Free Republic

A fallback plan to ensure Europe can defend itself using NATO’s existing military structures if the U.S. departs is gaining traction after getting buy-in from Germany, a long-term opponent of a go-it-alone approach. The officials working on the plans, which some officials are referring to as “European NATO,” are seeking to get more Europeans into the alliance’s command-and-control roles and supplement U.S. military assets with their own. The plans—advancing informally through side discussions and over dinner meetings in and around the North Atlantic Treaty Organization—aren’t intended to rival the current alliance, participants said. European officials are aiming to preserve deterrence...

American intelligence agencies have obtained information that China in recent weeks may have sent a shipment of shoulder-fired missiles to Iran for its conflict with the United States and Israel, according to U.S. officials. The officials said that the intelligence is not definitive that the shipment has been sent, and that there is no evidence that the Chinese missiles have yet been used against American or Israeli forces during the conflict.

Construction of a “transformational” new railway line linking China, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan will allow goods to transit from east to west across Eurasia a whole week faster. On the way, it’s also predicted to have a transformational impact on the economy of Kyrgyzstan, one of the slowest developing countries on the continent. Now, the “CKU” will give direct transit options for most of Central Asia while unlocking substantial natural resource opportunities among a depressed, mountainous region of Kyrgyzstan. The trilateral agreement to build the 300-mile-long railway was signed on December 27th, 2024, and construction began the following year. $1.1 billion...

Poll in Spain: Trump and Netanyahu are seen as two of the three most dangerous leaders in the world. Trump was ranked as the biggest threat to world peace, followed by Russian President Putin. Spaniards perceive Netanyahu as more dangerous to peace than Iran's new leader. 81% of survey respondents said Trump is endangering global peace - more than any other leader. The Spanish government is considered the most hawkish in Europe against Israel and President Trump's policies. Why it matters: The survey reflects the worsening criticism in Spain towards Israel and the US, also among citizens and not just...

Canadian MPs passed radical Bill C-9 in a 186-137 vote, and conservatives are now calling on Christians to pray and ‘flood senators’ with phone calls and emails opposing the bill. OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — The majority of Canadian MPs have voted to pass a Liberal bill that will allow the criminalization of religious expression and belief when quoting parts of the Bible, including about homosexuality and gender.

Bridgett Fertig repostedBridgett Fertig@LightOnLiberty·11hIn 2025, President Trump stood in front of the United Nations and called ALL of those corrupt cabal elites out for funding the destruction of the United States by sending hoards of dangerous, criminal illegal immigrants towards our borders.The UN's existence was based primarily by OUR tax dollars, so naturally, the technicality that we were funding our own destruction, pissed him off enough to not only cut off their funding, but call them out directly to their faces — NO aviator glasses needed — as he WANTED them to see who he was glaring at while he...

Tucker Carlson, the American antisemitic influencer, says U.S. President Donald Trump and senior U.S. officials should be prosecuted over the decision to strike Iran. In last night's interview Carlson said, "There are other players here. I didn't realize it would be a joint operation with a country that believes in Amalek. Whoever made that decision should be in jail." .....

President Catherine Connolly has described the situation in the Middle East as a “deliberate assault on international law”. President Connolly’s comments come after the US and Israel’s conflict with Iran entered its second week. She said that “violations of the UN Charter cannot be ignored” and described what is being witnessed as “shocking and numbing”. In a statement marking International Women’s Day, President Connolly said: “What we have witnessed in recent days in the Middle East, and beyond, are not political disputes. They are deliberate assaults on international law, the international laws that have underpinned global peace for 80 years....

Germany’s “social-ecological market economy” is a textbook illustration of this dynamic. The state declares hydrogen and other favored technologies to be the “future,” pours billions into subsidies, and attempts to construct markets by decree. Yet even an official body like the Federal Audit Office now describes this as a “planned economy approach” and doubts that the government will reach its own goals. In all likelihood, Germany is about to confirm once again what Mises showed in theory a century ago: planned economies do not deliver their promised outcomes. Instead, they generate rising costs, failing projects, and increasing chaos—while making society...

Attention DePaul University donors! Do you want to check out how your funding is being put to use? The institution just initiated an obnoxious, new anti-ICE journalism institute in partnership with radical ex-Mayor of Chicago Lori Lightfoot and another Chicago-based left-wing group financed by some of the most notorious leftists in American politics. The supposedly Catholic DePaul — which sits comfortably on a roughly $1.15 billion endowment — announced that it was launching the cringely-named Institute for Journalism and Racial Justice (IJRJ) during a February 25 campus event, according to student newspaper The DePaulia. The announcement came following a “community...

