National Security

U.N. Holds Emergency Session After U.S. Airstrikes Against Syria

5:37pm April 07, 2017

by Michele Kelemen

A day after the US conducted a missile strike on Syria in response to an apparent chemical attack, the United Nations met in emergency session. The US blamed Russia for protecting the Syrian regime.

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Former U.S. Ambassador Encourages Trump To Develop Broader Syria Strategy

5:37pm April 07, 2017

NPR's Kelly McEvers interviews Robert Ford, former ambassador to Syria, about American policy on Syria following the U.S. airstrike on a Syrian air base.

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Congress Calls For Vote On Authorizing Use Of Force In Syria

5:37pm April 07, 2017

by David Welna

NPR takes a look at what law authorized the U.S. to attack the Syrian regime, and if Congress will need to pass legislation to clear the way for subsequent action.

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Russia's deputy U.N. ambassador Vladimir Safronkov speaks during a Security Council meeting on the situation in Syria, Friday, at United Nations headquarters.

After U.S. Strikes On Syria, The Gloves Come Off In Moscow

4:58pm April 07, 2017

by Lucian Kim

Russia had been giving President Trump the soft touch. But following the U.S. missile strike on Syria, hopes for friendlier relations are fizzling and the Kremlin's rhetorical cease-fire is over.

U.S. Missile Strike Marks 'Beginning Of New Strategy' In Syria

4:31pm April 07, 2017

On Thursday, the U.S. launched a missile strike on a Syrian air base following allegations the Assad regime attacked civilians with chemical weapons. NPR's Kelly McEvers speaks with Jennifer Cafarella from the Institute for the Study of War on how the U.S. response might affect the Syrian civil war.

Former Obama Official Calls For 'Smart Diplomacy' In Syria

4:31pm April 07, 2017

NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Antony Blinken, former deputy secretary of state under the Obama administration. Blinken was part of the U.S.-Syrian policy discussions back in 2013, when a much larger chemical attack took place that killed hundreds of people in a suburb of Damascus.

Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham in 2015. "President Trump confronted a pivotal moment in Syria and took action," they said in a statement.

Congressional Leaders Urge Trump Administration For Broader Syria Strategy

12:58pm April 07, 2017

by Geoff Bennett

Lawmakers voiced cautious support for the decision to launch strikes in Syria, but leading voices in both parties want the administration to collaborate with Congress on where the strategy goes now.

President Trump waits to greet Denmark's Prime Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen outside the West Wing of the White House on March 30. Trump's approach to foreign policy has changed since he has taken office.

Is Trump's Foreign Policy Evolving?

7:41pm April 06, 2017

by Mara Liasson

The new president is finding out that things happen, and the world's greatest superpower has to respond.

Mark Warner (from left) of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, and Republican Chairman Richard Burr of North Carolina listen to testimony during a March 30 hearing in Washington, D.C.

Sen. Mark Warner: No Evidence To Support Trump's Political Snooping Claims

6:28pm April 06, 2017

by Philip Ewing

But the Trump White House has fallen into a pattern of responding to criticism or inconvenient news with sometimes extreme countercharges, said the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee.

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North Korea Likely To Overshadow Chinese President's U.S. Visit

5:14pm April 06, 2017

by David Welna

North Korea is likely to cast its shadow over the splendor at Mar-a-Lago when President Trump hosts Chinese leader Xi Jinping there this week. Trump is promising "if China is not going to solve North Korea, we will." A nuclear weapons drive that could allow Pyongyang to hit the U.S. mainland worries Washington, and a missile defense battery the U.S. is installing in South Korea has China on edge.

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