An intelligence report is expected to be released on Friday as the Biden administration engages in a “recalibration” of the United States’ relationship with Saudi Arabia.
Tag Archives: United States International Relations
Afghan Government Backs Repatriation of Guantánamo Detainee
Afghanistan has intervened in U.S. federal court seeking the return of an Afghan prisoner who has been held since 2007, but never charged.
Afghan Government Backs Repatriation of Guantánamo Detainee
Afghanistan has intervened in U.S. federal court seeking the return of an Afghan prisoner who has been held since 2007, but never charged.
Candidate Biden Called Saudi Arabia a ‘Pariah.’ He Now Has to Deal With It.
In a coming call with King Salman, the president plans to warn him that the United States will soon make public intelligence about the Saudi crown prince’s role in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi.
On the Front Lines of Diplomacy, but at the Back of the Line for a Vaccine
State Department officials overseas expressed anger and disappointment that diplomats in Washington were being vaccinated before those in more perilous posts.
A Top Democrat Warns Against a Hasty Withdrawal of U.S. Troops From Afghanistan
Senator Jack Reed said he favored seeking an extension of the May 1 deadline for withdrawing troops that President Donald Trump and the Taliban negotiated last year.
Biden Says ‘America Is Back.’ Should It Be?
Unless he challenges the fundamental premises of U.S. foreign policy, he will repeat the mistakes of his predecessors, but in a more competitive world.
Biden and Trudeau Renew the Ties Put to the Test by Trump
“The United States has no closer friend than Canada,” President Biden told Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Mr. Biden’s first virtual meeting with a foreign leader.
Blinken, Without Leaving Home, Tries to Mend Fences With Allies Abroad
The secretary of state has postponed diplomatic travel during the coronavirus pandemic, which experts say is a challenge at a moment of flux in the world.
Iran Curbs Nuclear Inspectors, but Appears to Leave Space for a Deal
The new limits appeared to be lighter than the country had threatened, giving Western nations three months to see if they can revive the 2015 nuclear agreement.
Tough Sanctions, Then a Mysterious Last-Minute Turnabout
The Treasury Department slapped sanctions on the Israeli billionaire Dan Gertler in 2017 for corruption in Africa. In Donald Trump’s final days in office, they were rolled back with no explanation.
Seeking Fresh Start With Iraq, Biden Avoids Setting Red Lines With Iran
The administration’s measured response to a rocket attack in Erbil sharply contrasts with a Trump-era campaign against Iran that, more often than not, caught Iraq in the crossfire.
Biden Tells Allies ‘America Is Back,’ but Macron and Merkel Push Back
All three leaders seemed to recognize, though, that their first virtual encounter was a moment to celebrate the end of the “America First” era.
Muted Reaction in Israel and Gulf to U.S. Push for Iran Talks
Nations that were fierce opponents to the 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran responded cautiously to the Biden administration’s decision to re-engage. In Russia, a government spokesman called the move a “plus.”
U.S. and Novavax Will Aid Global Vaccination Campaign
The Biden administration plans to make good on a promise to donate $4 billion, while the pharmaceutical company Novavax committed to sell 1.1 billion doses of its vaccine.
Biden Administration Formally Offers to Restart Nuclear Talks With Iran
President Biden campaigned on restoring an accord limiting Iran’s nuclear program. It remains unclear if Tehran, which is demanding that sanctions be lifted, will accept the offer to talk.
Biden’s Plan to Link Arms With Europe Against Russia and China Isn’t So Simple
The new president’s vow to restore the trans-Atlantic alliance is welcome, but Europeans want a more balanced relationship, with more dialogue and less diktat.
They Thought, ‘Why Not Iran,’ and the Decision Upended Their Lives
An Iranian-American couple’s relocation to Iran after their daughters went off to college in the United States was a mistake paid for in accusations of spying, murky prosecution and prison.
Biden and Netanyahu Finally Talk, but No Details Are Revealed About What
Israel’s statement emphasized the personal relationship between the two leaders. The U.S. statement said they “discussed the importance of continued close consultation.”
These Women Confront Dictators. Why Can’t We?
I’m inspired by two sisters who stood up to goons with clubs and razors in Egypt.
Coronavirus Vaccine Nears Final Tests in Cuba. Tourists May Be Inoculated.
Amid bread shortages, Cuba gets one step closer to a scientific milestone: the mass production of a coronavirus vaccine invented on the island.
Biden on ‘Short Leash’ as Administration Rethinks China Relations
The Biden administration is under intense pressure to maintain former President Donald J. Trump’s curbs on China, even as it tries to develop a more comprehensive and effective strategy.
Biden Faces Deadline on Withdrawal From Afghanistan
The question is whether the small contingent of American troops can accomplish anything after 20 years — and whether full withdrawal would clear the way for Taliban advances.
America’s Other Forever War
The United States doesn’t just bomb its enemies. It chokes them.
A Decade After the Arab Spring, Autocrats Still Rule the Mideast
The popular uprisings of 2011 mostly failed, but they gave the region a taste for democracy that continues to whet an appetite for change.
