Our favorite long reads and blog posts from the past week.
Our favorite long reads and blog posts from the past week.
It is interesting to see the current commentary on ISIS/ISIL in Iraq and how policymakers and the mainstream media have reported on a situation that is confusing and complicated. In reality, the suppression of the 2009 election in Iran lead to a violent response to protestors in Syria, leading to a dithering policy on […]
Aniseh Bassiri Tabrizi is a Visiting Fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations (ECFR) and the author, most recently, of “The EU’s sanction regime against Iran in the aftermath of the JPA.” Ms. Bassiri is a PhD candidate at King’s College London, where her research deals with the E3-EU diplomatic initiative on the Iranian nuclear […]
Our favorite longform articles and blogs from around the web this week!
Will Iraq haunt Obama’ second mandate? Obama’s approval rating in foreign policy continues to slide down amid of an eventual military intervention – through airstrikes – in Iraq. According to a recent poll ran by the New York Times and CBS News Poll, President Obama’s approval rating in foreign policy is sliding down and is […]
When planning an international beach holiday, few holidaymakers think of China when choosing to spend their time on a beach. China does boast one top destination for beachgoers, Hainan island, but the quality of most of its mainland beaches has diminished greatly in recent years by floating trash, oil slicks, or abundant algae. Given the […]
Our favorite long articles and blogs from around the web this week!
Russia is exploring settlement of trade payments in renminbi (China’s external currency). U.S. sanctions on Cuba may require sanctions on Venezuela to remain viable. And sanctions on Iran and Sudan led to criminal prosecution of BNP Paribas, and a spat with France. Policymakers may understand that military power is finite, but they seem to think American economic, trade […]
“An old rule that I’ve used with my intelligence officers over the years, whether in the military, or now, in the State Department, goes like this: Tell me what you know. Tell me what you don’t know. And then, based on what you really know and what you really don’t know, tell me what you […]
Our favorite long reads and blog posts from the past week.
Following the largely negative international reaction to its latest aggressive actions in Japan, the Philippines and Vietnam, Beijing may be trying a new approach in settling longstanding territorial disputes with its neighbors. On Monday, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced China is prepared to resolve its border disputes with India by peaceful means, “Through years […]
Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, a recently released prisoner of the Taliban, has become the target of one of Washington’s favorite games: shooting first and asking questions later. Much of what has been said about Bergdahl is so blatantly partisan or so needlessly abusive as not to deserve comment. In the course of it, however, a couple of […]
President Obama’ graduation speech at the military academy at West Point sent mix signal about the priorities of American foreign policy and American leadership (read Michael Crowley’s analysis on the address). First of all, the central point of his speech dealt with his perceived principal threat to the U.S., radical Islamic terrorism. Many experts tend to […]
French bank BNP Paribas will likely pay up to $10 billion in penalties in a settlement with U.S. prosecutors for alleged transactions, dating back to 2002, with Iran and Sudan, countries sanctioned as terrorism sponsors. Also, prosecutors want BNP to plead guilty to criminal charges. U.S. sanctions on terrorists and their enablers are appropriate, as […]
photo: WN.com Rock, paper, scissors is a popular game among youth in China, and can be played anywhere and anytime between two people. In the game, both participants count to three and then reveal their hand – a fist symbolizes a rock, a flat hand is paper, and two fingers signify scissors. The winner is […]