The new 2026 “National Defense Strategy,” released yesterday, contains a lot of airy rhetoric about finally transitioning to “hardnosed realism,” and away from the misbegotten “grandiose strategies” of yesteryear, wherein the US had foolishly set out to “solve all the world’s problems.” More tangibly, however, the document doesn’t call for a single discernible reduction to America’s comically-large global military footprint.
Good analysis by Michael Tracey. The US economy is on the brink, so it's time for an extra infusion of Military Keynesianism. Which, after all, has been the lifeblood of the economy for more than 75 years. So what's another 1.5 Trillion USD?
What it is, of course, is another 1.5 Trillion USD in public debt. Which will ultimately come due on the heads of ordinary citizens who had no desire whatsoever to intimidate the world's other peoples with the threat of explosive destruction.
The US Empire is rotten to the core, and rapidly approaching the point of implosion.
When the real economy refuses to boot up, and its main components are the "ai" bubble-about-to-be-popped, a healthy dose of military keynasinism and a few wars like it's 1939 should do it.
===> "The document also calls for accelerating US military-industrial production to levels not seen since the Second World War. Yet another devastating blow to the “military-industrial complex.”"
Excellent demystification of the 2026 NDS as a rhetorical rather than strategic object.
Devoid of meaning or internal logic, the document nonetheless serves a tactical purpose: maintaining pressure and uncertainty, and producing a constant state of anxiety — especially among “allies” in Europe, who are increasingly disoriented.
"The document gestures vaguely at Europe needing to take more responsibility for its own defense, but then talks about US-directed efforts to “expand transatlantic defense” with Europe, and affirms the “vital” role of the US in leading NATO — including to counter Russian threats to the US Homeland.”
2 things can be true at the same time when they do not conflict with one another and these 2 are not conflicting. It takes a crew to operate the ship and the captain telling a subordinate that he needs to do more of what is job is does not mean the captain then can no longer be the leader, can no longer be captain.
Q: What exactly does Hord Nosed Realism mean?
A: not influenced by emotions : practical and realistic : hardheaded. hard-nosed science/realism. a hard-nosed analysis.
"Iran is back as an urgent threat, as it’s allegedly in the process of “reconstituting its conventional military forces,” and is again seeking to obtain a nuclear weapon. Even though its nuclear facilities were supposedly “obliterated” last June. "
Another padded non-example. The definition of "reconstituting " is building something up again; reconstruction. Since the facilities were presumably destroyed before then any attempt by Iran to return to the path to nuclear weapons would be reconstituting. There is nothing conflicting between these 2. If anything they are complimentary séance one requires the other.
"Even in Africa, the document says the US must “empower allies and partners” to prevent Islamic terrorists from establishing “safe havens” — apparently anywhere throughout that vast continent — and the US is itself prepared to strike where deemed necessary. As we already saw with the random bombing of Nigeria last month. (Whatever happened with that? Did we eliminate the Terrorists?"
Your so called "random" bombing was in reality a coordinated precision strike targeting specific militant groups. Just b/c you weren't consulted with the operation that doesn't make it random. Trump framed the strikes as a defense of Christians and based on your pro-Islam comments and defense of Islam in this piece I can only surmise you do not like it when Christians are defended.
".Trump unilaterally declared himself the new ruler of Venezuela.."
Never happened. This is more TDS fantasy. What Trump said was the U.S. will "run" the country following the capture of Nicolás Maduro. That does not equate to him running it or do you believe Trump runs America by himself and answers to no one because of that's your argument I have a number Federal District Court Judge rulings for you to explain. If Trump did run America he'd had this nations generations long running issues fixed before his term is up. Instead he must contend with America hating Liberals and TDS victims constantly trying to defeat any attempts to fix anything; especially the corruption and fraud.
Michael - You make several good points but those are overshadowed by your juvenile anti-Trump like rhetoric. You come across as a smart kid still angry at his parents for not letting him have his way. You would better sell your argument to others if you dropped the anti Trump rhetoric and stuck to real issues.
