Dan Steinbock

In just two years, China has facilitated a breakthrough deal between Saudi Arabia and Iran; and Fatah and Hamas. Over time, that could pave the way to peace in the Middle East, after decades of unwarranted violence – including the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh. On July 23, 14 Palestinian factions including rivals Hamas … Continue reading “The Beijing Declaration: Quest for Middle East Peace After the Haniyeh Assassination”

In the Philippines, the proponents of the trilateral alliance frame it as a response to the “threat of assertive China.” In reality, the unwarranted trilateral alliance seems to be the result of a longstanding US maritime counter-insurgency (COIN) campaign, resting on the work of the US Navy Department and other US interests. The purpose of … Continue reading “Trilateral Militarization: From Missiles to Nukes”

The Hamas-Israel War has devastated Gaza and displaced its people. It could result in expulsions in the West Bank over time. It is about the dispossession, displacement and devastation of a nation. By the end of December, over 21,000 Palestinians, some 70 percent of whom are women and children, have been killed in the Hamas-Israel … Continue reading “Displacing a Nation”

Taiwan’s presidential elections will be held on January 13, 2024. Re-elected in 2020, the incumbent President Tsai Ing-wen cannot seek a third term. Tsai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has been a divisive force that has benefited from President Obama’s pivot to Asia, Trump’s efforts at effective normalization and Biden’s attempt to capitalize on the consequent … Continue reading “Taiwan 2024 Election: Militarization or Development”

The Hamas-Israel War reflects the failure of 50 years of U.S. geopolitics in the region. Ultimately, the problem stems from the occupied territories, their Jewish settlers and apartheid policies. After the Yom Kippur War, Israel’s Labor coalition began to intensify the expansion of the boundaries of Jerusalem eastward. This encouraged a group of Messianic settlers … Continue reading “The Rise of Jewish Settlements and Apartheid Policies”

The Hamas-Israel War is inflaming tensions within and around Israel. It could escalate across the region. Or is escalation the actual objective? On October 8, 2023, after the first one day into the Hamas−Israel War, Prime Minister Netanyahu appointed ex-military commander Gal Hirsch to coordinate the cross-governmental response to missing Israeli citizen; that is, civilians … Continue reading “From Hamas-Israel War to Regional Escalation with Iran”

The Hamas-Israel War is paving the way to the destruction of Hamas, a hellish ground assault, the devastation of Gaza and Palestinian expulsions from the West Bank. That’s the ultimate objective of Netanyahu’s far-right cabinet members. The Hamas-Israel War, as it is portrayed by international media, reflects very poorly the realities in the region and … Continue reading “Gaza, Hamas, and the Odd Role of Netanyahu’s Likud”

On June 16, the 92-year-old Daniel Ellsberg passed away. At RAND, he contributed to a top-secret 47-volume study of classified documents on the Vietnam War. Even though the war had been acknowledged to be “unwinnable” since the 1950s, successive presidents from Eisenhower to Nixon had lied about the conflict. As Ellsberg released copies of the … Continue reading “The Nuclear Plan to Decapitate Russia and China (and the Planet)”

Not only do these global military contractors arm Ukraine, but they stand to benefit from the re-militarization of Western Europe, Japan, and the new NATO members. To Russia and Ukraine, the crisis is an existential issue. To the US and NATO, it’s a regime-change game. To Europe, it means the demise of stability – in … Continue reading “US Big Defense, the Only Winner of the Ukraine Proxy War”