Global Hotspots

Trump Has Just Raised the Stakes With Moscow and Tehran in Three Risky Moves

By Patrick Smith

President Trump made three big moves on Syria and Iran this week. They crisscross and contradict one another, but the administration’s game plan in the Middle East just got a lot clearer.
Here’s the Enormous Economic Leverage China Has Over North Korea

By Greg Wright, The Conversation

North Korea got the world’s attention – and President Donald Trump’s – when it said on July 4 that it had successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile for the first time. The weapon,...
Trump’s Fly-by-Night Mideast ‘Policy’ Embraces the Saudi’s New Crown Prince

By Patrick Smith

It’s not likely that President Trump knew what he was getting into when he embraced the Saudis as the rightful leaders of the Islamic world and the war on terror during his visit to Riyadh last month...
Russia’s Top Troll Strikes Again: Putin Offers Comey Political Asylum

By Rob Garver

While much of the world looks at the turmoil in Washington, DC with apprehension and dread, at least somebody watching the expanding investigation of President Trump and his associates is enjoying...
Here’s How the US Could Cripple North Korea’s Economy

By Rob Garver

Punishing North Korea economically for its misdeeds may be simpler than many believe, according to a new report from a Washington non-profit.

Time for Trump to Face It: From Now on, Every Week Is ‘Russia Week’

By Rob Garver

The Trump administration’s efforts to keep Russian interference in last year’s election out of the headlines are being overwhelmed by events, as another week ostensibly dedicated to a different issue...
Putin’s Just Trolling the World Now on Trump and the US Election

By Rob Garver

Russian President Vladimir Putin conceded for the first time that perhaps computer hackers from his country actually had worked to undermine Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election.
Here’s One Credible Reason to Doubt the Russia-Kushner Story

By Rob Garver

Following the Washington Post report on Friday that top White House adviser Jared Kushner had approached the Russian ambassador to the US about opening a secret line of communications between Moscow...
How Trump Really Could Make a Difference in the Middle East

By Liz Peek

Two presidents, two trips to the Middle East in their first year in office. That is where the similarities end. I was in Cairo for President Obama’s much-celebrated speech in 2009 as a guest of...
Trump the Diplomat? Will He Charm or Harm US Relations?

By Patrick Smith

Whoever put together President Trump’s first foreign tour has a good grasp of the grand gesture. When he departs Friday, his main stops are Saudi Arabia, Israel, and the Vatican, making Trump the...

Will the US Scrap Its Visa Waiver Program After the Brussels Attacks?

By Rob Garver and Eric Pianin

The ISIS-linked terror attacks in Brussels on Tuesday will inspire plenty of hardline rhetoric on the presidential campaign trail, but experts on terrorism and U.S. Middle East policy warned that the...
Close the Borders, Monitor Muslims: GOP Candidates Respond to ISIS Attacks

By Eric Pianin and Rob Garver

The terrorist bombings in Brussels Tuesday that killed at least 32 people and left dozens of others injured quickly permeated the U.S presidential campaign, renewing GOP criticism of President Obama’...
Trump vs. Clinton—Who Has the ‘Steady Hands’ to Manage the Mideast?

By Eric Pianin

As the two democratic candidates for president spar over foreign policy, it’s clear that Clinton’s and Sanders’ views on Israel-US relations are far apart. Sanders has been highly critical of Israel’...
Trump Does a U-Turn on How He’d Fight ISIS

By Rob Garver

Donald Trump yesterday completely reversed himself on whether or not he would commit U.S. combat troops to the fight against ISIS, even as he bragged that he has the “steady hands” necessary to...
ISIS Attacks on Brussels Airport and Metro Kill at Least 26

By Philip Blenkinsop and Francesco Guarascio, Reuters

At least 26 people were killed in twin attacks on Brussels airport and a rush-hour metro train in the Belgian capital on Tuesday, triggering security alerts across Western Europe and bringing some...

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