While each point you raise has some truth in it, the overall point of these actions not following the 'America First' supposed central premise (focus on its own citizens) is still true - to my eyes at least Michael is correct in asserting the document is simply trying to dress up the current 'business as normal' actions of the war machine as a different kind of ideology.
I don't disagree with the point that this is not the actions of someone claiming to be a no more wars president however this is not Trumps first term and he did not start any new wars in his 1st as he claimed so before deciding that this new policy is proof he is going to start wars maybe we should instead wait and see. I do agree that the lack of any reduced spending is a problem. I was very much in disagreement with the additional spending Trump was pushing for with the Big Beautiful bill but I'm wiling to forgoes that so long as it doesn't become a recurring annual thing. Sometimes in that first year you do need to do more and or some things you hope to not have to do in the remaining 3 years but only time will truly tell.
If you've read Michael long enough you can see that this piece as well as some others that are about Trump are coming at least partly from a place of emotions instead of logic and reason. For whatever reason, when Trump won he broke many mentally because he's the first non-establishment controlled/owned president in several generations and I imagine that scares these people because they prefer the devil they know.
If a President or a presidential candidate were to ever use such a term as "Dogs First" and miraculously won that couldn't just mean anything that the president says it would mean.
And yet when a very closely related phrase such as "America first" it's so vague, it really could just mean anything. Isn't that something? I'm not trying to be Emily Litella about all this, as I'm showing the distinction between the two of the top.
This effort is prompted by two things. The first is the genocide in Gaza; the second is the proposal put forth by the Trump Administration to rebuild Gaza as a real estate development with literally no reference to the Palestinians. These events underscore the fact that the world is now run by a lawless oligarchy that has officially abandonned international law and, in the voice of Steven Miller, proudly proclaims the fact.
There is only one path out of the catastrophe that the planet has sleepwalked into as the United Nations has effectively looked the other way. There are more of us than there are of them. The question is how to mobilize those numbers.
The goal of this proposal is the establishment of an entity of undetermined form in the territory that can be referred to as Israel/Palestine. That entity, in whatever form it takes, will be democratic and its laws and government will treat all of the people living there as equals.
A Blueprint for Peace in Israel-Palestine by Omer-Man and Whitson sets out a mechanism by which the above-stated goals can be met. It is assumed that the current government of Israel and its allies, most notably the United States, will not voluntarily take the steps outlined in the The Blueprint. Further, no government or individual that has aided or abetted in any way the genocide to which the Palestinian people have been subjected, should be allowed to be a part of the rebuilding of Israel/Palestine. To ensure that these goals are met, the world’s great numbers must demonstrate their power.
The consequences of failing to follow the path outlined here are unbearable to conceive of. What will those consequences be if the forces of oligarchy are allowed to achieve their vision?
Israel will be permitted to continue to exist as a lawless, murderous apartheid state. Palestinians, five million of whom live in Israel outside of Gaza, will continue their lives of oppression and degradation at the hands of a police state.
Palestinians living in Gaza, having already had 90 % of their homes destroyed will be forced to live elsewhere while the Trump Peace Board seeks to make Gaza into a dreamlike seaside resort for the benefit of those who can afford it. Remembered in this regard must be the fact that the plans articulated for Gaza do not include the word “Palestinians.”
No mention has yet to be made of any efforts to create a prosperous home for the two million Palestinians trying to survive in Gaza right now.
The situation as envisioned by the oligarch planners guarantees one thing for certain: there will never be a peaceful existence in Israel. Eighty years of Palestinian resistance have proven that there is no end to the Palestinian desire for freedom or the Palestinian willingness and commitment to fight, in any way they are able. In addition, the lack of humanity demonstrated by the genocide and to be demonstrated if the present plans are instituted will make the export of violence to Israel from around the world a certainty.
