logo
Warren Hammond's Personal View: A warning of missiles, missteps and August risks

Warren Hammond's Personal View: A warning of missiles, missteps and August risks

Over the weekend, the headlines confirm recent forecasts: Trump moves nuclear subs after Medvedev's threat (July 31)
Ukraine strikes Russian energy infrastructure with drones (Aug 1–2)
On Friday, 1st August, I published a forecast before these escalations, predicting that August would be geopolitically frustrating and prone to costly missteps.
Frustration, stalled momentum, and the underestimation of resilience, logistics, terrain, or intent- these are the classic ingredients of escalation. And history show, when pressure builds, brinkmanship often follows.
In Friday's article, I highlight why this week and this month demand vigilance. August 2025 echoes moments from history's most dangerous cycles of frustration and overreach: 1962 – The Cuban Missile Crisis
1951 – The Korean War escalation
1941 – WWII's pivotal miscalculations: Pearl Harbour and Operation Barbarossa
Each was triggered by distrust, delay, and rising pressure.
So is today.
Trump deploys two nuclear submarines after provocative Russian comments. Published before events accelerate, why August may become the most geopolitically frustrating month in years.
August will be geopolitically frustrating. And history shows: frustration breeds missteps.
Here's why the so-called 'ceasefire' masks rising systemic risk, and what investors must prepare for now.
What's your take on August's rising risks and the shadow of history? Share your thoughts below!
Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1
Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Scores of South Africans retrenched by NGO processing Trump's Afrikaner ‘refugees'
Scores of South Africans retrenched by NGO processing Trump's Afrikaner ‘refugees'

Daily Maverick

timean hour ago

  • Daily Maverick

Scores of South Africans retrenched by NGO processing Trump's Afrikaner ‘refugees'

The organisation that aims to bring Kenyan workers to South Africa to process Afrikaner 'refugees' bound for the US laid off more than 100 South Africans last year. Church World Service (CWS), the organisation tasked by the US State Department with processing Afrikaner 'refugees' for resettlement in the USA, retrenched about 100 workers in Pretoria in June last year. CWS is now applying for 'volunteer' visas from the Department of Home Affairs for about 30 Kenyan workers to come to South Africa to work on the Afrikaner resettlement project — raising the question of why it is not attempting instead to re-employ the locals it made redundant last year. Daily Maverick understands that the staffers, most of whom were South Africans, were retrenched when CWS closed its Resettlement Support Centre sub-office in Pretoria at the end of June 2024. CWS did not respond to Daily Maverick's repeated requests for comment. Office was in place from 2015 to 2024 'A new office in Pretoria, South Africa, enhances refugee support and programs to cover eight countries,' stated the CWS annual report in 2015. 'Working with the U.S. Department of State, we continue to increase the number of refugee cases in process each year, serving more than 40 countries in sub-Saharan Africa.' An old job ad confirmed that the office was based in Pretoria, and stated that it was tasked with 'the preparation of refugee case files for adjudication by US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers, as well as the out-processing and cultural orientation of all approved cases'. The office's address was listed elsewhere as occupying premises on Fehrsen Street in Brooklyn, Pretoria. Daily Maverick understands that staff were informed midway through last year that the volumes of refugees being processed from sub-Saharan Africa were no longer high enough to warrant a permanent office presence in South Africa. That was, of course, when President Donald Trump's Afrikaner 'refugee' plan was not yet even a glimmer on the horizon. Tens of thousands of Afrikaners to be brought over Now, CWS finds itself in need of staff numbers to process the Afrikaner 'refugees' to be resettled — and a Reuters exclusive from last week makes it clear why it would need as many as 30 workers for the task. Reuters, through interviews with US officials, has determined that the Trump administration ultimately aims to bring potentially 30,000 Afrikaners for resettlement in the US. As far as is publicly known, only two groups of Afrikaner 'refugees' have thus far left for the US, with numbers probably not totalling more than 100. This means that the scale of the task ahead for CWS is considerable. Reuters also reported that the Trump administration looked set to admit only 40,000 refugees in total for the year ahead — meaning that fully 75% of the available US refugee spots would be reserved for Afrikaners. This news comes at a time when the US State Department has announced a stop to all visitor visas for individuals from Gaza — which had previously been used for emergency purposes to treat injured children — on the grounds that they could be used by Palestinian refugees. Afrikaner 'refugees' facing difficulties As Daily Maverick has reported, the Afrikaner 'refugees' in the first two resettlement groups have not always found the grass on the other side to be as green as they may have hoped. The Reuters exclusive fleshed out the picture, pointing out that after taking office, Trump slashed refugee benefits. Refugees had been eligible for cash and healthcare assistance for one year, but under Trump this has been reduced to four months. Reuters reported on an email sent by one Afrikaner family to the Department of Health and Human Services, which is responsible for the refugee programme on US soil. The family said they had found it impossible to secure a job without being issued a social security number, and that they had already spent $4,000 (more than R70,000) on food, transport and communications. Adults expected to take low-level menial jobs US public broadcaster NPR previously had sight of the documents given to the Afrikaner 'refugees' upon arrival. In it, they were told: 'You are expected to support yourself quickly in finding work.' It continued: 'Adults are expected to accept entry level employment in fields like warehousing, manufacturing, and customer service. You can work toward higher level employment over time.' DM

