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China’s Belt and Road Initiative – Good for Trade or Debt Diplomacy?
Cathy Smith
China weathered the current political and economic upheaval of Belt and Road Initiative: Catalyst for Global Development or Vehicle for Neo-Colonial Control? The Silk Road of the Ancients (2nd century BCE-15th century CE) and China's BRI have one thing in common: the desire to unite East and West for trade, cultural exchange, and political influence. Structurally, in scope, and by purpose, they are very different.
Ancient Silk Road: Purpose: This was hugely for the purpose of serving as a trade route for silk, spices, and other goods that helped in the cultural exchange between China, Central Asia, the Middle East, and Europe.
Human Security and its Dimensions
Dr. Vladislav B. Sotirovic
The concept of human security is a controversial approach by a certain group of post-Cold War 1.0 academicians (after 1990) for the purpose of redefining and at the same time making broader the meaning of security in global politics and the studies of international relations (IR). We have to keep in mind that up to the end of the Cold War 1.0, security as both political phenomena and academic studies exclusively were connected only with the protection of the independence (sovereignty) and territorial integrity of states (national polities) from the military threat (war, aggression) by external factors (players) but in fact, by other states. Actually, that was the crucial idea regarding the concept of national (state) security, which had unquestionable domination within security analysis and policy-making decisions after 1945 up to the 1990s.
However, from the mid-1990s, security studies, responding to the new global geopolitical changes after the collapse of the Soviet bloc, started to research security issues in broader, but not only state-military categories regardless of the fact that state and state security still remained the focal object of security studies as the entity to be protected. Nevertheless, the new concept of human security challenged the state-centric paradigm of security by stressing the individual, as the focal referent, and object of security. In other words, studies of human security deal with security for the people (individual or group) rather than of governmental administration or/and national state (borders). Advocates of the concept of human security claim that it is a significant contribution toward resolving the problems of human safety and survival posed by poverty, environmental changes, disease, the abuses of human rights, and local/regional armed conflicts (for instance, civil war). Nonetheless, today, it became quite obvious that at the time of turbo globalization, security studies must take into account a broader range of concerns and challenges than simply defending the state from external armed action.
The Failed American Experiment: Synthetic Media, Digital Fascism
Fred Gransville
Synthetic Media: The Backbone of the Totalitarian Surveillance State in 2025-2027
By 2027, a few short years ahead, the United States will have fully completed the transition from a constitutional democracy to a totalitarian state defined by universal surveillance, corporate dominance, and the eradication of individual liberties. If it has not already have done so. It is here that synthetic media will become the very lynchpin of such a shift, a pervasive weapon of thought control, social engineering, and mass manipulation.
As AI further evolves, synthetic media will replace all other forms of media as a means through which the fixtures in public perception and the cementing of ruling elite power take place. All this with the capability of the technology to create hyper-realistic deepfakes, AI-generated text, and synthetic audio to fuel dystopian oppression on an unrivaled scale by offering governments and corporations unparalleled capabilities to manipulate reality itself.
Free Cuba
By David Swanson, World BEYOND War
Remarks at the Sixth International Conference for World Balance in Havana, Cuba, Jan. 30, 2025
Before I start I want to express sympathy for the people who have died in a plane crash in Washington, and I want to condemn Trump’s disgusting proposal to kidnap people and lock them up in Guantanamo.
I’m very happy to be in Cuba. I feel closer to Cuba than I do to people in the United States with red hats reading MAGA. Cuba is, in fact, closer to the continental United States than is Hawaii or Alaska or any of the U.S. colonies in the Pacific or about 916 of the United States’ 917 foreign military bases. The people of the U.S. and Cuba have managed, against the odds, to share a great deal of culture and good will, poetry, music, food, and drink. But we sure are divided by governments.
I just searched the internet in the United States for the words “free Cuba” and discovered that it means the overthrow of the Cuban government. I tried searching for “Cuba libre” and learned that it means a drink. But what if I want to search for “a Cuba free of hostile actions by the U.S. government”? The internet is of no help.
The U.S. government has just put Cuba back on a list of governments sponsoring terrorism. As the leading supplier of weapons to wars, genocides, and brutal dictatorships around the world, the U.S. government does have the expertise to form such a list. But it doesn’t put itself on the list, it has no legal authority to act on such a list, and it doesn’t offer evidence of Cuba sponsoring terrorism. At most it has two arguments that fall apart at the slightest examination.
Unraveling the Chemtrail Phenomenon: Aerosols, Geoengineering, and the Sky's Hidden Agenda
Tracy Turner
What's Really in Our Skies?
For years, millions have been watching in the sky a new unidentified mystery: elongated streams deposited by aircraft across it, to which the name of chemtrails has been popularly attached nowadays. Sometimes so numerous, these trails create an illusion of ribbons or a chemical haze on the sky. These trails, according to the mainstream scientific conception, emanate from contrails-which is short for condensation trails formed at high altitude by water vapor in aircraft exhaust.
For many, this explanation does not hold water. Whereas contrails usually disappear within minutes, chemtrails seem to hang around and persist, even at lower altitudes, feeding suspicion that this may indeed be a deliberate effort to impact the climate. Could there be trails from some sort of clandestine geoengineering program designed to alter the world's climate? This article looks at an emerging body of evidence that may prove chemtrails are not merely an atmospheric anomaly but could very well involve aerosol spraying in service to climate engineering.
