A nation must think before it acts.
E-Notes
E-Notes are policy-oriented articles covering current developments around the globe that impinge upon American foreign policy and national security priorities.
Out“Foxed”: The Vulpine Network Keeps Swinging and Missing at the Carter Page FISA Applications
Much has been said and written about the initial (and three subsequent) applications used to obtain authority under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to electronically surveil former Trump foreign policy advisor Carter Page. First approved by the Foreign...
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Inexorable Changes in U.S. Foreign Policy?
It seems to be an article of faith among many members of the U.S. foreign policy community that, whenever Donald Trump—and his administration—leaves office, a subsequent president (whether a Democrat or a non-Trumpist Republican) will push a reset button...
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The Big Squeeze: Beijing’s Anaconda Strategy to Force Taiwan to Surrender
Much overlooked in continuing discussions about arms sales and what kind of strategy Taiwan should employ to counter an invasion by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) is the reality that the Beijing government’s real aim is to force...
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Saudi Arabia’s New Realism in Iraq
Many analysts have attempted to explain the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s outreach to post-2003 Iraq as a desire for Riyadh to have its say in Baghdad’s politics and to counter Iran’s influence. One overlooked motivation central to Saudi Arabia’s...
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Reversing Pension Policy in Russia…Again
About a month after Vladimir Putin’s re-election as President of the Russian Federation in March 2018, Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev announced that the Russian government would be considering proposals to increase Russia’s pension age. This announcement was a reversal...
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The FISA Court’s Essential Purpose
Although memories fade, there are still those of us who remember the remarkable congressional hearings in the 1970s revealing what seemed to be an endless parade of abuses conducted by the nation’s intelligence services at the direction of the...
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The Brewing Battle over U.S. Troop Presence in Syria
The U.S. presently maintains a force of some 2,000 troops located mostly in the northeast of Syria. These units have provided direct military support to local Syrian militias (largely Kurdish) who have been critical ingredients in the successful fight...
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When Europe and Japan Move Ahead without the U.S.
Speculation about the outbreak of trade wars is high, as the Trump administration seemingly has no plans to deescalate threats of imposing tariffs to decrease the U.S. deficit. Never mind that none other than the Federal Reserve is cautioning...
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How China Dictates the Rules of the Game
Recently, news coverage of Asia has focused on Donald Trump’s trade war against the People’s Republic of China (PRC). While it is an important story, as we have seen ad nauseam with Mr. Trump, he changes his mind quite...
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The Carter Page FISA Applications: Much Risk to FISA, Little New Insight, But a Rebuff to the Nunes Narrative
For the first time since the passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) in 1978, the Unites States government has released publicly an application seeking FISA surveillance authority. It was a seminal moment for all the wrong reasons....
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