Paul McLeary

Paul McLeary was a staff writer at Foreign Policy from 2015-2018.

Articles by Paul McLeary
TO GO WITH AFGHANISTAN-US-ARMY-CONFLICT-FOCUS BY GUILLAUME DECAMME In this photograph taken on August 12, 2015, US army soldiers walk past an Afghan National Army (ANA) base in the Khogyani district in the eastern province of Nangarhar. From his watchtower in insurgency-wracked eastern Afghanistan, US army Specialist Josh Whitten doesn't have much to say about his Afghan colleagues. "They don't come up here anymore, because they used to mess around with our stuff. "Welcome to Forward Operating Base Connelly, where US troops are providing training and tactical advice to the 201st Afghan army corps as they take on the Taliban on the battlefield. AFP PHOTO / Wakil Kohsar (Photo credit should read WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)
TO GO WITH AFGHANISTAN-US-ARMY-CONFLICT-FOCUS BY GUILLAUME DECAMME In this photograph taken on August 12, 2015, US army soldiers walk past an Afghan National Army (ANA) base in the Khogyani district in the eastern province of Nangarhar. From his watchtower in insurgency-wracked eastern Afghanistan, US army Specialist Josh Whitten doesn't have much to say about his Afghan colleagues. "They don't come up here anymore, because they used to mess around with our stuff. "Welcome to Forward Operating Base Connelly, where US troops are providing training and tactical advice to the 201st Afghan army corps as they take on the Taliban on the battlefield. AFP PHOTO / Wakil Kohsar (Photo credit should read WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Thousands More Headed to Afghanistan; Did Moscow Kill Baghdadi?

The Cable
Paul McLeary
Afghan security forces personnel are seen at the site of a car bomb attack in Kabul on May 31, 2017. At least 40 people were killed or wounded on May 31 as a massive blast ripped through Kabul's diplomatic quarter, shattering the morning rush hour and bringing carnage to the streets of the Afghan capital. / AFP PHOTO / SHAH MARAI (Photo credit should read SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images)
Afghan security forces personnel are seen at the site of a car bomb attack in Kabul on May 31, 2017. At least 40 people were killed or wounded on May 31 as a massive blast ripped through Kabul's diplomatic quarter, shattering the morning rush hour and bringing carnage to the streets of the Afghan capital. / AFP PHOTO / SHAH MARAI (Photo credit should read SHAH MARAI/AFP/Getty Images)

The New, Old War in Afghanistan

The Cable
Paul McLeary
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis arrives prior to testifying during a US House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2018 budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 12, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis arrives prior to testifying during a US House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2018 budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 12, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Mattis’ War; U.S. To Ship $12B Worth of Fighter Planes to Qatar; American Commandos Targeted By ISIS Drones

The Cable
Paul McLeary
A US soldier stands guard near the site of a US bombing during an operation against Islamic State (IS) militants in the Achin district of Nangarhar province on April 15, 2017. Afghan authorities April 15 reported a jump in fatalities from the American military's largest non-nuclear bomb, declaring some 90 Islamic State fighters dead, as US-led forces conducted clean-up operations over their mountain hideouts. Dubbed the "Mother Of All Bombs", the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast was unleashed in combat for the first time April 12, hitting IS positions in a remote area of eastern Nangarhar province. / AFP PHOTO / NOORULLAH SHIRZADA (Photo credit should read NOORULLAH SHIRZADA/AFP/Getty Images)
A US soldier stands guard near the site of a US bombing during an operation against Islamic State (IS) militants in the Achin district of Nangarhar province on April 15, 2017. Afghan authorities April 15 reported a jump in fatalities from the American military's largest non-nuclear bomb, declaring some 90 Islamic State fighters dead, as US-led forces conducted clean-up operations over their mountain hideouts. Dubbed the "Mother Of All Bombs", the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast was unleashed in combat for the first time April 12, hitting IS positions in a remote area of eastern Nangarhar province. / AFP PHOTO / NOORULLAH SHIRZADA (Photo credit should read NOORULLAH SHIRZADA/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Trump Letting Mattis Run Afghan War; Senate Barely Approves Saudi Arms Deal; White House Watching Moscow and Pyongyang

The Cable
Paul McLeary
Jet fighters of the Saudi Royal air force performs during the graduation ceremony of the 83rd batch of King Faisal Air Academy (KFAA) students that was attended by Saudi Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz (not pictured) held at the Riyadh military airport, on January 1, 2013, in Riyadh. AFP PHOTO/FAYEZ NURELDINE (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)
Jet fighters of the Saudi Royal air force performs during the graduation ceremony of the 83rd batch of King Faisal Air Academy (KFAA) students that was attended by Saudi Deputy Premier and Minister of Defense Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz (not pictured) held at the Riyadh military airport, on January 1, 2013, in Riyadh. AFP PHOTO/FAYEZ NURELDINE (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Saudi Arms Sale Clears Contentious Senate Vote

The Cable
Paul McLeary
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis (R) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford, Jr., (L), testify during a US House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2018 budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 12, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)
US Secretary of Defense James Mattis (R) and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford, Jr., (L), testify during a US House Armed Services Committee hearing on the Fiscal Year 2018 budget on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 12, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / SAUL LOEB (Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: SecDef Says North Korea Biggest Threat; Saudi Arms Deal Under Fire

