Author: Walt Zlotow

We need to go back 31 years to begin the diplomatic failures that led to war in Ukraine Wednesday. When the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991, it represented one of the most remarkably peaceful transformations of a belligerent empire in history. The West had a golden opportunity to embrace that transformation, incorporate Russia into the European community, but chose not to. Rather than dissolve NATO, the U.S. promoted Russia as an existential threat to Western Europe, requiring its expansion. Beginning with Poland, Hungary and Cech Republic, NATO gobbled up 12 former Soviet republics, encroaching senselessly right up to Russia’s borders.

George F. Kennan, architect of U.S. strategic containment of the Soviets in 1947 that led to NATO in 1949, was aghast at this diplomatic blunder saying, “I think it is the beginning of a new cold war. I think the Russians will gradually react quite adversely and it will affect their policies. I think it is a tragic mistake. There was no reason for this whatsoever. No one was threatening anybody else. This expansion would make the Founding Fathers of this country turn over in their graves.”

Continue reading “All War Is Essentially a Failure of Diplomacy. Russia’s Criminal War in Ukraine Is a Prime Example.”

President Biden announced Friday he’s “convinced” Russia will invade Ukraine “in the coming week. When challenged why he thought that, he replied “significant intelligence capabilities.

Of course, the president and Congress  have been saying attack is imminent for the last 2 months. During that time both have been ratcheting up weapons sales to Ukraine and other pro West states on Russia’s border. Over $650 million in weaponry in pouring into Ukraine and $6 billion of it, including 250 Abrams tanks, has just been sold to Poland.

Continue reading “Ukraine Crisis a Boondoggle for US Munitions Makers”

The Afghan economy has crashed into ruin from 20 years of U.S. warfare. The UN’s World Food Program estimates 23 million of Afghanistan’s 40 million people face starvation. The economy is in free-fall, putting Afghanistan into humanitarian crisis.

But the Biden administration is fueling Afghanistan’s descent into darkness by holding $7 billion in Afghan funds in the Federal Reserve. That represents the entire reserve of the Afghan central bank; cash desperately needed to restart the Afghan economy.

Instead of releasing those assets forthwith, Biden is committing outright theft of $3.5 billion to set aside for victims of the 911 attacks. The other half being withheld will go into a trust fund to be doled out for Afghan relief as the US sees fit. Meanwhile Afghans die every day from lack of food and medicine.

Continue reading “Biden Theft of Starving Afghans’ Treasure a Humanitarian Crime”

President Biden is calling on the Taliban Afghan government to release Navy vet and civil engineer Mark Frerichs after 2 years of captivity in Afghanistan. Once America was ousted from Afghanistan last August 30, the victorious Taliban should have released Frerichs forthwith. Their failure to do so is a cruel act causing much needless pain to Frerichs, his family, friends, neighbors; indeed all Americans.

But while Biden is demanding Frerichs release, he’s strangling the Afghan economy with cruel, inhuman sanctions that degreed life for Afghanistan’s 40 million people. His cruelest sanction is withholding of $9.4 billion of Afghan assets in the Federal Reserve. Upwards of 23 million Afghans face starvation this year. Food insufficiency affects 98% of Afghans. Many Afghans die every day from America’s sore loser punishment for the Taliban defeating the world’s most powerful country.

Continue reading “Time for US To Recognize Taliban Afghan Government and Stop Starving Millions”

Maybe Russia will invade Ukraine, maybe they won’t. But America’s apparent all or nothing negotiations where America wins, Russia loses, actually makes invasion more likely.

Russia has valid national security concerns going back 30 years when the U.S. promised Russia, NATO would not expand one inch into former Soviet territory once Russia pulled its troops from East Germany, allowing German reunification. Surprise, surprise. NATO went on a recruitment binge, bringing 13 former soviet republics into NATO and encouraging 2 more, Georgia and Ukraine as well.

The latter two represented a threat too far for Russia to accept. In 2008, egged on by President George W. Bush and Senator John McCain, Georgia initiated military action to regain 2 Russian leaning breakaway provinces. Russia responded with overwhelming force that crushed the Georgian incursion. Realizing Georgia acted irresponsibly in goading Russia to counterattack, and that the war was of no material consequence to the West, the West did nothing.

Continue reading “The Russians Are Coming, the Russians Are Coming”

They can’t get Build Back Better for America passed but House and Senate Dems are greenlighting Kill Back Better of a cool half a billion in weaponry for Ukraine to stop an imagined Russian invasion. OK, maybe Russia will invade, but certainly won’t if America will simply negotiate Russia’s valid security concerns of endless encroachment by NATO up to the Russian border, including the placement of offensive missiles.

The Dems security proposal tops the war obsessed GOP’s Ukraine giveaway by $50,000,000. Even Illinois’ normally decent Senator Dick Durbin co-sponsors this utter waste of our precious treasure. U.S. military aid to Ukraine since we inspired and supported the 2014 coup that ousted the democratically elected Russian leaning Ukraine president tops $5,000,000,000.

Continue reading “Democrats Pushing ‘Kill Back Better’ for Ukraine”