As the losses mount in the Russian-Ukrainian war, the war is coming home for Russians. I do not mean indiscriminate bombing of Russian cities by Ukrainian missiles destroying apartment blocks, schools and hospitals. I am discussing the highly pinpointed targeting of Russian fuel refining and distribution networks.

This is highly effective, Russia is burning and all their citizens are seeing this in real time. The long-term lines waiting for fuel are seen by all, the inflation and scarcity of consumer items. Russians have food shortages, flight issues with aircraft now not maintained correctly, Russian financial reserves held. Firstly, there is the financial cost to the Russian government, this directly funds the Russian war, the price of oil, the shadow fleet is still operating – at least under duress.

The population has been mostly shielded from the effects of the war. The elites in Moscow and St Petersburg don’t send their children off to die as canon fodder, that is the domain of the poorer population further east in Russia. These are more ethnic minorities who are poorly organised in terms of political representation, they are mostly poor, and live in more sparsely populated areas. They lack the voice, they lack the wealth and they lack the power to displace the elite in Moscow, they are the voiceless cannon fodder.

Why did Anthont Albanese get booed walking through Bondi on his way to the beach vigil? It is easy, his government did little to stamp out antisemitism when it erupted in Australia. Albo was right when he said he could have done more, any government can do more so this was no revelation, this is a serious issue that rquires difficult questions to be asked and difficult decisions made. 

What the Albanese Government did was legitimise Hamas. I am not anti-Palestine, I am not anti-Israel, I believe in the right for the two states to exist. I also know this is not a simple situation to rectify. But seriously, you do not recognise Palestine when Hamas is ruling, there were hostages still held underground, and the military offensive still raging. This was not the time, we all knew Israel was not stopping until every last one of their citizens were returned.

Whilst Hamas was still attacking Israel, you do not recognise Palestine. We all know Hamas is a terrorist organisation. Look what happened to Palestinians, they made it through the war and were executed in the streets by Hamas terrorists emerging from the tunnels safe in the knowledge that Israeli troops would not hunt them down. They took their revenge on Palestinian enemies, they made it through the war and were beaten, tortured and executed in broad daylight. Their executions were recorded, this was not only symbolic, this sent a clear message to any person who was looking to oppose them.

So what did the Albanese Government do? It gave legitimacy to a terrorist organisation that planned and implemented the October 7 massacre of civilians in Israel. The death toll was huge, 1219 people murdered, systematic rape and sexual torture of Israeli women and 251 hostages taken. Why would the Australian government recognise this regime? When the military offensive is finished, living hostages repatriated, dead bodies returned and a ceasefire signed, then and only then should recognition of a Palestinian state be considered.

On last Saturday afternoon I received a message from my brother and I quickly jumped on my computer to check news outlets and social media to determine what happened. I was pretty surprised, we knew the US fleet was stationed in the Caribbean, they were not about to head home, so something was eventually going to happen. So it was really no surprise when missiles started hitting the capital Caracas, I view this as a flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Venezuela.

Initial reports were that CH-47 Chinook helicopters and V-22 Osprey were flying over the capital. It was later confirmed that modified MH-60 Blackhawk helicopters carrying Delta Force commandos were involved, conducted by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment. Approximately 150 aircraft were used in the raid to take out air defences to allow the commando forces to fly in for a low level insertion.

President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were stopped just short of their safe room, the raid happened so fast, they were caught in bed and did not make it to this enclosure. I have nothing but respect for forces such as Delta, they are the elite counter-terrorist force of the US Army. The question I ask, is it legal for US forces to enter a country and kidnap the President? This sets a nasty international precedent, can countries openly flout international law without repercussion?

In August, the US deployed three destroyers in Caribbean waters, then immediately grew to three amphibious assault ships with approximately 6000 marines and sailors attached. In September, F-35 fighter jets were dispatched to Puerto Rico, there was also a submarine diverted to the region. The CIA was operating in the region, this goes without saying, they were operating drones over Venezuela and apparently had a human source close to Maduro. The CIA was aware of Maduro’s movements and routine after months of surveillance, they knew where he would be at any given time.

