It’s on. After back and forth negotiations, a deadline passes and what is being described as a “trade war” commences. What sort of trade war? The market’s collective judgment so far? Day one, the global markets shrug. We consider the negotiating strategies, risks, costs, and ripple effects. Go…
Energy Priorities, Geo-politics & Fracking in the US. As OPEC’s latest meeting concludes, let’s take a snapshot of worldwide oil/gas. The US has gone to the top of the heap and is exerting its muscle as the US president pleads for lower energy prices. Next chess move is from China-Russia with their Eurasia strategy
The historic meet up between North Korea and the US produced a page and a half ‘agreement’. This released result was all the public has been given to date. Behind the scenes, the world is assured, much is in the works. New meetings are planned. In North Korea, a campaign of politics with posters is […]
After the Singapore summit, the commentators, op-ed writers, columnists, analysts, foreign policy experts and seemingly everyone within reach of a keyboard or smartphone all have an opinion. Who are we not to join in with StratDem’s opinion? Consider the alternative to negotiating, “politics by other means”, war and potential catastrophic use of nuclear weapons
“I think I’m very well prepared. I don’t think I have to prepare very much. It’s about attitude, it’s about willingness to get things done. So this isn’t a question of preparation, it’s a question of whether or not people want it to happen, and we’ll know that very quickly.”
Well over a decade ago, Strategic Demands founders put together a unusual conference in Washington DC. Entitled “Surviving Victory”, an ominous look at the security horizon. The conference brought together one of our own, Roger Morris with his National Security Council and political historian experience, and experts such as Steve Clemons, Susan Rice, Pentagon expert […]
The nuclear question, the crisis, revolves around “CVID”. You ask, CVID? We answer, Complete, Verifiable and Irreversible Dismantlement (or Denuclearization?). Then we add calls for “complete nuclearization” on the Korean peninsula. Then we add — when, where, how, why. The world is asking for nuclear deescalation and not just on the Korean peninsula Update: […]
The credibility gap, as the phrase goes, extends its reach as news of death, violence, evangelical preachers and hard right politics comes from Israel and the U.S. Talk about a Jared Kushner-brokered peace is so unrealistic and distant as to produce cognitive dissonance, chaos, loss of hope
The lies of the Iraq war and subsequent disaster now shift toward an Iran disaster. After listening this past week to Israel’s PM present his country’s official POV regarding Iran, although it veered widely from top U.S. security officials public statements and testimony before Congress, the U.S. president has decided
The U.S. president threatens to throw out the Iran international agreement to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons. He wants to renegotiate in the Mideast. At the same time, he says he is going to meet with North Korea’s leader to ‘denuclearize the peninsula’. Agreements ended, allies lost, opportunities gained?
500 French, British and German MPs write to US counterparts to support the JCPOA. Quote: “Together, let’s keep the JCPOA alive and protect the fruits of successful diplomacy.”
As White House cabinet officials, aides and staff rapidly come and go, today comes Mike Pompeo. The CIA chief nominated to replace the recently departed Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, delivers a close presidential relationship and promises “not to play games at the negotiating table”
What’s an appropriate response to news of an unexpected meeting in Beijing and newest moves by the US president threatening trade war with China? The first shots in the trade war are now fired, global markets are responding, and the visit of N. Korea’s leader to meet the Chinese president signal a new asymmetrical conflict […]
(Excerpt) The President may direct the use of nuclear weapons through an execute order via the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to the combatant commanders and, ultimately, to the forces in the field exercising direct control of the weapons.
Tom Nichols Makes His Case. Strategic Demands’ editor responds… Former US Defense chief, William Perry, weighs in… Negotiating horizon? Time to prep? Two months. Negotiating prep to date? No visible prep. Korean Ambassador? No US Ambassador. Nuclear weapons experts? Arms Control team? Questionable at best. Winging it? Admittedly. Other options? War. Nuclear war. Dead-Hand Disaster.
Announced breakthrough in talks between North / South Korea… 1) Breaking: 2 Koreas 5 pt agreement: 1. inter-Korean summit end of April at Panmunjeom, 2. establish hotline between Moon-Kim to reduce tensions & consult, 3. NK has will to denuclearize, no reason to have nukes if security guaranteed, willing to have frank talks with US…
