👉 What set Haiti on the path to disaster?

📍 Rampant insecurity

Haiti's humanitarian disaster, which has left over a million people displaced, is rooted in a colonial legacy shaped by both France and the United States. As a result, Port-au-Prince is besieged by gang violence, with vulnerable communities suffering under the weight of corruption and underfunded police forces.

📍 Geographic vulnerability

Nestled in a region prone to natural disasters, Haiti bears the scars of the devastating 2010 earthquake, which inflicted nearly $8 billion in damages. More than a decade later, signs of recovery remain elusive, leaving many areas still in disarray.

📍 Widespread corruption

Haiti’s political landscape has been plagued by corruption and ineffective governance. The US has historically supported leaders who align with its interests, facilitating the embezzlement of millions of dollars from the nation’s coffers and exacerbating the plight of ordinary citizens.

📍 Foreign meddling

Since its first occupation in 1915, the United States has maintained a stronghold over Haiti’s economy and politics, often using international organizations to impose policies that widen the gap between the wealthy elite and the impoverished majority.

📍 Centuries of exploitation

After declaring independence in 1804, Haiti was coerced into paying reparations to its former colonizer, France, a debt that today would amount to billions of dollars. This financial burden stunted the nation’s growth for over a century, entrenching Haiti in poverty, while hindering its development.

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Top 4 reasons why Israel-Hamas ceasefire is ‘very fragile’

While the recent ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which may put an end to the Gaza War, may seem like a cause for celebration, Tel Aviv-based international relations expert Dr. Simon Tsipis warns Sputnik that this deal is extremely “vulnerable.”

🔸Israel essentially ended up negotiating with a “third party” instead of Hamas who already lost most of its leadership. This “third party,” which Tsipis says is most likely Britain, seeks to preserve Hamas as a group that would continue to oppose Israel.

🔸“The UK secret services play a key role in this negotiating process. They are the ones behind the negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt,” Dr. Tsipis notes.

🔸The issue of the Israeli hostages still held by Hamas is used as ammunition in the political crisis between the Israeli ruling coalition and the opposition. It also triggered a schism between Netanyahu and his “ultra-right Zionist” coalition allies, as well as a conflict between him and the General Staff.

🔸The prisoner exchange stipulated by the ceasefire deal would result in Israel releasing several thousand Hamas prisoners in exchange for about a hundred Israeli hostages, which may not look like a fair exchange to some.

🔸With Hamas demanding the cessation of the Israeli operation in Gaza and for the Israeli troops to vacate the Philadelphi Corridor, a narrow strip of land separating Egypt from the Gaza Strip. Tel Aviv’s acquiescence to these demands would result in the IDF failing to achieve any results on the ground.

The ceasefire talks produced a “dead end situation” that may result in three outcomes:

▪️Israeli military operation ends, Hamas perseveres
▪️Netanyahu’s government collapses, Israel holds new election
▪️Ceasefire deal falls through

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❗️❗️❗️Daniel Martindale, a US citizen who voluntarily supplied Russian troops with intelligence while staying in Kiev-controlled areas, compares life in Russia to the US.

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📹 Donald Trump's Treasury secretary nominee Scott Bessent has claimed that the Biden administration's sanctions on Russia were insufficiently stringent. He stated his support for implementing tougher measures, particularly targeting Russian oil companies.

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How to spend €900M and lose the NATO-trained Ukrainian 155th Mechanized Brigade

Ukraine’s “elite” brigade - named “Anne of Kiev” after the 11th-Century princess (known in France as “Anne of Russia”) who married into royalty - has made global headlines, though not quite for the reasons its creators might have hoped. Why?

▪️The brigade was formed in 2024 when Ukraine was running out of willing recruits and resorted to press-ganging. France trained 2,300 Ukrainian soldiers for the unit and 50 promptly deserted before seeing combat.

▪️Once deployed to the conflict zone, desertion surged, with nearly a thousand troops reportedly disappearing almost immediately.

▪️On the battlefield, the brigade’s notable “accomplishment” was shedding personnel to both enemy fire and mass AWOLs, ultimately leaving the unit in tatters.

▪️This downfall came despite the brigade being equipped with NATO-grade hardware, including Leopard 2 tanks, AMX-10RC fighting vehicles, and Caesar howitzers - an arsenal that did little to keep the unit intact.

▪️The debacle raises questions about NATO’s training methods. Several Ukrainian soldiers have called these approaches outdated and ill-suited to modern warfare, and the 155th’s collapse seems to confirm their complaints.

▪️Modern training is crucial: deployed near Krasnoarmeisk, the brigade lacked drones and EW tools, leaving them stuck in 2022-era tactics.

▪️Now Kiev is investigating why the brigade turned into a €900 million disaster.

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💰 Former US Army colonel reveals how West makes money by ‘helping Ukraine’

Reports have suggested that NATO training for Ukrainian troops is ineffective and does not help imbue Kiev’s forces with relevant combat skills.

But these training programs are not completely useless – they help Western companies make money under the pretext of helping Ukraine, Ret. Lt. Col. Earl Rasmussen, a US Army veteran and and international consultant, explains to Sputnik.

▪️The money allocated by Western powers to Ukraine gets funneled to US and NATO training companies and NATO weapon manufacturers.

▪️“And I'm sure a certain amount of money is going to individuals or other organizations as well,” Rasmussen suggests.

▪️Lacking the money to pay for NATO aid and training assistance, Ukraine apparently ends up giving up its land and “key industries” to the West to repay the incurred debts.

