Skip to content
In the Human Interest – Mel Gurtov

In the Human Interest – Mel Gurtov

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

Search
  • A philanthropist makes a grand pledge for conservation
  • Making China a U.S. enemy is counterproductive
  • BLOG ARCHIVE
  • Canada’s PM Sets an Independent Course
  • ABOUT
  • BLOG ARCHIVE
  • FEATURED BLOGS
  • Recent Publications

FEATURED

10Oct 202610 Oct 2026
2 Comments

Post #529: China’s Economy: The Price of Success

If we read nothing other than the mainstream media, we are likely to be persuaded that China has the world’s…

Share this with friends and colleagues:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
Like Loading...
27Sep 2026
1 Comment

Post #528: Chairman Xi Goes to Washington

The New Reality China’s President Xi Jinping’s sixth visit to the US has come and gone. Expectations were low for…

Share this with friends and colleagues:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
Like Loading...
20Sep 202620 Sep 2026
1 Comment

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…

Share this with friends and colleagues:

  • Email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
Like Loading...
BLOG

Post #484: Zelensky’s Predicament

23 Nov 202522 Nov 2025
A Plan for Ukraine Without Ukraine's Consent The US has forged a peace proposal with Russia that, as the French are putting it, amounts to Ukraine’s capitulation. For President Volodymyr…
BLOG…

Post#483: Wag the Dog in Venezuela

15 Nov 202514 Nov 2025
Analysis of why countries go to war sometimes argues that leaders are motivated by problems at home. They attack another country to divert attention from an economic crisis, an unlawful…
BLOG

Post #482: Trump’s War on America

12 Nov 2025
The Abuse of "National Security" Throughout much of the post-World War II history of American foreign policy, national security has meant international security—that is, defense of the US homeland was…
BLOG

Post #481: No Big Deal: The Trump-Xi Meeting in Korea

3 Nov 2025
Promises, Promises The much-awaited meeting in Korea between Pres. Trump and Pres. Xi Jinping promised—according to Trump—a major trade deal. The Chinese seemed prepared to offer much less. In remarks…
BLOG

Post #480: Gunboat Diplomacy in the Caribbean

27 Oct 2025
Disproportionate Force, Hidden Motives The Trump administration has now conducted ten known strikes on boats off the Venezuelan and Colombian coasts that supposedly carry drugs destined for the US. The…
BLOG

Post #479: A Plan for Halting the Ukraine War

17 Oct 202517 Jul 2026
Separating the Practical from the Ideal Intractable conflicts are wars without end, and Russia’s war with Ukraine seems to fit the bill. Now three and a half years old, the…
BLOG

Post #478: The Gaza War May End, but Peace Remains Elusive

9 Oct 2025
Some Questions Hamas has accepted Donald Trump’s plan for ending the Gaza war. Under the plan, Hamas, in exchange for the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners and 1,700 Gazans in…
BLOG

Post #477: Trump’s Dangerous Distortion of National Security

1 Oct 20252 Oct 2025
During a large part of the post-World War II history of American foreign policy, national security meant international security—that is, defense of the US homeland was believed to require a…
BLOG

Post #476: Playing Trump

20 Sep 202521 Sep 2025
One cannot examine the wars in Ukraine and Gaza without noticing certain parallels. First and foremost are the human and economic costs of aggression. Those costs are staggering, and how…
BLOG

Post #475: Trump Upends the International Economic Order

11 Sep 2025
Protectionism by Another Name Tariff hikes across the board, political interference through trade threats, pressure on US multinational corporations, supply chain disruptions—these are among the ways the Trump administration is…
BLOG

Post #474: Trump, Drugs, and War

6 Sep 2025
Murder License Issued The sinking of a boat allegedly carrying drugs from Venezuela has turned out to have ominous political and military implications. President Trump has taken the entirely illegal…
BLOG

Post #473: A Nobel Peace Prize for Trump? Inconceivable

31 Aug 2025
Four US presidents have been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize: Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Jimmy Carter, and Barack Obama. Donald Trump is determined to be the fifth recipient. He has…

Posts navigation

Older posts
Newer posts

Follow me on Twitter

My Tweets

Recommended

  • Dali Yang reviews Minxin Pei’s book on endemic corruption in China
  • “1984” in Xinjiang, China
  • Career US Foreign Service officer and China expert offers advice on US-China relations
  • Who profits from nuclear weapons?
  • World Scientists’ Warning to Humanity: Second Notice
  • UN Special Rapporteur’s report on extreme poverty in America
  • A former nuclear regulator now wants to ban N-power
  • 900 Former Prosecutors Say Trump Guilty of Obstruction of Justice
  • Open Letter: China is not the enemy
  • The Dangerous Anti-China Consensus in the US
  • A patriotic ambassador tells the truth about Ukraine
  • US House Trump-Ukraine Impeachment Report
  • A Song for the Times
  • Making China a US Enemy is Counterproductive
  • Putting America back together
  • Goodbye, Donald Trump
  • Democracy scholars’ warning
  • All the King’s (DJT) Lawsuits
  • Rep. Liz Cheney’s Opening Statement at Jan. 6 Committee Hearing
  • Rep. Bennie Thompson’s Opening Statement at Jan. 6 Committee Hearing
  • Is Criticism of Israel Anti-Semitism?
  • Democracy Scholars Warning
  • Timothy Snyder on Tyranny
  • Trump vs. US: Sotomayor’s Dissent
  • 50 Legal Experts Shocked about Trump Lawlessness
  • Ai Weiwei’s “Camouflage” Exhibit in NYC

Recent Comments

Russell White's avatarRussell White on Post #529: China’s Econo…
jrnewcomerprotonmailcom's avatarjrnewcomerprotonmail… on Post #529: China’s Econo…
jrnewcomerprotonmailcom's avatarjrnewcomerprotonmail… on Post #528: Chairman Xi Goes to…
wwmakers's avatarwwmakers on APB: The US Denies Visas to Pa…
wwmakers's avatarwwmakers on Post #524: The Arsenal

Search Posts

Archives

Follow me on Facebook

Follow me on Facebook

Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 766 other subscribers

Follow by RSS

RSS Feed RSS - Posts

RSS Feed RSS - Comments

Search Posts

Recent Posts

  • Post #529: China’s Economy: The Price of Success
  • Post #528: Chairman Xi Goes to Washington
  • Post #527: The Crimes of the Trump Regime
  • APB: The US Denies Visas to Palestinian UN Delegation
  • Post #526: Is Xi Coming, and Will AI and Human Rights be on the Agenda?

Recent Comments

Russell White's avatarRussell White on Post #529: China’s Econo…
jrnewcomerprotonmailcom's avatarjrnewcomerprotonmail… on Post #529: China’s Econo…
jrnewcomerprotonmailcom's avatarjrnewcomerprotonmail… on Post #528: Chairman Xi Goes to…
wwmakers's avatarwwmakers on APB: The US Denies Visas to Pa…
wwmakers's avatarwwmakers on Post #524: The Arsenal

Archives

Meta

  • Create account
  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.com

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

  • A philanthropist makes a grand pledge for conservation
  • Making China a U.S. enemy is counterproductive
  • BLOG ARCHIVE
  • Canada’s PM Sets an Independent Course
Website Powered by WordPress.com.
  • Subscribe Subscribed
    In the Human Interest - Mel Gurtov
    Join 505 other subscribers

    Have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.

  • In the Human Interest - Mel Gurtov
    View site in Reader
    Manage subscriptionsSign upLog in
    Report this content
    Collapse this bar
Loading Comments...

You must be logged in to post a comment.

%d