Having a wonderful time reminiscing about all my past travel (and other) adventures. Hope you’ll share them with me in my blog, “All Roads Led to Russia.”
The First Roman Emperor: Octavian-Augustus (63 B.C. – 14 A.D.)
The Last Roman Emperor: Flavius Romulus Augustulus (C. 476 A.D.)
> The Ottoman Empire lasted for six centuries, from the 14th to the early 20th.
History of the Ottoman Empire
The Last Ottoman Ruler: Sultan Mehmed VI
> The British Empire continued to expand from its beginning in the late 16th century through the 19th, only to begin contracting in the 20th century following two economically-devastating world wars and the drive for independence by many of its territories.
The Start: British Arrival at Jamestown – 1607
The Finish: Handover of Hong Kong to China – 1997
> And now the United States — conceived and built on the democratic principles of peace and individual liberty — will be lucky to make it to its 250th birthday in July because of the expansionist ambitions of a man who would be Emperor at any cost.
A Great Nation in Decline
While the historic details are vastly different, each empire has fallen for one simple, basic reason: the innate desire of human beings for political autonomy and personal freedom, and their refusal to continue living under oppressive regimes.
No one lives, or rules, forever. From Rome’s Emperor Augustus, to the Ottoman Empire’s Osman I, to England’s “Mad” King George III — each had his day of glory. And each passed into memory along with his empire. So why would anyone be foolish enough to emulate those long-ago autocrats who set their nations on the path to inevitable doom?
A psychiatrist would be far better qualified than I to analyze the character flaws that drive such men. But we, the people, have the advantage today of historic perspective, and the opportunity to prevent it from happening again.
When the first statements were issued following the Ukraine-U.S.-Russia meetings in Abu Dhabi on Friday and Saturday, they sounded more optimistic than usual.
Trilateral Meeting in Abu Dhabi – January 23-24, 2026
U.S. officials said that the talks had “surpassed expectations,” and that the mood in the room was “very upbeat, very positive, very constructive.” [Jessie Yeung, et al., CNN, January 24, 2026.]
One official said that, while a final deal was still not guaranteed, “Getting to this place was a really big step,” and that the parties were working creatively toward solutions.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky added:
“. . . a lot was discussed, and it is important that the conversations were constructive. . . . The central focus of the discussions was the possible parameters for ending the war. All sides agreed to report back in their capitals on each aspect of the negotiations and to coordinate further steps with their leaders. Provided there is readiness to move forward — and Ukraine is ready — further meetings will take place, potentially as early as next week.” [Id.]
An Exhausted President Volodymyr Zelensky
A further comment from a U.S. official was in agreement:
“De-escalation is important. Yes, territory is important, as well, but we’ve eliminated lots of things that the parties couldn’t agree on before Geneva. It’s important for us to keep up the momentum.” [Id.]
Then word came from Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, who told state news agency TASS that Moscow wants to develop a plan that “fully corresponds to the fundamental understandings” reached between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump in Alaska last August. [Id.]
But since we don’t really know what “understandings” were reached between the two leaders in Alaska — other than a mutual desire for improved trade relations — I find that comment worrisome.
Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov
The TASS report, citing another source, also said that the parties at Abu Dhabi had discussed “buffer zones and various control mechanisms,” but that the issue of territories remains difficult. [Id.]
And there’s the crux of the problem: that ever-present, all-important, seemingly insurmountable issue of the Donbas region. Putin insists that Russia must have it; Zelensky refuses to be bullied into giving away 20 percent of his country’s territory.
So, for all of the optimism as to the issues that may have been resolved, the most contentious one remains.
The parties have agreed to resume talks on February 1st, again in Abu Dhabi. In the meantime — even during the time the talks were underway — the shelling of Ukraine has continued in the midst of a relentlessly bitter winter.
Volunteers providing hot meals for Kyiv’s elderly citizens
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Union General William Tecumseh Sherman was stating the obvious when he said during the American Civil War that “War is hell.” I doubt anyone in Ukraine would disagree with him.
We all know who Anne Frank was: the young Jewish-German girl who spent the last two years of her short life hidden with her family in a secret room in her father’s office in Amsterdam — only to be discovered and incarcerated by the Nazi regime at Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, where she died just two months before the end of World War II.
