Questions tagged [foreign-policy]
A country's foreign policy, consists of self-interest strategies chosen by the state to safeguard its national interests and to achieve goals within its international relations milieu.
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Can you provide an historical analysis of the influence exerted by different offices within the US government on the formation of its foreign policy?
You frequently hear critics of US foreign policy such as Mearsheimer or Chomsky say that the US president has rather little power over it and that well-established officials and bureaucrats actually ...
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How does the USA know that the balloon they shot down was Chinese?
The USA has recently created a hot sensation around the globe by shooting down four aerial objects, the most prominent one being the 'Chinese Balloon'. How does the USA even know that the balloon is ...
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When was the last time that the British Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer were both former Foreign Secretaries?
Liz Truss and Jeremy Hunt, respectively the British Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer, are both former Foreign Secretaries.
When was the last time that this was true of the holders of ...
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Vital US interests: how are they defined and are they different between Republicans and Democrats?
In March 2022, the White House declared the ultimate goals of the DoD in their National Defense Strategy (NDS).
I did not read it, because as far as I know it is still classified, but I found ...
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What is "proportionate response" in international relations?
I have seen in quite a few answers here, and in general on the internet about the theory of "proportionate response" - in context of activities that nations do against other nations.
I'd ...
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Why did Switzerland de facto abandon their neutrality?
Switzerland has imposed sanctions on Russia due to the conflict in Ukraine
"Swiss set to match EU sanctions if China invades Taiwan — agency chief"
These cases look like Switzerland de ...
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Does the US have a plan B in case the negotiations with Iran fail?
On October 13, 2021, the Guardian talked about a possible "plan B" in case Iran doesn't want to rejoin the negotiations, but did not clarify what that "Plan B" practically means, ...
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Which countries (if any) does Russia characterize as its allies?
When discussing foreign policy, at least in English, many political leaders will mention the importance of working with their country's allies.
A case in point would be the US and recent statements ...
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Which countries (if any) does China characterize as its allies?
When discussing foreign policy, at least in English, many political leaders will mention the importance of working with their country's allies.
A case in point would be the US and recent statements ...
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Has Macron explained which outcomes/situations he thinks (or perhaps was even let on by Putin) would be "humiliating" for Russia?
A fair bit of commentary has been written about Macron saying that Russia must not be "humiliated" in this war. Zelensky, for instance, said he doesn't understand what Macron is talking ...
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What are the societal and economic benefits of Britain's military spending?
The United Kingdom spends considerably more on defense as a percentage of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) among countries with a similar need. According to Wikipedia, the United Kingdom spends 2.2% of ...
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When and in which context did Henry Kissinger say "the policy is better than the arguments"? Are there notable examples?
In the February 5, 2022 American Purpose video "The Right, Russia, and Ukraine" with David Frum after about 03:00, Frum discusses the US Republican Party's general support for the US' ...
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How do political leaders decide what to do next in a crisis? [closed]
At present, politicians both in "the West" and in Russia may well be under the most extreme pressure of their entire careers. How do they all keep cool heads, and reach decisions about what ...
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Is the UK taking any steps towards better regulation of foreign investments after Russia started the invasion of Ukraine?
The Guardian suggests that Russian oligarchs used some legal loopholes to invest in UK, thus managing to secure some of their assets. The same article cites possible solutions for happening this in ...
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Guardrails against the German president from "going rogue"; violating norms and guidelines and unilaterally making/blocking foreign policy decisions?
I first saw the following line in Politico's April 13, 2022 Zelenskyy’s Steinmeier snub triggers backlash in Germany referring to German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Olaf Scholz:
...
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What is Jake Sullivan's position on defending Taiwan?
I'd like to know what National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's position is regarding deploying troops to Taiwan in the event of a Chinese attack/invasion.
I've asked the related but different ...
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What is Jake Sullivan's policy on arming and supplying Taiwan?
I'd like to know what the current US National Security Advisor (Jake Sullivan)'s position on arming and supplying Taiwan is.
The Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs (APNSA), ...
