Edward S. Solomon

@edsolomon.net

640 Followers 476 Following

Retired from government, law, broadcasting. Articles: EdSolomon.substack.com (always free) Metro Washington, DC. Supports Ukraine & Taiwan

Bronze statue of Gen. Bernardo de Gálvez at the entrance to the Spanish Embassy in Washington, DC. March 2026 photo: Edward S. Solomon
Excerpt from Ambassador Bond's 24 Feb 2026 article: "[E]uropean leaders should not look at the dogged endurance of Ukraine’s armed forces and civilians over the last four years and assume that it is infinite, and that Putin will eventually be forced to give up his attack on Ukraine. No-one knows the limit of Ukrainian stubbornness, but there is one. To paraphrase Ernest Hemingway, Ukraine could be defeated “gradually, then suddenly”. To prevent a decisive Russian breakthrough, European leaders should be prepared to intervene militarily to help Ukraine, without waiting for a ceasefire – starting by deploying air defence assets, including aircraft based in Poland and Romania, to reduce the impact of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s civilian and industrial infrastructure."
Image shows points #6-9 from President Trump's proposed "28-point Ukraine-Russia peace plan" posted by the Financial Times on 20 November 2025. Point #9 is highlighted: "European fighter jets will be stationed in Poland." The full article on the FT website is [behind a paywall] at: https://www.ft.com/content/79eefaf8-2fc1-47ac-9653-24cf6a0239f5
Reichstag Building, Berlin, Germany. 2024. Photo: Edward S. Solomon
The image contains a quote from Dr. Brook's 7 July 2025 Substack article: "On the matter how best to stop these transshipments, it’s not that complicated. No additional regulations are needed and there’s no need for further export controls. It’s simpler than that. All it takes is a few phone calls from senior people in government to the firms involved. That will stop these transshipments overnight and is more or less what happened in Poland and Lithuania, who both successfully ended this trade." The URL for his Substack article is: https://robinjbrooks.substack.com/p/eu-transshipments-to-russia
Drawing found in the Codex Magliabechiano, page 141, dating back to the 16th Century. This drawing depicts human sacrifices in the form of heart extractions practiced by the Aztec civilization.
General Tadeusz Kosciuszko was a military officer, architect and engineer from Poland. He was responsible for the design and construction of fortifications instrumental in protecting forts held by the Continental Army. According to the U.S. Army Europe and Africa website at EuropeAfrica.army.mil, "During the American Revolution, Kościuszko carried an old Spanish sword at his side, which was inscribed with the words 'Do not draw me without reason; do not sheathe me without honor'.” At the end of the war, the Continental Congress promoted him to Brigadier General in the U.S. Army. His statue can be found in Lafayette Square in Washington, DC, just outside the White House. Photo: Edward S. Solomon
Screenshot of the "I AM MARLBORO" trademark registered with the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) on 10 March 2025 by Philip Morris Brands Sàrl. The Filing number is 019104878, and the complete record can be found on the EUIPO database at: https://euipo.europa.eu/eSearch/#details/trademarks/019104878
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrives in Yerevan, Armenia yesterday, and is greeted by Alen Simonyan, Speaker of the Armenian Parliament. This photo is marked "Public Domain", and was obtained from an article on the RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty website at https://www.rferl.org/a/yerevan-armenia-summit-europe-pashinyan-starmer-ukraine/33748205.html
From FilmFestDC.org website: "The Negotiator" Il Nibbio Alessandro Tonda Italy, Belgium, 2025 108 minutes, Color The Negotiator creates such an edge-of-your-seat feeling that when you realize the film is based on actual people and events, the story hits even harder. Amid the bleak chaos of the Iraq war in 2005, an Italian journalist (Sonia Bergamasco) has just been kidnapped. Among other consequences, this interrupts veteran Italian secret service agent Nicola Calipari's (Claudio Santamaria) family skiing vacation. As Calipari lands in Baghdad, Alessandro Tonda masterfully captures the deep tension of the agent's attempts to navigate the intrigue and intricacies of finding hard-to-find people who may know other people who might be trusted to offer help—and every small step along the way comes with risk and worry. Negotiating not only with terrorists but with the smug American CIA, opportunistic Sunni separatists, and even with his own family, Calipari remains relentless. The Negotiator won Best Film Award at the 2025 Italian Golden Globes (Globi d'Oro).—Dave Nuttycombe In Italian, English, and Arabic with English subtitles
Taiwan’s Presidential Office Building, Taipei – 2023. Photo Edward S. Solomon
Excerpt from Ambassador Bond's 24 Feb 2026 article: "[E]uropean leaders should not look at the dogged endurance of Ukraine’s armed forces and civilians over the last four years and assume that it is infinite, and that Putin will eventually be forced to give up his attack on Ukraine. No-one knows the limit of Ukrainian stubbornness, but there is one. To paraphrase Ernest Hemingway, Ukraine could be defeated “gradually, then suddenly”. To prevent a decisive Russian breakthrough, European leaders should be prepared to intervene militarily to help Ukraine, without waiting for a ceasefire – starting by deploying air defence assets, including aircraft based in Poland and Romania, to reduce the impact of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s civilian and industrial infrastructure."
