The Dark Enlightenment and the Return of Political Theology in Russia and the United States

Maria Engström examines the Dark Enlightenment in Russia and the US: a philosophical doctrine that reintegrates metaphysical elements into political thought and promotes a new authoritarian world order

By Maria Engström

09 February 2026

In this essay, we aim to examine a new ideological and cultural phenomenon that is becoming increasingly visible at the state level in both Russia and the United States: the Dark Enlightenment movement. This movement represents a hybrid of illiberalism, techno-optimism, and Christian metaphysics.

How Big Tech Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bombs

Draft of the War Room from Dr Strangelove by Ken Adam © Deutsche Kinemathek – Ken Adam Archive.

JACOBIN
By Ben Wray

Until quite recently, many Big Tech firms opposed the militarization of AI, but that now seems like ancient history as they move to sign partnerships with arms companies. The prospect of lavish Pentagon funding for AI is too tempting to refuse.

No front line, no pause: Russia's hybrid pressure on the Bundeswehr in Lithuania

Copyright Mindaugas Kulbis/AP

By Johanna Urbancik & Franziska Müller

Published on 07/02/2026 - 8:00 GMT+1

The German army brigade in Lithuania is not under fire, but it is under hybrid attack. Soldiers report mysterious phone calls, and drones appear to be spying on manoeuvres. How should the Bundeswehr and NATO respond?

Iran Update, February 8, 2026

Toplines
U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will meet in Washington, DC, on February 11 to discuss Iran. Israeli media and officials stated on February 7 that Trump and Netanyahu will discuss the United States’ negotiations with Iran.[1]

Centre-left António José Seguro beats far-right rival to Portuguese presidency

Copyright Ana Brigida/AP Photo 

By Orestes Georgiou Daniel with AFP

Published on 08/02/2026 - 21:17 GMT+1•Updated 09/02/2026 - 4:51 GMT+1

The Socialist Party candidate António José Seguro won with 66.7% of votes, compared with 33.3% for André Ventura's far-right Chega party according to official results with 99% of votes counted.

SAVE America Act becomes catch-all for Trump's election demands: Here's what's actually in it

Avery Lotz

8 hours ago - Politics & Policy

With high-stakes midterms approaching, President Trump has called for Republicans to "nationalize" elections, end mail-in ballots and pass the SAVE America Act.

Cato Institute: Οι Μετανάστες Μείωσαν τα Ελλείμματα κατά 14,5 Τρισεκατομμύρια Δολάρια από το 1994

3 Φεβρουαρίου 2026

Του David J. Bier

Σήμερα, το Ινστιτούτο Cato δημοσίευσε στις ΗΠΑ τη μελέτη «Οι Πρόσφατες Επιπτώσεις των Μεταναστών στους Κυβερνητικούς Προϋπολογισμούς: 1994–2023», μια μελέτη σχετικά με τις δημοσιονομικές επιπτώσεις των μεταναστών – νόμιμων και παράνομων – η οποία βασίζεται στο μοντέλο δημοσιονομικών επιπτώσεων των Εθνικών Ακαδημιών Επιστημών, Μηχανικής και Ιατρικής (NASEM).

Cato Study: Immigrants Reduced Deficits by $14.5 Trillion Since 1994

February 3, 2026
By David J. Bier

Today, the Cato Institute published “Immigrants’ Recent Effects on Government Budgets: 1994–2023,” a study on the fiscal effects of immigrants—legal and illegal—that builds upon the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) fiscal effects model. 

U.K.'s prime minister's top aide resigns over Peter Mandelson's appointment to ambassador to U.S. despite Epstein ties

February 8, 2026 / 11:03 AM EST / CBS/AP

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's chief of staff resigned Sunday over the furor surrounding the appointment of Peter Mandelson as the U.K. ambassador to the U.S. despite his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. 

This Maryland lab’s quantum computer could cure cancer — and steal passwords

Today at 2:00 a.m. PT

By Katie Shepherd and Hannah Good

Gov. Wes Moore (D), who calls quantum computing a "lighthouse industry" for Maryland, has secured more than $1 billion in funding to help create a local industry hub

You can read the original here

Inside a warehouse-turned-laboratory in suburban Maryland, a team of theoretical physicists and engineers is racing to build a quantum processor powerful enough to surpass the most advanced computers on Earth.

