Section: Time (USA)
Obama’s Big Talk on ISIS and Putin Isn’t Matched By His Actions
The U.S. is dispatching around 450 additional military instructors to help Iraq’s government recapture Ramadi and Mosul, adding to the approximately 3,500 US military personnel already on the ground. The move seized headlines, but it’s far from a game-changer in the war against ISIS. Obama’s decision should come as no surprise....
Vladimir Putin Tests the Limits of Pope Francis’ Powers
Vladimir Putin is no longer welcome at the G7, thanks to his government’s continued incursions into Ukraine’s territory. But two days after the meeting of Western powers in Germany, the Russian leader has a meeting with another world leader: Pope Francis. The Bishop of Rome may not represent the United States or Germany, but he is...
Here Are 3 Good Things That Happened in the World This Week
Follow the news these days, and it’s hard to be an optimist. Ukraine’s ceasefire is a fiction. ISIS is capturing new ground and drawing new followers. The U.S. and China seem at odds in the South China Sea. The Greeks sometimes seem determined to stumble their way out of Europe. The list goes on. But with the real exception of...
Obama says ‘No Complete Strategy’ for Training Iraqis to Fight ISIS
President Obama said Monday the U.S. does not have a “complete strategy” for training and recruiting Iraqi forces to ultimately defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and Greater Syria, or ISIS. “We do not yet have a complete strategy,” Obama said, shifting part of the blame to leaders in Iraq who he said also needed to make commitments in regard to...
3 Things to Watch at the G7 Summit
President Obama is joining world leaders in Germany to discuss a wide range of global issues. Along with the heads of the U.K., Canada, France, Germany, Italy and the European Union, Obama will talk about the global economy and climate change. Obama will also press his colleagues to keep the pressure up on Russia and Iran. Here are three key...
Obama Works to Mend U.S.-German Ties at G7 Summit
(KRUEN, Germany) — Feasting on Bavarian beer and sausages, President Barack Obama on Sunday celebrated decades of U.S. friendship with Germany despite recent challenges and said the country “is proof that conflicts can end and great progress is possible.” Obama kicked off an overnight visit to attend the Group of Seven summit of world leaders by...
Could Iran Play a Part in E.U. Energy Security?
Azerbaijan’s energy minister, Natig Aliyev, says the gas pipeline originating in his country can also transport fuel to Europe through the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) from Iran and other neighboring nations in both the Middle East and Central Asia. “Gas from Turkmenistan, Iran, Iraq, as well as from Israel and Cyprus, can be connected...
Eastern Ukraine Remains Tense After Outbreak of Fighting
(DONETSK, Ukraine) — Separatist and government troops in east Ukraine stood nervously poised hundreds of meters apart Thursday in the wake of bloody battle that has threatened to demolish what remains of the brittle cease-fire there. Underscoring anxieties in the Ukrainian capital, President Petro Poroshenko warned of a possible large-scale...
Russian Missile Maker: MH17 Shot Down by Ukrainian Missile
(MOSCOW) — The Russian maker of the Buk air defense missile system said Tuesday that it has concluded that Malaysia Airlines flight 17 was downed by an older version of the missile, which isn’t in service with the Russian military but is in Ukrainian arsenals. Controversy continues over who shot down the plane last summer over eastern...
The Next Step Toward Possible Conflict in the South China Sea
When discussing the growing conflict over China’s dredging new islands to extend its sovereignty 1,000 miles into the resource-rich South China Sea, one phrase frequently pops up from U.S. military officers past and present. “China,” they say, “doesn’t do off-ramps well.” What they mean is that once Beijing has decided on a course of...
