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Turkey Sending Banned Munitions to Ukraine

A controversial artillery round is being used effectively against Russian forces.

Ukraine Striking Into Russia

A welcome development in a long and bloody war.

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Quick Takes

A few stories to consider.

Ash Carter, 1954-2022

A brilliant national security leader is gone too soon.

Russia Bombing Civilian Sites Across Ukraine

Putin is committing war crimes in retaliation for an attack on a legitimate military target.

Ukraine Openly Mocking Russia

Things are not going well in the special military operation.

Iran Protests Intensity Highest Since 1979

The ayatollahs face the biggest challenge to their authority in the history of the regime.

Russia Warns US Against Arming Ukraine

The proxy war is working.

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Ukraine and the ‘New Rules of War’

Many and small beats large and heavy. Finding beats flanking. Swarming beats surging.

NATO Has Been Training Ukrainian Forces for Years

A fascinating report from the WSJ.

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The War After Bucha

World opinion has shifted even more against Russia. Will it matter?

Zelensky’s Plea for Help

Ukraine’s leader wants more help than he’s going to get.

Why no Airstrikes on the Convoy Headed to Kyiv?

Some speculation from the BBC.

Raid on Terrorist Leader Kills More Civilians

The American way of war kills a lot of noncombatants.

Our Victory in Iraq

The wonders of hindsight.

Joe, You Are A Stubborn Old Man

I guess you proved your point about great powers picking and choosing their battlefields.

US Retaliates for Iranian Retaliation

A proportional response.

Coronavirus Could Kill Trump Presidency

We may be seeing the beginning of the end.

Turkey at War with Syria and Europe

President Erdogan is playing a dangerous game.

One Year Later, Mohammed bin Salman Still Getting Off Scot-Free In Khashoggi Murder

It’s been one year since Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, never to be seen in public again. We are no closer to justice in his case than we were a year ago.

Trump Tones Down Anti-Iran Rhetoric In Wake Of Saudi Attack

As the Saudis continue to evaluate the impact of the weekend attack on a major oil facility, the Trump Administration tones down the anti-Iran rhetoric just a bit.

U.S. Points At Iran In Saudi Oil Facility Attack And Trump Hints At Military Action

While the world continues to evaluate the impact of Saturday’s attack on a Saudi oil facility, tensions in the Persian Gulf are increasing.

Major Drone Strike Hits Large Saudi Oil Facility

Houthi rebels in Yemen have claimed responsibility for a massive attack on an important Saudi oil facility.

Trump Imposes New Sanctions On Iran. They Won’t Work.

The Trump Administration unveiled new sanctions against Iran yesterday. They’re unlikely to accomplish the entirely unrealistic goals the President claims to have in mind.

Iran Downs American Reconnaissance Drone As Tensions Continue To Increase

As if the situation in the Persian Gulf weren’t already tense enough, the Iranians shot down an American reconnaissance drone late yesterday

The Pentagon and White House are Not People and Don’t Do Things

A misleading, annoying media trope that needs to go away.

Government Shutdown Enters Day Thirty-Five With Some Signs Of New Action In Washington

As the shutdown enters day thirty-five, there are some signs of movement in Washington but no real progress.

Senate Rejects Competing Proposals To End Government Shutdown

The Senate rejected Republican and Democratic proposals as expected but there are some signs of movement forward.

Republicans In Congress Have Never Really Supported Trump’s Border Wall

Despite their rhetoric, Republicans in Congress have shown through their own inaction that they don’t really support the President’s border wall.

Solving Shutdown Crisis May Depend On What A “Wall” Is

Is it possible that the solution to the government shutdown is letting the President pretend he got funding for his border wall even though he didn’t?

Venezuelan Military Officers Arrested In Connection With Attack On Maduro

Venezuela has arrested two military officers in connection with the alleged assassination attempt on President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro Targeted In Apparent Assassination Attempt

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro survived an apparent, albeit amateurish, assassination attempt yesterday in what could be a sign of underlying instability in Venezuela.

Trump Administration Argues It Didn’t Need Congressional Authorization To Attack Syria

Echoing the Obama Administration, the Trump Administration is arguing that it did not need Congressional authorization to attack Syria earlier this year.

Trump To Postmaster General: Raise Rates On Amazon

President Trump continues his unhinged, and unsupported by facts, war on Amazon and its owner Jeff Bezos by pressuring an independent agency to raise shipping rates.

USPS Loses Billions Per Year, But Not Because Of Amazon

The Postal Service is losing billions of dollars, but not for the reasons the President claims.

Attacking Syria Without Congressional Authorization Would Be Illegal

Without Congressional authorization, any attack on Syria would be illegal, but don’t expect Congress to do anything about it.

Trump Administration Claims It Needs No Legal Authorization To Keep Troops In Syria

Continuing a long-standard tradition, the Trump Administration claims it doesn’t need to get legal authorization to keep American troops in Syria.

Some Thoughts on Russian Interference in US Elections

A few key observations on the bigger picture.

Bipartisan Group Of Senators Proposes A DACA Fix, But Its Fate Is Unclear

A bipartisan group of Senators has proposed a largely reasonable fix to the DACA problem, but its fate remains unclear.

Prospects For A DACA Deal Still Not Looking Good

Congress seems no closer to a DACA deal than they were in January.

Congress Needs To Act In Response To Trump’s Illegal War In Syria

With the Administration set to commit the United States to a forever war in Syria, it’s time for Congress to act.

Police Killing People with Drones

The Dallas shooting spree ended with police killing the perpetrator with a drone. I’m okay with that.

Donald Trump Insinuates President Obama Identifies With Terrorists

Donald Trump has insinuated that President Obama is not fighting the War On Terror aggressively because he somehow identifies with terrorists.

United States Putting ‘Advisers’ On The Front Lines In Nigeria’s War Against Boko Haram

The U.S. is poised to send troops to the front lines of yet another war we have no reason to be involved in.

Would Subjecting Women To The Draft Make War Less Likely? Of Course Not

It’s been suggested that subjecting women to a possible draft would make leaders less likely to go to war. Unfortunately, there’s no reason to believe this is true.

U.S. And Russia Reach Deal On Syrian Airspace

The U.S. and Russia have reached a much-needed deal to avoid inadvertent confrontations over the skies of Syria.

U.S. To Halt Withdrawal Of Forces From Afghanistan

The plan to withdraw nearly all American forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2016 is being put on hold.

Obama Considering Plan To Keep U.S. Troops In Afghanistan Past 2016

President Obama is reportedly considering a plan that would keep up to 5,000 American troops in Afghanistan past the withdrawal date he had already set.

Obama’s Rhetoric On The Iran Nuclear Deal Is Needlessly Confrontational

President Obama’s confrontational approach to opponents of the Iran Nuclear Deal ignores legitimate questions.

Lindsey Graham Wants To Kill Americans Without Inconvenience of Trial

Lindsey Graham says that, if elected president, he would summarily kill anyone thinking about joining ISIS.