'Choose greatness': A soaring State of the Union scored with 76 percent, poll finds
By John J. Metzler
UNITED NATIONS — Addressing a deeply divided nation, reflecting upon a tumultu[...]
Putin probes Ukraine’s sea lanes, sovereignty
By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The Russian Navy has harassed and seized three Ukrainian vessels in the narrow waters linking the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov. The surprise incident in the Kerch Strait off occupied Crimea has reignited tensions between the two neighbors and refocused diplomatic attention on a slow burn […]
UN speeches in review: Moralizing, demonizing and occasional common sense
By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — In a week of speeches which swirled from the sublime to the ridiculous or were simply just boring, the recent UN General Assembly debate reached some notable exceptions. Among the sonorous drone of 193 addresses, either restating the obvious or repeating by rote the contemporary global mantra of […]
50 years later: Does anyone remember the Czechoslovak crackdown in 1968?
By John J. Metzler BRATISLAVA, Slovakia — The light mist on the Danube river and the morning radiance on the honey-hued buildings of the Comenius University greet each summer day with the optimism of a fresh beginning. Yet this is August and the memories of the past still dart among shadows and specters in this […]
Europe’s woes are much larger than the Donald
By John J. Metzler PARIS — The American mainstream media template, dutifully reflected and jaded by most of the European press, paints a tempestuous picture of the relationship between our European partners and what is presented as a capricious and domineering Trump Administration. Rifts over NATO defense spending, the Iran nuclear deal, and trade and […]
Early stages of 2018 World Cup point to soft power win for Moscow
By John J. Metzler HAMBURG — Witnessing the early stages of the World Cup Football extravaganza offers an amazing sporting experience. Indeed, the enthusiasm is palpable and contagious as the early matches kicked off in a near carnival atmosphere. For a full month, soccer games across Russia will lead to the coveted World Cup to […]
UN Security Council merry go round selects rights abuser
By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — The annual election to choose five new non-permanent members of the UN Security Council produced both the expected and the near preposterous. The elections, actually selections by the 193 member General Assembly, saw no opposition for any of the two- year Council terms. Candidates were chosen based on […]
New UN Chief calls for new priority: Conflict prevention
By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS— Calling for a major reappraisal of how the international community responds to a widening series of conflicts, and challenging policymakers to take a courageous look at a new template to maintain global peace and security, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, made a bold and far reaching appeal for conflict […]
Seventy-five years after the ‘day of infamy,’ a new challenge from the Far East
By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — On December 7, 1941, the United States was shocked and stunned from its nervous neutrality and thrust into the crucible of the Second World War. The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor instantly changed the narrative for American involvement in WWII which had already been raging in both in […]
Moscow outmaneuvers U.S. diplomats at UN with Serbia win
By John J. Metzler UNITED NATIONS — Shadows of the Cold War returned to the UN during the recent elections for President of the General Assembly where a previously agreed to candidate from Lithuania was challenged, and subsequently defeated, by a Russian-backed contender from Serbia. What was originally expected to be a consensus vote selecting […]
WORLD MATTERS: Proud, for once, to be a German
By Uwe Siemon-Netto It’s been more than two years since my last visit to Germany, my native land. This time I traveled home at the height of the Eurozone crisis. I returned to California just before Christmas filled with pride in my compatriots. Don’t get me wrong. I am not particularly proud of the fact […]
