Foreign Policy Focus Washington from

Biden Warns UK on Brexit, Says No Trade Deal Unless London Respects Good Friday Deal

September 17, 2020 Focus Washington

Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden warned the United Kingdom that it must honour the Northern Irish peace deal as it extracts itself from the European Union or there would be no U.S. trade deal, Reuters […]

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Navalny Team Says Novichok Was Found on Water Bottle in Hotel Room

September 17, 2020 Focus Washington

The nerve agent used to poison Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny was detected on an empty water bottle from his hotel room in the Siberian city of Tomsk, suggesting he was poisoned there and not at […]

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Trump Issues Stark Warning to Iran after Reports Country is Considering Plot to Assassinate US Ambassador

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump took to Twitter late Monday to issue a stern warning to Iran that an assassination attempt or attack against the U.S. in retaliation of the airstrike that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani earlier this year […]

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U.S. Could Use Trade Talks to Pull UK Into Its ‘Regulatory Orbit’

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

As the U.K. enters its fourth round of trade talks with the U.S. this week, Washington will be looking to push its own regulatory standards on the country, and drive it away from EU’s, an […]

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UAE and Bahrain to Move Toward Normal Ties With Israel

September 15, 2020 Focus Washington

The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Tuesday will become the latest Arab states to break a longstanding taboo when they sign agreements toward normalizing relations with Israel in a strategic realignment of Middle Eastern […]

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Iran Considering Plot to Assassinate US Ambassador to South Africa, Report Says

September 14, 2020 Focus Washington

Iran is allegedly plotting to assassinate the United States’ ambassador to South Africa as retaliation for the American drone attack earlier this year that killed Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ elite Quds Force, […]

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Afghan Peace Talks Open With Calls for Ceasefire, Women’s Rights

September 13, 2020 Focus Washington

Afghan government representatives and Taliban insurgents gathered on Saturday for historic peace talks aimed at ending two decades of war that has killed tens of thousands of combatants and civilians, Reuters informed. Ahead of face-to-face […]

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Pompeo Says U.S. ‘Deeply Concerned’ Over Turkey Actions in East Mediterranean

September 13, 2020 Focus Washington

The United States remains “deeply concerned” about Turkey’s actions in the eastern Mediterranean, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday, urging a diplomatic end to a simmering crisis over offshore natural resources, Reuters informs. […]

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Bahrain Follows Emirates in Normalizing Ties With Israel

September 12, 2020 Focus Washington

Bahrain joined the United Arab Emirates in agreeing to normalize relations with Israel on Friday, a move forged partly through shared fears of Iran but one that could leave the Palestinians further isolated, Reuters reported. […]

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Afghan Peace Talks Open in Doha, 19 Years After 9/11 Triggered War

September 12, 2020 Focus Washington

Afghan government representatives and Taliban insurgents gathered on Saturday for historic peace talks aimed at ending two decades of war that has killed tens of thousands of combatants and civilians, Reuters informed. “The choice of […]

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EU Ramps up No-Deal Preparations as It Weighs UK’s Brexit Ultimatum

September 11, 2020 Focus Washington

The European Union on Friday was ramping up preparations for a tumultuous end to the four-year Brexit saga as top officials prepared to brief its 27 members on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s plan to […]

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Russia Says It Has Timeline of Navalny Movements, Wants to Send Investigators to Germany

September 11, 2020 Focus Washington

Russian police have traced opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s movements and what he drank before falling ill in Siberia last month, and are trying to locate a witness who has left the country, the interior ministry […]

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Reform Hopes Rise as China Focuses on Inward Economic Shift

September 10, 2020 Focus Washington

Chinese reform advocates are hoping President Xi Jinping’s proposed new economic model, expected to be the centrepiece of a key conclave next month, is an opportunity to quicken changes to spur domestic demand and tackle […]

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Venezuela’s Maduro Proposes Giving Russia COVID-19 Vaccine to Legislative Candidates

September 9, 2020 Focus Washington

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on Tuesday proposed administering a Russian coronavirus vaccine to nearly 15,000 candidates in upcoming legislative elections so that they can campaign safely, Reuters reported. Russia in August licensed a COVID-19 vaccine […]

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Palestinians Set to Soften Stance on UAE-Israel Normalization

September 8, 2020 Focus Washington

The Palestinian leadership has watered down its criticism of the normalization deal between Israel and the United Arab Emirates before an Arab League meeting in Cairo on Wednesday at which the accord will be debated, […]

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China Unveils Global Data Security Initiative, Says Some Countries Bullying Others

September 8, 2020 Focus Washington

China announced an initiative on Tuesday to establish global standards on data security, saying it wanted to promote multilateralism in the area at a time when “individual countries” were “bullying” others and “hunting” companies, Reuters […]

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Pompeo Declares China to Be Greatest Foreign Power Threat to U.S.

