‘Judging Freedom’ edition of 14 January 2026

This discussion centers on the issues of the method in Trump’s seeming madness on the world stage, which can be found in his first words on taking office: ‘drill baby drill.’ As I have noted in my most recent essays on Substack, Trump understands that control of global trading in oil and gas is critical for refurbishing and maintaining the dollar as the global reserve currency, which in turn provides the financial strength for America to assume massive debt at little cost to itself and thus afford the world’s biggest military budget.

Trump’s strongest asset is his courage and readiness to assume calculated risks to further American national interests. He looks for ‘low hanging fruit,’ for adding to American territory and control of events without getting bogged down in ‘boots on the ground’ wars. He will only venture where a quick victory is within reach.

The open question is whether the Teheran leaders can respond with sufficient decisiveness and timely risk-taking to fend off the Trump offensive. Since it is absolutely clear that Trump is preparing to attack Iran’s strategic infrastructure so that paid fighters can overthrow the government without hindrance, Teheran should now make a preemptive strike on Israel and on the US bases in the region if it wishes to survive. I do not see Chinese or Russian intervention to save Iran.

I am uncertain whether Presidents Xi and Putin appreciate that they too should be acting preemptively right now if they wish to share global power with the United States in a kind of Yalta-2 arrangement.

©Gilbert Doctorow, 2026

NewsX World hourly morning news wrap-up, 13 January

In this morning’s news bulletin, I come on for two segments beginning at minute 14. These deal firstly with the latest Russian attack on the Ukrainian city of Kharkov, where further destruction to the energy infrastructure has been inflicted. As I say here, repeating what the Russians themselves are saying about these attacks: the destruction of energy production and distribution is taking a page from the American playbook of their 1999 bombing campaign against Belgrade, though here the Russians have an ulterior objective of driving the population to flee to Europe, thereby reducing Ukraine’s economy while overwhelming social services in Germany and elsewhere by the refugee influx so that Europe sues for peace. Secondly, we spoke about the massive demonstration of French farmers in Paris protesting the terms of the Mercosur trade deal that has been concluded with the EU over objections from European farmers who claim there will be unfair trading that undercuts their markets. The problem is not unfair trading but the much greater efficiency and production costs in a very large market like Brazil versus France. I expect the treaty will be ratified and come into effect nonetheless, though with added provisions for review and modification of certain terms relating to agriculture after a year or two to avoid doing excessive harm to European farmers.

For those who may think that the almost daily commentary that this broadcaster requests of me puts them in the Alternative News category, I urge that you listen to the interview just prior to my appearance, where you will hear an account of the brutal repression of demonstrators by the Iranian authorities that could just as easily be shown on the BBC or Euronews. For the truth about Iran, you would do well to go to Glenn Diesen’s interview yesterday with Iranian professor Seyed Marandi – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFRO4bXzEQw&t=696s

This morning’s NewsX World hourly round-up: Trump cancels ‘international law’

I appear in this multi-segment broadcast at minute 19.26

The issue that I highlight in the title above is one of two or three highly topical issues which are widely discussed in media today but as I insist here are devoid of substance. The relevance of international law to allegations of Russian aggression in initiating its invasion of Ukraine is nil. The notion of double standards in applying international law to the case of Russia’s supposed aggression in Ukraine when it is not applied to the American invasion of Venezuela is also empty now that Donald Trump publicly canceling international law as a restraint in an interview with The New York Times a couple of days ago.

Another empty bit of ‘breaking news’ that we discussed is the invitation extended by U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Bessent to India and Australia to attend the upcoming G7 meeting for talk about finding new sources of rare earth metals outside of China. This is a PR exercise and nothing more, because any increase in mining and processing of these metals will come years from now and the crisis is here and now, when China has full leverage over the rest of the world in the growing confrontation with the West.

Similarly one does not have to spend more a minute considering how the U.S. seizure of a Russian tanker will affect the peace negotiations over Ukraine. The answer is very simple: there will be no peace negotiations or if they take place the guarantied outcome will be zero, and the war will continue until Russia gets what it wants, leaving Ukraine as a failed state.

I do not mean to suggest that there is no news worth reading or watching today. Such news, of course, exists, but it is not being covered by Mainstream while they fill their on air minutes and their news columns with the irrelevancies cited above.

