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Foreign Affairs (News/Activism)

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  • Trump Threatens to Take Greenland ‘the Hard Way’

    01/09/2026 4:30:16 PM PST · by McGruff · 28 replies
    NY Times ^ | Jan 9, 2026 | Chris Cameron
    President Trump again threatened on Friday to forcibly annex Greenland, saying that he was “going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not.” In a White House event discussing his plans to have American companies exploit Venezuela’s vast oil reserves under the threat of a military blockade, Mr. Trump advanced an imperialist vision of American foreign policy, where the U.S. must dominate strategically important neighboring countries because of the perceived possibility that rival powers might do so first. “If we don’t do it, Russia or China will take over Greenland,” Mr. Trump said, falsely suggesting that Greenland,...
  • Danish soldiers would shoot back if invaded, government confirms

    01/09/2026 2:50:39 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 61 replies
    Euronews ^ | 08/01/2026 | Aleksandar Brezar
    Danish soldiers must open fire even without orders if US troops were to try and capture Greenland by force, according to a 1952 directive that Denmark's Defence Ministry confirmed remains in place, domestic media reported. Soldiers must engage without awaiting orders if anyone were to invade Danish territory, including US troops attempting to seize Greenland, according to a 1952 military directive that Denmark's Defence Ministry has confirmed remains in force. The standing order requires Danish military personnel to "immediately take up the fight" against any attack on Danish territory without waiting for commands, even if commanders are unaware of a...
  • Trump's Venezuela focus frustrates top aides worried about midterm elections

    01/09/2026 2:26:13 PM PST · by hcmama · 21 replies
    REUTERS ^ | January 9, 2026 | Nandita Bose
    President Donald Trump's focus on the brazen U.S. capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro is frustrating some White House aides and Republican lawmakers, who want him to address economic and healthcare concerns in an election year, according to three people familiar with the matter.White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, her deputy James Blair and Vice President JD Vance are pressing Trump to prioritize domestic concerns, said two White House officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss internal matters. Vance has been the most persistent voice in meetings, repeatedly steering conversations back to kitchen-table issues, they said....
  • US to provide $45 million in aid to Thailand and Cambodia in a bid to ensure regional stability

    01/09/2026 12:19:07 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 11 replies
    Eur ^ | 09/01/2026 | Gavin Blackburn
    The fighting in July and December displaced hundreds of thousands of people in Thailand and Cambodia and killed about 100 soldiers and civilians. The United States, which played a major role in ending border clashes last year between Thailand and Cambodia, will provide $45 million (€38 million) in aid packages to the two Southeast Asian countries to help ensure regional stability and prosperity, a senior US State Department official said on Friday. US Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Michael DeSombre made the announcement in an online media briefing in Bangkok where he was meeting with...
  • John Cleese tears into BBC over Iran bias row as actor fumes he's 'ashamed' of broadcaster: ‘It doesn’t want to offend Islamists!'

    01/09/2026 11:16:07 AM PST · by Freeleesy · 37 replies
    GBNews ^ | Jan 8, 2026 | Alex Davies
    John Cleese has joined the growing list of voices expressing their dismay at the BBC over its coverage of the ongoing protests in Iran. The widespread civil unrest in the Islamic Republic is said to have been sparked by the country’s economic woes, which as seen inflation skyrocket to more than 42 per cent and food prices surge by 72 per cent. However, hostilities had been threatening to boil over for months prior to the latest protests against the regime’s corruption, civil rights abuses, and critical energy shortages. Despite the monumental moment in the country’s history, the UK’s national broadcaster...
  • Trump Says US Will Begin Land Strikes on Cartels in Mexico

    01/09/2026 9:45:00 AM PST · by SeekAndFind · 52 replies
    Epoch Times ^ | 01/09/2026 | Joseph Lord
    President Donald Trump announced in an interview aired Jan. 8 that the United States will begin launching strikes on the cartels in Mexico. “We knocked out 97 percent of the drugs coming in by water, and we are going to start now hitting land with regard with the cartels,” Trump told Fox News. “The cartels are running Mexico,” Trump said. “It’s very sad to watch and see what’s happened to that country.” The announcement comes just five days after Trump ordered an operation to remove Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro to the United States to face criminal charges, including narco-terrorism. This...
  • Trump suggests U.S. military will hit cartels on ‘land’ in Mexico

    01/09/2026 6:48:48 AM PST · by reasonisfaith · 63 replies
    CNBC ^ | Justin Papp
    President Donald Trump said drug “cartels are running Mexico,” and suggested the U.S. military could start land strikes against them there.
  • Chinese Illegal Arrested For Filming Stealth Bombers Near US Air Base

