FOREIGN POLICY POLICIES, ANALYSIS, AND RESOURCES
Latest Foreign Policy Posts
Tariff on Canadian Lumber
President Donald Trump announced on April 25th a new set of tariffs on Canadian lumber policies. Citing an unfair deal, President Trump has launched a new set of duties ranging from 3% to 24% on five Canadian lumber companies. Currently, most Canadian lumber firms pay a tariff of 20% on exports to the United States. This dispute…
Human Rights Conditions Dropped on Arms Sale to Bahrain
State Department Policy Issued on March 29th, 2017 Policy Summary On March 29th, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson decided to proceed with a sale of F-16 fighter jets to Bahrain without human rights stipulations. The deal, which was proctored by President Obama and...
State Department Issues Keystone XL Pipeline Permit
A press release issued on March 24th by the Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs stated that a permit was issued to TransCanada for construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline. The statement detailed that this pipeline “would serve the national interest”, and follows President Trump’s call for the development of the…
Selective Visa Application Restrictions
In instructions sent to all U.S embassies and consulates on March 15, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson began to outline a complicated process that some visa applicants may need to undergo. While the memo remains vague, they specifically reference that certain “population sets” would be subject to “increased scrutiny”…
Effects of the Budget on Foreign Policy
The White House published their first budget document on March 16th, and it detailed many cuts and increases for the 2018 budget. President Trump’s “skinny budget” only includes changes to discretionary spending, like a 28.7% cut to the State Department’s budget. President Trump plans to slash almost 2.5 billion dollars…
Israel-Palestine Conflict
On February 15th, 2017, President Trump hosted a joint press conference with Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu. During the press conference, Trump responded to a question about the two-state solution with extreme ambivalence. He stated that he likes “the one that both parties like” and would not commit to the previous administration’s…
Trans-Pacific Partnership
On January 23rd, 2017, President Trump signed an executive order withdrawing the United States from the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in order to institute his “America First Trade Policy” and enforce a “bilateral basis in negotiating future trade deals.” TPP was an agreement made by the Obama Administration which…
Mexico City Policy
Presidential Memorandum Released on January 23, 2017 Summary The Trump Administration has reinstated the Mexico City Policy, which was rescinded by both President Clinton and President Obama. The Mexico City Policy is a policy of the United States Agency for...