INTERNACIONAL
Arctic power play gives top US adversary new opening with Russia as US stakes grow
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China is testing whether the top of the world can become a new strategic trade corridor, launching regular seasonal container service to Europe through Russia’s Arctic as Beijing and Moscow deepen their commercial and military footprint in a region Washington increasingly views as critical to U.S. security.
The service remains limited in scale, with just over eight voyages planned this season, but China analyst Gordon Chang told Fox News Digital that its significance goes beyond the number of containers currently making the journey.
«China has a major strategic push on the Arctic for various reasons,» Chang said in an interview. «Arctic ice is melting, and this means that the Northern Sea Route, which hugs Russia’s north coast, does become viable at least for a few months in the summer.»
TRUMP ENVOY WARNS CHINA’S POWER MOVE AT SEA IS THREAT ‘WE CANNOT AFFORD TO IGNORE’
A Russian vessel navigates Arctic waters along the Northern Sea Route, which stretches across Russia’s northern coastline and links European and Asian shipping lanes. (East2West news)
Sea Legend Shipping’s Dubai Tower departed Ningbo-Zhoushan Port on Aug. 15 for Europe via Russia’s Northern Sea Route, with the journey to Felixstowe, England, scheduled to take about 20 days, according to China Daily on Aug. 17.
The move comes as a new U.S. congressional commission staff report warns that Russia’s increasing isolation and dependence on Beijing are giving China greater leverage — including greater access to the Arctic.
Chang warned that Washington needs a stronger physical presence in response. «We need to be in the Arctic, and President Trump has authorized more icebreakers,» he told Fox News Digital. «We are woefully short in that department.»
TIM SHEEHY EXPOSES A ‘SCARY’ SHIPBUILDING COLLAPSE THAT LEAVES THE US VULNERABLE TO CHINA
A banner reading «Warmly Congratulate the first annual voyage of the China-Europe Arctic Container Route at Ningbo-Zhoushan Port in 2026», is displayed on a container at the Ningbo-Zhoushan port in Ningbo, eastern China’s Zhejiang province on August 15, 2026. (CN-STR / AFP via Getty Images)
A White House official told Fox News Digital on background that, «The Arctic is a critical region for U.S. national security and the economy. As an Arctic nation, the United States will pursue its security and economic interests and ensure safety, stability, and prosperity in the face of growing competition from China and Russia.»
A fact sheet released Aug. 20 by staff of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission said Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and subsequent economic isolation from the West have «compelled Russia to accept a greater Chinese presence in the Arctic,» a region Moscow has traditionally regarded as central to its sovereignty and national security.
CHINA IS BUILDING A MASSIVE SHIP THAT SHOULD SCARE AMERICANS ABOUT THE FUTURE
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping toast during their dinner at The Palace of the Facets, a building in the Moscow Kremlin, Russia, March 21, 2023. China’s leader Xi just concluded his three-day visit with Russian President Putin, a warm affair in which the two men praised each other and spoke of a profound friendship. It’s a high in a complicated, centuries-long relationship in which the two countries have been allies and enemies. (Pavel Byrkin, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP, File)
The report said Chinese state-owned enterprises now hold a combined 20% stake in the U.S.- and EU-sanctioned Arctic LNG 2 project, while China and Russia are developing year-round commercial shipping along the Northern Sea Route. The two countries have also established a joint venture to manufacture ice-class container vessels, with the first ship planned to enter service in 2027.
The Pentagon’s 2024 Arctic Strategy similarly said changing climate conditions are increasing accessibility in the region while China seeks greater influence and access there. The strategy identified Beijing’s proposed «Polar Silk Road» as a vehicle for infrastructure and natural-resource investments in the Arctic and warned that growing cooperation between China and Russia could «‘alter the Arctic’s stability and threat picture.’»
For China-Europe commerce, the Northern Sea Route offers a radically different path from the traditional westbound journey through the Strait of Malacca, Indian Ocean, Bab el-Mandeb, Red Sea and Suez Canal.
«This of course avoids some choke points, like the Strait of Malacca, the Bab el-Mandeb, the Suez Canal, the Strait of Gibraltar,» Chang said. «So this is important for China.»
