Executive Editor, Radio Free Asia
Executive Editor of the Congressionally funded network Radio Free Asia, which provides news to countries that restrict a free press including China, Burma and North Korea; former Beijing Bureau Chief for the Washington Post (1985-1990)
The President's Trip to Asia: Substance and Symbols President Obama has left for a week in Asia as American influence has been on the decline, while China's influence is increasing. So "the overarching theme" of the President's trip will be that the US is a Pacific nation engaged with Asia "in a very comprehensive way." That's what the National Security Council's been telling reporters.
The President's Trip to Asia: Substance and Symbols As the US continues to struggle out of recession, Asia currently is regarded as the most economically dynamic place in the world. In high-profile visits to four countries in eight days, President Obama will express what the State Department calls "strategic reassurance." We hear what that means to allies, including Japan and South Korea, and to China, which the President describes as both a competitor and a "vital partner," one whose influence is increasing. We also hear about conflicts with different countries and broader issues of human rights, global warming, Iran and Afghanistan.
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
President Trump: US to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord Trump says he was elected to serve Pittsburgh, not Paris.
The Trump agenda: where's the beef? President Trump says big things are happening. After celebrating a House bill on health care, he doesn’t yet have Senate agreement. With James Comey’s public testimony scheduled tomorrow, the President today tweeted his selection of a new FBI Director. Is the Chief Executive all style and no substance? Later, terror attacks in Iran and conflicting claims about who’s behind them.