Recent Items
Saturday, January 31, 2026
Links 1/31/2026
Topics: Links
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:55 am | 87 Comments »
How a US/Israeli Strike on Iran Could Ignite a Wider Conflict
Neither Iran nor Trump look likely to blink in their regime change staredown. What happens if the US proceeds and can’t win quickly?
Topics: Doomsday scenarios, Guest Post, Middle East, Politics
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:51 am | 47 Comments »
Why Venezuela’s Oil Comeback Is Proving Harder Than Trump Expected
Quelle surprise! More on how Venezuela’s oil production prospects fall way short of Trump hucksterism.
Topics: Energy markets, Guest Post, Infrastructure, Politics
Posted by Yves Smith at 3:07 am | 8 Comments »
Coffee Break: Never Underestimate What People Can Do As Members of Community
Part the First: Whalers in Brazil 5,000 Years Ago. Whaling rightly has become anathema in this modern world, except in certain, very limited, circumstances. But the historical origins of whaling remain an interesting question. It turns out that whalers were active in southern Brazil 5,000 years ago: Some of the oldest harpoons ever found reveal […]
Topics: Coffee Break, Science and the scientific method, Species loss
Posted by KLG at 2:00 pm | 10 Comments »
Trump Support Negative Even Among White Working Class; Approval of His Agenda at Only 27%
Trump’s approval ratings continue to slide, even before polls register the effect of the ICE executions. But does that mater to him any more?
Topics: Banana republic, Dubious statistics, Economic fundamentals, Income disparity, Investment outlook, Macroeconomic policy, Politics, Social policy, Social values, The destruction of the middle class
Posted by Yves Smith at 9:55 am | 29 Comments »
Links 1/30/2026
Topics: Links
Posted by Conor Gallagher at 6:55 am | 125 Comments »
The US Is Making Moves in Latin America’s Southern Cone
“Argentina has become the centrepiece of the United States’ strategy for Latin America”: US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.
Topics: Guest Post
Posted by Nick Corbishley at 6:45 am | 11 Comments »
Is Your Pension Safe?
An important reminder about how pensions work and the risks of various types.
Topics: Free markets and their discontents, Guest Post, Investment outlook, Macroeconomic policy, Politics, The destruction of the middle class
Posted by Yves Smith at 3:20 am | 7 Comments »
The US Dollar: Not a Traditional Safe Haven
Why the dollar is more of a safe haven than it might seem, despite Trump’s persistent undermining.
Topics: Currencies, Doomsday scenarios, Economic fundamentals, Guest Post, Investment outlook
Posted by Yves Smith at 3:00 am | 2 Comments »
Why Iran Must Be Broken to Build the U.S.–Israeli Vision for a “New Middle East”
The drive to remake the Middle East runs through Iran. Power shifts, oil markets, and hegemony explain why conflict is escalating.
Topics: Coffee Break, Energy markets, Middle East
Posted by Curro Jimenez at 2:00 pm | 11 Comments »
Iran War Watch
The US is acting like it is hot for war with Iran. Trump is moving so many military assets that it will be hard to climb down. What next?
Topics: Doomsday scenarios, Energy markets, Middle East, Politics, Russia
Posted by Yves Smith at 9:55 am | 136 Comments »
Links 1/29/2026
Topics: Links
Posted by Conor Gallagher at 6:55 am | 79 Comments »
ICE Not Only Looks and Acts Like a Paramilitary Force – It Is One, and That Makes It Harder to Curb
Why it is important to recognize that ICE is a paramilitary operation. Among other things, they are harder to reform than traditional police.
Topics: Banana republic, Globalization, Guest Post, Politics, Social policy, Social values
Posted by Yves Smith at 5:59 am | 39 Comments »
Defeat of the West – Michael Hudson and Lena Petrova on Davos Panic, Destruction of the EU & Economic Collapse
Michael Hudson and Lena Petrova discuss the breakdown of the US-led order, Trump’s misguided efforts to maintain primacy, and what comes next
Topics: China, Economic fundamentals, Europe, Free markets and their discontents, Globalization, Guest Post, Income disparity, Politics, Russia, The destruction of the middle class
Posted by Yves Smith at 4:12 am | 19 Comments »
Satyajit Das: Book Essay – Measuring Progress
Carl Benedikt Frey traces the history of technological innovation. But does that constitute progress?
Topics: Economic fundamentals, Guest Post, Technology and innovation, The dismal science
Posted by Yves Smith at 2:43 am | 5 Comments »



