Ted Snider

On February 3, following the balloon incident, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled his trip to China. On February 18, he got a second chance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. It didn’t go well. After reprimanding China over the balloons "unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law" – for which … Continue reading “Is China Considering Supplying Russia With Weapons?”

Though they are being fought in the confusion of one catastrophic conflict, there are four closely related, but distinct, wars being fought in Ukraine. The first is the war within Ukraine. The second is the war between Russia and Ukraine. The third is the proxy war between NATO and Russia. And the fourth is the … Continue reading “Who Really Started the Ukraine Wars?”

The news over the past several days has been dominated by the shooting down by the US and Canada of four objects over their airspace. Despite widespread assumptions, US officials are still trying to identify what the last three objects are. They were "not able to say who launched the objects and were seeking to … Continue reading “US-China: How the News Distracts From the News”

On February 24, 2022, Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. From that moment on, every horror that would never have happened had Russia never gone to war was Russia’s responsibility. But somewhere in an increasingly significant period between March and April, the US assumed joint responsibility. There is an increasing pattern of proof that, before the war … Continue reading “When the US Assumed Joint Ownership of the War in Ukraine”

Since President Xi Jinping was re-elected as China’s leader at the Communist Party Congress on October 23, 2022, there has been a noticeable change in tone from Chinese officials on the US. This change in tone coupled with Chinese restraint in supporting Russia in the war in Ukraine has led to speculation that China is changing … Continue reading “No, China Is Not ‘Switching Sides’”

In February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the US orchestrated a perhaps unprecedented sanctions clampdown on Russia. A month later, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen declared with certainty that "the Russian economy will be devastated as a consequence of what we’ve already done." She was wrong. The sanctions on Russia have failed to achieve their … Continue reading “So Much for Sanctions on Russia”

The great tragedy of Ukraine is that so many opportunities to avoid or end the war have been missed. So, the tragedy has unfolded in Ukraine. As former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates say in The Washington Post, Ukraine’s "economy is in a shambles, millions of its people … Continue reading “The War in Ukraine: Missed Opportunities”

In his annual message to the parliament of Ukraine at the end of 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine has changed the world by uniting the West and making non-alignment unpalatable. He said that Ukraine has "helped the West find itself again," that it has "united the European Union." He said that Ukraine … Continue reading “Fact Checking Zelensky on Non-Alignment”

On January 25, the US announced that it would send 31 M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The M1 Abrams is the US’ primary battle tank and is among the most advanced and powerful tanks in the world. The Biden administration’s decision will be perceived as a serious escalation and as a commitment by the US … Continue reading “Has the War in Ukraine Reached Its Climax?”

The US announced on January 25 that it will send thirty-one M1 Abrams tanks to Ukraine. The tanks may take months or even years to arrive and may never see the battlefield. But that may never have been the intent. The M1 Abrams is the main battle tank of the US military and is one … Continue reading “US Is Sending Tanks to Ukraine. But Why?”