Foreign Policy

US Special Forces kicked out of areas of the Philippines

The president of the Philippines just asked for US forces to leave his Southern region. Duterte cites security concerns for both his people and US forces. Duterte also claimed that peace in the Southern portion is unlikely as long as there is a military presence. Relations in East Asia are becoming more complicated all the […]

U.S. officials leak espionage strategy against Russia

In a breathtakingly revealing article in the Washington Post on September 14, 2016, reporter Greg Miller laid out a sweeping overview of the United States’ espionage efforts against Russia, which, he reported, are intensifying amid a surge in Russian assertiveness in both international affairs and, specifically, in U.S. internal politics. One would be hard-pressed to […]

Progress in Daesh ‘ISIS’ fight tainted by Iranian-backed militias’ atrocities

What began as a desperate, stopgap campaign by Iraqi leaders to stem Islamic State forces from overrunning Baghdad and other major cities in the country is now fueling a new era of sectarian violence, as a formidable array of Shiite militias casts a dark shadow over the Iraqi military’s recent battlefield successes.
American commanders have become increasingly wary that the more integral the militias become to the battle plan, the weaker Baghdad’s ability will be to rein in the paramilitary force — which now numbers over 120,000 fighters.

‘We Misled You’: How the Saudis are coming clean on funding terrorism

Across the Islamic-majority countries there has been an ongoing struggle between modernization and Islamism. Riyadh views modernization as the vehicle through which the Saudi state, at long last, can confront and defeat extremism, foster a dynamic private sector and master the looming economic challenges. The Saudi program includes:

New limits on the ability of the religious police to arrest dissidents.
Purges of extremists from the government and greater efforts to monitor their influence in security institutions.
The appointment of new religious leaders to counter Islamic extremism on theological grounds.
The transformation of the world Muslim League—a key Saudi arm for supporting Islamic movements abroad—by the appointment of a new leader and a decision to stop supporting Islamist madrassas abroad.

US lifting sanctions on Myanmar as Aung San Suu Kyi visits

A U.S. official and congressional aides say that President Barack Obama is set to lift U.S. economic sanctions on Myanmar. Obama is meeting Wednesday with the country’s de facto leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. Congressional aides say Suu Kyi has requested the removal of the national emergency with respect to Myanmar — the executive order […]

US pledges record $38bn military aid to Israel over next 10 years

The United States will provide Israel’s military with $38bn during the next 10 years, the largest batch of military assistance the US has ever pledged to another country. Following months of behind-the-scenes negotiations, the state department said on Tuesday that the two countries had reached a 10-year agreement, with a signing ceremony planned for Wednesday. The […]

Should we flirt with an independent Kurdish state to force Turkey to play ball?

There’s a chance things might get better in Syria. The Kurds are doing the heavy lifting. They protect Americans. They’re pragmatic. We owe the Kurds increased solidarity. The Kurds are like a girlfriend that never gives up on you. They very well might the best shot we have at eliminating ISIS if we openly support […]

Analyst: North Korea has enough material to make 20 nuclear bombs

A more powerful nuclear test, however, could have unintended consequences, according to earth sciences experts in South Korea.

Data from South Korean scientists submitted to a parliamentary committee on safety administration indicated another man-made earthquake near the Punggye-ri test site could trigger a dormant volcanic mountain, Mount Paektu, local newspaper Maeil Business reported.

Paektu, the official birthplace of former leader Kim Jong Il, is about 75 miles from the nuclear test site. Another earthquake with a 3.0-7.0 magnitude could trigger a volcanic eruption, according to the analysis.

Russia searches for missile defense weaknesses, test fires intercontinental ballistic missile

The primary aim of the missile drill was to test the ICBM’s capability to overcome advanced missile defense systems.
Russia is in the middle of modernizing its strategic and nonstrategic nuclear warheads. (…) Moscow has currently 4,500 nuclear warheads, of which roughly 1,780 strategic warheads are deployed on missiles and at bomber bases. An additional 700 strategic warheads are kept in storage along with approximately 2,000 nonstrategic warheads.

Duterte Signals Shift in US and Philippine Military Alliance

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte signaled an abrupt departure from his nation’s longstanding military reliance on the U.S., ordering his defense secretary to seek gear from suppliers in China and Russia to fight drug traffickers and insurgents. In another shift, he also said Tuesday that the Philippines would stop patrolling the South China Sea alongside the U.S. Navy, […]

Is it time for us to stop supporting democratic societies?

As Americans, our reason for being, externally, is to spread the good news of our democratic revolution. In that, we are aligned with France and the West. There’s some wisdom in the ideas of Rand Paul and other isolationists, I think. But only in certain respects. I agree that regime change as a policy is […]