Randy Flay

Program Director for International Peace and Security at the Carnegie Corp. Retired U.S. Foreign Service Officer. Served in 🇺🇸🇩🇪🇵🇰🇮🇱🇵🇸🇻🇳🇷🇺🇱🇹.

[Tymofiy Mylovanov @Mylovanov]

Ukraine's FP-1/2 long-range drone now flies into Crimea carrying two FPV drones strapped to its wings.

One FPV is fitted with a flat antenna that matches a compact Starlink terminal — United24. 1/

[Saganism @Saganismm]

Carl Sagan’s prediction about America, made 31 years ago.

[Randy Flay @RandyFlay]

After 25 years of public service as a foreign service officer and in the civil service, some reflections on the the Oath of Office and its significance to the integrity of the republic and international law. #Constitution hashtag#Nuremberg hashtag#Locke https://t.co/MVYv0CgDWO

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

When simulation becomes the norm, it weakens the human capacity for discernment. As a result, our social bonds close in upon themselves, forming self-referential circuits that no longer expose us to reality. We thus come to live within bubbles, impermeable to one another. Feeling threatened by anyone who is different, we grow unaccustomed to encounter and dialogue. In this way, polarization, conflict, fear and violence spread. What is at stake is not merely the risk of error, but a transformation in our very relationship with truth.

[Randy Flay @RandyFlay]

Some reflections on Andrew Carnegie's League of Peace Speech. Fitting for the moment. https://t.co/Ev8WaaGdns

[Randy Flay @RandyFlay]

More good news.

[The Kobeissi Letter @KobeissiLetter]

The US unemployment rate would be materially higher without the US budget deficit:

The US federal budget deficit stands at -7.0% of nominal GDP, twice the 2018-2019 pre-pandemic levels.

In nominal terms, the budget gap reached $1.2 trillion over the first 6 months of FY2026, the 3rd-worst first-half of any fiscal year in history.

Historically, a deficit of this magnitude has only occurred during a deep recession or a severe economic crisis, when unemployment was surging well above average.

Based on the historical relationship between the two, a deficit of -7.0% of GDP would correspond to an unemployment rate of ~8.5%, nearly double the current rate, per Zerohedge.

In other words, the current deficit may be one of the primary reasons unemployment has not spiked significantly higher.

The US deficit is running at recessionary levels.

[U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops @USCCB]

The Catechism of the Catholic Church on Just War Doctrine.

[Randy Flay @RandyFlay]

Check out my latest article: The Architecture of Peace and the Foundation of American Security https://t.co/I3WPOBy3fA via @LinkedIn

[Pope Leo XIV @Pontifex]

Hundreds of millions of people throughout the world are immersed in extreme poverty. Yet, disproportionate wealth remains in the hands of a few. It is an unjust scenario, in the face of which we cannot fail to question ourselves and commit to change things. There is no lack of resources at the root of disparities, but the need to address solvable problems related to a more equitable distribution of wealth, to be achieved with moral sense and honesty.

[Jakub Krupa @JakubKrupa]

“Ruszkik haza!” on the Budapest metro.

What a moment.

[Ambassador Mike Huckabee @GovMikeHuckabee]

My statement re Prohibiting the Latin Patriarch of entering Church of Holy Sepulcher on Palm Sunday:
While all Holy sites in the Old City are closed due to safety concerns for mass gatherings including the Western Wall, Church of the Holy Sepulcher and Al Aqsa Mosque, the action today by the Israel Nat'l Police to deny Latin Patriarch Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa and 3 other priests from entering the Church to offer a blessing on Palm Sunday is an unfortunate overreach already having major repercussions around the world.  Home Front Command Guidelines restrict any gatherings to 50 people or less.  The 4 representatives of the Catholic Church were well below that restriction.  Statements from the Gov't of Israel indicate the action to prohibit Cardinal Pizzaballa entry to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher were for safety reasons, but churches, synagogues, and mosques throughout Jerusalem have met with the restrictions of 50 or less.  For the Patriarch to be barred from entry to the Church on Palm Sunday for a private ceremony is difficult to understand or justify. Israel has indicated it will work with the Patriarch to accommodate a safe means of carrying out Holy Week activities.

