January 25, 2019 The ripple effect of the government shutdown has spread far and wide, and the longer it continues the worse it will get, particularly for ordinary people. The poor and aged are at risk of losing their all-important housing benefits that keep them from becoming homeless, all because … Continue reading
Category Archives: Government
Thucydides & Tariffs
June 26, 2018 President Trump has decided to levy tariffs primarily on Chinese, European, Mexican, Canadian, Indian and Turkish products, and in so doing, he has alienated them all. Presumably, following the same logic –that the trade deficit is unsustainable- at some point he’ll have to do the same with … Continue reading
Israel
June 10, 2018 Background Israel is one of two (the other is Saudi Arabia) top allies of the United States, and as attested by the recent disarray in Canada, higher than its G-7 partners. Among the reasons for this preference are shared concerns over the two supporting pillars of the … Continue reading
Iran
May 22, 2018 If President Trump’s withdrawal from the Iran Nuclear Deal –otherwise known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action- on May 9, 2018 appears to be misguided, arrogant, and self-destructive, rest assured, nothing is at it seems. With a stroke of his pen he managed at once to … Continue reading
Priorities
May 5, 2018 The Russian/NATO Front On December 26, 1991 the Soviet Union officially dissolved, and the world breathed a collective sigh of relief. With the threat of impending nuclear war all but gone -it was assumed- the whole purpose of NATO necessarily ceased to exist, and for the first … Continue reading
Military Cooperation Between Russia and China
April 3, 2018 While visiting Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Defense Minister Wei Fenghe of China emphasized that the firm determination of their armed forces to strengthen strategic cooperation was coordinated directly with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
2 Minutes to Midnight
January 28, 2018 On January 25, 2018 the Science and Security Board Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists moved the Doomsday Clock to 2 minutes to midnight, something that had not happened since 1953, at the height of the cold war. There is no need to repeat the reasons for this … Continue reading
Red Alert – Secretary General of the United Nations
January 1, 2018 An ominous warning: The Secretary General of the United Nations has issued a “red alert” for the world citing the rising probability of nuclear war, accelerating climate change, and growing inequality, xenophobia, human rights violations and hatred in general.
Speaking Of National Security Strategies
December 25, 2017 Background President Trump did not cause America’s decline; it’s been many years in the making. Once the preeminent surplus nation with a strong manufacturing base, it has morphed into an alarming case of perennial trade deficits and a (growing) $20.1 trillion national debt, the worst in history. … Continue reading
Eisenhower’s Warning
“…This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every State house, every office of the Federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet … Continue reading