Friday, March 31, 2023

China reeducates Europe

China reminds Europe that obedience is the cost of profit. The visit of Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez to Beijing has given Xi a chance to reeducation the European Union on his expectations.



Thursday, March 30, 2023

Saudis-China, Evan Gershkovich, Putin mobilization

The grave stupidity of abandoning Saudi Arabia to China. U.S. interests clearly stand in favor of maintaining this long-term alliance.

Forget Russia's spy fiction, here's why Evan Gershkovich was likely arrested. Putin clearly senses it is in his interest to escalate.

Conscripting 147,000 more soldiers, Putin readies for Ukraine's counteroffensive. The Russian force disposition is not encouraging for Moscow.



Wednesday, March 29, 2023

Biden-Russia drones, Israel Mossad, Taiwan presidential visit

Biden's stunning weakness in face of Russia's drone aggression. The president has ordered U.S. drones to fly further south, sending a message of unhelpful hesitation to Moscow.

Israel's government might be flailing, but the Mossad is flourishing. Israel's foreign intelligence service scored another win this week.

China fumes over Taiwan president's visit to the U.S. Beijing is sending signals to Washington that it expects any events to be kept as low profile as possible.



Tuesday, March 28, 2023

2024 and Europeans in Beijing, DC police shooting

GOP presidential hopefuls should pay close heed to European visits to Beijing. The Europeans cannot be allowed to eat their Chinese cake and have America's easy tolerance for their betrayal.

A tragic police shooting appears to have been justified. Driving off with a police officer in the back of a stolen car poses a threat to life. That appears to have been the case in a recent Washington, DC incident.



Monday, March 27, 2023

Netanyahu the hostage, China on Belarus nukes

Attempting to cool protests, Benjamin Netanyahu makes himself a hostage of far-right elements in his own government. The Israeli prime minister is increasingly beholden to those who have very little in common with many of their fellow citizens.

China sidesteps Putin's Belarussian nuclear move, proving its false red line. Beijing likes to pretend it influences Putin against escalation, but its response here proves otherwise.



Friday, March 24, 2023

The dragon and the bear, Russian subs

Why China props up Putin. Or why the dragon finds value in the bear's cave.

Russian submarines excel where Russian army flails. The Russian submarine force is growing in strength and scale, and threatens to exacerbate already significant strains on the U.S. submarine force.



Thursday, March 23, 2023

TikTok

TikTok witness implodes in front of Congress. The fundamental issue driving Congressional concern is China's access to and control over U.S. related data and coding.



Wednesday, March 22, 2023

Macron pension reforms

Emmanuel Macron's courage on pension reform offers a lesson to Biden and Congress. The French president is breaking the third rail of Fifth Republic politics for a simple reason. He must do so.



Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Putin's red carpet, China ambassador to Netherlands

How Putin's rare pageantry and promptness show his immense value in Xi. The Russian president figuratively and literally threw out the red carpet.

China's ambassador to the Netherlands has a meltdown over Chip ban. Interviewed by a Dutch newspaper, Tan Jian entered full on "Wolf Warrior" mode.



Monday, March 20, 2023

Putin-Xi, TikTok lobbying

Endorsing Putin's re-election, Xi underlines his own greatest fear. The Chinese president views unquestioned leadership as his preeminent principle.

Why TikTok's DC lobbying campaign is likely pointless. Unless it is sold to a U.S. owner, the social media company won't persuade Congress of its security reliability.



Friday, March 17, 2023

ICC Putin

How the International Criminal Court helps Putin with its arrest warrant. The move will play perfectly to Putin's narrative that he is waging war on Ukraine to save Russia from foreign liberal domination.



Thursday, March 16, 2023

Drone defense, China internet white paper

How and why the U.S. must prevent Russia from downing more drones. The principle of free movement in international airspace must be upheld, and Putin must know the U.S. won't be cowed.

China's new internet white paper: obey Xi and ban global disinformation. The Chinese Communist Party has a rather odd conception of popular interest. And no regard for free speech.



Monday, March 13, 2023

AUKUS and China trade considerations, Missile stocks

Celebrating AUKUS, the UK and Australia hesitate on China hawkishness. The two U.S. allies want to improve trade ties with China alongside military cooperation with America

Pentagon's boosted missile buys are insufficient to meet China's threat. The U.S. cannot nickel and dime much-needed improvements to the military industrial base.



Friday, March 10, 2023

Saudi-Iran fiction, China's Taiwan visit offer, Gary Lineker

Saudi Arabia and Iran's diplomatic accord is lipstick on a pig. The two nations despise one another and will not engage in long term compromise.

U.S. should reject China's Kamala Harris for Kevin McCarthy visit offer. Beijing is proposing that the U.S. send Harris to Beijing when McCarthy goes to Taiwan. It might sound good, but it isn't

Why the BBC just suspended its star soccer presenter. Gary Lineker breached rules surrounding political impartiality. The BBC really fears is others following in his footsteps.



Thursday, March 9, 2023

Mexican cartels, Prince Harry, Biden's defense request

A US military insurgency against the Mexican cartels would be bloody and difficult. This isn't Colombia in the 1980s. The complications in 2023 Mexico are more numerous and significant.

The tedious Mr. Harry. Prince Harry and Meghan Markle want their children to have princely titles, but don't ask them to go to the Coronation.

How Biden's defense budget request fails the China test. The president has proposed a paltry 3.19% defense spending increase. It's just not nearly enough.



Wednesday, March 8, 2023

McCarthy Ukraine

Kevin McCarthy has a weak excuse for not traveling to Ukraine. The Speaker of the House risks sending a message of GOP ambivalence about democratic sovereignty.



Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Max Boot/China

What Max Boot gets wrong about China "alarmism." The nature of the threat is driving bipartisan action, not a reflex towards populism.



Monday, March 6, 2023

PLA prepares for Taiwan, Biden-Scholz

U.S. unprepared as China boosts readiness for Taiwan war. The sense of urgency from Beijing is far greater than that from Washington.

From Friday...

Two reasons Biden must publicly pressure Olaf Scholz at the White House. The German Chancellor needs to get his defense program going and to get tougher on China.



Wednesday, March 1, 2023

China and UFOs, Havana Syndrome whitewash, Bezalel Smotrich, Netanyahu's unstable government

Congress told of likely Chinese spy balloon threat as early as 2019. Sources allege that the UFO task force improperly categorized some UFOs as extraordinary when they were likely Chinese balloons.

The U.S. intelligence community has proven it can't investigate Havana Syndrome. It should let the UK and Australia try to do so. The IC report finding very unlikely that a foreign nation was involved beggars belief.

Republicans should condemn Bezalel Smotrich's incitement. The Israeli finance minister deserves unequivocal criticism.

From Tuesday...

Netanyahu has trapped himself between Palestinian terrorists and fanatics in his own government. The Israeli prime minister's coalition is increasingly unstable.