US onAir Curators
Eastern Europe Is In The Crosshairs
A deal in Ukraine seems all but inevitable. That puts Eastern Europe in real danger.
Michał Kranz, Persuasion
But this moment is, above all, a crucible for Europe. For decades, Western Europeans have been able to bask in the security blanket the United States offered and to indulge in pacifistic visions. That illusion ended first for the states bordering Putin’s Russia, but Europe is now facing the same fork in the road—either make security a priority and forge an independent path forward on defense, or let Putin continue to have his way.
A Third World War?
Timothy Snyder, Thinking about…
Precisely because Ukrainians have made matters easy for us, we can take their sacrifice and their suffering for granted. Ukrainian resistance creates the world in which we can listen to our own fears rather than attend to strategic realities. Their courage enables us to choose cowardice. But imposing our hysteria on the courageous people who make us safe is the most dangerous thing we can do. Nobody in their right mind wants a third world war. So let’s not bring it about by abandoning the people who are holding it back.
Trump’s bad-boys fixation
Mike Allen, Axios AM
The big picture: Trump’s instincts on power are on full display with his pick of Fox News’ Pete Hegseth for Defense secretary and his impulsive (now withdrawn) choice of former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for attorney general. Both were highly controversial picks for jobs that countless people with more experience would kill to get.
