Colum Lynch

Colum Lynch was a staff writer at Foreign Policy between 2010 and 2022.

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WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 09: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivers a statement regarding Qatar at the State Department, June 9, 2017 in Washington, DC. Tillerson called on Mideast countries to ease the blockade on Qatar. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 09: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivers a statement regarding Qatar at the State Department, June 9, 2017 in Washington, DC. Tillerson called on Mideast countries to ease the blockade on Qatar. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Tillerson to Shutter State Department War Crimes Office

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Colum Lynch
syria ceasefire
syria ceasefire

Secret Details of Trump-Putin Syria Cease-fire Focus on Iranian Proxies

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Colum Lynch, Robbie Gramer, Dan De Luce, Paul McLeary
A medical staff at Damascus Countryside Specialised Hospital holds a placard condemning a suspected chemical weapons attack on the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun, during a gathering to show solidarity with the victims in the rebel-held Douma on the outskirts of Damascus on April 6, 2017. US forces fired a barrage of cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase on April 7 in response to what President Donald Trump called a "barbaric" chemical attack he blamed on the Damascus regime. Syria's regime has denied any use of chemical weapons and state media on Friday described the US strike -- which was reported to have pulverised the base and killed at least four servicemen -- as an "act of aggression". / AFP PHOTO / Sameer Al-Doumy (Photo credit should read SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images)
A medical staff at Damascus Countryside Specialised Hospital holds a placard condemning a suspected chemical weapons attack on the Syrian town of Khan Sheikhun, during a gathering to show solidarity with the victims in the rebel-held Douma on the outskirts of Damascus on April 6, 2017. US forces fired a barrage of cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase on April 7 in response to what President Donald Trump called a "barbaric" chemical attack he blamed on the Damascus regime. Syria's regime has denied any use of chemical weapons and state media on Friday described the US strike -- which was reported to have pulverised the base and killed at least four servicemen -- as an "act of aggression". / AFP PHOTO / Sameer Al-Doumy (Photo credit should read SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP/Getty Images)

Syria Stalls U.N. Investigation Into Chemical Weapons Attack

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Colum Lynch
TOPSHOT - This undated photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 30, 2017 shows a test-fire of a ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. / AFP PHOTO / KCNA via KNS / STR / South Korea OUT / REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT ---EDITORS NOTE--- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PHOTO IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY AFP. / (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - This undated photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 30, 2017 shows a test-fire of a ballistic missile at an undisclosed location in North Korea. / AFP PHOTO / KCNA via KNS / STR / South Korea OUT / REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT ---EDITORS NOTE--- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PHOTO IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY AFP. / (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Haley Threatens “Full Range” of U.S. Responses to North Korean Missile

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Colum Lynch
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrive to attend a press conferece after their talks in Moscow on April 12, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson after complaining of worsening ties with Donald Trump's administration as the two sides spar over Syria. Putin received Tillerson at the Kremlin along with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after the top diplomats held several hours of talks dominated by the fallout of an alleged chemical attack in Syria. / AFP PHOTO / Alexander NEMENOV (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images)
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson arrive to attend a press conferece after their talks in Moscow on April 12, 2017. Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday met US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson after complaining of worsening ties with Donald Trump's administration as the two sides spar over Syria. Putin received Tillerson at the Kremlin along with Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov after the top diplomats held several hours of talks dominated by the fallout of an alleged chemical attack in Syria. / AFP PHOTO / Alexander NEMENOV (Photo credit should read ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Tillerson Ready to Let Russia Decide Assad’s Fate

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Colum Lynch, Robbie Gramer
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 16: (L to R) Koro Bessho, Japanese ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Cho Tae-yul, South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations, arrive a press briefing before a meeting of the United Nations Security Council concerning North Korea, May 16, 2017 in New York City. Following another ballistic missile test launch from North Korea, the UN Security Council once again condemned the isolated nation. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 16: (L to R) Koro Bessho, Japanese ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and Cho Tae-yul, South Korean Ambassador to the United Nations, arrive a press briefing before a meeting of the United Nations Security Council concerning North Korea, May 16, 2017 in New York City. Following another ballistic missile test launch from North Korea, the UN Security Council once again condemned the isolated nation. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Nikki Haley and Trump’s Doctrine of Diplomatic Chaos

