Bill, I bought your Book. You're fortunate to have all those memories of your father. My father split when I was 7 and I never knew him. I was raised by my welfare mother and 3 older sisters.
But whether it's by wild fires or the fires of nuclear War this is an interesting proposition;
Over the weekend, President Trump sat down with Ukrainian President Zelensky and VP Vance for a diplomatic discussion.
Although the internet is abuzz with reactions to the fiery exchanges (and I’ll leave you to decide how to feel about it) the thing that really struck me was that it all happened in front of cameras, and with full transparency to the watching world.
That’s a big change from what we’re used to.
It got me thinking: Imagine if all diplomacy worked this way.
For years, politicians and bureaucrats have treated foreign policy as something far too complex for regular people to understand—as if the business of war and peace belongs to a select group of elites making deals behind closed doors.
And yet, time and again, those deals end in disaster for regular people.
Transparency would change a lot of this, I think.
If the public could see the conversations that lead to war, I believe they’d demand different outcomes. If the true motivations behind conflicts were exposed, fewer people would be willing to send their children to fight and die in wars.................................................................
What struck me about it, Ray, was that there were two actors involved.
i like this observation from The Take's Jon Militimore:
WAS ZELENSKYY'S OVAL OFFICE SQUABBLE THEATER? After watching the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting go sideways, I asked myself how Zelenskyy could blow a deal he and his country need so badly. The answer may be quite simple: he didn't.
It seemed to me it really went off the rails when Vance was PO'd because Zelensky talked well about Biden during the election.
With Trump having his own devoted Sect of US Christian Nationalism and all those Republicans thinking of themselves as being most Christian, they dismiss this important insight in chapter 5 from the brief Book of James, the brother Jesus: Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest you be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door.
With Trump obsessed with past grudges it's not a good sign for our Futures!
It may not have been "wise," but it was certainly predictable and understandable that Zelensky would root for the folks who had provided military, intelligence, economic, and diplomatic support to his government once Russia's SMO was launched.
On the other hand, how much similar support did Trump 1.0 provide, enabling the Kyiv government to kill a total of 14,000 Eastern Ukrainians before the SMO?
No, Jeff. It’s very difficult for me, as the author, to see which are “best” and which are “so-so.” Plus they’re already in the public domain and available for free.
Bill, I bought your Book. You're fortunate to have all those memories of your father. My father split when I was 7 and I never knew him. I was raised by my welfare mother and 3 older sisters.
But whether it's by wild fires or the fires of nuclear War this is an interesting proposition;
Over the weekend, President Trump sat down with Ukrainian President Zelensky and VP Vance for a diplomatic discussion.
Although the internet is abuzz with reactions to the fiery exchanges (and I’ll leave you to decide how to feel about it) the thing that really struck me was that it all happened in front of cameras, and with full transparency to the watching world.
That’s a big change from what we’re used to.
It got me thinking: Imagine if all diplomacy worked this way.
For years, politicians and bureaucrats have treated foreign policy as something far too complex for regular people to understand—as if the business of war and peace belongs to a select group of elites making deals behind closed doors.
And yet, time and again, those deals end in disaster for regular people.
Transparency would change a lot of this, I think.
If the public could see the conversations that lead to war, I believe they’d demand different outcomes. If the true motivations behind conflicts were exposed, fewer people would be willing to send their children to fight and die in wars.................................................................
https://tuttletwins.com/newsletter/a-rare-look-at-actual-diplomacy-and-a-glaring-truth-about-u-s-foreign-policy/
Thanks, Ray. Hang on to that book. It's a rarity! (Based on tepid sales :-)
What struck me about it, Ray, was that there were two actors involved.
i like this observation from The Take's Jon Militimore:
WAS ZELENSKYY'S OVAL OFFICE SQUABBLE THEATER? After watching the Trump-Zelenskyy meeting go sideways, I asked myself how Zelenskyy could blow a deal he and his country need so badly. The answer may be quite simple: he didn't.
Full article at https://jjmilt.substack.com/p/was-zelenskyys-oval-office-squabble .
It seemed to me it really went off the rails when Vance was PO'd because Zelensky talked well about Biden during the election.
With Trump having his own devoted Sect of US Christian Nationalism and all those Republicans thinking of themselves as being most Christian, they dismiss this important insight in chapter 5 from the brief Book of James, the brother Jesus: Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest you be condemned: behold, the judge stands before the door.
With Trump obsessed with past grudges it's not a good sign for our Futures!
Yes. I agree. It wasn't wise of Zelensky to campaign openly for Biden/Harris and the Dems.
It may not have been "wise," but it was certainly predictable and understandable that Zelensky would root for the folks who had provided military, intelligence, economic, and diplomatic support to his government once Russia's SMO was launched.
On the other hand, how much similar support did Trump 1.0 provide, enabling the Kyiv government to kill a total of 14,000 Eastern Ukrainians before the SMO?
Hi Bill; just Kindled it and thoroughly enjoyed the Preface and Chapter 1. Looking forward to reading it all.
And i gotta ask [as i have before]: When are You going to put together a BEST OF Collection of Your Work for publication?
Thanks, Jeff. I'm gathering all 110 essays from TomDispatch into one volume. I hope to publish it through Amazon in April or May. Over 200,000 words!
Thinking about it further, have You considered doing a BEST OF Bracing Views?
No, Jeff. It’s very difficult for me, as the author, to see which are “best” and which are “so-so.” Plus they’re already in the public domain and available for free.
Rog.
Roger THAT, Colonel. Let us know when it's available.