North Korea has barred IAEA inspectors from all portions of the Yongbyon nuclear facility. They had previously expelled monitors from only a small portion of the overall facility. North Korea has had the UN remove all seals and surveillance equipment from the reactor....
Draft NIE Warns of “Downward Spiral” in Afghanistan
The National Intelligence Estimate on Afghanistan is nearing completion, and while as reported before the document will be classified, the New York Times has spoken with officials privy to the contents of a draft version of the report, and offers some new insights on...
Petraeus: US Should Talk With Talk With Taliban, Other Enemies
Much has been made of the rumored peace talks between Afghanistan and the Taliban, and while both the Taliban and the Afghan government have made rather public denials that any such talks are ongoing, the United States has been totally silent on the report. That is,...
US Says Prepared for Anything as South Claims North Korea Developing Nuclear Warhead
South Korean Joint Chiefs chairman General Kim Tae-Young says he believes North Korea is attempting to develop, or may have already developed a nuclear warhead small enough to be carried by its missiles. He said it was not clear if they already had the warheads or...
“No Timetable” for SOFA as Troop Immunity Remains a Sticking Point
Though Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte claimed that the Status of Forces Agreement with the Iraqi government is "close," the question of troop immunity remains a point of serious contention between the two sides. Serious enough that until the issue is...
US Inquiry Revises Herat Civilian Toll, Still Disputes UN, Afghan Accounts
Updated 10/8 2:20 PM EST The United States has concluded its promised inquiry into August's air strike in Afghanistan's Herat Province. Both Afghan and UN investigations concluded that the US strike killed at least 90 civilians, most of them children. The US hotly...
2008 “Town-Hall” Presidential Debate – A Foreign Policy Breakdown
Presidential candidates Sen. John McCain and Sen. Barack Obama held a town-hall style presidential debate this evening in Nashville, TN, and though the bulk of the discussion focused on domestic policy the two did make several noteworthy foreign policy comments late...
Pakistani Defense Secretary Says Pulling Out of US Alliance Not Possible
With the United States and Pakistan at loggerheads over the escalation of US military strikes in North and South Waziristan, Pakistan's US-friendly ruling coalition is seen as increasingly weak and major opposition figures are clamoring for a complete pullout from the...
Upbeat Petraeus Sees “A Little Bit Less” Fragility in Iraq
After months of declaring the decreased violence in Iraq "fragile and reversible," incoming CENTCOM chief General David Petraeus strayed somewhat off-script in a speech today to the Association of the U.S. Army. He once against reiterated the "fragile and reversible"...
Evidence Appears to Confirm US Claims that Hijacked Tanks Were Heading for South Sudan
It has now been nearly two weeks since pirates seized a cargo of Ukrainian military equipment off the Somali coast. The cargo, which included 33 T-72 battle tanks, was ostensibly bound for Kenya. Just days after their capture, however, the US navy said it believed...