From the Desk of George Friedman

There is nothing new in lying to the public.

The U.S. is about to give geopolitics a major test.

Turkey’s path to Manbij and greater control of its border with Syria is almost wide open.

The island nation has been changed by Germany’s need to expand and by America’s need to dominate the North Atlantic.

The current Chinese leader may be president for life, but that’s where the comparisons end.

Only now is the full power of what started in 2008 being felt.

South Korea wants to avoid a war, but reconciliation with the North is no panacea either.

Peripheral to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula, Japan is slowly building up military capabilities.

A battle for power is shaping up, and the stakes are extremely high.

How will Russia respond to the implied request to rein in the Iranians?

Never in the field of human conflict has such a limited military operation been threatened for so long.

Beijing will use what leverage it has to prevent the U.S. from taking a tougher stance on trade.