North Korea’s Nightmare Past Key to Understanding Its Nightmare Present & Nightmare Future

North Korea’s brutal, tragic history is the key to understanding why options for dealing with Kim Jong-un and his troublesome…

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Everybody, Calm Down About Comey Hearing

Today’s hearing was historic, but not nearly as big a deal as it was hyped up to be, at least…

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With Comey Firing, Trump Moves America Closer to Banana Republic Status; How We Respond Is Vital to Preserving Our Democracy

Trump’s removal of James Comey was a blatantly transparent attempt to protect himself from Comey’s active investigation of his team’s…

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I Hate Trump, But He Was Right to Strike Assad Regime of Syria

Trump is still a danger to America and the world. But if he exercises American power in a way that will…

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What We Can Expect from Trump & My Message to Iranians on Trump: Prove Him Wrong by Fighting for Peace & Human Rights

The Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA) conducted another interview with me (see previous one here) a few weeks ago about…

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Trump, the Specter of Political Violence, & Lessons From the Roman Republic (Or, We Have a Problem America!)

Trump’s flirtatious waltz with hints and threats of political violence cannot be ignored and should not be underestimated. Apart from…

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Republic of Georgia Shows Trump & His Fans Depressingly Normal: Just Another Ethno-centric Nationalist Movement

Author’s note: as Trump’s presidency unfolds into its third year, the idea that Trumpism really is little more than banal…

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10 Reasons for Liberals to Worry About Election Besides Trump / Clinton Debate

It’s kinda time to panic for liberals; regardless of how the public reacts to the debate, here are 10 reasons…

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9/11 Marked Continuation, Not Beginning, of Politicization of Foreign Policy & National Security

Rather than signify any beginning of weaponizing foreign policy and national security in politics, the 9/11 attacks simply marked the…

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Erdogan Leads Turkey’s Democracy on a Populist Death March After Failed Coup

In my previous piece on Turkey, written as the coup attempt was underway, I noted that should the coup fail, Erdoğan…

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DNC E-mail Leak Scandal: Not Much of a Scandal, Blown Way Out of Proportion: A Politics 101 Primer on Party Organization

Ultimately, the information revealed in the DNC e-mail hacks (by the Russian government!) “shockingly” revealed that people who were staffers…

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Brexit Heralds End of Positive Era & Possible Lurch Towards Awful One for Europe & World

Least among the problems posed by the UK’s Brexit vote to leave the EU are the actual effects that will…

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Trump Foreign Policy Speech Latest Example of GOP Bankruptcy in Foreign Policy Ideas, Competence

A detailed examination of Trump’s foreign policy speech from a few weeks ago reveals how little substantive thought or ideas…

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Western Democracy Is on Trial, More than Any Time Since WWII

Author’s note: when I wrote this, I was confident Clinton would win but still worried about the chance of a…

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December Republican Debate Exposed GOP As Joke on National Security

With its focus on national security, the mid-December Republican debate, though a month past, can still serve as a stark…

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