Ted Snider

During the Cold War, American and Russian officials and diplomats were in constant communication. The Cuban missile crisis was resolved, not by isolating each other, but by communicating with each other. Contrary to American mythology, the Cuban missile crisis was resolved, not when Kennedy coldly stared down Khrushchev and forced him to back down, but … Continue reading “You Can’t Make Peace if No One is Talking”

The present severed from the past is easily misunderstood. In discussions of the Russia-Ukraine war, not enough is made of the historical facts that, at the end of the Cold War, the newly independent Ukraine promised not to join NATO, and NATO promised not to expand to Ukraine. Not enough is made of the fact … Continue reading “US Always Knew NATO Expansion Led to War”

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has recently taken to calling the Prime Minister of Canada the “Governor… of the Great State of Canada.” In the past days, he has gone beyond the jocular tone that some Canadian ministers have insisted he had, citing quite specific reasons why Canada would benefit from annexation by the States. Canadians, … Continue reading “Should Panama Be Afraid of Trump’s New Imperialism?”

Maybe Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, the leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), who is now the leader of Syria, really has changed. Maybe he has matured, as he told CNN, as if his years as an al-Qaeda terrorist leader were a youthful indiscretion. But the world cannot simply take the pragmatic rebel at his word. On … Continue reading “Pretending Your Partners Aren’t Who They Are”

On December 11, Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that, as one of the last things he would do at the end of his term as the European Union’s rotating president, he proposed a Christmas truce between Ukraine and Russia. “At the end of the Hungarian EU presidency, we made new efforts for peace. We … Continue reading “Wishing for A Christmas Truce in Ukraine”

The Russian Armed Forces are pushing west through the Donbas region of Ukraine. Their advance has consistently been called slow, but this is no longer true. In October and November, Russia captured over 1,500 square kilometers of Ukrainian territory. The pace has continued in December, and Russia is advancing on as many as eight sections … Continue reading “Sometimes It Is Hard To Understand Volodymyr Zelensky”

President-elect Donald Trump has reportedly expressed concern that Iran could develop a nuclear bomb on his watch. In considering his options to prevent that, The Wall Street Journal reports that Trump is considering the possibility of airstrikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. Reports that Trump could be open to such an action are not inconsistent with … Continue reading “The Hypocrisy of Bombing Iran”

In a reversal of the old proverb “Better the devil you know,” the U.S. and its partners in the Political West have embraced the devil they don’t. In Syria, they have traded Iran for al-Qaeda. When Bashar al-Assad fell, many of his international partners suffered injuries. But none was hurt so badly as Iran. Unable … Continue reading “Trading Iran for Al-Qaeda”

After an inconceivably fast twelve day march through Syria by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is in exile in Moscow, his government has fallen, the more than five decade’s long Ba’ath rule of Syria is over and a group descended from Al-Qaeda is in control of Syria. The Assad regime only survived … Continue reading “The Syrian Rebellion: Who Are the Big Losers?”

There was a time, just before and just after the war began, that Ukraine might have lost no territory but Crimea and few lives. But America said no. In December of 2021, Putin presented the U.S. and NATO with a proposal on security guarantees. Then NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the “promise … Continue reading “One Day, Ukrainians Might Hate America”