Russia’s plan to quickly overrun Ukraine was thwarted by the heroic ZSU (Armed Forces of Ukraine). Yet Russia has still been making incremental territorial gains and that is certainly deeply worrying. The arms provided by NATO nations to Ukraine have been defensive in nature in allowing the Ukrainians to destroy attacking Russian tanks and attackingContinue reading “Ukraine’s Offensive Capabilities Need be Strengthened”
Category Archives: Russia
Is Russia Acting Rationally or Irrationally?
The prevailing consensus among Russia experts and apparently among scientists in the Western intelligence community is that President Vladimir Putin has become irrational. There are various explanations that are put forward such as autism, megalomania, personality disorders (psychopathy or narcissism), two years of Covid isolation and the alleged and/or actual influence of various historical andContinue reading “Is Russia Acting Rationally or Irrationally?”
First Things First
American diplomacy and American leadership is imperative in ending the war in Ukraine which undoubtedly is intended by Russia to constitute the very beginning of WWIII. Relations between Moscow and Washington are at their lowest point in decades but it is nevertheless essential for the United States to reach out diplomatically to the Russian Federation.Continue reading “First Things First”
A Unique Diplomatic Opportunity for Peace
Beijing’s nightmare is an Asian defense alliance encircling China from all directions and since China is surrounded by rivals, does Beijing make sure to keep close to Russia. Both Beijing and Moscow are keenly aware that a major confrontation between China and Russia over the ownership of Siberia looms on the horizon. Yet, both nationsContinue reading “A Unique Diplomatic Opportunity for Peace”
Zelensky’s Israel Campaign
Ukraine has waged a well-oiled international campaign to gain international support against the illegal Russian invasion. However, the Zelensky administration has specifically targeted Israel, in many times complaining about Israel maintaining its good relations with Russia. Why is the Zelensky administration putting so much effort into courting Israel which is merely a small country inContinue reading “Zelensky’s Israel Campaign”
Will the Russians Sober Up?
The emerging reality in Ukraine is becoming increasingly clear. Russia is winning tactically in some locations in Ukraine but is overall suffering strategic defeat. The Ukrainian military is not only highly motivated but has turned out extremely competent and skilled. The Russian conscripts in contrast lack motivation for a war that they neither support norContinue reading “Will the Russians Sober Up?”
The US Cannot Guarantee that an Anti-Semite Won’t be Elected President
The US is pressuring Israel to join the ill-advised sanctions regime against Russia which does not help Ukraine one iota and makes a diplomatic resolution more difficult. Israel is not a banana republic and has its own independent national interests. If this was an interest of secondary or tertiary importance then Israel would surely relentContinue reading “The US Cannot Guarantee that an Anti-Semite Won’t be Elected President”
Sanctions Against Russia are Counterproductive
The recently imposed sanctions regime against Russia is much ill-advised since it stands no chance of influencing the course of war and will only much complicate diplomatic efforts to resolve the conflict. Two decades ago, Vladimir Putin approached the West and asked for Russia to join NATO. This was rebuffed for obvious reasons since NATOContinue reading “Sanctions Against Russia are Counterproductive”
Open Letter to President Vladimir Putin
Dear President Putin, The military goals that you set out Mr. President, for your campaign, have not been met. The reality is that your forces have been defeated by the Ukrainians and the Russian military has suffered heavy losses. Russian conscripts lack motivation for this war and your military machine is ineffective. This is theContinue reading “Open Letter to President Vladimir Putin”
Israel Too Wants to Survive
Last year an Anti-Semite was elected president of Chile. The same thing could happen in the United States. Gone are the days when it was assured that it would always be a moderate who would be elected president of the United States. Support for Israel is declining dangerously among young Americans, including among young RepublicansContinue reading “Israel Too Wants to Survive”
MiGs Should be Delivered Discreetly
The question of how to deliver NATO MiGs to Ukraine has been dealt with insensitively. Like over weapons deliveries, the MiGs should be provided discreetly such as being dismantled into pieces and delivered by truck to Ukraine. There is no reason why this should be done with official fanfare. The Ukrainians are not served byContinue reading “MiGs Should be Delivered Discreetly”
It’s not About Ukraine – It’s About Europe
Russian propaganda has been successful in spreading the misconception that the current conflict is about Ukraine. Baltic governments have been consistently warning that the invasion of Ukraine is merely the opening salvo of WWIII. This is a classical war of imperial conquest. Russian propaganda claims that Europe is interested in conquering Russian wealth but thisContinue reading “It’s not About Ukraine – It’s About Europe”
Inside the Mind of Vladimir Putin
There has been a wide range of attempts to pathologize Russian president Vladimir Putin to explain the Ukraine war. It is surprising that otherwise rational and highly educated observers assume that the Russian system suddenly operates without an elaborate strategy. Putin’s Russia has always been similar in its geostrategic behavior to the former Soviet Union,Continue reading “Inside the Mind of Vladimir Putin”
