International Issues

2/17/2018 On January 7, 2017, the leaders of the US Intelligence Agencies delivered a report on how the Russians interferred with the presidential election of 2016 (National Intelligence Report on Russian Interference).  Later in the year, FaceBook and Twitter both admitted and disclosed how the Russians used them to peddle influence to Americans. Not wanting to admit the possibility that ...

1/25/2018 The Trump administration’s vacancies on agency organization charts continue to place him months behind his predecessors in staffing up political leadership, according to new numbers from organizations tracking presidential appointees. Less than 40 percent of 633 key positions had a nominee as of Jan. 13, according to the tracker maintained by the nonprofit Partnership for Public Service and The Washington Post, which released ...

1/22/2018 President Trump yesterday imposed a 30% tariff on imported crystalline-silicon solar cells and modules,  ignoring the industry’s request for a more thoughtful import licensing fee approach. Trump tried to strike a balance between punishing China for importing low-cost solar panels and modules into the U.S. and trying to protect the domestic solar industry from massive job losses. Unfortunately, his ...

1/18/2018 WASHINGTON, D.C. — One year into Donald Trump’s presidency, the image of U.S. leadership is weaker worldwide than it was under his two predecessors. Median approval of U.S. leadership across 134 countries and areas stands at a new low of 30%, according to a new Gallup report. Trump’s First Year: Hard Times for U.S. Soft Power The losses in U.S. ...

1/15/2018 Chuck Hagel, a former two time Republican Senator from Nebraska and Secretary of Defense decided to not pull any punches today when he said President Trump is “An Embarrassment”. President Donald Trump has “intentionally divided the country and the world” said the former Secretary of Defense to the Lincoln Journal-Star for a story published this weekend.  “The president is ...

1/12/2018 London Mayor Sadiq Khan celebrated the news that President Trump would not be visiting the city, saying Trump had “got the message” from Londoners who “have made it clear that Donald Trump is not welcome here.” “It appears that President Trump got the message from the many Londoners who love and admire America and Americans but find his policies ...

1/3/2018 On New Year’s Day, Kim Jong Un stated North Korea’s nuclear arsenal is a real threat and that he has a nuclear launch button on his desk at all times.  Mr Kim said the entire US was within range of North Korean nuclear weapons, adding: “This is reality, not a threat.” President Trump responded with the following tweet: North Korean Leader ...

12/29/2017 South Korea has seized a Hong Kong-registered ship that allegedly transferred oil to a North Korean vessel in violation of United Nations sanctions. The South Korean Foreign Ministry said the Lighthouse Winmore left the port of Yeosu in South Korea carrying refined oil which was then transferred to a North Korean ship in international waters on October 19.  The US ...

12/25/2017 Russian election officials under Vladimir Putin formally barred Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny from running for president, prompting calls from him for a boycott of next year’s vote. The Central Election Commission decided unanimously that the anti-corruption crusader isn’t eligible to run. Navalny is implicitly barred from running for office because of a conviction in a fraud case which ...

12/21/2017 John Brennan has served four Presidents in various intelligence rolls.  He was the Director of the CIA.  He served over seas.  He knows a thing or two about diplomacy.  Last week he heard just about enough from the Trump Administration and Nikki Haley, Trump’s Ambassador to the United Nations. The former CIA Director lashed out at the Trump administration ...