Paul McLeary

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

Articles by Paul McLeary
In this photograph taken on August 28, 2017, a US Marine looks on as Afghan National Army soldiers raise the Afghan National flag on an armed vehicle during a training exercise to deal with IEDs (improvised explosive devices) at the Shorab Military Camp in Lashkar Gah in Helmand province. Marines in Afghanistan's Helmand say Donald Trump's decision to keep boots on the ground indefinitely gives them "all the time in the world" to retake the province, once the symbol of US intervention but now a Taliban stronghold. They may need it. At the hot, dusty Camp Shorab, where many of the recently deployed Marines train their Afghan counterparts in flat, desert terrain, the Afghans admit their army still cannot fight alone. / AFP PHOTO / WAKIL KOHSAR (Photo credit should read WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)
In this photograph taken on August 28, 2017, a US Marine looks on as Afghan National Army soldiers raise the Afghan National flag on an armed vehicle during a training exercise to deal with IEDs (improvised explosive devices) at the Shorab Military Camp in Lashkar Gah in Helmand province. Marines in Afghanistan's Helmand say Donald Trump's decision to keep boots on the ground indefinitely gives them "all the time in the world" to retake the province, once the symbol of US intervention but now a Taliban stronghold. They may need it. At the hot, dusty Camp Shorab, where many of the recently deployed Marines train their Afghan counterparts in flat, desert terrain, the Afghans admit their army still cannot fight alone. / AFP PHOTO / WAKIL KOHSAR (Photo credit should read WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Afghan Surge Coming; All Sorts of Action on North Korea

The Cable
Paul McLeary
Pedestrians walk past a shelter sign set up on an exit of a subway station in Seoul on September 4, 2017. South Korean media called on September 4 for Seoul to consider building its own nuclear weapons amid growing doubts over its decades-old alliance with Washington following North Korea's sixth nuclear test. / AFP PHOTO / JUNG Yeon-Je (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)
Pedestrians walk past a shelter sign set up on an exit of a subway station in Seoul on September 4, 2017. South Korean media called on September 4 for Seoul to consider building its own nuclear weapons amid growing doubts over its decades-old alliance with Washington following North Korea's sixth nuclear test. / AFP PHOTO / JUNG Yeon-Je (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: No Answers on North Korea, But Tensions Increase

The Cable
Paul McLeary
A bus carrying members of the Islamic State (IS) group leaves the Qara area in Syria's Qalamoun region on August 28, 2017 as the jihadists are transported to Deir Ezzor as part of an unprecedented deal to end three years of jihadist presence. Under the evacuation deal, several hundred jihadists and their families on both sides of the border are set to leave by bus for Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, the country's only province still under IS control. / AFP PHOTO / LOUAI BESHARA (Photo credit should read LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images)
A bus carrying members of the Islamic State (IS) group leaves the Qara area in Syria's Qalamoun region on August 28, 2017 as the jihadists are transported to Deir Ezzor as part of an unprecedented deal to end three years of jihadist presence. Under the evacuation deal, several hundred jihadists and their families on both sides of the border are set to leave by bus for Deir Ezzor in eastern Syria, the country's only province still under IS control. / AFP PHOTO / LOUAI BESHARA (Photo credit should read LOUAI BESHARA/AFP/Getty Images)

Prowling the Syrian Desert, U.S. Picking Off ISIS Fighters in Stranded Convoy

The Cable
Paul McLeary
EAST SEA, SOUTH KOREA - JULY 06: In this handout photo released by the South Korean Defense Ministry, a South Korean navy ship fires a missile during a drill aimed to counter North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile test on July 6, 2017 in East Sea, South Korea. The U.S. Army and South Korean military responded to North Korea's missile launch with a combined ballistic missile exercise on Wednesday, into South Korean waters along the country's eastern coastline. (Photo by South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images)
EAST SEA, SOUTH KOREA - JULY 06: In this handout photo released by the South Korean Defense Ministry, a South Korean navy ship fires a missile during a drill aimed to counter North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile test on July 6, 2017 in East Sea, South Korea. The U.S. Army and South Korean military responded to North Korea's missile launch with a combined ballistic missile exercise on Wednesday, into South Korean waters along the country's eastern coastline. (Photo by South Korean Defense Ministry via Getty Images)

