Afghan peace process

Ryan Hass, a senior fellow at the Brookings John L. Thornton China Center, noted that the US and China joining the COVAX alliance could provide "a more frictionless" platform to coordinate contributions to global efforts to deliver more than 11 billion vaccine treatments to people on every continent than if they attempted to replicate COVAX's efforts on a bilateral basis. … [Read more...] about Biden restores US to climate accord

Among the president's executive actions were a mask-wearing mandate on federal property, the start of a process to bring the United States back to the 2015 Paris Climate Accord the country exited under Trump, as well as a sweeping immigration overhaul to end the travel ban on several Muslim-majority countries, the construction of the border wall, and the suspension of the DACA legislation that protects immigrants who came to the United States illegally during their childhood. … [Read more...] about Biden sworn in as U.S. president amid continuing virus spikes, deepening political division

Nevertheless, rather than a comprehensive history, the book is a set of glimpses and perspectives of various phases of American foreign policy. Having worked as U.S. Deputy Secretary of State, Trade Representative, and President of the World Bank, Zoellick stresses the importance of maintaining alliances, rather than transactional diplomacy for one-off gains. Pragmatically, he chooses not to address certain questions, such as why some moments (and some parts of the world) have merited the rhetoric of idealism, while others have been given a hard dose of realism. For pragmatists, he suggests, “history offers insights on how to do better, not an acceptance of timeless obstacles.” … [Read more...] about ‘America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy’ review: America’s role in the world