Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Kerry praises Syrian opposition gathering but divisions remain
Secretary of State John F. Kerry praised the "positive outcome" of a Syrian opposition conference in Saudi Arabia on Thursday, despite evidence of deep and ongoing divisions among rival rebel factions over the prospect of a future peace negotiation with the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. Published December 10, 2015
Obama ignoring Iran’s missile tests, senators claim
Two hawkish Republican senators are pushing the Obama White House to clarify how it intends to respond to two ballistic missile tests carried out by Iran over the past two months -- one of which was declared by the administration to have been a "clear violation" of a United Nations Security Council resolution banning such tests. Published December 9, 2015
Linas Linkevicius, Lithuanian Foreign Minister, says Russian propaganda fills void from West
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: Lithuania and other Eastern bloc nations are craving a clear and decisive message of support from the United States, as Russian President Vladimir Putin pushes the limits of NATO's resolve and moves to fill "gaps of influence" created by the West's failure to defend its interests and international law, Lithuania's top diplomat warned Tuesday. Published December 8, 2015
Tinatin Khidasheli says Vladimir Putin may expand Russian aggression in Georgia after NATO’s snub
The refusal by the U.S. and Western European allies to let Georgia into NATO is an "open invitation" to Russian President Vladimir Putin to expand his policy of aggression and land seizures in the region, the former Soviet republic's top defense official said. Published December 8, 2015
Obama speech criticized as weak; terrorism war strategy changes urged
The White House defended President Obama's counterterrorism strategy Monday against a flood of criticism that his prime-time address to the nation was weak, while an analysis said the U.S. needs a complete overhaul of its war on terrorism. Published December 7, 2015
ISIS, al Qaeda are ‘winning’: Study
The U.S. should engage in a dramatic revamping of the post-9/11 global war on terror, according to a new study published Monday in Washington that says major gains during recent years by both al Qaeda and the Islamic State in Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen and South Asia indicate the "extremists are no longer on the run and arguably are winning." Published December 7, 2015
San Bernardino terrorist attack seen as failure in fight against radicalization of U.S. Muslims
The San Bernardino terrorist attack is underscoring fears that the government and wider U.S. society have failed to effectively address and counter the threat of ordinary American Muslims becoming radicalized. Published December 6, 2015
Syrian refugees numbers higher than reported; ethnic cleansing rampant
The number of Syrian refugees is actually some 20 percent higher than the 4.2 million cited by the United Nations and is expected to "increase sharply" during the months ahead, according to a new analysis published this week. Published December 4, 2015
Syed Farook, Tashfeen Malik erased digital footprints day before San Bernardino attacks
The Muslim husband and wife behind the mass shooting in San Bernardino began erasing their digital footprint a day in advance of the deadly attack, deleting email accounts, disposing of hard drives and smashing their cellphones, according to law enforcement investigators who are treating the probe as a counterterrorism case. Published December 3, 2015
Authorities move toward terrorism as motive in San Bernardino rampage
Law enforcement authorities edged closer Thursday to the conclusion that the Muslim husband and wife team that carried out the mass shooting in San Bernardino, California, may have been radicalized by Islamic extremists either in the U.S. or during trips the couple made to the Middle East, including to Saudi Arabia. Published December 3, 2015
Jon Kyl, Joe Lieberman report: ‘Why American Leadership Still Matters’ around world
The world needs the U.S. to lead -- and not just from behind -- according to a report by two influential former senators, who argue that political pressure on the Obama administration from the far left and far right for America to disengage from the world has created a power vacuum that unpredictable and unsavory actors are all too eager to fill. Published December 2, 2015
Iran violates nuclear deal with lies to U.N. inspectors, report claims
Iran is deliberately trying to deceive U.N. inspectors in charge of implementing last summer's nuclear deal, according to a prominent Iranian dissident group, which claims that Tehran has created a "top-secret committee" to provide false information to the watchdog International Atomic Energy Agency. Published December 2, 2015
Dissidents claim Iran has ‘secret committee’ to deceive nuke inspectors
Iran is deliberately trying to deceive U.N. inspectors in charge of implementing last summer's nuclear deal, according to a prominent Iranian dissident group, which claims that Tehran has created a "top secret committee" to provide false information to the International Atomic Energy Agency. Published December 2, 2015
Ed Royce claims Iran to hit ‘jackpot’ with sanctions relief
While a key Republican on foreign policy says Iran about to hit the "jackpot" of sanctions relief, a former top Obama administration counterterrorism official argues that Iran can be trusted to not use money for expanding its military proxy and terrorist-support operations in the Middle East, asserting that Tehran makes "rational calculations about advancing its interests." Published December 2, 2015
Montenegro invited to join NATO, a move sure to anger Russia, strain alliance’s standards
NATO formally invited Montenegro into the alliance on Wednesday in a move likely to further roil relations between Russia and the West -- even as some critics on both sides of the Atlantic assert the tiny Balkan nation has failed to meet political and rule of law standards that were once mandatory for membership in the world's most powerful military club. Published December 1, 2015
Obama anti-ISIS coalition crumbles as Arab allies focus elsewhere
The major Arab powers once deemed essential to the fight against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq have largely pulled back from the U.S.-led military campaign, undercutting the Obama administration's claims about the depth and reach of the coalition it has built with allies in the region. Published November 30, 2015
Iraq Shiite government reigns at other tribes’ peril
Despite the installation of a new U.S.-backed Shiite prime minister in Baghdad more than a year ago, the Iraqi central government's treatment of the nation's Sunni majority still has not improved. Published November 26, 2015
Vladimir Putin orders S-400 missiles to Syria after Turkey downs Russian jet
Russia announced plans Wednesday to deploy long-range surface-to-air missiles at its air base near the Syria-Turkey border to destroy any target that threatens its warplanes in the area — an angry response to Turkey's downing of a Russian fighter jet, which raised fears of a direct clash between Russia and NATO. Published November 25, 2015
Russian jet shot down by Turkey ramps up Syria tension
The downing of a Russian fighter jet by Turkey raised the complex tensions around Syria's multisided civil war to new heights Tuesday, putting more pressure on the Obama administration to take a more aggressive leadership role in the conflict to head off a further escalation between Moscow and Ankara. Published November 24, 2015
Iraq’s Sunni sheikhs decry lack of U.S. help in ISIS fight, say Russia eager to fill void
Key tribal leaders from Iraq's Sunni Arab population say U.S. officials have failed to work with them in the fight against the Islamic State and assert that Russia is now increasingly eager to fill the void -- even inviting influential sheikhs to visit Moscow and air their grievances. Published November 23, 2015
