Copyright 2026 Clifford May Thu, 08 Oct 2026 13:35:45 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Clifford May :: Writings https://cliffordmay.org cliff@defenddemocracy.org (Clifford May) webmaster@pundicity.com en-us https://cliffordmay.org/31589/who-still-fights-the-war-on-terror Tue, 6 Oct 2026 09:00:00 EST Addressing Congress nine days after Sept. 11, President George W. Bush declared: "Our war on terror begins with al Qaeda, but it does not end there." He added: "It will not end until every terrorist group of global reach has been found, stopped and... https://cliffordmay.org/31577/medvedev-explains-why-putin-fights Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:00:00 EST Does the name, Dmitry Medvedev ring a bell? If not, let me remind you. He was president of Russia from 2008 to 2012. Perhaps you'll recall that, in 2012, President Obama told him that their disagreement over American missile defense in Europe could be... https://cliffordmay.org/31568/arming-us-military-new-cold-war Wed, 16 Sep 2026 09:00:00 EST Thomas Jefferson was not enthusiastic about either foreign wars or military spending. But he sent the nascent U.S. Navy to the shores of Tripoli because he understood that paying tribute to the Barbary pirates was more expensive than fighting them. The... https://cliffordmay.org/31561/the-cruel-awakening-of-9-11 Tue, 8 Sep 2026 09:00:00 EST I remember the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. But perhaps you do not. So let me tell you what happened, and what should have been learned. It was a perfect late summer morning in Washington; in the 70s, no humidity. I was in my office, television tuned to a... https://cliffordmay.org/31548/putin-may-want-to-break-nato Tue, 1 Sep 2026 09:00:00 EST Dwight Eisenhower is said to have counseled that if a problem can't be solved, you should enlarge it. Is Vladimir Putin now applying that maxim perversely? I'll bet you a ruble the CIA thinks so. The problem Mr. Putin can't solve is, of course, Ukraine.... https://cliffordmay.org/31538/carlos-the-jackal Wed, 26 Aug 2026 09:00:00 EST Carlos the Jackal is 76 years old and has been in French prisons for three decades. When Joby Warrick went to see him, the old communist had an explanation for his long survival: "Allah has protected me all these years." Marxists, Islamists, and those... https://cliffordmay.org/31528/kim-jong-un-european-front Wed, 19 Aug 2026 09:00:00 EST In 1240, Mongol warriors led by Genghis Khan's grandson Batu besieged and destroyed Kyiv. They came for plunder. Almost eight centuries later, another dynastic dictator is sending soldiers to fight over the same ground. He has come for something more... https://cliffordmay.org/31520/us-policy-against-islamism Tue, 11 Aug 2026 09:00:00 EST During the Cold War, Americans took communism seriously. We knew it was vital to study the ideology of our enemies. In 1946, Columbia University established the Russian Institute to train what its founders called "American specialists" in Soviet affairs.... https://cliffordmay.org/31509/axis-of-aggressors-vs-america Wed, 5 Aug 2026 09:00:00 EST North Korean troops and munitions beef up Russia's war against Ukraine. In return, Russia provides North Korea with sophisticated technology for its missiles, drones, satellites, and submarines. Tehran has sent Moscow drones. Repaying that favor, Moscow... https://cliffordmay.org/31500/how-to-break-iran-terrorist-regime Wed, 29 Jul 2026 09:00:00 EST President Trump has stated repeatedly that Iran's rulers must never be permitted to obtain nuclear weapons. But he hasn't clearly explained why, so let me put it bluntly: They would use them. Iran's rulers are self-proclaimed Islamic revolutionaries and... https://cliffordmay.org/31486/biden-russia-iran Wed, 15 Jul 2026 09:00:00 EST President Joe Biden tried to talk wars down. For example, on Jan. 19, 2022, he suggested – hopefully, it seemed to me – that Russia's coming invasion of Ukraine would be only a "minor incursion." No such luck. Just over a month later, President Vladimir... https://cliffordmay.org/31472/muslim-socialism Wed, 8 Jul 2026 09:00:00 EST Zohran Mamdani, Aber Kawas, Rashida Tlaib, Darializa Avila Chevalier. Those are just some of the Democratic politicians who self-identify as both socialists and Muslims. Which gives me an opportunity to acquaint you with a bit of little-known history.... https://cliffordmay.org/31467/iran-negotiation-winning-streak Tue, 30 Jun 2026 09:00:00 EST President Trump has observed that Iran's rulers have "never won a war, but never lost a negotiation." The question that should follow: Why is that? One reason they don't win wars: They have neither nuclear weapons nor an adequate conventional force –... https://cliffordmay.org/31459/melania-trump-iran-women Tue, 23 Jun 2026 09:00:00 EST Dear Mrs. Trump – Or may I call you Melania? If that's too familiar, no problem, I understand. But you can certainly call me Cliff! I'm a long-time admirer. I've heard you speak out for human rights, saying for example: "There is no room for compromise... https://cliffordmay.org/31452/peace-deal-with-iran Wed, 17 Jun 2026 09:00:00 EST In "Why We Want You to Be Rich," published in 2006, Donald Trump explained that a master negotiator knows "what the other side wants and where they're coming from," and is never afraid to walk away from a bad deal." Henry Kissinger, writing three months...