No matter what they may otherwise profess, American presidents find it almost impossible not to go to war. In 1992, Bill Clinton won the presidency by famously declaring “it’s the economy, stupid,” and pontificating that the era of power politics was over. Once in office, however, he found himself ordering missile strikes in several countries, maintaining no-fly zones over Iraq (and sometimes bombing it), as well as waging a long aerial campaign against Serbia in 1999. In 200

In the year after Trump began his second term with an inaugural address assertion that he was “saved by God to make America great again,” one way to measure his influence is to cast the mind forward two years from now. In January 2028, Democrats will be in the thick of their contest not simply to be the presidential nominee but to carry out what they believe is an assignment from history: ending the Trump Moment. It’s been a long journey. Assuming he serves out his full term

The contours of Donald Trump’s second term are now starkly clear. We are indeed seeing Trump Unleashed, but not for the democracy-threatening, dictatorial reasons Kamala Harris and the Democrats were trying to warn the American electorate about in last year’s presidential contest. Trump is moving fast, breaking things if he has to and making aggressive moves because he is trying to outrun the constitutional clock. Under the provisions of the 22 nd  Amendment he cannot run aga

History shows that small, seemingly inconsequential events are full of portent. The docking of Chinese cargo ship Istanbul Bridge  at the Felixstowe in the U.K. on October 13, 2025, might have appeared unremarkable. Britain is, after all, China’s third-largest export market, and vessels travel between the two countries all year round. What stood out about the Bridge  was the route it had taken—it was the first major Chinese cargo ship to travel directly to Europe via the Arct

Diplomacy, when stripped of ceremony and handshakes, is really all about leverage. And this last week in Kuala Lumpur, Tokyo and Busan, Donald Trump appears to have rediscovered the old craft of using pressure to invite cooperation. The U.S. President, now again playing the roles of negotiator/dealmaker-in-chief, began his week-long diplomacy tour with ASEAN, then APEC nations amid high expectations — and low trust. As is their wont, Trump’s advisers are eager to claim victor

After the euphoria and relief of Monday’s prisoner exchange and ceasefire, Tuesday has brought some ominous signs for the future of the Gaza peace deal wrought by president Donald Trump. Despite the ringing words of the leaders gathered at Sharm El-Sheikh the shooting didn’t entirely stop. Five Palestinians were killed in an Israeli drone strike on Tuesday morning in Gaza’s Shejaiya neighborhood. According to the (IDF) Israel Defense Forces, they had crossed the “yellow line”

There has never been any doubt that Donald Trump is a thundering paradox of a man whose mercurial nature and often contradictory policies...

There is much unknown and unclear in the days ahead since both Israel and Iran agreed to end what U.S. President Donald Trump has dubbed...

On June 12th Israel unleashed a series of meticulously-planned strikes that damaged Iranian nuclear facilities and missile sites,...

“I’m supposed to be dead,” Donald Trump said, the day after a would-be assassin's bullet clipped his right ear at his 2024 rally in...

For decades before and after the Cold War a collective defense pact in Asia between the U.S. was neither possible or necessary. Yet,...

Too many current governments have subscribed to the belief that we have slipped into a multipolar world where the old order no longer...

In 2019 (a time that seems in retrospect as far removed from the present as the dinosaur age) an official prominent within certain...

The news cycle can’t catch a break these days. The New Normal is that Donald Trump has put us all into a constant 24/7 treadmill fuelled...

A popular song (2 million plus views as of this writing on YouTube) is a clever take on the classic “I Will Survive” by American Gloria...

Donald Trump may indeed regard “tariff “as the “most beautiful word in the dictionary,” but his exuberance for it reflects a broader...

One of the most persistent arguments put forward by politicians, diplomats, and observers of international politics is that the world is...

It’s human nature to look for saviors, especially when circumstances are difficult, solutions not easily available and viable options...

Voters like to complain that politicians either forget their promises upon election or water them down due “to unforeseen circumstances”...

The incoming US president Donald Trump generates torrents of diplomatic angst with seemingly outlandish statements about Canada becoming...