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25Jan 202325 Jan 2023

Post #362: Risky Business: Japan Steps Out

(This blog is also available as a podcast at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/86207/67-risky-business-japan-steps-out-h1JT0.mp3) Background to a Changing Strategic Perspective Japan’s Prime Minister Kishida…

14Jan 202315 Jan 2023

Post #361: Ukraine’s Future: Peace Through War?

Hopes and Realities Ukraine’s President Zelensky had a fairly successful visit to Washington last month, returning home with promises of…

2Jan 20233 Jan 2023

Post #360 The Threat Business: China or Russia?

Dual Enemies For those in charge of US national security, the central challenge is identifying threats and determining how to…

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Post #358: China’s COVID Uprising

4 Dec 20227 Jan 2023

Significant dissent in China reared its head for the first time since the Tiananmen uprising in 1989. In many of China’s major cities, protesters joined hands to denounce the COVID…

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Post #357: The Biden-Xi Summit in Bali

22 Nov 202222 Nov 2022

Some Reasons for Optimism The much-ballyhooed first in-person summit between Pres. Biden and Xi on November 14 went off pretty well. Biden clearly communicated the US belief that a…

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Post #356: A Post-Election Caution

Reasons for Concern What a difference a day makes, as the old song goes. The day before Election Day, liberals and progressives feared the worst: a solidly MAGA takeover…

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Post #355: Israel’s Religious Terrorists

10 Nov 20229 Nov 2022

Note to Readers: Larry Kirsch is co-author of this blog. He is a consulting economist who focuses on economic and social justice, consumer protection, and public finance. Note to Readers…

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Post #354: Time to Reset Military Relations with Saudi Arabia

An Uneven Balance Sheet Saudi Arabia and OPEC have decided to cut oil production by 2 million barrels a day. The President is miffed, and has signaled that he’s…

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Post #353: Europe’s Far-Right Lurch

23 Oct 202222 Oct 2022

The struggle to save democracy is proving even more difficult in Europe than here in the US. Virtually every European country is bedeviled by rising conflict between traditional political parties…

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Post #352: Can Russia’s Use of a Nuclear Weapon in the Ukraine War Be Prevented?

13 Oct 202225 Oct 2022

(The podcast of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/76143/62-on-dealing-with-russia-nuclear-weapons-and-the-off-ramp.mp3) President Biden surprised his top advisers along with everyone else when, at a fundraising event, he referred to “Armageddon” in the…

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Post #351: Predictions of a Ukraine Victory are Premature

29 Sep 202229 Sep 2022

For the podcast of this blog, see the archive at https://wordpress.com/post/melgurtov.com/2247 Putin Under Fire Something extraordinary is happening in the course of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Putin is taking a…

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Post #350: Two on China: Xi Does Well in Central Asia, Taiwan Fares Well in the US Senate

20 Sep 202219 Sep 2022

The Limits of “No Limits” In the course of his Central Asia tour, Xi Jinping met with Vladimir Putin for what some analysts thought would be a reprise of their…

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ANNOUNCEMENT: MY NEW BOOK ON CHINA

8 Sep 202214 Oct 2022

Dear Readers: On October 15, Engaging China: Rebuilding Sino-American Relations will be published by Rowman & Littlefield. As you know from my blogs on US-China relations, I am at once…

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Post #349: Brazil’s Election and the Future of the Amazon

4 Sep 202217 Sep 2022

(The podcast of this and all other blogs is athttps://wordpress.com/post/melgurtov.com/2247.) The Candidates: Worlds Apart On October 2 we will have a presidential election in Brazil of enormous consequence for the…

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Post #348: Another Missed Opportunity in US-China Relations

24 Aug 202223 Aug 2022

The Washington Post reports that Xi Jinping personally asked President Biden to find a way to put off House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s trip to Taiwan (https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/08/20/nancy-pelosi-biden-taiwan/) . According to…

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Post #347: The Great Energy Game in Europe

12 Aug 202214 Aug 2022

The audio of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/67441/56-the-great-energy-game-in-europe.mp3 The Politics of Russia’s Energy Exports It won’t be long before winter descends on Europe. Before it does, most European countries…

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Post #346: Nancy Pelosi’s Taiwan Trip: A Needless Provocation

3 Aug 20223 Aug 2022

The audio version of this blog is available at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/66494/55-nancy-pelosis-taiwan-trip-a-needless-provocation.mp3 House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was intent on visiting Taiwan, and did so despite President Biden’s misgivings and criticisms from many China…

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Five Reasons Why Nancy Pelosi Should Postpone a Trip to Taiwan

