FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump embarked Saturday [1-19-19] on an unannounced trip to Dover Air Force Base to meet with the families of four Americans killed in a suicide bombing in Syria last week. The president’s visit on a gray, frigid morning follows renewed skepticism surrounding his administration’s directive last month to withdraw […]
Category: Foreign Policy
1/16/2019
FBI/FOREIGN POLICY/GOP/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Sen. James Risch, the new chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, says he has disagreed with President Donald Trump on ‘many, many occasions.’ But in an exclusive interview with USA TODAY, Risch defended the president’s controversial approach to North Korea and Syria. He downplayed reports that Trump wants to withdraw […]
1/11/2019
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAQ/ISIS/MILITARY/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. military began the process of withdrawing its troops from Syria following a drawdown ordered by President Donald Trump, a military official said Friday [1-11-19]. Col. Sean Ryan, a spokesman for the U.S.-coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, declined to discuss specific operational details of the […]
12/23/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAQ/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “’It should not be the job of America to replace regimes around the world. This is what President Trump recognized in Iraq, that it was the biggest foreign policy disaster of the last several decades, and he’s right…The generals still don’t get the mistake.’ @RandPaul” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, December 23, […]
12/21/2018
CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/JAMES MATTIS/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In an extraordinary public battle between a commander-in-chief and defense secretary, President Donald Trump appeared to push back Friday [12-21-18] on Pentagon chief Jim Mattis over policy toward Russia and China. ‘There has never been a president who has been tougher (but fair) on China or Russia,’ Trump said on […]
12/21/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/GOP/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump’s relationship with the Republican Party, always a marriage of convenience, is showing signs of serious strain. The president threatened his bond with virtually every GOP constituency this past week. His move to withdraw troops from Syria led to the resignation of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and left […]
12/20/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/JAMES MATTIS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Defense Secretary Jim Mattis resigned on Thursday [12-20-18] while delivering a stunning rebuke to President Donald Trump, expressing differences on issues including the president’s treatment of U.S. allies and the need for a ‘resolute’ approach to Russia…The highly public end to Mattis’ two years as Pentagon leader came a day […]
12/5/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Senate is on the verge of an extraordinary rebuke of Donald Trump’s foreign policy, underscoring a bipartisan willingness to encroach on the president’s powers as commander in chief. From forcing Trump to impose sanctions on Russia to raising questions about his nuclear trigger finger, lawmakers are repeatedly asserting themselves in […]
12/5/2018
CHINA/ECONOMY/FOREIGN POLICY/OIL/TRADE WAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is fretting about two rising global challenges that threaten a political gut punch as he gears up for his 2020 election bid — a possible oil price hike and market shocks triggered by his trade wars. Both crises will test Trump’s capacity to work his will on […]
11/27/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MIKE POMPEO/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Mary Kissel often took a dim view of President Donald Trump’s foreign policy. As a Wall Street Journal editorial writer, she tweeted about his ‘frightening ignorance,’ criticized his approach on Syria and China, and said Putin ‘scored a great propaganda victory’ at the Helsinki summit in July. And Trump […]
11/27/2018
CORRUPTION/FOREIGN POLICY/IMMIGRATION/NATIONAL SECURITY/PROTESTS/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS: “I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that the situation in Nicaragua, including the violent response by the Government of Nicaragua to the protests that began on April 18, 2018, and the [Daniel] Ortega regime’s systematic dismantling and undermining of democratic institutions and the rule […]
11/20/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/HUMAN RIGHTS/MEDIA/SAUDI ARABIA/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The bipartisan leadership of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is demanding a definitive determination from President Donald Trump about whether Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia ordered the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. In a letter to Trump, the panel’s chairman, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), and ranking […]
11/20/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MEDIA/SAUDI ARABIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump signaled Tuesday [11-20-18] that he will not take strong action against Saudi Arabia or its Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for the murder and dismemberment of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. The White House has been struggling to square a widespread sense that the crown prince directed […]