Conversation with Professor Glenn Diesen, 9 January 2026: Russia’s Oreshnik Strike in Warning to NATO

This afternoon’s chat with Professor Diesen presented our best efforts to make sense of the torrent of breaking news this past seven days. Much of this news was generated by Donald Trump and related to his attack on Venezuela, his threats to take Greenland by force and American piracy on the high seas involving the capture of a Russian-flagged oil tanker traveling just south of Iceland. But in the last 24 hours, Vladimir Putin stole Trump’s thunder by a dramatic strike on critical energy infrastructure of Ukraine, reportedly the country’s largest gas storage facility, using its Oreshnik hypersonic missile. Not only did Russia destroy a facility representing half of Ukraine’s natural gas storage but this was done in the neighborhood of Lvov, in the very West of the country, just 70 km from the Polish border, thereby sending an unmistakable message to NATO countries about their vulnerability to this unstoppable Russian armament.

The conversation moved from this essentially new development to the long-standing issues o where the war is headed, what kind of outcome may we expect and in what time period, whether there will be any further Trump brokered peace talks and much more.

Throughout I insisted on Trump’s inscrutability and use of prevarication to keep us all confounded. And I took note of Putin’s long-awaited decisive action to put the fear of God into Europeans by demonstrating that Russia has not only the wherewithal but also the will to defend its interests.

A very Indian panel discussion for your perusal on News X

Trump Greenlights ‘Russia Sanctions Bill’ | More Tariff Trouble For India?

I was honored yesterday evening to participate in a very Indian panel discussion which opens with Indian advertising that you will certainly not find on BBC, CNN or other global broadcasters. As for the discussion itself, note that I appear to be the only non-Indian expert.

The topic was one of great concern to the Indian government and business community, namely the bill presently before the U.S. Senate granting the President the powers to impose secondary tariffs of up to 500% on countries which continue to buy Russian oil. This bill enjoys bipartisan support and is sponsored by the viciously anti-Russian Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and his Democratic peer and fellow Russia-hater Senator Richard Blumenthal from Connecticut. I add parenthetically that I take special interest in these sponsors because Blumenthal just happens to be a classmate of mine from Harvard College, 1967.

We each had just a few minutes to make present our evaluations of the likely fall-out from the 500% tariffs when the bill comes into law, as it inevitably will given that 82 of the Senators have previously expressed their support, making it veto-proof. The subject became news when President Trump came out yesterday saying he will sign the bill, which is a concession to the realities of politics on The Hill.

You will see that all the Indian experts were figuring the angles for India and for the USA coming out of the new tariffs: how this would add greatly to inflation for American consumers on the one hand and how it would harm Indian exports in areas until now not affected by Trump’s tariffs like pharmaceuticals. Regrettably, I limited my remarks to how the new tariffs would founder on the rocks of Chinese opposition. After all, Trump’s early attempts to impose 150% tariffs on China months ago fell through when the Chinese struck back and said they would freeze all sales of rare earth metals to the USA, in effect bringing US industrial production, especially in electronics and military hardware to an abrupt halt. Trump backed down and the imposition of high tariffs on China so far is in a suspended state, which is where it will likely remain to the end of Trump’s term in office.

Regrettably, what I did not broach is the question of how such tariffs would affect Russia and change dramatically how the war in Ukraine is being conducted.

If indeed, Washington succeeds in forcing Russia’s major export markets to stop buying Russian oil and does great harm to Russia’s economy, we will not have to wait to see this damage impair the war effort. On the contrary, we may anticipate that Russia will proceed to do in Ukraine what some argue it should have done a couple of years ago, namely to smash Kiev and Lvov to bits, putting a dramatic end to the statehood of Ukraine and ending the war here and now. I can add based on today’s latest news, which I discussed with News X World this morning, that the message of such an escalatory path has just been given by Moscow to Kiev, London, Paris, Berlin and Washington by the use of an Oreshnik hypersonic missile in a midnight attack on Kiev. I await further news on this very important development to see what destruction actually resulted from the Oreshnik attack, which is only the second use of this missile in the Ukrainian campaign after an initial experimental strike on a hardened underground military production site in Dnipro in 2024.

Transcript of Press TV (Iran) interview of 5 January 2026: WWIII is coming whether we like it or not

https://www.urmedium.net/c/presstv/135647

Transcript submitted by reader Th Hottingen

PressTV:

Joining us from Brussels for more analysis on this story is Mr. Gilbert Doctorow, independent international affairs journalist. Thank you very much Mister Doctorow as always for joining us during this hour top headlines.

