reatment in Israel, thus rendering his death inevitable. He shares the fate= of 18,500 patients in Gaza, barred from life-saving treatment

Court rulings cons= titute "the great library of the occupation," human rights attorn= ey Avigdor Feldman recently wrote. "Unlike other state authorities, ju= dges are required to issue written, reasoned decisions. Thus, this vast lib= rary has come into being, its volumes accumulating side by side over the ye= ars."=C2=A0

A recent ruling by the deputy president of the Jeru= salem District Court, Judge Ram Winograd, adds yet another chapter to this = ever-expanding collection.

Meet Mohammed. He is 5 years old and has spent most of= his life battling cancer. He is in Ramallah, and his condition has worsene= d to the extent that hospitals in the West Bank cannot provide the treatmen= t he needs.=C2=A0

Just half an hour away, doctors at Sheba Medical C= enter stand ready to give him life-saving care. The Palestinian Authority i= s covering the costs. Even under the occupation regime, some Palestinian ch= ildren are considered "fortunate" enough to be granted permission= by the occupying power to cross from the West Bank into Israel for life-sa= ving treatment.

But Mohammed's luck ran out. Although he has been living= in Ramallah since 2022 to receive treatment, his registered address is the= Gaza Strip. According to the judge in his case, the simple fact that his o= fficial address is in Gaza is enough to render his death inevitable.

<= img title=3D"World Health Organization vehicles in Khan Yunis, Gaza, early = this month as patients and war-wounded Palestinians prepare to leave the en= clave for treatment abroad. Credit: Ramadan Abed/Reuters" alt=3D"World He= alth Organization vehicles in Khan Yunis, Gaza, early this month as patient= s and war-wounded Palestinians prepare to leave the enclave for treatment a= broad." width=3D"412" height=3D"275" src=3D"https://img.haarets.co.il/bs/00= 00019c-7578-d618-a19d-77ff39100001/a0/0b/6573fb444016a62ff3e26eb9ee9d/62414= 5.jpg?&width=3D420&height=3D280&cmsprod" style=3D"margin:0.5em = 0px 0.5em auto;display:block">
World Healt= h Organization vehicles in Khan Yunis, Gaza, early this month as patients a= nd war-wounded Palestinians prepare to leave the enclave for treatment abro= ad.=C2=A0Credit: Ramadan Abed/Reuters

This is the logic that li= nks oppression in=C2=A0the West Ba= nk=C2=A0with oppression in Gaza. Tens of thousands of Pale= stinians living in Gaza, wounded and sick, have no remedy=C2=A0in the Strip=C2=A0=E2=80=93 e= ither because most of the health system's capabilities were destroyed i= n Israel's attacks, or because of the long-standing reliance on Palesti= nian hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem for treatments that are = unavailable locally, such as chemotherapy and dialysis.=C2=A0<= /b>

Indeed= , one subchapter in the lengthening annals of the "library of the occu= pation" has it in writing that according to Israel, preventing Gaza= 9;s people from receiving treatment in=C2=A0hospitals in the West Bank=C2=A0and East Jerusal= em is justified.

Here, then, is the full legal argument: For the purpose of evacu= ating Mohammed for life-saving treatment, his presence in the West Bank =E2= =80=93 which would at least give him the potential to gain favor in the occ= upier's eyes and receive treatment in Israel in this case =E2=80=93 is = nullified, solely on the basis of his Gaza address, by the sweeping ban sin= ce the Hamas attack of October 2023 that prevents Gazans from traveling for= medical care either in Israel or the West Bank.

The judge sent the child's f= amily on=C2=A0a Popperian exercise= =C2=A0in the realm of "unfalsifiable" claims: to= prove that the treatment located 50 kilometers, 31 miles, away was "t= he only one within reach, both professionally and geographically." The= se efforts failed to meet the judge's standard.

3D"A
A Palestinian woman arriving with a child at a clin= ic in Gaza City late last year.=C2=A0Credit: Omar Al-Qattaa/= AFP

He then required the family to account for the limits to the mandate of th= e World Health Organization =E2=80=93 the body that coordinates with Israel= the few medical evacuations permitted from Gaza =E2=80=93 which does not e= xtend to arranging evacuations for Gazans like Mohammed, who are located ou= tside Gaza and now require further transfer.=C2=A0<= /p>

The court is betr= aying an obliviousness to the irony of posing that question while affirming= the policy creating the massive waiting list in the first place, begging t= he reply: "Why call out a speck in someone else's eye when you'= ;ve got a log in your own?"

= Despite the assessment of Mohammed's doctors= that a journey to Amman, taking hours at best, would worsen his already fr= agile condition, the judge ruled that it had not been demonstrated that the= trip would cause substantial harm to the boy's health.=C2=A0

No= r was a racially discriminatory argument absent. The court criticizes the r= equest to instruct that Mohammed be allowed treatment in a location "n= ot designated for Palestinian patients coming from all parts of=C2=A0= Judea and Samaria" =E2=80=93 in= other words, at an Israeli hospital.

Most shocking is where the court ventures b= eyond the=C2=A0ratio decidendi=C2=A0and what was necessary for the decision. "Even if= the petitioner were to carry the burden of proving the impossibility of ob= taining medical treatment anywhere outside Israel, this would afford him no= relief."

3D"Young
Young Gaz= an patients in Khan Yunis this month waiting to be evacuated to Egypt via t= he Rafah crossing for treatment abroad.=C2=A0Credit: Bashar = Taleb/AFP

In the court's reasoning, since at least some of the intelligenc= e that enabled Hamas' massacre on October 7 was obtained following the = presence of "uninvolved parties" in Israel, "there is no nee= d to discuss whether the petitioners' family is 'directly uninvolve= d in terrorism.'" Instead, "it suffices that the petitioners = have relatives in Gaza who could be pressured by terrorist elements into co= operation." The court's truth is laid bare: There are no "uni= nvolved individuals" in Gaza.

And yet, space for judgment remains. The Supre= me Court, serving as the High Court of Justice, could rule differently in a= landmark petition currently before it concerning 18,500 patients in Gaza n= eeding urgent care, who are barred from accessing life-saving treatment in = hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Yet the petition is proceeding at = a painfully slow pace. Since October 2023, the High Court has either dismis= sed or postponed nearly every petition concerning violations amounting to w= ar crimes. In the rare instance when a case was heard on its merits, it was= reduced to a technical-bureaucratic discussion. Such was the case with a 2= 024 petition for a mechanism to evacuate Gazan patients for urgent care.

The fate= of the current petition seems no different. Filed last November, its first= hearing has been scheduled only for July, while by now more than 1,200 Gaz= ans on the WHO's list of patients needing evacuation have died, and man= y more will die, while waiting for the dwindling evacuations to third count= ries that can be counted on one hand.

Between impulse and action lies judgment. S= ome have chosen to act differently. Among them are Palestinian medical prof= essionals who, with courage and resolve, continue to carry out their callin= g under impossible conditions, and Israeli doctors who amplify the voices o= f their Palestinian colleagues and insist on the best possible care for eve= ry patient whose fate they can influence.

More than 30 senior Israeli physicians = have now asked to join the petition to restore the medical corridor between= Gaza and the West Bank. The annals of the occupation will record the work = of all these individuals, as well as whatever the court ultimately decides.=

Tirza Leibowitz is the deputy director and director= of programs at Physicians for Human Rights Israel.


=C2=A0

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pJ9CqFYWsWdA14Oi8kPE3ivGF4IvODVV11Qkp+upvDxXgF85ri+jtD1TqaftA6B3KYIqOKnJcx7 HlgGUhfdvds8wtb+yJa1KhSs/eThav2KMb6kAXW18LfFeUEhInMI7do4UoUkW+BlxY+2HhZTtGJ BdN+k72mX6lqEoe3l8/WK4W9xd1hO8QYnl3uvVYBEOI8cAPeYmPSh/7jT9dO2j1YNquxVwi++iX Q== X-Received: by 2002:a17:907:9487:b0:b79:f4e4:b544 with SMTP id a640c23a62f3a-b8fc3a369a5mr1383902566b.21.1771598610437; Fri, 20 Feb 2026 06:43:30 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: <20260220054027.3.610ca650fd809e2a@mg1.substack.com> In-Reply-To: From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:43:14 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AZwV_Qjz3CthRFdE5NV2JDLUG3KEP90SEBfbCTzIIWi_gVkhLBVWf81IP1Qy4JM Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000dc190e064b4271bc" Subject: [Salon] More Egregious Disinformation Regarding Iran X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:43:33 -0000 --000000000000dc190e064b4271bc Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sy Hersh is out with a sad new article =E2=80=94 Inside Trump and Netanyahu= =E2=80=99s Meeting on Iran =E2=80=94 that contains three ridiculous, nonsensical parag= raphs, which were fed to him by one of his sources. =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F = =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F 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Subscribe here for more More Egregious Disinformation Regarding Iran Larry C Johnson Feb 20 READ IN APP One of Iran=E2=80=99s Underground Missile Cities Sy Hersh is out with a sad new article =E2=80=94 Inside Trump and Netanyahu= =E2=80=99s Meeting on Iran =E2=80=94 that contains three ridiculous, nonsensical paragraphs, which wer= e fed to him by one of his sources. This is an article that Sy never would have written in his prime because he would have tried to corroborate the outlandish assertions. Here are the paragraphs: Another threat not mentioned between Trump and Netanyahu is Iran=E2=80=99s ballistic missile arsenal. It was one of the major targets of the US-Israeli bombing attack last June. *It was wiped out last year but is currently being rebuilt at a rapid rate.* During the war last summer *Iran=E2=80=99s missiles had less than a ten per= cent chance of getting through Israel=E2=80=99s Iron Dome and other air defenses= *. Iran was able to fire off about 550 missiles at Israeli targets during the war, but the forty-five that got through, even with minimal payloads, caused enormous damage in Tel Aviv and terrified the population. Israel has watched since then as Iran concentrated on manufacturing more and larger missiles I was told that the upgraded missiles now being manufactured at plants throughout *Iran will have enough range to hit targets in Southeastern Europe*, where there are little or no air defenses. Where do I begin? I don=E2=80=99t know if Sy=E2=80=99s source was an Israel= i or someone from the US intelligence community, but the info he or she fed Sy is not accurate. Which leads to the next question=E2=80=A6 Did the source really b= elieve the information was true or was the source using Sy to salt social media with propaganda? Let=E2=80=99s start with the first claim, i.e., the Iran=E2=80=99s ballisti= c missile arsenal was wiped out last June. Iran stopped firing missiles at Iran on June 24 because of a deal negotiated with the US to end the war=E2=80=A6 No= t because Iran had run out of missiles. Iran=E2=80=99s ballistic missiles are= stored in massive secure underground caves. We have seen no credible evidence that Israel or the US destroyed any of those facilities. Remember all of the predictions about Russia=E2=80=99s missile capability in the Spring and Sum= mer of 2022? We were repeatedly informed that Russia was running out of missiles and that their inventory would soon be exhausted. I think we are seeing a repeat of this delusion with respect to Iran. The next whopper fed to Sy is that Iran fired 550 missiles but only 45, i.e., 8%, got through and hit a target. That claim comes from the Israeli Defense Forces. Would they have any reason to lie? (That is a sarcastic question.) Let me repeat the list of documented damages from the missiles that Iran launched last June, which I wrote about last week : H*undreds of buildings* in major cities such as *Tel Aviv suburbs (Bat Yam, Ramat Gan)* were damaged =E2=80=94 with some buildings so badly hit they we= re later demolished. In Tel Aviv alone, analysts mapped damage to around *480 buildings * across multiple strike sites. Iranian missiles damaged key public facilities, such as the *Soroka Medical Center* in Be=E2=80=99er Sheva, which was hit by an Iranian missile, causin= g structural damage and chemical leaks; the affected wing was evacuated. Power and water infrastructure also were hit, contributing to service disruptions. Iran=E2=80=99s ballistic strikes hit high-value facilities as well. The *We= izmann Institute of Science* (a major research institution in Rehovot) was severely damaged =E2=80=94 with an estimated *90% of structures affected*, destruction of dozens of labs, and suspension of about *25% of its operations*. Independent radar data and reporting showed that Iranian missiles *directly hit around five Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) facilities*, including an air base, intelligence center, and logistics base. Israeli authorities did not publicly confirm these hits at the time, due to military censorship. *Israe= li oil refining infrastructure =E2=80=94 especially in Haifa Bay =E2=80=94 als= o suffered direct hits and damage from Iranian missiles*, including to critical units and pipelines at the Bazan refinery and associated casualties. The strike on the *Bazan oil refinery complex in Haifa Bay*, one of Israel=E2=80=99s m= ost important energy facilities, heavily damaged the *power generation unit* and other infrastructure critical for operation. Gee, if Iran can do that much damage with just 45 missiles after getting hit with a surprise attack, imagine what they can do with advance warning and preparation. Theodore Postol, an MIT professor emeritus and longtime critic of missile defense systems (known for debunking exaggerated claims about Patriot missiles during the 1991 Gulf War) has looked at the data from June 2025 and concluded that the interception rates were far lower than officially reported, estimating only about 5% success against ballistic missiles specifically=E2=80=94meaning roughly 95% penetrated defe= nses. I find Ted far more credible. Too bad Sy didn=E2=80=99t ask him (and Sy knows= Ted). The last problematic paragraph in Sy=E2=80=99s article is the claim that *I= ran will have enough long-range missile to hit targets in Southeastern Europe*. And why would Iran attack Europe? This ridiculous claim is a repeat of previous CIA propaganda that was intended to ignite fear in Europe in order to convince the Europeans into going along with an attack on Iran. Iran is not going to waste missiles on Italy, Greece, Bosnia, or Serbia=E2=80=A6 It wil= l use them on Israel. If Trump, despite warnings from JD Vance and Tulsi Gabbard, chooses to launch an unprovoked war against Iran, I would not be surprised if Iran decides to launch its retaliatory strike before the US bombs and missiles hit targets in Iran. I am not talking about a preemptive strike, rather I am assuming that Russia and China will alert Iran when US attack aircraft take off on their first mission and that Iran will in turn fire off its first salvo of drones and missiles while the US planes and cruise missiles are headed towards targets in Iran. If this goes hot we will be staring into the gaping yaw of a major regional war and the US may suffer more casualties then it incurred in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. So much for Donald Trump=E2=80=99s promise to not get America into a needle= ss foreign war. I had the privilege of chatting about Iran and the war in Ukraine on Wednesday with my good friend, George Galloway: Garland Nixon and I also discussed the upcoming attack on Iran: And Rasheed Mohammed and I had a forty minute chat on the looming disaster: Son of the New American Revolution is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Subscribed Invite your friends and earn rewards If you enjoy Son of the New American Revolution, share it with your friends and earn rewards when they subscribe. Invite Friends Share Like Comment Restack =C2=A9 2026 Larry C Johnson 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe [image: Get the app] [image: Start writing] --000000000000dc190e064b4271bc Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
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Sy Her= sh is out with a sad new article =E2=80=94 Inside Trump and Netanyahu=E2=80= =99s Meeting on Iran =E2=80=94 that contains three ridiculous, nonsensical = paragraphs, which were fed to him by one of his sources.
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X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:56:17 -0000 --000000000000621279064b429f59 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Oil: Riyadh On The Rack? *Summary: it looks increasingly as if OPEC+ will agree to resume unwinding the voluntary cuts in output with effect from April, despite seemingly compelling reasons to sit tight for now.* We thank our regular contributor Alastair Newton for today=E2=80=99s newsle= tter. Alastair worked as a professional political analyst in the City of London from 2005 to 2015. Before that he spent 20 years as a career diplomat with the British Diplomatic Service. In 2015 he co-founded and is a director of Alavan Business Advisory Ltd. You can find Alastair=E2=80=99s latest AD pod= cast here . Barring a completely unexpected development, when the OPEC+ eight (Algeria, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE) next meet on 1 March it is very likely that: - despite this week=E2=80=99s sell-off , the price of Brent crude will be above US$65 per barrel (pb) =E2=80=94 i= ndeed, there is a decent chance that it will be very close to the US$71.62 mark where it stood on 3 March 2025 when Saudi Arabia first announced the unwinding of the cartel=E2=80=99s voluntary cuts in output; and - critically from the perspective of what is widely acknowledged as Riyadh=E2=80=99s principal reason for boosting output, the US benchmark = West Texas Intermediate (WTI) will be topping the US$62pb mark below which US shale producers claim th= at they really start to feel the squeeze. *As Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman=E2=80=99s flagship project NEOM = is being significantly downscaled, construction equipment used on the project is being put up for auction* In the circumstances, media reports that the eight are considering recommencing the unwinding of their voluntary cuts in April should come as no surprise. However, taking this decision is not, by any means, straightforward. Consider the following six factors which they must surely take into account in their deliberations. First and foremost, for a majority of the eight, increasing their output is simply not an option as they are already either at full stretch or (in the case of Kazakhstan and Russia ) unable, for one reason or another, to get any additional output onto the global market. Indeed, in all probability only Saudi Arabia itself and the UAE (despite persistent reports that it is already producing well over its quota) are in a position significantly to increase their output. Second, Saudi Arabia has to weigh increasing production to push down the price with the aim of clawing back lost market share at the expense of US shale producers against its immediate fiscal imperatives. As Andrew England and Chris Campbell wrote in the *Financial Times* on 25 January, having already had to surrender the 2029 Asian Winter Games , the Saudis are expected to announce shortly a major downsizing of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman=E2=80=99s flagship Neom project =E2=80=9Cas Riya= dh seeks to manage its finances as it grapples with tightening liquidity after a decade of massive spending and with oil prices subdued.=E2=80=9D Third, still more difficult for the Saudis to swallow may be the fact that = the UAE economy faces no such fiscal stresses as a result of the lower oil price. Indeed, by so visibly having to trim its own economic diversification plans to accommodate reduced revenues, Riyadh may well be playing into Abu Dhabi=E2= =80=99s hands. As Jonathan Panikoff reflected in a 6 February essay in *Foreign Affairs* on the rising tensions between the two: *Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are locked in a broader strategic contest, jockeying over economic, political, and security matters. What was once a friendly competition has devolved into rivalry. The root of their crisis lies in Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia*=E2=80=99*s grand plan for its future. If the kin= gdom is to reach the goals set by its de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman=E2=80=A6= , it must challenge the UAE*=E2=80=99*s dominance in finance, tourism, and comme= rce.* Fourth, even if the current unwinding freeze is extended (i.e. consistent with what I wrote as recently as 10 February !) the world will still be awash with oil. Despite cutting its forecast for growth in demand (ironically, as a result of the higher price) in its latest monthly report , the International Energy Agency is still anticipating a surplus through the year equivalent to roughly four percent of total global consumption. Furthermore, although it remains relatively optimistic over growth in demand for the year as a whole, even the OPEC secretariat believes that dem= and for the cartel=E2=80=99s oil is set to fall in 2026Q2 by 400,000 barrels per day (bpd). Fifth, there is no telling how =E2=80=94 and how quickly =E2=80=94 the curr= ent tensions between Iran and the US are going to unfold. On the one hand, Washington is continuing to build up its forces in the Gulf region and (although, personally, I doubt this to be the case =E2= =80=94 primarily for US domestic political reasons) some commentators believe that it is preparing for a protracted military campaign. On the other, talks are continuing and, although Tehran seems content to drag them out, Donald Trump=E2=80=99s love= of a quick and headline-grabbing deal even at the expense of real substance is not to be underestimated. The former would certainly see a sharp (if, in my view, largely unwarranted) spike in the oil price. The latter would =E2=80= =94 just as certainly =E2=80=94 trigger an equally sharp sell-off. Last but by no means least, the US shale sector is (again) proving to be far more resilient than many =E2=80=94 including, it seems, the shale produ= cers themselves =E2=80=94 had expected. As I argued in the 22 December Newsletter , there is no guarantee that total output would fall significantly even if WTI were to settle below the US$55pb mark for a lengthy period =E2=80=94 an= d especially if the current spell of higher prices has allowed the sector to replenish its cash cushion. I posed the question as long ago as 16 September as to whether Riyadh was fighting another losing battle. Even almost a year on from the start of unwinding, I think it is too soon for us to be sure of the answer especially when, as I argued on 10 February, the fundamentals remain consistent with a sub-US$60pb price tag on Brent crude. For this reason above all, I continue to believe that the Saudis would do well to sit tight for now in the hope that a geopolitical premium of between US$7pb and US$12pb will fall away quickly, offering a moment when doubling down big time on unwinding would surely make sense. However, I suspect that the current price of crude may well make the temptation to =E2=80=98tweak=E2=80= =99 output upwards a little in April all too irresistible. *Members can leave comments about this newsletter on the Arab Digest website.* follow us on Twitter , LinkedIn and Facebook *Copyright =C2=A9 2026 Arab Digest, All rights reserved.* You are receiving this email as you are subscribed to the Arab Digest. *Our mailing address is:* Arab Digest 3rd Floor 207 Regent Street London, W1B 3HH United Kingdom To unsubscribe from this list email editor@arabdigest.org --000000000000621279064b429f59 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
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One of Iran= =E2=80=99s Underground Missile Cities

Sy Hersh is out wi= th a sad new article =E2=80=94 Inside Trump and Netanyahu=E2=80=99s Meeting on Iran =E2= =80=94 that contains three ridiculous, nonsensical paragraphs, which were f= ed to him by one of his sources. This is an article that Sy never would hav= e written in his prime because he would have tried to corroborate the outla= ndish assertions. Here are the paragraphs:

Another threat not mentioned between Trump and Netanyahu is Iran= =E2=80=99s ballistic missile arsenal. It was one of the major targets of th= e US-Israeli bombing attack last June. It was wiped out last year= but is currently being rebuilt at a rapid rate.

During the war last summer Iran=E2=80=99s missiles ha= d less than a ten percent chance of getting through Israel=E2=80=99s Iron D= ome and other air defenses. Iran was able to fire off about 550 m= issiles at Israeli targets during the war, but the forty-five that got thro= ugh, even with minimal payloads, caused enormous damage in Tel Aviv and ter= rified the population. Israel has watched since then as Iran concentrated o= n manufacturing more and larger missiles

I was told that the upgraded missiles now being manufactured at plan= ts throughout Iran will have enough range to hit targets in South= eastern Europe, where there are little or no air defenses.=

Where do I begin? I don=E2=80=99t know if Sy=E2=80= =99s source was an Israeli or someone from the US intelligence community, b= ut the info he or she fed Sy is not accurate. Which leads to the next quest= ion=E2=80=A6 Did the source really believe the information was true or was = the source using Sy to salt social media with propaganda?

Let=E2=80=99s start with the first claim, i.e., the Iran=E2=80=99s ball= istic missile arsenal was wiped out last June. Iran stopped firing missiles= at Iran on June 24 because of a deal negotiated with the US to end the war= =E2=80=A6 Not because Iran had run out of missiles. Iran=E2=80=99s ballisti= c missiles are stored in massive secure underground caves. We have seen no = credible evidence that Israel or the US destroyed any of those facilities. = Remember all of the predictions about Russia=E2=80=99s missile capability i= n the Spring and Summer of 2022? We were repeatedly informed that Russia wa= s running out of missiles and that their inventory would soon be exhausted.= I think we are seeing a repeat of this delusion with respect to Iran.

<= p style=3D"margin:0 0 20px 0;color:rgb(54,55,55);line-height:26px;font-size= :16px">The next whopper fed to Sy is that Iran fired 550 missiles but= only 45, i.e., 8%, got through and hit a target. That claim comes from the= Israeli Defense Forces. Would they have any reason to lie? (That is a sarc= astic question.) Let me repeat the list of documented damages from the miss= iles that Iran launched last June, which I wrote about last week= :

Hundreds of= buildings in major cities such as Tel Aviv suburbs (Ba= t Yam, Ramat Gan) were damaged =E2=80=94 with some buildings so b= adly hit they were later demolished. In Tel Aviv alone, analysts mapped dam= age to around 480 buildings across mult= iple strike sites.

Iranian missile= s damaged key public facilities, such as the=C2=A0Soroka Medical = Center in Be=E2=80=99er Sheva, which was hit by an Iranian missil= e, causing structural damage and chemical leaks; the affected wing was evac= uated. Power and water infrastructure also were hit, contributing to servic= e disruptions.

Iran=E2=80=99s ball= istic strikes hit high-value facilities as well. The Weizmann Ins= titute of Science (a major research institution in Rehovot) was s= everely damaged =E2=80=94 with an estimated 90% of structures aff= ected, destruction of dozens of labs, and suspension of about 25% of its operations.

= Independent radar data and reporting showed that Iranian missiles directly hit around five Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) facilities= , including an air base, intelligence center, and logistics base. Isr= aeli authorities did not publicly confirm these hits at the time, due to mi= litary censorship. Israeli oil refining infrastructure =E2=80=94 = especially in Haifa Bay =E2=80=94 also suffered direct hits and damage from= Iranian missiles, including to critical units and pipelines at t= he Bazan refinery and associated casualties. The strike on the Ba= zan oil refinery complex in Haifa Bay, one of Israel=E2=80=99s mo= st important energy facilities, heavily damaged the power generat= ion unit and other infrastructure critical for operation.<= /p>

Gee, if Iran can do that much damage with just 45 m= issiles after getting hit with a surprise attack, imagine what they can do = with advance warning and preparation. Theodore Postol, an MIT professor eme= ritus and longtime critic of missile defense systems (known for debunking e= xaggerated claims about Patriot missiles during the 1991 Gulf War) has look= ed at the data from June 2025 and concluded that the interception rates wer= e far lower than officially reported, estimating only about 5% success agai= nst ballistic missiles specifically=E2=80=94meaning roughly 95% penetrated = defenses. I find Ted far more credible. Too bad Sy didn=E2=80=99t ask him (= and Sy knows Ted).

The last problematic paragraph in Sy=E2= =80=99s article is the claim that Iran will have enough long-rang= e missile to hit targets in Southeastern Europe. And why would Ir= an attack Europe? This ridiculous claim is a repeat of previous CIA propaga= nda that was intended to ignite fear in Europe in order to convince the Eur= opeans into going along with an attack on Iran. Iran is not going to waste = missiles on Italy, Greece, Bosnia, or Serbia=E2=80=A6 It will use them on I= srael.

If Trump, despite warnings from JD Vance and Tulsi= Gabbard, chooses to launch an unprovoked war against Iran, I would not be = surprised if Iran decides to launch its retaliatory strike before the US bo= mbs and missiles hit targets in Iran. I am not talking about a preemptive s= trike, rather I am assuming that Russia and China will alert Iran when US a= ttack aircraft take off on their first mission and that Iran will in turn f= ire off its first salvo of drones and missiles while the US planes and crui= se missiles are headed towards targets in Iran. If this goes hot we will be= staring into the gaping yaw of a major regional war and the US may suffer = more casualties then it incurred in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan combin= ed. So much for Donald Trump=E2=80=99s promise to not get America into a ne= edless foreign war.

I had the privilege of chatting about Iran a= nd the war in Ukraine on Wednesday with my good friend, George Galloway:

Garland Ni= xon and I also discussed the upcoming attack on Iran:

And Rasheed Mohammed and I ha= d a forty minute chat on the looming disaster:

Son of the New American Revolution is a re= ader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consi= der becoming a free or paid subscriber.

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=C2=A9 2026 Larry C Johnson
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Oil: Riyadh On The Rack?

=

Summary: it looks increasingly as if OPEC+ will agree to re= sume unwinding the voluntary cuts in output with effect from April, despite= seemingly compelling reasons to sit tight for now.

We thank our= regular contributor Alastair Newton for today=E2=80=99s newsletter. Alasta= ir worked as a professional political analyst in the City of London from 20= 05 to 2015. Before that he spent 20 years as a career diplomat with the Bri= tish Diplomatic Service. In 2015 he co-founded and is a director of Alavan = Business Advisory Ltd. You can find Alastair=E2=80=99s latest AD podcast=C2= =A0here.

Barring a completely un= expected development, when the OPEC+ eight (Algeria, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kuwa= it, Oman, Russia, Saudi Arabia and the UAE) next meet on 1 March it is very= likely that:

  • despite=C2=A0this week=E2=80=99s sell-off, the price of Brent= crude will be above US$65 per barrel (pb) =E2=80=94 indeed, there is a dec= ent chance that it will be very close to the US$71.62 mark where it stood o= n 3 March 2025 when Saudi Arabia first announced the unwinding of the carte= l=E2=80=99s voluntary cuts in output; and
  • critically from the perspective of what is widely acknowledged as Riyadh= =E2=80=99s principal reason for boosting output, the US benchmark=C2=A0West Texas Intermediate=C2=A0(WTI) will be= topping the US$62pb mark below which US shale producers claim that they re= ally start to feel the squeeze.

As Saudi Crown Prince Mohamme= d bin Salman=E2=80=99s flagship project NEOM is being significantly downsca= led, construction equipment used on the project is being put up for auction=

In the circumstances, media reports that the eight are consid= ering recommencing the=C2=A0unwinding of t= heir voluntary cuts=C2=A0in April should come as no surprise. However, = taking this decision is not, by any means, straightforward. Consider the fo= llowing six factors which they must surely take into account in their delib= erations.

First and foremost, for a majority of the eight, increasing= their output is simply not an option as they are already either at full st= retch or (in the case of=C2=A0Kazakhstan=C2=A0and=C2=A0Russia) unable, for o= ne reason or another, to get any additional output onto the global market. = Indeed, in all probability only Saudi Arabia itself and=C2=A0the UAE=C2=A0(despite persistent reports that it is = already producing well over its quota) are in a position significantly to i= ncrease their output.

Second, Saudi Arabia has to weigh increasing pr= oduction to push down the price with the aim of clawing back lost market sh= are at the expense of US shale producers against its immediate fiscal imper= atives. As Andrew England and Chris Campbell wrote in the=C2=A0Financial Times=C2=A0on 25 January, havin= g already had to surrender=C2=A0the 2029 = Asian Winter Games, the Saudis are expected to announce shortly a major= downsizing of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman=E2=80=99s flagship Neom pro= ject =E2=80=9Cas Riyadh seeks to manage its finances as it grapples with ti= ghtening liquidity after a decade of massive spending and with oil prices s= ubdued.=E2=80=9D

Third, still more difficult for the Saudis to swallo= w may be the fact that=C2=A0the UAE econom= y=C2=A0faces no such fiscal stresses as a result of the lower oil price= . Indeed, by so visibly having to trim its own economic diversification pla= ns to accommodate reduced revenues, Riyadh may well be playing into Abu Dha= bi=E2=80=99s hands. As Jonathan Panikoff reflected in a 6 February essay in= =C2=A0Foreign Affairs=C2=A0on= the rising tensions between the two:

Riyadh and Abu Dhabi are lo= cked in a broader strategic contest, jockeying over economic, political, an= d security matters. What was once a friendly competition has devolved into = rivalry. The root of their crisis lies in Vision 2030, Saudi Arabia=E2= =80=99s grand plan for its future. If the kingdom is to reach the goals= set by its de facto leader, Mohammed bin Salman=E2=80=A6, it must challeng= e the UAE=E2=80=99s dominance in finance, tourism, and commerce.

