James Zumwalt

A Christmas classic song heard for three-quarters of a century now has fallen victim to 21st-century political correctness and the #MeToo movement.

In chess, a limited number of opening moves exist. Both players know this, so neither is really blindsided by the other’s initial move. It is similar to the chess match in which President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un are currently engaged — the latter now having made his opening move.

The name of General Douglas MacArthur was a household word during World War II and the Korean War. In April 1951, fired by President Harry Truman after 52 years of service, MacArthur gave a farewell speech to Congress, famously referencing a barracks’ ballad that proclaimed, “old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”

On September 26th, President Donald Trump will chair a meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) to discuss, according to U.S. Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, “Iran’s violations of international law and the general instability Iran sows throughout the entire Middle East region.”

The late motivational speaker Jim Rohn offered expert advice on human behavior for decades. An oft-repeated observation made was, “I’ve discovered that you can’t change people. They can change themselves.”

Two points of interest have emerged concerning Pyongyang’s intentions on denuclearization in the wake of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s July 6 trip to North Korea: a statement issued as Pompeo departed the country, describing his demands as “gangster-like,” and the first statement issued by dictator Kim Jong-un since his summit meeting with President Donald Trump, suggesting a positive relationship between the two countries lies ahead. However, there is no mention about denuclearization.

HO CHI MINH CITY, Vietnam – Three decades ago, one of the twentieth century’s most flagrant atrocities took place. Strangely, offender and victim both remained silent.

Something “bazaar” happened in Iran recently that undoubtedly worries the mullahs.

As President Donald Trump prepares to meet on June 12 with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un in Singapore, there is an issue independent of Pyongyang’s immediate denuclearization that could well allow Trump to determine the cut of Kim’s jib and how desperate he is to make a deal.

Lyrics from an old Jimmy Buffett song suggest “changes in latitudes, changes in attitudes, nothing remains quite the same…”

As Trump works to disarm the North Korean nuclear threat, scheduled to meet in Singapore on June 12 with North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, he may find his biggest challenge lies south of the DMZ border: with President Moon Jae-in.

In a totally unexpected development, the defection of a high-level North Korean official has caught both North Korea and the U.S. by surprise days before the yet-to-be-scheduled meeting between President Donald Trump and dictator Kim Jong Un.

President Donald Trump announces he will respond to Syria’s most recent chemical attack upon its citizens within 24-48 hours. It is absolutely essential that response be forceful.

Extremist Islamic groups in the Middle East come and go. When they go — as has the Islamic State (ISIS) — the regional void left quickly fills. Most often, and usually through proxies, the “filler” is Iran.

North Koreans have long suffered brutal rule. Initially under the Japanese (1910-1945), it continues under the Kim family dynasty today.

It has been almost a half-century since the technology first made its appearance in 1969, but the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) has become a necessary part of life for people on the go in need of instant cash.

There is a tragically disturbing trend underway in Asia with evidence of it continuing to reach the shores of Japan.

Although 2018 is only days old, an event which not only has potential to be the story of the year but also set a new directional compass for Middle East stability is reportedly losing momentum.

Despite suggestions that recent UN sanctions against North Korea will bring Pyongyang to the negotiating table in 2018, U.S. and Chinese war preparations continue. China has plans to establish five refugee centers along the border, while the U.S. is positioning naval and other forces near and on the peninsula.

The requirement for the Executive Branch to issue a National Security Strategy (NSS) arose from the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act.

November 13th had been a quiet day at the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating North and South Korea.

In the 1975 movie “Jaws,” the threat posed by a Great White shark to swimmers was only neutralized after aggressive action to confront it was taken.

Ever since President Donald Trump appointed Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster as National Security Advisor, linking terrorism to radical Islam has been an issue. While McMaster quickly informed his staff the link was not to be made, Trump makes it.

President Donald Trump has never hesitated to make his opinion known on the nuclear deal negotiated by President Barack Obama with Iran.

As President Barack Obama departed office, he assured us he was leaving behind a much safer world. He lied.

North Korea’s Kim Jong-un, assessing South Korean opposition to his aggressive nuclear and missile programs, must believe his predecessors — father Kim Jong-il and grandfather Kim Il-sung — are out there working in the netherworld to do what they can to influence acceptance by the world community of Pyongyang as a nuclear-armed power.

When legislation on U.S. foreign policy, vehemently opposed by the president, comes before the U.S. Senate for approval, the chances the bill will sail through by unanimous vote are highly unlikely.

North Korean leader Kim Jung Un, through both words and actions, again has ratcheted tensions up on the peninsula.

The only thing more difficult than attempting to stop one rogue nation from acquiring nuclear weapons is attempting to stop two rogue nations collaborating to do so.

In the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s meeting with his South Korean counterpart, Moon Jae-in, the White House announced military options against North Korea are being explored. A “Shock and Awe” policy may be replacing an immensely unsuccessful “Shock and Nah” one.

In a Middle East country where terrorist attacks by suicide bombers are rare, Saudi Arabia suffered such an attack on June 23rd. Both target and timing were significant.

During our 240-year history, several presidents have undertaken U.S. foreign policy initiatives that today bear their names.

Thirty years ago today, President Ronald Reagan gave one of the most moving motivational speeches to people who had long lived under the yoke of communism. While he spoke in Berlin, Germany, his speech was broadcast internationally and, thus, so too was his message.

When Donald Trump and Pope Francis met at the Vatican on May 24th, the former became the thirteenth serving U.S. president to officially meet with a serving pontiff.

As tensions mount in the Middle East, one cannot help but wonder whether eschatological factors are playing out or whether nations looking to influence outcomes in a positive way still have roles to play. Those of us unwilling yet to accept end-of-world prophecies prefer the emphasis be put upon the latter.