The Dragon’s Gambit – China (Content)
I: The Decapitation of the High Command II: The Russian Precedent and the Intelligence Trap III: The Closing Window —…
Category: Secular
I: The Decapitation of the High Command
The sudden fall of General Zhang Youxia in January 2026 marks the most significant fracturing of China’s military leadership since…
II: The Russian Precedent and the Intelligence Trap
In the strategic world, history does not repeat, but it often rhymes. To understand the 2026 arrests of General Zhang…
III: The Closing Window — Energy Hegemony and 2026
In the calculus of modern warfare, fuel is as critical as firepower. For China, the events of January 2026 have…
IV: The Shadow Command and the Logistics of Invasion
If the “Decapitation” of the High Command (Volume I) is the political visible layer of the crisis, the rise of…
V: Reflexive Control — Deception as a Prelude to War
In the high-stakes game of 21st-century warfare, the most effective weapon is not a missile, but the manipulation of the…
VI: The Weather Window and the 2026 Opportunity
A common misconception in Western strategic thought is that a cross-strait invasion can only occur during two narrow “goldilocks” windows:…
VII: T-Dome and the Race Against Time
If the military purges in Beijing represent a “clearing of the decks” for action, Taiwan’s internal political gridlock in January…
Intervention, Accountability and Power in International Politics (Content)
Episode 1 – Venezuela’s “three sources of power” Episode 2 – Succession law in practice Episode 3 – The coercive…
Venezuela in International Politics (Content)
Episode 1 – Venezuela’s “three sources of power” Episode 2 – Succession law in practice Episode 3 – The coercive…
Episode 1 – Venezuela’s “three sources of power”
Venezuela’s “three sources of power” after Operation Absolute Resolve 1.1 What happened, and why “arrest” did not settle authority The…
Episode 2 – Succession law in practice
Articles 233–234, “temporary vs permanent absence”, and why legality alone does not transfer power 2.1 Why succession becomes the real…
Episode 3 – The coercive state
Why the armed forces and security services determine whether any transition “works” 3.1 The central proposition Constitutional succession (Episode 2)…
Episode 4 – Who controls the money?
Foreign intervention, recognition politics, sanctions architecture, and the “who controls the money?” problem 4.1 The central proposition In post-shock transitions,…
Episode 5 — International law and legitimacy
Sovereignty, force, and “lawfare” after 3 January 2026 5.1 Why the legal argument matters (and why it is contested) The…
Episode 6 — Money, assets, and “external sovereignty”
How reserves, oil proceeds, CITGO, and SDRs become the real bargaining chips 6.1 The central proposition In a contested transition,…
Episode 7 — “Money inside the country”
Inflation, exchange rates, dollarisation, and why the central bank becomes a political battlefield 7.1 The central proposition When leadership is…
Episode 8 — China’s oil-backed lending model
Repayment mechanics, disruption risk after 3 January 2026, and Beijing’s legal–financial playbook 8.1 The central proposition China’s leverage in Venezuela…
Episode 9 — Ecuador, Sri Lanka, Zambia
Comparative “Debt-for-Resources / Infrastructure-for-Finance” Cases Purpose of this episode To understand what a “China-heavy” creditor profile can mean for a…
Episode 10 — Venezuela’s decision-tree after the January 2026 rupture
Recognition, sanctions, oil-cash control, and debt work-out pathways 10.1 Why a “decision-tree” matters Venezuela’s problem is not a single crisis…
Episode 11 — The domestic power core
Who controls the guns, the files, and the buildings 11.1 The core point In Venezuela’s January 2026 rupture, the decisive…
Episode 12 — Regional diplomacy after a rupture
Why South America fragments, and what the OAS, TIAR, MERCOSUR and CELAC can (and cannot) do 12.1 The core point…
Episode 13 — Operation Condor (1975–1983)
Transnational repression, state terror, and the problem of “plausible deniability” Overview Operation Condor was a covert, multinational system of intelligence-sharing…
Episode 14 — Sheridan Circle (1976)
When Operation Condor Reached U.S. Soil Overview Episode 13 outlined how Operation Condor evolved from intelligence-sharing into a transnational repression…
Episode 15 — Chile (1970–1973)
Electoral Socialism, Covert Pressure, and the Coup that Set the Template 1) Why Chile matters in a “cases” series Chile…
Episode 16 — Brazil (1964)
Operation Brother Sam and the “Contingency Support” Template Overview This episode functions as a structural “prequel” to Episode 15 (Chile,…
Episode 17 — From National Dictatorships to a Regional System (1974–1977)
How Operation Condor Became a “Platform” for Transnational Repression Overview Episodes 15–16 showed how military takeovers in Chile (1973) and…
Episode 18 — Argentina (1976–1983)
The “Dirty War”, Disappearance as State Policy, and the Post-Dictatorship Accountability Arc Overview Argentina’s military dictatorship (1976–1983) is a central…
Episode 19 — Uruguay (1973–1985)
The Civic–Military Dictatorship, Mass Imprisonment, and the Long Struggle over Impunity Overview Uruguay is a pivotal case because it combines:…
Episode 20 — Paraguay (1954–1989)
Stroessner’s “Party–State”, Operation Condor, and the Archives of Terror as Documentary Infrastructure Overview Paraguay is a cornerstone case for this…
The Greenland Crisis (2026): Coercion, Sovereignty, and Alliance Politics (Content)
Episode 1 — Prologue: Why Greenland, why now? Episode 2 — The constitutional baseline: sovereignty, autonomy, and self-determination Episode 3…
Episode 1 — Prologue: Why Greenland, why now?