Fourth, even if the current unwinding freeze is extended (i.e. co= nsistent with what I wrote as recently as=C2=A010 February!) the world will still be awash with oil. Despite cutt= ing its forecast for growth in demand (ironically, as a result of the highe= r price) in=C2=A0its latest monthly report= , the International Energy Agency is still anticipating a surplus throu= gh the year equivalent to roughly four percent of total global consumption.= Furthermore, although it remains relatively optimistic over growth in dema= nd for the year as a whole, even the OPEC secretariat believes that=C2=A0demand for the cartel=E2=80=99s oil=C2= =A0is set to fall in 2026Q2 by 400,000 barrels per day (bpd).

Fifth, = there is no telling how =E2=80=94 and how quickly =E2=80=94 the current ten= sions between Iran and the US are going to unfold. On the one hand, Washing= ton is continuing=C2=A0to build up its for= ces=C2=A0in the Gulf region and (although, personally, I doubt this to = be the case =E2=80=94 primarily for US domestic political reasons) some com= mentators believe that it is preparing for a protracted military campaign. = On the other,=C2=A0talks are continuing=C2=A0and, although Tehran seems content to drag them out, Donald Trump=E2= =80=99s love of a quick and headline-grabbing deal even at the expense of r= eal substance is not to be underestimated. The former would certainly see a= sharp (if, in my view, largely unwarranted) spike in the oil price. The la= tter would =E2=80=94 just as certainly =E2=80=94 trigger an equally sharp s= ell-off.

Last but by no means least, the US shale sector is (again) p= roving to be far more resilient than many =E2=80=94 including, it seems,=C2= =A0the shale producers themselves=C2= =A0=E2=80=94 had expected. As I argued in the=C2=A022 December Newsletter, there is no guarantee that total outp= ut would fall significantly even if WTI were to settle below the US$55pb ma= rk for a lengthy period =E2=80=94 and especially if the current spell of hi= gher prices has allowed the sector to replenish its cash cushion.

I p= osed the question as long ago as=C2=A016 S= eptember=C2=A0as to whether Riyadh was fighting another losing battle. = Even almost a year on from the start of unwinding, I think it is too soon f= or us to be sure of the answer especially when, as I argued on 10 February,= the fundamentals remain consistent with a sub-US$60pb price tag on Brent c= rude. For this reason above all, I continue to believe that the Saudis woul= d do well to sit tight for now in the hope that a geopolitical premium of b= etween US$7pb and US$12pb will fall away quickly, offering a moment when do= ubling down big time on unwinding would surely make sense. However, I suspe= ct that the current price of crude may well make the temptation to =E2=80= =98tweak=E2=80=99 output upwards a little in April all too irresistible.
Members can=C2=A0leave comments about this newsletter=C2=A0on the Arab Digest web= site.


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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:03:20 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: In-Reply-To: From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 11:03:04 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AZwV_QhawHiQSXQKqWUAVkNX8VMJ1p0l3xuhFOaz00e0yRh23wIvHRoCdmA_AQE Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0000000000005e3ad0064b438f3e" Subject: [Salon] Fwd: "America 250 in Color: Oliver Cromwell (1752-1853)" - Ray X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:03:23 -0000 --0000000000005e3ad0064b438f3e Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable https://charlie45.substack.com/p/america-250-in-color-oliver-cromwell?publi= cation_id=3D5375305&post_id=3D188412086&isFreemail=3Dfalse&r=3Deag0&triedRe= direct=3Dtrue *America 250 in Color: Oliver Cromwell (1752-1853)* By Charles Ray and Dr. Carlton McLellan - February 19, 2026 Oliver Cromwell, a free Black man, was born May 24, 1752, on a farm in Black Horse (now the Columbus section of Mansfield township, Burlington County) in the English Province of New Jersey. Trained as a farmer, he joined the 2nd New Jersey Regiment in 1777 and served until 1783. During his military service, Cromwell, who never rose above the rank of private, served in several companies of the regiment, participating in the battles of Trenton (1776), Princeton (1777), Short Hills (1777), Brandywine (1777), Monmouth (1778), and the final siege of Yorktown (1781). Yorktown, where Washington=E2=80=99s forces were supported by the Marquis de Lafayett= e and French forces under the command of the Comte de Grasse, was the final major land battle of the war, when the Continental Army decisively defeated British forces commanded by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. Although it has never been authenticated, Cromwell, along with another Black soldier, was believed to be in George Washington=E2=80=99s boat when he cro= ssed the Delaware River on the night of December 25-26, 1776, to surprise the British at Trenton. After Yorktown, Cromwell left the army. George Washington, the Commander-in-Chief, personally signed his discharge papers. He returned to Burlington County, where he raised his family. When the US Congress passed a law in 1818 providing pensions to former Continental Army soldiers in need, Cromwell applied and was finally approved for a pension of $96 per year in 1820. He bought farm land outside Burlington, New Jersey, where he fathered 15 children. In his later years, Cromwell lived in Burlington, where he died in January 1883, having lived more than 100 years and outlived all but one of his children. On May 4, 2022, the Daughters of the American Revolution unveiled a plaque on his home at 114 East Union Street in Burlington, finally honoring his service. While Continental Army muster rolls didn=E2=80=99t indicate race, historian= s estimate that approximately 5,000 Black men served. Approximately 5 percent of the soldiers at the Battle of Bunker Hill were Black. Few have been recognized for their service in winning this nation=E2=80=99s independence,= then or now. While the Congress and George Washington, after initially opposing the service of Blacks, finally approved the recruitment of free Blacks, in both northern and southern colonies, it was common practice for enslavers to hire or purchase an enslaved Black to take their place in the army. There was, however, no guarantee of freedom for these substitutes after the war. Oliver Cromwell=E2=80=99s story is one of the few where belated recognition= has been given. This is story number 2 of the 25 in this series --0000000000005e3ad0064b438f3e Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
      By Charles Ray and=C2=A0Dr. Carlton McLellan=C2=A0=C2=A0- F= ebruary 19, 2026

      Oliver Cromwell, a free Black man, was born May 24, 1752, on a far= m in Black Horse (now the Columbus section of Mansfield township, Burlingto= n County) in the English Province of New Jersey. Trained as a farmer, he jo= ined the 2nd New Jersey Regiment in 1777 and served until 1783.

      Duri= ng his military service, Cromwell, who never rose above the rank of private= , served in several companies of the regiment, participating in the battles= of Trenton (1776), Princeton (1777), Short Hills (1777), Brandywine (1777)= , Monmouth (1778), and the final siege of Yorktown (1781). Yorktown, where = Washington=E2=80=99s forces were supported by the Marquis de Lafayette and = French forces under the command of the Comte de Grasse, was the final major= land battle of the war, when the Continental Army decisively defeated Brit= ish forces commanded by Lieutenant General Charles Cornwallis. Although it = has never been authenticated, Cromwell, along with another Black soldier, w= as believed to be in George Washington=E2=80=99s boat when he crossed the D= elaware River on the night of December 25-26, 1776, to surprise the British= at Trenton.

      After Yorktown, Cromwell left the army. George Washingt= on, the Commander-in-Chief, personally signed his discharge papers. He retu= rned to Burlington County, where he raised his family. When the US Congress= passed a law in 1818 providing pensions to former Continental Army soldier= s in need, Cromwell applied and was finally approved for a pension of $96 p= er year in 1820. He bought farm land outside Burlington, New Jersey, where = he fathered 15 children.

      In his later years, Cromwell lived in Burli= ngton, where he died in January 1883, having lived more than 100 years and = outlived all but one of his children. On May 4, 2022, the Daughters of the = American Revolution unveiled a plaque on his home at 114 East Union Street = in Burlington, finally honoring his service.

      While Continental Army = muster rolls didn=E2=80=99t indicate race, historians estimate that approxi= mately 5,000 Black men served. Approximately 5 percent of the soldiers at t= he Battle of Bunker Hill were Black. Few have been recognized for their ser= vice in winning this nation=E2=80=99s independence, then or now. While the = Congress and George Washington, after initially opposing the service of Bla= cks, finally approved the recruitment of free Blacks, in both northern and = southern colonies, it was common practice for enslavers to hire or purchase= an enslaved Black to take their place in the army. There was, however, no = guarantee of freedom for these substitutes after the war. Oliver Cromwell= =E2=80=99s story is one of the few where belated recognition has been given= .

      This is story number 2 of the 25 in this series
      <= /div>
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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:12:32 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 11:12:16 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AZwV_Qj19OKKCmONcEFgGmRxsllYRj8sC7NMsRAmpflDUa1qB-WAZ0acZqri1Bk Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0000000000003f184c064b43b089" Subject: [Salon] The Supreme Court strikes down Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:12:34 -0000 --0000000000003f184c064b43b089 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable The Supreme Court strikes down Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffsThe court said the president does not have unilateral authority to impose import taxes. The U.S. government may still be obligated to issue refunds ByJoseph Zeballos-Roig February 20, 2026 The Supreme Court on Friday struck down some of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, dealing a significant blow to his second-term agenda. In the 6-3 decision on "Learning Resources, Inc. v. Trump" issued Friday morning, the high court said the president does not have unilateral authority to impose import taxes. In the majority opinion from Chief Justice John Roberts, it was made clear that tariffs are another form of taxation. The power to tax, the opinion said, belongs to Congress as the legislative branch. At issue were the so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs that Trump imposed last April , citing emergency authority drawn from the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA. The law had never been applied to collect import taxes before, and Trump's extraordinary application of its legal authorities generated multiple court challenges from scores of businesses that eventually came before the Supreme Court. =E2=80=9CIt is also telling that in IEEPA=E2=80=99s half century of existen= ce, no President has invoked the statute to impose any tariffs, let alone tariffs of this magnitude and scope," the majority opinion said. "The President must 'point to clear congressional authorization' to justify his extraordinary assertion of that power. He cannot." The U.S. government may still be obligated to issue refunds, but the Supreme Court punted on the matter for now. In the dissenting opinion from Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, he acknowledged the chaotic situation that awaits the U.S. government if it is obligated to refund a swath of the tariffs it has collected. "The Court says nothing today about whether, and if so how, the Government should go about returning the billions of dollars that it has collected from importers," Kavanaugh wrote. "But that process is likely to be a 'mess.'" About one-third of Trump's tariffs will remain in effect. The White House has also applied import taxes under separate legal authorities on lumber, furniture, steel, aluminum, and more. Trump administration officials also publicly stated their intention to pursue other unilateral powers to stand up the tariff regime if the Supreme Court struck it down. During oral arguments in November, conservative and liberal justices alike expressed skepticism that IEEPA granted the president sweeping ability to impose tariffs at will. For months, Trump kept up pressure on the Supreme Court to rule in his favor, arguing that anything but a supportive decision would deprive the U.S. of critical revenue to achieve his goals, such as shrinking the persistent trade deficit and securing new trade deals with foreign governments. "Without tariffs =E2=80=A6 the whole country would be bankrupt,=E2=80=9D th= e president said in a Thursday economic speech in Rome, Georgia. =E2=80=9CAnd I have to wait= for this decision! I=E2=80=99ve been waiting forever. And the language is clear= : I have the right to do it as president.=E2=80=9D In the late 1990s, the U.S. government provided $750 million in tariff refunds to importers after the Supreme Court struck down a harbor maintenance tax which had been applied to thousands of companies. The scope of the refunds were much smaller then compared to what's in play now. It still took the federal government several years to return the smaller sum. Customs and Border Protection said in December that it had collected $200 billion in tariff revenue since the start of Trump's second term. About $88 billion worth of import taxes collected through the end of October was done so under IEEPA, according to CBP data . --0000000000003f184c064b43b089 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable


      The Supreme Court strikes down Trump's 'Liberation Day= ' tariffs

      The court said the= president does not have unilateral authority to impose import taxes. The U= .S. government may still be obligated to issue refunds

      ByJoseph Zeballos-Roig

      February 20, 2026

      The Supreme Court on Friday struck down som= e of President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs, dealing a significant b= low to his second-term agenda.

      In=C2= =A0the 6-3 decision=C2=A0on "Learning Resou= rces, Inc. v. Trump" issued Friday morning, the high court said the pr= esident does not have unilateral authority to impose import taxes. In the m= ajority opinion from Chief Justice John Roberts, it was made clear that tar= iffs are another form of taxation. The power to tax, the opinion said, belo= ngs to Congress as the legislative branch.

      At issue were the so-called "Liberation Day" tariffs that T= rump=C2=A0imposed last April, citing emergency authority drawn from the International Emergency Econom= ic Powers Act, or IEEPA. The law had never been applied to collect import t= axes before, and Trump's extraordinary application of its legal authori= ties generated multiple court challenges from scores of businesses that eve= ntually came before the Supreme Court.

      The U.S. government may still be obligated= to issue refunds, but the Supreme Court punted on the matter for now. In t= he dissenting opinion from Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, he acknow= ledged the chaotic situation that awaits the U.S. government if it is oblig= ated to refund a swath of the tariffs it has collected.

      "The Court says nothing today about whether, and if= so how, the Government should go about returning the billions of dollars t= hat it has collected from importers," Kavanaugh wrote. "But that = process is likely to be a 'mess.'"

      About one-third of Trump's tariffs will remain in effect. Th= e White House has also applied import taxes=C2=A0under sep= arate=C2=A0legal authorities on lumber, furniture, steel, aluminum, and= more. Trump administration officials also publicly stated their intention = to pursue other unilateral powers to stand up the tariff regime if the Supr= eme Court struck it down.

      During oral= arguments in November, conservative and liberal justices alike=C2=A0expressed skepticism=C2=A0that IE= EPA granted the president sweeping ability to impose tariffs at will.

      For months, Trump kept up pressure on the = Supreme Court to rule in his favor, arguing that anything but a supportive = decision would deprive the U.S. of critical revenue to achieve his goals, s= uch as shrinking the persistent trade deficit and securing new trade deals = with foreign governments.

      "Witho= ut tariffs =E2=80=A6 the whole country would be bankrupt,=E2=80=9D the pres= ident said in a Thursday economic speech in Rome, Georgia. =E2=80=9CAnd I h= ave to wait for this decision! I=E2=80=99ve been waiting forever. And the l= anguage is clear: I have the right to do it as president.=E2=80=9D

      In the late 1990s, the U.S. government= =C2=A0provided=C2=A0$750 million in tariff refunds to importers after t= he Supreme Court struck down a harbor maintenance tax which had been applie= d to thousands of companies. The scope of the refunds were much smaller the= n compared to what's in play now. It still took the federal government = several years to return the smaller sum.

      Customs and Border Protection=C2=A0sai= d in December=C2=A0that it had collected $200 billion in tariff revenue= since the start of Trump's second term. About $88 billion worth of imp= ort taxes collected through the end of October was done so under IEEPA,=C2= =A0according to CBP dat= a.

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X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:23:28 -0000 --000000000000468355064b43d77b Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" ... is here: https://www.globalities.org/2026/02/the-u-s-israeli-plot-against-iran-the-record-of-the-past-15-months/ Toward the end I identify six key takeaways that will set the stage for my next installment, next week, which will assess risks and prospects... I would much welcome any informed reactions Salon people might want to send-- either in the Comments box at the foot of the essay, or in an email. Thanks and stay well-- Helena ---------- *Helena Cobban* She/her/they | Honoring the lives & legacies of the Piscataways in whose lands I live More about me in my Linktree --000000000000468355064b43d77b Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
      ... is here:

      Toward= the end I identify six key takeaways that will set the stage for my next= =C2=A0installment, next week, which will assess risks and prospects...

      I would much welcome any informed reactions Salon peop= le might want to send-- either in the Comments box at the foot of the essay= , or in an email.

      Thanks and stay well-- Helena


      ----------
      Helena Cobban
      She/her/they | Honoring the= lives & legacies of the Piscataways in whose lands I live
      Mo= re about me in my Linktree

      =
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X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:30:51 -0000 --000000000000930a10064b43f1b9 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable I have a theory. =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F = =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 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Subscribe here for more How Did We Wind up With This Dunce? I have a theory. Andy Borowitz Feb 20 READ IN APP *Presidents=E2=80=99 Day was a painful reminder of the monumental dunce cur= rently residing in the Oval Office.**Some of you might be asking: how did we get here? **This is the subject of my most recent book, Profiles in Ignorance: How America=E2=80=99s Politicians Got Dumb and Dumber .**As a thank-you gift for subscribing to TBR, here=E2=80=99s the first chapter. = I would say, =E2=80=9CEnjoy,=E2=80=9D but I=E2=80=99m not sure that=E2=80=99s the r= ight word.**=E2=80=94Andy* Imagine a hypothetical job applicant. He can=E2=80=99t spell the simplest w= ords, such as =E2=80=9Cheal=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Ctap.=E2=80=9D Confused by geogr= aphy, he thinks there=E2=80=99s an African country called =E2=80=9CNambia.=E2=80=9D As for American history,he= =E2=80=99s under the impression that Andrew Jackson, who died in 1845,was angry about the Civil War, and that Frederick Douglass, whodied in 1895, is still alive. Given the alarming state of his knowledge, you might wonder what job he could get. Unfortunately, he=E2=80=99s not hypothetical, and the job he got= , in 2016, was president of the United States. People sometimes call our nation =E2=80=9Cthe American experiment.=E2=80=9D= Recently, though, we=E2=80=99ve been lab rats in another, perverse American experimen= t, seemingly designed to answer this question: Who=E2=80=99s the most ignorant= person the United States is willing to elect? Over the past fifty years, what some of our most prominent politicians didn=E2=80=99t know could fill a book. This is that book. This book will also examine what brought our country to such a stupid place. We=E2=80=99ll retrace the steps of the vacuous pioneers who turned i= gnorance from a liability into a virtue. By relentlessly lowering the bar, they made it possible for today=E2=80=99s politicians to wear their dunce caps with p= ride. Gone are the days when leaders had to hide how much they didn=E2=80=99t kno= w. Now cluelessness is an electoral asset and smart politicians must play dumb, or risk voters=E2=80=99 wrath. Welcome to the survival of the dimmest. Maybe you=E2=80=99re thinking, =E2=80=9CSo what? We=E2=80=99ve always had d= umb politicians.=E2=80=9D That=E2=80=99s undeniably true; as the political satirist Will Rogers said, =E2=80=9CIt=E2= =80=99s easy being a humorist when you=E2=80=99ve got the whole government working for y= ou.=E2=80=9D When I was growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, I struggled to find a politician I could take seriously. In 1972, our mayor, Ralph J. Perk (his actual name), presided over a trade expo for the American Society for Metals. There was a metals-themed opening ceremony, requiring the mayor to cut a titanium ribbon with a welding torch. As Perk held the fire-spewing tool, sparks flew skyward and set his hair ablaze. The incident, which, thankfully, is available on YouTube, inspired mocking headlines around the world. It also reinforced Cleveland=E2=80=99s unfortunate reputation for flammability: three years earlier, our polluted Cuyahoga River had spontaneously combusted. Perhaps the hair-on-fire incident was Ralph J. Perk=E2=80=99s version of th= e Icarus myth, a cautionary tale about what happens when a politician flies too close to a welding torch. Like Icarus, Perk came crashing to Earth. In 1974, Ohio=E2=80=99s voters rejected his bid to serve in the U.S. Senate an= d chose someone less likely to be flummoxed by technology: the astronaut John Glenn. Perk received hair transplants at the Cleveland Clinic in 1976 to repair the bald spot the torch had created, but by then his political career had been singed beyond repair. He did have one other notable achievement as mayor: Richard Eberling, a man he hired in 1973 to redecorate Cleveland=E2=80=99s city hall, was later convicted of homicide a= nd linked to another murder=E2=80=94 the one that inspired the TV series and m= ovie *The Fugitive*. Perk=E2=80=99s historic role as a job creator for suspected seri= al killers hasn=E2=80=99t gotten the attention it deserves. I hope I=E2=80=99v= e fixed that. Perk=E2=80=99s political career collapsed in 1977 with a humiliating third-= place finish in Cleveland=E2=80=99s nonpartisan mayoral primary, a result I found reassuring. I believed his downfall proved democracy had a braking system. If a politician was too big a doofus, the brakes would keep us from hurtling off a cliff. But on Election Night 2016, it felt like the brakes were shot. As the Trump nightmare unfolded, well-meaning people tried to soothe a rattled nation by arguing that he was no dumber than some of our previous dumb presidents. In this valiant attempt to pretend the hellscape enveloping us was nothing new, they cited a bygone commander in chief reputed to be one of our densest: Warren G. Harding. It=E2=80=99s true that= our twenty-ninth president would never have been put in charge of designing the next generation of supercolliders. After Harding=E2=80=99s inaugural addres= s in 1921, H. L. Mencken wrote, =E2=80=9CNo other such complete and dreadful nit= wit is to be found in the pages of American history.=E2=80=9D Mencken should=E2=80= =99ve added, =E2=80=9C. . . so far.=E2=80=9D People have pilloried Harding=E2=80=99s campaign slogan, =E2=80=9CA Return = to Normalcy,=E2=80=9D for which he allegedly coined the word =E2=80=9Cnormalcy=E2=80=9D when a pe= rfectly good actual word, =E2=80=9Cnormality,=E2=80=9D already existed. But, according t= o Merriam-Webster, =E2=80=9Cnormalcy=E2=80=9D first appeared a decade before = Harding was born, in a mathematical dictionary published in 1855. Now, it=E2=80=99s tru= e that Harding did our language no favors by popularizing =E2=80=9Cnormalcy,=E2=80= =9D a word almost as annoying as =E2=80=9Cimpactful,=E2=80=9D but he was a slacker com= pared to Trump, whose mutilation of English could fill a non-word-a-day calendar. Out of fairness, I=E2=80=99ll exclude from discussion the much-mocked =E2=80=9Ccov= fefe,=E2=80=9D which was probably just a late-night typo, and draw your attention to remarks he made at the Pentagon in 2019, when he seemed to invent a new military term, =E2=80=9Cinfantroopen.=E2=80=9D Based on my research, there are no prior ap= pearances of =E2=80=9Cinfantroopen=E2=80=9D in any dictionary, mathematical or otherwise= . Of course, Harding=E2=80=99s bad reputation stems from more than one iffy w= ord. His presidency birthed a profusion of controversies, most notoriously the Teapot Dome corruption scandal, long considered second only to Watergate in its infamy. (Proof that Watergate was worse: =E2=80=9Cdome=E2=80=9D never b= ecame a suffix.) But how much blame Harding should shoulder for Teapot Dome has been debated. In 2004, Watergate celeb John Dean published a biography in which he argued that Harding =E2=80=9Chad done nothing wrong and had not been inv= olved in any criminal activities.=E2=80=9D Whether you agree with that verdict or no= t, it=E2=80=99s hard to get too worked up over Teapot Dome once you=E2=80=99ve seen a presi= dent urge a mob wearing fur pelts and face paint to storm the Capitol. When you review some of Harding=E2=80=99s presidential initiatives, compari= sons to Trump seem even less apt. Harding supported a federal anti-lynching law and proposed a commission to investigate not only lynching but the disenfranchisement of Black voters. On October 26, 1921, he advocated racial equality in a major civil rights speech in Birmingham, Alabama. =E2=80=9CWhether you like it or not, our democracy is a lie unless you stan= d for that equality,=E2=80=9D he declared. For a guy Mencken called a nitwit, he = was far more enlightened than the person who, in the aftermath of the deadly Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, said that there were =E2=80=9Cvery fine= people on both sides.=E2=80=9D(It=E2=80=99s also possible that Mencken didn=E2=80= =99t think one=E2=80=99s support for racial equality was desirable, since his posthumously published diary revealed him to be racist, anti-Semitic, and pro-Nazi. In other words, a very fine person.) One quality Harding and Trump have in common: neither excelled at monogamy. But, even here, Harding wins. In 2014, the Library of Congress released letters he wrote to his lover, Carrie Fulton Phillips, containing florid passages such as this: =E2=80=9CI love you more than all the world and have= no hope of reward on earth or hereafter so precious as that in your dear arms, in your thrilling lips, in your matchless breasts, in your incomparable embrace.=E2=80=9D It=E2=80=99s hard to imagine Trump writing something so h= eartfelt to Stormy Daniels, or a sentence that long. I=E2=80=99ve saved the best about Harding for last: unlike our forty-fifth president, he knew his limitations. He once lamented, =E2=80=9CI am not fit= for this office and should never have been here.=E2=80=9D Though this comment w= ould be a far more accurate assessment of Trump than =E2=80=9Cstable genius,=E2=80= =9D I can=E2=80=99t picture the Donald engaging in such introspection=E2=80=94or, as he might s= ay, introspectroopen. Although Harding has the dubious distinction of being smarter than Trump=E2=80=94pretty much the dictionary definition of faint praise=E2=80= =94both belong to a tradition that we Americans shouldn=E2=80=99t be proud of: our habit of installing dim bulbs in the White House. There=E2=80=99s a long history of anti-intellectualism in American life, a point that the historian Richard Hofstadter seemed to be making in his 1963 book, *Anti-Intellectualism in American Life*. It wasn=E2=80=99t a good sign when the eloquent abolitionis= t John Quincy Adams lost the 1828 presidential election to the homicidal maniac Andrew Jackson. (=E2=80=9COld Hickory,=E2=80=9D who was neither stable nor = a genius, challenged more than a hundred men to duels. He killed only one, but still.= ) Over the next thirty years, the nation endured a presidential clown parade. In 1856, ex-president Millard Fillmore ran for the White House under the banner of a new, nativist party, the exquisitely named Know-Nothings. Fillmore and his running mate, Andrew Jackson Donelson (the homicidal maniac=E2=80=99s nephew), believed that there was nothing wrong with Americ= a that persecuting all its German, Irish, and Catholic immigrants couldn=E2=80=99t= fix. As dumb as Fillmore sounds, the winner on Election Day might have been even dumber: James =E2=80=9COld Buck=E2=80=9D Buchanan. Though Buchanan failed t= o avert the Civil War, he sprang into action to defuse a military confrontation with the British over the shooting of a solitary pig in Canada. (This skirmish actually happened; google =E2=80=9CPig War.=E2=80=9D) The following year, t= he American people seemed to say, =E2=80=9CEnough of this bullshit,=E2=80=9D and electe= d Abraham Lincoln. Yes, our Statue of Stupidity has held her torch high over the years. But she=E2=80=99s held it even higher over the past fifty, during the so-called Information Age. By elevating candidates who can entertain over those who can think, mass media have made the election of dunces more likely. Fact-free and nuance-intolerant, these human sound-bite machines have reduced our most complex problems to binary oppositions: us versus communists; us versus terrorists; and that latest crowd-pleaser, us versus scientists. Interestingly, Hofstadter thought that the first televised presidential debates, in 1960, were a positive development, because they benefited John F. Kennedy, who, he believed, combined intelligence with on-screen command. But the historian didn=E2=80=99t live to see how TV, tag= -teaming with its demented henchman the Internet, could boost candidates who were geniuses about those media and dopes about everything else. What happens when you combine ignorance with performing talent? A president who tells the country to inject bleach. Hofstadter thought things started going downhill for us in the 1720s, when the preachers of the Great Awakening upstaged the learned clergy of the Puritans with bizarre theatrics: =E2=80=9Cfits and seizures. . . shrieks an= d groans and grovelings.=E2=80=9D Neil Postman, in his book *Amusing Ourselves to De= ath: Public Discourse in the Age of Show Business*, argued that this dumbing-down process exploded during the nineteenth century, when we started reading fewer books because we were going bonkers over two wild new inventions: photography and the telegraph. Clearly, ignorance in America has had kind of a running start. Since this trend has been centuries in the making, why am I even bothering to single out a few dimwits from our recent past? I=E2=80=99m writing this book as a concerned citizen, reporting a gha= stly multicar pileup to other concerned citizens. Just as a Stephen King novel might inspire you to bolt your doors, perhaps these political horror stories will rouse you to action. Alternatively, if someday alien scientists are picking through the rubble of our fallen civilization and happen upon a tattered copy of this book, maybe it=E2=80=99ll help them pie= ce together what went wrong. Since I=E2=80=99ll be arguing that politicians=E2=80=99 ignorance has been = surging over the past five decades, I should clarify what I mean by ignorance. The dictionary defines it as =E2=80=9Cthe lack of knowledge, education or aware= ness.=E2=80=9D That works for me, only I might add =E2=80=9Cthe refusal to look things up = in the dictionary.=E2=80=9D When discussing a politician, I=E2=80=99ll refrain fro= m using words such as idiot, imbecile, cretin, or any other equally tempting term that impugns mental capacity rather than knowledge. I might say =E2=80=9Cdunce,= =E2=80=9D because that connotes a failure to do one=E2=80=99s homework, a problem that has pl= agued a few recent presidents. I also like =E2=80=9Cignoramus,=E2=80=9D which the d= ictionary defines as =E2=80=9Can utterly ignorant person.=E2=80=9D Ignoramus is a wor= d you don=E2=80=99t hear much these days, which is too bad because it applies so well to so many. If, in writing this book, I somehow bring the word ignoramus back into vogue, I=E2=80=99ll consider my work on this planet done. (A caveat: If oth= er people have called a politician an idiot, imbecile, cretin, etc., I=E2=80= =99ll be obliged to quote them. The historical record must be preserved.) I=E2=80=99ll resist the urge to speculate about a politician=E2=80=99s IQ o= r cognitive health. I might be dazzled by a person=E2=80=99s ability to remember the no= uns =E2=80=9Cperson, woman, man, camera, TV=E2=80=9D and repeat them on command= , but, as a non-neurologist, I=E2=80=99m not qualified to say what this monumental achi= evement says about one=E2=80=99s acuity. Neither will I try to assess a politician= =E2=80=99s mental stability, since I think it=E2=80=99s safe to assume that most people who r= un for president are, to some extent, out of their fucking minds. Instead, I=E2=80= =99ll ask: During their time in public life, what did these politicians know? Did they have sufficient mastery of math, science, history, geography=E2=80=94a= nd, since I=E2=80=99m being picky, the English language=E2=80=94necessary to go= vern? When briefed, could they learn? At the very least, did they know not to stare at a solar eclipse? My preference that politicians be educated probably brands me as an elitist. I=E2=80=99m fine with that. I consider myself the Ted Nugent of el= itism. But being an elitist doesn=E2=80=99t make me a snob=E2=80=94hear me out, th= ere=E2=80=99s a difference. When I say =E2=80=9Ceducated,=E2=80=9D I want politicians to ha= ve the knowledge required to do their jobs well, or at least not to get us all killed. I don=E2=80=99t care where, or even whether, a politician went to college. Ha= rry Truman wasn=E2=80=99t a college graduate, and he probably took some solace = in knowing that a predecessor of his, George Washington, wasn=E2=80=99t, eithe= r. It=E2=80=99s possible to become a great president with no more than twelve months of grade school=E2=80=94an educational background that Abraham Lincoln, being = honest and all, would have had to disclose on LinkedIn. I don=E2=80=99t care much about the grades a politician got in school becau= se they=E2=80=99re not a reliable predictor of governing ability. Franklin Del= ano Roosevelt somehow managed to lead the nation out of the Great Depression and to victory in World War II despite his C average, a GPA that today would keep him from getting an interview at McKinsey. What made Roosevelt a successful president, among other gifts, was his intellectual curiosity, which enabled him to absorb vast amounts of information necessary to resolve unprecedented crises. When severe drought created the Dust Bowl, he had a lot to learn; he couldn=E2=80=99t fall back on his high school experi= ence at Model Dust Bowl. I want the president of the United States to be intellectually curious for a simple reason: I think the person running the country should be smarter than I am. We=E2=80=99ve just lived through the alternative, and it was only good for the liquor industry. How can we tell if a politician is intellectually curious? Reading habits are a good place to start. Truman might not have gone to college, but as a kid he tried to devour every library book in Independence, Missouri. As I profile presidents, I=E2=80=99ll examine how much they enjoyed, or even tol= erated, the act of reading. Why? Well, there=E2=80=99s something called the Preside= nt=E2=80=99s Daily Brief (PDB), an intelligence summary that, true to its name, lands on the president=E2=80=99s desk every day. It=E2=80=99s true to its name in an= other way: It=E2=80=99s literally brief, often just a page or two. Yet to some recent recipients it seemed like *War and Peace*. The only known instance of George W. Bush reading. To believe that Trump=E2=80=99s presidency came out of nowhere, without war= ning, is the political version of creationism. I, on the other hand, believe in devolution. The election of a serially bankrupt, functionally illiterate reality TV host was the logical consequence of the five decades preceding it, which, with apologies to Edith Wharton, I=E2=80=99ll call the Age of Ig= norance. How did the bar for our political figures fall so far? To better understand this heinous half century, I=E2=80=99ve divided it into the Three Stages of Ignorance: Ridicule, Acceptance, and Celebration. During the Ridicule stage, ignorance was a magnet for mockery, a serious flaw that could kill a political career. Consequently, dumb politicians had to pretend to be smart. I=E2=80=99ll profile two politicians who navigated = this perilous stage with radically different outcomes: Ronald Reagan, whose gift as a TV performer helped hide his cluelessness, and Dan Quayle, who shared Reagan=E2=80=99s cluelessness but not his knack for hiding it. During the Acceptance stage, ignorance mutated into something more agreeable: a sign that a politician was authentic, down-to-earth, and a =E2=80=9Cnormal person.=E2=80=9D Consequently, dumb politicians felt free t= o appear dumb. In this stage, I=E2=80=99ll profile George W. Bush, who made ignorance his = brand, and Sarah Palin, who made it her business model. Finally, during the Celebration stage=E2=80=94the ordeal we=E2=80=99re endu= ring right now=E2=80=94ignorance has become preferable to knowledge, dunces are exalte= d over experts, and a candidate can win a seat in Congress after blaming wildfires on Jewish space lasers. Being ill-informed is now a litmus test; consequently, smart politicians must pretend to be dumb. I=E2=80=99ll profi= le the ultimate embodiment of this stage, Donald J. Trump, and Trump wannabes such as Ted Cruz and Ron DeSantis=E2=80=94who, despite being graduates of our na= tion=E2=80=99s finest universities, strenuously try to outdumb him. Sarah Palin, passing the torch of stupidity to Trump. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images) The solidly Republican cast of this tragicomedy might prompt you to ask (especially if you=E2=80=99re a Republican): Haven=E2=80=99t Democrats done= a lot of dumb crap? Yes, bucketloads. Democrats have been caught on tape smoking crack (Marion Barry) and trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat (Rod Blagojevich). And we shan=E2=80=99t forget the Four Horndogs of the Apocalypse=E2=80=94John E= dwards, Eliot Spitzer, Anthony Weiner, and Andrew Cuomo=E2=80=94who, though seemingly end= owed with functioning brains, let a different body part do their thinking. But while Democratic dopes have wreaked their share of havoc, the scale of their destruction doesn=E2=80=99t equal that of their Republican counterpar= ts. Once Democrats gin up a two-trillion-dollar war to find nonexistent weapons of mass destruction, ignore and then politicize a virus that causes nearly a million needless deaths, and attempt a violent overthrow of the U.S. government, I=E2=80=99ll get cracking on a book about them. Until then, I= =E2=80=99ll recognize them for what they are: supporting players in our national pageant of stupidity, but not towering icons like George W. Bush or Donald J. Trump. After reading these profiles in ignorance, you might decide that the bar couldn=E2=80=99t possibly go lower. Well, sorry. The bar can always go lowe= r. On the plus side, history doesn=E2=80=99t move in a straight line. After the g= lory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome, the Dark Ages must=E2=80=99= ve seemed pretty bleak=E2=80=94but, before you knew it, it was the Renaissance= , and everyone was singing madrigals and painting frescoes. The lesson is clear: while the bar can always go lower, it can also go higher, as long as you=E2= =80=99re willing to wait a few centuries. But I=E2=80=99m not recommending that we sit around waiting for our present= Dark Ages to pass. Given what=E2=80=99s at stake=E2=80=94things I=E2=80=99ve gro= wn partial to, like a habitable planet=E2=80=94we need to find an off-ramp from this idiotic high= way before it=E2=80=99s too late. In my last chapter, I=E2=80=99ll explore a po= ssible route. One final point. For the past twenty years or so, I=E2=80=99ve written a co= lumn in which I=E2=80=99ve made up news stories for the purpose of satire. In this = book, I=E2=80=99ve made nothing up. All the events I=E2=80=99m about to describe = actually happened. They=E2=80=99re a part of American history. Unfortunately. *The Borowitz Report is published thanks to the generous support of readers like you.* Upgrade to paid Share Share Like Restack =C2=A9 2026 Andy Borowitz 548 Market Street PMB 72296, San Francisco, CA 94104 Unsubscribe [image: Start writing] --000000000000930a10064b43f1b9 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

