In just over 100 years the pattern is eerily similar; and so is the possibility of a similar confrontation and for the same reasons: the Thucydides Trap. We all know the tragic loss of lives and treasure in World War I and its follow-up, World War II. But all-out war … Continue reading
Category Archives: Policies
History of the Gulf of Mexico
The Spanish discoverer of the Gulf was Sebastián de Ocampo, who circumnavigated the island of Cuba in 1508. The Gulf was unnamed until the early 1540s and was considered part of the Atlantic Ocean. The earliest maps referred to the Gulf as Seno Mejicano or Golfo de la Nueva España, … Continue reading
Connecting the Dots: Water
December 7, 2024 Background As we approach the end of the year, it is in right order to review a number of worrisome extant global issues. Though seemingly unrelated and disjointed, they are in fact interconnected pieces of an extraordinarily dangerous conundrum. As such, the following narrative is intended to … Continue reading
Perceived Flaws – 2024 National Security Report
Authorities The Commission on the National Defense Strategy was established by Section 195 of the Fiscal Year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (Public Law 117-81). It is composed by eight members from private civilian life who are recognized experts in matters relating to the national security of the United States. … Continue reading
National Security of the U.S.
Bill Clinton’s National Security Strategy (NSS), published in 1995, four years after the fall of the Soviet Union, was a watershed document. Entitled ‘A National Security Strategy of Engagement and Enlargement’, it unabashedly stated that “we have… initiated a process that will lead to NATO’s expansion”. Worth noting is that … Continue reading
National Interests
“It is a truism (and truisms are often overlooked by busy people) that British interests are not confined to British territory. They do not end, that is to say, where foreign territory begins. If this were only so, the world would be an infinitely simpler place, where we should have … Continue reading
Historical Defense Budgets
Note: On March 11, 2024, the Biden-Harris Administration submitted to Congress a proposed Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 budget request of $849.8 billion for the Department of Defense (DoD), consistent with the caps approved by Congress under the Financial Responsibility Act (FRA) of 2023. On August 1, 2024 the Senate Appropriations Committee … Continue reading
After The Interview
PreludeOn February 8, 2024 Tucker Carlson interviewed President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. While the interview did not reveal anything new, Mr. Putin did demonstrate detailed knowledge of Russian history, mental agility, and a firm conviction that his understanding of the underlying reasons beneath the Ukrainian conflict is indeed factual. GrievancesIn … Continue reading