BLOG Post #210: At Home and Abroad, Trump Abandons Human Rights (Part 1) 7 Jul 20187 Jul 2018 In January 1941, with the prospect looming of US involvement in another European war, President Franklin Roosevelt spoke of America’s purpose in the world: to protect and promote “four freedoms.”…
BLOG Post #209: After Singapore, is Iran the Next US Target? 23 Jun 201822 Jun 2018 Predictably, both sides at the Singapore summit are claiming victory. Kim Jong-un, having shared the stage with Donald Trump, can say that North Korea is now recognized de facto as…
BLOG Post #208: What Happened? Assessing the Singapore Summit 13 Jun 201813 Jun 2018 “Peace and prosperity,” “lasting and stable peace,” “peace regime,” “denuclearization,” “new US-DPRK relations”—these fine words and phrases dominate the joint statement of Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un. Yet it’s difficult…
BLOG Post #207: Trump’s War on the Poor: An Impeachable Offense 6 Jun 20187 Jul 2018 Were it not for the source, it would hardly be news to learn that the United States can’t take care of its most needy—that it may be the richest country,…
BLOG Post #206: In Iran and North Korea, China Holds Some Cards 25 May 201825 May 2018 Donald Trump made his television reputation by telling people “You’re fired.” The same bullying approach now substitutes for his international diplomacy, with Trump’s withdrawal from the nuclear deal with Iran…
BLOG Post #205: Breaking the Iran Deal: the Delusion of Victory 10 May 20189 May 2018 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has undoubtedly been sipping Champagne these days in celebration of his successful effort to lobby Donald Trump over the Iran nuclear deal. Netanyahu’s crude interventions to…
BLOG Post #204: The Korean Summit and After: What the Experts Say, and Miss 1 May 201830 Apr 2018 In the wake of the inter-Korean summit meeting, analysts are having a field day taking apart the Panmunjom Declaration of Kim Jong-un and Moon Jae-in and speculating about how Donald…
BLOG Post #203: Will Abe Shinzo “Make Japan Great Again”? 24 Apr 201822 Apr 2018 (Note: A somewhat shorter version of this article appears in China-US Focus, April 20, 2018, https://www.chinausfocus.com/peace-security/japans-shifting-security-posture-under-abe.) Abe Shinzo, Japan’s prime minister, has now held his sixth meeting with Donald Trump.…
BLOG Post #202: The Syrian Quandary 11 Apr 2018 Donald Trump’s threat of another missile attack—or any attack—on Syria cannot improve the rebels’ position on the ground, affect use of chemical weapons, change Russia’s and Iran’s policies, or alter…
BLOG Post #201: The Coming Crisis with Iran 3 Apr 20183 Apr 2018 With the appointments of Mike Pompeo as secretary of state and John Bolton as national security adviser, Donald Trump has signaled his preparedness by the May 12 deadline to withdraw…
BLOG Post #200: A Blank Check for Repression? A Saudi Leader Visits Washington 21 Mar 201824 Mar 2018 It’s a classic narrative: the foreign dignitary of a US ally visits Washington, the Pentagon and State Department are intent on selling him a large weapons package, a munitions maker…
BLOG Post #199: Trump’s War on the Environment—Part 2, Resistance and Innovation 12 Mar 201813 Mar 2018 (Note to readers: This is the second of a two-part commentary, continuing reporting of good and bad news on the environment that began with my very first blog in 2014.…
BLOG Post #198: Getting to “Yes” With North Korea 8 Mar 20187 Mar 2018 For the first time in quite a few years, direct US-North Korea dialogue seems within reach thanks to North-South Korea talks involving Kim Jong-un and top officials of the Moon…
BLOG Post #197: Trump’s War on the Environment—Part 1, Ignorance and Greed 3 Mar 20182 Mar 2018 (Note to readers: This is the first of a two-part commentary, continuing reporting of good and bad news on the environment that began with my very first blog in 2014.…
BLOG Post #196: Was There Really a Breakthrough in US-North Korea Relations? 15 Feb 20182 Mar 2018 (Note: An updated, longer version of this blog is at https://www.chinausfocus.com/foreign-policy/2018/0302/16170.html.) In the aftermath of the “Korean spring” at the Winter Games, some observers waxed euphoric over the potential for direct…
