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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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22Mar 2026
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Post #499: Cuba is Trump’s Next Imperial Project

Another Nonexistent Threat Regime change in Cuba may be the next stop for the Trump war machine. Here’s what he…

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14Mar 202614 Mar 2026
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Post #498: Unexpected Gifts: Beijing and Moscow Gain from Trump’s War

I have previously commented about the strategic blunders the Trump regime has made in its war on Iran. Add this…

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9Mar 2026
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ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW PUBLICATION

China Inside and Out: Politics and Policies in a Turbulent World (Bloomsbury Academic). THIS BOOK OF FOCUSED READINGS AND DOCUMENTS…

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BLOG…

Post #35 – Mr. Xi Goes to Seoul

17 Jul 201427 Feb 2017
China and Korea watchers jumped to attention when it was announced that Xi Jinping would visit South Korea from July 3-4, rather than visit North Korea first.  Although the trip…
BLOG…

Post #34 – The Madness in Gaza

13 Jul 201427 Feb 2017
War never achieves political goals, but just destroys the people,” he said.  “War is the language of the ignorant, and it is fought by the ignorant.”  The speaker was an…
BLOG…

Post #33 – The Nuclear Danger and the Case for Nuclear Abolition (Part Two)

8 Jul 201427 Feb 2017
So far as I know, every post-World War II US president has come to realize the awesome responsibility that accompanies presiding over a massive nuclear-weapon arsenal.  And every one of…
BLOG…

Post #32 – The Nuclear Danger, or Why We Should Still Worry about the Bomb (Part One)

2 Jul 201427 Feb 2017
When is the last time you gave serious thought to the dangers posed by nuclear weapons?  Probably not since those awful years under Ronald Reagan, when it seemed we were…
BLOG…

Post #31 – What Works? The Courage to Blow the Whistle

26 Jun 201427 Feb 2017
American heroes come in many forms, and historically, one of them is acting selflessly in the public interest and in defiance of established authority. Daniel Ellsberg did just that in…
BLOG…

Post #30 – Their War, Our War

21 Jun 201427 Feb 2017
In one of his last public statements on the war in Vietnam, a televised interview on September 2, 1963, President Kennedy said that in the end the South Vietnamese government…
BLOG…

Post #29 – Obstacle Course: Engaging Iran

19 Jun 201427 Feb 2017
If the ongoing negotiations with Iran over its nuclear program fail to result in a comprehensive agreement by the July 20 deadline—an interim deal has been in place since January—it…
BLOG…

Post #28 – What Works?  Saving Young Lives

17 Jun 201427 Feb 2017
While living in Tokyo back in 2001, my attention was captivated by a US public television program on a cardiovascular surgeon in Phoenix who was making annual trips to Sri…
BLOG…

Post #27 – The Great Sucking Sound in Iraq

13 Jun 201427 Feb 2017
Late last year ominous reports from Iraq indicated that government forces were gradually losing the initiative in the northern and western parts of the country against an al-Qaeda affiliate know…
BLOG…

Post #26-What Works? Good Neighbors Find Common Ground

9 Jun 201427 Feb 2017
It’s a powerful story of grassroots organizing. “Jane Kleeb vs. Keystone” details the tenacious efforts of one person in Nebraska to reach across the usual environmentalist-conservative divide in order to…
BLOG…

Post #25 – A Haircut in Yemen, and a Military That’s Everywhere

4 Jun 201427 Feb 2017
One might think that a liberal president who has tried to cultivate the image of someone devoted to diplomacy, engaging enemies, and respect for all cultures would have a strong…
BLOG…

Post #24 – Obama’s Foreign Policy: Still “Indispensable”

30 May 201427 Feb 2017
“The United States is, and remains, the one indispensable nation.” From that starting point, the President launched a defense of his foreign policy at West Point on May 28. US…

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bombless's avatarbombless on ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW PUBLICATION
Mel Gurtov's avatarMel Gurtov on Post #497: Aggression in Iran
Mel Gurtov's avatarMel Gurtov on Post #492: TACO Time or Wartim…
chiefbeardf273823bee's avatarchiefbeardf273823bee on Post #492: TACO Time or Wartim…
Unknown's avatarPortland State Unive… on Post #219: Is China a “Respons…

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  • Post #499: Cuba is Trump’s Next Imperial Project
  • Post #498: Unexpected Gifts: Beijing and Moscow Gain from Trump’s War
  • ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW PUBLICATION
  • Post #497: Aggression in Iran
  • Post #496: War on Iran

Recent Comments

bombless's avatarbombless on ANNOUNCEMENT: NEW PUBLICATION
Mel Gurtov's avatarMel Gurtov on Post #497: Aggression in Iran
Mel Gurtov's avatarMel Gurtov on Post #492: TACO Time or Wartim…
chiefbeardf273823bee's avatarchiefbeardf273823bee on Post #492: TACO Time or Wartim…
Unknown's avatarPortland State Unive… on Post #219: Is China a “Respons…

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Listen to my "Global Citizen" commentaries every Tuesday, 5:25 pm, on KBOO.fm (Portland area) and Wednesdays on KXCR.net (Florence, OR area). The Global Citizen International Digest of the week's news is on KBOO Thursdays at 5:30 pm and is also on SUBSTACK, free, via https://melgurtov.substack.com

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