Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Russia emerges as key player in new round of Syria diplomacy
Moscow is increasingly emerging as a center of diplomacy on Syria's four-year-old civil war, with the Obama administration sending a key emissary to the Russian capital discuss the conflict on Friday, following recent visits by high-level Saudi, Jordanian and Iranian officials -- as well as key members of the Syrian political opposition. Published August 28, 2015
Marco Rubio urges crackdown on China’s ‘authoritarian ruler’ Xi Xingping
Republican presidential hopeful Sen. Marco Rubio says Chinese President Xi Xingping is an "authoritarian ruler" and that President Obama should downgrade the Chinese leader's upcoming Washington trip to a "working visit," not role out the red carpet for him. Published August 28, 2015
More than 200 retired generals and admirals urge Congress to reject Iran deal
The number of retired generals and admirals signing on to a letter to Congress rejecting the Iran nuclear deal continued to swell Thursday, with some 214 of the former high-level U.S. military officers putting their stamp on the document that asserts the "agreement will enable Iran to become far more dangerous" and "introduce new threats to American interests." Published August 27, 2015
Saudi Arabia royal family’s grasp on power threatened by drop in oil prices
The sharp drop in oil prices is starting to bite for the world's longtime top oil-producing nation, Saudi Arabia, and could threaten the seemingly unshakable social contract that has seen the kingdom's royal family rule for nearly a century with almost no opposition or oversight from the nation's masses. Published August 26, 2015
Bashar Assad, Syria’s president, says Russia and Iran support won’t wane
Syrian President Bashar Assad says Iran-back Hezbollah fighters are playing a completely legitimate role in bolstering Syria's military against terrorists and that he has "strong confidence" Russia will also continue to support his embattled regime. Published August 26, 2015
Caroline Kennedy oversight of Japanese embassy slammed in IG report
The State Department's internal watchdog leveled biting criticism at the management style of U.S. Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy in a new audit on Tuesday, citing "confusion among staff" and "major management challenges" in key offices at the Tokyo embassy. Published August 25, 2015
Islamic State cell raided in Spain and Morocco; 14 suspects arrested
Authorities in Spain and Morocco rounded up 14 suspected members of an Islamic State cell on Tuesday in a wide-ranging joint operation that saw one suspect detained near Madrid and the others taken into custody in several Moroccan cities. Published August 25, 2015
China’s woes threaten global economy; White House begs Xi Jinping for transparency
Fears mounted Monday that China's deepening economic woes could soon derail the global economy, as stock markets nosedived around the world and the Obama administration pleaded with Beijing to be more transparent about its economy to win back investor confidence. Published August 24, 2015
Iran planning ballistic missile war games
A top commander in the Iranian Islamic Revolution Guards Corps said Friday that Iran is preparing to hold massive "ballistic missiles war games," following an announcement that Tehran plans to begin phasing in a new generation of such missiles. Published August 21, 2015
Israel fights back, launches airstrikes at Syria
The Israeli Air Force launched a second wave of airstrikes on southwestern Syria on Friday morning in retaliation to a barrage of rockets that hit Israel a day earlier -- the first time since 1973 that rockets from Syrian territory have soared into Israel. Published August 21, 2015
North Korea, South Korea exchange artillery fire as rising tensions alarm U.S. officials
U.S. officials expressed growing alarm Thursday after North and South Korea fired dozens of artillery rounds at each other, ratcheting tensions on the divided peninsula to their highest point in nearly a year. Published August 20, 2015
Russia-Ukraine clashes spark fears Vladimir Putin may greenlight offensive
With the Obama administration's attention focused on crises elsewhere, the 6-month-old fragile cease-fire between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russia separatists has deteriorated steadily in recent weeks, reigniting fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin is poised to greenlight a fresh offensive to seize more territory across the border. Published August 19, 2015
Arab League agrees to use military force against ISIS in Libya, unsure on airstrikes
Arab powers made a collective call to militarily confront the Islamic State in Libya on Tuesday, but stopped short of agreeing to conduct airstrikes against the extremists in the North African nation and offered few specifics on what the strategy will entail. Published August 18, 2015
China, Russia to launch largest-ever joint navy exercise
The Chinese and Russian navies are gearing up for their largest ever joint exercises, slated to begin Thursday in the Pacific with more than 20 ships from the two nations and to feature anti-submarine operations as well as a joint-beach landing. Published August 18, 2015
Islamic State takes hold in Libya; Arab League weighs airstrikes in emergency meeting
While the American-led campaign against the Islamic State has focused on Syria and Iraq, the terror group's burgeoning spread into North Africa is prompting increased unease among European and Arab powers wary of the extremists' growing hold on territory in the political vacuum in Libya. Published August 17, 2015
Obama’s Syria ‘safe zone’ plan lacks moderate rebels needed to carry it out
The Obama administration's move to partner with Turkey to carve out a "safe zone" in northern Syria is drawing increasing criticism from national security insiders on both the left and right who see a gaping hole in the plan: There aren't enough U.S.-friendly rebels on the ground to secure and hold the territory. Published August 10, 2015
Russians suspected in Pentagon email hack
Following warnings from top military officials about the growing threat of cyberattacks on Defense Department networks, it was revealed Thursday that Pentagon was forced to take its Joint Staff unclassified email system offline last month after it was accessed by alleged Russian hackers. Published August 6, 2015
U.S. should embed military advisers to fight Islamic State, think tank says
The U.S. should embed military advisers at the battalion level in Iraq and begin directly arming the nation's Kurdish militias and Sunni tribal fighters, according a policy brief issued Thursday by an influential Washington think tank that asserts the Obama administration's current efforts to counter the Islamic State are "not adequate to the task." Published August 6, 2015
More U.S.-based jihadi terror cases in 2015 than in any year since 9/11: report
There have been more U.S.-based jihadi terror cases in 2015 than in any full year since 9/11, according to a "Terror Threat Snapshot" report released Tuesday by the Republican chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, who asserts that U.S. officials must "do more to take the fight to the enemy overseas at its source." Published August 4, 2015
Islamic State attacks beyond Syria, Iraq prompt U.S. concern
A surge in attacks claimed by Islamic State fighters in nations beyond Syria and Iraq is prompting concern among U.S. intelligence officials, who say the pattern fits into the extremist group's ambition to grow a network of affiliates, or "provinces," from North Africa to Asia. Published August 3, 2015