Monthly Archives: December 2025

The Underground War

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Israeli troops are mapping out the tunnels of eastern Rafah [December 2025], where the local Hamas brigade is trapped, and using massive drills to dig into the underground system and destroy it with explosives, according to Israeli military statements. Israel estimates there were around 100 to 200 fighters in the tunnels when the cease-fire began in October 2025…In some areas, Israel is flooding tunnels with water to push out the trapped fighters…

Rafah, where Hamas first began digging tunnels around two decades ago, has a particularly complicated underground system. Despite having full control above ground in Rafah, Israel’s military is still struggling to fully map out the underground network where the Hamas fighters are hiding…

Excerpt from Summer Said, srael Closes In on Hamas Fighters Trapped in Tunnels, Testing Cease-Fire, WSJ, Dec. 7, 2025

When Do You Know You Are a Clown? the case of Anduril

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Anduril Industries, a U.S. company, has promised to deliver hardware and software that will usher in a new era of autonomous warfare with the speed that only a startup can offer…But…As the U.S. Navy was attempting to launch 30 drone boats in May 2025, the boats rejected their inputs and automatically idled, making them “dead” in the water. The botched experiment quickly became a potential hazard to other vessels in the exercise. Military personnel scrambled overnight to clean up the mess, towing the boats to shore until 9 a.m. the next day. 

The drone boats were relying on autonomy software called Lattice made Anduril Industries. The Navy said the exercise was handled safely, but the incident alarmed Navy personnel, who said in a routine follow-up report that company representatives had misguided the military. In comments that were unusual for such a report, which was viewed by The Wall Street Journal, four sailors warned of “continuous operational security violations, safety violations, and contracting performer misguidances (Anduril Industries).” If the software configuration wasn’t immediately corrected and vetted, they wrote, there would be “extreme risk to force and potential for loss of life.”

Excerpt from Shelby Holliday et al., ‘We Do Fail … a Lot’: Defense Startup Anduril Hits Setbacks With Weapons Tech, WSJ, Nov. 27, 2025

How Does it Feel to Beg China? Netherlands Knows

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Dutch chipmaker Nexperia has publicly called on its China unit to help restore supply chain operations, warning in an open letter published on its website  on November 28, 2025 that customers across industries are reporting “imminent production outages.” Nexperia’s Dutch unit said that is open letter followed “repeated attempts to establish direct communication through conventional channels” but did not have “any meaningful response.” The letter marks the latest twist in a long-running saga that has threatened global automotive supply chains and stoked a bitter battle between Amsterdam and Beijing over technology transfer.

In a statement, Wingtech Technology, Nexperia’s Chinese parent stated that Nexperia’s true intent is to buy time ” to construct a ‘de-China-ized’ supply chain and permanently strip Wingtech of its shareholder rights.”

The situation began in September 2025, when the Dutch government invoked a Cold War-era law to effectively take control of Nexperia. The highly unusual move was reportedly made after the U.S. raised security concerns.

Beijing responded by moving to block its products from leaving China, which, in turn, raised the alarm among global automakers as they faced shortages of the chipmaker’s components.

In an apparent reprieve on November 19, 2025, however, the Dutch government said it had suspended its state intervention at Nexperia following talks with Chinese authorities…But while the measures to seize the Dutch Nexperia subsidiary have been lifted, the restoration of the corporate structure and relation with parent company Wingtech has yet to be accomplished.

Excerpt from Sam Meredith, What’s going on at Nexperia? China’s Wingtech escalates war of words with Dutch chipmaker, CNBC, Nov. 28, 2028

Back to 2030: Nuclear Race is Hot Again

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The new nuclear race has begun. But unlike during the Cold War, the U.S. must prepare for two peer rivals rather than one—at a time when it has lost its clear industrial and economic edge. China, which long possessed just a small nuclear force, is catching up fast, while Russia is developing a variety of new-generation systems aimed at American cities…Russian President Vladimir Putin has already used nuclear saber-rattling to throttle American support for Ukraine. He has deployed nuclear weapons to Belarus and, in 2025, tested a nuclear-powered missile and a nuclear-powered submarine drone that he claims are impervious to American defenses.

