Paul McLeary

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

Articles by Paul McLeary
ARLINGTON, VA - JANUARY 27: U.S. Defense Secretary Gen. James Mattis greets President Donald Trump at the Pentagon on January 27, 2017 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, VA - JANUARY 27: U.S. Defense Secretary Gen. James Mattis greets President Donald Trump at the Pentagon on January 27, 2017 in Arlington, Virginia. (Photo by Olivier Douliery-Pool/Getty Images)

SitRep: Trump Embracing Obama’s Foreign Policy; New ISIS War Plan; Obama Advisor Disputes WH on Yemen Raid

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Adam Rawnsley
U.S. Soldiers with Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group fast-rope from a CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft during exercise Emerald Warrior 2011 at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., March 1, 2011. Emerald Warrior is an annual two-week joint/combined tactical exercise sponsored by U.S. Special Operations Command designed to leverage lessons learned from operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom to provide trained and ready forces to combatant commanders. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. DeNoris Mickle, U.S. Air Force/Released)
U.S. Soldiers with Alpha Company, 4th Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group fast-rope from a CV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft during exercise Emerald Warrior 2011 at Cannon Air Force Base, N.M., March 1, 2011. Emerald Warrior is an annual two-week joint/combined tactical exercise sponsored by U.S. Special Operations Command designed to leverage lessons learned from operations Iraqi and Enduring Freedom to provide trained and ready forces to combatant commanders. (DoD photo by Tech. Sgt. DeNoris Mickle, U.S. Air Force/Released)

SitRep: Trump’s Iran Warning; SEAL Raid Disaster; Putin Testing Trump; Inside the New NSC

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Adam Rawnsley
A tank is seen in the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka on February 1, 2017 as government forces and Russian-backed separatists exchanged mortar and rocket fire for a fourth day around the flashpoint eastern town of Avdiivka just north of the rebels' de facto capital Donetsk. The death toll from the latest escalation in fighting in Ukraine rose to 19 on February 1 as international alarm rang out over the spike in bloodshed in the European Union's back yard. / AFP / Aleksey FILIPPOV (Photo credit should read ALEKSEY FILIPPOV/AFP/Getty Images)
A tank is seen in the Ukrainian town of Avdiivka on February 1, 2017 as government forces and Russian-backed separatists exchanged mortar and rocket fire for a fourth day around the flashpoint eastern town of Avdiivka just north of the rebels' de facto capital Donetsk. The death toll from the latest escalation in fighting in Ukraine rose to 19 on February 1 as international alarm rang out over the spike in bloodshed in the European Union's back yard. / AFP / Aleksey FILIPPOV (Photo credit should read ALEKSEY FILIPPOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Putin Testing Trump Early With Ukraine Attacks

The Cable
Paul McLeary
HONOLULU, HI - DECEMBER 07: Planes from the 199th Fighter Squadron, Hawaii Air National Guard and the 19th Fighter Squadron, U.S. Air Force perform a missing man fly over, over the USS Arizona Memorial during a ceremony commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor at Kilo Pier on December 07, 2016 in Honolulu, Hawaii.
HONOLULU, HI - DECEMBER 07: Planes from the 199th Fighter Squadron, Hawaii Air National Guard and the 19th Fighter Squadron, U.S. Air Force perform a missing man fly over, over the USS Arizona Memorial during a ceremony commemorating the 75th Anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor at Kilo Pier on December 07, 2016 in Honolulu, Hawaii.