The new USCC report argues that China is increasingly benefiting from an asymmetric relationship in which Moscow needs Beijing more than Beijing needs Moscow. It says China has become indispensable to Russia since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, giving Beijing growing leverage to obtain discounted energy and greater access to Russian military technology while avoiding the obligations of a formal alliance.
Energy is a major part of that imbalance. According to the report, China accounts for roughly half of Russia’s crude oil exports, while Russian crude represents only about one-fifth of China’s oil imports. The report says China has purchased approximately $372 billion in Russian fossil fuels since the invasion of Ukraine.
UKRAINE POUNDS BLACK SEA FLEET’S ‘LAST MAJOR STRONGHOLD’ WHILE PUTIN FLEXES NAVAL POWER IN PACIFIC
The nuclear icebreaker Yakutia has entered the Gulf of Finland for sea trials in St. Petersburg. With the capability to break through ice up to three meters thick, it plays a critical role in Russia’s Arctic strategy. (Artem Priakhin/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Moscow is now making increasingly aggressive use of the same Arctic passage to move oil east.
Reuters reported Aug. 11 that Russia had sent seven crude shipments totaling roughly 6 million barrels toward Asia through the Northern Sea Route so far this season, nearly half the amount transported during the entire 2025 season. China is the principal destination for those shipments, according to Reuters.
The growing Arctic activity comes as Washington has become increasingly concerned about Chinese and Russian cooperation close to Alaska.
Chang pointed to the Bering Strait — separating Russia from Alaska — as a strategic vulnerability even on the Arctic route.
CHINA, RUSSIA, IRAN AND NORTH KOREA FORM ‘AXIS OF AGGRESSORS’ THAT COULD OVERWHELM US, BOOK WARNS
The Russian Aframax tanker Ligovsky Prospect navigates waters along Russia’s Northern Sea Route. (Marinetraffic/east2west)
«There is one choke point though, which is of interest,» he said. «You have to go between Russia on the west and our 49th state on the east. And that gives the U.S. some leverage over here.»
The military relationship is also expanding. The new USCC fact sheet says China and Russia had participated in at least 119 combined military exercises as of April 2026, while their joint naval operations in July included submarine, anti-submarine and drone activity. It also noted that Chinese bombers entered the Alaskan Air Defense Identification Zone for the first time during a joint China-Russia bomber patrol in 2024.
For Chang, the issue extends beyond whether the Northern Sea Route itself ever becomes a competitor to Suez.
«There are some U.S. national security strategists who say, ‘Oh, the Arctic is a distraction. There are more important places in the world,’» Chang said.
Members of the delegations, led by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, hold talks on the sidelines of the Belt and Road Forum in Beijing, China, October 18, 2023. (Sputnik/Sergei Guneev/Pool via Reuters)
«But even more important, regardless of what one thinks of the importance of the Arctic, the Chinese and the Russians are pressing us in the Arctic,» he added. «So we’ve got no choice to respond. Whether we think the Arctic is strategic or not, the Chinese and Russians are there in force. We have to be there too.»
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Chinese and Russian embassies in Washington and the White House for comment.
china, russia, national security, geopolitics, foreign affairs
INTERNACIONAL
El parque temático Puy du Fou reaviva la batalla cultural en Francia en medio del avance de la ultraderecha
En un parque temático situado entre los campos de trigo del occidente rural de Francia, barcos vikingos y pianos emergen de estanques y caballeros montan a caballo. Ahora el parque temático más popular de Francia, detrás del Disneyland cerca de París, ha abierto una sede en España y tiene el objetivo de construir una en Inglaterra pronto.
Pero muchos en Francia odian el parque, llamado el Puy du Fou.
Los críticos lo han llamado un difusor de “propaganda de extrema derecha”, una acusación que ha adquirido resonancia a medida que los ultraconservadores se acercan al poder por primera vez desde la Segunda Guerra Mundial. Los críticos lo acusan de usar la historia como arma para popularizar los valores de su fundador, Philippe de Villiers, un exlegislador que apoya a políticos de extrema derecha y ha hecho campaña durante mucho tiempo contra la Unión Europea, el islam, el matrimonio homosexual y la inmigración.
