Appeasement is Dangerous

There are more and more diplomatically influential Westerners who behind the political curtains make the case that Ukraine will need to make territorial concessions to Russia in order to attain peace. This completely misunderstands the conflict which is a zero-sum game where both parties to the conflict want the entire Ukraine and are completely unwillingContinue reading “Appeasement is Dangerous”

There is Nothing to Negotiate

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has long made it known that the conflict will ostensibly end at the negotiating table. It is a common tactic for parties to armed conflicts to give an impression of being open to “negotiations” and “compromise” in order to garner international sympathy. However, in this case is it ill-advised because itContinue reading “There is Nothing to Negotiate”

Khomeinism and Iranian Foreign Policy

Ayatollah Khomeini introduced a governing principle according to which Iranian national interests take precedence over sharia. This may seem surprising for an Islamist theocratic regime but can be observed in Iranian foreign policy for various parts of the world. Iran is completely silent on China’s Han colonization of Xinjiang and totalitarian policies of coerced assimilationContinue reading “Khomeinism and Iranian Foreign Policy”

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”

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”