SitRep: Trump Advisor Bannon Predicts Wars With China, Middle East; Pentagon Officials Say Gloves Off in Yemen

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Adam Rawnsley
A picture shows the new medium-range surface to surface missile, named Sejil-2, at an undisclosed location in Iran prior to its test-firing on May 20, 2009. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that Iran had successfully test-fired the new missile, drawing a warning from Israel that Europe too should now worry about the Islamic republic's ballistic programme. AFP PHOTO/STR/FARS NEWS (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)
A picture shows the new medium-range surface to surface missile, named Sejil-2, at an undisclosed location in Iran prior to its test-firing on May 20, 2009. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced that Iran had successfully test-fired the new missile, drawing a warning from Israel that Europe too should now worry about the Islamic republic's ballistic programme. AFP PHOTO/STR/FARS NEWS (Photo credit should read -/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Bannon’s Rules at the NSC; White House Faces Down First Iran Test, Confusion Over Trump Ban

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Adam Rawnsley
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - AUGUST 23: An interpreter with the U.S. Army Bravo Company 82nd Airborne participates in a patrol August 23, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq. There are increasing calls for the resignation of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki due to his failure to quell walkouts by Sunni members of Parliament and his inability to bring about agreements on power sharing within the divided government. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
BAGHDAD, IRAQ - AUGUST 23: An interpreter with the U.S. Army Bravo Company 82nd Airborne participates in a patrol August 23, 2007 in Baghdad, Iraq. There are increasing calls for the resignation of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki due to his failure to quell walkouts by Sunni members of Parliament and his inability to bring about agreements on power sharing within the divided government. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Pentagon Scrambles to Make Exception for Iraqi Translators

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Molly O’Toole, Kavitha Surana
SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 29: Protestors hold up signs in front of effigies of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during in a demonstration on January 29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington, against Trump's executive order banning Muslims from certain countries. The rally was one of several in the area over the weekend. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)
SEATTLE, WA - JANUARY 29: Protestors hold up signs in front of effigies of U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin during in a demonstration on January 29, 2017 in Seattle, Washington, against Trump's executive order banning Muslims from certain countries. The rally was one of several in the area over the weekend. (Photo by Stephen Brashear/Getty Images)

SitRep: Washington’s New Terrorism Problem; Bannon Snipes at Flynn; Republicans Balk at Muslim Ban; Trump’s ‘Safe Zone’ Coalition

The Cable
Paul McLeary
To go with Afghanistan-unrest-US-Bagram,FEATURE by Emmanuel PARISSE In this photograph taken on November 1, 2014, a US soldier carries wooden boards out of a structure during ongoing demolition work at Bagram Air Base, some 50 kms north of Kabul. First they remove the power supply, then they tear out fixtures by hand, before a mechanical digger destroys the roof in a cloud of dust -- the US military is ending its war in Afghanistan and the wrecking crews are busy. AFP PHOTO/Wakil KOHSAR (Photo credit should read WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)
To go with Afghanistan-unrest-US-Bagram,FEATURE by Emmanuel PARISSE In this photograph taken on November 1, 2014, a US soldier carries wooden boards out of a structure during ongoing demolition work at Bagram Air Base, some 50 kms north of Kabul. First they remove the power supply, then they tear out fixtures by hand, before a mechanical digger destroys the roof in a cloud of dust -- the US military is ending its war in Afghanistan and the wrecking crews are busy. AFP PHOTO/Wakil KOHSAR (Photo credit should read WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump’s Hiring Freeze Could Hurt U.S. in Afghanistan, Raise Costs

The Cable
Paul McLeary
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SitRep: Trump and Putin to Talk; Sanctions Relief for Moscow; Washington Stumbling into China Crisis

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Adam Rawnsley
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA - OCTOBER 22: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been reviewed by the U.S. Military prior to transmission.) Razor wire lines the fence of the "Gitmo" maximum security detention center on October 22, 2016 at the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The U.S. military's Joint Task Force Guantanamo is still holding 60 detainees at the prison, down from a previous total of 780. On his second day in office in 2008 President Obama issued an executive order to close the prison, which has failed because of political opposition in the U.S. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA - OCTOBER 22: (EDITORS NOTE: Image has been reviewed by the U.S. Military prior to transmission.) Razor wire lines the fence of the "Gitmo" maximum security detention center on October 22, 2016 at the U.S. Naval Station at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The U.S. military's Joint Task Force Guantanamo is still holding 60 detainees at the prison, down from a previous total of 780. On his second day in office in 2008 President Obama issued an executive order to close the prison, which has failed because of political opposition in the U.S. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)

