Cuba and Venezuela in Trump’s Cross-Hairs Ambassador Curtis A. Ward Characterizing Cuba and Venezuela as “communist and socialist dictatorships,” against which sanctions have been imposed, in his State of the Union address 30 January 2018 should come as no surprise to anyone tracking President Donald Trump’s prior statements and actions towards these two countries. President Trump’s targeting of Cuba and Venezuela carries out promises he made repeatedly to supporters during his...
Tweet for Tat and Tat for Tweet – Donald Trump v. Kim Jong-un Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (25 Sept. 2017) — If only U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean President Kim Jong-un could contain their bellicose rhetoric and name calling, the world might remain safe. But, chances are, name calling will morph into dangerous actions on either or both sides. In my view, in the same way old time schoolyard bullying generally ends in fisticuffs, Trump’s tweets and Kim’s tats could...
The Ward Post Bi-Monthly Brief Vol. 2. No. 4. (July – August 2017) The Ward Post Bi-Monthly Brief brings together in one convenient location a synopsis of, and links to the TWP blogs posted during the two previous months. U.S. Sanctions won’t stop Venezuela Bleeding: Will the UN Security Council Act Responsibly? (08/31/2017) by Ambassador Curtis A. Ward writes, “The targeted sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuelan individuals and entities will not be sufficient...
U.S. Sanctions won’t stop Venezuela Bleeding: Will the UN Security Council Act Responsibly? Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (31 Aug. 2017) — The targeted sanctions imposed by the United States on Venezuelan individuals and entities will not be sufficient to change Nicolás Maduro’s behavior and return democracy and rule of law to Venezuela. Resort to military force is not an option. President Donald Trump’s suggestion that military action is on the table is bluster. I also believe the...
U.S. and China faceoff on North Korean Sanctions Ambassador Curtis A. War (25 Aug. 2017) — The cooperative relationship between the U.S. and China on North Korean sanctions got off to a good start in the United Nations Security Council. But, before the ink dried on resolution 2371 (2017), the relationship took a body blow from the bellicose rhetoric which flowed between Washington and Pyongyang. China cautioned President Trump not to travel that road and the U.S. president pulled back...
Drums of War Trump UN North Korean Sanctions Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (13 Aug. 2017) — An unusual show of unanimity in the United Nations Security Council imposing new, meaningful targeted commodity and financial sanctions against North Korea (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea -DPRK) is on the brink of collapse with the bellicosity from U.S. President Donald Trump. The response by North Korean leader Kim Jong-un to the UN sanctions was not unexpected. The response from Donald...
Who Cries for Venezuela? Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (02 Aug. 2017) — I have been pressed by my own inner thoughts and by several individuals to express my views on the situation in Venezuela, including on the responses of Caribbean governments to this crisis. I am compelled to respond. There is limited media attention given to Venezuela, and the dangers facing that country are being drowned out by the turmoil surrounding President Donald Trump’s administration. Yet we saw the U.S...
U.S-Russia Daggers Drawn: Unsheathing the Sanctions Sword Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (30 July 2017) — This article could well be titled “Trump vs. Congress on Russian Sanctions,” (Part 2) as a sequel to what I wrote in The Ward Post almost eight months ago. By that time, I had already offered the probability in “Will Trump Fall on the Sanctions Sword?” that President Donald Trump would likely fall on the sanctions sword if he tried to do President Vladimir Putin’s bidding. The...
