US Foreign Policy – Journal of Middle Eastern Politics and Policy

Home > US Foreign Policy

“Erdoğan the Good” or “Erdoğan the Bad?” A conversation with Soner Çağaptay on US-Turkey relations following US withdrawal from Syria

October 25, 2019October 25, 2019 Erdogan, Syria, Turkey, US Foreign Policy

Editor-in-Chief Reilly Barry sits down with US-Turkey relations expert Soner Çağaptay to discuss what is important to keep in mind in the bilateral context following major changing events in Syria and renewed US dialogue on the path ahead for the alliance, Turkey’s role in NATO, and the lasting persona of Erdoğan affecting the relationship.

Source: Wikimedia Commons, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Oblique_facade_1,_US_Supreme_Court.jpg

Analysis

Constraining U.S. foreign policy by enforcing current law: a series on Congress’s options to limit arms sales and aid to Saudi Arabia, part 3

March 21, 2019March 21, 2019 Congress, sanctions, US Foreign Policy, war in Yemen, Yemen

To secure a court order, Congress must show that the executive’s refusal to follow the FAA and the Leahy laws uniquely injures the legislative branch in a way that only the courts can remedy.

Source: Wikimedia Commons, United States Air Force

Analysis

Current law constraining the President: a series on Congress’s options to limit arms sales and aid to Saudi Arabia, part 2

March 21, 2019March 21, 2019 Congress, sanctions, US Foreign Policy, war in Yemen, Yemen

The White House’s Saudi policy implicates at least four pieces of existing legislation. If the President refuses to obey them or cuts corners, Congress can bring him to heel directly via impeachment, or indirectly through court orders that force executive branch agencies to halt the restricted activity.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/142213585@N04/26034544653/in/photostream/

Analysis

Facing a President’s veto: a series on Congress’s options to limit arms sales and aid to Saudi Arabia, part 1

March 21, 2019March 21, 2019 Congress, sanctions, US Foreign Policy, war in Yemen, Yemen

Even without a two-thirds majority, Congressional representatives determined to hold Saudi Arabia accountable for its flagrant violations of international law could dodge the veto and limit the President’s actions by enforcing existing laws that nominally prevent the U.S. from supporting states that violate human rights.

Analysis Op-Ed

Another forever war: The US strategy in Syria

February 14, 2018February 21, 2018 Tillerson, US Foreign Policy

In a speech at the Hoover Institution on January 17, United States Secretary of State Rex Tillerson outlined a plan to keep US troops in Syria indefinitely, beholden to an unrealistic set of conditions. Although the new policy identifies areas of concern for the US and its allies in the Middle East, the goals outlined lack specificity and are so broad as to be impractical. If the Trump administration does not narrow its goals in Syria, it risks turning Syria into a conflict as open-ended as Afghanistan.

Event Review

How foreign aid undermines good rebellions in Syria

October 13, 2017February 21, 2018 Syria, US Foreign Policy

Despite the international community’s efforts to shape governance in Syria, moderate opposition groups have failed to gain a foothold in the country’s political sphere. This is largely related to the international community’s strategy in Syria, which has shifted from demanding the departure of Bashar al-Assad to providing humanitarian assistance and countering the Islamic State. As part of this shift, the international community has emphasized the promotion of a “good” rebellion and governance training for rebel groups in Syria.