Stories

Starting with Israeli strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities, escalating to US military involvement including strikes on nuclear sites that killed Supreme Leader Khamenei, naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, and a 110+ day conflict that spiked oil prices above $120/barrel. Eventually led to a fragile ceasefire and nuclear negotiations mediated by Pakistan.

Trump pursued bilateral talks with Putin to end the Ukraine war, initially excluding Ukraine and Europe. The process involved contentious meetings with Zelenskyy (including an Oval Office shouting match), suspension of military aid and intelligence sharing, demands for Ukrainian mineral rights, a Trump-Putin Alaska summit, and ongoing negotiations through envoys Witkoff and Kushner with no final deal reached.

The administration escalated from Caribbean drug boat strikes to seizing oil tankers, imposing a naval blockade, and ultimately capturing President Maduro in a military raid on Caracas. Trump claimed US control over Venezuelan oil, while international condemnation grew and Congress sought to restrain presidential war powers.

Trump initially proposed US takeover of Gaza, then pivoted to brokering a ceasefire deal culminating in hostage releases and a 20-point peace plan. He created a 'Board of Peace' to oversee reconstruction, appointed international members, and pushed for Palestinian displacement before backing down under pressure.

Trump repeatedly demanded US acquisition of Greenland, sent JD Vance and envoys to visit, threatened Denmark with tariffs, refused to rule out military force, and appointed a special envoy. Denmark and Greenland consistently rejected the proposals while NATO allies deployed troops to the territory.

Trump's systematic undermining of NATO, disruption of relationships with traditional allies including the UK, France and Germany, and transformation of the post-WWII international order — through funding pressure, public insults of allied leaders, withdrawal threats, and blocking multilateral agreements.

While imposing tariffs and reducing security commitments to longstanding allies in Europe, Japan, and South Korea, Trump has simultaneously warmed to America's principal adversaries. The US voted alongside Russia, Belarus, and North Korea at the UN; Trump's envoys coached the Kremlin on negotiating tactics; Russian oil sanctions were lifted; and Trump cut joint military exercises with South Korea while citing his positive relationship with Kim Jong Un as justification. The pattern suggests a deliberate reorientation of US alliances away from democratic partners and toward authoritarian rivals.

Trump cut aid to South Africa, expelled its ambassador, falsely claimed 'white genocide,' offered asylum to Afrikaners, granted refugee status to white South Africans while suspending refugee admissions for others, and excluded South Africa from the G20. South African leaders called the policies racist.

Trump designated Mexican cartels and Colombian drug groups as foreign terrorist organizations, requested permission to deploy US troops into Mexico (repeatedly rebuffed), launched a boat strike campaign in Caribbean, Colombian, and Ecuadorian waters that killed over 200 people, and assembled a Latin American coalition to militarily eradicate drug trafficking networks.