Section: Foreign Policy (USA)
FP’s Situation Report: Who will be Obama’s point man in Havana?; It’s Cold War-redux in Russia; Boko Haram pledges allegiance to the Islamic State; and much more from around the world.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat The fight for the top U.S. diplomatic post in Cuba will be ugly. Washington and Havana are taking initial steps to normalize relations. But it’s still unclear who will lead the U.S. delegation. The frontrunner is Jeffrey DeLaurentis, the chief of mission at the U.S. Interests Section in Havana. FP’s...
The Ugly Fight to Be Our Man in Havana
If anyone thinks Loretta Lynch, the nominee to replace Eric Holder as U.S. attorney general, is facing a bruising confirmation fight, spare a thought for the next ambassador to Cuba. Barack Obama’s administration says it wants to reopen the U.S. Embassy in Havana by early April — an ambitious launch date that has triggered a flurry of...
Powerful Senate Democrat Faces Corruption Charges
For two years, Robert Menendez, one of the most prominent foreign-policy hawks in the Senate, has angrily dismissed allegations of a quid pro quo deal with a longtime friend and political donor as baseless. His staff has criticized reporters for even raising the issue, despite the widely known existence of an FBI probe into his ties to Salomon...
The Death Merchants Do Abu Dhabi
ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — For those thinking of fighting a war in the near future, there was no better place to be last week than Abu Dhabi’s annual International Defence Exhibition (IDEX). In the market for a new high-resolution surveillance satellite or some high-caliber ammunition? Check. Want to cradle a brand-new Kalashnikov or...
Beware the Malaise
To paraphrase Leo Tolstoy, all unhappy people are unhappy in their own way. And their unhappiness does not necessarily mean they have the will or the wherewithal to pursue regime change. But there’s a worrying trend that threatens to roil nations on the brink of instability. The recent drop in oil prices has led to cuts in domestic spending...
FP’s Situation Report: Boko Haram steals from the poor; Uneasy alliances fight against the Islamic State; Pentagon needs to find money for nukes; and much more from around the world.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat Boko Haram pulls a reverse Robin Hood. Militants in southern Nigeria have made millions siphoning the country’s oil riches. The Islamic extremist group in northern Nigeria is doing the opposite, raiding the meager bounties of poor fishermen from Niger to finance their campaign of terror. FP’s...
Washington’s Mixed Messaging on Arming Ukraine Continues
An array of powerful House Democrats and Republicans sent a new letter to President Barack Obama calling for arming Ukraine, the latest example of the months of mixed messages coming out of Washington as Ukraine’s fragile pro-Western government tries to gauge its level of American support in the fight against Russian-backed separatists in...
FP’s Situation Report: What’s the trigger for new Russia sanctions?; Iran says a nuke deal is close; American ambassador attacked in South Korea; and much more from around the world.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat The United States and Europe edge toward new sanctions against Russia, but what’s the trigger? The calls to arm Ukraine are growing louder inside the Obama administration, but so far the White House is sticking to economic penalties to punish Russia for meddling in Ukraine. It has a new round of sanctions...
Introducing the 2015 Lionel Gelber Finalists. Today’s Nominee: Serhii Plokhy
Every day this week, Foreign Policy is featuring an interview with one of the finalists for the Lionel Gelber Prize, a literary award for the year’s best non-fiction book in English on foreign affairs, jointly sponsored by FP and the Munk School of Global Affairs at the University of Toronto. Today’s finalist is Harvard Professor...
The Top Threat to the United States? Take Your Pick.
What’s the top threat to America? It depends on which high-level Pentagon official you ask. In a series of hearings on Capitol Hill this week, there was some agreement among Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, and Gen. John Campbell, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan. But hours of questioning by...
