Wednesday, January 31, 2018

State of U.S. Foreign Policy; What's Next for Syria?; New Fighting in Yemen; Rohingya Continue to Suffer; Kenya: Off Air

Quote of the Week:

"A great American leader will fashion strategies that ensure ISIS and al Qaeda don't return. A great American leader will remember that it is our values that distinguish us most, and mean we must stand up to the genuine threat that the People's Republic of China and Putin's Russia represent. If that leadership and those values were what you were listening for, you were sorely disappointed."

-- Danielle Pletka, Senior Vice President of Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the American Enterprise  Institute, in an interview with PBS Newshour about President Trump's State of the Union Address on Tuesday. 

The State of U.S. Foreign Policy

"President Trump Talked Tough on North Korea in the State of the Union. Here's Where Things Stand" Elizabeth Saunders -- The Washington Post, January 31, 2018

"In State of the Union, Trump Goes Where Kim Jong Un Fears Most: Human Rights" Gordon Chang -- Daily Beast, January 31, 2018

"How Might Trump's Speech Play in North Korea, China?" Editorial Board -- CBS, January 31, 2018

"The State of Defense: Time for Trump to Put the Money Where His Mouth Is" Mackenzie Eaglen -- American Enterprise Institute, January 31, 2018

"After Credibility: American Foreign Policy in the Trump Era" Keren Yarhi-Milo -- Foreign Affairs, January/February, 2018

After Sochi, What's Next for Syria?

"Russia's Syria Talks End with Plan to Draft New Constitution" Nataliya Vasilyeva and Vladimir Isachenkov -- U.S. News & World Report, January 30, 2018

"Syria Opposition Missing from Russia's Sochi Talks" Editorial Board -- Al Jazeera, January 30, 2018

"Squaring the Circle: Connecting Current Operations to Policy Ambition in Syria" Melissa Dalton -- CSIS, January 26, 2018 [Report]

New Fighting Erupts in Yemen

"What Is Going on in Southern Yemen?" Gamal Gasim -- Al Jazeera, January 29, 2018

"Bloodshed Roils Yemen's South, Further Complicating an Already Complicated War" Colin Dwyer -- NPR, January 29, 2018

"What Role Will Moscow Assume in Yemen's Civil War?" Kirill Semenov -- Al-Monitor, January 30, 2018

Rohingya Continue to Suffer

"Three Steps Myanmar Should Take to Turn the Rohingya Disaster Around" Bill Richardson -- The Washington Post, January 26, 2018

"AP Interview: Richardson Resigns from Rohingya Refugee Panel" Foster Klug -- Associated Press, January 25, 2018

"The Rohingya in Bangladesh: Playing Politics with a People in Crisis" Erol Yayboke -- CSIS, January 29, 2018

"Even for Rohingya Refugees Who Move on From Bangladesh, Life Is Grim" -- The Economist, January 25, 2018

Kenya: Off Air

"Kenyans Name a 'People's President,' and TV Broadcasts Are Cut" Jina Moore -- The The New York Times, January 30, 2018

"Kenya: Media Barred from Opposition Event" Editorial Board -- Human Rights Watch, January 30, 2018