Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Haider al-Abadi, Iraq prime minister, sees U.S. ‘more engaged’ in terror fight
Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi called on the United States and other allies to "stay focused" in the fight against Islamic State Monday, saying he sees a new willingness in the Trump administration to take a more direct role in the fight not just to contain but to defeat the terror group. Published March 20, 2017
Rex Tillerson welcomes State Department budget cuts to ‘soft power’ programs
He's the first former oil executive to run Foggy Bottom, but Rex W. Tillerson also is proving to be an unconventional Cabinet pick in another way -- as the guy who doesn't mind having his department's budget slashed. Published March 19, 2017
Ahmed al-Asiri, top Saudi general: Trump admin vows support against Iran
A top military general from Saudi Arabia says Riyadh has secured a commitment from the Trump administration to significantly increase U.S. intelligence sharing and defense cooperation against Iran-backed proxy militias and other Iranian meddling across the the Middle East. Published March 17, 2017
Rex Tillerson takes only one reporter to Asia
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has sent frustration coursing anew through the diplomatic press corps this week by handpicking a single digital news reporter to travel with him to Asia after refusing to allow anyone from major news outlets that regularly cover the State Department a seat on his airplane. Published March 15, 2017
Donald Trump, Saudi Prince Mohammed talk about war on terror
Saudi Arabian Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman pushed for deeper U.S. cooperation in the war on terrorism during a lunch at the White House on Tuesday, the first such meeting President Trump has hosted with an Arab Muslim leader since assuming office. Published March 14, 2017
Khemaies Jhinaoui, Tunisia foreign minister, hopes for Donald Trump outreach
NEWSMAKER INTERVIEW: Tunisia's top diplomat says the Trump administration should "reach out more" to the tiny North African nation for collaboration against the evolving threat posed by the Islamic State -- and to bolster the fragile island of democracy Tunisians are struggling to uphold in the Arab world. Published March 13, 2017
Donald Trump looks to ease tensions with Angela Merkel, German chancellor
The White House will attempt to put a positive spin on U.S.-German relations this week when German Chancellor Angela Merkel visits Washington for her first personal encounter with President Trump, after months of disagreements over trade, immigration and Mr. Trump's criticism of the news media. Published March 12, 2017
Rex Tillerson will host Trump’s anti-Islamic State alliance summit
Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson will attempt to infuse new energy into the vast international coalition battling the Islamic State later this month by hosting senior officials from the 68 countries in the Trump administration's first major stab at multinational diplomacy. Published March 9, 2017
THAAD missile shield to South Korea gives Donald Trump advantage over China on North Korea
A sophisticated missile defense system being delivered to South Korea may give President Trump a bargaining chip that no other U.S. president has had to pressure China to rein in North Korea's ballistic missile and nuclear programs. Published March 8, 2017
U.S. spies scrambling to assess WikiLeaks dump
U.S. intelligence officials scrambled Tuesday to assess the damage wrought by WikiLeaks' publication documents purporting to expose a vast and clandestine CIA cyberoperation capable of hacking into and turning smartphones, laptops and internet-connected televisions into listening devices and spy cameras. Published March 7, 2017
North Korean missile tests give Donald Trump another crisis
Just when Donald Trump didn't need it, North Korea presented him with a new crisis Monday by testing four ballistic missiles -- one of which crashed into waters less than 200 miles from Japanese shores -- prompting harsh warnings from around the globe and a cautious response from the White House. Published March 6, 2017
Rex Tillerson takes no questions; State Dept. postpones press briefings again
The State Department postponed a highly anticipated news briefing Monday, telling reporters it would not be held because Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and other administration officials were appearing before media at the roll out of President Trump's revised executive order temporarily banning visitors from six Mideast and African countries. Published March 6, 2017
Tokyo says North Korea missile tests show ‘new level of threat’
North Korea's test launch of four ballistic missiles Monday -- three of which crashed into the Sea of Japan -- prompted a swift and harsh reaction from Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who said the development showed that Pyongyang now represents a "a new level of threat" to Tokyo and the world. Published March 6, 2017
Rex Tillerson faces heat as State Department issues annual human rights report
A major review published by the State Department on Friday cited serious "human rights problems" in North Korea, Iran, Russia, China, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, Turkey and a host of other nations -- including many with close economic and military ties to Washington. Published March 3, 2017
Islamic State video shows Uighur training in Iraq, hints at terrorism in China
An Islamic State propaganda video circulated this week shows ethnic Uighur fighters training in Iraq and vowing to carry out horrific attacks in their Chinese homeland — the latest sign that the terrorist group hopes to expand operations into East Asia as it loses territory in the Middle East and North Africa. Published March 2, 2017
Rex Tillerson holds Iran deal talks with IAEA chief
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson held private talks with head of the United Nations atomic watchdog agency Thursday in the first direct meeting between the outfit monitoring the Iranian nuclear accord and a senior official from the Trump administration, which has been sharply critical of the 2015 deal. Published March 2, 2017
NATO defense funds not ‘pouring in’ as Donald Trump claims
President Trump may have pleased European allies with a full-throated defense of NATO in his speech to Congress on Tuesday night, but he also raised eyebrows by claiming his own criticism of the alliance has paid off because money is now "pouring in" from member nations to increase their own military budgets. Published March 1, 2017
John Kerry joins Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Former Secretary of State John F. Kerry has joined the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace as its "inaugural visiting distinguished statesman, the global think tank said Wednesday. Published March 1, 2017
Dan Coats promises tough line on Russia as intelligence chief
President Trump's nominee to oversee the U.S. intelligence community said Tuesday an aggressive Russia is one of the top threats facing the country, promising lawmakers he would provide any information Congress seeks in its probe of Moscow's suspected interference in last year's presidential election. Published February 28, 2017
Donald Trump, China discuss strong response to North Korea
China's recent move to cut coal imports from North Korea triggered a biting reaction from Pyongyang, but it may fall far short of the tough measures Washington has called for from Beijing, as pressure mounts on President Trump to deliver on his promise to deal "very strongly" with North Korea. Published February 27, 2017