SitRep: POTUS Says Torture “Works;” DoD and CIA Chiefs Blindsided by Executive Order; Safe Zone in Syria

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Adam Rawnsley
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 25: (AFP OUT) U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security January 25, 2017 in Washington, DC. While at the department, Trump signed two executive orders related to internal security and to begin the process of building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 25: (AFP OUT) U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during a visit to the Department of Homeland Security January 25, 2017 in Washington, DC. While at the department, Trump signed two executive orders related to internal security and to begin the process of building a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

Drafts of Trump Orders on Gitmo and Interrogation Spark Fear of Return to 9/11-Era Mindset

The Cable
Molly O’Toole, Paul McLeary
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 24: President Donald Trump looks on after signing one of five executive orders related to the oil pipeline industry in the Oval Office of the White House January 24, 2017 in Washington, DC. Also pictured are White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (L), White House Communications Director Hope Hicks (3rd R) and Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (R). (Photo by Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 24: President Donald Trump looks on after signing one of five executive orders related to the oil pipeline industry in the Oval Office of the White House January 24, 2017 in Washington, DC. Also pictured are White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus (L), White House Communications Director Hope Hicks (3rd R) and Senior Advisor Jared Kushner (R). (Photo by Shawn Thew-Pool/Getty Images)

Defense Hawks Headed for Collision with Trump’s Budget Czar

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Dan De Luce
An Iraqi man and a girl fleeing the Islamic State (IS) group controlled Rashidiyah neighbourhood arrive to the Arabi neighbourhood north of Mosul on January 22, 2017 as a military operation against the jihadists continues. Iraqi forces retook two areas from the Islamic State group in Mosul, sealing their control of the east bank three months into an offensive to reclaim the city. / AFP / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)
An Iraqi man and a girl fleeing the Islamic State (IS) group controlled Rashidiyah neighbourhood arrive to the Arabi neighbourhood north of Mosul on January 22, 2017 as a military operation against the jihadists continues. Iraqi forces retook two areas from the Islamic State group in Mosul, sealing their control of the east bank three months into an offensive to reclaim the city. / AFP / AHMAD AL-RUBAYE (Photo credit should read AHMAD AL-RUBAYE/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: SecDef Mattis Heads to Asia; Republican Defense Budget Fight Looms; Iraq Takes Eastern Mosul

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Adam Rawnsley
ARLINGTON, VA - JANUARY 21: U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis (L) is greeted and escorted by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford (R) as he arrives for the first day January 21, 2017 at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Retired General Mattis was confirmed as President Donald Trump's defense secretary by the Senate and sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence yesterday. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, VA - JANUARY 21: U.S. Secretary of Defense James Mattis (L) is greeted and escorted by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Joseph Dunford (R) as he arrives for the first day January 21, 2017 at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. Retired General Mattis was confirmed as President Donald Trump's defense secretary by the Senate and sworn in by Vice President Mike Pence yesterday. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

SitRep: New SecDef Reassures NATO; China Angered by WH Statement; Moscow’s Military Cashes in After Sanctions

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Adam Rawnsley
Russian T-14 Armata tanks roll along Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2016. Russia marks the 71st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. / AFP / VASILY MAXIMOV (Photo credit should read VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images)
Russian T-14 Armata tanks roll along Red Square during the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, 2016. Russia marks the 71st anniversary of the Soviet Union's victory over Nazi Germany in World War II. / AFP / VASILY MAXIMOV (Photo credit should read VASILY MAXIMOV/AFP/Getty Images)

Did Western Sanctions Actually Help the Russian Military?

The Cable
Paul McLeary
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