11/20/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MEDIA/SAUDI ARABIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “By letting Saudi Arabia get away with the murder of US-based journalist Jamal Khashoggi, the President sent a message of startling clarity about how the United States will conduct its business in the world. Refusing to break with Saudi strongman Mohammed bin Salman over the killing in the Saudi consulate […]
11/14/2018
ECONOMY/EU/FOREIGN POLICY/NATO/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “After taking criticism in Europe for his ‘America First’ foreign policy, President Donald Trump resumed his complaints about NATO and the costs of the military partnership with Europe on Monday [11-12-18]…Trump’s tweets reiterated his complaints about the high cost of providing military protection for countries that sell the USA more goods […]
11/13/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MELANIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “In this White House, no one knows when the ax will fall or who will be swinging it. A new day of firing and fury culminating in a staggering power play by first lady Melania Trump deepened already historic dysfunction in the administration on Tuesday [11-13-18], leaving top officials blindsided and confused. […]
10/31/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The World is using our laws to our detriment. They laugh at the Stupidity they see!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, October 31, 2018 9:19 am […]
10/31/2018
CUBA/FOREIGN POLICY/VENEZUELA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The White House is expected to give details about U.S. President Donald Trump’s Venezuela and Cuba policy on Thursday [11-1-18] when national security adviser John Bolton travels to Miami to give an address on Latin America. Days ahead of high-stakes elections in Florida, home to many migrants from the region, Bolton […]
10/24/2018
CIA/FOREIGN POLICY/MEDIA/SAUDI ARABIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “CIA director Gina Haspel is set to brief President Donald Trump on the investigation into the death of Jamal Khashoggi on Thursday, as the President increasingly expresses frustration with the Saudi response and the country’s crown prince vows ‘justice’ for the journalist’s killers. Haspel traveled to Turkey on Monday […]
10/23/2018
CIA/FOREIGN POLICY/MEDIA/SAUDI ARABIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TURKEY: “President Donald Trump offered his most stinging indictment yet of a Saudi effort to silence a dissident journalist, calling the series of events that led to Jamal Khashoggi’s death ‘the worst cover up ever’…Later Tuesday [10-23-18], Trump went further, calling the episode a ‘total fiasco.’ The rebuke of Saudi Arabia’s […]
10/18/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/INTELLIGENCE/MEDIA/SAUDI ARABIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Since journalist Jamal Khashoggi disappeared earlier this month, President Donald Trump has acted like his own world-class spies and hackers don’t exist. The U.S. intelligence community is reportedly increasingly convinced that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is culpable in Khashoggi’s killing. Publicly, though, Trump has evinced no knowledge of […]
10/16/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/SAUDI ARABIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Donald Trump has dug a moral hole through the middle of America’s foreign policy — and he’s not sorry at all. The President’s reaction to the apparent murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul offers the clearest evidence yet of his turn away from […]
10/11/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/JARED KUSHNER/MEDIA/MIDDLE EAST/SAUDI ARABIA/TURKEY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump and Jared Kushner are learning that hyper-personalized family diplomacy and throwing in their lot with foreign strongmen can come at a damaging political price. The disappearance and possible murder of the US-based dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul is primarily a […]
10/10/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/NIKKI HALEY/TRUMP PEOPLE/UN: “Nikki Haley came to her job as the top U.S. diplomat at the United Nations with no foreign policy experience, but in less than two years she made many friends — even among ambassadors from countries at odds with the Trump administration’s policies. Tuesday’s [10-9-18] sudden announcement that she was leaving […]
10/9/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/IVANKA/NIKKI HALEY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “Nikki Haley is resigning as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, jolting the foreign policy world and President Donald Trump’s team just weeks before the midterm elections. Haley, one of the most respected members of Trump’s Cabinet on the international front, said Tuesday [10-9-18] that she will stay in […]
10/4/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MUSLIMS/NATO/RELIGION/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Evangelical Christians came out aggressively for Donald Trump in 2016. As president, Trump has returned the favor, delivering for the Christian right — not just at home, but also overseas. Trump defied international opinion and recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The White House rattled relations with NATO ally Turkey by imposing […]
9/28/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “The liberal world order is taking a beating these days, and not just at the hands of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. In recent months a bevy of American political scientists from the progressive left to the libertarian right has launched attacks on the very idea of the liberal […]
9/26/2018
FOREIGN DIGNITARIES/FOREIGN POLICY/NEW YORK/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “Foreign leaders came to President Donald Trump’s hometown of New York this week. But they refused to show the U.S. president the fealty that he’s come to expect from Republican lawmakers, conservative groups and even businesses. Over three days at the United Nations’ annual meeting, heads of state and […]
