USA - Before our leaders drag us into the middle of World War III, perhaps we should step back and take a hard look at our own capabilities. Military recruiting has been way down, ammunition levels have fallen to dangerously low levels because of how much we have sent to Ukraine, and our enemies have developed cutting edge new weapons systems that we cannot match. But Joe Biden and his all-star team of warmongers continue to push everyone around as if this was the 1980s and everyone is still deeply afraid of the US military. It is time for all of us to acknowledge that the world has changed.

LEBANON - Nasrallah says his organization is not deterred from taking action, pointing derisively at a US warship that left the region and claiming Israel is struggling to make gains in Gaza. He says Hezbollah’s cross-border shelling of Israel starting on October 8 had prevented a broader bombing campaign by Israel in Gaza, warning that there will be “no ceilings” and “no rules” to his group’s fighting if Israel launches a war on Lebanon. He accuses Israel of being behind the assassination of Hamas Number 2, Saleh al-Arouri, in a Beirut suburb a day earlier calling it “a major, dangerous crime about which we cannot be silent.” Addressing Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, Nasrallah says Israel “will not succeed in achieving the war’s goals.”

UK - Drastic shortages of sailors have forced the Royal Navy to decommission two of its warships, it was reported last night. HMS Westminster and HMS Argyll were allegedly retired so their crews could transfer to the service's new Type 26 frigates. The news comes as UK sailors were sent to the Red Sea to protect merchant vessels from Houthi rebels. The retirement of HMS Westminster is controversial as it underwent expensive repairs in 2017 and only recently returned to service. James Cartlidge, minister for defence procurement, told MPs in October that the estimated cost for refitting HMS Westminster was £100 million. The decommissioning of the ships comes as record numbers of sailors, such as navy divers and engineers, are signing off. Many have been headhunted by private sector companies who can double their wages.

UNITED NATIONS - US President Joe Biden’s administration has rejected genocide allegations against Israel made by multiple nations, including a NATO ally. Washington has insisted that it sees no indication West Jerusalem’s forces are committing atrocities as they pound Gaza in a campaign to destroy Hamas. White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby was more pointed in his response, saying the allegations against Israel were “meritless.” He added that the ICJ case filed by South Africa was “counterproductive and completely without any basis in fact whatsoever.” Türkiye’s foreign minister, Hakan Fidan, argued on Wednesday that by giving “unconditional support” to Israel, Western nations had lost all credibility to talk about “principles, virtue and morality.” He added, “I see that all of this is paving the way for a huge geostrategic rupture.”

USA - The truth is that what we are doing to future generations of Americans is beyond criminal. We are literally committing national suicide, but each election cycle most of the same big spending politicians just keep winning over and over again. Those on the other side would argue that it has been absolutely necessary to borrow and spend so much money. If we had not propped up the US economy with giant mountains of borrowed money, it would have collapsed long ago. In addition, spending so much money allows us to project military and economic power all over the planet. If we only spent what we brought in, America’s standing in the world would be greatly reduced. You can only borrow and spend so much before the entire Ponzi scheme collapses, and at this moment we are more than 34 trillion dollars in debt…

UK - With Putin, Xi Jinping and Kim Jong Un issuing New Year threats, the West's woeful leadership crisis means 2024 could become the year of the despots. Welcome to the Year of Elections. About four billion people — roughly half the world's population — will go to the polls in 2024, from India to Mexico, America to Russia, Pakistan to the European Parliament and many places in between. We're almost certain to have a general election in dear old Blighty [UK], too. It would be comforting to regard the coming year as a great Festival of Democracy: comforting, but wrong.

USA - More than half the world’s voters face elections in 2024, potentially reshaping global history. Move over Trump and Biden, there are consequential elections also in Taiwan, India, South Africa, and possibly Ukraine. More than half the people in the world live in countries that will hold national elections in 2024, an electoral calendar that could reshape global history and define relations between the world’s two largest economies – the United States and China's.

