My preliminary analysis based on the events of the last 48 hours are that despite the US strikes, muted Iranian response, and dubious announcement of a ceasefire— the fundamental strategic situation between Israel, Iran, and the US has not changed.
Israel continues to seek regime change. Iran's nuclear program has apparently not been destroyed. And there is little hope that the United States can resume diplomacy with Iran.
Iran's retaliation and their apparent decision not to withdraw from the NPT or close the Strait of Hormuz is de-escalatory. Trump has clearly preferred a diplomatic resolution throughout the 60-day timetable and the "12-day war."
Israel cannot survive a sustained conflict of this nature with Iran. Which means they will have to escalate their tactics or sue for a temporary ceasefire.
Earlier today, the Washington Post reported that IRGC commanders received a 12-hour ultimatum from Mossad to oppose to Iranian regime or have their families killed. Israel is carrying out the most intense strikes since the war started as we speak, including assassinations.
Is this one last blow before a short reprieve? Or a last-minute sucker punch to provoke Iran into reneging on the ceasefire, assuming there was such an agreement.
Israel's attack on Iran galvanized the public against the West and rallied them to the regime. Are the IRGC assassinations and ceasefire a gambit to leave room for an "organic uprising" to breathe?
There are still conflicting reports on the ceasefire. And why would Iran trust the US and Israel after they broke similar agreements with Hamas and Hezbollah and after the surprise attacks by Israel and the US? The fog of war remains...
Much to consider, but the fact remains that the forces that drove these hostilities remain unchanged, and have probably intensified.
The World Microbiome Partnership (WMP) is an international forum founded in 2023 with funding from the EU Horizon 2020 to create a governance structure for microbiome manipulation across agriculture, medicine, and climate policy.
The WMP is aligned with the One Health and Planetary Health agendas (the same ones behind both the EAT-Lancet commissions "Planetary Health Diet" and the UN's Food Systems Summit that promises to eliminate animal agriculture).
WMP participants include the WHO, the CDC, NIH, and biotech firms. They promote the idea that microbial communities must be governed like other strategic assets.
The key thing to understand is that the technocrats are reframing the microbiome as critical infrastructure: more like an energy grid or communication network than a sacred, living ecosystem.
As biotech companies deploy platforms to build GMO microbes to do everything from "manufacturing", to biomarkers, to surveillance — the WMP seeks control of these novel systems, ...
A court in Vienna has caused a storm after confirming that a financial ruling based on Islamic law, or Sharia, is legally valid in Austria.
Critics say the judgment opens the door to “parallel justice” and undermines the country’s legal system.
The case began when two Muslim men agreed that any disputes between them would be settled by an Islamic arbitration panel using Sharia rules.
When a disagreement arose, the tribunal ordered one of them to pay €320,000. He refused, arguing that Sharia is open to different interpretations and goes against Austria’s core values.
But the Vienna Regional Court dismissed his appeal. Judges said Austrian law allows people to choose arbitration systems for financial and property disputes, as long as the result does not break Austria’s “fundamental legal values.”
The court added that it was not its role to examine whether Sharia itself was fair, but only whether the outcome contradicted Austrian law.
The ruling has sparked fierce criticism. Manfred ...