How Should We Then Live Part 7: The Age of Non-Reason (II)

Schaeffer rightly critiques men like Sartre for their utter inconsistency, especially in terms of applying their philosophy to life and ethics. Moral rebels suddenly become moral on certain questions and yet they cannot account for these things – let alone the terms and concepts they use.

How Should We Then Live Part 7: The Age of Non-Reason (I)

I've often thought about the opening segment of this video, Schaeffer standing on the beach and drawing circles in the sand. Each represents a unified theory, comprehensive system or worldview. Because (Schaeffer argues) these circles or systems are rooted in man they fail and another philosopher comes along, crosses out the circle(s) of his predecessors and develops his own – and so on.

Questions Surrounding Coverage of the Saudi Nuclear Programme

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_energy_in_Saudi_Arabia

https://www.eurasiareview.com/19042020-saudi-arabias-nuclear-reactor-nears-completion-bringing-prospect-of-saudi-wmd-oped/

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/03/27/us-approved-secret-nuclear-power-work-for-saudi-arabia-reuters.html

https://www.npr.org/2019/05/06/719590408/as-saudi-arabia-builds-a-nuclear-reactor-some-worry-about-its-motives?t=1586993595561

After receiving some press a few years ago, the first phase of the Saudi nuclear project is (as of April 2020) nearing completion and yet many are expressing the warranted fear that the kingdom is going to pursue a weapons programme. While they have signed on to the Non-Proliferation Treaty or NPT, the treaty increasingly has no teeth. Undermined decades ago by Israel, India, Pakistan, South Africa and in recent years by Libya, Iran and North Korea, the international community's commitment to Non-Proliferation is becoming a quaint but largely meaningless commitment.

Hungary, Italy and Christian Democracy

http://abouthungary.hu/blog/pm-orban-in-rome-liberalism-is-over-its-time-for-christian-democracy/

Christian Democracy means different things to different people. For some the movement is (as it is democratic) grounded within the liberal tradition. For others it represents a hybrid between traditionalist societal models and modern liberalism – a compromise of sorts.

The Context of Mohler's Embrace of Trumpism

https://religionnews.com/2020/04/17/mohlers-turn-to-trump-is-the-crowning-flip-flop-of-his-career/

There aren't many voices today that are willing to acknowledge the profound shift that took place within the Christian Right over the past generation. The emphasis of their movement used to focus on character and integrity in political leadership. This was a major focus in their criticism of Bill Clinton. He was an immoral man and unfit for office. The draft-dodging, pot-smoking, ex-hippie philanderer with a feminist wife had marred the dignity of the office.

How Should We Then Live Part 6: The Scientific Age (II)

This brings us back to the beginning of the episode and the questions surrounding Galileo, Copernicus and others. Schaeffer is adamant that the divide is not between science and religion but between Biblical science and Aristotelianism which had been embraced by the Roman Catholic Church.

How Should We Then Live Part 6: The Scientific Age (I)

This was a complicated episode with fairly weighty ideas being thrown out at a fast clip. I struggled to take notes without pausing. As such this episode and probably the next will also require two parts in order for me to review and respond to the material. Additionally in this episode I wish to interact on a slightly more involved level with some of the arguments assumptions made by Schaeffer. These are really important issues, especially today and these touch on some very basic and fundamental questions about the nature of knowledge that I think are critical when considering the nature of Biblical authority. I think Schaeffer and his followers have missed the mark on this latter albeit critical point.

Covid-19: Economic Downturn and its Potential Geopolitical Consequences

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/coronavirus-jordan-economy-year-over-for-us

I tagged this article at the end of March when it came out and just a couple of weeks later it almost seems like non-news. Why? Because it's the news everywhere. Virtually every economy has been affected by Covid-19 shutdowns and quarantines and is ailing as a result. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan is not unique.

Right wing Parties Will Use Coronavirus to Attack Roma

https://www.euractiv.com/section/politics/news/slovakia-closes-off-five-roma-settlements-due-to-coronavirus/

Slovakia is currently under a moderate (mostly centrist) government and so apart from longstanding hostility to the Roma community, there's little fear (at the moment) of the far-right coming to power.

