Robert Gates: “We shrink from our global security responsibilities at our peril.”

Putin feels that he has a destiny to recreate the Russian Empire.

the only way I could get significant new or additional equipment to commanders in the field in weeks or months--not years--was to take control of the problem myself through special task forces and ad hoc processes.

The Chinese have played a lot of clips of what happened at the Capitol on January 6. And in their propaganda... have talked about how we’re in no position to advise other countries on how to govern themselves.

I think that it's still a problem for the Saudis.