Author Archena Posted on May 11, 2022May 11, 2022Categories CurrentTags , , , , , , ,

Gnocchi and the Threat to Europe

Imagine for a moment that you are a grandmother, sitting in her little cottage outside Warsaw, finishing the last of your gnocchi and listening to the radio. It’s a lovely sunny day in Poland and you are just reminiscing about your life, remembering what it was like to grow up in a Warsaw Pact nation. Well, your momma’s gnocchi was a lot better than yours. Little wonder – she made it almost every day. You were married before you knew … Continue reading “Gnocchi and the Threat to Europe”

Author Archena Posted on April 18, 2022April 18, 2022Categories CurrentTags , , , , , , ,

Define Win

Before you start the game, make sure you know what the objective is and how to win. Also a good idea to make sure everyone agrees on what those things are – I once ‘won’ a chess game against a seeded player. I stink at chess but I defined ‘win’ as ‘not losing in ten moves or less’. I kept him busy for thirty minutes – then he figured out that I didn’t have a winning strategy, just a stalling … Continue reading “Define Win”

Author Archena Posted on April 2, 2022April 2, 2022Categories CurrentTags , , , ,

Nuclear Triad, NATO Expansion and Russian Security – or Lack Thereof

We already discussed the nuclear triad which is just an ominous way of saying that there are three flavors of nuclear warhead delivery: big ballistic missiles, nuclear armed submarines and nuclear armed bombers. All will spoil your lifetime. NATO expansion: unless you have been lost in the mountains for the last month, you’ve heard this term Either it’s a horrible evil plot by the nefarious West to reduce Russia’s border security or it’s an innocuous club that just accepted a … Continue reading “Nuclear Triad, NATO Expansion and Russian Security – or Lack Thereof”

Author Archena Posted on March 31, 2022March 31, 2022Categories Current, SeriesTags , , ,

Nuclear Triad 101

I am not a military expert and I don’t play one on TV. Politics on the nation-state scale are intricately tied to military function. Fish need water – both statements are blatantly obvious but to the point, you can’t analyze national or international politics without some basic – and I do mean basic – understanding of how the military fits into this. I’m writing a book on American politics that I almost didn’t write because it seems so incredibly obvious … Continue reading “Nuclear Triad 101”

Author Archena Posted on March 28, 2022March 28, 2022Categories CurrentTags , , , , , , ,

Ukraine Versus Russia: What it Means to the US

Short answer: if Ukraine falls it will predicate a geopolitical realignment that the US will have very little say in. The reason: Biden. If Ukraine survives, there will still be a geopolitical realignment but to a lesser degree and US power will remain in play. Probably despite Biden. Conclusion: If you don’t like military conflicts with Russia, don’t vote Democrat for the next decade or so. Now, for those who prefer some meat on the bare bones, there is no … Continue reading “Ukraine Versus Russia: What it Means to the US”

Author Archena Posted on March 24, 2022March 24, 2022Categories CurrentTags , , , , ,

Ukraine Invasion – Initial Assessment

Originally written 2/25/22 I admit, I didn’t expect Russia to go in after leaving their troops in plain sight for weeks. In my very non-expert military opinion that was stupid – and I thought the Russians were a bit brighter than that. What I think happened is Russia saw a chance at low hanging fruit and went for it. A weak US president with an already horrendous foreign policy track record coupled with weeks of no real significant response out … Continue reading “Ukraine Invasion – Initial Assessment”