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Colum Lynch
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks on climate change at the New York University Stern School of Business, in New York on May 30, 2017. Guterres said it was "absolutely essential" that the Paris climate agreement be implemented, as the US weighed pulling out of the emissions-cutting deal. In his first major address on climate, Guterres said the world must fulfill the commitments of the 2015 agreement "with increased ambition." / AFP PHOTO / JEWEL SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres speaks on climate change at the New York University Stern School of Business, in New York on May 30, 2017. Guterres said it was "absolutely essential" that the Paris climate agreement be implemented, as the US weighed pulling out of the emissions-cutting deal. In his first major address on climate, Guterres said the world must fulfill the commitments of the 2015 agreement "with increased ambition." / AFP PHOTO / JEWEL SAMAD (Photo credit should read JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images)

U.N. Chief Makes Secret Bid to Win Release of American Detainee in Iran

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Colum Lynch, Dan De Luce
A Syrian man and his children carry sacks of wheat and aid, provided by the World Food Programme (WFP), in Kafr Batna, in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area, on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on March 1, 2016. Aid workers made the first delivery of desperately needed assistance since the start of Syria's fragile ceasefire, as an international task force met to try to bolster the truce. / AFP / AMER ALMOHIBANY (Photo credit should read AMER ALMOHIBANY/AFP/Getty Images)
A Syrian man and his children carry sacks of wheat and aid, provided by the World Food Programme (WFP), in Kafr Batna, in the rebel-held Eastern Ghouta area, on the outskirts of the capital Damascus on March 1, 2016. Aid workers made the first delivery of desperately needed assistance since the start of Syria's fragile ceasefire, as an international task force met to try to bolster the truce. / AFP / AMER ALMOHIBANY (Photo credit should read AMER ALMOHIBANY/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. Taxpayers Are Helping Bashar Al-Assad in a Strategic City

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Colum Lynch
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) and Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (2-R) review troops during a visit to France's Barkhane counter-terrorism operation in Africa's Sahel region in Gao, northern Mali, on May 19, 2017. French President's visit in Mali is his first trip outside Europe since his inauguration on May 14, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON (Photo credit should read CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/AFP/Getty Images)
French President Emmanuel Macron (C) and Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (2-R) review troops during a visit to France's Barkhane counter-terrorism operation in Africa's Sahel region in Gao, northern Mali, on May 19, 2017. French President's visit in Mali is his first trip outside Europe since his inauguration on May 14, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON (Photo credit should read CHRISTOPHE PETIT TESSON/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Weighs Vetoing France’s African Anti-Terrorism Plan

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Colum Lynch
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is seen in silhouette while addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council on February 27, 2017 in Geneva. The United Nations Human Rights Council opens its main annual session, with the US taking its seat for the first time under President Donald Trump's leadership. / AFP / Fabrice COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is seen in silhouette while addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council on February 27, 2017 in Geneva. The United Nations Human Rights Council opens its main annual session, with the US taking its seat for the first time under President Donald Trump's leadership. / AFP / Fabrice COFFRINI (Photo credit should read FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images)

U.N. Secretary-General Holds His Tongue on Human Rights Violations

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Colum Lynch
A child receives the second dose of the vaccine against cholera in Saut d'Eau, in the Central Plateau of Haiti, on 17 September 2014. The UN has launched its second phase of the vaccinationcampaign against cholera which was initiated and implemented by the Haitian authorities as part of the broader framework of the national plan for the elimination of cholera in the country. The campaign aims to vaccinate 200,000 people living in the communes where the disease persists in particular the department of Artibonite, Central and West. AFP PHOTO/Hector RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)
A child receives the second dose of the vaccine against cholera in Saut d'Eau, in the Central Plateau of Haiti, on 17 September 2014. The UN has launched its second phase of the vaccinationcampaign against cholera which was initiated and implemented by the Haitian authorities as part of the broader framework of the national plan for the elimination of cholera in the country. The campaign aims to vaccinate 200,000 people living in the communes where the disease persists in particular the department of Artibonite, Central and West. AFP PHOTO/Hector RETAMAL (Photo credit should read HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Won’t Pay a Penny For U.N. Cholera Relief Fund in Haiti