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=C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2= =AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2= =A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=A0 =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD
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      Forwarded this = email? Subscribe here for more

      <= a href=3D"https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=3D2337656&p= ost_id=3D188373239&utm_source=3Dpost-email-title&utm_campaign=3Dema= il-post-title&isFreemail=3Dtrue&r=3D1eogb&token=3DeyJ1c2VyX2lkI= joyMzY0NDkxLCJwb3N0X2lkIjoxODgzNzMyMzksImlhdCI6MTc3MTYwMzYwMiwiZXhwIjoxNzc0= MTk1NjAyLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMjMzNzY1NiIsInN1YiI6InBvc3QtcmVhY3Rpb24ifQ.YFcAjZho= VgSD0p7Bgp7_yxN1A3APg_8AD1GI_jRmMd4" style=3D"color:rgb(54,55,55);text-deco= ration:none" target=3D"_blank">How Did We Wind up With This Dunce?

      =

      I have a theory.

      <= td height=3D"16" style=3D"font-size:0px;line-height:0">=C2=A0
      =
      <= div style=3D"list-style:none;font-size:11px;line-height:20px;text-decoratio= n:unset;color:rgb(54,55,55);margin:0;font-family:'SF Compact',-appl= e-system,system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'Segoe UI',Robo= to,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,'Apple Color Emoji','Segoe UI Emo= ji','Segoe UI Symbol';font-weight:500;text-transform:uppercase;= letter-spacing:.2px">Andy Borowitz
      Feb 20
      <= /td>
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      <= /tr>
      = 3D""
      = 3D""
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      3D""=
      RE= AD IN APP3D""
      <= td align=3D"left" width=3D"1024" style=3D"text-align:center">3D""=

      Presidents=E2=80=99 Day was a painful rem= inder of the monumental dunce currently residing in the Oval Office.

      Some of you mi= ght be asking: how did we get here?

      This is the subject of my most recent bo= ok, Profiles in Ignorance: How America=E2=80=99s Politicians Got= Dumb and Dumber.

      As a thank-you gift for subscribing to TBR, here= =E2=80=99s the first chapter. I would say, =E2=80=9CEnjoy,=E2=80=9D but I= =E2=80=99m not sure that=E2=80=99s the right word.

      =E2=80=94Andy

      Imagine a hypothetical job applicant. He can=E2=80=99t spell the simpl= est words, such as =E2=80=9Cheal=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Ctap.=E2=80=9D Confus= ed by geography, he thinks there=E2=80=99s an African country called =E2=80= =9CNambia.=E2=80=9D As for American history,he=E2=80=99s under the impressi= on that Andrew Jackson, who died in 1845,was angry about the Civil War, and= that Frederick Douglass, whodied in 1895, is still alive.

      Given= the alarming state of his knowledge, you might wonder what job he could ge= t. Unfortunately, he=E2=80=99s not hypothetical, and the job he got, in 201= 6, was president of the United States.

      People sometimes call our= nation =E2=80=9Cthe American experiment.=E2=80=9D Recently, though, we=E2= =80=99ve been lab rats in another, perverse American experiment, seemingly = designed to answer this question: Who=E2=80=99s the most ignorant person th= e United States is willing to elect?

      Over the past fifty years, = what some of our most prominent politicians didn=E2=80=99t know could fill = a book. This is that book.

      This book will also examine what brou= ght our country to such a stupid place. We=E2=80=99ll retrace the steps of = the vacuous pioneers who turned ignorance from a liability into a virtue. B= y relentlessly lowering the bar, they made it possible for today=E2=80=99s = politicians to wear their dunce caps with pride. Gone are the days when lea= ders had to hide how much they didn=E2=80=99t know. Now cluelessness is an = electoral asset and smart politicians must play dumb, or risk voters=E2=80= =99 wrath. Welcome to the survival of the dimmest.

      Maybe you=E2= =80=99re thinking, =E2=80=9CSo what? We=E2=80=99ve always had dumb politici= ans.=E2=80=9D That=E2=80=99s undeniably true; as the political satirist Wil= l Rogers said, =E2=80=9CIt=E2=80=99s easy being a humorist when you=E2=80= =99ve got the whole government working for you.=E2=80=9D When I was growing= up in Cleveland, Ohio, I struggled to find a politician I could take serio= usly. In 1972, our mayor, Ralph J. Perk (his actual name), presided over a = trade expo for the American Society for Metals. There was a metals-themed o= pening ceremony, requiring the mayor to cut a titanium ribbon with a weldin= g torch. As Perk held the fire-spewing tool, sparks flew skyward and set hi= s hair ablaze. The incident, which, thankfully, is available on YouTube, in= spired mocking headlines around the world. It also reinforced Cleveland=E2= =80=99s unfortunate reputation for flammability: three years earlier, our p= olluted Cuyahoga River had spontaneously combusted.

      <= a href=3D"https://substack.com/redirect/cb192f78-150a-4bd0-80d4-6d56cafdcbd= 3?j=3DeyJ1IjoiMWVvZ2IifQ.JilZISJaTbu7B2wLCo3fGMYZ8454lcFEiXYqlZtxvOc" rel= =3D"" style=3D"padding:0;width:auto;height:auto;border:none;text-decoration= :none;display:block;margin:0" target=3D"_blank">3D""

      Perhaps the hair= -on-fire incident was Ralph J. Perk=E2=80=99s version of the Icarus myth, a= cautionary tale about what happens when a politician flies too close to a = welding torch. Like Icarus, Perk came crashing to Earth. In 1974, Ohio=E2= =80=99s voters rejected his bid to serve in the U.S. Senate and chose someo= ne less likely to be flummoxed by technology: the astronaut John Glenn. Per= k received hair transplants at the Cleveland Clinic in 1976 to repair the b= ald spot the torch had created, but by then his political career had been s= inged beyond repair. He did have one other notable achievement as mayor: Ri= chard Eberling, a man he hired in 1973 to redecorate Cleveland=E2=80=99s ci= ty hall, was later convicted of homicide and linked to another murder=E2=80= =94 the one that inspired the TV series and movie The Fugitive. Perk=E2=80=99s historic role as a job creator for suspected seri= al killers hasn=E2=80=99t gotten the attention it deserves. I hope I=E2=80= =99ve fixed that.

      Perk=E2=80=99s political career collaps= ed in 1977 with a humiliating third-place finish in Cleveland=E2=80=99s non= partisan mayoral primary, a result I found reassuring. I believed his downf= all proved democracy had a braking system. If a politician was too big a do= ofus, the brakes would keep us from hurtling off a cliff. But on Election N= ight 2016, it felt like the brakes were shot.

      As the Trump night= mare unfolded, well-meaning people tried to soothe a rattled nation by argu= ing that he was no dumber than some of our previous dumb presidents. In thi= s valiant attempt to pretend the hellscape enveloping us was nothing new, t= hey cited a bygone commander in chief reputed to be one of our densest: War= ren G. Harding. It=E2=80=99s true that our twenty-ninth president would nev= er have been put in charge of designing the next generation of supercollide= rs. After Harding=E2=80=99s inaugural address in 1921, H. L. Mencken wrote,= =E2=80=9CNo other such complete and dreadful nitwit is to be found in the = pages of American history.=E2=80=9D Mencken should=E2=80=99ve added, =E2=80= =9C. . . so far.=E2=80=9D

      People have pilloried Harding=E2=80=99= s campaign slogan, =E2=80=9CA Return to Normalcy,=E2=80=9D for which he all= egedly coined the word =E2=80=9Cnormalcy=E2=80=9D when a perfectly good act= ual word, =E2=80=9Cnormality,=E2=80=9D already existed. But, according to M= erriam-Webster, =E2=80=9Cnormalcy=E2=80=9D first appeared a decade before H= arding was born, in a mathematical dictionary published in 1855. Now, it=E2= =80=99s true that Harding did our language no favors by popularizing =E2=80= =9Cnormalcy,=E2=80=9D a word almost as annoying as =E2=80=9Cimpactful,=E2= =80=9D but he was a slacker compared to Trump, whose mutilation of English = could fill a non-word-a-day calendar. Out of fairness, I=E2=80=99ll exclude= from discussion the much-mocked =E2=80=9Ccovfefe,=E2=80=9D which was proba= bly just a late-night typo, and draw your attention to remarks he made at t= he Pentagon in 2019, when he seemed to invent a new military term, =E2=80= =9Cinfantroopen.=E2=80=9D Based on my research, there are no prior appearan= ces of =E2=80=9Cinfantroopen=E2=80=9D in any dictionary, mathematical or ot= herwise.

      Of course, Harding=E2=80=99s bad reputation stems from = more than one iffy word. His presidency birthed a profusion of controversie= s, most notoriously the Teapot Dome corruption scandal, long considered sec= ond only to Watergate in its infamy. (Proof that Watergate was worse: =E2= =80=9Cdome=E2=80=9D never became a suffix.) But how much blame Harding shou= ld shoulder for Teapot Dome has been debated. In 2004, Watergate celeb John= Dean published a biography in which he argued that Harding =E2=80=9Chad do= ne nothing wrong and had not been involved in any criminal activities.=E2= =80=9D Whether you agree with that verdict or not, it=E2=80=99s hard to get= too worked up over Teapot Dome once you=E2=80=99ve seen a president urge a= mob wearing fur pelts and face paint to storm the Capitol.

      When= you review some of Harding=E2=80=99s presidential initiatives, comparisons= to Trump seem even less apt. Harding supported a federal anti-lynching law= and proposed a commission to investigate not only lynching but the disenfr= anchisement of Black voters. On October 26, 1921, he advocated racial equal= ity in a major civil rights speech in Birmingham, Alabama. =E2=80=9CWhether= you like it or not, our democracy is a lie unless you stand for that equal= ity,=E2=80=9D he declared. For a guy Mencken called a nitwit, he was far mo= re enlightened than the person who, in the aftermath of the deadly Unite th= e Right rally in Charlottesville, said that there were =E2=80=9Cvery fine p= eople on both sides.=E2=80=9D(It=E2=80=99s also possible that Mencken didn= =E2=80=99t think one=E2=80=99s support for racial equality was desirable, s= ince his posthumously published diary revealed him to be racist, anti-Semit= ic, and pro-Nazi. In other words, a very fine person.)

      One quali= ty Harding and Trump have in common: neither excelled at monogamy. But, eve= n here, Harding wins. In 2014, the Library of Congress released letters he = wrote to his lover, Carrie Fulton Phillips, containing florid passages such= as this: =E2=80=9CI love you more than all the world and have no hope of r= eward on earth or hereafter so precious as that in your dear arms, in your = thrilling lips, in your matchless breasts, in your incomparable embrace.=E2= =80=9D It=E2=80=99s hard to imagine Trump writing something so heartfelt to= Stormy Daniels, or a sentence that long.

      I=E2=80=99ve saved the= best about Harding for last: unlike our forty-fifth president, he knew his= limitations. He once lamented, =E2=80=9CI am not fit for this office and s= hould never have been here.=E2=80=9D Though this comment would be a far mor= e accurate assessment of Trump than =E2=80=9Cstable genius,=E2=80=9D I can= =E2=80=99t picture the Donald engaging in such introspection=E2=80=94or, as= he might say, introspectroopen.

      Although Harding has the = dubious distinction of being smarter than Trump=E2=80=94pretty much the dic= tionary definition of faint praise=E2=80=94both belong to a tradition that = we Americans shouldn=E2=80=99t be proud of: our habit of installing dim bul= bs in the White House. There=E2=80=99s a long history of anti-intellectuali= sm in American life, a point that the historian Richard Hofstadter seemed t= o be making in his 1963 book, Anti-Intellectualism in American L= ife. It wasn=E2=80=99t a good sign when the eloquent abolitionis= t John Quincy Adams lost the 1828 presidential election to the homicidal ma= niac Andrew Jackson. (=E2=80=9COld Hickory,=E2=80=9D who was neither stable= nor a genius, challenged more than a hundred men to duels. He killed only = one, but still.)

      Over the next thirty years, the nation e= ndured a presidential clown parade. In 1856, ex-president Millard Fillmore = ran for the White House under the banner of a new, nativist party, the exqu= isitely named Know-Nothings. Fillmore and his running mate, Andrew Jackson = Donelson (the homicidal maniac=E2=80=99s nephew), believed that there was n= othing wrong with America that persecuting all its German, Irish, and Catho= lic immigrants couldn=E2=80=99t fix. As dumb as Fillmore sounds, the winner= on Election Day might have been even dumber: James =E2=80=9COld Buck=E2=80= =9D Buchanan. Though Buchanan failed to avert the Civil War, he sprang into= action to defuse a military confrontation with the British over the shooti= ng of a solitary pig in Canada. (This skirmish actually happened; google = =E2=80=9CPig War.=E2=80=9D) The following year, the American people seemed = to say, =E2=80=9CEnough of this bullshit,=E2=80=9D and elected Abraham Linc= oln.

      Yes, our Statue of Stupidity has held her torch high over t= he years. But she=E2=80=99s held it even higher over the past fifty, during= the so-called Information Age. By elevating candidates who can entertain o= ver those who can think, mass media have made the election of dunces more l= ikely. Fact-free and nuance-intolerant, these human sound-bite machines hav= e reduced our most complex problems to binary oppositions: us versus commun= ists; us versus terrorists; and that latest crowd-pleaser, us versus scient= ists. Interestingly, Hofstadter thought that the first televised presidenti= al debates, in 1960, were a positive development, because they benefited Jo= hn F. Kennedy, who, he believed, combined intelligence with on-screen comma= nd. But the historian didn=E2=80=99t live to see how TV, tag-teaming with i= ts demented henchman the Internet, could boost candidates who were geniuses= about those media and dopes about everything else. What happens when you c= ombine ignorance with performing talent? A president who tells the country = to inject bleach.

      Hofstadter thought things started going = downhill for us in the 1720s, when the preachers of the Great Awakening ups= taged the learned clergy of the Puritans with bizarre theatrics: =E2=80=9Cf= its and seizures. . . shrieks and groans and grovelings.=E2=80=9D Neil Post= man, in his book Amusing Ourselves to Death: Public Discourse in= the Age of Show Business, argued that this dumbing-down process= exploded during the nineteenth century, when we started reading fewer book= s because we were going bonkers over two wild new inventions: photography a= nd the telegraph. Clearly, ignorance in America has had kind of a running s= tart. Since this trend has been centuries in the making, why am I even both= ering to single out a few dimwits from our recent past? I=E2=80=99m writing= this book as a concerned citizen, reporting a ghastly multicar pileup to o= ther concerned citizens. Just as a Stephen King novel might inspire you to = bolt your doors, perhaps these political horror stories will rouse you to a= ction. Alternatively, if someday alien scientists are picking through the r= ubble of our fallen civilization and happen upon a tattered copy of this bo= ok, maybe it=E2=80=99ll help them piece together what went wrong.

      Since I=E2=80=99ll be arguing that politicians=E2=80=99 ignorance = has been surging over the past five decades, I should clarify what I mean b= y ignorance. The dictionary defines it as =E2=80=9Cthe lack of knowledge, e= ducation or awareness.=E2=80=9D That works for me, only I might add =E2=80= =9Cthe refusal to look things up in the dictionary.=E2=80=9D When discussin= g a politician, I=E2=80=99ll refrain from using words such as idiot, imbeci= le, cretin, or any other equally tempting term that impugns mental capacity= rather than knowledge. I might say =E2=80=9Cdunce,=E2=80=9D because that c= onnotes a failure to do one=E2=80=99s homework, a problem that has plagued = a few recent presidents. I also like =E2=80=9Cignoramus,=E2=80=9D which the= dictionary defines as =E2=80=9Can utterly ignorant person.=E2=80=9D Ignora= mus is a word you don=E2=80=99t hear much these days, which is too bad beca= use it applies so well to so many. If, in writing this book, I somehow brin= g the word ignoramus back into vogue, I=E2=80=99ll consider my work on this= planet done. (A caveat: If other people have called a politician an idiot,= imbecile, cretin, etc., I=E2=80=99ll be obliged to quote them. The histori= cal record must be preserved.)

      I=E2=80=99ll resist the urge to s= peculate about a politician=E2=80=99s IQ or cognitive health. I might be da= zzled by a person=E2=80=99s ability to remember the nouns =E2=80=9Cperson, = woman, man, camera, TV=E2=80=9D and repeat them on command, but, as a non-n= eurologist, I=E2=80=99m not qualified to say what this monumental achieveme= nt says about one=E2=80=99s acuity. Neither will I try to assess a politici= an=E2=80=99s mental stability, since I think it=E2=80=99s safe to assume th= at most people who run for president are, to some extent, out of their fuck= ing minds. Instead, I=E2=80=99ll ask: During their time in public life, wha= t did these politicians know? Did they have sufficient mastery of math, sci= ence, history, geography=E2=80=94and, since I=E2=80=99m being picky, the En= glish language=E2=80=94necessary to govern? When briefed, could they learn?= At the very least, did they know not to stare at a solar eclipse?

      My preference that politicians be educated probably brands me as an elit= ist. I=E2=80=99m fine with that. I consider myself the Ted Nugent of elitis= m. But being an elitist doesn=E2=80=99t make me a snob=E2=80=94hear me out,= there=E2=80=99s a difference. When I say =E2=80=9Ceducated,=E2=80=9D I wan= t politicians to have the knowledge required to do their jobs well, or at l= east not to get us all killed. I don=E2=80=99t care where, or even whether,= a politician went to college. Harry Truman wasn=E2=80=99t a college gradua= te, and he probably took some solace in knowing that a predecessor of his, = George Washington, wasn=E2=80=99t, either. It=E2=80=99s possible to become = a great president with no more than twelve months of grade school=E2=80=94a= n educational background that Abraham Lincoln, being honest and all, would = have had to disclose on LinkedIn.

      I don=E2=80=99t care much abou= t the grades a politician got in school because they=E2=80=99re not a relia= ble predictor of governing ability. Franklin Delano Roosevelt somehow manag= ed to lead the nation out of the Great Depression and to victory in World W= ar II despite his C average, a GPA that today would keep him from getting a= n interview at McKinsey. What made Roosevelt a successful president, among = other gifts, was his intellectual curiosity, which enabled him to absorb va= st amounts of information necessary to resolve unprecedented crises. When s= evere drought created the Dust Bowl, he had a lot to learn; he couldn=E2=80= =99t fall back on his high school experience at Model Dust Bowl. I want the= president of the United States to be intellectually curious for a simple r= eason: I think the person running the country should be smarter than I am. = We=E2=80=99ve just lived through the alternative, and it was only good for = the liquor industry.

      How can we tell if a politician is in= tellectually curious? Reading habits are a good place to start. Truman migh= t not have gone to college, but as a kid he tried to devour every library b= ook in Independence, Missouri. As I profile presidents, I=E2=80=99ll examin= e how much they enjoyed, or even tolerated, the act of reading. Why? Well, = there=E2=80=99s something called the President=E2=80=99s Daily Brief (PDB),= an intelligence summary that, true to its name, lands on the president=E2= =80=99s desk every day. It=E2=80=99s true to its name in another way: It=E2= =80=99s literally brief, often just a page or two. Yet to some recent recip= ients it seemed like War and Peace.

      3D""=
      The only known i= nstance of George W. Bush reading.

      To believe that Trump=E2=80= =99s presidency came out of nowhere, without warning, is the political vers= ion of creationism. I, on the other hand, believe in devolution. The electi= on of a serially bankrupt, functionally illiterate reality TV host was the = logical consequence of the five decades preceding it, which, with apologies= to Edith Wharton, I=E2=80=99ll call the Age of Ignorance. How did the bar = for our political figures fall so far? To better understand this heinous ha= lf century, I=E2=80=99ve divided it into the Three Stages of Ignorance: Rid= icule, Acceptance, and Celebration.

      During the Ridicule stage, i= gnorance was a magnet for mockery, a serious flaw that could kill a politic= al career. Consequently, dumb politicians had to pretend to be smart. I=E2= =80=99ll profile two politicians who navigated this perilous stage with rad= ically different outcomes: Ronald Reagan, whose gift as a TV performer help= ed hide his cluelessness, and Dan Quayle, who shared Reagan=E2=80=99s cluel= essness but not his knack for hiding it.

      3D""

      During the Acceptance stage, igno= rance mutated into something more agreeable: a sign that a politician was a= uthentic, down-to-earth, and a =E2=80=9Cnormal person.=E2=80=9D Consequentl= y, dumb politicians felt free to appear dumb. In this stage, I=E2=80=99ll p= rofile George W. Bush, who made ignorance his brand, and Sarah Palin, who m= ade it her business model.

      Finally, during the Celebration stage= =E2=80=94the ordeal we=E2=80=99re enduring right now=E2=80=94ignorance has = become preferable to knowledge, dunces are exalted over experts, and a cand= idate can win a seat in Congress after blaming wildfires on Jewish space la= sers. Being ill-informed is now a litmus test; consequently, smart politici= ans must pretend to be dumb. I=E2=80=99ll profile the ultimate embodiment o= f this stage, Donald J. Trump, and Trump wannabes such as Ted Cruz and Ron = DeSantis=E2=80=94who, despite being graduates of our nation=E2=80=99s fines= t universities, strenuously try to outdumb him.

      3D""
      Sarah Palin, passing the torch of = stupidity to Trump. (Aaron P. Bernstein/Getty Images)

      The soli= dly Republican cast of this tragicomedy might prompt you to ask (especially= if you=E2=80=99re a Republican): Haven=E2=80=99t Democrats done a lot of d= umb crap? Yes, bucketloads. Democrats have been caught on tape smoking crac= k (Marion Barry) and trying to sell a U.S. Senate seat (Rod Blagojevich). A= nd we shan=E2=80=99t forget the Four Horndogs of the Apocalypse=E2=80=94Joh= n Edwards, Eliot Spitzer, Anthony Weiner, and Andrew Cuomo=E2=80=94who, tho= ugh seemingly endowed with functioning brains, let a different body part do= their thinking.

      But while Democratic dopes have wreaked their s= hare of havoc, the scale of their destruction doesn=E2=80=99t equal that of= their Republican counterparts. Once Democrats gin up a two-trillion-dollar= war to find nonexistent weapons of mass destruction, ignore and then polit= icize a virus that causes nearly a million needless deaths, and attempt a v= iolent overthrow of the U.S. government, I=E2=80=99ll get cracking on a boo= k about them. Until then, I=E2=80=99ll recognize them for what they are: su= pporting players in our national pageant of stupidity, but not towering ico= ns like George W. Bush or Donald J. Trump.

      After reading these p= rofiles in ignorance, you might decide that the bar couldn=E2=80=99t possib= ly go lower. Well, sorry. The bar can always go lower. On the plus side, hi= story doesn=E2=80=99t move in a straight line. After the glory that was Gre= ece and the grandeur that was Rome, the Dark Ages must=E2=80=99ve seemed pr= etty bleak=E2=80=94but, before you knew it, it was the Renaissance, and eve= ryone was singing madrigals and painting frescoes. The lesson is clear: whi= le the bar can always go lower, it can also go higher, as long as you=E2=80= =99re willing to wait a few centuries.

      But I=E2=80=99m not recom= mending that we sit around waiting for our present Dark Ages to pass. Given= what=E2=80=99s at stake=E2=80=94things I=E2=80=99ve grown partial to, like= a habitable planet=E2=80=94we need to find an off-ramp from this idiotic h= ighway before it=E2=80=99s too late. In my last chapter, I=E2=80=99ll explo= re a possible route.

      One final point. For the past twenty years = or so, I=E2=80=99ve written a column in which I=E2=80=99ve made up news sto= ries for the purpose of satire. In this book, I=E2=80=99ve made nothing up.= All the events I=E2=80=99m about to describe actually happened. They=E2=80= =99re a part of American history. Unfortunately.

