Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
China bristles at Biden’s ASEAN summit, wary of power struggle with U.S.
President Biden's summit with Southeast Asian leaders begins Thursday, and China is warning participating nations that American attempts to exert influence over the region could stoke confrontation. Published May 11, 2022
New conservative South Korean leader prepares for inauguration with pledge for deeper ties to U.S.
The inauguration of a conservative South Korean president is expected to pave the way for greater military and diplomatic coordination between Washington and Seoul in response to escalating North Korean nuclear and missile threats, as well as to China's expanding pressure tactics against smaller countries in Asia. Published May 6, 2022
Russia carries out late-night airstrikes as fears mount of an expanding war phase
Russian forces pounded cities in central Ukraine on Wednesday night, capping a day of mounting concern among Western leaders that Moscow is preparing to ramp up its attacks and may even formally declare all-out war against Ukraine when Russia holds its annual Victory Day celebrations early next week. Published May 4, 2022
South Korea weighs tighter ‘cohesion’ with U.S. as North tests another ballistic missile
South Korea's incoming defense minister said he'll push for tighter military "cohesion" between Washington and Seoul in response to increasingly aggressive North Korean posturing Wednesday -- comments that came just after the North had carried out another ballistic missile test. Published May 4, 2022
CIA seeks help from frustrated insiders as Putin’s Ukraine progress deemed ‘anemic’
A major civilian evacuation from the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol progressed on Monday, although Russia claimed to have pounded more than three dozen other locales in eastern Ukraine with missiles and Western European countries inched closer to imposing sweeping new sanctions on Russia's critical energy sector. Published May 2, 2022
Reclusive Taliban supreme leader hails ‘victory’ in speech marking Muslim Eid holiday
The Taliban's reclusive supreme leader in Afghanistan hailed the militant Islamist group's "victory" and successful takeover of the war-torn country from a U.S.-backed government in a rare public speech over the weekend, roughly eight months after full withdrawal of the last American and allied troops left the country. Published May 2, 2022
Biden presses $33B aid package for Ukraine as Russia steps up bombardment in the east
President Biden prodded Congress on Thursday to approve another $33 billion to support Ukraine in its fight against a renewed Russian military assault and replenish depleted American arsenals, saying the cost of defending democracy in Kyiv "is not cheap." Published April 28, 2022
GOP lawmaker presses for answers on China role in proposed Forbes sale
A key Republican lawmaker is pressing the Treasury Department to examine the proposed acquisition of Forbes Global Media Holdings by a China-based enterprise that got its initial seed money from an arm of the Communist Party. Published April 27, 2022
Effective propaganda machine props up Putin’s domestic base, Blinken says
President Vladimir Putin continues to have broad support inside Russia, Secretary of State Antony Blinken acknowledged Tuesday, lamenting that Mr. Putin's state propaganda operations have effectively skewed many Russians' view of reality. Published April 26, 2022
North Korea’s Kim Jong-un vows to ramp up nuclear forces at nighttime military parade
North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un vowed to ramp up his country's nuclear forces in the "fastest possible" way in a feisty speech at a major nighttime military parade where several banned intercontinental ballistic missiles were on display. Published April 26, 2022
Defense Sec. Austin says U.S. wants Russia ‘weakened’ to prevent future invasions
"When it comes to Russia's war aims, Russia is failing. Ukraine is succeeding," the secretary of state said. "Russia has sought as its principal aim to totally subjugate Ukraine, to take away its sovereignty, to take away its independence. That has failed." Published April 25, 2022
Blinken, Austin make stealth visit to Kyiv to meet with Zelenskyy; war in Ukraine enters third month
Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin made a stealth visit to Kyiv on Sunday night, meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as Russia's messy invasion rumbled into its third month, ignoring calls for a cease-fire in observance of Orthodox Easter. Published April 24, 2022
Russian forces trying to forcibly deport civilians from Mariupol to Russia, Ukrainian lawmaker says
Russian forces are trying to forcibly deport civilians from the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol to Russia, according to a Ukrainian lawmaker. Published April 24, 2022
Republicans press Biden over Chinese deal for British chip factory
A special congressional task force aimed at countering threats from China is calling on the Biden administration to block the proposed sale of Britain's largest microchip factory to a Chinese company, a firm that U.S. lawmakers say has close ties to the ruling Communist Party in Beijing. Published April 21, 2022
North Korea nuclear test may be imminent as Kim amps up pressure
North Korea will test a nuclear weapon before the end of the year and may do so as soon as next week, according to U.S. national security analysts, who say Pyongyang is increasingly eager to put pressure on President Biden after more than a year of watching his administration's foreign policy moves. Published April 21, 2022
Russian missiles pound cities across Ukraine ahead of anticipated eastern offensive
Russia carried out its widest array of missile strikes against Ukraine in more than two weeks Monday, pounding cities across the country in an apparent attempt to destroy Ukrainian weapons stocks before launching a much anticipated new ground offensive aimed at cleaving off a coastal stretch of the country's east. Published April 18, 2022
Le Pen surges against Macron ahead of French election
French President Emmanuel Macron has positioned himself as the diplomatic linchpin in Western Europe's response to Russian's invasion of Ukraine ahead of France's election on Sunday, but a right-wing opposition candidate could complicate Mr. Macron's path to a second term. Published April 7, 2022
China poised to exploit Russia in exchange for economic help in war
China parrots Russian propaganda on the Ukraine war, sharply criticizes Washington, and may tacitly back Moscow's invasion, but Beijing is also poised to exploit the situation to elevate its own power in the region, a top security aide in the Trump administration said Wednesday. Published April 6, 2022
Demands for Russia to be held accountable mount as Ukrainian civilian deaths outrage world leaders
Demands from world leaders that Russia be held accountable for atrocities and human rights abuses that its military carried out in Ukraine mounted Sunday, as photos of dozens of dead civilians and a mass grave on the outskirts of Kyiv circled the globe. Published April 3, 2022
Bodies, mass grave found near Kyiv; Zelenskyy says Russians carried out ‘genocide’
Russian forces have carried out a "genocide" in Ukraine that has included the torture and murder of children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Sunday. Published April 3, 2022