Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Biden admin. declares ‘coup’ in Myanmar, throwing U.S. aid into question
The Biden administration on Tuesday declared the military takeover occurring in Myanmar a "coup d'etat," a characterization that triggers U.S. federal law requiring a halt of most American aid to countries facing such circumstances. Published February 2, 2021
Joe Biden threatens sanctions on Myanmar over military coup
President Biden threatened Monday to level sanctions against Myanmar in response to the military coup in the resource-rich Southeast Asian nation, whose instability risks igniting a new flashpoint of great-power tension between the U.S. and China. Published February 1, 2021
China cautious as Myanmar coup leaders declare ‘1-year state of emergency’
China is responding cautiously to the military coup in neighboring Myanmar, with state-controlled media in Beijing reporting that Chinese officials are still gathering information after commanders in Myanmar declared a "1-year state of emergency." Published February 1, 2021
Joe Biden eyes roll back of Trump Afghanistan peace deal
The Biden administration is sounding a strikingly skeptical tone on the prospects for a durable Afghan-Taliban power-sharing deal, putting into doubt a major diplomatic achievement of the Trump administration. Published January 31, 2021
Ashraf Ghani, Afghan president, says peace talks with Taliban going nowhere
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani offered a dark assessment Friday of his government's attempt to engage in peace talks with the Taliban, asserting that "violence has peaked" in Afghanistan in recent months, with the militants "finding one excuse after another" not to embrace the talks. Published January 29, 2021
Biden taps Obama nuclear deal architect as Iran envoy
The Biden administration has appointed a former Obama White House Mideast adviser Robert Malley to be the State Department's new Special Envoy for Iran policy. Published January 29, 2021
Personnel moves offer hints to Joe Biden’s approach to North Korea
President Biden has yet to name a new special envoy for North Korea policy, leaving open a major personnel hole on a national security matter that had garnered front-burner attention during the Trump administration. Published January 28, 2021
Antony Blinken tells State Dept. diplomats: It’s ‘a new day for the world’
Newly confirmed Secretary of State Antony Blinken sought to inspire confidence in American diplomats Wednesday, telling them as he arrived for his first full day of work at the State Department that "it's a new day for America" and "a new day for the world." Published January 27, 2021
Antony Blinken, secretary of state, mulls review of last-minute Trump moves
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that Iran must act first if it wants to salvage the troubled 2015 nuclear deal, suggesting the Biden administration will not ease sanctions until Tehran has halted uranium enrichment activities that violate the Obama-era accord. Published January 27, 2021
Antony Blinken confirmed by Senate as secretary of state
The Senate confirmed President Biden's nominee Antony Blinken as America's 71st secretary of state on Tuesday, paving the way for him to take charge of a vast U.S. diplomatic corps whose morale suffered during the norm-breaking years of the Trump administration. Published January 26, 2021
Iran’s U.N. ambassador says Biden must make the first move
A top Iranian diplomat says the Biden administration must make the first move, likely by lifting sanctions if it wants to breathe new life into the mangled 2015 nuclear deal with Tehran. Published January 26, 2021
Ryu Hyun-woo, high-level North Korean diplomat, defects to South Korea
A high-level North Korean diplomat who had been serving as a key representative for Pyongyang in the Middle East has defected to South Korea, according to sources in Seoul. Published January 25, 2021
Will Biden lift sanctions on Iran? Crisis Group says he should
Iran has engaged in "worrying violations" of the 2015 nuclear deal, including uranium enrichment at "a level perilously close to weapons-grade," according to a prominent international think tank, which argues the incoming Biden administration should respond not by punishing Tehran, but by moving quickly to revive the accord. Published January 15, 2021
Trump accomplishments in Middle East complicate Biden Iran plans
The diplomatic breakthroughs U.S. officials fashioned between several major Arab nations and Israel over the past year have represented perhaps the greatest foreign policy triumph of the Trump administration. Published January 12, 2021
William Burns, Iran diplomacy advocate, tapped as CIA head
President-elect Joseph R. Biden has picked a State Department lifer and a staunch advocate of diplomacy with Iran to head the CIA, tapping former Ambassador William Burns to head the spy agency after a tumultuous four years under President Trump. Published January 11, 2021
Kim Jong-un threatens Joe Biden with expanded nuclear program
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is marking the impending end of the Trump administration early by leveling a major threat to expand Pyongyang's nuclear weapons and missile programs unless the incoming Biden administration dials back America's "hostile" policy toward North Korea. Published January 10, 2021
Pompeo calls on world to stand up against Iran’s threat to expel U.N. inspectors
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pleaded with the international community over the weekend to unify against Iran's latest threat to expel United Nations nuclear inspectors if Washington doesn't drop sanctions imposed on Tehran in the Trump era. Published January 10, 2021
Kim Jong-un calls U.S. ‘biggest enemy,’ vows to build more nuclear weapons
North Korean leader Kim Jong-un declared Friday that the U.S. remains his nation's "biggest enemy" and said he believes Washington will be hostile toward North Korea whether there is a Democrat or Republican in the White House. Published January 8, 2021
Pompeo holds first meeting with Blinken at State Department
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and the incoming Biden administration's nominee to be his successor, Antony Blinken, met Friday for the first time since Mr. Blinken was nominated in late November. Published January 8, 2021
For foes abroad, deadly Capitol clashes prove a tempting target
China called it a "collapse" of the U.S. political system that would "destroy" America's global image. Iran went with the "annihilation of Western democracy," while Russia said the situation was proof the U.S. system is "no longer charting the course" for the world. Published January 7, 2021