My Newest Article with Ty Hooper

Hello all! Today, Ty Hooper, a researcher and frequent contributor on this site, published my newest article, called “What Would Nixon Do?” It is a piece about how Richard Nixon, controversial former President, would apply his brand of politics, which won him the greatest re-election margin of any President in the TV age, to the tumultuous Republican Party of today. Would Nixon lead the GOP to victory, or just run it into the ground? My article argues the former. Check it out at http://www.tyhooperw.wordpress.com!

Thanks! And have a great Monday!

“Bradley Manning: A Martyr for Transparency” by Ty Hooper

Hero, traitor, whistleblower, controversial, and brave are all words that have been used to describe Bradley Manning, the 25-year-old Private First Class of the U.S. army who leaked classified U.S. military documents to Wikileaks. Manning – who has 22 charges labeled against him including aiding the enemy – pleaded guilty to 10 of 22 charges in late February of this year. The controversy surrounding Manning is nothing new; since being detained in May 2010, Manning has sparked a nation-wide debate over government transparency and the happenings of the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan. With the recent passing of the 10-year anniversary of the Iraq invasion, many have written pieces detailing the false pretenses in which the Bush administration justified its invasion of Iraq. As a result, some have claimed that Manning is a hero who revealed the corrupt relationships between the U.S. and Iraqi governments, while others have deemed to label him as a traitor. Yet, despite these opposing views, very few of have actually addressed what Manning’s true intent was when he decided to turn the sensitive documents and cables over to Wikileaks.

“A New Scramble for Africa?: China, the U.S., and Africa” by Tyler Hooper

Credit: CNN

Recently, President Obama announced that approximately 100 American troops have been stationed in Niger, a neighbour to Mali in West Africa, to set up a new drone base for Predator surveillance. Mali is currently involved in a civil war, which has attracted foreign intervention. In January, France invaded Mali to assist the government in its quest to repel the Islamist rebels who disrupted recent elections. Accordingly, the U.S. supported the invasion and recent American involvement has led some to ask: Is this the beginning of a foreign policy shift in U.S. interests? With the U.S. out of Iraq and in the process of pulling out of Afghanistan some believe that Africa will now become a primary focus of U.S. global relations. Finally, with China leading the way in foreign investment in the region, some have begun to speculate that the U.S. is attempting to compete in the region thus creating a “new scramble for Africa.”

Speak No Evil: Censorship in China

 On Monday, August 1, 2011, the Xinhua news agency entered the most famous marketing forum in the world: Times Square. According to the New York Times, the Chinese company acquired a sixty foot by forty foot LED sign, in a prominent position in the Square. Yet, few who have seen the news agency’s ads on its new superscreen know the real story behind Xinhua. This “news agency” takes its cues from its owner, the propaganda department of the Chinese Communist Party in Beijing. Therefore, Xinhua does not demonstrate objectivity in areas that are sensitive to its propagandist masters, like Taiwan and Tibet. According to a recent Newsweek/Daily Beast article, “In Xinhua’s world, the Tiananmen Square massacre never happened.”

Should Iran Get the Bomb?

It’s an important program in an important nation in an important part of the world: Iran’s nuclear program. In fact, it may be one of the most important developments on the international stage right now. Yet, in the election of 2012, with the economy occupying the first and only place in nearly everyone’s minds, the program is under-discussed. Sure, the foreign policy community may be buzzing about it, but it seems as though only a portion of the American people even care. The Iranian people certainly care. Even if a large amount of U.S. resources and interests are invested in the developments in Iran, America’s voters, being inwardly focused, care little about what happens in the Islamic Republic. And why not? At face value, whether or not some nation on the other side of the world acquires weapons of mass destruction should have little effect on how Americans live at home. Except it does. In this article, I would like to discuss not only why the Iranian nuclear program is immensely important, but also what might happen if the Persian nation reaches the ultimate goal: possession of a weapon of mass destruction.

Hillary: Presidency or Privacy?