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) Tonight, Greenland feels less like a remote Arctic territory and more like a stress…
Episode 2 — The constitutional baseline: sovereignty, autonomy, and self-determination
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) If Episode 1 established why Greenland matters strategically, today’s reading clarified something more basic:…
Episode 3 — The trigger: the tariff ultimatum and the timetable
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) Today is when the Greenland dispute became unambiguously coercive. The shift is not merely…
Episode 4 — Europe answers: the “full solidarity” joint statement
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) If the tariff ultimatum is the instrument of pressure, the European response is the…
Episode 5 — Arctic signalling: “Arctic Endurance” and allied participation
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) What looks, at first glance, like a set of modest troop movements is better…
Episode 6 — The United Kingdom: Principle, Pragmatism, and the “Bridge” Role
Date frame: 5–19 January 2026 (UK-centric chronology) The UK’s posture in the Greenland dispute has been unusually explicit on principle,…
Episode 7 — Europe’s “trade bazooka”: the Anti-Coercion Instrument as deterrent and dilemma
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) The tariff ultimatum has forced Brussels into an uncomfortable posture: preparing to use a…
Episode 8 — NATO’s dilemma: coercion inside the alliance
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) The Greenland dispute has pushed NATO into a category of crisis it was never…
Episode 9 — Poland’s line: sovereignty affirmed, troops declined
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) Poland’s posture in this crisis is easily misread. Because Warsaw is not among the…
Episode 10 — The “quiet trio”: Hungary, Slovakia and Czechia as procedural hedgers
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) Poland’s approach (Episode 9) was normatively loud but operationally restrained. The posture of Hungary,…
Episode 11 — Switzerland: neutrality as restraint, not indifference
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) Switzerland’s role in the Greenland dispute is best understood as a case of “political…
Episode 12 — Russia: opportunism, wedge-driving, and the limits of “alignment”
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) Russia’s posture in the Greenland crisis is often described in shorthand as “enjoying the…
Episode 13 — China: rejecting the “China threat” frame while exploiting the narrative space
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) China enters the Greenland crisis in an unusual way: not as an active party…
Episode 14 — Global non-alignment: the diplomacy of silence
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) What stands out tonight is not a surge of counter-statements from across the world,…
Episode 15 — U.S. domestic constraints: weak mandate, congressional friction, and the force taboo
Journal entry, 19 January 2026 (London) From Europe, the Greenland dispute can look like a pure executive-driven escalation. From inside…
Episode 16 — Outlook: off-ramps, scenarios, and the damage ledger
Journal entry, written as an “end-of-cycle” reflection (19 January 2026 perspective, with developments through 22 January 2026 noted where relevant)…
Delta Force and the Governance of U.S. Special Mission Operations (Content)
Delta Force The Founding of Delta Force Delta Force as a Special Mission Unit From Activation to Operation Eagle Claw…
Delta Force
Article 1 Delta Force: Definition, Institutional Status, and Operational Function Abstract The 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment-Delta (SFOD-D), commonly known…
The Founding of Delta Force
Article 2 The Founding of Delta Force: Beckwith’s Institutional Design, Presidential Authority, and Strategic Rationale Abstract This article analyses the…
Delta Force as a Special Mission Unit
Article 3 Mission Scope, Legal Authority, and Governance of Delta Force as a Special Mission Unit Abstract This article examines…
From Activation to Operation Eagle Claw
Article 4 Early Operations and Institutional Testing: From Activation to Operation Eagle Claw Abstract This article examines the formative operational…
Delta Force in the 1980s–1990s
Article 5 Expansion and Maturation: Delta Force in the 1980s–1990s Abstract This article analyses the period of institutional consolidation experienced…
