Guy Taylor
Articles by Guy Taylor
Israeli-Palestinian tension at highest point since summer war
President Obama condemned "strongly" the attacks Tuesday that killed four worshipers at a synagogue in Jerusalem, including three Americans. Published November 18, 2014
State Department cyber attack prompts shutdown of email system
The State Department computer system fell victim to a cyber attack during recent weeks, according to U.S. officials who say the incident prompted a full shutdown of the department's unclassified email system and occurred around the same time hackers penetrated systems at the White House. Published November 17, 2014
Taiwan-U.S. trade may benefit from GOP-led Senate
A top Taiwanese development official says Taipei is optimistic the Republican takeover of the U.S. Senate will accelerate Washington's pursuit of a free trade pact between the West and Asia, and is hopeful about the prospects of a direct U.S.-Taiwan deal. Published November 16, 2014
Audit: State Dept. fails to track billions of U.S. dollars in Afghan anti-drug efforts
The State Department has failed to create a system for tracking whether the U.S. government’s multi-billion dollar counternarcotics efforts in Afghanistan have worked over the past decade, a new audit reports. Published November 14, 2014
Islamic State, al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front align as Pentagon reconsiders combat troops
President Obama's top military advisers revealed Thursday that the administration is rethinking whether to deploy combat ground troops in the fight against the Islamic State. Published November 13, 2014
U.S. cutting into Islamic State’s revenue stream
The Treasury Department's top official for tracking terrorist financing says money continues to flow to the Islamic State, but Washington is beginning to bite hard on the group's revenue streams and its ability to pay fighters in Iraq and Syria. Published November 13, 2014
Hagel: Obama administration plans to widen air campaign against Islamic State
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Thursday that he is "sober about the challenges" ahead in the growing war against the Islamic State and stressed that the Obama administration is planing to widen to soon widen the scope of the current campaign of airstrikes against the group in Syria and Iraq. Published November 13, 2014
New China counterterrorism initiative to focus on intelligence gathering
The Chinese government has launched an new initiative that will use "big data" to improve intelligence gathering for counterterrorism operations — most likely to focus on activity among the Muslim ethnic Uighur groups in the nation's Western Xinjang region. Published November 13, 2014
Russia pushes into Ukraine, prompting Obama rebuke but no new sanctions
NATO accused Russia's military Wednesday of pushing into eastern Ukraine, prompting rebukes from the Obama administration but no sign that Washington or its Western European allies are preparing to increase economic sanctions against Moscow. Published November 12, 2014
Islamic State seeks influence beyond Mideast; group’s emissaries visited Pakistan
Fresh evidence of the Islamic State movements attempts to garner influence beyond the in the Middle East emerged Wednesday when as a Pakistani militant group said it had met with visiting emissaries from the Syria and Iraq based terrorist group. Published November 12, 2014
7 al Qaeda fighters killed amid surge of drone strikes in Yemen
Seven suspected al Qaeda militants were killed Wednesday by a drone strike in southern Yemen, the latest in a significant uptick of counterterrorist strikes reportedly being carried out in the Mideast nation by the Obama administration. Published November 12, 2014
Iran, Russia strike nuclear reactor deal
Russia's atomic agency announced Tuesday it will build eight civilian nuclear reactors for Iran, a move that adds complexity and tension to ongoing Western negotiations over the Islamic republic's disputed nuclear program. Published November 11, 2014
Al Qaeda frustrated by global popularity of Islamic State: report
The Islamic State movement's "meteoric rise" in global popularity presents a direct challenge to what intelligence officials describe as the al Qaeda movement's "original core" in the Pakistan-Afghanistan border region. Published November 11, 2014
Former U.N. inspector: Despite negotiations, West in the dark about Iran’s nuclear acitivities
A former top nuclear inspector for the U.N. says that despite ongoing nuclear talks with Iran, the Islamic republic may be within months of developing a nuclear weapon because the international community remains in the dark about Tehran's stockpiles of nuclear material and advanced uranium enrichment centrifuges. Published November 11, 2014
Gunmen kill 5 nuclear engineers in Syrian capital: reports
Five nuclear engineers were gunned down Sunday night on the outskirts of Syria's capital, Damascus, according to assorted reports. Published November 10, 2014
Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, Islamic State leader, wounded in airstrike, reports say
U.S. and Iraqi officials were scrambling Sunday night to determine the extent of injuries suffered by Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi amid conflicting reports that the terrorist leader had been wounded over the weekend by an airstrike in Western Iraq. Published November 9, 2014
Republican Senate takeover gives war hawks, neocons bully pulpit
Republican insiders say legislation already is in the works to pressure the White House into expanding the war against the Islamic State and increasing pressure on Russia and Iran, as the GOP takeover of the Senate provides neocons and war hawks with their first bully pulpit since the end of George W. Bush's presidency. Published November 6, 2014
GOP likely to fall short of votes to reject potential Iran nuclear deal
Republicans controlling both houses of Congress will have new license to pressure the Obama administration on foreign and national security policy, but congressional sources and analysts say it remains unlikely the GOP will have the power to play spoiler if the White House decides to accept an Iranian nuclear deal that allows Tehran to continue enriching uranium. Published November 5, 2014
With Iran deadline looming, Obama’s top negotiator tapped for new post
The Obama administration's top diplomat in the sensitive negotiations over Iran's nuclear program has now been tapped to serve as acting deputy secretary of state. Published November 3, 2014
Obama administration decries Israeli expansion in East Jerusalem as ‘unfortunate’
The Obama administration sounded a defeated note of displeasure Monday following Israel's announcement that it will push forward with plans to build new apartments in East Jerusalem despite criticism over the past week from Washington and other world capitals. Published November 3, 2014
