On Tuesday June 15, President Trump and Chairman Kim broke a history of isolation by being the first leaders of their respective countries to ever meet in person. A longtime goal of Kim’s predecessors, few imagined this event taking place, especially considering Trump’s frequent use of his Twitter account to call for the destruction of North Korea throughout his presidency.
Last Thursday, President Trump announced the cancellation of the historic US-North Korea summit, originally slated for June 12th in Singapore. The cited reason was the “open hostility” exhibited by the North Korean government, including the suggestion that a diplomatic failure would lead to a “nuclear to nuclear showdown”.
The peace process with North Korea nearly derailed this week as the North Korean government canceled high level talks with South Korean leaders, just hours in advance. The future of the planned summit between President Trump and Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un has also been placed in jeopardy as relations have regained hostility.
On May 8th, President Trump announced that sanctions would be reimposed on Iran, violating and thus jeopardizing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), an integral part of the legacy of President Obama. The JCPOA, colloquially known as the Iran Deal, was formed as a solution by the US, China, France, Russia, Britain, Germany, and Iran to stem fears that Iran’s nuclear energy program could be used to build nuclear weapons.
After a year as the Director of the CIA, Mike Pompeo was confirmed by the Senate in a 57-42 vote as the new Secretary of State. While he eventually secured more votes than his predecessor Rex Tillerson, his path to the confirmation was originally not so assured.
Just before dawn on April 14th, The United States, United Kingdom, and France launched a joint missile attack against two Syrian chemical weapon storage facilities and one research center. The strike was described by the western governments as a retaliation for a chemical attack against a rebel held Damascus suburb, Douma, on April 7th.
On March 22nd, only a week after the replacement of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Trump announced the departure of national security adviser General H.R. McMaster. On April 9th, the seat will be filled- for the third time in fourteen months- by John Bolton.
Summary “The actions we are taking today are not a matter of choice; they are a matter of necessity for our security” declared President Trump last week, as part of his announcement on a new set of tariffs targeting the import of steel and aluminum. The announcement,...
On February 23rd, in the final minutes of an 80-minute speech, President Trump offhandedly mentioned a new set of sanctions against North Korea. What Trump called the “heaviest sanctions ever imposed on a country before” targeted 27 entities and 28 vessels in North Korea, China, and Singapore accused of helping the North…
On February 2nd, the Trump administration released a Nuclear Posture Review (NPR) which revealed an eager attitude towards the development and use of nuclear weapons. Highlighting the dangers posed by North Korea, Russia, China, and Iran, the review called for a vast renovation of our nuclear arsenal. While new nuclear…
One of the revelations drawing criticism from President Trump’s January 30th State of the Union address was the announcement that he had signed an executive order requiring the Guantanamo Bay military prison to be kept open indefinitely. Signaling a departure from US policy for the past decade, new inmates will also be brought…
February 3rd, 2017: The Treasury Department imposed sanctions on 25 individuals and companies allegedly connected to either Iran’s ballistic missile program or the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ Quods Force. This move was in response to recent ballistic missile testing. January 4th, 2018: The Trump…