Maduro says mobilizing millions of militia after US 'threats'
Maduro says mobilizing millions of militia after US 'threats'

eNCA

time4 hours ago

  • eNCA

Maduro says mobilizing millions of militia after US 'threats'

Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro on Monday said he would deploy 4.5 million militia members in response to US "threats," after Washington raised the bounty for his arrest and launched anti-drug operations in the Caribbean. "This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory -- militias that are prepared, activated and armed," Maduro announced on state television. Official figures say the Venezuelan militia, founded by Maduro's predecessor Hugo Chavez, contains about 5 million people -- though the actual number is believed to be smaller. Venezuela's total population is around 30 million. Maduro lambasted "the renewal of extravagant, bizarre, and outlandish threats" from the United States. The administration of US President Donald Trump earlier this month doubled its bounty to $50 million for the arrest of Maduro, who faces drug trafficking charges. Washington, which does not recognize Maduro's past two election victories, accuses the Venezuelan of leading a cocaine trafficking gang called Cartel de los Soles. The Trump administration announced sanctions against the group and Maduro's administration last month. The US military has also reportedly deployed several vessels to the southern Caribbean, as part of Trump's crackdown on Latin American drug cartels. "We are also deployed throughout the our sea, our property, Venezuelan territory," Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said. Although he did not mention the recent US actions specifically, Maduro thanked those who expressed their support in the face of what he called "rotten refrain" of threats. Maduro called on his government's political base to move forward with the formation of peasant and worker militias "in all industries."

Russia bombards Ukrainian city hours after Washington summit
Russia bombards Ukrainian city hours after Washington summit

TimesLIVE

time5 hours ago

  • TimesLIVE

Russia bombards Ukrainian city hours after Washington summit

Russia struck the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk overnight, leaving a thick column of smoke hovering over energy facilities in an attack the mayor called a sign that Russian President Vladimir Putin does not want peace. The bombardment on that city as well as other locations in Ukraine was Russia's largest so far in August, according to the Ukrainian air force. It followed Donald Trump's meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Washington on Monday as the US president seeks an end to Russia's war in Ukraine. Moscow launched 270 drones and 10 missiles, the Ukrainian air force said. Though it had downed 230 of the drones, 16 sites were struck. 'While hard work to advance peace was under way in Washington DC Moscow continued to do the opposite of peace: more strikes and destruction,' Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on X. The governor of Poltava region, where Kremenchuk is located, said there were no casualties but nearly 1,500 households were left without electricity. The energy ministry said energy facilities were hit in the attack, resulting in damage and a large fire.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store