FEATURED

6Jan 20205 Jan 2020

Post #253: Normal Nation?

With the assassination of Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Donald Trump has arguably done more to undermine US interests in the Middle…

3Jan 20203 Jan 2020

Post #252: No Room for Dialogue

“Our president will start a war with Iran because he has absolutely no ability to negotiate. He’s weak, and he’s…

19Dec 201918 Dec 2019

Post #251: When It Comes to Corporate Taxes, It’s Always Christmas

As we all know, the largest US corporations and their chief executives were the main beneficiaries of Trump’s so-called tax…

APB

APB: Thanks to Trump, Iran Has the Upper Hand

8 Jan 20208 Jan 2020

The assassination of General Soleimani is proving to be a resounding success for Iran. It accomplished what the ayatollah could not: common ground between Iran and Iraq, Iraq’s invitation to…

BLOG

Post #247: From President to Autocrat

6 Nov 20195 Nov 2019

An Autocrat Like All Others A recent special issue of Foreign Affairs is devoted to profiling some of the world’s most prominent autocrats: Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Recep Tayyip Erdogan,…

BLOG

Post #244: Listen to the Children

23 Sep 201922 Sep 2019

The Republicans are on the sidelines on the climate crisis. Government scientists are muzzled. Leading Democrats—though not all—are cautious. CEOs of some of America’s biggest corporations are pledging action while…

BLOG

Post #243: No War for Saudi Oil!

17 Sep 201922 Sep 2019

Even if US intelligence decisively shows that some of the drones and cruise missiles used in the attack on Saudi Arabia’s oil fields originated in Iran, a decision to go…

Post #240: Our Racist President

31 Jul 201930 Jul 2019

"Donald Trump lost the election because he veered so far off course from what it means to be a decent person, to be a leader, and to be an American.…

APB…

APB: The Caging of Human Rights

At a hearing yesterday (July 12) on the Trump administration’s immigration policies, Rep. Gerry Connolly of Virginia was appropriately livid: "I never thought as a member of Congress — as…

APB

APB: The Democrats’ Scarlet Letter Strategy

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has evidently decided not to turn over the articles of impeachment to the Senate until Congress resumes its work January 7. Some observers think that’s a…

BLOG

Post #249: Hong Kong, Xinjiang, and the Insecurity of China’s Leadership

5 Dec 20195 Dec 2019

Hong Kong is in chaos, with no sign that the protesters will yield on their demands. Mass incarceration and indoctrination of Uyghurs and other Chinese Muslims has become so widely…

BLOG

Post #248: Getting Rid of Treacherous Friends

17 Nov 201916 Nov 2019

Backing the Wrong Horse, Again The United States has a long record of befriending the wrong people—authoritarian leaders who rely on military and police power to enforce social inequality and…

BLOG

Post #246: Will Trump Leave Quietly?

24 Oct 201923 Oct 2019

On October 23, about two dozen unhappy Republican congress members stormed a closed hearing that was part of the impeachment inquiry, determined to show their loyalty to Trump (who knew…

BLOG

Post #245: Overreach, the Achilles Heel of Autocrats

6 Oct 20196 Oct 2019

It Has Happened Here and Everywhere It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating the democratic wave sweeping Europe in the wake of the Soviet Union’s collapse. It seems…

APB

APB: Farewell, John Bolton

The firing (or, he insists, the resignation) of John Bolton as national security special assistant is being treated by some observers as a great loss for coherence and professionalism in…

BLOG

Post #242: Trump and the Climate Crisis–A Crime Against Humanity

22 Aug 201921 Aug 2019

The President of the United States is a criminal. I’m not referring to the twenty-odd investigations of him currently underway for violations of the Constitution, obstruction of justice, and collaboration…

BLOG

Post #241: China’s Hong Kong Nightmare, and the US Response

16 Aug 201916 Aug 2019

Donald Trump has kept his promise, reportedly made to Xi Jinping in June, that Washington would "tone down" its comments on the spiraling HK protests. "Very tough situation" Trump tweeted…

A Few Suggested New Readings

5 Aug 20195 Aug 2019

Video: A Moving Cry for Change in Gun Laws: https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2019/08/04/relative-of-victims-message-to-trump-dayton-ohio-mass-shooting-nr-vpx.cnn My friend and Asia scholar Mark Selden teamed up to write the following on “The Dangerous New US Consensus on…

BLOG

Post #239: The US-China Trade War: A Cease-fire, Nothing More

25 Jul 201928 Jul 2019

The Financial Times reported on July 10 that Donald Trump, at his last meeting with Xi Jinping in Osaka in June, promised to “tone down” criticism of China’s actions in…

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