Normalization in Limbo
In the waning days of the Trump presidency was the world presented with a long list of Muslim countries waiting to normalize relations with Israel. However, once Trump had exited the White House, the process came to an abrupt end and no more Muslim countries have so far normalized relations with Israel during the BidenContinue reading “Normalization in Limbo”
The Russian Military Incompetence
All militaries are incompetent to varying degrees due to regular militaries being huge apparatuses based on planned centralized command economy. This of course is breeding ground for incompetence and bureaucratic failure. Asymmetric warfare is precisely so effective because it is non-bureaucratic with a decentralized command structure. The IDF (Israel Defense Forces) is unique in theContinue reading “The Russian Military Incompetence”
Ukraine’s Israel Moment
In 1948 the world assumed that the Jews were finished and faced imminent defeat and almost no one wanted to supply Israel with weapons. Similarly in 1967, Israel’s great power ally France assumed that Israel faced defeat and ended all weapons deliveries to Israel. However, Israel gained international respect when it proved that it couldContinue reading “Ukraine’s Israel Moment”
The World from the Perspective of Beijing
Beijing is in the phase of building itself up as a superpower economically, politically, militarily and technologically. How does Beijing relate to Washington? China is not really hostile towards America but is determined to overtake the United States as the only superpower. China has not yet reached the phase of territorial expansion and has noContinue reading “The World from the Perspective of Beijing”
Feeding the Russian Crocodile
There is a significant likelihood and risk indeed that not militarily defending democratic Ukraine will incentivize Putin’s Russia into military aggression against NATO nations. Admitting Ukraine into NATO would have averted the Russian invasion and now it is too late, a democracy of 41 million citizens is about to fall to imperialist aggression. Putin’s impressionContinue reading “Feeding the Russian Crocodile”
A President Who Fears WWIII Will Get Exactly That
President Joe Biden is on the record of admitting that he is afraid of WWIII with Russia. This is just one more example in a long line of statements by the Biden administration (usually not by President Biden himself) that reinforce the international impression of the Biden administration as “weak”. For an American president toContinue reading “A President Who Fears WWIII Will Get Exactly That”
The Biden Administration is Detached From Reality
An Israeli government source cited in an Israeli newspaper recently noted that the American government acts according to its own worldview and political philosophy, yet implied that the impending Russian invasion of Ukraine was a result of America’s yearlong fruitless appeasement of the totalitarian regime in Tehran. The Biden administration is apparently not aware ofContinue reading “The Biden Administration is Detached From Reality”
Finland and Sweden Should Join NATO While They Still Can
The case of Ukraine clearly shows that staying out of NATO is not a safe option for European nations. Finland and Sweden have always opted to stay out of NATO for reasons of military strategy. An invasion of Finland and Sweden would essentially offer a detour and diversion for the Russian forces and would lengthenContinue reading “Finland and Sweden Should Join NATO While They Still Can”
A Grand Bargain for Peace
Contrary to what Moscow claims, Russia’s military buildup against Ukraine has nothing to do with a perceived threat from NATO and in contrast has everything to do with China. This obviously requires some explanation. Russia is infamous for its propaganda and disinformation and has long disingenuously claimed that NATO (a purely defensive organization) has offensiveContinue reading “A Grand Bargain for Peace”
Biden Would Deploy US Troops to Ukraine if he Were a Wilsonian
The case of Ukraine is a test case for the dying liberal world order. If President Joe Biden were a Wilsonian as he purports to be then surely he would intervene militarily on the side of Ukraine, instead he openly admits that he won’t do so for fear of triggering World War III. Ukraine isContinue reading “Biden Would Deploy US Troops to Ukraine if he Were a Wilsonian”
The Death of the Liberal World Order
The US project of imposing a liberal world order has a long pedigree going back to US president Woodrow Wilson a century ago. The pro-democracy efforts by US President George W. Bush resulted in the Arab spring years later but failed to establish liberal democracy other than in Tunisia where it did not last. WithContinue reading “The Death of the Liberal World Order”
Regionwide War and Global Terror
Iran does not fear America which it considers bruised by war and defeated by international Jihadism. In the Khomeinist Weltanschauung is Israel merely one of the tentacles of the “worldwide” American-Jewish “octopus” and so Tehran believes that Jerusalem cannot independently decide on destroying Iran’s nuclear weapons program without a green light from Washington. Therefore willContinue reading “Regionwide War and Global Terror”
The Biden Administration has a Communication Problem
