During a phone call on a warm day in August 2002, the two of us came to an unmistakable conclusion: This bastard is going to take us into war with Iraq! The "bastard," of course, was then President George W. Bush, who was in the midst of an aggressive propaganda campaign about the alleged danger posed by Saddam Hussein's weapons program.
Global oil inventories are approaching their lowest point in eight years, with Goldman Sachs analysts estimating that stocks could fall to 98 days of global demand by the end of May. Yet if you're looking at the markets, things look relatively rosy. Brent crude prices are hovering around $100 a barrel, down from a post-Iran war peak of $126 in April. West Texas Intermediate crude also stood around $100 a barrel in the past week, down from its April 7 high of $113. (Both benchmarks are still far above their pre-war levels).
The high-mobility artillery systems (HIMARS) will be stationed on the Penghu archipelago and Dongyin - two strategically exposed outposts positioned close to China's eastern seaboard - in what military planners describe as an effort to create a forward "dead zone" designed to deter any potential amphibious assault.
The Israeli attack on part of our flotilla has convinced us we must continue with our mission. Imagine the following scenario: you are scheduled to board a sailing boat as part of a large fleet carrying humanitarian aid. Some boats in the fleet had already departed ahead of you, yet days before you are scheduled to join them, the boats are violently intercepted in international waters by a foreign power acting 600 nautical miles (1,100km) from its own coast in flagrant violation of international maritime laws. At least 30 of your fellow sea travellers were injured, and at least four have since come forward to report incidents of sexual assault.
Donald Trump threatened last week that Iran would be bombed at a "much higher level and intensity than it was before" if it did not agree to terms - but faces pressure at home to wind down the conflict and seek approval from Congress to continue strikes.