GERMANY - The highly dysfunctional coalition headed by Globalist Chancellor Olaf Scholz continues to flounder, marred by budget problems, economic woes, unchecked mass migration and the constant war mongering for Ukraine. Now, reports are starting to arise that Scholz may be forced to resign, as his SPD party is in a bad hangover mood, after looking at the catastrophic year-end surveys.

UK - Businesses seeking contracts from a London council are being vetted on their commitments to 'LGBT values'. Camden Council will scrutinise companies and their employees to ensure they hold the appropriate beliefs about issues such as gender and sexuality. Internal documents from the council sourced through Freedom of Information requests say: 'We are beginning to ask businesses to demonstrate their commitment to LGBTQ+ equality before we procure them.' The Labour-run council will now only work 'with businesses whose values align with our own'.

USA - The US national debt topped $34 trillion for the first time ever, crossing a critical milestone at a time when government spending is already under scrutiny. The national debt – which measures what the US owes its creditors — hit $34 trillion as of Friday afternoon, according to new data published by the Treasury Department. By comparison, just four decades ago, the national debt hovered around $907 billion. "We are beginning a new year, but our national debt remains on the same damaging and unsustainable path," said Michael Peterson, CEO of the Peter G Peterson Foundation, which advocates for fiscal sustainability. The historic debt level comes as Congress races to finalize critical funding bills in order to prevent a government shutdown. Even more worrisome is that the spike in interest rates over the past year and a half has made the cost of servicing the national debt more expensive.

EUROPE - The riddle of unhinged EU support for the Zelensky regime in Kyiv is now solved. Anyone inclined can unravel why the Germans, in particular, backstabbed Russia in the Minsk peace boondoggle. Lithium. Energy Monitor’s parent company, GlobalData, recently released a report showing that Europe’s biggest lithium reserves lie in the Donbass region of Russia.

LEBANON - The Lebanese armed group Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the drone strike in Beirut that killed Hamas deputy leader Saleh al-Arouri, and further promised that the crime won’t be left unanswered. Al-Arouri was among seven people who died in the attack, which took place in the suburbs of the Lebanese capital on Tuesday. Several hours after the incident, Hezbollah, which is an ally of Palestinian armed group Hamas, issued a statement, warning that “its finger [is] on the trigger.”

RUSSIA - How Russia and the Arab world defied Western pressure in 2023. By putting their own national interests first, Moscow and its partners work towards a more balanced multipolar reality. The year 2023 did not bring any radical changes to Russia’s relations with the Middle East, but the trend towards strengthening relations continued, despite unprecedented pressure from Western countries led by Washington. The countries of the region increasingly demonstrated their commitment to neutrality, and in some cases even took steps towards integration into non-Western associations, declaring their special path of sovereign development in the context of geopolitical turbulence. Thus, in August 2023, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates were granted membership in BRICS. Overall, the year 2023 was a positive one for Russia’s relations with the Middle East. Russia’s economic, political, military, and cultural influence in the region continued to grow. This trend is likely to continue in the years to come, as Russia seeks to expand its presence in the Middle East.

TURKEY - Turkey has blocked two Royal Navy minehunter ships from entering its waters en route to the Black Sea for use by Ukraine, claiming it would violate an international pact concerning wartime passage of the straits. Britain said last month it would transfer two Royal Navy minehunter ships to the Ukrainian Navy to help strengthen Ukraine's sea operations in its war with Russia. But fellow NATO member Turkey informed allies that it would not allow the vessels to use its Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits as long as the war in Ukraine continues. The Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits both lie in Turkey's territory, and are the only way to get into the Black Sea via waterways, making them exceedingly valuable. The waterways are controlled by the Turkish cities of Çanakkale and Istanbul.

USA - Former top Obama adviser David Axelrod warned Friday that a court decision removing former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot "would rip the country apart." "I have very, very strong reservations about all of this," Axelrod said on CNN on Friday. "I do think it would rip the country apart if he were actually prevented from running because tens of millions of people want to vote for him." Axelrod said that the Democrats' best bet on beating Trump is in the polls. "I think if you’re going to beat Donald Trump, you’re going to probably have to do it at the polls," he continued. Axelrod said that the effort by the left to remove Trump has backfired, and he has only "gained" popularity since his many indictments.