The Rise of Google and Bing Censorship and How to Bypass It DeepSeek Artificial Intelligence
Chris Spencer
Image from: France 24
Is Deep Seek American's Chinese Savior, or Just A Different 51 Flavor(s) of Censorship?
DeepSeek: Unlocking the Internet Beyond Censorship
In today's digital landscape, mainstream search engines like Google and Bing control the flow of information, filtering search results based on political, corporate, and regional interests. This growing censorship limits access to independent journalism, alternative viewpoints, and critical research. As a result, users seeking unfiltered, unblocked and unbiased information need a reliable alternative. Enter DeepSeek – a cutting-edge search engine designed to break through the barriers of censorship and restore true online freedom.
Unlike traditional search engines that track user data and manipulate search rankings, DeepSeek prioritizes privacy, neutrality, and unrestricted access to information. It allows users to explore a wealth of global perspectives without interference, offering search results that are free from government or corporate bias. Whether you're conducting academic research, investigating suppressed news stories, or simply looking for an unfiltered, unblocked browsing experience, DeepSeek provides a platform where information flows freely.
With DeepSeek, you can take back control of your search experience and access a broader, more open internet. As online censorship continues to rise, finding alternatives that respect user privacy and intellectual freedom is more important than ever. Start exploring with DeepSeek today and unlock a truly independent search experience.
The Democrats Who Stole an Election and Imprisoned the Protesters Must Be Held Accountable
Paul Craig Roberts
Update: According to the latest information I have, The J6 political prisoners in the D.C. prison have been released. Kentucky is still holding one. Everyone else released except for about 6 who are being held on unrelated state charges.
The Democrats Who Stole an Election and Imprisoned the Protesters Must Be Held Accountable
Is there to be no accountability for election theft and wielders of weaponized law and prosecutions?
The release of the pardoned J6 political prisoners has, for the most part, gone well, but in a few instances vindictive Democrat officials still hold a few of the pardoned. It is a fluid situation, and my figures might be out of date by the time you read them.
The worst offender is the black female mayor of D.C. who at last report has not released 12 of the pardoned. Kentucky is still holding 6, and there are a few others being held here and there. Democrats in Pennsylvania were looking for a way of duplicating the pardoned federal charges with state charges in order to continue the incarceration of the pardoned political prisoners. It is possible that some of the non released J6 political prisoners have outstanding state charges unrelated to the J6 fake charges.
Breaking Down the Global Hegemony of Silicon Valley: The Monopolistic Empire
Sam Ambrose
For decades, Silicon Valley has been vaunted as the epicenter of technological progress, innovation, and entrepreneurial brilliance.
Yet beneath the polished veneer of creativity and disruption lies a far more calculated and aggressive strategy that has made its dominance appear self-ordained. Silicon Valley's stranglehold on the global tech market was not pulled off by innovation and talent alone; it had to be cemented through monopolistic practices, corporate warfare, intelligence agency partnerships, and relentless ambition from some of history's most powerful tech moguls.
The Exploitation of African Nations: A Case Study
Cathy Smith
The Myth of African Poverty Concocted by the Oligarchy
The relations of the global powers to the continent, especially America, Russia, China, and Israel, have mainly been based on resource extraction, strategic economic influence, and military influence. However, it is the role of foreign corporations, often in partnership with these powers, that truly drives the exploitation of African resources. These multinationals are largely plundering wealth for the enrichment of small, elite classes in every country from Algeria and Angola, Cameroon, right across to nearly every corner of this vast continent. The nature of such interactions has often typically taken the form of resource extraction, infrastructure development, military aid, and enhancement of political alliances.
China, Russia, the US, and Israel have been enduring players in Africa, their involvement stretching over many years. Still, most of their activities have focused on resource extraction, strategic military alliances, and political influence at the cost of ordinary African citizens.
China's Role in Africa: Resource Extraction and Debt Trap
The Chinese involvement in Africa has largely been marked by large infrastructure projects financed with heavy loans, finally turning out to be debt traps for most countries concerned. In return for roads, railways, and ports, China gains control over much valuable resources like oil, minerals, and timber. In Angola and Cameroon, local people rarely benefit when Chinese firms get mining contracts. China has also seized control of bauxite extraction in Guinea, while Chinese-funded projects have saddled Ethiopia with heavy debt and limited returns. This is a model some refer to as "debt-trap diplomacy," where countries are locked into cycles of debt dependency that are very profitable for Chinese companies, yet the broader population remains marginalized.
The Co-optation of Feminism: Media, Power, & Identity – Kamala Harris Analysis
Cathy Smith
Feminism was once a revolutionary force, a creed born out of struggle, resilience, and the dream of a world much different from what we had been given. It was born from the pain of millions of women working, poor, Black, Indigenous, women of color who refused to take the world as it was. And yet, today, feminism is an idea manipulated, diluted, commodified, and often controlled by those very forces that it initially came into being to dismantle from the military-industrial complex to corporate media giants; feminism today hardly resembles its initial mission of radical social transformation. This has happened because things are ingrained in how our media landscape rolls along.
We hardly notice how forces remake feminist discourse into more palatable, consumer-friendly, and politically neutral forms. The corporations that run the media, the intelligence agencies that shape public opinion, and the political powers that remain in control have combined a grand symphony of influence that has redefined feminism, replacing its radical edges with a glittering but hollow vision of empowerment. It is time to reclaim the radical roots of feminism to inspire a new generation of activists to fight for real change.