9/25/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/UN: “President Trump thrust his commitment to an ‘America First’ foreign policy back onto the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday [9-25-18]. But in his second address on this diplomatic stage, he sounded as eager to claim credit for his achievements after 20 months in office, as he was to disrupt […]
9/12/2018
ATTORNEY GENERAL/DHS/DNI/ELECTION/FOREIGN POLICY/IMMIGRATION/NATIONAL SECURITY/SANCTIONS/SECRETARY OF STATE/TREASURY/TRUMP EXECUTIVE ORDERS/VOTING: “I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, find that the ability of persons located, in whole or in substantial part, outside the United States to interfere in or undermine public confidence in United States elections, including through the unauthorized accessing of election and […]
9/10/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/NATIONAL SECURITY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Trump’s national security adviser, John R. Bolton, fleshed out his boss’s ‘America First’ foreign policy on Monday [9-10-18], disparaging an international organization vilified by conservatives and reaffirming a pro-Israel tilt by announcing the closing of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington. But on one of Mr. Trump’s signature […]
9/5/2018
2016 ELECTION/FOREIGN POLICY/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “After months of hugging dictators and dissing democrats, Donald Trump is now seen around the world as a deranged toddler—symbolized by the Trump ‘blimp baby’ that flew over Britain this summer and is now embarking on its own world tour. But beneath all the crazy talk that comes out of […]
8/31/2018
ETHICS/FOREIGN POLICY/RUDY GIULIANI/TRUMP PEOPLE: “It is bad enough that the President of the United States is breaking long-standing ethical standards in US government, but when President Donald Trump’s attorney, Rudy Giuliani, stepped into the contentious battle over corruption in another country, Romania, he embarrassed the United States by speaking out against clean government; he made […]
8/31/2018
CUBA/FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Trump is poised to promote an international finance official tied to Sen. Marco Rubio to lead Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council, making him the fourth member of an unofficial team of top pro-democracy Cuba hard-liners who are executing and advocating the administration’s Latin American policies. […]
8/13/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “’Trump’s foreign policy is actually boosting America’s standing’ https://t.co/oC7Xs38uRo” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, August 13, 2018 7:11 pm […]
7/26/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Four days after President Trump’s stern warning via Twitter to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, national security adviser John Bolton is scheduled to hold a meeting Thursday [7-26-18] of Pentagon and other top officials on the administration’s emerging strategy on Iran. The meeting, which follows Mr. Trump’s decision to withdraw from […]
7/19/2018
CHINA/CONGRESS/FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Congress is poised to enact the first major changes in a decade to the U.S.’s process for vetting foreign investment following a bruising battle among lawmakers and some of the country’s biggest companies. Negotiators from the Senate and the House of Representatives reached a deal on the final text of a […]
7/11/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/NATO/SENATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Senate Foreign Relations Chairman Bob Corker bluntly warned Wednesday [7-11-18] that US influence around the world is ‘diminishing’ and said that President Donald Trump’s comments about NATO have been ‘damaging’ to American leadership in an apparent effort to ‘tear apart’ a critical alliance. Corker has grown increasingly unnerved about Trump’s […]
7/11/2018
DEMS/FOREIGN POLICY/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey said Wednesday [7-11-18] that he is ‘worried how the President will unfold’ during the upcoming summit between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki. Trump said on Tuesday [7-10-18] that out of several meetings he will attend abroad in the coming […]
7/10/2018
EU/FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/NATO/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump leveled fresh criticism against allies over their military spending as he headed off on seven-day tour through Europe that begins with a NATO gathering and ends with a summit with President Vladimir Putin aimed at resetting U.S. relations with Moscow. The trip will showcase two foreign-policy thrusts of […]
7/9/2018
CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRADE WAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump said Monday [7-9-18] that he was confident North Korean leader Kim Jong Un would ‘honor the contract’ the two leaders signed last month in Singapore, while suggesting that China was ‘exerting negative pressure’ on the agreement amid its trade fight with the U.S…After their meeting last […]
7/5/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/VENEZUELA: “President Donald Trump last August asked several top foreign policy advisers about the possibility of invading Venezuela during a meeting about diplomatic sanctions the US was enacting on the autocratic government, a senior administration official familiar with the comments said. Trump’s aides, including then-national security adviser HR McMaster, vigorously urged him […]
6/13/2018
