On April 17, The Atlantic published a provocative essay by former world chess champion Garry Kasparov titled “The Putinization of America.” Arguably, The Atlantic lifted the idea for that title from an essay by New Yorker staff writer Susan Glasser, published just weeks earlier (on February 20) under the headline “Trump’s Putinization of America.” Kasparov… Read more.
Vladimir Putin
Trump Will Extort ‘Broligarchs’ to Become Richer than Elon Musk
In case you haven’t noticed, Donald Trump doesn’t just want power. He wants what Vladimir Putin has: obscene wealth and abject loyalty. And Trump has undoubtedly picked up autocratic tricks from his puppet master. But as president of the richest, most powerful country in history, Trump will have “absolute immunity” to enrich himself unchecked. So… Read more.
Putin Boasts about Using Nukes to Bully and Intimidate
Russia using North Korea’s nuclear playbook Russia and North Korea are the only two nuclear powers whose leaders continually boast about using nukes. That is no coincidence. Russia and North Korea are also the two poorest and most sanctioned among the nine nuclear powers. Both leverage nuclear weapons to compensate for everything from diplomatic isolation to economic stagnation. North… Read more.
Carlson Interviewing Putin Shows That Trump Has Normalized Treason
Carlson interviewing Putin reflects the new (Trumpian) norm Alas, we live in an America that now blithely tolerates treason. Only that explains American Tucker Carlson traveling to Moscow to interview America’s foreign enemy No. 1, Russian President Vladimir Putin. Tucker Carlson, the former Fox News host, has interviewed President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia, the Kremlin… Read more.
Trudeau Accuses Modi of Murder, Khashoggi style
Trudeau accuses Modi of murder Prime Minister Justin Trudeau just shocked the world. He announced that Canada’s security services had “credible evidence” that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered this hit: ON THE EVENING of June 18th Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh leader whom India considered a terrorist, was sitting in his truck in a… Read more.
G20 Summit India: More About Schmoozing Than Anything Else
I’ve argued for years that annual G20 summits are much ado about nothing. But I’ve always recognized their one politically redeeming value. That used to be the opportunity for the world’s political power brokers to forge collegial relationships. Even that illusion has crumbled. G20 Summit India President Putin is AWOL. But he has been for years. This year, Russia’s genocidal… Read more.
North Korea Is Meeting Russia to Supply Weapons from China
North Korea supplying Russia Chinese weapons The X factor in the war in Ukraine is whether China will end up supplying weapons to Russia the way the US is supplying them to Ukraine. I submit that China will not. But it faces an abiding dilemma: China has a geostrategic interest in seeing Russia prevail. But it fears doing… Read more.
Zelensky Was the Skunk at NATO Summit
Prigozhin’s Coup Outs Putin as Weak and Scared
China’s Xi Speaks with Zelensky – as a Feint for Putin and Himself
Chinese President Xi Jinping finally spoke with Zelensky today. But he only did so as a feint to help Russian President Vladimir Putin and himself. Yet everyone is reacting as if Xi offered Zelensky a credible peace plan. A plan, that is, that will make Ukraine’s looming counteroffensive unnecessary. But nothing could be further from the… Read more.