Date: Wednesday, 19 August 2026
https://ericzuesse.substack.com/p/us-losing-all-3-wars-against-iran
https://theduran.com/u-s-losing-all-3-wars-against-iran-russia-and-china/
U.S. Losing All 3 Wars: Against Iran, Russia, and China
18 August 2026, posted by Eric Zuesse. (All of my recent articles can be seen here.)
——
Jack Watling
Europe and Nato have known for years that interceptor production can’t keep up with demand and now disaster looms, putting us all in danger
Fri 14 August 2026 04.54 EDT
…
The point is that Ukraine is not going to receive enough Patriots between now and the winter to save its critical national infrastructure, irrespective of whether some countries make the political gesture of releasing a few more from their stockpiles. At this point, Kyiv must plan for a winter with severely disrupted power, and disperse and fortify life-support systems such as water, sanitation, power and heating.
Kyiv is trying to convince the US to activate Starlink satellite navigation modules over Russian territory to enable its drones to hunt for the Russian missile launchers. But, as the US recently found in Iran, pulling off this kind of mission over a large area is extremely difficult. Another line of effort in Kyiv is to attack the production of Russia’s ballistic missiles. These factories are well defended. To succeed, Ukraine’s partners will need to expand the funding and industrial capacity behind Ukraine’s nascent cruise-missile industry, or reopen questions of providing weapons systems such as Germany’s Taurus (which Berlin didn’t provide to Ukraine for fear of military escalation).
But the real lesson here is that Nato members have abjectly failed in defence planning. The numbers in this equation have been known since before 2022 and yet the investments to expand Patriot production (or mature alternative systems such as the Franco-Italian SAMP-T) have not been made. Such a level of complacency is devastating for Ukraine today, but it also risks Europe being bereft of defences in the future. It remains remarkable that Europe – watching the consequences unfold on its very borders – has remained so idle.
——
“Trump threatens to ‘bomb the s‑‑‑ out of Oman’ over Iran deal”
M. 17 August 2026
President Trump on Monday warned Omani officials against getting “in the way” of the U.S. during negotiations with their Iranian counterparts over reopening the Strait of Hormuz.
“If Oman gets in the way, we’ll bomb the s— out of them,” he told Fox News’s Trey Yingst. The journalist did not provide audio of the conversation.
“Trump threatens to bomb Oman over Strait of Hormuz”
17 August 2026
President Donald Trump threatened the Sultanate of Oman -- a longtime U.S. strategic partner and traditionally a key interlocutor in Middle Eastern negotiations -- on Monday, saying he will "bomb the s---" out of the country if it "gets in the way" of U.S. objectives in the Strait of Hormuz.
Trump also noted that there was no hurry on his part to conclude the war with Iran as the 60-day U.S.-Iranian memorandum of understanding expires.
In an interview with Fox News' Trey Yingst, Trump was asked about the status of talks between Iran and Oman over a potential deal regarding the Strait of Hormuz. "If Oman gets in the way, we'll bomb the s--- out of them," the president replied, according to Fox News' write-up.
——
https://www.semafor.com/newsletter/08/17/2026/semafor-flagship-battle-of-the-clocks
17 August 2026
CHINA PRESSES ITS ADVANTAGE
China appears to be taking advantage of US focus on the Middle East to further its strategic goals in Asia, analysts said. Washington’s withdrawal of an aircraft carrier from the Pacific and its criticism of South Korea suggest, in the words of one analyst, that the Obama-era “Asia pivot is dead.” (Not all experts are so downbeat.) Beijing is making moves, too, including installing permanent infrastructure in Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone and pressuring the Philippines in disputed waters. “No one expects China to curb its expansionist activities in the region anytime soon,” The New York Times’ diplomatic correspondent wrote. “And there are growing doubts among Asian nations over what the United States would be willing to do to deter China.”
——
https://www.semafor.com/newsletter/08/18/2026/semafor-flagship-industrialized-quiet-desperation
18 August 2026
U.S. ALLIES WORRY ABOUT WASHINGTON
US allies voiced worry over Washington’s strategy in Asia after President Donald Trump said he would scale back participation in key military drills. Trump’s announcement that he would reduce the size of the joint exercises with South Korea — in part because of Seoul’s lack of support for his war in Iran — “has deepened concerns about US reliability among Indo-Pacific allies,” the Financial Times reported. Japan, which has long had difficult relations with South Korea, said cooperation between Washington and Seoul was “critical” for stability in Asia. Australia, meanwhile, said it was “very concerned” by North Korea’s nuclear program; Trump has suggested that his scaling back of the drills was linked to a desire to revive talks with Pyongyang.
