I write about AI and Geopolitics
Bill Friend The United States of America’s 250th Anniversary of Independence July 4, 2026 Anniversaries are like stepping stones. This anniversary is one of those stones — not a destination, but a place to pause before taking the next step. So, where are we? Ask a lot of different people that question, and you’ll get a lot … Read more
Documented Damage, the Tools That Were Ignored, and Where to Look Next Executive Summary Parts 1 and 2 established the ecological mechanisms and the regulatory architecture that make cumulative watershed collapse nearly invisible. This final installment shows the damage is no longer hypothetical. In Paulding County, Georgia — and in watersheds like the Potomac and … Read more
Executive Summary More than 1,500 new data centers are in various stages of development across the United States, with 67% of planned facilities slated for rural areas that have historically experienced little industrial hydrological stress. These facilities are routinely sited and permitted as individual projects, making their cumulative impact on regional aquifers, river systems, and … Read more
Executive Summary The regulatory failure documented in the preceding analysis — the systematic non-application of IWI, HIP, ELOHA, and IHA frameworks to data center siting — does not produce a slow, linear degradation. It produces cascading, nonlinear, and in many dimensions irreversible ecological collapse. Freshwater ecosystems are particularly vulnerable because they integrate stressors from every … Read more
Executive Summary: Israel’s Policy Recalibration Overview This analysis examines Israel’s fundamental departure from its decade-long management-and-containment strategy toward a posture of proactive threat prevention and territorial expansion. Driven by internal political realignments, the trauma of the October 7, 2023 attacks, and a permissive international environment, this recalibration has significantly reshaped Israel’s security doctrine, domestic social … Read more