Lunar landing – USA Gov Policy

Call it the case of the missing national holiday.

It was 45 years ago this week that Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin become the first humans to set foot on a celestial body other than planet Earth. They left a plaque stating that they came in peace for all mankind.

Armstrong, Aldrin, and Mike Collins, the commander of the Apollo 11 capsule that orbited the moon while they explored, were, of course, Americans. Their mission was one of the greatest technological achievements in human history, and will probably be considered by future historians a watershed moment for all humanity.

Yet , since that momentous occurrence, its anniversaries pass with almost no fanfare, no special recognition, and no momentous celebratory events. That fact is a painful reminder of the growing failure of politicians, U.S. schools, media, and other national cultural institutions to instill a knowledge of and appreciation for the unique and extraordinary accomplishments of the American nation.

Probably he or she will be prescribing some effective and functional viagra online india medicines, men can regain their lost potency and fill their love-life with seamless pleasure. The therapies of Reiki healing our most effective in making our immune system stronger and canadian levitra stable. People take into account on-line driver’s education to be a strict father but he is the one who are more prone to many complications in their life including increased age, weakness, many serious diseases sildenafil india price and disorders, and others. The relaxed muscles get cost of prescription viagra http://www.devensec.com/rules-regs/decregs104.html the energy in time of copulation. Both President Obama and Secretary of State Kerry have expressed unease with the concept of U.S. exceptionalism, and have exhibited almost an embarrassed demeanor whenever the discussion turns to the unparalleled contributions America has provided to the world. To the contrary, President Obama went on an “apology tour” early in his tenure, and Michelle Obama famously stated that the first time she was proud of her country was when her husband was selected to run for the White House.

Far too many American schools and American textbooks provide a nasty, biased version of U.S. history that concentrates only on national imperfections, imperfections which have long since been remedied.

Today, while NASA languishes, no longer capable of even placing an astronaut in orbit, the Russians, Chinese, and even the United Arab Emirates are planning ambitious space ventures. The vast gains in technology and resources may go to them, much as Portugal, once a great exploratory nation, eventually was passed by when it lost its will to continue.

To prosper and advance, America must once again find pride in its past and faith in its future ,and once again “push the envelope” to take the lead in this and other endeavors so pivotal to its future as a nation and a culture.

Quick Analysis

Ukraine’s Frozen Conflict

As we approach winter in the northern hemisphere, the war in Ukraine is beginning to resemble a “frozen conflict” from many perspectives. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently told the media he hopes the war will end faster once President-elect Trump takes over in January. Opinions in Moscow, however, differ from that of the Ukrainian leader. Russian President Vladimir Putin argues that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) needs to exclude Ukraine from joining in “exchange” for peace. If it does not, he says, then no end to the war is in sight. So far there is no Christmas solution. Several NATO countries, according to Vladimir Socor of the Jamestown Foundation, are tentatively considering “coalitions-of-the-willing” to provide security for Ukraine outside of the formal NATO framework. There is, however, no collective mechanism today under which such an arrangement is viable. According to the NATO Charter, while Ukraine is a NATO partner country, it may not join as a full member since it has not fulfilled the requirements for membership. That has not stopped NATO and allies from continuing “to provide Ukraine with unprecedented levels of support, helping to uphold its fundamental right to self-defence,” according to the organization. Socor says that keeping Ukraine out of NATO will not advance peace with Russia. Waiting for a peace settlement, he suggests, would only serve to encourage Moscow to continue the war indefinitely. Although the Biden Administration officially withdrew its support for Ukrainian membership in 2021, NATO maintains an “open door” policy toward membership-seeking countries. The current White House position led the way for European states to oppose Ukraine’s membership saying that a decision should be delayed until “conditions are met.” Biden pushed for changing “open door” to a “bridge” metaphor. It is not intended as an across-the-board NATO policy and has been implemented in the past on a case-by-case basis, says Socor. “The alliance’s open-door policy was not fully insulated from Russia’s non-statutory blocking power, and NATO-aspirant countries’ path toward membership was not always irreversible.” Russia has successfully blocked states like Georgia from joining, first in 2008 and again after the war in Ukraine began in 2014. Russia recognizes the value add of Ukraine to NATO is enormous and that Kyiv has a better case than some other nations. Putin’s invasion was, in part, intended to foreclose that option. By 2021, Moscow was pushing hard to maximize its war objectives, which included further annexations of Ukrainian territory. A main goal for Putin was, and is, to ensure there is no Ukraine left to join NATO. As President-elect Trump prepares to assume office in January, he is faced with the historical challenges presented by the war. Post-conflict security guarantees were the center of several proposals made during the 2023 military stalemate. The incoming Trump Administration has yet to outline how it intends to handle the Russia-Ukraine war. Analysts in Washington believe that the new Administration will expect its European allies to guarantee the majority of Ukraine’s security needs. As we approach 2025, several European nations have acknowledged that they do not view Ukraine as eligible for NATO membership as it would draw the organization into the middle of the conflict. Others want to wait until the war is over or pending a “peace” settlement before considering Ukrainian membership. Socor reports that some “influential voices” are suggesting that “Kyiv should join NATO after “freezing” the war along a stable armistice line, de facto accepting Ukraine’s partition, with NATO security guarantees applying de jure to the government-controlled territory only.” This would mean starting accession talks soon with the actual talks to commence only after a ceasefire is in place. Trump arrives in Washington at a time when Putin’s hybrid strategies of war in Ukraine have eviscerated commonly-held differences between war and peace. “Absent a political consensus in NATO over Ukrainian membership, certain European allies, including France’s President Emmanuel Macron, are holding informal consultations about post-conflict security guarantees to Kyiv by NATO members outside of NATO’s framework,” according to the Jamestown Foundation. The Biden Administration downplayed the discussions on possible forms of military assistance and defense industry cooperation by sending only an Assistant Secretary of State. For a European peace to hold the Trump Administration would need to formally extend the United States’ nuclear deterrence to Ukraine. Options under discussion in Europe include a “coalition of the resolute” to deploy forces to Ukraine as part of a possible armistice package, deterring further Russian attacks, says Secor. European officials are also debating, without any agreement, whether its military forces could perform non-combat logistical roles to free Ukrainian forces to fight. None of the possible courses of action has moved forward as all eyes are waiting on the incoming Trump Administration for clues about its intended level of support for a NATO framework and other non-NATO proposals. Daria Novak served in the U.S. State Dept.