U.S. AND CHINA DECOUPING
Google reportedly plans to move its smartphone supply chain outside of China by next year, the latest sign of a deepening tech decoupling as tensions mount between Washington and Beijing. The Silicon Valley giant has told suppliers it will shift manufacturing largely to India and Vietnam, Nikkei reported, and is far from alone in reducing its reliance on China: Rival Big Tech firm Microsoft has shut at least 15 joint ventures and branch offices over the past five years, according to Reuters. The direction of travel is hardly one way, either, with Chinese authorities reportedly removing Microsoft’s Windows operating system from a host of government computers earlier than scheduled as part of efforts to reduce reliance on foreign tech providers.
THE NEW, ‘ROTTEN TAIL WORLD’
Geopolitical upheaval is upending the Middle East’s security architecture and forcing middle powers worldwide to be more flexible, but may ultimately deliver a new, stable equilibrium, analysts argued in the latest issue of Foreign Affairs. Though Gulf states are upping US military purchases, “long-building doubts about American power and purpose have passed their tipping point,” a leading political scientist warned. Separately, the director of the European Council on Foreign Relations argued that “states will have to adapt cunningly” to “a rotten-tail world” — a play on a Chinese term for a project gone haywire. But forcing smaller countries to play a greater role, two Biden-era officials insisted, may “strengthen the alliance system,” arguing: “Tensions can spur reforms that create tomorrow’s capability.”
——
https://eventsinukraine.substack.com/p/people-problems
“Military purges, mobilization, Azov rising.”
18 August 2026
Mobilization continues, nationalists of ‘iron will’ continue to conquer new heights in the military, and the new top army brass are furiously purging and placing their western-trained loyalists in power.
First, mobilization. It turns out that one recently publicized mobilization murder was committed against a severely mentally disabled man who didn’t even know there was a war going on. Meanwhile, well-connected military journalists are eagerly hoping that the thankless task of capturing men for the meat grinder will be taken in a more ‘creative’ direction by none other than General Andriy Biletsky, the ‘White Fuhrer’ of Azov’s Third Army Corps.
Azov certainly made a name for itself last year through conducting mobilization directly. It was quite effective in capturing men, though the ‘creativity’ in practice seemed to mean a great deal more torture and extortion than even the ordinary mobilization process. Other journalists are, as usual, calling to mobilize woman and the youth. The sponsors of these journalists in the the European Union, meanwhile, have placed a stranglehold on the number of Ukrainian men — and possibly women — entering their Civilized Garden.
Second, the army brass. The new commander-in-chief has been conducting major purges of the old military elite and replacing them with his loyalists. The new class of generals rising are young, NATO-trained, have known each other for over a decade, and have always been opposed to the older generation in the army. But appointed to take charge of the army at such a late and hopeless time in the war, is the devious Zelensky simply hoping to nullify the reputation of the most popular forces in the army?
As Azov rises, corresponding western-oriented nationalists have taken charge of the army. Mikhailo Drapaty, now commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, played a major role in Ukraine’s military contingent aiding NATO in Kosovo back in 2007 (pictured). His new deputy, Serhiy Sobko, worked alongside him as far back as Kosovo. Both have studied extensively at US military institutions.
Third, Azov eats the assault units. The much-reviled assault regiments are being somewhat restructured, but the units themselves remain, and all the signs indicate that they will continue to play a major role in the army. That’s because Azov has now taken control of much of the important assault regiments….
——
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjzdustH8N4
“EXPLAINED: Is Finland Going To Be First European Economy To Collapse? | Times Now World”
Times Now World, 18 August 2026
28,505 views Premiered 3 hours ago #finland #finlandeconomy #finlandcrisis
Finland, once regarded as one of Europe’s strongest economic performers, is facing a prolonged period of weak growth, high unemployment and rising public debt. The Nordic country’s problems have built up over years, following the decline of Nokia and its paper industry, an ageing population and a shrinking working-age base. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine added another major shock, disrupting trade and tourism across Finland’s 1,340-kilometre eastern border while increasing pressure to raise defence spending. Finland’s unemployment is now above 10%, while government forecasts see debt rising further in coming years.
