Geopolitics

Morning Briefing — Friday, 20 March 2026 · EST · ~1,320 words⸻

Colin Henderson

Introduction Today is Day 21 of the US-Israel war on Iran — and also Nowruz, the Persian New Year — lending the conflict a symbolic resonance that both sides are exploiting. The dominant tone is escalatory: Gulf energy infrastructure is taking direct hits, Trump is alienating NATO allies in real time, and the Hormuz chokepoint remains effectively closed. A secondary but significant story breaks today in tech: the highest-profile AI chip smuggling indictment to date hits Super Micro’s co-founder. Markets are reflecting both — energy is the only sector in the green on the S&P for the fourth consecutive down … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Friday, 20 March 2026 · EST · ~1,320 words⸻

Geopolitics

Morning Briefing — Friday, March 20, 2026 · Toronto time · ~1,350 words

Colin Henderson

Morning Briefing — Friday, March 20, 2026 · Toronto time · ~1,350 words Introduction Day 20 of Operation Epic Fury is the dominant fact of the morning — and it is getting materially worse. Israel struck Iran’s South Pars gas field overnight; Iran responded by hitting energy infrastructure across Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE; Brent is now above $115/barrel. The intelligence governance story behind the war is equally significant today: the documented gap between Gabbard’s written and oral Senate testimony has sharpened the question of whether this war was launched on manufactured casus belli — a development with structural … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Friday, March 20, 2026 · Toronto time · ~1,350 words

AGI, AI, productivity, Progress, Risk

Parallel between Arendt ‘Human Condition’ and EU AI Act Digital Omnibus Act

Colin Henderson

The EU is facing serious challenges with their AI Act, and the reasons why are becoming evident and worth considering. My own interests in AI have been focussed on the opportunity to dramatically improve productivity in Banking through use of AI. This research has opened many doors for me, and some are beginning to come into better focus which improves my means to analyse the hurdles. My vision goes well beyond chatbots in terms of how AI will be ultimately integrated. I see two definitive potential tracks In this blog I have explored philosophy, poetry, research of academic papers, AI’s … Continue reading Parallel between Arendt ‘Human Condition’ and EU AI Act Digital Omnibus Act

EU, intel

EU Pledges Technical and Financial Aid to Restore Druzhba Pipeline

Colin Henderson

Wed, 03/18/2026 – 08:01https://www.pipeline-journal.net/news/eu-pledges-technical-and-financial-aid-restore-druzhba-pipelineEuropean Union leaders announced Tuesday that the bloc will provide technical and financial assistance to Ukraine to help restore oil flow through a section of the Druzhba pipeline running through Ukraine. Oil shipments through the pipeline were halted following a series of Russian missile strikes on the critical energy infrastructure in January, severing crude oil supplies to Hungary and Slovakia. In a joint statement, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel condemned the Jan. 27 attacks, which hit key nodes of the transit network. The disruption has left Central European nations … Continue reading EU Pledges Technical and Financial Aid to Restore Druzhba Pipeline

Geopolitics

Morning Briefing — Thursday, 19 March 2026 · Toronto time · ~1,350 words

Colin Henderson

Introduction Iran’s energy war crossed a material threshold overnight: a second strike on Ras Laffan has now caused “extensive damage” to infrastructure already offline since March 2, while Brent oil briefly hit $119 and Dutch gas futures spiked. EU leaders opened in Brussels this morning with a packed agenda — Hungary’s Ukraine loan veto, rearmament, competitiveness — and found it immediately dominated by a live energy shock. The [PT] thread is also breaking into the open: the Joe Kent resignation has planted Mearsheimer-Walt framing inside a senior US official’s public record, and a Tucker Carlson interview is expected imminently. Two … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Thursday, 19 March 2026 · Toronto time · ~1,350 words

Geopolitics

Morning Briefing — Wednesday, 18 March 2026 ·

Colin Henderson

Toronto time · ~1,320 words briefing Introduction Day 19 of the US-Israel-Iran war opens with the most significant leadership decapitation since Khamenei: Ali Larijani — Iran’s top security official and most prominent surviving voice of the regime — confirmed killed overnight by Israel, alongside Basij commander Gholam Reza Soleimani. Iran’s response was immediate and escalatory: multi-warhead ballistic missiles on central Israel, killing two in Ramat Gan; fresh barrages on Gulf states; and a categorical restatement that Hormuz remains closed. On the home front, the Kent resignation is producing its first-order political effects inside MAGA world, with the [PT] thread now … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Wednesday, 18 March 2026 ·

Geopolitics, World Order

Joe Kent, Trump’s Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his immediate resignation March 17, 2026.

Colin Henderson

Joe Kent Resignation — Summary Axios report follows. The influence from Israel is important and represents a new level of power accepted by US.#us #israel Joe Kent, Trump’s Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his immediate resignation this morning, posting his letter directly to X. He stated he could not support the ongoing war against Iran, asserting that Iran posed no imminent threat to the US and that the war was started due to pressure from Israel and its American lobby.  The letter’s key charges, paraphrased from the Axios report: ∙ Kent accused senior Israeli officials and influential … Continue reading Joe Kent, Trump’s Director of the National Counterterrorism Center, announced his immediate resignation March 17, 2026.

Geopolitics

Morning Briefing — Tuesday, 17 March 2026 · Toronto time · ~1,340 words

Colin Henderson

Today is Day 18 of the US-Israel war on Iran, and the dominant tone is escalation on multiple simultaneous fronts. Three crises are now compounding each other: a Middle East war that is reshaping global energy markets and European security doctrine simultaneously; a Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict that has crossed a threshold few anticipated; and a Canada-US trade relationship drifting back toward friction after a brief March thaw. The news environment today is notably darker than yesterday — two senior Iranian figures reportedly killed this morning, oil prices pushing through $100 again, and 400 bodies still being pulled from a Kabul hospital. … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Tuesday, 17 March 2026 · Toronto time · ~1,340 words

China, intel, Military, Russia

The war of signals: How Russia and China help Iran see the battlefield

Colin Henderson

Electronic warfare and intelligence sharing are eroding decades of US-Israeli dominance in the Gulf. Jasim Al-Azzawi Al Jazeera Opinion, 12 March 2026Best available structural read on how Russia’s Khayyam satellite imagery pipeline and China’s BeiDou-3 integration have collectively reshaped Iran’s kill chain — and why “coordinates are now more valuable than bullets” in the current conflict. Essential context for the BeiDou thread now elevated to standalone status. ——————————- When three senior American officials told The Washington Post that Russia was providing Iran with sensitive intelligence, including the precise locations of US warships and aircraft operating across the Middle East, they … Continue reading The war of signals: How Russia and China help Iran see the battlefield

AI, Geopolitics

briefing

Colin Henderson

Morning Briefing — Monday, 16 March 2026Toronto time | ~1,300 words 1. Top Stories — What Changed Iran war enters third week with no ceasefire frameworkIsrael’s military says it is preparing at least three more weeks of strikes with “thousands of targets” remaining. Iran fired approximately 700 missiles and 3,600 drones at US and Israeli targets since 28 February. An Iranian commander on 15 March reaffirmed the Strait of Hormuz will continue to be used as a pressure point. Khamenei’s status remains officially disputed — Iran’s foreign minister insists he is governing; Western intelligence assessments are more cautious.New today: Israel … Continue reading briefing