Category Archives: In the World
Ukraine: The Price of Internal Division
With all of the reports coming out of Ukraine, Moscow, Washington, and European capitals, the mutual accusations, the knee-jerk speculation, and—not least—the hysterical language of some observers, bordering on the apocalyptic, it is difficult to keep in mind the long-term … Continue reading
Ukraine and the United States
Implications of Victoria Nuland’s Candid Remark As a friend and admirer of both Russian and Ukrainian peoples and culture, I have been following the dramatic events in Kyiv since November with both sympathy for the Ukrainian protesters and concern that … Continue reading
Iran: Time to Give Diplomacy a New Try
The recent effort in the House of Representatives to intensify sanctions on Iran is the wrong policy at the wrong time. American Congressmen should keep their attention on negotiating a budget that the president will sign and that will support … Continue reading
Snowden in Russia
So the Russian government has finally—and predictably—granted Edward Snowden “temporary asylum” for a year. Does that worry you? It shouldn’t—unless you are a Russian.
Stay Out of Syria!
This is the title of an article by David Bromwich to appear in the June 20 issue of The New York Review of Books. It is the best summary I have seen of the reasons President Obama should resist pressure … Continue reading
U.S.-Russian Juvenilia
A student at the University of Virginia asked my opinion of the Magnitsky Act and the Russian counter actions. I gave a reply in the discussion of Reagan and Gorbachev but will repeat what I wrote and elaborate on it … Continue reading
Did We Really Win in Iraq?
The general opinion seems to be, “Yes. We removed a vicious dictator!” However, it is difficult to argue that removing that dictator, who was no threat to the United States, was worth the cost of lives and treasure when the … Continue reading
THE UPCOMING PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION SHOULD NOT BE CLOSE
The polls and pundits assure us that the presidential election November 6 will be close. Some even speak of a virtual tie. They are probably right, and if they are, this raises serious questions about the rationality of large segments … Continue reading
“Nine-Eleven” Eleven Years Out
All of us who were alive eleven years ago and more than two or three years old at the time will remember the shock, horror, and anger aroused by the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York … Continue reading
Romney: Wrong on Russia
When President Obama was overheard telling Russian president Dmitri Medvedev that he could be “more flexible” in negotiations on missile defense following the election, Governor Mitt Romney was quick to pounce, calling Russia America’s “Number one geopolitical foe.” The New … Continue reading