I first mentioned it on August 4, 2023 — almost exactly three years ago — when I mused that the then-missing head of the Russian paramilitary Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, might be headed through Belarus toward the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad by way of the Suwalki Gap. And everyone, myself included, said:

“Where??!!!”

At the time, hardly anyone outside of Poland and Lithuania had ever heard of that small strip of land in the middle of nowhere. But a little over two years later, on September 15, 2025, its strategic significance had become obvious, and I posted an article devoted to it, titled “The Suwalki Gap: The Most Important Strip of Land You’ve Probably Never Heard Of.”

It was the only accessible land route between Russia’s ally Belarus and the Russian territory of Kaliningrad on the Baltic Sea, where a substantial portion of Russia’s Baltic Fleet is located — all other borders with NATO members Poland, Lithuania and Latvia being severely restricted or closed completely. And it seemed to me that it wasn’t receiving enough public attention.

Still, Suwalki has not been much in the news in the interim . . . until last week, when it was announced that Germany had deployed soldiers to Poland to assist in reinforcing defenses on its eastern flank, with a specific focus on . . . you guessed it . . . the Suwalki Gap.

In an historic move — given the past contentious nature of the relationship between Poland and Germany — the two nations signed a bilateral security agreement increasing cooperation in military mobility, logistics infrastructure, maritime security in the Baltic, and cybersecurity. [Notes From Poland, July 22, 2026.]

In its announcement of the agreement, the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces said:

“This is what allied cooperation looks like in practice, which translates into greater military readiness and strengthens NATO’s defensive potential.” [Id.]

Such is the nature of political pragmatism. Throughout recorded history, alliances have been forged, and past differences forgiven (if not forgotten) in the interest of present and future necessity. World War II ended 81 years ago; Hitler’s Nazi regime is long gone, and Russia — once Europe’s ally in its defense against the Third Reich — is today’s aggressor as it continues its campaign to swallow Ukraine and beyond.

Vladimir Putin has already launched a “hybrid war” throughout Europe, in the form of aircraft and drone incursions into NATO air space, localized acts of terrorism, cyber-attacks, and old-fashioned spying activity. And the sovereign nations of Europe are taking his threats of expansionism seriously . . . as they should.

This defense agreement between Poland and Germany is an important step in the right direction, particularly given the uncertainty of the current U.S. administration’s foreign policy (such as it is). It’s time to bury the old hatchets, and look to the future.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/30/26

Dr. Gustav Gilbert was an American psychologist who, while serving as a Captain in the United States Army, was sent to work with the International Military Tribunal at the post-World War II trials of German prisoners at Nuremberg.

Upon arrival, he was appointed to serve as prison psychologist, in collaboration with a psychiatrist, Dr. Douglas Kelley, to evaluate and observe — but not to treat — the prisoners. Their work resulted in their becoming the confidants of the likes of Hermann Goering, Joachim von Ribbentrop, Rudolf Hess, and other infamous members of Hitler’s inner circle.

If anyone was acquainted with absolute evil, it would surely be Dr. Gilbert, who later defined the term thus:

“I told you once that I was searching for the nature of evil. I think I’ve come close to defining it: a lack of empathy. It’s the one characteristic that connects all the defendants. A genuine incapacity to feel with their fellow men. Evil, I think, is the absence of empathy.”

– G. M. Gilbert

I certainly would not argue with Dr. Gilbert’s conclusion; but I might presume to add this to it: that the absence of empathy may also be inextricably tied to a condition known as malignant narcissism. Besides Dr. Gilbert’s Nazi subjects, one need only think of others who have personified evil in just the last century: Joseph Stalin, Benito Mussolini, Idi Amin, Osama bin Laden . . . and others living today who are better left unnamed here.

Does this imply that all people who suffer from a lack of empathy are necessarily evil? I don’t think so . . . though they’re certainly not the most pleasant of people. But perhaps the combination of malignant narcissism and lack of empathy in an individual increases the tendency toward evil. Or are the two pathologies simply two sides of the same coin?

