American identity is key to understanding U.S. geopolitics

Go back to 2015. In the politically placid Obama years, the trends seemed logical, forwarding-looking, and strategic. America was pivoting to Asia, for China's rise was clearly a much greater threat to U.S. power than whatever might happen in the Middle East. It was signing a nuclear deal with Iran, for to have balance in …

Despite Trump, America is still going to rival Russia

Helsinki was, by virtually every American political measure, a disaster.  Only the Trump base - the very people he need not convince - were unaffected.  Their commitment to Trump is a fascinating phenomenon in and of itself, as is Trump's willingness to preach to this particular choir even at the expense of actual governance. But …

The American Culture Wars Are Officially A Strategic Threat

(Personal note: I'm thrilled to announce I'll be doing geopolitics full-time now, having accepted a position at Stratfor.  That being said, I don't exactly know how Geopolitics Made Super, my baby blog since 2013, will fit into this new life.  So this will be the last update until I sort that.  That doesn't mean I'm …

Why Myanmar Would Gamble On Genocide

The 1961 Swedish documentary Mein Kampf ends with a lingering shot over Auschwitz.  "It must never happen again -- never again," the narrator says grimly, finishing the film.  Whether or not this is the origin of the phrase "never again" is unclear; what is clear is that by the 1960s, the Holocaust had produced a powerful human …

The Many Scenarios of an (American) Republican Civil War

(This post originally appeared at American Politics Made Super) The Many Scenarios of a Republican Civil War In August 2016, I was penning an article titled “The Coming Republican Civil War.” The premise was simple: after a self-inflicted Trumpian defeat in November, the party of Lincoln would tear itself asunder assigning blame and shedding factions. But Hillary …

Quit Talking About World War III

Especially after the downing of a Syrian jet by the Americans. It's in The Sun, on talk radio, and of course whispered by the "underground" corners of the Internet.  Passive monitoring of geopolitical movements have led far too many to conclude the next world war is right around the corner. It isn't.  Not that it can't be, just that it …

Trump, The American Caligula, Is A Gigantic Waste Of Time For The United States

One ruler had a penchant for gilded palaces, poorly-executed jokes, financial irresponsibility, and nepotism. The other was a Roman emperor who thought about making his horse a consul. Is Jared Kushner the American equivalent of a horse-consul? Perhaps it’s Sean Spicer? Kellyanne Conway and Betsy DeVos both feel right as well. This comparison isn’t just …

The World Without America

(Originally published in July 2013, this piece still feels relevant today as people debate whether the world would be better off, especially given President Trump, absent the United States.  It has been edited to reflect the more formal style the site has taken the past couple of years and includes both parts.  Enjoy!)   Let’s …

How Climate Change Will Be the Biggest Geopolitical Crisis of the 21st Century

America is out of the environmental protection businesses; so says the haughty god-emperor Trump, whose word is apparently law. Too bad even god-emperors cannot change facts.  Too bad, especially, for the billions who are almost certain to be disrupted, displaced, and decimated by the looming geopolitical effects of climate change. That basic truth is denied …

The Global History of the Alt-Right

The Alt-Right is gaining traction in critical places; where does it come from, and where might go it?