President Donald Trump’s remarks on Charlottesville during a news conference last Tuesday received applause from white nationalists including David Duke and Richard Spencer. That is widely known. What has not been reported is how closely some of Trump’s remarks tracked a video statement by David Duke the day before.… continue »
Reports of “health attacks” in Cuba which left several American and Canadian diplomats with health problems and hearing loss has led to wide and dramatic speculation. Several stories have hyped possible “acoustic attacks” that may be related to weapons used by police for riot control, or even weapons developed by the U.S.… continue »
There are many allegations against Donald Trump that may give rise some day to either criminal prosecution or congressional sanction. But what precisely are the available options for the special counsel and for members of Congress? What is in their respective tool kits?… continue »
Last Friday, Rita Siemion published an insightful analysis of the Trump Administration’s first meaningful public statement on its authority for the ISIS war, which came in the form of a letter from the State Department to Senate Foreign Relations Committee (SFRC) Chairman Bob Corker.… continue »
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FOREIGN POLICY AND NATIONAL SECURITY
Trump talks tough on North Korea but soft on Russia, despite its expulsion of U.S. diplomats.
Trump Promises North Korea “Fire, Fury and Frankly Power”
In response to provocations from North Korea, Trump delivered bellicose rhetoric of his own that escalated throughout the week.… continue »
Trump administration officials reportedly are considering a plan to privatize a significant portion of the U.S. war in Afghanistan. Erik Prince, founder of the notorious security firm formerly known as Blackwater, is apparently the architect of a proposal to send 5,500 new contractors and a 90-plane private air force to assist the Afghan government.… continue »
On Wednesday news broke that at the end of last month, FBI agents searched one of Paul Manafort’s homes for documents as part of the Russia collusion investigation, directed by special counsel Robert Mueller. What is the significance of this news, and why didn’t Mueller just obtain the documents by grand jury subpoena?… continue »
There are more reasons than you might think why it’s important to resolve the “constitutional puzzle” concerning whether a sitting president can be criminally prosecuted. Most obviously this quandary overhangs Robert Mueller and the Justice Department if the special counsel ultimately concludes he has sufficient evidence to indict.… continue »
[Editor’s note: In governments around the world, intelligence agencies produce “leadership profiles” of foreign heads of state and other key figures. These assessments are provided to senior policymakers to inform their interactions with foreign counterparts and their decision-making involving the other country.… continue »
Today, Kenyans are heading to the polls in nationwide elections to determine the political future of their country.… continue »
