Key evidence concealed in Syria chemical weapons probe
The received wisdom which was used as justification for US, UK and French bombing of Syria, is that the Assad government bombed its own citizens in a chlorine chemical attack in Douma in 2018. Recent evidence has emerged that casts doubt in this narrative. In an article for the Grayzone, Aaron Matte looks at the history of the event and the new evidence.
Will Spain’s stance on Israel catch on?
Spain alone in Europe has taken a firm line on both Gaza and Iran. For example, Pedro Sanchez’s socialist government, citing international law, has imposed arms embargoes on Israel and prevented US aircraft bases on its territory being used for assaults on Iran. In an article for the New Arab, Luciano Zaccara considers whether Spain may convince other EU states to adopt the Spanish approach.
China’s ‘involution’ problem
The EU has long accused China of flooding its markets with cheap mass-produced goods. The Chinese have recently acknowledged this, seeing it also as a threat to their home markets. In this article from the Austrian Foundation for Development Research, Simela Papatheophilou and Werner Raza look at the dynamics of China’s ‘involution’ problem.
Trump’s Iran fiasco
Many respected international commentators believe that Trump has landed the US into an unwinnable war with Iran. Some have likened the situation to the “end of empire” moment of the British over the Suez Canal in 1956. It’s therefore significant when this perspective is confirmed by protagonists of US liberal internationalism. Simplicius, in this Substack article linked below, details how the neoconservative scholar and columnist Robert Lagan delivers a withering critique in The Atlantic of Trump’s Iran fiasco.
How OPEC decisions affect us all
As has been starkly illustrated by both the US coup d’etat of Venezuela and the blockade of the Straits of Hormuz, oil supply is an absolutely integral part of the world’s economy. Oil prices are set by the cartel that is the Organisation of Oil Producing Countries (OPEC). In this Substack article, Alex West looks at how OPEC’s decisions affect all of us and have impacted the world economy for years.
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