It’s time for the party to dig in, using all of the tools available. Democrats are mad. So are independents and even some Republicans. Bernie Sanders and AOC have drawn huge crowds. Despite demands that congressional Democrats do something, Congress seems powerless. But that isn’t the case. By being in the minority in both houses […]
During the Cold War and its aftermath, one principle united the U.S. national security establishment across party lines: the belief that democracy promotion served both our values and our interests. Institutions like USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy were not mere tools of soft power; they embodied a strategic commitment to a world that […]
Not much of a silver lining to the devastating actions of the Trump administration. But here is one! Americans are finding out about parts of our government, and our society, they did not know much about, or appreciated. We have learned more about our national parks, medical research, tariffs, and impoundment, since inauguration than most […]
Summary (watch the video here) Steven Cash of the Steady State introduced a discussion on the politicization of intelligence, which Larry Pfeiffer defined as influencing assessments for preferred policies. Panelists William Piekney, Russ Travers, and Annie Pforzheimer expressed concerns about ignoring or rewriting intelligence for political agendas and the potential for a constitutional crisis. Participants […]
In seeking to negotiate a new nuclear deal with Iran, Trump’s team is hampered by inconsistent messaging and inexperience. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff at swearing-in ceremony, May 6, 2025, White House; and Foreign Minister Seyyed Abbas Araghchi, 2024, by Khamenei.ir We are not sending the A team to the Iran talks By Mark Fitzpatrick As […]
CABLE ID: 2025-0531-FRED/WASH/SITREP-004 DATE-TIME GROUP: 311800ZMAY25 FROM: EMBASSY OF FREDONIA, WASHINGTON, D.C. TO: MFA NAGADOCHES CLASSIFICATION: CONFIDENTIAL // FREDONIAN EYES ONLY SUBJECT: SITREP: U.S. POLICY DEVELOPMENTS (24-31 MAY 2025) 1. SUMMARY: IN ACCORDANCE WITH MFA DIRECTIVE 1826-APRIL-1, THIS EMBASSY HAS INITIATED A REGULAR SERIES OF ANALYTICAL DISPATCHES REGARDING THE INTERNAL DYNAMICS OF THE UNITED STATES. […]
Minutes after the January 20 inauguration, Executive Orders started emerging from the White House, asserting the power to dismantle, disable, and disrespect elements of government operations, starting with foreign assistance. I wondered immediately when Congress would stand up for the operations and programs it had set a budget for, year after year, most recently through […]
The horror of what Russia is doing to Ukraine is with me every single day. It’s a grinding, emotional, sorrowful watch, spiked by our national disgrace of having withdrawn indispensable weapons support in the midst of battle. It is all the worse given that the current Trump policy is a reversal of an earlier and […]
After 38 years in the federal workforce, I had the privilege of working alongside dedicated professionals in analytical, security, operations, policy, information technology (IT), and other critical capacities. Each person was committed to the mission of “protect and defend,” as enshrined in our Constitution. Maintaining a nonpartisan federal workforce was essential to ensuring decision-makers received […]