Ted Snider

In 2007, Russian President Vladimir Putin complained, "What happened to the assurances our western partners made after the dissolution of the Warsaw Pact? Where are those declarations today? No one even remembers them. But I will allow myself to remind this audience what was said. I would like to quote the speech of NATO General … Continue reading “What Did the West Promise Russia on NATO Expansion?”

In his State of the Union address, President Biden announced that Russia was "isolated from the world more than [it] ever has been." He said that "We are choking off Russia’s access to technology that will sap its economic strength and weaken its military for years to come." But the facts on the ground are … Continue reading “The Continuing Isolation of Russia? But Wait…”

In 2008, William Burns, who is now Biden’s director of the CIA but was then ambassador to Russia, warned that "Ukrainian entry into NATO is the brightest of all redlines for the Russian elite (not just Putin)." He warned Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that "I have yet to find anyone who views Ukraine in … Continue reading “We Always Knew the Dangers of NATO Expansion”

Recent events in Ukraine and Taiwan have presented President Biden with an opportunity to showcase his statesmanship. Both situations presented Biden with a red line. Both times he crossed it. Giving Biden a red line not to cross does not seem to be a good idea. Seemingly demonstrating the psychology less of a statesman and … Continue reading “Is There a Red Line Biden Won’t Cross?”

Russia continues its war on Ukraine. The US and its allies continue flooding weapons into Ukraine. The war goes on, and Ukrainians continue to suffer and die. The last several days have offered little hope but lots of fear. They have also offered three of the scariest statements yet of the war. They are scary … Continue reading “Russia and Ukraine: The Three Scariest Statements”

On July 20, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia’s war aims had been altered and that Russia might have to push further west. "Now the geography is different," he said, "it’s far from being just the DPR and LPR [Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics], it’s also "Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions and a number … Continue reading “Is Russia Expanding Its Goals in Ukraine?”

Two of the biggest international crises confronting the US today are Russia’s war in Ukraine and the comatose renegotiations of the nuclear agreement with Iran. From an American foreign policy perspective, nothing could be more desirable than reform in the leadership of those two countries. But both Russia and Iran have, in the past, offered … Continue reading “Global Reform and How the US Hurts Itself”

On June 29, Biden introduced his presence at the NATO summit in Madrid, by announcing that the US would establish a permanent headquarters for US forces stationed in Poland. Biden announced that "The new base will be home to the first permanent US forces on NATO’s eastern flank." It will be the first permanent US … Continue reading “Does Biden’s Base in Poland Break a NATO Promise?”

On Friday, July 15, President Biden will land in Saudi Arabia. The White House has worked overtime struggling to defend against the charge that the trip to the repressive autocracy with one of the worst human rights records in the world reveals the hypocrisy and empty words of Biden’s defining democracy versus autocracy foreign policy … Continue reading “Biden’s Trip: Saudi Arabia Versus Iran”

It’s a good thing Biden is the president and not a poker player. Two Middle East rivals each just called his bluff. The results were different. But what they revealed is the same. Biden’s pretended idealism folded fast to reveal a hand full of pragmatism. Biden had promised to shun Saudi Arabia and its Crown … Continue reading “Calling Biden’s Bluff: Exposing the White House’s Cynical Foreign Policy”