A century ago, Vladimir Lenin wrote a book titled, "Imperialism, the Highest Stage of Capitalism." I doubt it occurred to him that imperialism might one day become the highest stage of communism. Yet that day is here.

The end of the Cold War was widely interpreted as communism's downfall. But while the Soviet Union collapsed, communism survived, most consequentially in China.

Analysts on both the left and right didn't get that. After all, China's rulers were allowing private ownership of some means of production, and some Chinese citizens, not all of them government officials or even members of the Communist Party, were getting rich. Isn't that capitalism?

Continue to the full article  |  More articles

"From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free!" You've doubtless heard that chant many times from supporters of what is called the "Palestinian cause." The river is the Jordan. The sea is the Mediterranean. But what does "free" mean?

Hamas rules Gaza with an iron fist. To claim that the Palestinian Authority guarantees freedom in the West Bank would be ludicrous.

The only other land between the river and the sea is Israel, by far the freest country in the Middle East. So what the chanters must have in mind is that Israel should be free of Israelis, or rather of Jewish Israelis.

Continue to the full article  |  More articles

The post-World War II, American-led, rules-based, liberal, international order has long been, to borrow a metaphor from scholar Robert Kagan, a garden encroached upon by a jungle. The current global health and economic crisis reveals - to those with eyes that see - the startling extent to which the weeds and wild critters have overrun the fruits and flowers.

Here's the primary reason: Illiberal regimes neither recognize American leadership nor abide by the international order's rules.

The world's most powerful illiberal regime rules China, from where COVID-19 originated and spread globally thanks to a toxic mix of incompetence, malevolence and deception.

Continue to the full article  |  More articles

Hezbollah is a terrorist organization. Last week, Germany found the courage to say so.

"Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has banned the operations of the Shiite terrorist organization Hezbollah (Party of God) in Germany," the government forthrightly announced. Among the operations no longer permitted: recruiting fighters to defend the blood-soaked, Tehran-supported dictatorship in Syria.

Just prior to the announcement, German police raided several "mosque associations" suspected of belonging to Hezbollah. "The activities of Hezbollah violate criminal law, and the organization opposes the concept of international understanding, whether in its political, social or military structures," the government statement added.

Continue to the full article  |  More articles

Last week, I received a letter from the ambassador of a free and friendly country. It began:

Dear Mr. May,

It is no exaggeration to say that in the span of about eight weeks, the focus and priorities of every country in the world have been upended by the unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19.

Here's the response I wrote but haven't sent:

Dear Mr. Ambassador,

Actually, that is an exaggeration. Countries ruled by regimes hostile to democratic societies such as yours and mine have kept their focus and priorities firmly in place.

Continue to the full article  |  More articles