BUSINESS/CANADA/EU/FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump’s eager embrace of Kim Jong-un of North Korea this week, on the heels of an acrid falling-out with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada, raised an obvious, if confounding, question: Why would an American president offend allies and cozy up to adversaries? If there was an answer in […]
6/10/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump has gone overseas to embark on some of the most consequential diplomatic negotiations of his tenure, threatening an all-out trade war with allies and seizing a chance to make peace with a nuclear-armed menace. But back home, he left behind a West Wing where burned-out aides are eyeing […]
6/8/2018
CANADA/FOREIGN POLICY/G7/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump arrived in Canada on Friday [6-8-18] with a defiant swagger for a day of meetings with America’s closest allies, vowing before he left the United States that he will not capitulate on tariffs and taunting his counterparts with a surprise call to reinstate Russia in their Group of 7 […]
6/8/2018
CANADA/FOREIGN POLICY/G7/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump’s views on foreign policy — and, really, everything — are surprisingly simple: He likes people who are nice to him and do things he wants and he doesn’t like people who aren’t nice to him and don’t do things he wants. So, his views on any given issue […]
6/7/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MIKE POMPEO/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Just weeks after John Bolton’s hardline rhetoric infuriated North Korea and nearly derailed a planned summit between Kim Jong Un and President Donald Trump, the U.S. national security adviser appears to have taken a back seat to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for the historic meeting. While the hawkish Bolton […]
6/6/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “He hectored Mexico’s leader over border wall funding. Lobbed statistics at the Canadian leader without checking his facts. Cajoled the British prime minister to crack down on protesters. Had a tête-à-tête with Russia’s head of state on a whim. Bonded with France’s prime minister over military parades. President Donald Trump […]
5/31/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump is better known for speaking directly to his base than trying to win over his critics. But when it comes to selling Trump’s Iran strategy and other foreign policy initiatives, the White House has been blasting out its talking points to an uncharacteristically inclusive list of foreign policy […]
5/29/2018
ASIA/FOREIGN POLICY/MINORITIES/RELIGION/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Myanmar’s military campaign to kill or drive away its ethnic minorities is worsening despite a growing international outcry, according to a State Department religious freedom report that was released on Tuesday [5-29-18]. Violence against the Rohingya, nearly all of whom are Muslim, in the country’s Rakhine state has been likened to […]
5/25/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump declared on Friday [5-25-18] that America is ‘respected again’ because of a military that is ‘a lot stronger,’ as he welcomed the 2018 graduates of the Naval Academy into what he called ‘the most powerful and rightful force on the planet.’ Presidents often use the annual commencement addresses at […]
5/24/2018
CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “There’s been a whole lot of winning so far during the Trump presidency — for China. After accusing China of ‘raping’ American workers and stealing their jobs in his White House campaign, Donald Trump has found it harder to hold Beijing to account as President. In fact, his unpredictable policy […]
5/16/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump will welcome President Shavkat Mirziyoyev of Uzbekistan to the White House on Wednesday [5-16-18], part of what his aides say is an effort to launch a new era of partnership with a country that is making its first fitful turns away from authoritarianism. Mr. Trump plans to raise issues […]
5/16/2018
EU/FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “’With friends like that, who needs enemies.’ That was how Donald Tusk, one of the European Union’s top officials, took President Trump to task on Wednesday [5-16-18], offering the latest look at how the Continent’s leaders are trying to come to terms with the United States’ shifting policy on issues like […]
5/14/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/MIDDLE EAST/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump and senior members of his administration exulted on Monday [5-14-18] over the opening of the United States’ new embassy in Jerusalem, dismissing the violence raging along the border with Gaza as the ceremony unfolded as ‘unfortunate propaganda.’ For Mr. Trump, the opening of the embassy was an opportunity […]
5/14/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/JARED KUSHNER/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “As the deadliest day of clashes between Israelis and Palestinians since the 2014 Gaza War unfolded on Monday [5-14-18], White House senior adviser Jared Kushner addressed a crowd at the opening of the US embassy in Jerusalem and said he believes ‘peace is within reach…’Kushner’s remarks at the embassy opening […]
5/14/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/MIDDLE EAST/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “When President Donald Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and promised last December to move the U.S. Embassy there, the predictions of violence came fast and furious…Despite visible anger and some localized violence after Trump unveiled his decision, the region did not go up in flames. No embassies were stormed. […]
