Ted Snider

On March 18, US President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping spoke for nearly two hours. According to the White House, "The conversation focused on Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. President Biden outlined the views of the United States and our Allies and partners on this crisis." During that call, Biden "really laid out in … Continue reading “The Isolation of Russia: Competing Narratives”

The US read Russia’s action correctly: it is an indefensible, illegal invasion of Ukraine. But the US read the world wrong. It has somehow missed, or refused to accept, the subtle shift to a multipolar world. On March 14, President Biden sent national security advisor Jake Sullivan to Rome to meet with the Chinese director … Continue reading “Still Reading the New World Wrong”

One of the greatest tragedies as Russia continues its illegal assault on Ukraine and as Ukrainians continue to die is that it should never have happened. The US and NATO knew what had to be done, but no one did it. Many of the things that the US knew have been widely discussed – though … Continue reading “Joe Biden Could Have Prevented the War in Ukraine”

When you get hopelessly lost in the woods, the best way to find your way out is to reverse the steps you took to get in. In numerous addresses since the illegal invasion of Ukraine, Russia has clearly set out its terms for ending the invasion "in a moment." The terms usually follow a three … Continue reading “The Path Out of Ukraine Is Reversing the Path In”

The governments and media of the US, Canada and Europe have painted the map in one color that is all on the US side of condemning and isolating Russia. But condemning and isolating are not the same thing. Though the world has rightly condemned Russia for its illegal invasion of Ukraine and the suffering it … Continue reading “Is the Whole World United in Isolating Russia?”

This country launched an illegal war without UN approval. Their airstrikes and bombs killed hundreds of civilians. They then carved out an independent republic and recognized the secessionist state. The invading country was the United States, the country they invaded was Serbia and state they sliced off was Kosovo. Kosovo would unilaterally declare independence from … Continue reading “Provoking China, Punishing India”

On March 1, Joe Biden delivered his State of the Union Address. The first several minutes were dedicated to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In those few minutes, Biden made three key assertions. One of them was true; two of them were not. Russian Aggression In a speech that was surprisingly restrained, Biden fiercely announced how … Continue reading “Biden’s State of the Union Address: True or False?”

There are no winners in war. War is the abandonment of reason, the abandonment of dialogue, the abandonment of compassion and hope. It is the abandonment of everything that makes us human. In the war in Ukraine, there will be no winners. Everyone will lose. The biggest burden of loss will be on the people … Continue reading “Trading Losses in Ukraine”

Update (2/24/22, 1:30pm EST): Recent events suggest that Putin’s response was not calibrated to avoid a larger action in Ukraine. It is an unfortunate choice. Wherever responsibility lies for the events that have led to this crisis, war is always the wrong answer. It is unfortunate that thirty-one years of American broken promises and broken … Continue reading “Biden’s Historic Blunder and Putin’s Loss of Patience”

On February 11, the QUAD held a foreign ministers meeting in Australia. They issued a joint statement, but it is hard to analyze what it said because it said nothing. However, in answers to reporters in press conferences held both before and after the meeting, they said a lot that was interesting. The Quadrilateral Security … Continue reading “What Blinken Told the QUAD”