L. Todd Wood

L. TODD WOOD: Kim Jong-un, North Korea leader, says he’s ready for war

In only his fourth public speech since the death of his father, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un said Friday that he's ready for war: "If invasive outsiders and provocateurs touch us even slightly, we will not be forgiving in the least and sternly answer with a merciless, holy war of justice."

L. TODD WOOD: Putin’s new defense strategy declares NATO a threat

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a document this week which updates Russia's national security posture and declares the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) a threat to Russia's national security.

L. TODD WOOD: Ukraine: Russia hacking power plants, highlighting U.S. weakness

Iran continues to taunt U.S.

Iran continues to taunt the United States and the White House continues to do nothing about it. Recently, Iranian warships fired rockets within 1,500 yards of an American aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf in a highly provocative action.

L. TODD WOOD: Russia begins supplying weapons to Afghanistan, sides with Taliban

Russia will begin to ship small arms to the police force in Kabul in a major development in the history of Afghanistan, a conflict zone where thousands of Americans died and billions of American taxpayer dollars have been spent over the last decade in the fight against the Taliban.

Russia accuses U.S. of protecting ISIS

The Russian Defense Ministry is accusing the Pentagon of fighting the Islamic State in 'word only' after the U.S. military refused to share targeting and intelligence information with Vladimir Putin's forces.

L. TODD WOOD: North Korea able to produce multiple nuclear weapons

A source within the South Korean defense ministry has told the South Korean press on Friday that North Korea has produced at least 88 pounds of plutonium which would allow the Stalinist state to produce multiple nuclear weapons, according to Newsis. The number in questions seems to be anywhere from 6-7 to 22, depending on the design of the weapon.

L. TODD WOOD: ISIS sanctions human organ harvesting

American forces uncovered a veritable treasure trove of information on a raid in Syria earlier in the year that killed Abu Sayyaf and captured his wife. Abu Sayyaf was a Tunisian militant whose real name was Fathi ben Awn ben Jildi Murad al-Tunisi, according to Reuters.

L. TODD WOOD: ISIS has capability to shoot down civilian airliners

It was reported Wednesday that the Islamic State is developing its own anti-aircraft capability in a proving ground near the capital Raqqa with the assistance of Western experts. This announcement was panned by the U.S. Department of Defense, which said it will not impact American operations in the region.

L. TODD WOOD: Iran pushes China to join axis in Mideast

The vacuum created by President Obama's withdrawal of American forces from Iraq continues to be filled by the new Middle Eastern powers of Iran and Russia. Now Iran is pushing China to join the party.

L. TODD WOOD: The Left can’t explain Donald Trump’s success — Let me help you

Not having decided who I am going to vote for in the 2016 presidential election, I am not-the-less amused at the Left's (and the Republican establishment's) attempts to explain Donald Trump's success on the campaign trail. Pundit after pundit has opined on the reason Mr. Trump is, in some polls, over 40 percent of the Republican primary electorate.

L. TODD WOOD: Indian prime minister in Moscow for huge arms purchase

In a deal reminiscent of the Cold War, India has agreed to spend upwards of $6 billion to buy the vaunted S-400 anti-aircraft missile system from Russian arms manufacturers.

L. TODD WOOD: Obama’s disrespect for Putin coming home to roost

I find it very disturbing the number of times that President Obama has disrespected Russian President Vladimir Putin. Mr. Obama's behavior is not fitting for a president of the United States, and it has produced serious blowback, which we'll discuss in a minute. But first, how about a walk down memory lane?

L. TODD WOOD: North Korea shows off new ICBM

North Korea displayed a new intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM), different from designs shown during 2012 and 2013, during a recent military parade in Pyongyang. Although the new missile's performance is probably unchanged from previous models, the reliability is most likely greatly improved.

L. TODD WOOD: Netanyahu confronts new Russian realities

Israel is having to deal with many new realities. The past model of relying on the United States for its security has shown to be a flawed policy under the administration of Barack Obama who has been openly hostile to the interests of the Jewish State. Now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is having to deal with the new reality of Russian control of the Middle East along with Russia's new ally, the Islamic state of Iran, where the Obama administration has opened a path to acquire nuclear weapons.

L. TODD WOOD: Jeb Bush, take your ball and go home

Everyone recognizes the animosity between Donald Trump and Jeb Bush. It's been an obvious fight for some time now, a fight that Jeb is not just losing.

L. TODD WOOD: Iran has ability to destroy U.S. power grid

Security researcher Brian Wallace has unearthed evidence that the Shia Islamic state of Iran has stolen critical data about American power stations and inserted malware into energy companies' software that could allow it to destroy the American power grid during a time of conflict.

L. TOOD WOOD: Why Putin respects Trump, not Obama

After the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian population felt a great loss. This historically powerful and proud people had spent the last 70 years a superpower; now that was gone, replaced with shame and hardship as their economy collapsed and their geopolitical priorities were humiliated by the West around the world.

L. TODD WOOD: NATO activates missile defense base in Romania; Russia objects

On Friday, NATO activated its first land-based AEGIS missile defense system at Deveselu, a former Soviet base in southern Romania. A second, similar system is scheduled to become active in 2018 in Poland. AEGIS has been installed onboard U.S. Navy ships since 2004.

L. TODD WOOD: German ex-ISIS militant: Coordinated attacks planned across Europe

A German former militant who recently fled Syria and the Islamic State is now cooperating with German authorities and detailing ISIS plans to attack European targets in a coordinated fashion across the continent.