"Year-End Thoughts on Today's Politics"

 We will be away through Christmas visiting children and grandchildren, so this may be my last essay for 2026; though I am working on two personal essays and a book review. But if this is the last one, I wish you the happiest of holidays and the healthiest of New Years.  The attached photo was taken this past summer of Caroline and me on the beach in Sea Bright, New Jersey – where Caroline spent summers growing up and where we have been going for the past sixty years.

 

 

Sydney M. Williams

www.swtotd.blogspot.com

 

Thought of the Day

“Year-End Thoughts on Today’s Politics”

December 19, 2025

 

“For last year’s words belong to last year’s language.

And next year’s words await another voice.”

                                                                                                                T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)

                                                                                                                The Four Quartets

                                                                                                                “Little Gidding,” 1942

 

Year-end is a good time to take stock of where we are and where we may be headed. This year those questions seem particularly relevant. Polarization defines politics today. Extremists in both parties barely talk to one another, yet they dominate the news. Perhaps it is age, but I rarely watch televised news. Whether it is Fox on the right, or MSNBC, CNN or any of the networks on the left, newscasters and commentators, with rare exceptions, preach to their choirs. While pundits and politicians reflect this division, the rest of us are at risk of a similar hatred infiltrating our beings. We cannot let that happen. While Trump gets blamed – and he has done nothing to abate the loathing that divides us – this divisiveness has been building for two decades, at least since the Iraq-Afghanistan war.

 

While extremists consume most of the oxygen, most people are, I believe, centrists in their beliefs and in their politics. We should always remember that the extreme right (fascism and Nazism) and the extreme left (socialism and Communism) have more in common than differences. Both are authoritarian. Both rely on ignorance and dependency on the state. Both are evil. Hitler was responsible for an estimated 13-17 million deaths; Stalin for between 10 and 20 million, and Mao Tse-Tung for an estimated 38-107 million lives. Both are elitist, in that only a minority are party members. Vladimir Putin, with an estimated net worth of $70 billion, is considered the world’s wealthiest political leader, despite Russia being a failing state. Xi Jinping’s wealth is unknown but estimates put it in the hundreds of millions. Politics, which is profitable for dictators, is not a horizontal line, with a left and a right, but a vertical between authoritarianism and anarchy.

 

And the world is changing, not just in what technology has wrought in terms of social media and in how artificial intelligence will affect jobs and lives, but also geopolitically: In 1990, Japan and the Soviet Union were the second and third largest economies. Today, Japan is fourth and Russia is ninth. In 1990, neither China nor India ranked among the top ten world economies. Today, they are second and fifth, respectively. 

 

Much has been written about the recent National Security Strategy report. To the New York Times, its key point was “hostility to Europe.” The Wall Street Journal headlined: “U.S. flips history by Casting Europe – not Russia – as Villian in New Security Policy.” The Economist wrote of President Trump’s “bleak, incoherent foreign policy.” Those pieces are mostly balderdash. The best piece I read on the report was by George Friedman, the Hungarian-born, 76-year-old political scientist, author and founder of Geopolitical Futures. He wrote that its three main points are: 1) “The United States wants close economic ties with China, as well as an end to military tensions;” 2) “Europe is responsible for its own defense and is now capable of defending itself;” and 3) “The primary strategic interest of the United States is the Western Hemisphere.” The document, Mr. Friedman added, “is simply the summation of the reality the U.S. is now in.”

 

Nevertheless, there is much that concerns me beyond polarization, the effect of AI on jobs, and the role of the U.S. in the world as it is: Rising anti-Semitism across the globe, as the horrific carnage on Australia’s Bondi Beach demonstrated – only the latest example; federal and state debt, fueled by unsustainable welfare programs; demographics, which have us with more people over 65 than under 18 – a problem for every country in the West, except Israel; President Trump’s state capitalism, where the state does not own businesses but uses its power to influence behavior; The effect of newly elected New York City Mayor, Socialist-leaning Zohran Mamdani, who in his victory speech on November 4^th declared: “We will prove there is no problem too large for government to solve and no concern too small for it to care about” – how different from President Reagan in 1986 when he spoke of “...the nine most terrifying words in the English language.”; the seemingly indiscriminate removal of aliens without due process, some of whom have lived and worked in this country for years; capital markets where interest rates were kept excessively low for much of the past decade and a half, which fueled asset appreciation, sending stocks to historically high multiples, and which propelled gold and silver prices and promoted questionable assets like crypto currencies; and an economy, freed from excessive regulation and taxation, that is burdened with tariffs. Overseas, Russia is a wild card, as its population and economic clout are in decline, yet it remains the country with the most confirmed nuclear weapons – 5,500. The image of a cornered rat comes to mind. China’s Belt & Road Initiative, first announced in 2013 as a means of connecting Asia, Europe and Africa, now operates in over 150 countries, including 53 countries in Africa, 29 countries in Europe and 22 countries in Latin America. Propaganda and politics willfollow.

