words and deeds

REPRISE: Christmas reflections—What Obama has taught the American people about Syria

First published on December 25, 2013 We owe it to the people of Syria to pause for a moment, on this Christmas Day, and bow…



Distracted by Iraq and the World Cup: Pacifism and Appeasement continue to dictate West’s “non-response” to blatant Russian aggression in the eastern Ukraine (revised and updated June 18, 2014)

Last Revised and Updated June 18, 2014 Distracted by Iraq and the World Cup, the leaders of the West seem to have forgotten about the…



Francois Hollande’s dinner diplomacy with Obama and Putin; France’s decision to proceed with the sale of warships to Russia to be based in the Crimea; NATO’s failure to increase forward-based troop deployments in the East

Francois Hollande’s Dinner Diplomacy and France’s Undercutting of the West For a droll account of French President Francois Hollande’s dinner plans Thursday evening in Paris,…



REPRISE: The Olympic Games, and the Battle for Aleppo, Begin (July 28, 2012); Geneva II and the urgency of a ceasefire NOW

Update Approximately 700 people killed in 9 days of intense clashes and executions between the ISIS forces against islamist and rebel battalions 697 people have…



60,000 killed in Syria—REPRISE II: The Olympic Games, and the Battle for Aleppo, Begin—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #91 (January 2, 2013)

Barbarism in a Leaderless World The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights now estimates there have been “59,648 individuals reported killed in Syria between 15…


REPRISE: The Olympic Games, and the Battle for Aleppo, Begin—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #88 (October 11)

Originally published July 28, 2012 The Opening of the XXX Olympic Games It was a poignant moment, as world leaders gathered in London last night…



The Olympic Games, and the Battle for Aleppo, Begin—Obama’s Debacle in Syria — Update #70 (July 28)

The Opening of the XXX Olympic Games It was a poignant moment, as world leaders gathered in London last night (July 27) for the opening…