Something happened the day in 2012 when Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev passed on to President Vladimir Putin the notorious private message President Obama had asked him to convey — "Tell Vladimir I'll be more flexible after the election."
Russian President Vladimir Putin has recently made it very clear that Russia possesses a nuclear weapons capability. "Don't forget that Russia is a nuclear power," he has been frequently quoted as saying.
Tensions between the U.S. and Russia over Syria have risen significantly over the last several weeks, and it's pretty clear why.
After bombing hospitals and aid convoys during the latest abortive cease-fire in the Syrian War — notice I didn't say "civil war" because this is now a global conflict — Moscow on Thursday generously proposed a 48-hour window to allow relief supplies to enter the besieged city of Aleppo, which Syrian government forces are doing a very good job of reconquering with Russian support.
"Our fatal troika dashes on in her headlong flight, perhaps to destruction, and in all Russia for long past men have stretched out imploring hands and called a halt to its furious reckless course." — Fyodor Dostoyevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
The sustained low price of hydrocarbons is beginning to cause substantial pain in Russia: Last month, Moscow again dipped heavily into its reserve fund to plug a whopping hole in the budget. Officials can't keep doing this. The rainy-day funds could be exhausted at some point in 2018.
As a former military officer, I learned decades ago that when taking command of new unit, an officer has to be a strict disciplinarian. Rules have to be enforced and your subordinates need to respect and understand you are a determined person who takes your oath of office seriously. In reality, these first few months are a negotiation with your troops. First impressions count, they set the stage for your entire command.
The dictators' window is closing and they know it.
Russian President Vladimir Putin doesn't want to bite off any more of Ukraine — he can't afford it.
I am not saying corruption is not rampant in Ukraine, I am saying the evidence supposedly implicating Paul Manafort is extremely suspect and to date not remotely persuasive.
There has been a concerted effort in recent days by the Kremlin to promote Russia's perceived newfound military might. This agenda is part and parcel of Moscow's hybrid warfare that has proven successful in Ukraine and now in the Middle East.
I received an email from a "lefty" friend asking if it was all right to now tweet #TraitorTrump. My reply was simple. Trump has never held office. He has never had access to classified information. His comments were in jest.
Much has been written about Donald Trump's foreign policy — or what the media wants to say is Mr. Trump's foreign policy. The truth is, no one really knows exactly what Mr. Trump will do in the geopolitical arena as president of the United States, except to say that he will put America first.
"War is merely the continuation of politics by other means." -- Clausewitz
"'You know, you never beat us on the battlefield," I told my North Vietnamese counterpart during negotiations in Hanoi a week before the fall of Saigon. He pondered that remark a moment and then replied, "That may be so, but it is also irrelevant.'"
Turkey, a NATO member, shot down a Russian SU-24 fighter bomber that briefly entered its airspace during attacks on rebels in Syria in late 2015. The deliberate Turkish action was meant to push back against an aggressive Russia that had repeatedly ignored Turkish warnings, showing a complete disregard for the sovereignty of a NATO country.
There has been a global outbreak of nervousness in the long run-up to Britain's Brexit vote Thursday, with European Union politicians and heads of state apoplectic about the possibility of a member of the club saying no thanks and walking away from the utopia they have created.
The Obama administration has gotten America into quite a conundrum when it comes to the Russian Federation and its wily leader, Vladimir Putin, who are aggressively pushing back against NATO encroachment on former Soviet and Warsaw Pact territory.
Israel can no longer count on the United States for its ultimate security. America is no longer the protector of last resort. Israel simply cannot trust us, for yes, the United States of America, formerly Israel's only true friend, is now conspiring for its demise through a policy that has simply enabled Iran.
I read with disgust this week the details of a YouGov poll that showed a large percentage of millennial men don't consider themselves fully masculine. This is the result of decades of leftist, cultural Marxism that have changed the fabric of American society. It is also how nations lose wars and find themselves relegated to the dustbin of history.
