All Foreign Policy
Taliban peace talks hold glimmer of hope, but also unanswerable questionsNo one is predicting an easy road ahead for the peace talks. One key question: How united are the Taliban鈥檚 political and military wings behind this latest reconciliation effort?
As Taliban prepares for peace talks, US braces for disappointmentThe Taliban will open a political office in Qatar, the White House announced Tuesday. This would help prepare for reconciliation talks in which the government of Afghanistan and the US would take part.
Obama, Putin in stare-down over (no, not the Super Bowl ring) Syria warObama and Russia's Vladimir Putin, meeting at the G8 summit, both said they want a negotiated end to the Syria conflict. But that barely masked deep divisions over how best to pressure Syrian President Assad to talk rather than fight.
Iran election: What does Hassan Rohani mean for the United States?Iran's new president聽Hassan Rohani is considered a reform-minded moderate. But聽ruling clerics and the Revolutionary Guard remain in control of Iran's nuclear program and foreign affairs 鈥撀爄ncluding its close relationship with聽the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
US to start arming Syrian rebels, but will it make much difference?Some senior US military officials question the strategic value of sending small arms and ammunition to the Syrian rebels. But other options 鈥� including a no-fly zone 鈥� also carry concerns.
NSA cyber spying on China not a surprise, but it's not ho-hum, eitherNSA chief says leaks about US cyber spying on China, and techniques for doing it, will impair intelligence-gathering. Others play that down, saying the more significant hit will be to relations with China and to US global work on behalf of a free and open Internet.聽
US military aid to Syria rebels: Why Obama is starting with the minimumObama's cautious shift away from providing only non-lethal assistance to Syria's rebels reflects continued deep misgivings about sending US arms into the war and a desire to keep a door open to diplomacy.
Syria war death toll hits 93,000, UN says. A spur to US to aid rebels?The new UN figure for lives lost in the Syria war is 30,000 higher than in November's report. A possible battle for the city of Aleppo could drive it higher still. Obama's security team met Wednesday about how to help Syrian rebels, but no decision was apparent.
Could State Department woes tarnish Hillary Clinton鈥檚 image?A brewing scandal that potentially suggests some degree of State Department mismanagement during Hillary Clinton鈥檚 tenure could hurt not only her legacy, but also prospects for a 2016 presidential bid, some say.
Will Obama reconsider arming Syrian rebels? This week could be key.President Obama has long been loath to arm Syrian rebels, worried that the weapons could fall into extremists' hands. But with the rebels faltering, he could reconsider.
Presidential cyberwar directive gives Pentagon long-awaited marching ordersThe 18-page, Top Secret 'Presidential Policy Directive 20' instructs the Pentagon to draw up a cyberwar target list and to protect US infrastructure from foreign cyberattack.
Obama pressured to confront China's Xi Jinping on cyber spyingWhen he meets with Chinese President Xi Jinping this weekend, President Obama is expected to bring up electronic espionage, especially China's gathering of data from American companies.
US-China summit gamble: Can relaxed format boost rapport over rivalry?The two-day US-China summit, devoted to establishing a rapport between Obama and Xi, has its skeptics. But planners hope six hours of unscripted conversation can help foster a 'new type of great power relationship.'
Syrian peace conference: Prospects take a hit, but US says it's committedCritics say Washington is being played by Russia, which wants to forestall a robust Western intervention in Syria. But US, insisting Russia is a 'partner,' continues planning for peace conference.
Myanmar's White House bow: well done, but not mission accomplishedThein Sein on Monday became the first Burmese president to visit the US since 1968. His meeting with President Obama is part of an opening of Myanmar to US business, but there's much more to do, a human-rights activist says.
Obama to detail terrorism policy including drone attacks and Guant谩namo Bay prisonIn a national security speech, President Obama will explain his policies dealing with terrorism, the use of drone aircraft, Al Qaeda, and the military prison at Guant谩namo Bay, Cuba.
US and Britain cling to diplomacy as way forward on SyriaAt the White House, the US and British leaders called talks with Russia 'very constructive,' but Obama cautioned that given 'what聽we鈥檙e seeing in Syria, it鈥檚 very hard to put things back together.'
US unveils Arctic strategy, but is it keeping pace with other countries?The National Strategy for the Arctic Region focuses on security, environment, and international cooperation. But with retreating sea ice creating opportunity as well as potential conflict, the US is seen as lagging.
Team Obama edits to Benghazi talking points: the smoking gun?The White House refused to concede on Friday that the administration's edits to a set of 'talking points' about deadly attacks on a US compound in Benghazi, Libya, were more than cosmetic. That is debatable.聽
New Benghazi testimony in Congress sharply critical of Obama administrationThree State Department officials, referred to as 'whistleblowers' by some on the House panel, testified on the Benghazi attack for hours in an intensely partisan atmosphere.聽