The Cable
Paul McLeary
US soldiers patrol near the site of a US bombing during an operation against Islamic State (IS) militants in the Achin district of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province on April 15, 2017. Afghan authorities April 15 reported a jump in fatalities from the American military's largest non-nuclear bomb, declaring some 90 Islamic State fighters dead, as US-led forces conducted clean-up operations over their mountain hideouts. Dubbed the "Mother Of All Bombs", the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast was unleashed in combat for the first time April 12, hitting IS positions in a remote area of eastern Nangarhar province. / AFP PHOTO / NOORULLAH SHIRZADA (Photo credit should read NOORULLAH SHIRZADA/AFP/Getty Images)
US soldiers patrol near the site of a US bombing during an operation against Islamic State (IS) militants in the Achin district of Afghanistan's Nangarhar province on April 15, 2017. Afghan authorities April 15 reported a jump in fatalities from the American military's largest non-nuclear bomb, declaring some 90 Islamic State fighters dead, as US-led forces conducted clean-up operations over their mountain hideouts. Dubbed the "Mother Of All Bombs", the GBU-43/B Massive Ordnance Air Blast was unleashed in combat for the first time April 12, hitting IS positions in a remote area of eastern Nangarhar province. / AFP PHOTO / NOORULLAH SHIRZADA (Photo credit should read NOORULLAH SHIRZADA/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Another Week at War — U.S. Convoy Hit in Afghanistan; U.S. Losses; New Somalia Strike

The Cable
Paul McLeary
US President Donald Trump (R) and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani take part in a bilateral meeting at a hotel in Riyadh on May 21, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump (R) and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani take part in a bilateral meeting at a hotel in Riyadh on May 21, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Administration Tries to Salvage Gulf Relations, Contra Trump

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Robbie Gramer
AAAF15
AAAF15

SitRep: U.S. and Iran Trade Shots in Syria; Qatar Blockade Continues; ISIS Slaughtering Civilians in Mosul

The Cable
Paul McLeary
US troops sit atop an armoured vehicle on a road near the northern Syrian village of Ain Issa on June 3, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / DELIL SOULEIMAN (Photo credit should read DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
US troops sit atop an armoured vehicle on a road near the northern Syrian village of Ain Issa on June 3, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / DELIL SOULEIMAN (Photo credit should read DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

Iranian-Backed Militias Employ Drone Against U.S. Forces in Syria

The Cable
Paul McLeary
US President Donald Trump (C) and Saudi's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (C-R) pose for a picture with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh on May 21, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump (C) and Saudi's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud (C-R) pose for a picture with leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council in Riyadh on May 21, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Comey Day; Threats, Troops on the Move Across Middle East; North Korea Fires Up

The Cable
Paul McLeary
Smoke billows following an air-strike by the Saudi-led coalition on an army arms depot, now under Shiite Huthi rebel control on May 22, 2015 east of the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The Saudi-led coalition has waged an air campaign against the Huthis since March 26 in an effort to restore the authority of Hadi, who has fled to Riyadh with members of his government. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED HUWAIS (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Smoke billows following an air-strike by the Saudi-led coalition on an army arms depot, now under Shiite Huthi rebel control on May 22, 2015 east of the Yemeni capital Sanaa. The Saudi-led coalition has waged an air campaign against the Huthis since March 26 in an effort to restore the authority of Hadi, who has fled to Riyadh with members of his government. AFP PHOTO / MOHAMMED HUWAIS (Photo credit should read MOHAMMED HUWAIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Saudi Arms Sale Hits Possible Senate Roadblock

The Cable
Dan De Luce, Paul McLeary
South Korean protesters hold placards during a rally against the deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system near the US embassy in Seoul on April 28, 2017. Seoul on April 28 brushed aside US President Donald Trump's suggestion it should pay for a $1 billion missile defence system the two allies are installing in South Korea to guard against threats from the North. / AFP PHOTO / JUNG Yeon-Je (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)
South Korean protesters hold placards during a rally against the deployment of the US Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system near the US embassy in Seoul on April 28, 2017. Seoul on April 28 brushed aside US President Donald Trump's suggestion it should pay for a $1 billion missile defence system the two allies are installing in South Korea to guard against threats from the North. / AFP PHOTO / JUNG Yeon-Je (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

In Nod to China, South Korea Halts Deployment of THAAD Missile Defense

The Cable
Paul McLeary
US President Donald Trump (R) and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani take part in a bilateral meeting at a hotel in Riyadh on May 21, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump (R) and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani take part in a bilateral meeting at a hotel in Riyadh on May 21, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: BREAKING: ISIS Claims Deadly Tehran Attacks; Qatar Fallout; U.S. Bombs Iranian Militias

The Cable
Paul McLeary
A fighter of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up of an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters, looks with binoculars as he sits next to anti-tank weapons in the village of Sabah al-Khayr on the northern outskirts of Deir Ezzor as they drive to encircle the Islamic State (IS) group bastion of Raqa on February 21, 2017. The SDF made a major incursion into the oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor as part of their push for Raqa, field commander Dejwar Khabat said. / AFP / DELIL SOULEIMAN (Photo credit should read DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
A fighter of the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), made up of an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters, looks with binoculars as he sits next to anti-tank weapons in the village of Sabah al-Khayr on the northern outskirts of Deir Ezzor as they drive to encircle the Islamic State (IS) group bastion of Raqa on February 21, 2017. The SDF made a major incursion into the oil-rich province of Deir Ezzor as part of their push for Raqa, field commander Dejwar Khabat said. / AFP / DELIL SOULEIMAN (Photo credit should read DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. Bombs Iranian Militia in Syria, As Fight For Raqqa Begins

The Cable
Paul McLeary
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