Él escribió hace poco que el parque es parte de una “batalla cultural” más amplia por el alma del país, y que “las victorias culturales preceden a las victorias políticas”. Pero su hijo Nicolas, que ha dirigido el parque desde 2012, dijo que su única ambición es “crear espectáculos que hagan que la gente ame a Francia”, y agregó, “para mí, esa es mi única batalla cultural”.
El parque está a cuatro horas al suroeste de París en auto. Con miles de árboles que crecen entre ríos y estanques artificiales, el Puy du Fou parece más un parque nacional que un parque de diversiones. No hay atracciones de feria y hay pocos vendedores. En su lugar, caminos de tierra llevan a los visitantes a escenarios inmersivos, así como a representaciones, en su mayoría sobre historia francesa, que se presentan en grandes escenarios al aire libre y teatros bajo techo y que por lo general duran alrededor de media hora.
El atractivo, para la mayoría, no son solo las míticas historias francesas, sino los espectaculares efectos especiales y los animales.
En una función sobre los romanos, los aurigas compiten con yuntas de caballos engalanados alrededor de un obelisco egipcio que más tarde se transforma en una galera gigante. En otro espectáculo, más de 300 aves vivas, incluyendo buitres y águilas calvas, dan vueltas sobre las cabezas de los espectadores.
“La ingeniería mecánica es increíble”, dijo Arido Agrifoglio, de 69 años, un médico jubilado de Suiza, mientras hacía fila con su esposa, Sylvie, para ver su noveno espectáculo del día. La noche anterior habían visto uno en el que bailarines, un pianista y un piano emergieron de un estanque.
“A menudo me pregunto ‘¿cómo hicieron eso?’”, dijo Agrifoglio.
Antes de que existiera el parque de 101 hectáreas, Philippe de Villiers lanzó un solo espectáculo en 1978 junto a un castillo en ruinas llamado Puy du Fou, que según él significa “colina de hayas” en francés antiguo y latín.
Philippe de Villiers, que en ese entonces estudiaba en la universidad de élite del país para funcionarios públicos, escribió el guión para un espectáculo sobre la sangrienta experiencia de la región durante la Revolución francesa, cuando los lugareños tomaron las armas contra el nuevo gobierno y fueron masacrados. Como Philippe de Villiers no podía pagar a actores ni a tramoyistas, miembros de la comunidad se ofrecieron como voluntarios. Desde entonces, el espectáculo –llamado la Cinéscénie– ha crecido, y aún es montado en el verano por miles de voluntarios.
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Philippe de Villiers pasó a convertirse en el secretario de Estado de Cultura del país, y en un legislador electo. En 1989, después de un viaje a Walt Disney World Resort en Orlando, Florida, vio el potencial de negocio. Creó un nuevo parque junto a la Cinéscénie, con personal profesional. Se propuso escribir los guiones para nuevos espectáculos que ofrecerían al país lo que llamó su “narrativa fundacional”.
“Debemos devolver a los franceses su pasado”, escribió en su libro de 2025 Populicide, que decía que la inmigración estaba causando un colapso civilizatorio en Francia, donde el libro fue un éxito de ventas.
Hoy en día, el parque tiene alrededor de 3000 trabajadores que atienden unos 20 espectáculos, cinco hoteles de temática histórica y 26 restaurantes. La empresa ganó aproximadamente 350 millones de dólares en 2025 con un récord de tres millones de visitantes, dijo Nicolas de Villiers. En 2021, abrió un parque en Toledo, España, centrado en la historia de España, y en 2025 solicitó abrir una versión británica cerca de Oxford. (Proyectos planeados para Rusia, la Crimea ocupada por Rusia y Estados Unidos nunca se concretaron).
Con su creciente éxito, el parque ha sido objeto de intensas críticas por parte de políticos de izquierda e historiadores, quienes durante años han señalado imprecisiones en sus espectáculos, y lo han acusado de distorsionar la historia por razones políticas. Esa crítica se amplificó en 2022, cuando cuatro historiadores publicaron un libro mordaz llamado Le Puy du Faux, o El Puy de la falsedad, que dice que se trata de un parque “ideológico” donde los visitantes “no aprenderán nada”.
