All posts tagged "Diplomacy"

Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE) suggested that President Donald Trump's decisions in the Iran war would have lasting repercussions for the United States.

Bacon, a retired Air Force general, told CNN anchor Jake Tapper that he had spoken with members of the Trump administration about the ongoing military conflict in the Middle East, and that he had expressed his concerns after the president had floated the idea of leaving NATO and called it a "paper tiger" during his press conference on Monday in Washington, D.C.

"And I just want to restate, pulling out of NATO would be a disaster for decades to come," Bacon said. "It would weaken America. America alone is a weaker America. And our European allies are democratic. They reflect our values. We need to work together with Europe on the world's problems. We need their help to deter Russia. We need Japan and Australia to help deter China. And we need allies around us in the Middle East. We can't do it alone."...

An analyst described how President Donald Trump's recent attacks on NATO allies and reversed requests for assistance to reopen the vital oil channel, the Strait of Hormuz, have revealed how the president views war.

MS NOW host Nicolle Wallace was talking to Tom Nichols, staff writer at The Atlantic, about why Trump's comments have isolated the United States from its European allies in his war against Iran.

"There's such an erratic nature to his comments about what he wants and needs, both from our allies and in terms of the Strait of Hormuz," Wallace said. ...

The New York Times reports U.S. diplomacy is floundering, with fully 98 percent of diplomats reporting plummeting workplace morale since the Trump administration took over in January.

“The Foreign Service is in crisis,” said John Dinkelman, president of the American Foreign Service Association, or AFSA. “Damage is being done to America’s diplomatic service that we will be paying for for decades to come.”

An upcoming AFSA report warns that “America’s diplomatic capacity is being decimated from within” as seasoned diplomats are laid off or abandon their government roles. The Times reports findings are consistent with “countless anecdotal complaints from both Foreign Service officers, trained professionals who work in embassies and consulates abroad, and the civil servants who mainly staff the State Department’s headquarters in Washington.”...

After a series of diplomatic blunders, President Donald Trump and America's reputation loss could "raise the risk of global conflict" and come at a major cost, including "mischief or worse" from enemies.

In an opinion piece published Monday, Bloomberg columnist Andreas Kluth describes how a good reputation can be difficult to obtain or maintain, and Trump "has squandered whatever credibility America had left in foreign and security policy."

Following his rambling speech last week in front of the United Nations and his struggle to see the difference between "personal chemistry" with President Vladimir Putin and diplomatic action, Trump has effectively put both adversaries and allies on edge, wrote Kluth....

Washington (AFP) - President Joe Biden said Wednesday he would stop US weapons supplies to Israel if it attacks Rafah in southern Gaza, his most direct warning to date over the prosecution of the war against Hamas. In an interview with CNN Biden deplored the fact that civilians had been killed by the dropping of US bombs on the Palestinian territory. His warning came after the US last week halted a shipment of huge American bombs to Israel as it appeared ready to proceed with a major attack on Rafah, which is packed with Palestinians displaced by the war. "If they go into Rafah, I'm not supply......

Washington (AFP) - An American soldier was detained in Russia last week on charges of "criminal misconduct," the US Army said Monday. The soldier -- whose name was not released -- adds to the number of Americans held in Russia at a time of deep tensions with Washington over Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. "On May 2, 2024, Russian authorities in Vladivostok, Russia, detained an American soldier on charges of criminal misconduct," US Army spokeswoman Cynthia Smith said. Russia notified the US State Department, which is "providing appropriate consular support to the soldier in Russia," and the Army......