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James Stavridis
For James Stavridis's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Vladimir Putin knows that if NATO member states are dragged back into policing a restive Balkans, they will be distracted from their focus on supporting Ukraine.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 2, 2024
Putin’s new front in the Ukraine war is in the Balkans
The Russian leader is pushing propaganda and religious strife in Kosovo and Bosnia to distract NATO from his illegal invasion.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels have conducted an escalating series of attacks against merchant shipping in the region using drones, ballistic missiles and commandos on helicopters and speedboats. 
COMMENTARY
Dec 20, 2023
U.S.-led naval force might not end Houthi ship attacks
U.S. Navy commands Operation Prosperity Guardian, a global coalition formed to counter the Iranian-backed Houthis.
Israeli troops gather on the border with the Gaza Strip on Thursday, the 7th day of a truce with Hamas.
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 1, 2023
The Gaza cease-fire is a major military victory for Hamas
Military cease-fires and delays such as between Israel and Hamas always favor weaker defenders in a conflict.
South Korean and U.S. soldiers stand guard next to the United Nations Command Military Armistice Commission building on the South Korean side of the Demilitarized Zone at Panmunjom in July 2017.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 28, 2023
South Korea’s lessons for Ukraine’s reconstruction
Ukraine needs ironclad security guarantees, specifically NATO membership and the collective security that ensures.
Iran has conducted numerous proxy attacks against the Israelis, as well as U.S. forces in Iraq and Syria, seeking to determine what a response might look like.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 6, 2023
What the U.S. should do about Iran
Iran has conducting attacks against against Israeli and U.S. forces, seeking to determine what a response will look like.
A disturbing factor that may ultimately defeat the all-volunteer military force is the growing political division across the U.S., which is diminishing the young people's faith in America.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 24, 2023
U.S. military’s recruiting woes are a national-security crisis
The U.S. military's struggle to entice even the most surefire candidates — the children of veterans — puts the future of the all-volunteer force in doubt.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 1, 2023
Ukraine war may become a proving ground for AI
AI and quantum computing could revolutionize offensive operations and, perhaps more important, logistics.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2023
Ukraine is running out of ammo. So is the U.S.
America’s industrial base is struggling with supply chains and a shortage of workers while the Pentagon contracts are piling up.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 24, 2023
If Erdogan blocks Sweden and Finland, will NATO boot Turkey?
Turkey has been one of NATO's most steadfast members, but no one wants to force the alliance to make a tough choice over Finland and Sweden.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 6, 2022
Drone strikes show Putin his homeland isn’t safe
Ukrainians aren't openly taking credit for the attacks on Russian air bases, but the message was clear: They are mad as hell and not going to take it anymore.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 19, 2022
A Ukrainian victory may make the Russian war more dangerous
Kyiv should be proud of the astounding success of its recent offensive, but defeat may push Vladimir Putin to reach for deadlier tactics.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 26, 2022
U.S.-South Korea war games have a global audience
Given tensions with China over Taiwan and the war in Ukraine, the military exercises with South Korea, one of the largest drills the U.S. stages, will have ripple effects on all its allies and opponents.u2002
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2022
Climate change is a military problem for the U.S.
The U.S. military needs concrete plans to address every looming danger from sea-level rises to an opening Arctic.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
May 3, 2022
Russia’s sunken warship is a warning to all navies
Poor design and a lack of experienced sailors likely doomed the Moskva, but the incident exposed the vulnerabilities of U.S. ships as well.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 27, 2022
The West’s cyberattack appeasement helped give Putin a green light
A failure to respond in-kind on hacking since 2014 sent a signal of weakness on Ukraine. But it's not too late to fight back.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 11, 2022
Putin faces insurgency nightmare if Ukraine is invaded
The Ukrainians suffered greatly and at the hands of Russians over the past century. They can and will fight, and the Western democracies can help.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 17, 2021
Four ways the U.S. can keep Putin from invading Ukraine
The U.S. should consider disconnecting Russia from the Swift international payment system used by banks around the world, a penalty that helped devastate Iran's economy a decade ago.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Dec 7, 2021
What it will take to make the world’s ships run on time
Part of the problem has to do with how we think of supply chains. They are not really chain-like in the sense of linear pathways. If they were, the problems would be easier to fix.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 21, 2021
Russia just created a cloud of bullets in space
It's important to look at Russia's use of a missile to destroy a satellite in the context of the increasing weaponization of the cosmos.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 19, 2021
What Colin Powell taught me about leadership and war
Humility, so much at the core of Gen. Colin Powell, the son of Jamaican immigrants and graduate of a City College of New York, was job one.

Longform

Historically, kabuki was considered the entertainment of the merchant and peasant classes, a far cry from how it is regarded today.
For Japan's oldest kabuki theater, the show must go on