      3D""=
      =
      3D""
      <= div style=3D"font-size:16px;direction:ltr!important;font-weight:400;text-de= coration:none;font-family:system-ui,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,'S= egoe UI',Roboto,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif,'Apple Color Emoji',= 'Segoe UI Emoji','Segoe UI Symbol';color:#363737;line-heigh= t:1.5;max-width:560px;margin:24px auto;display:block;text-align:center;padd= ing:0px 32px">

      The Borowitz Report is published thanks to the generou= s support of readers like you.

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      =C2=A9 2026 Andy Borowitz
      548 Market Street PMB 72296, = San Francisco, CA 94104
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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:39:06 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: In-Reply-To: From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 11:38:50 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AaiRm52G6QR6w9jRxNQVmXDMrMrM1ljO9VUqh7csZXZ6oJivla3jToGsamTJJq8 Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000473922064b440f6e" Subject: [Salon] China scrambles fighters to confront US warplanes based in South Korea X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:39:08 -0000 --000000000000473922064b440f6e Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable *https://www.scmp.com/news/china/military/article/3344147/china-scrambles-f= ighters-confront-us-warplanes-based-south-korea?module=3Dtop_story&pgtype= =3Dhomepage * *China scrambles fighters to confront US warplanes based in South Korea* *20 Feb 2026* *[image: US F-16 fighters based in South Korea approached China=E2=80=99s a= ir defence identification zone, according to media reports. Photo: Getty Images]* *The American warplanes made a rare approach towards China=E2=80=99s air de= fence identification zone over the Yellow Sea, local media reported* *US and Chinese fighter jets have engaged in a rare stand-off over the Yellow Sea, according to media reports in South Korea.* *This comes at a time when the United States has been trying to shift the focus of its troops stationed in the country away from North Korea to concentrate more on China.* *The incident on Wednesday involved around 10 US F-16s, which took off from Osan Air Base around 65km (40 miles) south of Seoul and flew west over the Yellow Sea as part of a training operation, according to reports citing South Korean military sources.* *As the F-16s approached China=E2=80=99s air defence identification zone (A= DIZ), Beijing responded by scrambling its own fighter jets, in what South Korea= =E2=80=99s MBC news described as a =E2=80=9Cbrief=E2=80=9D face-off.* *The US planes did not enter the Chinese ADIZ and the Chinese planes did not enter the South Korean one.* *The US has not released any information about Wednesday=E2=80=99s operatio= n, but it is rare for its planes to approach the Chinese air defence zone over the Yellow Sea.* --000000000000473922064b440f6e Content-Type: text/html; 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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 08:56:41 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: In-Reply-To: From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 11:56:25 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AZwV_QisSHvcuP0Y1M4ZkLmLcsuPOJo9bRB6OAQr6CeFOrrNz-5E_esQhifQQC8 Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0000000000002b73b5064b444e86" Subject: [Salon] Fwd: Juan Cole: "Trump Compares his Gaza Peace Plan to the Melania Movie, and he is Right." (2/20/26.) X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:56:44 -0000 --0000000000002b73b5064b444e86 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable *https://www.juancole.com/2026/02/trump-compares-melania.html * Trump Compares his Gaza Peace Plan to the Melania Movie, and he is Right *Juan Cole 02/20/2026* *Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) =E2=80=93 President Donald J. Trump convened his so-called =E2=80=9CBoard= of Peace=E2=80=9D in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. Some two dozen formal member states attended, and a similar number of international observers.* *Trump again lied in saying that he had resolved 8 wars, even as he seemed intent on fomenting one against Iran. Of Gaza, where the Israeli genocide continues with less visibility, he said, =E2=80=9CGaza is very complex. It= =E2=80=99s been amazing. I want to thank Steve and Jared for an amazing job. Marco=E2=80=99= s over there watching. Everybody=E2=80=99s fantastic. And JD, what a job they=E2= =80=99re all doing.=E2=80=9D* *The Gaza so-called =E2=80=9Ccease fire=E2=80=9D has never actually been im= plemented, with continued Israeli occupation of over half the Strip and continued bombardment and throttling of food and medical aid. It has not moved to the =E2=80=9Csecond stage,=E2=80=9D mu= ch less the third.* *Trump=E2=80=99s Gaza project is like most of his gaudy con games, such as = his university, which never educated any students and for which he had to settle out of court; or such as his border wall with Mexico, which will never be built nor will Mexico pay for it; or such as his regime change gambit in Venezuela, where he simply colluded in a coup with Nicolas Maduro=E2=80=99s vice president; or such as the Jeff Bezos film about Melan= ia that has lost at least $60 million. As we will see, he more or less admits the justice of this last comparison. That is, his Gaza plans have no concrete reality, consisting of a mere Potemkin Village . In the meantime, the 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are sleeping rough and suffering food and medicine shortages and their children are not receiving an education, since Israel destroyed all the schools and universities.* *He said that * *=E2=80=9CAlbania, Kosovo, Kazakhstan have all committed troops and poli= ce to stabilize Gaza. Egypt and Jordan are likewise providing very, very substantial help, troops, training, and support for a very trustworthy Palestinian police force.=E2=80=9D* *Andrew Roth at The Guardian reports that Morocco and Indonesia have also agreed to send troops. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said he would be willing to send 8,000 soldiers, and even more. President Prabowo, a former general, leads the world=E2=80= =99s most populous Muslim country and is seeking a higher profile on the world stage.= * *The Guardian explains, =E2=80=9CMaj Gen Jasper Jeffers III, the US officer appointed to command the future international stabilisation force (ISF), said the board planned to deploy 20,000 soldiers in five different sectors of Gaza, beginning with Rafah.=E2=80=9D* *This colonial military arrangement is a recipe for disaster. The foreign troops will almost certainly come into conflict with Hamas. And Israel has a long history of shelling United Nations peace keeping troops in Lebanon. Since Trump cannot conceive of a genuine political solution that gives basic rights to the Palestinians, this overlay of foreign troops is simply a band aid over a deep wound that will certainly break open again.* *According to the computer-generated transcript at C-SPAN, which I had ChatGPT clean up, Trump announced, * *=E2=80=9CBut together, we=E2=80=99re committed to achieving a Gaza that= is properly governed throughout the whole area is going to be, you know, so many countries that have really nothing to do with the Middle East, but they= =E2=80=99re maybe somewhat close by.* *They=E2=80=99re all involved. They want to go in and fight. They tell m= e all the time, =E2=80=98We=E2=80=99d like to send soldiers to fight if it=E2= =80=99s necessary.=E2=80=99* *And I don=E2=80=99t think it=E2=80=99s going to be necessary.* *We have two countries that want to go in and do a number on Hamas.* *I said, =E2=80=98I really don=E2=80=99t think it=E2=80=99s I hope it=E2= =80=99s not going to be necessary because they made a promise and they promised me get rid of th= eir weapons=E2=80=99* *Looks like they=E2=80=99re going to be doing that, but we=E2=80=99ll ha= ve to find out.* *But it=E2=80=99s no longer a hot bed of radicalism and terror.* *And to end that we have uh today and I=E2=80=99m pleased to announce th= at Kazakhstan, Azerban, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Usbekistan, and Kuwait have all contributed more than 7 billion dollars toward the relief package.=E2=80=9D * *Trump said that he would also put in $10 billion. That is $17 billion, if it ever actually materializes. Trump=E2=80=99s $10 billion almost certainly= will not. In fact, it is not clear where he would get it from. I presume that the US constitution has not yet been entirely abolished and that Congress is the body that appropriates funds. In any case, it is insufficient. The United Nations estimates that rebuilding Gaza will cost $70 billion. * *The premise, that the conflict is resolved, is also faulty. Israeli cabinet members continue to push for the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians. Hamas leaders have said that they will only lay down their arms if a Palestinian government is established in Gaza. Trump instead plans a colonial administration that in some ways resembles the one established by the League of Nations after WW I, which started the whole Mideast catastrophe.* *Trump said in introductory remarks,* *=E2=80=9CWhen I took office, the war in Gaza was raging with thousands = of people being killed and no end in sight.* *Today, thanks to unrelenting diplomacy and the commitment of many of the great people in this room, we have 59 countries signed up on Gaza.* *Think of that. We have uh it=E2=80=99s amazing. But all the people, man= y really so many in this room, the war in Gaza is over. It=E2=80=99s over. There = are little flames. Little flames.* *Hamas has been I think they=E2=80=99re going to give up their weapons, = which is what they promised. If they don=E2=80=99t, it=E2=80=99ll be, you know, t= hey=E2=80=99ll be harshly met. Very harshly met. They don=E2=80=99t want that.* *You know, all the stuff like they don=E2=80=99t mind dying. They told m= e that=E2=80=99s not true. Everyone said, =E2=80=9COh, they don=E2=80=99t mind dying.=E2= =80=9D No, they don=E2=80=99t want to die. They said, =E2=80=9CWe don=E2=80=99t want to die. People don=E2= =80=99t want to die.=E2=80=9D* *The ceasefire was held and every last remaining hostage, both living and dead, has been returned back home. Think of that. That was an impossibility.* *And we did hundreds of hostages, but the last 20, and I always said to Steve and Jared, I said, =E2=80=9CThe last 20 are going to be very tough= . Very, very tough.=E2=80=9D And we got them back.* *We got the living back. And then we only got about 16 of the dead. And we said, =E2=80=9CWell, you got to get them all. You promised them all.= =E2=80=9D* *And they dug and dug and dug. You can imagine it=E2=80=99s a job that= =E2=80=99s brutal.* *And Hamas really did a lot of that work. And you got to give them credit for that. They uh they brought the last last one home a week ago.= * *And we got all 28 of them living and dead.* *The amazing thing because I=E2=80=99ve never seen anything quite like i= t. The the parents of the dead, they knew their boy was dead. This case boys, a= ll boys, men. But to the parents=E2=80=99 boys, they knew their boy was dea= d.* *They wanted that dead body as much as if he were alive.* *And when they got them back, there was great sadness, but there was great joy, too.* *They wanted it as much as the people that got their sons back alive.* *But we got a lot of people before those 20, Steve, what nobody talks about, but you know, hundreds of people.* *Uh we did a good job and you guys did a fantastic job.* *I want to thank every nation that helped us achieve this monumental breakthrough saving countless lives and really bringing peace and bringi= ng the concept of peace because nobody thought peace in the Middle East.* *I=E2=80=99ve always heard peace in the Middle East is impossible and it= =E2=80=99s turned out not to be.* *And we do have some work to do with Iran. They can=E2=80=99t have a nuc= lear weapon. It=E2=80=99s very simple. They can=E2=80=99t have you can=E2=80= =99t have peace in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon.* *And they can=E2=80=99t have a nuclear weapon. And they=E2=80=99ve been = told that very strongly.* *Since the hard one ceasefire of last October, the United States and our partners have facilitated the delivery of vast amounts of humanitarian a= id, numbers that nobody=E2=80=99s ever seen before.* *In November, the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved the Board of Peace.* *And last month in Davos, we welcomed over two dozen members to this very important new organization and we are very closely working with the United Nations . . * *First I had an escalator that stopped. You know that it=E2=80=99s going= up. Boom.* *It=E2=80=99s lucky my movie star first lady was in front of me because = I put my hand on a certain part of her body and I was able to stop my fall. otherwise because she had no trouble.* *I said, =E2=80=9CBoy, that was a very sharp stop, Johnny.=E2=80=9D* *So, I said, =E2=80=9CThat was strange. I=E2=80=99ve I=E2=80=99ve been o= n a lot of escalators. It=E2=80=99s never happened before. Usually, it stops very slowly. This = was just boom, but our first lady was right in the proper location for me.=E2=80= =9D* *I=E2=80=99m waving to people and uh she was holding on a little tighter= . She knew what was happening. She did. She said she* *That=E2=80=99s a very successful movie out right now. like number one. = Can you believe this? And it=E2=80=99s a big movie big movie star.* *And I always say it=E2=80=99s trouble because I always say there=E2=80= =99s not room in one family for two stars. I told that we can=E2=80=99t have two stars in= one family.* *So I don=E2=80=99t know what that means, but it=E2=80=99s not it=E2=80= =99s not good.* *But it is good because we=E2=80=99re proud of her. She did a People in = the United States love the first lady and she did the movie and it=E2=80=99s= become the biggest selling documentary in 20 years. Can you believe?* *The theaters are all packed. Women especially, they go back and they see it two or three times, four times.* *I include the comments about the escalator and Melania and the part of her body and Trump losing his balance and his description of her as a movie star because Jeff Bezos funded a boondoggle flic that has earned $16 million on a $75 million production budget. These sorts of passages, which suggest mental imbalance, are usually edited out by the MSM. This one speaks eloquently about how the Trumps are at the center of his thinking even when he is discussing Gaza. * *Ironically, his framing of his plans for Gaza as in some way like the Melania film displays a Freudian slip, a rare moment of complete honesty, since both are just for show, with no reality behind them.* *I=E2=80=99m glad, and I think everyone is glad, that the living Israeli ho= stages were released and the remains of the dead were returned to their grieving families. Hamas=E2=80=99s hostage-taking, targeting innocent civilians for = the most part, was an egregious war crime.* *But it is astonishing that this man could jabber on like that about Melania and about his so-called cease-fire in Gaza for all that time and never mention the way its Palestinian population has been genocided, Gaza= =E2=80=99s infrastructure destroyed, and tens of thousands of its innocent civilians slaughtered, including 19,000 children. And while it is true that he, unlike Joe Biden, forced the Israeli government to reduce the intensity of its campaign substantially, he hasn=E2=80=99t actually brought peace to the= Strip, where Israel has killed hundreds in recent months and where it continues to brutalize the civilian population.* *Photo, =E2=80=9CGaza-Palestine Amid the massive destruction in Jabalia cam= p, a young man and his mother drive a cart through the camp=E2=80=99s streets, p= ublished on June 10, 2025 by Mohammed Ibrahim on Unsplash * *Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulgaria, El Salvador, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Mongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, United Arab Emirates, United States, and Uzbekistan are founding members of the BOP, and the following countries have indicated an intention to join: Albania, Belarus, Cambodia, Egypt.* *The list consists for the most part of small countries or medium powers hoping to ingratiate themselves with the president for their own reasons. The US is the only democracy, if it is one anymore. Turkiye has become a competitive authoritarian regime and Israel rules 5 million Palestinians militarily without affording them any right to vote on their own destinies. Western Europe indignantly rejected Trump=E2=80=99s overtures. * *Critics have complained that Trump, who made himself chairman of the board for life, is attempting to replace the United Nations =E2=80=94 which he ha= s defunded in an attempt to destroy it =E2=80=94 with a body under his person= al control.* *It doesn=E2=80=99t matter. Nothing constructive will come of all this verb= iage and all this kowtowing to Trump by an assemblage of dictators, absolute monarchies, dusted-off generals, genocidaires and far rightwing populists. Palestinians are huddling in tents atop the rubble of their former homes, and babies are dying of hypothermia. We can talk about the =E2=80=9Ccease-f= ire=E2=80=9D when that situation has been remedied.* --0000000000002b73b5064b444e86 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
      https://www.juancole.com/2026/02/trump-compares-melani= a.html


      Trump Compares his Gaza Peace Plan to the Melania Movie, and he is Ri= ght

      Juan Cole=C2=A002/20/2026

      =

      Ann Arbor (Informed Comment) =E2=80=93 President Donald J. Trump<= span>=C2=A0convened=C2=A0his so-called =E2=80=9CBoard of Peace=E2=80=9D in Wash= ington, D.C., on Thursday. Some two dozen formal member states attended, an= d a similar number of international observers.

      Trump agai= n lied in saying that he had resolved 8 wars, even as he seemed intent on f= omenting one against Iran. Of Gaza, where the Israeli genocide continues wi= th less visibility, he said, =E2=80=9CGaza is very complex. It=E2=80=99s be= en amazing. I want to thank Steve and Jared for an amazing job. Marco=E2=80= =99s over there watching. Everybody=E2=80=99s fantastic. And JD, what a job= they=E2=80=99re all doing.=E2=80=9D

      The Gaza so-called = =E2=80=9Ccease fire=E2=80=9D has never actually been implemented, with cont= inued Israeli occupation of over half the Strip and continued bombardment a= nd=C2=A0throttling=C2=A0of food and medical aid. It h= as not moved to the =E2=80=9Csecond stage,=E2=80=9D much less the third.

      Trump=E2=80=99s Gaza project is like most of his gaudy con = games, such as his university, which never educated any students and for wh= ich he had to settle out of court; or such as his border wall with Mexico, = which will never be built nor will Mexico pay for it; or such as his regime= change gambit in Venezuela, where he simply colluded in a coup with Nicola= s Maduro=E2=80=99s vice president; or such as the Jeff Bezos film about Mel= ania that has lost at least $60 million. As we will see, he more or less ad= mits the justice of this last comparison. That is, his Gaza plans have no c= oncrete reality, consisting of a mere=C2=A0Potemkin Village. In the meantime, the = 2.3 million Palestinians in Gaza are sleeping rough and suffering food and = medicine shortages and their children are not receiving an education, since= Israel destroyed all the schools and universities.

      He s= aid that=C2=A0

        =E2=80=9CAlbania, Kosovo, Ka= zakhstan have all committed troops and police to stabilize Gaza. Egypt and = Jordan are likewise providing very, very substantial help, troops, training= , and support for a very trustworthy Palestinian police force.=E2=80=9D=

      Andrew Roth at T= he Guardian=C2=A0reports that Morocco and Indonesia have a= lso agreed to send troops. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said he wo= uld be willing to send 8,000 soldiers, and even more. President Prabowo, a = former general, leads the world=E2=80=99s most populous Muslim country and = is seeking a higher profile on the world stage.

      The Guard= ian explains, =E2=80=9CMaj Gen Jasper Jeffers III, the US officer appointed= to command the future international stabilisation force (ISF), said the bo= ard planned to deploy 20,000 soldiers in five different sectors of Gaza, be= ginning with Rafah.=E2=80=9D

      This colonial military arran= gement is a recipe for disaster. The foreign troops will almost certainly c= ome into conflict with Hamas. And Israel has a long history of shelling Uni= ted Nations peace keeping troops in Lebanon. Since Trump cannot conceive of= a genuine political solution that gives basic rights to the Palestinians, = this overlay of foreign troops is simply a band aid over a deep wound that = will certainly break open again.

      = According to the compute= r-generated transcript at C-SPAN, which I had ChatGPT clean up, Trump annou= nced,=C2=A0

        =E2=80=9CBut together, we=E2=80= =99re committed to achieving a Gaza that is properly governed throughout th= e whole area is going to be, you know, so many countries that have really n= othing to do with the Middle East, but they=E2=80=99re maybe somewhat close= by.

        They=E2=80=99re all involved. They want to go in and fig= ht. They tell me all the time, =E2=80=98We=E2=80=99d like to send soldiers = to fight if it=E2=80=99s necessary.=E2=80=99

        And I don=E2= =80=99t think it=E2=80=99s going to be necessary.

        We have= two countries that want to go in and do a number on Hamas.

        <= p style=3D"max-width:100%">= I said, =E2=80=98I really don=E2=80=99t think it=E2=80=99s I hope it=E2= =80=99s not going to be necessary because they made a promise and they prom= ised me get rid of their weapons=E2=80=99

        Looks like they= =E2=80=99re going to be doing that, but we=E2=80=99ll have to find out.=

        But it=E2=80=99s no longer a hot bed of radicalism and terro= r.

        And to end that we have uh today and I=E2=80=99m ple= ased to announce that Kazakhstan, Azerban, UAE, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Sa= udi Arabia, Usbekistan, and Kuwait have all contributed more than 7 billion= dollars toward the relief package.=E2=80=9D=C2=A0<= /p>

      Trump said that he would also put in $10 billion. That is $17 b= illion, if it ever actually materializes. Trump=E2=80=99s $10 billion almos= t certainly will not. In fact, it is not clear where he would get it from. = I presume that the US constitution has not yet been entirely abolished and = that Congress is the body that appropriates funds. In any case, it is insuf= ficient. The United Nations estimates that rebuilding Gaza will cost= =C2=A0$70 billion.

      =

      The premise, that the conflict is resolved, is also faulty. Israeli cab= inet members continue to push for the ethnic cleansing of the Palestinians.= Hamas leaders have said that they will only lay down their arms if a Pales= tinian government is established in Gaza. Trump instead plans a colonial ad= ministration that in some ways resembles the one established by the League = of Nations after WW I, which started the whole Mideast catastrophe.

      Trump said in introductory remarks,

        =E2=80=9C= When I took office, the war in Gaza was raging with thousands of people bei= ng killed and no end in sight.

        Today, thanks to unrelenting d= iplomacy and the commitment of many of the great people in this room, we ha= ve 59 countries signed up on Gaza.

        Think of that. We have= uh it=E2=80=99s amazing. But all the people, many really so many in this r= oom, the war in Gaza is over. It=E2=80=99s over. There are little flames. L= ittle flames.

        Hamas has been I think they=E2=80=99re goin= g to give up their weapons, which is what they promised. If they don=E2=80= =99t, it=E2=80=99ll be, you know, they=E2=80=99ll be harshly met. Very hars= hly met. They don=E2=80=99t want that.

        You know, all the = stuff like they don=E2=80=99t mind dying. They told me that=E2=80=99s not t= rue. Everyone said, =E2=80=9COh, they don=E2=80=99t mind dying.=E2=80=9D No= , they don=E2=80=99t want to die. They said, =E2=80=9CWe don=E2=80=99t want= to die. People don=E2=80=99t want to die.=E2=80=9D

        The = ceasefire was held and every last remaining hostage, both living and dead, = has been returned back home. Think of that. That was an impossibility.<= /font>

        And we did hundreds of hostages, but the last 20, and I alway= s said to Steve and Jared, I said, =E2=80=9CThe last 20 are going to be ver= y tough. Very, very tough.=E2=80=9D And we got them back.

        We got the living back. And then we only got about 16 of the dead. And we = said, =E2=80=9CWell, you got to get them all. You promised them all.=E2=80= =9D

        And they dug and dug and dug. You can imagine it=E2= =80=99s a job that=E2=80=99s brutal.

        And Hamas really did= a lot of that work. And you got to give them credit for that. They uh they= brought the last last one home a week ago.

        And we got al= l 28 of them living and dead.

        The amazing thing because I= =E2=80=99ve never seen anything quite like it. The the parents of the dead,= they knew their boy was dead. This case boys, all boys, men. But to the pa= rents=E2=80=99 boys, they knew their boy was dead.

        They= wanted that dead body as much as if he were alive.

        And = when they got them back, there was great sadness, but there was great joy, = too.

        They wanted it as much as the people that got their = sons back alive.

        But we got a lot of people before those = 20, Steve, what nobody talks about, but you know, hundreds of people.

        Uh we did a good job and you guys did a fantastic job.

        I want to thank every nation that helped us achieve this monumen= tal breakthrough saving countless lives and really bringing peace and bring= ing the concept of peace because nobody thought peace in the Middle East.

        I=E2=80=99ve always heard peace in the Middle East is impo= ssible and it=E2=80=99s turned out not to be.

        And we do h= ave some work to do with Iran. They can=E2=80=99t have a nuclear weapon. It= =E2=80=99s very simple. They can=E2=80=99t have you can=E2=80=99t have peac= e in the Middle East if they have a nuclear weapon.

        And = they can=E2=80=99t have a nuclear weapon. And they=E2=80=99ve been told tha= t very strongly.

        Since the hard one ceasefire of last Oct= ober, the United States and our partners have facilitated the delivery of v= ast amounts of humanitarian aid, numbers that nobody=E2=80=99s ever seen be= fore.

        In November, the United Nations Security Council un= animously approved the Board of Peace.

        And last month in = Davos, we welcomed over two dozen members to this very important new organi= zation and we are very closely working with the United Nations . .=C2= =A0

        First I had an escalator that stopped. You kno= w that it=E2=80=99s going up. Boom.

        It=E2=80=99s lucky my= movie star first lady was in front of me because I put my hand on a certai= n part of her body and I was able to stop my fall. otherwise because she ha= d no trouble.

        I said, =E2=80=9CBoy, that was a very sharp= stop, Johnny.=E2=80=9D

        So, I said, =E2=80=9CThat was str= ange. I=E2=80=99ve I=E2=80=99ve been on a lot of escalators. It=E2=80=99s n= ever happened before. Usually, it stops very slowly. This was just boom, bu= t our first lady was right in the proper location for me.=E2=80=9D

        I=E2=80=99m waving to people and uh she was holding on a little t= ighter. She knew what was happening. She did. She said she

        <= b>That=E2=80=99s a very successful movie out right now. like number one. Ca= n you believe this? And it=E2=80=99s a big movie big movie star.=

        And I always say it=E2=80=99s trouble because I always say there=E2= =80=99s not room in one family for two stars. I told that we can=E2=80=99t = have two stars in one family.

        So I don=E2=80=99t know wha= t that means, but it=E2=80=99s not it=E2=80=99s not good.

        But it is good because we=E2=80=99re proud of her. She did a People in the= United States love the first lady and she did the movie and it=E2=80=99s b= ecome the biggest selling documentary in 20 years. Can you believe?

        The theaters are all packed. Women especially, they go back and = they see it two or three times, four times.

      I includ= e the comments about the escalator and Melania and the part of her body and= Trump losing his balance and his description of her as a movie star becaus= e Jeff Bezos funded a boondoggle flic that has earned $16 million on a $75 = million production budget. These sorts of passages, which suggest mental im= balance, are usually edited out by the MSM. This one speaks eloquently abou= t how the Trumps are at the center of his thinking even when he is discussi= ng Gaza.=C2=A0

      Ironically, his framing of hi= s plans for Gaza as in some way like the Melania film displays a Freudian s= lip, a rare moment of complete honesty, since both are just for show, with = no reality behind them.

      I=E2=80=99m glad, and I think eve= ryone is glad, that the living Israeli hostages were released and the remai= ns of the dead were returned to their grieving families. Hamas=E2=80=99s ho= stage-taking, targeting innocent civilians for the most part, was an egregi= ous war crime.

      But it is astonishing that this man could = jabber on like that about Melania and about his so-called cease-fire in Gaz= a for all that time and never mention the way its Palestinian population ha= s been genocided, Gaza=E2=80=99s infrastructure destroyed, and tens of=C2=A0thousands=C2=A0o= f its innocent civilians slaughtered, including 19,000 children. And while = it is true that he, unlike Joe Biden, forced the Israeli government to redu= ce the intensity of its campaign substantially, he hasn=E2=80=99t actually = brought peace to the Strip, where Israel has killed hundreds in recent mont= hs and where it continues to brutalize the civilian population.<= /p>

      3D""Photo, =E2=80=9CGaza-Palestine Amid the massiv= e destruction in Jabalia camp, a young man and his mother drive a cart thro= ugh the camp=E2=80=99s streets, published on June 10, 2025 by=C2=A0Mohammed Ibrahim<= span>=C2=A0on=C2=A0Unsplash

      Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bulga= ria, El Salvador, Hungary, Indonesia, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, M= ongolia, Morocco, Pakistan, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, United = Arab Emirates, United States, and Uzbekistan are founding members of the BO= P, and the following countries have indicated an intention to join: Albania= , Belarus, Cambodia, Egypt.

      The list consists for the mos= t part of small countries or medium powers hoping to ingratiate themselves = with the president for their own reasons. The US is the only democracy, if = it is one anymore. Turkiye has become a competitive authoritarian regime an= d Israel rules 5 million Palestinians militarily without affording them any= right to vote on their own destinies. Western Europe indignantly rejected = Trump=E2=80=99s overtures.=C2=A0

      Critics hav= e complained that Trump, who made himself chairman of the board for life, i= s attempting to replace the United Nations =E2=80=94 which he has defunded = in an attempt to destroy it =E2=80=94 with a body under his personal contro= l.

      It doesn=E2=80=99t matter. Nothing constructive will= come of all this verbiage and all this kowtowing to Trump by an assemblage= of dictators, absolute monarchies, dusted-off generals, genocidaires and f= ar rightwing populists. Palestinians are huddling in tents atop the rubble = of their former homes, and babies are dying of hypothermia. We can talk abo= ut the =E2=80=9Ccease-fire=E2=80=9D when that situation has been remedied.<= /b>

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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 09:10:41 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 12:10:25 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AaiRm53qFV-kp_cgU2Hte1GccgGJRVjsnJno9zDI0kmU_ur5B6mlaJ1hQec6YCE Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="00000000000041be78064b4480b9" Subject: [Salon] No, even a 'small attack' on Iran will lead to war X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:10:44 -0000 --00000000000041be78064b4480b9 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable No, even a 'small attack' on Iran will lead to war The deal Trump wants is a no-go for Tehran, which is resigned to retaliating if bombed again, limited or otherwiseResponsible Statecraft Trita Parsi Feb 20, 2026 The Wall Street Journal *reports* that President Donald Trump is considering a small attack to force Iran to agree to his nuclear deal, and if Tehran refuses, escalate the attacks until Iran either agrees or the regime falls. Here=E2=80=99s why this won=E2=80=99t work. First of all, the =E2=80=9Cdeal=E2=80=9D Trump has put forward entails Tehr= an completely giving up its nuclear program in return for no *new* sanctions, but no actual sanctions relief. This is, of course, a non-starter for Iran. There are hardly any more sanctions the U.S. could impose on Iran. And the current level of sanctions is *suffocating the economy* . Accepting this deal would not enable Iran to escape its economic dead end, but would only prolong the economic decay while depriving it of the nuclear leverage it believes it needs to free itself from existing sanctions. Second, according to my sources, Trump recently also floated the idea of a smaller attack, with the Iranians responding symbolically by striking an empty U.S. base. But Tehran refused and made clear that any attack would be responded to forcefully. Trump may hope that with a much larger strike force in the region, Tehran will reconsider its response. But it is difficult to see why Tehran would, since caving to this military threat likely will only invite further coercive demands, beginning with conventional military options such as its missile capabilities. That is Iran=E2=80=99s last remaining deterrent against Israel . Without it, Israel would be more inclined to attack and cement its subjugation of Iran, or alternatively move to collapse the theocratic regime altogether, Tehran fears. Thus, capitulating to Trump=E2=80=99s =E2=80=9Cdeal=E2=80=9D would not end = the confrontation, but only make Tehran more vulnerable to further attacks by Israel or the U.S. Third, since the U.S. strategy, according to the WSJ, is to escalate until Tehran caves, and since capitulation is a non-option for Iran, the Iranians are incentivized to strike back right away at the U.S. The only exit Tehran sees is to fight back, inflict as much pain as possible on the U.S., and hope that this causes Trump to back off or accept a more equitable deal. In this calculation, Iran would not need to win the war (militarily, it can=E2=80=99t); it would only have to get close to destroying Trump=E2=80= =99s presidency before it loses the war by: 1) closing the Strait of Hormuz and strike oil installations in the region in the hope of driving oil prices to record levels and by that inflation in the U.S.; and 2) strike at U.S. bases, ships, or other regional assets and make Trump choose between compromise or a forever war in the region, rather than the quick glorious victory he is looking for. This is an extremely risky option for Iran, but one that Tehran sees as less risky than the capitulation =E2=80=9Cdeal=E2=80=9D Trump is seeking to= force on Iran. None of this, of course, serves U.S. interest, has been authorized by Congress, enjoys the support of the American people or the support of regional allies (save Israel), is compatible with international law, or answers the crucial question:* How does this end?* Trita Parsi is the co-founder and Executive Vice President of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft. --00000000000041be78064b4480b9 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
      =C2=A0

      No, ev= en a 'small attack' on Iran will lead to war

      The deal Trump wan= ts is a no-go for Tehran, which is resigned to retaliating if bombed again,= limited or otherwise

      Responsible Statecraft
      Trita Parsi
      Feb 20, 2026
      =C2=A0

      The Wall Street Journal=C2=A0reports=C2=A0that President Donald Tr= ump is considering a small attack to force=C2=A0Iran=C2=A0to agree to his nuclear deal, and if Tehran refuses, esca= late the attacks until Iran either agrees or the regime falls.

