Russia’s Axis of Influence: Inside the 2025 U.S. Threat Assessment
Russia’s Axis of Influence: Inside the 2025 U.S. Threat Assessment
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ExJmvgF7ks
Tag: foreign policy
China thought it had a truce with the US. Then Trump dropped two bombshells
“A one-two punch from the United States risks shattering the already fragile trade war truce between Washington and Beijing, with Chinese tech companies and students both dealt shock blows by the Trump administration”
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“The first hit came in a Financial Times report on Wednesday that said moves by US President Donald Trump had effectively cut off some American companies from selling software used to design semiconductors to China.”
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“But it was the second blow from the White House that landed right in the living rooms of Chinese families, with US State Secretary Marco Rubio saying the US will “aggressively revoke visas for Chinese students” – especially those in critical fields or with connections to the Chinese Communist Party.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/china-thought-had-truce-us-075046801.html
Top Historian: How the Ukraine War is Going to End
‘Already in 1993/1994, [Russia] had begun to make threatening language and gestures toward its neighbors. In 1994 the president of Estonia made a speech about how happy Estonia was to be a member of Europe and about the reemergence of a threat from Russia. He was already hearing language from Russia threatening Estonia sovereignty and whether Estonia was really an independent country. At this speech, the deputy mayor of Saint Petersburg, Vladimir Putin, walked out. The language of threat from Russia began in the 90s. In 2005 there was a large cyber attack on Estonia. This is why these countries wanted to join NATO, because they felt a reasonable direct threat from Russia.’
NATO is not a direct threat to Russia’s homeland, and it is only a threat to Russia’s interests if Russia has the intention of dominating its neighbors. Russia’s interest in Ukraine is not primarily defensive, but imperial.
There was almost no U.S. military presence in Eastern Europe until Russia stole Crimea with military force.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKdpLFvxJxg
DC Shooting Kills 2, House Passes ‘Beautiful’ Bill, Trump Falsehoods on South Africa | The Headlines
Pro-Palestinian terrorism in the U.S..
Trump spreads misinformation about South Africa live in front of the South African leader.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VtrhOdAPqCs
Should Borders be Redrawn? | Europe’s Future Frontiers? | What is “The West” Now? | April 2025 Q&A
The global south’s response to Russia’s invasion has been disappointing because it is not just a European issue. The invasion violates the global norm that you don’t change borders by force.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5BlVVXH_qpU
Trump administration terminates nearly 600 Voice of America employees
Trump administration terminates nearly 600 Voice of America employees
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/16/voa-layoffs-trump-administration-00353694
Hegseth briefly paused cyber ops against Russia as part of negotiations, GOP Rep. Bacon says
“U.S. Cyber Command paused offensive operations aimed at Russia for a day earlier this year as a negotiating tactic, House Armed Services Committee cyber subcommittee Chair Don Bacon (R-Neb.) confirmed Friday.”
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“While Bacon did not elaborate on the negotiations, the pause likely happened around the time Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was visiting the White House to negotiate a minerals deal with President Donald Trump — a deal that fell through after a contentious Oval Office meeting.”
https://www.politico.com/news/2025/05/16/hegseth-cyber-operations-russia-pause-00354072
Trump Should Look to An Unlikely Predecessor If He Wants Peace in the Middle East
“what followed was a master class in presidential deal-making of the most direct kind. Brzezinski and his colleagues often complained that Carter read too much. One of the president’s internal nicknames was “grammarian-in-chief.” But by the end of the improbably successful 13-day Camp David peace talks that September, they realized that Carter’s obsessive reading in this case had been indispensable. His knowledge of every topographical quirk, and geographic line, in the disputed Sinai desert, was critical to the marathon process that resulted in the first ever Arab recognition of Israel’s right to exist. The Camp David accords didn’t fix the Middle East, but they set the template for every attempt to forge a lasting peace ever since.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2025/05/17/trump-carter-mideast-peace-deal-00354432
Fireside Chat With Stephen Kotkin & US House Select Committee on China | Hoover Institution
Asking what Xi wants is the wrong question because the appetite grows in the eating. Even if Xi just wants to dominate East and Southeast Asia right now, once China has gained that, their appetite will grow and they will want more.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aQfzDs7RzI
Why America Shouldn’t Underestimate Chinese Power | Foreign Affairs Interview
Scale matters. China has more scale than the U.S.. This makes allies important. With allies, the U.S. can surpass China in scale.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JqyMVZhJHcE