Iran War
“It’s no use of talking unless people understand what you say.” Zora Neale Hurston One reason it takes so long to negotiate any agreement, particularly one between two very different cultures, is that each word means so much to each side. Careless wordsmithing can...
I have heard from some people that the JCPOA was a bad agreement that needed to be cancelled because it created a pathway for Iran to obtain a nuclear weapon. Therefore, it becomes important to understand exactly what sunset provisions were in the JCPOA, and their...
Many have asked me, “So, what would you do in Iran?” My focus has not been on that issue. My focus has been on how the US can successfully negotiate a peace with Iran, and how either side can trust the other to hold up its end of the deal. That being said, here are...
IMPORTANT NOTE: This essay IS NOT about supporting Iran. My analysis of the results of the conflict is totally independent of any consideration of the validity of the military action. The costs of the conflict to the U.S. are important to understand. Those...
Today marks some progress in the Iran War. It is not settled. It is not won. The ceasefire is now in place according to the understandings of both Iran and the U.S. Here is what has happened: The Iranian Foreign Minister posted this morning, “In line with the...
NOTE: Nothing that I write below should in any way be read as an endorsement of Iran, its theocracy, its leadership, or its culpability. I, like I imagine most of you who read this, would like to see a cessation of hostilities before the U.S. chooses to destroy the...
I wrote an essay called “Pieces of the Puzzle” on November 2, 2025, in which I laid out what I believed were the signs of an oncoming takeover of Venezuela. Many people, particularly Trump supporters, told me at the time that I was crazy, that we would never take...
As we all get out the bowls of snacks at 8 pm tonight to settle down and watch a civilization get obliterated on live TV, we might want to consider what a “deal” to avoid it would have looked like. More importantly, we should ask the question, “Would you make a deal...
You may remember from High School, that the air we breathe has Oxygen and Carbon Dioxide (a molecule containing one Carbon atom and two Oxygen atoms), but that the main component of air is Nitrogen. 78% of air is Nitrogen, 20% is Oxygen, and about 0.05% is Carbon...
Media coverage of the strains on the economy resulting from the Iran War seem to focus on fuel prices. And this is clearly important as fuel costs impact the family automobile budget as well as the national costs of transporting anything from one place to another,...