“Es el borrado de la Revolución francesa y el elogio del cristianismo. Justo ahí está la receta del Puy du Fou”, dijo Florian Besson, uno de los autores y un historiador medieval.
Muchos de los espectáculos se centran en el catolicismo. Los vikingos saqueadores dispuestos a atacar una aldea cristiana son detenidos por un santo fantasmal y se convierten rápidamente. Los romanos son retratados como crueles amos paganos que perseguían a los galos cristianos, hasta que también se convirtieron.
“Es una inversión completa de la historia: el cristianismo llegó a Galia desde Roma, sin embargo, allí se presenta exactamente de la manera opuesta”, dijo Pauline Ducret, otra historiadora y coautora del libro.
El parque presenta una “Francia eterna” que está bajo ataque, dijo Ducret, si no por vikingos, entonces por un ejército revolucionario o alemanes; un eco de las posturas antiinmigración del mismo de Villiers.
Luego están las elecciones de qué partes de la historia francesa presentar. No hay nada, señalan los críticos, sobre los momentos más oscuros de Francia: la esclavitud, el colonialismo o Vichy, el gobierno durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial que colaboró con los nazis.
Philippe de Villiers no respondió a las solicitudes de entrevista. Pero su hijo Nicolas, de 46 años, habló con nosotros dos veces, una en una habitación arriba de un restaurante en el parque donde los camareros cantan canciones folclóricas francesas. Dijo que atribuir objetivos políticos al parque era “ridículo”.
“¿Los vikingos son de derecha o de izquierda? ¿Los romanos eran de derecha o de izquierda?”, dijo. “Esa pregunta no tiene nada que ver con los espectáculos que presentamos”.
Pero él sí ve que el parque ayuda a construir la memoria colectiva del país. “Si queremos como pueblo en Francia tener un destino común, necesitamos recuerdos comunes”, dijo. Y no pidió disculpas por omitir ciertos capítulos históricos.
“Siempre preferimos la gloria frente a la vergüenza”, dijo.
Nicolas de Villiers dijo que creía que la reciente avalancha de críticas sobre el parque estaba motivada por los celos, en particular de la élite de izquierda que dijo que controla la escena teatral en París.
François Ruffin, un candidato presidencial de izquierda, ofreció otra teoría. El escrutinio, dijo Ruffin, aumentó con la suerte del partido de extrema derecha Agrupación Nacional, cuya líder, Marine Le Pen, tiene una gran posibilidad de ganar la presidencia el próximo año.
Cuando Philippe de Villiers construyó el Puy du Fou, era “un foco de resistencia, manteniendo viva la llama del neoconservadurismo”, dijo Ruffin en una entrevista. “Hoy se han vuelto dominantes, la mayoría, y posiblemente están listos para tomar el poder el próximo año”, agregó Ruffin.
El Puy du Fou es solo una parte de una creciente constelación cultural de derecha, dijo, impulsada por el multimillonario francés Vincent Bolloré, cuyas propiedades incluyen editoriales, productoras de cine y un canal de televisión de derecha, CNews, en el cual Philippe de Villiers tiene un programa los viernes por la noche.
Esa constelación está ganando ahora la “guerra cultural” de Francia, dijo Ruffin.
Él ha llamado a la creación de un Puy du Fou de izquierda que monte espectáculos sobre la Revolución francesa y la resistencia francesa durante la Segunda Guerra Mundial.
Hace poco, un día sofocante, las familias se apresuraban para ir de un espectáculo al siguiente.
Algunos dijeron que les gustaba el mensaje histórico del parque. Los críticos solo “lo odian porque es francés”, dijo Laurent Smirnow, de 53 años, un guardia de seguridad.
Pero muchos dijeron que habían venido por el entretenimiento, no por las lecciones de historia ni la política.
Valérie Billet, de 57 años, tomó un descanso bajo un árbol con sus suegros y sus hijos adultos.
