For the West to be supporting the idea that Crimea should be recaptured and forcibly re-incorporated into Ukraine—without even attempting to find out whether their populations want that—is just another indicator of the sort of double standards than have and continue to undermine the credibility of Western diplomacy across much of the world.

Policy makers in Washington and the European capitals—along with the captured, craven media that uncritically amplify their nonsense—are now standing up to their hips in a barrel of viscous mud. How those who were foolish enough to step into that barrel will have the wisdom to extricate themselves before they tip the barrel and take the rest of us down with them, it is hard to imagine.

The explosions that hit the Nord Stream pipelines on September 26, 2022, were described as a wartime mystery by the New York Times—but this week, investigative reporter Seymour Hersh provided details of the operation in a sensational article, “How America Took Out The Nord Stream Pipeline.” He linked the sabotage to planning in the White House itself.

With the start of the New Year, it seemed like all of Europe breathed a deep sigh of relief. After being charged by the Greek government with a series of misdemeanors in 2018, the high-profile trial for 24 humanitarian aid workers on the Greek island of Lesbos came to an end. This is a frightening situation that could portend the normalization of prosecution of the work of saving lives.

If we want to improve and ultimately dismantle the systems which enable the exploitation of migrant workers, our focus and solidarity must be extended across the globe. That begins by acknowledging that the reality in Qatar cannot be divorced from the Western-led globalized capitalist market economy that strips vulnerable people of their basic dignity while undermining workers rights everywhere.

It’s becoming commonplace to suggest that a multipolar world order is emerging, one that will replace the US-dominated world system that has reined since the end of the Second World War and faced no serious challengers since the fall of the Soviet Union. As Greg Shupak writes, what is certain is that the old order will not fall without a great deal of struggle.

The Ukraine war is the third of these great pan-continental conflicts sucking in the rest of Europe and the US. Most European states are not directly involved in the military conflict, but they are fully engaged in political and economic warfare against Russia which is as important as anything happening on the battlefields.

In the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there are growing efforts to weaponize international criminal justice and human rights. Considering the wide ranging calls for the indictment of Russian political and military leaders by the ICC, it is important to remember where these international criminal courts came from, writes publisher and author Robin Philpot.

The economic war reverberates around the world. Oil and gas are an integral part of the conflict. The pipeline sabotage has taken the war to a new level. It has opened a Pandora’s box of troubles and has endangered pipelines worldwide. It is clear who benefits. Yet with Western control of the narrative, the real culprit may never be identified.

As in the past, these new fascist parties cater to emotional yearnings. They give vent to feelings of abandonment, worthlessness, despair and alienation. They promise unattainable miracles. They too peddle bizarre conspiracy theories including QAnon. But most of all, they promise vengeance against a ruling class that betrayed the nation.