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ANALYSIS: Washington Eased Three IRGC-Linked Listings—But the Pressure System Stayed Intact
On August 5, 2026, the U.S. Treasury Department removed counterterrorism sanctions from two aircraft and three airlines reported as linked to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary…

REPORT: Democrats Move Into Trump Districts Before a Vote Is Cast
On August 5, 2026, Axios reported that House Democrats were expanding their target list for the 2026 midterms to include more seats in districts…

COLUMN: Washington Put $102 Million on the Post–El Mencho Hunt
On August 5, 2026, U.S. authorities announced $102 million in rewards tied to alleged CJNG leaders after publicizing indictments. The amount is an offer;…

OPINION: Canada Has a 50% Tariff Threat and No Deal Yet
A 50% U.S. tariff on a broad range of Canadian imports was reported as due to take effect on August 19, 2026. On August…

FACT CHECK: Fico’s Moscow Talk Is Real, but the Defence Data Are From 2025
The strongest defence-spending claim in the available record is dated late August 2025: Robert Fico said Slovakia would stay at NATO’s 2% of GDP…

COMMENTARY: Paks Went Dark as Hungary’s Political Clock Kept Running
On August 2, 2026, the Hungarian government linked a drought-hit Danube and heatwave to the first full shutdown of Paks; three days later Tisza…

EDITORIAL: Poland Is Building the East While Washington Still Talks
On August 5–6, 2026, reporting by People’s Daily/Xinhua said Poland and the United States were in talks over possible permanent U.S. bases, while no…

DECODING: Berlin’s €109.7 Billion Defence Jump Comes With an €838 Billion Bill
The cabinet led by Friedrich Merz approved a draft 2027 budget on July 6, 2026 that raises German defence spending from €82.2 billion in…

ANALYSIS: Europe Set a 2030 Defence Deadline. Its Gaps Will Not Wait
The European Commission’s Readiness Roadmap 2030 sets a deadline of the end of 2028 to close capability gaps and the end of 2030 to…