Hope for the New Decade?

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I was recently invited to participate in the first Oxford Union debate of 2020. The Oxford Union debates were founded in 1823 and have featured presidents and prime ministers.

Iran, Fracking, and Solar

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With the current military escalation related to Iran, it’s time to ask again why we are so mired in the affairs of a handful of very small countries in the Middle Eas

Will regulators spot the next financial crisis in time? Hell, no.

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In the 2008 financial crisis, financial derivatives played an outsized role. While there would not have been a financial crisis if a trillion dollars of substandard mortgage loans had not been made, the carnage was amplified when savvy investors bet against those mortgages by buying derivatives known as credit default swaps.

Donald Tariff Trump?

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I don’t know if President Trump has ever said “Tariffs are my middle name,” but he might as well have said it. Up until mid-October 2019, President Trump has tweeted the word ‘tariff’ 177 times. Remarkably consistent on the trade and anti-trade front.

Military Families Do Not Take Pride in Eddie Gallagher Stories

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I have to hand it to the organizers of the Halifax International Security Forum. They have an impeccable sense of managing timing and speakers in such a way that a controversy almost always pops during their annual conference of lobsters and defense chat. This year, US Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer.

Thanksgiving During Civil War

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Happy Thanksgiving! During your busy day of family, friends, pets, pumpkin pie and turkey, you might want to read this. From a beautifully written essay on William Seward’s partnership in and Lincoln’s proclamation of a national Thanksgiving Holiday by Ted Widmer, former director of the C.V.

Impeachment Divides Nation

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There are a slew of polls measuring what Americans think of the impeachment hearings and of the solvency of President Trump’s guilt or innocence. One poll, highlighted by my colleagues at The Hill, show that the enthusiasm of Independents for impeachment has fallen significantly, that is support for impeachment has slipped 6%.

China’s Northern Ireland?

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I traveled to Hong Kong on November 11-12, the very days that the Hong Kong protests took a turn for the worse.  I had thought I would avoid trouble. The protests had been mainly held on weekends, and we were there on a benign Monday and Tuesday.  I was wrong.