China is highly concerned over the military strikes against Iran launched by the U.S. and Israel, a Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said on Saturday, noting that China calls for an immediate stop of the military actions. The spokesperson made the remarks when asked to comment on the military strikes against Iran launched by the U.S. and Israel on Saturday, Beijing time. China calls for an immediate stop of the military actions, no further escalation of the tense situation, resumption of dialogue and negotiation, and efforts to uphold peace and stability in the Middle East, the spokesperson emphasized.

OP-ED CONTRIBUTORS What do Europeans want from the United States? As President Bush prepares for his first trip to Europe since his re-election - a five-day swing through Belgium, Germany and Slovakia - the Op-Ed page asked a variety of Europeans to name the single most important thing Mr. Bush could do to reinvigorate trans-Atlantic relations. "No New Wars" By ELFRIEDE JELINEK, Vienna President Bush ought to convince Europeans that he is not planning another war, while at the same time professing to think highly of the opinion of European nations and to value them. PRESIDENT BUSH needs Europe. He...

European leaders are increasingly discussing the creation of an alternative security framework outside NATO, amid growing doubts about the reliability of the United States as a long-term ally following threats by US President Donald Trump to annex Greenland, Politico reported on January 19. According to European officials cited by the outlet, Trump’s remarks about Greenland—a sovereign Danish territory—marked a turning point, convincing many capitals that Washington may no longer be a dependable security guarantor. Behind closed doors, officials described the idea of annexation as reckless and warned that it crossed a clear red line for Europe’s allies. The debate has...

BEIJING -- The Liberal government has reached a deal with Beijing to slash tariffs on a set number of Chinese electric vehicles in exchange for China dropping duties on agriculture products, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Friday. The deal marks a de-escalation in tensions with a country the Liberal government had, in recent years, branded as a disruptive power. Carney described it as a “preliminary but landmark” agreement to remove trade barriers and reduce tariffs, part of a broader strategic partnership with China that includes increasing tourism and cultural ties. Carney also said Xi has committed to visa-free travel for...

US President Donald Trump has renewed his threat to use military force to bring the Arctic island under American control Denmark has begun sending military personnel to Greenland, and allied reinforcements are expected to follow, Danish media reported on Wednesday.Greenlandic and Danish authorities announced that Danish military forces will expand their presence on the island and continue conducting exercises with allies throughout 2026.Greenlanders should expect to see more military planes, troops and ships in Greenland “including from NATO allies,” the statement reads.Danish Minister Defence Troels Lund Poulsen said on Wednesday afternoon that more countries were inbound for Greenland. Sweden...

A father was deported to Mexico last month after living in the U.S. for over 30 years, leaving his six children without their only parent, his lawyer said. According to Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin, Rosalio Vasquez Meave was arrested on September 15. His lawyer, Michelle Edstrom, said he was dropping off his children at school when an ICE vehicle pulled him over and detained him.

Federal authorities say they disrupted a credible terrorist threat over the weekend, arresting four alleged members of a radical pro-Palestinian extremist group accused of planning coordinated New Year’s Eve bombings in Los Angeles. The FBI told Fox News Digital that the members self-identified as part of a radical offshoot of the Turtle Island Liberation Front (TILF), an extremist group motivated by pro-Palestinian, anti-law-enforcement, and anti-government ideology. According to the FBI, they were allegedly planning coordinated bombing attacks on New Year’s Eve using improvised explosive devices (IEDs), targeting five separate locations across Los Angeles. The agency said the four were arrested...

Another connection that bridges this historical cooperation between the far right and far left into the modern age of terrorism is that between Carlos the Jackal and the Swiss Nazi Francois Genoud. Genoud's life, in fact, spans the history of this collaboration. Francois Genoud was an early admirer and proponent of Adolf Hitler's, and a founder of the National Front, a Swiss Nazi party. Genoud met and befriended Haj Amin al-Husseini and worked with him to recruit Arabs into the service of the Nazis. He also set up the Banque Commerciale Arabe in Geneva with Syrian money and ran the...

The Muslim mayor of Dearborn, Michigan is dismissing noise complaints about a mosque’s call to prayer, deeming it a non-issue. Mayor Abdullah Hammoud spoke about the complaints during an appearance on the “Not From Here” podcast. The issue has been percolating for months, as some residents have raised concerns about the fact that the mosque in question uses a loudspeaker for its call to prayer multiple times a day. […] According to reports, loudspeakers are not permitted between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. But the Muslim mayor does not view this as an issue. “I would tell you is, you...

The National Football League was once synonymous with patriotism. For decades, its broadcasts featured tributes to the military, roaring jets flying over stadiums, and the Star-Spangled Banner uniting fans of every background. That league is gone. In its place stands a cultural institution that has chosen ideology over unity, grievance over gratitude, and division over patriotism. The NFL now consistently aligns itself with movements and figures that are hostile to America, its heritage, and its values. It is not exaggeration but fact to say that the NFL has become one of the most powerful platforms for advancing anti-American narratives. The...