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Charles Lipson

Peter B. Ritzma Professor Emeritus

University of Chicago

Frequent contributor: 
Real Clear Politics
Spectator | World
The Telegraph
Wall Street Journal

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The Spectator •

Trump’s credible threat at Davos

The headline from Trump’s Davos speech is clear: I won’t use military force to take Greenland. That’s what the President told the world’s leading politicians and business executives at the World Economic Forum. But there was a lot more to the speech. Some was a list of his greatest hits over the past year. Some were grievances--and promises to retaliate on trade if we don't get fair, reciprocal treatment.. And some was an ominous silence about what he was about to do to Iran.
The Spectator •

Greenland, Colombia, Cuba, Mexico… who will US target next?

When the earthquake is big, the porcelain rattles far and wide. And that’s exactly what’s happening now… in Cuba, Colombia, Mexico and even Greenland. The plates are rattling after the Trump Administration’s swift, successful mission to capture Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who was allegedly a major figure in the country’s international drug trafficking. Both husband and wife now face criminal charges in the US. Who else is rattled? Well, the Democratic Party fo...
The Telegraph •

Trump has moved the Middle East’s tectonic plates. It’s a nightmare for Putin and Xi

The most important, and most immediate, consequence of the Gaza deal is how it is likely to prompt a wider accommodation with Israel. Preventing that is why Iran sponsored the attack in the first place. But Israel first extinguished the terrorist “ring of fire” around its borders and then, together with the Trump administration, set back Iran’s nuclear program by years. Russia and China were pushed out of the region and the US can now focus on the Pacific Rim and containing China.
The Spectator World •

Has Israel won?

Two years after the October 7 attacks, first by Hamas, then by Hezbollah, has a war-weary Israel accomplished its main strategic goals? Yes, for the most part. It has ended its encirclement by Iran’s proxy forces (known as the “ring of fire”) and ended the constant, lethal attacks on its people, which gave cover to Iran as it secretly finished developing nuclear weapons, which could exterminate Israel’s entire population and wipe the Jewish State off the map. And it has emerged as the “strong horse” in the region, militarily and economically. But it hasn’t gotten the hostages back, finished the fighting in Gaza, or developed a viable plan for Gaza after the war ends. The plan is necessary, not only for Israel’s security but to complete the Abraham Accords.
The Telegraph •

Trump has set Democrats up for a shutdown humiliation

Senate Democrats, afraid of their left-wing base, won’t sign off on a simple deal to keep the government running for the next few months at current levels. They demand sweeteners, and Trump won’t give them. Trump has a very different plan. If the Democrats force a government shutdown, Trump and his allies will use it to cut progressive programs and the federal workforce. Democrats, “the party of government,” have painted themselves into a corner.
The Spectator World •

Jimmy Kimmel is back

Jimmy Kimmel’s broadcast has made a lot more news off the air than on it. The latest is that ABC will resume the show Tuesday night and that some 400 Hollywood celebrities have signed a petition supporting their friend. If Hollywood’s reaction to Kimmel’s troubles has been predictable, the reaction from Republican politicians has been more interesting – and surprisingly varied. All Republicans loathed what Kimmel said, but some prominent ones, led by Ted Cruz, objected (rightly) to the FCC threatening ABC's license over it.
The Spectator World •

Utah’s Spencer Cox has displayed America's best values

Gov. Spencer Cox of Utah rose above the maddening crowd when he spoke of Charlie Kirk's assassination and the apprehension of his suspected killer. It was the second time in as many days that Cox voiced thoughts we all needed to hear. Instead of rage, the governor’s plainspoken, heartfelt language, together with his quotes from Charlie, underscored our country’s highest and best values. They were sober, profound thoughts, suffused with moral clarity, and we needed to hear them. Gov. Cox deserves our gratitude and praise. .
The Spectator World •

The Trump-Zelensky meetings offered a show of Western unity

Did Pres. Trump make any progress toward ending the war in Ukraine after successive meetings with Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelensky, and key NATO partners? The short answer is “yes, but it’s very slight, and there are still formidable obstacles, which could block a final deal.” The biggest obstacles are Ukraine agreeing to cede sovereign territory and Russia agreeing to the presence of a combined European-American military force within Ukraine, meant to prevent another Russian attack. The joint military force is the most important proposal to emerge from yesterday’s meeting.
The Spectator World •

Trump’s shrewd move in DC will resonate across the US

President Trump’s initiative to restore law and order to the streets of the nation’s capital is a smart political move. All Americans consider Washington “our city,” and we want it safe. We can see on the nightly news that it is not, and we’re not happy about it. If Trump can turn that around, he will get well-deserved credit, not from the legacy media but from the public.Trump and his party will reap a second major benefit, as well. If he can lessen the muggings, car jackings and armed robberie...
The Telegraph •

At Columbia, Trump has won a major victory for Western values

Columbia University has just agreed to a massive $220 million settlement with the Trump administration after a fight that centred around rampant anti-Semitism on campus. The university has also agreed to a number of policy reforms, designed to limit future attacks on Jewish students and faculty.Of the settlement, $200 million will go to the federal government and the remaining $20 million to settle employment discrimination claims. Separately, the university has suspended or expelled students wh...
The Spectator World •

Fordow in a fortnight?

Pres. Trump’s decision to postpone bombing Iran’s underground nuclear-weapons facility at Fordow is not a mark of indecision. It is a prudent move since this is the most consequential decision of Trump’s presidency. Militarily, the pause allows the final US carrier strike group to arrive from the Pacific and for Israel to further degrade Iran’s ability to strike some 40,000 US troops in the region. Politically, it gives Trump a chance to show Americans and our European allies that the US has acted deliberately, not rashly, and given the Islamic regime every opportunity to relinquish its nuclear weapons program.
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