January 14, 2023

The New Comintern

Vladimir Putin has made the strategic aims of Russia’s war against Ukraine very clear. Those are not exclusively to eliminate Ukraine’s independence and make the country part of Russia. That is one minor subplot of the larger story, thoug...

March 10, 2022

The alleged madness of Vladimir Putin

Is Vladimir Putin mad?  This question, of a rather specific medical nature, is critically important for the future of the world and millions of human lives.  Are we dealing with a rational individual?  Are we confro...

January 14, 2022

Kazakhstan: The Russian empire marches on

It feels as though Russia's armed forces enter another country with the frequency of a new COVID variant.  This time, it is Kazakhstan.  A casual reader thus relearns the distant geography well forgotten since the days of the ...

April 20, 2021

The guns of spring

World politics has themes.  Some are associated with certain leaders.  Some cling to geographical locations.  Yet some, like flora, come and go with a season.  Another Russian invasion of Ukraine is one such th...

January 20, 2021

No Struggle Like a Party Struggle

The storming of the United States Capitol on January 6 will have many long-term consequences. Yet, the tremors sent through the American political system are to be immediately felt in their impact on the inner struggles of both the Democratic and the...

August 13, 2020

The last Belorussian front

The Republic of Belarus is in turmoil.  The last time its capital, Minsk, the epicenter of current events, happened to be so much in the news occurred around 1943–44, when the Red Army with its Belorussian Fronts was slowly pushing th...

June 4, 2020

Ben-Gurion's Unfinished Work

When on  May 12, 1948 David Ben-Gurion pressed members of the People's Administration to support his intention to declare Israel’s independence, many questions had to be answered. One of the most important of those was: Will President ...

November 20, 2019

The Dreamers in the Valley

Silicon Valley has lost its charm. From being a darling of the political class it has slowly morphed into the most dangerous public enemy. That attitude is shared across the entire political spectrum, but nowhere is it more pronounced than ...