Tag: foreign affairs

How America Wasted Its Most Powerful Economic Weapon

Posted on by Lone Candle

“the sanctions failed in one crucial way. The fact that Moscow was blindsided by them suggests it grossly underestimated the severity of the penalties it would face. Although the U.S. and its allies had developed an extensive menu of possible sanctions before the invasion, they never reached consensus on how far they were willing to go. They left Putin to divine the meaning of “the most severe sanctions that have ever been imposed,” and Putin—as he so often did—read Western ambiguity as weakness.

If Biden and other world leaders had committed ahead of time to the actions they would eventually take, they might have had a much better chance of staving off Putin’s invasion. Deterrence can’t work if your adversary underestimates your ability or willingness to act. Putin never saw the sanctions coming—and that was precisely the problem.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/sanctions-antibiotics-160000035.html

USAID-Funded Pandemic Research Failed To Spot COVID or Ensure Chinese Transparency

Posted on by Lone Candle

USAID-Funded Pandemic Research Failed To Spot COVID or Ensure Chinese Transparency

https://reason.com/2025/02/06/usaid-funded-pandemic-research-failed-to-spot-covid-or-ensure-chinese-transparency/

Qatar’s WAR against Israel & The U.S. (Dominating the media and academia with oil money)

Posted on by Lone Candle

Qatar’s WAR against Israel & The U.S. (Dominating the media and academia with oil money)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=obs_a5jW0Tk

Russian defense spending overtakes Europe, study finds

Posted on by Lone Candle

In purchasing power parity terms, Russia’s military spending is higher than Europe’s.

https://www.politico.eu/article/russian-defense-spending-overtakes-europe-study-finds/

Trump’s Car Tariffs Could Drive Slovakia Into Russia’s Arms

Posted on by Lone Candle

“Slovakia has a population of just 5.4 million, yet it is one of Europe’s leading car manufacturers, heavily reliant on auto production and exports to the U.S. Home to five major car manufacturers and more than 350 local suppliers, Slovakia is not only the second-largest E.U. exporter of vehicles to the U.S., but also the biggest car producer per capita in the world.
Slovakia manufactures and exports higher-end SUVs from brands like Audi, Volkswagen, Porsche, Range Rover, and—starting in 2026—Volvo. With SUVs accounting for 46 percent of total annual auto sales in the U.S., the tariffs are likely to hurt models that are especially popular among American consumers.

According to the National Bank of Slovakia, the Slovak economy “would decrease cumulatively by nearly 3 percent” due to the new tariffs, and “would also mean the loss of 20,000 jobs.” The bank projects that Slovakia’s economy will “suffer the most in 2026, when its growth would barely stay above zero” and that by 2027, the automotive tariffs alone could reduce gross domestic product by 0.3 to 0.5 percentage points. The bank’s governor referred to the prospects of a 25 percent car tariff impact as a “small Armageddon.””

https://reason.com/2025/04/10/trumps-car-tariffs-could-drive-slovakia-into-russias-arms/

International travel is declining, and it’s costing the US: ‘It’s shaking everything up’

Posted on by Lone Candle

“Amid recent travel advisories warning those coming to the U.S. plus strengthened immigration enforcement, many international travelers are starting to turn away from the U.S. as a destination. Between January and March 2025, foreign arrivals dropped by around 4.4% from those first three months last year, according to data from the National Travel and Tourism Office. In a March year-over-year comparison, that reduction doubles to almost 10%.”

…

“Some fear for their safety over what could happen when trying to enter the nation’s borders. Others are angered at recent policies, like the trade wars, and rhetoric, refusing to spend their dollars in the U.S. A decline in overseas visitors could have significant long-term consequences for the economy, with travel and tourism one of the country’s leading industries, contributing 2.5% to the GDP”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/international-travel-declining-costing-us-090543078.html