[Karol Nawrocki @NawrockiKn]

Wyrażam zdecydowany sprzeciw wobec braku zgody na odprawienie Mszy Świętej w Bazylice Grobu Pańskiego w Jerozolimie. Słowa wsparcia kieruje do łacińskiego patriarchy Jerozolimy i wszystkich chrześcijan zamieszkujących w Ziemi Świętej.

Niedziela Palmowa rozpoczyna Wielki Tydzień, a chrześcijanie przygotowują się do zmartwychwstania Jezusa Chrystusa.

Działania izraelskiej policji, które potępiam, są wyrazem braku szacunku wobec tradycji i kultury chrześcijańskiej.

___

I strongly object to the refusal to allow the celebration of Holy Mass at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. I extend my words of support to the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem and to all Christians living in the Holy Land.

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, and Christians are preparing for the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The actions of the Israeli police, which I condemn, are an expression of disrespect for Christian tradition and culture.

[Randy Flay @RandyFlay]

Check out my latest article: Gap Analysis - 2026 Annual Threat Assessment vs. National Security Strategy (NSS), National Defense Strategy (NDS) & Defense/Foreign Ops Budget https://t.co/qYGPvrS9OE via @LinkedIn

[Randy Flay @RandyFlay]

What are the global consequences of the U.S.-Israel war in Iran — and how does it end?

@CarnegieCorp has rounded up must-read analyses from @CFR_org, @RANDCorporation, @CarnegieEndow & more.

🔗 Start here → https://t.co/cpdxUhIaYw

#Iran #InternationalSecurity #Geopolitics

[Randy Flay @RandyFlay]

📢 We're hiring! @CarnegieCorp is looking for a Senior Content Editor & Writer in NYC.

💰 $125K–$135K
✍️ Long-form, digital, print & social content
🎯 Focus areas: education, democracy & intl peace

Apply + portfolio: https://t.co/obGgVYuxQy
#hiring #communications #contentjobs

[Rep. Don Bacon 🇺🇸✈️🏍️⭐️🎖️ @RepDonBacon]

#FY26NDAA has been signed into law! Our team worked on this year’s package and once again delivered a successful NDAA that included eight of our sponsored bills.

Learn more about this year’s NDAA below⬇️
https://t.co/xW4x206UDO

[Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick 🇺🇸 @RepBrianFitz]

Russia will not choose peace without pressure, and negotiations do not absolve Congress of its duty to act.

Today, I introduced the bipartisan Peace Through Strength Against Russia Act, joined by a broad bipartisan coalition of leaders—@RepGregoryMeeks, @RepDonBacon, @RepMikeTurner, @RepTomSuozzi, @RepMikeLawler, @RepStenyHoyer, @USRepKeating, and @RepMarcyKaptur—united in the belief that Congress must act decisively. This legislation turns diplomacy into decisive action: standing unequivocally with Ukraine, imposing real costs on Russia’s war machine, and making clear that aggression will never be normalized or rewarded.

This isn’t just about ending one war. It’s about whether America still enforces the rules that keep peace possible.

Peace. Through. Strength.

🔗 Read more: https://t.co/809WZYHfHr

[Andrew Defty @adefty]

The U.K. Parliament’s Intelligence and Security Committee has published its first annual report since 2023. It does not make for reassuring reading. https://t.co/t6F0GcVq2K

[Senate Foreign Relations Committee @SFRCdems]

"If we allow Russia to swallow sovereign Ukrainian territory, other nations are going to draw the obvious conclusion: they need nuclear weapons to be safe.

That is a deterrence failure that we can’t afford." -@SenatorShaheen

[Ronald Reagan Institute (RRI) @ReaganInstitute]

The 2025 Reagan National Defense Survey captures Americans’ views on defense and deterrence at a critical moment.

Across party lines, Americans agree on the importance of:
🇺🇸 Strong U.S. leadership on the world stage
🛰️ Military and technological overmatch
🌍 Supporting partners like Ukraine and Taiwan
🏭 A robust defense industrial base
🛡️ Investing in deterrence and homeland security
🤝 Strong alliances

President Reagan’s enduring belief that American strength is essential to preserving peace and protecting freedom still resonates today with Americans of all stripes.

Explore the full results >> https://t.co/qdQfDNN98Q