There are some who think America should pull back from the international stage. Not only has American reputation and strength diminished, according to these people, but our money is better spent on improving the lives of our own citizens. However, America and its allies, despite all the negative news in the past few months, are in a strong position compared to their adversaries. Iran, despite holding the Strait of Hormuz hostage, has been severely stripped of its arsenal and capacity to produce weapons. Russia’s forces stagnate on the fields of Ukraine while the latter actually seems to be getting the…

The U.S. shipbuilding industry is in dire straits. We are struggling to build even one submarine a year, and we are wasting money planning hypothetical warships (such as the Trump “Battleship”) that never make it out of development.On the other hand, America’s adversaries are building their fleets with whatever they’ve got. China repurposes its fishing vessels and tankers into a maritime “militia” capable of being used in a potential blockade against Taiwan. Iran repurposes cargo ships into cheap drone carriers. Sure, they are not high quality ships. But at this rate, our adversaries will have more ships than the number…

Last week, Iran launched additional attacks at America and its Middle East allies despite the American navy working to escort trapped tankers out of the Strait of Hormuz. These tankers are filled with crews who are running out of resources, and they need to be evacuated—both for the very humanitarian cause of saving the lives of sailors as well as the broader strategic goal of protecting the freedom of navigation on the high seas. President Donald Trump and the CENTCOM in the Middle East have said that they gave a few retaliatory “love taps” (as in, conducting self-defense measures against…

Prior to his assassination attempt on President Donald Trump, the suspect of the incident at last Saturday’s White House Correspondents’ Dinner wrote a letter (or a manifesto) to his loved ones and the nation explaining his actions. In his letter, he wrote his justification for what he was about to do, listed who he would target, and responded to hypothetical objections. The last part is interesting because, from what the suspect writes, he appears to have been expecting criticism from Christians. The suspect himself is a Christian: based on his letter and other reports, we know that he attends and…

Jimmy Kimmel has once again found himself at the center of controversy for making an untimely joke, this time about President Donald Trump’s wife. Regardless of what one thinks about Jimmy Kimmel and his statements, the president and other government officials demanding for his removal is unnecessary government interference into the role of media and journalism. We have the right to say wrong and offensive things (as long as they do not directly call for violence). If we did not have such rights, many of us ought to get censored for the edgy, stupid and scandalous jokes and comments we…

I find it strange that President Donald Trump has been sending Vice President J.D. Vance on several diplomatic tours and missions this past month. The administration already has a list of capable statesmen to handle negotiations with Iran, such as Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Rather than sending the Vice President on frequent exhausting (and potentially unproductive) plane trips every week, Trump should consider assigning Vance to a defined domestic role. Trump is currently very occupied by foreign affairs (not necessarily a bad thing), and his administration has been accused of lacking focus on issues at home. Vance is known…

President Donald Trump seems to be content with taking his time with Iran. In a recent interview with CNBC, he emphasized his desire to make a strong deal and also referenced past wars America was involved in. He makes a fair point that the Iran War, despite all the negative traction it has gained, is not yet a “forever” war on the scale of past conflicts such as Vietnam or Afghanistan. It is encouraging to see that Trump is willing to play the long game, if it means actually tackling the Iran problem and not just kicking it down the…

For a lot of Americans nowadays, our attention is often caught up in news headlines on the national (so whatever Trump happens to be doing) or foreign scale (so whatever Trump happens to be doing outside of America). I myself am, admittedly, a foreign affairs “junkie.” A majority of the news I read often involves something to do with the world outside of the United States. I wager that most Americans are the same. Of course, national and foreign affairs are important matters to be up to date on. Contrary to isolationist politicians, what happens on the other side of…

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article detailing a look at President Donald Trump in the midst of the Iran war. It is an interesting piece—for once, it doesn’t ask about what Trump is doing. Instead, it asks: How is Trump doing? Not so well, apparently. He is going through a lot: screaming at aides, sending impulsive social media posts at 2 a.m. in the morning, agonizing over the possibility of sending U.S. soldiers to die and dealing with the disappointment of a war dragging on longer than expected. It offers a raw, human look at the presidency. You…

America has many domestic issues, and so it is understandable that many Americans would bristle at the idea of a proposed increase to the military budget. Such proposed increases would come at the cost of funds for health, education and other initiatives. From the onset, I agree on some level with those who believe the current administration is not taking care of domestic issues. However, budgets are intended to reflect present priorities. Looking at the state of the international order, an increased military budget, while unappealing, is necessary as America faces multiple threats all over the world. The most recent…