Michael Walsh, at The Blogs

Michael Walsh

Jul 8, 2025, 7:27 AM

Status Quo Cannot Endure in US-Tunisia Relations

U.S. Embassy in Tunisia (Credit: U.S. Department of State)

The strategic misalignment between Tunisia and the United States risks a major shift in US-Tunisia relations in the not too distant future. The Trump Administration is committed to promoting fair, free, reciprocal trade that puts American workers first. It is...

Jun 25, 2025, 8:06 AM

Time to Review US Foreign Policy on Dependencies & Areas of Special Sovereignty

U.S. Consulate General Curaçao (Image Credit: U.S. Department of State)

Over the last decade, there have been several changes to the official list of dependencies and areas of special sovereignty recognized by the U.S. Government. For example, the Trump Administration terminated the recognition of Western Sahara as a dependency...

Mar 28, 2025, 5:56 PM

Rubio Must Demand Horizontal & Vertical Alignment

Secretary Marco Rubio participates in a podcast with Megyn Kelly at the Department of State in Washington, DC, January 30, 2025 (Image Credit: US Department of State)

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio should direct Chargé d’Affaires ad interim Stephanie Hallett to improve horizontal and vertical alignment in the strategic planning of the United States Embassy in Israel. As a matter of policy, US diplomatic missions are...

Mar 27, 2025, 7:26 AM

Ramaphosa Article Begs US Ship with Israeli Arms

Peace to Prosperity Framework Press Conference (Image Credit: White House)

There are dark clouds forming on the maritime horizon of US-South Africa relations. Since the October 7 Attacks, the Federal Maritime Commission (FMC) has demonstrated a willingness to investigate foreign governments who interfere with port access for U.S. and foreign-flagged...

Jan 31, 2025, 5:54 PM

Rubio Must Fix US Foreign Policy Planning

President Joe Biden talks on the phone with President Isaac Herzog of Israel in the Oval Office, Monday, October 7, 2024 (Credit: White House)

The October 7 Attacks show that there is a clear and present need for the US Secretary of State Marco Rubio to re-evaluate the policy guidance for the unclassified strategic plans of the diplomatic missions, functional bureaus, and geographic...

Jan 30, 2025, 9:00 PM

Israel & USA Need Diagonal Foreign Policy Planning

The Governments of Israel and the United States need to explore novel ways to better prepare their foreign service officers to make strategic choices in pursuit of shared winning aspirations. One way would be to conduct diagonal foreign policy...

Jan 29, 2025, 9:24 PM

Rubio Must Realign Office of Palestinian Affairs

On 20 January 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order that declared that "the foreign policy of the United States shall champion core American interests and always put America and American citizens first." In accordance with that directive, Secretary...

About Me

Michael Walsh is a Senior Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. He conducts research on the strategic, operational, and tactical gaps that exist in American foreign policy.