Hi Global Recap readers,
I have friends who grew up in high-trust places with strong social order and high compliance. In more ethnically and socially homogeneous settings, a shared baseline comes easier—meaning people tend to assume good faith from strangers.
In that world, it’s more natural to accept the state (via police) as the sole holder of legitimate force.
Japan and Korea are good examples.
But when people grow up in very different social worlds (religion, family norms, ethnic traditions, honor/shame, views on authority, and what counts as “acceptable” behavior) those instincts solidify over time.
They don’t reset just because you move to the same city or share the same laws.
So you can end up with people living side by side with very different default expectations.
That isn’t automatically bad, but it gets complicated fast when ISIS is involved. 👇🏼
🇬🇧 UNITED KINGDOM
Robinson Leaves
After ISIS Threat
The warning came in a phone call he later posted online.
Click for video
Police warned British political activist Tommy Robinson after intelligence said an Islamic State publication was urging violence against him, and he says he has now left the UK.
📌 Context. Robinson founded the English Defence League (EDL) in 2009, with its stated goal of protesting radical Islamist activities. However, his critics label the organization as "far-right anti-Muslim."
Alert. On February 13, 2026, Robinson shared a recording of an officer telling him police had received intelligence that an ISIS-linked publication was "encouraging others to commit violence" against him.
The officer said the reference appeared in a magazine titled Yalghar, described as being published by Islamic State Khorasan Province, also known as ISKP.
In the call, Robinson asked for a copy of the magazine, but the officer warned it was likely proscribed material.
ISKP is an Islamic State affiliate that has used propaganda outlets to incite violence and intimidate targets.
Tommy Robinson
Limits. What’s enraging many online is the fact that the officer said that Robinson isn’t authorized “to carry weapons" to defend himself in public or take "any pre-emptive action against others."
In England and Wales, carrying weapons in public is heavily restricted and often illegal without a specific lawful reason.
Exit. Robinson wrote on X that he had left the country and needed time "for my safety and the safety of my family," adding that he may have to relocate them.
🇺🇸 UNITED STATES
Pentagon Preps Weeks-Long
Iran Operations
President Trump talking about how regime change “would be the best thing that could happen.”
Click for video
US military planners are reportedly preparing for the possibility of sustained, weeks-long operations against Iran if President Trump orders an attack, two US officials say.
Trigger. The planning surfaced on Feb. 13, 2026, as US and Iranian diplomats pursue talks aimed at reviving diplomacy over Iran’s nuclear program after meetings in Oman last week.
Trump, speaking to US troops in North Carolina on Friday, said it has "been difficult to make a deal" with Iran.
Forces. US officials said the Pentagon is sending an additional aircraft carrier to the Middle East, adding thousands more troops along with fighter aircraft, guided-missile destroyers, and other assets that can both strike and defend.
Plan. One official described the current planning as more complex than the June 2025 "Midnight Hammer" operation.
The operation was essentially a one-off strike using stealth bombers flying from the US to hit Iranian nuclear facilities, followed by a limited Iranian retaliatory strike on a US base in Qatar.
In a sustained campaign now under consideration, one official said the US could target Iranian state and security facilities in addition to nuclear infrastructure.
Risks. Officials expect Iranian retaliation, and analysts point to Iran’s sizable missile arsenal as the obvious problem for US forces spread across the region.
The US maintains bases in Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Turkey.
Pahlavi Interview
Why does Trump want a deal? Speaking at a town hall moderated by Christiane Amanpour on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference, exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi explained why:
He believes Trump is holding back to prove that diplomacy was given a "maximum chance" before moving further, framing the delay as strategic rather than hesitant.
He also openly called for US intervention to dismantle Iran’s repression apparatus as he doesn't see Iranian authorities coming "even close" to meeting the demands.
🇨🇳🇺🇦 CHINA & UKRAINE
China Offers Energy Aid
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha (left) and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (right).
Ukraine says China will provide humanitarian energy assistance after repeated Russian strikes on the power system, a move that shows Beijing's claimed "neutrality."
Signal. The pledge was announced by Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha after talks with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi at the Munich Security Conference on February 13, 2026.
Sybiha said the aid is aimed at Ukraine's battered energy infrastructure, which has taken repeated hits as Russia targets power facilities through the winter.
Meeting. Ukraine is pressing partners and fence-sitters at the conference to treat the Russia-Ukraine war as an urgent security problem.
Sybiha said he also briefed Wang on the battlefield situation and on Russian attacks that damaged facilities linked to Chinese companies.
Balance. This is the uncomfortable middle ground:
> China stays close to Moscow
> it says it’s neutral
> while keeping lines open for Kyiv
It’s almost as if keeping Russia isolated and bogged down by war is convenient for China.
Accusations. Meanwhile, Ukraine and Western governments have accused China of propping up Russia economically, including with components that can end up in military supply chains.
Next. Sybiha said Ukraine wants higher-level contact with Beijing, including a potential meeting between Ukrainian President Zelenskyy and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The two ministers also traded invitations to visit.
