2021-08

Episode 45: US Leaving Afghanistan … a Tragic and Humiliating Mess

We’ve all seen the despairing images. I hope this episode provides insight.
Contact:
Ipinionsj@gmail.com
Length:  42 min 

Episode 44: Alexander Lukashenko Auditioning to Play Fidel Castro in Cold War II

Nobody could have predicted that the wannabe dictator of a relatively insignificant country in the Caribbean would end up being a veritable king among pawns in the Cold War chess game between the United States and Soviet Union.
Well, I’m predicting that the wannabe dictator of a relatively insignificant country in Europe will end up being the king among pawns in the Cold War II chess game now playing out between the United States and China (and its Iago Russia).
Contact:
ipinionsj@gmail.com
Length:  20 min   40 sec 

Episode 43: Osaka and Biles, the (Black) Faces of these Tokyo Olympics, Crack Under Pressure

Naomi Osaka and Simone Biles starred in the main events of these Games. But China and Russia loomed menacingly, and in equal measure. More to the point, though, events to date have seen China and Russia triumph as much as they have seen Osaka and Biles fail. But the way the United States has underperformed will probably be the most enduring story of these Games.
 
This is a fairly detailed account of how it all happened, and what it all means – complete with recitations of real-time comments I posted on news sites like The New York Times and BBC. And, with all due respect to Osaka and Biles, I cover the role other Olympians like Ahmed Hafnaoui of Tunisia, Flora Duffy of Bermuda, Elaine Thompson-Herah of Jamaica, Novak Djokovic of Serbia, and Sydney McClaughlin of the United States, as well as the specter doping, played.
 
Contact:
ipinionsj@gmail.com
Length:  51 min   02 sec