From September 2025 onwards, operations against small vessels in the area were targeted, this included killing people in the water after their boats were sunk, breaching international law. The strikes have been questioned as an overreach of executive authority, the United States does not have the authority to hunt down and execute Venezuelan nationals in international waters. In late October, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the most advanced carrier in the US Navy, was ordered to the region by the Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, so we knew this was going to escalate rapidly at some point.

There is certainly a fair degree of irony in the Trump Administration, who themselves attempted to overturn an election in the United States on January 6, 2021. Trump has announced that the United States will now run the country in the interim, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia should be immediately handed power in Venezuela. Donald Trump has viewed Nicolás Maduro as an illegitimate President since the July 2024 elections. Urrutia stepped up at the last minute when opposition leader Maria Corina Machado was ruled ineligible. Machado was forced to flee the country, but popped up in Norway to collect her Nobel Peace Prize – the irony is not lost on me here. We will see if the Trump Administration immediately hands over control of the country to Urrutia as the legitimate leader of that country.

Anthony Albanese, the Prime Minister who failed to tackle antisemitism is looking every bit the weak leader he is. Albo was warned what could happen, yet he did nothing. Instead, Albo and Foreign Minister Penny Wong brushed aside any criticism and pushed forward their agenda of legitimising Hamas.

We saw the firebombing of Synagogs, the graffiti attacks at Jewish businesses, the writing was on the wall then. We all saw the rise in antisemitism in Australia in the post October 7 period. We saw the Gas the Jews chants at the Sydney Opera House, the march across the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the authorities did nothing to temper the organisers.

There were absolutely failures of intelligence, failures of policing and a failure of policy. Islamic terrorism is real, we need to stop the erosion of firearm laws brought in during the Howard Government. As a nation, we have been pretty tolerant of Islamic terrorism in Australia, this does not help the Islamic case. This is an embarrassment to Australia internationally, the Albanese Government allowed this to happen, the Jewish community was living in fear and Albo and his mates were just dismissive of the Jewish community fears.

I view the videos of ICE agents on social media roaming the streets of Minneapolis terrorising the residents of this city and I ask myself, how did the United States decline so far so quickly? How did these poorly trained thugs get jobs at a federal agency?

The ICE agents are acting unlawfully, they are terrorising the residents of Minneapolis, this is a purposeful strategy of the Trump Administration to control Democratic states. There are more illegal immigrants in Texas, but as Texas is a Republican state, they are not stationing ICE agents en masse in this Republican state, instead Minnesota is the target of Trump retributions. This does not show the United States population in the best light here, they are looking like an insular and vengeful society.

What is happening in the United States is disgraceful, as an Australian watching from afar I am appalled. I am having Americans on social media decrying what is happening to their country. However, on this occasion at least, Donald Trump did win the election. After the Trump 2016 election and first term, US residents cannot claim they were not aware what the second term of the Trump Administration would be like. Every citizen knew what Trump was proposing, they voted on this and they are getting what they voted for.

We have witnessed two people shot dead by ICE agents, firstly Renee Good shot through the windscreen, only MAGA idiots really believe she was trying to run down a ICE agent. After she was shot, the ICE agent was overheard calling her a “fucking bitch” and then ICE agents prevented a doctor from administering first aid. Tragically she was left in the vehicle still and allowed to die, whilst ICE agents blocked people from providing assistance. Then the second death of Alex Pretti occurred when he tried to shield a woman being attacked by ICE agents, they jumped on top of him, removed his holstered weapon before riddling his body with 10 shots – this is murder.

As I view videos of ICE agents roaming the streets of US cities, I am asking myself, how has society totally abandoned the principles of freedom and respect? The US President is supposed to protect the Constitution of the United States, despite the efforts of Bullshit Barbie Karoline Leavitt, only the most MAGA devotee believes this.

