When President Trump announced sweeping new sanctions on Russia’s energy sector yesterday, many of us who value peace through strength let out a long, relieved sigh. Finally. After months of drawn-out talks and mounting civilian deaths in Ukraine, Trump is putting his money where his mouth is. The sanctions — targeting Russia’s two largest oil…
Oops, Wrong Border? A Look at Russia’s Violation of Polish Airspace
I’ve been mulling over the latest drama out of Eastern Europe. Between September 9th and 10th, Poland found itself playing host to dozens of uninvited Russian drones. The fallout? Airports went into panic mode, flights grounded, fighter jets scrambled, and Polish air defenses got a live-fire training exercise they didn’t exactly sign up for. NATO…
Wings, Not Boots: My Take on U.S. Air Support in Ukraine
President Trump made it clear this week that American boots won’t be marching into Ukraine, but he didn’t shut the door on helping from above. Instead, he left U.S. air support on the table as part of a possible peace deal with Russia. The idea is to build a framework for ending the war, maybe…
No Crimea, No NATO: What Conservative Realism Should Demand
President Trump is hosting Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the White House—alongside a scrum of European leaders—just three days after sitting down with Vladimir Putin in Alaska. And he’s framing the deal in blunt-Trump terms: Ukraine won’t be getting back Crimea, and NATO membership is off the table. Zelenskyy, he says, “can end the war almost…
Alaska, Peacemaking, and the Peril of “Quick Fix” Diplomacy
If you’re looking for tidy endings, geopolitics is the wrong genre. President Trump and Vladimir Putin sat down in Anchorage, and—surprise—no white-smoke peace deal drifted over the Chugach. Still, the two leaders talked for hours about Ukraine, pledged to keep talking, and signaled that President Zelenskyy will now be heavily engaged. Reports suggest he’s heading…
An Analysis of Trump’s Decision to Arm Ukraine
Today, President Trump green-lit a NATO-backed arms deal that will send Patriot missile systems and possibly long-range weapons to Ukraine. This new arrangement—quietly hammered out between Washington and NATO—has President Trump giving the go-ahead for European allies to send their own military systems to Ukraine, including air defenses and potentially long-range missiles. The U.S. will…
Tariffs, Tyrants, and Tough Love: Considering the Proposed Sanctions on Russia
The U.S. Senate is rolling out a bold new bill aimed squarely at countries still doing business with Putin’s energy empire. It would slap a whopping 500% tariff on imports from any nation that continues buying Russian oil, gas, or uranium. The goal? Hit Vladimir Putin where it counts: in the pocketbook. And let’s be…
Peace Through Strength or Perpetual War? A Look at President Trump’s Ukraine Pivot
Last week, the Pentagon hit the brakes on some critical arms shipments to Ukraine, citing the need to replenish our own defense systems. That pause didn’t last long. President Trump saw the news, heard the reports of civilian casualties, and said, “Not on my watch.” He ordered those shipments back on track, vowing more defensive…
Trump Talks Tough on Russia and Iran — Is There Substance Behind the Swagger?
President Trump has always had a way with words—some bold, some baffling, some just plain brash. And his recent comments about Russia and Iran hit all three of those categories. But once you brush past the colorful language, there’s actually something worth examining here. Trump is walking a tightrope—part peace broker, part strongman—and the way…
Putin’s Hypocrisy, Trump’s Diplomacy, and Ukraine’s Survival
In the complex and often contradictory world of international politics, few scenarios highlight hypocrisy more starkly than Russia's stance on the ongoing conflict with Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin's insistence that peace negotiations cannot proceed while Ukraine controls any part of Russia's Kursk region, juxtaposed with Russia's occupation of Ukrainian territory, epitomizes a glaring double standard.…
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