THE SET-UP: Things are really coming together, but not in a good way. Two wars and geopolitical lawlessness are pushing the boundaries of international law well-beyond the post-WWII consensus. The UN Charter, the Geneva Conventions and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights have been eclipsed by the United States and Israel. To be fair, the US is the trailblazer. It tested the consensus repeatedly throughout the Cold War, but the pretense remained. Violations were surreptitious. Uncovered violations became scandals. But universal protections remained the goal.
All that’s gone now.
The United States violated national sovereignty, individual human rights and the laws of war throughout the Iraq War and the Global War on Terror. And now the Gaza War has become a textbook example of why the Geneva Conventions were instituted in the first place. But it gets worse. Israel has functionally ended national sovereignty with its ever-widening air-war. They reserve the right to kill anyone anywhere at any time. All they need is an association with a terrorist. In fact, physical proximity to a suspected terrorist will do. No one is off limits. International consensus be damned.
The US has joined them in this emerging “Age of Impunity” by bombing alleged “narcoterrorists” in the Caribbean Ocean. It was a summary execution of foreign nationals without due process. Human rights were violated. But that’s not even an issue in the US. There is no national dialogue about bombing people without just cause or authorization. It’s setting a precedent.
Israel is getting some pushback for bombing Qatar. But Israel is unrepentant. It’s asserted the right to do it again and again and again. And then there is Iran. The US illegally joined-in to bomb Iran’s nuclear infrastructure after admittedly using negotiations as a ruse to prep for the strike.
Israel has since taken it further. They broke countless centuries of diplomatic tradition when they tried to kill the people they were negotiating with … and they violated the sovereignty of Qatar in the process.
And that’s just where we are now. But…
…it’s all happening at the same time Silicon Valley is reconfiguring the Military-Industrial Complex … and two companies are particularly poised to be the leading weapons-suppliers of the Age of Impunity. Palantir is setting the pace on artificial intelligence, data mining, targeting and human management. Anduril is using the Ukraine War as a priceless laboratory for its drone and rocket technologies and it’s hyper-scaling it production capacity in Ohio and Mississippi. No, they are not challenging Lockheed Martin.
Yet.
But today’s Thread will give you a quick look at what’s afoot. All these stories appeared within the last five days … although James Cameron showed us what’s coming when impunity meets technology about forty years ago. That’s the crazy part of this … we are gaining access weapons that are far-too perfectly matched to the impunity of the day. - jp
Alex Karp Insists Palantir Doesn’t Spy on Americans. Here’s What He’s Not Saying.
https://theintercept.com/2025/09/12/palantir-spy-nsa-snowden-surveillance/
When the government can see everything: How one company – Palantir – is mapping the nation’s data
https://forwardky.com/when-the-government-can-see-everything-how-one-company-palantir-is-mapping-the-nations-data/
Palantir’s Defense Partnerships Fuel Its Growth Story
https://www.marketbeat.com/originals/palantirs-defense-partnerships-fuel-its-growth-story/
Babcock and Palantir enter partnership to revolutionize warship production
https://www.navalnews.com/event-news/dsei-uk-2025/2025/09/babcock-and-palantir-enter-partnership-to-revolutionize-warship-production/
Palantir and Hadean Partner to Bring a Suite of Simulation and AI Products Across the UK Armed Forces
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20250910643007/en/Palantir-and-Hadean-Partner-to-Bring-a-Suite-of-Simulation-and-AI-Products-Across-the-UK-Armed-Forces
Marine Corps reaches deal with Palantir for Maven Smart System
https://defensescoop.com/2025/09/10/palantir-maven-smart-system-mss-marine-corps/
Anduril, Rivet Awarded $354M in Contracts to Develop SBMC Situational Awareness Mixed Reality Technology
https://www.govconwire.com/articles/anduril-rivet-contract-award-sbmc-warfighter
Anduril lands $159M Army contract for ‘superhero’ soldier headset
https://interestingengineering.com/military/anduril-159m-army-superhero-mixed-reality-helmet
US Air Force selects Blue Origin and Anduril for rocket cargo delivery project: report
https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/us-air-force-selects-blue-origin-and-anduril-for-rocket-cargo-delivery-project-report
Anduril joins U.S. Navy’s carrier drone fighter race
https://defence-blog.com/anduril-joins-u-s-navys-carrier-drone-fighter-race/
Anduril Pitches Ghost Shark XLUUV to U.S. Navy
https://news.usni.org/2025/09/10/anduril-pitches-ghost-shark-xluuv-to-u-s-navy
Australia taps Anduril for $1.1B ‘Ghost Shark’ undersea drone fleet
https://seekingalpha.com/news/4493851-australia-taps-anduril-for-1_1b-ghost-shark-undersea-drone-fleet
DSEI 2025: U.S. Anduril new Dive XL unmanned submarine for weeks long seabed security missions
https://armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2025/dsei-2025-u-s-anduril-new-dive-xl-unmanned-submarine-for-weeks-long-seabed-security-missions
Ukraine Unveils DF-M, a Plug-and-Play Drone Killer Built for the Battlefield
https://united24media.com/latest-news/ukraine-unveils-df-m-a-plug-and-play-drone-killer-built-for-the-battlefield-11438
In a first, Ukraine's 3 AI drones decide when and how to attack Russian military
https://www.firstpost.com/world/china-france-artificial-intelligence-ai-russia-ukraine-war-drone-13932342.html
Terminators: AI-driven robot war machines on the march
https://www.theregister.com/2025/09/12/terminators_aidriven_robot_war_machines/
Antichrist or Armageddon? Peter Thiel rethinks apocalypse from Silicon Valley.
https://religionnews.com/2025/09/09/antichrist-or-armageddon-peter-thiel-rethinks-apocalypse-from-silicon-valley/
Peter Thiel’s gospel of fear is control sold as salvation
https://asiatimes.com/2025/09/peter-thiels-gospel-of-fear-is-control-sold-as-salvation/