The Pentagon appears to be at war, but with the wrong “enemy.” The Department of Defense launched a PR offensive on "Tucker Carlson Tonight" after the Fox News host warned viewers this week about the U.S. military’s preoccupation with gender and diversity, even as China—a real adversary—is increasing its military might and placing an emphasis on the masculinization of its society. “Pentagon brass issued hostile statements. People in uniform sent out videos on social media,” Carlson said Thursday night in response. “The DOD even issued a news release attacking us: "Press Secretary Smites Fox Host". (Smites! Like we’re a hostile foreign power.)…

The political economies of the Arab world present a fascinating but puzzling paradox. On the one hand, the region’s trajectory over the past decade has reflected growing anger and frustration among Arab publics in societies wracked by economic stress and deepening economic precarity. On the other hand, these widely-held economic grievances co-exist with the lowest levels of extreme poverty among developing regions, defined by the number of people living on less than $1.90/day, the current International Poverty Line (IPL). How can we account for the region’s apparent success in achieving such low rates of extreme poverty even while widely-held economic…

All Global Research articles can be read in 27 languages by activating the “Translate Website” drop down menu on the top banner of our home page (Desktop version). *** China and Russia pose the main challenge to US hegemonic aims, especially united. Longstanding US policy seeks control over all world community nations, their resources and populations. Will US war on China by other means turn hot by accident or design? On Sunday, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi repeated what he and other Beijing officials stressed many times before. China seeks cooperative relations with the US. Washington’s rage to dominance prevents it, prioritizing containment of…

ISSUES • After a decade of intense conflict, Syria is now a failed state divided roughly into four competing geographic zones of control: 1. Regime areas in the west, center, and south (~63%) 2. The “Eastern Security Zone” controlled by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed by U.S. troops (~28%) 3. Rural northern Aleppo, governed by the Syrian National Army, backed by Turkey (~6%) 4. Territory administered largely by former al-Qaeda affiliate Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the northwest (~3%). • While in control of nearly two-thirds of the country, Assad faces a series of security challenges that continue to…

Seoul agreed to a 13.9% increase in the cost it pays to house US troops, the largest increase since 2003 South Korea agreed to a 13.9 percent increase in the funds it will pay to host US troops for 2021 after pressure from the previous Trump Administration for Seoul to foot more of the bill. The increase means South Korea will pay about $1.03 billion for 2021, which is much lower than the numbers floated by President Trump, who rejected a similar increase in spending during talks under his administration. The last big increase in South Korea’s spending was in 2003 when…