Diplomacy and International Politics

After a nine-month deadlock marked by political bickering, a struggling economy and massive growing public debt, Lebanon’s political elite finally agreed Thursday on the formation of a new government. The compromise among Lebanon’s sectarian political factions will certainly inject some much-needed social normalcy and stability, and the new government will historically include four women ministers, among them Raya al-Hassan, leading the influential Ministry of Interior.

The United States is hitting Russia with new sanctions to punish President Vladimir Putin's government for using a nerve agent against a former spy and his daughter in Britain. The US State Department says the Trump Administration has determined that Russia has used chemical or biological weapons in violation of international law, but the action comes five months after the US expelled more than 50 Russian diplomats in retaliation for the same poisoning.

President Trump's abrupt decision to bail out a major Chinese phone maker has been raising eyebrows, especially since the pledge came days after China approved money for a Trump project. Ambassador Nick Burns, Former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs and Former Ambassador to NATO, joins Andrea Mitchell to discuss.

Staffing gaps and significant personnel changes at the State Department have raised concerns about the direction of U.S. foreign policy, especially amid public statements by President Donald Trump concerning American alliances and positions on issues around the world. Ambassador Cameron Munter invites Ambassador Nicholas Burns to share his insights and ideas, including on timely topics such as the U.S.-Russia relationship following the re-election of Vladimir Putin, Transatlantic relations and changing perceptions about the future role of NATO, and a possible meeting between President Trump and his North Korean counterpart on nuclear nonproliferation and security.

Ambassador Burns was Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs under President George W. Bush. Prior to that assignment, he was also U.S. Ambassador to NATO. Currently, Burns is the Goodman Family Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and International Relations at Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and also director of The Future of Diplomacy Project.