The “Great Game” is synonymous with the British and Russian geopolitical power rivalry in central Asia of the 19th and early 20th century. Now, that same rivalry has replicated itself in Syria, with the United States replacing Britain as Russia’s geostrategic adversary. So far, President Trump has cobbled together a narrowly focused strategy for Syria, […]
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Don’t Be Fooled Comparing Mexico/U.S. Crime Rates
Murders in two very different places have been making headlines lately, and they appear to be leading both tourists and people in the travel industry in two very different directions when it comes to making vacation plans. Every weekend, Chicago media outlets report on murders and shootings that occurred, and the numbers—sometimes in the double […]
Trump’s Iran Decision Resets International Attitude
In the wake of President Trump’s decision to scrap U.S. participation in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), lawmakers in Iran’s parliament burned an image of the American flag and shouted “Death to America!” on Wednesday. Leaders in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom released a statement Tuesday vowing continued commitment to the deal, […]
Caravan Migrants Count on Backlog for Long Stay
On April 29, approximately 400 migrants from Central America arrived in Tijuana, Mexico after traveling for weeks in a caravan from Honduras. Their goal was to present themselves to U.S. immigration officials and request asylum in the United States at the San Ysidro port of entry. However, that evening, Border Patrol commissioner Kevin McAleenan released […]
CBP Drone Use Raises Privacy, Effectiveness Questions
After more than a decade of Customs and Border Protection (CBP) drone use, a May 1 CATO Institute report recommends either discontinuing the program or curbing drone use to ensure Americans’ privacy. “Drones have led to only 0.5 percent of apprehensions at a cost of $32,000 per arrest,” wrote David J. Bier and Matthew Feeney […]
Defectors Tote Psychological Uncertainty, Heavy Baggage
The defector is a common character in any tale of spy-craft. Whether a defector is a conscientious objector or a traitor, however, is a matter of perspective. Among the definitions of a defector, there are several common factors. Essentially, a defector is an individual who sells or gives away proprietary information to an adversary – […]
Human Rights Abuses Overshadow N. Korea’s Overtures
Amid the euphoria surrounding the North/South Korea summit last week, North Korea’s human rights record must remain front and center during any negotiations or talks, says David Maxwell, a fellow at the Institute for Corean-American Studies. Speaking on The John Batchelor Show, Maxwell noted the roughly 250,000 prisoners who populate the rogue nation’s gulags and […]
National Debt is Biggest Security Threat to U.S.
Congress recently fired a shot across the bow of the Pentagon. The Defense Department was warned that it better take advantage of the two-year budget boost in defense spending because lean years are coming. The U.S. now has to grapple with a $21 trillion national debt. Budget deficits are returning to the $1 trillion annual […]
Hanson: California Immigration Debate Incoherent
Victor Davis Hanson, historian and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution, sat down for “The Classicist” podcast recently and explored the complexities of the ongoing illegal immigration debate. He began by relating a story of one of his best students at Cal State Fresno. The student was in the country illegally and trying desperately to […]
North Korea Nuclear Test Site Collapsed
The South China Morning Post reported April 25 that the mountain site where North Korea has conducted five nuclear tests has collapsed. The Punggye-ri nuclear test site, which includes Mount Mantap, is about 400 miles northeast of Pyongyang. “One group of researchers found that the most recent blast tore open a hole in the mountain, […]