She’s the most popular federal official in the United States. She came closer to derailing Barack Obama than John McCain or Mitt Romney. Some say she wants the Presidency more than anyone else. Others say she just wants to be left alone. Many conservatives loathe her, but most liberals adore her. She has been a near-constant force in American politics for the past twenty years, from her time as First Lady, to Senator from New York, to Presidential candidate, to Secretary of State. All eyes are on her for 2016. Yet, she has been uniquely restricted by the past four years, and uniquely vague about the next four years. Last summer, for example, at the Democratic National Convention, where was she? The one person most likely to be giving the 2016 acceptance speech in four years wasn’t even there, because the Secretary of State is prohibited from attending political activities, such as party conventions. Hillary’s current positioning may do her more harm than good in two years, should she choose to run again. But Presidential campaigns are exhausting, life-draining, two-year ordeals. Will she want to undergo another one of those?

2013: A GOP Gameplan

The next year carries a plethora of problems for the Republican Party. With uphill battles on tax reform, immigration policy, and political popularity, it might be easy for some in the GOP to see little hope on the horizon. Not only are their rivals gaining momentum lost after the 2010 midterms, the Republicans also face great internal strife between the establishment and Tea Party conservatives. How then can Lincoln’s Party repair the ruins wrought by the 2012 electoral disaster, stand for their principles, and successfully partner with Democrats to steer the nation aright? There is enormous potential within the Republican Party to solve the problems that face the United States. And 2013 will certainly present many problems for America as a whole. A delicate economic recovery, an even more delicate revenue stream, a bloated budget, and a vulnerable international posture all threaten the ability of everyday American citizens to live free and prosperous lives. Both parties recognize these dangers, but each fears giving in to the other, at the risk of losing the next election. Unfortunately, it seems as though both political parties are more afraid of losing voters than mis-managing the country. This coming year, the Republicans could choose to make decisions that improve their political standing and the state of the Union, or they could quarrel and make foolish decisions, jeopardizing not only their own political relevance, but also the well-being of the people who elected them in the first place. This article will examine some of the moves that Republicans could make to achieve the former.

A Milestone For Realpolitik

When this blog published it’s first issue, almost six months ago, who would have guessed that today, Realpolitik would have been viewed over 1,000 separate times? Well, it has happened. I can only offer my utmost gratitude for your support of this blog. Your comments and questions have been enlightening, and I hope that my posts have done the same for all who have read them. Who’s up for 2,000 more visits in 2013? Well, after seeing how moderate ideas still carry weight with some people, I sure am!

Chris Christie: My Person of the Year

Yesterday, Time Magazine announced that its 2012 Person of the Year, for the second time in five years, was the newly re-elected President Barack Obama. The editors said, “For finding and forging a new majority, for turning weakness into opportunity and for seeking, amid great adversity, to create a more perfect union, Barack Obama is TIME’s 2012 Person of the Year.” (http://poy.time.com/2012/12/19/the-choice/) When I read those words yesterday, with one of the most divisive Presidential elections in recent history in the rearview mirror, with the fiscal cliff crisis looming in the not-too-distant future, with an increasingly polarized Congress, my reaction was: I’m not so sure. I could understand why Barack Obama won the prestigous award in 2008, but not in 2012. And so, I began looking for another choice. Someone who surprised me, as a moderate, this year. Someone who demonstrated bipartisanship, in spite of an election year. Someone who was courageous in the face of disaster. Someone like Chris Christie, Governor of New Jersey.

Newtown and the Need for Soul-Searching

To begin, what happened yesterday at Sandy Hook Elementary School, with twenty-eight dead at the time of writing, was an atrocity rarely paralleled in recent American history. Yesterday was the closing scene in what has been a heart-wrenching year for communities all across the United States, communities like Aurora, Portland, Oakland, North Miami, Seattle, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and too many others. And now, Newtown, Connecticut. Words are unable to describe the horrors of civilian death-especially the cold-blooded murder of twenty innocent children. The Wall Street Journal provided a simple response to the tragedy: “This is the one unthinkable event.” In the coming days, many Americans will choose to cope by watching the news obsessively, digesting every new fact about the shooter and his victims. Yet, others will choose to turn off the television, to hide themselves from the disturbing coverage.