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22. John J. Metzler

Japan's defense reawakening

There's a significant sea change occurring in Japanese defense policy. Some would say it's the result of a political Tsunami. Others would argue it's a long overdue wake-up call.

2023-01-24 16:40

Cuban spy release shines light on darker tragedy

It's all about the timing. Ana Belen Montes, an American who served more than 20 years in federal prison for spying for the then-Castro regime while serving as a senior analyst in the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) in Washington, has been released. But this case is hardly the ho-hum end to another Cold War espionage story.

2023-01-19 16:30

Koreas to remain on alert in 2023

It's that time of year to gaze into the crystal snow globe and try to see the stories on the horizon which will affect the New Year. Our world remains an increasingly tumultuous place and the tragedy of expanding conflicts is only surpassed by the waves of refugees fleeing those troubles.

2023-01-12 16:45

Why does Biden want to buy Venezuelan oil?

During the U.S.' Thanksgiving holiday, the Biden administration announced it was quietly reversing policy and allowing limited petroleum imports from Venezuela. The Treasury Department lifted restrictions permitting a six-month deal to ease sanctions so that Chevron petroleum can buy and then ship Venezuelan crude oil to American refineries.

2022-12-13 16:50

North Korea looks for attention with missile diplomacy

North Korea's petulant and isolated regime wants attention. It's thirty-something dictator, Kim Jong-un, vies for the noxious notoriety that much of the world has focused on Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine or Xi Jinping's military threats to Taiwan. Poor little Kim had his fire and fury moment back in 2017 until he was put back in his box by the Trump administration.

2022-12-07 16:50

Iran pulls back the veil

The women-led uprising against Iran's Islamic Republic continues. Under the inspiring slogan, Woman, Life, Freedom, the movement confronting Tehran's theocratic regime is widening and has now gained vital political support from key Western countries, many of which have long rationalized their political and business links with Iran.

2022-11-24 14:03

UN panel slams Beijing's rights abuses in Xinjiang

A high-level U.N. panel has slammed Beijing's ongoing and egregious human rights abuses in the western Xinjiang regions of the People's Republic. China's human rights violations have been committed through the use of “severe and undue restrictions” that are “characterized by a discriminatory component, as the underlying acts often directly or indirectly affect Uyghur and other predominantly Muslim communities.”

2022-11-09 14:29

UN Assembly elects new human rights guardians

The U.N. General Assembly just concluded its election for 14 new members in the Human Rights Council. Delegates have chosen a conclave of candidates who sit in somber judgment of global freedoms and virtues, though ironically, many of these new members selected are actually among the very abusers and rights violators the Council is presumably monitoring.

2022-10-23 17:00

North Korea's 'don't forget me' missile diplomacy

In a strange but not unexpected twist to a world in turmoil, North Korea's bellicose leadership has carried out a series of missile tests not seen since 2017. One particularly provocative firing of an intermediate range rocket flew right over Japan. Two short-range ballistic missiles were shot into the sea on the eve of U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris's visit to South Korea and the DMZ.

2022-10-13 17:00

Iran rocked by protests; world watches politely

Massive and spreading protests have rocked Iran in the wake of widening social discontent following the death of a young woman while in police custody. Her crime? Not wearing the obligatory headscarf properly. Demonstrations across the country have jolted the Islamic Republic to its core as thousands of women publicly and provocatively remove and then burn their headscarves, or hijab, in public.

2022-10-04 16:39

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