Ted Snider

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”

The strategy of constructing a narrative of lies to justify going to war is certainly nothing new. There is a long history in the U.S. that appeared to reach its apogee with the lie that Iraq had a stockpile of weapons of mass destruction. That false narrative was reused with various faces with chemical weapons … Continue reading “The West’s Lies About Ukraine Are Refuted by Their Own Words”

When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, the U.S. poured military aid into Ukraine in defense of the “core principles” of sovereignty, territorial integrity and the “sovereign right” every country has “to determine for itself with whom it will choose to associate in terms of its alliances.” As Western support for military aid became harder … Continue reading “The Cynical Selling of the War in Ukraine”

On November 21, just two days after Ukraine acted for the first time on U.S. permission to fire Western supplied long-range missiles deeper into Russia, Russia launched a missile attack on a military base in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro. The base houses the missile and space company Pivdenmash, which produces missiles, rockets, satellites and … Continue reading “New Russian Missile Delivers Six Warheads and Three Messages”

The winds of change are blowing through Ukraine. The most obvious change – and the only one much discussed in the mainstream media – is Donald Trump. From a Cold Warrior president who defined the war in Ukraine as “the great battle for freedom: a battle between democracy and autocracy” that cannot be lost, the … Continue reading “Winds of Change Blow Through Ukraine”

On November 17, the U.S. told the world what they had told Ukraine three days earlier: Ukraine had permission to fire American supplied long-range missiles deeper into Russian territory. Not much needs to be said about the risks involved in the decision. They are the same risks that have caused the Biden administration to hesitate … Continue reading “All the Risk, Little of the Gain: US Authorizes Long-Range Strikes Into Russia”

Former President and President-elect Donald Trump has been tarred, inconsistently with his actual record, with the charge of being soft on Russia. He has never been charged with being soft on Iran. Trump unilaterally and illegally pulled out of the JCPOA nuclear agreement with Iran. He imposed devastating sanctions on Iran. He ordered the assassination … Continue reading “A Common Thread Runs Through Trump Appointments: Look Out Iran!”

The concept of “the West” is a complex and difficult one. At times it excludes countries in the geographical west, like Cuba and Venezuela and sometimes Brazil. At times it includes countries not in the geographical west, like Japan and Australia. As Richard Sakwa has explained, the West can refer to a 500 year old … Continue reading “The Political Price Being Paid for Being in the West”