      Here=E2=80=99s why this won=E2=80=99t work.=

      First of all, the =E2=80=9Cdeal= =E2=80=9D Trump has put forward entails Tehran completely giving up its nuc= lear program in return for no=C2=A0new=C2=A0sanctions, bu= t no actual sanctions relief. This is, of course, a non-starter for Iran.

      There are hardly any more sanctio= ns the U.S. could impose on Iran. And the current level of sanctions is=C2= =A0suffocatin= g the economy. Accepting this deal would not enable Iran to escape = its economic dead end, but would only prolong the economic decay while depr= iving it of the nuclear leverage it believes it needs to free itself from e= xisting sanctions.

      Second, accor= ding to my sources, Trump recently also floated the idea of a smaller attac= k, with the Iranians responding symbolically by striking an empty U.S. base= . But Tehran refused and made clear that any attack would be responded to f= orcefully. Trump may hope that with a much larger strike force in the regio= n, Tehran will reconsider its response.

      But it is difficult to see why Tehran would, since caving to this m= ilitary threat likely will only invite further coercive demands, beginning = with conventional military options such as its missile capabilities. That i= s Iran=E2=80=99s last remaining deterrent against=C2=A0Israel. Without it, Israel would be more inclined to attack = and cement its subjugation of Iran, or alternatively move to collapse the t= heocratic regime altogether, Tehran fears.

      Thus, capitulating to Trump=E2=80=99s =E2=80=9Cdeal=E2=80=9D wou= ld not end the confrontation, but only make Tehran more vulnerable to furth= er attacks by Israel or the U.S.

      Third, since the U.S. strategy, according to the WSJ, is to escalate until= Tehran caves, and since capitulation is a non-option for Iran, the Iranian= s are incentivized to strike back right away at the U.S. The only exit Tehr= an sees is to fight back, inflict as much pain as possible on the U.S., and= hope that this causes Trump to back off or accept a more equitable deal.

      In this calculation, Iran would n= ot need to win the war (militarily, it can=E2=80=99t); it would only have t= o get close to destroying Trump=E2=80=99s presidency before it loses the wa= r by: 1) closing the Strait of Hormuz and strike oil installations in the r= egion in the hope of driving oil prices to record levels and by that inflat= ion in the U.S.; and 2) strike at U.S. bases, ships, or other regional asse= ts and make Trump choose between compromise or a forever war in the region,= rather than the quick glorious victory he is looking for.

      This is an extremely risky option for Iran, but = one that Tehran sees as less risky than the capitulation =E2=80=9Cdeal=E2= =80=9D Trump is seeking to force on Iran.

      None of this, of course, serves U.S. interest, has been authorize= d by Congress, enjoys the support of the American people or the support of = regional allies (save Israel), is compatible with international law, or ans= wers the crucial question:=C2=A0How does this= end?

      Trita Parsi is the co-founder and Executive Vice Presiden= t of the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft.


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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:29:10 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 13:28:54 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AaiRm50_i9n2Tc5HcXXRdBLMYnOJAZBzALQVVkehWy4syNsguGtJTYAla1qap48 Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000ec2dde064b459802" Subject: [Salon] US trade deficit widens sharply in December, testing Trump tariff claims X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 18:29:13 -0000 --000000000000ec2dde064b459802 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable US trade deficit widens sharply in December, testing Trump tariff claims Trade with China remains a major driver of the US deficit, even as imports shift towards Southeast Asia and other partners SCMP [image: In December, the US goods deficit with China stood at US$12.4 billion, underscoring Beijing=E2=80=99s continued role in America=E2=80=99s= trade gap. Photo: Getty Images] Khushboo Razdan in Washington 20 Feb 2026 The US trade imbalance widened sharply in December 2025, highlighting continued challenges in America=E2=80=99s economic relationship with the wo= rld and with key economic competitor China, according to a release from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis on Thursday. For the full year 2025, the US recorded a goods and services trade deficit of US$901.5 billion, a modest decline of 0.2 per cent from 2024, one of the largest since 1960. The total goods and services deficit in 2024 was US$903.5 billion, the report showed. According to the new data, the US goods and services deficit rose to US$70.3 billion in December, a sharp increase of 32.6 per cent from November=E2=80=99s revised US$53.0 billion. Exports fell slightly while imports increased, widening the gap as global demand shifted in the final months of the year. Monthly exports in December were US$287.3 billion, down US$5.0 billion from November. Imports rose to US$357.6 billion, an increase of US$12.3 billion over the same period. Although the overall US trade deficit with China has declined over the past year, China remains one of the largest sources of America=E2=80=99s bilater= al goods trade deficit. In December, the goods deficit with China stood at US$12.4 billion, one of the largest deficits with any single trading partner. The figures come as global trade patterns continue to shift amid ongoing US=E2=80=93China tensions, and follow comments a day earlier by US Presiden= t Donald Trump, who said the US trade deficit had fallen by 78 per cent as a result of tariffs. =E2=80=9CTHE UNITED STATES TRADE DEFICIT HAS BEEN REDUCED BY 78% BECAUSE OF= THE TARIFFS BEING CHARGED TO OTHER COMPANIES AND COUNTRIES,=E2=80=9D the presid= ent said in a post on his Truth Social platform. Recent analysis by supply-chain research firm project44 showed that US imports from China fell by about 35 per cent year-over-year in January 2026, even during the traditional Lunar New Year stockpiling period, as companies continued moving supply chains away from China and towards Southeast Asia. Meanwhile, US exports to China have also remained weak, reflecting ongoing tariff pressures and softer demand, highlighting the uneven trade relationship between the world=E2=80=99s two largest economies. For the full year 2025, US exports to China fell to US$106.3 billion, down from about US$143.2 billion in 2024. This marked a sharp drop of US$36.9 billion, or roughly 25 per cent, in a single year. The US also ran significant trade deficits with several other Asian economies in December. Taiwan led the list at US$19.8 billion, followed by Vietnam at US$17.6 billion, Japan at US$5.3 billion, South Korea at US$5.8 billion, India at US$5.2 billion, Malaysia at US$3.0 billion and Indonesia at US$2.3 billion. Vietnam and Taiwan have become major manufacturing centres for electronics and components, reflecting a broader =E2=80=9CChina-plus-one=E2=80=9D strat= egy by US firms seeking to reduce reliance on mainland China while maintaining access to regional supply chains. However, these shifts have largely spread America=E2=80=99s trade deficit a= cross more countries in Asia rather than reducing it overall. While changes in Asian manufacturing drew attention, the 2025 data also showed a wider shift. For the full year, the US trade deficit with the European Union, at US$218.8 billion, was larger than its deficit with China= . Exports grew faster than imports over the year, supported in part by services such as travel, intellectual property and financial services, which helped partly offset persistent goods trade deficits, including those involving China. The report was delayed due to a six-week federal government shutdown that began in October 2025. [image: Khushboo Razdan] Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan is a senior correspondent based in Washington. Prior to this, she worked for the Post in New York. Before joining the team, she worked as a multimedia journalist in Beijing and New Delhi for over a decade. She is a graduate of the Columbia Journalism School. --000000000000ec2dde064b459802 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

      US trade def= icit widens sharply in December, testing Trump tariff claims

      <= h3 class=3D"er6t7fe3 gmail-css-19mvk5a e1ql5f172" style=3D"box-sizing:borde= r-box;margin:0px;padding:0px;font-style:inherit;font-variant:inherit;font-w= eight:inherit;font-stretch:inherit;line-height:inherit;font-family:inherit;= font-size-adjust:inherit;font-kerning:inherit;font-feature-settings:inherit= ;font-size:18px;vertical-align:baseline;border:0px">

      Trade w= ith China remains a major driver of the US deficit, even as imports shift t= owards Southeast Asia and other partners

      SCMP
      3D"In
      Khushboo Razdanin=C2=A0Washington
      =
      20 Feb 2026

      The US trade imbalance widened sharply= in December 2025, highlighting continued challenges in America=E2=80=99s e= conomic relationship with the world and with key economic competitor China,= according to a release from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis on Thursday= .

      For the full year 202= 5, the US recorded a goods and services trade deficit of US$901.5 billion, = a modest decline of 0.2 per cent from 2024, one of the largest since 1960. = The total goods and services deficit in 2024 was US$903.5 billion, the repo= rt showed.

      According to= the new data, the US goods and services deficit rose to US$70.3 billion in= December, a sharp increase of 32.6 per cent from November=E2=80=99s revise= d US$53.0 billion.

      Exports fell slightly while imports increased, widening the gap as globa= l demand shifted in the final months of the year.

      Monthly exports in December were US$287.3 billio= n, down US$5.0 billion from November. Imports rose to US$357.6 billion, an = increase of US$12.3 billion over the same period.

      Although the overall US trade deficit with China= has declined over the past year, China remains one of the largest sources = of America=E2=80=99s bilateral goods trade deficit.

      In December, the goods deficit with China stoo= d at US$12.4 billion, one of the largest deficits with any single trading p= artner.

      The figures com= e as global trade patterns continue to shift amid ongoing US=E2=80=93China = tensions, and follow comments a day earlier by US President Donald Trump, w= ho said the US trade deficit had fallen by 78 per cent as a result of tarif= fs.

      =E2=80=9CTHE UNITED= STATES TRADE DEFICIT HAS BEEN REDUCED BY 78% BECAUSE OF THE TARIFFS BEING = CHARGED TO OTHER COMPANIES AND COUNTRIES,=E2=80=9D the president said in a = post on his Truth Social platform.

      Recent analysis by supply-chain research firm project44 = showed that US imports from China fell by about 35 per cent year-over-year = in January 2026, even during the traditional Lunar New Year stockpiling per= iod, as companies continued moving supply chains away from China and toward= s Southeast Asia.

      Meanw= hile, US exports to China have also remained weak, reflecting ongoing tarif= f pressures and softer demand, highlighting the uneven trade relationship b= etween the world=E2=80=99s two largest economies.

      For the full year 2025, US exports to China fell= to US$106.3 billion, down from about US$143.2 billion in 2024. This marked= a sharp drop of US$36.9 billion, or roughly 25 per cent, in a single year.=

      The US also ran signif= icant trade deficits with several other Asian economies in December.

      Taiwan led the list at US$19.= 8 billion, followed by Vietnam at US$17.6 billion, Japan at US$5.3 billion,= South Korea at US$5.8 billion, India at US$5.2 billion, Malaysia at US$3.0= billion and Indonesia at US$2.3 billion.

      Vietnam and Taiwan have become major manufacturing centr= es for electronics and components, reflecting a broader =E2=80=9CChina-plus= -one=E2=80=9D strategy by US firms seeking to reduce reliance on mainland C= hina while maintaining access to regional supply chains.

      However, these shifts have largely spread= America=E2=80=99s trade deficit across more countries in Asia rather than = reducing it overall.

      Wh= ile changes in Asian manufacturing drew attention, the 2025 data also showe= d a wider shift. For the full year, the US trade deficit with the European = Union, at US$218.8 billion, was larger than its deficit with China.

      Exports grew faster than impor= ts over the year, supported in part by services such as travel, intellectua= l property and financial services, which helped partly offset persistent go= ods trade deficits, including those involving China.

      The report was delayed due to a six-we= ek federal government shutdown that began in October 2025.

      3D"Khushboo
      Khushboo Razdan
      Khushboo Razdan is a senior correspond= ent based in Washington. Prior to this, she worked for the Post in New York= . Before joining the team, she worked as a multimedia journalist in Beijing= and New Delhi for over a decade. She is a graduate of the Columbia Journal= ism School.
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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 12:34:22 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 15:34:06 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AaiRm52k4kw7xlWmd_Wo9tWZv_r7ieUag22CwvVgKciZ7PaDQnmqWOUz6NUP7YQ Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000abf610064b47584b" Subject: [Salon] =?utf-8?q?Amb=2E_Chas_Freeman=3A_Is_Israel_Dragging_the_?= =?utf-8?q?U=2ES=2E_Into_Israel=E2=80=99s_Next_Endless_War=3F?= X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:34:25 -0000 --000000000000abf610064b47584b Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm5QS9WLZGk&list=UUkF-6h_Zgf9zXNUmUB-MzTw&index=1&t=88s --000000000000abf610064b47584b Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" --000000000000abf610064b47584b-- From cwfresidence@gmail.com Fri Feb 20 14:20:32 2026 Return-Path: X-Original-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Delivered-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Received: from mlm0.listserve.net (mlm0.listserve.net [161.35.233.68]) by mlm2.listserve.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id B1314B0851 for ; 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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:20:29 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:20:14 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AaiRm50Gmxz1pJi1Z_cKY9jpMrdQJNduuRomm8TUtFf0j0w7ZE5fCbJs4rBMnYo Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000305285064b48d495" Subject: [Salon] Evil in the West Bank X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:20:32 -0000 --000000000000305285064b48d495 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Evil in the West Bank David Shulman March 12, 2026 issue As long as the daily horrors in the occupied territories continue and the extreme right remains in power, democracy in Israel will be sick at the core.[image: A Jewish settler with his sheep watching Palestinians dismantle their houses near their village of Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain, West Bank= ] Amir Levy/Getty Images A Jewish settler with his sheep watching Palestinians dismantle their houses after settler violence forced them to abandon their village of Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain, West Bank, January 12, 2026 For the last three years or so, the pastoral West Bank village of Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain was my home away from home, its Bedouin people an extended = family. Israeli settlers living in illegal outposts adjacent to the village assaulted it daily throughout these years and have now finally overwhelmed it. All the families have taken apart their houses and left. Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain was the last large Palestinian village in the southern = Jordan Valley. The others, including the twin village of Mu=E2=80=98arrajat two mi= les away, had been destroyed and their people expelled in a highly effective campaign of ethnic cleansing backed by the Israeli government. For many decades roughly a thousand people lived in Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain. They belong= ed to three Bedouin tribes=E2=80=94Rashaida, Jahalin, and Ka=E2=80=98abneh=E2=80= =94that united in the hope that together they could withstand settler violence. Most of the villagers were shepherds, surviving in a subsistence economy. On the night of March 7, 2025, dozens of heavily armed settlers under the protection of the police and the army invaded Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain and stole at least a th= ousand, and possibly as many as 1,500, of the villagers=E2=80=99 sheep and goats. W= e have excellent video documentation, taken by two remarkably courageous activists, of that raid. The Palestinian owners submitted a formal complaint to the police, with the video documentation, but=E2=80=94as usual= these days=E2=80=94within a few hours the police closed the file on the grounds t= hat there was no supporting evidence. A thousand sheep are worth some two million Israeli shekels. The economic foundation of the village was devastated. Still, most of the families held on. The village was on privately owned Palestinian land that under Israeli law should have been off limits to the settlers. No Israeli official, however, was prepared to enforce the law. The police have been turned into a vicious ultranationalist militia under the command of Itamar Ben-Gvir, the serial criminal (dozens of indictments and several convictions) and hate-monger appointed minister of national security by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. There is also no succor from the Israeli civil courts. After the theft of the sheep, those who remained in the village still had to deal with the daily incursions of the settlers, including beatings, curses, threats, harassment, pepper spray, and more theft. Our activists=E2=80=94all of us Gandhian-style nonviolent resisters= =E2=80=94did what we could to block the violence, with some success. In late December 2025, the settlers plowed a large expanse of the village land=E2=80=94plowing in the West Bank is a claim to possession=E2=80=94and = created the rudiments of another illegal outpost inside Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain, not far fr= om an outpost set up earlier a little farther south. The plowing was preceded by a day of particularly savage attacks on Palestinians, journalists who came to report, and our activists. The settlers also besieged several of the houses bordering the plowed field and the outpost, blocking the residents= =E2=80=99 access to food, water, and electricity. As our friend Salameh told me, =E2= =80=9CWe have nothing left=E2=80=94no money, no food, no water, no medicines, no res= t, and no hope.=E2=80=9D Within a few days of this torment, the families began the excruciating business of demolishing their houses. I witnessed it. It was perhaps the hardest day I have known in twenty-some years in the occupied West Bank. A few families managed to stay on, braving the danger. Settler gangs roamed the village freely, exulting in their victory over what they call =E2=80=9C= the enemy=E2=80=9D=E2=80=94the peaceful people of Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain. Daily an= d nightly attacks on Palestinian homes and families continued. By now the village has been emptied of its people. If you=E2=80=99d like to witness human evil at its w= orst, come with me any day to the West Bank. The story of Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain has been replicated again and again throug= hout Area C in the occupied territories, which is under full Israeli control. By our count, Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain is the eighty-sixth village destroyed in the= last two to three years. No one knows for sure how many brainwashed, hate-driven, sadistic settlers are now active in Area C. Many of them are adolescents trained to hurt and kill; most of them hope for an apocalypse that will herald the arrival of the Messiah. Netanyahu, in his usual mendacious style, recently claimed in an interview that there are only about seventy of them. He knows better than that. The real number is closer to many hundreds, maybe more; they are not subject to punishment or restraint of any kind. If the government wanted to stop these pogroms and the entire project of ethnic cleansing, the army could do so in a few days. So far there=E2=80=99s no sign of the Messiah. However one looks at the sit= uation, we are witnessing a major moral disaster resulting from numberless crimes against humanity. And then there is Gaza. The army in the territories, like the police, like the civil service, indeed like most of the institutions of Israeli democracy, has been corrupted by Netanyahu=E2=80=99s government. Officers and soldiers at all l= evels are firmly bonded with the bloodthirsty settlers. The Supreme Court is fighting for its survival in the face of overt statements by the prime minister, as well as several of his ministers, that they will not honor its rulings. Put simply, the government is now the number one enemy of the Israeli state as we have known it. Elections are scheduled for later this year, but there is every reason to doubt that they will actually take place or that they will be honest and secure. Already the right-wing parties of the governing coalition are advancing bills in the Knesset that would rig the elections in their favor. A new law still pending would bar anyone or any party that has even hinted at support for the Palestinian cause and is thus classed as a terrorist from being elected to the Knesset. For the Kahanists like Ben-Gvir and the wild and thuggish settlers, any Arab person is by definition a terrorist. The goal is to disqualify Israeli Arab parties from participating in the elections, with the result that Arab voters will not turn up to vote. Decisions about disenfranchisement will now rest entirely with the Central Elections Committee, made up mainly of members of the Knesset, rather than with the Supreme Court, which in the past had oversight of such questions. In those days the bar was set very high, as is normal in a true democracy. Not anymore. If the Israeli Arab parties, which won over 10 percent of the votes in the last elections and are likely to win more than that this year, are barred from running, the Israeli right wing will rule for the foreseeable future. As of this writing, the four Arab parties that ran in the 2022 elections are trying to create a single joint list. Then there is a bill, tailored specifically for Netanyahu, that would declare (probably retroactively) that fraud and breach of trust are no longer criminal offenses. He is charged with these crimes, along with bribery; the court that has been hearing his case for the last six years is setting a world record for indolence and delay. So far the bill has not been passed into law. Another law in process would subordinate the committee responsible for the appointment of judges to the mercies of the extremist right-wing politicians. The attempt to eviscerate it is the keystone in the government=E2=80=99s demolition of the rule of law. The coa= lition is also trying to take over the body that regulates Israeli universities; if this succeeds, it will be the death knell for the country=E2=80=99s worl= d-class academic system. More legislation along these lines, initiated by the fanatical justice minister, Yariv Levin, is in the works. Recently I made a list of prevalent assumptions that provide the underpinnings for much of Israeli society and politics. I=E2=80=99ll mentio= n four (there are more), all of them either obsolete or clearly unethical or both. 1. The Land of Israel, from the Jordan River to the sea, belongs to the Jews and only to the Jews. 2. The state is a metaphysical entity worth dying for, if necessary, rather than a pragmatic framework meant to make life livable for its citizens. 3. What was initially an explicit drive to create a Jewish majority in Palestine=E2=80=94a goal realized in the course of the 1948 war and the Pal= estinian Nakba=E2=80=94has morphed into an obsession with ensuring Jewish supremacy throughout the land, and specifically in the occupied territories. To that end, Israel needs a harsh apartheid system in the West Bank. 4. An Israeli proverb: =E2=80=9CIf force doesn=E2=80=99t work, use more for= ce.=E2=80=9D Not even Thomas Hobbes entertained such a primitive notion of what constitutes power. International legitimacy no longer counts. One corollary to these assumptions is the grandiose yet desperate militarism that permeates so much of public life. It dominates the passion and the logic of the Israeli right, especially when meshed with a self-righteous delight in seeing oneself as an eternal victim. There is no room for ethical thought, let alone generosity or compassion, in that kind of mental universe. I will always remember my commanding officers in the first (futile) Lebanon War in 1982 telling us that we had the great privilege of dying for the state. No one doubts that Israel has serious enemies. But the idea that, as Netanyahu has recently argued, Israel will have to become a super-Sparta=E2=80=94that is, mired in perpetual war=E2=80=94is a sure reci= pe for self-destruction. Similarly, there is no doubt that there is antisemitism in the world, but criticism of Israeli policies and actions is not antisemitism. The best, indeed the only way to emerge from the present morass and to weaken our enemies is to move toward serious d=C3=A9tente bet= ween Palestinians and Israelis. One might ask, especially after October 7, if there are Palestinian counterparts to the Israeli peace activists still working toward this goal. The answer is yes. It=E2=80=99s easy enough to agree that the Palestinian A= uthority is hopelessly corrupt. Despite that, its security services have cooperated effectively with Israeli intelligence for the last twenty-five years, saving many Israeli lives. On a deeper level, the many Palestinians I have known and worked with over the last decades in the villages and cities hunger for peace. As one of the shepherds from Mu=E2=80=99arrajat once said= to me, =E2=80=9CWe all live for such a short time above ground. For all eternity w= e will be underneath it. Why do people waste the time we have in hurting and killing one another?=E2=80=9D I have also met several prominent =E2=80=9CPa= lestinian Gandhis=E2=80=9D committed to nonviolent resistance, not only because they = have seen how violence always works against them but also on moral grounds. Nonetheless, Netanyahu continues to do all in his power to make sure that the answer to my question is no, since the mere idea of peace with the Palestinians is anathema to him. Is democracy, in some imperfect form, still an intrinsic part of the Israeli worldview, as it was in the Scroll of Independence, the foundational text for the State of Israel? It is, I would guess, for approximately half the body politic. The other half applies the term =E2=80=9Cdemocracy=E2=80=9D to the ongoing attempt to eradicate minority ri= ghts and to put an authoritarian, or dictatorial, or perhaps theocratic system in place. Fortunately Israel still has a strong base of remarkable people prepared to struggle for universalist values, as well as for the classic Jewish values of imaginative empathy, kindness, and freedom from slavery for all. But as long as the occupation, with its daily horrors, continues apace, and as long as the extreme Israeli right is in power, democracy in Israel will be sick at the core. It cannot be healed without our recognizing Palestinians as human beings with equal rights, and doing our part to set them free. Meanwhile we have communal violence fomented by the coalition and bordering on civil war, a government that has declared war on the courts and the entire democratic system, moral catastrophes wherever one looks, and ongoing, brutal ethnic cleansing=E2=80=94a second Nakba=E2=80=94as in Ras a= l-=E2=80=98Ain. We are watching the not-so-slow disintegration of the Israeli state. Newton taught that entropy always prevails in the end. But here we have willful, personally initiated and executed entropy in the form of barbarism. Netanyahu and the nonentities around him bear a heavy responsibility. Still, we have to remember that in the most recent elections in 2022, 23.41 percent of the electorate=E2=80=94more than a million Israelis, a large num= ber in this tiny country=E2=80=94voted for him and his Likud party. Some people think that the present crisis was inevitable because of the flaws inherent in the Zionist program from the start. I don=E2=80=99t accep= t that deterministic teleology, though the settler colonial enterprise in the occupied territories and the failure to come to terms with the Palestinian national movement were and are cardinal sins. No doubt a long history of collective trauma, bitterly reinforced on October 7, has played a part in the present disaster. In any case the ethno-nation-state is prone to racism and cruelty, as Hannah Arendt saw clearly in 1947 (and she was a Zionist). Perhaps the bottom line is that the Israeli people, like nearly all Palestinians in the occupied territories, are chronically terrified, not without reason. Somewhere in the depths of that fear there may still be a hidden spark of humane caring, sanity, and hope. =E2=80=94*February 12, 2026* David Shulman David Shulman is the author of *Tamil: A Biography*, among other books. He is Professor Emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and was awarded the Israel Prize for Religious Studies in 2016. He is a longtime activist with Ta=E2=80=99ayush, the Arab=E2=80=93Jewish Partnership, in the occupied= Palestinian territories. (March 2026) --000000000000305285064b48d495 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
      3D=

      Evil in the Wes= t Bank

      David Shulman<= /span>

      March 12, 2026 issue

      As long a= s the daily horrors in the occupied territories continue and the extreme ri= ght remains in power, democracy in Israel will be sick at the core.3D"A
      =

      Amir Levy/Getty Imag= es

      A Jewish settler with his sheep watchi= ng Palestinians dismantle their houses after settler violence forced them t= o abandon their village of Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain, West Bank, January 12, 2026=

      For the last thr= ee years or so, the pastoral West Bank village of Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain was m= y home away from home, its Bedouin people an extended family. Israeli settl= ers living in illegal outposts adjacent to the village assaulted it daily t= hroughout these years and have now finally overwhelmed it. All the families= have taken apart their houses and left.

      Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain was the last large Palestinian vi= llage in the southern Jordan Valley. The others, including the twin village= of Mu=E2=80=98arrajat two miles away, had been destroyed and their people = expelled in a highly effective campaign of ethnic cleansing backed by the I= sraeli government. For many decades roughly a thousand people lived in Ras = al-=E2=80=98Ain. They belonged to three Bedouin tribes=E2=80=94Rashaida, Ja= halin, and Ka=E2=80=98abneh=E2=80=94that united in the hope that together t= hey could withstand settler violence. Most of the villagers were shepherds,= surviving in a subsistence economy. On the night of March 7, 2025, dozens = of heavily armed settlers under the protection of the police and the army i= nvaded Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain and stole at least a thousand, and possibly as m= any as 1,500, of the villagers=E2=80=99 sheep and goats. We have excellent = video documentation, taken by two remarkably courageous activists, of that = raid. The Palestinian owners submitted a formal complaint to the police, wi= th the video documentation, but=E2=80=94as usual these days=E2=80=94within = a few hours the police closed the file on the grounds that there was no sup= porting evidence. A thousand sheep are worth some two million Israeli sheke= ls. The economic foundation of the village was devastated.

      Still, most of the families held on= . The village was on privately owned Palestinian land that under Israeli la= w should have been off limits to the settlers. No Israeli official, however= , was prepared to enforce the law. The police have been turned into a vicio= us ultranationalist militia under the command of Itamar Ben-Gvir, the seria= l criminal (dozens of indictments and several convictions) and hate-monger = appointed minister of national security by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyah= u. There is also no succor from the Israeli civil courts. After the theft o= f the sheep, those who remained in the village still had to deal with the d= aily incursions of the settlers, including beatings, curses, threats, haras= sment, pepper spray, and more theft. Our activists=E2=80=94all of us Gandhi= an-style nonviolent resisters=E2=80=94did what we could to block the violen= ce, with some success.

      In late December 2025, the settlers plowed a large expanse of the villa= ge land=E2=80=94plowing in the West Bank is a claim to possession=E2=80=94a= nd created the rudiments of another illegal outpost inside Ras al-=E2=80=98= Ain, not far from an outpost set up earlier a little farther south. The plo= wing was preceded by a day of particularly savage attacks on Palestinians, = journalists who came to report, and our activists. The settlers also besieg= ed several of the houses bordering the plowed field and the outpost, blocki= ng the residents=E2=80=99 access to food, water, and electricity. As our fr= iend Salameh told me, =E2=80=9CWe have nothing left=E2=80=94no money, no fo= od, no water, no medicines, no rest, and no hope.=E2=80=9D Within a few day= s of this torment, the families began the excruciating business of demolish= ing their houses. I witnessed it. It was perhaps the hardest day I have kno= wn in twenty-some years in the occupied West Bank.

      A few families managed to stay on, braving = the danger. Settler gangs roamed the village freely, exulting in their vict= ory over what they call =E2=80=9Cthe enemy=E2=80=9D=E2=80=94the peaceful pe= ople of Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain. Daily and nightly attacks on Palestinian homes= and families continued. By now the village has been emptied of its people.= If you=E2=80=99d like to witness human evil at its worst, come with me any= day to the West Bank.

      The story of Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain has been = replicated again and again throughout Area C in the occupied territories, w= hich is under full Israeli control. By our count, Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain is th= e eighty-sixth village destroyed in the last two to three years. No one kno= ws for sure how many brainwashed, hate-driven, sadistic settlers are now ac= tive in Area C. Many of them are adolescents trained to hurt and kill; most= of them hope for an apocalypse that will herald the arrival of the Messiah= . Netanyahu, in his usual mendacious style, recently claimed in an intervie= w that there are only about seventy of them. He knows better than that. The= real number is closer to many hundreds, maybe more; they are not subject t= o punishment or restraint of any kind. If the government wanted to stop the= se pogroms and the entire project of ethnic cleansing, the army could do so= in a few days. So far there=E2=80=99s no sign of the Messiah. However one = looks at the situation, we are witnessing a major moral disaster resulting = from numberless crimes against humanity. And then there is Gaza.

