Iraq and Iran, barely separated by a consonant’s ending, are close even in alphabetical order, bringing back many memories. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/ame...

The rise of multipolarity and the US demands for Iran’s unconditional surrender could spiral events out of control. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/ame...

Russia, Venezuela, and Iran are warnings to Beijing, but the US doesn’t have an easy game with China. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/chi...

Trump goes to China on April 1, fools day & 25th anniversary of the Ep3 incident, when a USAF plane crash landed on Hainan. He’ll have 2 scalps, Maduro’s and Khamenei’s, to offset the Chinese strong trade hand. He’ll talk truce but what kind? Will he talk Russia & Iran?

Synodality is the future of th Church and Germany is its battlefield and theological powerhouse. The new President of the German Conference of Bishops will have a hard task www.appiainstitute.org/articles/chi...

China is hedging its bet on Russia and might signal it’s willing to find a way out, but the US can’t ignore Beijing’s stakes in Moscow. www.appiainstitute.org/ukraine/heav...

The popular spread is becoming American, an occasion to help find a new identity for the peninsula, and the US, or lose it. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/ame...

The April US-China summit is suddenly in question. Beijing wants to talk politics rather than trade and believes it has the upper hand. And there is a bigger calculation www.appiainstitute.org/articles/chi...

The 4th Kim to ascend to the North Korean throne foils all hopes of reunification with the South and unravels the region's current political geography. www.appiainstitute.org/north-korea/...

For the American pope, China is the center of problems affecting the Vatican, the US, and future centuries. The PRC can worsen internal splits. It remains one of the Holy See's biggest challenges. www.appiainstitute.org/vatican/pope...

A nuclear arsenal could be turned over to a kid – 13-year-old Kim Ju-an is about to become North Korea's heir apparent, with unfathomable consequences for China as well. The US has a role. www.appiainstitute.org/north-korea/...

My interview about the PLA purge on Indian media m.rediff.com/news/intervi...

Japan’s elections amid controversies with China ring a regional alarm bell. Jingoism in one country will mean chauvinism in all the others, as the European slide into WWI proved a century ago. Is this beginning in Asia now? www.appiainstitute.org/japan/asian-...

After the PLA purges and on the eve of the 2027 Party Congress, a trade deal is much more than tariffs for China and the US. It is the heart of politics. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/chi...

US pressure on Iran is shifting the Eurasian balance in a new direction and could give the US new leverage with China. Yet Beijing is preparing. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/mid...

The last demotions wipe the slate clean of the old PLA leadership, calling into question Beijing’s past strategic assessments as well. It’s unclear what China will think in the future. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/chi...

Davos’ mood seems against Trump. On t’s speech then 2 questions: 1 Will he try to seduce the audience or confront it? 2 Will the audience applaud, be silent or boo him? Therefore: what will be its impact in the US?

Cardinal Parolin on the principles and actions of foreign policy in the face of new challenges www.appiainstitute.org/vatican/peac...

The twin controversies about the northern island and the FED could undermine the dollar and cast a shadow on the April summit with China. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/chi...

1/6 Wall Street bankers and owners of movable capital would hate it, but if the rest of the world were to reduce its dependence on the US dollar, this would be good for the US economy, good for US manufacturing, and good for US farmers and workers. www.wsj.com/finance/curr...

China is economically and geopolitically weak, but its planning capabilities remain strong. The US is financially and geopolitically stronger, but strained ties with its allies and a lack of long-term plans create openings. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/us-...

It’s not just a war in the trenches of Ukraine, it’s a battle for the hearts and minds of people of the post Soviet world. Moscow made it ideological, and it is determined to win it against the Rome-supported Greek Orthodox Patriarch. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/chi...

The Pope to the diplomats: let’s save the West In his first address to the diplomatic corps, Pope Leo, within a reasoned geopolitical presentation, did not spare criticism of Western culture. www.appiainstitute.org/vatican/the-...

Beijing may face challenges in using history to advance its claims, while the US may face them regarding its future standing in the world www.appiainstitute.org/articles/chi...

Greenland is not Venezuela or Iran. All are about communicating strength or weakness. A win could turn into a loss for the US in its dealings with China. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/ame...

The American show of force in Venezuela may put a different spin on the PLA’s complex military transition and the party’s future political direction. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/chi...

What is happening in Venezuela may have momentous consequences for China. On the eve of a critical Trump-Xi summit, Beijing may need to confront reality differently. www.appiainstitute.org/articles/ame...