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When Donald Trump became the U.S. president in January, it was not clear if his foreign and national security policy would reflect the unorthodox ideas of his campaign or whether once in power he would move closer to traditional Republican positions. Trump’s just-completed foreign trip did not fully clarify that, but his prickly, almost hostile interaction with America’s NATO allies demonstrated that a foreign policy and national security revolution may be coming. As Ivo Daalder, the former U.S. envoy to NATO, put it, “This seems to be the end of an era.” Should such a transformation occur, the clearest signs […]

With multiple conflicts raging in the Middle East, the last thing the region needed was yet another vitriolic confrontation bursting to the surface. But that is precisely what has transpired in the wake of U.S. President Donald Trump’s visit to Saudi Arabia. Members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, led by Riyadh, are fuming at the GCC’s maverick member, Qatar, in the aftermath of a very odd chain of events. For now, the clashes have been limited to a war of words, mostly in the media. But the temperature is high, and the crisis has proven remarkable for its failure to […]

The text message read as follows: “Boko Haram recruits young people from 14 years old and above. Conditions for recruitment: 4 subjects at GCE, including religion.” Sent among university students in the central African nation of Cameroon, it was intended as a satirical commentary on the difficult job market they faced: Competition is so fierce, even a notoriously brutal Islamist militant group will demand to see your test scores—“4 subjects at GCE”—before hiring you. The government, however, was not amused. In December 2014, when a teacher saw the joke on a student’s phone and reported it to police, that student […]

Editor’s Note: This article is part of an ongoing series about NATO members’ contributions to and relationships with the alliance. Since joining NATO in 1999, the Czech Republic has been able to modernize its military capabilities while gaining extensive experience with the alliance’s expeditionary missions. But concerns about security in Eastern Europe have caused the government’s focus to shift toward collective defense. In an email interview, Zdenek Kríž, an associate professor of political science at Masaryk University, explains why support for NATO remains high among the Czech population as well as the country’s political and defense establishment. WPR: What is […]

MEXICO CITY — The lengthy and tumultuous prelude to talks between the United States, Mexico and Canada over the North American Free Trade Agreement has in many ways epitomized the chaos and contradictions of Donald Trump’s presidency. Trump has demonized the 23-year-old pact as the “worst trade deal, maybe ever,” but officials from his administration have hailed its potential to create a “regional powerhouse” through further economic integration. The confusion notwithstanding, Trump has forced policymakers to reflect on an agreement that is vital to the interests of all three NAFTA members. But he has also forced them to consider the […]