The Ghosts of Tinian and the Growing Cold War in the Asia-Pacific

https://archive.is/EQ0TJ

I heard one Chinese analyst speak truthfully - the end-game of these tariffs is war. Hopefully a 'deal' can be reached long before then but Trump's moves are a form of warfare - even if the bullets aren't flying yet.

Trump and South Africa

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/2/10/white-victimhood-to-g20-whats-behind-trumps-attacks-on-south-africa

The Trump administration has made the news recently with regard to South Africa and White farmers. I've been following the coverage and I must say I've found it frustrating. I think many outlets have more or less answered and/or explained the misleading nature of Trump's charges. A little more context would be helpful but such endeavours take time.

Shameless Evangelical Liars and The Squad

https://www.christianpost.com/voices/the-squad-shamefully-tries-to-inflame-another-summer-of-riots.html

Are these serious people – or merely actors and clowns? The Squad is trying to start riots?

Another Schizophrenic and Incoherent Commentary From the Right

https://www.nwaonline.com/news/2022/jun/02/star-parker-this-country-is-going-through-a/

What a mess. I filed this commentary away over a month ago. To be candid it's pretty worthless but reading it I had to laugh at the total incongruity and dissonance on display in the argument.

LPRs Sacralist Allegiance to a Confused and Counterfeit Right-wing Kingdom

https://issuesetc.org/2022/06/21/1721-the-restoration-of-citizenship-dr-victor-davis-hanson-6-21-22/

Listening to this exchange with the Hoover Institute's Victor Davis Hanson it was hard not to be struck by the fundamentally non-Christian approach of the interview, which is a strange thing because supposedly I was listening to a Confessional Lutheran radio programme.

The Nation, the Christian Right, and Levin's Caricature of Marxism

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/mark-levin-american-marxism/

The Nation is a well-established liberal magazine with deep roots in the American political order.  As connected as it is with the power centres of the Democratic Party, the publisher (Katrina vanden Heuvel) is (ironically) widow to the recently deceased Stephen Cohen – the renowned but controversial Russian studies scholar who rejected and decried the Anti-Russia campaign being led by the US Establishment and particularly the DNC. I'm sure there were some interesting conversations that took place in their home.

Evidence of Corruption at Al Jazeera

From time to time I have commented on news outlets and one I've often referenced is that of Al Jazeera English. When the network launched during the George W Bush years it was a breath of fresh air. I started watching in 2008 via Livestream and I found the network to be edifying. It covered a wide range of topics and in fairly balanced form. Its coverage was not Western-biased but it did not discount or ignore Western positions either.

Spinning Pegasus

https://www.npr.org/2021/07/29/1022214491/leaks-reveal-spyware-meant-to-track-criminals-targeted-activists-instead

The Fresh Air interview contained some helpful information but it was overshadowed by an air of absurdity. There were numerous elephants in the room that were being ignored leading one to question the sincerity of the participants.

The Myanmar Coup and China

There have been repeated hints made in Western media that Beijing is somehow behind the coup in Myanmar (Burma). While the ruling party (CCP) of China is undoubtedly an evil organisation, I was immediately sceptical of the claims. Once again, just because Xi Jinping is an evil persecutor of the Church does not mean that we as Christians need to hop on to the Western propaganda bandwagon. We need to hold the truth and remember that just because the Chinese government is evil – it does not follow that Western powers like the US or UK are somehow 'good'.

How Should We Then Live Part 10: Final Choices (II)

Schaeffer then launches into a discussion regarding civil liberties and the role of the state and how under the Christian consensus freedoms were able to flourish without chaos (for the racial-tribal majority we might add) and yet once the consensus was removed, the very same freedoms became self-destructive.

How Should We Then Live Part 10: Final Choices (I)

This final episode was certainly one of the weakest and most dated – and yet also necessary. Schaeffer attempts to tie things together and make his final appeal. This episode differs from the others in that Schaeffer is not talking about art and culture from the vantage point of historic places and museums. It's mostly just him talking and he more or less keeps falling back on a couple of points crucial to his project. This is what the series has been all about. He wants his audience to take away these crucial applications and he more or less devotes an entire episode to them.

A Pilgrim Watching the Fallout from Coronavirus

In terms of the grander scale, I have very little fear of Coronavirus. Besides as a Christian I know that if my number is up (so to speak), then I trust in Providence and am at peace knowing that my death or suffering was in God's time and glorifies Him.

Frontline's In the Age of AI

I recently watched the PBS Frontline documentary on AI or Artificial Intelligence. I recommend it but with qualification. It was both interesting and disturbing but it was also misleading. There were some interesting discussions to be sure. From the future of jobs to some rather questionable uses in medicine to social media and surveillance, the documentary raises numerous salient questions.

The Threat of China According to The Guardian

https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/dec/07/china-plan-for-global-media-dominance-propaganda-xi-jinping

The rise of Xi Jinping continues to re-shape China and it's becoming clear the New Silk Road or One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative is about more than commerce or economic security.

Historically China (when powerful) has remained more or less within its geopolitical sphere. A dominating regional Hegemon, many have argued that its contemporary resurgence represents little more than an attempt to revert to the historical pattern. The lords of Beijing wish for China to recapture its historical place and position in the global order. Its aspirations are regional and restricted.

And yet some wonder if under Xi the vision has shifted and China is moving more in the direction of a global empire akin to the old European empires but with a special reliance upon the model of the United States.

Trump +730: Who's in Charge?

Politics always has its twists and turns but between Brexit and Donald Trump one never knows what is coming next. What a tumultuous time.

On 20 January 2019, Trump will have been in office for exactly two years or 730 days. It's a good moment to take a moment and reflect on many points but something has really been glaring to me as of late.

As far as Trump is concerned it is legitimate to ask 'who is in charge' as there have been definite occasions in which his rhetoric and orders seem to be countermanded.

Singapore 2018: An Alternate Narrative

The outcome of the Singapore summit is of course unknown but I find several things striking. Or rather, what's striking is what is not being said, how the summit is not being framed.

Navigating the Media Storm: Skripal, Trump and Syria

Sometimes it's hard not to be cynical.

French Arms, Riyadh and the Yemen War

https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/03/france-faces-legal-risks-saudi-arabia-uae-arms-sales-180320160840888.html

France is behaving irresponsibly and helping to foment war.

Of course the same could be said for the British and Americans who have also engaged in rather lucrative arms sales agreements with Riyadh.

The Guardian, Establishment Appropriation and Ghosts of World War I

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/feb/21/europe-crisis-balkans-eu-membership-russia-china-turkey

Alongside publications like the New York Times and Washington Post, The Guardian has moved into a position of being one of the chief publications at the forefront of Western Imperialism. Championing the Anti-Russian campaign and zealously advocating for intervention in Syria, the paper pushes on many fronts for NATO militarism and so-called humanitarian wars.

Trying to Keep Focused in a Spinning World

Steel Mills, Fighter Jets, Leaks and Fake News

This isn't about keeping our eyes on Christ amid a world that seems bent on chaos. That goes without saying.

I'm talking about what's happening on the street.