Clifford D. May

The imperative of deterrence

Are we at war yet? Over recent days, warnings of a gathering storm have been ubiquitous and incessant. Published May 21, 2019

The United States must be stronger than any combination of colluding adversaries

How do you kill a lion? Years ago in Kenya, the question arose (no doubt over too many Tusker beers) and someone gave me what sounded like an authoritative answer. Published May 14, 2019

China isn’t what it used to be

Last week, presidential contender Joseph Biden asked rhetorically: "China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man!" He added: "I mean, you know, they're not bad folks. But guess what, they're not competition for us!" Published May 7, 2019

Vladimir Putin plays a weak hand well

Vladimir Putin wants to make Russia great again. He defines great as powerful, nothing more, nothing less. If you keep that in mind, everything he does makes perfect sense. Published April 30, 2019

The Battle of Afghanistan and the contest of wills

Afghanistan is often said to be America's longest war, but that's imprecise. Afghanistan is the longest battle in what some of us insist on calling The Long War. When did the conflict begin? Published April 23, 2019

Socialist eras and errors

Socialism is cool again, thanks not least to septuagenarian Sen. Bernie Sanders and millennial Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (aka AOC). Socialism has been cool before, of course, notably during the Great Depression and what became known as the Sixties, the era of Vietnam, the civil rights movement, hippies and the (old) New Left. Published April 16, 2019

Trump’s clear view of the Golan Heights

The Middle East is vast and, within it, Israel is no more than a speck, a shard, a sliver clinging to the easternmost shore of the Mediterranean Sea. At present, it is the only nation in the region that is free and democratic, with rights guaranteed to all its citizens, including its significant Arab and Muslim minorities. Saying that will make some people angry, but it's a fact. Published April 9, 2019

The European Union’s quarrel over immigration intensifies

Most people want to survive. What could be more natural than that? Most peoples want to survive, too. That's no less natural. Published April 2, 2019

Why Kim Jong-un must feel ‘maximum pressure’

It was worth a try. For decades, one administration after another, Republican and Democratic alike, failed to successfully address the metastasizing threat posed by the dictatorship that rules North Korea. So President Trump took a different tack: He played Mr. Nice Guy. He twice trekked to Asia to meet with Kim Jong-un, the country's mass-murdering young despot. He flattered, sweet-talked and — apparently, at least — befriended him. Published March 19, 2019

Hating Jewish people is as old as Judean Hills, remarkably diverse

A freshman member of Congress openly espouses bigotry toward Jews and Israel. Her fellow Democrats, with only a few exceptions, fail to forcefully condemn her words and views. Troubling to be sure, but let's remember: This gnarly tree grows in an old, luxuriant and global forest. Published March 12, 2019

Things we know that aren’t so

It's been observed — and variously attributed to Mark Twain, Will Rogers and Ronald Reagan, among others — that what gets us into trouble is not what we don't know, but what we know that isn't so. Published March 5, 2019

In Syria, Trump is steering between isolationism and interventionism

Precipitously and with no plan in place, President Trump late last year announced his intention to withdraw all U.S. troops from Syria. Published February 26, 2019

An Arab-Israeli talk-fest for peace

In Warsaw last week, the Trump administration convened a conference on peace and security in the Middle East. The two-day ministerial did not change the world. But it did highlight significant ways in which the world has changed. Published February 19, 2019

Trump’s State of the Union speech was a personal best but with one Obamanian slip

Last week's State of the Union — widely predicted to be a boring laundry list better mailed to Congress than recited with pomp and circumstance in the grand chamber of the House of Representatives — turned out to be quite the blockbuster. Published February 12, 2019

Democracies die in daylight

"Democracy is difficult — perhaps the most difficult to operate and preserve of all known forms of government." Bernard Lewis, the late, great scholar and historian, offered that observation more than a quarter century ago. Published February 5, 2019

New Irish legislation threatens Israelis, Palestinians and the Irish economy

Last Sunday was Holocaust Remembrance Day and, in America and Europe, people are working hard to put an end to anti-Semitism. They can look forward to permanent employment. Anti-Semitism is a virus that can be treated but not cured. It morphs. Published January 29, 2019

The age of neo-imperialism

China, Russia and Iran are very different nations in very different parts of the world, but they have three significant commonalities: All once were great empires. All are now ruled by men who aspire to build great empires anew. All regard the United States as their rival and adversary. Published January 22, 2019