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Colum Lynch
UN Secretary General, António Guterres attends the London Somalia Conference at Lancaster House in London on May 11, 2017. International leaders are gathering in London on Thursday to thrash out agreements with Somalia aimed at stabilising the country under its new political leadership. The one-day conference is looking to strike a new compact that will accelerate progress on security, development and the troubled east African country's economy by 2020. / AFP PHOTO / JACK HILL (Photo credit should read JACK HILL/AFP/Getty Images)
UN Secretary General, António Guterres attends the London Somalia Conference at Lancaster House in London on May 11, 2017. International leaders are gathering in London on Thursday to thrash out agreements with Somalia aimed at stabilising the country under its new political leadership. The one-day conference is looking to strike a new compact that will accelerate progress on security, development and the troubled east African country's economy by 2020. / AFP PHOTO / JACK HILL (Photo credit should read JACK HILL/AFP/Getty Images)

U.N. Chief Takes Veiled Swipe At Trump On Climate Abdication: ‘Our World Is A Mess.’

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Colum Lynch
LAMPEDUSA, ITALY - MAY 24: Refugees and migrants are seen swimming and yelling for assistance from crew members from the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) 'Phoenix' vessel after a wooden boat bound for Italy carrying more than 500 people capsized on May 24, 2017 off Lampedusa, Italy. Numbers of refugees and migrants attempting the dangerous central Mediterranean crossing from Libya to Italy has risen since the same time last year with more than 43,000 people recorded so far in 2017. In an attempt to slow the flow of migrants Italy recently signed a deal with Libya, Chad and Niger outlining a plan to increase border controls and add new reception centers in the African nations, which are key transit points for migrants heading to Italy. MOAS is a Malta based NGO dedicated to providing professional search-and-rescue assistance to refugees and migrants in distress at sea. Since the start of the year MOAS have rescued and assisted 3572 people and are currently patrolling and running rescue operations in international waters off the coast of Libya. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)
LAMPEDUSA, ITALY - MAY 24: Refugees and migrants are seen swimming and yelling for assistance from crew members from the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) 'Phoenix' vessel after a wooden boat bound for Italy carrying more than 500 people capsized on May 24, 2017 off Lampedusa, Italy. Numbers of refugees and migrants attempting the dangerous central Mediterranean crossing from Libya to Italy has risen since the same time last year with more than 43,000 people recorded so far in 2017. In an attempt to slow the flow of migrants Italy recently signed a deal with Libya, Chad and Niger outlining a plan to increase border controls and add new reception centers in the African nations, which are key transit points for migrants heading to Italy. MOAS is a Malta based NGO dedicated to providing professional search-and-rescue assistance to refugees and migrants in distress at sea. Since the start of the year MOAS have rescued and assisted 3572 people and are currently patrolling and running rescue operations in international waters off the coast of Libya. (Photo by Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

Trump Advisor Stephen Miller Blocked G-7 Migration Proposal

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Colum Lynch
A picture taken on May 21, 2017 shows US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (L) meeting with Syrian refugee students in the Jordanian capital Amman. / AFP PHOTO / AP POOL / Raad Adayleh (Photo credit should read RAAD ADAYLEH/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture taken on May 21, 2017 shows US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley (L) meeting with Syrian refugee students in the Jordanian capital Amman. / AFP PHOTO / AP POOL / Raad Adayleh (Photo credit should read RAAD ADAYLEH/AFP/Getty Images)

At Odds With Trump, Nikki Haley Charts Her Own Foreign-Policy Path

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Colum Lynch
TOPSHOT - US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrive for talks on the Syria peace process in Zurich on January 20, 2016, in Davos. US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov for talks on the Syria peace process, with a fresh round of dialogue between the warring parties set to begin next week. / AFP / AP POOL / Jacquelyn Martin (Photo credit should read JACQUELYN MARTIN/AFP/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov arrive for talks on the Syria peace process in Zurich on January 20, 2016, in Davos. US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov for talks on the Syria peace process, with a fresh round of dialogue between the warring parties set to begin next week. / AFP / AP POOL / Jacquelyn Martin (Photo credit should read JACQUELYN MARTIN/AFP/Getty Images)

To Assuage Russia, Obama Administration Backed Off Syria Chemical Weapons Plan

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Colum Lynch
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