Foreign Policy

Brief #104—Foreign Policy
By Brandon Mooney
With Pompeo and Trump’s State Department now a thing of the past, the Biden administration has turned to the long, arduous task that has faced every incoming administration throughout American history: the review and either reversal or preservation of foreign policies. However, the Trump presidency was anything but typical, and it has left behind a complicated legacy that will take serious time and effort to sift through. This legacy is only made more difficult by the feverous, diplomatic equivalent of a closing sale that occurred in the final month of the Trump presidency. Two items of particular interest are the declaration of the Yemeni Ansar Allah, or Houthis, movement as a foreign terrorist organization and the designation of Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism. “Terrorism” has become a loaded and dangerous label that comes with justifiably serious repercussions and should not be taken lightly. This brief will discuss whether these designations were called for, and whether they should be maintained.

Brief #103—Foreign Policy
By Will Solomon
Over its nearly four years in office, the Trump administration’s relationship with China has been nothing if not visibly inconsistent. Trump has, on the one hand, appeared to cultivate a dynamic personal relationship with Chinese leader Xi Jinping—he has publicly praised Xi on multiple occasions and, broadly speaking, clearly appears to revere the “strongman” image.

Brief #102—Foreign Policy
By Brandon Mooney
As President-Elect Biden and President Trump squared off during the past campaign, we got a front-row seat to the past and current versus the future U.S. foreign policy strategy regarding China.

Brief #101—Foreign Policy
By Todd J. Broadman
Voice Of America (VOA) was established in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda. The VOA is funded by the federal government and is overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM).

Brief #100—Foreign Policy
By Will Solomon
On November 27, leading Iranian nuclear scientist and IRGC General Mohsen Fakhrizadeh was assassinated in the city of Absard, outside Tehran.

Brief #99—Foreign Policy
By Will Solomon
On November 17, the Pentagon announced that the Trump Administration would plan to reduce the number of US troops in Afghanistan to 2500 by mid-January.

Brief #97—Foreign Policy
By Brandon Mooney
Well, it’s official: the U.S. has withdrawn from the Paris Climate Agreement.

Brief #98—Foreign Policy
By Will Solomon
On April 12, 2002, Hugo Chávez, then President of Venezuela, was briefly removed from power in a military coup.

Brief #96—Foreign Policy
By Will Solomon
It can be difficult to find coherence in Trump’s agenda, foreign policy included.

Brief #95—Foreign Policy
By Colin Rugg
In the wake of Jeffrey Goldberg’s September 3rd Atlantic report lambasting Trump for his disparaging comments about the United States Military, the president has come under fire from Military commanders and politicians on both sides of the aisle.

Brief #94—Foreign Policy
By Brandon Mooney
Although some of us may have missed it with all of the covid-19 news, in early August, U.S. intelligence reported to Congress that Russia, China, and Iran were attempting to interfere in the 2020 presidential election.

Brief #93—Foreign Policy
By Will Solomon