Military superiority has long been assumed to confer decisive strategic advantage. Yet the spread of precision missiles, mobile launch systems, and low-cost drones is eroding that assumption. A new condition of “distributed deterrence” is emerging—one that may constrain great power coercion while introducing new risks of escalation.
Recent Items
Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Coffee Break: Armed Madhouse – Distributed Deterrence
Topics: Coffee Break, Guest Post
Posted by Haig Hovaness at 2:00 pm | 1 Comment »
Why Insect Farming Startups Are Going Bankrupt
To the frustration of Davos Man, insect agriculture has found it difficult to compete with the traditional meat industry.
Topics: Economic fundamentals, Environment, Free markets and their discontents, Guest Post, Social policy, Species loss
Posted by Yves Smith at 9:55 am | 8 Comments »
Links 3/17/2026
Topics: Links
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:55 am | 55 Comments »
Iran War: No Uptake to Trump Plea for Help With Opening Strait of Hormuz; Israel Claims Assassination of Iran Security Chief; Iran Clarifies That Friendly Countries Can Transit, Strikes UAE Terminal at Fajarah, Trump Delays Xi Summit
Today’s Iran war update: Trump embarrassment, more Israel decapitation, Iran continues working over Israel, US airbases, and the Gulf States.
Topics: Doomsday scenarios, Economic fundamentals, Energy markets, Europe, Media watch, Middle East, Politics
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:53 am | 176 Comments »
Palantir Faces Growing Backlash in UK Following Mandelson-gate Scandal
But is it already too late to reverse course?
Topics: Guest Post
Posted by Nick Corbishley at 6:45 am | 2 Comments »
Causal Evidence on Cost-of-Living Shocks: How the Energy Crisis Affected Energy Demand, Labour Supply, and Financial Strain
Quelle surprise! Poorer households have to make across-the-board spending cuts when hit with a price shock.
Topics: Economic fundamentals, Energy markets, Free markets and their discontents, Guest Post, Income disparity, The destruction of the middle class
Posted by Yves Smith at 5:43 am | 3 Comments »
Coffee Break: AIPAC, Crypto, Gambling, AI Money Coalitions Up The Dark Money Game in Dem Primaries
With Israel’s popularity nosediving among Democrats, AIPAC is having to up its dark money game to impact primaries, often in concert with AI and crypto interests.
Topics: Coffee Break
Posted by Nat Wilson Turner at 2:00 pm | 13 Comments »
Economic Questions: The Thorstein Veblen Question
A timely recap of Thorstein Veblen’s theory of conspicuous consumption and its implication.
Topics: Guest Post, Income disparity, Social values, The dismal science
Posted by Yves Smith at 9:55 am | 44 Comments »
Links 3/16/2026
Topics: Links
Posted by Conor Gallagher at 6:55 am | 73 Comments »
Iran War: Trump Administration Attempts to Deny Long Conflict Risk; Trump Threatens NATO Over Hormuz Scheme; Kinetic and Economic Situation More Desperate Than Acknowledged
The latest Iran war update: Trump harangues allies as his team offers hopium despite more evidence of kinetic and real economy damage.
Topics: Doomsday scenarios, Energy markets, Globalization, Media watch, Middle East, Politics
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:54 am | 305 Comments »
With Shipping Industry in Meltdown, Struggle to Oust China from Global Ports Intensifies
Panama “retakes” canal, and Blackrock-led consortium doubles down on efforts to acquire dozens of global ports from Hong Kong-based company, including ones in Persian Gulf and Red Sea.
Topics: China, Energy markets, Globalization, Infrastructure, Middle East
Posted by Conor Gallagher at 5:00 am | 3 Comments »
‘Serious Threat to the First Amendment’ as Trump Admin Wins First Antifa Terror Charge
“A case like this helps the government kind of see how far they can go in criminalizing constitutionally protected protest,” one legal advocate said.
Topics: Legal, Social policy, Surveillance state
Posted by Conor Gallagher at 4:00 am | 18 Comments »
Links 3/15/2026
Topics: Links
Posted by Haig Hovaness at 6:55 am | 92 Comments »
Iran War: US Being Driven From Iraq, Tells Americans to Leave; Iran Keeps Pounding Israel, Gulf States; Trump Calls on Other Countries Including China to Send Warships, Effectively Threatens to Use Nukes; FCC Threatens to Pull Broadcast Licenses Over War Reporting
Today’s Iran war news: Denialism, US pursuit of Strait of Hormuz convoy scheme, Israel pounded, Netanyahu questions, FCC threat
Topics: Doomsday scenarios, Economic fundamentals, Energy markets, Media watch, Middle East, Politics
Posted by Yves Smith at 6:54 am | 339 Comments »
The Sunday Morning Movie Presents: Salt For Svanetia (1930) Run Time: 49M
Salt for Sventia is a film about toil and hardship in a remote village in Soviet Russia.
Topics: Guest Post, Sunday morning Antidote movie
Posted by semper loquitur at 6:30 am | 9 Comments »



