Author Archives: Jack

The Biden-Stalin Doctrine

One death in Russia; tens of thousands in Gaza Continue reading

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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A Novel That Reverberates on Many Levels

Since I write and lecture mainly about international relations and twentieth-century diplomatic history, most of my reading is related and leaves little time for fiction. But this summer I decided to relax with a thriller or detective story to get … Continue reading

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Ukraine: Cool the Rhetoric; Focus on the Outcome

In his interview with Thomas Friedman published on August 9, President Obama gave a convincing explanation of why the United States could not create an effective government in Iraq: “We cannot do for them what they are unwilling to do … Continue reading

Posted in In the United States, In the World, Musings and Polemics | 8 Comments