President Trump announced what he calls the biggest oil deal in history: an agreement that could give the United States a controlling interest in the output from 17 Venezuelan oil fields containing a reported 65 billion barrels. The arrangement could reshape American energy security, revive Venezuela’s battered petroleum industry, and shift influence in the Western…
Who Controls the Strait of Hormuz?
President Trump has taken the contest over the Strait of Hormuz beyond blockades, shipping lanes, and naval power. Speaking in Garden City, New York, he declared that once the United States finished defeating Iran, he would “pretty soon” designate the strait as American territory. He reinforced the point by noting that the United States controls…
Start the War First, Build the Coalition Later?
The current scramble to assemble an international response to the Strait of Hormuz crisis feels backward. Not a little backward, but fundamentally backward. President Trump is urging allies and global powers to help secure one of the most critical arteries of global trade. That ask, on its own, is completely reasonable. The Strait of Hormuz…
Trump, Zelenskyy, and the Weight of War
Yesterday’s White House meeting between President Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was a high-stakes diplomatic encounter that revealed much about where both leaders—and their respective nations—stand on the war in Ukraine. What was meant to be a discussion on peace and cooperation quickly became a tense and sometimes awkward exchange, as Trump questioned Ukraine’s…
President Biden’s Offshore Drilling Ban: A Win or a Warning?
President Biden’s decision to halt new offshore drilling across 625 million acres of U.S. waters has sparked passionate debate, and rightly so. This sweeping executive order raises critical questions about the balance between environmental stewardship, energy independence, and economic stability. While this ban is framed as a climate victory, its broader implications deserve a closer…
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