The Ground Truths in Ukraine

Plus, How Wobbly Are the Finances of the World’s Major Governments?

Jul 8

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REUBEN JOHNSON: The Ground Truths in Ukraine.

On the opening day of the G-7 Summit in Germany, the Washington Post ran an op-ed by former Deputy Secretary of State and World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick on “How the G-7 can tip the scales towards Ukraine.” Zoellick outlined how allied nations need to begin serious efforts to ensure the nation’s economic survival now—and also begin planning to rebuild the country after the war.
I lived in Kyiv for more than 20 years and barely escaped with my life after the Russian invasion. It is heartening to have someone of Zoellick’s stature throwing his support and influence towards supporting the war for Ukraine’s survival. And he is correct in his overall analysis when he writes: “Russia is waging a war of attrition. Artillery shells and logistics dominate. If both sides maintain their will, economic resilience is likely to determine the outcome.”
But after a long career interacting with intelligence officers, I’ve noticed a dichotomy between senior policy makers who come up with grand visions and the “ground truth” of what is involved in the implementation to achieve said vision.

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Tim Miller’s book drills down all the ways people rationalized and enabled Trump — and No, Mick Mulvaney, you are not moving into the light. Plus, the train wreck in GOP Senate races, Biden’s human rights record and Brittney Griner. Tim’s back with Charlie for the weekend pod.

Ruy Tuxiera joins Beg to Differ to consider abortion, guns, crime, and other issues on which Democrats can’t seem to find the sweet spot. Also, is there any chance for a moderate party?

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JAMES C. CAPRETTA: How Wobbly Are the Finances of the World’s Major Governments?

As the world’s most powerful central banks adjust belatedly to the rapid acceleration of price inflation, which began a year ago, some countries are better prepared than others to weather what may come next. In particular, higher prices are pushing up borrowing costs (partly due to monetary tightening), including for governments. Nations that acted as if this day would never come—such as the United States—may find it more difficult than others to avoid painful austerity in the future.
To better anticipate what the coming months might hold for the global economy and for the politics of each of these countries, it is worth comparing their fiscal situations. Which governments have exercised budgetary restraint in recent years, even while confronting sequential global crises? Which have been more profligate? And what do the differences portend for their differing abilities to handle an era when servicing debt may be more expensive than it has been in many years?

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🚨OVERTIME 🚨

It appears Steve Bannon was SWATTed. This dangerous tactic is, of course, inappropriate, but hard to prevent. Thankfully, the D.C. police handled it well.

Principles… Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg appears not to have any.

DeSantis slams ‘baby jabs.’ Just don’t suggest he isn’t the “pro vaccine governor".

Whine and dine… How the religious right tried to influence SCOTUS justices. (Though, I am not sure how effective this strategy was.)

How the new gun law might have stopped Highland Park… A thread from Sen. Chris Murphy.

What happens when the internet dies… Some scenes from Canada, which reminds me a bit of the great Northeast power outage back in 2003. Our associate editor, Martyn Wendell Jones has this dispatch: