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Shadow Gov’t

About Shadow Government

Shadow Government is a blog about U.S. foreign policy in the age of Trump, written by experienced policymakers, scholars, and practitioners from the loyal Democrat opposition. It is co-edited by Derek Chollet, Colin Kahl, and Julie Smith.

Meet the contributors 

South Korean President Moon Jae-in, U.S. President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un share a screen on South Korean television on May 11. (Kim Sue-han/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Has No Idea How Diplomatic Deals Work

I worked on international negotiations under Obama — and now I’m watching from the sidelines as the Trump team gets it all wrong.

Shadow Government |
Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw, Myanmar's capital, on May 22. (That Aung/AFP/Getty Images)

Myanmar’s Atrocities Demand New Sanctions

Rep. Eliot Engel’s sanctions legislation offers the right response to the Myanmar military’s campaign of murder and displacement.

Shadow Government |
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at the Heritage Foundation in Washington on May 21. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Pompeo’s Iran Plan Is a Pipe Dream

The Trump team doesn’t have a post-nuke deal strategy — just a list of demands.

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U.S. President Donald Trump reinstates sanctions on Iran, after announcing his decision to withdraw the United States from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, at the White House on May 8. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Leaving the Iran Nuclear Deal Will Have Unintended Consequences

Trump's actions may ultimately weaken the strength of sanctions as a tool of U.S. statecraft.

Shadow Government |
A portrait of U.S. President Donald Trump burns during a demonstration in Tehran on Dec. 11, 2017. (Atta Kenare/AFP/Getty Images)

Here’s What to Expect Now That Trump Has Withdrawn From the Iran Nuclear Deal

The United States will be worse off once the smoke clears.

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North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, right, speaks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, at the Peace House in Panmunjom, South Korea, on April 27. (Korea Summit Press Pool/Getty Images)

Don’t Overestimate the Power of Historic Summits

The potential for progress on the Korean Peninsula is real, but the pitfalls are plentiful.

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivers a speech on Iran's nuclear program in Tel Aviv on April 30. (Jack Guez/AFP/Getty Images)

Netanyahu’s ‘Iran Lied’ Presentation Shows Why Trump Should Keep the Nuke Deal

Israel and the United States are both led by men who are hard to trust.

Shadow Government |
Mike Pompeo, President Donald Trump's pick for Secretary of State, speaks during his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on April 12. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Six Essential Tasks for Trump’s New Secretary of State

Here’s how Mike Pompeo should begin his tenure.

Shadow Government |
Then-U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, right, prepare to discuss the Iran nuclear deal in Lausanne, Switzerland, on March 20, 2015. (Brian Snyder/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump’s Middle Ground on Iran Deal Sanctions Waivers Is a Myth

I helped negotiate the nuclear deal — and I know what would undo it.

Shadow Government |
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence attends the plenary session of the Summit of the America in Lima, Peru, on April 14. (Luka Gonzales/AFP/Getty Images)

Make the Summit of the Americas Great Again

The Western Hemisphere needs a more ambitious agenda.

Shadow Government |
Members of the 115th U.S. Congress take the oath of office in Washington on Jan. 3, 2017. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

Congress Has Willfully Abdicated Its Responsibility Over War
Shadow Government |
A South Korean soldier walks past a television showing U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a railway station in Seoul on March 9. (Jung Yeon-je/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Is Moving in the Right Direction on North Korea
Shadow Government |
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a briefing on Syria in the White House on April 9. From left: U.S. Army Chief of Staff Mark Milley, Vice President Mike Pence, Trump, and National Security Advisor John Bolton. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

Trump’s Passive-Aggressive Syria Policy Risks Creating More Mayhem in the Middle East
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Mike Pompeo during his confirmation hearing to be CIA director in Washington on Jan. 12, 2017. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Here’s What the Senate Should Ask Mike Pompeo
Shadow Government |
Then-Congressman Mike Pompeo listens as Hillary Clinton testifies before the House Select Committee on Benghazi in Washington, D.C. on Oct. 22, 2015. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Pompeo Has Been Undermining the State Department Since the Benghazi Investigation
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U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Da Nang, Vietnam, on Nov. 11, 2017. (Jorge Silva/Getty Images)

Trump Still Doesn’t Take Russia Seriously
Shadow Government |
A U.S. Tomahawk missile flies toward Syria on April 7, 2017. (Ford Williams/U.S. Navy via Getty Images)

One Year Ago, Pundits Welcomed a Turning Point in Syria. They Were Wrong.
Shadow Government |
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Gen. Thomas Waldhauser holds a news conference in Djibouti on April 23, 2017. (Jonathan Ernst/Pool/Getty Images)

Trump’s Militaristic Africa Policy Will Backfire
Shadow Government |
A South Korean soldier walks past a television displaying images of U.S. President Donald Trump, left, and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at a railway station in Seoul on March 9. (Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Should Do His Nuke Deal Homework
Shadow Government |
John Bolton appears on a TV monitor as he speaks on "Meet the Press" in Washington on Oct. 15, 2006. (Alex Wong/Getty Images for Meet the Press)

John Bolton Is a National Security Threat
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Hwasong-15 ballistic missiles on display during a military parade in Pyongyang, North Korea, on Feb. 8. (KCNA via KNS/AFP/Getty Images)

‘Fixing’ the Iran Nuke Deal Ahead of North Korea Talks Is a Terrible Idea
Shadow Government |
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to the White House on May 16, 2017. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

America and Turkey Need to Step Back From the Brink
Shadow Government |

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Galleries

A member of the Syrian pro-government forces holds the national flag as he stands in front of damaged buildings in the Yarmuk Palestinian refugee camp on the outskirts of Damascus on May 22. Earlier in the week, the government seized the camp and adjacent neighborhoods from the Islamic State, putting Damascus fully under its control for the first time since 2012. LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images

The World in Photos This Week

Government control in Damascus, floods in Mogadishu, and tattoos in Tokyo.

A Palestinian youth waves a sparkler next a mosque in Gaza City on May 16 as the faithful prepare to start the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan. MOHAMMED ABED/AFP/Getty Images

The World in Photos This Week

Ramadan around the world, violence in Gaza, and an eruption in Hawaii.

Latest

In the Magazine

Current Issue: April 2018 | Archives

In the Magazine

Current Issue: April 2018 | Archives
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Foto, Michael Melo

The Right to Kill

Should Brazil keep its Amazon tribes from taking the lives of their children?

Feature |
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Germany’s Family Feud

Family reunification for refugees is no longer a given. But keeping relatives apart hurts host countries as well as newcomers.

Feature |

Thus Spoke Jordan Peterson

The best-selling psychologist isn't leading young men to salvation — he's delivering them to authoritarianism.

Review |
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The Arab World’s Star Student

What Tunisia can teach its neighbors about the value of education.

Review |