On this day in 1945, the surrender of the Empire of Japan in World War II was finalized by Emperor Hirohito when he sent his representatives to Tokyo Bay to sign the formal instruments of surrender on 2 September 1945 on board the USS Missouri, bringing the war's hostilities to a close. Looking back on all that has transpired since, we find ourselves once again facing a complex economic and international security environment. The institutions of the post WW2 liberal world that defeated Soviet communism are in tatters, while new institutions are being created by America’s adversaries and friends. The BRICS effort to reduce the economic power of the US and the West was only the beginning. This week the Shanghai Cooperation Organization is meeting in China led by China’s Xi, Russia’s Putin, and India’s Modi. Even NATO member Turkey is attending and asking for membership! SCO’s leaders are calling for a new method of global governance and a move toward a multi-polar world. President Trump’s peace efforts in Ukraine hinge on successful economic and trade deals with many of these countries, while at eth same time Putin is intransigent on peace generating increasing calls from so-called Western experts for stronger responses to pressure him. My guest today to discuss all this is national security strategist David Pyne. David is a former U.S. Army combat arms and Headquarters staff officer, who oversaw armaments cooperation with the former Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Americas from 2000-2003. He currently serves as President of the Task Force on National and Homeland Security.

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