#Barack Obama

See All Press
China’s Investment in Africa Faces Challenges in Madagascar
December 18, 2014 3 min. read

With the recent U.S. “pivot to Asia,” some analysts argue the U.S. is losing interest and influence in Africa, resulting in China overtaking the United States as Africa’s largest trading partner.

Read more
Another Vietnamese Fishing Boat Attacked
December 8, 2014 4 min. read

Last Thursday, a Vietnamese wooden fishing boat returning to the central province of Quang Ngai was badly damaged following attacks from three Chinese vessels near the Paracel Islands, which the Vietnamese call the Hoang Sa.

Read more
Two Big Players Enter the Fray
November 19, 2014 6 min. read

During President Obama’s recent trip spanning China, Myanmar and Australia, he along with Chinese President Xi Jingping announced what amounts to a historic agreement between the nations to reduce greenhouse emissions (amongst agreements to extend visas and trade deals to eliminate tariffs on IT products).

Read more
Beijing Loses Face over Partial Lifting of U.S. Arms Embargo on Vietnam
October 3, 2014 3 min. read

Beijing’s formidable display of aggression this year has once again backfired, as its neighbors continue to beef up their military capabilities and forge defensive pacts both within and outside the region.

Read more
Is Vietnam Spinning Out of China’s Orbit?
August 14, 2014 5 min. read

Beijing’s formidable display of aggression this year is backfiring, as its neighbors scramble to beef up their military capabilities and forge defensive alliances both within and outside the region. One such notable alliance making the headlines this past week is between the U.S. and Vietnam. Vietnam, much like U.S. allies Japan and the Philippines, is […]

Read more
GailForce: Are we or are we not still at war with Al Qaeda, its affiliates and adherents (AQAA)?
July 16, 2014 10 min. read

The further backward you can look, the further forward you can see. – Winston Churchill One of my pet peeves is a friend or acquaintance coming up to me and saying: “Gail, where have you been? I haven’t seen you around for a long time.” I know I’m being cranky, but what annoys me is […]

Read more
American leadership in the 21st century
June 10, 2014 5 min. read

President Obama’ graduation speech at the military academy at West Point sent mix signal about the priorities of American foreign policy and American leadership (read Michael Crowley’s analysis on the address). First of all, the central point of his speech dealt with his perceived principal threat to the U.S., radical Islamic terrorism. Many experts tend to […]

Read more
At West Point, Obama Completed His “Pivot” Away from U.S. Unilateralism
June 3, 2014 4 min. read

President Barack Obama’s West Point commencement address last week was not an announcement of a new direction in American foreign policy — it was a defense of the policy path already chosen. The most significant takeaway from the speech — if not its biggest headline — was the president’s commitment to international institutions. Obama reminded his audience […]

Read more
Manila Welcomes U.S. Muscle to Counter Beijing
May 2, 2014 5 min. read

After an absence of more than 20 years, American forces will return to the Philippines under a 10-year agreement reached between the two countries on Monday in conjunction with U.S. President Barack Obama’s recent visit to Manila. The Enhanced Defense Cooperation agreement seeks to broaden U.S. access to bases on a rotational, temporary basis, and […]

Read more
Does the Shoe Still Fit? U.S.-Russia Relations
April 21, 2014 4 min. read

Over the weekend, the New York Times published an article titled “In Cold War Echo, Obama Strategy Writes Off Putin.” It caught my eye because it used the catchphrase – Cold War – that politicians as policymakers, journalists as conveyers and we as an audience have grown familiar with. Literary devices go a long way […]

Read more
Can Beijing Remain Neutral in the Ukrainian Conflict?
March 13, 2014 4 min. read

As the Ukrainian crisis escalates, President Barack Obama has been busy making the diplomatic rounds trying to build support against the unilateral attempts by Crimea to break away from the new government in Ukraine. President Obama said the United States is examining a series of economic and diplomatic steps to “isolate Russia,” and he called […]

Read more
Is Obama Giving the Cold Shoulder to Kerry’s Peace Initiative?
February 12, 2014 3 min. read

  Last weekend, Israeli media sources the Times of Israel and Channel 10 reported that United States President Barack Obama did not support  Secretary of State John Kerry’s peace efforts. The Times of Israel article wrote, “Citing unnamed sources close to the negotiations, Channel 10 news said that Kerry sought Obama’s ‘political backing for confrontation […]

Read more

Popular from Press