Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Federica Mogherini, EU chief, faces headwinds in first visit to Donald Trump’s Washington
Compared to warm receptions she enjoyed during the Obama years, European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini may face a much chillier welcome when she arrives Thursday for her first visit to Washington since Donald Trump became president. Published February 9, 2017
Donald Trump ready to approve weapons packages to Saudi Arabia, Bahrain that Obama blocked
The Trump administration is poised to move quickly to approve major weapons packages for Saudi Arabia and Bahrain that President Obama blocked during his final months in office over human rights concerns in both nations, U.S. officials and congressional sources say. Published February 7, 2017
Donald Trump slaps sanctions on Iran over missile test
The Trump administration hit Iran with new sanctions Friday, one day after President Trump said he had put Tehran "on notice" for testing a missile. Published February 3, 2017
Iran defies Trump’s threat on missiles, puts U.S. on notice
Iranian officials responded defiantly Thursday to the Trump administration's threat to take a much tougher line over Tehran's ballistic missile tests and support for terrorism-related activities, as the White House reportedly was preparing a slate of new sanctions against the Islamic republic as early as Friday. Published February 2, 2017
Rex Tillerson arrives as ‘the new guy’ at the State Department
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson sought to win the support of an uneasy State Department Thursday, asserting on arrival at department headquarters that he holds the nation's career diplomats in "high regard" and will treat them with "respect" as President Trump's top foreign policy adviser. Published February 2, 2017
Rex Tillerson confirmed as secretary of state by Senate
The Senate voted 56-43 to confirm Mr. Tillerson as the nation's 69th secretary of state on Wednesday, with Republicans picking up three Democratic votes to pierce the minority's hoped-for united front against the former ExxonMobil CEO. Published February 1, 2017
Trump’s extreme vetting condemned by world leaders, Muslim nations
President Trump's executive order on immigration and temporary ban on visas for some Muslim-majority countries is meeting with rising condemnation from leaders in Europe, Africa and the Islamic world. Published January 31, 2017
Pentagon, State Department scramble to fill in Donald Trump’s ISIS warplan
President Trump's demand for a new plan to defeat the Islamic State has triggered a flurry of behind-the-scenes activity at the Pentagon, where officials are poised to propose a dramatic increase in airstrikes against the jihadi group. Published January 31, 2017
Donald Trump’s extreme vetting condemned by world leaders, Muslim nations
President Trump's executive order on immigration and temporary ban on visas for some Muslim-majority countries is meeting with rising condemnation from leaders in Europe, Africa and the Islamic world. Published January 31, 2017
Rex Tillerson cleared for confirmation vote in Senate
Former Exxon Mobil chief Rex Tillerson, President Trump's pick to be secretary of state, cleared a key hurdle on Capitol Hill on Monday night as Senate Republicans easily mustered the majority needed to head off a Democratic filibuster and pave the way for his confirmation this week. Published January 30, 2017
Diplomats slam Donald Trump visa and refugee ban with ‘dissent cable’
A draft memo circulating Monday among dozens of State Department officials and career U.S. diplomats slammed President Trump's temporary visa and refugee ban, saying it "stands in opposition" to "core American and constitutional" values." Published January 30, 2017
ISIS airstrike limits in Iraq come under review; James Mattis looks at Mosul
Military advisers close to Defense Secretary James N. Mattis are considering loosening the restrictions on U.S. airstrikes that the Obama administration kept in place in war against the Islamic State in Iraq, according to current and former U.S. officials. Published January 26, 2017
Donald Trump, Theresa May seek common ground in shifting landscape
The meeting of President Trump and British Prime Minister Teresa May on Friday — the first foreign leader the new U.S. president is hosting at the White House — will feature two leaders badly in need of a friend. Published January 26, 2017
Intel committee Democrats outraged over Donald Trump’s torture comments
Democrats on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence expressed outrage Thursday over President Trump's suggestion this week that he is considering allowing of U.S. officials to restart a program that used enhanced interrogation techniques tantamount to torture against terrorism suspects. Published January 26, 2017
EDCA deal: Philippines says U.S. base upgrades will proceed
The Philippines' top defense official said Thursday that the U.S. military is cleared to begin upgrading and constructing facilities in the Southeast Asian nation over the coming year -- an apparent reversal of Filipino President Rodrigo Duterte's outspoken rejection of an American troop presence there. Published January 26, 2017
Trump’s change of course in Asia challenges China, Obama’s pivot
The Trump administration's vow to block Beijing from seizing territory in the South China Sea has sparked outrage among Chinese leaders, and Mr. Trump's rejection of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal has prompted confusion and unease among some key U.S. allies. Published January 25, 2017
North Korea says ICBM test could be imminent
A senior North Korean official claims Pyongyang is capable carrying out its first ever test launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile "at any time, at any place," according to a report Wednesday. Published January 25, 2017
Asif Zardari, Pakistan’s former president, urges Donald Trump to send envoy to region
President Trump should quickly appoint a high-level envoy to South Asia to underscore U.S. leadership in the region and seize an opportunity missed by the Obama administration to coordinate a top-level response to the regional terrorist threat, said former Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari. Published January 23, 2017
Marco Rubio to vote for Rex Tillerson as secretary of state
Sen. Marco Rubio said Monday that he will support former ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson's to be Secretary of State, likely paving the way toward confirmation of President Trump's nominee after two other key Republican senators threw their weight behind him over the weekend. Published January 23, 2017
Trump inaugural speech makes international waves
President Donald J. Trump's inaugural address, in which he warned "every city in every foreign capital" to heed the message that "from this day forward, it's going to be only America first," triggered a range of reactions among international observers Friday. Published January 20, 2017