Middle East & North Africa

Ambassador Nicholas Burns, Professor at Harvard University and an advisor to Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden, spoke with “The Arena” on the Trump administration’s handling of the coronavirus crisis (“a failure that has cost over 110,000 Americans lives”), rising U.S.-China tensions (“deeply hurt global recovery efforts from both the coronavirus and the economic crises”), the upcoming presidential election (“Trump has chosen China as his demon”), and Israel’s annexation plans (“the issue that could most harm the U.S.-Israel relationship”).

A change of government in Israel may create room for a US policy rethink.

Trump's critics say that lack of success means the president is going to the United Nations in a weakened position.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson offered his take on global leaders and hotspots, from Iran and Saudi Arabia to North Korea and Syria. He was joined by Professor Nicholas Burns, Professor James Sebenius and Professor Robert Mnookin.

Ambassador Nicholas Burns shares his perspective and details implications on the recent Saudi Oil Attack and Israel's high-stakes elections.

Tensions escalate between Washington and Tehran, after the president says U.S. forces shot down an Iranian drone. Former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Nick Burns, former Acting CIA Director John McLaughlin and former Director of the National Counterterrorism Center Nick Rasmussen join Andrea Mitchell to discuss.

Just two weeks ago, a tweet cost the global stock markets roughly $1.36 trillion (or Australia’s annual GDP). With 280 characters on Twitter, the U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to raise tariffs on select Chinese imports, instilling lower market confidence, triggering significant volatility, and exacerbating existing political uncertainties. To explore what is really at stake in Twitter diplomacy, it is important to explore why Twitter diplomacy matters, why world leaders use it, what it means for diplomatic relations, and how governments can manage the associated risks.