Frederick M. Hess | Education Week
Many families rely on faith-based childcare centers — but those providers are in peril under the Build Back Better bill's current language.
Leon Aron | The Hill
Vladimir Putin’s main audience is internal. His brinkmanship is directly linked to what is described in Russia as “Problem 24” — namely, the fulfillment of Putin’s paramount goal to become president for life in 2024, when, at 72, he will start yet another six-year term.
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Putin Threatens the U.S. National Command Authority
By Mark B. Schneider, RealClearDefense: “As noted Russian journalist Pavel Felgenhauer pointed out in November 2021, “President Vladimir Putin declared that if the West deploys missiles to Ukraine that could reach Moscow ‘in five to ten minutes,’ Russia is ready to counter by deploying a ‘new naval hypersonic missile, which may reach [Western] decision-makers in 5 minutes, flying at Mach 9 speed.'”
Modern Russian Statecraft:
Neither New nor Hybrid
By Philip Wasielewski, Small Wars Journal: "The current national security elites of the Russian Federation, most having a background in the security services, are inheritors of a Soviet tradition of coercive statecraft and in many cases former practitioners of its darker aspects."
Crisis Stability as a Priority in U.S.-China Relations
By Heather Williams, the interpreter: “Arms control with China will look very different from arms control with Russia."
Understanding Drone Typology
By Zachary Kallenborn, Modern War Institute: “In May 2021, during its conflict with Hamas, the Israel Defense Forces became the first military to use a drone swarm in combat.”
Mobile Nuclear Power Reactors Won’t Solve the Army’s Energy Problems by Jake Hecl
The head of the Sudanese Sovereign Council, Lt. Gen. Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, called for the dissolution of the government, further escalating the tension with his civilian partners in governance.
Economists are sounding the alarm about a possible economic collapse in Tunisia, urging for reforms to revive the economy that had been suffering since 2011 amid political instability.
Ethiopian Airstrikes Hit Tigray. Ethiopia’s military has allegedly hit the Tigray capital region of Mekele with airstrikes, killing three people according to media reports citing local eye witnesses. The new offensive comes amid pressure from the US and the EU to stem the violence. Associated Press Al Jazeera
Michael Rubin writes: The lira, Turkey’s currency, is in free fall. A decade ago, it traded at 1.83 to the US dollar. Five years ago, it hovered around three to the dollar. Last week it surpassed nine to the dollar and, on Friday, it closed at 9.27. That the Turkish lira could drop an order of magnitude might sound farfetched, but it is not for a simple reason: Turkey’s foreign reserves are missing. – 19fortyfive
The Chinese-Russian Relationship and Its Risks to U.S. Interests
What Drives U.S. Adversaries to Use Military Forces Abroad?
Lessons from Afghanistan
China and Pakistan See Eye to Eye on the Taliban—Almost
Ankara has yet to secure a go-ahead from Moscow for an anticipated assault on the Syrian town of Tell Rifaat, which is controlled by Kurdish groups.
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Turkey risks derailing normalization talks with Egypt by selling armed drones to Ethiopia, in addition to coming under international fire should Ethiopia use the drones in the conflict in Tigray.
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by Marilyn Stern
Middle East Forum Webinar