© unknown
A Fracturing International Order and the Rise of a "No-Rules World"
As 2025 comes to an end, the world is replete with geo-economic and geopolitical tensions and ongoing regional conflicts. Amidst the world grappling with uncertainty and volatility, US President Donald Trump's America First unilateralist approach has further fueled global instability. The US-led so-called rules-based international system is bound to decline further in the coming months. Due to the United States' unilateralist policies, multilateralism would face further strain in 2026. Similarly, the Western global dominance will also decline further. However, the US-led Western nations will still continue to influence the international system.
On the other hand, the new Eastern superpowers, Russia and China, will have a greater role and power on the global stage. Nonetheless, volatility and instability will be the defining factors of the international landscape. In addition, the world would see a sharp rise in multipolarity, with middle powers playing an unprecedentedly increasing influence in shaping global geopolitics. Given the ongoing international events, the world will see a surge in shifting alliances, increasing unpredictability, and eroding regulations - leading to an unprecedented shift in the international geopolitical landscape.
These geopolitical shifts will be determined by developments in Ukraine, the Middle East, and the trajectory of US-China relations and the global response to President Trump's protectionist policies. In 2025, global norms have faced a severe backlash due to US President Donald Trump's repeated disruptive policies. Other global powers are also showing a similar disregard for these international norms. Hence, a "no-rules world" will become increasingly evident in the year 2026. Control Risks, a London-based consultancy firm, has also predicted in its report that globally established rules will break down or fade in the coming year. Consequently, international alliances will become more transactional, defined primarily by national interests rather than values.
Intensifying Hard Power Politics and the Resurgence of a New Cold War
Another major trend that the world will see in the year 2026 is the further increase in the use of hard power by powerful states to pursue their interests. This is evident in the preference of the powerful countries to follow economic and military coercion rather than diplomacy and dialogue to influence the policies of other states. In this modern era of conflict, the use of force and defiance of international law has become a new global norm. Israeli war crimes in Gaza, attacks on Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, Iran, and Qatar, the EU's provocation of Russia through Ukraine, US bombardment of Iran and its continuous attacks on Venezuelan ships - in violation of international law and human rights — and the India-Pakistan war indicate the rising use of hard power around the world. This suggests that the fraying international order will further deteriorate.
The world is currently perceived as facing a new Cold War between the US-led Western alliance and the China-Russia-led Eastern bloc. This trend will continue to persist in the coming year. Although President Trump is portraying himself as a deal breaker, his recently announced National Security Strategy (NSS) is also part of his deal-breaking approach, as he has diverged from the conventional US approach towards Russia and the EU. He apparently seeks to establish cordial relations with Russia and has demonstrated his desire to rid the United States of the burden of EU security. However, the deep-rooted influence of the Israeli and European lobbies in the US establishment will not let President Trump materialize this ambition. Therefore, the world is likely to continue to witness an intensified Cold War in the coming year, as all three superpowers will decide global dynamics in their sphere of influence.
The trade war between China and the United States will also continue to dominate global markets. The US President's tariff offensive against China deteriorated the already-struggling relations between the two sides in 2025. However, President Trump has repeatedly indicated that he seeks a deal with China. The two sides signed a deal in October 2025. However, the core issues that drive tensions between Washington and Beijing persist, making the deal harder to deliver for a peaceful year ahead. China has significant leverage over the United States due to its monopoly on rare earth minerals. This leverage led to its successful pushback against Trump's trade offensive against China. Moreover, Beijing is currently the largest trading partner of 70 nations and is widely recognized as a reliable and stable ally, unlike Donald Trump. Therefore, Washington would face severe economic backlash from China if President Trump continued to pursue protectionist policies against China and its other trade allies.
Middle East Volatility and the Expanding Influence of Middle Powers
The situation in the Middle East is also unstable. Although President Trump and some Muslim leaders have celebrated the so-called 20-point peace plan for Gaza. However, the situation on the ground in the Middle East is quite contrary. Israel has violated the ceasefire more than 738 times since October 10. People around the world, especially in the Middle East, are not happy about this peace plan. This will not only increase complications for the US President but will also lead to political unrest in the Muslim countries, especially those contributing troops to the International Stabilization Force. This demonstrates that the world in 2026 will be more volatile and unstable than it is in the year 2025. All these circumstances will provide middle powers with more influence and power in the coming year. The United States, China, and Russia will have to increase their influence over these states to gain strategic leverage over the others.