Delta Force in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Global Counter
Article 6 Post-9/11 Transformation: Delta Force in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Global Counter-Terrorism Campaign Abstract This article analyses the transformation…
Delta Force in the 21st Century
Article 7 Contemporary Role, Secrecy, and Public Narratives: Delta Force in the 21st Century Abstract This article examines the contemporary…
Comparative Doctrine and Authority
Article 8 Comparative Doctrine and Authority: Delta Force, SEAL Team Six, and the Boundaries of Special Mission Operations Abstract This…
The Employment of Special Mission Units
Article 9 Democratic Oversight, Ethics, and Strategic Risk in the Employment of Special Mission Units Abstract This article examines the…
The Study of Special Mission Operations
Article 10 Knowledge Limits, Media Representation, and AI-Driven Misinformation in the Study of Special Mission Operations Abstract This article examines…
Time, Authority, and Alignment in Religious Calendars (Content)
Post 1 — New Year: Origins, Variations, and Meaning Post 2 — How Calendars Work: Days, Weeks, Months, Years Post…
Post 1 — New Year: Origins, Variations, and Meaning
Authority, Renewal, and the Beginning of the Year 1. Introduction: the New Year as a decision, not a discovery A…
Post 2 — How Calendars Work: Days, Weeks, Months, Years
The Mechanics Behind Timekeeping and Why It Refuses to Behave Neatly 1. Introduction: astronomy constrains, culture organises Calendars appear deceptively…
Post 3 — Conflicted Dates: Why Religious Calendars Don’t Match
Incommensurable Cycles, Competing Authorities, and the Logic of Disagreement 1. Introduction: disagreement as a structural outcome The non-alignment of religious…
Post 4 — Calendar Drift and Biblical History
Sacred Seasons, Authority, and the Struggle to Preserve Alignment 1. Introduction: calendar drift as a biblical, not modern, problem Calendar…
Post 5 — Sabbath, Festivals, and Survival
Why Judaism Endured While Pagan Religions Collapsed 1. Introduction: survival as a structural question The long-term survival of Judaism, contrasted…
Post 6 — Authority, Alignment, and the Meaning of Time
Who Governs Time, Why Alignment Matters, and What Happens When Authority Fractures 1. Introduction: time is never neutral Across all…
Nigeria’s Faith and Power (Content)
Episode 1: The Tinubu Presidency Begins: A Muslim Leader with a Christian First Lady Episode 2: Interfaith Marriage in Islam:…
Episode 1: The Tinubu Presidency Begins: A Muslim Leader with a Christian First Lady
Nigeria’s Faith and Power – A Journey Through Religion, Politics, and Society In May 2023, Bola Ahmed Tinubu was sworn…
Episode 2: Interfaith Marriage in Islam: Rules, Permissions, and Real-Life Examples
Nigeria’s Faith and Power – A Journey Through Religion, Politics, and Society The marriage of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, a…
Episode 3: The Tinubu Family: One Wife, Six Children, Two Faiths
Nigeria’s Faith and Power – A Journey Through Religion, Politics, and Society The private life of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu…
Episode 4: Tinubu’s Record on Terrorism and Christian Persecution Claims
Nigeria’s Faith and Power – A Journey Through Religion, Politics, and Society Since taking office in May 2023, President Bola…
Episode 5: The Controversial 2023 Election: How Tinubu Won and Debates Over Fairness
Nigeria’s Faith and Power – A Journey Through Religion, Politics, and Society On 25 February 2023, Nigerians went to the…
Episode 6: From Jonathan to Tinubu: The Fall of a Christian President and the PDP Era
Nigeria’s Faith and Power – A Journey Through Religion, Politics, and Society For sixteen uninterrupted years, from the return to…
Episode 7: Christian or Muslim Rule? Mapping Nigeria’s Leadership History
Nigeria’s Faith and Power – A Journey Through Religion, Politics, and Society Since Nigeria gained independence in 1960, the question…
Episode 8: Military vs Civilian Rule: The Religious Balance Shift
Nigeria’s Faith and Power – A Journey Through Religion, Politics, and Society One of the most striking patterns in Nigeria’s…
Episode 9: Nigeria’s Changing Religious Demographics: 1960s to 2025
Nigeria’s Faith and Power – A Journey Through Religion, Politics, and Society Nigeria has never conducted an official census that…
Episode 10: Geography of Faith: North, South, and the Mixed Middle Belt