How Should We Then Live Part 5: The Revolutionary Age (II)

We then turn to the questions surrounding the French Revolution. Schaeffer argues that the legal basis of the Glorious Revolution and the events of 1776 were rooted in the Reformation while the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man was rooted in humanism. That's a very interesting claim which can be contested on both ends. I've already addressed the Anglo-American side of the question but in terms of the French document, given that Jefferson was consulted and Lafayette was one of its authors, one is compelled to question Schaeffer's claims. The fact that Lafayette who played such an important role in the US rebellion, was friends with Washington and other founders and was one of the chief architects of the French Revolution presents (at even this very basic prima facie level) a serious challenge to Schaeffer's narrative.

How Should We Then Live Part 5: The Revolutionary Age (I)

The episode on the Reformation was fairly basic in its concepts and presentation. On the contrary this episode is flush with ideas, concepts and historical reference. There's a lot to consider and interact with and it's no small task to attempt to do so in a concise manner. These are topics I've touched on elsewhere and have extensively developed in other essays. In many respects this episode represents a summation of much that I've critiqued and interacted with over the past 15-20 years.

How Should We Then Live Part 4: The Reformation

In some respects this was a simpler episode keeping to more basic but recurring and even redundant themes. Schaeffer assumes that his audience is already familiar with the basics of the Reformation narrative and spends hardly any time laying out its chronology. I was surprised however to hear how he postured his narrative. He argued the Reformation was the breaking away of the Reformers from the Roman Catholic Church. Additionally the movement represented a turning away from the humanistic elements of medieval Catholicism.

A Coronavirus Miscellany: Statistics, Science and the Libertarian Sceptics

We're now in the midst of a week that was predicted to be Pearl Harbor and 9/11 all rolled into one. Deaths hit nearly 2,000 as of yesterday (7 April) but thus far the claims haven't quite matched reality. The media continues to argue that combined deaths in New York and New Jersey have now passed 9/11, a sobering statistic which is true but the cataclysm that was forecast, just hasn't quite panned out.

This is not to make light of the deaths that have occurred nor do I mean to give any credence to those dismissing Covid-19 as an overblown hoax.

Lessons from the USS Theodore Roosevelt Incident

This is not a topic that is of particular interest to me but there are some noteworthy aspects to the story. I am referring of course to the virus outbreak on the American aircraft carrier, the leaking of the captain's communiqués, his being relieved and now the fallout.

Covid-19 and Project Venezuela

https://original.antiwar.com/Dave_DeCamp/2020/03/29/william-barr-greenlit-bushs-invasion-of-panama-is-venezuela-next/

The US seems to have shifted its posture with regard to Venezuela's Juan Guaido. Though touted by Trump and given a profile boost by his invitation to the State of the Union in February of 2020, the truth is he has failed to oust Nicolas Maduro and his campaign has effectively lost its momentum.

How Should We Then Live Part 3: The Renaissance

Continuing his themes regarding humanism as expressed through art and culture, Schaeffer is clearly torn. For him the 15^th-16^th century Renaissance was a veritable glory. Clearly he loves the period and yet is torn apart by it because in many respects its values are in opposition to the Reformation culture he champions.

Lebanon Bows to the Empire

https://www.mintpressnews.com/butcher-khiam-trump-notorious-war-criminal-amer-fakhoury/265942/

A strange story in some respects, it's surprising that Beirut allowed Fakhoury to be released given Hezbollah's influential role in the government. Fakhoury was certainly a villain, a member of the Israeli-proxy SLA and a participant in the atrocities committed by the IDF in the wake of its 1982 invasion of Lebanon.

Satan's Curriculum

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XKRCBKjOEhQ

The Christendom Curriculum. Its very name already reveals a very flawed if popular theology. The curriculum which purports to educate on a Biblical basis has from its very outset established a flawed foundation by embracing a glaring and serious error regarding the Kingdom.

How Should We Then Live Part 2: The Middle Ages

This episode struck me as in some respects the most confused of the series. Schaeffer vacillates between praise and condemnation of The Middle Ages and in several places entangles himself in a series of non sequitirs and incongruencies.

