Reparable Russian rift or costly, counter-productive confrontation? on March 8, 2017Forgive the alliteration. But one of the most crucial issues for international security is the future of the rift between the West and Russia. Is this rift reparable? If the answer is yes, how might this be achieved? Or, is this confrontation a 21st century version of the past Cold War in which the inimical […]
Needed now a new Harmel report to transform NATO for the 21st century on March 1, 2017Bucharest, Romania: Since its creation in 1949, NATO has been at many “crossroads” when its future was often seen in doubt. The most serious rift came in 1966. French President Charles de Gaulle, fearful of the risks of automatic nuclear escalation in the event of war with the Soviet Union and angered at what he […]
Needed now a new Harmel report to transform NATO for the 21st century on March 1, 2017Bucharest, Romania: Since its creation in 1949, NATO has been at many “crossroads” when its future was often seen in doubt. The most serious rift came in 1966. French President Charles de Gaulle, fearful of the risks of automatic nuclear escalation in the event of war with the Soviet Union and angered at what he […]
A scent of February 1914? on February 22, 2017Bucharest, Romania: Even with President Donald J. Trump asserting that his White House is “running like a fine(ly) tuned machine,” the rest of the world is not. As U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis sees it, an “arc of instability” runs from the Western Mediterranean to the Eastern Bay of Bengal. Not a scintilla of […]
Inside Putins brain: all about Trump on February 15, 2017In the nearly three weeks since he has been president, Donald John Trump has proven to be the most extraordinary, controversial and even predictable chief executive to live in the White House since Teddy Roosevelt more than a century ago. His bluster, bombast, aggression, showmanship and refusal to accept criticism are on massive display, the […]
A week to remember on February 1, 2017What a week! In two fell swoops, President Donald Trump managed to alienate Mexico with his ‘build a wall promise’ and offend much of the Arab-Muslim world with an ill-considered executive order to ban temporarily visitors from seven Arab countries in the Middle East, one of which — Iraq — is our ally where nearly […]
2017 the year of No World Order on January 25, 20172017 marks the hundredth anniversary of two transformative events. The US had entered World War I to make the world safe for democracy. And that November, Russia became the Soviet Union. In the ashes of the so-called Great War, the seeds of a second global conflict and a cold war were sown. In many ways, […]
Russian meddling why are we shocked? on January 18, 2017The response by most Americans, less so by one president-elect, to Russian meddling in the US elections is reminiscent of a memorable scene in the movie classic Casablanca. When informed of gambling at Rick’s Café, Captain Louis Renault, aka Claude Raines, blurts out “I am shocked,” as he is being handed his cut of the […]
Damn the icebergs full speed ahead on January 12, 2017Make no mistake: President Donald Trump’s political honeymoon may have ended even before he is inaugurated on Friday January 20th, 2017. The dramatic news that broke two days ago with allegations that Russia and Russians may have damaging information on the president elect could be a tectonic earthquake of a magnitude unrecorded in the equivalent […]
Donald please listen on January 4, 2017Given President-elect (PE) Donald Trump’s ukase-like tweets last week, if President George W. Bush has not phoned his successor once removed with a crisp message, he should do so immediately. Six words are enough. “Donald, you are not president yet!” And, the 43rd president might have added, “And please do a little more homework before […]