Free Republic

While the Fake News Media and the same doomsday “experts” who’ve been wrong for decades scream about “Trump chaos” and “imperial overreach,” President Trump is quietly executing the boldest strategic master plan in a generation. It’s not just about seizing Venezuela’s massive reserves or finally crushing Iran’s terror-sponsoring regime. Those moves are chess pieces in a far bigger game: total containment of Communist China — and, beyond even that, the permanent re-assertion of Pax Americana for the rest of the 21st century. The globalist intellectuals are melting down because their beloved “multipolar world” fantasy is collapsing in real time. Everyone...

As media hype falters and globalists posture, Trump’s campaign to secure the world’s chokepoints reshapes power—and leaves Iran and its allies with little leverage left. Possibly the most amusing fake news item Saturday morning came from The New York Times. Under the rubric “Iran War Live Updates,” a headline screamed, “Iran’s Military Says It Has Reimposed ‘Strict Control’ of Strait of Hormuz.” To which an inquiring mind wants to know, “What Iran military?” It’s gone, Kemo Sabe. The floating bits are at the bottom of the sea. The terrestrial bits have been crushed, blasted, pulverized, or incinerated. Ditto most of...

Huawei, China’s answer to Nvidia, is rapidly expanding its AI technology into other countries and signaling a rapid acceleration in the global AI race. It’s a move AI experts predicted would not occur. Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Brazil, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, South Africa, and Turkey will now be able to build on Huawei’s Model-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform, which includes AI models like DeepSeek. Much like individual consumers who become dependent on Apple’s ecosystem, companies that build on Huawei’s models and cloud infrastructure risk becoming deeply tied to that platform. At scale, this creates a ripple effect — as companies that...

“Referring to India’s rotating presidency of BRICS, Pezeshkian called on the bloc to play an “independent role in halting aggression against Iran and in safeguarding regional and global stability."

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Israel on Wednesday for a two-day visit aimed at deepening ties with a key trade and defence partner, a trip that has drawn criticism at home. It is Modi’s second visit to Israel as prime minister. In a post on X, the Indian prime minister said that he has landed in Israel. v “I am extremely honoured to be received by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Mrs Netanyahu at the airport. I look forward to engaging in bilateral discussions and fruitful outcomes that strengthen the India-Israel friendship,” he added. In a statement prior...

The men in Zhongnanhai do not rattle easily. Decades of patient statecraft, a foreign policy built on studied ambiguity, and an economy engineered to absorb external shocks have granted Beijing’s leadership a remarkable tolerance for turbulence. Operation Epic Fury, the American-Israeli air campaign now dismantling Iran’s military architecture, has produced something unusual in the corridors of Chinese power: visible confusion. Xi Jinping is scrambling. The word is not used lightly. For a leader who has built his image on strategic composure and long-horizon thinking, the current moment is acutely dangerous. Not because China faces a direct military threat, but because...

The Iranian rial has effectively collapsed, plummeting to an unprecedented low of more than 1.47 million per US dollar on unofficial markets this week. The currency crash has triggered a wave of nationwide 'revolutionary' protests, as the cost of basic survival spirals out of reach for millions of Iranians. On Monday, 12 January 2026, the dollar was quoted as high as 1.47 million rials in the 'free market' of Tehran, marking a catastrophic decline from 2025 levels. For comparison, the rial traded at roughly 70 to the dollar during the 1979 revolution; it has now lost approximately 20,000 times its...

A deepening strategic partnership between China and Venezuela — marked by over 600 cooperation projects across energy, infrastructure, agriculture, and technology — signals a broader realignment in Latin America’s geopolitical landscape. Moving away from the era of large-scale loans, Beijing now favours targeted investments that strengthen its foothold without incurring the risks of financial overexposure. This shift positions Venezuela, under President Nicolas Maduro, as a key ally in China’s regional strategy, challenging longstanding US influence in the Caribbean. Venezuela is no stranger to friendly ties with China, but things are now reaching new levels. Other deals include joint ventures to...

I am a visual thinker, and I love maps and charts, so I just put this one together. In my opinion, we are moving from peacetime economic trade war conditions to a quazi-kinetic war for the control of the critical natural resources that are needed by the major powers in our emerging multipolar world.So, just what in the Sam Hill is a quazi-war?Well, it turns out that we already fought one. Read about it at the link.Today, the unipolar period which followed the end of the cold war is coming to an end. It’s being replaced by a tri-polar world...

ALEPPO, Syria, Nov. 13 (UPI) -- Here's what every caliphate apparently needs: its own money, so Islamic State leaders plan to mint their own gold, silver and copper coins. The decision aims to remove Muslims from the "tyrant's financial system" and a global monetary operation "based on satanic usury," said a statement by the Islamic State's Beit al Mal, or treasury, and posted on websites used by jihadist movements. The exchange rate of the new currency — which will consist of seven coins — and where it can be found will be spelled out in a future statement. Unlike many...

