Author: Richard Engel Junior

Trump opposes Israel West Bank annexation, calling it a direct threat to his Gaza peace plan and regional stability. Eight Muslim nations, including Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, issued a rare joint warning against Israel’s expansionist policies. The White House stressed that West Bank stability is essential for Israeli security and long-term peace efforts. The dispute highlights growing tension between Washington and Tel Aviv ahead of critical Gaza diplomacy talks. WASHINGTON — US President Donald Trump has firmly rejected Israel’s West Bank annexation plans. He considers them a direct threat to his Gaza peace plan. According to a White House official,…

Washington, D.C. — As global tensions persist in multiple theaters, United States President Donald J. Trump is pressing forward with an ambitious and controversial initiative that could redefine Washington’s role in international diplomacy: the so‑called “Board of Peace.” Initially crafted as a mechanism to oversee governance, reconstruction, and stabilization in the Gaza Strip under a U.S.‑brokered ceasefire, the board has quickly emerged as a broader geopolitical litmus test — one that could shape Trump’s approach to global conflict resolution far beyond the fragile enclave along the Mediterranean. The Board’s inaugural session is tentatively scheduled for February 19 in Washington, D.C.,…

Donroe Doctrine Venezuela marks a return to raw US sphere-of-influence politics Trump administration eyes regime change to unlock Venezuela’s vast oil reserves Strategy risks accelerating global fragmentation and legitimizing rival power blocs Energy dominance replaces rules-based order in Washington’s foreign policy vision The Trump administration’s revived hemispheric strategy, now branded the “Donroe Doctrine,” represents one of the most explicit assertions of US sphere-of-influence politics in the modern era. Framed as a hardline revival of the Monroe Doctrine, the policy discards diplomatic restraint and multilateral ambiguity, asserting American dominance over Latin America in stark, transactional terms. Venezuela has emerged as the…

Washington, D.C. — As global tensions persist in multiple theaters, United States President Donald J. Trump is pressing forward with an ambitious and controversial initiative that could redefine Washington’s role in international diplomacy: the so‑called “Board of Peace.” Initially crafted as a mechanism to oversee governance, reconstruction, and stabilization in the Gaza Strip under a U.S.‑brokered ceasefire, the board has quickly emerged as a broader geopolitical litmus test — one that could shape Trump’s approach to global conflict resolution far beyond the fragile enclave along the Mediterranean. The Board’s inaugural session is tentatively scheduled for February 19 in Washington, D.C.,…

Sanae Takaichi is projected to lead the LDP to a majority exceeding 233 seats. The coalition with the Japan Innovation Party could reach a 300-seat supermajority. Young voters support Takaichi at record levels despite her hawkish stance. Relations with China are expected to hit a historic low during her second term. When Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi dissolved the lower house last month, she wasn’t just calling an election; she was initiating a strategic purge of moderate influence. By gambit or by grit, Takaichi has moved to consolidate a mandate that traditionalists within her own Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) feared…

For decades, Jeffrey Epstein was not merely a wealthy financier with a dark private life. He was a master operator of influence — embedding himself within the world’s most powerful circles and using proximity to elites as both shield and currency. The newly released trove of U.S. Justice Department files, running into millions of pages, has now laid bare how Epstein cultivated politicians, royalty, billionaires, diplomats, and cultural figures long after his 2008 conviction for sex crimes in Florida. The documents confirm what investigators and victims long suspected: Epstein systematically used influential figures to protect himself, normalize his presence, and…

The West Wing of the White House is no stranger to tension, but the Tuesday meeting between President Donald Trumpand Colombian President Gustavo Petro carries an electricity rarely seen in modern diplomacy. Just weeks ago, the rhetoric between the two was not merely combative—it was existential. Trump had publicly labeled Petro a “sick man” and an “illegal drug leader,” while Petro decried the U.S. as an “accomplice to genocide.” Now, they sit across from one another in an encounter that analysts have described as “Zelensky-esque”—a reference to the blunt, televised dressing-downs Trump has become known for delivering to foreign counterparts.…

EU army calls were dismissed by Kaja Kallas as “extremely dangerous” for NATO’s command integrity. The debate resurfaced following U.S. threats regarding Greenland and Arctic security interests Insiders suggest the move aims to keep Europe firmly within the U.S.-centered security policy. Analysts argue that creating a parallel military structure would lead to confusion in a crisis. As the “Greenland Crisis” fractures transatlantic trust, EU Foreign Policy Chief Kaja Kallas delivers a sobering rejection of a unified European army, prioritizing NATO’s command integrity over the dream of strategic autonomy. The dream of a “United States of Europe” with its own dedicated…

• President Pezeshkian orders a high-powered committee for talks. • Nuclear negotiations aim to trade enrichment curbs for sanction relief. • Pakistan and Saudi Arabia played a key role in stopping U.S. strikes. • Move confirms the Islamabad Telegraph report on Supreme Leader’s consent. TEHRAN/ISLAMABAD – In a move that has sent shockwaves of cautious optimism through the global diplomatic corridors, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has officially ordered the formation of a high-powered committee to initiate direct nuclear negotiations with the United States. The announcement, first reported by the Fars news agency on Monday, marks a dramatic pivot from the…

32 civilians killed in Saturday’s strikes. Ceasefire violation condemned by eight Muslim states including Pakistan. UN Security Council Resolution 2803 hangs in the balance. Pakistan’s nuclear status provides unique leverage on the Board of Peace. A devastating surge of violence has shattered the precarious calm in the Gaza Strip, leaving at least 32 innocent Palestinians dead, including several children, following a series of Israeli airstrikes on Saturday. The strikes, which decimated residential apartments, displacement tents, and a police station in the Sheikh Radwan district, have sparked a firestorm of international condemnation and placed the future of regional stability on a…