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In the Human Interest – Mel Gurtov

In the Human Interest – Mel Gurtov

Critical appraisals of foreign affairs and politics from a global-citizen perspective

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Category: BLOG

BLOG

Post #339: Biden, Taiwan, and Strategic Ambiguity

27 May 202227 May 2022
Defending Taiwan At a stopover in Tokyo during his Asia trip, President Biden was asked whether the US would “defend Taiwan” if it were attacked. He said yes, because “that’s…
BLOG

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…
BLOG

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

17 May 202216 May 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…
BLOG

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…
BLOG

Post #335:   The Coming Old New Order

30 Apr 2022
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…
BLOG

Post #334: Take the Gloves Off

22 Apr 2022
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…
BLOG

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…
BLOG

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…
BLOG

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…
BLOG

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…
BLOG

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,…
BLOG

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…
BLOG

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.…
BLOG

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

18 Feb 2022
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…
BLOG

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…
BLOG

Post #324 – How to Avoid War Over Ukraine

21 Jan 2022
            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…
BLOG

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…
BLOG

global citizen interviews VIA ZOOM

30 Dec 202130 Dec 2021
Prof. Dali Yang at the University of Chicago is a leading analyst of Chinese politics. He has written extensively on the handling of the COVID pandemic in China and the…
BLOG

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…
BLOG

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 #339: Biden, Taiwan, and Strategic Ambiguity
  • Post #338:North Korea: Missiles Over Human Security
  • Post #337: It’s “Now or Never” on Climate Change
  • Post #336: Loose Lips Can Sink Peace   
  • Post #335:   The Coming Old New Order

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Listen to my "Global Citizen" commentaries every Tuesday on KBOO.fm (Portland area) and KXCR.net (Florence, OR area). Archived at https://melgurtov.com/category/apb/. Podcasts may be accessed at https://www.podserve.fm/series/website/the-global-citizen,2906/

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