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How could the US benefit from replacing strategic ambiguity with the proposed "Dual Clarity Toward Taiwan"? In what ways constrained or foiled?
The TheDefensePost.com 2022-03-22 Op-Ed piece US Should Abandon Strategic Ambiguity for ‘Dual Clarity’ Toward Taiwan is a letter by four academics which proposes a new "Dual Clarity" ...
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How does China square its doctrine of "non-interference in internal affairs" with tacit support for Russia's invasion of Ukraine?
China has a long-standing policy of (at least publicly) not interfering in other countries internal affairs, and condemning any other country's 'interference' (read criticism) in its own 'internal' ...
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Has Russia recognized land currently held by Ukraine as sovereign territory of the LPR/DPR?
In the context of the recognition of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic by Russia, I cannot seem to find whether the territories of said republics correspond only to what ...
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Why does the US treat the problems of Russia and Ukraine as its own?
In this question, I do not raise questions about the conflicts themselves. The question is different - how is the fact that the United States recognizes these problems as its own justified from a ...
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Why does the US keep announcing what they think Russia is going to do in Ukraine?
There must be some motive here that I can't understand. For one I can easily think of reasons why the US wouldn't want to make public the things that they know, if not for any other reason than to ...
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Connection Between American Energy Policy and Russian Foreign Policy
As quoted in this article, in a Fox and Friends interview, Representative Michael Waltz of Florida claimed that
Biden’s failed energy policies are directly leading to instability around the world. ...
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"I'd shut it down now"; Mitt Romney's articulated justification and proposed means for shutting down the Nord Stream 2 pipeline?
On NBC News' Full Romney Interview: 'The President Needs To Stop And Reset' at about 01:57: US Senator Mitt Romney says that he'd shut down the Nord Stream 2 pipeline now:
Q: ...So, what is it that ...
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Is "rebuttable presumption" a new thing in US foreign policy? (presumption of Xinjiang forced labor)
CNN's article Biden signs bill banning goods from China's Xinjiang over forced labor says:
The Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act is part of the US pushback against Beijing's treatment of China's ...
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How did Turkish media change their tune on al-Sisi (allegedly) in lockstep with the new Turkish foreign policy on Egypt?
It's fairly well known that government/AKP-aligned actors have taken an increased share of control of Turkish media, be it directly through acquisitions or through advertisement revenue.
I'm curious ...
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Could the U.S. Federal Reserve cancel the U.S. dollars held in foreign country's reserves?
Say the U.S. wanted to punish or disable some foreign power that had lots of U.S. dollar reserves. Don't those foreign power reserves sit on a ledger (or a Federal Reserve chartered bank's ledger) ...
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Why has 20 years of US occupation not removed the Taliban in Afghanistan?
With the withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan, a question one might ask is how is Taliban still in power, in fact gaining more control? It is known that the majority of the Taliban's income comes ...
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Doesn't NATO have something to say about conflicts with non-NATO allies?
I was just reading this article detailing how Turkey purchased tanks from Germany to fight the Kurds, who had been armed by the British and the US.
So a NATO member bought weapons from another NATO ...
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Did Taiwan support "Hong Kongers" trying to resettle as its president said?
This answer to What did Taiwan's president Tsai Ing-wen actually say that it would do for "Hong Kongers"? says (paraphrased):
(Taiwan) means to help new settlements of Hong Kong people... ...
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Would alleged 3 weeks of talks between Biden and Iran violate Logan act?
As per Le Figaro (a French newspaper), Biden officials have been in talks with Iran for the past 3 weeks - which means 3 weeks before inauguration.
Would that violate the Logan Act? (assuming the ...
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What would a Green Party's position be when their country is under military invasion? [closed]
This question is referring to political parties that advocate green politics in general, rather than any specific party in a particular country.
While I understand that pacifist and anti-war policies ...
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Does US' foreign policy depend upon the party or does it have a special board that recommends it what is best irrespective of the ruling party?
I have learned that Iran sanctions are not new but was intensified (maybe/maybe not for good) by Prez Trump's administration. Relations with China too was with ups and downs if we see it historically.
