Ted Snider

One of the strangest and most incomprehensible coup attempts has just unfolded in Bolivia. Not only are the motives unclear, it is even unclear who ordered it: the general who led the coup against the president or the president. But the stage upon which it unfolded was partly set by a U.S.-supported coup that took … Continue reading “The Three-Hour Coup. What Just Happened in Bolivia?”

On Thursday night, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will face each other in the first ever debate between a sitting president and a former president. Given their past performances, there are many questions each should have to answer. Here are four topics on the war in Ukraine that Biden should have to … Continue reading “Four Questions Biden Should Have to Answer in the First Presidential Debate”

On June 17, Russian naval vessels left Cuba without incident, concluding a five-day visit. The visit may have been without incident, but it wasn’t without meaning. Frustrated that their diplomatic messages were not being heard, Russia sent a louder message. But that message may not have simply been about projecting power as the West has … Continue reading “Why Putin Sent Russian Ships to Cuba”

On May 28, U.S. President Joe Biden gave an interview to Time. His delivery and content were concerning for a number of reasons. Biden, at times, seemed misinformed and detached from reality. Sometimes, he seemed off message; other times, he seemed convinced by his own talking points. But four answers he gave were especially alarming … Continue reading “Joe Biden’s Time Interview Should Set Off Alarms”

On the eve of a Ukraine Peace Summit in Geneva that did not talk about peace and did not include Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin set out Russia’s peace proposal to end the war. Putin’s peace proposal contains little that is new and is largely consistent with what he has been saying since the beginning … Continue reading “Encouraging War in Ukraine, New York Times Misses the Point”

On June 10, the Security Council adopted a U.S. resolution for a ceasefire in the war in Gaza. The vote was 14-0 with Russia abstaining. There are many odd features of the resolution: especially who proposed it and who has accepted it. At stage left and stage right are the Israeli and Hamas negotiating teams. … Continue reading “Gaza Ceasefire Proposal: Diplomacy or Magic Trick?”

After being promised a future in NATO in 2008, Ukraine is still waiting for membership. At last year’s NATO summit, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s pleas for membership, or at least a timeline to membership, was unceremoniously rebuffed by the alliance. “Ukraine isn’t ready for NATO membership,” President Joe Biden said at the July 2023 NATO gathering. … Continue reading “NATO When You Don’t Want It; No NATO When You Do”

In 2011, a White House official described President Obama’s foreign policy approach to Libya as “leading from behind.” It was an approach that did not go well, and soon the U.S. was acting as the rebel’s air force over the skies of Libya in a war that ended in disaster. In recent weeks, several of … Continue reading “Is Biden Leading From Behind on Ukraine?”

On May 20, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court announced that he was seeking arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as well as for Hamas leaders Yahya Sinwar, Ismail Haniyeh and Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri. Officials in Washington lashed out against the court and began preparations to … Continue reading “America’s Ugly History with the International Criminal Court”

Recently, there have been a number of indicators of the waning impact of  threats by the U.S. government. Attempts to advance the U.S. government’s foreign policy interests by making threats in Niger, at the International Criminal Court, and in China have recently all failed to bring about their desired outcome. On March 16, 2024, the … Continue reading “It’s Time for Diplomacy, Not Threats”