It’s far too easy for Donald Trump to start a nuclear war
Wherever the President of the United States travels, a military aide-de-camp carrying “the football” is just a few steps away. It isn’t the kind Tom Brady throws. In the laconic jargon that national security officers use, “the football” is a briefcase that allows the President to launch a nuclear attack. These days “the football” seems […]
Moscow is our friend. Honest.
Millions of people around the world learn English from courses broadcast over the Voice of America. One recent lesson was about the word “enemy.” An announcer introduced it simply: “Do you have an enemy? Hopefully, you don’t. An enemy is someone who hates you, and you hate them back. An enemy threatens you, attacks you or tries […]
Rwanda and the dangers of democracy
Next month one of the world’s most remarkable leaders, President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, will be overwhelmingly re-elected to a third seven-year term. Kagame runs an authoritarian state and does not tolerate serious opposition. That is not, however, the main reason he can count on such an overwhelming victory. He is being rewarded for turning […]
My friend faces three life sentences in Turkey
Recently I received a bizarre invitation. A bureaucrat in Istanbul asked me to help the Turkish government celebrate its commitment to democracy. I was invited to be one of about 30 journalists who will contribute articles to a special magazine that is to be distributed in Istanbul and six foreign cities on July 15. Each article […]
Why we need four years of Trump
OUTRAGE AT President Trump’s behavior and policies is already leading to speculation over whether he will manage to complete his term of office. Speculation over how he might fall is a favorite after-dinner topic. Impeachment, criminal conviction, removal by the Cabinet, resignation, secret coup by deep state intelligence officers — all figure in the guessing game. […]
