A slightly tongue-in-cheek take on a solemn subject: the origins and aftermath of Pearl Harbor:
Tribute to George H. W. Bush
Historians and philosophers of yore pay tribute to President Bush. Rest your oar, sailor.
Some oddball musings on Putin and the Azov Sea
What French Army soldiers and thermodynamics professors can teach us about Russia and Ukraine:
https://blog.usni.org/posts/2018/12/04/an-offbeat-take-on-putin-and-the-sea-of-azov
What is Putin up to in the Sea of Azov?
Some musings about the maritime clash between Russia and Ukraine in the Kerch Strait –
Bulk is China’s friend, but geography and America are Japan’s
My effort at a heartening take on the balance between China and Japan: https://nationalinterest.org/print/blog/buzz/what-world-war-i-tells-us-about-china-japan-war-today-36847.
Things in Northeast Asia are not as bad as we often assume. Do not despair.
Wherein I critique the critique of the U.S. National Defense Strategy . . .
Last week the National Defense Strategy Commission published a study criticizing the 2018 National Defense Strategy (as the commission was constituted and instructed to do). The report is worth your while, but the coauthors fall prey to some of the troubles they find in the strategy: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/buzz/us-military-strategy-must-return-basics-36382.
Bring on a European army, but do it for the right reasons
Over at The Hill, I endorse this week’s proposals from German and French leaders to create a pan-European army. The more American allies and friends take responsibility for their own affairs, the better for them—and for us. But I urge them not to launch into a project of this magnitude out of petty spite at President Trump’s manner or negotiating style. Founding a European force would be a huge and costly step. Europeans should undertake it for strategic reasons, not frivolous ones.
