Foreign Policy
US, Russia in nuclear arms cuts deal
WASHINGTON — The United States and Russia have reached an "agreement in principle" to slash their nuclear weapons stockpiles, the first such pact in nearly two decades, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
US Senate OKs sanctions on Iran's fuel suppliers
The Senate on Thursday approved legislation that would let President Barack Obama impose sanctions on Iran's gasoline suppliers and penalize some of Tehran's elites, a move aimed at pressuring Tehran to give up its nuclear program.
Clinton cancels Asia trip to help with Haiti earthquake response
HONOLULU -- Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Wednesday that she would cancel the remainder of her trip to the Asia-Pacific region because of the earthquake in Haiti, returning to Washington to help to coordinate the U.S. response to ...
Hillary Clinton Accepts Japan's Delay on US Base Decision
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Tuesday the Obama administration feels assured of Japan's commitment to a continuing security alliance with the United States, even as Tokyo weighs abandoning a 2006 deal on a U.S. Marine air base.
Obama Security Aide to Join Mideast Peace Push
President Barack Obama's national security adviser will visit the Middle East for high-level talks next week, joining a renewed U.S. effort to coax Israel and the Palestinians to resume long-stalled peace talks.
No plan to send troops to Yemen, Obama says
WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama says he has "no intention" of sending US troops to fight militants in Yemen and Somalia, despite growing concern over the presence of militant cells there.
US role in Yemen focused on training, intelligence: Pentagon
WASHINGTON — The Pentagon said on Thursday it respected Yemen's sovereignty after a top official in Sanaa warned against any US military intervention in the country.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to visit Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea
WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will leave next week on a visit to Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea that will touch on international security issues, development and the environment.
U.S. defense bill would pay Taliban to switch sides
The defense bill President Barack Obama will sign into law on Wednesday contains a new provision that would pay Taliban fighters who renounce the insurgency, Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin said on Tuesday.
U.S. official resigns over Afghan war
When Matthew Hoh joined the Foreign Service early this year, he was exactly the kind of smart civil-military hybrid the administration was looking for to help expand its development efforts in Afghanistan.
U.S. tested 2 Afghan scenarios in war game
The Pentagon's top military officer oversaw a secret war game this month to evaluate the two primary military options that have been put forward by the Pentagon and are being weighed by the Obama administration as part of a broad-based review of t...
US civilian program for Afghanistan failing: report
WASHINGTON — The United States is falling far short of its goals to fight Afghanistan's endemic corruption, create a functioning government and legal system and train a police force riddled with incompetence, The New York Times reported late Sunday.
US Defense Chief Says Iran Faces ‘Severe’ Sanctions
WASHINGTON — The disclosure of a new nuclear enrichment site in Iran places the government “in a very bad spot” and raises the prospect of “severe additional sanctions,” Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in an interview broadcast Sunday.
US signals major policy shift towards Burma
The US government is to embark on a major policy shift towards Burma after concluding that its long-term policy of sanctions had failed to sway the junta.
Sources: McChrystal Wants Up to 40,000 More US Troops in Afghanistan
Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is privately requesting between 30,000 and 40,000 more troops, a request that has produced "sticker shock" and "huge resistance" among key lawmakers, sources told FOX News.
U.S. scraps missile defense shield plans in Europe
The United States has suspended Bush-administration plans for a missile defense shield in Poland and the Czech Republic, officials from both countries said Thursday -- a move likely to please Russia, which had fiercely opposed the plans.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton leaves for India on Thursday on a high-profile mission to deepen ties and dispel any doubts about the U.S. commitment to New Delhi under U.S. President Barack Obama.
Hillary Clinton deplores Iran's actions but offers to talk
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday deplored Iran's crushing of dissent after June's election but said the Obama administration still wanted talks with Tehran over its nuclear program.
The U.S. government has provided about 40 tonnes of weapons and ammunition to Somalia's embattled government in the past six weeks to help it fight Islamist insurgents, a senior U.S. official said on Friday.
US to send weapons aid to Somalia
The Obama administration has decided to bolster efforts to support Somalia's embattled government by providing money for weapons and helping the military in neighboring Djibouti train Somali forces, U.S. officials said Thursday.