Geopolitics

Morning Briefing — Monday, 16 March 2026

Colin Henderson

1. US-Israel-Iran War / Strait of Hormuz — Day 17 Status: Conflict is now in its third week with no ceasefire framework in place. Israel’s military has stated it is preparing for at least three additional weeks of strikes, with “thousands of targets” still to hit. Iran has fired approximately 700 missiles and 3,600 drones at US and Israeli targets since 28 February. Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei’s status remains officially contested — Iran’s foreign minister claims he is in good health and managing the country, while questions about his wellbeing persist internationally. An Iranian commander on 15 March reaffirmed the … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Monday, 16 March 2026

AI

# Book Review: ‘Death Machines’ and the Limits of Algorithmic Ethics

Colin Henderson

A Synthesis of Elke Schwarz’s book ‘Death Machines’ and Its Implications for AGI Risk Synthesised from: Schwarz, E. (2018). Death Machines: The Ethics of Violent Technologies. Manchester University Press; Archambault, E. (2019). Review of Death Machines. International Affairs, 95(2), 470–471; and adjacent literature in autonomous weapons ethics and AI governance. Source: personal research and summarized, formatted and conclusions by Anthropic Claude.ai 1. What the Book Actually Argues Elke Schwarz’s Death Machines (2018) is frequently miscategorised as a book about drone warfare. It is not, or not primarily. Its true subject is what happens to moral reasoning when ethical decisions are … Continue reading # Book Review: ‘Death Machines’ and the Limits of Algorithmic Ethics

F1

2026 Chinese GP — Shanghai, March 15

Colin Henderson

Good news for Lewis. Here’s the summary:2026 Chinese GP — Shanghai, March 15Result (Top 10):1. Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes)2. George Russell (Mercedes)3. Lewis Hamilton (Ferrari) 🏆4. Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)5. Ollie Bearman (Haas)6. Pierre Gasly (Alpine)7. Liam Lawson (Racing Bulls)8. Isack Hadjar (Red Bull)9. Carlos Sainz (Williams)10. Franco Colapinto (Alpine)Lewis: His first Grand Prix podium for Ferrari, achieved after a hard intra-team battle with Leclerc, the pair running side by side at multiple points before Hamilton secured P3 and Leclerc finished fourth. Worth noting — Hamilton briefly led the race at the start, getting the jump on both Mercedes from P3 on … Continue reading 2026 Chinese GP — Shanghai, March 15

Geopolitics, intel, Military

Morning Briefing — Sunday, March 15, 2026

Colin Henderson

1. What Changed Iran War — Day 15: Kharg Island Struck, Baghdad Embassy Hit Summary: US forces bombed military installations on Kharg Island — Iran’s primary oil export terminal — while Iranian drones struck the US Embassy helipad in Baghdad and a major Emirati energy facility. New today: Trump announced the Kharg Island strike; the State Department offered a $10M reward for intelligence on Khamenei and other top officials. The Embassy helipad attack confirms Iranian retaliation now targets US diplomatic infrastructure. Why it matters: Kharg handles roughly 90% of Iranian oil exports; its degradation deepens Iran’s economic pain but raises … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Sunday, March 15, 2026

AI, Geopolitics, intel, Middle East, Military

Analysis -Drone War Evolution: Equilibrium, Scenarios, and Off-Ramps

Colin Henderson

Introduction If previous wars were tanks and trenches the rapid shift to AI and physical cheap and effective drones point to a new step in drone warfare although it suggests more of a catch up on US part. It doesn’t feel like a Little Boy, moment but opposite and will extend the war, not bring diplomatic pressure unless targeting becomes more strategically aimed at driving diplomatic off ramps. Or in consideration of plausible scenarios is the Yuan repricing of Hormuz oil a more likely creative market driven indicator of what will bring an off ramp while drones produce a holding … Continue reading Analysis -Drone War Evolution: Equilibrium, Scenarios, and Off-Ramps

AI

“How Anthropic Became the Most Disruptive Company in the World”TIME Magazine, March 11, 2026https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/anthropic-claude-disruptive-company-pentagon/

Colin Henderson

The most complete single-source account of the Anthropic-Pentagon dispute yet published — including the specific proximate trigger (an Anthropic employee allegedly called Palantir to query Claude’s use in the Venezuela raid, which the Pentagon characterised as soliciting classified information), the personality dynamics between Dario Amodei and Emil Michael, OpenAI’s stumble and amendment, and the deeper question of whether private AI companies can structurally impose constraints on military clients. Essential reading for the Anthropic-defense governance thread, and directly relevant to the broader AI sovereignty debate. Continue reading “How Anthropic Became the Most Disruptive Company in the World”TIME Magazine, March 11, 2026https://time.com/article/2026/03/11/anthropic-claude-disruptive-company-pentagon/

Geopolitics

Morning Briefing — Saturday, 14 March 2026

Colin Henderson

Toronto time | Operation Epic Fury: Day 15 A busy Saturday morning. Key delta since yesterday:Lead story is the Kharg Island strike — announced overnight, confirmed this morning. Trump explicitly spared the oil infrastructure this time while threatening it as the next rung. Iran’s retaliatory threat is symmetric: hit our oil, we hit everyone’s. Brent opens Monday with that hanging over it.Two embedded signals worth tracking: The yuan-denominated Hormuz passage offer from a senior Iranian official is the first structured exit signal in 15 days and may have Beijing’s fingerprints on it — relevant to the China proxy thread. No … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Saturday, 14 March 2026

AI

Death Machines — Elke Schwarz (2018/2019)

Colin Henderson

Source Claude AI I studied and researched this book and little experience with #Arendt I go further researched in Claude and the results are illuminating and point to serious deficiencies in the “guardrails “ thinking that guides latest Government thinking on AI regulation. ———————————— This is a rich and genuinely important book, and you’ve landed on it at exactly the right moment given what’s unfolding with the Anthropic-Pentagon thread we’ve been tracking. Death Machines — Elke Schwarz (2018/2019)Core ArgumentSchwarz’s central move is philosophically subversive: she refuses to engage the ethics of lethal autonomous weapons on their own terms. The conventional … Continue reading Death Machines — Elke Schwarz (2018/2019)

AI, AI_factories, Business Models

Nvidia backs AI cloud startup Nebius with $2B as data center race intensifies

Colin Henderson

Nvidia is investing $2 billion in Amsterdam-based Nebius, taking an 8.3% stake and deepening its push into the fast-growing “neocloud” layer of the AI stack. Nebius said it plans to deploy more than 5 gigawatts of data center capacity by 2030, a huge build-out that shows demand for AI compute is no longer driven solely by hyperscalers like Microsoft, Google, and Meta. The deal also underscores Nvidia’s increasingly unusual position in the market: it is not just selling chips, but financing parts of the ecosystem that buy and deploy them. Why that matters goes beyond one funding deal. AI infrastructure … Continue reading Nvidia backs AI cloud startup Nebius with $2B as data center race intensifies

Economy, Geopolitics

Morning Briefing — Friday, 13 March 2026

Colin Henderson

Eight stories across four sections, running to ~1,350 words. A few things worth flagging from today’s file:The structural signal in the analysis pick — Hormuz was closed not by a naval blockade but by drone strikes close enough to spook insurers into self-deterrence. Iran spent almost nothing; the global cost is measured in trillions of dollars of disrupted trade. That mechanism has changed the calculus for every energy chokepoint permanently.The Khamenei succession remains the most uncertain variable. His opening statement hardened every Iranian position simultaneously — Hormuz, US bases, the war tempo — with no visible off-ramp language. Whether that … Continue reading Morning Briefing — Friday, 13 March 2026