APB – In the Human Interest – Mel Gurtov

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APB: The Play’s the Thing

16 Nov 201815 Nov 2018

The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi is a tragedy, and it is of a piece with the related tragedy of US-Saudi relations. Weeks ago I outlined a play in four…

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The Khashoggi Affair: A Murder Mystery in Four Acts

17 Oct 201817 Oct 2018

Act 1 (Washington, DC): Upon learning of the disappearance and possible murder of the Saudi journalist and critic, Jamal Khashoggi, Pres. Trump expresses concern and vows to get to the…

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Coming Apart? Maybe Not

6 Sep 20186 Sep 2018

Day by day the Trump administration is coming apart. Revelations abound about the dysfunctions of the Trump team, about Trump’s ignorance and incompetence, and now about a “resistance” group in…

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Another Week Under Trumpocracy

21 Aug 201820 Aug 2018

Some takeaways from another week under He Who Would Be Emperor: “All politics is local.” Speaking to local issues rather than echoing the official mantra may be the only way…

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“Gangsterism” or “Progress”? Examining North Korea’s Latest Statement on Denuclearization

9 Jul 20188 Jul 2018

Most US news reports are suggesting that the North Koreans may be backtracking on their commitment to denuclearization,calling the US position “gangster-like” following the visit of Secretary of State Mike…

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Who Is Kim Yong-chol?

General Kim Yong-chol is arriving in New York to discuss North Korea’s denuclearization with top US officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo whom Kim has met twice. The meetings…

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Who’s To Blame if the US-North Korea Summit Isn’t Held?

16 May 201817 May 2018

Virtually everyone in the US faults North Korea for threatening to cancel the Trump-Kim summit scheduled for June 12 in Singapore. No one, including the liberal media, bothers to address…

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APB: A Dangerous Game of Chicken

6 Apr 20186 Apr 2018

As the “tit-for-tat” trade fight between the US and China escalates, Donald Trump is likely to find that he doesn’t “know China” the way he once thought. When he said…

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Defying the Hawks on the Way to a Trump-Kim Summit

9 Mar 20189 Mar 2018

Donald Trump’s extraordinary decision to meet with Kim Jong-un has taken all the policy hawks by surprise—and led them to issue all kinds of warnings of impending disaster. Trump’s decision…

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Is There a Trump-Russia Conspiracy?

19 Feb 201818 Feb 2018

Now that Russia’s interference in US politics since at least 2014 is “official” with Robert Mueller’s indictments—the evidence is “incontrovertible,” H. R. McMaster, the national security special assistant says—we need…

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Kushner and China: Where Money Talks

23 Jan 201823 Jan 2018

Add Jared Kushner’s all-too-cozy relationship with the Chinese to the long list of Trump administration corruption, conflicts of interest, and unholy foreign entanglements. In a previous post (#177) I reported…

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With Friends Like These: The UN Vote on Jerusalem

26 Dec 201726 Dec 2017

An old saying is that people are judged by the company they keep. So, perhaps, are countries. Consider which few countries voted with the US (8) or abstained (35) in…

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Out of Control: Nikki Haley’s UN Rant

When the Egyptian-drafted UN Security Council resolution calling for a reversal of Trump’s decision recognizing Jerusalem as the Israeli capital passed by a 14-1 margin, Amb. Nikki Haley voted to…

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APB: An Unfortunate Revelation on Securing North Korean Nukes

18 Dec 201718 Dec 2017

Specialists on North Korea have cited many reasons over the years for why China cannot be relied on to stop the DPRK from continuing its nuclear and missile buildup. The…

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APB: Momentum for Talks with North Korea?

Possibly, just possibly, a new momentum for direct US-North Korea discussions is developing. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson provided some of it when, in a talk at the Atlantic Council…