David R. Sands
Articles by David R. Sands
U.S. sanctions Houthi military leaders after dropping terror tag
The Biden administration on Tuesday sanctioned two senior leaders of Yemen's Houthi rebel army, saying the Iran-backed force has contributed to the displacing of millions of civilians and creating one of the world's most severe humanitarian crises. Published March 2, 2021
Saudis angrily reject critical U.S. report on Khashoggi killing
Saudi Arabia is bluntly rejecting a declassified U.S. intelligence report released Friday by the Biden administration implicating Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the kingdom's de facto ruler, in the gruesome October 2018 killing of U.S.-based Saudi dissident journalist Ahmad Khashoggi. Published February 26, 2021
U.S. intelligence blames Saudi crown prince for Khashoggi murder
De facto Saudi Arabian leader Crown Prince Mohammed bin Sultan gave the green light for the mission to capture or kill American-based Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi, U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded, in a case that threatens to strain even further relations between Riyadh and the Biden administration. Published February 26, 2021
Russia, ally of Syria, fumes at U.S. airstrike against militia group
Russia, a key military ally of the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad, on Friday sharply condemned the U.S. airstrike targeting an Iran-allied Iraqi militia group operating in Syria. Published February 26, 2021
Ukraine minister Dmytro Kuleba sees short window for Biden administration to confront Russia
President Biden's early words in support of Ukraine in its clash with Russia have been strong, but he has only a short window of opportunity to back up those words with actions that will impress the Kremlin, Ukraine's top diplomat said Thursday. Published February 25, 2021
Volodymyr Zelenskiy offers to play host to Joe Biden
An attempt to secure an Oval Office visit for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy landed Ukraine smack in the middle of President Trump's first impeachment drama in 2019, so Ukraine's top diplomat said Thursday the push is on to get President Biden to come to Kyiv instead. Published February 25, 2021
An ambivalent tribute to an inimitable chess genius
For we proud members of the Cult of the Tiger, Alexey Bezgodov's eagerly awaited "Defend Like Petrosian" (NewInChess, 269 pp. $24.95) is a fascinating but frustrating survey of the life and works of the inimitable Tigran Petrosian, the ninth world champion and perhaps the most original player of the modern era. Published February 23, 2021
South Korea denies deal to release Iranian funds frozen by U.S. sanctions
South Korean officials are denying claims by Iran that they have released billions of dollars in frozen Iranian oil sale revenues as the two sides negotiate the fate of a Korean oil tanker seized by Tehran last month. Published February 23, 2021
South Korea takes kimchi war to new level
South Korea is taking its kimchi war with China to the next level, enlisting a slew of foreign diplomats in Seoul to attest to the fact that the Koreans' national dish is, in fact, Korean. Published February 21, 2021
Pottinger: Circumstantial evidence points to Chinese role in creating virus
A former Trump security adviser said "circumstantial evidence" suggests the COVID-19 virus was likely first produced in a Chinese lab. Published February 21, 2021
Iranian lawmakers press hard line as U.N. nuclear chief visits Tehran
An inconclusive visit by the U.N.'s top atomic watchdog to Iran over the weekend has highlighted another hurdle to the Biden administration's hope to rejoin the 2015 nuclear deal that President Trump repudiated -- Tehran, like Washington, has some tricky domestic politics to navigate before it can cut a deal. Published February 21, 2021
Britain moves up timeline for COVID vaccination of all adults
The United Kingdom has moved up the target date for every adult to get at least the first of two shots of the coronavirus vaccine to the end of July -- a month earlier than previously targeted. Published February 21, 2021
China acknowledges four deaths months after clash with India
China revealed Friday that four of its soldiers died in a clash with Indian troops on a disputed border high in the Himalayas in June, a deadly encounter that brought the world's two most populous nations to the brink of open warfare. Published February 19, 2021
Foreign foes delight in Texas woes
Texas' struggles dealing with a record cold snap and widespread power outages are providing ready propaganda fodder for America's rivals. Published February 18, 2021
The fine line between respect and fear at the chessboard
There's a fine line in chess between healthy respect and crippling fear -- even when you're the best player in the world. Published February 16, 2021
Latin lives! Uzbeks prepare latest switch to Western-based alphabet
Americans who have spent decades debating the metric system and the relative merits of Celsius and Fahrenheit could take a lesson in mental flexibility from Uzbekistan. Residents of the Central Asian nation are poised to adopt what would be the fifth different official alphabet in less than a century, moving to a modified Latin-based alphabet by the beginning of 2023. Published February 12, 2021
Russia ‘ready’ to go it alone if Europe pushes new sanctions, top minister says
Russia is prepared to sever all ties with the European Union if the bloc proceeds with threatened economic sanctions, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Friday in Moscow. Published February 12, 2021
Theophilus Thompson of Maryland blazed a trail for Black chess players, despite hurdles
As the birthplace of, among others, Benjamin Banneker, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Eubie Blake and Thurgood Marshall, my adopted home state of Maryland has a wealth of Black native sons and daughters worth celebrating. Published February 9, 2021
Saudis accentuate the positive after stinging Biden speech
Saudi Arabia Friday appeared determined to look on the bright side a day after President Biden used his first major foreign policy speech to announce an end to U.S. military support and arms sales for the oil-rich kingdom's campaign in neighboring Yemen. Published February 5, 2021
Jordan Van Foreest, local hero, stuns with win at elite Tata chess tourney
Meet the Dutch Rocky Balboa. When countries agree to host world-class tournaments, chess etiquette holds that at least a slot or two in the field be reserved for favorite sons (or daughters) who otherwise wouldn't make the cut. Typically, the invitees' main role is to generate some patriotic buzz and serve as cannon fodder for the big guns. Published February 2, 2021