CAIRO (AP) — The leader of the Islamic State group has ordered the terror organization to start minting gold, silver and copper coins for its own currency — the Islamic dinar. A website affiliated with the group posted the order late Thursday, saying IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi instructed his followers to mint the coins to "change the tyrannical monetary system" modelled on Western economies that "enslaved Muslims."

It has gathered its fortune through the tools of modern finance, but now Islamic State (ISIS) aims to mint its own coins. The move is reportedly the brainchild of the ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who has personally overseen the design of gold, silver and copper coins of the Islamic dinar to be used in his self-declared caliphate—as soon as the terror group can locate a mint and enough precious metals. ISIS released designs of the coins and a breakdown of denominations. It claims the currency will free Muslims from a financial order that has “enslaved and impoverished” them. But...

. It appears the rumors are true. Islamic State is set to become the only 'state' to back its currency with gold (silver and copper) as it unveils the new coins that will be used in an attempt to solidify its makeshift caliphate. ISIS says the new currency will take the group out of "the oppressors' money system." As Zaid Benjamin notes, ISIS releases details of its new currancy with golden 1 & 5 dinar, silver 1, 5, 10 dirham and copper 10 & 20 fils It seems Alan Greenspan may have been on to something after all... "Remember what...

The rule of the African National Congress (ANC) in South Africa since 1994 has been marked by a widening chasm between poor black people, the majority and a tiny black elite, who get richer and richer. A quarter of our children are so badly malnourished that their brains are stunted for life. Amid this terrible hunger, President Cyril Ramaphosa lives in fabulous splendor. He is said to be worth 6 billion rand (around $350 million). He has mansions in the rich parts of South Africa. He has a fleet of luxury cars. He owns a game farm of 11,120 acres....

Is the Chinese economy collapsing? Or is something worse waiting in the wings?The short answer is that we could be looking at something much worse than a crashing economy. China could be part of a collapse of the global monetary system.We’ll begin the analysis with the latest official economic releases from China. These releases showed some of the weakest performance by the Chinese economy since the 2020 pandemic collapse.Things Aren’t Looking GoodIndustrial production growth for October declined to 4.9% (year-over-year) from a prior level of 6.5%. This was the weakest reading since August 2024. Some sectors receiving state support such...

China’s CIPS payment system now operates in 185 countries, enabling yuan-based trade outside the dollar. 52 trillion yuan in transactions were settled through CIPS in 2023, covering 58% of China’s cross-border flows. BRICS launched a yuan-pegged stablecoin and plans rupee bonds to expand use of local currencies. The BRICS-linked Cross-Border Interbank Payments System (CIPS) has expanded across 185 countries, allowing international payments in Chinese yuan without using the U.S. dollar, according to data from the New Development Bank (NDB). CIPS was launched by China and managed by its central bank as “a real alternative for global trade settlements.” At the...

On Oct 25, Xue Jian, Consul General of China in Osaka, used “beheading” language toward U.S. @SecWar Pete Hegseth. This must be translated and reported to the U.S. government. A China diplomat threatening to behead a U.S. official should be widely exposed!

Donald Trump is often described as a “populist,” a “nationalist,” or as someone who sits outside the traditional ideological categories. However, when one examines his foreign policy closely, a different picture emerges. Trump is, in practice, a neoconservative. He is not a neoconservative in the sense we once knew: he does not cloak American interventions in the language of democracy promotion, human rights, or universal values…What makes him distinctive is not the substance of his policies, but the way he frames them, stripped of the moralizing tone. Oddly enough, this makes his foreign policy more transparent—and perhaps, in some ways,...

Today, in accordance with the law, I am presenting the Monetary Policy Guidelines for the next three years to the State Duma for its consideration....Investment has been rising for the fifth year in a row. Since the start of 2022, it has increased by 25% in real terms, adjusted for inflation. This year, the growth rate has slowed, which is a natural development at such a high level.....What is driving this continued investment growth? It is primarily financed by corporate profits – by companies’ own resources. This is normal and consistent with global practice. This year, profits in the real...

-BHP will begin settling 30% of its iron ore spot trades with Chinese buyers in Yuan starting Q4 2025, marking a historic departure from U.S. dollar pricing. -The move follows pressure from Beijing, signaling China’s strategy to internationalize the RMB and weaken the dollar’s hold over commodity markets. -Australia faces rising concerns over currency risk, trade dependence, and the geopolitical implications of aligning with China’s de-dollarization agenda. In a landmark move that could reshape global commodity markets and impact iron ore prices,...