Further, each measure taken to execute the plan will be additional affronts to the dignity of all peoples and more inspiration to violence against Israel and Israelis.
Therefore, the only power known to the world capable of stopping what is planned for Israel/Palestine is the power of the masses.
The proposed mechanism of coercion to put an end to the disaster is the boycott.
This proposal envisions a Peace Conference to be attended by an extremely limited number of religious and political leaders from around the world. The qualifications for attendance should be the absence of any activity abetting the genocide, a demonstrated committment to peace and justice, and an umblemished notoriety for decency and the quality of leadership. As examples, the Pope, the Dalai Lama, and Bernie Sanders are suggested with no more than 10 others with the same characteristics. The Pope should be the convening authority.
At the conference, the participants shall agree upon a straight forward statement outlining the notions contained in this document. A timeline for the implementation of the Blueprint shall be set out and initiation of a worldwide boycott of Israel in the case of the failure to act established.
The goal of this proposal is a just Israel/Palestine. Recognition of the profoundly racist nature of a great majority of Israelis is essential. The Peace Conference should petition the United Nations to act as it should have been acting for as long as the Palestinians have lived under Israeli oppression. That petition should include the possibility of the use of force to prevent the activities that the Oligarch planners have outlined, and to oversee the dictates of the Blueprint.
Hi Michael. Please get in touch with me about a $49 refund from you that I still haven’t received from back in September. I tried to reach you through other means but came up short. Please respond. Thanks, Michelle.
For the Lunatic Liberal and those stricken with Stage 3 TDS (or higher) it is impossible to keep politics out of it. Michael has gone form a reasonable sounding individual with some great points to behaving like an adult aged juvenile angry that his parents punished him for some bad behavior instead of letting him have his way.
The Epstein issue is bipartisan. There are people from both parties who want it revealed in full and those who want it kept from the public. Michaels take on the Epstein files, whatever it is, doesn't impact if he has TDS or what stage he's at.
Good evening
Good analysis by Michael Tracey. The US economy is on the brink, so it's time for an extra infusion of Military Keynesianism. Which, after all, has been the lifeblood of the economy for more than 75 years. So what's another 1.5 Trillion USD?
What it is, of course, is another 1.5 Trillion USD in public debt. Which will ultimately come due on the heads of ordinary citizens who had no desire whatsoever to intimidate the world's other peoples with the threat of explosive destruction.
The US Empire is rotten to the core, and rapidly approaching the point of implosion.
When the real economy refuses to boot up, and its main components are the "ai" bubble-about-to-be-popped, a healthy dose of military keynasinism and a few wars like it's 1939 should do it.
===> "The document also calls for accelerating US military-industrial production to levels not seen since the Second World War. Yet another devastating blow to the “military-industrial complex.”"
Strategy-smategy! Everything is rationalization, justifying whatever Trump has blustered about in the past year.
Excellent demystification of the 2026 NDS as a rhetorical rather than strategic object.
Devoid of meaning or internal logic, the document nonetheless serves a tactical purpose: maintaining pressure and uncertainty, and producing a constant state of anxiety — especially among “allies” in Europe, who are increasingly disoriented.
"The document gestures vaguely at Europe needing to take more responsibility for its own defense, but then talks about US-directed efforts to “expand transatlantic defense” with Europe, and affirms the “vital” role of the US in leading NATO — including to counter Russian threats to the US Homeland.”
2 things can be true at the same time when they do not conflict with one another and these 2 are not conflicting. It takes a crew to operate the ship and the captain telling a subordinate that he needs to do more of what is job is does not mean the captain then can no longer be the leader, can no longer be captain.
Q: What exactly does Hord Nosed Realism mean?
A: not influenced by emotions : practical and realistic : hardheaded. hard-nosed science/realism. a hard-nosed analysis.
