Section: Foreign Policy (USA)
Islamic State Militants Seize Parts of Strategic Iraqi Town of al-Baghdadi
Islamic State militants have seized control of large parts of the western Iraqi town of al-Baghdadi, in Anbar province. The town, northwest of Ramadi, is three miles from the Ain al-Asad air base, where an estimated 320 U.S. Marines are stationed training Iraqi troops. Islamic State militants launched an attack early Thursday sparking heavy...
FP’s Situation Report: U.N. peace efforts in Syria backfire; U.S. and Iranian interests align in Yemen; Carter cruises to confirmation; and much more from around the world.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat U.N. peace plans in Syria backfire. The U.N. was counting on fears about the rise of the Islamic State to bring Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and groups who oppose him to the bargaining table. Months later, the opposite has occurred. FP’s Colum Lynch: “In the end, the Syrian government and the...
How the Ceasefire With Russia Might Save Ukraine
The U.S.-endorsed ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine is widely viewed as a win for Russian President Vladimir Putin. But it might be exactly what Ukraine needs to prevent an economic collapse. The deal forces Ukrainian President Petro O. Poroshenko to acknowledge gains made by pro-Russian separatists. Ultimately, Putin is the only one who can...
Senate Confirms Ashton Carter as Defense Secretary
The Senate confirmed Ashton Carter as defense secretary Thursday in a vote 93 to 5. He is replacing Chuck Hagel, who announced his resignation in November. Carter’s first day at the Pentagon will be Tuesday, according to an official associated with the confirmation. It’s been widely assumed Carter would face an easy confirmation since...
Way Station for War
KIEV — On the second floor of Kiev’s central train station, in a cavernous waiting room full of red leather couches, Nina, a portly 57-year-old retiree, sat with all of her worldly belongings packed up in a mountain of bags at her feet. Nina (who didn’t want to share her last name) hails from Horlivka, a town in Donetsk Oblast that is...
FP’s Situation Report: Ukraine and Russia agree to a ceasefire; Obama’s Islamic State fight pits him against Democrats; Ebola’s death toll could have been much higher; and much more from around the world.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat A ceasefire is reached in Ukraine. European leaders announced a deal that requires both sides to remove heavy weaponry from the front lines. But it’s not clear whether the agreement would create a lasting end to the bloodiest conflict in Europe since the Balkan wars of the 1990s. The Washington...
Putin’s Countermove
The likely failure of today’s Minsk talks to reach any kind of lasting peace in Ukraine will only add to the chorus of voices in Washington calling for the United States to arm Kiev. These calls may well prove irresistible, especially if the Ukrainian forces’ recent counterattack on Russian-backed rebels near the port city of Mariupol...
Trapped in Baku
An Azerbaijani dissident married to a U.S. servicewoman has spent the last half-year living in the Swiss embassy in Baku, denied protection by the American embassy there. The 35-year-old human rights defender Emin Huseynov has long been persecuted by the authoritarian government of Ilham Aliyev and since August 2014 has been hosted by the Swiss...
Is Putin’s Demise Spelled Out in New York’s Real Estate Listings?
As the West tries to make sense of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s belligerence in Ukraine, policymakers may be starting to feel that his regime is invincible. Sanctions seemingly do little to alter his foreign policy; he appears to remain popular at home. But is Putin’s Russia a foe that Washington will have to deal with forever...
FP’s Situation Report: Fighting continues in Ukraine ahead of peace talks; The Islamic State’s last known American hostage is dead; U.S. rethinks withdrawal plans in Afghanistan; and much more from around the world.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat Fresh violence in Ukraine lessens hopes for peace. There were signs late Tuesday of a nearing agreement to end the conflict between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists. And Russian President Vladimir Putin confirmed his attendance at the peace talks in Minsk at the last minute. But new fighting overnight has...
