This Week in the World Affairs Brief
INDIA/PAKISTAN WAR—WILL IT ESCALATE?
There are two major issues of contention between India and Pakistan besides the ethnic and religious conflicts: One is the decades-long fight over water rights on the massive Indus river system of tributaries and the other is the irregular occurrence of terror attacks based in Pakistan against people in the Indian-controlled portion of the Kashmir territory. The latest counter-attack by India on Pakistani terrorists was in response to a terrorist attack on civilians in Kashmir that targeted Hindu men while sparing Muslims. There is a considerable religious difference between the two countries. Pakistan is an Islamic Republic that was created in 1947 as a homeland for Muslims of the Indian subcontinent and has long harbored Muslim radical groups, both on the border with Indian-controlled Kashmir and on the Afghanistan border. In contrast, India claims to be a secular state whose constitution guarantees religious freedom for all, but in practice that has never been the case. India’s Hindu majorities barely tolerate the other various religious factions. Attacks on Christians have increased in the past decade, particularly in rural and tribal areas. There is also the issue of Kashmir, the northern province of the Indian continent that is split between Indian, Pakistani and Chinese control. And then there’s the backing of each nation’s respective allies: India has long curried favor with Russia while Pakistan has turned to China. These powerful allies have facilitated the development of the two country’s military arsenals and their rise as nuclear powers. Despite all this natural tension, I’ll explain why I don’t think this conflict will escalate into a major regional war nor a nuclear exchange. To receive a free one-time sample of the brief, along with option on how to subscribe, click on Request a Sample on the left.
Also:
- Catholics Elect Another Radical Leftist for Pope
- Trump Administration Moves this Week
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Trump’s meeting with Ahmed al-Sharaa is even more extraordinary than an American president meeting with some repugnant branch of the Assad family. Until late December, the U.S. government was willing to pay $10 million for information about al-Sharaa’s location, because he was on the “specially designated global terrorist” list.
The irony is that the Sharaa meeting happened on the sidelines of the summit of the United States and Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) members in Riyadh. It was the GCC which early in the Syria proxy war had a big role in funding the anti-Assad jihadist insurgency, which included ISIS and al-Qaeda.
Abdelghani al-Kikli's killing by rival forces pave the way for a major territorial and institutional reshuffle, analysts warn
While the EPA doesn’t require start-stop systems, it has granted automakers fuel economy credits for adopting the technology. Zeldin’s post suggests the agency may eliminate or revise those incentives, though officials have yet to announce formal policy changes.
Biden’s pardons, issued in his final hours in office, went to multiple individuals, including former Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.).
The pardons were for conduct for which the individuals had not been charged.
"This isn't a compromise, it's a betrayal. The House Ways and Means Committee chose to leave unconstitutional registration and taxes in place even though they had a clear path to repeal them. GOA made it crystal clear that full deregulation of suppressors and protection for brace owners was achievable under reconciliation. Lawmakers knew it, and they chose political convenience over principle. Gun owners won't forget this," GOA Founder Erich Pratt wrote in a statement.
"The sale, which the State Department said was approved and notified to Congress, includes $1.3 billion for Chinook helicopters and $130 million for parts and support for F-16 fighter jets," CNN writes.
For example, in 2021, NPR declared the Declaration of Independence to be a document with “flaws and deeply ingrained hypocrisies.” In 2022, NPR scrapped its decades-long Independence Day tradition of reading the Declaration of Independence on air to instead discuss “equality.” NPR also slapped an “editor’s note” warning that the Declaration of Independence is “a document that contains offensive language.”
The radio giant also once reported on the “cousin of diet culture” known as “healthism, which is the idea that we have to be healthy”—claiming healthy living was a negative.
At a press conference last month, he cited coverage from The New York Times stating that Zeldin had “made explosive accusations against the Biden administration, accusing it of ‘insane’ malfeasance in its handling of $20 billion in climate grants.” The Times report went on to claim that “many of Mr. Zeldin’s claims remain unsupported, and some are flat-out false.”
