Mallen Baker: Faultlines

Trump had a dream of the Gaza Riviera, where the Palestinians had been cleared from their own country and resettled in neighbouring Egypt and Jordan, leaving a redeveloped paradise for the beautiful people to enjoy. Unsurprisingly, the Arab states were not on board with this vision, and so Egypt has delivered its very own plan. The Arab states have endorsed it. European leaders have smiled warmly upon it. There's just one problem - Trump and Israel reject its failure to deal with the role of Hamas. And meanwhile, the existing ceasefire could break down at any point. Let's discuss.

So the US - Ukraine talks in Saudi Arabia conclude with a proposal for a 30-day ceasefire. A full ceasefire, not the partial one the Ukrainians had initially wanted. Why is the distinction between the partial and total ceasefire important - and how did the Ukrainians manage to get a clause inserted that potentially side-steps the trap that Russia and the US had laid for them in their previous summit? Let's discuss.

Various people have been asking if the radical new type of government the US has found itself with - undoubtedly more authoritarian by instinct than previous incumbents - should be labelled with one of the big ugly words of history - fascism. Various people do - but in this video we highlight exactly what that label describes, why it shouldn't be demeaned by mis-use, but also why we SHOULD be concerned about the direction of travel. Let's discuss.

The US-Ukraine talks begin tomorrow in Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine at least will find out then just how ruthless the US intends to be in threatening to let Putin overrun their country unless they agree to cede territory to him in the negotiations. Ukraine is going still with an agenda that assumes there will be a process where someone meets them halfway - but the evidence to date is that that's not the process they're walking into. At that point, what will they have to lose if they simply tell the US to get lost? Let's discuss.

I've had a couple of YouTube comments recently asking if the slightly different tone of videos in the last few weeks means that the non-partisan position of the channel has been put aside. In other words, am I now 'off the fence' - at least when it comes to Donald Trump? This doesn't quite catch the whole point of non-partisanship as practiced on this channel, so I thought it was worth discussing. It's a change of pace, if nothing else!

When he first said it, everyone thought he was joking. It was a joke that Canadians found insulting, but even so. But then in subsequent discussions, Canadian prime minister Trudeau and his officials found that Trump was getting very specifically detailed in the treaties and historical agreements that defined Canada's border - documents he feels can be disregarded. Quickly they came to the conclusion that Trump is out to destroy Canada's economy, which he feels will make it easier to annex it. Let's discuss.

The current European leaders, along with the NATO Secretary General, are all agreed that NATO remains solid, the United States partnership likewise, the mutual defence promise at the heart of the Treaty has the full commitment of President Trump. And we all know that they don't believe that at all. They say it because they hope that they can buy time to backfill the NATO joint effect of deterrence and stability before Trump finally calls time. But it's fooling nobody, least of all Vladimir Putin. Let's discuss.

Today it was revealed that senior members of the Trump administration have been talking to the political opposition in Ukraine, seeking to find who would be the alternative leader to Zelensky who would be more palatable to Vladimir Putin, and who would embrace America's help to get them elected? This is all in line with the plan we know the US and Russia discussed - to bring in a ceasefire, and then use that as an excuse to push Ukraine into an election - an election that Russia and the US will be doing their best to see Zelensky lose. Let's discuss.

Zelensky has sent the letter to president Trump that was demanded - agreeing to sign the one-sided minerals deal, to put himself 'under Trump's strong leadership' and to agree to an early ceasefire. This is what Ukraine's European allies, such as Keir Starmer from Britain, and Emmanuel Macron from France, have urged him to do. But it's a trap. He knows it's a trap. They may or may not know, but if they do - they think it's worth the risk of stepping into it anyway. Let's discuss.

In spite of Europe's hopes that somehow there would be a path to keeping Trump onside with supporting Ukraine, the inevitability of the dashing of those hopes is now plain to see. Trump has pulled military support for Ukraine - including weapons that were agreed before he came to office that were literally in the process of being delivered. The intent is clearly to put maximum pressure on for Kyiv to have to accept his terms for 'peace'. Let's discuss.