Su hermana se negó a ir al parque debido a las políticas de de Villiers, dijo.
“Cuando vengo aquí, desvinculo al parque del hombre que lo creó”, dijo Billet, una profesora de inglés. Sentada cerca, su hija Nolwenn, de 28 años, murmuró que los sesgos del parque eran difíciles de ignorar. “Es algo que definitivamente puedes sentir”, dijo la hija.
Aun así, ella había regresado con su familia cuatro veces.
*Por Catherine Porter y Giulia Imbert.
The New York Times, Francia
INTERNACIONAL
Iran-backed terror group’s latest territorial grab threatens second global shipping chokepoint
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Iran-backed Houthi forces seized Yemen’s strategic port city of Mocha on Thursday and pushed toward positions overlooking the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, opening a potentially dangerous new front for global trade as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains severely constrained.
The advance threatens the southern gateway to the Red Sea just as Saudi Arabia has increasingly relied on that route to bypass Hormuz — putting pressure on critical shipping lanes on both sides of the Arabian Peninsula and raising the risk of further disruptions to oil and commercial traffic through a key global trade choke point.
«Now you have Iran on one side of the Arabian Peninsula controlling Hormuz, and now the Houthis controlling Bab el-Mandeb on the other side of the peninsula,» Hisham Al-Omeisy, senior Yemen advisor at the European Institute of Peace, told Fox News Digital. «Which basically is going to drive prices — oil prices, goods and everything else — up exponentially.»
IRAN-BACKED TERROR PROXY HOUTHIS THREATEN FRESH ATTACKS AFTER YEMEN AIRPORT STRIKE
A vehicle burns after being attacked by Houthis during fighting with Saudi-backed forces at a location given as Al Jawf, Yemen, in this still image taken from a handout video released Sept. 9, 2026. (Al Masirah/Handout via Reuters)
On background, a senior administration official told Fox News Digital: «The United States is focused on protecting our core national security interests — such as ensuring freedom of navigation in the Red Sea — while empowering our regional partners to take the lead in managing and resolving regional security challenges. We are in continuous dialogue with Saudi Arabia and the Republic of Yemen Government regarding regional stability.»
Yemeni government sources said Thursay the Houthis captured Mocha and reached the Hanish Islands, while Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces withdrew south toward Dhubab, which sits directly on the Bab el-Mandeb opposite the strategic island of Perim. Control of Dhubab and Perim would be critical to gaining a stronger hold over the strait, Yemeni government sources told Reuters on Sept. 10.
Bab el-Mandeb is only about 18 miles wide at its narrowest point and connects the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden with the Red Sea and, farther north, the Suez Canal. It is a major artery for goods moving between Asia and Europe as well as energy shipments.
Its importance has grown dramatically during the Iran conflict.
WHO CONTROLS THE STRAIT OF HORMUZ RIGHT NOW? HERE’S WHAT THE SHIP TRAFFIC ACTUALLY SHOWS
Members of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces react during what they say are clashes with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in a location given as near Al-Hazm, Yemen, in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released Sept. 9, 2026. (Media Centre Of The Yemeni Armed Forces/Handout via Reuters)
The U.S. Energy Information Administration reported Sept. 9 that crude oil and petroleum liquids moving through Bab el-Mandeb averaged 8.1 million barrels per day in the second quarter of 2026, up from 5.4 million barrels per day in the final quarter of 2025. At the same time, flows through Hormuz plunged from 21.6 million barrels per day to just 4.9 million. The EIA attributed the increase at Bab el-Mandeb in part to Saudi Arabia rerouting crude through its East-West pipeline to the Red Sea port of Yanbu to avoid Hormuz.
Al-Omeisy said the danger extends beyond the Houthis’ geographical gains. He said retreating government forces left behind military materiel that could strengthen Houthi forces on other fronts.
«People are focused on taking Mocha and those outposts on the Red Sea,» Al-Omeisy said. «But the military side is terrible, particularly the equipment, the munitions, the vehicles, the drones that were at those military camps, which they can now, in turn, use against the government forces elsewhere.»
