Suddenly, Trump Has Three Middle East Crises on His Hands
President-elect Trump, a novice in foreign affairs, was destined to confront reality. Who would have guessed that the Middle East is the first place he’ll have to get down to his first serious policy decisions? Even a week ago it…
5 Foreign Policy Challenges President-Elect Trump Faces Before He Unpacks
Foreigners always watch U.S. elections, but rarely with the edge-of-the-seat suspense evident as the votes were tallied Tuesday. With Donald Trump’s dramatic victory, they’re as much in the dark as we are. Pick your foreign policy: What’s he going to…
Meet the Man Who Should Be the Next Secretary of State
Former ambassador to Saudi Arabia Chas Freeman is that rare thing, an honest and wise diplomat—which is why he’ll probably never be appointed. Late this past summer, when I mentioned to Andrew Bacevich that I had interviewed Chas Freeman and…
John Kerry’s last hurrah: With the Syrian cease-fire, the secretary of state takes a parting swipe at Russophobia
The cease-fire ends his successful skirmish with the Pentagon, but the war will grind on long after Kerry is gone Secretary of State John Kerry now gives us another “cessation of hostilities” agreement — a not-quite-cease-fire — as signed with…
Can Obama’s Successor Sort Out His Middle East Mess?
Whoever goes to the White House in November will have one foreign policy challenge above all others: How to navigate transitions between two of America’s Middle East alliances that daily events are rendering inevitable. On one side of this question…
She’ll make Iran, Syria worse: What the media won’t tell you about our foreign policy — and how hawkish Hillary will pour the kerosene
The truth about our foreign policy is on display, if we choose to look. If only we ever learned the right lessons What an unusual season—or seasons, I should say. The inner workings of American foreign policy are rarely as…
Why US Companies Are Left Out as Iran Gets Back to Business
It’s hard to say who pounced more quickly, the Iranians or the rest of the world, when punishing international sanctions were lifted last month. In a matter of days, the Islamic Republic is back in business. As expected, the European…
Iran Deal Meets First Major Hurdle, Marking a Win for Obama
We’ve just lived through a little bit of history. As of Saturday, the International Atomic Energy Agency announced that the contentious-from-the-start deal between the U.S. and Iran has met its first and most important challenge under the accord governing its…
He’s made the Middle East worse: Let’s be honest, Obama bears as much responsibility for this mess as predecessors who shaped them
Decades of poorly concocted policies with Iran, Saudi Arabia, Iraq and others haunt us — and worsen every day It is all there now for us to see. Decades of cynical, poorly devised policy in the Middle East, vacant of…
From Mideast to Moscow, These 3 Crises Could Wreck Obama’s Foreign Policy
What a start for the Obama administration’s final year. In the course of a few days,Russia declares the U.S. a threat to its security taking relations to a perilous new low, and Iran announces it will escalate a new missile…
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