    01/08/2026 9:56:08 PM PST · by MarlonRando · 17 replies
    Daily Caller ^ | 1-8-26 | Melissa O’Rourke
    The base shares a perimeter fence with the Knob Noster Trailer Park, a foreign-owned RV park located less than a mile from Whiteman’s runway, the November 2025 DCNF investigation found. Wu also admitted that he had photographed another U.S. Air Force base and its aircraft, according to the complaint.
  • Venezuela’s Interim Leader Delcy Rodriguez Signals Openness to Energy Deals

    01/08/2026 9:36:51 PM PST · by SeekAndFind · 28 replies
    Epoch Times ^ | 01/08/2026 | Evgenia Filimianova
    Delcy Rodriguez told lawmakers that Caracas seeks commercially grounded oil and gas ties as Washington asserts oversight and U.S. firms eye investment.Venezuela’s interim leader, Delcy Rodriguez, said on Jan. 7 that the South American nation is open to establishing new energy relationships based on commercial agreements and mutual benefit, marking a potential shift in policy following the removal of former leader Nicolás Maduro. Rodriguez made the remarks during a meeting with members of Venezuela’s National Assembly of Venezuela in Caracas. “Venezuela is open to energy relations where all parties benefit, where economic cooperation is very clearly defined in commercial contracts....
  • The Real Reason China and Russia Won’t Try a Maduro-Style Raid

    01/08/2026 8:05:11 PM PST · by SeekAndFind · 32 replies
    Foreign Policy ^ | 01/08/2026 | Decker Eveleth
    In the wake of the United States’ capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, some observers and U.S. officials have warned that this may have given Moscow and Beijing a green light to pursue similar operations in Ukraine and Taiwan. Just as the United States does not recognize the legitimacy of Maduro’s rule in Venezuela, Russia and China do not recognize the legitimacy of Ukraine’s and Taiwan’s respective independence. If China, for instance, were to seize Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te, or if Russia were to capture Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, on what grounds could the United States reasonably object? [SNIP] Russia...
  • Internet and phones cut in Iran as protesters heed exiled prince’s call for mass demonstration

    01/08/2026 7:42:32 PM PST · by E. Pluribus Unum · 3 replies
    AP News ^ | Updated 8:14 PM CST, January 8, 2026 | JON GAMBRELL
    Iran’s government has cut off the country from the internet and international telephone calls.https://apnews.com/article/iran-protests-us-israel-war-nuclear-economy-ebddd998fbe7903e70ca62127250ebcb The demonstrations that have popped up in cities and rural towns across Iran continued Thursday. More markets and bazaars shut down in support of the protesters. So far, violence around the demonstrations has killed at least 42 people while more than 2,270 others have been detained, said the U.S.-based Human Rights Activists News Agency. The growth of the protests increases the pressure on Iran’s civilian government and its Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. CloudFlare, an internet firm, and the advocacy group NetBlocks reported the internet outage,...
  • Hezbollah, Iraqi Militia Fighters Crossing Into Iran to Be Regime Storm Troops (UPDATE)

    01/08/2026 7:27:07 PM PST · by SeekAndFind · 14 replies
    Hotair ^ | 01/08/2026 | Beege Welborn
    City after city has been reclaimed by jubilant, joyous crowds across Iran in the past few days."This is the final battle,Pahlavi will return"Tonight in Tehran, Iran's capital.pic.twitter.com/C6pyxSIB9M— 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 ♛ ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) January 8, 2026The streets in the capital of Tehran are alive tonight. 🚨SE TERMINÓ DE PUDRIR EN IRÁN🚨Las calles de Teherán completamente tomadas por los manifestantes que piden derrocar al ayatola. pic.twitter.com/PYDysqhIx7— ASB (@GordoLeyes) January 8, 2026Throngs of people, who sometimes seem as if it's the entire population in the street at one time, are marching and cheering, defying the basiji thugs who would brutalize and beat them...
  • Federal agents shoot 2 people in Portland

    01/08/2026 4:33:12 PM PST · by Morgana · 67 replies
    Fox 12 Oregon ^ | January 8, 2026 | staff
    PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - Two people were shot by federal agents in Southeast Portland on Thursday afternoon, according to police. At 2:18 p.m., Portland police officers responded to the 10200 block of Southeast Main Street on a report of a shooting. Officers confirmed that federal agents had been involved in a shooting, PPB said. The FBI office in Portland confirmed that the two agents involved in the shooting were working for Border Patrol on X/Twitter. But a short time later they deleted that statement. There’s no word on the condition of the people who were shot.
  • Internet, phone lines cut across Iran as thousands rally in Tehran; death toll at 45

