China’s Foreign Policy: Lessons for the United States

China’s orchestration of the renewal of diplomatic relations between Iran and Saudi Arabia should be a wakeup call to the Biden administration’s national security team, particularly to Antony Blinken’s Department of State. China’s success exposes flaws in American national security policy, particularly the policy of nonrecognition as well as the reliance on the use of military force to achieve gains in international politics. Our instruments of power are not working.

China’s Foreign Policy: Lessons for the United States

Nuclear High Noon in Europe

Now is the time for Biden to clarify U.S. nuclear doctrine. But he remains silent.

by Scott Ritter

On Monday, Oct. 17, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization kicked off Operation STEADFAST NOON, its annual exercise of its ability to wage nuclear conflict. Given that NATO’s nuclear umbrella extends exclusively over Europe, the indisputable fact is that STEADFAST NOON is nothing more than NATO training to wage nuclear war against Russia.

Nuclear High Noon in Europe

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Video via Judge Napolitano

Scott Ritter Interview: How Donbass Joining Russia Just Turned the Tables on Ukraine

A New War

“Do you know who endorses revenge?” he says, “Azov endorses revenge. So the Donetsk people will have to look themselves in the mirror and say ‘do we really want to become that which we hate, or are we better than that?’ And its hard to be better than that when so many bad things have happened to you. But again, if they want to become part of Russia, they’re going to have to behave as Russians.”

Scott Ritter on the prisoner exchange, which included four leaders of Azov Battalion.

I didn’t see a tribunal, as revenge, but as justice. Revenge would’ve been executing them, on the spot, or worse!

Video via Deborah Armstrong

Meet Our New “Secretary Of State”…Nancy Pelosi

Meet Our New “Secretary Of State”…Nancy Pelosi

Pelosi has also complicated Biden’s role by calling on the White House to designate Russia as a state sponsor of terrorism. The terrorist designation would complicate any possible efforts to address a resolution of the war in Ukraine or the current imbroglio in the Caucasus. The United States should be looking for ways to effect greater cooperation with Russia in order to advance conflict resolution around the world; arms control and disarmament efforts; and easing the consequences of the climate and Covid crises. The terrorism designation would also lead to secondary sanctions that would drive up global prices and worsen an inflationary situation that could lead to an international recession.

As a result of Pelosi’s meanderings, we now have the worst tensions in the Taiwan Strait in nearly 30 years; greater Ukrainian expectations of expanded U.S. largesse; and a threat to the fragile truce in the Caucasus that Putin has tried to engineer. Can we look forward to more travel from Pelosi to the tense Central Asian border between Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, where 100 or so were killed in fighting over the past weekend; to the West Bank; or to Northern Ireland, which is facing renewed tensions? So many crises; so little time.