No Pasaran: Ukraine 2022
Vladimir Putin is the Franco of today, and Ukraine must become the graveyard of Putinism.
Putin’s February Revolution?
Like the last tsar, Putin’s delusions of grandeur bely his military missteps, economic mismanagement, and imperial blind spots.
Ordinary Russians Are Already Feeling the Pain of Sanctions
Is punishing ordinary Russians the right response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine?
India and the Future of the Planet
India’s economic and energy production model is not a threat to the world, but it is a threat to India itself, particularly its most marginalized people.
If the NTC Can’t Control Tripoli’s Airport. . .
The militia left the airport but the commander wasn’t released.
E-War
The Pentagon has traditionally presented cyber war as “their hackers” against “our defenders.” Out there, especially in China, a faceless horde of anonymous computer users are arrayed against the United States in an updated version of the “yellow peril.” In 2010, the Pentagon complained publicly for the first time about the Chinese government deploying civilian hackers to go after U.S. targets. These cyber attacks date back at least to 1999 when, after NATO bombed the Chinese embassy in Belgrade, Chinese hackers launched a slew of “denial of service” attacks that, among other results, shut down the White House website for three days.
Spying on the North
It started out as a routine briefing at a conference in Florida on U.S. special operations. One of the panelists, Army Brigadier General Neil Tolley, was talking about the importance of human intelligence in North Korea. A reporter, David Axe, dutifully wrote down Tolley’s comments and published his article in late May in The Diplomat, a foreign policy publication based in Tokyo. The article, quoting Tolley, claimed that U.S. Special Forces were already gathering human intelligence in North Korea.
The Other Case for Intervention in Syria
The potential for a major escalation of the Syrian crisis exists due to an overlooked source.
Syria: America vs. Israel?
Security considerations surrounding the unknown variables of a post-Assad Syria appear to have created a divide between U.S. and Israeli strategies, as the Netanyahu government has not followed Obama’s course on Syria. The Israeli concerns surrounding the collapse of Syria’s Ba’athist party are legitimate. Washington should also consider the security consequences of Assad’s ouster and avoid intervention in Syria.
Counterterrorism Calculus in Yemen Shortchanging Political Solutions
The White House neither confirms nor denies the air war in Yemen.
The Crisis in Syria Calls Out for an Intervention — with Russia
In the chorus of condemnation that resounded after the massacre, Russia’s voice stood out for its glaring ambiguity.
Dashed Hopes for Baghdad Breakthrough
The recently concluded negotiations between Iran and the world powers, the so-called P5+1, was perhaps the first serious attempt at resolving the Iranian nuclear impasse since the 2009 botched negotiations. Both sides entered the talks with a strong sense of cautious optimism, thinking maybe this time would be different. Even former top American diplomats joined the euphoric run up to the Baghdad talks. According to the former lead U.S. negotiator on Iran, Nicholas Burns, “for the first time in 32 years, since the Iranian revolution, there is the possibility of serious, substantive and sustained talks with Iran.”
Just How Many Cyberattacks Will Iran Take Sitting Down?
Iran may or may not have the ability to mount cyberattacks of its own.
American Culture Wars in Uganda
On March 14, Sexual Minorities Uganda (SMUG) filed a U.S. federal lawsuit against American Minister Scott Lively, using the Alien Torts Statute (A.T.S.). The ATS allows for non-citizens to launch US court actions for violations of international law. SMUG accuses Lively of collaborating with four named Ugandan co-conspirators (conservative evangelicals Martin Ssempa and Stephen Langa, Member of Parliament David Bahati, and the current Minister of Ethics and Integrity James Buturo) to create an enabling environment for persecution and violence against gays and lesbians in Uganda. Lively is also accused of directly contributing to the infamous 2009 “Kill the Gays” bill1 which never came to a vote. In February, however, Bahati reintroduced the legislation.