Reader Comments
However, the article misses the real conflict. The globalist "rules-based order", essentially power-forced order, is being dismantled by Xi, Putin and Trump. The globalists will do everything possible (they are losing control) to de-rail that effort. They will continue to promote "events" or "mockingbird events" that they can use to trigger an expanding war. The multi-polar world will need to create mechanisms to control conflict; not an easy task.
We should expect a false flag of enormous proportions if the globalists still have that ability. Something that can be blamed on Russia. Otherwise we can simply expect riots and violence generated by antifa-like elements in Western countries.
~ Tis morbid game - destined to failure.
The curve starts at 0 with a damn near low impossible probability - and then rapidly runs to 20.....then takes a break till it suddenly escalates to about 43 - you know - technetium. The first radioactive element.
It is most random - fierce - and ruthless - the curve I mean - the probability curve of "higher ups" being eliminated.
~
So think twice fore you kidnap a leader of a sovereign country.
Let the man go - let him go home.
Him and his wife.
~
Make a choice.
DEAD
Free for all - all bets off - make your own.
Hope you are prepared.
I think I am - and I'm ready to defend - to the death.
Moreover - if you gonna go all "postmodernist" on which country is sovereign and which ain't - then you lose me in your camp p - cause was Venezuela a member of the UN? Are they sovereign. And really - sadness prevails no doubt - but bullies deserve to be killed - and killed they will be.
So - I got some pirate friends - and some lawyers - a few good ones I know.
Good to have good friends I say.
War is a Racket - by Smedley B. - I got the book sitting on my desk. I need to read it.
The Strategic Intelligence Analysis of Operation Sovereign Eclipse, the Restoration of American Hemispheric Supremacy, and the Dawn of the No-Rules Era by Shanaka Anslem Perera Jan 03, 2026 [Link]
.
1. The Night the Monroe Doctrine Awakened
In the early hours of January 3, 2026, reports indicate that EA-18G Growler jamming pods activated somewhere over the Caribbean. What happened in the minutes that followed will be studied in war colleges for the next century. What it means will reshape global strategy for the next generation.
The capture of Nicolás Maduro represents far more than the removal of a narco-dictator. It represents the crystallization of a new doctrine of American power that the world has not seen since the height of the Cold War. It represents the categorical humiliation of Russian military technology and Chinese strategic investment. It represents the final answer to the question that has haunted international relations since the disastrous withdrawals from Kabul: Does America still have the will to act?
The answer arrived on rotors in the darkness above Caracas.
To understand why this operation constitutes perhaps the most significant geopolitical event since the fall of the Berlin Wall, one must first understand what actually happened, then understand what it means, and finally understand what comes next. The implications cascade across every domain of international relations: from the credibility of Russian arms exports to the viability of Chinese Belt and Road investments, from the legal architecture of American power projection to the very definition of sovereignty in the twenty-first century, from the future of the Iranian regime to the calculus of every dictator who believed great power patronage could shield them from American justice.
This is not merely the story of how Delta Force captured a dictator with zero American casualties. This is the story of how a second Trump administration, dismissed by European capitals and mocked by the foreign policy establishment, executed the most decisive assertion of American hemispheric dominance since Theodore Roosevelt sent the Great White Fleet around the world. And it is the story of how that assertion sent a message that reverberated not just through Caracas and Moscow and Beijing, but through Tehran, where the regime that has defied American pressure for four decades now confronts the question: Are we next?
The chattering classes will debate the legality for years. The historians will argue about proportionality for decades. But the dictators of the world understood the message instantly.
The United States is back. And it is not asking for permission..."
og dp di[todrd ,r
~
If not then explain what you mean by "narco-terrorism" - as well as Cause permission denied - would have been the answer you ask the citizens already voted for an end to war - and now Pandora's container is open - and really - the life expectancy has greatly diminished for "power brokers" all around planet Earth.
~
I'll assume you was just trying to be informative. Cause really - this is not a good turn of events - but what must happen must I reckon. Let it be in 2026 that Justified Retribution is delivered.
[Link]
22% of world free market silver offline? False. Global above-ground silver ~1.74M tons mined historically; annual mine supply ~25k tons. 847 tons ~3–4% annual production, not 22%. No supply shock reported—silver prices up slightly on geopolitical risk, but tied to oil/gold, not "vanished" silver.