SitRep: South Korea and the Military Option

The Cable
Paul McLeary
TOPSHOT - A US soldier mans a weapon at the tailgate aboard the helicopter carrying US Defence Secretary James Mattis as he arrives at Resolute Support headquarters in the Afghan capital Kabul on April 24, 2017. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit April 24, an American defence official confirmed, hours after his Afghan counterpart resigned over a deadly Taliban attack. Mattis, making his first visit to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief, was due to meet top officials including President Ashraf Ghani less than two weeks after the US dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb on Islamic State hideouts in the country's east. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / JONATHAN ERNST (Photo credit should read JONATHAN ERNST/AFP/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - A US soldier mans a weapon at the tailgate aboard the helicopter carrying US Defence Secretary James Mattis as he arrives at Resolute Support headquarters in the Afghan capital Kabul on April 24, 2017. US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis arrived in Afghanistan on an unannounced visit April 24, an American defence official confirmed, hours after his Afghan counterpart resigned over a deadly Taliban attack. Mattis, making his first visit to Afghanistan as Pentagon chief, was due to meet top officials including President Ashraf Ghani less than two weeks after the US dropped its largest non-nuclear bomb on Islamic State hideouts in the country's east. / AFP PHOTO / POOL / JONATHAN ERNST (Photo credit should read JONATHAN ERNST/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Mattis Signs Orders for Afghanistan Deployment

The Cable
Paul McLeary
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SitRep: Allies Launch Major Flyover of Korean Peninsula; Pentagon Comes Clean on Deployments

The Cable
Paul McLeary
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Pentagon Admits Thousands More Troops in Afghanistan Than Previously Reported

The Cable
Paul McLeary
TOPSHOT - This picture from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) taken on August 29, 2017 and released on August 30, 2017 shows North Korea's intermediate-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 lifting off from the launching pad at an undisclosed location near Pyongyang. Nuclear-armed North Korea said on August 30 that it had fired a missile over Japan the previous day, the first time it has ever acknowledged doing so. / 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. / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by STR has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [at an undisclosed location near Pyongyang] instead of [in Pyongyang]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)
TOPSHOT - This picture from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) taken on August 29, 2017 and released on August 30, 2017 shows North Korea's intermediate-range strategic ballistic rocket Hwasong-12 lifting off from the launching pad at an undisclosed location near Pyongyang. Nuclear-armed North Korea said on August 30 that it had fired a missile over Japan the previous day, the first time it has ever acknowledged doing so. / 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. / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by STR has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [at an undisclosed location near Pyongyang] instead of [in Pyongyang]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo credit should read STR/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Mattis Taking Time on Transgender Issue; North Korea Brushing off Trump’s Rhetoric

The Cable
Paul McLeary
This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 5, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) inspecting the defence detachment on Jangjae Islet and the Hero Defence Detachment on Mu Islet located in the southernmost part of the waters off the southwest 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 from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on May 5, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) inspecting the defence detachment on Jangjae Islet and the Hero Defence Detachment on Mu Islet located in the southernmost part of the waters off the southwest 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: South Korea, Japan React to North’s Latest Launch; Still No Afghanistan Plan

The Cable
Paul McLeary
MOSUL, IRAQ - OCTOBER 20: A Kurdish peshmerga tank moves forward during an assault to recapture the village of Tiskharab on October 20, 2016 near Mosul, Iraq. Kurdish and Iraqi forces, supported by numerous countries including Britain and the USA, have continued their advance towards towards Iraq's second largest city of Mosul which has been held by Islamic State militants since 2014. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)
MOSUL, IRAQ - OCTOBER 20: A Kurdish peshmerga tank moves forward during an assault to recapture the village of Tiskharab on October 20, 2016 near Mosul, Iraq. Kurdish and Iraqi forces, supported by numerous countries including Britain and the USA, have continued their advance towards towards Iraq's second largest city of Mosul which has been held by Islamic State militants since 2014. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

With Referendum Approaching, Kurds Wait for More U.S. Military Aid

The Cable
Paul McLeary
This undated photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 26, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) presiding over a target strike exercise conducted by the special operation forces of the Korean People's Army (KPA) at an undisclosed location. North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles on August 26, the US military said, following weeks of heightened tensions between Washington and Pyongyang. / 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 photo released by North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 26, 2017 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) presiding over a target strike exercise conducted by the special operation forces of the Korean People's Army (KPA) at an undisclosed location. North Korea fired three short-range ballistic missiles on August 26, the US military said, following weeks of heightened tensions between Washington and Pyongyang. / 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 Preparing New Nuke Test?; More Diplomats Flee State Dept.