Europe’s Next Hegemon

The Perils of German Power

Liana Fix

March/April 2026

Published on February 6, 2026

“I give you my solemn warning that under the present trend, the next world war is inevitable,” declared the French military leader Ferdinand Foch. It was 1921, and Foch, the commander in chief of the Allied armies during World War I, was raising alarms in a speech from New York City. His concern was simple. After defeating Germany, the Allied powers had forced it to disarm with the Treaty of Versailles. But just a couple of years later, they had stopped enforcing the terms of their victory. Berlin, Foch warned, thus could and would rebuild its military. “If the Allies continue their present indifference . . . Germany will surely rise in arms again.”

Japan’s Leader Wins in a Landslide, Clearing Way for Hard-Line Agenda

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi won a sweeping mandate from voters for her economic agenda and tough stances on immigration and China.

By Javier C. Hernández, River Akira Davis, 

Kiuko Notoya, and Hisako Ueno

Reporting from Tokyo

Feb. 8, 2026

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of Japan made a big gamble on Sunday, holding a snap election only 110 days after she became the first woman to serve as the country’s prime minister. It paid off, with voters offering a resounding mandate for her economic policies and tough stance on immigration and China.

Zelensky says Russia is proposing huge economic deals with U.S.

Today at 10:04 a.m. PT
By David L. Stern and Kostiantyn Khudov
The Washington Post
KYIV — Days after negotiations to halt Russia’s war in Ukraine ended inconclusively in Abu Dhabi, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russia and the United States were discussing bilateral economic agreements worth some $12 trillion, including deals that would affect Ukraine.

Binance Gives Trump Family’s Crypto Firm a Leg Up

Ties between the exchange and the president’s company, World Liberty Financial, have only strengthened since the president pardoned Binance’s founder, Changpeng Zhao

By David Yaffe-Bellany

Feb. 7, 2026

World Liberty Financial, the Trump family’s crypto start-up, reached a major landmark last month. The total circulation of the company’s signature digital coin hit $5 billion, cementing its place as one of the world’s top cryptocurrencies.

Look what you've done, dude! California's tourism industry is about to explode, and Trump laughs it up in Florida

Opinion by
The Greek Courier
The Political Consequences of Trump's European Stance are the Driving Force Behind California’s Tourism Crisis

Summary: California's tourism crisis highlights the intricate connection between Donald Trump's national policies and regional economic and social outcomes. As key European markets withdraw, largely driven by the administration's tariff strategies and strained diplomatic relations, the state must urgently adapt to reclaim its status as a premier travel destination. 

As California grapples with a historic decline in tourism, the state's challenges seem intricately linked to recent policies and attitudes towards Europe emanating from Donald J. Trump's White House. In 2025, substantial reductions in tourist arrivals were recorded from key European markets, including Switzerland, France, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany, and Denmark, laying bare the repercussions of the current administration's stance on traditional European allies. Needless to say, Trump is laughing it up. He "adores" California. And he "loathes" Miami.

Judge orders 3 families returned to US after finding agents used 'lies' to deport them

The families were supposed to be protected under a 2023 settlement
By Laura Romero
February 6, 2026, 2:16 PM

This is an exclusive ABC News article. You can read the original here

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to return three immigrant families to the U.S. after finding that federal immigration agents used "lies, deception, and coercion" to remove them. 

Come midterms, Trump is rushing Russia and Ukraine to end war by June

The Greek Courier

Saturday 02/07/2026

Trump wants to use peace as leverage for the Midterms, but, really, can his ambition of political and financial gain align with the urgent need for lasting peace in a war-ravaged region?

Sources: Reuters, efsyn.gr, BBC News

s the political landscape shifts in the United States and Democrats gain momentum, President Donald Trump is ramping up his calls for a resolution to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine by June. With the midterm elections looming and the state of the union in disarray, Trump seeks to leverage a successful peace outcome to bolster his political position and attract voters. He also wants a Nobel Prize, handed by the Academy, not the winner.

The quiet force influencing Trump’s and Vance’s confrontational Europe policy

You might not have heard of Andy Baker. But he's a leading NSC intellectual whose moves could dictate the future of the GOP's foreign policy.

By Diana Nerozzi and Ian Ward

02/07/2026

Andy Baker’s only moment in the spotlight came by accident — when, in March, Vice President JD Vance named him as his point-person in the administration’s infamous leaked group chat about the Houthi strikes in Yemen.