To Fight or Adapt? Venezuela’s Fading Opposition Struggles to Keep Going
Juan Guaidó’s meteoric rise and now his decline have brought Venezuela to a crossroads. At stake is the future of a once-prosperous democracy now gripped by poverty and repression.
Biden’s Pick for Iran Envoy Resurrects Bitter Nuclear Deal Debate
Robert Malley, the son of a leftist, Jewish, Egyptian-born journalist, is the focal point for opening salvos over President Biden’s approach to the Middle East, and the value of a new deal with Iran.
Biden’s Pick for Iran Envoy Resurrects Bitter Debate Over Nuclear Deal
Robert Malley, the son of a leftist, Jewish, Egyptian-born journalist, is the focal point for opening salvos over President Biden’s approach to the Middle East, and the value of a new deal with Iran.
Biden Justice Dept. Asks British Court to Approve Assange Extradition
Advocates of press freedoms had urged the new administration to instead drop a Trump-era effort to prosecute the WikiLeaks founder.
U.S. Prepares to Lift Terrorist Designation Against Yemeni Rebels, Despite New Attacks
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken said the designation of the Houthi rebels would be formally revoked next week, in “recognition of the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.”
Biden Justice Dept. Asks British Court to Approve Extradition of Julian Assange
Advocates of press freedoms had urged the new administration to instead drop a Trump-era effort to prosecute the WikiLeaks founder.
Bidenomics 101: Inside the White House’s Plans to Bring Jobs Back
In public and private, Biden and his advisers have signaled some dramatic interventions to revive U.S. manufacturing. Will they really happen?
Biden Wants More Stable Diplomacy. An Abortion Fight Is a Test.
U.S. funding for overseas health providers that offer abortion services has vacillated with the changing of administrations for decades. Congress is debating whether to settle the policy by law.
Biden Speaks With China’s Xi for First Time as President
The two leaders developed a friendly relationship during the Obama years, but now face a wide range of contentious issues.
President Biden Should Not Underestimate Challenges in Latin America
The new administration will have trouble finding partners to defend democracy in the region.
Biden Inherits Growing Risks on Nuclear Arms Control
With Russia, China and North Korea all modernizing their nuclear arsenals, and Iran enriching, allies want U.S. reassurance. But they are less inclined to believe it.
The New Alliance Shaping the Middle East Is Against a Tiny Bug
Israeli sensors on the Persian Gulf, across the water from Iran, are part of an epic battle in the Middle East. Just not the one we’re used to.
Undoing Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Policies Will Mean Looking at the Fine Print
Hundreds of little-noticed but consequential revisions to the U.S. immigration system will remain in place unless President Biden’s team specifically looks for — and roots out — the changes.
Iran Suggests It May Seek Nuclear Weapons, in New Escalation of Threats
An Iranian official says U.S. sanctions could force Iran to revoke its pledge to not seek a nuclear weapon. New intelligence suggests Iran is 2 years away from producing one.
How Alan Dershowitz Became a Force in Clemency Grants
The lawyer Alan M. Dershowitz, who represented the former president in his first impeachment trial, used his access for a wide array of clients as they sought pardons or commutations.
Biden Administration Moves to Rejoin U.N. Human Rights Council
President Donald J. Trump withdrew the United States from the council in 2018, but the Biden administration plans to “engage with it in a principled fashion” going forward.
Biden Reverses Trump Terrorist Designation for Houthis in Yemen
Critics of the Trump administration action said the penalties would punish the millions of starving people in Yemen more than the Houthi rebels.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala Set to Become W.T.O.’s First Female Leader
Her path was cleared after Yoo Myung-hee, the South Korean trade minister, announced she was withdrawing from consideration to head the World Trade Organization.
In Geopolitical Struggle Over Myanmar, China Has an Edge
As the United States and other nations denounce the coup, China has a chance to build up its influence. But Myanmar’s generals are difficult partners.
Biden Signals Break With Trump Foreign Policy in a Wide-Ranging State Dept. Speech
The president said that he would end support for Saudi Arabia in its intervention in Yemen and that the U.S. would no longer be “rolling over in the face of Russia’s aggressive actions.”
To ‘Re-engage the World,’ Biden Looks to Win Over U.S. Diplomats First
Some diplomats said the president’s speech was a much-needed antidote to distrust and dismissiveness at the State Department during the Trump administration.
Anne Sacoolas, Suspect in Harry Dunn Case, Worked for U.S., Lawyer Says
Anne Sacoolas, the wife of an American diplomat, is charged with causing death by dangerous driving after colliding with Harry Dunn, a teenage motorcyclist, in 2019.
Biden Announces End of U.S. Support to Saudi War in Yemen
In the first foreign policy speech of his administration, the president said he would rebuild “the muscle of democratic alliances that have atrophied over the past few years of neglect and, I would argue, abuse.”
Declaring Democracy Won’t Be Subverted, Biden Demands Russia and Myanmar Reverse Course
The president is about to discover how years of sanctions fatigue — exacerbated in the Trump administration — and a decline in American influence may make it difficult to deliver on his promises.
Biden Demands Russia and Myanmar Reverse Course
The president is about to discover how years of sanctions fatigue — exacerbated in the Trump administration — and a decline in American influence may make it difficult to deliver on his promises.