April 17, 2021
Afghanistan Withdrawal
President Biden’s announcement of our withdrawal from Afghanistan by September is correct for the simple reason that we achieved our objective of defeating Al Qaeda and killing Osama Bin Laden, as I previously argued. Even if the Taliban regain power, we can control any threat through immigration, trade and other sanctions.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/14/us/politics/biden-afghanistan-troop-withdrawal.html
War with China & Russia?
Meanwhile, this article raises the possibility that China and Russia would coordinate attacks on Taiwan and Ukraine. However, it also argues against American military intervention in either war.
USS Theodore Roosevelt Carrier Strike Group in South China Sea
We still need to show that the US will defend our interests and allies in Asia. Thus, the USS Theodore Roosevelt is currently executing a Freedom of Navigation Operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea to challenge China’s militarization of this shipping lane in clear violation of international law.
https://www.cpf.navy.mil/news.aspx/130841
The Myth of a Rules-Based Order
When I was in China, the Shanghai Admiralty Court trumpeted the fact that China had signed the International Law of the Sea Treaty in contrast to the US. Chinese militarization of the South China Sea in clear violation of the treaty shows, as this article says, we live in a world of great power rivalry and not the globalist dream of a rules-based order.
https://www.realclearworld.com/articles/2021/04/12/the_myth_of_a_rules-based_world_772304.html