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20Sep 202620 Sep 2026

Post #527: The Crimes of the Trump Regime

(Note to the Reader: This is the fifth iteration of a blog originally posted after the first two weeks of…

17Sep 202617 Sep 2026

APB: The US Denies Visas to Palestinian UN Delegation

For a second consecutive year, the US State Department has denied visas to members of the Palestine Liberation Organization and…

Post #526: Is Xi Coming, and Will AI and Human Rights be on the Agenda?

Xi Jinping has indicated that if the US approves a second major arms shipment to Taiwan, it would cross a…

Post #74 – After Cuba: Will Obama Follow Up with Venezuela?

14 Apr 201527 Feb 2017

A year ago mainstream news reports out of Venezuela suggested that the post-Hugo Chàvez era was going badly for his successor, Nicolás Maduro. The US media painted a picture of…

Post #73 – The Iran Framework: A Case Study in Engagement

8 Apr 201527 Feb 2017

We have every reason to celebrate the so-called framework agreement with Iran. It exemplifies the best of President Obama’s foreign policy, namely, engaging adversaries. Remember when candidate Obama’s argument for…

Post #72 – An Enemy of Peace

30 Mar 201527 Feb 2017

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has established himself as the biggest enemy of peace in the Middle East. His thoroughly unwelcome and error-marred speech to Congress on Iran, his last-minute…

Post #71 –Should We “Balance” Threats to the Environment?

23 Mar 201527 Feb 2017

How does a US administration promote greater energy independence, protect its fragile environment, and make both oil executives and environmentalists happy? President Obama’s answer is to give something to everyone,…

Post #70 – When It Comes to Foreign Policy, Obama Has the Upper Hand

13 Mar 201527 Feb 2017

The President and quite a few members of Congress are at a standoff over two important issues of foreign-policy process. Many in Congress, from both parties, dislike his proposal for…

Post #69 – Crime and Punishment in China: The Underside of Reforms

8 Mar 201527 Feb 2017

China’s supreme leader, Xi Jinping, is vigorously carrying out a campaign against corruption. The targets have been high-ranking party and military officials, past and present; province and other local officials;…

Post #68 – Netanyahu’s Visit and the US Opportunity

26 Feb 201527 Feb 2017

Washington is on edge these days. Democrats are bewildered, the President is seething, Republicans are salivating, K Street and J Street lobbyists are working overtime—all because Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…

Post #67 – Presidents and War

14 Feb 201527 Feb 2017

President Obama has submitted a request to Congress for authorization—actually, reauthorization—of wars the United States has been fighting for many years. Though he considered the initial authorization in 2001 to…

Post #66 – Playing “Chicken” in Ukraine

6 Feb 201527 Feb 2017

Should the US dramatically increase military support to Ukraine as it faces defiant separatists in the east who are backed by Russian intelligence, advisers, and heavy weapons? Key members of…

Post #64 – Welcome Back, George Orwell

27 Jan 201527 Feb 2017

I think most of us knew, or feared, that the wonders of the Internet might also become a weapon in the wrong hands, whether of our own government, criminals, dictators,…