Crashing JCPOA Trump threatens Iran with military force Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (08 May 2019) –– With key provisions critical to the Iran Nuclear Deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action – JCPOA) now under threat following Iran’s response to increased U.S. sanctions and other pressures imposed by the Trump Administration on the Iranian government and entities, the U.S. and Iran edged closer to military confrontation. With the recent decision by President Trump to deploy a...
What’s next for Venezuela – Trump v. Putin in the Americas Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (27 Dec. 2018) — The Trump administration’s relentless economic and political pressure on Venezuela government over the past two years is rattling Nicolás Maduro’s regime. Despite his braggadocio – putting on a brave face – Maduro is feeling the pressure. He is extremely worried that Trump will take or engineer some form of military action to remove him from power. Trump’s bellicose...
Not so fast Designating Venezuela a Sponsor of Terrorism, Mr. Trump! Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (20 Nov. 2018) — While acting contrary to U.S. laws is nothing new for the Trump Administration, the latest report of President Trump’s intent to designate Venezuela ‘a State Sponsor of Terrorism’ is yet another example of irrational foreign policy action by this administration. It has drawn a strong rebuke from Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY) the Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs...
Kim plays Trump on North Korean denuclearization Ambassador Curtis A. Ward ( 30 Aug. 2018) — The most recent development on North Korea’s so-called denuclearization, the reality of which has been a matter of extreme skepticism among foreign policy and security experts, undermines U.S. President Donald Trump’s expectations. Trump had convinced himself that he had procured a history-changing agreement with North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un at the ill-conceived Singapore Summit. In...
Sanctions and Regime Change – Iran and Venezuela Ambassador Curtis A. Ward (22 May 2018) –When President Barack Obama first imposed sanctions on Venezuela in 2015, the stated purpose and subsequent actions by the Obama Administration were to effect behavior change in Venezuelan leadership, not to replace the Nicolás Maduro government. There was mounting evidence Maduro was pursuing a non-democratic path; human rights violations were becoming the norm; and rule-of-law and justice in...
Trump’s Foreign Policy by the Seat of his Pants Ambassador Curtis A. Ward Understanding United States foreign policy can be perplexing. However, American foreign policy, though complex, usually has been logical and coherent. Astute observers, and by extension foreign governments, could pierce the veil of American foreign policy to reach certain conclusions about underlying objectives. Each U.S. president had a framework – a national security and geopolitical strategy – which provided...
United States, North Korea, and Russia – Putin the Common Denominator Ambassador Curtis A. Ward There is a common element in United States-North Korea relations that is being overlooked. Sometimes, finding answers to otherwise puzzling questions evades us unless we broaden the scope of our thinking – outside of the box. What appears far-fetched may not be so improbable after all. New developments in U.S.-North Korea relations suggest the possibility that Russian president Vladimir Putin may...
Venezuela Exposes the Weaknesses of Regional and International Organizations Ambassador Curtis A. Ward I firmly defend collective action by intergovernmental organizations acting responsibly to resolve intractable problems which have proven to be beyond the scope of domestic institutions within the affected state. I do not grade these organizations by their successes or failures, but on whether they have the political will and the moral authority to make a good faith effort to bring about a...