 

On the other hand, all is not bleak. Our borders have been secured; criminal illegals are being tossed out; climate scare mongers appear to be in retreat, as does Wokeism. Universities seem to be moving toward greater freedom to speak, to disagree. The Supreme Court, under John Roberts and with the appointees of Donald Trump in his first term, has witnessed a return to common sense. Europe is beginning to acknowledge that unsustainable welfare programs have hampered living standards and economic growth, and that they must pay a greater share for self-defense. The Abraham Accords give hope for peace in the Middle East. The deployment of several naval vessels from the Fourth Fleet to waters off Venezuela is not just about halting the drug cartels; it is an indication that the U.S. takes seriously the incursion of China, Russia and Iran into the Western Hemisphere. As for AI, keep in mind that creative destruction is a natural condition of economic growth in an innovative society. As Brian Gross wrote recently in the Wall Street Journal, “...when tools change human creativity doesn’t shrink, it expands.”

 

So what is on order for 2026, besides my 85^th birthday next month, February winter Olympics in Italy, the celebration of the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence on July 4^th, and mid-term elections on November 3rd? I am neither a prophet nor a seer, so haven’t a clue. My concerns stated above are for situations over which I have no control. I am fortunate in my family, my wife, children and grandchildren, and in the large extended family that includes my siblings and their families. I am fortunate in the friends I have, some of whom I see weekly at ROMEO lunches, and others that I see rarely but are often in my thoughts. As for Mr. Trump, I am not a personal fan. I am old enough to believe that civility and manners serve us well. But I do believe that, with his lack of an ideology and for all his faults, he sees the world as it is, not as some would like it to be. And he has provided Americans a cultural self-confidence, something missing when DEI reigned. For that I am thankful.

 

I thank you for your forbearance with my essays over the past year, and I send you best wishes for the Holidays and wish you good health and happiness in the New Year.

"A Few Reflections After Two Weeks at the Shore"

 As we arrived back home on Saturday and now as we enter August’s final week, I felt it appropriate to send some reflections about some of the world’s events that occurred while we were on the Jersey shore.

 

Photo: The view from our hotel window in Red Bank, NJ on the morning of our last full day.

 

Sydney M. Williams

 

Thought of the Day

“A Few Reflections after Two Weeks at the Shore”

August 25, 2025

 

“If I speak of myself in different ways, that is because I look at myself in different ways.”

                                                                                                                                Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592)

                                                                                                                                The Complete Essays, 1580

 

In today’s world, with the ubiquity of social media and (not-so-smart) phones that provide a steady stream of headlines, it is impossible to cocoon one’s self away from the world. Nevertheless, my wife and I did manage to spend two weeks at a hotel close to the New Jersey shore without once turning on the television – so we avoided the prejudicial braying of talking heads, whether on Fox News, CNN or MSNBC. The photograph of the two of us at our beach club depict a happy couple seemingly unconcerned with the Ukraine’s bitter fighting for freedom versus the autocracy of Putin’s Russia, or Israel’s battle against Hamas and the forces of darkness. Or the disarming attraction of socialist Zohran Mamdani; the now-your-see-it, now-your-don’t Epstein files; the hypocrisy of opponents to Texas re-drawing its Congressional maps; the deployment of the National Guard to the Nation’s Capital to help fight street crime. Or the retribution embedded in the FBI’s early morning raid of John Bolton’s home. 

 

But that look of obliviousness was not totally fair. On my iPhone I receive headlines from the Washington Post and have on-line subscriptions to the New York Times, London’s Telegraph and The Spectator. And each morning I walked a half mile to the local Walgreens to purchase the Wall Street Journal. So, while not immersed in the news, I was not totally ignorant as to what was happening. 

 

While I was happy to see that Putin met President Trump in Alaska, my initial sense was that the meeting was a success for the Russian leader – the red carpet rolled out, the ride in the back of “the beast,” and the smirk on the face of the dictator. Mr. Trump, I suspect, recognized this, as lunch was cancelled. And while the end of this charade has not played out, I would not be surprised if more sanctions are applied against Russia. I smiled when I saw the photo of President Trump seated at his desk, with European leaders arrayed before him, like errant students fronting their principal, even as I found it discomfiting. As for Israel’s existential battle for survival, I am dismayed that while Israel is winning the fight, Hamas is winning the propaganda war. I find it disgusting that so much of the Western press accepts, without question, the word of Hamas terrorists as to responsibility for the devastation in Gaza. It reflects an anti-Semitism, masquerading as humanitarian concern, that has spread across much of the West.

 

While I remain a fan of free trade and worry about the consequences of tariffs, and admit to being nervous about the stock market, I also worry about things of which I know little – the valuations in private equity and cryptocurrencies, products that the Trump Administration wants to make available to 401Ks and other retirement funds. I also suspect we still feel the effects of interest rates that were held too low for too long. If we include both state and local debt, total government debt approximates $40 trillion. That would compare to about $7 trillion twenty-five years ago. In my opinion the call for lower interest rates today has less to do with the economy – that is more a matter for fiscal policy than monetary policy – and more to do with runaway government spending programs. 

 

Nevertheless, our two-and-a-half weeks away were restful, especially the last couple of days when we spent some time getting to know our daughter’s new puppy, a Cavapoo named “Louis.”