Let’s go to start off with the situation with Colombia directly. Donald Trump even called the Colombian President a sick man along with his threat. What do you think according what we have seen so far, do you believe Donald Trump will make a move towards Colombia and how prepared do you believe [President] Petro is?

Gilbert Doctorow:

Oh, I think it’s entirely possible. But let’s keep in mind that what has happened this past weekend has changed international politics, has changed the outlook for peace in the world. We are now in the antechamber of World War III.

What Mister Trump has done is exactly what Hitler did after he signed with Chamberlain a ‘peace-in-our-time’ appeasement agreement. Mr. Trump is behaving like a world dictator.

And this is a message that is of great importance not just to viewers who are interested in following the latest small of developments in Latin America, but to others in Moscow, in Beijing, and also in Teheran.

The United States is a rogue state, and not by my accusation but by pride in that term. This was the term that one of the major thinkers of the NeoCon ideology, Robert Kagan, the husband of Victoria Nuland, put into his books and lectures, going back to 2008 when he was adviser to Mister John McCain.

This is warmongering, this is taking pride in destroying the sovereignty of a country.

So the message that came out of this weekend is a major one for those who value the sovereignty. Bolivia is a small case. Moscow, Beijing and Iran are big potential cases.

PressTV:

And Dr. Doctorow, I would have to ask you also about the protests we have seen in Venezuela; we have also seen leaders around the world who have been calling for President Maduro, for his wife to be released immediately, and the protesters on the ground in Caracas in other cities across Venezuela have promised that they will be getting their legitimate president back. What do you see as the fate of President Maduro at the moment?

Gilbert Doctorow:

I think his fate is miserable. His chance of being released is not much bigger than that of the President of Panama, Noriega, who was captured in a similar manner by George H. Bush, the father of the Bush [George W. or Bush 2] who invaded Iraq, in 1989.

These demonstrations can give heart and encourage well many people who are dismayed by what has happened. They will have no impact, whatsoever. The only thing that America understands is brutal force.

PressTV:

And Mr. Doctorow my last question is to the United States itself. You called it a rogue state. You talked about Donald Trump. When it comes to everything, specifically what you said over the weekend, over the last few years, I mean, just since specifically Donald Trump has taken his second term. There is no international law, we know this, nothing applies to the US. Is there any thing basically in the world that can stand up to this hegemony, this impunity being carried out by the US. And let’s not forget their Western allies.

Gilbert Doctorow:

Yes, there is of course. And that’s forces come together. The Chinese have been very reluctant to enter into a military allience with Russia. I hope they will reconsider that and understand that without a unified position – not just at the United Nations but off the shores of the United States – without a unified military positon each of them is subject to the same fate as Venezuela.

Let’s remember, one week ago there was a drone attack on the country-side residence of Vladimir Putin where his wife and three sons live, by the way. And Mr. Trump immediately said, ‘oh, terrible, terrible’. Yesterday Mr. Trump said: ‘It never happened’. And I think I know why. Because the CIA was part of the plot to kill Putin.

Let’s talk about that openly. I think you and Iran has faced this issue squarely. You know what I’m talking about. And it stands today as valid as it was two years ago when you lost your primeminister.

The United States is a rogue state. And the rest of the world will save itself not by demonstrations in the street but by showing military muscle and preparedness to use that muscle at the risk of entering World War III. Because World War III is coming whether we like it or not.

PressTV:

One more as always I like to thank you very much. Dr. Gilbert Doctorow, independent international affairs journalist joining us from Bussels.

‘Judging Freedom’ edition of 7 January 2026: Trump’s Maduro “Kidnapping” Is an Impeachable Crime

‘Judging Freedom’ edition of 7 January 2026: Trump’s Maduro “Kidnapping” Is an Impeachable Crime

This session with Judge Andrew Napolitano was a sad start to the New Year, as he stated at both the beginning and end of our conversation. We are in a new world order created by what I call here Trump’s latest deal with the devil to raise his sagging popularity ratings at this critical time when the USA enters the season of midterm elections.

Whereas at the very start of his new term a year ago Trump made some very promising, even daring appointments, as for example Tulsi Gabbard to Director of National Intelligence, and whereas there were some wonderful actions to curb the Deep State, as for example, the virtual shut-down of US AID, the agency which had directed illicit funds to local NGOs and other actors engaging in regime change abroad, it appears that Trump has reversed course and has agreed to work with the power ministries for the sake of pumping up his political capital. Nota bene, that this political capital was surely depleted not just by Trump’s failure to achieve a genuine peace in Gaza, not to mention still less success in ending the Russia-Ukraine War, but most recently depleted when he issued the new National Security Strategy document that upended all of US foreign policy priorities since 1949 and must have raised a hullaballoo on Capitol Hill and within the Republican Party establishment.