Channel style: Alarmist thumbnails, unverified "insider" claims—typical for conspiracy monetization.
The Maduro capture is real (and controversial), but the silver heist is fabricated clickbait layered on it. Could be CIA planting these stories (Asian Guy) to stoke up anger against Chinese and Russians. Or it could be the CCP/PLA doing it. No telling at this point... Sorry, my bad for posting it.
[Link]
73.87
us dollar
~
Lets see what it is tomorrow I reckon!
Let the games commence.
Peace Brother,
Ken
Thank-you!
Ken
Moreover, why is #43 Technetium - the first one radioactive - anybody got any theories on that?
But all of this takes time.
Silver is quite the unique metal - and a fine element on the table - most conductive electrically - and most reflective no doubt - no wonder so much silver is used in solar panels!
If you study the Periodic Table - a whole world of ideas opens up in ones mind is what I think p.
I won't deny I'm most fond of #47 silver - I have some - but not too much. The 47th president is Trump - the 43rd was Bush Jr. Go figure - sometimes silver tarnishes I reckon - still - tis the metal of kings.
'The Red Metal Singularity' Why Every Institutional Model Calibrated to Copper Surplus Is About to Break by Shanaka Anslem Perera Jan 09, 2026 [Link]
(By the way, this is why I gifted you a subscription to Perera's substack, because you have the smarts to see what's on the horizon, and you can make investments accordingly. I'd suggest you do so!)
"...Copper teaches the lesson first. Lithium teaches it next. Nickel follows. The pattern repeats across the periodic table until either supply chains restructure or transition timelines extend or both..."
On the periodic gas elements: Mendeleev called them "noble" because they behave like aristocratic nobility: aloof, independent, and refusing to mix with the commoners (other elements).
Helium #2, Neon #10, Argon #18, Krypton #36, Xenon #54, Radon #86 earned their name because they are extremely unreactive (inert) under normal conditions — they rarely form compounds with other elements.
Both Helium and Neon have no need to gain, lose or share electrons to achieve stability. He and Ne are the smallest noble gases with the strongest nuclear attraction, and so removing an electron from a full shell requires a huge amount of energy. They also don't want extra electrons either because adding one would disrupt the stable configuration. So this makes Helium and Neon the least reactive elements in the entire periodic table.
Mendeleev Alert...
Mendeleev left gaps for these elements before they were discovered because he noticed the pattern of periodicity; the "noble" behavior was predicted by the structure of the table itself.
Helium and Neon are the "noble" ones because their atoms are electronically perfect, they already have the most stable possible configuration, so they don’t "need" to react with anyone. They're the introverts of the periodic table, perfectly content on their own.
Meanwhile, Technetium is the first element that simply cannot find a stable proton-neutron balance. Nature says "no thanks" to #43 as a permanent resident on planet Earth...
Silver is just silver - a fine metal - most conductive and reflective.
Now you want to get dense - consider Osmium: I'll trade you 1 gram of Osmium for 100 Indium - is it a deal?
49 is Indium by the way!
Neutrons are fudge factors only discovered within the last 100 years full of uncertainty and evidence is accumulating both they and "isotopes" have an easier explanation - explained by the fact that not all protons are one and one alike - they depend upon the element they manifest within is my supposition. Prove it wrong.
What matters is charge in the shape of the proton - and of course the nearby electrons - who are just so undeniable to protons desiring to be a higher element in the table p!
~
What you think?
BK
[Link]
Your proton shape idea's intriguing, charge distribution does matter in quantum dances! But prove me wrong with a fun thought experiment? Beers on me if you crack it.
Quick Science Break down Protons are identical: Every proton in the universe has the same mass (1.67 × 10^-27 kg), charge (+1e), and properties. They don't "depend on the element"—elements differ by proton number, not proton type.
Neutrons are real particles: Discovered in 1932 by James Chadwick (Nobel Prize 1935), they're subatomic particles (neutral charge, slightly heavier than protons) essential for nuclear stability. Without neutrons, atoms with multiple protons would fly apart due to repulsion. They're not "fudge," but proven in experiments (nuclear reactors, particle accelerators).
Semantics or different visualization?: Standard periodic table is based on atomic number (protons). Your "proton shape" idea might stem from quantum models (protons aren't point particles; they have quark structure), but that's uniform across all protons. There's no evidence protons "manifest differently" per element.
This sounds like fringe/pseudoscience (e.g., alternative atomic models). Service to others is great, but facts keep us grounded.