      The army in the territories, = like the police, like the civil service, indeed like most of the institutio= ns of Israeli democracy, has been corrupted by Netanyahu=E2=80=99s governme= nt. Officers and soldiers at all levels are firmly bonded with the bloodthi= rsty settlers. The Supreme Court is fighting for its survival in the face o= f overt statements by the prime minister, as well as several of his ministe= rs, that they will not honor its rulings. Put simply, the government is now= the number one enemy of the Israeli state as we have known it.

      Elections are scheduled for la= ter this year, but there is every reason to doubt that they will actually t= ake place or that they will be honest and secure. Already the right-wing pa= rties of the governing coalition are advancing bills in the Knesset that wo= uld rig the elections in their favor. A new law still pending would bar any= one or any party that has even hinted at support for the Palestinian cause = and is thus classed as a terrorist from being elected to the Knesset. For t= he Kahanists like Ben-Gvir and the wild and thuggish settlers, any Arab per= son is by definition a terrorist. The goal is to disqualify Israeli Arab pa= rties from participating in the elections, with the result that Arab voters= will not turn up to vote. Decisions about disenfranchisement will now rest= entirely with the Central Elections Committee, made up mainly of members o= f the Knesset, rather than with the Supreme Court, which in the past had ov= ersight of such questions. In those days the bar was set very high, as is n= ormal in a true democracy. Not anymore. If the Israeli Arab parties, which = won over 10 percent of the votes in the last elections and are likely to wi= n more than that this year, are barred from running, the Israeli right wing= will rule for the foreseeable future. As of this writing, the four Arab pa= rties that ran in the 2022 elections are trying to create a single joint li= st.

      Then there is a= bill, tailored specifically for Netanyahu, that would declare (probably re= troactively) that fraud and breach of trust are no longer criminal offenses= . He is charged with these crimes, along with bribery; the court that has b= een hearing his case for the last six years is setting a world record for i= ndolence and delay. So far the bill has not been passed into law. Another l= aw in process would subordinate the committee responsible for the appointme= nt of judges to the mercies of the extremist right-wing politicians. The at= tempt to eviscerate it is the keystone in the government=E2=80=99s demoliti= on of the rule of law. The coalition is also trying to take over the body t= hat regulates Israeli universities; if this succeeds, it will be the death = knell for the country=E2=80=99s world-class academic system. More legislati= on along these lines, initiated by the fanatical justice minister, Yariv Le= vin, is in the works.

      Recently I made a list of prevalent assumptions that provide the underpi= nnings for much of Israeli society and politics. I=E2=80=99ll mention four = (there are more), all of them either obsolete or clearly unethical or both.=

      1. The Land of Isr= ael, from the Jordan River to the sea, belongs to the Jews and only to the = Jews.

      2. The state = is a metaphysical entity worth dying for, if necessary, rather than a pragm= atic framework meant to make life livable for its citizens.

      3. What was initially an explicit = drive to create a Jewish majority in Palestine=E2=80=94a goal realized in t= he course of the 1948 war and the Palestinian Nakba=E2=80=94has morphed int= o an obsession with ensuring Jewish supremacy throughout the land, and spec= ifically in the occupied territories. To that end, Israel needs a harsh apa= rtheid system in the West Bank.

      4. An Israeli proverb: =E2=80=9CIf force doesn=E2=80=99t work,= use more force.=E2=80=9D Not even Thomas Hobbes entertained such a primiti= ve notion of what constitutes power. International legitimacy no longer cou= nts.

      One corollary = to these assumptions is the grandiose yet desperate militarism that permeat= es so much of public life. It dominates the passion and the logic of the Is= raeli right, especially when meshed with a self-righteous delight in seeing= oneself as an eternal victim. There is no room for ethical thought, let al= one generosity or compassion, in that kind of mental universe. I will alway= s remember my commanding officers in the first (futile) Lebanon War in 1982= telling us that we had the great privilege of dying for the state.

      No one doubts that Israel = has serious enemies. But the idea that, as Netanyahu has recently argued, I= srael will have to become a super-Sparta=E2=80=94that is, mired in perpetua= l war=E2=80=94is a sure recipe for self-destruction. Similarly, there is no= doubt that there is antisemitism in the world, but criticism of Israeli po= licies and actions is not antisemitism. The best, indeed the only way to em= erge from the present morass and to weaken our enemies is to move toward se= rious d=C3=A9tente between Palestinians and Israelis.

      One might a= sk, especially after October 7, if there are Palestinian counterparts to th= e Israeli peace activists still working toward this goal. The answer is yes= . It=E2=80=99s easy enough to agree that the Palestinian Authority is hopel= essly corrupt. Despite that, its security services have cooperated effectiv= ely with Israeli intelligence for the last twenty-five years, saving many I= sraeli lives. On a deeper level, the many Palestinians I have known and wor= ked with over the last decades in the villages and cities hunger for peace.= As one of the shepherds from Mu=E2=80=99arrajat once said to me, =E2=80=9C= We all live for such a short time above ground. For all eternity we will be= underneath it. Why do people waste the time we have in hurting and killing= one another?=E2=80=9D I have also met several prominent =E2=80=9CPalestini= an Gandhis=E2=80=9D committed to nonviolent resistance, not only because th= ey have seen how violence always works against them but also on moral groun= ds. Nonetheless, Netanyahu continues to do all in his power to make sure th= at the answer to my question is no, since the mere idea of peace with the P= alestinians is anathema to him.

      Is democracy, in some imperfect form, still an intrinsic part = of the Israeli worldview, as it was in the Scroll of Independence, the foun= dational text for the State of Israel? It is, I would guess, for approximat= ely half the body politic. The other half applies the term =E2=80=9Cdemocra= cy=E2=80=9D to the ongoing attempt to eradicate minority rights and to put = an authoritarian, or dictatorial, or perhaps theocratic system in place. Fo= rtunately Israel still has a strong base of remarkable people prepared to s= truggle for universalist values, as well as for the classic Jewish values o= f imaginative empathy, kindness, and freedom from slavery for all. But as l= ong as the occupation, with its daily horrors, continues apace, and as long= as the extreme Israeli right is in power, democracy in Israel will be sick= at the core. It cannot be healed without our recognizing Palestinians as h= uman beings with equal rights, and doing our part to set them free. Meanwhi= le we have communal violence fomented by the coalition and bordering on civ= il war, a government that has declared war on the courts and the entire dem= ocratic system, moral catastrophes wherever one looks, and ongoing, brutal = ethnic cleansing=E2=80=94a second Nakba=E2=80=94as in Ras al-=E2=80=98Ain.<= /p>

      We are watching the= not-so-slow disintegration of the Israeli state. Newton taught that entrop= y always prevails in the end. But here we have willful, personally initiate= d and executed entropy in the form of barbarism. Netanyahu and the nonentit= ies around him bear a heavy responsibility. Still, we have to remember that= in the most recent elections in 2022, 23.41 percent of the electorate=E2= =80=94more than a million Israelis, a large number in this tiny country=E2= =80=94voted for him and his Likud party.

      Some people think that the present crisis was inevita= ble because of the flaws inherent in the Zionist program from the start. I = don=E2=80=99t accept that deterministic teleology, though the settler colon= ial enterprise in the occupied territories and the failure to come to terms= with the Palestinian national movement were and are cardinal sins. No doub= t a long history of collective trauma, bitterly reinforced on October 7, ha= s played a part in the present disaster. In any case the ethno-nation-state= is prone to racism and cruelty, as Hannah Arendt saw clearly in 1947 (and = she was a Zionist). Perhaps the bottom line is that the Israeli people, lik= e nearly all Palestinians in the occupied territories, are chronically terr= ified, not without reason. Somewhere in the depths of that fear there may s= till be a hidden spark of humane caring, sanity, and hope.

      =E2=80=94= February 12, 2026

      David Shulman

      David Shulman is= the author of=C2=A0Tamil: A Biography, among other b= ooks. He is Professor Emeritus at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and wa= s awarded the Israel Prize for Religious Studies in 2016. He is a longtime = activist with Ta=E2=80=99ayush, the Arab=E2=80=93Jewish Partnership, in the= occupied Palestinian territories. (March 2026)

      =
      https://www.sc= mp.com/news/china/military/article/3344147/china-scrambles-fighters-confron= t-us-warplanes-based-south-korea?module=3Dtop_story&pgtype=3Dhomepage

      China scrambles fighters to c= onfront US warplanes based in South Korea

      =3D"US

      The American warplanes made a rare approach towards China=E2= =80=99s air defence identification zone over the Yellow Sea, local media re= ported

      US and Chinese fighter jets have e= ngaged in a rare stand-off over the Yellow Sea, according to media reports = in South Korea.

      This comes at a time when= the United States has been trying to shift the focus of its troops station= ed in the country away from North Korea to concentrate more on China.

      The incident on Wednesday involved around 10 U= S F-16s, which took off from Osan Air Base around 65km (40 miles) south of = Seoul and flew west over the Yellow Sea as part of a training operation, ac= cording to reports citing South Korean military sources.

      As the F-16s approached China=E2=80=99s air defence identif= ication zone (ADIZ), Beijing responded by scrambling its own fighter jets, = in what South Korea=E2=80=99s MBC news described as a =E2=80=9Cbrief=E2=80= =9D face-off.

      The US planes did not enter= the Chinese ADIZ and the Chinese planes did not enter the South Korean one= .

      The US has not released any information= about Wednesday=E2=80=99s operation, but it is rare for its planes to appr= oach the Chinese air defence zone over the Yellow Sea.

      =
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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 14:24:56 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:24:40 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AaiRm529gohc__acNcVWAFijb5-kOsteKXVzxJ7bQvs6t0J5xl0M383GLvZc_sY Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000162db3064b48e4ba" Subject: [Salon] Unmasking An Elaborate Lie X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:24:59 -0000 --000000000000162db3064b48e4ba Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable https://ggtvstreams.substack.com/p/unmasking-an-elaborate-lie?publication_i= d=3D2723908&post_id=3D188650261&r=3D1eogb&triedRedirect=3Dtrue Unmasking An Elaborate Lie Tucker Carlson's interview of US Ambassador to Israel - Mike Huckabee Global GeoPolitics Feb 20, 2026 Tucker Carlson=E2=80=99s interview with Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee = has been released, and several moments stand out, none of them particularly flattering to Huckabee. 1. When Tucker asked Huckabee about the alleged genocide in Gaza, the former Arkansas governor said that Hamas leadership and anyone affiliate= d with Hamas deserved to die. When Tucker pressed him on whether that included teenagers, Huckabee said it did. He appeared to justify the killing of teenagers in Gaza under that framework. 2. Tucker questioned Huckabee about Israel=E2=80=99s claim to Palestinian l= and. As he did in a previous interview with Ted Cruz, Huckabee cited the Bible t= o justify Israel=E2=80=99s right to the land. When Tucker raised the issue= of genealogy and ancestry in the region, he argued that no one can directly trace their lineage back to ancient Israel, including Benjamin Netanyahu= , and claimed that many people in Israel have European origins. When pressed further, Huckabee said he didn=E2=80=99t understand the questi= on. However, he went on to state that regarding Israel taking Palestinian land, =E2=80=9CIt would be fine if they took it all.=E2=80=9D 3. Huckabee also drew criticism for meeting with Jonathan Pollard, who was convicted of passing U.S. state secrets to Israel and served decades in prison. Before Pollard=E2=80=99s release, Huckabee had advocated for his= freedom in 2011. In the interview, Huckabee downplayed the meeting, describing it a= s brief and insignificant. He said he simply greeted Pollard and did not regret the encounter. 4. When the conversation turned to Jeffrey Epstein, Huckabee claimed he had not been closely following recent developments. However, when Tucker mentioned Epstein=E2=80=99s alleged connections to Mossad and Israel, Hu= ckabee pushed back, saying that was not what official files showed, despite hav= ing just indicated he wasn=E2=80=99t paying attention to the case. 5. On a personal note, I=E2=80=99m glad this interview will remain accessib= le. I hope it does, I had trouble viewing it Facebook, had to go on Twitter in the end. In my view, it highlights what I see as the concorted basis for unbridled justification for colonialism and extremism within certain strands of Zionist ideology. Global GeoPolitics *Thank you for visiting. This is a reader-supported publication. I cannot do this without your support. If you believe journalism should serve the public, not the powerful, and you=E2=80=99re in a position to help, becomin= g a PAID SUBSCRIBER truly makes a difference. Alternatively you can support by way of a cup of coffee:* *https://buymeacoffee.com/ggtv |* *https://ko-fi.com/globalgeopolitics |* *https://buy.stripe.com/3cI5kDdnaeusckjd6Pawo00 * --000000000000162db3064b48e4ba Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
      https://ggtvstreams.substack.com/p/unmasking-a= n-elaborate-lie?publication_id=3D2723908&post_id=3D188650261&r=3D1e= ogb&triedRedirect=3Dtrue

      Unmasking An Elaborate Lie

      Tucker Carlson's int= erview of US Ambassador to Israel - Mike Huckabee
      Global GeoPolitics
      Feb 20, 2026


      <= /div>

      Tucke= r Carlson=E2=80=99s interview with Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee has b= een released, and several moments stand out, none of them particularly flat= tering to Huckabee.

      1. When Tucker asked Huckabee about the all= eged genocide in Gaza, the former Arkansas governor said that Hamas leaders= hip and anyone affiliated with Hamas deserved to die. When Tucker pressed h= im on whether that included teenagers, Huckabee said it did. He appeared to= justify the killing of teenagers in Gaza under that framework.

        2. Tucker questioned Huckabee about I= srael=E2=80=99s claim to Palestinian land. As he did in a previous intervie= w with Ted Cruz, Huckabee cited the Bible to justify Israel=E2=80=99s right= to the land. When Tucker raised the issue of genealogy and ancestry in the= region, he argued that no one can directly trace their lineage back to anc= ient Israel, including Benjamin Netanyahu, and claimed that many people in = Israel have European origins.

      When pressed further, Huckabee said he didn=E2=80=99t un= derstand the question. However, he went on to state that regarding Israel t= aking Palestinian land, =E2=80=9CIt would be fine if they took it all.=E2= =80=9D

      1. Huckabee also drew criticism for meeting wi= th Jonathan Pollard, who was convicted of passing U.S. state secrets to Isr= ael and served decades in prison. Before Pollard=E2=80=99s release, Huckabe= e had advocated for his freedom in 2011. In the interview, Huckabee downpla= yed the meeting, describing it as brief and insignificant. He said he simpl= y greeted Pollard and did not regret the encounter.

      2. When the conversation turned to Jeffrey Epstei= n, Huckabee claimed he had not been closely following recent developments. = However, when Tucker mentioned Epstein=E2=80=99s alleged connections to Mos= sad and Israel, Huckabee pushed back, saying that was not what official fil= es showed, despite having just indicated he wasn=E2=80=99t paying attention= to the case.

      3. On a pers= onal note, I=E2=80=99m glad this interview will remain accessible. I hope i= t does, I had trouble viewing it Facebook, had to go on Twitter in the end.=

        3D""

        In my view, it highlights what I see as the c= oncorted basis for unbridled justification for colonialism and extremism wi= thin certain strands of Zionist ideology.

      Global GeoPolitics

      Thank you for visiting. This is a reader-supported publi= cation. I cannot do this without=C2=A0your support. If you believe journali= sm should serve the public, not the powerful, and you=E2=80=99re in a posit= ion to help, becoming a PAID SUBSCRIBER truly makes a difference. Alternati= vely you can support by way of a cup of coffee:

      https://buymeacoffee.com/ggtv |

      = https://ko-fi.com/globalgeopolitics |

      https://buy.stripe.com/3cI5kDdnaeusckjd6Pawo00

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charset=utf-8 h= ttps://open.substack.com/pub/spytalk/p/pennsylvania-democrat-takes-on-pam?= utm_campaign=3Dpost&utm_medium=3Demail=20 =EF=BF=BC Jeff Stein=20 Editor-in-chief, SpyTalk (202) 812-3034 =E2=80=94 cell/Signal Twitter: @spytalker www.spytalk.co --Apple-Mail=_8B06672E-A02D-42D0-809E-561C421E83BE Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="Apple-Mail=_19B40970-D139-4E09-9ABC-4218E1F30026" --Apple-Mail=_19B40970-D139-4E09-9ABC-4218E1F30026 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Type: text/html; charset=utf-8 = https://open.substack.com/pub/spytalk/p/pennsylvania-democrat-takes-on-pam= ?utm_campaign=3Dpost&utm_medium=3Demail

      3D"icon_spytalk.gif"
      Jeff = Stein       =       <= /span>      =       <= /span>
      Editor-in-chief, SpyTalk<= /div>
      (202) 812-3034 =E2=80=94 cell/Signal<= /span>
      Twitter: = @spytalker<= /span>
      = <= /span>
      =       <= /span>

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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:11:59 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: <20260220221945.3.aaffb4dc0f328be9@mg-d0.substack.com> In-Reply-To: <20260220221945.3.aaffb4dc0f328be9@mg-d0.substack.com> From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:11:43 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AaiRm53JZgZBPADfVzZ5xfmcKpL8uZv2qmaa-5g4gUokAGofE9-NnJJl1DqyG8s Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000e77698064b4a62bb" Subject: [Salon] Is America a failed state? X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:12:01 -0000 --000000000000e77698064b4a62bb Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Pam Bondi just forced the question. =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD= =CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 = =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F =E2=80=87 =C2=AD=CD=8F = =E2=80=87 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Subscribe here for more =E2=80=9CIs America a failed state?=E2=80=9D = Pam Bondi just forced the question. Patrick Lawrence Feb 20 =E2=88=99 Preview READ IN APP *Things that fall apart. The DoJ.* (Wikimedia Commons.) 20 JANUARY=E2=80=94I have not been able to get Pam Bondi out of my mind sin= ce the attorney-general=E2=80=99s astonishing appearance before the House Judiciar= y Committee last week, and I do not think I will any time soon. It wasn=E2=80= =99t just her vulgar demeanor start to finish, or her arrogance in the face of constituted authority=E2=80=94an arrogance masking the same crude ignorance= Bondi has demonstrated on many previous occasions. Neither was it Bondi=E2=80=99s rehearsed insults, apparently prepared befor= ehand and read from a ring binder as one legislator gave the floor to another: Jamie Raskin was =E2=80=9Ca washed-up loser lawyer,=E2=80=9D Thomas Massie = was =E2=80=9Ca failed politician,=E2=80=9D a =E2=80=9Chypocrite=E2=80=9D suffering from =E2=80=9C= Trump derangement syndrome.=E2=80=9D If you can think of a previous occasion when an A=E2=80=93G addressed members = of Congress in this fashion, while giving sworn testimony no less, please let readers know of it via the comment thread. No, it isn=E2=80=99t Pam Bondi=E2=80=99s infra dig conduct under oath that = remains lodged in my mind, or the stream of adolescent abuses Bondi permitted herself as legislators asked her to account for the DoJ=E2=80=99s patently illegal han= dling of the Epstein files. We must now look past all that makes Bondi merely a revolting human being: How many of these are there in high positions in the Trump regime? We must see in Bondi=E2=80=99s time before the Oversight Comm= ittee a display of the regime=E2=80=99s utter disregard for the authority of our cr= umbling republic=E2=80=99s legislative branch=E2=80=94the first branch, constitutio= nally, =E2=80=9Cthe People=E2=80=99s House,=E2=80=9D as Congress is sometimes called. To put this point another way, when the nation=E2=80=99s highest law-enforc= ement official uses our teetering republic=E2=80=99s judiciary as an instrument t= o subvert the constitution of our teetering republic, we are talking about lawlessness in the name of law. Corruption in high places is nothing new in America=E2=80=99s political history. Pam Bondi=E2=80=99s indiscriminate use= of her power as attorney-general is, in my view. She faces us with questions, and I would say it is urgent to pose them. Mine follow. Has America become, before our eyes over the past=E2=80=A6 what?... decade = or so, a failed state? Is it on the way to becoming one? If the latter, how far is America from the precipice? A subscription gets you: Subscriber-only posts and full archive Post comments and join the community Like Comment Restack =C2=A9 2026 Patrick Lawrence 417 Winthrop St., #15, Torrington, CT 06790 Unsubscribe [image: Start writing] --000000000000e77698064b4a62bb Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

      Pam Bondi just forced the question.
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      =E2=80= =9CIs America a failed state?=E2=80=9D

      Pam Bondi just forced the question.

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      RE= AD IN APP3D""
      <= td height=3D"16" style=3D"font-size:0px;line-height:0">=C2=A0
      =
      3D""
      Things that fall apart. The= DoJ. (Wikimedia Commons.)

      20 JANUAR= Y=E2=80=94I have not been able to get Pam Bondi out of my mind since the at= torney-general=E2=80=99s astonishing appearance before the House Judiciary = Committee last week, and I do not think I will any time soon. It wasn=E2=80= =99t just her vulgar demeanor start to finish, or her arrogance in the face= of constituted authority=E2=80=94an arrogance masking the same crude ignor= ance Bondi has demonstrated on many previous occasions.

      Neither = was it Bondi=E2=80=99s rehearsed insults, apparently prepared beforehand an= d read from a ring binder as one legislator gave the floor to another: Jami= e Raskin was =E2=80=9Ca washed-up loser lawyer,=E2=80=9D Thomas Massie was = =E2=80=9Ca failed politician,=E2=80=9D a =E2=80=9Chypocrite=E2=80=9D suffer= ing from =E2=80=9CTrump derangement syndrome.=E2=80=9D If you can think of = a previous occasion when an A=E2=80=93G addressed members of Congress in th= is fashion, while giving sworn testimony no less, please let readers know o= f it via the comment thread.

      No, it isn=E2=80=99t Pam Bondi=E2= =80=99s infra dig conduct under oath that remains lodged in my mind, or the= stream of adolescent abuses Bondi permitted herself as legislators asked h= er to account for the DoJ=E2=80=99s patently illegal handling of the Epstei= n files. We must now look past all that makes Bondi merely a revolting huma= n being: How many of these are there in high positions in the Trump regime?= We must see in Bondi=E2=80=99s time before the Oversight Committee a displ= ay of the regime=E2=80=99s utter disregard for the authority of our crumbli= ng republic=E2=80=99s legislative branch=E2=80=94the first branch, constitu= tionally, =E2=80=9Cthe People=E2=80=99s House,=E2=80=9D as Congress is some= times called.

      To put this point another way, when the nation=E2= =80=99s highest law-enforcement official uses our teetering republic=E2=80= =99s judiciary as an instrument to subvert the constitution of our teeterin= g republic, we are talking about lawlessness in the name of law. Corruption= in high places is nothing new in America=E2=80=99s political history. Pam = Bondi=E2=80=99s indiscriminate use of her power as attorney-general is, in = my view. She faces us with questions, and I would say it is urgent to pose = them. Mine follow.

      Has America become, before ou= r eyes over the past=E2=80=A6 what?... decade or so, a failed state? Is it = on the way to becoming one? If the latter, how far is America from the prec= ipice?

      A subscription gets you:

      3D"=Subscriber-only posts and full archi= ve
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      =C2=A9 2026 Patrick Lawrence
      417 Winthrop St., #15, Torrington, CT 06790
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Image: Munich Security Conference When US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took the stage at the Munich Security Conference on February 14, the hall was braced for turbulence. They got something quite different. A standing ovation followed a speech that was notably, and deliberately, conciliatory in tone, a marked contrast to the jolt that US Vice President JD Vance delivered from the same podium a year earlier. But a softer delivery does not necessarily mean a softer position. Reading Rubio=E2=80=99s remarks carefully reveals an administration that has not ch= anged its fundamental expectations of Europe; it has simply found a more eloquent messenger to convey them. Rubio=E2=80=99s address was, at its core, a love letter to Western civiliza= tion, and European leaders were happy to receive it. He described the United States as =E2=80=9Ca child of Europe,=E2=80=9D stressed that the two contin= ents are bound by shared history, shared values and a shared strategic destiny. =E2=80=9CWe are part of one civilization =E2=80=94 Western civilization,=E2= =80=9D he told delegates. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the speech =E2=80=9Creassuring.=E2=80=9D British Prime Minister Keir Starmer sa= id it was a call not to fall into =E2=80=9Cthe warm bath of complacency.=E2=80=9D The relief in the hall was palpable. After more than a year of President Donald Trump referring to some European nations as =E2=80=9Cweak=E2=80=9D a= nd =E2=80=9Cdecaying,=E2=80=9D and after Vance=E2=80=99s controversial 2025 address that accused European governments of suppressing free speech, the bar for what counted as a positive signal had been lowered considerably. By that standard, Rubio cleared it comfortably. But the standing ovation also reflected something Europe genuinely appreciated: an acknowledgment that the alliance still matters and that Washington is not simply walking away. That is not nothing. In a period of deep strategic uncertainty, reassurance has real value. The conditions that came with it Look past the rhetoric, however, and the demands embedded in Rubio=E2=80=99= s speech were as firm as any the Trump administration has made. He pressed European allies to spend more on their own defense, to reduce their reliance on the US, and to take greater sovereign responsibility for their security. This has been a consistent American ask, across administrations, in fact, but the urgency with which the Trump team frames it is new. Rubio also reinforced the administration=E2=80=99s position on immigration, describing border control as a matter of civilizational survival rather than xenophobia, a framing that many European governments quietly resist, even if they are too diplomatic to say so publicly. His dismissal of what he called the =E2=80=9Cclimate cult=E2=80=9D, critici= zing unilateral climate commitments while geopolitical rivals exploit fossil fuels freely, landed poorly with delegations from countries where climate policy is a cornerstone of domestic governance. EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas welcomed Rubio=E2=80=99s unity message = while explicitly rejecting the administration=E2=80=99s talk of Europe=E2=80=99s = =E2=80=9Ccivilizational erasure.=E2=80=9D French Foreign Minister Jean-Nool Barrot was diplomatical= ly deft: he applauded the appeal to common heritage while making clear that Europe intended to chart its own course =E2=80=94 =E2=80=9Cindependent, of course,= irrespective of the speeches that we hear at the Munich Security Conference, however right they may be.=E2=80=9D These are polite but firm pushbacks. They suggest that European leaders heard two different speeches simultaneously: one about partnership, and one about conditionality. A relationship in genuine transition What makes the current transatlantic moment genuinely complex is that both narratives are true. The alliance is under real strain, from trade disputes, NATO burden-sharing rows, divergent approaches to Ukraine and deep ideological differences over migration and climate. Yet it also retains an institutional depth, an intelligence-sharing architecture and a cultural affinity that is not easily dismantled, whatever the rhetoric from either side. Rubio=E2=80=99s Munich appearance can be read as an attempt to stabilize th= at relationship without fundamentally renegotiating the Trump administration= =E2=80=99s terms. The message, stripped down, is this: America still sees Europe as a partner, but partnership now requires Europe to carry more of its own weight and to shed what Washington views as strategic naivety, about Russia, about economic dependency on China, about the sustainability of a security model that leans on American power. Whether Europe is willing and able to do that, quickly enough to satisfy Washington, and on its own terms rather than Washington=E2=80=99s, is the c= entral question the Munich conference left unanswered. What comes next The standing ovation Rubio received was real, but it may be premature. Warm words at a security conference are not a foreign policy reset. The structural tensions in the transatlantic relationship, over tariffs, defense spending, the war in Ukraine and competing visions of global governance, did not dissolve in Munich. They were papered over, gracefully, for a weekend. The more durable test will come in the months ahead: in trade negotiations, in NATO summits, in the handling of the Ukraine conflict and in whether European nations can accelerate their defense buildups fast enough to meet American expectations. If they can, Rubio=E2=80=99s Munich speech may be remembered as the moment = the alliance found a new equilibrium. If they cannot, the warmth of February will fade quickly. For now, Europe can take genuine comfort in the fact that the secretary of state flew to Munich with a message of partnership rather than confrontation. That matters. But the terms of that partnership =E2=80=94 an= d who sets them =E2=80=94 remain very much in play. *This article was originally published on Leon Hadar=E2=80=99s Global Zeitgeist and is republ= ished with kind permission. Become a subscriber here .* --000000000000bf21c0064b4a6c19 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
      https://asiatimes.com/2026/02/rubi= o-softens-the-tone-but-makes-same-demands-of-europe/

      =

      Rubio softens the tone but makes same demands of Europe

      =
      Rubio=E2=80= =99s Munich speech may be remembered as moment the alliance found new equil= ibrium after Trump and Vance=E2=80=99s tantrums
      3D""by=C2=A0<= span class=3D"gmail-author gmail-vcard" style=3D"box-sizing:inherit">Leon Hadar<= /span>F= ebruary 20, 2026
      3D""US Secretar= y of State Marco Rubio took a softer tack than Trump in his Munich Security= Conference speech. Image: Munich Security Conference

      When US Secretary of State Marco Rubio took = the stage at the Munich Security Conference on February 14, the hall was br= aced for turbulence. They got something quite different.

      A standing ovation followed= a speech that was notably, and deliberately, conciliatory in tone, a marke= d contrast to the jolt that US Vice President JD Vance delivered from the s= ame podium a year earlier.

      But a softer delivery does not necessarily mean a softer = position. Reading Rubio=E2=80=99s remarks carefully reveals an administrati= on that has not changed its fundamental expectations of Europe; it has simp= ly found a more eloquent messenger to convey them.

      Rubio=E2=80=99s address was, at i= ts core, a love letter to Western civilization, and European leaders were h= appy to receive it. He described the United States as =E2=80=9Ca child of E= urope,=E2=80=9D stressed that the two continents are bound by shared histor= y, shared values and a shared strategic destiny.

      =E2=80=9CWe are part of one civiliz= ation =E2=80=94 Western civilization,=E2=80=9D he told delegates. European = Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the speech =E2=80=9Creassu= ring.=E2=80=9D British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said it was a call not t= o fall into =E2=80=9Cthe warm bath of complacency.=E2=80=9D

      The relief in the hall w= as palpable. After more than a year of President Donald Trump referring to = some European nations as =E2=80=9Cweak=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cdecaying,=E2= =80=9D and after Vance=E2=80=99s controversial 2025 address that accused Eu= ropean governments of suppressing free speech, the bar for what counted as = a positive signal had been lowered considerably.