Why is the Biden administration so widely perceived as “weak”? It began with Donald Trump labeling Joe Biden as “Sleepy Joe” in 2020. Republicans subsequently came to widely characterize Joe Biden as “weak”. Then came the disastrous collapse in Afghanistan and the chaotic American pullout which left hundreds of thousands behind who urgently needed toContinue reading “The Biden Administration has a Communication Problem”
China or Russia cannot Substitute America’s Role in Islamdom
Why did the Biden administration discontinue the Trump administration policy of intending to devolve most of America’s superpower duties in Islamdom to Israel? There is only one answer: Suspicion that Israel will realign with China. The US nightmare scenario is that Washington would hand over most of its superpower duties in Islamdom to Jerusalem andContinue reading “China or Russia cannot Substitute America’s Role in Islamdom”
Muslim Nations are Hedging Their Bets
The Trump administration was exceptionally successful in generating normalization between Israel and Muslim nations due to the Trump policy of intending to devolve much of America’s superpower duties in Islamdom to Israel. This idea is immensely popular among governments of Islamdom for two reasons. 1) The Mossad is extremely trusted as a partner in theContinue reading “Muslim Nations are Hedging Their Bets”
Conflict with Iran is Inevitable
There is no chance of reaching a nuclear agreement with Iran for the simple reason that Tehran is not interested in temporary sanctions relief as the next Republican administration would promptly reimpose sanctions. However, even if hypothetically a nuclear agreement was reached between Tehran and Washington, this would only defer the conflict. Iran is hell-bentContinue reading “Conflict with Iran is Inevitable”
Biden’s Ukraine Policy Harms US Interests
Why is it that the US government has a Ukraine policy that it does not believe will be effective? On the one hand does the US threaten Russia with severe economic sanctions and on other hand does the US predict that there is a high likelihood of a Russian invasion of Ukraine. At the sameContinue reading “Biden’s Ukraine Policy Harms US Interests”
Imperialist Plans of Expansionism
Iran, China and Russia are all neo-imperialist powers and they intend to geographically expand in accordance with their respective geostrategic master plans. America in contrast which is no empire and has no imperialist designs has no master plan across presidencies for its foreign policy since every new president in the 21st century has devised hisContinue reading “Imperialist Plans of Expansionism”
Germany has not Learned the Lesson of Czechoslovakia
Ukraine is threatened by Russia seeking to territorially expand westwards. The planned Russian annexation of Ukraine is only a prelude to the planned Russian conquest of the rest of Europe. The new center-left government in Germany turned down Ukraine’s urgent request for military aid due to bizarre academic theories of conflict resolution obfuscating the distinctionContinue reading “Germany has not Learned the Lesson of Czechoslovakia”
How to Make the US-Israel Relationship Last Forever
How can the US-Israel relationship be so reinforced that it becomes unbreakable as both America and Israel fear being abandoned by the other in the long-term? There is a consensus among Middle Eastern governments that the United States intends to disengage from Islamdom and the US implausibly denies this despite the stated ambition to focusContinue reading “How to Make the US-Israel Relationship Last Forever”
Tehran’s Intention to “Annihilate America”
On January 4, 2022; Ali Fadavi, the deputy head of the IRGC explicitly threatened on Hezbollah’s al-Manar television station to “annihilate America”. The threat of extermination has long been reserved for the “Small Satan” and now Iran reveals that it plans to exterminate the “Great Satan” as well. Is this a serious threat or isContinue reading “Tehran’s Intention to “Annihilate America””
The US Must Clarify on Disengagement from Islamdom
The US suffers from a global credibility deficit. America’s adversaries no longer fear the United States and Middle Eastern allies of the United States are all convinced that the US intends to disengage from Islamdom, yet the US denies this. Iran calculates that in the event of the US and Israel destroying the Iranian nuclearContinue reading “The US Must Clarify on Disengagement from Islamdom”
Why Israel Must Keep its Options Open
There has been tremendous mistrust between the Biden administration and the Israeli government on account of Israel’s strategic intentions vis-a-vis China and America’s strategic intentions vis-a-vis Iran. Israel now understands that there will be no nuclear deal with Iran because Tehran has no interest in such an agreement. The US and Israel are jointly trainingContinue reading “Why Israel Must Keep its Options Open”
Russia Deters America in Ukraine
Why is America not admitting Ukraine to NATO and putting an end to the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine? The US should militarily deter Russia from invading Ukraine yet it is the US that has ended up deterred by Russia. The Biden administration wields the threat of economic sanctions against Russia despite PresidentContinue reading “Russia Deters America in Ukraine”
Is America Planning to Disengage from Islamdom?
Middle Eastern governments are convinced that the Biden administration is intent on continuing the Trump administration policy of disengagement from Islamdom, yet the US government denies this. Who should we believe? Assuming that the governments of the region are correct in their unanimous assessment of US intentions, a plausible explanation would then be that theContinue reading “Is America Planning to Disengage from Islamdom?”
