Vaccine race, Trump UFOs

Trump is right to want to rush a vaccine, but he is likely to struggle against China’s communist model. Beijing, after all, will do whatever it can to defeat America in this great race.

Why Trump’s UFO comments are interesting. The president just said that the UFOs captured on Navy gun cameras - and other platforms - might or might not be real.

Newcastle owners, Justin Amash

Forget Newcastle, the Premier League owner class is already a cesspool. The Saudi bid to buy Tyneside’s finest isn’t exactly a shock horror cause for concern.

Justin Amash’s platitude centric foreign policy. The presidential hopeful doesn’t seem to recognize that you ultimately have to take a definitive stand on important issues.

China's PR strategy

Across the world, China’s PR strategy is detonating. The regime doesn’t quite understand the niceties of diplomacy amid a crisis of one’s own making.

Saudi reforms, Navy UFOs, Homeland finale

Why Saudi Arabia is ending flogging.

The regime is determined, rightly so, to achieve a transition to modernity. We should hope it succeeds.

Why the Navy should, but won’t, tell us more about UFOs.

They have some legitimate excuses, but not enough to justify such silence.

Homeland finale: From Russia, with ludicrousness.

The final episode was a disaster in theme and style.

Kim Jong Un, American order

Don't put too much stock in the Kim Jong Un rumors. There is no credible reporting or evidence to suggest that he is dead or critically ill.

American leadership remains indispensable, even amid coronavirus. Don't believe those who say the American era has passed.

Fauda, CE5

Fauda is worth your binge watch. The Israeli TV show is truly superb.

Review: Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind. The documentary isn’t so much of a documentary as it is a weird waltz into Steven Greer’s mind.

Iran Navy

Why Trump needed to issue his Navy order on Iran. The particular challenge posed by Iranian tactics, and their political context, matter here.

Iran satellite, Harvard China, Coronavirus tests

Iran’s Nur satellite test is a de facto ballistic missile test. The IRGC is using satellites as a cover to advance its ballistic missile program.

Harvard should ask its Communist China friend to offset the federal grants. Harvard has made a great effort to form close relations with Beijing.

Made in China. Once again, China sells faulty coronavirus tests to Spain. To replace tests that were faulty in the first place.

Kim's replacement?, Spying on Putin, Iran oil escalations

Who might succeed Kim Jong-un? Contrary to reporting he seems to be okay, but were Kim to die, the battle would likely be between his dynasty and the hardliner old guard.

Spying on Putin: why 15 pages of the Senate report are totally redacted. The U.S. doesn’t want to give the Russian leader clues as to where and how it is spying on him.

Iran will lash out over oil price collapse. The Iranian elite need either sanctions relief or oil price inflation. They will take risks to drive up their prospects in either regard.

Russians in Mediterranean, Netanyahu wins, China crackdown in Hong Kong, Homeland

Send up fighters to confront Russian aggression over the Mediterranean Sea. The Russians are endangering American aircrews in international airspace.

Benjamin Netanyahu gazumps Gantz. The prime minister scores agreement on an emergency coalition deal. It’s not a balanced agreement.

China is using coronavirus as a cover to crackdown on Hong Kong. Beijing is hoping the world is distracted. And it wants to stamp out this dangerous-to-the-party democratic movement.

Homeland goes haywire. The Showtime TV series seems to have forgotten that it succeeds where it has some attachment to reality.

Navy Crozier, ISIS Germany, Amazon France

The Navy’s excuse for firing Brett Crozier has become weaker.

Here’s why. Namely, that Crozier maintained his chain of command.

 

Why the ISIS cell in Germany deserves more attention. The cell appears to have been directed by ISIS-central and was planning to attack U.S. forces.

Amazon rightly repudiates French overreach regulation. The company is delivering critical services but is facing aggression from the government.

China navy, Colorado overreach

A few reasons China’s navy arrogance is misplaced. The Chinese navy’s first and only operational aircraft carrier isn’t hugely impressive. 

Colorado commissioners threaten prison for not wearing masks. They have made themselves a new triumvirate over the people they are sworn to serve.

Huawei's knight

China acquires a British knight to fight for Huawei. Sir Michael Rake brings big influence to the Communist effort to control Britain’s telecommunications network.

Biden defense, China Africans, Delta coronavirus

Joe Biden’s defense strategy won’t address China and Russia. The former Vice President seems to think standing up for interests and allies can be done on the cheap.

