American foreign policy is in desperate need of reform. Far from creating economic opportunity or enhancing national security, our current method of forming and executing policies abroad harms our interests, increases insecurity and thwarts our ability to expand trade. U.S. engagement with Iran and North Korea over the past several decades best illustrates Washington’s dangerous…
Rex Tillerson is reported to be on his way out against the backdrop of his increasingly frayed relationship with President Donald Trump. Mike Pompeo, a former Republican congressman who now leads the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), is to take his place. Tom Cotton, a hawkish Arkansas Senator, is to head the CIA. The timing of Tillerson’s departure remains…
Time was when a mere statement from a secretary of state – let alone a US president – would have the phones jangling across the Middle East. The Reagans, Clintons, Bushes or Obamas of this world actually did have an effect on the region, albeit often malign, US leaders being poorly briefed and always in awe…
It’s been quite a week geopolitically. From Angela Merkel admitting she can’t form a coalition and calling for new elections to Syrian peace talks opening up in Astana. From the poppy fields of Afghanistan to the Syrian oil fields east of the Euphrates River there is a hint of fresh air in U.S. foreign policy emanating from…
Introduction For almost 2 decades, the US pursued a list of ‘enemy countries’ to confront, attack, weaken and overthrow. This imperial quest to overthrow ‘enemy countries’ operated at various levels of intensity, depending on two considerations: the level of priority and the degree of vulnerability for a ‘regime change’ operation. The criteria for determining an…
The 12-day tour through Asia by President Donald Trump has underscored the reality that American imperialism—a declining power wracked by external challenges and internal crises—is the most volatile and destabilising factor in world politics. Trump generated even greater trepidation about his administration’s policies than existed before the tour began. The immediate issue is if, or…