5/14/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Nobody said national-security policy was simple or easy. For proof, look at the current state of U.S. views on North Korea and Iran. At the moment, President Donald Trump has nice things to say about North Korea, which has built a nuclear weapon, has threatened to use it against the […]
5/11/2018
CHINA/EU/FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “It’s Donald Trump’s latest rebrand — global man of action. The President is taking his political chaos theory beyond America’s borders and racking up wins for his faithful political base. Positioning himself as a domineering global figure to shore up his standing back home, Trump is changing the subject from the […]
5/10/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MIDDLE EAST/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The way President Donald Trump sees it, why go for a solid single when you can swing for a home run? Trump’s upcoming summit with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un is only the latest example of the president’s go-big strategy. From tax reform to international trade to foreign policy, […]
5/10/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/PRISONERS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Just maybe, the extraordinary scene that unfolded in the dead of night on an airfield outside Washington early Thursday [5-10-18] is the start of something truly historic. President Donald Trump welcomed home three American prisoners from North Korea, citing their release as proof that his diplomacy with the isolated state […]
5/9/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/IRAQ/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/WAR: “Fifteen years after invading Iraq over weapons of mass destruction and ties to al Qaeda that both proved non-existent, the United States is again steering toward a possible confrontation with a Middle East power for suspected work on nuclear weapons and support for terrorism. U.S. President Donald Trump’s Iran policy sounds […]
5/9/2018
EU/FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “It is by now a familiar, humiliating pattern. European leaders cajole, argue and beg, trying to persuade President Trump to change his mind on a vital issue for the trans-Atlantic alliance. Mr. Trump appears to enjoy the show, dangling them, before ultimately choosing not to listen. Instead, he demands compliance, seemingly […]
5/9/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NAFTA/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The relative caution that constrained President Trump for much of his first year in office has been cast aside, and an emboldened commander in chief is finally reshaping foreign policy to reflect the ‘America First’ philosophy he promised during his campaign. Having shed or sidelined some of the top advisers […]
5/9/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “During his first year in office, President Donald Trump often acceded to the advice of cautious national security aides. At their urging, he added troops to the war in Afghanistan, delayed plans to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem and preserved a nuclear-containment deal with Iran even though […]
5/8/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NUCLEAR/SANCTIONS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. is pulling out of the Iranian nuclear accord, President Donald Trump announced Tuesday [5-8-18], dismantling his predecessor’s signature foreign-policy achievement and bucking the wishes of key allies around the globe. Speaking in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, Mr. Trump delivered harsh words about the deal, calling it […]
5/3/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MIKE PENCE/NORTH KOREA/SOUTH AMERICA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “U.S. Vice President Mike Pence is postponing his plans to travel to Brazil this month in order to ensure foreign policy resources are focused on President Donald Trump’s coming talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Pence’s spokeswoman said on Thursday [5-3-18]…No exact date or location has been […]
4/27/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MIKE POMPEO/SECRETARY OF STATE/TRUMP PEOPLE: “The confirmation of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday [4-26-18] installed the final piece of President Donald Trump’s revamped foreign policy team, transforming his inner circle from a disparate group of strangers to a band of Washington insiders who have accrued more than 115 years of government service. […]
4/20/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Iran may resume its nuclear activities ‘at a much greater speed’ if President Donald Trump moves forward with plans to pull the U.S. out of a landmark nuclear agreement and reimpose sanctions against the nation, Iran’s foreign minister said Friday [4-20-18]. Foreign Minister Javad Zarif told ‘Face the Nation’ host Margaret […]
4/16/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MIKE PENCE/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “A new national security aide to U.S. Vice President Mike Pence stepped down on Sunday [4-15-18], only two days after being officially named to the job, after a behind-the-scenes White House argument hit the headlines, a White House official said. The appointment of Jon Lerner to Pence’s team […]
4/12/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/RUSSIA/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Britain, France and the U.S. united Thursday [4-12-18] around broad plans for a military strike against Syria as they worked to bridge differences over the scope and purpose of a coordinated response to a suspected chemical weapons attack, U.S. officials said. President Donald Trump met with his national security team on […]
