Harlan Ullman.

The great war redux
The great war redux

Blogs, Democracy & Human Rights, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues

The great war redux

July 28th marks the centenary of the start of World War I---also known as the “Great War” and tragically and wrongly described by President Woodrow Wilson as the “war to end all wars.” That war was neither great nor the end of war. About eight million soldiers on all sides were killed and at least an equal number of civilians perished---many through disease and starvation. Last week, London’s Royal United Services Institute (RUSI---founded in 1831 by the Duke of Wellington as a permanent institution to study and analyze war) hosted a one-day conference on World War I. The lens was the Western front focusing on British, French and German strategies [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2017-11-14T21:28:09+02:00July 23rd, 2014|Blogs, Democracy & Human Rights, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues|0 Comments

President Obama’s greatest (and possibly fatal) flaws
President Obama’s greatest (and possibly fatal) flaws

America, Blogs, Harlan Ullman., Regions, Studies and Analysis

President Obama’s greatest (and possibly fatal) flaws

President Barack Obama and his administration are taking heavy fire over accusations of failing to lead in foreign policy. Whether in Washington or global capitals, the White House is being vigorously condemned and chastised for indecision and for abdicating America’s role as the so-called indispensible power. “Leading from behind” in Libya, failing to act after setting a “red line” in Syria over the use of chemical weapons, allowing Vladimir Putin free reign in annexing Crimea and dealing with civil war in Iraq are among the arguments citing Obama’s indecisiveness and ineffectiveness. The result has been a perceived diminution of American power and influence and of Washington’s authority to command [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2017-11-14T21:28:09+02:00July 17th, 2014|America, Blogs, Harlan Ullman., Regions, Studies and Analysis|0 Comments

The longest day and our finest hour
The longest day and our finest hour

Blogs, Democracy & Human Rights, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues, Studies and Analysis

The longest day and our finest hour

Two days hence marks the 70th anniversary of Operation Overlord (Neptune for the naval portion) and the Normandy invasion. Supreme Allied Commander U.S. General Dwight David Eisenhower’s orders were to occupy Europe and destroy the Nazi war machine. D-Day marked the start of Ike’s crusade in Europe Standing atop the Ponte du Hoc heights overlooking Omaha Beach where the U.S. Rangers valiantly assaulted German defenses was always more telling for me than visiting great battlefields from Yorktown to Waterloo and Agincourt. Perhaps because World War II was as close as any conflict in history matching good against absolute evil, Normandy epitomized the ultimate allied victory in smashing the fiendish [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2017-11-14T21:28:09+02:00July 17th, 2014|Blogs, Democracy & Human Rights, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues, Studies and Analysis|0 Comments

The X-GEN men at 1600 and number 10
The X-GEN men at 1600 and number 10

Blogs, General, Global Governance, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues

The X-GEN men at 1600 and number 10

Both U.S. President Barack Obama and Britain’s Prime Minister David Cameron have a great deal in common. They come from the same generation born in 1961 and 1966 respectively. They both shared the best education available. Obama attended the elite Punaho Private School in Honolulu, receiving his undergraduate degree from Columbia University and an LL.D. from Harvard Law School. Cameron attended Eton College and from there went on to Brasenose College at Oxford University. They both grew up in largely political jobs with little private sector experience. Obama was a “community organizer” in Chicago before gaining his law degree and working for a law office. While teaching constitutional [...]

By Harlan Ullman|2017-11-14T21:28:09+02:00July 16th, 2014|Blogs, General, Global Governance, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues|0 Comments

History should matter II
History should matter II

Blogs, Harlan Ullman., International Peace, & Security, Issues

History should matter II

President Barack Obama has come under increasing criticism for being weak, vacillating in the use of American power. The infamous “red line” drawn over Bashir al Assad’s use of chemical weapons, along with allegations of failing to act more decisively in Syria and Ukraine and the infamous and seemingly toothless “pivot to Asia” are exhibits a, b and c in these allegations. Allies and partners around the world are described as alarmed over the seeming absence of U.S. leadership along with a rapid decline in the authority of and respect for America. But wait----have we not been here before? Pick a year. 1968 is a good choice. In late [...]