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Will US troops have to  go to war for Mohammed bin Salman? (VIDEO)

Will US troops have to go to war for Mohammed bin Salman? (VIDEO)

Biden appears ready to do anything to get Saudi Arabia and Israel together

Analysis | Video Section

Even as the war in Gaza rages on and the death toll surpasses 35,000, the Biden administration appears set on pursuing its vision of a Saudi-Israeli normalization deal that it sees as the path to peace in the Middle East.

But, the agreement that the administration is selling as a peace agreement that will put Palestine on the path to statehood and fundamentally transform the region ultimately amounts to a U.S. war obligation for Saudi Arabia that would also give Mohammed bin Salman nuclear technology.

As the Gaza War demonstrates, the Abraham Accords — which normalized relations between Israel and other Arab states — did not help bring peace to the Middle East. But instead of pushing for a ceasefire that could end the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and limit the chances of a wider regional conflagration, Biden is pushing to continue the legacy of the Abraham Accords in a move that only increases the likelihood of American troops being sent to fight another war.

Learn more in this new video by the Quincy Institute’s Khody Akhavi:


Biden's Saudi War Obligation
Analysis | Video Section
The US left landmines in Vietnam. An aid freeze won't erase that.
Top image credit: Arthur Simoes via shutterstock.com

The US left landmines in Vietnam. An aid freeze won't erase that.

Asia-Pacific

Fifty years after the end of the Vietnam War, the people in Vietnam and Laos are still cleaning up unexploded U.S. landmines left behind from our war. That is, until Donald Trump's foreign aid freeze.

Shortly after the Trump administration announced its 90-day freeze on foreign aid on January 20, U.S.-funded programs were issued a stop work order, including demining initiatives in Laos. Since the halt, there have been four accidents resulting in six injuries and three deaths, including that of a 15-year-old girl, casualties of a war that ended over 50 years ago.

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Diplomacy Watch Donald Trump Putin Zelensky
Top Photo Credit: Diplomacy Watch (Khody Akhavi)

Diplomacy Watch: GOP hawks double down against Trump policy

QiOSK

Several members of Trump’s own party in Congress have expressed frustration with his language and tactics surrounding the Ukraine-Russia peace process.

The president was elected with a mandate to end the conflict, and he repeatedly promised to do so, even initially promising an end it within “24 hours.” However, some of his comments on Ukraine’s role in the conflict, calling President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a "dictator" who started the war, and musing whether the United States will continue to support Ukraine, has emboldened critics, including Republicans who were already skeptical of Trump’s insistence on moving quickly to a diplomatic strategy to end the war.

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Argo affleck clooney heslov
Top photo credit: Producers of best picture winner "Argo" (L-R) Grant Heslov, Ben Affleck and George Clooney arrive to pose with their Oscars at the 85th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California February 24, 2013 REUTERS/ Mike Blake (UNITED STATES TAGS:ENTERTAINMENT) (OSCARS-BACKSTAGE)

And the Oscar goes to ... the Pentagon!

Media

This Sunday millions will tune in to watch Hollywood’s premier awards ceremony, the Oscars. All eyes will be on the red carpet to see who is wearing what and viewers will be anxiously waiting to see if any drama unfolds–like a Will Smith slap or accidentally awarding the Best Picture Oscar to the wrong film. What won’t be mentioned is the fact that many of the movies vying for Oscar wins wouldn’t have made it to the big screen without help from the U.S. military.

From Goldfinger (1964) to Captain Marvel (2019), the Pentagon has assisted in the making of more than 2,500 war-themed movies and television series and continues to contribute to an average of seven feature film projects and over 90 smaller film and TV projects every year.

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Trump transition

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