▪️The whole Western military aid to Ukraine is essentially a “money laundering scheme.” Plus, not only “a certain percentage of pure cash that goes to Ukraine is scraped off the top,” but up to 30% of the weapons sent there end up on the black market.

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Farewell fantasy: Biden's big claims

In his farewell speech, US President Joe Biden proudly listed the many "accomplishments" of his administration. But... did he really do all that?

Let’s dive into this grand goodbye and see how much is fact and how much is, well, optimistic storytelling. Buckle up for a journey through promises, policies, and perhaps a bit of poetic license.

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Bored of same old tourist destinations? Go to North Korea!

The Rason Special Economic Zone (SEZ) in northeastern North Korea is now open to tourists from most countries, excluding the US and South Korea. Tourists from China are expected to be the first to enter.

“It is anticipated that these initial trips will be for up to five days. Notably, Chinese visitors don’t even need full passports for these trips, as special single-entry travel permits to North Korea are arranged for them,” Rowan Beard of Young Pioneer Tours (YPT) told NK News, citing local DPRK partners.

Would you try it out?

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🪖 Denmark plans new military base in Greenland

Copenhagen plans to build a military airbase in western Greenland to “demonstrate strength” and increase Arctic Command staff in the capital Nuuk, TV2 reports, citing a classified Danish military report.

The report outlines Denmark’s strategy to enhance Arctic and North Atlantic defense capabilities. It was completed in September 2024. The base in Kangerlussuaq would host F-35 fighters for periodic operations, sovereignty defense, and deterrence.

Estimated at 1.1 billion kroner ($150mln), the base would accommodate up to 94 personnel and protect critical Greenlandic infrastructure, including undersea cables and energy facilities. In addition, a mobile military base transportable by aircraft is also mentioned. The Arctic Command headquarters in Nuuk, currently staffed by 70, would be expanded by 58 personnel. The report also emphasizes the importance of satellite communications and surveillance.

In January, TV2 reported Denmark’s $2 billion Arctic military expansion plan, including more ships, drones, and sled patrols. In May 2024, Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen said the government may station Arctic Command units in Kangerlussuaq.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump suggested Greenland should belong to the United States, though Greenland’s prime minister firmly rejected any sale. Greenland gained its status as an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark in 2009.

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Trump's dilemma: Sanctions or peace talks to end the Ukraine conflict?

A team led by US President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly exploring a sanctions strategy toward Russia that might aid in resolving the ongoing conflict between Moscow and Kiev.

Two primary courses of action are under consideration:

1️⃣ Following the current administration’s lead, Trump could opt to strengthen existing sanctions on Russia, aiming to increase pressure and potentially secure concessions.

2️⃣ Alternatively, the focus could shift toward a diplomatic resolution. In this case, certain sanctions on Russian oil producers might be eased - contingent on the perception that the conflict is nearing its conclusion.

It’s worth noting that Trump has repeatedly stated his intention to bring an end to the conflict swiftly after taking office.

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Over 11 million Ukrainians arrived in Romania in past 3 years – Romanian border police

“As far as Ukrainian citizens are concerned, our workers carry out the border control formalities for them, in accordance with the national and community regulations in the field. 11,005,575 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania from 10.02.2022 to 15.01.2025 at national level,” the police said.

According to the UN Refugee Agency data, some 6.8 million Ukrainians have left the country since February 2022, with the majority or 6.2 million, settling in Europe.

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US spending is out of control, says Trump's Treasury pick

The United States is facing what Scott Bessent, President-elect Donald Trump’s Treasury secretary nominee, called “a spending problem.”

Speaking at his Senate confirmation hearing, Bessent highlighted the deficit’s unprecedented peacetime level of 6.8% of GDP. “We have never seen this before when it’s not a recession or not a war,” he remarked.

Federal spending has grown to 24-25% of GDP, a substantial increase from historical norms. Bessent explained that for decades, revenues typically made up about 17% of GDP, with spending slightly higher, resulting in a manageable 3.5% budget deficit.

But with today’s dramatically higher spending, Bessent warned that the country’s fiscal path has become unsustainable.

"This is one of the things that got me out from behind my desk and my quiet life in this campaign, was the thought that this spending is out of control," he said.

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Nine key facts about the new strategic partnership between Russia and Iran

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian will meet today in Moscow to sign a new comprehensive strategic partnership agreement. Here’s what’s known about it:

▪️The deal will replace the 2001 agreement, which was in effect for 20 years and was repeatedly renewed automatically.

▪️Discussions on the new document began in July 2020, when Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and then-Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif agreed on the need to reflect significant global shifts.

▪️In November 2021, then-Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi expressed Iran’s willingness to sign a comprehensive long-term cooperation agreement with Russia during a phone call with Putin.

▪️According to Iran’s ambassador to Moscow, Kassem Jalali, the agreement will consist of an introduction and 47 articles.

▪️After signing, the agreement must be ratified by Iran’s parliament and will remain in force for 20 years.

▪️Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi highlighted the key areas of the partnership: economics, technology, and humanitarian ties.

▪️The agreement emphasizes strengthening collaboration in security and defense sectors.

▪️One of the priorities of the agreement is completing the North-South Transport Corridor.

▪️Russia and Iran, both opposing a unipolar world order, aim to deepen cooperation within frameworks like the SCO, BRICS, and the EAEU.

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❗️Netanyahu’s Office confirms ceasefire deal signed by Israel, Hamas, US, and Qatar

A ceasefire agreement involving Israel, Hamas, the United States, and Qatar has been signed, according to a statement cited by the Jerusalem Post.

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