How Should We Then Live Part 1: The Roman Age

Many if not most readers will already be familiar with Francis Schaeffer and his famous series which first appeared in the late 1970's. The Fundamentalist circles I was in during the 1980's would not have bothered too much with someone like Schaeffer and would have viewed him as strange and too worldly.

Out-of-Towners and Coronavirus

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/mar/21/cornwall-fears-influx-of-out-of-towners-coronavirus-will-overwhelm-nhs-services

It's interesting that this happens in many places including where I live. Our otherwise quiet and rural area often suffers a significant influx of weekenders or what we call 'campers' during the summer months.

Netanyahu and Likud's Bid for Power

https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SybFAkZLI

If you know anything about the rise of Likud you'll know it was rooted in quasi-fascist paramilitary movements dating back to the days before independence in 1948. Benjamin Netanyahu represents the second generation of this party... a party long associated with violence.

Coronavirus and the Militarists: A Reality and a Warning

Recently there was yet another rocket attack on American positions in Iraq, an attack believed to be carried out by Iranian-backed or connected militias. This is part of the ongoing struggle that led up to the Soleimani drone assassination and the events after it.

Will Coronavirus Break the EU?

There's a growing bitterness developing in Italy, Spain and the other hard hit 'southern' regions of the EU. The bloc is hardly unified in its response to the virus pandemic. The lack of coordinated effort smacks of a 'every nation for itself' mentality as Pat Buchanan recently expressed.

The Intercept's Mockery of Evangelicals: Deceitful but Deserved

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC7Efb_lWiw

This video both angered and saddened me. The Intercept, a once respectable adversarial journalistic outlet has become a mouthpiece for the Left-wing of the Democratic Party and has embraced the rot of Identity Politics. Instead of opposing the system as a whole the outlet has aligned itself with a faction and now promotes its variety of decadent faux-Leftism.

Napolitano Wrong on Government Powers

http://www.judgenap.com/post/can-the-government-restrict-travel-to-protect-public-health

Not a few Constitutional scholars would question if not reject his opening salvo as something rendered moot by both the president's role as Commander-in-Chief as well as the 14^th Amendment and its empowerment of the Federal Government to provide equal protection.

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.

Palin: Apostasy on Display

I believe it was last fall I was working up in New York State and when I'm up that way I will sometimes listen to an Evangelical radio station out of Buffalo. I get a kick out of listening to 'Through the Bible' with J Vernon McGee. He reminds me of my late grandparents who were devoted listeners for many decades.

North Macedonia Poised to Join NATO

https://www.antiwar.com/blog/2020/02/14/north-macedonia-is-being-used-by-nato-to-target-serbia-and-russia/

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-north-macedonia-election/north-macedonia-parliament-dissolves-sets-poll-date-after-eu-shuns-talks-idUKKBN20A0OH

After resolving the years-long dispute over the naming status of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM), the newly named North Macedonia is poised to join NATO. This has been a long-time goal of both Brussels and Washington, a step toward the post-Cold War consolidation project that began in the 1990's, an agenda that lost steam in the early 2000's.

Orthodox Activism and Western Journalism

https://www.politico.eu/article/russian-orthodox-christians-lose-faith-in-vladimir-putin/

I have no desire to defend the tenets of Classical Liberalism but this Politico article in assuming them, spawns an unnecessary confusion. The Russian Orthodox Church does not embrace the epistemological or social model of Western Liberalism and Putin has apparently all but abandoned it as well. This is why in the contemporary context they are viewed as heretics by the adherents of Atlanticism, the Western Establishment and many Western Christians as well.

Belgium, Nuclear Weapons and the Breaking of Atlanticism

https://www.euractiv.com/section/defence-and-security/news/belgium-debates-phase-out-of-us-nuclear-weapons-on-its-soil/

In light of Trump's posture towards NATO, one would find it hardly surprising to learn the Belgians don't want to find themselves as a frontline state in the case of a conflict with Russia. Why should they endure the risk without the reward?

The Death and Burial of Kemalism

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Come-on-Children-Mosque-Project-marks-the-end-of-secular-Turkey-49050.html

With the West's open opposition to him (except when it comes to potential conflict with Russia vis-à-vis Syria) Erdogan has decided to dispense with the pretense of Kemalism. The secular Western-oriented ideology founded by Mustafa Kemal 'Ataturk' governed Turkey from its founding in the 1920's up until the early 2000's and the rise of the AK Party.

