Simon Denyer

WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) - It was never going to be a relaxing day trip, but the presidential visit to Afghanistan had something of a jinxed quality to it. First, President Barack Obama got stranded at Bagram Air Base by high winds. He addressed…

WASHINGTON, Nov 30 (Reuters) -The U.S. government would surely love to get its revenge on Julian Assange, and the Justice Department says a criminal investigation has already begun. But specialists in espionage law tell us that peculiarities of…

WASHINGTON, Nov 29 (Reuters) - To an outsider, diplomacy sometimes looks like an exercise in smiling and being nice to people who you secretly dislike or even scorn. The trouble is, these days your real feelings may not be a secret. Perhaps it’s no…

WASHINGTON, Nov 3 (Reuters) - It was a subdued and chastened president who took the podium for his post-election news conference today. His tone flat, his eyes often downcast, his smile largely absent, Obama admitted the election results were…

WASHINGTON, Dec 1 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama has finally decided to back his military's request for more troops for Afghanistan but critics are certain to argue his strategy lacks a convincing civilian and political dimension. * When…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - We were led through a door that is usually forbiddingly closed, past a clutch of burly Secret Service agents, around a corner, and there he was, in a corridor leading to the Oval Office. Barack Obama, America’s “rock star”…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama faces key decisions on Afghanistan after the top U.S. and NATO commander there said the war would be lost unless more troops are sent to pursue a radically revised strategy. U.S. Army General Stanley…

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama won a fresh promise from the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday to work together to defeat al Qaeda, and vowed he would make “every effort” to avoid civilian deaths. Afghanistan’s Hamid…