Paul McLeary

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

Articles by Paul McLeary
US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (L) hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 12, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (L) hold a joint press conference in the East Room at the White House in Washington, DC, on April 12, 2017. / AFP PHOTO / Brendan Smialowski (Photo credit should read BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Trump Hits the Road; U.S. Bombs Syrian Troops; White House Readying Plan to Hit Back at Critics

The Cable
Paul McLeary
A picture shows a T-54 tank at a position of Syrian pro-government forces in Aleppo's Sheikh Saeed district as troops advance in the southeastern edges of the divided city on November 30, 2016. More than 50,000 Syrians have joined a growing exodus of terrified civilians from the besieged rebel-held east of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said, as the UN Security Council was set for emergency talks on fighting in the city. Regime forces and allied fighters now fully control the city's northeast and pressed their offensive on November 30 on Aleppo's southeastern edges, advancing in the Sheikh Saeed district, according to state news agency SANA. / AFP / George OURFALIAN (Photo credit should read GEORGE OURFALIAN/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture shows a T-54 tank at a position of Syrian pro-government forces in Aleppo's Sheikh Saeed district as troops advance in the southeastern edges of the divided city on November 30, 2016. More than 50,000 Syrians have joined a growing exodus of terrified civilians from the besieged rebel-held east of Aleppo, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said, as the UN Security Council was set for emergency talks on fighting in the city. Regime forces and allied fighters now fully control the city's northeast and pressed their offensive on November 30 on Aleppo's southeastern edges, advancing in the Sheikh Saeed district, according to state news agency SANA. / AFP / George OURFALIAN (Photo credit should read GEORGE OURFALIAN/AFP/Getty Images)

U.S. Bombs Syrian Regime Forces For First Time

The Cable
Paul McLeary
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Donald Trump's National Security Adviser Gen. Michael T. Flynn (R) arrives on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: Donald Trump's National Security Adviser Gen. Michael T. Flynn (R) arrives on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States. (Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

SitRep: More on Flynn’s Russia and Turkey Contacts; Special Counsel Probes Trump; The Hunt For Erdogan’s Bodyguards

The Cable
Paul McLeary
GettyImages-643214096
GettyImages-643214096

SitRep: Comey Memo Bombshell; Putin Jumps Into Trump Intel Fray; McMaster on Hot Seat

The Cable
Paul McLeary
US President Donald Trump speaks before signing an Executive Order on Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty in the Rose Garden of the White House on May 4, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump issued an executive order on Thursday making it easier for churches and religious groups to take part in politics without risk of losing their tax-exempt status, a senior White House official said. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)
US President Donald Trump speaks before signing an Executive Order on Promoting Free Speech and Religious Liberty in the Rose Garden of the White House on May 4, 2017 in Washington, DC. Trump issued an executive order on Thursday making it easier for churches and religious groups to take part in politics without risk of losing their tax-exempt status, a senior White House official said. / AFP PHOTO / MANDEL NGAN (Photo credit should read MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: BREAKING: Trump Reverses Aides, Admits He Shared Classified Info. With Russians; McMaster to Brief Press; NATO Simplifying Meeting For Trump

The Cable
Paul McLeary
This undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 26, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending the combined fire demonstration of the services of the Korean People's Army in celebration of its 85th founding anniversary at the airport of eastern front. / 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)
This undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 26, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending the combined fire demonstration of the services of the Korean People's Army in celebration of its 85th founding anniversary at the airport of eastern front. / 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)

SitRep: North Korea Says It’s Nuke Ready; Another Afghan Surge; UAE, Turkish Leaders Come to White House

The Cable
Paul McLeary
This undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 26, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending the combined fire demonstration of the services of the Korean People's Army in celebration of its 85th founding anniversary at the airport of eastern front. / 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)
This undated picture released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on April 26, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) attending the combined fire demonstration of the services of the Korean People's Army in celebration of its 85th founding anniversary at the airport of eastern front. / 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)

North Korean Missile Test Shows U.S. Bases Could Soon Be In Range

The Cable
Paul McLeary
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - APRIL 24: U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis (R) and U.S. Army General John Nicholson (L), commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, hold a news conference at Resolute Support headquarters April 24, 2017 in in Kabul, Afghanistan. Mattis is on a regional tour of the Middle East. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst - Pool/Getty Images)
KABUL, AFGHANISTAN - APRIL 24: U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis (R) and U.S. Army General John Nicholson (L), commander of U.S. Forces Afghanistan, hold a news conference at Resolute Support headquarters April 24, 2017 in in Kabul, Afghanistan. Mattis is on a regional tour of the Middle East. (Photo by Jonathan Ernst - Pool/Getty Images)

Washington Scrambles to Shore Up Faltering Afghan War Effort

The Cable
Paul McLeary
US Defense Secretary James Mattis (C) talks with a German (R) and a Lithuanian soldier as he meets with US troops deployed in Lithuania, with representatives of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, and with soldiers of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battlegroup in Lithuania at the General Silvestras ukauskas Training Area in Pabrad? on May 10, 2017. US Defence Secretary James Mattis holds talks with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and defence ministers from the trio of Baltic NATO states where the alliance is deploying battle groups for the first time as tripwires against possible Russian adventurism. / AFP PHOTO / Petras Malukas (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images)
US Defense Secretary James Mattis (C) talks with a German (R) and a Lithuanian soldier as he meets with US troops deployed in Lithuania, with representatives of the Lithuanian Armed Forces, and with soldiers of the NATO enhanced Forward Presence Battalion Battlegroup in Lithuania at the General Silvestras ukauskas Training Area in Pabrad? on May 10, 2017. US Defence Secretary James Mattis holds talks with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and defence ministers from the trio of Baltic NATO states where the alliance is deploying battle groups for the first time as tripwires against possible Russian adventurism. / AFP PHOTO / Petras Malukas (Photo credit should read PETRAS MALUKAS/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Trump Offers New Story on Comey Firing; President Confuses the Navy, Conjures F-35 Mission Over Tokyo; More Afghan Trouble