September 3, 2020 Focus Washington

China, not Russia, is the foreign power that represents the greatest threat to the United States, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told “Hannity” on Wednesday, Fox News informed. “It’s not, frankly, a close call …,” Pompeo told host Trey Gowdy. […]

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Navalny Poisoned ‘Without a Doubt’ by Novichok Nerve Agent, Germany Says

September 2, 2020 Focus Washington

The German government on Wednesday confirmed via lab tests that Russian dissident Alexei Navalny was poisoned by a nerve agent belonging to the Novichok family, a development that will further strain already tense relations between […]

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Pompeo Hopeful China’s Confucius Institutes Will Be Gone From U.S. by Year-End

September 2, 2020 Focus Washington

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Tuesday he was hopeful that Chinese Confucius Institute cultural centers on U.S. university campuses would all be shut down by the end of the year, Reuters writes. “I […]

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Turkey Detains Senior Islamic State Figure, Minister Says

September 1, 2020 Focus Washington

Turkish police have arrested Islamic State’s top figure in Turkey along with plans for attacks by the militant group, Interior Minister Suleyman Soylu said on Tuesday, Reuters writes. “He had been constantly receiving orders from […]

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U.S. Increases Support for Taiwan, Says to Counter Rising China Pressure

August 31, 2020 Focus Washington

The United States said on Monday it was establishing a new bilateral economic dialogue with Taiwan, an initiative it said was aimed at strengthening ties with Taipei and supporting it in the face of increasing […]

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Kushner Hopes for More Arab, Muslim Partners for Israel Ahead of UАЕ Visit

August 31, 2020 Focus Washington

President Donald Trump’s national security adviser said on Sunday more Arab and Muslim countries were likely to follow the United Arab Emirates in normalizing relations with Israel, Arab News reported. The White House official, Robert […]

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Israeli, U.S. Officials Fly to UАЕ to Cement Normalization Deal

August 31, 2020 Focus Washington

Top aides to U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu flew to the United Arab Emirates on Monday to put the final touches on a pact establishing open relations between the Gulf […]

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Hong Kong Health Workers, Activists Urge Boycott of Mass Testing

August 30, 2020 Focus Washington

A Hong Kong pro-democracy union of healthcare workers and several activists, including Joshua Wong, called on Sunday for a boycott of the government’s universal coronavirus testing plan, in which medical staff from mainland China are […]

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U.S. ‘Won’t Cede an Inch’ in Pacific, Esper Says in Swipe at China

August 27, 2020 Focus Washington

The United States has a responsibility to lead in the Pacific and “won’t cede an inch” to other countries that think their political system is better, U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said on Wednesday in […]

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Kremlin Defies Calls to Probe Navalny Illness, Says Poisoning Not Certain

August 26, 2020 Focus Washington

The Kremlin said on Tuesday it saw no need for now to investigate circumstances leading up to opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s grave illness, and that a German clinic’s initial diagnosis of poisoning was not yet […]

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China, U.S. Tensions Raise Taiwan Conflict Fears

August 26, 2020 Focus Washington

Numerous Chinese and U.S. military exercises, Taiwan missiles tracking Chinese fighters and plummeting China-U.S. ties make for a heady cocktail of tension that is raising fears of conflict touched off by a crisis over Taiwan, […]

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New U.S. Move to Push Saudi Arabia to Normalize Relations With Israel

August 25, 2020 Focus Washington

Informed sources said that Jared Kushner, the senior adviser and son-in-law of the President Donald Trump, will visit Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Oman in early September to persuade Gulf leaders to normalize relations with Israel, […]

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Pompeo Address to Republicans at Odds With Instruction to His Own Diplomats

August 25, 2020 Focus Washington

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will speak to the Republican National Convention this week despite having told U.S. diplomats that presidential appointees may not take part in any such partisan political activity, Reuters reports. Pompeo’s […]

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Pompeo Vows a Tough U.S. Stance on China but Is Open to Talks

August 21, 2020 Focus Washington

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday addressed a slew of issues lingering over the United States and China, ranging from strained trade relations to national security threats to the November presidential election, CNBC reported. […]

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