a common sense approach to a liberal world
The media uproar over the murder of Jamal Khashoggi continues. Citing “people familiar with the matter,” the Washington Post has reported that the “CIA has concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered the assassination.” A spokesman for the CIA declined to comment in response to the Post’s inquiries.
President Trump said he has spoken with CIA Director Gina Haspel and a full report will be made public on Tuesday, November 20.Continue Reading
The Magnitsky Act, co-sponsored by Senators John McCain and Ben Cardiff, was signed into law by Obama in December 2012. The Act barred Russian officials suspected of human rights abuses from entering the United States, allowed for their U.S. assets to be frozen, and prohibited financial transactions with U.S. financial firms. The Act was expanded in 2016, allowing the U.S. Government to sanction foreign government officials anywhere in the world.
The Magnitsky Act came into being through the actions of Bill Browder, the CEO of Hermitage Capital Management. Hermitage Capital was formed in 1996 for the purpose of investing in Russia. The firm benefited from the wave of privatization that occurred, ultimately becoming one of the largest foreign investors in Russia.Continue Reading
A story in the New Yorker from two days ago recently caught my eye.Continue Reading
Those who’ve followed me for a bit or are readers of my blog are probably aware I’m fully in favor of free trade. I’m also in favor of President Trump’s use of tariffs as a negotiating tool.Continue Reading
The other day John Brennan sent a tweet on tariffs (thoughts here) & Iran:Continue Reading
Yesterday I did a twitter thread on the President’s use of tariffs and then dove a bit further into trade balances and under-employment.
I am not in favor of tariffs as an economic policy. But I am in favor of the manner in which President Trump is currently using them.Continue Reading
President Trump did an Interview with CNBC’s Joe Kernen on Thursday July 19, 2018.
Full Credit to the Conservative Treehouse for pointing this GREAT interview out.Continue Reading
You’re not dealing with Russia. You’re making Russia richer. – President Donald J. Trump
President Trump attended a meeting with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
It didn’t exactly go as Stoltenberg hoped:Continue Reading
Yesterday, the Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s Travel Restrictions in a 5-4 Ruling on Trump v. Hawaii.Continue Reading
Many observers have noted that populism is inherent to representative democracy; after all, do populists not juxtapose ‘the pure people’ against ‘the corrupt elite’? – Cas Mudde
On April 25, 2017, I wrote the following words in an article titled The EU’s Two Intractable Issues & Election Anxiety:
Brussels is breathing a sigh of relief. Macron is heavily favored to win the runoff election according to polls.
But Brussels should not feel overly confident with this short-term respite. While Le Pen is likely to lose the runoff election, it’s telling that candidates from the French establishment parties were defeated.
Italy may be the true test for the European Union. Indeed, Italy may be the place where the fate of the European Union is decided.Continue Reading