Network of networks!

  No matter the outcome of the so-called 'minerals deal' in Ukraine, the relationship between the European Union and the United States has undeniably suffered a significant fissure—one that is likely to persist or even deepen in the years to come. The mercantilist approach displayed by the current U.S. administration has served as a cold shower for the EU, revealing uncomfortable truths about the nature of their partnership. This shift in U.S. foreign policy has, in many ways, crowned a three-decade-long trajectory of American interventionism and transactional diplomacy, marked by a series of questionable decisions on the global stage: the Iraq War (Bush Jr.), the destruction of Libya, the muddled involvement in Syria, and, to a certain extent, the complex outcomes of the Afghan conflict. This trend reflects a broader pattern in U.S. foreign policy—one that prioritizes national interests, often at the expense of long-standing alliances. The EU, once a central partner in shapi...

 It is a refreshing shift to finally recognize that the so-called 'tycoons' of the West should rightfully be classified as oligarchs. For decades, we were fed the narrative that the United States and other Western 'democracies' were home to tycoons—wealthy individuals who had earned their fortunes through business prowess. Meanwhile, in the East, the term 'oligarchs' was reserved for the elites who wielded both financial and political power, often acquired through murky means. This stark distinction was presented as though it were a matter of geography and governance, implying that the West’s wealthiest were somehow more legitimate or virtuous in their accumulation of power. However, a shift is now happening. More and more people in the United States are beginning to see that the label 'tycoon' is merely a euphemism—a glossy sticker slapped on a bag of rotten tomatoes to make it look more appetizing. The reality is, once an individual, family, or group r...