George H. Wittman: Writer on Current and Foreign Affairs

A great deal already has been written about the disappearance/death of Jamal Khashoggi, but little of it a ppears to be based on an understanding of the s ecretive environment surrounding the actions over the years of the Saudi Royal Family. To begin with, it must b e understood that the al Saud came to power and subsequently maintained itself through vicious and d eadly actions. This historical reference is important because it continues to today, and the Khashoggi affair  i s merely a symptom. P art of the problem in understanding contemporary Saudi affairs is that foreign observers (the U.S. included)  s tart off by thinking they are dealing with a country  evolving from a centuries-old tribally and family-based society to a more technology-influenced modern-day nation. Western outsiders see what they want to and  that which is convenient. They firmly believe that  allowing female members of the Royal family and their female friends to drive automobiles is a ...

The term "national security" has been in vogue since the begin ning of the Cold War. Of course, the concept was referred to in many different ways before that, but only in modern times has it become a watchword. It is conv enient to claim issues are either "detrimental to" or "assist in" national security as the circumstance appears to demand. The problem is that everything impacts or is impa cted upon by "national security". The current mass of people heading for the U.S. border is said to be a matt er of national security. For political reasons this claim of an invasion is countered by indicating they are innoc ent poor who don't appear to be carrying firearms – so where is the danger to national security? This latter asse ssment might be called pejoratively a "Trojan Horse" if one was looking for an aggressive definition of the m ovement of thousands of non-U.S. citizens toward Amer ica's southwest border while effectively al...

The United States is struggling to determine its role in  world affairs. On the one hand there is the country that refers to itself as the guardian of freedom worldwide. On the other is the claim that the U.S. does not interfere  with other nation's affairs. Then there is an additional  claim that Russia, and perhaps China, are interfering with America's elections – or at least have tried to  interfere. Washington stands boldly proclaiming its outrage - as if such things are unknown in the West.  "American values" are said to be under assault is another prominent issue, though the definition of these  national values is a matter of domestic dispute. Of course, in earlier times many of these issues never arose because the country enjoyed remaining aloof  toward world politics and economics to the greatest extent it could. Until World War I we studiously avoided  becoming involved in foreign wars and followed as best we could George Washington's ad...