Maigret And The Dead Lover Maigret et le mort amoureux PASCAL BONITZER France, Belgium, 2025 80 minutes, Color Denis Podalydès is a fine addition to the many Detective Maigrets who have appeared onscreen and in novels since 1930. His Maigret is a man of precision. Director Pascal Bonitzer has set this latest adventure in early 2000s Paris, where the ever-cautious Chief Inspector (André Marcon) summons Maigret to investigate the murder of a renowned former ambassador. The scene of the crime poses more questions than answers. Likewise, longtime servant Jacotte (Anne Alvaro) seems to say less than she knows. But Maigret discovers a 50-year trove of love letters between the ambassador and a married princess (Dominique Reymond). In a twist, the noblewoman's husband has also just died, leaving the couple free to finally carry on their affair in the open—or even marry. The mysteries of so many secret lives that aren't entirely secret pile up until a thoroughly surprising resolution is revealed.—Dave Nuttycombe In French with English subtitles
"[E]uropean leaders should not look at the dogged endurance of Ukraine’s armed forces and civilians over the last four years and assume that it is infinite, and that Putin will eventually be forced to give up his attack on Ukraine. No-one knows the limit of Ukrainian stubbornness, but there is one. To paraphrase Ernest Hemingway, Ukraine could be defeated “gradually, then suddenly”. To prevent a decisive Russian breakthrough, European leaders should be prepared to intervene militarily to help Ukraine, without waiting for a ceasefire – starting by deploying air defence assets, including aircraft based in Poland and Romania, to reduce the impact of Russian strikes on Ukraine’s civilian and industrial infrastructure."
Miles Taylor, co-founder of Defiance.org, speaking at the State of the Swamp: The Rebuttal to the State of the Union Address. The event featured dozens of prominent people in government, politics, broadcasting, and the arts. It was held earlier this evening at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. You can watch the event at https://defiance.org (the program starts at 14:13).
Certified letters sent on 7 March 2025 to Roger Lau, Executive Director of the Democratic National Committee, and Regina Wallace-Jones, President and CEO of ActBlue. The letter states: Re: Unauthorized text messages / phone calls. Dear Mr. Lau and Ms. Wallace-Jones: No candidate or organization is authorized to contact me via text messages or phone calls. Please take the following actions: 1. Delete my phone number(s) from your records in ALL your databases. 2. Inform your clients that I do not wish to receive ANY text messages or phone calls. 3. Do not sell or give my contact information to ANY candidate or organization. 4. If I choose to contribute to a candidate, it does NOT grant permission to send more than 1 or 2 emails per month. ActBlue candidates were previously sending me as many as 4 emails per DAY, through their personal political accounts and PACs. I am currently not inclined to make any contributions through ActBlue. I urge the DNC to bring the fundraising function “in house”, as contact from ActBlue clients was abusive in the last election cycle. Very truly yours, Edward S. Solomon [Certified Mail numbers provided]
The attached photo contains an excerpt from the Internationale Politik Quarterly article: "It would be mistaken to assume that Trump’s hemispheric ambitions naturally correlate to a willingness to cede the rest of the world to Russia and China and accept a world divided into spheres of influence. There is little sign, in word or in action, that the US intends to abandon its role as an Asian power or walk away from its alliances."
New York Times, 21 Jan 2026 from Jeffrey A. Gettleman: "On Wednesday night, Aaja Chemnitz, one of the two Greenlandic members of the Danish parliament and a major political figure in Greenland, rejected what President Trump said about his “future deal” with NATO. What we are witnessing these days in statements from Trump is completely absurd. NATO has absolutely no mandate to negotiate anything whatsoever without us in Greenland,” she said in a post on Facebook."
Rally for Ukraine, 22 Feb 2025, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC. Photo: Edward S. Solomon
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte. Photo: NATO
Senator Chuck Schumer official portrait
Hôtel de Ville (City Hall), Paris, France, with the inscription "Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité", the motto of the French Republic. Photo: Edward S. Solomon (2011)
From my old Substack article posted on January 20, 2025, the day Donald Trump returned to the White House: "Trump is giving the “green light” to our enemies, Russia and China, to engage in territorial expansion. World leaders need to understand that Trump's absurd fascist rants about acquiring Greenland, the Panama Canal, and Canada are not "bluster" or playing 3-D chess. Whether or not he will actually destroy the respect that the world has for America by illegally employing military force or economic coercion against peaceful, sovereign states, the real goal of Mr. Trump’s aggressive posture is to give the green light to our enemies, Russia and China, to engage in territorial expansion."
