david e. sanger





Ukraine War, October 6, 2022: Are Putin’s nuclear threats working? Will Biden blink?

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”…


Ukraine War, September 17, 2022: Biden remains fearful of Putin, maintaining restrictions on types of weapons and their use; Washington supplies weapons to keep Ukraine in the fight but not to win

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”…


Ukraine War, April 28, 2022 (I): The risk of nuclear war is greater than people think; The challenge of ramping up war production to meet Ukraine’s needs; Fear among Western officials of conflict expanding beyond Ukraine; Being “at war” with Russia

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”…


Ukraine War, April 25, 2022: Finland and Sweden agree to jointly request NATO membership; Trip by Blinken and Austin to Kviv reveals muddled thinking in Biden’s foreign policy team

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


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

em>Developing Due to rapidly-breaking developments and in order to facilitate readers’ access to the latest dispatches, we are publishing this article as it is being…


March 19, 2022: Russia is winning the war in Ukraine; Biden’s confused policy to counter Russian aggression; Putin escalates with supersonic rockets; Russian barbarism in Mariupol; American diplomacy falters with India, UAE, South Africa and others; What’s the point of having nuclear weapons if we are resolved to never use them?

Developing To see a list of previous articles, enter “Ukraine” in the Search Box on the upper right, on The Trenchant Observer web site, and…


Ukraine Crisis, February 6, 2022: Facts on the ground indicate Russian invasion imminent, i.e., “could happen at any time”

Developing See, 1) Luke Harding and Richard Luscombe, “Russia has enough troops ready to take Kyiv, says former Ukraine defence chief White House believes Moscow…


Change Putin’s calculations: Put force back on the table, and begin active cyber-warfare measures to defend Ukraine

What can be done now to change Putin’s calculations, or to respond to an invasion?

The U.S. and NATO countries should begin active cyber-warfare countermeasures to help defend Ukraine from ongoing Russian attacks on its computer networks and infrastructure. In this realm, the  U.S. may have the most advanced capabilities, and should begin using them now. Above all, U.S. decision makers should avoid undue hesitance by  demanding absolute proof of attribution of the attacks. In a wartime setting, officials and nations may need to act in the absence of perfect information.

If Russia is not behind the attacks, who do U.S. analysts and policymakers think is? Nigeria? Lesotho? Fiji? It is immaterial whether the operators are Russian officials or others acting under their control.

Finally, in order to influence Putin’s calculations at this late stage in the game, NATO members should leave open the possibility of coming to Ukraine’s defense through the use of military force and active cyber-warfare measures, in exercise of the right of collective self-defense under Article 51 of the U.N. Charter, if Russia invades Ukraine and a major war develops.




Biden’s disastrous decision to withdraw all troops from Afghanistam–with links to best opinion pieces

The decision to surrender to the Taliban and abandon our Afghan allies and supporters is among the most craven and dastardly decisions in U.S. military and foreign policy history. One searches in history for a decision of such dishonorable magnitude.

The comparison that comes to mind is the agreement by Neville Chamberlain of England and Ėdouard Daladier of France with Adolf Hitler at Berchtesgaden in Bavaria in October, 1938. The agreement, known as the Munich Pact, has become synonymous with betrayal and appeasement

That will be Joe Biden’s legacy, unless he changes course, which seems unlikely.


Kushner / Trump peace plan for Israeli-Palestinian conflict (Updated February 4, 2020)

UPDATE The Arab League has unanimously rejected the Trump/Kushner peace plan. The EU has rejected it, See, Louis Imbert et Benjamin Barthe, “Les pays arabes,…




Syria: Aleppo and the shame of the world

For background, see (1) Roger Cohen, “America’s Syrian Shame,” The New York Times, February 8, 2016. (2) David E. Sanger, “Russian Intervention in Syrian War…


The Obama Leaks: The issue is not the leaks, but whether the president lied to the American people

“The lady doth protest too much, methinks.” –William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act III, scene II The key question relating to the so-called “national security leaks” (“or…