The story
Some US foreign policy has given the US some frenemies...a lot of frenemies.
What names do I need to know?
Cuba...
as in the one with the Castros. Cuba’s been run by a Communist government for decades, which is part of the reason why the US put a
on the country in the 60s. But in 2016, President Obama told Congress it was time to forgive, forget, and
. Then he became the
first US president in almost 90 years
to smoke a Cuban in Cuba. Earlier this year, President Trump
Saudi Arabia...
as in the one with all the oil. Saudi Arabia is on Team USA in the
to fight ISIS in Iraq and Syria. The Saudis are also
with the US opinion that Syrian President Assad needs to go. But Saudi Arabia has a serious problem with
Iran...
as in the one with the nuke program. The US relationship with Iran is kinda like your relationship with that guy you met at the bar last month: very informal. In 2015, Iran and the US and friends signed a
that lifted harsh sanctions on the country in exchange for Iran curbing its nuke program. But a lot of people think bargaining with Iran is like
. So when President Trump signed an executive order
Russia...
as in the one with Putin. The US has been smiling and shaking Russia’s hand in person -- and then talking behind its back -- since the fall of the Soviet Union. The relationship turned from bad to worse in recent years when Russia decided to
support separatists in Ukraine
(against the wishes of the US) and
in the Syrian Civil War (also against the wishes of the US). And then it came out that Russian hackers
Qatar...
as in the one that’s gassy. Qatar is a really small, really rich country thanks to natural gas. The US loves that gas, so in the past it's put on a friendly face for the cameras. But Qatar has 99 problems, and the US usually turns a blind eye to all of them. See:
connected to World Cup stadium construction, and sending cash money to
(a terror group in Israel – which happens to be a close US ally). See the problems there? And things just got more complicated. Earlier this year, several other Middle Eastern countries
decided to cut diplomatic ties
with Qatar, citing its connections to terrorist groups. And the US has
China...
as in the one with its ear to the door….and the wall and the ceiling. China’s hoarding
, so the US tries not to bite the hand that feeds it. But China’s
on the US. And the country is currently saying ‘mine’ to contested areas of the
Egypt...
as in the one with a revolving door of leaders. The US and Egypt have a
in ISIS, and the US supported the
of President Mohamed Morsi in 2012. But then Morsi was
, and the US had to pretend to be upset about it, even though Morsi was a leader who
missed the ‘how to encourage democracy’ lesson
in school. The US really wants Egypt as a strong ally in the Mideast, but the country can’t seem to pull itself together. When he got elected, President Trump decided the two countries should try to
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