Russian election hacking as a national security issueThe story on the Trump family collusion continues to expand, with more family members reportedly having had contacts, and a former campaign manager's home raided by the FBI. Russia may be finding its efforts to establish ties to the White House frustrating, however, as it forced the removal of over 700 U.S. diplomatic staff from Russia. In response, the United States ordered Russia to close its San Francisco consulate; however, given how far this is from any political centers, the move lacks any real effect.https://www.nytimes.com/2017/08/31/us/politics/russia-consulate-close-retaliation.html
Black Friday in Foggy BottomThe State Department continues to hemorrhage top level staff. The shocking number of career diplomats who are taking early retirement means that critical positions are unfilled and that institutional knowledge is lost, leaving the United States in a substantially weaker position on a host of issues. The director f...