Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Biden vows to back Afghan leaders as U.S. pullout accelerates
President Biden hosted Afghanistan's president and top peace negotiator at the White House Friday, vowing to maintain U.S. support for the embattled Kabul government even as the last American and NATO troops leave and fears mount of a major Taliban offensive. Published June 25, 2021
North Korea rejects Biden administration’s offer for talks ‘without preconditions’
North Korea on Tuesday spurned the Biden administration's offer to meet "anywhere, anytime without preconditions." Published June 22, 2021
Biden administration offers to meet North Koreans ‘anytime, without preconditions’
The Biden administration is eager to meet with North Korean officials "anywhere, anytime without preconditions," a top U.S. diplomat said on a visit to South Korea Monday, days after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un signaled that his regime is preparing for dialogue or confrontation -- but more for confrontation -- with Washington. Published June 21, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Ex-U.S. counterintel chief: Russia could halt cyber strikes ‘in one moment’
Russian President Vladimir Putin has repeatedly denied Moscow's involvement in the surge of ransomware attacks on U.S. targets, but a recently retired American spy chief says there is no question Russian intelligence has influence over the hacking operations. Published June 17, 2021
China declares its ‘unbreakable’ friendship with Russia ahead of Biden-Putin summit
China and Russia are going to great lengths to express their warming alliance against the United States ahead of Wednesday's much-anticipated summit between President Biden and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Geneva. Published June 15, 2021
China’s rise colors Biden-Putin summit
President Biden's high-stakes summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin is expected to be dominated by friction over everything from Russia-linked cyberattacks and election interference to human rights abuses and what U.S. officials see as a meddlesome Kremlin foreign policy aimed at undermining efforts to promote stability and democracy around the world. Published June 14, 2021
Biden to stress strengthening alliances before fraught Putin summit
President Biden arrived in England on Wednesday for his first foreign trip, telling U.S. troops at an air base that he's on a mission to reinforce alliances with the world's leading democracies before his showdown next week with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Published June 9, 2021
Full agenda, alliance repair top Biden’s Europe to-do list
President Biden embarked on his first foreign trip Wednesday hoping to revamp transatlantic ties, forge a vaccine strategy for the COVID-19 fight and unite the world's most economically advanced democracies to fight Russian and Chinese geopolitical provocations and a rising menace in cyberspace. Published June 9, 2021
Blinken pressed on alleged Soros link to U.S. moves in Balkans
A key Republican on Capitol Hill grilled Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday for an explanation of why the State Department has not produced evidence to back up its corruption allegations against former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha, a one-time high-profile ally of U.S. efforts to promote democracy in the Balkans. Published June 7, 2021
Co-founder vows to strengthen Washington Times’ position as defender of American values
The co-founder of The Washington Times praised the publication's legacy in remarks over the weekend, vowing to strengthen its global reach and position as a defender of American values and leadership in the decades to come. Published June 7, 2021
Intel says Putin supports ransomware attacks on U.S.; Biden admin. caught flat-footed
Organized cybercriminals emboldened by autocrats -- most prominently Russian President Vladimir Putin -- have caught Washington flat-footed with a rising tide of ransomware and other hacking operations that intelligence sources say have the dual aim of weakening the U.S. economy while gaining geopolitical leverage over Washington on the world stage. Published June 7, 2021
EXCLUSIVE: Biden not seeking to add countries to Quad to counter China
Biden administration officials say they are not pushing to add other countries to the strategic U.S.-India-Japan-Australia "Quad" group but stress that the future of American policy in the Indo-Pacific region hinges on the deepening alignment among the four powerful democracies to counter authoritarian China's increasingly aggressive rise on the world stage. Published June 6, 2021
Kim Yo-jong, Kim Jong-un’s sister, likely being formally elevated in secretive N.K. regime
A high-level change within North Korea's notoriously secretive regime has triggered new speculation that Kim Jong-un may be on the verge of formally anointing his younger sister as his No. 2 so that she can officially take control of the government should he die or fall terminally ill. Published June 2, 2021
Recent Mideast clash highlights Iran backing of Palestinian militants
Israeli forces and Palestinian militants issued competing declarations of victory after the horrific 11-day war that shook the Middle East through mid-May, but there are concerns among some in Washington that Iran gained the most from clash on the tactical and strategic levels. Published May 30, 2021
Sali Berisha, ex-Albanian leader, rejects U.S. charges of corruption
Former Albanian Prime Minister Sali Berisha insists there is "zero evidence" behind corruption allegations that Secretary of State Antony Blinken leveled against him recently, asserting the decision to bar him from entering the U.S. was based on "misinformation" from outfits backed by billionaire philanthropist and investor George Soros. Published May 28, 2021
Hill fight stymies drive to monitor Chinese money in U.S. universities
A backroom fight on Capitol Hill over increased government scrutiny of Chinese gifts to U.S. universities took a fresh twist Wednesday, with a key Republican pushing anew to give a key executive branch panel greater enforcement powers to examine the issue to crack down on abuses. Published May 26, 2021
Michael McCaul seeks Alexander Lukashenko punishment for bogus threat to arrest opposition activist
A key House Republican joined the chorus of media freedom advocates blaming Belarus' authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko for engineering a bogus bomb threat and scrambling a fighter jet to arrest a key opposition activist-journalist on Sunday. Published May 23, 2021
Antony Blinken says Hamas offers ruin for Palestinians
The Biden administration elevated its criticism of Hamas over the weekend, as a cease-fire between Israeli forces and the militant Palestinian group that controls the Gaza Strip appeared to be holding for a third consecutive day. Published May 23, 2021
Germans celebrate, critics slam Biden’s Nord Stream 2 pipeline retreat
Germany officials were celebrating and some on Capitol Hill were fuming as the Biden administration confirmed it was effectively dropping U.S. efforts to block the nearly-completed Nord Stream 2 pipeline supplying Russian natural gas directly to Germany. Published May 19, 2021
China threat looms large as South Korea’s Moon prepares for Biden summit
President Biden will privately pressure South Korean President Moon Jae-in to sign on to a strong statement critical of China when Mr. Moon visits the White House on Friday, but he will likely face resistance over South Korean fears that it would trigger an economic backlash from Beijing. Published May 19, 2021