the ‘end of history’ moment was a disastrous moment for the West, because it put the West to sleep at precisely the moment when the rest was waking up.'

 https://x.com/afshinrattansi/status/2089117827244626178

Afshin Rattansi

@afshinrattansi

Former President of the UN Security Council Kishore Mahbubani: 'The reason why the West’s arrogance at that point was a major strategic mistake was that it put the West to sleep at precisely the moment when other civilisations decided to wake up. So you closed your eyes when the rest of the world was waking up. In the case of the Chinese, Chinese civilisation has been around for 4,000 years, and the last 40 years of economic and social development in China have been the best 40 years in 4,000 years of Chinese history. And the West said, ‘Cannot be. They’re not like us. They cannot be succeeding. That’s why I think the ‘end of history’ moment was a disastrous moment for the West, because it put the West to sleep at precisely the moment when the rest was waking up.'

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New Order with Afshin Rattansi

@NewOrder_TV

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10h

Sarang Shidore: 'We are EXITING the unipolar world, middle powers no longer have to KOWTOW to the West' 'Just compare today's world to the 1990s, when the United States essentially wrote the new rules of the post-Cold War era. The door to prosperity was trade with Washington. x.com/NewOrder_TV/st…

8:31 AM · Aug 17, 2026

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IRAN'S MIDTERM STRANGLEHOLD: WHY THE STRAIT STAYS SHUT UNTIL TRUMP BLEEDS

 https://x.com/Mark4XX/status/2089110201249194492

Mark

@Mark4XX

IRAN'S MIDTERM STRANGLEHOLD: WHY THE STRAIT STAYS SHUT UNTIL TRUMP BLEEDS Former US diplomat and JCPOA negotiator Alan Eyre lays out a cold calculation now driving Tehran. Iran is no longer treating the Strait of Hormuz as a bargaining chip for quick relief. It is treating it as a timed weapon aimed squarely at the 2026 midterms. THE PRE-MIDTERM PRESSURE WINDOW Iranian leaders track American politics with unusual granularity and know pressure before November hurts Trump far more than pressure after. They see higher leverage while Republicans still fear voter backlash over gasoline prices and economic pain. Once the midterms pass, Trump becomes a classic lame-duck president whose political capital begins to spiral. THE STRAIT DECISION Iran earlier signaled willingness to reopen under a deal. That position is gone. The collective choice now is to keep the Strait closed and maintain maximum economic pain on the United States. Even after technical talks with Oman on traffic schemes, Tehran refuses to restore normal shipping volumes. THE MONEY-FIRST LOGIC Iranian decision-makers no longer believe any durable nuclear or sanctions deal with Trump will stick. They are therefore front-loading demands: unblock assets and deliver cash now, not later. Long-term reconstruction money and full sanctions relief are viewed as fantasies that will never materialize under this White House. THE MIDTERM SABOTAGE ANGLE Some in Tehran appear to calculate that a Democratic House and Senate would sharply reduce Trump’s ability to order further military action. Sustained economic pressure that damages Republican prospects is therefore rational, not personal. The goal is strategic: weaken the president’s freedom of action for the rest of his term. THE BOTTOM LINE Iran has shifted from negotiating for relief to weaponizing the calendar. Every day the Strait stays restricted is a day of political and economic cost imposed before American voters go to the polls. Tehran is playing the midterms harder than Washington is. HT: YouTube Mario Nawfal

@AlanEyre1

#IranMidterms #StraitOfHormuz #TrumpLeverage #MidtermPressure #HormuzClosed #IranStrategy #USIran

8:01 AM · Aug 17, 2026

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3,600

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