The Need for Whistleblowers
Despite the increasingly bizarre and even tyrannical behavior of Donald Trump, the mainstream media are still assuring Americans that our checks and balances are in play, and that the “guardrails” of democracy are in place. Serious pundits are even suggesting that the likelihood of impeachment has become greater and that the 25th amendment of the constitution, which offers protection against presidential disability, could be apt. My own view is that there has been serious deterioration in the institutions of governance over the past several decades, particularly in the area of political oversight, and that our political roller coaster will continue in the near term.
Even before his inauguration, Donald Trump indicated that he would be waging a war on intelligence on every level, not only the institutions of the intelligence community but the larger issue of intelligence or expertise. He has big plans for economic policy, but there are no genuine economists in his circle. Trump talks about foreign policy, but there are no diplomats in the conversation. He has huge areas of ignorance, but no interest in finding individuals with real expertise.
Recent News and Latest Book
The Disappearance of International Law
The United States is devoting insufficient attention and resources to the possibility of bilateral dialogue with potential adversaries that could ameliorate the international horrors that currently exist. Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has stated that there are “no barriers” to nuclear negotiations with the United States. There has been no response from the Biden administration. China wants the United States to ease its pressures on Beijing in order to stabilize bilateral relations and to enter discussions of nuclear matters. At this point in time, President Joe Biden is the first U.S. president to avoid travel to China in more than 50 years. Putin is looking for ways to reopen a dialogue with the United States, but Biden believes he has nothing to say to the Russian president.
A Looming Nuclear Catastrophe
The next president will inherit a nuclear landscape that is more threatening and volatile than any other since the dangers of the Cuban missile crisis more than 60 years ago. China is expanding its nuclear arsenal; Russia is threatening the use of nuclear weapons against Ukraine and warning about World War III; Iran’s nuclear program is expanding rapidly in size and sophistication; and North Korea reportedly has a nuclear arsenal that rivals three nuclear states that never joined the Non-Proliferation Treaty: Israel, India, and Pakistan.
