Tag Archives: Foreign Policy

Ending the War in Afghanistan; A Breakthrough in US Taliban Negotiations



After months of meetings between US Afghanistan Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad and Taliban negotiators we have begun to see progress. Taliban leaders are meeting with Afghan government leaders, a ceasefire has been agreed to, the US is withdrawing thousands of troops, and the Taliban are committing to anti-terrorist measures. While many are logically skeptical, these new dialogues are inspiring cause for optimism. Here’s the significance of this update.


The Trade War Continues; Trump Introduces New Tariffs on $200 Billion of Chinese Goods



In an escalation of the trade war with China, Trump introduced a whole slate of new tariffs. There are some debates over the economics of these tariffs, but here are the basics of what just happened, and what happened the last few times we imposed tariffs in this war.


The Fight For the Arctic; America, Russia, and China Need to Chill



With global warming and the melting of the ice caps, new waterways and land are opening up in the Arctic. This week Pompeo is going on a tour of Arctic countries to try to convince them to mobilize against Chinese and Russian influence in the Arctic region. Here is what’s happening between the major players in this coming “Cold War”.


The Trade War’s Second Front; Negotiating Peace With Japan



We recently saw Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visit the White House to negotiate a one on one peace deal with Trump. Here are the sticking points keeping a deal from being signed, and the conflict that lead up to this point.


Trump’s Unwaivering Iran Sanctions Effort; Trump Cancels Waivers On Iranian Oil Purchases



In an effort to further hurt Iran, Trump on the 22nd canceled waivers for countries to purchase Iranian oil. Seventy two percent of Iran’s exports are Oil, so this will be another major blow to their country. Several problems have recently emerged from China’s refusal to comply to Saudia Arabia’s conflict of interest over changing oil price incentives. Here’s what’s going on with Iranian Sanctions.


How Do You Solve a Problem Like Korea? Bolton and Pompeo Conflicting Policies



After the fateful meeting in Hanoi everyone’s wondering what’s next. Problem is, our Secretary of State and National Security Advisors have opposing answers to that question. We’ll have to see which one wins the ear of Donald Trump.


Venezuela’s Potential Revolution; The Crisis Continues



Juan Guaido and Nicolas Maduro are in a competition as to who is the legitimate president of Venezuela. The US is upping the pressure through oil and currency sanctions, and everyone is wondering what is going to happen now.


John Bolton Updates Trump’s Syria Withdrawal Plans



Trump wants to remove troops from Syria, John Bolton wants to keep them there. They decided to compromise by leaving 400 armed forces in Syria. Here’s what they’re going and what’s next for Syria.


After the Iran Deal; What’s the Deal With Iran Today?



After the US left the Iran Deal and people stopped paying attention, the conflict continued. The United States imposed two sets of sanctions designed to destroy their economy, and they seem to be doing a pretty good job.

First Sanction Set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDJSBm32GSU

Second Sanction Set: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FayBHt5tGSU


Congressional Disapproval: Congress Weighs in on Middle East Peace Plans



Both the Senate and House are looking at bills to rein in the president’s ability to stop performing military actions abroad. Here’s what powers they have to continue a war.