United States

The moment the first Russian jet landed in Syria at the invitation of the Assad government in 2015, Putin placed himself in the driver's seat concerning the international proxy war in the Levant. From a strategic standpoint the armed opposition stood no chance of ever tipping the scales against Damascus from that moment onward. And though US relations with Russia became more belligerent and tense partly as a result of that intervention, it meant that Russia would set the terms of how the war would ultimately wind down.

In a considerably more aggressive, and less diplomatic, 'story' in China's government mouthpiece Xinhua, writers warn:

"It is not hard to tell that the situation has become a vicious circle where more missile tests trigger more sanctions, while more sanctions trigger more tests..." urging the double-freeze solution once again, saying that "the parties concerned need to respect each other's security concerns."

 

Authored by Steven Vannelli via Knowledge Leaders Capital blog,

Earlier this week, the Federal Reserve officially signaled the beginning of its balance sheet run-off. At this point, that’s old news. But, yesterday, the Fed released the Z.1 Flow of Funds, which adds to the intrigue of the balance sheet run-off. Why?

In a decision that could potentially have a profound impact on US trade policy, the US International Trade Commission has ruled that a flood of cheap, foreign solar panels is unfairly hurting US manufacturers, creating the opportunity for President Donald Trump to follow through on his protectionist campaign rhetoric and impose tariffs and import quotas as soon as November.

After repeatedly asking the Supreme Court to overturn parts of appellate court rulings that have sought to limit the scope of the White House’s controversial travel ban as US judges have continued their unceasing assault on Trump’s order even after the Supreme Court granted a temporary stay, WSJ is reporting this morning that the administration has decided to replace the travel ban in favor of more targeted restrictions that will affect a slightly larger number of countries after it expires this weekend.