Trump and allies approach World War III in Syria, on literally no evidence
How much do we really know about the alleged chemical attack in Syria? Almost nothing. Has anyone noticed? “… to punish President Bashar al-Assad for a suspected chemical attack…” Do we all understand what is gravely wrong with this phrase?…
The Skripal snafu: Whose interests are served by confrontation with Russia?
Theresa May is pushing a global showdown with Moscow over a shadowy poisoning case. Who stands to gain from this? Britain, the United States, numerous Continental allies, Canada, Australia and even NATO piled on the Skripal case this past week…
Let’s Not Fall Into the Cold-War Arms-Control Trap
For our national security, we need self-control more than we need arms-control talks. Let us think together about the letter four United States senators sent recently to the now departed secretary of state Rex Tillerson, urging him to start arms-control…
Behind this week’s Russia headlines: A mystery, a leap to conclusions and a fateful turn
Did the Russians try to murder a former spy? Maybe. But that has little to do with the larger Russophobe narrative What a week for the Russophobes. The British government pins an unsolved murder attempt on Moscow, and the French,…
Syria’s tragedy, America’s crime: The collapse of national sovereignty
Of all the tragedies befalling Syria and its people over the past seven years, there is one that cannot — or cannot precisely — be measured in casualty counts, ruined towns and cities, or the number of refugees now wandering…
Why Russia Is Emerging as the World’s Indispensable Diplomatic Power
Moscow, working in concert with others, has set courses toward the diplomatic resolution of several key conflicts. There was a remarkable succession of events in the skies over Syria earlier this month. I see lessons in what happened that none…
Now the U.S. is playing spoiler role in Korea, Syria and elsewhere. But why?
Washington can’t adjust to losing its role as global sheriff, and the entire world must bear the consequences If the first few weeks of 2018 are any guide, it is going to be a tumultuous, confrontational year for America’s foreign…
When Putin Talks, It Is Worth Listening
On foreign-policy questions, many Russians stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their leader. Vladimir Putin gave another of his end-of-year press conferences last week—nationally televised events consisting of an always-curious combination of Q&A, opinionating, offhand banter, observations on a wide range of domestic…
American policy totally failed in Syria — let’s be thankful
Despite media obfuscation, last week’s meeting between Putin and Assad suggests a new order in the Middle East I kept hearing National Public Radio programs this week to the effect that liberals and “progressives,” not to mention those in the…
Trump in Beijing—Devoid of a Strategy, While Xi Deploys China’s
Next to Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, and its alliance with Moscow, Washington’s preference for perpetual conflict looks pitifully bankrupt. A tour of the Forbidden City, dinner in the Great Hall of the People, a review of the People’s Liberation…
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