China and India up defense spending, spurring concerns about an Asian arms race

Tensions in the South China Sea have been high in recent years, due in large part to territorial disputes between Asian nations over the ocean waterways in the region.  China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, and the Philippines all have contradictory jurisdictional claims in the area, driven by military posturing and the possibility of massive oil […]

OBAMA: ‘I feel responsible’ for Syria

President Barack Obama said in his final press conference of the year that he feels “responsible” for the bloodshed in Syria, and that his administration “went through every option” to try and limit the violence there. “I always feel responsible,” the president said in response to a question about whether he felt a “moral responsibility for the […]

Former Republican presidential candidate says Russia hacked his accounts, calls for ‘crippling sanctions’ against Putin

Sen. Lindsey Graham accused Russian hackers of targeting his campaign accounts in an interview on CNN Wednesday. Graham, a former Republican presidential candidate, said the vendor that administered his campaign’s accounts was hacked in June. Graham, who sits on the Armed Services Committee, floated the possibility of “crippling sanctions” to help rein in Russia. “This […]

Donald Trump’s victory sparks optimism in an unlikely place: Iran

Donald Trump had sharp words for Iran during his presidential campaign, but Iranian leaders see reasons for hope in a Trump presidency. For hard-liners, Trump’s threats to revisit the nuclear deal, which Iran struck with six world powers including the United States, bolsters their constant refrain that Washington cannot be trusted. Meanwhile, moderate President Hassan […]

Leading Senate Democrat requests copy of Pentagon waste report

Washington, D.C. – A leading Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee has requested a copy of a Pentagon report that identified $125 billion in administrative waste. The 2015 report, first identified in a report by The Washington Post, purportedly contains recommendations to streamline and reduce the Department of Defense’s administrative bureaucracy and to reinvest […]

REPORT: Intelligence officials believe Putin was directly involved in the Democratic Party hacks

US intelligence officials believe Russian President Vladimir Putin was most likely directly involved in the hacking campaign that targeted Democratic Party officials and organizations during the US presidential election, NBC News reportedTuesday. Two of the unnamed intelligence officials cited by NBC News pointed to new evidence they say shows Putin directed the distribution of hacked […]

US deploying tanks, troops to Eastern Europe amid record high tensions with Russia

The United States is deploying troops to Poland, the Baltic states and Romania next month as part of raising the security of the region, Polish and U.S. defense officials said Wednesday. Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz made the announcement following talks with the commander of U.S. land troops in Europe, Lt. Gen. Ben Hodges, in […]

Fighting in Aleppo ends in Syrian victory amid allegations of civilian ‘slaughter’

After years of fighting, the Syrian government claimed victory on Tuesday over rebel groups holding out in the besieged city of Aleppo.  Reports of a ceasefire were confirmed by Russia’s envoy to the United Nations, stating that fighting would cease Tuesday evening to allow fighters that remain in rebel controlled regions of the city to […]

Taiwan, Trump, and foreign entanglements

Americans dangerously underestimate the complexity and ambiguous nature of Taiwan’s feelings about the mainland, and the emotional force this issue arouses on both sides…“ In his farewell address, George Washington warned the country to avoid entangling foreign alliances. In the Cold War era following the end of World War Two, Washington’s wise advice seems to […]