A strange thing happened a few weeks ago in US-French relations. The French Foreign Minister summoned the US Ambassador for a meeting. This kind of summons happens when there is serious tension between two countries, or when the Ambassador has said or done something controversial. While not common, a summons is a normal part of […]
On Monday, the Trump administration walked away from its attempts to punish disfavored law firms when it moved to voluntarily dismiss its appeal of earlier court decisions. The attempted punishment included, in part, the suspension of “any active security clearances held by individuals at (the firms), pending a review of whether such clearances are consistent […]
Unlike George Washington, Donald J. Trump lies. All the time. That’s supposed to be something we do not do; lying is bad. American mythology even has a story about our first president, George Washington, who, after cutting down a cherry tree, admitted that he’d done it, saying that he “couldn’t lie.” Today, plenty of people […]
The United States is at war with Iran. American service members are dead. Iranian leaders are dead. Civilians, including Iranian schoolchildren, are dead. The region is destabilizing. Oil markets are rattled. The Strait of Hormuz is under threat. And now the President and his senior military advisors state that they are not ruling out sending […]
As he has done frequently in both his presidencies, President Trump stretches presidential powers to great lengths without regard for the Constitution, the Congress, the American people, or our allies. Yet, he is observing the letter of the law in this naval and air attack on Iran. It is worth examining this issue. Starting with […]
President Donald J. Trump oversees Operation Epic Fury at Mar-a-Lago, Palm Beach, FL National-level warfighting strategies are defined by the objectives established by the commander-in-chief, in this case, Donald Trump. The end state desired, assuming the chief executive of the nation did not misspeak, appears to number three: (1) to ensure that Iran can never […]
On Saturday, 28 February 2026, President Trump declared war on Iran. He may not have been thinking about the likelihood of destabilization of that whole region. He may not have considered that attacking Iran would make oil prices, and therefore US prices for gasoline, skyrocket. He may not have wanted the attack to turn into […]
“Well Doctor, what have we got, a republic or a monarchy?”“A republic…if you can keep it.” ~ Benjamin Franklin, to Elizabeth Willing Powel after the 1787 Constitutional Convention. America is celebrating 250 years of democracy in 2026 while ironically facing what may be its most serious existential challenge ever. This quarter millennium milestone should be […]
Though bruised and battered and in a state of exhaustion and semi-shock, we have survived the first year of Trump 2.0, so now we only have to make it for three more years. If this first year is anything to go by, though, by January 2029, when Donald Trump, as he did in 2021 when […]
Former CIA deputy director Michael Morell joins former senior CIA operations officers and to reflect on post 9/11 overcorrection towards counterterrorism. They assess the current “might makes right” approach to foreign policy and weigh the arguments for and against efforts for regime change in Iran. Mr. Morell also explores how we can strengthen U.S. intelligence, […]