Chaos sown by Iran's attacks across the Persian Gulf is key to its strategy |
For years, Iran's theocratic government warned it would blanket the Middle East with missile and drone fire if it felt its existence was threatened. Now, it's doing just that. Since the U.S. and Israel launched the war Saturday, Iran has unleashed thousands of missiles and drones at Israel, American military bases and embassies, and energy facilities across the Gulf. Its basic strategy is to instill fear about the dangers of a widening war in hopes that allies of the U.S. and Israel will apply enough pressure to halt their campaign. There is a risk, though, that the barrage-thy-neighbors strategy could backfire. Read more. |
Key takeaways from China's new 5-year economic blueprint and growth target |
China has set an economic growth target at the slowest since 1991, in what some economists interpreted as a reflection of pragmatism as a weak domestic economy bites. China's ruling Communist Party on Thursday also released the full draft of its five-year plan for until 2030 outlining its economic and political policy priorities, which focused on technological advancements and self-reliance in areas like artificial intelligence, robotics and other advanced technologies as its rivalry with the U.S. heats up. Read more. |
