Donald Trump has done about all he can to undermine expertise & experience in our intelligence services, the FBI and the State Department. He makes foreign policy on the fly, based on his "gut" feelings, eschewing the advice of those that actually know things. Richard North Patterson, of the Council on Foreign Relations said it best in December, even before Trump made the unfortunate decision to assassinate the top Iranian military commander, Qasem Soleimani. The Bulwark: "Fo

Donald Trump and his national security team have been trying to convince Europe to abandon the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action [Iran Nuclear Deal] and reimpose sanctions as the United States did last year. The other signatories to the deal in Europe, Germany, France, and Britain, along with China, Russia and the European Union realized from the start that President Trump had made a colossal blunder in exiting the agreement and had no viable strategy, aside from fits of twi

This week, in a direct challenge to the Trump administration, Iran and N. Korea tested missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads. Both nations want sanctions relief and are slowly ratcheting up pressure on Washington to respond. Moreover, both nations feel that they are gaining the upper hand in their high-profile face-offs with Washington. Business Insider: "North Korea test-fired two short-range missiles, one flying 267 miles and another 428 miles. Seoul assessed the we

After four years of fighting, the United Arab Emirates [UAE] is abandoning their Saudi allies in Yemen as they begin to draw down their ground forces in what they are calling a  “strategic redeployment." They had provided the bulk of the ground forces for the Sunni alliance as they have battled Yemen's Houthi rebels. The UAE's decision to begin withdrawing their forces seems to signal that they no longer believe a military victory is possible. The New York Times: "The Emirat

Iran is now directly challenging the Trump administration. Officials in Tehran said today that they had boosted uranium enrichment above a cap set by the landmark 2015 Iran nuclear deal in response to treaty violations by the other signatories to the agreement. However, Iran promised to back off uranium enrichment and to honor the terms of the JCPOA if Europe can find an effective way to protect it from US sanctions, especially on oil sales. Washington Post: "Iran’s Foreign

Iran shot down an American surveillance drone Wed. night near the Strait of Hormuz. Iran accepted responsibility, claiming it was in their airspace. US officials disputed that and President Trump ordered, then cancelled, a retaliatory strike on Iranian radar installations and missile batteries. The drone shoot-down followed U.S. claims that Iran had attacked oil tankers in the Gulf of Oman. Iran has also warned that it would soon ramp up its uranium enrichment past the limits