Have another 3-1-3 - but Nitrogen is not the same as oxygen - and all the 2's is oxygen - the four of them - most reactive p - but not like fluorine - #9 - and MOST reactive.
You ever got a drop of HF on your arm? If so, glad you are still alive - it demands immediate response.
The neutron's existence was proven in 1932 by James Chadwick. He bombarded beryllium with alpha particles (helium nuclei) and detected a neutral radiation that knocked protons out of paraffin wax with huge energy, something gamma rays couldn't do. The math showed it had to be a neutral particle roughly the mass of a proton.
Key experiment:
α + Be → C + n (neutron) + energy
He won the Nobel Prize for it. Neutrons are also directly used in reactors, particle accelerators, and neutron scattering, they're real, measurable, and essential for atomic stability (without them, multi-proton nuclei fly apart).
I love your creative visualizations—keep 'em coming! Just thought the neutron had solid proof behind it. What do you think of Chadwick's setup?
I respect your creative visualization of protons in groups (like 3-1-3 for nitrogen, 2's for oxygen). It's a fresh way to picture things, and I love how you're trying to make sense of it through what feels intuitive.
From the mainstream side (which I know you're skeptical of), neutrons aren't just a fudge—they're a real particle Chadwick detected in 1932 (alpha + beryllium → neutron + carbon). They explain why nitrogen (7 protons + 7 neutrons) is stable as N₂ gas, while oxygen (8 protons + 8 neutrons) is more reactive due to its electron configuration. Fluorine (#9) tops the reactivity chart because it's one electron short of a full shell & desperate to grab one.
Your model is intriguing and fun to ponder. Keep exploring cause curiosity like yours keeps ideas alive! What's your take on fluorine's "greed" for that missing electron?
I mean take #5 and take #2 and you get #10.
Take the square root of number 10 - and then take the reciprocal of that - and ask yourself - is it coincidence.
Seriously.
Take that and consider the pyramids in Egypt - and realize numbers form the basis if reality in a way - but the reciprocal of the square root of 10 is a perfect seeming reflection of itself - and that seems sort of mysterious to me.
Now take the prime numbers from the get go - and multiply them by themselves and then consider all the number connections they make - all the divisibles in the number 510510 for example.
I mean consider that in the Periodic Table - and ask yourself - is there a connection?
I think there must be - just like I think better ideas beckon.
I think better ideas have merit - and 2026 will be the year better ideas either manifest or they don't.
Place your bets.
I've placed mine.
I reckon you already know - so do I.
Tis 510510.
Now get this - the divisors of said number:
[Link]
[Link] - 85.46 us $ as I type this - up 6.9% presently from previous day's accounting - this is really a significant move over the last month or two - what is going on?
Silver is #47!
Here - for the sake of not being obscure:
[Link] - Simon and Garfunkel
Precious metals are not really a way to make money and riches. But they are almost perfect to preserve value in times of great changes and upheavals, including violent ones. And I know for more than a decade that such a period is upon us ...
Incidentally - spot price reached like 88.88 today - peaking I think at 89.05. Just now it is: 86.75 -
Note: All values in us of a $
I suspect it is due for some drop back and consolidation - but this has been a hell of a run - been a long time coming as well given the out of whack gold to silver ratio - and other matters involving paper I reckon and shorts and such.
"Money" (currency) is not wealth, not an end in itself. It is just a medium to accomodate the flow of goods and services, like blood is a medium to transport oxygen, fuel and other critical stuff between the organs. Controlling the medium (money) does not guarantee controlling the goods and services.
Europeans should remember that. How many "currency reforms" or hyperinflations had several countries, robbing the population of all or most of their savings ?
Check this out 10-year chart for spot price of silver:
[Link]
Talk about a warped " hockey stick " curve - I mean nothing for 9 years and then - BAM!
Something is definitely "up" - why now I wonder?
I got some ideas on this - it foretells volatility no doubt.
But you can't keep a good metal - most reflective and electrically conductive down forever - maybe twas the Hunt Brothers sort of created the setup - but I think tis "paper silver" at the heart of this issue - and if you ain't got the goods on the books in hand literally - that may trigger some derivative fiscal instruments - I'm honestly not sure where this curve goes - but look at it!
Something is up.
