The second big issue is Saudi Arabia, which competed with Iran for decades as the biggest funder of terrorists and religious extremists. After Trump's March 2017 trip to Saudi Arabia, where he read the riot act to assembled Arab leaders, Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince has centralized control of the government and seized hundreds of billions of dollars of royal family assets.
The $800 billion of royal family wealth targeted is larger than the national reserves of the kingdom. As I wrote in Asia Times last week, Saudi Arabia has gotten its first real government, as opposed to the family regime that allowed every crazy cousin to write checks to terrorists.
Of course, the kingdom well might get its second, third and fourth real government in short order if Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman fails. But the de facto coup is a huge blow to Sunni jihadism and a victory for American policy.
most of the comments are anti Israel trolls, but the part about stopping money going to terrorists by rich Saudis is good news for the rest of the world. The problem? They donate to "charities" that do good deeds, including funding schools etc. but often these charities are fronts that support clergy and madrasses that are essentially terrorist recruiting schools.
related item: Austin Bay's take on what is going on. Iran is spinning their attack on Saudi via their minions in Yemen the same way that Iranian supported Hezbollah spins the news on Israel.
Here's the bottom line media ploy and political gambit: "I can shoot at you but you can't prove I did it so if you counter-attack you're the aggressor."
Childish? Welcome to the UN and the world of CNN.
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and the good news for US Catholics? The bishops supported the Christian bishop, not the liberal one.
this has made the usual suspects cry that they are giving the finger to Pope Francis. Well, no. But they are saying that killing babies (and now in some areas, grandmom) is a bit more important than voting for Democrats and saving mother earth by turning off your air conditioning and walking a couple miles in six inches of snow to buy your organic food.
he quotes a First Things article that noted: as the middle class slide into hedonism, the church will too.
well, maybe the despicables in the US have a couple of bishops who noticed they exist, so maybe this is indeed a "headsup" to the Pope. But don't hold your breath... the pope is busy appointing bishops from the "who am I to judge" part of the church, and the left control the bureaucracy...
and all we have is our rosaries to stop them. Sigh.
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my son reports that Colombia has really improved in recent years.
SP report here notes the same, but also notes that FARC is now taking off their communist mask to reveal they are actually drug cartels supporters wanting money. And the ex leader of FARC will run for president, promising to turn Colombia into a communist paradise similar to Venezuela.
The bad news? Venezuela just defaulted on it's loans and even Russia and China are worried.
lots of details on that country in the post.
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Xi just became the new Emperor of China.
this report ordering Christians to replace pictures of Jesus with photos of Xi has ominous overtones.
the former archbishop of Hong Kong is worried that the Vatican is pushing to allow the Catholics there be under Xi's control (i.e. to forcibly merge the independent underground illegal church with the "official catholic" church there).
SP reports on Chinese corruption that is the back story of his power grab.
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in the Philippines, President Obama's ban on rifles because Duterte was going after the drug gangs is a gift that keeps on giving for China.
The Manila Bulletin reports a Chinese rifle shot the head of the bad guys in the fight in the south, and now we signed 14 agreements for economic development with them.
true, Duterte has long been leery of America, ever since the CIA got a major criminal out of his jail in Davao, but Obama and his ambassador who had a reputation for political meddling didn't help.
and here is an article about a possible ASEAN trade deal with Russia.
but Trump made a lot of deals too.
But don't try to find the details, since the press is too busy posting he took a drink of water during his press conference.
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Army coup in Zimbabwe? Mugabe under house arrest? Developing...
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as for US politics: Any man who ever made a move on one of his dates or who gave the "touchy feely" hug of the 1970s to a woman is now guilty of sexual harassment.
The return of Victorian Vapors.
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