While Russia and the U.S. are still abiding by some arms-controls limit…China, unconstrained by any commitments, is quietly but rapidly leaping ahead. According to American estimates, Beijing will reach rough parity with the U.S. in deployed nuclear warheads by the mid-2030s.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time showcased China’s nuclear triad—its land, sea and air-launched ballistic nuclear missiles—at a Beijing parade honoring the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan in September 2025. Putin, sitting to his right atop the Gate of Heavenly Peace, took note. So did North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, sitting to his left.

Excerpt from Yaroslav Trofimov, The Nuclear-Arms Race Is Now a Three-Way Contest, WSJ, Nov. 16, 2025

Having What Nobody Can Have: The Superiors

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Travel has always been a key feature of wealthy people’s lives, and more than ever they prioritize privacy, efficiency and customization, industry specialists say. Lauren Beall, owner of Travel Couture in Miami Beach, specializes in arranging custom travel experiences for the ultrawealthy. She has booked private islands for clients and flown in Michelin-starred chefs, yoga instructors and performers.

One coveted offering is a suite above the Christian Dior flagship store in Paris that can be rented, and includes an after-hours shopping excursion and a private dinner at Monsieur Dior restaurant. An estate Beall has reserved in Scotland comes with private chefs, horses to explore the countryside and a helicopter to visit towns for the day.

“We’re into that exclusive access right now—things that other people can’t get,” Beall said. “There’s a huge price tag that goes with it.”

Excerpt from Arias Campo-Flores, The Ultrarich Pay Big for Extreme Privacy, WSJ, Nov. 15, 2025

Mining Giants and Little People: Mariana Dam Disaster

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Mining company BHP has been found liable on November 13, 2025 for a 2015 dam collapse in Brazil,….[Note that this disaster was followed by yet another disaster in 2019 the Brumadinho dam disaster] The dam collapse killed 19 people, polluted the river and destroyed hundreds of homes. The civil lawsuit, representing more than 600,000 people including civilians, local governments and businesses, had been valued at up to £36bn ($48bn).

The dam in Mariana, southeastern Brazil, was owned by Samarco, a joint venture between the mining giants Vale and BHP. The claimants’ lawyers argued successfully that the trial should be held in London because BHP headquarters “were in the UK at the time of the dam collapse”. A separate claim against Samarco’s second parent company, Brazilian mining company Vale, was filed in the Netherlands, with more than 70,000 plaintiffs.

The dam was used to store waste from iron ore mining. When it burst, it unleashed tens of millions of cubic metres of toxic waste and mud. The sludge swept through communities, destroying hundreds of people’s homes and poisoning the river. Judge Finola O’Farrell said in her High Court ruling that continuing to raise the height of the dam when it was not safe to do so was the “direct and immediate cause” of the dam’s collapse, meaning BHP was liable under Brazilian law.

Excerpt from Ione Wells, UK court finds mining firm liable for Brazil’s worst environmental disaster, BBC, Nov. 14, 2025

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According to the UN Special Rapporteur who visited Brazil in 2019 and met BHP and Vale on numerous occasions, ” BHP and Vale rushed to create the Renova Foundation to provide the communities [affected by the collapse of the dam] an effective remedy. Unfortunately, the true purpose of the Renova Foundation appeared to be limit liability of BHP and Vale, rather than provide any semblance of an effective remedy…

Furthermore, inadequate information was available about the toxicity of the waste after the Mariana disaster, the companies insisted that it was non-toxic, and rejected calls for precaution. Only three weeks after concerns were raised was information availed. When health impacts in Barra Longa emerged years later, Renova sought to exert ownership of epidemiological and toxicological studies by Ambios to suppress disclosure. Read the full report of the Special Rapporteur here.