I’ll leave those questions to the professionals to answer. But it does make me wonder about some of those living persons I haven’t named.

You know who I mean.

Just a sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/30/26

Either Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has suddenly become delusional, or the Kremlin has run out of believable propaganda and is merely recycling the same tired nonsense, over and over again.

I suspect the latter.

As reported yesterday by Russia’s state-run TASS news agency, Lavrov declared that:

“This is no laughing matter: the entire West has united against Russia.” [Kyiv Post, July 29, 2026.]

No . . . really? What the hell did they expect, with their country in the fifth year of its brutal war of attrition against Ukraine? Undying devotion? Applause? Flowers?

In a clear sign that Ukraine’s recent military successes have had a serious psychological impact on the Putin regime, Lavrov attempted to deflect as usual, claiming that Ukraine’s progress has only been possible as a result of an alleged alliance of Western nations determined to “dismember” Russia and to turn the Russian public against its leaders. [Id.]

Ignoring the fact that it was Russia that started the war, and Putin who steadfastly refuses to reduce any of his ludicrous demands before he will even discuss a ceasefire, Lavrov accused the West of issuing ultimatums to Moscow. And then he re-drew the same old red line, reiterating that the Kremlin was unwilling to make any concessions:

“Russia should not become angry or fall into hysteria, but develop a healthy anger in its foreign policy.” [Id.]

“Come again?”

While it sounds like more of the same-old-same-old, there are now undertones of paranoia and desperation creeping into these statements from Moscow as Ukraine’s drones continue to take out more and more of Russia’s oil production and storage facilities, military material warehouses, tankers from their “shadow fleet,” etc.

And, while that desperation might inspire some leaders to capitulate, Vladimir Putin’s history would indicate otherwise. When angered, or backed against a wall, he tends to escalate.

Let’s hope not this time.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/30/26

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about friends, both old and new, as well as those departed.

Thoughts of the departed, of course, bring nostalgia and bittersweet memories; the new friends bring company and current pleasures. But the old friends — the ones who share our deepest secrets, our best and worst moments, and our wickedest recollections — those are the ones who continue to touch us in ways the others cannot.

Oddly enough, I found the best example of this in a comic strip: the inimitable Winnie the Pooh, as he helped his incessantly grumpy friend Eeyore make it through a bad day:

Eeyore: “I’m not much good today, Pooh.”

Pooh: “That’s all right, Eeyore,” said Pooh gently. “Some days aren’t meant for being much good. They’re just meant for being.”

Eeyore sighed. ”It’s just that everything feels a bit heavier than usual.”

Pooh nodded thoughtfully. “Then I shall stand here and help you carry it,” he said.

Eeyore blinked, surprised. “You can’t see it, Pooh. It’s not that sort of heavy.”

”I know,” said Pooh. “But sometimes, even invisible things feel a little lighter when someone’s beside you.”

Eeyore looked at him for a long moment, and then — very quietly — said,

”Thank you, Pooh.”

Pooh smiled. “You don’t have to thank me, Eeyore. That’s what friends do — they stay, even when they can’t fix the weather.”

– A.A. Milne, “Winnie the Pooh”

That’s right, Pooh. Through the best and the worst times, they stay. Even when they’re far away, they stay. And sometimes, on a bad day, just knowing they’re out there — at the other end of a telephone line or an email — is all the comfort we need.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/29/26

It’s no secret that Iran has been supplying Russia with so-called “kamikaze” drones to be used in the war against Ukraine. And last year, Moscow and Tehran signed a “comprehensive strategic partnership” treaty expanding cooperation in military affairs, trade and technology.

As a favor in return for the drones, Russia has helped reduce the economic pressure on Tehran resulting from Western sanctions by promoting Iran’s membership in both BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

And now reports from Ukrainian intelligence indicate that Vladimir Putin has been supplying his Iranian friends with satellite imagery of U.S. bases in the Middle East.

