A Fitting Coda to a Year Like No Other — Occasionally we seem to bear witness to something important. It's the unsettling feeling of looking into the void of unwritten history and the weight of uncertainty bearing down. It makes life seem interesting. And ominous. I was too young to remember 9/11, only the barely concealed awkwardness of a father…

A Trade Policy that Acknowledges American Workers — In a recent speech by National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, the Biden Administration signaled a shifting strategy on trade. The core of this sift is supporting American leadership on global trade while acknowledging the needs and concerns of American workers. Fracturing the Free-Trade Consensus In the first decade and a half of the 21st…

It Could Enhance European Security — Realism and Russia Many analysts implicate the expansion of NATO in the Russian decision to invade Ukraine. The eastward expansion of the security bloc into the nations of the former Warsaw Pact and then into the former Soviet Republics of the Baltics was seen as an encroachment on Russia’s sphere of influence. This…

World War II Ends with Shock and Awe — Setting the Battlefield It was a decision that will live in infamy. It was August of 1945. Through its island-hopping campaign across the Pacific, the Americans had cornered the Japanese army to its homeland. The Chinese were engaged in a campaign to expel the Japanese from the East Asian mainland. The Soviet Union…

The Culture Wars Takeover Politics — Governor Ron DeSantis has described his state as the “Free State of Florida”. But increasingly, it is a testing ground for the political program of the so-called “New Right”. The Rise of The New Right What is the New Right that Ron DeSantis is increasingly aligning with in his quest for the Republican nomination? It is…

Russian Imperialism Extended Across Hemispheres. — In the mid 18th century, Russian expansionism spilled past Siberia and across the Bering Strait into North American. This was an early salvo in the emerging “Great Game” competition between the British and Russian empires. British colonists had begun settling into what is now British Columbia and the Russians wanted…

The Dress Rehearsal for Mars — After 50 years, NASA is finally returning to the moon. And after a decade, the United States will be returning to space. In a bid to revive lunar exploration, NASA launched the Artemis program in 2017 with the goal of establishing a permanent human base in lunar orbit. The Artemis…

A Court Victory Squandered by Political Malpractice — June 24th of 2022 is a landmark day in American constitutional history, for good or for ill. The Supreme Court, with a 6–3 majority split along ideological lines, declared that abortion was no longer a right under the U.S. Constitution and returned jurisdiction of the issue to state governments. This…

But It Won’t Be Easy — The culmination of Ukraine’s campaign of resistance against Russian aggression will be taking back Crimea. Invaded and occupied by Russia, it is the crown jewel of the Black Sea, and the key to Ukraine’s continued viability as a state. A Brief History of Crimea Long a vital piece of territory contested by multiple empires, Crimea…