    01/08/2026 2:01:54 PM PST · by Mr. Mojo · 24 replies
    Communications networks go dark right after start of Tehran protests urged on by exiled crown prince; protesters chant ‘death to the dictator’ and ‘death to the Islamic Republic’. Thousands of people in Iran’s capital shouted from their homes and rallied in the street Thursday night after a call by the country’s exiled crown prince for a mass demonstration, witnesses said, a new escalation in the protests that have spread nationwide across the Islamic Republic. Internet access and telephone lines in Iran cut out immediately after the protests began. The protest represented the first test of whether the Iranian public could...
  • On the capture of Nicolás Maduro

    01/08/2026 1:54:47 PM PST · by nickcarraway · 7 replies
    Stanford Daily ^ | Jan. 6, 2026 | Adam Langshaw
    I grew up in Weston, Florida, often called “Westonzuela” because it has one of the largest concentrations of Venezuelans outside of Venezuela. Two of my closest friends are Venezuelan, and through them I saw, up close, what the collapse of a country looks like not in headlines, but in families. That experience shapes how I view junctures, such as the recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, when the world must choose between imperfect action and the quiet comfort of doing nothing. Venezuela’s story is not abstract. Within a generation, one of the most prosperous countries in Latin America was...
  • Republicans break ranks with Trump over Greenland threats

    01/08/2026 12:08:35 PM PST · by Angelino97 · 54 replies
    Msn.com ^ | Callum Sutherland
    In what could prove to be a pivotal election year for the Republicans, with the midterms holding much influence, President Donald Trump arguably needs the support of his own party now more than ever. Especially as he is facing loud calls for impeachment from the Democratic Party on account of his Venezuela operation... Yet there is currently a split forming, as some prominent Republican lawmakers are publicly disagreeing with Trump regarding his renewed annexation threats against Greenland in the wake of the Venezuela intervention. In a series of inflammatory remarks labeled as “utterly unacceptable” by Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen,...
  • New Development: Tehran Unleashes Foreign Fighters on Protestors

    01/08/2026 11:39:24 AM PST · by Red Badger · 10 replies
    Red State ^ | January 08, 2026 | Ward Clark
    We are now 12 days into the ongoing rebellion in Iran, and while Iran seems to erupt into protests pretty regularly, this time seems different. The people are taking to the streets, and even re-naming some of those streets after American President Donald Trump. The regime hasn't been able to tamp this thing down, and in Tehran, in government offices and wherever the aging mullahs hang out, there have to be a lot of furrowed brows and sweaty foreheads. Things may be escalating; in what sure appears to be a sign of desperation, there are indications that the regime may...
  • Spanish PM open to sending troops to maintain peace ‘in Palestine’

    01/08/2026 9:40:57 AM PST · by Olog-hai · 13 replies
    AFP via France 24 ^ | 01/08/2026 13:57
    Spain is ready to send troops to Palestine for peacekeeping “when the opportunity presents itself,” just as it is willing to deploy forces to Ukraine, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said Thursday. “I will propose to parliament, when the opportunity presents itself, that we send peacekeeping troops to Palestine, once we can see how to advance this task of pacification,” he told a gathering of Spanish ambassadors in Madrid. “Of course, we have not forgotten Palestine and the Gaza Strip… Spain must actively participate in rebuilding hope in Palestine. The situation there remains intolerable.” …
  • Senate advances measure to restrict Trump's power to use military force in Venezuela

    01/08/2026 9:25:50 AM PST · by RandFan · 58 replies
    nbcnews ^ | Jan 8 | nbcnews
    WASHINGTON — The Senate fired a warning shot at President Donald Trump, voting Thursday to advance a bipartisan resolution to block him from using military force “within or against Venezuela” unless he gets prior approval from Congress. The vote of 52-47 on the war powers measure came after an unsuccessful plea by Republican leaders to sink it and preserve Trump’s authority, as he threatens a “second wave” of attacks on Venezuela. Trump has declared that the U.S. would “run” the country temporarily after he ordered a military operation last week to capture and extradite leader Nicolás Maduro. Five Republicans joined...
  • Removal of Maduro reinforces anti-Left wave in Latin America

    01/08/2026 9:15:53 AM PST · by Az Joe · 5 replies
    Brussels Signal ^ | 01/07/2026 | Conrad Black
    It has been disappointing but not entirely surprising to see the widespread hysteria in Europe in support of the illegitimate Maduro gangster regime in Venezuela, and the new round of anxiety about a possible US military seizure of Greenland. The pedantic fuss-budgetary about the legality of the American action in Venezuela is nonsense. Former President Maduro and his wife were authentically indicted in New York during the Biden administration as drug traffickers intimately involved in illegally bringing into the United States large quantities of lethal narcotics. President Trump is correct in his conclusion that this traffic caused the death of...