The Iranian Collaborators: Constantine's Agents in the Realms of Shapur

https://www.christianpost.com/news/iranian-christian-who-met-with-trump-details-how-regime-shut-down-her-familys-church.html

Shapur II, the Sassanian king of Persia (today's Iran) brutally persecuted Christians in the 4^th century. Under previous Sassanian and Parthian rulers, Christians had more or less known peace. Persecuted by Rome, the Persian lands were for many a haven and it was an important seat of early Christianity.

Surveillance and the Facial Recognition Non-Scandal

https://www.euractiv.com/section/digital/news/hundreds-of-us-police-departments-using-dystopian-face-recognition-app-report/

It's a scandal that continues to widen in its scope and yet in the United States nothing is being done, or even seriously entertained. In fact under Trump, surveillance technology continues to increase and law enforcement is being encouraged to use everything from facial recognition to sundry tracking systems. Some of the latest intrusions have been able to slip 'under the radar' as it were, under the aegis of combating illegal immigration.

The Libyan Proxy War: Ankara and Athens set to Clash on the Shores of Tripoli

https://news.yahoo.com/greece-aims-outflank-turkey-mediterranean-051925982.html

https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/athens-smarting-after-exclusion-from-german-hosted-libya-conference/

It's perhaps a bit of an exaggeration but looking at the growing tensions within the EU, NATO, the Mediterranean, Balkans and the Middle East, it's starting to look and feel a lot like 1914. Is war imminent? Probably not, but the situation continues to degenerate, stability is in question, people are talking about it, and scenarios are beginning to manifest in which such a suggestion doesn't seem so far-fetched.

Laos, OBOR and Media Bias

https://journal-neo.org/2020/01/06/laos-wests-war-on-asian-development/

There's little doubt that Beijing has shifted gears and utilising projects like OBOR, it seeks to undermine Western (and particularly American) power in Eurasia. It's imperialism to be sure but in many ways it's a mimicking of the Western model of control through debt, trade and economic influence. The soft-cultural influence is sure to follow and eventually will entail a military presence, the forts and outposts established to protect its interests. It's a well known and established pattern.

CBGM is Being More or Less Embraced

https://www.fivesolas.church/archives/29930

The author's acknowledgement that all Christians need to consider the issue of textual criticism is to be applauded but I'm left a little baffled by his tepid response to the issue of CBGM or the Coherence-Based Genealogical Method of textual reconstruction.

A Very Wicked Syria Commentary

https://www.christianpost.com/voice/christians-face-threats-throughout-syria-thanks-to-its-president.html

I found this commentary to be somewhat shocking and as I read further I was offended. In a hostile and unstable region the Assad regime (for all its faults) has long been a friend to the Christian communities in Syria. An authoritarian regime, these groups have nevertheless been allowed to function and have been protected from Sunni violence, violence that has escalated throughout the region as a result of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

Trump + 1107: The Real Scandal of 2016, Glenn Greenwald and the FBI

https://theintercept.com/2019/12/12/the-inspector-generals-report-on-2016-fb-i-spying-reveals-a-scandal-of-historic-magnitude-not-only-for-the-fbi-but-also-the-u-s-media/

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/21/world/americas/glenn-greenwald-brazil-cybercrimes.html

Though The Intercept continues its path of compromise and decline there are still some shining moments which, more often than not are connected to Glenn Greenwald. This article was no exception. In this piece from December, Greenwald reveals the true scandal surrounding 2016 election, the one that's getting almost no attention.

Belarus on the Front Line

https://www.euractiv.com/section/europe-s-east/news/belarus-crowds-rally-against-closer-russia-ties-wave-eu-flags/

Were these marches funded? Probably not as they were too small to have a real impact, but it's a well known tactic, one certainly at work in Hong Kong and undoubtedly in Iran... or soon will be once again.

Trump and the Asian Pivot

The US Navy has been doing something unusual, carrier swapping. Usually when one enters the Navy you more or less spend your career either plugged into the Atlantic or Pacific fleets. But due to personnel problems, the need to re-fuel existing craft (that would be nuclear refueling) and in order to keep the active or cutting edge on the Pacific side, the Navy has been in the process of swapping ships and crews between locations like San Diego and Norfolk.

