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Lebanon

Following on from the previous article about Lebanon, that nation is at another crossroads, which is easy to see. The warehouse area of the port of Beirut, Lebanon’s major port, through which most of its food was imported, is now gone. One of the richest areas of Beirut is in ruins. The nation is the site of an emerging great power competition, as those great powers (Russia, China and the US, and Iran as well) vie for ultimate influence. The outcome of that struggle will determine Lebanon’s future for the next few years at least, but also for the wider Middle East, as well as for the great powers. It will be of Lebanon’s choosing. To know what to expect next, we needed a working chart for the nation. In this post we look at that chart and then at what is in store astrologically for Lebanon and Western Asia in the immediate years ahead. Continue reading “Lebanon”

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The 2020 Beirut port explosion

At 15:08:18 UTC a massive blast rocked the city of Beirut, originating in the port. As of this writing 157 people were killed in the blast and over 6000 were injured, most from the blast wave and flying glass. It has also left upwards of 300,000 people homeless. The cause of the blast has been the subject of some wild speculation on the net, with fingers automatically pointed at Israel. The blast comes at the worst possible time for Lebanon, whose economy is cratering, which has been rocked by protests and is rife with corruption. Speculation is also that this event could spell the end of Lebanon as a state. To be certain, the blast and the crisis will be played to the maximum effect by all parties. The big question, especially if it was sabotage or an attack, is cui bono? We will look at that here, along with the causes of the blast and where it may be likely to lead Lebanon into the future. Continue reading “The 2020 Beirut port explosion”

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A typical summer in Iran

Iran has had a run of incidents of late that have many people pointing fingers at Israel and the US for sabotage. There have been fires and explosions reported on nearly a daily basis since 25 June, one at a missile production facility and one at the Natanz nuclear facility. There have been others at non-military installations. Activity on the internet after each of these incidents has led to wild speculation as to the causes, but no conclusive proof. For pro-regime change people it would seem to be a move toward a dream-come-true. But what is really taking place and is this a concerted effort to spread panic through Iranian society in hopes of overthrowing ‘the regime’? Or is it something else? Continue reading “A typical summer in Iran”

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The Republican PNAC v 2.0

In case you missed it, 2020 is an election year in the US. On the 10th of June 2020 a Republican caucus in the US released its version of what could otherwise be known as the new PNAC plan for the US in the next decades ahead. Most readers will be familiar with the PNAC (Plan for the New American Century), most famous for its denizens in the Bush II “W” administration, a few of whom have made cameo appearances in the Trump administration, and one of whom just released a book. When you think of the PNAC, think John Bolton, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Elliot Abrams and the like, and the policies they represent, and you will be close to the mark in what this new plan inks out. It is called, “The RSC National Security Strategy: Strengthening America and Countering Global Threats”. It all sounds innocuous enough, right? Continue reading “The Republican PNAC v 2.0”

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The George Floyd riots: A closer look (Updated 4 June at end)

On the 25th of May this year in a suburb of Minneapolis, George Perry Floyd was murdered by a policeman during a routine callout. That is the public perception (see update at end for more details). He wasn’t shot trying to flee. He apparently wasn’t even resisting arrest. He was instead pinned to the ground by three police officers because he was afraid and claustrophobic, pinned to the point that he was suffocated and later died of a heart attack, according to the autopsy report. And yes, he was black. It was a strange thing to have happened, though, for several reasons. The arrest and pinning, with his loss of consciousness, was recorded for posterity on two cell phones and a security camera and soon went viral. The police seemed nonchalant. The nation exploded in protests and riots as a result. The world stood in solidarity with the protests. But why has this event caused such an outpouring when people die at the hands of police nearly every day in the United States? We’ll look at why here. Continue reading “The George Floyd riots: A closer look (Updated 4 June at end)”

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Countering the Yellow Peril, Part II: The US

Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade advisor, recently stated, “We are at war with China”. He did not mean a literal shooting war, but his statement carried more meaning than that of a simple trade war. He then went on to accuse China of deliberately putting passengers infected with the coronavirus aboard flights bound for the US in the early days of the epidemic. It was an inflammatory statement. The American economy is perhaps facing shrinkage of its GDP by as much as 10% in 2020 due to its mishandling of the pandemic, while Asian economies are now almost up to full capacity, having clamped down the spread of the virus. So,why the heightened rhetoric? Continue reading “Countering the Yellow Peril, Part II: The US”

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The 2019 Iranian-US drone incident

In the pre-dawn hours of 20 June 2019, the Iranians shot down a US surveillance drone they claimed had violated their airspace. The US made the counter-claim that the drone was in international waters and was a strike against a US asset. This turns out to be a rather interesting story with many implications, at the risk of harping on about the Middle East. However, events there could quickly spiral out of control, into a catastrophic conflict. And we came very close to that very thing in those pre-dawn hours. Continue reading “The 2019 Iranian-US drone incident”