The latest data showing the US trade deficit widening sharply to about $70.3 billion should not be interpreted the way mainstream economists always frame it. They immediately jump to the conclusion that a rising trade deficit is a sign of economic weakness, when in reality it often reflects the opposite and represents strong domestic demand. […]

If we are honest, the current international world order is crumbling and it has demonstrated its inability to effectively resolve crises when financial gain is at stake. The EU is desperate to become relevant again as a world power being overshadowed by Russia, China, and the USA. This is leading to some starting to rethink […]

The Environmental Protection Agency under the Trump administration is on the verge of repealing the 2009 “endangerment finding” that formed the legal and scientific basis for regulating greenhouse gases under the Clean Air Act. That finding, first issued early in the Obama administration, concluded that carbon dioxide and five other greenhouse gases “may reasonably be […]

QUESTION: Will oil go crazy if Iran closes the Strait of Hormuz? Sam ANSWER: It is questionable if Iran would do that, for we get only about 3% of our oil through that strait, whereas 80% or so goes to China. Nevertheless, February was a Directional Change and March remains a key target until we […]

Governments never present control as control. It is always framed as protection. In France, the justification is shielding children from harmful content online. But once the state begins targeting tools designed to preserve privacy and free access, the issue is no longer child safety but authority over the internet itself. In late January, the French […]

The Trump administration is moving to create what is being described as a strategic stockpile for rare earths and other critical minerals, branded “Project Vault,” with reported financing of around $12 billion, involving a major loan structure and private participation from large industrial users. This is a defensive move akin to a petroleum stockpile and […]

The United States Withdrawal from the World Health Organization: A Cyclical Analysis of Sovereignty and Global Health Governance January 23, 2026 The Trump administration’s decision to withdraw the United States from the World Health Organization represents far more than a simple policy shift. This marks a critical inflection point in the post-World War II international […]

COMMENT #1: Marty, I tried to get my brother to read your blog and he said it was depressing. I tried to explain that you always say that there is a light at the end of this tunnel and it will be our opportunity to redesign the system for the better. We cannot accomplish that […]

  In the past few days, Iran has experienced the biggest protests against the ruling Islamic Republic since it crushed the 2022. The rial has fallen by more than 90%—but that dramatically understates the disaster. The real decline is closer to 97-98% depending on your baseline. The regime is the weakest it has ever been. […]

The Russian Foreign Ministry on Thursday rejected the latest US-backed offering to end the Russia-Ukraine war, issuing a damming rebuff that illustrates that Putin would have to be insane to accept any peace deal at this stage in the game with Ukraine because it would NEVER resolve this conflict. Moscow’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs slammed […]