A White Helmeted Fog

In November 2019, James Le Mesurier the founder of the White Helmets fell to his death from a balcony in Istanbul. With good reason, many people believe he was murdered and given that these events took place in Istanbul, many have pointed to the Erdogan government.

The Dust is Still Settling from the Years of Lead

http://www.ansa.it/english/news/2020/01/09/former-terrorist-gets-life-for-1980-bologna-bombing_6d16ec5c-a46d-4cd6-88dc-b126ff3c186b.html

Apart from the kidnapping and assassination of Aldo Moro in 1978, the worst incident in Italy's Years of Lead was the Bologna Bombing in 1980. It was a wake-up for some as the perpetrators seemed to be not the Leftist Red Brigades but Right-wing fascist groups.

Citizenship and Travel in the Coming Dystopia

https://www.politico.eu/article/future-passports-biometric-risk-profiles-the-codes-we-carry/

Is it the Mark of the Beast? Actually no, but I'm still not doing it. I'm not a Dispensationalist looking for a One World Government and a Seven Year Tribulation but at the same time this sort of technology and the way it's being used is certainly bestial.

The Click-Bait and Spin Machines of the Christian Right

https://pulpitandpen.org/2020/01/10/not-a-single-democratic-senator-supports-u-s-military/

Pulpit and Pen wants so badly to be taken seriously as the bastion of discernment and the font of all wisdom when it comes to things Reformed. And yet this is seemingly accomplished by means of a Christianised version of click-bait. Through sensationalist and misleading headlines the outlet plays a game of bait and switch that in the end amounts to little more than a dog and pony show.

The United Methodist Church (UMC) is Still Apostate

There has been extensive coverage in Christian circles with regard to the proposed split of the United Methodist Church. Many Evangelical leaders count it a good thing as for once there is resistance within a Mainline body, a sign of life and a sign of vitality, that people are willing to stand for something. The acceptance and open embrace of sodomy by a large faction within the UMC is a step too far and the conservatives are revolting.

The Downed 737 in Tehran

The downing of a Ukrainian 737 over Tehran was a tragedy with well over one hundred lives lost. It took place amid the confusion and angst surrounding the assassination of Iranian general Suleimani and in particular the Iranian missile strike in which US bases in Iraq were hit as a form of retaliation.

VCY-CrossTalk Chaos

Here's the summary for the 9 January 2020 radio show:

Jim finished yesterday’s Crosstalk by reading Psalm 20:7:

‘Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the Lord our God.’

As Dr. Gary Frazier mentioned earlier this week, we’re seeing both an increase in the frequency and intensity of the events that point to the return of Christ.  The Bible also tells us that things will get worse and people will go about deceiving and being deceived.  

So while our nation still has its strengths, particularly from a military standpoint, ultimately we need to remember the name of the Lord our God, especially as we see what’s unfolding in our nation and the world.

With this in mind, Jim asked listeners to call in and share what they believe is the Scripture verse/verses our nation needs in such a time as this.

Trump +1079: Military Schisms, the Legality of Assassination and Iran

There's been something of a military schism at work within the Trump administration. For some time it's been an open secret that the special forces are more or less out of control. Twenty years of endless war, and certainly war of this kind has proven to be a golden age for these groups and they've grown wild and undisciplined.

The Soleimani Assassination

There will be wars and rumours of wars. A good thing to remember at a tense moment like this.

And yet one hopes that Soleimani isn't the Franz Ferdinand of our hour and the unleashing of a chain reaction. Soleimani was a major figure within Iran and one whose name often surfaced when looking into Iranian foreign policy and its roles in places like Syria. Soleimani has been at the forefront of the fight against ISIS and is viewed as the major figure in keeping them out of Iran.

Incirlik AFB Under Question

https://www.euractiv.com/section/defence-and-security/news/turkey-warns-it-could-kick-out-us-from-incirlik-nuclear-base/

Incirlik Air Force Base has long been a key outpost, staging area and strike platform for the US and NATO. It has played an important role in how the US projects power into the Middle East.

