Friday, February 28, 2020

Erdogan Putin, Trump Harry, Labour Party

Will Erdogan let Vladimir Putin play him again in Syria? The Turkish president has a choice to make between hoping for the best with bombs, and playing hardball with Russia.

Why won’t Trump follow Canada’s lead on protection costs for Prince Harry? The not-so-royal Harry is taking U.S. taxpayers for a ride.

Would-be British Labour Party leaders fail on the big antisemitism question. At a leadership debate on Thursday, the party showed it has a long way to go to regain trust.

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Coronavirus vaccine, Iran China

Coronavirus vaccine shows why Bernie is wrong about pharmaceutical regulation. The Democratic front runner ignores the facts in favor of human interest.

Iran and China are pathological Coronavirus liars. So why do 2020 Democrats seem so keen to trust them?

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

EU, Free Speech, Foreign Policy

EU doubles down on defense spending joke. The political bloc has cut investments in much needed capabilities.

Britain’s free speech problem rumbles on. Three different stories in the period of seven days testify to the challenge.

A foreign policy debate fit for Coronavirus. The Democratic presidential primary field were not terribly impressive in their solutions to the challenges facing America.

Monday, February 24, 2020

Russia BS, Bernie's Nicaragua, CPAC coups, Cotton Coronavirus

Why Russia is blaming the Coronavirus outbreak on the United States. It fits in a longstanding pattern of Russian active measures strategy.

For Bernie Sanders, Nicaragua offers problems. The Senator’s support for violent Communist authoritarians is a storied one.

CPAC would have benefitted from some coup panel balance. With six “coup” panels, a need for varied debate would seem obvious.

Tom Cotton’s Coronavirus conspiracy theory deserves some keen attention. The Chinese government is changing his tune on where and when the outbreak first occurred.

Friday, February 21, 2020

Trump-Russia, Trump India, Turkey Assad, UK GRU

Why the Trump-Russia intelligence report from the New York Times doesn’t quite add up. There are a number of reasons to seriously doubt that Russia is committed to a 2020 interference strategy towards reelecting Trump.

What to expect from Trump’s trip to India. Trade, China, and monkeys are foremost on the agenda.

Turkey should bomb Bashar al-Assad’s command network in Damascus. It’s time to send the dictator a deterrent message - and Russia, also.

Britain shows how to lead against Vladimir Putin’s aggression. The U.K. attributes a major cyber-attack to Russia’s GRU intelligence service.

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Taliban lies, Johnson's guru, Grenell's experience, Bloomberg China

The Taliban’s lies in the New York Times. The organization’s deputy leader offers a masterclass in deceptive world play.
Boris Johnson’s eccentric guru is on a mission to change British politics. Dominic Cummings is an interesting fellow, with a rather ruthless streak

Richard Grenell inexperienced? Few made that complaint about Leon Panetta. The former CIA director and Acting DNI have some comparison points.

Mike Bloomberg’s brilliantly bad China answer. The former New York City mayor attacked India and almost celebrated our Chinese adversary.

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Democrats-Assad, Macron-Putin, US-Russia, Mulvaney UK, Grenell DNI, China WSJ

Democratic Party’s Bashar Assad problem goes way beyond Tulsi Gabbard. It reaches from Nancy Pelosi to Hillary Clinton to John Kerry to Barack Obama.
Media praise Emmanuel Macron, forget his craven support for Vladimir Putin. The idea that Macron is leader of the free world is a provably absurd one.

U.S. Military sends a strong message to Russia in Syria. This is a video with enjoyment factor and strategic value.
Mick Mulvaney launches new attack on the “deep state.” Speaking at the Oxford Union in England, the Chief of Staff signaled how Trump aims to mobilize his base.

What to expect from Trump’s new Director of National Intelligence. Rich Grenell comes from Berlin, and will bring with him a special focus on Iran.
Retaliate over China’s expulsion of Wall Street Journal reporters. Beijing must face consequences for its war on the free flow of information.

Tuesday, February 18, 2020

China first, Swampy pardons, Russia Ukraine

Trump moves towards a China first trade policy. The president doesn’t seem to realize why giving China control of U.S. intellectual property isn’t very clever.
A very swampy commutation of Rod Blagojevich’s sentence. Trump’s excuses for the commutation are patently absurd.
Russia’s new escalation in Ukraine is Trump’s opportunity. The president should stand with Ukraine’s democracy.

Friday, February 14, 2020

Belarus, Dresden, Johnson, Police

Belarus president delivers a striking rebuke to Vladimir Putin. Alexander Lukashenko used a Friday factory speech to tell Putin to go away.
Why the terrible destruction of Dresden was justified. The USAAF and RAF acted against a military target in support of ongoing ground operations by the Red Army.
Lurching to the left, Boris Johnson loses his Chancellor of the Exchequer. The budget chief quit in protest at Johnson’s effort to control major new spending plans.
D.C. Police showed great professionalism on Thursday. In two separate shooting incidents the police caught suspects after exchanges of gunfire. No innocents were harmed.

