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 when it comes to this essential right that all women possess from birth: individual freedom."

You've also pressed Russia to return the Ukrainian children its soldiers have abducted. "Reunifying children with their loved ones," you've said, "remains one of the most important global issues today."

Continue to the full article  |  More articles

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 earlier about the clerical dictatorship in Tehran, suggested otherwise:

"A modern, strong, peaceful Iran could become a pillar of stability and progress in the region. This cannot happen unless Iran's leaders decide whether they are representing a cause or a nation — whether their basic motivation is crusading or international cooperation."

Continue to the full article  |  More articles

For centuries, Qatar was a sparsely populated sheikhdom under the loose influence of successive Islamic empires, caliphates, and regional Arab rulers. In 1916, it transitioned into a British protectorate.

At that time, its main industry was pearl diving – which sounds romantic but was, in fact, an arduous trade. Divers suffered from ruptured eardrums and chronic lung ailments. During the off-season many families lived in poverty.

Conditions in Qatar deteriorated sharply when the Great Depression reduced global demand for luxuries, and cultured pearls from Japan devastated the market for natural pearls.

Continue to the full article  |  More articles

Dear President Trump:

I'm sure you were disappointed to learn on Monday that Iran's rulers have decided they're not interested in negotiating an extension of the ceasefire you granted on April 8. That ceasefire was in exchange for their promise to let commercial vessels freely transit the Strait of Hormuz – a promise they almost immediately broke.

The reason Iran's rulers gave: Israel is striking Hezbollah in Lebanon in response to hundreds of Hezbollah missile and drone attacks on communities in northern Israel. You attempted to broker another ceasefire but, hours later, Hezbollah launched another massive barrage.

Continue to the full article  |  More articles

President Trump fancies himself a peacemaker, and the record supports him. His first-term Abraham Accords normalized relations between Israel and three Arab states: the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Morocco.

Since his return to the White House, however, diplomatic solutions have proved elusive. Most obviously, Vladimir Putin remains determined to conquer Ukraine, continues to target civilians, and has rejected every proposal for a lasting ceasefire.

President Trump has brokered several fragile truces – e.g., India–Pakistan, Armenia–Azerbaijan, Rwanda–DRC, Egypt–Ethiopia. But the causes and animosities underlying these conflicts remain unsettled.

Continue to the full article  |  More articles