Money and the Hong Kong Protests

http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Hong-Kong-police-seizes-70-million-dollars-in-donations-for-democratic-movement-48868.html

This is the other side of the story when it comes to the Hong Kong protests. When you realise how much money flows into some of these protest movements one must legitimately question their democratic and 'grass roots' nature.

The Polish Judiciary, the EU and the Threat of Polexit

https://www.euractiv.com/section/justice-home-affairs/news/poland-could-end-up-leaving-the-eu-supreme-court-warns/

https://www.dw.com/en/poland-thousands-protest-government-proposal-to-punish-judges/a-51728646

https://www.euractiv.com/section/all/short_news/warsaw-polexit/

(Both outlets (DW and Euractiv) can safely be described as pro-EU)

Free courts are the issue that has Poland in a state of turmoil. Free in the sense of free from political influence and the potential control of the Law and Justice Party (PiS)? Or free in the sense of Polish jurisdiction, precedent and custom being respected and not subjected to the international judicial dictates of the European Union?

NPR's Reporting on the Space Force

https://www.npr.org/2019/12/26/791414989/the-reasons-for-a-space-force

I don't listen to NPR a lot these days but I did catch this report the other morning and in some ways it typifies just why I've more or less abandoned NPR as a news source.

The story is on the newly created Space Force, a Sixth Branch of the US military. The congressional approval for the Space Force, along with increased defense spending, provisions made for the border wall and an invite to give the State of the Union address are all political victories for the president. A strange thing considering he was just impeached. Why is the Democratically controlled congress helping and empowering the president?

Inbox: What can the Uighurs do?

Given the magnitude of the Chinese clampdown in the Xinjiang region, the Uighur people face unimaginable pressure to abandon their culture and embrace a Han Chinese identity. Beijing's campaign will within a generation all but eliminate Uighur culture. While they are a Muslim population, from a Christian perspective the ethics of resistance are worth exploration. This is all the more true when we apply the same categories to the Church in the People's Republic and even (to some degree) the events taking place in Hong Kong.

As Christians, how can we analyse such situations and how would we respond in accord with the ethics of the New Testament?

Anti-Sodomite Vigilantism in Brazil

https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-brazil-violence-christmas/brazilian-comedy-group-hit-by-molotov-cocktails-after-film-on-gay-jesus-idUKKBN1YT0KJ

Though few leaders are going to come out and openly support it, I believe many American Evangelicals support this type of Christian-on-Pagan violence, or would if given the chance. They're frustrated, they've had it and they want to lash out. Frankly the theology and culture promoted by Evangelicalism leads to this. It fosters vengeance. From the lawsuit and politics to the gun and the glorification of the military, Evangelicalism has embraced violence and power and has chosen to completely ignore if not negate the ethics of the New Testament.

With regard to Brazil, at this point we're not sure the fire was started by 'Christian' vigilantes but there's every reason to believe that it was.

Trump +1069: Impeachment and the Christianity Today Editorial (Part 2)

The state of things in the Evangelical world was already confusing and the events surrounding 2016 has only amplified this reality. Once nearly tangible blocs and affiliations have been shattered and the proliferation of Far Right news-sites, blogs and podcasts has only amplified the problem. Throw in websites like Pulpit and Pen and you discover an active disinformation campaign.

Trump +1069: Impeachment and the Christianity Today Editorial (Part 1)

It was something of a bombshell when news broke that Christianity Today, long the flagship magazine of the Evangelical movement proclaimed that Trump should be impeached. Since then the magazine has been denounced by Evangelical leaders as 'leftist', 'Marxist' and no longer faithful to the Scriptures.

Besides being absurd accusations, all we can really say is... what a mess. If things weren't already confusing enough, now this. 

Libya and the Escalating Mediterranean Conflict

https://www.euractiv.com/section/global-europe/news/turkey-raises-prospect-to-send-troops-to-libya/

The rift continues to deepen between Turkey and Libya and the story is further complicated by frankly dishonest Western reporting regarding the status of Khalifa Haftar and his backers.

Nord Stream 2 Sanctions

The US has introduced sanctions on companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline project which brings gas from Russia directly into Germany via the Baltic Sea. It's no accident the sanctions were passed as part of the large defense (military) bill passed by the US Congress.