"Iran is back as an urgent threat, as it’s allegedly in the process of “reconstituting its conventional military forces,” and is again seeking to obtain a nuclear weapon. Even though its nuclear facilities were supposedly “obliterated” last June. "
Another padded non-example. The definition of "reconstituting " is building something up again; reconstruction. Since the facilities were presumably destroyed before then any attempt by Iran to return to the path to nuclear weapons would be reconstituting. There is nothing conflicting between these 2. If anything they are complimentary séance one requires the other.
"Even in Africa, the document says the US must “empower allies and partners” to prevent Islamic terrorists from establishing “safe havens” — apparently anywhere throughout that vast continent — and the US is itself prepared to strike where deemed necessary. As we already saw with the random bombing of Nigeria last month. (Whatever happened with that? Did we eliminate the Terrorists?"
Your so called "random" bombing was in reality a coordinated precision strike targeting specific militant groups. Just b/c you weren't consulted with the operation that doesn't make it random. Trump framed the strikes as a defense of Christians and based on your pro-Islam comments and defense of Islam in this piece I can only surmise you do not like it when Christians are defended.
".Trump unilaterally declared himself the new ruler of Venezuela.."
Never happened. This is more TDS fantasy. What Trump said was the U.S. will "run" the country following the capture of Nicolás Maduro. That does not equate to him running it or do you believe Trump runs America by himself and answers to no one because of that's your argument I have a number Federal District Court Judge rulings for you to explain. If Trump did run America he'd had this nations generations long running issues fixed before his term is up. Instead he must contend with America hating Liberals and TDS victims constantly trying to defeat any attempts to fix anything; especially the corruption and fraud.
Michael - You make several good points but those are overshadowed by your juvenile anti-Trump like rhetoric. You come across as a smart kid still angry at his parents for not letting him have his way. You would better sell your argument to others if you dropped the anti Trump rhetoric and stuck to real issues.
While each point you raise has some truth in it, the overall point of these actions not following the 'America First' supposed central premise (focus on its own citizens) is still true - to my eyes at least Michael is correct in asserting the document is simply trying to dress up the current 'business as normal' actions of the war machine as a different kind of ideology.
I don't disagree with the point that this is not the actions of someone claiming to be a no more wars president however this is not Trumps first term and he did not start any new wars in his 1st as he claimed so before deciding that this new policy is proof he is going to start wars maybe we should instead wait and see. I do agree that the lack of any reduced spending is a problem. I was very much in disagreement with the additional spending Trump was pushing for with the Big Beautiful bill but I'm wiling to forgoes that so long as it doesn't become a recurring annual thing. Sometimes in that first year you do need to do more and or some things you hope to not have to do in the remaining 3 years but only time will truly tell.
If you've read Michael long enough you can see that this piece as well as some others that are about Trump are coming at least partly from a place of emotions instead of logic and reason. For whatever reason, when Trump won he broke many mentally because he's the first non-establishment controlled/owned president in several generations and I imagine that scares these people because they prefer the devil they know.
Looks like the U.S. won’t be garrisoning Pitcairn Island. Baby steps
If a President or a presidential candidate were to ever use such a term as "Dogs First" and miraculously won that couldn't just mean anything that the president says it would mean.
And yet when a very closely related phrase such as "America first" it's so vague, it really could just mean anything. Isn't that something? I'm not trying to be Emily Litella about all this, as I'm showing the distinction between the two of the top.
I am sending this to all my favorite writers.
This effort is prompted by two things. The first is the genocide in Gaza; the second is the proposal put forth by the Trump Administration to rebuild Gaza as a real estate development with literally no reference to the Palestinians. These events underscore the fact that the world is now run by a lawless oligarchy that has officially abandonned international law and, in the voice of Steven Miller, proudly proclaims the fact.
There is only one path out of the catastrophe that the planet has sleepwalked into as the United Nations has effectively looked the other way. There are more of us than there are of them. The question is how to mobilize those numbers.
The goal of this proposal is the establishment of an entity of undetermined form in the territory that can be referred to as Israel/Palestine. That entity, in whatever form it takes, will be democratic and its laws and government will treat all of the people living there as equals.
