https://thegrayzone.substack.com/p/as-criticism-grows-over-landslide
Situated between India and China, and specifically on the borders of Tibet, it's not hard to see why New Delhi, Beijing, and even Washington are concerned with events in Nepal and who is in charge.
https://consortiumnews.com/2026/09/27/craig-murray-four-days-in-ekaterinburg/
Craig Murray is certainly a controversial figure that raises hackles in some quarters. He's perceived as being pro-Russian and he upset many by standing close to Julian Assange through his many struggles. Murray is also tied in with the Scottish Independence movement and has clashed with the Crown judiciary over leaked information resulting in a short jail sentence. In other words, he's a polarizing figure.
Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia are all deeply indebted to Washington which in turns exerts considerable influence within their systems. In other words they are client states - Kosovo being more akin to satrapy. This gas deal is a case of reciprocity. It's wanted in Washington and Wall Street, which creates political pressure in these countries. The people who implement it locally (often connected to if not sponsored by American institutions and interests) will in turn profit from it as well. Everyone in the circle is happy, but in this case it's an issue that is not a private business deal with limited impact but one that profoundly affects society at large and from the standpoint of Brussels - the entire European Union will be impacted.
https://carnegieendowment.org/russia-eurasia/politika/2025/09/afghanistan-water-supply-central-asia
Generally speaking I'm not a fan of the Carnegie Center or the many think-tanks like it. On one level they are all in service to the Establishment, producing work for policy makers and yet very much affected by values, commitments, and sometimes stated agendas connected to powerful interests in government and finance.
Returning home on Saturday evening, I was just north of Pittsburgh and saw diesel had crossed the $7 a gallon threshold. Regular gas (petrol for some) is pushing $5 a gallon. Pennsylvania pays higher taxes on fuel and unfortunately due to the deep corruption within our Department of Transportation (PennDOT), we don't always see a lot for it. But our poor roads (even poorer in the winter) are another matter. The corruption within Pennsylvania government cannot account for the present crisis in gasoline prices. Many connect the spike to the Trump-Netanyahu decision to attack Iran - but that doesn't really explain it either. Because we were promised by the Right that something else would happen the next time the Middle East blew up.
https://www.euractiv.com/news/armenia-to-start-eu-bid-in-near-future/
The struggle over Armenia and the Caucasus continues. The region has been caught in geopolitical wranglings since the fall of the Soviet Union thirty-five years ago.
https://www.politico.eu/article/americas-democratic-slide-is-becoming-europes-problem/
This article is primarily of interest in that it counters the 'Make America Great Again' narratives of the Trumpite cult. China has indicated that Trump has provided them with a golden opportunity as his administration is unilaterally dismantling the Empire's institutions and alliances. They're loving the Trump era. It's a gift to Beijing.
https://www.asianews.it/en/east-asia/china/the-himalayas-why-gyirong-is-a-key-location-for-beijing
https://thediplomat.com/2026/09/nepals-floods-upset-its-china-india-balancing-act/
The Strategic Space article helps to explain the geographic divisions with Nepal and the nature of China's relationship to the region.
The second article is from Asia News, a Catholic publication focused on Eurasian issues and as such has a slightly different read on Beijing's motivations visa-vis Nepal. Both articles speak of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and the role China plays in the northern region of Nepal. But the Catholic article is far more cynical, viewing China's incursion as not merely motivated by trade and a desire to police its own borders (and the critical border with Tibet), but to expand and dominate.
https://www.asianews.it/en/east-asia/china/fifty-years-after-mao-s-death-what-s-left-of-him-in-china
Though you aren't likely to hear 'Red China' these days, it's common for Right-wing media to speak of 'Communist China'.
And yet in reality, China abandoned that system in the late seventies, just a few years after Mao's death on 9 September 1976. Under Deng Xiaoping's tenure (1978-1989), the Chinese government embraced capitalism - though it did not develop on Western or American lines.
This article provides a different assessment of the July 2026 Ankara NATO Summit than what you'll commonly find in the mainstream media. The website is not anti-NATO in any way shape or form. These are true believers but ones wary of corruption or mission creep. The site exists as a means to promote serious discussion and inquiry toward holding NATO accountable and keeping the alliance (as they see it) on course.
https://www.politico.eu/article/france-orderly-us-military-drawdown-alice-rufo/
It needs to be remembered that Politico is explicitly a pro-European and thus pro-EU publication. The fact that an American drawdown from Europe is being openly discussed and even advocated - that's noteworthy.
The UK plan to outsource its immigration crisis to Rwanda collapsed and was cancelled by Keir Starmer. Despite this, Rwanda is still looking to sign up and receive European funds. And Paul Kagame has his takers as nations such as Denmark, Austria, Greece, and Germany have expressed interest.
Given Armenia's recent tilt away from Russia, and Azerbaijan's mostly pro-US stance, the moment seems ripe for the EU to sweep into the South Caucasus and do some bridge building. As I have long suggested, the EU offers a Western and yet non-American alternative, and one more attractive given the geographic proximity to the region.
This certainly caught my eye. The Visegrad Four (V4) has been basically dead since 2022 and the Ukraine War. The bloc comprised of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia represented a semi-dissident group within the EU. It was receiving particular notice during the years when Orban ruled Hungary, and the PiS was in charge of Poland.
https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2026/06/10/sove-j10.html
This WSWS article expresses something my household has noted for some time - the end of World War II in Europe is being subjected to revisionism.
https://www.euractiv.com/news/taliban-envoy-abdul-qahar-balkhi-to-lead-delegation-to-brussels/
The Taliban does not want to do business with the United States. Given the bad blood connected to the horrific war of the 1980's, it's surprising that Kabul would want anything to do with Moscow either, but indeed it would seem the two nations are proceeding on the basis of common interests. China looms over all and while the Taliban looks to Beijing as its primary foreign investor, the Afghan leadership knows that it's in their interest to diversify - lest they become wholly dependent on Beijing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GXQQKcHRgnA
There have been numerous commentaries regarding the recent Trump-Xi meetings in Beijing. Some insist that Trump arrived in a position of strength and came away scoring significant victories in terms of geo-strategic commitments and trade deals. Unsurprisingly, such interpretations are found among Trump supporters.
https://militarywatchmagazine.com/article/israel-largest-tank-losses-40yrs-ambushes-21-merkava
It's not surprising to learn that the Pentagon has been trying to cover-up losses and damage to US assets. The fact that Iran can strike back does not fit with the US narrative.
https://www.politico.eu/article/world-war-iii-defense-spending-europe-poll/
Politico is well known as a pro-Atlanticist publication and thus is going to represent a NATO-bias in its reporting. Despite this shortcoming, there's still some good information to be gleaned from time to time.
In this case, the article is neither profound nor surprising but rather affirming what many already sense - the world is heading toward global conflict. Indeed, history may look back and reckon the next world war as having begun in the early 2020's with the conflicts in Ukraine, Gaza, and now Iran. These wars are becoming ever more related and interconnected and as Donald Trump discovered they are not easily disentangled or disengaged from as so many issues are woven together.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-admin-threatens-withhold-hiv-192256406.html
The US acts as if its AIDS treatment and prevention programmes are rooted in altruism. That's never been the case. These were opportunities for the Empire to exercise soft power, make contacts, lay foundations for future business investment, and establish relationships with political leaders. It's always been about the fact that if the US doesn't do this, then some other powerful nation will.
