President Trump responded to Iranian missile strikes on US bases in Iraq saying “... Assessment of casualties & damages taking place now. So far, so good! We have the most powerful and well equipped military anywhere in the world, by far! ...” Not only did Trump boast of having the strongest military, but he claimed that, "U.S. armed forces are stronger than ever before."

Headlines: Iraq Set for Conflict, even if US and Iran De-escalate Pakistan Stands for Peace, not to Take Sides in US-Iran Conflict US-China Trade War Backfires as Domestic Firms Suffer

On Wednesday 8th January, Russian President, Vladimir Putin, and Turkey’s leader, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan formally launched a Black Sea pipeline that will funnel Russian natural gas via Turkey to Europe. The two leaders inaugurated the ‘TurkStream’ in Istanbul which will carry natural gas through an undersea pipeline stretching 930km from Anapa on the Russian Black Sea Coast to Kiyikay west of Istanbul for Turkish domestic consumption, while a second…