The image is in the style of a CAPTCHA verification, with the heading "Select all images with Finnish snipers". Below the heading is a photo of a snow covered forest, divided into a grid with 12 squares. Each square has a blue checkmark, indicating that there were probably unseen Finnish snipers hidden in the forest.
United States Capitol. Photo: Edward S. Solomon
Cartoon from Bas van der Schot, political cartoonist for the Dutch daily newspaper De Volkskrant. The cartoon shows frogs in a pot labeled as "Europe" on a stove, with the flame labeled as "Russian Gas". Various frogs are saying "Reckless", "a real threat", "taking all scenarios into account", "no escalation now", "high time for a new sanctions package", and "What is Trump saying?". Edward S. Solomon paid for license with Cagle Cartoons, Inc. on PoliticalCartoons.com to republish this cartoon.
United States Capitol. Photo: Edward S. Solomon
Cover of The Atlantic magazine - May 2025
Illustrative photo showing computer code in Kyiv Post article
Cover of Time Magazine's July 28, 2025 issue. The text reads: "The Kidnappings: Thousands of children were taken from Ukraine by Russian Forces. The fight to get them back. By Simon Shuster
United States Capitol building. Photo: Edward S. Solomon.
Benjamin Franklin - Artist: Joseph Siffred Duplessis - Oil on canvas, c. 1785. National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC
United States Capitol. Photo: Edward S. Solomon
Photo shows a South Korean government diagram of the Third Infiltration Tunnel, built by North Korea under the DMZ. In the event of an invasion by North Korea, it could transport 30,000 troops per hour with small arms. The tunnel was discovered in 1978 based on information provided by a North Korean who defected to the south. Four tunnels have been discovered, but there are believed to be many more which remain hidden. The diagram is located at the entrance to the third tunnel on the South Korean side, and is available for the public to photograph. My visit to the tunnel was in 2015, where I was able to walk through the tunnel to the now sealed end. Photographs within the tunnel are forbidden. Photo of diagram: Edward S. Solomon
Mark Rutte, Secretary General of NATO. Photo: NATO
Screenshot of the WIkipedia page, which lists members of the Hindu Brahmin caste in multiple categories of society. The caste system was officially outlawed in India 75 years ago, but it is still widely accepted.
The Virginia State Flag depicts Virtus, the Roman goddess of Virtue. The Washington Post article states that "Virtus has graced the state seal since it was created in 1776 and the state flag since 1861." It represents Virginia's fight against Great Britain's tyrannical monarch during the Revolutionary War. The Latin phrase "Sic semper tyrannis" means "Thus always to tyrants". Wikipedia states that "In contemporary parlance, it means tyrannical leaders will inevitably be overthrown."
The Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca, El Salvador. Photo: Pool photo by Alex Brandon
The Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca, El Salvador. Photo: Pool photo by Alex Brandon
The Terrorism Confinement Center (CECOT) in Tecoluca, El Salvador. Photo: Pool photo by Alex Brandon
Handsoff Rally in Washington, DC - April 5, 2025. There were an uncountable thousands attending. This is a view of the crowd facing away from the main group of protestors. In the background is the United States Capitol. Photo: Edward S. Solomon
Senator Chuck Schumer official portrait
United States Capitol. Photo: Edward S. Solomon
Senator Chuck Schumer official portrait
Sen. Chuck Schumer official portrait
Ken Martin, Chair of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), appearing on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on 3 April 2025.
Canadian Embassy, Washington, DC. Photo: Edward S. Solomon
Sen. Chuck Schumer official portrait
MSNBC's Jen Psaki interviewing billionaire Governor JB Pritzker on 24 March 2025.
No country fights major battles without foreign assistance. This photo shows the statue of Marquis de Lafayette, Hero of the American Revolution. As a 20 year-old French Army officer, Lafayette believed in the American cause, and fought with the Continental Army under George Washington. He also donated most of his personal wealth to the cause. After the war, he returned to France, and became a hero of the French Revolution (He is called "The Hero of Two Worlds"). So great was his contribution, the park containing his statue is named after him. Lafayette Square is located just north of the White House in Washington, DC. In dedicating foreign statues, President William Howard Taft stated “It is idle to speculate what might have been the success of American arms in the war of the revolution had we not been assisted by foreign nations and subjects of foreign countries. It is sufficient for us to note that those who assisted us in that struggle for independence and liberty contributed materially to our success. ... America is grateful and holds in sweet memory those who came to her, in her hour of danger and of trouble.” Photo: Edward S. Solomon.
Excerpt from Jamelle Bouie's New York Times column dated 12 March 2025: "Constitutional rot is when all of this begins to deteriorate. It’s when government officials reject the public good in favor of the private interests of their supporters and financial backers, when institutions fail to address public problems, when political actors embrace a nihilistic ethos of winning regardless of the damage it might do to the overall health of the political system and when politicians reject any and all limits on their use of power and try to insulate themselves from accountability, democratic or otherwise." NOTE: This BlueSky post contains a gift link to the entire New York Times article.
SunTzu