I suspect the UAE will be trying to match the US instead of OPEC, because US petrol-industry costs notably more, so the preferred normative price of petrol for the US will generally fetch the UAE more revenue than trying to align with OPEC. This is good news for the US, since it gives them to more ability to buffer the decline of the USD. We might however see the contentions between the Saudis and UAE sharpen further, since their mutual interests that were aligned via OPEC, will no longer prevent them from diverging further. With UAE making moves like this, we should also not be surprised if they add more momentum behind their recognition of Somaliland. Either way, this is no tiny matter, and it's very likely we'll be seeing ripple effects as a direct result of the Emiratis choice to leave OPEC. The above are my from-the-hip takes. Wyatt at Defense Politics Asia (DPA) provides us with a leisurely synoptic coverage on this matter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYEkcLRVfIE

Do you know abut The elephant in the room? The silence surrounding the 'elephant' is what perpetuates the problem. To solve a problem, the first step is acknowledging its existence. 'Naming' the problem, saying what everyone is not saing. Then real work toward a solution begins. This is one of the most important skills in leadership and critical thinking: the ability to identify what everyone is trying to suppress, and to find the right, courageous, and effective way to bring it to the surface. From here, we need to be careful not to fall to the second trap ​The parable of the blind men and the elephant is a timeless story of Indian origin that explores the subjective nature of truth and the limitations of human perception. ​The Narrative. ​A group of blind men are asked to describe an elephant by touch. Because they have never encountered one before, each man explores a different part of the animal and draws his own conclusion based on that limited contact. ​ ​The story illustrates that while each individual's observation is technically "true" based on their specific experience, it is an incomplete representation of the whole. It highlights how easily we mistake our limited, subjective perspectives for objective truth. It encourages intellectual humility, suggesting that to understand a complex reality whether in politics, social issues, or interpersonal relationships, one must synthesize the diverse, often conflicting viewpoints of others rather than insisting on the exclusivity of one's own. Good luck to all of us .

After over a month of white Zionising colonization in West Africa, my ooga-boogary has been satisfyingly replenished, and so I venture back to the old contrarian DPA-crew to gauge the level of echo-chamberism they're afflicted by. For TLDR, here's the link to my entry (1 hour in) to the torch-bearer IEDC on Rumble: https://rumble.com/v790pf2-call-in-show-iedc-open-mic-11b-sunday-show-9pm-cet-3pm-est.html?e9s=src_v1_clr%2Csrc_v1_upp_f For those who care to watch/listen, you'll easily notice that when I get on (about 1hour in), there's a few that have drifted far enough into the idealistic framing of the Islamic Occupiers, that especially the Balkans were rather sensitive to the information I present (much of it relayed from here on Liberty Politics, especially the part about infighting resulting from the cease-fire) Please don't be put off by it getting heated, most of the speakers know each other from years of heated discussions. We're typically more respectful, especially to new speakers, but it should still be obvious that this is not a space for push-overs. However, stand your ground, and you'll experience things will tend to normalize on a more pleasant (as you can tell when you see our closing at the end,, we used harsh words, but no bad blood). Anyways, I'll try to engage them on Sundays, 9PM CET, set up for the Euro-African timezone. Those joining when I'm on can expect me to discipline my fellow OG's if any of them become too ill-mannered. Also, while this timezone tends to be a bit more feisty, most of the speakers are generally quite measured, so again I kindly ask you not to take this spat we me and Euro/Joe as a norm you're likely to contend with when you join. For those in the American timezone may prefer viewing/joining on the Saturday show, 9PM EST. It often has some of the same speakers, but generally more of those who belong to that timezone.

From the Youtube-channel Dr. Hassan Loves Palestine , (don't be fooled by the name, it was formerly 'Loves Israel', but he recently changed it to troll his critics. He's recently begun narrating in English, so it's notably easier for us non-Arab speakers to listen in on. I'd like to know if you folks think we should invite him to our group-discussions. Being an Arab from the UAE, he strikes me as someone who has an insight to the area, and could aid us in understanding the region's predicament with more clarity. Consider giving his channel a visit, and him some love. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1LS3XKcanY

This one probably interest Iranians here the most, but others can understand it by turning on closed captions ('CC', opposite play-button). I just got this one popping up at my homepage. Kinda amusing with the cartoonish style, but at the moment only have time&inclination to skip-skim, but here's an excerpt, I think pertain to pro-Shah, and the rest (but I don't really know) 7:00 "There's no point having any dialogue, debate, or argument between supporters of both sides." ,,, ",,, we're blood enemies" I'm tempted to assume there are sentiments in this vid, Armin is familiar with. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3i7HqfFegA