The net result is that the CIA, State Department and War Department are now once again running the show, setting the targets for foreign and military policy and executing that policy in ways that are simply astonishing and take your breath away, as happened this past weekend in the U.S. attack on Caracas and kidnapping of President Maduro. What we see again is the hubristic behavior of American officials that we have seen without end since Bush Jr. invaded Iraq in 2003. These people, like Pete Hegseth and Marco Rubio, are overconfident in U.S. capability to ‘run Venezuela’ not to mention run the world.

The only thing that can stop this juggernaut is the other two world superpowers, Russia and China. So far both are silent, which does not inspire confidence in where the world is headed.

Interview on this morning’s hourly news bulletin of NewsX World (India)

My appearance on this hourly bulletin begins at minute 2.55 and ends at minute 11.50

NewsX World is generally very good at keeping abreast of breaking news and quite often they are briefing me before we go on air about developments not yet reported by the Russians, by Western mainstream, not to mention Alternative Media. Today, however, they were misled by Macron, by Zalensky and by Mainstream into thinking that Washington has agreed to participate in the ‘peacekeeping mission’ being proposed by the Coalition of the Willing that met in Paris yesterday. Accordingly, I jumped in to point out that Politico this morning says that Witkoff and Kushner did not sign the Declaration of the Coalition yesterday; they were merely present as observers. This same point was made in the latest issue of Russia’s leading newspaper Gazeta.ru which may be considered as a Kremlin mouthpiece.

Also of interest in this interview was our discussion of Russian efforts to provide security to an oil tanker at sea that has re-flagged itself as Russian and is being pursued by American naval vessels. Here I see in the U.S. attack under way a prime example of the utterly irresponsible policies being implemented by the ‘power ministries’ in Washington now that Donald Trump has made his deal with these devils.

NewsX World multi-segment interview today

This interview opens with a discussion of the Coalition of the Willing summit in Paris, which has gathered 35 countries. Host Emmanuel Macron appears to be very satisfied, though surely the value of the exercise is nil. This gathering of losers is negotiating among themselves and have reached consensus on what is essentially a demand for Russian capitulation. Their insistence on a foreign peacekeeping force numbering perhaps 100,000 is an absolute nonstarter with the Russians. But then none of the participants wants the war to end.

Another segment dealt briefly with the latest Israeli violations of the ceasefire in Lebanon that have caused the deaths of hundreds.

We spoke briefly about House Speaker Johnson’s saying that the Trump intervention in Venezuela is NOT an act of regime change, just a measure to correct the behavior of the Venezuelan leadership. This play on words will fool no one and it only shows that American hubris is back with us. The, shall we say, naïve belief that the Venezuelans will accept American overlordship without any resistance will be shattered before long and then all hell will break loose, as it did in Iraq after the capture of Saddam Hussein.

The best segment, in my view, came last when we discussed the treatment of Maduro when he came to the courthouse hearing in chains and was paraded before reporters. As I pointed out, the US has plenty of experience with this particular kind of political theater. I trust the Community will enjoy my comparing Maduro’s court appearance to the way France’s leading candidate for the 2012 French presidential elections. Dominique Strauss-Kahn was dramatically taken off a flight departing NYC for Paris and taken in handcuffs to a Manhattan court, shown off to the reporters on the way, to ensure that his political fortunes were destroyed, all over a phony allegation of sexually abusing a hotel maid. The CIA and FBI staff have lively imaginations for mischief. The removal of Strauss-Kahn resulted in the election of the nitwit Francois Hollande and five wasted years for France.

My yesterday interview on Press TV (Iran): WWIII is coming whether we like it or not

https://www.urmedium.net/c/presstv/135647

The questioning opened with Donald Trump’s latest threats to Bolivia, but with the gracious acquiescence of the moderator we moved on to the bigger issue of the United States as a rogue state threatening the sovereignty of one and all. This rogue state can be stopped not by street demonstrators chanting ‘free Maduro’ but by creation of a Russia-China-Iran mutual defense alliance prepared to resist Washington’s aggression by force of arms.