Welcome! This is an unapologetic, agenda-free zone. Just commentaries on current events that’ll move you to think, laugh, rage, and even cry.
The GOP: from political party to con syndicate The Republican Party has transformed into a national con syndicate. This is more evident than ever with convicted felon Donald Trump as its leader. But conning is what Republicans do. That’s clear enough from the lies they tell just to “own the libs.” Indeed, all they contribute… Read more.
Trump threatens NATO members Donald Trump’s norm-busting behavior has redefined the term “unprecedented.” Indeed, he has given political reporters and pundits cause to toss that term around like confetti at a New Year’s Eve bash. Case in point is the unprecedented way Trump threatened he would encourage Russia to have its way with NATO members who “do not pay… Read more.
The World Economic Forum at Davos The annual gathering of business and political elites at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, concluded yesterday. However, this event often reeks of hypocrisy, so much so that forum discussions do little more than emit the CO2 attendees continually pledge to reduce. Especially notable are their backslapping pledges to combat climate change and… Read more.
Biden’s ‘slow yes’ helped Russia From the outset, US President Biden framed the war in Ukraine as a tectonic battle between autocracy and democracy. Yet, the US and NATO have been helping Ukraine, a democratic country, fight merely to survive rather than win. Last week, Time Magazine published a definitive update with this striking headline: “The Biden Administration’s… Read more.
I was in the vanguard of those calling for President Biden to announce he will not seek reelection. Yes, I cited prevailing concerns about his age. He’s 80. But I also noted back then that, among other things, he promised he’d serve only one term – as a transitional president; he risked the backlash that befell… Read more.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan straddles Western democracies and Eastern autocracies, much as Turkey straddles Europe and Asia. His politics are as ambidextrous as Turkey’s geography is strategic. And Erdogan has used Sweden’s application for NATO membership to display his ambidexterity. Turkey greenlights Sweden’s NATO membership Russia’s genocidal invasion of Ukraine scared Finland and Sweden straight. It moved both to… Read more.
Recep Tayyip Erdogan won Turkey’s presidential election on Sunday. And he did so in a relative landslide with 52.2%. Kemal Kilicdaroglu was the unified opposition candidate. He led in all the polls. But he fell short with 47.8%. Erdogan wins Turkish election There was never any doubt about the outcome. Yes, polls and media reports… Read more.
NATO leaders were beaming with pride and daring yesterday. That is, as they celebrated Finland joining NATO as the 31st member. Because Turkey finally lifted its unilateral embargo… Finland joins NATO President Putin threatened dire consequences if NATO expanded its borders with Russia. Yet, with Finland joining, NATO is now doubling its borders with Russia.… Read more.
Countries are making a show today of delivering aid to earthquake-ravaged Turkey. They made a show in 2010 of pledging aid to earthquake-ravaged Haiti too. But many of these compassionate poseurs failed to deliver on their pledges. Turkey earthquake diplomacy But Turkey is being spared such unconscionable acts of stolen charity. The list of countries already delivering aid is… Read more.
