Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
EU’s top envoy says West must hold firm in fight for Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin is betting that U.S. and Western European political and societal resolve to back Kyiv will soon break down so that his military can proceed with its dismemberment of Ukraine, the top European Union diplomat in Washington warned in an interview. Published February 20, 2023
Part One: Chaos wrought by Russia in Ukraine reveals chilling reality: How far will Putin go?
Beyond the hard numbers and ruined lives, the biggest mystery facing Ukraine, the U.S. and the world isn't quantitative but psychological: What does Russian President Vladimir Putin want and how far is he prepared to go to get it? Published February 20, 2023
Hill fumes as Pentagon describes vast China balloon spy program
China's balloon surveillance program has gone on for years and monitored dozens of countries, the Biden administration said, on a day when its handling of the balloon that traversed the country last week came under sharp, bipartisan criticism on Capitol Hill. Published February 9, 2023
State Department: China has flown spy balloons over 40 countries
The Chinese government has flown its fleet of spy balloons "over more than 40 countries across five continents," according to a senior State Department official. Published February 9, 2023
Threat of Chinese intervention on Korean peninsula growing, ex-intel official warns
The prospect of Chinese military action on the divided Korean Peninsula is likely to rise as Beijing expands its armed forces, a former longtime U.S. intelligence official in the region warned Tuesday. Published February 7, 2023
Biden aide: Ramped-up surveillance after Trump years uncovered more Chinese spy balloon incursions
A defensive Biden administration on Monday insisted that the long delay in downing a suspected Chinese surveillance balloon that traversed the country last week allowed U.S. analysts to collect valuable intelligence, while also claiming that officials didn't learn of previous Chinese incursions until after former President Trump left office in early 2021. Published February 6, 2023
China: U.S. violated ‘international practice’ in shooting down spy balloon
China expressed outrage Sunday over the U.S. military's shooting down a day earlier of a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina, as the Navy began retrieving wreckage from the Atlantic Ocean and the political rhetoric ramped up in Washington. Published February 5, 2023
Lithuanian calls on U.S. to ‘punish’ Russian ‘terrorists’
A Lithuanian political leader with influence over his country's foreign policy says the U.S. should not push for Ukraine-Russia peace talks until all Russian forces are removed from Ukraine and Kyiv is made a member of NATO. Published February 5, 2023
China claims U.S. ‘overreacted’ in shooting down spy balloon
China expressed outrage Sunday over the U.S. military shooting down a Chinese spy balloon off the coast of South Carolina a day earlier, but Beijing has yet to comment on the Pentagon's discovery of another Chinese balloon spotted over Latin America. Published February 5, 2023
Openly gay U.S. ambassador to Hungary faces personal attacks
The openly gay ambassador whom President Biden sent to staunchly conservative Hungary is facing a firestorm of criticism in Budapest, where pro-government media accuse him of violating diplomatic protocols, meddling in the judiciary and undermining the country's traditional values. Published February 2, 2023
Religious freedom under threat; summit highlights actions by China, developments in Japan
Religious freedom is not only under growing threat around the globe from China and other totalitarian regimes, warned dignitaries at a summit this week in Washington, but faces challenges such as efforts by leftists in such stalwart democracies as Japan to curb faith groups since last year's assassination of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Published February 1, 2023
Taiwan, North Korea and other tricky issues loom over Blinken’s China trip
Chinese technical support for Russian mercenaries in Ukraine, North Korean nukes and the prospect of a Chinese military invasion of Taiwan could all be on the table when Secretary of State Antony Blinken touches down in Beijing for a high-stakes diplomatic visit this weekend. Or not. Published January 31, 2023
German, U.S. tanks expected to be game-changer for Ukraine, but long road ahead
Ukraine and its biggest Western backers hope the high-tech, U.S.-made M1 Abrams and German-made Leopard 2 A6 battle tanks being sent to Kyiv will provide a major boost to the country's fight against Russian invaders. Published January 25, 2023
Threat Status: Too many generals in the Pentagon?
Does the U.S. military have too many officers? Some Republican lawmakers say the answer is an unequivocal yes: "Brass bloat" is real. Published January 25, 2023
U.S., Germany set to send tanks to Ukraine in face of Russian assault
The United States and Germany were poised Tuesday to approve the transfer of U.S.-made M1 Abrams and German-made Leopard 2 battle tanks to Ukraine, ending weeks of reluctance to send such powerful weapons to bolster Ukraine's fight against Russia's ongoing onslaught. Published January 24, 2023
Speaker Kevin McCarthy eyes Taiwan visit this year in trip likely to anger China
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is planning to travel to Taiwan later this year. Chinese analysts warn that this will trigger a fresh escalation of bilateral tensions that soared following then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip in 2022. Published January 23, 2023
Russia’s war in Ukraine has emboldened North Korea to test more nuclear weapons, report warns
Russia's invasion of Ukraine has prompted North Korea to accelerate its own nuclear program and embrace a "first-use" nuclear weapons policy in a bid to deter an attack by the U.S. Published January 19, 2023
Threat Status: Hundreds of new UFO sightings reported
The Pentagon's latest bombshell report found that most of those UFO encounters remain unexplained, with many of the strange craft exhibiting "unusual flight characteristics or performance capabilities." Published January 18, 2023
Syrian-American advocacy group criticizes U.S. policy, lack of action on Assad, civil war injustices
The U.S. has lost face on the world stage by ignoring Syrian President Bashar Assad's war crimes, a top Syrian American activist says, and Washington is dangerously in denial of the fallout from Mr. Assad's emergence as the victor of the country's more than decade-long civil war. Published January 18, 2023
Slow recovery: Political divisions grip Brazil in wake of capital violence
The upheaval rocking Brazil intensified Tuesday, with former President Jair Bolsonaro signaling he'll return while President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva appears increasingly eager to levy harsh punishments on Bolsonaro supporters who ransacked the country's capital on Sunday. Published January 10, 2023