Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Kerry praises international weapons inspectors for quick work in Syria
Secretary of State John F. Kerry lauded international weapons inspectors Thursday for working "with unprecedented speed" toward eliminating Syria's chemical weapons stocks in accordance with the recent pressure put on Syria by the U.S., Russia and other permanent members of the U.N. Securtiy Council to destroy the weapons. Published October 31, 2013
Al-Maliki visit presents a delicate challenge for administration
He was an obscure compromise candidate when unexpectedly elected prime minister in 2006. Against all odds, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki is still on the job, and holds a worrying level of power in Iraq as he heads into a meeting Friday with President Obama to discuss the still-troubled state of his nation — a decade after the U.S.-led military action that ousted dictator Saddam Hussein. Published October 30, 2013
Clapper contradicts White House, says Obama was aware of spying on allies
America's top intelligence official acknowledged Tuesday that President Obama and other senior White House officials were well aware of U.S. surveillance activities targeting leaders of friendly foreign nations — a stark contradiction of the administration's insinuation in recent days that the president was unaware of such spying. Published October 29, 2013
Armed agents seize records of reporter, Washington Times prepares legal action
Maryland state police and federal agents used a search warrant in an unrelated criminal investigation to seize the private reporting files of an award-winning former investigative journalist for The Washington Times who had exposed problems in the Homeland Security Department's Federal Air Marshal Service. Published October 25, 2013
Netanyahu sees progress in Iran nuke talks
Despite being a leading skeptic of the U.S.-led drive to strike a deal with Iran over its disputed nuclear program, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday suggested that the two sides may actually be "very close" to an agreement that Israel could support. Published October 23, 2013
Syria seen as haven for Mideast terrorists who can launch attacks on West
Al Qaeda-linked extremists battling Syria's regime have established safe havens in the eastern part of the country, where they are plotting attacks throughout the Middle East. Published October 23, 2013
Saudis want more action from U.S. in Syrian crisis
The Obama administration Tuesday acknowledged frustration among Saudi Arabian leaders over U.S. unwillingness to play a more aggressive, perhaps even militarized, role in the Syrian civil war — but downplayed reports of a growing fissure in relations between Riyadh and Washington. Published October 22, 2013
Kerry faces firestorm in France over NSA snooping
Seeking to tamp down the latest diplomatic crisis stemming from the NSA snooping scandal, President Obama called French President Francois Hollande to allay French outrage after the revelation the U.S. spied on tens of millions of phone calls and text messages in France. Published October 21, 2013
Cautious optimism surfaces amid progress in Iranian nuclear talks
Under pressure from Congress and Israel to resist rushing into a hasty deal, the Obama administration reacted cautiously to news from Geneva on Wednesday of progress in the international talks with Iran over its disputed nuclear program. Published October 16, 2013
Caution voiced on Iran’s nuclear program proposal; Israel still wary
The Obama administration responded with caution Tuesday to a new Iranian offer to scale back — but not eliminate — its uranium enrichment program and allow increased international monitoring in exchange for the lifting of U.S.-led sanctions that have damaged the Islamic republic's economy and oil industry in recent years. Published October 15, 2013
U.S. allies let funds flow to al Qaeda in Syria
The United States has had limited success cutting off funding to the al Qaeda-linked fighters and foreign jihadists flowing into Syria — in part because of a lack of cooperation on the part of Middle Eastern allies, Intelligence and national security community sources say. Published October 13, 2013
Drone strikes plummet as U.S. seeks more human intelligence
The number of drone strikes approved by the Obama administration on suspected terrorists has fallen dramatically this year, as the war with al Qaeda increasingly shifts to Africa and U.S. intelligence craves more captures and interrogations of high-value targets. Published October 9, 2013
Sen. Graham wants al-Libi sent quickly to Guantanamo for interrogation
Three influential Republican lawmakers slammed the Obama administration's handling of Abu Anas al-Libi, the suspected high-level al Qaeda operative captured by American commandos in Tripoli, Libya, on Saturday, saying the terrorist now being held and interrogated on a U.S. Navy ship on the Mediterranean Sea should be transferred quickly to the detainee prison at Guantanamo Bay. Published October 8, 2013
GOP lawmakers want captured Libyan in Guantanamo
Three influential Republican lawmakers slammed the Obama administration's handling of Abu Anas al-Libi, the suspected high-level al Qaeda operative captured by American commandos in Tripoli on Saturday, saying the terrorist now being held and interrogated on a U.S. Navy ship on the Mediterranean Sea should be quickly transferred to the detainee prison at Guantanamo Bay. Published October 8, 2013
SEALs take over for drones as U.S. ups the stakes in fight against Al Qaeda
Clandestine U.S. military raids on terrorist targets in North Africa suggest the Obama administration is eager to send a message to an emerging generation of al Qaeda fighters: It does not matter where on the globe you are hiding, the U.S. is tracking you and willing to exert stealth military muscle — not just drones — to take you down. Published October 7, 2013
U.S. youths recruited for Somali terror group al-Shabab, hearing told
The head of the largest Somali-American youth organization told Congress on Thursday that the United States faces "an uphill battle" in the fight against the Somalia-based al-Shabab terrorist network's active recruiting operations in American cities. Published October 3, 2013
Expulsions from Venezuela show tensions endure in post-Chavez era
Tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats by Venezuela and the United States this week show there has been little thawing in the tense relations between the two nations — more than six months after the death of outspoken Washington critic President Hugo Chavez and a week after President Obama was willing to talk by phone with Iran's new president. Published October 2, 2013
Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu: Iran leader Hassan Rouhani is a ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday that the peace overtures made last week at the United Nations by Iranian leaders were nonsense and lambasted Iran's new president as a "wolf in sheep's clothing" seeking to pull the "wool over the eyes of the international community." Published October 1, 2013
Netanyahu meets Obama at White House, shows support for nonmilitary Iran plan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday warned the U.S. not to be fooled by Iran's recent openness toward negotiations with the West, but he also suggested for the first time that Israel could back a deal in which Iran proceeds with a nuclear program — as long as the program is not militarized. Published September 30, 2013
U.N. votes to destroy Syrian chemical weapons stockpile
The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously on Friday night to secure and destroy Syria's chemical weapons — putting the weight of previously divided world powers behind the recent deal between the U.S. and Russia to pressure Syrian President Bashar Assad into giving up his chemical stockpile. Published September 27, 2013