Here is a prediction: Vladimir Putin is on a course to fail as president of the Russian Federation. Do not expect failure this year or even next. However, it is as inevitable as was the overthrow of party leader Nikita Khrushchev in 1964 and the implosion of the Soviet Union less than three decades later. The reason is the fatal flaw in autocratic rule: the inability to keep powerful centrifugal political forces in check forever. Despite Putin’s popularity---which is transient---and his huge electoral majority in the Duma, irreversible political, economic, social and cultural forces are at work. One reason that these forces have not yet reached a critical mass has [...]

The visit of Donald Trump to Mexico and his extraordinarily clumsy speech on immigration that followed Wednesday evening have pre-empted a column on Russia.  While Mr. Trump may have reinforced his base, if elected, he has set in place a non-declared war with Mexico. This is not 1846 and the Mexican-American War we won.  Nor is there a single chance in the world that Mexico would pay for this great wall Mr. Trump would build to seal the border with south. America does have thousands of miles of sea coasts as well as a longer border with Canada.  What would Mr. Trump do with those? But the larger issue is [...]

Most Americans believe that government is broken.  But what can be done, if anything, to repair a broken government?  One potentially immovable obstacle is a Constitution that may have outlived its usefulness.   The Constitution is based on the checks and balances of a divided government that maximize individual freedom and liberty by limiting the power of government while assuring citizens specific safeguards through the “Bill of Rights.”  However, divided government requires compromise and civility to function effectively.   Article I defines the Legislature.  As the first branch of government, the Founding Fathers believed that the two houses of Congress would govern the nation passing laws and regulations in line [...]