Section: Foreign Policy (USA)
Washington to Play Bigger Role in Yemen Terror Fight
The United States is continuing airstrikes against al Qaeda’s branch in Yemen while facing questions about how to carry on such operations without a trusted partner on the ground following the collapse of the country’s fragile, pro-Western government. The U.S. strategy until now has been centered on CIA drone strikes on al Qaeda...
Guns, Lies, and Videotape: The War In Eastern Ukraine Is Back On in Full
After a bloody weekend in eastern Ukraine that left 30 civilians dead and more than 100 wounded, ambassadors from Ukraine and NATO announced that they would hold a special meeting Monday to discuss the recent upswing in fighting near the strategic cities of Mariupol and Debaltseve. The last such meeting of ambassadors from NATO and Ukraine...
Inside the White House Fight Over the Slaughter in South Sudan
Salva Kiir Mayardit, South Sudan’s president, founding father, and longtime darling of Washington’s political class, stands accused of presiding over security forces responsible for killing thousands of civilians in a 13-month-long civil war that has heightened fears of genocide and fueled international calls for the imposition of a...
Malaysia Airlines’s Latest Woe: An Attack by the ‘Cyber Caliphate’
With two of its planes down last year, you’d think Malaysia Airlines might be due for a break. Some hackers apparently disagree. For several hours beginning Sunday night, Malaysia Airlines’s website displayed the words “ISIS WILL PREVAIL” and “404 — Plane Not Found: Hacked by Cyber Caliphate” over the image of a Malaysia Airlines...
FP’s Situation Report: Internal U.S. dispute stymies U.N. push for South Sudan arms ban; Chaos reigns in northern Nigeria; Greek elections cast doubt on Europe’s future; and more from around the world.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat An internal Obama administration squabble stalls U.N. efforts to ban weapons shipments to South Sudan. Foreign allies and even some top U.S. officials have for months sought to slap an arms embargo on South Sudanese President Salva Kiir Mayardit and his security forces, who are suspected of killing thousands of...
Mediating Mass Murder
Salva Kiir Mayardit, South Sudan’s president, founding father, and long-time darling of Washington’s political class, stands accused of presiding over security forces responsible for killing thousands of civilians in a 13-month long civil war that has heightened fears of genocide and fueled international calls for the imposition of a...
Why Yemen’s Collapse Dooms Obama’s Foreign Policy Legacy
Look at a map of the Arabian Peninsula and the surrounding region while taking into account recent headlines and you’ll see that both sides in the war between Shiite and Sunni radicals are defeating the United States. That is, radical Islamist forces (both sets of them) are winning and the United States is losing. We are in one of the most...
With Obscure Treaties, Moscow Pulls Breakaway Regions Into Its Orbit
Russia has many ways to influence events in country’s on its periphery, both subtle and not. In Ukraine, that influence-peddling has taken the form of outright warfare. In Georgia, that effort is far less conspicuous, and this week Russia took yet another step to more closely bind that country’s breakaway republics to Moscow. On...
Davos Diary: Russia Trying to Derail IMF Talks, Says Ukrainian Official
It’s little wonder that Ukraine Finance Minister Natalie Jaresko might need to put her head down on a Davos interview table for a quick rest before rushing off to her next meeting. The Chicago native who now is in charge of handling Ukraine’s economy has the wearying task of convincing foreign allies that her country is a solid...
Rebecca’s War Dog of the Week: Postcard: Ukraine’s Special Forces Dogs
By Rebecca FrankelBest Defense Chief Canine Correspondent Our eyes may be directed to other parts of the world this week, but fighting in east Ukraine has worsened. In fact, according to the U.N. Human Rights office reportedly said that the fighting had entered “its most deadly period.” In these photos taken in August, armed soldiers of the...