The EPA head says his office has uncovered more and more evidence of waste and abuse, yet the legacy media continues to dig in to discount it.
“We are going to be taking away Harvard’s Tax Exempt Status. It’s what they deserve!” the president posted on Truth Social.
On April 24, 2025, in Oklahoma City, 20 heavily armed federal agents from ICE, the FBI, and DHS kicked in the door of a home where a woman and her three daughters—all American citizens—were sleeping. They were forced out of bed at gunpoint and made to wait in the rain while agents ransacked the house, confiscating their belongings.
It was the wrong house. The wrong family.
There were no apologies. No compensation. No accountability.
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India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed nations, appeared to be spiraling toward broader conflict on Saturday, setting the stage for another day of scary headlines that could trigger World War III. But just moments ago, President Trump announced on Truth Social that India and Pakistan have "agreed to a FULL AND IMMEDIATE CEASEFIRE."
Friday's inbound missile was intercepted not by a US-supplied system, but by Israel’s Arrow long-range air defense system.
Israeli media is currently highlighting the failure of the American THAAD system, which missed the intercept:
And we can't help but notice the timing - with tariffs on goods coming from China through the roof - seems to be...coincidentally beneficial for Chinese corporations.
Ukraine appears to be respecting President Putin's unilaterally declared three-day truce in honor of the 80th anniversary of the end of WW2, and this is seen in the fact that there have been no reports of inbound drones threatening Moscow.
The European Commission announced on Wednesday that it is referring five member states to the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) for failing to properly implement the Digital Services Act (DSA), Brussels’ flagship legislation aimed at regulating online platforms.
However, three House Republicans are reportedly hesitant to support including the defunding measure in the reconciliation package, citing concerns over political backlash or the measure’s fit within the bill’s fiscal focus. This hesitation has sparked frustration among pro-life leaders who see 2025 as a pivotal year, with Republican control of the House, Senate, and White House aligning for the first time in years.
The three reportedly include Reps. Mike Lawler, Jen Kiggans and Brian Fitzpatrick.
El Paisa ran his operation out of Salem, Oregon, but his group also had a presence in Albuquerque, New Mexico; Layton, Utah; Phoenix, Arizona; and Las Vegas, Nevada.
Last week, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration ran a series of raids targeting El Paisa’s network. The raids are tied to a 12-count criminal indictment alleging that since July 1, 2024, the group conspired to distribute large quantities of fentanyl — mainly in pill form.
As mentioned above, the Real ID Act was passed twenty years ago in 2005. It was one of the many measures rolled out in the wake of the 9/11 attacks that was presented to the public as being necessary to ensure that similar attacks would never happen again.
The original bill specified that the federal government would refuse to accept any form of ID that did not meet the requirements Congress had passed by May of 2008. But as that date drew closer, few states had implemented the new provisions. Some governors had vocally refused to comply because they opposed what was, in effect, the implementation of a national identification database.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) has been made aware of the report by the committee, according to Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.).
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If enacted into law, the act would make it a U.S. policy to combat the illicit act; to promote the establishment of voluntary organ donation systems with effective enforcement mechanisms in bilateral talks and international health forums; and to promote the dignity and security of human life in line with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
Smith said the bill will send a message to anyone who tries to get an organ without caring about its origin.
What India has dubbed 'Operation Sindoor' is intended to be limited, Indian leaders have said, but it's highly questionable whether it was a 'success' - given that India lost at least one or possibly up to five fighter jets.
"The conflict between India and Pakistan has begun.
Israel encouraged India to do this, because it benefits strategically in various ways, that involve Turkey/Iran. It also may be the death nell for China's belt and road initiative if Syria wasn't already
India carried out airstrikes on 9 "terrorist camp" locations in Pakistan
Pakistan shot down at least 1 (up to 5) Indian Air Force fighter jets
Heavy Artillery fire along the Line of Control
Pakistan’s army spox, Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, has said at least eight people were killed and 35 injured.
Republican leaders in the House are increasingly concerned about China’s presence in Cuba and its capacity to spy on the U.S. from the island.
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