Ben Wolfgang
Articles by Ben Wolfgang
U.S. general warns of long-term ISIS resurgence
The Pentagon's top officer for the Middle East warned Wednesday that the U.S. will face "huge problems" from a resurgent Islamic State over the coming decade unless Washington develops a sweeping initiative to deradicalize young men and women in several Middle East hot spots. Published August 12, 2020
U.S. push to uphold Iran arms embargo headed for U.N. Security Council clash
The Trump administration's months-long push to uphold a global ban on weapons sales to Iran is heading into a high-stakes showdown at the U.N. Security Council, where Russia and China are poised to block a U.S.-backed resolution to extend ban later this week. Published August 11, 2020
Trump foreign policy moves at stake in election
President Trump wants to dramatically reshuffle U.S. forces in Europe to chastise Germany for not spending enough on defense, but that and a range of other foreign policy pushes by the president are likely to fall by the wayside if presumptive Democratic nominee Joseph R. Biden wins the White House in November. Published August 10, 2020
Universal Peace Federation hosts worldwide virtual ‘Rally of Hope’
Global health crises, economic turmoil and racial divisions threaten to bring out the very worst in humanity, but those challenges must be met by love and respect for the unifying principles that bind all nations together, faith leaders and top political figures said Saturday evening at a major international rally. Published August 8, 2020
Beirut explosion puts Lebanon close to ‘failed state’
Some of Lebanon's own leaders believed the country was of the verge of becoming a "failed state" even before this week's horrific Beirut blast, and foreign policy analysts now fear that the carnage — and the apparent failures of government that contributed to it — could fully unravel the country and fuel further chaos across the region. Published August 6, 2020
Planned Taiwan visit escalates tensions between U.S., China
Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar is gearing up for a trip to Taiwan that will mark the highest-level visit to the island by a U.S. official since 1979 -- and in the process add fuel to already white-hot tensions between Washington and Beijing. Published August 5, 2020
Pentagon chief Esper presses partners to spend more than 2% on defense
Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that wealthy countries in Europe and elsewhere must contribute more to regional security and spend more on defense -- even more than President Trump's strict 2% threshold. Published August 5, 2020
‘Hotline’ between U.S., China feared as strategic attack tool
There are growing fears among foreign policy specialists that any new crisis communication systems with China -- updated, tactical-level versions of the cliched "red phone" between Washington and Moscow at the height of the Cold War -- could themselves become strategic tools of attack or deception. Published August 4, 2020
Diego Garcia, U.S. airbase in Chagos Archipelago, threatened
It has been described as the most strategically vital U.S. military installation in the world, but the Diego Garcia air base is at the center of a bitter geopolitical fight. Published August 2, 2020
How the F-35 is driving a wedge between the U.S. and a key NATO ally
It was supposed to be an object lesson in bringing a recalcitrant ally back into line, but kicking Turkey out of the Pentagon's $1.6 trillion F-35 program has proved much more difficult than expected, raising questions about whether Washington made a threat it wasn't fully ready to back up. Published August 2, 2020
Navy Blue Angels get first Super Hornet plane
The U.S. Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron -- better known as the Blue Angels -- this week received their first F/A-18 Super Hornet, a cutting-edge plane that will replace the older aircraft used for the past three decades. Published July 30, 2020
U.S. military plans to move European headquarters from Germany to Belgium
The Pentagon on Wednesday rolled out arguably the most sweeping changes to troop deployments in Europe since the end of the Cold War. Published July 29, 2020
Freedom Summit speakers urge tough line on China
The U.S. is in the midst of a deep, fundamental change in its relationship with China, and how Washington handles the growing standoff with Beijing will shape the 21st century, leading lawmakers and national security specialists said at a major conference Monday. Published July 27, 2020
Turkey and the F-35 — U.S. finds breaking up is hard to do
It was supposed to be an object lesson in bringing a recalcitrant ally back into line, but kicking Turkey out of the Pentagon's $1.6 trillion F-35 program has proven much more difficult than expected, raising questions about whether Washington made a threat it wasn't fully ready to back up. Published July 27, 2020
U.S. leaves China consulate in Chengdu as huge crowds gather
Chinese onlookers filled the streets Sunday as American diplomats packed boxes, boarded buses and prepared to abandon the U.S. consulate in Chengdu, the latest casualty of an increasingly bitter tit-for-tat exchange between Washington and Beijing. Published July 26, 2020
Trump relaxes rules on armed drone sales abroad
The Trump administration on Friday relaxed rules governing the export of armed drones, making it easier for American companies to sell the deadly unmanned aerial systems in a bid to compete with China's growing foothold in the market. Published July 24, 2020
House panel to examine sexual assault, harassment at Fort Hood
A key House committee next week will examine whether Fort Hood is in a full-blown "crisis" of sexual harassment and retaliation following the recent death of Army Spc. Vanessa Guillen. Published July 22, 2020
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Qassem Soleimani deaths absent from Donald Trump campaign pitch
President Trump's two highest-profile counterterrorism victories have been largely absent from his reelection pitch, a departure from recent elections in which the winning candidate made a prominent case for fortitude in battling jihadis. Published July 20, 2020
War footing: Trump takes on Putin, China in international power battle
Two recent standoffs with China and Russia have offered a sobering view of the coming great power competition between the U.S. and its two biggest rivals and just how dangerous it may become. Published July 19, 2020
Iranian dissidents rally for regime change in Tehran
Iran's theocracy is at the weakest point of its four-decade history and facing unprecedented challenges from a courageous citizenry hungry for freedom, Iranian dissidents and prominent U.S. and European politicians said Friday at a major international rally calling for the downfall of the dictatorship in Tehran. Published July 17, 2020
