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Susan Kokinda analyzes President Trump's suggestion that Iran could someday join the Abraham Accords, arguing it reflects a foreign policy built on “real physical economics” rather than geopolitical rules. She contrasts this approach with criticism from figures like Mike Pompeo and highlights White House Communications Director Steven Cheung's sharp rebuttal. by Susan Kokinda · Kokinda points to the National Security Strategy's focus on…

by Andrew Korybko Source: Andrew Korybko Substack · Three waves of Ukrainian drones struck a dormitory in Starobelsk, a town in Russia’s formerly Ukrainian Lugansk Region, last week in an attack that killed nearly two dozen students. Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN brought it up at an emergency meeting only to be met with denials by Ukraine that any attack had even taken place despite indisputable evidence to the contrary. About…

by Andrew Korybko Source: Andrew Korybko Substack · There’s recently been a flurry of news about the increasingly interconnected Arctic and Baltic fronts of the New Cold War. The UK announced a new multinational naval initiative to contain Russia in these seas, which followed the Russian Ambassadors to Finland and Norway warning about threats from them. Prior to all of this, some Russian sources accused the Baltic States of allowing Ukrainian…

The Free Speech Union is calling on Parliament to narrow the Summary Offences (Move-on Orders) Amendment Bill, warning it hands police open-ended discretion to move people on, and prosecute them, for peaceful conduct in a public place. The Bill lets an officer order anyone aged 14 or over to leave a public place for 24 hours on grounds as vague as “disorderly” or “disruptive” behaviour, or for begging. Whatever you think about begging, the Free…

For decades, whale researchers have attempted to understand whether the sounds coming from the deep oceans represented simple animal signals or something far more complex. By elocal International Desk · Source: The Ultimate Discovery transcript and referenced discussion surrounding whale communication research · A recent presentation titled AI Finally Decoded Whale Language — The First Message Shocked Scientists has pushed that question into…

The UK, France, Spain, Italy, and Canada have rejected a proposal for NATO member states to spend 0.25% of their GDP on military assistance to Ukraine, The Telegraph has reported. NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte was hoping that mandatory funding for Kiev would be approved at the bloc’s summit in Ankara, Türkiye on July 7-8, The Telegraph said in an article on Sunday. · A NATO insider told the paper that Britain, France, Spain, Italy, and…

Last year can be seen as the year in which the united anti-Russian coalition fell apart. In essence, there are now three players acting against Russia (Ukraine, Europe, and the US), and each has its own interests. By Sergey Poletaev · Sergey Poletaev has prepared a series of articles in which we analyze the position of each player and its goals and interests in the conflict, and suggest how Russia might respond. · In this piece, we focus on the…

Kiev’s deadly attack on a college dorm in the Russian town of Starobelsk last week was the “last straw” for Russia, and it will be conducting “systematic strikes” on assorted targets across the Ukrainian capital from now on, the Foreign Ministry in Moscow has announced. The ministry made the statement on Monday, a day after a large-scale retaliatory strike on Kiev, prompted by the drone attack on the college in the Lugansk People’s Republic.…

Duncan Garner's latest podcast focused on three themes that he argued are increasingly colliding in New Zealand politics: transparency, political culture and the widening gap between government systems and the experiences of everyday people. By elocal New Zealand Desk · Source: Duncan Garner Podcast, 26 May 2026 · The discussion moved from Labour's proposed Future Fund and leaked internal audio, through to powerful feedback from listeners…

A Duncan Garner podcast interview with investigator and publicist Aly Cook has reignited questions surrounding New Zealand's COVID-era decision making, transparency and what senior ministers knew during the rollout of COVID vaccinations for 12 to 15-year-olds. By elocal New Zealand Desk · Source: Duncan Garner Podcast interview with Aly Cook, 26 May 2026 · Cook outlined a document trail she says links senior ministers to a key August 2021…