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Sometime in the 1960s, Israel became the first nation in the Middle East to possess a nuclear bomb. Thanks to assistance from France, Israel created a nuclear deterrent intended to allow the fledgling nation to survive while surrounded by nations that hate its existence. Opponents of Israel’s nuclear ambitions warned that these efforts could lead to a nuclear arms race in the Middle East. However, perhaps due in part to Israel’s efforts to intentionally avoid publicly acknowledging and flaunting its nuclear capability, that arms race never began.

Europeans have been talking about a common defense union for many years, but little has developed. That appears to be changing. Ursula von der Leyen was just reelected for another five-year term as President of the European Commission after nearly losing her job (CNN, July 18, 2024). In one speech, she profoundly observed that the next five years will define Europe’s place in the world for the next five decades.

That bold statement is the title of a recent article published in the Telegraph (June 15, 2024). The article notes that, thanks to the Ukraine conflict, many nations are coming to understand that modern warfare is really an artillery war. He then cited Joseph Stalin’s reference to artillery as the “God of War.” The war in Ukraine uses “millions of shells and hundreds of thousands of rockets a year.”

South Africa is the latest in a long list of nations legalizing recreational marijuana use (Al Jazeera, June 10, 2024). Some wonder if South Africa’s decision will prompt other African nations to follow its lead. The socio-political peer pressure is high, and politicians are moving to make this once-illicit drug legal for the people of their nations, in spite of growing evidence that marijuana use is unsafe.

Populations are shrinking around the globe due to falling birth rates. In addition to declining birth rates, over the last decade, Greece has lost more than 500,000 “mostly young educated Greeks” who have emigrated due to the difficult financial situation in the country (The Guardian, July 1, 2024). The nation is feeling the impact of this population decline and the lack of skilled workers in its economy.