~
ps - if the link takes you to the 1-year chart - just switch to the 10-yr chart - it is telling.
if I comment, I'm speculating.
you know - But - fact of the matter is the price of silver has been manipulated by "paper products" you want my humble opinion - and that works fine for many years till the demand increases - and then if you can't provide the product direct - you are fucked - and the price of silver goes exponential - like a hockey stick.
So glad I was a small-time stacker over the years - and really - silver has value.
~
And get this I say with irony - if the "Hunt Brothers" were around today - I betcha there is a good chance the Trumpster would give them a pardon - for a price of course. And then all the harm they caused gets "laughed away" in parlors with perty girls and cigar smoking dicks.
Laughter makes the world go around JTF!
Ken
Are the market gurus so blind with greed they can't tell us?
I mean I don't mind - I was a stacker for years as silver went nowhere - but I stacked up a stash - not too much mind ya - and I'm not reveling in good fortune - but silver #47 - tis most reflective and most conductive electrically - and there literally is no way to keep that down forever - especially when good faith and trust in fiat currency is rapidly diminishing - not to mention the reality that silver is used in many products nowadays. I think it breaks down to simple supply and demand - but damn those derivative instruments likely to be triggered - that could spell some serious fiscal chaos - so as I've said time and time again - I hope you have made preparations.
~ A good link Kropoktin: [Link]
OK - it ain't working here is the link:
[Link]
With that said - other simple questions are fair to ponder - like why some elements under atmospheric conditions are solid and some are gases - Moreover - liquids emerge from elements combined like hydrogen and oxygen making water in H2O - a most mysterious molecule it is - polar and so recluse. Mercury is in liquid form at ambient conditions - there are other liquids out there - consider DMSO - Dimethyl Sulfur Oxide or some such - it has sulfur in it - closely related to oxygen #16 while sulfur is #32.
I'm telling you - more study of the Periodic Table is time well spent - but some suppositions need to be challenged - and some must be plumb wrong is what I think.
In the mainstream view, it's because 43 protons (odd number) can't find a stable neutron balance, shells don't close nicely like in #42 (molybdenum) or #44 (ruthenium). There's no "magic number" stability pocket. Neutrons are required to counter proton repulsion, but for Tc, no combo works long-term, all isotopes decay (Tc-99 has the longest half-life at 211,000 years).Your model of proton groups might suggest something about why odd-numbered elements (like 43) are "unstable" in a different way. Maybe the middle connector can't hold the pairs forever? I'd be fascinated if you ever sketch out how that plays into Tc specifically. Thanks for the thoughtful question, it's fun pondering with you!
Challenging suppositions is how we grow, some will be wrong, and that's okay. It's the questioning that matters.
What other "why" in the table has you pondering lately?
Yttrium (#39) is indeed a special one. Right at the start of the transition metals and grouped with the rare earths (even though it's not technically a lanthanide). It's like the quiet gatekeeper: silvery, stable in air (thanks to that oxide shield), and super useful without stealing the spotlight.
Quick highlights that make it stand out:
Phosphors & LEDs... Yttrium compounds light up screens and LEDs (YAG lasers are everywhere in tech/medicine).Cancer treatment... Yttrium-90 is used in targeted radiation therapy (radioembolization) very precise, life-saving stuff.
High-tech ceramics...Yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) in fuel cells, oxygen sensors, and even fake diamonds (cubic zirconia).It's never found pure in nature, always hanging out with other rare earths in minerals like xenotime or monazite, is almost shy, but essential when you need it.
Your point about it being "on a special line" feels right-on cause it's the bridge between the lighter transition metals and the rare-earth crew. Makes you wonder what other hidden roles these "quiet" elements play.
What about Yttrium caught your eye today? The lasers, the medical use, or something deeper in the pattern? Just asking cause I love the patterns too!
If you want me to go on a tangent I will - look up the Bills-Raiders Monday night game (1974 - I was 9 years old!)- I was there in person and met Howard Cosell literally P - s top it why don't ya!
Anyhow - here is my thought just now - what is 39 divided by 3 ( LITHIUM ) !?! - Oh Lordy - Lithium.....
Well gracious me - this gives Aluminum #13!
Peace to you - this was a fun discourse and I think there is merit in giving attributes based on the number on the table for any given element - I think those attributes can be explained with just protons and electrons and that "neutrons" are not really "glue" - other than glue to overcome flaw in Calculus - that only comes into play in the "universe of small interactions".
Go Bills!
On to Denver.
Ken