House Leader Nancy Pelosi seems intent on visiting Taiwan. That might not seem like a big deal to Americans, but these are dangerous times in US-China relations. That makes…

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Post #345: Back to the Future: Biden in the Middle East

23 Jul 202229 Jul 2022

The audio version of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/65600/54-back-to-the-future-bidens-middle-east-trip.mp3 President Biden has now completed his first visit to the Middle East. The trip was billed as an opportunity to…

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Post #344: Water, Water, No Longer Everywhere

14 Jul 202214 Jul 2022

The audio of this blog may be accessed at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/64815/53-water-water-no-longer-everywhere.mp3 Drought and Scarcity "Water, water everywhere, nor any drop to drink.” Coleridge’s “Rime of the Ancient Mariner” is only halfway…

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Post #343: China’s Surveillance State and Its Meaning for Us

5 Jul 202229 Jul 2022

The audio of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/64174/52-chinas-surveillance-state-and-ours.mp3 The Tools of Surveillance In a recent commentary, I discussed the visit to China of the UN’s chief human rights official…

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Post #342: Europe’s Uneasy Unity on the War in Ukraine

28 Jun 202226 Jun 2022

The audio of this blog is available at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/63347/50-europes-uneasy-unity-in-the-ukraine-war.mp3. Welcoming the leaders of Finland and Sweden to Washington on May 19, President Biden said that “what makes NATO strong…

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Post #341: Co-opted: The UN’s Misguided Mission to Xinjiang

16 Jun 202215 Jun 2022

The audio version of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/62559/49-co-opted-the-uns-failed-mission-in-xinjiang.mp3. A Genocidal Policy The top UN human rights official recently traveled to Xinjiang province in China, hoping to persuade Beijing’s leaders…

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Post #340: The Arsenal, But Not of Democracy

4 Jun 202210 Jun 2022

The audio version of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/61577/48-an-arsenal-but-not-of-democracy.mp3 America is awash with weapons, and the tragic consequences are before us every day. The world is also awash with…

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Post #339: Biden, Taiwan, and Strategic Ambiguity

27 May 202228 May 2022

An audio version of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/60974/47-biden-taiwan-and-strategic-ambiguity.mp3 Defending Taiwan At a stopover in Tokyo during his Asia trip, President Biden was asked whether the US would “defend Taiwan”…

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Post #338:North Korea: Missiles Over Human Security

24 May 202224 May 2022

Omicron Catches Up with North Korea After having proclaimed for over two years that the country was untouched by the coronavirus, North Korea now faces a potential health catastrophe. Its…

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Post #337: It’s “Now or Never” on Climate Change

17 May 20226 Jun 2022

The audio version of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/59656/45-its-now-or-never-on-climate-change.mp3 On Track for Disaster The latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) working group report gives us until 2030 to stop…

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Post #336: Loose Lips Can Sink Peace

9 May 20228 May 2022

During World War II, US sailors were warned: Loose lips sink ships. A similar warning should have gone out to all US officials in recent days—and the President should…

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Post #335: The Coming Old New Order

From Cold War to Cold War A principal lesson of the war in Ukraine is that the Cold War never ended. German reunification, the Soviet Union’s collapse, new entries…

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Post #334: Take the Gloves Off

Many of you have no doubt watched a video of Michigan state senator Mallory McMorrow’s forthright response to a far-right colleague’s attempt to paint her as a “groomer” for the…

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Post #333: Crimes of War

13 Apr 202211 Apr 2022

The audio version is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/56499/42-crimes-of-war.mp3 Mass Violence in Our Times In just the past few years, we have witnessed mass violence directed at innocent people in many places: China’s…

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Post #332: Big Oil’s War Bonanza

6 Apr 20224 Apr 2022

The audio of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/55789/41-the-war-a-bonanza-for-big-oil.mp3 In case you haven’t noticed, a major consequence of the Ukraine war is the bonanza it has provided for the oil and…

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Post #331: When Will It End, and How?

