Monday, February 16, 2026

Coffee Break: Rubio and AOC Audition for 2028 in Munich

American 2028 presidential hopefuls, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, treated the Munich Security Conference like an audition.

As Alberta Separatists Court the U.S., Prosperity Is Fuelling a Sovereigntist Turn

Dreams of oil‑funded prosperity In Alberta clash with Canada’s Constitution and the realities of a warming world.

Links 2/16/2026

War With Iran to Accelerate Trump’s Golden March to Ruin

The decision to go to war with Iran appears to have been made, and how that will sink Trump’s already failing rule and risk nuclear war.

Will Russia and Iran Be Forced to ‘Restore Order’ in the Caucasus? 

Moscow and Tehran hold economic upper hand in the region, but current ruling groups in both Armenia and Azerbaijan are no longer responding to rational and mutual national interests. 

Ralph Linton (1936), Identity Politics, and the Concept of Ascribed Status

Ralph Linton, arguably the father of what we now call identity politics, had some impressive insights as well as blind spots.

Links 2/15/2026

The Sunday Morning Movie Presents: Defamation (2009) Run Time: 1H 31M Plus Bonus Jazz!

Defamation is a movie about the exploitation of anti-Semitism to keep Jews fearful and compliant.

Trump’s DHS Is Pushing the Boundaries of Probable Cause and Due Process to Fuel a Farm Labor Crisis

Agricultural employers are scrambling to find replacements and the administration is turning to guest workers.

Links 2/14/2026

Trump’s Concentration Camp Build-Out Includes Nearly $40 Billion for Warehouse Conversions

Disclosure to a GOP governor confirms that Trump plans to devote nearly $40 billion to one element of his concentration camp plan.

Germany’s “Two-Speed Europe” Proposal Is the EU’s Adaptation to Great Power Geopolitics

Germany, following the European Commission’s lead, is moving forward a plan for the biggest members to impose decisions on the others.

Coffee Break: Science Agonistes, with Hope at the End

Part the First: Confirmation the Scientific Literature Has Entered Terminal Decline?  In an update from last week’s Coffee Break, Cabell’s Predatory Reports database passes 20,000-journal milestone: The US-based information services company reports that Predatory Reports has grown by more than 300% since its launch in 2017. Having reached 10,000 journals in 2019 and 15,000 in […]

When War Weakens Democracy

Wars often undermine democracy, but it appears that that result is not baked in but operates in particular circumstances.

Links 2/13/2026