The Sabbatical Solution (The Gorbachev Redux)

A Friendly Warning from India to the American Midwest The Sabbatical Solution: An Open Letter to the American Heartland What if the best way to save the American century is to step off the global chessboard entirely? Writing as a friend from India, “The Unknown Sri Vaishnava” delivers a blunt, numbers-backed warning to the averageContinue reading “The Sabbatical Solution (The Gorbachev Redux)”

Why I Dare to Critique the Worldviews of Both Samuel Huntington and John Mearsheimer (Concluded)

by M.K.Sudarshan August 7, 2026: Chennai, India

Why I Dare to Critique the Worldviews of both Samuel Huntington and John Mearsheimer

by M.K. Sudarshan August 6, 2026: Chennai, India IntroductionThe global architecture is fracturing in real-time. From the devastating missile strikes in the Persian Gulf to the shifting security matrices of the Indo-Pacific, the modern world feels increasingly chaotic. To make sense of it all, the foreign policy establishment routinely relies on two towering academic frameworks:Continue reading “Why I Dare to Critique the Worldviews of both Samuel Huntington and John Mearsheimer”

How much does mankind spend on destroying itself ?

by M.K.Sudarshan July 26, 2026: Chennai, India A comparative perspective on the Financial and Strategic Costs that America imposes on the whole world 1. Asymmetry of Engagement The financial and economic ledger of the ongoing conflict in West Asia reveals a starkly asymmetric distribution of costs across the three primary blocks involved as seen inContinue reading “How much does mankind spend on destroying itself ?”

न्याय की ढलती सांझ: महाभारत के समय-कूप से उपजी एक परमाणु गाथा

by M.K.Sudarshan July 20, 2026: Chennai, India महाभारत से प्रेरित एक काल्पनिक पुनर्कथन संयुक्त राष्ट्र महासभा के भव्य कक्ष पर एक अकल्पनीय, दम घोंटने वाला साया मंडरा रहा है, जिसने वैश्विक महाशक्तियों की पूरी व्यवस्था को एक भयावह और पूर्ण जड़ता में तब्दील कर दिया है। स्तब्ध और अवाक खड़े वैश्विक नेताओं के सामने एकContinue reading “न्याय की ढलती सांझ: महाभारत के समय-कूप से उपजी एक परमाणु गाथा”

What’s the American war habit? Turn tragedy into memory, memory into regret, and regret into another round of exceptional self-justification

America often enters war in the language of necessity and emerges in the language of regret. This op-ed traces that familiar pattern from past conflicts to Ukraine and Iran, asking who pays the real price when American exceptionalism meets the realities of war.

“Get Out of the Way, Westphalia!”… Henry Kissinger’s dark prophecy

by M.K.Sudarshan July 9, 2026: Chennai, India Is the centuries-old doctrine of state sovereignty collapsing before our eyes?In his seminal work World Order, Henry Kissinger warned against a single hegemon rewriting the rules of global legitimacy. Yet, the systematic dismantling of Westphalian principles—seen in Iraq, Libya, Syria, and now the extreme defense ultimatums placed on Iran—provesContinue reading ““Get Out of the Way, Westphalia!”… Henry Kissinger’s dark prophecy”

The CIA: An Empire of the Literary Imagination

Hugh Wilford’s The CIA: An Imperial History shows that the Agency’s most dangerous weapon was never a gadget but a story: an imperial literary imagination — Kipling, Lawrence, Greene, Hollywood — that taught America how to see, intervene in, and narrate the world. I’ve just finished reading the book and I now understand the CIAContinue reading “The CIA: An Empire of the Literary Imagination”

The Last Taboo: Restoring Nuclear Restraint Before It’s Too Late

As attritional wars harden in the world today, nuclear restraint is fraying — risking a shift from deterrence to mutually assured destruction to collective annihilation. The trajectory is portentous. M.K.Sudarshan Origins of deterrenceSince Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the logic of safety through threat has governed great‑power strategy. Watching the United States end the Second World WarContinue reading “The Last Taboo: Restoring Nuclear Restraint Before It’s Too Late”

My interview with Colonel Douglas Macgregor on his book “Margin of Victory” (2015) and the ongoing US-Iran War

Sudarshan: Col. Douglas Macgregor, thank you for joining me to discuss your book Margin of Victory. I’ve read it cover-to-cover—it’s fascinating, especially the Conclusions chapter with its lessons for American military and foreign policy in the ongoing war against Iran. If you were to be interviewed on the book, what conversations and questions should oneContinue reading “My interview with Colonel Douglas Macgregor on his book “Margin of Victory” (2015) and the ongoing US-Iran War”