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What and how is the relationship between the United States of America plus the European Union on the African Union? [closed]
I've seen a photo of Ivanka Trump and H.E.AMB.Kwesi Quartey and I wanted to ask what the Relationship between the US and the African Union is as well as the European Union, as cooperation between both ...
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What have been Trump's successful policies/reforms? [duplicate]
Honestly, I'm not personally inclined to support Trump because his rhetoric and misinformation tactics rub me the wrong the way, but I make a point to consume centered media as often as I can and I ...
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Is it true that the US has stepped into foreign conflicts mostly under Democratic presidents? [closed]
I recently read about a strange trend: Since the start of the 20th century, the United States has stepped in or started conflicts involving the direct use of military force mainly under presidents ...
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What are Russia's views on nuclear proliferation in South Asia?
I am going to attend a Mock UN session soon, so any fast answers optionally with sources would be amazing.
South Asia has been a region of conflict since a long time, but things are heating up a lot. ...
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What is a clustered state and what are some examples of one?
In the book Foreign Policy Analysis by Chris Adlen and Amnon Aran, the authors talk about the idea of a "clustered state" as opposed to an "institutional state", but I'm unclear on exactly what they ...
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Which dictators has Trump had meetings with during his presidency?
Donald Trump claims he has to meet with "presidents, prime ministers, dictators, kings, queens – I don’t know, somehow I don’t see it [referring to wearing a face mask] for myself." Besides the safe ...
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Have any details been released (or leaked) on the Trump-Hifter (=Haftar) call?
A NYT article on Libyan civil war states:
And the messages from Washington have been mixed. Days after Mr. Pompeo urged Mr. Hifter to stop his assault on Tripoli in April, President Trump called Mr....
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Are there polls/studies of how much US voters are influenced by foreign policy?
Have there been any polls or studies asking Americans how much their vote is influenced by foreign policy concerns?
For example, how much does the foreign policies of a president weigh on the choice ...
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Is there a list of countries (by year) that received a lesser State Department CPC/SWL designation relative to the USCIRF tier recommendation?
USCIRF is a federally mandated commission which is partly appointed by Congress and partly by the President. One of the main jobs of the Commision is to tier countries based on their religious freedom....
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Is the United States selective in its support of human rights in other countries?
It is common for the US government to make statements condemning what it considers to be human rights abuses in other countries.
This happens frequently with Russia, China, Iran, etc. But it seems to ...
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Do countries other than the US have politically appointed ambassadors?
I read this question about US ambassadors being appointed without any formal career in the field but because of donations for a campaign.
Apparently in the US there are more or less two ways to be ...
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Why is it ethical for Ambassador Sondland to have been given an ambassadorship for campaign contributions?
Ambassador Sondland donated 1 million dollars to Trumps inauguration, and then was appointed to a high profile ambassadorship. He never worked in the government previously, has no credentials, no ...
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Trump's proclivity for withholding foreign or military aid?
Besides Ukraine, has the Trump Administration withheld or postponed aid (foreign or military aid) to another country?
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How unusual is Rudy Giuliani's involvement in government?
Recently Rudy Giuliani's name has been all over the news, and my understanding is that he has been deeply involved in negotiating US foreign policy in Ukraine. From Wikipedia's article on the Trump–...
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Is Qatar still backing any sides in the Yemen conflict?
There are some news from 2015 that back then Qatar was deploying 1,000 troops in Yemen as part of the Saudi-led coalition.
But after Qatar's 2017 fallout with the Saudis and much of the Arab world, ...
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Is there a concise snapshot summary of US foreign aid and its purposes?
U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, was quoted in media reports as saying:
"You don’t hold up foreign aid that we had previously appropriated for a political initiative. Period.”
I'm curious if that's ...
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Is the Trump-Zelensky phone call expected to erode support for Trump among his (hardcore) supporters? [closed]
Clearly one can give various high-minded reasons why what Trump did in relation to Ukraine/Zelensky is unforgivable, under the worst interpretation, i.e. assuming Trump pressured Zelensky by ...
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