Tag Archives: US foreign policy

Another backgrounder on Korea.Strategic Culture FoundationFormer Diplomat Fears War on Horizon Gregory ClarkSee also The US successfully dealt with rising nuclear powers China and Russia using diplomacy under the umbrella of deterrence. No reason that this would not work with Korea, too. The US media pictures Kim Jong Un as a madman on one hand and as evil personified on the other. This makes it difficult for the US leadership to use diplomacy.  The reality is that like all other...

Geopolitics and geostrategy.Russia InsiderWhy Jihadism Won’t Be Allowed to Die Pepe Escobar

Short review of Stephen Smith's Russia in Revolution, An Empire in Crisis, 1890-1928. Conclusion. Since the new war against Russia began in 2014, it has been the foreign plan that if enough pain is inflicted on the Russian people economically, especially their businessmen, they will rebel against their leaders in the Kremlin. Combined with economic warfare and fighting on the Syrian and Ukrainian fronts, the plan also calls for a home-front campaign against the corruption of Russian...

Geopolitics and geostrategy on the grand chessboard. Trump’s recent decision to add troops in Afghanistan has nothing to do with combating terrorism (or mining mineral resources, or confusing militants as to when the U.S. military might finally leave), no matter what the endless stream of pundits and think-pieces have argued since it was announced. After 16 years of occupation the Taliban control 48 of nearly 400 administrative units, the Islamic State has established a foothold, the...

In the context of America’s Afghanistan problem, Pakistan joined the international coalition in the wake of the attacks on September 11, 2001, allegedly as a result of a direct threat by US secretary of state Colin Powell to the Pakistani president at the time, Pervez Musharraf. It is a folly to believe that the interests of these two countries converge in the larger scheme of things. They never have. In terms of soft power, the United States has never enjoyed high approval ratings among...

In the final analysis, [US Ambassador] Hale’s softer line was probably influenced by the resolution passed by the Pakistan National Assembly and Senate last week, which amongst other things demanded the suspension of supply routes for US forces via Pakistan in Afghanistan. The Pentagon heavily depends on Pakistani transit routes, which are logistically and financially the most optimal. Any American ‘surge’ in Afghanistan likely means even greater dependence on Pakistan’s cooperation to...

Pakistani Foreign Minister says his country will work together with Russia and China in the light of the new US strategy for Afghanistan. Sputnik InternationalPakistan to Seek Consensus With Russia, China Over Trump's New South Asia PolicyChina Affirms Alliance with Pakistan After Trump Says Islamabad Abets Terrorists

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has been in Florida to meet Venezuelan opposition leaders, capping off his tour of Latin America last week where he sought support against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.... Pence, for his part, continued to repeat the White House position that the democratically-elected government in Caracas resembled a “dictatorship,” and that there was “more to come” in terms of sanctions. Soon after visiting the house of worship, Pence also made his presence...