End ‘endless’ wars: don’t plan for them on November 14, 2019Donald Trump, along with most Americans, wants to end “endless” wars. But how many Americans know that the Trump defence strategy, a continuation of President Obama’s, may inadvertently be doing the opposite? A key objective of the current National Defence Strategy (NDS) is “to deter and if war comes defeat” a list of potential adversaries […]
The next economic crash: and the band played on on November 6, 2019An economic crash is inevitable. But the most crucial questions are: when; why; and what can be done to prevent or to mitigate a crash? Three earlier economic crashes illuminate a warning. In October 1929, two huge sell offs on Wall Street set off the Great Depression. The causes-in part due to tariffs and the […]
The best, worst or halloween of times? on October 31, 2019Halloween 2019: To Donald Trump and his supporters, America is back, made great again. The economy is booming. Unemployment is at record lows. China has kowtowed in the tariff war. The smartest president in history scored a foreign policy coup in Syria by withdrawing American troops (other than for protecting oil wells) letting the locals […]
An endemic flaw in American foreign policy thinking on October 24, 2019Donald Trump has been harshly criticized for his foreign policy or, as many believe, the absence of one. His “America First” has led to the withdrawal from key treaties and agreements as well from “endless wars” and a certain downgrading of and even contempt for allies. The recent decision to abandon the Kurds in Syria […]
Are Americans safer or more secure than three years ago? on October 17, 2019In 1980, presidential candidate Ronald Reagan helped unseat Jimmy Carter by asking voters if they were better or worse off than four years ago. With the so-called “misery index” of inflation and interest rates running well into double figures, the answer was clear to most Americans. Reagan won decisively. Today, nearly three years after Donald […]
Can guilt or innocence be established today without facts, truth and reality? on October 11, 2019Did Donald J. Trump break the law by requesting assistance from a foreign government to discredit former Vice President Joe Biden, in this case Ukraine? Or does the president have the authority to solicit such support regardless of the source? If the president is guilty of breaking the law, what is the proper remedy: acquittal, […]
What can possibly go wrong in impeachment: everything on October 5, 2019For the fourth time in American history, impeachment proceedings have been launched against a sitting president. In 1868, eleven articles of impeachment were levied against Andrew Johnson for violating the Tenure of Office Act by firing Secretary of War Edwin Stanton. Johnson had vetoed that law; it was overridden; and later declared unconstitutional. Johnson was […]
A frightening new face of old war? on September 26, 2019Make no mistake: the attacks against Saudi oil facilities last Saturday were impressive by any standard. While countries with advanced weapons could have imposed as much damage, attacking without absolute attribution is a far more difficult and higher bar of operational prowess. But regardless of attribution, these strikes are especially worrying well beyond whether or […]
Call sign chaos: leading from the front on September 16, 2019Former U.S. Defense Secretary, retired Marine General James Mattis, with Francis (“Bing”) West, authored a remarkable book on leadership applicable well beyond the frontiers of military service. Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead is a modern day equivalent of Marcus Aurelius’ Emperor’s Handbook. CHAOS, Mattis’ Marine Corps call sign, arose from an irreverent compliment for […]
Brexit: don’t forget, people change their minds on September 12, 2019Eighteen years have elapsed since the attacks of September 11th. The impact on America and well beyond the Middle East and Persian Gulf has been profound. Great Britain now is experiencing a tectonic unraveling in the form BREXIT that could have equally far reaching effects for Europe and the Atlantic Alliance as September 11th had […]