President Donald Trump withdrew the nomination of Joel Rayburn to lead the State Department’s Near Eastern affairs bureau, leaving the office in the hands of a controversial interim leader. The primary obstacle to Rayburn’s nomination appears to have been his role in the first Trump administration working under James Jeffrey, who later admitted to misleading Trump about the number of U.S. troops in Syria in an effort to prevent a military withdrawal from the country. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky....| Responsible Statecraft
President Donald Trump announced new sanctions on Russia’s leading oil producers in a move aimed at turning the screws on Moscow — and countries that continue to buy Russian oil, like India and Turkey. The decision surprised many Ukraine war observers, who have struggled to discern the logic behind Trump’s approach to the conflict in recent weeks. Just days before the sanctions announcement, Trump had held a seemingly cordial phone call with Russian President Vladimir Putin, after which...| Responsible Statecraft
Discussing ongoing U.S. strikes against alleged drug smugglers, Sen. Todd Young (R-Ind.) called for lawmakers to assert congressional authority over when the U.S. uses armed force — and work to bring unauthorized conflicts to a close altogether. At today’s Axios Future of Defense Summit, Sen. Young complained the Trump administration was not giving lawmakers enough information about its ongoing offensive against so-called “narco-terrorists,” in the Caribbean sea near Venezuela (though...| Responsible Statecraft
At a swanky Tuesday night event in Washington, DC, defense tech start-up ShieldAI announced what it describes as the world’s “first autonomous fighter jet.” The stealth plane, known as the X-BAT, “has the ability to organically close its own kill chains without reliance on third party assets,” bragged ShieldAI executive Armor Harris, adding that it can carry “the full arsenal of air-to-air, surface strike, [and] air-to-ground weapons.” The goal, in Harris’s view, is to create ...| Responsible Statecraft
The ceasefire agreement in Gaza is hanging by a thread as both Israel and Hamas face allegations of violating the terms of the deal, which went into force on Monday. Israel claims that Hamas has been dragging its feet on returning the remains of deceased hostages. So far, the Palestinian armed group has only managed to deliver the bodies of nine of the remaining 28 deceased hostages. Hamas claims that it is moving as quickly as it can given the difficulties of finding bodies that may be burie...| Responsible Statecraft
The attack could throw a wrench into U.S. relations with Gulf states, experts say| Responsible Statecraft
"We are beginning to see signs of a potential collapse of (Ukrainian) lines that are buckling"| Responsible Statecraft
FEMA money to be contingent on pledge against any boycotts or divestment of Israeli companies| Responsible Statecraft
Exchanging nuclear threats like this is pure theater and we should not be applauding| Responsible Statecraft
As Jerusalem looks to change war tactics, Washington defers| Responsible Statecraft
American who served as an armed contractor said they were instructed to shoot civilians at Gaza food sites| Responsible Statecraft
Lawmakers also question the use of American contractors at the aid hubs| Responsible Statecraft
The senator applauded aid entering the Strip, said Arabs should take over West Bank and Gaza| Responsible Statecraft
A war with China over the island should be off the table (VIDEO)| Responsible Statecraft
The former national security adviser was reportedly coordinating with Israel to do it| Responsible Statecraft
Reports today suggest both sides — on deadline — submitted drafts for preliminary peace accord| Responsible Statecraft
New leadership brings SDF into central govt, leaving little reason for Washington to keep protecting it| Responsible Statecraft
He's had some dumb ideas too but he's running circles around the left| Responsible Statecraft
He deserves special gratitude from the Ukrainian and European establishments for telling the truth before things go way too far| Responsible Statecraft
The newly minted secretary of state undermined the basis of primacy| Responsible Statecraft
Gabbard gets a boost ahead of tumultuous hearing on Thursday| Responsible Statecraft
Recreating the project on American soil would be hugely expensive and largely pointless| Responsible Statecraft
We underestimated Israel's capacity for revenge and the world's ability and/or willingness to stop it| Responsible Statecraft
They accuse him of prolonging war while their loved ones languish| Responsible Statecraft