30 Mar 202229 Mar 2022

The podcast of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/55380/40-when-will-it-end-and-how.mp3 How will it end? In the wake of Ukraine’s stunning and stubborn resistance to Putin’s invasion, the question whose answer once seemed…

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Post #330: An Engagement Moment for the US and China

20 Mar 202222 Mar 2022

Listen to this blog at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/54894/39-an-engagement-moment-with-china-on-ukraine.mp3 One of the more interesting developments in Putin’s war on Ukraine is the retreat of China from full-fledged support of Russia. When the Russian…

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Post #329: Thinking About the Unthinkable in the Ukraine Crisis

11 Mar 202212 Mar 2022

The audio version is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/54040/38-thinking-about-the-unthinkable-in-the-ukraine-crisis.mp3 We might be inclined to think that the most urgent decisions on Ukraine have been made: decisions on military aid to the Ukraine government,…

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Post #328: Putin’s Nightmare

4 Mar 20224 Mar 2022

Audio version available at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/53431/37-putins-nightmare.mp3. Three Silver Linings In the midst of a crisis with great loss of life and property, it might be unseemly to suggest that there are…

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Post #327: Putin’s War

24 Feb 202225 Feb 2022

Shortly after Joe Biden took office, a distinguished political science professor (whom I won’t name) advised the new administration to engage with Russia in order to stop the Chinese threat.…

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Post #326: Employing Confidence Building Measures in the Ukraine Crisis

The audio of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/52277/35-confidence-building-measures-in-the-ukraine-crisis.mp3. Last week a tiny back-page item in the New York Times reported that the president of Ukraine had come to believe…

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Post #325: China’s Careful Dance Around the Ukraine Crisis

6 Feb 20225 Feb 2022

The podcast of this blog may be heard at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/50923/34-china-russia-relations-and-the-ukraine-crisis.mp3 Reports out of Washington suggest worry over a Russia-China partnership that would facilitate Vladimir Putin’s presumed ambition to absorb Ukraine…

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Post #324 – How to Avoid War Over Ukraine

The threat of a major war hangs over eastern Europe. Four different negotiating forums between Russia and NATO on the Ukraine situation have not gone well. The two sides…

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Post #323 – Destroying Democracy: China in Hong Kong

11 Jan 202211 Jan 2022

An audio version of this blog is available at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/48006/32-destroying-democracy-china-in-hong-kong.mp3 On July 1, 1997 the United Kingdom formally handed Hong Kong over to China under an agreement that was supposed…

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Post #322: The Battle Over Cobalt

22 Dec 202111 Jan 2022

The audio version of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/46515/30-the-battle-over-cobalt.mp3 Today’s commentary is about a valuable mineral that is the subject of intense international competition. Not a new subject: In past…

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Post #321: Downhill from the Summit for Democracy

19 Dec 202125 Dec 2021

The just-concluded Summit for Democracy was intended to be a rallying point for democratic and nearly-democratic states, with pep talks on confronting rising authoritarianism and building democratic institutions. One hundred…

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Post #320: Putin’s Democracy Problem: Civil Society and Ukraine

Vladimir Putin is trying to accomplish two very dangerous tasks at once: the destruction of civil society in Russia, and the withering away of international support for a democratic Ukraine.…

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Post #319: The US and Yemen: Putting a Disreputable Policy Right

29 Nov 202128 Nov 2021

An audio version of this blog is at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/44803/27-the-us-and-yemen-putting-a-disreputable-policy-right.mp3 In Yemen, Saudi Arabian and Iranian interests collide, a civil war involving multiple parties has devastated the country, important issues of…

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Post #318: Finding Common Ground with China

18 Nov 202117 Nov 2021

Readers note: An audio version of this blog is available at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/44104/26-finding-common-ground-with-china.mp3 “It seems clear to me we need to establish some common-sense guardrails,” President Biden told President Xi Jinping…

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Post #317: Israel’s New Leadership Offers Nothing New to Palestinians

13 Nov 202112 Nov 2021

A podcast of this blog is available at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/43705/25-israels-mistreatment-of-palestinians-continues.mp3 How have Israeli-Palestinian relations changed since the end of the right-wing Netanyahu government? The short answer: Not much; a right-wing government…

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Post #316: Dim Prospects for Climate Mitigation

An audio version of this blog is available at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/42834/23-dim-prospects-for-climate-mitigation.mp3. Just in time for the COP26 UN climate change conference in Glasgow, Scotland, the Biden administration has released the National…

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Post #315 – Gravy Train: Corporate Profiteering on National Defense

21 Oct 202110 Nov 2021

A podcast of this blog is also available at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/42179/22-gravy-train-corporate-profiteering-on-national-defense.mp3 A long time ago, Gordon Adams introduced the term “iron triangle” to characterize the interlocked relationship of the Pentagon’s military…

the Global Citizen Podcasts On Podserve.fm

6 Nov 202215 Jan 2023

The PODSERVE player: https://www.podserve.fm/dashboard/episode_player_2/70610 Episode #67, Risky Business: Japan Steps Out. Japan now has a new, more assertive national security strategy, adopted in response to perceived threats from China and…

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