4/11/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MEDIA/TRUMP PEOPLE: “So much Fake News about what is going on in the White House. Very calm and calculated with a big focus on open and fair trade with China, the coming North Korea meeting and, of course, the vicious gas attack in Syria. Feels great to have Bolton & Larry K on board. […]
4/9/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/RUSSIA/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Trump on Monday [4-9-18] denounced the suspected chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of people in Syria over the weekend as a ‘barbaric act,’ and said he will make a decision in the next 24 to 48 hours about whether to retaliate militarily as he did to a similar assault […]
4/4/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MILITARY/SYRIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The leaders of three major players in Syria — Russia, Iran and Turkey — ended a summit Wednesday [4-4-18] with a commitment to achieving a ‘lasting ceasefire’ in Syria, even as the future role of US forces in the country remains in doubt. The meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara brought […]
4/2/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP POSITION CHANGES: “President Donald Trump is facing cresting challenges at home and overseas by rejecting traditional West Wing structures and defying an orthodox policy process while stacking his administration with subordinates who share his combative reflexes. A month of turmoil, staff purges and sharp policy shifts by a President determined more […]
3/28/2018
CIA/DEFENSE/FOREIGN POLICY/JAMES MATTIS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Defense Secretary James Mattis is doing his best to downplay notions that he is concerned about working with President Donald Trump’s hawkish new national security adviser John Bolton despite signs of a shifting power dynamic at the highest levels of the administration and strong indications that the two men […]
3/27/2018
CHINA/ECONOMY/FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Since the days of the Nixon administration nearly 50 years ago, American policy has aimed to steer China out of its isolation to prosper in the global market economy. There needn’t be conflict between the established superpower and the emerging giant, the best strategic minds argued. As it grew rich, they […]
3/26/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MUSLIMS/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/ TRUMP PEOPLE: “The latest shifts on President Donald Trump’s foreign policy team, including his choice of John Bolton as national security adviser, have rekindled fears among lawmakers and activists that the White House will further damage America’s precarious standing in the Muslim world. Bolton chairs an organization that produces harshly […]
3/26/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “Former President Jimmy Carter sharply criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to appoint John Bolton as national security adviser, calling the move ‘maybe one of the worst mistakes that President Trump has made since he’s been in office’ in an interview with USA Today. Trump named Bolton, a former US […]
3/26/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/REX TILLERSON/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT/TRUMP PEOPLE: “President Donald Trump has, to great fanfare, remade his national-security team in recent days. But the most intriguing and consequential member of that team isn’t one of the newcomers, but rather the one who has been there all along: Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Mr. Mattis is the most […]
3/22/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The United States trade representative, Robert Lighthizer, said on Thursday [3-22-18] that several American allies would initially be exempt from the steel and aluminum tariffs that are to take effect shortly. Speaking at a meeting of the Senate Finance Committee, Mr. Lighthizer said that the European Union, along with Argentina, […]
3/21/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/TARIFFS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration said it is in close talks with several allies and trading partners on exempting them from U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum, adding that some countries will face little threat of paying the duties while the negotiations are under way. U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer, in the Trump […]
3/21/2018
ELECTION/FOREIGN POLICY/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “I called President Putin of Russia to congratulate him on his election victory (in past, Obama called him also). The Fake News Media is crazed because they wanted me to excoriate him. They are wrong! Getting along with Russia (and others) is a good thing, not a bad thing…….They can help […]
3/19/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/TRUMP EXEC ORDER/VENEZUELA: “Executive Order on Taking Additional Steps to Address the Situation in Venezuela …I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, in order to take additional steps with respect to the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13692 of March 8, 2015, and relied upon for additional steps taken […]
3/15/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/IRELAND/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald J. Trump Delivers Remarks at the Shamrock☘Bowl Presentation by Prime Minister Varadkar in the East Room of the White House’ ???? https://t.co/ZbogpAE09g” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, Mar. 15, 2018 08:49pm […]
3/15/2018
CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/TAIWAN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump has not decided whether he will sign legislation that would allow U.S. officials to travel to Taiwan to meet their Taiwanese counterparts, the White House said on Thursday, as China repeated its opposition. The legislation, approved by both chambers of the U.S. Congress, has angered China, which regularly […]