RUBIO ACCU.S.ES IRAN OF FLYING IRGC PERSONNEL INTO YEMEN AS HOUTHI THREAT ESCALATES
Members of the Saudi-backed Yemeni government forces fire a tank during what they say to be clashes with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis in a location given as near Al-Hazm, Yemen, in this screen grab obtained from a handout video released Sept. 9, 2026. (Media Centre Of The Yemeni Armed Forces/Handout via Reuters)
Reuters separately reported Thursday that Iranian arms and direct guidance from Iran’s Revolutionary Guards helped the Houthi advance, citing Yemeni government, Iranian and regional sources. Two Iranian sources told Reuters that Tehran had instructed the Houthis to intensify attacks on Saudi Arabia and promised additional funding, weapons and senior officers. Iran has publicly denied directing Houthi operations.
The seizure comes amid what conflict-monitoring organization ACLED described Sept. 9 as the most serious escalation between the Houthis and the Saudi-backed camp since hostilities resumed in mid-July.
ACLED recorded at least 276 fatalities between Sept. 3 and 7 as clashes spread across al-Dali, al-Bayda, Marib, Shabwa, al-Jawf, al-Hudayda and Taizz, according to an analysis published Sept. 9.
Sherwan Hindreen Ali, ACLED’s Middle East research manager, said fighting along the Red Sea coast had become particularly intense as both sides sought control over territory with direct strategic importance to Bab el-Mandeb.
«Fighting will remain focused on the fronts of the Red Sea coast in al-Hudaydah and Taizz, where both the Houthis and the Saudi Arabia/IRG have a vested interest in claiming the whole territory to deprive the other side of effective control of the strait of Bab el-Mandab,» Ali said in an analysis.
Saudi Arabia itself has also become more deeply involved.
EXPERT WARNS OF ‘GENERAL ESCALATION’ OF FIGHTING IF HOUTHIS RESUME RED SEA CAMPAIGN
Houthi fighters gesture as they celebrate in front of the Security Directorate building in Hays, Yemen, in this screengrab taken from social media video released on Sept. 10, 2026. (Social Media/via Reuters)
Ali said Saudi forces launched at least 15 strikes against the Houthis between Sept. 3 and 7, mostly around Taizz, marking the highest number of Saudi strikes since Riyadh resumed military engagement against the Houthis in July.
The Houthis responded Sept. 8 with what Ali described as their largest wave of direct attacks on Saudi territory since March 2022, launching dozens of drones and ballistic missiles toward Abha, Jizan, Najran and Khamis Mushait. Ali said the attacks injured 73 people.
The widening fighting is now posing an early test for a new joint defense agreement between Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Turkey.
Al-Omeisy said the international response allowed the Houthis to exploit divisions among their opponents.
«The Houthis are also good in exploiting divisions and delays, they move rapidly on the ground to force a status quo while the international community debates merits, responsibilities and costs of an intervention.»
The escalation also raises questions about Saudi Arabia’s newly signed defense agreement with Pakistan and Turkey.
IRAN-BACKED HOUTHI THREAT IN RED SEA COULD LEAD TO MAJOR US POLICY SHIFT, ANALYSTS SAY
A satellite image appears to show damage to the King Khalid Airbase at Saudi Airbase that Houthis claimed to have attacked on Sept. 8, in this handout picture obtained by Reuters on Sept. 9, 2026. The Saudi government’s media office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (2026 Planet Labs PBC/Handout via Reuters)
The agreement, signed last month in Mecca, states that an armed attack against one member will be considered an attack against all three, Reuters reported Sept. 10. But after Houthi drones and ballistic missiles struck Saudi cities and energy infrastructure this week, Pakistan said Thursday that no military response under the pact was currently being discussed.
«There is no such thing under discussion right now,» Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said, according to Reuters. «When time comes [we] will act under the agreement.»
The Houthis, meanwhile, have said international navigation through the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb remains safe, while maintaining that Saudi vessels are subject to their previously announced blockade, Reuters reported Thursday.
Al-Omeisy warned that reversing the Houthis’ latest territorial gains could become increasingly difficult.
