The Steady State Weekly Digest

Photo by Engin_Akyurt

Welcome to The Steady State’s Weekly Digest, a compilation of the week’s Steady State publications. Catch up on what you missed or dive deeper into the issues shaping our moment.

Threatening War Crimes: Has Trump Finally Crossed the Line? by| Charles A. Ray

Donald Trump’s threats to “destroy” Iran’s energy structure, if carried out, is a potential war crime, implicating not only the president but all who carry out his mission.

Reckless Power: Steering America Toward a Deeper Middle East Quagmire by Bill Piekney

“Ours are the unequalled machines of war, a military superiority that in the hands of an unbalanced president and a hormonal defense secretary are just begging to be used.”

The Ice Gulag-Power, Surveillance, and Fear Undermine Our Democracy: Push Back by James Petrila

“Because the structure of the “Ice Gulag” is currently supported by all three branches of the Government, opposition must target all three aspects: apprehension, detention, and removal.”

From Caracas to Tehran: The Same Failed Playbook by Brian R. Naranjo

Autocrats start wars for no better reason than consolidating their power at home, making follow-up incoherent. Donald Trump is no exception.

Robert Mueller: A Hero Remembered, A Presidency Revealed by Mike Mozur

These many strands, taken together, leave numerous unanswered questions that linger from the facts uncovered by Mueller’s team’s investigation and 2019 report. As for obstruction of justice, Trump 47 offers new examples with each passing week, even today.

DHS- ICE: The Making of a Paramilitary Force Plain Sight by Ken Syring

If you wanted to design a hiring and training system that would produce the most psychologically volatile, constitutionally illiterate federal law enforcement officers possible, it would look almost exactly like what the Department of Homeland Security is building today.

Rule of Law vs. Rule of One by Martha Duncan

This was a moment in recent American life that should give us pause, not only because it was crass personal and political rhetoric, but because it revealed a collision between two fundamentally different visions of power.

Why a Superpower Finds Itself Alone by Amb. (ret.) Bonnie D. Jenkin

If we fail to rebuild international respect, credibility, and partnership, we will be treated as a rogue national and inconstant ally, which will only benefit America’s adversaries.

Founded in 2016, The Steady State is a nonprofit 501(c)(4) organization of more than 400 former senior national security professionals. Our membership includes former officials from the CIA, FBI, Department of State, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security. Drawing on deep expertise across national security disciplines, including intelligence, diplomacy, military affairs, and law, we advocate for constitutional democracy, the rule of law, and the preservation of America’s national security institutions.