The Cable
Paul McLeary
US General John Nicholson, incoming commander of Resolute Support forces and United States forces in Afghanistan, salutes during a change of command ceremony at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul on March 2, 2016. Just over one year ago, the US and NATO-led mission in Afghanistan transitioned into an Afghan operation, with allied nations assisting in training and equipping local forces to tackle Taliban and other groups. AFP PHOTO / Rahmat Gul / POOL / AFP / POOL / Rahmat Gul (Photo credit should read RAHMAT GUL/AFP/Getty Images)
US General John Nicholson, incoming commander of Resolute Support forces and United States forces in Afghanistan, salutes during a change of command ceremony at Resolute Support headquarters in Kabul on March 2, 2016. Just over one year ago, the US and NATO-led mission in Afghanistan transitioned into an Afghan operation, with allied nations assisting in training and equipping local forces to tackle Taliban and other groups. AFP PHOTO / Rahmat Gul / POOL / AFP / POOL / Rahmat Gul (Photo credit should read RAHMAT GUL/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Afghan Plan Echoes the Past; U.S. Looking at More Lethal Help for Ukraine

The Cable
Paul McLeary
Ukrainian Minister of Defence Stepan Poltorak (L-back) speaks to US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis (C) before a military parade in Kiev on August 24, 2017 to celebrate the Independence Day, 26 years since Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union.  / AFP PHOTO / Genya SAVILOV (Photo credit should read GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images)
Ukrainian Minister of Defence Stepan Poltorak (L-back) speaks to US Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis (C) before a military parade in Kiev on August 24, 2017 to celebrate the Independence Day, 26 years since Ukraine gained independence from the Soviet Union.  / AFP PHOTO / Genya SAVILOV (Photo credit should read GENYA SAVILOV/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: Mattis Lands in Ukraine, Rips Russia; WH Hands Pentagon Transgender Ban Memo

The Cable
Paul McLeary
US soldiers walk at the site of a Taliban suicide attack in Kandahar on August 2, 2017. A Taliban suicide bomber on August 2 rammed a vehicle filled with explosives into a convoy of foreign forces in Afghanistan's restive southern province of Kandahar, causing casualties, officials said. "At around noon a car bomb targeted a convoy of foreign forces in the Daman area of Kandahar," provincial police spokesman Zia Durrani told AFP. / AFP PHOTO / JAVED TANVEER (Photo credit should read JAVED TANVEER/AFP/Getty Images)
US soldiers walk at the site of a Taliban suicide attack in Kandahar on August 2, 2017. A Taliban suicide bomber on August 2 rammed a vehicle filled with explosives into a convoy of foreign forces in Afghanistan's restive southern province of Kandahar, causing casualties, officials said. "At around noon a car bomb targeted a convoy of foreign forces in the Daman area of Kandahar," provincial police spokesman Zia Durrani told AFP. / AFP PHOTO / JAVED TANVEER (Photo credit should read JAVED TANVEER/AFP/Getty Images)

SitRep: More Troops in Afghanistan Than Pentagon Admits; Mattis Waiting on Afghan Plan

The Cable
Paul McLeary
Pakistani army soldiers board a army vehicle during a search operation against militants outskirts of Peshawar on June 24, 2017. Multiple blasts and a gun attack killed more than 50 people and wounded at least 170 in three Pakistani cities on the last Friday of Ramadan, Islam's holiest month, as officials warned the toll could rise. / AFP PHOTO / ABDUL MAJEED (Photo credit should read ABDUL MAJEED/AFP/Getty Images)
Pakistani army soldiers board a army vehicle during a search operation against militants outskirts of Peshawar on June 24, 2017. Multiple blasts and a gun attack killed more than 50 people and wounded at least 170 in three Pakistani cities on the last Friday of Ramadan, Islam's holiest month, as officials warned the toll could rise. / AFP PHOTO / ABDUL MAJEED (Photo credit should read ABDUL MAJEED/AFP/Getty Images)

Trump Administration Threatens to Cut Aid to Pakistan. Does It Matter?

The Cable
Paul McLeary, Dan De Luce
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