«The Houthis are really good at capturing a position, they entrench really well,» he said. «They send these massive reinforcements, and then it’s going to be extremely difficult to push them out of those areas.»
A satellite imagery shows Bab el Mandeb Strait, as Iran threatens using Yemen’s Houthi allies to shut this gateway to the Red Sea, in this handout picture dated July 12, 2026. (Nasa Worldview/Handout via Reuters)
Oil markets were already responding to the widening regional threat Thursday. Brent crude jumped more than 5% to $106.60 a barrel by late Thursday morning, while U.S. crude climbed above $100 for the first time since May, according to Reuters.
Reuters contributed to the story.
middle east, iran, saudi arabia, world, foreign affairs, foreign policy
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A wealthy Washington, D.C., suburb’s public school district is advising teachers not to link 9/11 with radical Islam and to be sure to create «safe spaces» for Muslim students as the nation somberly marks the 25th anniversary of the terror attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans.
The guardrails in a six-page instructional guide, «25th Anniversary and Commemoration of 9/11» and distributed to teachers, has prompted critics to accuse Fairfax County (Virginia) Public School’s liberal leaders of coddling post-9/11 sensitivities rather than teaching history.
s»It’s sort of a vanilla way to do things,» retired Navy Vice Admiral Lou Crenshaw, who was stationed inside the Pentagon when al Qaeda terrorists crashed a hijacked passenger jet into the building. «Everybody can go through the deal and feel good about it. And at the end of the day, nobody complains.
CBC TELLS JOURNALISTS NOT TO CALL 9/11 ‘TERRORIST ATTACKS’ IN INTERNAL GUIDANCE
«To me, that’s not exactly what we need to do. We need to make sure that the kids have learned a lesson here. And that’s not going to happen if we try to shave the facts to the point where it’s hard to figure out what we’re talking about.»
A digital content analysis reveals that about half of the 1,740-word document is devoted to tips for creating «safe spaces for Muslim and Middle Eastern students,» about 15% spells out specific 9/11 instruction and the rest of the document tip-toes around managing «emotional responses» to the lesson.
In northern Virginia, Fairfax County Public Schools distributes a guide for 9/11 lessons, with a list of «Do’s and «Don’ts» (Fairfax County Public Schools)
The guide by the school district, which sits only a few miles from the Pentagon and several military bases, mentions military families only three times and first responders only once, saying at one point, «Many families of military personnel and first responders experienced loss and hardship.»
Meanwhile, it has 30 references to Islam, «Muslim families,» «Muslim students,» «anti-Muslim racism,» «anti-Middle Eastern» rhetoric, «Islamophobic rhetoric» and «Middle Eastern students» and families. It includes a bulleted list of «critical considerations» to challenge anti-Muslim bias.
The curriculum guidance speaks to a wider tension about how the 9/11 attacks are described by influential figures from teachers, journalists and politicians to social media influencers as a network of powerful Muslim organizations have built educational programs over the past 25 years downplaying discussions about the extremist interpretations of Islam that motivated al Qaeda and the 19 hijackers involved in the 9/11 attacks.
On Thursday, New York Police Department Commissioner Jessica Tisch called for «moral clarity» about what happened on 9/11, saying in a speech, «The men who attacked this city were terrorists. The men and women who ran into the towers to save innocent lives were heroes.
«Twenty-five years cannot be allowed to blur that distinction, and shame on those who do.»
Last month, after a major public backlash, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reversed earlier guidance that instructed journalists to avoid calling 9/11 a «terrorist attack.»
Fairfax County Public Schools provides teachers a guide that includes «critical considerations» to avoid discussing the extremist interpretation of Islam that motivated the 9/11 hijackers. (Fairfax County Public Schools)
In a statement provided to Fox News Digital, Fairfax County Public Schools said the school community has a «deeply personal connection to September 11 because of our proximity to the Pentagon and the many military-connected families we serve.
«On the 25th anniversary of the terrorist attacks, we remember the nearly 3,000 people who were killed, including 184 at the Pentagon. We remember the victims, their families, the survivors, and everyone whose lives were forever changed. We honor the first responders whose courage and sacrifice continue to inspire us,» the school district said.
