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Double your public broadcasting donation

I’m an NPR enthusiast. Less so PBS, which I find stodgy. But both beat the competition, broadcast and even print. Give me either one on a desert island rather than the New York Times or the Washington Post. The Wall Street Journal (news pages, not the editorials or opinions) is more competitive, both in breadth and depth. So you’ll assume I’m upset about the Republican Congress nixing funding…

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The Ukraine war isn't going well for anyone

The war in Ukraine has long since become one of attrition. Kyiv and Moscow are wearing down each other down through losses of personnel and equipment rather than decisive territorial gains. The economic warfare has also become a grinding semi-stalemate. It is time to have a look at where things stand. On the battlefield Russia has been advancing slowly along much of the front in eastern and…

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Don't be fooled

Rasha Gaddh of Al-Sharq News asked some followup questions after reading my post from earlier today. I answered. Q: President Trump’s tone toward Russia and Putin changed following last month’s NATO summit and pressure from NATO allies urging him to commit more strongly to Ukraine. Do you believe this is the reason behind his shift in stance? What other factors may have contributed to his loss…

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Trump's head fake on Russia

President Trump says a lot. But what it means is often hard to understand. Max Boot interpreted his comments on Ukraine above as a hardening of his attitude toward Russian President Putin. But their real meaning was the opposite. Despite Putin’s behavior, Trump is signaling that he will resist efforts to harden US policy. He will continue to tolerate Russian attacks on Ukraine. The threats The…

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America's better angels reside in Kosovo

I thought President Osmani’s talk at Hudson last week was first rate. But it was also unusual, so a comment is in order. Rather than the now common pandering to President Trump, she mostly took a different tack. She appealed mainly to America’s better angels: liberty, democracy, rule of law, the rules-based international order. That’s an America I prefer, but I can’t say Washington is moving in…

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Let us hope it is not too late

Sonja Biserko, a leading light of Serbia’s human rights community, gave this talk “In the Spririt of the UN Resolution on Srebrenica (2024), at the UN in Vienna on July 11: As we commemorate the 30th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, we do more than honor the victims. We are called to defend the truth. The UN Resolution on Srebrenica, adopted in 2024, reminded the world of the legal…

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Diplomacy should follow the 12-day war

Former IAEA inspector Pantelis Ikonomou writes: As the ceasefire between Israel and Iran continues, the new reality is characterized by some critical certainties and uncertainties. Certainties: 1. The Israeli and US bombings of Iran’s nuclear facilities have caused significant damage to its nuclear program. 2. Tehran has expelled the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) inspectors,…

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Iran isn't Israel's only problem

American politicians are quarreling about whether the US bombs obliterated Iran’s nuclear program or just seriously damaged it. Meanwhile, the situations in Gaza, the West Bank, Yemen, and Lebanon are deteriorating. War crimes in Gaza The Israel Defense Force denies targeting civilians in Gaza. But some of its soldiers disagree. And some of Israel’s politicians aren’t being shy about wanting to…

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The Middle East is far from settled

FOX NEWS'S JENNIFER GRIFFIN: Are you certain none of that highly enriched uranium was moved?HEGSETH: Jennifer, you've been about the worst. The one who misrepresents the most intentionally.GRIFFIN: I take issue with that pic.twitter.com/YNi30aMnrb— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) June 26, 2025 President Trump is trying to declare the war between Israel and Iran over. It isn’t. He claims the US bunker…

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No one gets all they want

One thing we know: the US successfully launched 14 (!) of the biggest bunker busters at three Iranian nuclear strikes. The massive strike force of more than 125 warplanes encountered no resistance. There were no US losses. We don’t know a lot more. It will take time to learn the extent of bomb damage and the Iranian response. The Americans did not use my suggested approach. What the US…

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Israel should try first, then US should act

President Trump has postponed a decision on the bunker buster question for two weeks. With him, that often means no decision at all. But the two weeks provide time for negotiations. That is a good thing. The Europeans are wisely trying to take advantage of the opportunity, so far without results. It is still reasonable to ask whether the US should or should not act against the deeply buried…

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Bunker buster or not, that's the question

The Israelis have succeeded in sucking Donald Trump into their war with the Middle East. He is already saying “we” when referring to Israel’s successes in destroying Iran’s air defenses. “We” are also threatening to kill the Supreme Leader. This talk is inappropriate, and the Israeli war was ill-advised. More diplomacy was in order. But still there is a big question out there. The…

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Careful what you wish for

The Balkans are aflutter because President Trump mentioned the region. He apparently said on his social media platform: During my first term, Serbia and Kosovo were in a fierce dispute, as they have been for decades, and this long-standing conflict was ready to escalate into war. I stopped it. Biden damaged the long-term chances with some very stupid decisions, but I will fix it again. This is…

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It doesn't sound quite right

Netanyahu to ABC: "Elimination of Iran's Supreme Leader Khamenei is not going to escalate the conflict — it's going to end the conflict."Didn’t he say the exact same thing about Saddam Hussein? pic.twitter.com/wPCAJuFsw9— Ihab Hassan (@IhabHassane) June 16, 2025 Israel has established control over Iran’s airspace and is now attacking at will. But it has not yet destroyed either of Iran’s main…

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Incoherence is not healthy

Donald Trump’s birthday military parade fizzled yesterday. Attendance was low, energy was lower, and organization was poor. “No Kings” protests boomed. A couple of thousand demonstrations in all parts of the US attracted easily more than a million peaceful protesters. Energy was high and organization superb. We are going in the right direction. Trump has been underwater and mostly sinking in the…

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Diplomacy needed to restore security for all

If you haven’t seen it already, the interviews above with Wendy Sherman and Vali Nasr strike me as eminently level headed. Bottom lines: negotiations no longer, regime change unlikely, more and escalating war, Iran will press ahead to get nuclear weapons. Regional implications They don’t deal with the regional implications, except for mentioning Saudi denunciation of Israel for the attack on…

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Trump caused this Israeli war with Iran

Tonight’s Israeli attack on Iran is not a one-time thing. Nor is it a matter of days, as the press is reporting. Assuming the Islamic Republic stays in place, this attack will encourage Iran to try to develop nuclear weapons. Tehran will think that will make it immune. Israel will need to attack repeatedly over months and years to prevent that. Iran will respond in kind. The consequences for…