Like many Americans, Memorial Day never ceases to move me. Rivaled only by Christmas and Easter, it’s the most poignant time of the year for me, maybe because, like Christmas and Easter, it’s about life, death, and remembrance. This Memorial … Continue reading
Military & Foreign Policy
Reflections on the French Election
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. The election of Socialist Party candidate Francois Hollande to the presidency of France epitomizes the sorry state of contemporary democracy. By that, I don’t mean to imply that the French … Continue reading
Afghanization
President Barack Obama’s five-point plan for turning the war back to the Afghans is designed to cover the withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces and “forge a just and lasting peace.” What does the plan involve, and can it work? … Continue reading
Remember Victory-In-Europe Day
December 1941 is usually remembered by Americans as that fateful month when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, thus thrusting the United States into World War II. However, consider an alternate scenario: Adolf Hitler appears triumphantly before the Reichstag announcing the destruction … Continue reading
Lessons Not Learned From Vietnam
After the fall of Saigon on April 29, 1975, military and civilian strategists sought “lessons learned.” Many were tactical or technical, such as the operational effectiveness of precision-guided munitions and the continuing need for guns on jet fighters. At the … Continue reading
Team Obama: Tax Predators On The Prowl
Obama, the Russians, and Missile Defense: Historical Parallels
President Obama has caused quite a stir with a private comment made to Russian President Dimitri Medvedev. In discussing missile defense, Obama suggested he would be prepared to yield to Russian demands after the November election. “This is my last … Continue reading
Bumper Sticker History: Remembering Some Truly Audacious Military Operations
On March 19, speaking at a Morris Township, New Jersey Democratic Party fundraiser, Vice President Joe Biden provided what may be the mother of all election year bumper stickers when he asserted, “Osama Bin Laden is dead and General Motors … Continue reading
Viral Video and International Justice
Can a viral video on the internet bring the world’s most wanted criminal to justice? This question is at the core of a video viewed more than 77 million times during the last week. Who is this most wanted criminal, and … Continue reading
Iran: Israel’s Options
Late in the summer of 1961, President John F. Kennedy asked the Air Force to plan a nuclear first strike on the Soviet Union. The plan involved 55 B-52 bombers hitting 80 targets to degrade Soviet Long Range Air Force … Continue reading
Sorry Mess: Presidential Apologies and Pardons
Much ink has flowed over the recent apologies from President Barack Obama, Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, and General John Allen, commander of NATO forces in Afghanistan, following the burning of copies of the Koran … Continue reading
Strategic Abdication
From Damascus to Tehran, a test for world leadership is underway. Daily, the Syrian military—well-armed, highly trained thugs whose current mission is to keep dictator Bashar Assad in power—kills up to 200 or more of its own citizens. Protests from … Continue reading
Preparing the Military for Future Threats
With breaking news of a U.S. Navy SEAL team successfully rescuing two hostages from pirates in Somalia, military pundits are quick to note how the deployment of small, elite units will fit in with President Barack Obama’s vision for modernizing … Continue reading
Military Modernization: Back to the Future
President Barack Obama’s vision for modernizing the U.S. military is little more than an exercise in “back to the future.” Consider: Back in 2001, the armed forces were nearly a decade into positing what 21st-century warfare would entail. These considerations … Continue reading
A Kim-Less Christmas
Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at American Thinker. This past Christmas, the people of North Korea were without their messiah. That is, their self-anointed messiah. For a sense of just how bad was Kim Jong-Il, I … Continue reading
Remembering the Battlers of the Bulge
On December 16, 1944, the men of Lieutenant Lyle Bouck’s platoon had their all-night vigil interrupted by a pre-dawn fusillade of artillery rounds from a hundred German guns, their muzzle flashes punctuating the darkness like a volley of fireballs hurled … Continue reading
China’s “Superior” Economic Model?
In a recent piece for the Wall Street Journal, Andy Stern, an Obama insider and one of organized labor’s more aggressive personalities, praised what he called “China’s superior economic model.” Does China have a superior economic model? That depends: Superior … Continue reading
AUDIO — V&V Executive Director on “Thinking in Public” with Albert Mohler
On December 4, the Executive Director of The Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College, Dr. Paul Kengor, discussed Christianity and the Cold War on “Thinking in Public” with Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. … Continue reading
Corporate Social Responsibility: New EU Strategy Threatens U.S. and European Companies
Iran: How to Lose
Once again, tensions between Iran and the international community are on the rise as the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, released a new report that warns of concealed attempts by Iran to produce an atomic bomb. … Continue reading