“I served with General McMaster. He is perfect for National Security Adviser.… • General McMaster is a force of nature. He is an intellectual and physical powerhouse, and a folk hero to the average men and women serving in the military. ◦ When the Army passed him over for promotion to Brigadier General back in 2005, there was such a groundswell of protest from current and former soldiers that the Army held a special board to rectify that mistake. ◦ He is a more rough and tumble commander than the average general - less smooth and corporate. But that is perfect for Trump. • I served in Afghanistan with General McMaster when he commanded Task Force Shafafiyat, which was tasked with eliminating corruption in the Afghan government. ◦ It was a nearly impossible task, but he brough unprecedented pressure to bear on both the Afghan air force and the Attorney General's office, both of which were deeply penetrated by narcotics traffickers and worse. ◦ McMaster forced real change - eventually - on those institutions. ◦ He was so passionate in his advocacy of clean government we nicknamed him "the right Reverend H.R. McMaster. Andrew L. Peek was a foreign affairs advisor to the Trump campaign and transition. He is also a former US Army intelligence officer and served with General McMaster in Afghanistan.”
“…The authors recommend supporting U.S allies through both active diplomacy and the stationing of military forces in or near potential conflict zones. America’s global network of alliances fulfills “the main imperative of U.S. grand strategy,” as the authors describe it: “to prevent the emergence of a power or combination of powers within the Eurasian landmass that could invade or economically dominate the United States.” Alliances are an inexpensive alternative to direct containment through the maintenance of large U.S. forces overseas or to a retreat from such commitments that could result in a costly re-entry if a rival becomes a grave threat. The authors remind us that “strengthening American military competitiveness against a large power in its own region has been the organizing purpose for the United States to form defensive alliances….” https://www.wsj.com/articles/probing-for-weakness-1458775212
Why India Should Scrap Parliamentary Democracy
Shashi Tharoor of the Indian National Congress party, lamenting that overly frequent state-assembly elections have come to be seen as referenda on the national government, called on India to do away with the parliamentary system it inherited from the British, and adopt a presidential system instead. A Tale Of Two Hegemons: The Anglo-American Roots Of The Postwar International System
by Kori Schake via War on the Rocks In 1921, the United States convened a disarmament negotiation among the naval powers of the Pacific. At the Washington Naval Conference, France, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, and the United States agreed to discontinue their capital ship programs and build no more for ten years, to reduce their fleets of battleships and carriers to agreed ratios, and not to fortify their holdings in the Pacific. The World Economy In 2018
by Michael J. Boskin via Project Syndicate In the tenth year since the start of the global financial crisis, the US economy reached a new high-water mark, and the global economy exceeded expectations. But whether these positive trends continue in 2018 will depend on a variety of factors, from fiscal and monetary policymaking to domestic politics and regional stability. As BJP wins Gujarat, Himachal, it is Modi vs Modi in 2019 BY SAIKAT DATTA Modi won his home state and added Congress-ruled Himachal to his kitty. But the diminishing returns of political rhetoric are beginning to show Is the world’s oldest political dynasty on its last legs?
Sadanand Dhume | AEIdeas Should Rahul Gandhi ever become prime minister of India, he’ll follow his father, grandmother, and great-grandfather in the job. But the road to power has never looked steeper for him. There’s no question that South Asia’s political dynasts have never had it tougher than today. What Will ‘Actually Solve’ Terrorism Problem?
By James Kitfield, Breaking Defense: “ ... the man most responsible for crafting the greatest terrorist hunting network in history worries that a workable policy to address the conditions that give rise to Islamist extremism, and a broader strategy for breaking the chain of radicalization are more important than killing their leaders.” Finding Hope in Islamic History By Sadaf Jaffer, Foreign Policy Research Institute: “According to some of the loudest and most violent among us, Muslims cannot live within secular governments. This is fundamentally incorrect. We must condemn and combat violent extremist movements in the name of Islam, yet these movements do not define Islam’s history and need not define its future. ” Dawa: The Invisible Counter-Enlightenment In Our Midst
featuring Ayaan Hirsi Ali via Conatus News Is dawa, the proselytising of Islam, a means by which Islamists profit from freedom of religion to subvert society? Aayan Hirsi Ali warns of its dangers.
I Have To Ask: The Stephen Kotkin Edition
interview with Stephen Kotkin via Slate Hoover Institution fellow Stephen Kotkin discusses Stalin’s differences from the autocrats of today, what Stalin and Hitler did and didn’t share, and the secret to getting inside the head of a dictator. The Crown Under The Hammer: Russia, Romanovs, Revolution
via Hoover Daily Report Marking the centenary of the Russian Revolution of 1917, the exhibition The Crown under the Hammer: Russia, Romanovs, Revolution examines the political, social, and cultural upheavals that transformed Russia in the final decades of the Romanov dynasty and the first years of Soviet Communism. Jointly organized by the Hoover Institution Library & Archives and the Cantor Arts Center, this dual-site exhibition features a wide variety of art objects and documentary materials, including oil paintings by Russian masters of the 18th and 19th centuries, books from Russian Imperial libraries, early Soviet graphics, posters, photographs, film, and rare archival documents. |
CategoriesArchives
February 2024
EXAMPLE OF SUCCESS IN U.S. FOREIGN POLICY ACE VENTURA
PAUL RAHE: REALISM IN FOREIGN AFFAIRS, SPARTA
CONSCIENCE & TEMPORAL AUTHORITY
SHAKESPEARE
POSITIVE LAW vs. CONSCIENCE
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