Anne Frank (1929-1945)
And most of us have heard of the diaries she kept during those two years — diaries rescued by employees of her father’s firm, and later published as a book by her father, Otto Frank, who miraculously survived the war.
Her words belie her youth and inexperience; her undaunted spirit inspires us still. And this one sentence particularly speaks to me in today’s atmosphere of political uncertainty:
“People can tell you to keep your mouth shut, but that doesn’t stop you from having your own opinion.”
– Anne Frank, “The Diary of a Young Girl”
That teen-aged girl, who was forced to keep silent for fear of discovery yet found release in her writing, is a compelling reminder that the most dangerous thing we can do in difficult times is to surrender our opinions and our freedom of expression.
They are everywhere, not just in Vladimir Putin’s archipelago of prison camps, but held by brutal regimes around the world for purely political reasons. And so this weekly column is being renamed.
Welcome to “The World’s Hostages – Bring Them Home.”
Sadly, this change was inspired by news of yet another American, 64-year-old Dennis Coyle of Colorado, who has spent the last year in a basement room in Afghanistan, under the watchful eye of the Taliban.
Dennis Coyle
For nearly 20 years he had been conducting academic research and assisting the Afghan community, when he was forcibly taken from his apartment in January of 2025 by Taliban forces. It was nine months before his family in the United States learned that he was alive.
From the occasional phone calls that he is permitted to make, his mother and three sisters have grown increasingly concerned for his mental health due to his prolonged isolation. In the words of one of his sisters, Molly Long:
“With each phone call that we get from him, we get more and more desperate to get him home.” [Damita Menezes, Chris Cuomo, News Nation, January 15, 2026.]
He has been declared by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained, which prioritizes official efforts for his release. Ms. Long said that the family has been assured by administration officials, including Dr. Sebastian Gorka and U.S. Special Envoy for Hostage Response Adam Boehler, that Coyle’s release is a top priority.
Adam Boehler
But . . .
Why, then, during an interview with News Nation on January 21st, did Donald Trump not even know who Dennis Coyle is?
When host Katie Pavlich spoke about Trump’s efforts on behalf of various hostages, and asked about a U.S. citizen who was reportedly being held by the Taliban in Afghanistan, he said:
“Well, if you give me the name” . . . despite the fact that she had just told him. She repeated, “Dennis Coyle,” and he responded, “Well, if you give me some information, I’ll take care of that.” [Edith Olmsted, The New Republic, January 21, 2026.]
The exchange continued:
Pavlich:“I know that your administration is working on it . . .”
Trump:“I know they are. But I could do some things on the internet that are pretty impactful.”
Pavlich then asked if Trump had a message for the Taliban about Coyle, who had been taken “for no crime,” to which he replied:
Trump: “Well, I’m not happy about them holding anybody. And especially if he’s not guilty of anything. And it sounds like— from what I’ve heard, and again I’m not that familiar with it like you are, but I will certainly take a very strong position on it.” [Id.]
Well, that will certainly be reassuring to Dennis Coyle and his family: Trump will jump onto the internet — presumably his Truth Social platform — and take a “very strong position.” Whoopee!
*. *. *
I certainly hope that the people actually negotiating on behalf of Dennis Coyle and all of the other hostages being held on specious charges are more aware of what is going on than Trump appears to be. And as a further reminder to them, here again is my list — admittedly incomplete — of their names and locations:
Victims of Greed:
The President, First Lady, and citizens of Venezuela
Europeans Under Threat:
The Nation and the People of Greenland The people of NATO and EU member states
Prisoners of War:
The 19,500 Kidnapped Ukrainian Children The People of Ukraine
Immigrant Detainees in Russia:
Migrants from the Central Asian nations of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
Endangered Exiles:
Mikita Losik Yulia Navalnaya Countless Journalists and Other Dissidents
Andrei Chapiuk Uladzimir Labkovich Andrzej Poczobut Marfa Rabkova Valiantsin Stafanovic Yuras Zyankovich
In Georgia:
Mzia Amaglobeli
In China:
Chenyue Mao (American)
In Russia:
The “Crimea 8”: — Oleg Antipov — Artyom Azatyan — Georgy Azatyan — Aleksandr Bylin — Roman Solomko — Artur Terchanyan — Dmitry Tyazhelykh — Vladimir Zloba
James Scott Rhys Anderson (British) David Barnes (American) Gordon Black (American) Hayden Davies (British) Antonina Favorskaya Konstantin Gabov Robert Gilman (American) Stephen James Hubbard (American) Sergey Karelin Timur Kishukov Vadim Kobzev Darya Kozyreva Artyom Kriger Michael Travis Leake (American) Aleksei Liptser Grigory Melkonyants Nika Novak Leonid Pshenychnov (in Russian-occupied Crimea) Nadezhda Rossinskaya (a.k.a. Nadin Geisler) Sofiane Sehili (French) Igor Sergunin Dmitry Shatresov Robert Shonov Grigory Skvortsov Eugene Spector (American) Joseph Tater (American, disappeared) Laurent Vinatier Robert Romanov Woodland (American)
Regardless of what Donald Trump thinks, you can’t un-ring a bell.