In 30 years time, when the United States and the world in general look back at the Trump era, there should be some serious soul searching going on. Americans bang on about freedom, they name ships, spacecraft and aircraft after it. They have the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, this is all rubbish of course, they have totally abandoned the notion and principles of freedom.

Instead, they have poorly trained paramilitary groups roaming the streets with masks on detaining anyone who is not white. As I see it, these are poorly educated white nationalists being given a licence by the Trump Administration to act in a racist manner. This is an inherently a racist organisation that has been given legitimacy by Trump’s hate policies.

These ICE agents are smashing vehicle windows and dragging anyone out who they believe is not a citizen. They are throwing US citizens to the ground, arresting and detaining them. I am watching videos where former military personnel who have served in American wars are detained and arrested. Is this the United States they fought for? I seriously doubt it.

This is more akin to the brownshirts that terrorised Germany in the 1930s. We saw the rise of nationalism in Germany in the 1930s, these conditions created during the punitive period where Germany was crippled by a restrictive and unfair surrender treaty. This was a forced surrender agenda designed to restrict Germany that created the conditions that led to the second world war.

The United States is not operating under any such restrictions, they are not a defeated nation burdened with excessive war repatriations. Just this Trump narrative where they blame immigrants for all of society’s woes, this is a well practiced internal enemy that would be described as an easy target. The United States has some serious issues, taking the easy approach and targeting immigrants solves very little.

David Littleproud has been driving an enormous wedge in the Liberal and National coalition. He did it immediately after the election loss and he is doing it again, the disunity is destroying the opposition. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese must be loving this mess, he knows there is not an effective opposition, he can plan for the next election. The Liberal/National Coalition lost a record number of seats to the incumbent Albanese Government despite a multitude of mis-steps, the losses are not looking like they will be reversed any time soon.

One has to ask, what is going on in the National Party? I am also asking if David Littleproud is the right person to lead the party. The National Party will not govern in its own right, so they need to work with the Liberal Party. National Party policies might work in rural areas, to form government they need the Liberal Party to win inner city seats and we know the Liberal Party is losing inner city seats to the more moderate Teals. I was hoping the move away from the Peter Dutton disaster of becoming too conservative was learned, it clearly was not and the same mistakes look to be repeated.

David Littleproud has to take a look at the strategic outcomes of what the Coalition needs to achieve to win government. He is not offering any leeway here, David Littleproud is making the Coalition unelectable. In another two years time when Australia heads off to a general election, this infighting will drive voters away. Maybe not to the Labor Party, but to independents who will not align to the Coalition, who would want to align themselves with infighting and dysfunction. Conservative voters are switching to One Nation, this is not a great outcome for anyone, there is no moderate opposition policies, the Teals have won all the inner city seats away from the Liberal Party and they are well funded and look likely to hold these seats.

It was difficult to get a grasp of what was happening in Iran, with the internet blackout there was no news at all getting out. We knew there were protests in the streets, we were initially unsure of what force the government forces were using, we learned it was deadly force, they were shooting protesters. We are hearing government forces are going door-to-door searching for VPNs, this is to stop uploading footage. Eventually this will get out, the blackout will eventually be lifted and mobile phone footage will be released to the world. 

Iranian women are brave, where they stand up in public and remove their head scarf, that is either very brave or extremely reckless. This appears to be a student led resistance, the young people see an opportunity, they are organising protests and getting out on the streets. This is not just in Tehran, but all the major centres in the country.  From all the Iranians I have met, they are nice people. Sure, we have Iranian government interference in our internal issues, such as state sponsored antisemitism, but we know this is government agencies and not the people. 

Through some footage that has escaped the blackout, we are hearing terrible stories of the government crackdown on protesters. There are discussions of hundreds of deaths, to a couple of thousand deaths to possible ten to twelve thousand deaths. The footage of bodybags is not just concerning, this is devestating, the Iranian people are trying to force regime change, many of these brave people will not enjoy the freedoms they are fighting for.  