«FCPS remains committed to creating an inclusive environment in our schools where all students feel welcome and respected as we strive to provide a world-class education and workplace.»
LIZ PEEK: WE CANNOT LET THE LEFT REWRITE WHAT HAPPENED ON 9/11
Smoke pours from the twin towers of the World Trade Center after they were hit by two hijacked airliners in a terrorist attack Sept. 11, 2001, in New York City. (Robert Giroux/Getty Images)
Crenshaw saw the effects on military and civilian families impacted by the attack. On the fateful morning, Crenshaw was stationed on the Pentagon’s E Ring. He watched the TV footage of two airplanes crashing into the World Trade Center.
«I thought, ‘This is not a good thing,’» Crenshaw recalled.
He then continued with a scheduled appointment, but as it began, the Pentagon was struck.
«Just about the time they sat down, and we started the interview, there was tremendous noise,» Crenshaw said. «Bang! The entire building shook, and we knew right away that something bad had happened.»
Crenshaw, who served in the Navy from 1974 to 2007, was on the fourth floor of the Pentagon on the same side of the building hit by the plane. His work area did not immediately collapse, although he said it was later destroyed by fire.
He looked outside and saw smoke billowing from the area where the airplane had hit. He also remembered seeing a chief petty officer crying as windows shattered and glass scattered across the floor.
Our Flag Was Still There features flags related to 9/11 as the nation marks 25 years since the 2001 terrorist attacks and celebrates its 250th anniversary. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images; Craig Ruttle/Pool/Getty Images)
The reality of the attack soon became clear to Crenshaw and the rest of the country. Al Qaeda, an extremist terrorist organization led by Usama bin Laden, had carried out a coordinated assault. The group used an extremist interpretation of Islam to justify the attack, portraying it as retaliation for the presence of U.S. forces overseas and American foreign policy. Bin Laden associate Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who took credit for planning the attack, awaits a trial in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba.
Crenshaw said students should understand that 9/11 was not simply «a coordinated terrorist attack on the United States,» as the FCPS script describes it, but a strategic act of war.
«What we saw in 9/11 was a religious extremist group, al Qaeda, who did not tolerate what the United States was doing around the world and decided to react violently,» Crenshaw said.
Teachers should be prepared to discuss the Islamist extremism behind the attack without collectively blaming all Muslims, he said, noting that he agreed it is important to make sure Muslim students aren’t shamed.
«They are a branch of Islam, but they certainly do not espouse any of the values that we know of Islam worldwide,» said Crenshaw. «And, therefore, they really shouldn’t be considered to be part of that mainstream religion.»
Fairfax County Public Schools provides teachers guidance on teaching about the 9/11 attacks with an emphasis on challenging «anti-Muslim racism.» (Fairfax County Public Schools)
The guide includes a section titled «Responding to Racism, Hate, and Bias against Muslims and Middle Eastern People,» telling teachers that Muslim students experience «the worst anti-Muslim racism» during Sept. 11 lessons.
FCPS instructs teachers the anniversary «may intensify anti-Muslim and anti-Middle Eastern rhetoric.» They are told that speaking out against anti-Muslim bias is part of their «sacred role as teachers.»
The guide also says that if educators hear students or colleagues using «Islamophobic rhetoric,» «it is up to you to disrupt.»
Under a list of «Do» and «Don’t» instructions, FCPS explicitly tells teachers don’t «associate the 9/11 attacks with Islam or Muslims» and don’t «center the extremists or the acts of the extremists.»
The guide says the commemoration should focus on «those whose lives were lost and those who sacrificed to help others – not those who attacked the United States.»
Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, has been held at Guantánamo Bay since 2003. (AP)
The guide says teachers should not focus a commemorative lesson on «an examination of Islam.» It argues that doing so could send the «harmful message» that «Islam, or all Muslims, are responsible for these terrorist attacks.»
Crenshaw said not explaining the ideology of the hijackers and how al Qaeda interpreted Islam to justify the attacks means the guide fails to deliver «a sense of urgency or the evilness of what actually happened.»
september 11, islam, controversies education, virginia, terrorism
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