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L. Todd Wood

L. Todd Wood

L. Todd Wood, a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, flew special operations helicopters supporting SEAL Team 6, Delta Force and others. After leaving the military, he pursued his other passion, finance, spending 18 years on Wall Street trading emerging market debt, and later, writing. The first of his many thrillers is "Currency." Todd is a contributor to Fox Business, Newsmax TV, Moscow Times, the New York Post, the National Review, Zero Hedge and others. For more information about L. Todd Wood, visit LToddWood.com.

Articles by L. Todd Wood

Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses a regional meeting of pro-Kremlin United Peoples' Front in Stavropol, on Monday, Jan. 25, 2016. Putin has said that the Russian air campaign in Syria will last for as long as it's necessary to support the Syrian army's offensive. During a meeting with students on a visit to Stavropol in southern Russia, he said Moscow's goal is to help Damascus defeat "terrorists." (Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

L. TODD WOOD: The coming end game for Russia

There was a whiff of desperation in the Russian Energy Minister's comments Thursday that Saudi Arabia had offered a 5 percent cut in production in a deal with Russia to stem the collapse in crude oil prices. Of course, the Saudis immediately denied the existence of such an offer.

January 28, 2016
North Korean soldiers parade through Kim Il Sung Square with their missiles and rockets during a mass military parade, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, in Pyongyang, North Korea. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un declared Saturday that his country was ready to stand up to any threat posed by the United States as he spoke at a lavish military parade to mark the 70th anniversary of the North's ruling party and trumpet his third-generation leadership. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

L. TODD WOOD: North Korea possibly preparing new ballistic-missile launch

North Korea may possibly be ready to launch another ballistic missile from its Tongchang-ri test site. This news was leaked from the Japanese government to Japan's Kyodo news agency, reported Sky News. The conclusion was drawn from activity at the location gleaned from Japanese satellite images of the area.

January 28, 2016
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov walk to their seats for a meeting about Syria, in Zurich, Switzerland, on Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2016, before Kerry was to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos. Kerry’s trip is expected to last nine days and to encompass stops in Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Laos, Cambodia, and China. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, Pool)

Russia decides to trade East Ukraine for sanctions relief

Yesterday, Secretary of State John Kerry said in Davos that sanctions against Russia could be removed in a period of a few months. The diplomatic, public statements along with movement of Western diplomats on the ground, meeting with their Russian counterparts, suggest Moscow has chosen to trade East Ukraine for sanctions relief to save their plummeting economy.

January 23, 2016
A Russian ground attack aircraft is prepared for a combat mission at Hemeimeem air base in Syria Wednesday Jan. 20, 2016. Russian warplanes have flown over 5,700 combat missions since Moscow launched its air campaign in Syria on Sept. 30, 2015. (AP Photo/Vladimir Isachenkov)

L. TODD WOOD: Why would Russia want to build an air base near Turkey?

Russia may possibly be exploring a base near the Syrian border with Turkey to build another air base to support Russian offensive air operations against anti-Assad forces and the Islamic State. Russia has been steadily expanding its presence in the Middle East in concert with Syrian forces and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

January 22, 2016
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (Associated Press/File)

L. TODD WOOD: Ukraine pushes against fiscally weak Russia

Russia is hurting economically and Ukraine knows it. Ukraine is suffering massive financial stress as well, but it has the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the European Union (EU) on its side. Russia doesn't, and Russia is running out of money.

January 21, 2016
Chechen regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov talks with press in the Chechen regional capital, Grozny, Russia, in this Oct. 5, 2014 photo. A gun battle broke out after midnight Thursday Dec. 4, 2014 in the capital of Russia's North Caucasus republic of Chechnya, puncturing the patina of stability ensured by years of heavy-handed rule by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov. (AP Photo/Musa Sadulayev, File)

L. TODD WOOD: Will Russia let loose the Chechens?

With the czar's kingdom under economic stress as the price of crude oil heads downward toward $20 and the Russian ruble hits an all-time low against the U.S. dollar, many are wondering if the Kremlin has let loose its Chechen warlord to stifle any opposition or dreams of democracy in the Russian Federation.

January 20, 2016
In this photo taken on Wednesday, Jan. 13, 2016, Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting at the Novo-Ogaryovo residence outside Moscow, Russia. U.S. President Barack Obama and Putin joined Wednesday in calling for a tough global response to North Korea's recent nuclear test, even as they remained at odds over Ukraine and Syrian President Bashar Assad. (Alexei Druzhinin/Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

L. TODD WOOD: Russia deploying gunships to Syria

Russia is deploying advanced helicopter gunships to Syria to provide security to Russia's air base near Latakia. The helicopters will also be used to provide fire support for combat search and rescue missions in enemy territory, according to Russian state news agency, TASS.

January 19, 2016
This picture released by the official website of the Iranian Defense Ministry on Oct. 11, 2015, claims to show the launching of an Emad long-range ballistic surface-to-surface missile in an undisclosed location. (Iranian Defense Ministry via Associated Press) **FILE**

L. TODD WOOD: White House sanctions Iran on one hand, relieves major sanctions on the other

Amid all of the giddiness and hoopla of the hostage release in Iran (actually a swap of innocent hostages for convicted Iranian felons), the Treasury Department has sanctioned a certain 11 companies and individuals for recent ballistic missiles tests than Iran has carried out in violation of U.N. mandates. The missiles Iran has been testing are capable of carrying a nuclear weapon and threatening Europe and American forces in the region, not to mention Israel.

January 17, 2016
Protesters stage a rally demanding a restart of peace talks between two Koreas and six-party talks, in Seoul, South Korea, Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un looked Monday to milk his country's recent nuclear test as a propaganda victory, praising his scientists and vowing more nuclear bombs a day after the U.S. flew a powerful nuclear-capable warplane close to the North in a show of force. The placards read "Start the meeting between two Koreas and six-party talks" and "Peace instead of war." (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

L. TODD WOOD: North Korea offers peace treaty, end of nuclear tests

North Korea has long wanted to stop military exercises between the United States and South Korea. On Friday, the North offered to halt its nuclear testing and sign a peace treaty in exchange for the cessation of U.S. military cooperation with the South.

January 15, 2016