Preceding a scheduled meeting with Donald Trump, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said last week that he would share evidence with the U.S., posting on X:

Since the beginning of July, we have recorded active Russian satellite surveillance of the Gulf states and U.S. military facilities located there. These images subsequently appear in Iran. At the same time, there is a clear correlation between Russia’s satellite imagery of these sites and Iranian strikes — both before the attacks, in preparation for them, and afterward, to assess the damage inflicted.” [Mark Osborne, CBS News, July 25, 2026.]

Subsequently, during a hearing on Capitol Hill, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth was asked whether Russia and China were helping Iran, and responded:

“There’s definitely adversary alignment, attempts to do so, and there are many ways that we deter that. And the depth and extent of it ought to remain classified, and it should. But there are ways in which both of those countries are limiting, at different levels, enabling some of the things Iran is doing, yes.” [Id.]

But — never one to accept the word of his own hand-picked “experts” — Trump once again chose instead to put his faith in the words of his country’s principal adversaries, posting on Truth Social that both Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin had assured him they were not involved, and that:

“Therefore, two major Countries that people speak of often in terms of Iran are, in my opinion, not participating. If they did, it would be very bad for them — Certainly not in their best interests.” [Id.]

(Right . . . I can hear them both quaking in their boots.)

And on Monday, when asked by reporters aboard Air Force One to comment on Zelensky’s information, Trump replied:

“Well, we’ll find out if that’s true. I’ll ask Putin about it. We’ll find out.”

All right, then . . . that certainly puts my mind at ease. We all know Vlad would never lie to his good friend Donnie.

Isn’t it nice to be able to go to sleep at night, secure in the knowledge that our country is in such capable hands?

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/29/26

Of all the things that happened on July 28th in past years — “Animal House” hitting the theaters in the U.S. (1978), Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy being born (1929), a dreadful earthquake in China (1976), Austria-Hungary declaring war on Serbia (1914), and Hillary Clinton accepting the Democratic nomination for president (2016) — two jumped out at me as being of particular interest this year:

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution Is Adopted (1868). For those who have been asleep for the last couple of years, or simply have their heads stuck in the sand (or elsewhere), let me remind you that the 14th Amendment grants citizenship to all persons born or naturalized in the United States.

Need I say more?

*. *. *

And next, to borrow the actual headline from my source: “Stalin issues Order No. 227 — outlawing cowards.”

That is not as funny as it sounds. On July 28, 1942 — in the midst of World War II, with both Leningrad and Stalingrad under siege by Hitler’s forces — Premier of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin issued what became known as the “Not one step backward” order, which declared:

“Panic makers and cowards must be liquidated on the spot. Not one step backward without orders from higher headquarters! Commanders . . . who abandon a position without an order from higher headquarters are traitors to the Motherland.” [“This Day In History,” History.com, July 28, 2026.]

No one thought for a moment that Stalin was joking. It took six months to defend Stalingrad, and 872 days and a million deaths in the hell that was Leningrad, but the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union was ultimately repulsed.

Lest anyone try to compare those events with Vladimir Putin’s current war against Ukraine, I would remind you that Stalin’s armies were defending their nation against Nazi Germany, and were thus motivated by genuine patriotism and love of country.

The poorly-trained soldiers being sent into Ukraine as cannon fodder in support of Putin’s offensive (in every sense of the word) war of attrition have no such incentive. But the same threat — though perhaps not set out in an official order — hangs over them.

Some things never seem to change.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/28/26

What CNN journalist Kaitlan Collins might have said after Donald Trump’s appalling insults at the White House Correspondents Association dinner on Friday:

“[He] speaks an infinite deal of nothing.”

– William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act I, Scene 1

For that matter, it’s a perfect description of him at any given time.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/28/26

Technically, the President of Venezuela, since the kidnapping of Nicolas Maduro by Donald Trump’s storm troopers in January of this year, has been former Vice President Delcy Rodriguez.