3/15/2018
ECONOMY/FOREIGN POLICY/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Economists estimate President Donald Trump’s steel and aluminum tariffs will reduce U.S. employment only modestly, but increasingly worry that foreign-trade disputes could escalate and damage the U.S. economy. Forecasters surveyed in recent days by The Wall Street Journal continue to expect solid economic growth this year, but see rising odds […]
3/15/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/RUSSIA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The U.S. on Thursday [3-15-18] joined the U.K., France and Germany to condemn the poisoning of a Russian double agent in Britain as ‘an assault on U.K. sovereignty,’ saying it constituted a breach of international law and calling on Russia to explain its role in the attack. The show of unity […]
3/15/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/TARIFFS/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump isn’t a drinker. But when the Irish prime minister comes to visit Thursday [3-15-18], Mr. Trump may be asked to consider how whiskey might get caught up in a complicated tit-for-tat that could be triggered by the aluminum and steel tariffs the U.S. announced last week. Taoiseach […]
3/15/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/SWEDEN/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Sweden’s Foreign Ministry said a senior North Korean government official was expected in Stockholm later Thursday [3-15-18] for two days of talks that could be a prelude to a planned summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. North Korea’s Foreign Minister Ri Yong-Ho will […]
3/14/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MIKE POMPEO/NORTH KOREA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The White House has created a working group to prepare for the landmark meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea. But Mr. Trump’s sudden ousting on Tuesday [3-13-18] of Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson could delay critical elements of the planning until the Senate confirms […]
3/14/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/MIKE POMPEO/NORTH KOREA/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The White House has created a working group to prepare for the landmark meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un of North Korea. But Mr. Trump’s sudden ousting on Tuesday of Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson could delay critical elements of the planning until the Senate confirms his […]
3/13/2018
CIA/FOREIGN POLICY/MIKE POMPEO/REX TILLERSON/STATE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Donald Trump’s plan to nominate CIA Director Mike Pompeo to succeed Rex Tillerson as secretary of state positions a crucial Trump ally as the administration’s top diplomat, one who the president said is more in line with his foreign-policy vision. Mr. Pompeo is among the few outsiders to have […]
3/13/2018
CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “President Donald Trump on Monday [3-12-18] blocked Broadcom Ltd.’s $117 billion hostile bid for Qualcomm Inc., capping a remarkable series of moves by the Trump administration reflecting officials’ concerns about an intensifying arms race between the U.S. and China over advanced technologies. While Broadcom is a Singapore-based company, the U.S. […]
3/12/2018
AFGHANISTAN/DEFENSE/FOREIGN POLICY/JAMES MATTIS/MILITARY: “The United States is picking up signs of interest from Taliban elements in exploring the possibility of talks with Kabul to end the more than 16-year-old war, U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said on Tuesday [3-13-18] as he made an unannounced visit to Afghanistan… Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered talks without preconditions […]
3/12/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/IRAN/NATIONAL SECURITY/TRUMP MEMORANDA: “Notice Regarding the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Iran On March 15, 1995, by Executive Order 12957, the President declared a national emergency with respect to Iran to deal with the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States constituted […]
3/12/2018
AMBASSADOR/EU/FOREIGN POLICY/TRADE DEALS/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and Europe over trade and foreign policy, the Trump administration is moving to fill the long-vacant post of U.S. ambassador to the European Union. Washington has asked the EU if Portland hotelier Gordon Sondland would be an acceptable nominee, according to two senior European […]
3/11/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/ISRAEL/PALESTINE/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “The Trump administration is putting the finishing touches on its long-awaited Middle East peace plan, three senior officials said on Sunday [3-11-18], and President Trump is likely to present it soon, despite risking swift rejection by the Palestinians and having already taken on another of the world’s thorniest disputes, with North […]
3/10/2018
CHINA/FOREIGN POLICY/NORTH KOREA/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “Chinese President XI JINPING and I spoke at length about the meeting with KIM JONG UN of North Korea. President XI told me he appreciates that the U.S. is working to solve the problem diplomatically rather than going with the ominous alternative. China continues to be helpful!” -Donald Trump, Twitter.com, […]
3/10/2018
FOREIGN POLICY/NATIONAL SECURITY/MEDIA/NORTH KOREA/NUCLEAR/TRUMP AS PRESIDENT: “In the first hours after hearing that North Korea’s leader wanted to meet with me to talk denuclearization and that missile launches will end, the press was startled & amazed.They couldn’t believe it. But by the following morning the news became FAKE.They said so what, who cares!” – Donald […]