Disaster at Davos – January 21, 2026
On the heels of his deranged performance at Davos earlier this week, someone in his inner circle must have summoned up the courage to convince him that he needed to do some major damage control, specifically with regard to his insulting comments about the British and other NATO military forces.
Following serious push-back from Prime Minister Keir Starmer — as well as from Prince Harry, who served beside American troops in Afghanistan — Trump condescended to post this on Truth Social:
“The GREAT and very BRAVE soldiers of the United Kingdom will always be with the United States of America! In Afghanistan, 457 died, many were badly injured, and they were among the greatest of all warriors. It’s a bond too strong to ever be broken. The U.K. Military, with tremendous Heart and Soul, is second to none (except for the U.S.A.!). We love you all, and always will!” [Kevin Liptak and Lauren Kent, CNN, January 24, 2026.]
Well, that’s almost an apology.
As though a social media post — almost certainly composed by a White House staff member — will erase the memory of the words he spoke extemporaneously from Davos:
“We’ve never needed them [NATO]. We have never really asked anything of them. You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan or this or that. And they did. They stayed a little back, little off the front lines.” [Id.]
. . . or ease the loss to the families of the British soldiers and Marines killed in Afghanistan:
Returning Home to England – June 29, 2010
If only we could excise his tongue and deep-six his phone.
The world doesn’t need another Hundred Years’ War. But it’s beginning to feel as though that’s what we have . . . and no one feels it more than the people of Ukraine, suffering through their fifth frigid winter of Russia’s “special military operation.”
Winter in Wartime Ukraine
The actual Hundred Years’ War between England and France (1337-1453) was fought between armies on horseback and on foot, with spears, swords, and bows and arrows. This one in Ukraine has targeted civilians — women, children, the elderly and infirm — with missiles and drones. And no amount of diplomatic effort has been able to end it, because of the intransigence of one man: Vladimir Putin.
And the inconceivable ignorance of another: Donald Trump.
This week has seen yet another round of talks designed to buy more time for Russia, but with an added twist: an attempt by Putin to gain the release of frozen Russian assets . . . and with the help of the hapless Trump.
It started on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum at Davos, with a chat between the money men from the U.S. and Russia. From there, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner followed Kirill Dmitriev to Moscow, where they met with Putin for three hours on January 22nd in what was described by Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov as “exceptionally substantive, constructive, and, I would say, extremely frank and confidential.” [Helen Regan and Darya Tarasova, CNN, January 23, 2026.]
In other words, contentious and open-ended, as confirmed by Ushakov’s next statement, warning that “without resolving the territorial issue . . . one should not count on achieving a long-term settlement.” He added that, until a final agreement is reached, Russia would continue to pursue its objectives “on the battlefield, where the Russian Armed Forces hold the strategic initiative.” [Id.]
Vladimir Putin, Steve Witkoff, Jared Kushner – Moscow, January 22, 2026
The one thing that did come out of the discussion in the Kremlin was an agreement to convene a long-sought-after trilateral meeting in the United Arab Emirates on Friday, described by Ushakov as the “first meeting of the trilateral working group on security issues.” [Id.]
And it did take place as announced: two days of talks in Abu Dhabi, which Ukraine’s chief negotiator, Rustem Umerov, said in advance would focus on “the parameters for ending Russia’s war and the further logic of the negotiation process.” [Stephen Quillen and Usaid Siddiqui, Al Jazeera, January 24, 2026.]