But is she really in charge? Or has she simply been allowed to remain in office as long as she continues to do Trump’s bidding, sitting quietly by while U.S. interests take over Venezuela’s lucrative oil exports to the tune of an estimated $13 billion in sales so far this year? [CNBC, July 27, 2026.]

The answer to that question became a little clearer this week when the U.S. State Department hailed the news of the Venezuelan government’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) . . . the same institution that Trump has recently described as being “corrupt and worthless.” [Middle East Eye, July 26, 2026.]

In a post on X, the State Department said that the ICC’s investigation into Maduro had produced “no result,” and added:

“The ICC has instead wasted its resources on investigating and charging persons from countries that have competent, independent judicial systems and which never submitted to the jurisdiction of the court.* This is blatant overreach, political bias and selective enforcement” . . . adding that the Court is “neither credible, independent, nor legitimate. It is time to dismantle the ICC.” [Id.]

[* Ed. Note: Possibly referring to outstanding ICC warrants against Vladimir Putin and Benjamin Netanyahu.]

The statement further called for all ICC member states to “withdraw from the Rome Statute” — the international treaty that created the Court in 1998. There are currently 111 full and associate members.

However, the United States is not a member, having originally and repeatedly cited concerns over national sovereignty. The same holds true for autocratic states such as Russia, China, North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, etc., and others (including Israel) who would not grant oversight to an independent authority — which makes perfect sense if you are a nation that has committed, or might in the future be likely to commit, acts that could be considered war crimes or major human rights violations.

So is it a coincidence that Venezuela, a member of the ICC since the year 2000, has suddenly decided to withdraw from the organization that Donald Trump has sworn to annihilate? That seems doubtful . . . which raises the next question: What “incentive,” or pressure, did he apply to persuade Delcy Rodriguez that this is in the best interests of her nation? Or has Trump taken over as de facto president of a country of which he is not a citizen?

. . . which, if true, would open up a whole new can of worms . . .

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/28/26

Fifty-two years ago today, on July 27, 1974, the U.S. House Judiciary Committee began impeachment proceedings against President Richard M. Nixon as a result of what had become known as the Watergate scandal.

They had ordered that he turn over 3,700 hours of secretly-taped conversations; he complied; and the evidence in those recordings of his involvement in numerous criminal acts and conspiracies was irrefutable.

Twelve days later, on August 8, 1974, Nixon announced his resignation from office.

To dredge up a phrase recalled from my years of working in the legal profession: “Res ipsa loquitur” . . . “The thing speaks for itself.”

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/27/26

The past ten years have brought several major changes to my life, at the stage of life when change is most difficult and least welcome and I would have much preferred constancy and stability.

In past decades, I happily moved across the country and back, traveled abroad, and twice lived overseas — savoring each new experience as an opportunity for learning, growth, adventure, and a whole lot of fun. Those were great times.

But — no matter how we may miss the years of always planning something new and potentially exciting — and if we’re lucky enough to reach seniority without senility, there inevitably comes that day when we must accept that an “adventure” now consists of dinner out, a new book by our favorite author, or an evening at the theater, and that the parameters of our lives are shrinking rather than expanding.

Anything more is simply not gonna happen.

Seeking words of wisdom on the subject of dealing with life’s vicissitudes, I came across this from computer technology pioneer Steve Jobs:

“For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

Well, that was easy for him to say. Jobs passed away at just 56 years of age, and thus was always young enough to be able to contemplate change with a minimum of trepidation. And it is good advice for those who are still able to take a leap of faith, rather than risk being stuck in an imperfect situation.

As for me, while I applaud Jobs’ forward-looking approach, I’m still searching for the words of wisdom that apply to people of my generation. Perhaps I’d better narrow my search to the utterances of octogenarians.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
7/27/26