The Cable
Paul McLeary
GettyImages-655699066
GettyImages-655699066

SitRep: Comey Saga Just Beginning; Flynn Subpoenaed; Turks Warn Washington to Stay Clear of Kurds

The Cable
Paul McLeary
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 3: Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Comey testifies in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee during an oversight hearing on the FBI on Capitol Hill May 3, 2017 in Washington, DC. Comey is expected to answer questions about Russian involvement into the 2016 presidential election. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - MAY 3: Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, James Comey testifies in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee during an oversight hearing on the FBI on Capitol Hill May 3, 2017 in Washington, DC. Comey is expected to answer questions about Russian involvement into the 2016 presidential election. (Photo by Eric Thayer/Getty Images)

SitRep: Comey Sacked; Russia At The White House; Arms For the Kurds; NATO Readies for Big Russian Exercise

The Cable
Paul McLeary
US Marines and Afghan National Army (ANA) personnel hold flags during a handover ceremony at Leatherneck Camp in Lashkar Gah in the Afghan province of Helmand on April 29, 2017. US Marines returned to Afghanistan's volatile Helmand April 29, where American troops faced heated fighting until NATO's combat mission ended in 2014, as embattled Afghan security forces struggle to beat back the resurgent Taliban. The deployment of some 300 Marines to the poppy-growing southern province came one day after the militants announced the launch of their "spring offensive", and as the Trump administration seeks to craft a new strategy in Afghanistan. / AFP PHOTO / WAKIL KOHSAR (Photo credit should read WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)
US Marines and Afghan National Army (ANA) personnel hold flags during a handover ceremony at Leatherneck Camp in Lashkar Gah in the Afghan province of Helmand on April 29, 2017. US Marines returned to Afghanistan's volatile Helmand April 29, where American troops faced heated fighting until NATO's combat mission ended in 2014, as embattled Afghan security forces struggle to beat back the resurgent Taliban. The deployment of some 300 Marines to the poppy-growing southern province came one day after the militants announced the launch of their "spring offensive", and as the Trump administration seeks to craft a new strategy in Afghanistan. / AFP PHOTO / WAKIL KOHSAR (Photo credit should read WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Trump’s Afghan Surge; Flynn In More Trouble; Syria Deal Debate; Lavrov Comes To Washington

The Cable
Paul McLeary
Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), one holding ammunition, stand on a street in the northern Syrian town of Manbij on August 7, 2016, as they comb the city in search of the last remaining jihadists, a day after they retook it from the Islamic State group. A coalition of Arab and Kurd fighters on August 6, 2016 seized the Islamic State (IS) group stronghold of Manbij, two months after launching an operation to capture the strategic city in northern Syria, a monitor said. The town had served as a key transit point along IS's supply route from the Turkish border to Raqa, the de facto capital of its self-styled Islamic "caliphate". / AFP / DELIL SOULEIMAN (Photo credit should read DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images)
Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), one holding ammunition, stand on a street in the northern Syrian town of Manbij on August 7, 2016, as they comb the city in search of the last remaining jihadists, a day after they retook it from the Islamic State group. A coalition of Arab and Kurd fighters on August 6, 2016 seized the Islamic State (IS) group stronghold of Manbij, two months after launching an operation to capture the strategic city in northern Syria, a monitor said. The town had served as a key transit point along IS's supply route from the Turkish border to Raqa, the de facto capital of its self-styled Islamic "caliphate". / AFP / DELIL SOULEIMAN (Photo credit should read DELIL SOULEIMAN/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Trump Backing Kurds in Syria; Taliban Taking More Ground; U.S. Casualties Rise In Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia

The Cable
Paul McLeary
KOBANE, SYRIA - JUNE 20: (TURKEY OUT) A Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG fighters sit near a check point in the outskirts of the destroyed Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, Syria. June 20, 2015. Kurdish fighters with the YPG took full control of Kobane and strategic city of Tal Abyad, dealing a major blow to the Islamic State group's ability to wage war in Syria. Mopping up operations have started to make the town safe for the return of residents from Turkey, after more than a year of Islamic State militants holding control of the town. (Photo by Ahmet Sik/Getty Images)
KOBANE, SYRIA - JUNE 20: (TURKEY OUT) A Kurdish People's Protection Units, or YPG fighters sit near a check point in the outskirts of the destroyed Syrian town of Kobane, also known as Ain al-Arab, Syria. June 20, 2015. Kurdish fighters with the YPG took full control of Kobane and strategic city of Tal Abyad, dealing a major blow to the Islamic State group's ability to wage war in Syria. Mopping up operations have started to make the town safe for the return of residents from Turkey, after more than a year of Islamic State militants holding control of the town. (Photo by Ahmet Sik/Getty Images)

Trump to Tell Turkey: We’re Going to Take Raqqa With the Kurds

Report
Dan De Luce, Paul McLeary
us forces somalia
us forces somalia

U.S. Navy SEAL Killed, Two Wounded, in Counter-Terror Raid in Somalia

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Robbie Gramer
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