Ted Snider

On March 20, Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow. The meeting, at which the two leaders “reaffirm[ed] the special nature of the Russia-China partnership" may be a crucial moment in the emergence of the new multipolar world that is challenging US hegemony. But while the US and its European … Continue reading “The War in Ukraine and How Africa Surprised the West”

On March 17, the International Criminal Court issued a warrant of arrest for Russian President Vladimir Putin as a war criminal for allegedly deporting and transferring children from Ukraine to Russia. The Nuremburg Tribunal declared that "To initiate a war of aggression is not only an international crime; it is the supreme international crime, differing … Continue reading “Vladimir Putin vs. the International Criminal Court”

Putin badly miscalculated, the US often claims, and his invasion of Ukraine has made NATO stronger and more united than ever. "He thought NATO would fracture and divide. Instead, NATO is more united and more unified than ever – than ever before," Biden said on February 21. "I would argue NATO is stronger than it’s … Continue reading “The Myth of a Stronger NATO”

On March 14, A Russian jet collided with a US drone, leading to the downing of the drone in the Black Sea. The US says that the drone was flying in international airspace when two Russian Su-27 fighter jets made nineteen high-speed passes near the drone before dumping jet fuel on it in an attempt … Continue reading “Reapers and Red Lines: The Downing of an American Drone”

There is a historically possible world in which the Minsk Agreement never needed to be made. In 2014, a US supported coup removed the democratically elected Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, with his eastern base, and replaced him with a West leaning president who was handpicked by the US. Assistant Secretary of State for European and … Continue reading “The Minsk Deception and the Planned War in Donbas”

It may have been "a Freudian slip of the tongue," as Russia’s ambassador to Canada called it, but at a press conference on March 10, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Mélanie Joly, raised the possibility of regime change in Russia. Addressing the importance of diplomatic pressure on Russia, Joly said that "We’re able to see how much … Continue reading “Does Canada Support Regime Change in Russia?”

Until it happened, it was unthinkable. The US has for decades guarded its role as the sole negotiator in the Middle East. It has insisted on being the chief arbiter of agreements and the architect and decider of partnerships. But on March 10, China emerged as the broker of a transformative agreement between Iran and … Continue reading “China Brokers Agreement Between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Sidelining the US”

In September 2022, the Nord Stream gas pipelines exploded in one of the most spectacular political and environmental acts of terrorism in history. In the days immediately following the attack, which cut Germany and Europe off from its gas supply and released enormous amounts of methane gas into the atmosphere, the West immediately pronounced judgement … Continue reading “Who Did Blow Up the Nord Stream Pipeline?”

On February 24, China published its "Position on the Political Settlement of the Ukraine Crisis." The US reacted very negatively very quickly. They reacted more negatively even than Ukraine. What is it about the Chinese proposal that so unnerves the US? It is not even a fully developed settlement proposal ripe for negotiation. There was … Continue reading “Why Is the US So Unhappy That China Offered a Peace Proposal?”

China, Balloons, and Spying On February 4, the US military shot down a Chinese balloon they claim was a surveillance balloon spying on US territory. The unprecedented "kinetic action against an airborne object . . . within United States or American airspace" was followed by three more objects being shot down by the US and … Continue reading “The US Is in Conflict With Countries for Doing Things We Know They’re Not Doing”