Ted Snider

"I want Russia to be defeated in Ukraine," French President Emmanuel Macron publicly told the media. But it’s not what he privately told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. He also said that now is not the right time for dialogue with Moscow and that France is ready to sustain "a longer conflict." That’s not what he … Continue reading “Public Versus Private: Managing Perceptions of the War in Ukraine”

The violence in Ukraine is unimaginable. But before the violence, there was violence. The military conflict in Ukraine has received an unprecedented amount of media coverage. The major US networks have given more coverage to Russia’s war in Ukraine than they did to America’s war in Iraq. But there were very important military dimensions prior … Continue reading “Ukraine: The Violence Before the Violence”

In his State of the Union Address on February 7, President Joe Biden once again told Ukraine that "America…will stand with you as long as it takes." In case the world didn’t hear, Biden moved to a more dramatic stage and repeated the words. Speaking from Kiev, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, … Continue reading “When Biden Says ‘As Long As It Takes,’ What Does Ukraine Hear?”

On February 3, following the balloon incident, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken canceled his trip to China. On February 18, he got a second chance on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference. It didn’t go well. After reprimanding China over the balloons "unacceptable violation of U.S. sovereignty and international law" – for which … Continue reading “Is China Considering Supplying Russia With Weapons?”

Though they are being fought in the confusion of one catastrophic conflict, there are four closely related, but distinct, wars being fought in Ukraine. The first is the war within Ukraine. The second is the war between Russia and Ukraine. The third is the proxy war between NATO and Russia. And the fourth is the … Continue reading “Who Really Started the Ukraine Wars?”

The news over the past several days has been dominated by the shooting down by the US and Canada of four objects over their airspace. Despite widespread assumptions, US officials are still trying to identify what the last three objects are. They were "not able to say who launched the objects and were seeking to … Continue reading “US-China: How the News Distracts From the News”

On February 24, 2022, Russia illegally invaded Ukraine. From that moment on, every horror that would never have happened had Russia never gone to war was Russia’s responsibility. But somewhere in an increasingly significant period between March and April, the US assumed joint responsibility. There is an increasing pattern of proof that, before the war … Continue reading “When the US Assumed Joint Ownership of the War in Ukraine”

Since President Xi Jinping was re-elected as China’s leader at the Communist Party Congress on October 23, 2022, there has been a noticeable change in tone from Chinese officials on the US. This change in tone coupled with Chinese restraint in supporting Russia in the war in Ukraine has led to speculation that China is changing … Continue reading “No, China Is Not ‘Switching Sides’”

In February 2022, when Russia invaded Ukraine, the US orchestrated a perhaps unprecedented sanctions clampdown on Russia. A month later, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen declared with certainty that "the Russian economy will be devastated as a consequence of what we’ve already done." She was wrong. The sanctions on Russia have failed to achieve their … Continue reading “So Much for Sanctions on Russia”

The great tragedy of Ukraine is that so many opportunities to avoid or end the war have been missed. So, the tragedy has unfolded in Ukraine. As former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates say in The Washington Post, Ukraine’s "economy is in a shambles, millions of its people … Continue reading “The War in Ukraine: Missed Opportunities”