This explainer looks at how Finland went from being a European economic role model — and a vocal supporter of fiscal discipline during the eurozone debt crisis — to confronting unemployment, weak growth and rising debt itself. It examines the collapse of Nokia
——
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6qIYufgvg8
“'This is how great powers decline' | Fareed's Take”
18 August 2026, Fareed Zakaria [All of this is true though spoken by a bought-and-paid-for propagandist for Democratic Party billionaires’ neocon foreign policies]
00:00
Here's my take. Last week, a minor geopolitical earthquake shook the Middle East. Saudi Arabia and Turkey, two nations that have been openly hostile toward each other for much of the last decade, pledged to go to war in each other's defense. Along with Pakistan, they signed the Mecca Joint Defense Agreement, declaring NATO style that an attack on one would be treated as an attack on all. Now Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long had close security ties.
00:32
But Saudi Arabia and Turkey have been bitter regional rivals clashing over Qatar, Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood, and most explosively the murder of Jamal Kashogi in Istanbul, which Turkish leader Erdogan appeared to blame directly on the Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman.
00:56
So what brought them together? Donald Trump, or rather the two countries diminishing faith in him and his word. The Iran war has been a masterclass in how to squander credibility. Recall that Saudi Arabia and Qatar both received security guarantees from Donald Trump only last year. But Trump's word is as solid with his counterparts abroad as it was with his bankers in New York.
01:18
He has repeatedly declared that a deal with Tehran was just days away. By midJune, one tally counted at least 38 pronouncements that a deal was near or Iran desperately wanted one. Yet this week, an Iranian source told Reuters that negotiations had made absolutely no progress. The world has learned to treat his truth social announcements as a kind of mix of fact and fiction like some of the AI generated videos he posts. The same pattern is visible in Europe.
01:52
In May, Trump announced that 5,000 American troops would leave Germany and suggested more cuts were coming. The Pentagon then scrapped a planned deployment of roughly 4,000 troops to Poland. Days later, Trump announced that an additional 5,000 troops would go to Poland. Sometimes he threatens not to defend Europe against Russia. Other times he says he will.
02:16
Imagine being a European defense minister trying to construct a 10-year military plan around this. Trump declared this week that the United States had total control of the Straight of Hormos. Yet ship tracking data recorded just 14 vessels transiting in one day recently, compared with more than 130 a day before the war. This is not simply a matter of presidential style or rhetoric. It goes to the heart of American power.
02:43
For eight decades, the United States built up something as powerful as aircraft carriers and squadrons of F-35s. Credibility. Allies believed American commitments would endure from one administration to the next. Adversaries understood that American threats, while sometimes exaggerated, carried real weight. The system was not perfect. Washington did break promises and make mistakes.
03:09
But there was a broad presumption that the United States was a predictable actor and the president's words meant something. Trump treats promises and threats as if he's playing a grand game of bluff. But unpredictability is a very different thing in an alliance than in a real estate negotiation.
03:28
If allies cannot know whether troops will arrive or leave, whe the tariffs will rise or fall, whether an agreement signed today will survive until tomorrow, they do not become more obedient, they become more independent. Countries are building insurance policies. Denmark chose a Franco Italian air defense system rather than the American Patriot.
03:52
Canada is reconsidering its F-35 purchases. European governments are investing heavily in their own arms industries. South Korea has become the second largest seller of arms to NATO countries in Europe and is helping supply the Gulf's air defense with systems cheaper than Patriots. The Dutch Central Bank has moved critical cloud services to a European provider to reduce dependence on American technology.
04:16
And now Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Pakistan are constructing a security architecture of their own. None of these moves by themselves amount to a rupture with Washington, but they show a deepening loss of faith in America's word. The same is happening with American threats. If Washington threatens tariffs, extracts concessions, and then threatens tariffs again, governments conclude that accommodation does not produce safety.
04:45
…
——
—————
Investigative historian Eric Zuesse’s latest book, AMERICA’S EMPIRE OF EVIL: Hitler’s Posthumous Victory, and Why the Social Sciences Need to Change, is about how America took over the world after World War II in order to enslave it to U.S.-and-allied billionaires. Their cartels extract the world’s wealth by control of not only their ‘news’ media but the social ‘sciences’ — duping the public.
