The ongoing protests in Iran, and the sharp rhetorical clash between Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and U.S. President Donald Trump, expose a regime under acute internal stress and a population that increasingly rejects the moral authority of its rulers. What began as economic unrest driven by inflation, unemployment, and collapsing living standards has matured into…
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…
A Time of Strategic Boldness and Consequential Questions
As we approach the 2026 midterm elections, President Trump is not retreating to the customary presidential sidelines. Instead, he has made clear — through his own advisers and actions — that he intends to play a front-and-center role in influencing Republican outcomes. White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles stated publicly that Trump will be…
Washington Needs Less Drama and More Decency
If you’ve glanced at the headlines lately, you may have noticed that Washington is starting to look less like the capital of the world’s greatest republic and more like a crossover episode of CSI, Survivor, and The Office. We’ve got Congress hauling in Jack Smith for a closed-door testimony that he wanted to give in…
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…
Mixed Signals in the War on Drugs
The U.S. scored a hard-fought win with the guilty plea of Joaquín Guzmán López — son of infamously brutal cartel boss Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán — a leader in the cartel faction known as “Los Chapitos.” He admitted overseeing massive trafficking of fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and other narcotics into the United States. That’s the kind…
Israel at a Crossroads
When a head of government asks to be pardoned before being convicted, a red flag should go up, not only in the courthouse, but in the hearts of the people. That’s where Israel stands today. Netanyahu, already the only sitting prime minister in the country’s history to undergo a corruption trial, has formally requested a…
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