Clifford D. May

Why endless wars can’t be ended

"Only the dead have seen the end of war." Plato made that incisive observation a rather long time ago. Published August 6, 2019

How art imitates life in Ukraine

Just over a year ago, Volodymyr Zelensky was a comic actor. One day, his rant against Ukrainian politics and politicians, surreptitiously recorded, goes viral on social media. The result: He's elected president of Ukraine with 67 percent of the vote. Published July 30, 2019

Getting human rights right

At the State Department, human rights have generally been a not-so-high priority. The big kahunas tend to focus on war and peace, allies and adversaries, national security and global economics. Published July 16, 2019

Who’s afraid of nationalism?

Is a new "age of nationalism already upon us?" That premise will be debated in Washington, July 14-16, at the "kick-off event" of the Edmund Burke Foundation, a fledgling public affairs institute dedicated to "strengthening the principles of national conservatism in Western and other democratic countries." Published July 9, 2019

Palestinians’ ‘opportunity of the century’

Abba Eban, who was serving as his country's foreign minister after Israel defended itself from Egypt, Syria and Jordan in the Six-Day War, is said to have lamented that Palestinians "never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity." Published July 2, 2019

Hong Kong freedom fighters deserve more support than they’re getting

"God has planted in every heart," President George W. Bush famously said, "the desire to live in freedom," I've never been convinced that's true. But the desire to live in freedom has been planted in some hearts. In Hong Kong in recent days, we've been witnessing a bracing demonstration. Published June 25, 2019

Why the Trump brand of nationalism works

Donald Trump strutted on the European stage last week and, it seems to me, put in a boffo performance. He wore white tie and tails. He charmed Queen Elizabeth. He gave the heroes of Normandy what may be, sadly, their final curtain call. Published June 11, 2019

Socialism rises from the grave

In 2002, Joshua Muravchik, a distinguished scholar, wrote a history of socialism which, he thought, might also be considered an epitaph for socialism. Published June 4, 2019

Talking to Trump may be how Iran leaders attempt to relieve the pain

Defenders of the nuclear deal with the Islamic Republic of Iran predicted that President Trump's sanctions would have little impact unless our European friends joined in. They were dead wrong. Published May 28, 2019

The imperative of deterrence

Are we at war yet? Over recent days, warnings of a gathering storm have been ubiquitous and incessant. Published May 21, 2019

The United States must be stronger than any combination of colluding adversaries

How do you kill a lion? Years ago in Kenya, the question arose (no doubt over too many Tusker beers) and someone gave me what sounded like an authoritative answer. Published May 14, 2019

China isn’t what it used to be

Last week, presidential contender Joseph Biden asked rhetorically: "China is going to eat our lunch? Come on, man!" He added: "I mean, you know, they're not bad folks. But guess what, they're not competition for us!" Published May 7, 2019

Vladimir Putin plays a weak hand well

Vladimir Putin wants to make Russia great again. He defines great as powerful, nothing more, nothing less. If you keep that in mind, everything he does makes perfect sense. Published April 30, 2019

The Battle of Afghanistan and the contest of wills

Afghanistan is often said to be America's longest war, but that's imprecise. Afghanistan is the longest battle in what some of us insist on calling The Long War. When did the conflict begin? Published April 23, 2019

Socialist eras and errors

Socialism is cool again, thanks not least to septuagenarian Sen. Bernie Sanders and millennial Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (aka AOC). Socialism has been cool before, of course, notably during the Great Depression and what became known as the Sixties, the era of Vietnam, the civil rights movement, hippies and the (old) New Left. Published April 16, 2019

Trump’s clear view of the Golan Heights

The Middle East is vast and, within it, Israel is no more than a speck, a shard, a sliver clinging to the easternmost shore of the Mediterranean Sea. At present, it is the only nation in the region that is free and democratic, with rights guaranteed to all its citizens, including its significant Arab and Muslim minorities. Saying that will make some people angry, but it's a fact. Published April 9, 2019

The European Union’s quarrel over immigration intensifies

Most people want to survive. What could be more natural than that? Most peoples want to survive, too. That's no less natural. Published April 2, 2019

Why Kim Jong-un must feel ‘maximum pressure’

It was worth a try. For decades, one administration after another, Republican and Democratic alike, failed to successfully address the metastasizing threat posed by the dictatorship that rules North Korea. So President Trump took a different tack: He played Mr. Nice Guy. He twice trekked to Asia to meet with Kim Jong-un, the country's mass-murdering young despot. He flattered, sweet-talked and — apparently, at least — befriended him. Published March 19, 2019

Hating Jewish people is as old as Judean Hills, remarkably diverse

A freshman member of Congress openly espouses bigotry toward Jews and Israel. Her fellow Democrats, with only a few exceptions, fail to forcefully condemn her words and views. Troubling to be sure, but let's remember: This gnarly tree grows in an old, luxuriant and global forest. Published March 12, 2019

Things we know that aren’t so

It's been observed — and variously attributed to Mark Twain, Will Rogers and Ronald Reagan, among others — that what gets us into trouble is not what we don't know, but what we know that isn't so. Published March 5, 2019