| Kensington Review |
10 August 2026 |
|
Cogito Ergo Non Serviam |
9 |
||||
|
Latest Commentary: Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan Sign Defense Pact -- Late last week, three of the largest regional powers in the Middle East signed a mutual defense pact. The Mecca Joint Deterrence Agreement binds Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan to come to one another's defense in the event of an attack. This agreement, they claim, is not aimed at Iran, but it is quite clear it would not have happened without an Iranian threat. The Saudis can fund the alliance, the Pakistanis bring nuclear deterrence to the MJDA and Turkiye can draw on its own substantial military as well asNATO allies as the need arises. What is missing from this arrangement is the United States, heretofore the guarantor of peace in the region. This is not just a signal that the three have lost faith in the US ability to protect them, it is a major adjustment to the power dynamics of the region. [10 August] Michigan Democrats Nominate El-Sayed for Senate -- The chatterati clutched their pearls and tore their garments yesterday as Abdul El-Sayed, a left-of-centre politico, won the Michigan Democratic nomination for the US Senate seat up for election this year. They worry that he is too far left, that he has trouble with white working-class and black voters, that he comes across as arrogant. One expects they would be more honest if they said they are afraid of Muslims. The fact is he is not a Democratic Socialist; he calls himself a capitalist. He just wants capitalism to work better for those less-well-off. This journal predicts he will win wih 52% of the general election vote. [6 August] US Missile Supply Badly Depleted -- The US-Israeli war with Iran and its proxies has depleted the American missile supply, bringing the stockpile levels to dangerous territory. The missiles in question are expensive and take a lot of time to build, meaning boosting stockpiles will cost millions if not billions and take months if not years. The risk is not that the US will be unable to strike targets in Iran. Even if all the missiles were gone, manned bombers can destroy targets (but it is riskier than doing the job with missiles). The problem is that the US may not have a sufficient deterrent to prevent China from attacking Taiwan, North Korea from attacking South Korea and Russia from attacking NATO. And that is the by-product of losing a war of choice with Iran. [5 August] Iran, Oman Making Hormuz Deal -- The media are reporting that Iran and Oman are close to making a deal on opening the Strait of Hormuz. This wouild not be a return to the status quo ante bellum, in which ships sailed freely through the narrow maritime channel between the two countries. It would be a system of fees for environmental clean up, security and other such issues. What both sides are careful not to call it is a toll. The difference is negligible in practical terms; ships will pay to sail through the strait. However, international law is clear that a toll is not legal while such fees are fine. If this deal is agreed, it will be a victory for Iran and a major loss for the US. [4 August] Labour Holds Greater Manchester Mayoralty -- The former Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, is now Prime Minister. He got there by a unique route. He resigned as Mayor to stand in a by-election brought on by the resignation of a sitting MP specifically to allow Mr. Burnham to return to Commons. He won, and within a couple of week, Labour had crowned him their leader, which meant he was the new resident at Number 10. His resignation, though, left a vacancy that also had to be filled with a by-election. That was held on Thursday, and the count officially ended Friday. Although it had to go to an instant run-off, Bev Craig of Labour held on to win against a strong but second-place Reform Party. [3 August] © Copyright 2026 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.
|
23 Years Online Volume XXIV, Number 115
|