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…
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.…
Deterrence, Covenant, and the Cost of Power
One of the dangers of modern geopolitics is that we talk about power almost exclusively in terms of capacity—how many missiles, how much money, how quickly we can move hardware—while forgetting that power, untethered from order and responsibility, has a long track record of going sideways. President Trump’s decision to move forward with a massive…
Beirut, Bombs, and the Endless Blame Game
There are two things you can always count on in the Middle East: somebody’s going to launch a rocket, and somebody’s going to swear it was “totally justified, absolutely necessary, and incredibly precise.” It’s like the region’s version of “eat, pray, love,” except it’s more “threaten, strike, retaliate.” Recently Israel carried out a pinpoint airstrike…
The Moral Weight of America’s Return to Nuclear Testing
When President Trump tells the Pentagon to dust off the old test tunnels in Nevada, you can almost hear the collective gasp echo from Washington to Geneva. After more than three decades of quiet on the nuclear front, the United States is preparing to “match Russia and China” by restarting nuclear weapons testing. That’s not…
East Timor Joins ASEAN: A Small Country with a Big Lesson for the World
East Timor just made history by becoming the 11th member of ASEAN, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. That might sound like bureaucratic alphabet soup, but it’s a big deal, both for Asia and for anyone who still believes in freedom, sovereignty, and self-determination. This marks ASEAN’s first expansion since the 1990s, and it welcomes…
Trump’s Sanctions on Russia: A Strong Move, But Long Overdue
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…
The Risks and Rewards of a Trump–Putin Summit in Budapest
As we all remember, President Trump and Vladimir Putin already met once this year: the much-ballyhooed Alaska Summit in August 2025. It was chilly in more ways than one. The meeting produced no binding agreement, no grand peace plan, and no Nobel-worthy handshake moment. But what it did produce was symbolism, lots of it. It…
The Arab States’ Moral and Strategic Test: Why They Can’t (or Won’t) Enforce Peace in Gaza
Every time the guns fall silent in Gaza, the world exhales like a nervous parent whose toddler finally stopped screaming. The diplomats dust off their talking points, the news anchors smile a little wider, and everyone starts asking the same hopeful question: “Who’s going to keep the peace this time?” Predictably, the answer that floats…
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…
The Independent Christian Conservative 