Joseph D. Terwilliger

On May 1, when this site published my OpEd, “The Marketplace of Ideas Only Works if We Leave the Doors Open,” I expected it to be the least controversial piece of my life. It was an old-fashioned, red-white-and-blue libertarian defense of free speech for everyone, regardless of citizenship or viewpoint. It got one supportive comment … Continue reading “Free Speech for Me, Deportation for Thee”

Earlier this week, North Korea officially confirmed what had long been rumored: its troops fought and died alongside Russian forces in Kursk to help repel the Ukrainian invasion. Kim Jong Un announced the construction of a memorial in Pyongyang, saying, “Before the tombstones of the fallen soldiers, flowers will be laid as a token of … Continue reading “How Kursk Changed Everything and Opened a Window for Peace in Korea”

In 1958, Soviet intellectuals Alexander Yakovlev and Oleg Kalugin arrived at Columbia University as Fulbright scholars for a year of graduate studies. They weren’t defectors. They were loyal Party apparatchiks, sent to study how America’s “propaganda machine” worked so they could better defend socialism back home. Instead, they encountered something far more dangerous to totalitarianism … Continue reading “The Marketplace of Ideas Works Only If We Leave the Doors Open”

The Republic of Abkhazia is back in the news following the conclusion of its presidential runoff elections. Former President Aslan Bzhania resigned in late 2024 amid civil unrest sparked by a proposed Russian-Abkhazian “investment agreement” widely perceived as a threat to Abkhazian sovereignty. Unlike other separatist territories in the former Soviet Union, Abkhazia has long … Continue reading “Kosovo, Taiwan… Abkhazia? Self-Determination Shouldn’t Be Selective”

After three years of stagnation, this past week saw clear steps towards peace in Ukraine. Trump and Putin spoke on the phone, and US and Russian negotiators met face to face in Saudi Arabia for the first time in years. Trump said explicitly that he was “okay” with Russia’s demand that Ukraine be denied membership … Continue reading “Torjuntavoitto: The Finnish Strategy That Could Save Ukraine”

One of my favorite places on Earth, Greenland, has suddenly become the center of worldwide attention as US President Donald Trump reiterated his 2019 proposal that the US should do whatever it takes to acquire Greenland from Denmark.  Trump’s interest stems from Greenland’s strategic location between the US and Russia, its large untapped deposits of … Continue reading “Greenlandic Grievances With Denmark and Trump’s Annexation Plan”

Donald Trump’s recent flirtations with acquiring Greenland, Canada and the Panama Canal are not new ideas. They all relate to a single strategic objective: controlling shipping lanes between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. The US has long been a champion of “freedom of navigation”, using military force to police the world’s seaways, from the South … Continue reading “Is Trump’s Plan To Take Greenland To Control Arctic Shipping Lanes?”

On January 10, 2025, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) posted a $25 million reward (up from a paltry $15 million) for information leading to the arrest of “former” Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and associates, just as he was taking the oath of office in Caracas for his third term as President. Maduro had been … Continue reading “How the US Uses and Abuses Latin America”

Last week, I wrote a detailed analysis of how the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 (FARA) has become a tool of government overreach, often used selectively to stigmatize inconvenient voices, control narratives, and criminalize ordinary interactions with foreign entities. Today, I explore how Dr. Sue Mi Terry’s recent indictment under FARA flips the script: … Continue reading “Sue Mi Terry: When FARA Applies to US Allies”

Democrats speak of the fight against “Russian disinformation,” while the Republicans pledge to combat “fake news” about Israel. Whatever you choose to call it, there is a bipartisan effort to rein in our First Amendment protections, which former Secretary of State John Kerry recently referred to as a “major block” to the government’s ability to … Continue reading “How the Foreign Agents Law Is Used To Silence American Dissidents”