U.S. Intervention

Ukraine War, June 5, 2022 (II): The Ukraine war recedes in our consciousness, but not in reality and its portents

em>Developing. We are publishing this article as it is being written. Please check back for updates. To see a list of previous articles, enter “Ukraine”…

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Ukraine War, May 11, 2022 (I): Spinning leaked revelations about intelligence sharing, U.S. officials evidence continued confusion about international law; Azovstal steelworks fighters plead for evacuation of wounded; France and Germany push back on American war aims; U.S. should limit war aims to requirements of U.N. Charter and international law


Ukraine War, April 15, 2022 (I): Zelensky and CIA Director William Burns warn of potential Russian use of nuclear weapons; Russia sends diplomatic note warning West on supply of weapons; war is moving toward nuclear showdown


Ukraine War, April 13, 2022 (I): U.S. still hung up on “offensive” v. “defensive” weapons distinction; U.S. won’t provide Ukraine with intelligence or weapons that would enable it to strike targets in Crimea or Russia, for fear of provoking Russia


Ukraine War, February 25, 2022: “We are all Ukrainians now”; U.N. Security Council resolution and vote (with links to video and text of resolution)


Use international law: Take Putin’s threatened invasion of Ukraine to the U.N. Security Council and the General Assembly; use SWIFT and Nordstream II to move beyond an illusory deterrent and really deter Putin; sanction Belarus for complicity in any invasion





The Elephant in the Room:  Russia’s Role in the Demonstrations

The Elephant in the Room:  Russia’s Role in the Demonstations One of the great unknowns  is the extent to which Russia may have stoked racial…



Trump Steers Dangerous Course in Venezuela

Developing (uncorrected draft)   Donald Trump has set the United States on a dangerous course in its policy toward Venezuela. The Trump administration seems to…



50 Years Ago: The Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia, and its enduring significance

See “August 20, 1968 — “Dubček, Svoboda!” The Trenchant Observer, August 10, 2010. 50 years ago, the Soviet Union and its Warsaw Pact allies invaded…


REPRISE: Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr.

Originally Posted By: The Observer January 18, 2016 Today is Martin Luther King day in the United States, a national holiday. It is a good…



After Tillerson’s trip to Moscow, will Trump lift sanctions against Russia, or ever criticize Putin?

Rex Tillerson met Wednesday with Russian President Vladimir Putin for two hours, in addition to his over three hours of meetings with foreign minister Sergey…




Watch the ball move: Obama moves attention to Mosul, distracting from abject appeasement by Merkel, EU, and U.S. in response to ongoing Russian war crimes in Aleppo and Syria

Developing Appeasement has many colors and takes many forms. In the last few days, it has taken the form in Europe of shifting the focus…