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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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Tag: Congress

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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 #420 Are We on the Brink of World War III?

24 Apr 202423 Apr 2024
The Zone of Major Conflict I don’t think it is too alarmist to suggest that we could be at the beginning stage of World War III. The ingredients for another…
BLOG

Post #363: More on the China Balloon Episode: Much Ado About Very Little

13 Feb 202322 Feb 2023
(The China Balloon Incident has three phases. We have just exited Phase 2. In Phase 1, “Discovery,” the Biden administration went into action mode on finding that a Chinese “spy”…
BLOG

Post #350: Two on China: Xi Does Well in Central Asia, Taiwan Fares Well in the US Senate

20 Sep 202219 Sep 2022
The Limits of “No Limits”  In the course of his Central Asia tour, Xi Jinping met with Vladimir Putin for what some analysts thought would be a reprise of their…
BLOG

Post #315 – Gravy Train: Corporate Profiteering on National Defense

21 Oct 202110 Nov 2021
A podcast of this blog is also available at https://www.podserve.fm/episodes/42179/22-gravy-train-corporate-profiteering-on-national-defense.mp3 A long time ago, Gordon Adams introduced the term “iron triangle” to characterize the interlocked relationship of the Pentagon’s military…
BLOG

Post #282: Restoring Democracy, Strengthening the Right to Vote

27 Nov 202027 Nov 2020
            As Americans look forward to a new era without Donald Trump, one thing stands out: the gap between the real and the ideal in American-style democracy is far larger…
BLOG

Post #279: In Defense of Confucius Institutes

30 Oct 202029 Oct 2020
Readers may be surprised to learn that while disputes between the US and China over trade, human rights, and the pandemic are making headlines, educational exchange programs are Washington’s chief…
BLOG

Post #274: Defeating a Demagogue: A Reminder from History

22 Sep 202021 Sep 2020
It may be small comfort as we watch Donald Trump try to cheat and bully his way to a second term, but a recent study of his demagogic predecessor, Senator…
BLOG

Post #272: The Election: Concerns, Confidence, Candidates

31 Aug 202031 Aug 2020
Five things that worry me about the election: • Biden’s declining support among Latinos; • Trump’s law-and-order appeal amidst violence and destruction of property in protest marches; • Domination of…
BLOG

Post #263: Donald Trump’s Stealth Attack on America

2 Jun 20201 Jun 2020
Donald Trump has made the calculated decision to let the pandemic play out without need of a federal plan for disease treatment and economic recovery. Over 100,000 deaths mean nothing…
APB

APB: Derelict Leadership on Health Security

21 Mar 202021 Mar 2020
If one event shows both Trump’s flawed character and his ineptitude, it would have to be his handling of the coronavirus pandemic. It is all about him, claiming superior knowledge…
BLOG

Post #253: Normal Nation?

6 Jan 20205 Jan 2020
With the assassination of Gen. Qasem Soleimani, Donald Trump has arguably done more to undermine US interests in the Middle East and sow the seeds of a region-wide war than…

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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

  • A philanthropist makes a grand pledge for conservation
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