In a return to Trump’s stupid Gaza plan, he has asked nations to put up a billion US dollars to join a Board of Peace to rival the United Nations. Naturally, this Trump led board will be without the charter, purpose, vision and authority to pursue any meaningful outcomes.

The first nation bumped from the invite list is Canada, if it wasn’t so funny it would be serious. Taking a look at the initial nations signing up to Trump’s Board of Peace are countries trying to align themselves with Trump. The only issue is most of their citizens have been banned from entry into the United States by Trump. It is not difficult to identify their motivation, just like the renaming of the John F. Kennedy Center of the Arts, the Trump class battleships he wants to resurrect or the Triumphal Arch, this board of nations is to be a shrine to himself.

So, apart from Canada [uninvited after Carney hinted to Trump to forget it] the major western nations of the world are non-committal. The United Kingdom, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, Portugal, the Netherlands, Belgium and Italy. Of course Hungary signed up, Victor Orban could not pass up this opportunity to cosy up to his hero, Donald Trump. Announced at the World Economic Forum in Davos, the major NATO nations are still reeling after the disrespect shown by Trump for their support of the United States or the pressure on Denmark to sell Greenland to the United States.

The Executive Board consists of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, his real estate and golf buddy Steve Wikoff, son-in-law Jarrad Kushner, Former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair and a few other hand selected picks. Naturally, Donald Trump himself is the Chairman, yeah, really, you cannot make this stuff up. There is a representative from the World Bank, some more Trump lackies

The countries involved so far include Saudi Arabia, Belarus, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Morocco, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Turkey, Mongolia, Indonesia, Argentina, Bulgaria, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Paraguay, Morocco, Kosovo, Azerbaijan, and Israel. Now there is a line-up of nations with a strong human rights record who can dictate to nations with strong human rights records. Whilst this board is initially looking at the Gaza reconstruction, Palestine is not represented, they are likely to be displaced from the region as this is really a major real estate project, the Palestinians are likely to get in the way.

What I am not seeing is the Nordic nations of Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Denmark. Well, Denmark are under threat of invasion by the Chairman of the Board of Peace right now so I can see why they might be a little hesitant. The Western European nations are noticeably absent, but then again, they are busy preparing to send troops to Greenland to starve off an invasion by the Chairman of the Board of Peace. I also note Iran is missing from the acceptance list, at time of writing the US Fleet was steaming to the Persian Gulf region to continue bombing Iran, so I can see why they might be reassessing their invitation.

I cannot say I am a fan of the Donald Trump plan of turning Gaza into a Mediterranean resort strip, that may well be one of the dumber ideas he has had, and boy has he had some dumb ideas. Of course, he thinks it is brilliant, he will not let this idea go. Donald really thinks the Palestinian people will give up their homeland so he can create a resort town complete with golf courses. Trump dispatched his real estate developer mate Steve Witkoff to negotiate a deal, this was always going to be a disaster.

The sooner Hamas was eradicated and the remaining hostages returned, the sooner the rebuilding will begin. I would doubt even the most ardent Hamas supporter would have envisaged the level of destruction in Gaza. Hamas were unwilling to hand over the remaining hostages, at the time rumoured to have only 20 alive with the remaining 26 deceased. Hamas were tricky, they were not returning the deceased bodies, Israeli authorities performed DNA analysis and refused to accept Palestinian bodies they claimed were Israeli.

Egypt has been training Palestinian forces to take over the security of Gaza, this training is occurring at Egyptian military academies. The recruitment for the Gazan security force is to come from the West Bank, there will likely be some Gazans in that cohort. Israel will be unlikely to support he Palestinian Authority as they claim they are supporters of terrorism. Previously, Hamas has returned immediately after Israeli forces have withdrawn from Gaza.

It is likely Israel would object to a Palestinian peacekeeping force, Israeli spokespeople have openly stated they do not want the Palestinian Authority to control Gaza in post-war Gaza. The majority of the force will come from Egypt, with Jordan and the United Arab Emirates supplying personnel. I would think all nations are in agreement, Hamas will not be represented in the new Gaza security force.