Section: Foreign Policy (USA)
Talking to a House Divided
Historically, State of the Union addresses are notably short on foreign-policy references (one analysis of the 2010 and 2011 speeches by Eric Ostermeier of the University of Minnesota found that international statements accounted for just 14 to 16 percent of the total number of sentences). So when President Barack Obama delivers his 2015 State of...
Three Dangers to the Economy that Obama Should Tackle in Tonight’s Speech
What if, instead of an occasion for partisan polemics and balcony shout-outs, the State of the Union consisted of a dispassionate assessment of where the country really stands and what that implies for policy? On the international economic front, the president would still have an opportunity to boast. The United States’ economic recovery is...
FP’s Handy State of the Union Viewing Guide
As his approval ratings jump to as high as 50 percent thanks to a growing economy and steadily declining unemployment, President Barack Obama is expected to focus heavily on domestic policy in tonight’s State of the Union address rather than foreign policy, where crises around the world have raised doubts about the administration’s...
FP’s Situation Report: U.S. shifts policy on Syrian President Assad; Paris attacks prompt European rethink on terrorism; EU stands firm on Russia sanctions; and much more from around the world.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat The United States shifts policy on Syrian President Assad. The White House has long maintained no peace in Syria is possible while President Bashar al-Assad remains in office. However, as the civil war drags on and the fight against the Islamic State continues, the United States now supports two initiatives —...
Democracy Lab Weekly Brief, January 19, 2015
To keep up with Democracy Lab in real time, follow us on Twitter and Facebook. Berivan Orucoglu tracks the striking divergence between reactions to the Charlie Hebdo massacre in Turkey and the West. Maryam Al-Khawaja relates her ordeal in the clutches of the regime in Bahrain, where she was recently jailed when she tried to visit her imprisoned...
Dashed Hopes in Gay Ukraine
KIEV, Ukraine — It was a quiet evening in late autumn, perfect for going to the movies. Kiev’s Zhovten (October) theater, the oldest one in the city and a favorite with art-movie buffs, was showing a new French film called Les Nuits d’Été (Summer Nights), about a married man in 1950s France who leads a perfectly normal life — except...
FP’s Situation Report: An expanded air campaign against the Islamic State stalls; Ground efforts in Iraq are failing; U.S. collects evidence against North Korea through a hack of its own; and much more from around the world.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat Plans to expand air strikes against the Islamic State are stalled. The United States and Turkey still are unable to agree on priorities in the bombing campaign in Syria and, as a result, the expected expansion of American-led bombings is going nowhere. The Washington Post’s Karen DeYoung: Syrian President...
Lithuania to Citizens: In Case of Russian Invasion, ‘Do Your Job Worse Than Usual’
Amid intense fighting between Ukrainian troops and separatist rebels, the international airport in Donetsk has become a kind of post-apocalyptic microcosm of the shadow war playing out in eastern Ukraine. And on Friday, rebels claimed that they had finally seized control of the once-gleaming airport and defeated a band of Ukrainian troops who...
Sofia’s Choice
Bulgaria is becoming the latest wishbone in the struggle between Moscow’s efforts to assert its energy dominance over Europe and the West’s efforts to cage that gassy bear. The latest chapter came Thursday, Jan. 15, when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry landed in Sofia, the Bulgarian capital, to visit the newly elected,...
FP’s Situation Report: Air Force runs short on drone pilots; Boko Haram transforms northern Nigeria into a living hell; U.S. economy shines among cloudy economic skies; and more news from around the world.
By David Francis with Sabine Muscat Help Wanted: Even drones need pilots, and the Air Force is running short of them. A cornerstone of the Obama administration’s fight against the Islamic State is drone surveillance and strikes in Iraq and Syria. For years, the military has had difficulties keeping up with the vast amounts of intelligence...