The result? Anybody’s guess.
The talks concluded today without an announcement of any result. And as the meetings were underway, Russia confirmed Ushakov’s warning by continuing its air attacks on Kyiv and Kharkiv, killing at least one person and injuring dozens of others.
The Onslaught Continues
Ushakov did also say that it would be the “first meeting,” so we should probably assume there will be others. But will they be any more productive, as long as Putin refuses to offer the slightest concessions toward a settlement? Or as long as Trump continues to mollify him?
Thus far, all we’ve seen is a lot of people burning up untold amounts of jet fuel as they hop around the globe in search of a resolution. And I’m beginning to think we (the U.S.) may need to send in a whole new team of negotiators, with an entirely new modus operandi.
*. *. *
And what about those frozen Russian assets? Well, that little wrench was thrown into the works when Trump invited Putin to join his new “Board of Peace.” And Putin — ever the opportunist — responded that he would consider it, and would pay the $1 billion fee for a permanent seat on the Board, if Trump would help to unfreeze the Russian assets being held by the West since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Putin promised that when that happened, he would turn over the $1 billion.
And if Trump buys that, I have a bridge in Brooklyn I’d like to sell him.
Nick Cave is the front man for the Australian rock band, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. I admit that I have never heard their music . . . in fact, I had never heard of them at all until I found this one brief line in a search for today’s quote on the subject of risk-taking.
Nick Cave
What led me along this path was the thought of all of the multi-billionaires who might now be preparing to jump wallets-first into Donald Trump’s scheme for the construction of a new city on the Gaza Strip. And, while Nick Cave’s music is said to be “characterised by emotional intensity and lyrical obsessions with death and violence” [en.wikipedia.org], I found this one bit of lyricto be oddly comforting:
“If you’re gonna dine with them cannibals Sooner or later, darling, you’re gonna get eaten.”
– Nick Cave, “Cannibal’s Hymn”
In some perverse way, it gives me hope for the future awaiting all of those MAGA “cannibals” out there . . . both the leaders and their mindless followers . . . when karma finally catches up with them.
Is there anyone — anyone at all? — who honestly believes it was a coincidence that, immediately following Donald Trump’s sales pitch and signing ceremony for about 20 suckers . . . er, members . . . for his newly-formed “Board of Peace,” his son-in-law, realtor Jared Kushner, did his own little dog-and-pony show, announcing a “masterplan” for the rebuilding of Gaza?
Jared Kushner – Davos, Switzerland, January 22, 2026
Or that the plan begins with a “coastal tourism” zone with room for up to 180 skyscrapers, many likely earmarked as hotels? [Andrew Carey, CNN, January 22, 2026.]
And a residential zone consisting of high-end homes and apartments, schools and medical facilities to accommodate . . . whom? Certainly not the impoverished, starving people battered by more than two years of relentless attacks.
The Reality of Gaza Today
As presented by Kushner, the rebuilt region would be a new Dubai — yet another Middle Eastern playground for the rich and corrupt. And the plan is non-negotiable. Speaking on behalf of his father-in-law and the “Board of Peace,” he said:
“We have a masterplan. . . . There is no Plan B. If Hamas does not demilitarize, that will be what holds back the people of Gaza from achieving their aspirations.”[Id.]
“Their” aspirations? Really? I should think the only thing the people of Gaza are aspiring to right now is surviving: having sufficient food, water, medical care and shelter to stay alive. And maybe, if they’re very lucky, jobs to allow them to afford those basic necessities.
But this is a representation of what Trump & Co. have in mind:
Trump’s Vision of a New Gaza
The so-called master plan would be comprised of two urban developments, to be known as New Rafah and New Gaza.
“New Rafah” would offer more than 100,000 permanent housing units, over 200 schools, and more than 75 medical facilities. While that sounds good, consider that there are an estimated two million people living in the whole of the Gaza Strip, with nearly half of them still in the devastated northern region — and not a single one likely to be able to afford one of the new housing units.
Furthermore, with completion of construction estimated to take between two and three years (at best), how are they supposed to survive in the meantime? Has any provision been discussed by Kushner’s development company for livable refugee camps, mobile home communities, or any sort of interim accommodations? I suppose that will be up to someone else — certainly not the “Board of Peace.”
