Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Israel weighing possible ‘first strike’ against Hezbollah in north, former soldier says
The looming prospect of an Israeli ground invasion of Gaza is drawing global attention, but Israel's war cabinet is also carefully considering carrying out a "first strike" targeting Lebanon-based Hezbollah and its weapons depots to the north, according to a prominent Israeli security analyst. Published October 16, 2023
Unification Church vows to fight ‘biased’ disbandment request
The Japan branch of the Unification Church is vowing to wage a concerted legal battle in response to what it calls a politically motivated attack by Japanese lawmakers, who filed a request last week to disband the church formally known as the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification. Published October 15, 2023
Hezbollah missile strikes in northern Israel spark fears of major escalation
The Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah launched at least five anti-tank guided missiles into northern Israel on Sunday, a day after Iranian officials warned that the Lebanon-based group was poised to aid Hamas by opening a second front against Israel. Published October 15, 2023
Hamas clash throws U.S. regional diplomacy into question
The U.S.-led push to normalize relations between Israel and major Arab nations -- started by President Trump's Abraham Accords in 2020 and cautiously pursued by President Biden -- has been thrown into confusion by the surging clash between Israel and Hamas. Published October 12, 2023
Israel-Hamas clash sparks fears of ‘World War’-style escalation
The worst fighting in Israel in a quarter century has many worried that the clash with Hamas could spiral far beyond Gaza and trigger a war that draws in regional and even global powers, including the U.S., China and Russia. Published October 11, 2023
‘The Biden administration is not God’: Turkish Cypriot minister eyes progress on recognition
The coming year will mark the 50th anniversary of one of the world's oldest frozen conflicts, that between Turkey and Greece on the divided island of Cyprus. Published October 4, 2023
Rights advocate: Few signs of progress addressing North Korean abuses
Ten years after a special United Nations commission found that the North Korean regime's most egregious human rights violations amounted to "crimes against humanity," the U.N. Security Council has yet to make a referral of the case to the International Criminal Court. Published October 3, 2023
U.S. Army deserter Pvt. Travis King released from North Korea, now back in American custody
Travis King, the troubled U.S. Army private who shocked the world when he defected to North Korea in July, is back in U.S. hands after Pyongyang abruptly deported him. Published September 27, 2023
Seeking backup, Biden struggles to move the needle with ‘Global South’
A big question as the annual U.N. General Assembly concludes is whether the Biden administration managed to garner fresh support from the so-called "Global South" to align behind U.S. priorities on the world stage, particularly when it comes to backing Ukraine against Russia. Published September 24, 2023
South Korean president warns of Russia-North Korea nuclear collaboration
South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol issued a sharp warning Wednesday about growing Russia-North Korea strategic ties, telling the U.N. General Assembly that Seoul and its allies "will not stand idly by" if Moscow is helping Pyongyang advance its nuclear weapons program. Published September 20, 2023
Biden and Netanyahu signal momentum on Saudi ties
The prospect of a historic diplomatic normalization between Israel and Saudi Arabia inched closer to reality Wednesday. Published September 20, 2023
Zelenskyy accuses Russia of ‘genocide’ in fiery U.N. address
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Tuesday accused Russia of committing "genocide" by abducting thousands of children from Ukraine, calling during a fiery speech at the United Nations for the world not to tolerate the "evil" undergirding Moscow's actions. Published September 19, 2023
U.N. chief warns A.I. may lead world into ‘more danger than we can control’
World leaders should quickly consider creating a global organization akin to the International Atomic Energy Agency to address both the benefits and the dangers of artificial intelligence -- specifically, those associated with the fast-emerging realm of "generative A.I." capable of creating text, images and videos. Published September 19, 2023
Biden presses world leaders on Ukraine as U.N. General Assembly gets underway
President Biden pleaded with global leaders here Tuesday to align behind the U.S. and its allies in continuing to confront Russia's "naked aggression" against Ukraine, warning that no country in the world will be safe if Russian forces are not driven from Ukrainian territory. Published September 19, 2023
Zelenskyy purges more officials as fighting rages in east
Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy dismissed six top officials inside the Ministry of Defense on Monday in what appears to be a continuing crackdown amid reports of corruption inside the country's defense establishment. Published September 18, 2023
Biden administration praises N. Korean defectors, human rights activists
The Biden administration on Sunday elevated its push to draw attention to human rights abuses by the regime of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, asserting that the regime "continues to exploit its own citizens, including through mass mobilizations of school children and forced labor." Published September 17, 2023
Iran blocks nuclear inspectors after U.S. unfreezes billions of dollars for Tehran
Iran began barring U.N. inspectors from nuclear sites over the weekend, days after the Biden administration freed up $6 billion in frozen funds in pursuit of a prisoner swap. Published September 17, 2023
As Biden preps for New York, Xi, Putin and others skipping U.N. General Assembly
President Biden will attempt to stiffen international resolve and unity behind Ukraine and confront head-on the rising global threats of authoritarian military aggression and autocracy during a major speech at the U.N. General Assembly. Published September 14, 2023
Poland heads into a divisive election dealing with a war next door
Poland has become the face of Western resolve and strength in the face of Russia's war in Ukraine, but the country's divisive internal politics and tense relations with the European Union -- and more pointedly Germany -- are on full display ahead of October elections that most here say are shaping up as the most consequential since the collapse of communism in 1989. Published September 12, 2023
Ukrainian refugees still finding refuge in Poland after 18 months of war
Valentina Maievska lost everything last year when the Russian military laid siege to Mariupol, the city where she lived for 40 years. Published September 8, 2023