United States

Iran does appears to not be taking Trump's escalating threats too seriously, because just one day after the US imposed restrictions on 25 Iranian individuals and entities in response to a ballistic missile test last week (a move which provoked Tehran to answer by saying it would disclose the names of US individuals and companies involved in "helping and founding" terrorist groups), Iran carried out more missile tests during a military exercise on Saturday. 

The Pentagon has awkwardly removed a 10-year-old video from its website after trying to pass it off as new evidence that a full-scale United States invasion of Yemen is not only justifiable but is in the interests of ordinary Americans.

UK authorities could arrest US journalists and whistleblowers who criticise the British government, according to reports.  The UK Law Commission is attempting to change the UK’s Espionage Act to prosecute foreigners who “leak confidential information” which damages national security. Infowars.com reports: “Foreigners who leak information overseas that damages British national security could also be prosecuted in the UK for the first time,” the Telegraph reported.

As President Trump drops tape (and tweet) bombs left, right, and center; often saying exactly what he is thinking, it appears the world's leaders (and establishmentarians) are "shocked" at his inconvenient truthiness. As Tim Bale, politics professor at Queen Mary University of London, said, reflecting on Brexit concerns,

"...our reliance on the United States, in normal times, wouldn’t worry too many people... But Donald Trump doesn’t seem to be a normal president."

Which seemed to sum things up nicely.

Submitted by Federico Pieraccini via The Strategic Culture Foundation,