"Imperialism in the East"

 Martin Luther King’s emphasis on character over race is a lesson for us all, as we in the United States and in these discordant times, celebrate his birth today. Unlike our color, height or biological sex that are determined genetically, character is a quality for which we bear responsibility, and something on which we can all work.

 

Sydney M. Williams

www.swtotd.blogspot.com

 

Thought of the Day

“Imperialism in the East”

January 17, 2022

 

“…the American left should focus on where empire

as an ideal truly endures, which isn’t in the West.”

                                                                                                              Robert D. Kaplan (1952-)

                                                                                                              American author and political commentator

                                                                                                              The Wall Street Journal, January 14, 2022

 

President Biden’s two immediate predecessors fractured the nation with divisive talk. In his campaign, Mr. Biden promised unification. Instead, he has increased dissension, focusing on identity politics, federalizing voting laws and diminishing the role of the traditional family, all the while calling his political opponents misogynists, racists, xenophobes, bigots and domestic terrorists who want to destroy democracy. Such intemperate language does little to bridge legitimate differences between Democrats and Republicans – progressives and conservatives. He has wasted political capital, personally denigrating those with whom he disagrees, which has meant less time on issues that affect all Americans, regardless of Party – from the economy, inflation, education and illegal immigration at home to the consequences for the United States as to what is happening in the Middle East, Central Asia, China and Russia.

 

The calamitous withdrawal from Afghanistan sent a message to its allies that the United States’ commitment means little, and to its enemies that America need not be feared. The Abraham Accords, one of the Trump Administration’s finest achievements, has been stalled by the anti-Israel stand of the Biden Administration, and by a desire to reinstitute the Iranian nuclear deal. While Western imperialism of an earlier time is, perhaps justifiably, denigrated, its reincarnation in the East – in China and Russia – is ignored by the same pundits who criticize the West. Recent riots in Kazakhstan and the plight of the Uighurs in China’s Xinjiang Province are examples of unrest that are being dealt with harshly by Russia and China, while the West turns a blind eye.

 

Under both land-based and sea-based Belt and Road initiatives (BRI), Chinese banks and companies fund and build roads, power plants, ports, railways, 5-G networks, and fiber-optic cables around the world. According to the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR), as of last March 139 countries from five continents have joined BRI. Not all members host projects, but all endorse BRI as a concept and “pledge to cooperate with China to promote the initiative.” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has lauded China’s BRI for having “sustainable development as the overarching objective,” and pledged that “the United Nations stands ready to travel this road with you.” China’s Belt and Road initiative began, shortly after Xi Jinping assumed the Chinese Presidency in 2013. The absorption of Hong Kong and China’s threat to Taiwan have shown what they can (and will) do to free markets and political freedom. In increasing the dependency of member states on China, BRI is reminiscent Ivar Kreuger’s early Twentieth Century scheme to create monopolies in myriad countries for his match businesses, by lending the countries money. Kreuger’s business collapsed in bankruptcy in 1932. China has an anti-democratic, authoritarian government that competes for the hearts and minds of people around the world, with their supposed economic success. It risks impoverishing its Belt and Road members by indebting them.

 

The threat in Ukraine appears more imminent. Over 100,000 Russian troops have gathered on Ukraine’s eastern border and have been joined by tanks and other weapons from Russia’s east. “Mr. Putin,” wrote Kathryn Stoner, author of Russia Resurrected: Its Power and Purpose in a New Global Order, in Saturday’s The Wall Street Journal, “has a history of using foreign policy to improve his domestic standing when he has felt his status slipping.” COVID-19 and the economy have caused his poll numbers to slip. They are now at their lowest level in ten years. Last September’s national election saw proceedings so corrupt that even the Communist Party – the “loyal opposition” – cried foul. In December, a Russian court closed the Memorial Human Rights Center, originally established to document Stalin’s crimes against humanity. In 2014, with his poll number slipping, Putin invaded Crimea, and then saw his approval numbers jump from around 60% to 90%. Since, they have slipped. Vladimir Putin justifies his imperialistic tendencies by claiming concern for the security of his homeland. It is true that the Baltic states, which had been part of the Soviet Union after World War II and at least six former Warsaw Pact countries have joined NATO. However, the only threat Ukraine poses to Russia is the pitting of democracy against authoritarianism. Putin’s interest in Ukraine is personal. As Ms. Stoner wrote: “What does any autocrat truly fear? Being strung up by his own people from a lamp post.” 

 

What we are seeing is what Yaroslav Trofimov of The Wall Street Journal termed the “Great Power competition.” The question: What will the West, led by the United States and Europe, do to deter this trend? The prognosis does not instill hope. Wokeness and identity politics dominate both cultures. Europe’s focus on social welfare has meant that it spends little on defense. Led by Germany, the Continent has become dependent on Russian energy. At the same time, the United States has given up its oil independence and has been embroiled in battles of self-hatred, focusing on what is wrong with our lifestyles and government, rather than what is right. The West is smug, fat and complacent. Europe’s lack of defense and now buying oil and gas from Russia, and with Mr. Biden disparaging his political opponents as enemies of democracy, the West risks the world becoming more authoritarian.