Section: Foreign Policy (USA)
West Threatens New Sanctions Against Russia
U.S. and European leaders are threatening further sanctions against Moscow over Ukraine, but it’s unclear what measures are on the table and what Russian actions would prompt further restrictions. Assistant Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said Wednesday U.S. policymakers started “intensive consultations” this week on with European...
They’re Back: The Shoot-First, Sanction-Later, Would-Be Leaders of America
The Oscars may be behind us, but a lot of people were auditioning for the Republican Un-Diplomatic Oscars in Washington, D.C., last week. And most leaned toward the “shoot first” school. See if you can guess who made these (mostly) hawkish pitches at or while in town for the Conservative Political Action Conference (answers follow below): America...
A Stalemate Ukraine Can Win
The crowing began before the battle of Debaltseve had even concluded. During the cease-fire negotiations in Minsk, Vladimir Putin reportedly boasted that 500 Ukrainian soldiers would be killed and 2,000 taken prisoner. After the Ukrainians had withdrawn, he taunted them by saying that they had been defeated by “yesterday’s tractor drivers.”...
FP’s Situation Report: Did Bibi outline a path to a deal?; Petraeus completes his fall from grace; Pentagon owns up to Mosul missteps; and much more from around the world.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat Did Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu open the door to an Iran deal? Democrats are still smarting while Republicans happily endorse Bibi’s divisive speech to Congress. But the Israeli PM might have plotted a path toward an acceptable deal by dropping his previous demands that Iran not enrich...
Laser Bears and Occupants: These Are the Masterpieces of Delusional Russian Propaganda
Really good propaganda is like a fever dream: delirious, paranoid, and marked by leaps of logic that at first blush might withstand scrutiny. With Moscow and the West engaged in a fierce stand-off over the future geopolitical alignment of Ukraine, one Russian propaganda outfit has in recent months distinguished itself as a master of this artform,...
Like ‘Just Say No,’ But With More Kalashnikovs
LUHANSK, Ukraine — Miles of recently dug trenches mar the frozen landscape of the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, signs of the ongoing war here between separatists and Ukrainian government forces. Farm fields are torn up; on some strategic highways, bunkers surrounded by tank tracks and mortar holes stand as high as houses. Travelers passing...
Live Blog: Netanyahu Addresses Congress
2:48 p.m. President Barack Obama’s reaction to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech might be summed up in a single word: Meh. Obama told reporters he did not watch the address to Congress, since he was talking to European leaders about the nearly year-long war in eastern Ukraine. And when he got a moment to check out the...
FP’s Situation Report: Iraq gives the U.S. a surprise of its own; Clapper wants guns for Ukraine; Russia brings its anti-gay agenda to the U.N.; and much more from around the world.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat Iraq repays DoD’s Mosul leaks with a surprise of its own. Iraqi officials were angry after the Pentagon released details on plans without Baghdad’s approval to retake Mosul. They returned the favor Monday with an unexpected offensive to retake Tikrit from the Islamic State. FP’s Kate Brannen...
Russia Tries to Block Benefits for Families of Gay U.N. Employees
Last June, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon issued a far-reaching administrative ruling that offered marital benefits for the first time to all of its lesbian and gay employees, as well as to other U.N. workers that had entered legally-recognized domestic partnerships. On Monday, the Russian Federation gave the plan a resounding nyet. Speaking...
Clapper: Give Ukraine ‘Lethal Defensive Weapons’
The U.S. government’s senior intelligence official said that he believes the Obama administration should give Kiev “lethal defensive weapons” for its struggle against the Russian-backed separatists battling the country’s military in eastern Ukraine Director of National Intelligence James Clapper told the Council on Foreign Relations...
