Akbar Shahid Ahmed is HuffPost's senior foreign affairs reporter, based in Washington, D.C. A native Pakistani, Akbar has reported from across the Muslim-majority world, Europe and elsewhere. In 2019, he became the first-ever Pakistani journalist to secure a press credential to report from Israel and Palestine. He has previously written for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Generation Progress and, in Pakistan, Newsline magazine and DAWN, and has provided expert commentary for MSNBC, Al Jazeera, BBC and events including SXSW.
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Democrats Are Again Fueling GOP Talking Points About Ilhan Omar
After 12 House Democrats slammed their colleague on Wednesday, top House Republican Kevin McCarthy seized an opportunity to divide his opponents.
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Israel And Palestinian Militants Agree To Cease-Fire
Days of Israeli strikes on Gaza and Hamas rocket attacks inside Israel have killed at least 232 Palestinians and 12 Israelis, and wounded hundreds more.
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Gaza Tests Biden Foreign Policy Team's Promise To Learn From Obama-Era Mistakes
No Biden staffers who signed a letter regretting Obama's Yemen policy would say on the record how the administration's support of Israel's bombardment is different.
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Looking Back On 20 Years At War In Afghanistan
Veterans reflect on the mission that America ignored — and that many of them are still paying for.
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‘Pale, Male and Yale’: Can The State Department Be Fixed?
Gina Abercrombie-Winstanley is the first ever chief diversity and inclusion officer at an agency notorious for discrimination and wrecked by a racist president.
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Chuck Schumer Wants Biden To Cancel $50,000 In Student Loan Debt To Support Veterans
The president "is moving in our direction" after previously saying he would forgive only up to $10,000 per borrower, the top Senate Democrat told HuffPost.
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The U.S. And China Inch Toward Cooperation On Climate — Thrilling Other Countries
"We salute the fact" that John Kerry, Biden's special envoy for climate, traveled to China, Italian ambassador to the U.S. Armando Varricchio told HuffPost.
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Nancy Pelosi: 'Thank You, George Floyd, For Sacrificing Your Life'
The speaker of the House of Representatives made the widely criticized comment soon after a jury convicted former police officer Derek Chauvin of murdering Floyd.
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Joe Biden Is Already 'Tightening' Battered U.S.-Europe Relations
The president proved he's serious about addressing Trump-era damage by working closely with allies in withdrawing from Afghanistan, Italy's outgoing ambassador to the U.S. said.
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Top Republican To AIPAC: Trump Wanted To 'Marginalize' Palestinians
In private remarks to the pro-Israel lobby last month, Rep. Michael McCaul (Texas) also spoke of pressuring Saudi Arabia to recognize Israel without an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal, according to a recording obtained by HuffPost.
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Joe Biden Is Proceeding With Donald Trump's Biggest Arms Deal
A State Department spokesperson told HuffPost the president is permitting a $23 billion package for the United Arab Emirates that he had placed under review.
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Biden Aims To Withdraw U.S. Troops From Afghanistan By Sept. 11, 2021
Like Obama and Trump, Biden promised to end America's 20-year involvement in Afghanistan. He says setting a new deadline will help him fulfill that pledge.
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White House On Joe Biden's Delay In Ending Afghan War: Just Trust Him
Like Biden, the last two presidents repeatedly criticized the U.S. campaign in Afghanistan. Both left office with thousands of American troops still in the country.
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Inside The Lobbying Battle Over America's Longest War
President Joe Biden will soon announce whether he plans to keep the 3,500 U.S. troops in Afghanistan deployed there beyond a May 1 deadline for their departure.
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Donald Trump Is Haunting Joe Biden’s State Department
The former president's delay in conceding the election slowed key appointments to an agency he ravaged. But Biden's approach could be worsening the problem.
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Joe Biden Says He 'Can't Picture' U.S. Troops Being In Afghanistan In 2022
The president doubled down on his promise to end America's longest-running war at a Thursday press conference, though he said a May 1 deadline seemed unlikely.
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Stoked By Trump, Paranoia About China Is Fueling Anti-Asian Racism
The White House isn't spreading racist terms anymore, but the Biden administration and lawmakers in both parties still depict Beijing as a dark national security threat.
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Top Democrat Calls Out GOP Sen. Ron Johnson For 'Racist' Capitol Riot Comments
Johnson put "salt in an open wound" by saying he would have been concerned if Black Lives Matter protesters were involved, Sen. Bob Menendez said.
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U.S.-Linked Forces In Yemen Free Journalist Detained For 6 Months
After HuffPost reported on Adel Al-Hasani’s detention by fighters connected to the United Arab Emirates, the Biden administration pushed for his release.
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How Joe Biden Can Stop Donald Trump’s Massive UAE Arms Deal
The president has temporarily paused the $23 billion weapons package. His final decision will show if he's serious about building a more progressive foreign policy.