Today’s headlines include: UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson snubbed by UK Government over “proxy war” comments regarding Saudi Arabia; and US Defense Secretary Ash Carter reaffirms the United States’ “commitment” to Afghanistan.
The UK’s Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is no stranger to courting controversy, but he’s generally been backed by the Prime Minister… This week however, the UK Government has been forced to distance itself from comments he made about a lack of leadership in Saudi Arabia, and accusations of their roles in Proxy Wars.
Today US Defense Secretary Ash Carter reassured the people of Afghanistan that the United States remains committed to its sovereign security and territorial integrity, but how can he make this commitment when President-elect Trump has said so little about the Central Asian country throughout his campaign? And will Trump preserve Afghanistan as a foreign policy imperative in the same way as the Obama administration? We spoke to Afghan journalist Ali Latifi and former Afghan Ambassador to Canada and France, Omar Samad.
The United States has approved a list of deals worth more than seven billion dollars to supply military hardware to four of its Arab allies; one of the most lucrative deals has been signed with the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, worth three point five one billion dollars. Human rights critics have attacked the sale because of Saudi Arabia’s role in the ongoing civil war in Yemen — we spoke to Dr Theodore Karasik to learn more.
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