Friday, December 8, 2023
Press
Experts from the U.S. Institute of Peace provide the latest analysis and perspective on the world’s critical hot spots, U.S. and global security and issues involved in violent conflict, based on the Institute’s work on the ground and with key individuals, governments and organizations. They give interviews and background briefings to journalists and write for news outlets around the world.
A peace deal with the Taliban would be pure folly - The Hill
Remember the first pictures most Americans encountered of Afghanistan, in the immediate aftermath of 9/11? The place where men could be jailed if their beards were not long enough, where women and minorities were treated as less than human, where owning or watching...
Trump Finally Finds Reasons to Punish Russia - New Yorker
After fourteen months of mixed signals (and confused policy) on Russia, the Trump Administration took twin actions on Thursday to address the increasingly aggressive moves by the government of Vladimir Putin. Washington slapped sanctions on nineteen prominent Russian individuals and five entities—including Russian...
No One Is Winning the Syrian Civil War - The Atlantic
Seven years ago, when Syrian protesters called for “a day of rage” against Bashar al-Assad, there were few signs that they would have an impact. Three years later, as the protests transformed into a civil war, one that would eventually draw in the region’s powers, it seemed a matter of when, not if, Assad would go...
Foreign policy and fragile states: A town hall discussion - PRI/America Abroad
Seven years into a brutal civil war in Syria, we are reminded how fragile states can lead to regional instability, cause humanitarian crises and fall prey to extremist organizations, such as ISIS. How can the US and the international community address these national security challenges?
With Mike Pompeo at the State Department, Are the Über-Hawks Winning? - New Yorker
resident Trump and his next Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, are—for now—two peas in a policy pod. The outgoing Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, who learned that he had been fired only after Trump announced his departure in a tweet...
The Long Road Back for Iraq's Minorities - War on the Rocks
Across northern Iraq, in places like the Nineveh Plain and Sinjar, members of the country’s ancient minorities are filtering back to towns and villages devastated during three years of occupation by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. Christians, Yazidis and Shabaks, regarded as “infidels” by the now-vanquished extremists, suffered some of the greatest abuse....
A bold Afghan peace offer, but are the Taliban interested? - AP
Afghanistan’s President Ashraf Ghani has put a peace offer on the table, and analysts say the ball is now in the Taliban’s court. But so far the militants are showing no sign of being interested.
What’s next for Iraq? N.C. has a stake - Charlotte Observer
What happens after a battle is as important as the fight itself. This is probably felt most keenly by members of the 82nd Airborne Division’s 2nd Brigade Combat Team who recently returned to Fort Bragg, N.C., from Iraq, and by the many members of the North Carolina National Guard units that have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in recent years.
Pakistan can play key role in shaping Afghan Taliban's behaviour: US diplomat - Express Tribune
A senior US diplomat has said that the United States believes Pakistan can play a much more important role in shaping the Afghan Taliban’s behaviour.
US does not support Baloch militants: Alice Wells - Frontier Post
US Deputy Assistant Secretary for Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs at State Department, Alice Wells has rejected the blames that United States of America is supporting the Baloch separatists and adding that US respect the integrity of Pakistan.