Robert Farley, 1945
It is a truism of American political consulting that it is difficult and pointless to try to convince American voters that foreign policy matters. This belief persists even as the United States has become more exposed than ever to international forces, but it is a belief that needs to change.
Gary Grappo, Cipher Brief
OPINION - The Biden administration faces an important decision point in its negotiations with Iran over rejoining the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Decisions made now and the signals they send to Tehran will determine whether the two sides can reach an agreement. They also will determine whether any such agreement, if concluded, can outlast Mr. Biden's administration.
Zack Cooper & Adam Liff, Foreign Affairs
This fall marks ten years since the Obama administration rolled out its famous "rebalance to Asia." Standing before the Australian Parliament in 2011, U.S. President Barack Obama declared that the United States was "turning our attention to the vast potential of the Asia Pacific region."
Ahmad Massoud with Atlantic Council
"I am willing and ready to forgive the blood of my father for the sake of peace in Afghanistan and security and stability in Afghanistan," said Massoud, son of the anti-Soviet resistance commander Ahmad Shah Massoud, in an interview with the Atlantic Council's South Asia Center. Massoud's father was assassinated by al-Qaeda days before the 9/11 attacks in 2001.
I. Barabanov & N. Ibrahim, BBC
A new BBC investigation has revealed the scale of operations by a shadowy Russian mercenary group in Libya's civil war, which includes links to war crimes and the Russian military.
Ben Hall, Financial Times
Italy is enjoying a summer of overachievement. First came triumph in the Eurovision Song Contest. Then the Azzurri snatched victory in the European football championship. And this month its sprinters took Olympic gold in Tokyo. In each case, Italians beat low expectations.
George Friedman, Geopolitical Futures
The world has grown used to U.S. military intervention. It condemns it and is then comforted by its condemnations. But losing wars after years of struggle - or staying in wars you are losing for moral reasons or to hide the reality - makes no sense. The U.S. has to control where and how it goes to war. Its notion of victory includes the moral transformation of ancient people who do not think they are immoral. A moral principle on terrain well known, and weapons suited for it, works. Читать дальше...
Mishi Choudhary, Indian Express
The past few days have once again provided extensive evidence of a cyberattack on Indian citizens. Barring the evasive statements issued by various ministers of the Government of India, we are yet to hear any substantive explanation of why phone numbers of several Indian politicians, including Rahul Gandhi, activists and lawyers were found to be amongst the 50,000 other phone numbers believed to be potential surveillance targets by governments around the world. Читать дальше...
M. Stott, FT
Once Venezuela's most famous political prisoner, he is best known for escaping from house arrest and appearing outside a Caracas military base in an attempt to start an uprising against the country's leftist president, Nicolás Maduro.
Diego Cupolo, Politico EU
The blazes highlight climate change policies in Turkey, one of six nations that has not ratified the Paris Agreement.
C. Liakos, E. Labropoulou & A. Woodyatt, CNN
Greece is facing a "natural disaster of unprecedented proportions," as 586 wildfires burn in "all corners" of the country, according to Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Tatyana Margolin, Just Security
Every year on her July birthday, my mom in Pittsburgh catches up with her childhood friend Olga, with whom she grew up in Belarus and who still lives there. Their annual catchups usually include sharing news about births of grandchildren, kids' successes and struggles, and various health ailments. This year, however, Olga's call was different. She had just been released from jail after serving a 10-day sentence. Her crime? Walking down the street in Minsk,... Читать дальше...
John Mueller, Cato
People are regularly bombarded with ideas, and as they sort through these ideas, they pick and choose which to embrace and which to fear.
Carien Du Plessis, The Diplomat
The relationship hinges on proudly democratic Taiwan befriending an absolute monarch. Will pro-democracy protests spell the end of King Mswati's rule - and relations with Taipei?
Temur Umarov, Carnegie Moscow
Wedged between Russia and China—the two biggest powers in Eurasia—Kazakhstan also manages to play the role of the United States' biggest partner in Central Asia. In maintaining consistently good relations with Russia, China, and the United States all at the same time, Kazakhstan is performing a unique diplomatic balancing act. Yet as the confrontation worsens between the global powers, it's becoming increasingly difficult for Kazakhstan to maintain that geopolitical... Читать дальше...
Vladimir Socor, Jamestown
Romania's proposals, seconded by ten European Union member states, regarding the protracted conflicts in the Black Sea region (see Parts One through Four in EDM, July 29, August 4,
Derek Scissors, AEI
Remember when our trade deficit with China mattered? Half-year figures for Sino-American goods trade were published Friday, but you're in good company if you missed it. It's hard for the bilateral trade deficit to affect the US economy. It's therefore even harder for tariffs on Chinese goods to do so, despite parts of business insisting they're awful and parts of labor insisting they're vital. The bilateral deficit does matter, but not the way most people think.
Gideon Rachman, Financial Times
Experiments with democracy have failed to solve the Middle East's problems. Renewed autocracy is unlikely to be any more effective.
Joel Dreyfuss, Politico
From NFL players to college presidents to think-tank heads, influential Haitians living abroad could be a powerful voice for reform.
Anchal Vohra, Foreign Policy
As the country's economy goes into free fall, there's a rush for the exits that could hamstring the country for generations.
Ahmad Melhem, Al Monitor
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Within just a few days, the Palestinian division became clearly evident. On July 11, Azzam al-Ahmad, a member of Fatah's Central Committee and the PLO's Executive Committee, participated in the annual general conference of the Iranian Mujahedeen-e-Khalq (MEK) resistance group, during which he gave a speech via video conference stressing his support for the Iranian opposition and reiterating the strength of relations between the...
Mark Galeotti, MT
The Kremlin is abandoning attempts to cosplay democracy and relying more openly on the suppression of any critical voices, including the KPRF.
S. Cook & J. Green, Foreign Affairs
The last few years have witnessed a paradigm shift in U.S. foreign policy. The Middle East is no longer Washington's top priority. Washington has significantly reduced the number of U.S. troops in Iraq, and U.S. President Joe Biden has pledged to focus on only a small number of objectives in the region. As this retrenchment has proceeded, analysts, columnists, and elected leaders have warned that China is poised to take the United States' place in a... Читать дальше...
Raghida Dergham, The National
French diplomacy has once again adopted a failed policy of rehabilitation, thereby taking Lebanon closer to the abyss.