Diplomacy and International Politics

Russia was absent from Africa for two decades while the European Union, the US and China expanded their relations with the rising states of the continent. Russia’s trade has remained small, in 2018 about $ 17 billion for all of Africa compared with the EU’s $ 156 billion with sub-Saharan Africa alone. But Russia’s posture in Africa is beginning to pivot to the continent.

In the eyes of Mike Pompeo, the day was shaping up to be one of his most commanding displays of diplomacy since becoming secretary of state. Months of planning had finally yielded a meeting among reluctant European officials, Arab leaders and the Israeli prime minister to strategize over confronting Iran.

Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Nick Burns says President Trump is the weakest American president in the last 70 years in dealing with Russia and standing up to Vladimir Putin. He discusses with MSNBC’s David Gura.

During the Trump administration, the usual ways of conducting diplomacy have been upended. Many positions in the State Department have never been filled, and meetings with foreign leaders such as Kim Jong-un and Vladimir Putin have been undertaken with little advance planning. What effect are these changes having now, and how will they affect ongoing relationships between the United States and its allies and adversaries?

The Putin-Trump relationship is conflicted and vexing. What do both men want, can they get it, and where do Europe and NATO fit in? Featuring Former NATO Ambassador Nicholas Burns; playwright, political journalist, and author Michael Kramer; and Professor Emeritus, Department of Political Science at Amherst College, William Taubman.

US-Präsident Donald Trump hat in den vergangenen Tagen keine Gelegenheit ausgelassen, Europa und speziell Deutschland zu attackieren. Ob Rüstungsausgaben oder Handelspolitik, die Verbündeten von einst sind aus Sicht Trumps wahlweise Abzocker oder Ausbeuter.