sanctions

Trump Shouldn’t Rush Iran Strategy: Rep. Issa

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Republican Congressman Darrell Issa of California reacts to President Trump’s threats against Oman, saying the President’s comments should be taken “in context.” Issa describes the confrontation with Iran as a 47-year problem and says Trump shouldn’t feel pressured to resolve it on a political timeline, arguing that appearing to be in a hurry would play into Iran’s hands. He also discusses conditions aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln as the USS George Washington makes its way to the region to relieve the carrier. He speaks with Kailey Leinz and Joe Mathieu on the late edition of Bloomberg’s “Balance of Power.”

Thoughts on Ukraine, Part 6: Mutual Destruction?

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The attack on the Ukrainian nuclear plant was a risk. If the strike damaged the containment vessel, it could have unleashed nuclear radiation. That got me thinking about the broader risks of destruction.
• Russian destroys Ukrainian cities and infrastructure trying to take it. More adventures like the nuclear plant could do it.
• Oligarchs in Russia see both a crisis and an opportunity and arrest/kill Putin and take control and force a “favorable” settlement with Ukraine that lets the oligarchs buy Ukrainian assets and resources.
• The west’s sanctions cripple the west and the Russians, leaving an opportunity for the Chinese to go after both. Perhaps they are crocodile watching the two snakes fight it out to take them both.

Thoughts on Ukraine, Part 2: Kleptocracy, Not Patriotism or Shared Nationality

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Map of Ukrainian Resources

Kleptocracy is at the heart of Putin’s government. CSIS states, “The breadth and depth of Russian organized crime already runs so wide and deep, that Russia is on the verge of becoming a criminal syndicalist state, dominated by a lethal mix of gangsters, corrupt officials, and dubious businessmen.”
Part 2 discusses Ukraine’s abundant resources as the possible objective for the Russian invasion. While it may not be the only objective, it is quite possibly a significant driving force. If the Russian kleptocrats are concerned about the security of the Siberian resource basin, Ukraine could be extremely important.