A Blueprint for Peace in Israel-Palestine by Omer-Man and Whitson sets out a mechanism by which the above-stated goals can be met. It is assumed that the current government of Israel and its allies, most notably the United States, will not voluntarily take the steps outlined in the The Blueprint. Further, no government or individual that has aided or abetted in any way the genocide to which the Palestinian people have been subjected, should be allowed to be a part of the rebuilding of Israel/Palestine. To ensure that these goals are met, the world’s great numbers must demonstrate their power.
The consequences of failing to follow the path outlined here are unbearable to conceive of. What will those consequences be if the forces of oligarchy are allowed to achieve their vision?
Israel will be permitted to continue to exist as a lawless, murderous apartheid state. Palestinians, five million of whom live in Israel outside of Gaza, will continue their lives of oppression and degradation at the hands of a police state.
Palestinians living in Gaza, having already had 90 % of their homes destroyed will be forced to live elsewhere while the Trump Peace Board seeks to make Gaza into a dreamlike seaside resort for the benefit of those who can afford it. Remembered in this regard must be the fact that the plans articulated for Gaza do not include the word “Palestinians.”
No mention has yet to be made of any efforts to create a prosperous home for the two million Palestinians trying to survive in Gaza right now.
The situation as envisioned by the oligarch planners guarantees one thing for certain: there will never be a peaceful existence in Israel. Eighty years of Palestinian resistance have proven that there is no end to the Palestinian desire for freedom or the Palestinian willingness and commitment to fight, in any way they are able. In addition, the lack of humanity demonstrated by the genocide and to be demonstrated if the present plans are instituted will make the export of violence to Israel from around the world a certainty.
Further, each measure taken to execute the plan will be additional affronts to the dignity of all peoples and more inspiration to violence against Israel and Israelis.
Therefore, the only power known to the world capable of stopping what is planned for Israel/Palestine is the power of the masses.
The proposed mechanism of coercion to put an end to the disaster is the boycott.
This proposal envisions a Peace Conference to be attended by an extremely limited number of religious and political leaders from around the world. The qualifications for attendance should be the absence of any activity abetting the genocide, a demonstrated committment to peace and justice, and an umblemished notoriety for decency and the quality of leadership. As examples, the Pope, the Dalai Lama, and Bernie Sanders are suggested with no more than 10 others with the same characteristics. The Pope should be the convening authority.
At the conference, the participants shall agree upon a straight forward statement outlining the notions contained in this document. A timeline for the implementation of the Blueprint shall be set out and initiation of a worldwide boycott of Israel in the case of the failure to act established.
The goal of this proposal is a just Israel/Palestine. Recognition of the profoundly racist nature of a great majority of Israelis is essential. The Peace Conference should petition the United Nations to act as it should have been acting for as long as the Palestinians have lived under Israeli oppression. That petition should include the possibility of the use of force to prevent the activities that the Oligarch planners have outlined, and to oversee the dictates of the Blueprint.
Hi Michael. Please get in touch with me about a $49 refund from you that I still haven’t received from back in September. I tried to reach you through other means but came up short. Please respond. Thanks, Michelle.
Fuck off, Communist.
Leave politics out of it
It's... a document on geopolitics.
For the Lunatic Liberal and those stricken with Stage 3 TDS (or higher) it is impossible to keep politics out of it. Michael has gone form a reasonable sounding individual with some great points to behaving like an adult aged juvenile angry that his parents punished him for some bad behavior instead of letting him have his way.
If Michael had TDS, why would he be so determined to point out the flaws in the accepted Epstein narrative?
The Epstein issue is bipartisan. There are people from both parties who want it revealed in full and those who want it kept from the public. Michaels take on the Epstein files, whatever it is, doesn't impact if he has TDS or what stage he's at.
Ho-lee s***, are the authors of this thing allowed to roam freely in public? I mean, who left the bag of idiots open?