Nigeria’s Faith and Power – A Journey Through Religion, Politics, and Society Nigeria’s religious landscape is strikingly geographical. While national…
Episode 11: Peace and Tension: Nigeria’s Most Harmonious Regions
Nigeria’s Faith and Power – A Journey Through Religion, Politics, and Society While headlines often focus on Nigeria’s security challenges,…
Global Crisis Cycles (Content)
PART 1 — The Great Depression (1929–1939) PART 2 — Post-War Rebuilding and the Boom (1945–1970) PART 3 — The…
PART 1 — The Great Depression (1929–1939)
When the Global Economy Collapsed and Modern Financial History Began 1. A Decade of Illusion Before the Fall The 1920s…
PART 2 — Post-War Rebuilding and the Boom (1945–1970)
From Global Ruins to the Greatest Economic Expansion in History 1. The World in 1945: Devastated, Exhausted, and Disconnected When…
PART 3 — The 1970s Inflation Shock
When Prices Exploded, Growth Stopped, and Economists Had No Answers 1. The World Leaves the Post-War Boom — and Hits…
PART 4 — The 1980s Interest Rate Revolution
How Extreme Pain Restored Stability and Rebuilt the Global Economy 1. The 1970s Left the World in Crisis By 1979,…
PART 5 — The Dot-Com Bubble (1995–2000)
When the Internet’s Hype Outran Reality — and Changed the Future Anyway 1. The Birth of a New Technology Sparks…
PART 6 — The 2008 Global Financial Crisis
When the World’s Financial System Collapsed From Inside 1. The Calm Before the Storm: A Housing Market That Looked Unstoppable…
PART 7 — The 2020 Pandemic Shock
When the World Pressed Pause, and the Economy Broke Overnight 1. A Crisis That Arrived Without Warning Most economic crises…
PART 8 — The 2023–2025 Inflation Crisis
A Global Cost-of-Living Shock — Without a Financial Collapse 1. A Crisis Born From the Pandemic, Not From the Economy…
PART 9 — Comparing All Crises: Patterns That Repeat
The Hidden Cycle Behind 1929, 1970s, 2000, 2008, 2020, and 2023–2025 1. Every Crisis Has a Trigger — But Triggers…
PART 10 — The Coming 2030s AI–Economic Crisis
The Next Global Shock Will Not Come From Banks or Oil — But From Intelligence Itself 1. Every Era Has…
The Political Economy of U.S. Government Shutdowns (Contents)
Part 1 — Legal Foundations: How and Why U.S. Government Shutdowns Exist Part 2 – The U.S. Budget Process and…
Part 1 — Legal Foundations: How and Why U.S. Government Shutdowns Exist
1.1 Constitutional and statutory roots In the United States, Congress holds the power of the purse under Article I of…
Part 2 – The U.S. Budget Process and Timeline: How Shutdown Risk Builds
2.1 Overview of the Federal Budget Cycle The United States operates on a fiscal year running from 1 October to…
Part 3 – Historical Overview of U.S. Government Shutdowns (1976–2025)
3.1 Before the “modern” shutdown era From the post-1974 budget reforms through the late 1970s, funding gaps occurred but agencies…
Part 4 – Who Gets Paid During a Government Shutdown
4.1 Overview When a shutdown begins, the question of who receives pay and who must keep working without pay becomes…
Part 5 – Economic and Social Impacts of Government Shutdowns
5.1 Introduction Every U.S. government shutdown ripples far beyond Washington, D.C. While rooted in fiscal law and political dispute, the…
Part 6 – Why the United States Experiences Government Shutdowns (and Other Nations Do Not)
6.1 Introduction The phenomenon of government shutdowns is unique to the United States. Most advanced democracies experience political stalemates and…
Part 7 – How Other Nations Handle “Near-Shutdowns” and Budget Deadlocks (Comparative Case Studies)
Big picture: outside the U.S., core public services keep running during budget crises. Countries build in caretaker rules, automatic or…
Part 8 – Causes, Tactics, and the Political Economy of Shutdowns
8.1 Why shutdowns happen (root causes) 8.2 The playbook (tactics used by negotiators) 8.3 Who wins and who loses (distributional…
Part 9 – Federal “Playbooks” During a Lapse: Continuity Rules and Agency Contingency Plans
9.1 Introduction A U.S. government shutdown does not mean the entire state collapses. Instead, a complex system of continuity planning…
Part 10 – Solutions & Reforms: Ending or Preventing Future Shutdowns
10.1 What’s already been done (post-2019) 2025 wrinkle: a White House/OMB memo briefly argued back-pay isn’t automatic without a fresh…
Part 11 – Timeline & Trend Data (1976–2025): Every Funding Gap at a Glance
Aim: give you a compact, data-led picture of when funding gaps and shutdowns happened, how long they lasted, and what…