When President Trump announced the cancellation of all meetings with Iran, while simultaneously urging Iranian protesters to persist with the promise that “help is on its way,” the move was widely read as abrupt and emotionally charged. Yet the deeper significance of the decision lies not merely in its tone, but in its timing. This…
Power, Precedent, and the Perils of Unilateral Force: The High-Risk Gamble of Capturing Maduro
The U.S. military strike on Venezuela and the announced capture of Nicolás Maduro mark one of the most dramatic assertions of American power in the Western Hemisphere in decades. The operation will likely stand alongside the most consequential unilateral interventions of the modern era, not only because of its immediate tactical audacity but because of…
History, Power, and the Peril of Governing by Spectacle
The controversy surrounding President Trump’s attempted National Guard deployments to major U.S. cities is not merely a skirmish over public safety policy. It is a revealing moment about how power is exercised, justified, and constrained in a constitutional republic, and about what happens when political theater collides with historical and legal reality. At its core,…
Credibility, Authority, and the Cost of Confusing Power with Truth
The controversy surrounding Donald Trump’s response to Russia’s claim that Ukraine attempted a drone attack near a residence associated with Vladimir Putin is not merely about diplomatic tone. It’s about something more foundational: how authority is exercised, how truth is discerned, and how public power either restrains or amplifies deception in moments of global consequence.…
Power, Pressure, and President Trump’s Pharma Deal
President Trump’s agreement with major pharmaceutical companies to reduce drug prices deserves more than a quick partisan reaction. It sits at the crossroads of health-care economics, executive power, and moral responsibility, and it raises a question Americans should keep asking long after the headlines fade: will this actually help patients, or is it merely another…
When Tragedy Happens, What Should Leadership Look Like?
The deaths of Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, found stabbed in their Los Angeles home, are shocking and heartbreaking on their own without political commentary layered on top. Their son, Nick Reiner, has been arrested on suspicion of the killings, with authorities calling it a homicide. In the midst of national shock…
Two Political Earthquakes and What They Say About American Power Today
Every once in a while, American politics hands us two stories that seem unrelated but actually rhyme like Psalms and Proverbs. Yesterday gave us exactly that: Matt Van Epps squeaking out a narrower-than-expected win in deep-red Tennessee, and President Trump issuing a full pardon to Democratic Rep. Henry Cuellar, whose corruption case involved some eyebrow-raising…
Power, Responsibility, and the Temptation to Cut Corners
If there’s been a theme running through recent headlines, it’s this: people in power—whether presidents, ministers, or mid-level bureaucrats—love shortcuts. They always sound reasonable in the moment, but they look a lot less brilliant when the dust settles. Take Bangladesh. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her niece Tulip Siddiq just found themselves convicted on…
America’s Institutions Are Cracking and Politics Is Still Swinging the Hammer
Some weeks in American politics feel like someone’s juggling chainsaws while riding a unicycle on a frozen lake: impressive in a terrifying way. This past stretch gave us two reminders of how wobbly our institutions have become: the Pentagon reviewing Senator Mark Kelly’s “illegal orders” video, and Georgia finally dropping its long-simmering 2020 election-interference case…
Leadership, Loyalty, Lines on a Map, and the Lives That Depend on Them
If the last few weeks of news have shown us anything, it’s that politics — whether in Washington, Texas, New York, Nigeria, or Gaza — is ultimately a test of character. And frankly, a lot of folks are not exactly passing with honors. But scattered across these stories are reminders of what actually matters: justice,…
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