We’re all in this together, unless, that is, you’re African. The Chinese government’s treatment of Africans on its soil is quite telling.

How Delta Force and DEVGRU might be addressing coronavirus readiness risks. The two JSOC units are likely segregating troops on counter-terrorism alert duty.

Huawei - UK, Russia OPEC, China Taiwan

Huawei has a new British problem. The company faces increasing scrutiny as it seeks to build out the U.K.’s 5G network. But the challenge is also a reflection of growing British concern over Chinese cyber and academic espionage.

How Russia trumps the OPEC+ deal. Vladimir Putin has shown the world that he can control global energy markets. And he won’t have to suffer that much to do so.

Why China is threatening to destroy Taiwan over its handling of the coronavirus. Xi’s regime is furious that Taiwan has shown a democratic model for countering the pandemic.

Crozier vs. Admirals, Coronavirus and EU nationalism, Russians near Alaska

Did Admirals make Captain Crozier a scapegoat? The investigation into Crozier’s actions must hold Admirals accountable.

Coronavirus lays bare European Union divisions over national interests versus project interests. This is a crisis that offers zero sum incentives.

Don’t read too much into Russian air antics near Alaska. The Russians are simply playing games here.

Iran Yemen, Syria attacks

Rejecting cease fire in Yemen, Iran shows its disinterest in humanitarianism. The Saudi-led unilateral cease fire is good news for the people of this suffering nation.

A wake-up call to Syrian chemical atroticies. Bashar al-Assad’s regime is responsible for numerous chemical attacks. And requires reeducation not to use these weapons.

Biden foreign policy, WHO on China

What would President Joe Biden’s foreign policy look like? Here are a few suggestions as to where he might stand on all the big issues.

WHO chief confirms he is Beijing’s useful idiot. Tedros Adhanom seems quite happy to insult the U.S. and Taiwan, and regurgitate Communist China’s talking points.

Captain Crozier situation, Coronavirus casaulties, Iran sanctions

Don’t fixate on Secretary Modly, we need to hear from Rear Admiral Stu Baker on Captain Crozier’s firing. The commander of Carrier Strike Group 9 is a key witness to what was happening.

Six wars or one battle, don’t miss the point on Coronavirus.American casualties as a result of public health and conflict concerns are not so simple as some present.

Coronavirus doesn’t justify sanctions relief for Iran. Tehran must be helped with some humanitarian assistance, but the regime must not benefit.

China's two mountains, France attack, Medical hoarding

China’s deceptive “two mountains” strategy. The Chinese government claims to care about the environment as much as the economy. That is patently untrue.

France knife rampage reminds Europe of its vulnerability to terrorism. The complexities here extend to immigration politics.

Two reasons China is hoarding medical equipment. It’s about Xi’s need to consolidate his personal leadership narrative at home, and as a means to extract concessions from nations in need.

Sink Admirals, Russia oil game, MFA Python, ECJ Orban

The U.S. Navy, swift to sink Captains, should sink its Admirals instead. Those admirals are unwilling to grasp the scale of China’s challenge to the Aircraft Carrier fleets.

Why Russia is playing oil price hardball. Vladimir Putin wants to undermine the U.S. Shale industry and strengthen his credibility in the Middle East.

Monty Python meets 1984, or what China calls its Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The MFA’s latest Twitter absurdity is particularly stunning.

European Court of Justice plays into Orban’s hands with refugee ruling. Whatever we think of the moral import here, the EU is not playing on strong ground here.

Pro-CCP tropes, Caribbean military deployments, Pakistan vs. Daniel Pearl

Here are three of the worst pro-Communist China tropes. They are used by Beijing’s western sympathizers to deflect away from the truth.

Military deployments to the Caribbean aren’t about drugs, but about Venezuela. They are designed to pressure Maduro to resign. But probably won’t succeed.

Suspend aid to Pakistan over release of Daniel Pearl murderers. The Pakistani government must face consequences if it does not overturn this egregious act.

Trump on Iran, China fishing wars

A decoding of Trump’s Iran tweet. The president has received an intelligence briefing on near-term Iranian plots to use proxies to attack us in Iraq. Here’s how we know.

Why you should care that China is attacking Indonesian fishermen. Beijing is showing its disdain for others, and its ambition to dominate them into submission.