China Needs to be Encircled by US Allies
The threat of Chinese territorial expansion in the Central Asian and Asia-Pacific regions should prompt the US government to take the initiative to found two new US-led defense alliances in Asia as the US should strive to encircle China in order to contain it and deter it from territorial expansion. The US needs to alignContinue reading “China Needs to be Encircled by US Allies”
The US Perception, Credibility and Deterrence Problem
The US has a problem with credibility and thus also with deterrence. This is largely a perception problem based on the erroneous view that the current US administration is afraid of war. However, the Biden administration does not seem to understand that the position of the US as regards one region affects US credibility inContinue reading “The US Perception, Credibility and Deterrence Problem”
NATO Must Stand with Ukraine
Russia continues its buildup of forces alongside the border with Ukraine. This is the test of the success of US deterrence. If US economic deterrence were successful would Russia surely discontinue its military buildup near Ukraine. US intelligence has provided proof that Russia plans false flag operations in the rebel regions of eastern Ukraine asContinue reading “NATO Must Stand with Ukraine”
Anti-Semitism and Orientalism
There are three historical phases of Anti-Semitism in the broader sense of the term. These are Anti-Judaism (Roman, Christian and Muslim), Anti-Semitism (in the narrow racializing sense) and Anti-Zionism which is currently the most widespread form of Anti-Semitism and contains a far vaster universe of lies than Anti-Judaism and Anti-Semitism (in the narrow sense). WhatContinue reading “Anti-Semitism and Orientalism”
Tehran’s Confidence in Terrorist Deterrence
Iran has expressed the assessment that Israeli prime minister Naftali Bennett’s new policy of avoiding publicly threatening Iran and instead focusing on building Israel’s defensive and offensive capabilities vis-a-vis Iran and its proxies is evidence that Iran has succeeded in deterring Israel. The Iranian representative claimed that Iran has an effective deterrence capacity against “emptyContinue reading “Tehran’s Confidence in Terrorist Deterrence”
Jews are a Nation of Color
Racialization of Jews have a long pedigree in the history of Anti-Semitism. Racialization of Jews was practiced in Spain against the Anusim (“Marranos”), Jews who were involuntarily converted to Christianity during the expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492. Racialization of Jews in Germany became prominent already in the second half of the 19thContinue reading “Jews are a Nation of Color”
Iranian Fears
Zohar Palti, the head of the Political-Military Bureau of the Israeli Ministry of Defense and former head of the Mossad Research Department recently pointed out that Iran is no longer afraid and that there is no deterrent against Iran advancing its nuclear weapons program. What then are the implications of Iranian fears? Is it possibleContinue reading “Iranian Fears”
Imperialism is the Greatest Threat
Totalitarian enemies of America whether Communist or Islamist typically describe democratic America as “imperialist”. Of course there is no American empire. America does not dominate other independent nations, like almost every other nation it aligns with foreign nations to promote its own interests. What is unique however about America is that it constantly across presidentialContinue reading “Imperialism is the Greatest Threat”
Neutrality on Iran is in no One’s Interest
The JCPOA is brain-dead and it is only a matter of weeks until it will be fully dead and buried. The reason is that Iran correctly assesses that returning to compliance with the JCPOA and/or reaching a nuclear agreement with the United States are not conducive to the nuclear and economic interests of the KhomeinistContinue reading “Neutrality on Iran is in no One’s Interest”
What can be Expected on Iran
The Biden administration’s hawks and doves are busy preparing the US for two parallel tracks. Even the doves are becoming aware that the JCPOA is doomed and are therefore preparing for what they imagine will be negotiations on an entirely different nuclear agreement with Iran beyond the JCPOA. The hawks are preparing Plan B withContinue reading “What can be Expected on Iran”
Endless Negotiations are Back on the Table
An interview with US Iran envoy Rob Malley on CNN informs us that the Malley doctrine of endless negotiations is back and the Blinken doctrine of opposition to endless negotiations is dead, or at least so far the moment. Malley, the notorious appeaser of Islamists, is convinced that Iran is advancing its hugely expensive nuclearContinue reading “Endless Negotiations are Back on the Table”
Ukrainian NATO Accession is a Vital American National Security Interest
The Ukraine crisis is testing the Biden administration. The Russian buildup of military forces east of Ukraine illustrates the peril of not expanding NATO. Yet, the United States is effectively only threatening financial sanctions against Russia, or at least that is the general perception. The crisis illustrates that further NATO expansion eastwards should be anContinue reading “Ukrainian NATO Accession is a Vital American National Security Interest”
Aliyah Organization 