Author: Kathleen Taylor
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An Introduction to NATO and Its Connection to Russia’s War in Ukraine
Last week, the White House announced that U.S. President Joe Biden would be making a 2-day trip to Europe to attend North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO, and European Union summits to discuss the ongoing crisis in Ukraine. Caught between its instincts of not antagonizing Russia and its support for Ukraine, the United State and […]
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In a Search for Increased Oil Production, the United States Turns to its Gulf Allies
Three weeks into the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the United States and its allies have imposed severe, economy-damaging sanctions on Russia. The West’s concern is that oil prices will continue to rise exponentially due to market disruptions. The United States and its European allies avoided targeting Russia’s energy supplies, yet the crushing sanctions threaten to […]
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Do U.S. Allies Contribute Enough? Alliances Are Worth More than Money
On February 25, Russia invaded Ukraine after months of troop buildup along the border. The invasion has united the West in ways Russia never intended. Instead, Russian President Vladimir Putin likely expected to drive a wedge between the United States and its European allies. In another turn of events, Russian aggression in Ukraine brought back […]
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Qatar is Back at the Center of International Politics…Again
Qatar yet again finds itself at the center of international politics. In September, this blog argued that the United States relied on Qatar, one of its closest Persian Gulf allies, to play an outsized diplomatic role, serving as a key interlocutor for the Americans in Afghanistan and with Iran. The United States is again reaching […]
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Will Russian Aggression in Ukraine Convince Finland and Sweden to Finally Join NATO?
For decades, both Finland and Sweden, two historically neutral countries in northern Europe, have chosen not to seek membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, or NATO. However, the recent buildup of Russian troops along the Ukraine border and subsequent invasion have renewed debate in both countries about joining the alliance, prompting an irritated response […]
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U.S. Ties with Adversaries at Lowest Points in Decades
Shortly after taking office, U.S. President Joe Biden revealed his vision of U.S. foreign policy, pivoting toward American’s most serious competitor, China, leading with diplomacy, affirming the value of America’s U.S. alliances, and countering what he sees as a global showdown between democracy and autocracy. Despite the grand ideas, the administration has had to contend […]
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Counterterrorism Strike, Necessary for Biden’s Political Survival, Shows Islamic State on the Rise
For over a week, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has consumed much of the world, causing fear of the instigation of a potential war between Russia and the United States and its European allies. This invasion by Russia is yet another reminder that, while the United States ended its forever war in Afghanistan last August in […]
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The United States and Europe Must Do More for Ukraine
Eight years after seizing Crimea and throwing its weight behind a separatist insurgency in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine, Russia – one of the United States’ primary adversaries – has done the unthinkable. After months of U.S. warnings, Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized two breakaway provinces controlled by Russian-backed separatists and subsequently deployed Russian […]
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The U.S. and Germany Not on The Same Page on Nord Stream 2
On February 7, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz traveled to Washington to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden. During the visit, the United States and Germany presented a united front in the face of a Russian troop buildup along the border with Ukraine. That is, until the debate turned to the Nord Stream 2 pipeline. Nord […]
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The Biden Administration Focuses on Allies in Europe and Asia But Needs to Look to the Rest of the World Too
In the March-April 2020 issue of Foreign Affairs, then-candidate Joe Biden announced he would “take immediate steps to renew U.S. democracy and alliances.” Less than a year later, in his inaugural address, President Biden pledged that the United States “will repair our alliances and engage with the world once again.” Just a few weeks after […]
Allies and Adversaries 