Despite all the tensions and differences that divide the great powers, this is the time for arms-control talks and the US has more to gain from a successful outcome than Russia. The policy of containment is no longer viable.
Judge Gonzalo Curiel, US Federal judge of the Southern District of California, has greenlit the construction of part of President Donald Trump’s border wall with Mexico. This announcement is somewhat of a surprise for the mainstream press, who reported and criticized Trump for being racist in his comments about the judge.
Sometimes it all comes down to whether or not you have a fake ID. Teenagers have used such forgeries to buy cigarettes and booze, or to get access to other “grown-up” entertainments they ought not. But how about getting a fake ID to travel around the world? It appears that the last two North Korean leaders have done precisely that.
The military protection of the Arctic is a challenge, because even the best weapons become useless under certain weather conditions. Specialized expertise and technology are needed in order to pull it off. The Russian defense industry has proven to be up the task.
The US appears to be going to any length to turn the Black Sea into a real hornet’s nest, as if it were not already involved in enough conflicts in remote regions. This policy of testing Russia’s resolve could backfire like it did in 2014.
Moldova seldom hits media headlines but the situation there is another example of creeping NATO expansion. The US is in the process of establishing its military presence there to make American soldiers and Russian peacekeepers watch each other through gun sights.
When Washington accuses Moscow and Beijing of “trying to alter the international order to their advantage” what the American rulers are tacitly admitting is their anxiety that the days of US hegemony are on the wane. Russia and China are not doing anything illegitimate. It is simply a fact of historical evolution.
In theory, the Munich conference is the right forum for sharing fresh ideas and making new proposals. It would be fruitful for NATO and Russia to steer the conversation toward something constructive instead of merely hurling mutual recriminations.
As part of its ballistic missile defense (BMD) system, Russia tested a new interceptor missile at the Sary Shagan testing range in Kazakhstan on Feb. 11. It was its third straight successful BMD test.
The threat to world peace from expanding US military operations and nuclear development is increasing day by day. The New Cold War emphasis on massive destruction has brought the world closer to Doomsday.
