Ted Snider

As the relationship between the United States and Saudi Arabia continues to grow more strained, President Biden keeps arriving at Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s door with gifts to court the kingdom back. And the relationship continues to grow more strained. The essential trouble in the relationship is that the US continues to arrive at … Continue reading “The Troubled US-Saudi Relationship”

Recent statements from Washington on Ukrainian strikes inside Russian territory have sometimes seemed confusing and sometimes seemed untrue. On December 5 and 6, Ukrainian missiles struck three Russian air force bases hundreds of kilometers inside Russian territory, with the furthest target being 390 miles from Ukrainian controlled land. Days later, on December 9, an unnamed … Continue reading “What Does the US Say About Ukrainian Strikes in Russia?”

In recent days, there has been a volley of statements that Ukraine and the West cannot trust that a ceasefire would not be deceptively agreed to by Russia only to use it to fortify itself before violating the ceasefire of convenience. Perhaps the warnings are a rebuttal to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, former Joint … Continue reading “Not Trusting Russia With a Ceasefire”

On December 1, French President Emmanuel Macron went to Washington for the first state visit of the Biden administration. After the pageantry, presents, hand holding and flattering words of fraternity and solidarity, Macron faced the gathered press. "We will never urge Ukrainians to make a compromise that will not be acceptable for them." "That," said … Continue reading “How the Mainstream Media Misses the Money Quote”

The war in Ukraine is stretching the NATO alliance. The pull is still gentle and the cracks still small. But the potentially endless duration of the war, the economic suffering it has caused in Europe and even disagreements over causes and solutions is stretching the alliance. It is sometimes forgotten that Turkey is a member … Continue reading “How Aligned Is the Atlantic Alliance?”

As the war in Ukraine grinds on, cracks are forming in unexpected places. The US is mad at Ukraine, Europe is mad at the US and Europeans are mad at each other. The cracks are neither wide nor structural. But they are there, and they are unexpected. The first crack in the US relationship with … Continue reading “The Ukraine War: Cracks in Unexpected Places”

At the NATO foreign ministers’ summit in Bucharest on November 29, both the foreign ministers of the member states and the Secretary-General of NATO, General Jens Stoltenberg, renewed NATO’s 2008 pledge to welcome Ukraine into NATO. But Stoltenberg’s comments were provocative and insincere in at least three ways. In a “doorstep statement” ahead of the … Continue reading “Stoltenberg’s Provocative Pledge on Ukraine’s NATO Membership”

In February 2019, the election in Venezuela did not go the way the U.S. had scripted it. So, the U.S. stuck with the script and ignored the election. Though Hugo Chávez’ successor, Nicolás Maduro, easily won re-election to a second term, the U.S. ignored the result and recognized their choice as the legitimate leader of … Continue reading “Failed Coup: Is the U.S. Ready to Abandon Guaidó and Reintegrate Venezuela into the Global Community?”

US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speak often on the phone. But on a phone call in June, the conversation went very differently. Biden told Zelensky that he had just authorized $1 billion for more military assistance. Instead of thanking Biden, Zelensky complained about what he wasn’t getting and began listing the … Continue reading “The Biden Zelensky Relationship: Who to Trust?”

In his March 21 press briefing, State Department spokesman Ned Price told the gathered reporters that “President Zelenskyy has also made it very clear that he is open to a diplomatic solution that does not compromise the core principles at the heart of the Kremlin’s war against Ukraine.” A reporter asked Price, “What are you saying … Continue reading “It Was Never About Ukraine”