* For obvious reasons, NATO is in the news. It is combating an imperious, authoritarian punk in Vladimir Putin who signals a “willingness to talk” by first pouring Russian combat troops and weapons on the Ukrainian border. What’s ironic is that not all NATO leaders find Putin’s bellicose manner repugnant, let alone antithetical to democratic values. Autocratic Exhibits A and B: Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
* The U.S. took out ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi Qurayshi. By so doing, the U.S. also took a big international step in combating the post-Afghanistan impression that America’s global power was weakening. NATO noticed.