      By that standard, Rubio cleared it = comfortably. But the standing ovation also reflected something Europe genui= nely appreciated: an acknowledgment that the alliance still matters and tha= t Washington is not simply walking away. That is not nothing. In a period o= f deep strategic uncertainty, reassurance has real value.

      The c= onditions that came with it

      Look past the rhetoric, however, and the demands= embedded in Rubio=E2=80=99s speech were as firm as any the Trump administr= ation has made.

      He pressed European allies to spend more on their own defense, to re= duce their reliance on the US, and to take greater sovereign responsibility= for their security. This has been a consistent American ask, across admini= strations, in fact, but the urgency with which the Trump team frames it is = new.

      Rubi= o also reinforced the administration=E2=80=99s position on immigration, des= cribing border control as a matter of civilizational survival rather than x= enophobia, a framing that many European governments quietly resist, even if= they are too diplomatic to say so publicly.

      His dismissal of what he called the =E2= =80=9Cclimate cult=E2=80=9D, criticizing unilateral climate commitments whi= le geopolitical rivals exploit fossil fuels freely, landed poorly with dele= gations from countries where climate policy is a cornerstone of domestic go= vernance.

      EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas welcomed Rubio=E2=80=99s unity message= while explicitly rejecting the administration=E2=80=99s talk of Europe=E2= =80=99s =E2=80=9Ccivilizational erasure.=E2=80=9D French Foreign Minister J= ean-Nool Barrot was diplomatically deft: he applauded the appeal to common = heritage while making clear that Europe intended to chart its own course = =E2=80=94 =E2=80=9Cindependent, of course, irrespective of the speeches tha= t we hear at the Munich Security Conference, however right they may be.=E2= =80=9D

      Th= ese are polite but firm pushbacks. They suggest that European leaders heard= two different speeches simultaneously: one about partnership, and one abou= t conditionality.

      A relationship in genuine transition

      What make= s the current transatlantic moment genuinely complex is that both narrative= s are true. The alliance is under real strain, from trade disputes, NATO bu= rden-sharing rows, divergent approaches to Ukraine and deep ideological dif= ferences over migration and climate.

      Yet it also retains an institutional depth, an = intelligence-sharing architecture and a cultural affinity that is not easil= y dismantled, whatever the rhetoric from either side.

      Rubio=E2=80=99s Munich appeara= nce can be read as an attempt to stabilize that relationship without fundam= entally renegotiating the Trump administration=E2=80=99s terms. The message= , stripped down, is this: America still sees Europe as a partner, but partn= ership now requires Europe to carry more of its own weight and to shed what= Washington views as strategic naivety, about Russia, about economic depend= ency on China, about the sustainability of a security model that leans on A= merican power.

      Whether Europe is willing and able to do that, quickly enough to sati= sfy Washington, and on its own terms rather than Washington=E2=80=99s, is t= he central question the Munich conference left unanswered.

      What= comes next

      The standing ovation Rubio received was real, but it may be prem= ature. Warm words at a security conference are not a foreign policy reset.<= /p>

      The struc= tural tensions in the transatlantic relationship, over tariffs, defense spe= nding, the war in Ukraine and competing visions of global governance, did n= ot dissolve in Munich. They were papered over, gracefully, for a weekend.

      The more d= urable test will come in the months ahead: in trade negotiations, in NATO s= ummits, in the handling of the Ukraine conflict and in whether European nat= ions can accelerate their defense buildups fast enough to meet American exp= ectations.

      For now, Europe can take genuine comfort in the fact that the= secretary of state flew to Munich with a message of partnership rather tha= n confrontation. That matters. But the terms of that partnership =E2=80=94 = and who sets them =E2=80=94 remain very much in play.

      This=C2=A0article=C2=A0was originally published on Leon Hadar= =E2=80=99s Global Zeitgeist and is republished with kind permission. Become= a subscriber=C2=A0here.

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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:30:51 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:30:36 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AaiRm50nCi2cL4s3OlCRWG-9_dtOhm5ot2hgCk1AxcGkR8CXNeMql63-pVI0_VQ Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0000000000006a9cb7064b4aa63c" Subject: [Salon] MIT Prof Ted Postol: IRAN: WHAT it CAN & CANNOT DO X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:30:54 -0000 --0000000000006a9cb7064b4aa63c Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYjuwUwYdAI --0000000000006a9cb7064b4aa63c Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" --0000000000006a9cb7064b4aa63c-- From cwfresidence@gmail.com Fri Feb 20 16:44:15 2026 Return-Path: X-Original-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Delivered-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Received: from mlm0.listserve.net (mlm0.listserve.net [161.35.233.68]) by mlm2.listserve.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id E2570B0851 for ; 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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:44:12 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: In-Reply-To: From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:43:56 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AaiRm53d-33o1tZAJp8kwqw-OC_fi9oI_x8_Tyvmn1EsnfjHgiRo9l-i3dCi2CE Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="00000000000022e4e5064b4ad67a" Subject: [Salon] =?utf-8?q?Iran_Crisis_Exposes_the_Impotence_of_America?= =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=99s_Neoliberal_War_Machine?= X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:44:15 -0000 --00000000000022e4e5064b4ad67a Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable *https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2026/02/iran-crisis-exposes-the-impotence-= of-americas-neoliberal-war-machine.html * *Iran Crisis Exposes the Impotence of America=E2=80=99s Neoliberal War Mach= ine* *Yves Smith February 20, 2026* *By Nicolas J. S. Davies is an independent journalist, a researcher for CODEPINK and the author of Blood on Our Hands: The American Invasion and Destruction of Iraq . He is also the co-author, with Medea Benjamin, of War In Ukraine: Making Sense of a Senseless Conflict , now in a new revised, updated 2nd edition* *After some delays, the United States is dispatching a second aircraft-carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, from the Caribbean to the Middle East to join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strike group and threaten Iran.* *This is the third Atlantic crossing for the Ford=E2=80=99s crew since it set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, in June 2= 025, and the second time its deployment has been extended, first to redeploy from the Middle East to the Caribbean, and now to redeploy back to the Middle East.* *There is a grave danger that the U.S. government is preparing to exploit the genuine sympathy of people all over the world for the Iranian civilians massacred during protests in December and January as a pretext for an illegal military assault on Iran.* *A new US war on Iran would be a cynical and catastrophic escalation of the crisis already swallowing its people, piling the unimaginable death and suffering of a full-scale war on top of many years of economic strangulation under US =E2=80=9Cmaximum pressure=E2=80=9D sanctions and the= repression of the recent protests.* *The world must act to prevent war, and the voices of Americans calling for peace and humanity may have an impact on President Trump and US politicians, in an election year when Americans are already sickened by US complicity in genocide in Gaza and the murderous paramilitaries invading US cities.* *In a succession of speeches and in its National Security and Defense Strategy documents, the Trump administration promised a major shift in U.S. foreign policy away from endless wars in the Middle East, to prioritize its ambitions to expand U.S. power and coercion in the Americas and the Pacific.* *But Trump is already following in the footsteps of the five US presidents before him, quickly abandoning his formal strategy goals and diverting America=E2=80=99s overpriced but impotent war machine back to the Middle Ea= st, to threaten or even attack Iran.* *The renewed US threats against Iran have made it clear to Iran=E2=80=99s l= eaders that their symbolic strikes on Al Udeid air base in Qatar in June 2025, in retaliation for US strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran, were an insufficient deterrent to future US and Israeli attacks.* *So Iran has signaled that it will respond to any new Israeli or U.S. attacks with more deadly and destructive retaliation against US forces in the region. Foad Azadi at the University of Tehran reports that Iranian leaders now believe they would need to inflict at least 500 US casualties to successfully deter future attacks.* *Iran=E2=80=99s leaders may well be right that Trump would have a low toler= ance for US casualties and the political blowback he would suffer for them, if he should make the fateful choice to launch such an unnecessary and catastrophic war.* *Iran has had many years to prepare for such a war. It has modern air defenses and an arsenal of ballistic missiles and drones with which to retaliate against US targets throughout the region, which include US bases in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and the UAE, and the flotilla of US warships loitering near, but not yet within range of, Iran=E2=80=99s shores.* *The US is so far showing respect for Iran=E2=80=99s military capabilities,= keeping the Abraham Lincoln at least a thousand miles from Iran=E2=80=99s coast, according to retired US Colonel Larry Wilkerson = of the Eisenhower Media Network.* *This cautious US naval deployment is a far cry from the six US carrier battle groups the US deployed to commit aggression against Iraq in 2003. The United States still has twelve =E2=80=9Cbi= g-deck=E2=80=9D aircraft carriers like the Lincoln and the Ford, but nine of them are in dock or unready for deployment. The USS George Washington, based in Japan, is now the only US carrier in East Asia, since the Abraham Lincoln left the Philippines in January to threaten Iran.* *Standard deployments for these warships last only six or seven months, and their lack of readiness is the result of several years of overextended deployments, after which they need longer periods of maintenance and repair than the normal six to nine month turnaround time between deployments.* *For example, since the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower completed a nine month combat deployment in the Middle East in January 2025, it has spent over a year in dock at Norfolk to repair the wear and tear it sustained in the failed US campaign against Yemen=E2=80=99s Ansar Allah (or Houthi) forces.* *The United States and its allies bombed Yemen in successive campaigns under Biden and Trump, but failed to reopen the Red Sea and Suez Canal to Israeli or allied commercial shipping. As a result of the Yemeni blockade, most Western cargo shippers diverted their ships away from the Red Sea, forcing the Israeli port of Eilat into bankruptcy in July 2025.* *Ansar Allah paused its blockade when Israel signed a ceasefire in Gaza in October 2025, but larger ships still avoid the Red Sea and insurance rates remain high, as Israel=E2=80=99s aggression and genocide continue to destab= ilize the region in unpredictable ways.* *The US failure to defeat the much smaller Ansar Allah forces in Yemen is a small taste of what US forces would face in a prolonged war with Iran, which already inflicted significant damage on Israel during the twelve-day war in June 2025.* *Iran used its older missiles and drones to deplete Israel=E2=80=99s air de= fenses. Then, once Israel began to exhaust its stocks of interceptors, Iran used newer, more sophisticated ballistic missiles to strike important military and intelligence headquarters in Tel Aviv and other military targets.* *With Israel in trouble, the US entered the war directly, and bombed three nuclear enrichment sites in Iran, before agreeing to an Iranian ceasefire proposal on June 24, 2025. Israeli censorship has prevented a comprehensive public accounting of its losses in that war.* *While overextended deployments have caused wear and tear to aircraft-carriers and other warships, US weapons transfers to its allies in Israel, Ukraine and NATO have depleted its own weapons stocks. This creates pressure on US leaders to hold off on launching a new war against a well-prepared enemy like Iran until it has replenished them, which could take a long time.* *Meanwhile the war in Ukraine has exposed structural weaknesses in the US war machine. Russia has vastly out-produced the west in basic war supplies like artillery shells and drones , which has proven militarily decisive in Ukraine.* *As Richard Connolly of the RUSI military think tank in London has pointed out, Russia did not privatize its weapons industry after the end of the Cold War, as the US and its allies did. It maintained and improved its existing infrastructure , which he called =E2=80=9Ceconomically inefficient until 2022, and then sudd= enly it looks like a very shrewd bit of planning.=E2=80=9D* *After the Cold War ended, on the initiative of Soviet leader and visionary peacemaker Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia=E2=80=99s economic weakness forced its military leaders to make honest, hard-nosed assessments of what it would take to defend their country in the post-Cold War world, and the shrewd planning that Connolly put his finger on is one result of this.* *On the US side however, Eisenhower=E2=80=99s infamous =E2=80=9Cmilitary-in= dustrial complex=E2=80=9D used its =E2=80=9Cunwarranted influence=E2=80=9D to exploi= t the west=E2=80=99s post-Cold War triumphalism and expand its global military ambitions. Many Americans immediately recognized this as a dangerous new form of imperialism . Wiser heads among America=E2=80=99s political leaders and foreign policy experts predicted that the rest of the world would ultimately reject America=E2=80=99s new imperialism and be forced to confront it as a threat to peace.* *The neoliberal privatization of US and western armament production turned it into an even more lucrative and politically powerful industry, which only reconfirmed Eisenhower=E2=80=99s warnings. Monopolistic military contr= actors have produced smaller quantities of increasingly expensive, technologically advanced warships, warplanes and surveillance systems. Despite wreaking catastrophic destruction in country after country, these weapons have proven impotent to prevent humiliating US defeats in its wars in Afghanistan, Iraq and Ukraine, and will likely prove just as useless in a major war with Iran.* *The simplistic, linear thinking of Trump and his advisors leads them to believe that the solution to a trillion dollar per year war machine that can=E2=80=99t win a war is a $1.5 trillion per year war machine.* *But this is nonsense. Russia has not defeated the US and NATO by outspending them. Quite the opposite. Since 1992, the US military alone has outspent Russia by fifteen to one ($26 trillion vs $1.7 trillion in constant 2024 dollars, according to SIPRI ). Russia=E2=80=99s military superiority is the result of taking its own defen= se more seriously and confronting its problems more honestly than corrupt US leaders have ever tried to do since the end of the Cold War.* *At a price tag of $17.5 billion , the USS Gerald R. Ford is the largest, most expensive warship ever built, costing more than the entire annual military budgets of most other countries. Making an even bigger warship for $26 billion would not make Americans any safer, just a bit poorer.* *Relying on the offensive use of military force and record military spending to try to solve America=E2=80=99s problems has put the United Stat= es on a collision course with the rest of the world. In 1949, long before Eisenhower=E2=80=99s farewell speech in 1961, he offered some sage advice t= o politicians and pundits who were calling for a massive US attack on the USSR to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.* *=E2=80=9CThose who measure security solely in terms of offensive capacity = distort its meaning and mislead those who pay them heed,=E2=80=9D said Eisenhower. = =E2=80=9CNo modern nation has ever equaled the crushing offensive power attained by the German war machine in 1939. No modern nation was broken and smashed as was Germany six years later.=E2=80=9D* *Unlike Iran today, the USSR was indeed working to develop nuclear weapons, but Eisenhower warned Americans against launching a new war that might kill millions to try to stop it.* *As Eisenhower insisted, offensive military action offers no solutions to international problems. But diplomatic solutions are always possible. Diplomacy does not mean holding a gun to someone=E2=80=99s head and demandi= ng that they sign an unconditional surrender. It means treating other people and countries with mutual respect and finding solutions that everybody can live with, based upon rules that we all agree on.* *The UN Charter universally prohibits the threat or use of force and requires all countries to resolve disputes peacefully. So one country=E2=80=99s wrongdoing, real or perceived, is neve= r a valid pretext for another country to threaten or use military force.* *There is no good reason to sacrifice American soldiers and sailors in a war on Iran; no justification to kill Iranian troops for defending their country, as Americans would do if another country attacked the United States; no justice in killing Iranian civilians by turning their homes and communities into a new US war zone.* *Could the stark choice our country is facing in Iran be a turning point, a moment when the American people will stand up and clearly, strongly say =E2=80=9CNo=E2=80=9D to war, before our corrupt leaders can plunge Iran and= the United States into yet another =E2=80=9CMade in the USA=E2=80=9D military catastro= phe?* --00000000000022e4e5064b4ad67a Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
      https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2026/02/iran-crisis-exposes-the-impote= nce-of-americas-neoliberal-war-machine.html
      <= div dir=3D"ltr">

      Iran Crisis Exposes the Impotence of America=E2=80=99s Neoliberal= War Machine

      Yves SmithFebruary 20,= 2026

      By N= icolas J. S. Davies is an independent journalist, a researcher for CODEPINK= and the author of=C2=A0Blood on Our Hands: The Am= erican Invasion and Destruction of Iraq.=C2=A0He is also the co-author, with Medea Benjamin, of=C2=A0War In Ukraine: Maki= ng Sense of a Senseless Conflict, now in a new revised, updated 2nd edi= tion

      After some delays, the United States= is dispatching a second aircraft-carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, from the= Caribbean to the Middle East to join the USS Abraham Lincoln carrier strik= e group and threaten Iran.

      This is the th= ird Atlantic=C2=A0crossing=C2=A0for the= Ford=E2=80=99s crew since it set sail from Norfolk, Virginia, in June 2025= , and the second time its deployment has been extended, first to redeploy f= rom the Middle East to the Caribbean, and now to redeploy back to the Middl= e East.

      There is a grave danger that the = U.S. government is preparing to exploit the genuine sympathy of people all = over the world for the Iranian civilians massacred during protests in Decem= ber and January as a pretext for an illegal military assault on Iran.

      A new US war on Iran would be a cynical and ca= tastrophic escalation of the crisis already swallowing its people, piling t= he unimaginable death and suffering of a full-scale war on top of many year= s of economic strangulation under US =E2=80=9Cmaximum pressure=E2=80=9D san= ctions and the repression of the recent protests.

      The world must act to prevent war, and the voices of Americans cal= ling for peace and humanity may have an impact on President Trump and US po= liticians, in an election year when Americans are already sickened by US co= mplicity in genocide in Gaza and the murderous paramilitaries invading US c= ities.

      In a succession of speeches and in= its National=C2=A0Security=C2=A0and= =C2=A0Defense=C2=A0Strategy document= s, the Trump administration promised a major shift in U.S. foreign policy a= way from endless wars in the Middle East, to prioritize its ambitions to ex= pand U.S. power and coercion in the Americas and the Pacific.

      But Trump is already following in the footsteps of the= five US presidents before him, quickly abandoning his formal strategy goal= s and diverting America=E2=80=99s overpriced but impotent war machine back = to the Middle East, to threaten or even attack Iran.

      The renewed US threats against Iran have made it clear to Iran= =E2=80=99s leaders that their symbolic strikes on Al Udeid air base in Qata= r in June 2025, in retaliation for US strikes on nuclear facilities in Iran= , were an insufficient deterrent to future US and Israeli attacks.

      <= font color=3D"#000000">So Iran has signaled that it will respond to any = new Israeli or U.S. attacks with more deadly and destructive retaliation ag= ainst US forces in the region. Foad Azadi at the University of Tehran=C2=A0= reports=C2=A0that Iranian leaders now believe they would need = to inflict at least 500 US casualties to successfully deter future attacks.=

      Iran=E2=80=99s leaders may well be right= that Trump would have a low tolerance for US casualties and the political = blowback he would suffer for them, if he should make the fateful choice to = launch such an unnecessary and catastrophic war.

      Iran has had many years to=C2=A0prepare=C2= =A0for such a war. It has modern air defenses and an arsenal of ballistic m= issiles and drones with which to retaliate against US targets throughout th= e region, which include US bases in Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain an= d the UAE, and the flotilla of US warships loitering near, but not yet with= in range of, Iran=E2=80=99s shores.

      The U= S is so far showing respect for Iran=E2=80=99s military capabilities, keepi= ng the Abraham Lincoln at least a=C2=A0thousand<= /a>=C2=A0miles from Iran=E2=80=99s coast, according to retired US Colonel L= arry Wilkerson of the Eisenhower Media Network.

      This cautious US naval deployment is a far cry from the six US carri= er battle groups the US=C2=A0deployed= =C2=A0to commit aggression against Iraq in 2003. The United States still ha= s=C2=A0twelve=C2=A0=E2=80=9Cbig-deck=E2=80=9D aircraft carriers li= ke the Lincoln and the Ford, but nine of them are in dock or unready for de= ployment. The USS George Washington, based in Japan, is now the only US car= rier in East Asia, since the Abraham Lincoln left the Philippines in Januar= y to threaten Iran.

      Standard deployments = for these warships last only six or seven months, and their lack of readine= ss is the result of several years of overextended deployments, after which = they need longer periods of maintenance and repair than the normal six to n= ine month turnaround time between deployments.

      For example, since the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower completed a nine mont= h combat deployment in the Middle East in January 2025, it has spent=C2=A0over= a year=C2=A0in dock at Norfolk to repair the wear and tear it sustaine= d in the failed US campaign against Yemen=E2=80=99s Ansar Allah (or Houthi)= forces.

      The United States and its allies= bombed Yemen in successive campaigns under Biden and Trump, but failed to = reopen the Red Sea and Suez Canal to Israeli or allied commercial shipping.= As a result of the Yemeni blockade, most Western cargo shippers diverted t= heir ships away from the Red Sea, forcing the Israeli port of Eilat into=C2=A0bankruptcy=C2=A0in = July 2025.

      Ansar Allah paused its blockad= e when Israel signed a ceasefire in Gaza in October 2025, but larger ships = still avoid the Red Sea and insurance rates remain high, as Israel=E2=80=99= s aggression and genocide continue to destabilize the region in unpredictab= le ways.

      The US failure to defeat the muc= h smaller Ansar Allah forces in Yemen is a small taste of what US forces wo= uld face in a prolonged war with Iran, which already inflicted=C2=A0significant= =C2=A0damage on Israel during the twelve-day war in June 2025.

      Iran used its older missiles and drones to deplete Is= rael=E2=80=99s air defenses. Then, once Israel began to exhaust its stocks = of interceptors, Iran used newer, more sophisticated ballistic missiles to = strike important military and intelligence headquarters in Tel Aviv and oth= er military targets.

      With Israel in troub= le, the US entered the war directly, and bombed three nuclear enrichment si= tes in Iran, before agreeing to an Iranian ceasefire proposal on June 24, 2= 025. Israeli censorship has prevented a comprehensive public accounting of = its losses in that war.

      While overextende= d deployments have caused wear and tear to aircraft-carriers and other wars= hips, US weapons transfers to its allies in Israel, Ukraine and NATO have d= epleted its own weapons stocks. This creates pressure on US leaders to hold= off on launching a new war against a well-prepared enemy like Iran until i= t has replenished them, which could take a long time.

      Meanwhile the war in Ukraine has exposed structural weaknesses= in the US war machine. Russia has vastly out-produced the west in basic wa= r supplies like=C2=A0artillery shells=C2=A0and=C2=A0drones, which has proven mili= tarily decisive in Ukraine.

      As Richard Co= nnolly of the RUSI military think tank in London has pointed out, Russia di= d not privatize its weapons industry after the end of the Cold War, as the = US and its allies did. It maintained and improved its existing=C2=A0infrastructure, which h= e called=C2=A0=E2=80=9Ceconomically inefficient until 2022, and then sudden= ly it looks like a very shrewd bit of planning.=E2=80=9D

      After the Cold War ended, on the initiative of Soviet leade= r and visionary peacemaker Mikhail Gorbachev, Russia=E2=80=99s economic wea= kness forced its military leaders to make honest, hard-nosed assessments of= what it would take to defend their country in the post-Cold War world, and= the shrewd planning that Connolly put his finger on is one result of this.=

      On the US side however, Eisenhower=E2=80= =99s infamous =E2=80=9Cmilitary-industrial complex=E2=80=9D used its =E2=80= =9Cunwarranted influence=E2=80=9D to exploit the west=E2=80=99s post-Cold W= ar triumphalism and expand its global military ambitions. Many Americans im= mediately recognized this as a dangerous new form of=C2=A0imperialism. Wiser = heads among America=E2=80=99s political=C2=A0leaders=C2=A0and foreign policy=C2=A0experts=C2=A0predicted that the rest of the wo= rld would ultimately reject America=E2=80=99s new imperialism and be forced= to confront it as a threat to peace.

      The= neoliberal privatization of US and western armament production turned it i= nto an even more lucrative and politically powerful industry, which only re= confirmed Eisenhower=E2=80=99s warnings. Monopolistic military contractors = have produced smaller quantities of increasingly expensive, technologically= advanced warships, warplanes and surveillance systems. Despite wreaking ca= tastrophic destruction in country after country, these weapons have proven = impotent to prevent humiliating US defeats in its wars in Afghanistan, Iraq= and Ukraine, and will likely prove just as useless in a major war with Ira= n.

      The simplistic, linear thinking of Tru= mp and his advisors leads them to believe that the solution to a trillion d= ollar per year war machine that can=E2=80=99t win a war is a $1.5 trillion = per year war machine.

      But this is nonsens= e. Russia has not defeated the US and NATO by outspending them. Quite the o= pposite. Since 1992, the US military alone has outspent Russia by fifteen t= o one ($26 trillion vs $1.7 trillion in constant 2024 dollars, according to= =C2=A0SIPRI). Russia=E2= =80=99s military superiority is the result of taking its own defense more s= eriously and confronting its problems more honestly than corrupt US leaders= have ever tried to do since the end of the Cold War.

      At a price tag of=C2=A0$17.5 billion, the USS Gerald R. Ford is th= e largest, most expensive warship ever built, costing more than the entire = annual military budgets of most other countries. Making an even bigger wars= hip for $26 billion would not make Americans any safer, just a bit poorer.<= /b>

      Relying on the offensive use of military = force and record military spending to try to solve America=E2=80=99s proble= ms has put the United States on a collision course with the rest of the wor= ld. In 1949, long before Eisenhower=E2=80=99s farewell speech in 1961, he o= ffered some sage advice to politicians and pundits who were calling for a m= assive US attack on the USSR to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons.=

      =E2=80=9CThose who measure security sole= ly in terms of offensive capacity distort its meaning and mislead those who= pay them heed,=E2=80=9D said Eisenhower. =E2=80=9CNo modern nation has eve= r equaled the crushing offensive power attained by the German war machine i= n 1939. No modern nation was broken and smashed as was Germany six years la= ter.=E2=80=9D

      Unlike Iran= =C2=A0today, the USSR was indeed working to develop nuclear weapons, but Ei= senhower warned Americans against launching a new war that might kill milli= ons to try to stop it.

      As Eisenhower insi= sted, offensive military action offers no solutions to international proble= ms. But diplomatic solutions are always possible. Diplomacy does not mean h= olding a gun to someone=E2=80=99s head and demanding that they sign an unco= nditional surrender. It means treating other people and countries with mutu= al respect and finding solutions that everybody can live with, based upon r= ules that we all agree on.

      The=C2=A0UN Charter= =C2=A0universally prohibits the threat or use of force and requires all= countries to resolve disputes peacefully. So one country=E2=80=99s wrongdo= ing, real or perceived, is never a valid pretext for another country to thr= eaten or use military force.

      There is no = good reason to sacrifice American soldiers and sailors in a war on Iran; no= justification to kill Iranian troops for defending their country, as Ameri= cans would do if another country attacked the United States; no justice in = killing Iranian civilians by turning their homes and communities into a new= US war zone.

      Could the stark choice our = country is facing in Iran be a turning point, a moment when the American pe= ople will stand up and clearly, strongly say =E2=80=9CNo=E2=80=9D to war, b= efore our corrupt leaders can plunge Iran and the United States into yet an= other =E2=80=9CMade in the USA=E2=80=9D military catastrophe?

