[NOTE: This column is a followup to the post of early last week: Lightning Strikes Three Times: Japan, Taiwan & The Emerging Big Power Arms Races. It’s an improvement, in two ways: First, Gwynne Dyer knows what he’s talking about. He has a doctorate in war history and strategy; he served with the militaries of … Continue reading Dyer: Alliances and The Big Wars Nobody Wanted, But Stumbled Into
Introduction: For me, the sudden abandonment of neutrality by Sweden and Finland after Putin’s invasion of Ukraine were like separate lightning bolts striking the same tree. How likely was that? Sweden had been a neutral country for 200+ years. Finland for 75, since 1948.
World War III Begins With Forgetting [Excerpts] New York Times — December 3, 2022 By Stelhen Wertheim “[H]ow many Americans can truly envision what a third world war would mean? Just as great power conflict looms again, those who witnessed the last one are disappearing. Around 1 percent of U.S. veterans of World War II … Continue reading Quote for the weekend: World War III
#1–AP News: EXPLAINER: How important is a Russian retreat from Kherson? BY SAM MEDNICK — November 11, 2022 KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukrainian officials said Friday that Ukrainian flags were appearing “en masse and all over the place,” in the wake of Russia’s retreat from the southern region of Kherson, one of the four regions … Continue reading Ukraine updates: Kherson Wthdrawal & the War’s Environmental Toll
[NOTE: This opinion piece is an artifact of a senior Establishment pundit, who has jetted off to Poland to hang with his people and schmooze various bigwigs at a high-level international conference. Such junkets are a perk of his gig and class. I find it interesting and worth sharing because, to my continuing surprise, his … Continue reading Ukraine, a “New Europe,” and Strange Bedfellows Like Us