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This week lays bare the consequences of improvised and personality-driven statecraft: The loss of coherence and credibility. As expertise is sidelined, and negotiation gives way to coercion and spectacle, foreign policy becomes less predictable and more prone to miscalculation. Read more… The Essentials Quoted “The Steady State, an organization of retired national security officials dedicated […]
By Guest Author (Name Withheld) When a country starts treating belonging as conditional and dissent as dangerous, it’s no longer deciding who gets to stay, but whether democracy itself will endure. I came to America in the summer of 2016. I was twelve years old. My family and I landed at Newark Liberty International Airport, […]
The United States can—and must—protect national security without sacrificing civil liberties, but doing so requires strict adherence to legal constraints like the Privacy Act of 1974, robust oversight, and greater transparency; without these guardrails, the expanding power of government data risks being turned inward on citizens, undermining both public trust and the foundations of democratic […]
Thomas Jefferson, one of the Founding Fathers and author of the Declaration of Independence, was also the first Secretary of State. Like George Washington, he wanted to avoid ‘entangling alliances,’ but also wanted to stress foreign commerce. Through forced exits, ideological enforcement, and institutional neglect, the State Department is being transformed into a tool of […]
From the Metropolitan Museum of Art Collection When leaders face no consequences, democracy depends on voters—and the window to enforce accountability is closing. When I saw the video of Kash Patel splashing beer around an Olympic locker room, two things struck me: I’m so thankful I’m no longer serving in the FBI, and Julius Caesar […]
By Guest Author: H.E. Emmett Imani When pressure sounds like permission to target civilian lifelines, it stops deterring adversaries and starts inviting escalation—with consequences that won’t stay theoretical. The current tone surrounding Donald Trump and Iran is not simply another episode of political pressure. It is moving into a territory where language itself begins to […]
Puppet or not, Donald Trump has delivered on nearly every strategic objective Russia could hope for from an American president. Donald Trump has long appeared to be in the thrall of Russian President Vladimir Putin. In her October 2016 Presidential Campaign debate, Hillary Clinton called Trump a puppet for Putin. It struck a nerve, and […]
DATE-TIME GROUP: 04160800ZAPRIL26 FROM: EMBASSY OF FREDONIA, WASHINGTON, D.C. TO: MFA NAGADOCHES CLASSIFICATION: CONEOFSILENCE // FREDONIAN EYES ONLY SUBJECT: “ONE BIG BEAUTIFUL YEAR” – TRUMP’S SECOND‑TERM DOMESTIC AGENDA, TARIFFS, AND THE ADMINISTRATIVE STATE SUMMARY: IN ACCORDANCE WITH MFA DIRECTIVE 1826-APRIL-1, THIS EMBASSY HAS INITIATED A REGULAR SERIES OF ANALYTICAL DISPATCHES REGARDING THE INTERNAL DYNAMICS OF […]
In the latest episode of the Sentinel, American University Adjunct professor and Scholar‑in‑Residence, Alex Joel, joins host Peter Mina to unpack how democracies can fight real threats without becoming one themselves, exploring the post‑9/11 “connect the dots” mindset, the Privacy Act’s enduring role, and how data, protest, and transparency collide. Watch and listen to new […]
A one-day negotiation, a “final offer,” and no follow-up plan—this wasn’t serious diplomacy; it was a setup for failure with dangerous consequences. Given the inexperience, inflexibility, and overconfidence the US team brought to Islamabad for talks with Iran on April 11, it was not surprising that nothing was achieved. Heavy-handed attempts at coercion and brinksmanship […]