John V. Walsh

On August 31, Joe Biden wisely accepted the inevitable and announced the final departure of all open military presence in Afghanistan. Perhaps, the most important part of the speech had to do with the future, and here Biden was unequivocal: "And here is the critical thing to understand: The world is changing. We’re engaged in … Continue reading “Biden Exits Afghanistan, Heads in the Wrong Direction”

More than a dozen young visiting scholars from China had their visas abruptly terminated in a letter from administration of the University of North Texas (UNT), Denton, on August 26, in a letter dated …August 26! The letter informed the students that they could return to campus from their lodgings to pick up belongings, but … Continue reading “Anti-Chinese Racism Sets Stage for New McCarthyism”

The summer of 2019 saw a series of events in Hong Kong beginning with two massive demonstrations that called for the withdrawal of the Extradition Bill to Macao, Taiwan and Mainland China. The demonstrations were peaceful and the bill was quickly "suspended" and labeled "dead" by the Hong Kong government and then withdrawn by summer’s … Continue reading “Paternalistic Noninterventionism: The Examples of Venezuela and Hong Kong”

"From a technical point of view, he (Stanley Kubrick) anticipated many things. … Since that time, little has changed, honestly. The only difference is that modern weapons systems have become more sophisticated, more complex. But this idea of a retaliatory strike and the inability to manage these systems, yes, all of these things are relevant … Continue reading “Dismantling the Doomsday Machines”

Bob Woodward’s book Fear has been a sensation in many respects. But one aspect has barely been mentioned. After two years of exhaustive research for his book, Woodward says that he has found no evidence of collusion between Putin’s government and Donald Trump’s campaign in 2016. Zilch, nada, zero. And Woodward strained very hard looking … Continue reading “Woodward: No Evidence of Trump-Russia Collusion, I Searched Hard for Two Years“

This is written July 14, two days before the Helsinki summit between Presidents Trump and Putin, and everything is on schedule in very predictable fashion – according to script. In the US, Rod Rosenstein has released "indictments" of 12 Russians who are accused of "hacking" Democratic National Committee servers other Democratic Party associated computers. These … Continue reading “The Rocky Road to Helsinki”

In the short space of five days, June 8-12, President Trump took three steps that upended the old post WWII global order and moved us a few steps toward a more peaceful world. Two of those steps are undeniable; the third is perhaps not so obvious. The Singapore Summit. The Singapore Summit comes first, because … Continue reading “Three Cheers for Trump’s Peace Trifecta”

Should progressives support the efforts of Trump and Putin to bring about rapprochement between Russia and the U.S.? Or to use Trump’s terminology, should progressives support the effort to "get along with Russia"? This might seem like a no-brainer. After all Russia and the US are the world’s major nuclear powers. A war or a … Continue reading “It Is Time for Progressives to Support the Trump-Putin Efforts at Rapprochement”

This week marks the 72nd anniversary of the criminal US bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. And as is the case each year, there is much discussion and lamenting over this atrocity, as there well should be. For the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was not necessary for victory; Japan was ready for peace. It was … Continue reading “The Unsung Summit of Putin and Trump”

When President Obama expelled Russian diplomats over the hysterical and unproven accusation of Russia “hacking the election,” Russian President Vladimir Putin refused to be drawn into a petty squabble, saying he would delay any response until Donald Trump assumed office. Instead Putin invited American diplomats and their families in Moscow to join the official holiday … Continue reading “New McCarthyism Targets Trump”