Author Archives: Jack
Dilemmas, by Michael Brenner
Expecting Trump to end the war in Ukraine? Read Michael Bremmer’s insightful analysis and think again: Here it is: We are experiencing times of global transition. Where we have been is self-evident. Where the world is headed remains obscure. Some … Continue reading
Democracy and the Trump Election
Newspaper headlines and television pundits are screaming that Donald Trump’s election is a threat to “our democracy.” A strange charge following an election when a clear majority of voters chose the winner. Isn’t that consistent with the very definition of … Continue reading
The Biden-Stalin Doctrine
One death in Russia; tens of thousands in Gaza Continue reading
WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO AMERICA?
Rummaging through my accumulated papers, I just came across the English translation of a speech I delivered in Czech on July 4, 1982, when I was American ambassador in Prague. At that time Czechoslovakia was ruled by a Communist regime … Continue reading
Ukraine: Tragedy of a Nation Divided
Just before Russia invaded Ukraine, I drafted a comment on the situation which describes some of the events and factors that contributed to the war that has gone on now for nearly eight months. The Russian invasion and the war … Continue reading
When Intelligence Organizations Make Policy …
Last night, when I was casually browsing in a copy of my Autopsy on an Empire that I had taken off the shelf to give a friend, I ran into the following passage on page 175: Chebrikov’s Xenophobia Throughout 1987 … Continue reading
MUSINGS III … Celebrating July 4
America “goes not abroad in search of monsters to destroy.” (John Quincy Adams) It was long a family tradition to read the Declaration of Independence at breakfast on July 4. We found that an appropriate way to start the day … Continue reading
Musings II … The “Intelligence Community,” “Russian Interference,” and Due Diligence
Did the U.S. “Intelligence Community” judge that Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election? Most commentators seem to think so. Every news report I have read of the planned meeting of Presidents Trump and Putin in July refers to “Russian … Continue reading
OPEN MESSAGE FOR PRESIDENTS TRUMP AND PUTIN: YOUR TELEPHONE CALL
As one who advised President Reagan on how to end the Cold War, I welcome your plans to discuss US-Russian relations tomorrow, January 28. Relations have reached a state that is dangerous for both our countries and, in fact, the … Continue reading
Cold War II??? Notes for a Presentation
I was invited to speak at the Eighth European-Russian Forum tomorrow in Brussels. Because of a bureaucratic glitch, I am unable to attend. But I append below the notes from which I intended to speak. My description of the false … Continue reading