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Author Archives: Charles Duelfer
Unavoidable Elements of the Ukraine Crisis
Western policy to prevent further Russian aggression in Ukraine is hobbled by a few inescapable problems. The government in Ukraine is weak from the top down. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is no Vladimir Putin. While they both stand about 5 … Continue reading
Posted in Allies, China, NATO, nuclear weapons, Russia, Ukraine, United Nations
Tagged Lavrov, Putin, Russia, Ukraine, Zelensky
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Oops – Human in the Loop
There was a discussion at the Council on Foreign Relations last week with Henry Kissinger (former Secretary of State) and Eric Schmidt (former chairman of Google) moderated by Judy Woodruff (PBS NewsHour). The subject was their newly released book, “The … Continue reading
Taiwan is to Xi Jinping as Ukraine is to Vladimir Putin…
This analogy is too simple, but helps to think about the vise jaws that the Biden Administration now finds itself between. The similarities: Both Xie and Putin have maneuvered to be in power for the foreseeable future. The duration of … Continue reading
Posted in Allies, China, Cyber Threat, Elections, Intelligence, NATO, Russia, Ukraine
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Bill Burns – A Glimmer of Hope
Finally there is some ground for imagining a glimmer of hope in Afghanistan. CIA Director Bill Burns is reported to have met with Taliban leadership in Kabul Monday. Burns is exactly the right person with, hopefully, the right amount of … Continue reading
Posted in Allies, China, Intelligence, Russia, Terrorism
Tagged Afghanistan, Bill Burns, China, Russia, Taliban
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Afghanistan: Looming Tragedy – Will President Biden Blame Bad Intelligence?
President Biden visited the Office of the Director of National Intelligence Tuesday (27 July). In his public remarks he praised the Intelligence Community (IC) and promised to never politicize their work. Sounds promising and clear-cut. But reality is never that … Continue reading
Posted in Allies, Intelligence, Iraq, NATO, Uncategorized
Tagged Afghanistan, Bill Burns, Mary Louise Kelly, National Public Radio, President Biden
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BYOB? — US and UK F-35s operate from UK Carrier against ISIS
UK and US F-35s have conducted strike missions against ISIS targets from the new carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. (https://theaviationist.com/2021/06/21/f-35b-hmsqe-shader/ ) This is good news. It points to the potency of close allies working together. We draw strength in many ways … Continue reading
Reward for What?!
According to news reports, the US State Department announced that in response to the continued attacks on US diplomatic personal and assistance missions in Iraq it was offering a reward of $3 million for information about the perpetrators. This seemed … Continue reading
Posted in Allies, Iran, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Sunni, Syria
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The New CIA Director
Ambassador William J. Burns is a great and timely choice to head the CIA. He will assure that the Administration has the intelligence collection and analysis for the critical security issues facing the United States. He is a long time … Continue reading
Posted in Allies, China, Cyber Threat, Elections, Intelligence, Iran, Russia, Uncategorized, WMD
Tagged Bill Burns, China, Russia
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The Most Hyperbole In the History of the Galaxy, Or, Does Democracy in America Really Hang by a Thread?
The recurrent statements following the chaos of January 6, were nothing, if not cataclysmic, i.e. “democracy hangs by a thread!” Unfortunately, foreign friends and allies tend to watch events in Washington via television like everyone else. On multiple occasions conversations … Continue reading
Posted in Allies, China, Elections, journalism coverage, NATO, Russia, Uncategorized, United Nations
Tagged Reporting Hyperbole
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9-11 Nineteen Years On…
This day used to re-kindle memories of an attack against America. Little attention is now paid. It does not fit the current narrative. In this political season, neither candidate benefits from the old narrative. Today’s atmosphere seems to be that … Continue reading