Saudi Arabia and the United States: Elections Don’t Matter
Mark Mazzetti and Matt Apuzzo’s January 24, 2016 piece in the The New York Times is a great primer for anyone who believes the next U.S. President will take anti-Saudi action … Continue reading
United States: Delaying Implementation of IMF Requested Financial Transparency Regulation
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has blamed the United States for not implementing regulations that would stop the use of shell and front companies as recommended by the Financial Action … Continue reading
Greece: The Eurozone is Better Off Without
Greece continues to test the patience of the eurozone and I cannot find any objective reason why it should remain a part of the European Union (EU). It’s never a … Continue reading
United States: Confederate Flag Issue is a Distraction
Faced with yet more reason to resolve two major issues, the United States has once again shown it’s astounding ability to focus on immaterial issues. After the terrorist assassinations of … Continue reading
Movies: Will Smith’s Focus Shows his Strength
The new Will Smith movie, Focus, opened below expectations over this past weekend and entertainment experts started salivating over the prospect of the decline of yet another box office superstar. … Continue reading
Politics: Jeb Bush Loses at CPAC and the Republican Party Should be Worried
As improbable as it sounds, the presidential election season has started and last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) gave us a glimpse of individuals who will not be running … Continue reading
Terrorism: ISIS and the Marketing Proposition
Everyday brings a new story on how ISIS has plunged into previously uncharted depths of depravity. It’s obvious that things have got out of hand when that bastion of credible … Continue reading
Afghanistan: Exchange for Sgt Bergdahl Sets Up More Kidnappings
Over the past few decades, US foreign defense policy has lurched from one self-made disaster to another; the most recent example is the exchange of five Taliban commanders who had … Continue reading
Nigeria: Endgame for Boko Haram is Status Quo
Boko Haram (BH), the Nigerian militant group that has been on the radar of the world’s intelligence agencies for some time, dramatically increased it’s recently by kidnapping over 200 girls … Continue reading
Pakistan and Iran: Gas Pipeline Fallacy Continues
During last week’s meeting between Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Iranian President Hasan Rowhani, the two leaders trumpeted their efforts to restart the stalled Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline. Sharif stated … Continue reading
All Sorts of Things 