The word “impunity” haunts President Enrique Pena Nieto of Mexico. It may well scar his historical legacy. For angry and disenchanted Mexican citizens across the political spectrum, “impunity” means two things simultaneously. It signifies the deep and embedded injustice within their nation’s governing institutions and society. When shouted by protestors, it expresses deep distrust of […]
Austin Bay
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Turkey’s president must respect democracy
In the first critical hours of last week’s attempted military coup, the vast majority of Turkish citizens made it clear that when it comes to changing government leaders, they believe in ballots, not bullets. Every major Turkish political party, including the ethnic Kurdish Peoples Democracy Party, quickly rejected claims by coup spokesmen that the will […]
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South China Sea decision a blow to China
Arbitrators in The Hague have given the Philippines a unanimous legal victory over China, one that definitely frustrates China’s “divide and conquer” strategy for gaining sovereign control of the South China Sea. The ruling, however, does not answer the question that could ignite a deadly regional war. Given China’s immense military and economic power, how […]
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Russia the topic of NATO July summit
NATO’s summit meeting in Warsaw, scheduled to begin July 8, comes at a difficult yet opportune time for the alliance. The difficulties NATO confronts are evident. Major challenges include terrorism by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria as well as the security impact of Syrian refugees flooding European NATO nations. The modernization of military […]
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Britain’s declaration of independence
The British separation from the European Union of June 23, 2016, doesn’t precisely replicate the American Declaration of Independence from the British empire on July 4, 1776. However, Britain’s 21st-century rebels and their 18th-century American cousins share several provocative and encouraging traits, which Americans should laud this coming July Fourth. Let’s deal with the numbers […]
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Fighting in Mali rates international attention
For most Americans, the battle in Mali with militant Islamist terrorists is an obscure and peripheral sideshow in the Global War on Terror. However, the U.N. peacekeepers and French troops deployed there know the Mali sideshow is most deadly. StrategyPage.com recently reported that Mali is now the most physically dangerous U.N. peacekeeping mission, exceeding the […]
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Orlando the latest ISIS battleground
ISIS has claimed responsibility for the June 12 early-morning terror attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. Terrorist Omar Mateen murdered at least 49 people and wounded 53. He held hostages for three hours, until a police SWAT team killed him. Mainstream media have focused on Orlando’s proximity to Disneyland. A war is on, […]
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Opposition grows to China expansion
On June 4, in a speech given at Singapore’s annual Asia Security Summit, U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter proposed Asian and Pacific nations increase defense cooperation. Ashton suggested nations with common security interests should expand on an already existing “security network” that has emerged during the past 25 years. Ashton phrased his request carefully, […]
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Islamic State utilizing human shields
In mid-May, Iraqi officials and U.S. advisers expressed deep concern that Islamic State fighters defending the city of Fallujah would employ “human shields.” On May 31, Islamic State fighters began using human shields — hostages — to blunt an Iraqi Army attack in Fallujah’s southern neighborhoods. Fox News reported that the shields consisted of “several […]
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U.S., Vietnam share strategic interests
The Obama Administration’s decision to permit sales of U.S. weaponry to Vietnam is another step toward publicly acknowledging that a trans-Pacific coalition is forming to oppose China’s imperial expansion in southeast Asia and east Asia. The Philippines, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea and the U.S. are key members of this coalition, which began emerging more than […]