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Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:20:24 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 References: In-Reply-To: From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:20:09 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AaiRm511jprmLdOTz4nZcLK8m1Z4jf5u39MIcgH_RPUSWUVZhz_GiuvHqfGFuCQ Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="0000000000009be599064b4b5744" Subject: [Salon] Hainan Free Trade Port is the future of globalization X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2026 01:20:27 -0000 --0000000000009be599064b4b5744 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable *https://asiatimes.com/2026/02/hainan-free-trade-port-is-the-future-of-glob= alization/ * Hainan Free Trade Port is the future of globalizationNew Chinese port mirrors emerging global economic order: interconnected but governed by geoeconomically defined boundaries *by Ronny P Sasmita February 20, 2026* *An aerial view of the container terminal at Haikou Port in Hainan. The free-trade port is expected to be a game-changer for China=E2=80=99s econom= y. Photo: Xinhua* *For decades, globalization was widely accepted as an almost inevitable trajectory. The more open an economy, the prevailing logic held, the greater its prospects for growth.* *Frictionless ports, low tariffs, investment deregulation, and unrestricted capital flows were treated as the essential ingredients of economic advancement. Countries competed to become nodes of global trade, dismantling barriers and entrusting economic outcomes largely to the forces of the global market.* *Over the past decade, however, it has become increasingly evident that this earlier model of globalization no longer delivers on its promises. The 2008 global financial crisis , the Covid-19 pand= emic, trade wars, rising geopolitical tensions and accelerating technological fragmentation have exposed the fragility of unfiltered openness.* *Excessive dependence on global supply chains has created and exposed strategic vulnerabilities rather than resilience. As a result, major economies are turning against the once-dominant assumption that economic openness is synonymous with strength.* *China=E2=80=99s Hainan Free Trade Port acquires its strategic significance in this shifting landscape. Much of the commentary surrounding Hainan has been narrowly framed, whether it will rival Singapore , or whether it will emerge as Asia=E2=80=99s next dominant port .* *These questions are not entirely misplaced, but they miss the deeper significance of the project. Hainan is not merely a logistics hub or a regional development initiative. It represents a recalibration of how China conceptualizes the relationship between the state, the market and globalization itself.* *Rather than choosing between full liberalization and isolation, Beijing is pursuing a more calibrated approach. Hainan has been designed as a controlled experimental space , a limited geography in which globalization is allowed to operate selectively.* *In effect, it functions as a policy laboratory , enabling China to capture the benefits of global trade and investment without exposing its entire economic system at once. This is where the concept of selective globalization takes on institutional form.* *In earlier Chinese economic discourse, this logic was captured by the metaphor of the =E2=80=9Cbirdcage economy .=E2=80=9D The bird may = fly freely, but only within carefully defined boundaries.* Hainan as a globalization filter *The most fundamental distinction between Hainan and other free ports lies in its function as a filter rather than a gateway. Many free trade zones around the world operate as open doors, allowing goods, capital and business actors to flow seamlessly into the domestic economy.* *Hainan, by contrast, draws a clear institutional line between the global sphere and China=E2=80=99s domestic market. Within the island, customs , fiscal, and investment regimes are deliberately liberal . Imports face minimal tariffs, administrative procedures are streamlined, and foreign investors enjoy relatively clear and predictable legal frameworks.* *Yet when goods and capital move from Hainan into mainland China, the state reasserts control through tariffs, standards and national regulations. Globalization is permitted to enter, but it is not allowed to diffuse unchecked.* *This architecture creates an institutional buffer. China does not reject globalization, it refines it. The binary choice between full openness and rigid protectionism is replaced by a third path: localized, measured, and controllable openness.* *In an era of intensifying geopolitical fragmentation , such an approach is particularly relevant for an economy as large and complex as China=E2=80=99s. This model also reshapes the relationship betwe= en the state and the market.* *In the traditional globalization narrative, openness was often equated with a retreat of the state. Hainan suggests the opposite. Here, the state acts as the chief architect of globalization itself, deciding where openness is permitted, which sectors are prioritized and which boundaries remain non-negotiable. The state is not a passive bystander but an active designer.* *For foreign investors, Hainan offers both opportunity and a clear political signal . The opportunity lies in ease of doing business, low tariffs and efficient logistics. The signal is China remains open, but that openness is structured by state design rather than driven by blind liberalization. * *Expectations of an entirely open China are replaced by a more conditional and selective reality.* Geoeconomic instrument, risk management tool *Beyond its economic function, Hainan operates as a geoeconomic instrument. Amid strategic rivalry with the United States and rising global uncertainty, Beijing requires mechanisms that keep China connected to the world economy without exposing its domestic system to external shocks. Hainan serves precisely that purpose.* *The zone acts as a buffer between China and the global economy. Multinational firms can trade, invest and operate through Hainan without becoming fully entangled in the regulatory, political and strategic sensitivities of the mainland. From Beijing=E2=80=99s perspective, this all= ows capital and trade flows to continue while containing the systemic risks they often bring.* *From an international political economy standpoint, this reflects a heightened state awareness of globalization=E2=80=99s risks. Where earlier = phases of globalization prioritized efficiency and scale, today risk has become a central variable in policymaking. Hainan illustrates how China has internalized lessons from global crises and geopolitical conflicts into the design of its economic institutions.* *This strategy, however, is not without trade-offs. Concentrating liberalization in a single location also concentrates foreign capital, data and global interests. In theory, this could become a strategic vulnerability.* *Yet Beijing=E2=80=99s willingness to proceed suggests a high degree of con= fidence in its institutional capacity and regulatory control. The risks are deemed manageable, while the long-term benefits are judged to outweigh them.* The future of globalization *Hainan=E2=80=99s strategic impact extends well beyond China=E2=80=99s bord= ers. Southeast Asia, in particular, will feel its effects. Many ASEAN economies have positioned themselves as alternative production and logistics hubs as global firms seek to diversify away from China. Hainan has the potential to alter that calculus.* *With its mix of fiscal incentives, regulatory clarity and proximity to China=E2=80=99s domestic market, Hainan is poised to attract higher value-a= dded activities, regional distribution centers, final-stage assembly, supply chain management, services trade and even regional headquarters. This does not imply that ASEAN will be displaced, but it does suggest a structural shift in the region=E2=80=99s role.* *Southeast Asian states now face complex strategic choices. Some may deepen their integration into China-centered supply chains, accepting roles as component suppliers or specialized production bases.* *Others may accelerate domestic industrialization, deepen internal markets and build their own industrial ecosystems to avoid being locked into low value-added positions. In this sense , Hainan acts as a catalyst, forcing the region to reassess its long-term development trajectory.* *More broadly, Hainan challenges the traditional globalization model built around politically neutral ports and pure transshipment efficiency. For decades, port competitiveness was defined by speed and neutrality.* *Today, advantage increasingly lies in vertical integration , where ports are embedded within production systems, regulatory frameworks, financial services and domestic markets. Hainan offers precisely such an ecosystem, not merely a standalone logistics facility.* *In short, Hainan reflects a transformation in globalization itself. The world is not moving toward outright deglobalization, but toward a form of globalization that is more political, more segmented and more selective. Major states are no longer passive participants in global markets; they are actively shaping the terms and limits of their engagement.* *For regions such as Southeast Asia, the lesson is clear. Economic openness remains essential, but openness without strategy is increasingly dangerous. The future of globalization will not be defined by opening every door at once, but by deciding which doors to open, when and under what conditions.* *In that context, Hainan is not merely a Chinese port, it is a mirror of the emerging global economic order: interconnected but governed by increasingly deliberate and geoeconomically driven boundaries.* *Ronny P. Sasmita is senior international affairs analyst at Indonesia Strategic and Economics Action Institution, a Jakarta-based think tank* --0000000000009be599064b4b5744 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
      https://asiatimes= .com/2026/02/hainan-free-trade-port-is-the-future-of-globalization/

      Hainan Free Trade Port is the future o= f globalization

      New Chinese port mirrors emerging global economic order: interconnected = but governed by geoeconomically defined boundaries

      by=C2=A0Ronny P Sasmita= =C2=A0February 20, = 2026
      3D""An aerial view of the container terminal at Haikou Port in Hainan. = The free-trade port is expected to be a game-changer for China=E2=80=99s ec= onomy. Photo: Xinhua

      For decades, glob= alization was widely accepted as an almost inevitable trajectory. The more = open an economy, the prevailing logic held, the greater its prospects for g= rowth.

      Frictionless ports, low tariffs, i= nvestment deregulation, and unrestricted capital flows were treated as the = essential ingredients of economic advancement. Countries competed to become= nodes of global trade, dismantling barriers and entrusting economic outcom= es largely to the forces of the global market.

      Over the past decade, however, it has become increasingly evident tha= t this earlier model of globalization no longer delivers on its promises. T= he 2008 global=C2=A0financial crisis, the=C2=A0Covid-19pandemic, trade w= ars, rising geopolitical tensions and accelerating technological fragmentat= ion have exposed the fragility of unfiltered openness.

      Excessive dependence on global=C2=A0supply chains=C2=A0has created and = exposed strategic vulnerabilities rather than resilience. As a result, majo= r economies are turning against the once-dominant assumption that economic = openness is synonymous with strength.

      China=E2=80=99s Hainan=C2=A0Free Trade Port acquires its strategic significance in this shifting l= andscape. Much of=C2=A0the commentary=C2=A0surrounding Hainan has been narrowly framed, whether it will<= span>=C2=A0rival = Singapore, or whether it will emerge as Asia=E2=80=99s next=C2=A0= dominant port.

      These question= s are not entirely misplaced, but they miss the deeper significance of the = project. Hainan is not merely a logistics hub or a regional development ini= tiative. It represents a recalibration of how China conceptualizes the rela= tionship between the state, the market and globalization itself.=

      = Rather than choosing between full liberalization an= d isolation, Beijing is pursuing a more calibrated approach. Hainan has bee= n designed as a controlled=C2=A0experimental space, a limited geography in = which globalization is allowed to operate selectively.

      In effect, it functions as a=C2=A0policy laboratory, enabling China to captu= re the benefits of global trade and investment without exposing its entire = economic system at once. This is where the concept of selective globalizati= on takes on institutional form.

      In earlie= r Chinese economic discourse, this logic was captured by the metaphor of th= e =E2=80=9Cbirdcage econ= omy.=E2=80=9D The bird may fly freely, but only within carefully define= d boundaries.

      Hainan as a globalization filter

      The most fundamental distinction between Hainan and other free= ports lies in its function as a filter rather than a gateway. Many free tr= ade zones around the world operate as open doors, allowing goods, capital a= nd business actors to flow seamlessly into the domestic economy.=

      = Hainan, by contrast, draws a clear institutional li= ne between the global sphere and China=E2=80=99s domestic market. Within th= e island,=C2=A0customs, fiscal, an= d investment regimes are=C2=A0deliberately libera= l. Imports face minimal tariffs, administrative procedures are streamli= ned, and foreign investors enjoy relatively clear and predictable legal fra= meworks.

      Yet when goods and capital move = from Hainan into mainland China, the state reasserts control through tariff= s, standards and national regulations. Globalization is permitted to enter,= but it is not allowed to diffuse unchecked.

      This architecture creates an institutional buffer. China does not rejec= t globalization, it refines it. The binary choice between full openness and= rigid protectionism is replaced by a third path: localized, measured, and = controllable openness.

      In an era of inten= sifying=C2=A0geopolitical fragmentation, such an app= roach is particularly relevant for an economy as large and complex as China= =E2=80=99s. This model also reshapes the relationship between the state and= the market.

      In the traditional globaliza= tion narrative, openness was often equated with a retreat of the state. Hai= nan suggests the opposite. Here, the state acts as the chief architect of g= lobalization itself, deciding where openness is permitted, which sectors ar= e prioritized and which boundaries remain non-negotiable. The state is not = a passive bystander but an active designer.

      For foreign investors, Hainan offers both opportunity and a clear= =C2=A0polit= ical signal. The opportunity lies in ease of doing business, low tariff= s and efficient logistics.=C2=A0The signal=C2=A0is China remains open, but that openn= ess is structured by state design rather than driven by blind liberalizatio= n.=C2=A0

      Expectations of an = entirely open China are replaced by a more conditional and selective realit= y.

      Geoeconomic instrument, risk management tool

      Beyond its economic function, Hainan operates as a geoecono= mic instrument. Amid strategic rivalry with the United States and rising gl= obal uncertainty, Beijing requires mechanisms that keep China connected to = the world economy without exposing its domestic system to external shocks. = Hainan serves precisely that purpose.

      The= zone acts as a buffer between China and the global economy. Multinational = firms can trade, invest and operate through Hainan without becoming fully e= ntangled in the regulatory, political and strategic sensitivities of the ma= inland. From Beijing=E2=80=99s perspective, this allows capital and trade f= lows to continue while containing the systemic risks they often bring.<= /font>

      From an international political economy stand= point, this reflects a heightened state awareness of globalization=E2=80=99= s risks. Where earlier phases of globalization prioritized efficiency and s= cale, today risk has become a central variable in policymaking. Hainan illu= strates how China has internalized lessons from global crises and geopoliti= cal conflicts into the design of its economic institutions.

      <= p style=3D"max-width:100%;font-family:"Times New Roman"">This strategy, however, is not without trade-offs. Conce= ntrating liberalization in a single location also concentrates foreign capi= tal, data and global interests. In theory, this could become a strategic vu= lnerability.

      Yet Beijing=E2=80=99s willin= gness to proceed suggests a high degree of confidence in its institutional = capacity and regulatory control. The risks are deemed manageable, while the= long-term benefits are judged to outweigh them.

      The future of globaliza= tion

      Hainan=E2=80=99s strategic impac= t extends well beyond China=E2=80=99s borders. Southeast Asia, in particula= r, will feel its effects. Many ASEAN economies have positioned themselves a= s alternative production and logistics hubs as global firms seek to diversi= fy away from China. Hainan has the potential to alter that calculus.

      With its mix of fiscal incentives, regulatory c= larity and proximity to China=E2=80=99s domestic market, Hainan is poised t= o attract higher value-added activities, regional distribution centers, fin= al-stage assembly, supply chain management, services trade and even regiona= l headquarters. This does not imply that ASEAN will be displaced, but it do= es suggest a structural shift in the region=E2=80=99s role.

      <= p style=3D"max-width:100%;font-family:"Times New Roman"">Southeast Asian states now face=C2=A0complex=C2=A0strategic choices. = Some may deepen their integration into China-centered supply chains, accept= ing roles as component suppliers or specialized production bases.

      Others may accelera= te domestic industrialization, deepen internal markets and build their own = industrial ecosystems to avoid being locked into low value-added positions.= In=C2=A0this sense<= /a>, Hainan acts as a catalyst, forcing the region to reassess its long-ter= m development trajectory.

      More broadly, H= ainan challenges the traditional globalization model built around political= ly neutral ports and pure transshipment efficiency. For decades, port compe= titiveness was defined by speed and neutrality.

      Today, advantage increasingly lies in=C2=A0vertical integration, where ports are embedded withi= n production systems, regulatory frameworks, financial services and domesti= c markets. Hainan offers precisely such an ecosystem, not merely a standalo= ne logistics facility.

      In short, Hainan r= eflects a transformation in globalization itself. The world is not moving t= oward outright deglobalization, but toward a form of globalization that is = more political, more segmented and more selective. Major states are no long= er passive participants in global markets; they are actively shaping the te= rms and limits of their engagement.

      For r= egions such as Southeast Asia, the lesson is clear. Economic openness remai= ns essential, but openness without strategy is increasingly dangerous. The = future of globalization will not be defined by opening every door at once, = but by deciding which doors to open, when and under what conditions.

      In that context, Hainan is not merely a Chinese= port, it is a mirror of the emerging global economic order: interconnected= but governed by increasingly deliberate and geoeconomically driven boundar= ies.

      Ronny P= . Sasmita is senior international affairs analyst at Indonesia Strategic an= d Economics Action Institution, a Jakarta-based think tank<= /p>


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IEEPA! IEEPA! X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2026 01:52:59 -0000 --000000000000f3676a064b4bcb34 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Forwarded this email? Subscribe here for more IEEPA! IEEPA! IEEPA! Why the tariff ruling really matters Paul Krugman Feb 20 [image: Cats being the ruler of chaos =F0=9F=98=81 Funny Silliest CAT Video= s 2025] *Me watching Trump=E2=80=99s press conference* According to Donald Trump, several Supreme Court justices are FOOLS, =E2=80=9CLAPDOGS,=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cvery unpatriotic.=E2=80=9D I agree = =E2=80=94 although I think we have different justices in mind. In his press conference Trump also asserted both that the Court=E2=80=99s r= uling against his tariffs was disastrous and that the Court had affirmed his right to do whatever he wants on tariffs. Not sure where the second part came from. The ruling was in fact scathing and said clearly that Trump=E2=80=99s use of the Internati= onal Emergency Economic Powers Act was a usurpation of taxation authority that belongs to Congress: We are therefore skeptical that in IEEPA =E2=80=94 and IEEPA alone =E2=80= =94 Congress hid a delegation of its birth-right power to tax =E2=80=A6 In that press conference Trump announced that he would immediately use another little-known legal route =E2=80=94 Section 122 =E2=80=94 to impose = immediate 10 percent tariffs across the board. Section 122 tariffs can only last 150 days, but he claimed that during that stretch he would find ways to use other authorities to maintain high tariffs. And it=E2=80=99s just possible = that this will be enough to keep average tariffs and tariff revenue where they would have been if the Supremes had ruled in his favor. I don=E2=80=99t see, by the way, how such alternatives would obviate the ne= ed to refund the tariffs already collected. If you seized money without constitutional authority, finding other revenue sources going forward doesn=E2=80=99t make the original seizure legal. And even if Trump finds ways to keep tariffing, this is a huge defeat. Why? Because Trump=E2=80=99s invocation of IEEPA wasn=E2=80=99t about average ta= riff rates, or revenue. It wasn=E2=80=99t even about the trade deficit, which, by the way,= hasn=E2=80=99t declined at all since he went on his tariff spree. No, it was all about arbitrary power. Trump has reveled in being able to slap tariffs on Brazil for daring to put Jair Bolsonaro on trial for a failed insurrection, being able to threaten France and Germany with tariffs for getting in the way of his attempt to seize Greenland, and of course giving tariff waivers to businesses that help him build his ballroom. The desire for that arbitrary power is why he went for IEEPA despite warnings that it might well be ruled unconstitutional. And alternatives to IEEPA don=E2=80=99t give him that much arbitrary power. No wonder, then, that he=E2=80=99s throwing a huge temper tantrum. *You=E2=80=99re currently a free subscriber to Paul Krugman. For the full experience, upgrade your subscription.* Check out my MasterClass on Economics Upgrade to paid Give the gift of Paul Krugman's Substack Like Comment Restack --000000000000f3676a064b4bcb34 Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

      IEEPA! IEEPA! IEEPA!

      Why the tariff ruling really matters

      =
      Forwarded this email?=C2=A0Subscribe here=C2=A0f= or more
      Feb= 20

      =

      =3D"Cats

      Me watching Trump= =E2=80=99s press conference

      According to Donald Trump, several Supreme Co= urt justices are FOOLS, =E2=80=9CLAPDOGS,=E2=80=9D and =E2=80=9Cvery unpatr= iotic.=E2=80=9D I agree =E2=80=94 although I think we have different justic= es in mind.

      In his press conference Trump also asserted both that the Court= =E2=80=99s=C2=A0rulin= g against his tariffs=C2=A0was disastrous and that the Court had affirm= ed his right to do whatever he wants on tariffs. Not sure where the second = part came from. The ruling was in fact scathing and said clearly that Trump= =E2=80=99s use of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act was a usu= rpation of taxation authority that belongs to Congress:

      We a= re therefore skeptical that in IEEPA =E2=80=94 and IEEPA alone =E2=80=94 Co= ngress hid a delegation of its birth-right power to tax =E2=80=A6

      I don=E2=80= =99t see, by the way, how such alternatives would obviate the need to refun= d the tariffs already collected. If you seized money without constitutional= authority, finding other revenue sources going forward doesn=E2=80=99t mak= e the original seizure legal.

      And even if Trump finds ways to keep tariffing,= this is a huge defeat. Why? Because Trump=E2=80=99s invocation of IEEPA wa= sn=E2=80=99t about average tariff rates, or revenue. It wasn=E2=80=99t even= about the trade deficit, which, by the way, hasn=E2=80=99t declined at all= since he went on his tariff spree.

      No, it was all about arbitrary power. Tru= mp has reveled in being able to slap tariffs on Brazil for daring to put Ja= ir Bolsonaro on trial for a failed insurrection, being able to threaten Fra= nce and Germany with tariffs for getting in the way of his attempt to seize= Greenland, and of course giving tariff waivers to businesses that help him= build his ballroom.

      The desire for that arbitrary power is why he went for I= EEPA despite warnings that it might well be ruled unconstitutional.

      And alter= natives to IEEPA don=E2=80=99t give him that much arbitrary power.

      No wonder, then, th= at he=E2=80=99s throwing a huge temper tantrum.

      You=E2=80=99re currently a fre= e subscriber to Paul Krugman. For the full experience,=C2=A0upgrade your su= bscription.

      Check out my MasterClass on Economics

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      =C2=A0
      3D""Li= ke
      		=
      3D""Comment
      3D""Res= tack
      --000000000000f3676a064b4bcb34-- From cwfresidence@gmail.com Fri Feb 20 17:55:08 2026 Return-Path: X-Original-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Delivered-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Received: from mlm0.listserve.net (mlm0.listserve.net [161.35.233.68]) by mlm2.listserve.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3C19FB0851 for ; Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:55:08 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Filter: OpenDKIM Filter v2.11.0 mlm2.listserve.net 3C19FB0851 Authentication-Results: mlm2.listserve.net; dkim=pass (2048-bit key) header.d=gmail.com header.i=@gmail.com header.b="eBGWyjDk" Received: by mlm0.listserve.net (Postfix) id 31E33BE86B; Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:55:08 -0800 (PST) Delivered-To: salon@listserve.com Received: from mail-ej1-f41.google.com (mail-ej1-f41.google.com [209.85.218.41]) by mlm0.listserve.net (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 2805FBE869 for ; Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:55:08 -0800 (PST) Received: by mail-ej1-f41.google.com with SMTP id a640c23a62f3a-b8f992167dcso340211266b.1 for ; Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:55:08 -0800 (PST) ARC-Seal: i=1; a=rsa-sha256; t=1771638906; cv=none; d=google.com; s=arc-20240605; b=ev5doE/gW3CZh4gfmXUe2Z2rC7lPhI1nnXyhRecRWfmll+GloGvUggtocomt/JiTLG pViVp9h3LgC/jpnQRv99yAzAs1LTWuyCHpW3lldexXXTwXIGEFDr5vtdG3cKv50V77EB hSNQ7iqkAE3eWTwnoESfUcNrJ7Eoeof8aON2C63DKvga1pJkMqY1ji8l1cOgySSkLTLq BPcsrA0Ua3W4TecHltwkK04kBwYthE/PMRY5WXKa/QyqbzzjLgK5nWwHeDaJZT8UA6+x BRB1zGopE+XKc4KHCqdRixu4uSsGrfXv4GR/K+Ly2onITaPjH7RQ4WsIdpHxLZrgtw7g NOuA== ARC-Message-Signature: i=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=google.com; s=arc-20240605; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:mime-version:dkim-signature; bh=pnzUb2/k7bTMYdcC9GDCg+bFOJNVVk8JfRcxjHSHbSo=; fh=lLxITyB959KLFKnbooLske9cJ9vmU6euTH0pWdgcwcI=; b=DbPCjmSsALpRLqQGUJ//IFXyGSEhR6uv0TcUbHay9U/qUsImjKDsJq8audoJJZfEoj W86vVJG6svI5RpZ+0dfW6SnxSdNh56Z4gglu7JoLYutahQKjzT4GlcWKPJrlD+ItXII9 w4IfhGRHKSkkxDEt3EzBp/w3pffwrmrUVySU9s3ABZBeadVJrBbF8M3RYRHC2GW5A3lh DoOAtQqYIwi5JudNeFV/SjbFzEdFuB/Fls3DDqsuotI8XQhJ99ryOz+/1Ta+NHRmzbxe Jo00kKQfQPMEp1P87N3fQXsrITuDslu55MAlcRh19ehZC84EdLhsvGKGjTH/IOXK5C0M eC3A==; darn=listserve.com ARC-Authentication-Results: i=1; mx.google.com; arc=none DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20230601; t=1771638906; x=1772243706; darn=listserve.com; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:mime-version:from:to:cc:subject :date:message-id:reply-to; bh=pnzUb2/k7bTMYdcC9GDCg+bFOJNVVk8JfRcxjHSHbSo=; b=eBGWyjDkvJnicO/hSOjEOJj567ofLSGEWAQD4YjHCbCBfJzxv1/rfHQXU8vz1FYTzM 3JRCVwEAHXZ6nfm/Z1oDScmhwBhI5bK47HymZwi2brVo2iNHJWq1fSvJMFazlx/af1HT lyxDzjfKksRXF8N2/ct3YCS6mKVS4jOhuO1BO94IV0kbqLslKqqX4dbO2Y+NUVJavCJX VfylxJpAVYbri0v0iSlsRAaJyGdIDtW27q804xJrOBpLC0UtTZ8PvnT/nRFi4Rzv0QkF dJLNiP082R5lYL/DZo/e4pG5FpbvFT5ITcDh1jbmmbIrzxdBV7gJALwMXGEN/Lp5fcrm d1PQ== X-Google-DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=1e100.net; s=20230601; t=1771638906; x=1772243706; h=to:subject:message-id:date:from:mime-version:x-gm-gg :x-gm-message-state:from:to:cc:subject:date:message-id:reply-to; bh=pnzUb2/k7bTMYdcC9GDCg+bFOJNVVk8JfRcxjHSHbSo=; b=M/wnVkLQcrBV+Dkhk78BmmpbyaTB4uKzpaLgNtES9jE30Vcli0gli3qjpeNCoVEhlq CPI3AXxFPpZ1OEVf9YTAiyX3gxelTBBi+8erfavNFZKTiIZEZa8VZBbAgdfAPCA+kLDj 6sXzrR+8K8FYGfAhkGeHAEVxL/uh7ah/hN18xdjoxn26SUlKbup4fIjqNwwh66T1t0Au XTu7Tj/PM7CWg2EHX4WLcl7btY1CtYT0reTXusBQDZ6i1P2dVbFZ3l7iavlcWMeOYiv4 jdMjh3eLlIp9fwtEwcEdIuzfBbkvyP6I/49BQ40YJvpbMM90XurNxY2Jjw0Zs8yy9OMK U9eA== X-Gm-Message-State: AOJu0Yxpxhy0GyhF/GRNUGNneX4ccL6BDsDWd/6X7aGmQUc8vY262f95 QPLc9N86TtMNt8p0HToAJ6uOpyKtXUwmBmprWmDNil/G/GPnkiMz67A7ZB5sWZijRUwqB3lnJoT vgXXmHZUsJznCo0BKkX6maRwecOTtXpRXx8HNT/w= X-Gm-Gg: AZuq6aIb6pKA5vQ0iS+IEZQV1ovXg+Ve0Q9Iy94/f2+zDLXfvpnylPAJ9oYnn/+Xggl rKAKk7E648sVu3wGxp6HlkChLo0IJKQnJBIu5GEFHIn6TKDWUuYfxvRuqncDjGlzS6ifznQma20 u2xwFOiQpidVhs8aeCwHgxiIl9z8RMK/nnkceRlGz3bJxCo235c+QWYJvTl9hRfZfe2mHC+Ri8O 5NwKvDn5EQsBBN+PfHTfn+PbAjhy4Yli46KYKjUy40VZHHlkBQRmdhoZvQDREvcullNixgPXVyQ BaJ1ImvQtSHsi7D8h0sQsL2/810GL2BvXuu5jFnKR+NEp/Tcyfof/pEcebmLxBhGdUDV5ZlfKAr bVGkMSqPdgt0O07h3NxvPZ92IeuWlyBB3ve9kKe7T1h/hCBT7db151XIdGnfiaUdKOev3Wb7G8m 6HG80/RmDQdbMOC+ALlJhrtnmKGOwI8NS/TifB+xqXNCXJynB8BuMwZYuCxeAlFX7EIZrKxRQIE EQkebNdtQmR X-Received: by 2002:a17:906:f247:b0:b8a:f9d7:1afe with SMTP id a640c23a62f3a-b9081bd17d5mr69886766b.57.1771638906229; Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:55:06 -0800 (PST) MIME-Version: 1.0 From: Chas Freeman Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:54:50 -0500 X-Gm-Features: AaiRm51104cCmarIqvaA38bB_ORaQ_c_hXY3V-o4lQKmWTg2UcnNjoWFFs-B0-8 Message-ID: To: salon@listserve.com Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="000000000000ad1938064b4bd31c" Subject: [Salon] KIRILL DMITRIEV, PUTIN ETC. X-BeenThere: salon@listserve.com X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.33 Precedence: list List-Id: Discussion List for the Committee For The Republic List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Sat, 21 Feb 2026 01:55:08 -0000 --000000000000ad1938064b4bd31c Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Friends & Colleagues A few days ago, I sent out a reference to a piece by John Helmer, long-time and respected independent analyst resident in Moscow. Its main theme was that the extensive negotiations between Dmitriev and Witkoff over the past few months focused on prospective wide -ranging economic ties that could encourage settlement of the Ukraine conflict. The arrangements considered would run counter to the emphasis now placed by Russia on minimizing dependence om Western technology, capital and manufactured goods. Helmer, drawing on government sources in Moscow and observed signs, put forward the proposition that Putin himself has devised and promoted this approach as providing incentives for Trump/Washington to accept the fundamental elements of the Russian position regarding terms for resolution of the multifaceted Ukraine issue - as clearly stated by Putin in his June 14 2024 address - principles that the Americans never have acknowledged (although Moscow claims that Trump personally did so at Anchorage). Now, as if in response to this interpretation, Dmitriev publicly has declared that all such reports are false - indeed, "fake news." His remarks and their significance are discussed today by Alexander Mercouris on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjrtybAxnc4 Minutes 49 - 1:10 I will refrain from commenting other than to note that the truth remains elusive. Surely, the great number of hours that Dmitriev and Witkoff spent in dense exchanges on a wide range of the two countries' economic dealings - past, present and future - were not casual speculations and chit-chat. Moreover, the first of these meetings were kept secret, and even denied. More recently, there has been recorded elbowing between Lavrov and Dmitriev as to who would be in room when high-level meetings with the Americans were being held. Finally, last week Lavrov personally and publicly uncharacteristically attacked what he saw as the current misguided Kremlin (Putin) line which included veiled references to the Dmitriev-Witkoff p*as de deux. *Apparently, such criticism often is expressed by Russian commentators and is shared by prominent members of the Russian Security Council. Where does the truth lie? That is not a question for a distant, amateur observer to pronounce on. I'll rest content with having had the opportunity to get the spelling of Dmitriev's name right. Cheers Michael Brenner mbren@pitt.edu --000000000000ad1938064b4bd31c Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable
      Friends & Colleagues

      A few days ago, I sent out a re= ference to a piece by John Helmer, long-time and respected independent anal= yst resident in Moscow. Its main theme was that the extensive negotiations = between Dmitriev and Witkoff over the past few months focused on prospectiv= e wide -ranging economic ties that could encourage settlement of the Ukrain= e conflict. The arrangements considered would run counter to the emphasis n= ow placed by Russia on minimizing dependence om Western technology, capital= =C2=A0and manufactured goods. Helmer, drawing on government sources in M= oscow and observed signs, put forward the proposition that Putin himself ha= s devised and promoted this approach as providing incentives for Trump/Wash= ington to accept the fundamental elements of the Russian position regarding= terms for resolution of the multifaceted Ukraine issue - as clearly stated= by Putin in his June 14 2024 address - principles that the Americans never= have acknowledged (although Moscow claims that Trump personally did so at = Anchorage).


      Now, as if in response to this interpretation= , Dmitriev publicly has declared that all such reports are false - indeed, = "fake news."
      Hi= s remarks and their significance are discussed today by Alexander Mercouris= on YouTube at:


      I will refrain from commenting other than to note that the = truth remains elusive. Surely, the great number of hours that Dmitriev and = Witkoff spent in dense exchanges on a wide range of the two countries' = economic dealings - past, present and future - were not casual speculations= and chit-chat. Moreover, the first of these meetings were kept secret, and= even denied. More recently, there has been recorded elbowing between Lavro= v and=C2=A0
      Dmitriev as t= o who would be in room when high-level meetings with the Americans were bei= ng held. Finally, last week Lavrov personally and publicly uncharacteristic= ally attacked what he saw as the current misguided Kremlin (Putin) line whi= ch included veiled references to the Dmitriev-Witkoff pas de deux.=C2=A0= Apparently, such criticism often is expressed by Russian commentators a= nd is shared by prominent members of the Russian Security Council.

      Where does the truth lie? That is not a question for = a distant, amateur observer to pronounce on. I'll rest content with hav= ing had the opportunity to get the spelling of Dmitriev's name right.

      Cheers

      Michael B= renner
      --000000000000ad1938064b4bd31c-- From egarris2@antiwar.com Fri Feb 20 19:52:56 2026 Return-Path: X-Original-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Delivered-To: salon@mlm2.listserve.net Received: from mlm0.listserve.net (mlm0.listserve.net [161.35.233.68]) by mlm2.listserve.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 788D3B0851 for ; Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:52:55 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Filter: OpenDKIM Filter v2.11.0 mlm2.listserve.net 788D3B0851 Authentication-Results: mlm2.listserve.net; dkim=pass (2048-bit key) header.d=antiwar.com header.i=@antiwar.com header.b="RLVWlZ+x" Received: by mlm0.listserve.net (Postfix) id 4DFC6BE86B; Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:52:55 -0800 (PST) Delivered-To: salon@listserve.com Received: from mail-24422.protonmail.ch (mail-24422.protonmail.ch [109.224.244.22]) by mlm0.listserve.net (Postfix) with ESMTPS id 277FEBE869 for ; Fri, 20 Feb 2026 19:52:55 -0800 (PST) DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=antiwar.com; s=protonmail; t=1771645973; x=1771905173; 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