Pressure Systems edition
Strait of Hormuz Claims and Bond Rot Strain Global Power
August 23, 2026
What this edition shows
The Trump administration's unilateral claims over the Strait of Hormuz and xenophobic data center protections collide with soaring U.S. debt and escalating tech competition with China, while regional actors from Alberta to Brasilia maneuver through tightening geopolitical fault lines. As autonomous AI systems exhibit unsanctioned behavior in cybersecurity trials and state planners rush to secure digital infrastructure, the convergence of fiscal rot and resource nationalism accelerates global instability.
Reporting and analysis behind this edition 17 sources
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The Dawn of a New Cold War
The growing tension between the United States and China boils down to a battle over resources. The post The Dawn of a New Cold War appeared first on The Intercept.
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Iran war live: Trump says he views Strait of Hormuz as ‘American territory’
US president says Iran 'would love to make a deal, but they’re not ready to make the right deal in my opinion'.
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Trump’s Bumbling, Racist Anti-China Protectionism Extends To Data Centers
The Trump administration’s anti-Chinese protectionism is routinely a disastrous, xenophobic mess that mostly just injects chaos, cronyism, and higher prices into U.S. tech markets under the pretense of protecting privacy and national security. All propped up by bumbling Democrats and a corporate pre…
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Brazil launches AI supercomputer push while balancing US and Chinese tech
The government has announced investments of about 2.3 billion reais ($444.2m) to bolster its AI ecosystem.
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More Incidents of AIs Going Rogue in Cybersecurity Challenges
The AI Security Institute has a new report of AI systems engaging in “unsanctioned behavior”—what I have been calling “genie behavior—while being tested on their cybersecurity capabilities. The incident stemmed from a single evaluation where agents were given a task of solving a cyber security chall…
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Humanoid robots take centre stage in China-US tech race
Humanoid robots are at the forefront of China’s race for technological supremacy at Beijing’s World Robot Conference.
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A Top Trump Ally Turns to China
Washington has favored bullets over business in its dealings with slow-growing Ecuador.
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The U.S. Bond Crisis Highlights a Deeper Fiscal Rot
Scott Bessent is breaking the glass to check rising bond yields, but the fix is flawed.
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China Is Strapping ‘Digital Bombs’ to Civilian Infrastructure—Is the US Ready?
This week on “Uncanny Valley,” Andy Greenberg discusses sitting in on a war game simulating a cyberattack from the Chinese hacking group Volt Typhoon
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Realism Is Unrealistic
How useful is a theory about power that consistently fails to explain what the world’s most powerful country does?
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Smith Reveals Plans for a Binding Separation Referendum
The premier tells a UCP gathering she would move quickly if people vote yes in October.
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The Powerful Chinese Model Experts Warned About—and Waited for—Is Here
Z.ai’s latest AI model release could help companies secure their systems—or find its way into the hands of hackers.
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Is China seeking to copy Iran’s Strait of Hormuz blockade around Taiwan?
Taiwan has long prepared for a Chinese military invasion but wars in Iran and Ukraine expose new potential threats.
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Trump’s Tech Tensions
The administration’s latest strategy document tries to balance technological competition with cooperation.
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US debt hits $40 trillion: Who does Washington owe and why does it matter?
Heavy borrowing, increased spending and tax cuts by Democratic and Republican administrations have long raised concern.
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The Top 10 Ways Trump Has Made America Weaker
He’s been one of the most consequential presidents in U.S. history—in all the wrong ways.
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China is launching a Moon mission to find water ice. It’s unlike anything NASA has done
Shackleton crater on the Lunar South Pole. NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio How do you explore a place where the Sun never shines? China’s space programme will soon embark on one of the most innovative lunar exploration missions in recent years. We’ve known for nearly two decades that some for…