American Black Ops in Russia is Beyond Insane
US operatives have been weakening Russian infrastructure and helping Ukrainian weapons target Russian assets.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqyhyQnL3EE
Tag: Europe
Why America Is Better Off With Allies
The US saves a lot of money on military spending because our greatest rivals would have to go through our allies and partners to seriously get to us. Without those allies and partners, those rivals could more easily reach out and touch the US, which would require greater military spending.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KmuWGT__yc
Germany’s far right loosens its embrace of Trump
“Germany’s far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party has long sought close ties to the Trump administration in its quest for powerful international allies and an end to its political isolation at home.
But as public sentiment in Germany increasingly turns against U.S. President Donald Trump and his foreign interventionism — in particular his talk of taking control of Greenland and his seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro — AfD leaders are recalibrating, putting distance between their party and a U.S. president they previously embraced.
“He has violated a fundamental election promise, namely not to interfere in other countries, and he has to explain that to his own voters,” Alice Weidel, one of the AfD’s national leaders, said earlier this week.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/germany-donald-trump-afd-greenland-nicolas-maduro-national-rally/
A Recent Book Shows Why Invading Greenland Would Be a Dumb Idea
“Observing U.S. and European operations in the far north, he finds that Nordic troops are much more agile and well-prepared for high latitudes than their American counterparts.
In fact, Rosen gets to compare these forces side-by-side when he follows a Norwegian ship on the way to a planned rendezvous with the USCGS Healy, the U.S. Coast Guard’s only Arctic-specific icebreaker. When the two ships meet, they are suddenly buzzed by a Russian helicopter. The Americans are “visibly unnerved,” Rosen notes. The Norwegians, on the other hand, dryly comment about how they do the same to Russians all the time.
An important lesson is that experience, rather than flashy equipment, makes or breaks a polar army. The cold quickly kills people and destroys machines. Snow does not behave like sand when building fortifications. Cross-country skis are faster than snowshoes. Sunburn is a surprisingly common problem despite the cold. Hooks and ropes have to be carefully maintained. Wind and weather at sea can change unpredictably. Even routine, peacetime shipboardings can be deadly.
The book argues that Europe’s comparative advantage in the Arctic can make NATO worthwhile for the U.S., by reducing the need for an American military buildup up there.
…
Most people in Greenland are Inuit, members of the same culture that much of northern Canada and coastal Alaska belong to. For centuries, they chafed under Danish colonial rule. Now they enjoy considerable self-rule within Denmark and are deciding whether to pursue independence.
Polls show that most Greenlanders support independence in theory but don’t necessarily want to break away at the moment. The fact that Danish taxpayers pay for half of the Greenlandic government budget is an obvious, widely known barrier to independence. So is the potential loss of the mobility and export markets that European Union membership provides.”
https://reason.com/2026/01/07/a-recent-book-shows-why-invading-greenland-would-be-a-dumb-idea/
Who were Cathars?
Christianity spread by the sword.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WajENTN0maM
Has the US Now Gone Completely ROGUE?
Trump’s aggression could weaken the US in the long term by turning off current and potential allies and partners.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3AdMQAOHKQ
Why Tom Holland Had to Rethink the Ancient World
Paul may have written the most impactful letters in history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oVzFmt_SGw
French and German adults lean toward dialing back Ukraine support, new POLITICO poll shows
The French and Germans have turned into little bitches.
“In France and Germany, the EU’s two biggest democracies, new polling shows that more respondents want their governments to scale back financial aid to Kyiv than to increase it or keep it the same. In the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, meanwhile, respondents tilt the other way and favor maintaining material support
…
The most frequently cited argument against additional assistance was concerns about the cost and the pressure on the national economy.
…
Support for Ukraine was driven primarily by those who backed Democratic nominee Kamala Harris in the 2024 election in the U.S.
…
“In Germany and France, opposition to assistance was especially pronounced among supporters of far-right parties — such as the Alternative for Germany and France’s National Rally — while centrists were less skeptical.
…
The softer support for Ukraine in France and Germany does not appear to reflect warmer feelings toward Moscow, however. Voters in all five countries backed sanctions against Russia, suggesting that even where publics want to pare back aid they remain broadly aligned around punishing the aggressor and limiting Russia’s ability to finance the war.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/french-and-germans-lean-toward-dialing-back-ukraine-support-new-international-politico-poll-shows/
Frontline states want EU cash as Russian threat intensifies
“In recent months Russia has flown fighter jets into Estonian airspace and sent dozens of drones deep into Polish and Romanian territory. Its ally Belarus has repeatedly brought Lithuanian air traffic to a standstill by allowing giant balloons to cross its borders. And last week, Moscow’s top envoy Sergey Lavrov issued a veiled threat to Finland to exit NATO.”
https://www.politico.eu/article/frontline-states-eu-cash-russia-threat-defense/
The Wolf-Krugman Exchange: Power, plutocracy and political economy
A study found that due to Brexit, UK GDP per capita is 6-8% lower than it would be if the UK never left the EU.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSQ7LY0ca0o