John Feffer
Trump and the Geopolitics of Crazy
Some in the Trump administration are still eyeing regime change in North Korea. They’re missing what’s really going on over there. The fever dream of regime change has persisted in Washington for decades like a bad case of political malaria that repeated doses of realism have never quite eradicated.
The Coming Conflict with Iran
Behind all of Trump’s boneheaded policies in the Middle East is an unmistakable urge for confrontation with Iran. The nuclear deal that Iran signed with the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany and the European Union is hanging by a thread.
Trump and Russia: Shortest Reset Ever
In Trump, the Kremlin got what it wanted — an America paralyzed by an incompetent administration at odds with more than half the country’s population.
Making America Mediocre Again
As conditions in the U.S. deteriorate, the world will continue to suffer the consequences of U.S. military force — but without the mitigating influences of U.S. foreign aid and diplomacy.
The Geopolitics of Cheap Oil
Economists said the market would save the planet. It didn’t. The nosedive in oil prices has been good news for a lot of people and a lot of countries. But it’s not good news for the planet.
After Obama: Clinton vs. Sanders
Hillary Clinton just laid out a hawkish foreign policy vision in a major speech. How do her views stack up against those of Bernie Sanders, her challenger from the left?
Obama’s Triple Crown
Obama is no peace president, but he has won important diplomatic victories. Will they survive the 2016 election? He has two years to make the rapprochements with Iran and Cuba irreversible. If he can do that, and bring about a ceasefire in Syria, his diplomatic legacy will be secure.
Is Japan’s Peace Constitution Dead?
Despite its peace constitution, Japan boasts one of the largest militaries in the world. Over the last several decades, after repeated “reinterpretations,” the peace constitution has become increasingly enfeebled
Kim the Third
No one performs Shakespeare in the theaters of Pyongyang. Instead, he is enacted in the corridors of power. The case against Jang reminds us that even those near the very top of the North Korean pyramid harbor hopes of change, if only circumstances were to become more propitious. “Kim the Third” has quickly demonstrated that, like his grandfather, he will act decisively and ruthlessly to maintain his perch.
South Korea: Stuck in the 20th Century?
South Korea is at the cutting edge of global technology but in terms of its foreign policy and relations with North Korea and Japan particularly, the country remains in a 20th century mindset.