The widely cited 2027 date for China to be ready to invade Taiwan is an American intelligence assessment, not a public Chinese declaration. It aligns with the PLA's internal modernization deadline for achieving "intelligentised warfare" capabilities, including AI and advanced networks.
Instead of a full-scale invasion, China is employing an "anaconda strategy" of constant, low-level pressure. Tactics like cutting undersea cables and sending drones are designed to exhaust and demoralize Taiwan, making a military response from the US difficult to justify.
While US sanctions are a factor, the Iranian currency's freefall is largely due to structural corruption. The economy is dominated by the military and clerical foundations, a political-economic model that stifles growth and fuels public anger—a problem sanctions relief alone cannot solve.
The obituary for plasma physicist Nuno Lurero draws a poignant parallel: his life, dedicated to understanding the unpredictable and turbulent nature of plasma, was cut short by an equally inexplicable and violent human act from a former classmate, mirroring the uncontrollable forces he studied.
The US raid to capture Venezuela's president has sparked talk within Iran's elite about a similar "solution": removing Supreme Leader Khamenei to appease protestors and preserve the system, rather than allowing it to collapse entirely under external and internal pressure.
Unlike the 2022 protests led by middle-class women over social freedoms, the current unrest is driven by jobless young men—a traditionally pro-regime group—angry about economic collapse. This shift in demographics and motivation makes the government's usual appeasement tactics less effective.