What Gaza Needs … NOW!
Then there is the second area, “New Gaza” — a center of industry, supposedly providing 100% full employment. But what sort of employment, and for whom? Who will retrain the local citizens for jobs in the region’s new high-tech industries or the five-star hotels and resorts? Or will they simply be consigned to the lower-level, lower-paying jobs, further ensuring their inability to afford that beautiful new housing?
Finally, Kushner came to the question of who would be paying for this dream city of the future, and the answer was: “Governments.” Remember those billion-dollar admission fees to the Board of Peace? But even if as many as 50 countries were to sign up for it, it wouldn’t be nearly enough to finance a project of this scope.
So Kushner then launched an appeal to — surprise! — the private sector, promising “amazing investment opportunities.” He told his audience of daddy-in-law’s billionaire friends:
“I know it’s a little risky to be investing in a place like this, but we need you to come, take faith, invest in the people.” [Id.]
“A little risky,” he said. “A little risky”??!!! Even to the Musks, the Bezoses, and the Zuckerbergs of the world, this has to look like what it really is: another pie-in-the-sky dream designed to boost Donald Trump’s ego and his net worth . . . and possibly win him that elusive Nobel Prize. Still, taking risks is what earned each of them their first million . . .
*. *. *
Senior Palestinian officials have yet to react to the plan. But Ramy Abdu, the Palestinian founder of the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Monitor group, posted this on X:
“Palestinians face a plan to eliminate their very presence, based on domestication, subjugation, and control.”
And there you have it: Plan A. At the moment, there is no Plan B.
Oh, no! Mark Carney has been uninvited from Donald Trump’s Most Magnificent Board of Peace Party because of the speech he gave at Davos, which was more popular — not to mention more eloquent and (GASP!) truthful — than Donnie’s.
Mark must have forgotten to genuflect. And now Donnie’s feelings are hurt.
Well, kid, maybe it’s time to grow up. I know it’s a hard pill to swallow, but life isn’t always fair — even to you.
As for Mark, he’ll be just fine. He’s got lots of real friends, including millions of Americans.
And don’t forget that big new trade deal with China . . .
Yes, that’s a term I made up: an apparent oxymoron, but more readily understood once you’ve read today’s quotes.
Omar El Akkad is an award-winning, Egyptian-Canadian-American author and journalist currently living in the United States. He has covered the war in Afghanistan, military trials at Guantanamo Bay, the Arab Spring in Egypt, Black Lives Matter, and other devastating, world-altering events. His novels are influenced by his experiences, and his 2025 non-fiction “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This,” is about the war in Gaza.
Omar El Akkad (1982 – present)
On October 25, 2023, after three weeks of covering Israel’s bombardment of Gaza, El Akkad tweeted this message, which has now been viewed more than ten million times:
“One day, when it’s safe, when there’s no personal downside to calling a thing what it is, when it’s too late to hold anyone accountable, everyone will have always been against this.”
Posthumous foresight.
And then he wrote his non-fiction book about that experience, which included these passages:
“There is an impulse in moments like this to appeal to self-interest. To say ‘these horrors you are allowing to happen, they will come to your doorstep one day.’ to repeat the famous phrase about ‘who they came for first’ and ‘who they’ll come for next.’ But this appeal cannot, in matter of fact, work. If the people well served by a system that condones such butchery ever truly believed the same butchery could one day be inflicted upon them, they would tear the system down tomorrow. and anyway, by the time such a thing happens, the rest of us will already be dead.
“No, there is no terrible thing happening coming for you in some distant future. But know that a terrible thing is happening to you now. You are being asked to kill off a part of you that would otherwise scream in opposition to injustice. You are being asked to dismantle the machinery of a functioning conscience. Who cares if diplomatic expediency prefers you shrug away the sight of dismembered children? Who cares if great distance from the bloodstained middle allows obliviousness? Forget pity. Forget even the dead, if you must. But at least fight against the theft of your soul.”
– Omar El Akkad, “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This”
Gaza – 2025
And that applies, not only to Gaza, but to the rest of the world as well.
The Blog About Everything … and Sometimes Nothing 