Frank Lavin

Author, Business consultant, Public speaker. Reagan White House , WWII history , Forbes columnist

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

It's the journey, not the destination....

[ib @Indian_Bronson]

@cremieuxrecueil @Steve_Sailer I of course think we should have self-driving taxis everywhere, but there should be a special option to have a colorfully ethnic, oddly reactionary man who enthusiastically talks about anything you want (or that he wants) doing commentary, seated up front.

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

@kausmickey Dozens of supporters. Not scores, but dozens.

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

"Trump’s approach would be a shift from deterrence to dealmaking in a domain where there is no deal to be made..."

[Ryan Hass @ryanl_hass]

Sharing brief thoughts on Trump’s Taiwan gambit. I argue Trump’s approach, if acted on, would be a shift from deterrence to dealmaking in a domain where there is no deal to be made, beyond offering unilateral concessions that undermine US credibility.

https://t.co/1vgbLNFpPm

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

Thank you @EmilyCNBC for a great discussion: China enters Trump-Xi talks with ‘strong sense of self confidence' https://t.co/V99FrostLP

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

CA high-speed rail

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

If you were Ukraine, during the Moscow Victory Day Parade wouldn't you select a major city other than Moscow or St. P and knock out the power supply?

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

historical marker

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

ai slop before ai

[Danny Deraney @DannyDeraney]

The time when Donny and Marie had their own Disco Star Wars special.

Happy May The 4th!

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

The US has gone from the friendliest guy in the bar to the angriest. It might not matter if the US is thrashing someone in the corner, China can just sip a drink in a different corner of the bar and wait.

https://t.co/y6BMmAdX8r

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

@BrilliantMaps This suggests a winning presidential ticket in 2100.

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

Why have U.S. relations with Europe deteriorated so sharply and should this be a matter of concern for Americans or Europeans? Even if the Trump Administration ignited the fire, is it in Europe's interest to help extinguish it? Great podcast conversation with @JimSanFrancisco

[Jim Herlihy @JimSanFrancisco]

King Charles III as Trump Whisperer https://t.co/836IuWqjhK @JimSanFrancisco @HelloFrankLavin @DavidPerrySF @HooverInst @DornsifeCenter

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

@kausmickey would you also add: no spouse or g/f?

[Kite & Key Media @kiteandkeymedia]

Rising U.S. metro area populations, 2010-2024.

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

@kausmickey @mrddmia wasn't it George Stephanopoulos?

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

U.S. GDP continues on growth path; China GDP growth pauses

[Terence Shen @Terenceshen]

The dream of China surpassing the U.S. as the world’s largest economy is fading. In 2021, China’s GDP was about 78% of the U.S.; by 2024, that share had fallen to roughly 64%, back to around 2017 levels, with the gap between the two economies doubling in just a few years.

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

Just one more tax....

[Kane 謝凱堯 @kane]

Please bro just one more tax will fix it trust me bro

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

LISTEN, my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,
On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;
Hardly a man is now alive
Who remembers that famous day and year.

Happy Anniversary

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

Singapore: Freedom of navigation is a right, not a privilege.

[Melissa Chen @MsMelChen]

Singapore is the first and only Asian country so far to publicly refuse negotiating passage with Iran.

Many others have made deals with Tehran to allow their shipments through. Some vessels are reportedly paying as much as $2m in fees to Iran to cross the waterway without coming under fire.

This speech which was given for a domestic audience in Singapore's parliament but somehow, it has ended up triggering a diplomatic incident with Malaysian politicians who are friendly and supportive of the Iranian regime.

Singapore refuses to accept the principle of turning transit through international straits as an extortion racket or a modern pirate toll booth. It’s a right under UNCLOS transit passage rules, the same rules that keep the global economy breathing.

Partly, this is due to self-interest as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia lie at the crossroads of another chokepoint - the Malacca Strait. The narrowest point is the Phillips Channel in the Singapore Strait is barely 2 nautical miles wide, squeezed between Singapore’s islands and Indonesia’s Riau chain.

Compared to the Strait of Hormuz’s 21 nautical mile pinch point, Singapore’s narrowest stretch is ten times tighter. Every eastbound ship on the planet is funneled through its Traffic Separation Scheme. If anyone had a temptation to start charging “protection fees,” it would be Singapore.

Negotiating with Iran would shred the legal norm that protects every strait used for international navigation. Malaysia, Indonesia, or anyone else with "geographical privilege" and a grudge could do the same.

And before you say “but Israel and America violated international law so why can't Iran," let me just reiterate that two wrongs don’t license Iran to play 17th-century privateer with 21st-century oil tankers. Clearly the same people making this argument don't extend the accusations of flouting of international law to an Iranian regime that has cut the internet off for its people, murdered several tens of thousands, and has been found in breach of international nuclear safeguards and IAEA obligations due to undeclared nuclear materials and activities, particularly in violating the 2015 JCPOA deal by enriching uranium up to 60% and limiting inspector access.

Selective outrage is the refuge of people who only care about rules when they hurt their preferred side. Singapore has never played that game.

During the 1973 and 1979 oil crises, Singapore faced a severe shock and given that it was an oil refining hub, it could have nationalized foreign oil stocks and kept the lights on for two years. But Lee Kuan Yew didn't do that. Singapore honored contracts and kept the system running.

Part of its brand in a chaotic world is that of being a responsible actor. This decision prioritized long term global trust and reliability over short term national gain. It positioned Singapore as a dependable partner in the eyes of multinational oil companies and international business. As a result, it attracted even more investment, expanded its role as a major refining and trading hub, and strengthened its economy far beyond what hoarding the oil would have achieved. Building credibility pays dividends for decades.

Furthermore, every single dollar funneled to Iran’s “safe passage” scheme ends up subsidizing the very terror networks rebuilding Hezbollah and Hamas. Singapore knows it.

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

@MichaelBarone Nicely done

[Frank Lavin @HelloFrankLavin]

Helps explain the rise of Putin, doesn't it?

[Brilliant Maps @BrilliantMaps]

Map Of European Cultural Superiority

More on the survey: https://t.co/euRzzstiYU