In the United States, things remain polarized at the national political level and tumultuous at the economic and cultural levels domestically speaking within the nation. Since the 46th President of the union Joe Biden took office in January of 2021, things have been chaotic and volatile in the country. Americans across the continental United States have grappled with record levels of inflation not seen in decades, millions of illegal migrants crossing the porous southern border with Mexico, and a cultural war in educational centers and public schools emerging in states across the country. Gas prices remain at an average in the mid three dollar range in 2024, a far increase from the 2020 prices in which president Donald Trump had managed to create before leaving office.
President Biden has often appeared feckless and incoherent in every level of political interaction, at the national and international levels. Foreign adversaries of America have taken note of this and acted in an emboldened fashion. Russia remains embroiled in a bloody war in Ukraine, and Putin remains defiant in the face of pressure from the democratic western world. North Korea continues provocative military demonstrations in the pacific region, showcasing new missile technologies on civilian vehicles in bombastic national parades and launching fake simulated nuclear strikes against neighboring South Korea. Iran continues to hurl threats towards Washington D.C. and American leadership, and China, above all, continues to aggressively assert claims that Taiwan is in fact Chinese territory and not an autonomous nation. Recently, the country flew 103 military planes towards the island in a clear military maneuver.
The nation of North Korea has continued to fire rockets in recent days. In early February, it fired multiple cruise missiles into the ocean in a test. This has been the fifth reported “test” of missiles that has occurred in the calendar year of 2024 since January. These provocative demonstrations continue to contribute to increasingly escalating regional tensions.