Thursday, February 13, 2020

Senate Iran, Warren Shakespeare, Barr Trump, John Kelly

The Senate war powers resolution on Iran has a distinct special operations problem. A little known Army unit named the Intelligence Support Activity, is why.
Elizabeth Warren should find leadership lessons from William Shakespeare, not cats and dogs. The presidential candidate needs to read Henry V. Or learn about Boudica.
Attorney General Barr rightly rebukes Trump’s silly Twitter attacks. The chief law enforcement officer recognizes something Trump evidently does not. Namely, that the law should be independent of political interference.
Why Trump is wrong to attack John Kelly’s White House service. The former Marine general faced two challenges not of his own making during his time at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Maduro escalates, Roger Stone, UK terrorism, Bernie's world

Attacking Juan Guaido and throwing Americans into a secret prison, Nicolas Maduro escalates against Trump. The Venezuelan dictator is increasingly confident, Trump must check him.

Trump’s intrusions risk hurting Roger Stone, not helping him. The chaotic effort to save Stone risks attracting the ire of his presiding judge.

Suffering repeated attacks, Britain moves to strengthen its counter-terrorism detention laws. The reforms would prevent automatic release of terrorists half way through their prison sentences.
Bernie Sanders’ foreign policy shows a penchant for socialists, democrats and authoritarians alike. Sanders’ claims to moral leadership are sketchier than they appear.

Tuesday, February 11, 2020

Syria-Russia, Trump economy, China threats

With Syria attacks, Russia risks pushing America and Turkey back together. Vladimir Putin is dancing on a dangerous edge, and the US is trying to push him off.
No, Obama’s economy is not responsible for Trump’s. The differences and distinctions are very important - and being ignored by anti-Trump media commentators.
China’s outrageous threats to the Wall Street Journal. The Communist regime is warning of cyber-attacks in response to the Journal exercising its free speech.


Monday, February 10, 2020

Equifax espionage, Coronavirus Chernobyl, Trump's kills, Moscow Ambassador

A hypothetical spy story on why China hacked Equifax. It’s about finding intelligence recruitment opportunities in the pages of American private lives.
Xi Jinping is handling the Coronavirus outbreak as the Soviet Union handled the Chernobyl disaster. Which is to say, with lies, inadequate action, and deflection.
Gutsy calls: why Trump deserves credit for recent counter-terrorism kills. He has chosen a preference for operational risk over political hesitation.
U.S. Ambassador off to a strong start in Moscow. The new American chief diplomat is delivering some early results.

Friday, February 7, 2020

Seven different articles!

Democrats failed the Qassem Soleimani question. Their answers were weak, convoluted, and unsuitable from someone trying to lead the United States.
Meet Karen Pierce, Britain’s new ambassador to the United States. She has abundant relevant experience and is a pro-American figure.
Trump fails in his responsibility with the petulant firing of Alexander Vindman. The Army officer and military professionalism demanded his better treatment.
Joe Biden satirizes himself on ISIS. Albeit inadvertently. President Obama’s right hand man doesn’t have a whole lot of credibility on Iraq
Meet David Hogg, a history student in need of education. The Parkland survivor isn’t very well versed on Abraham Lincoln.
Philippines president strikes another blow against the special relationship. Washington should reconsider the near term nature of its support for this historic alliance.
Sorry, you cannot compel Americans to vote
The First Amendment is clear on this issue.

Wednesday, February 5, 2020

Romney, Macron Russia

Don’t expel Mitt Romney from the GOPThe Senator from Utah does not owe his loyalty to Trump.
Emmanuel Macron’s extraordinary Russia hypocrisy. The French leader pretends to serve the liberal international order but seems happy to sell it to the most undeserving bidder.

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Trump SOTU, Trump Soleimani

Trump’s State of the Union address gets it half right on ISIS and half wrong. Right to salute the moral justice of Baghdadi’s demise, wrong to say that ISIS is defeated.
Trump delivers a moral assertion for the righteous killing of Qassem Soleimani. He argued that Soleimani had it coming, and he was right to do so.

Pelosi's profoundly idiotic paper partisanship. The Speaker of the House gifts Trump with her decision to rip up his speech.

Navy carrier, Idlib slaughter, Mark Esper

The Navy’s newest aircraft carrier is currently a sad joke. A new evaluation says the USS Gerald R Ford is totally unfit for operations.
In Idlib, Turkey pushes back against Russian and Syrian slaughter. The ingredients for a conflagration are growing.
Mark Esper should be the State of the Union’s designated survivor. Esper has the experience of nuclear-national command authority, and the leadership training.

Monday, February 3, 2020

Iraq leader, Peaky fascists, Northern Ireland

Mohammed Allawi offers Iraq a new chance for hope. The prime minister designate is known for his strong anti-corruption credentials.
Sorry, Peaky Blinders, Donald Trump is no Oswald Mosley-fascist. The differences between the 1930s fascists and Trump are quite clear. If you know history.
How a Northern Ireland funeral encapsulates the hope and hardships of peace. The decision to attend a former enemy’s funeral isn’t a simple one.