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Wednesday

For Rex Tillerson, A Rocky First Year As Trump's Secretary Of State

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson makes his way to his seat before the Strategic Dialogue on Disrupting Transnational Criminal Organizations at the State Department on Dec. 14. Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Nicholas Kamm/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

For Rex Tillerson, A Rocky First Year As Trump's Secretary Of State

Tillerson says he has scored no diplomatic wins for 2017 but believes his redesign plan will improve the State Department. Critics argue he has done so much damage that it may take years to recover.

For Rex Tillerson, A Rocky First Year As Trump's Secretary Of State

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Wednesday

5 Key Points On Jerusalem

A picture taken from the Mount of Olives shows the Old City of Jerusalem with the Dome of the Rock. President Trump on Wednesday recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, upending decades of U.S. policy and ignoring dire warnings from Arab and Western allies alike. Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

5 Key Points On Jerusalem

Jerusalem has been contested for millennia and its status remains unresolved to this day. Here are some key things to understand about the disputed city.

Tuesday

Prospect Of U.S. Embassy Move To Jerusalem Worries Leaders In Middle East And Beyond

Successive American presidents have signed waivers deferring a congressional act calling for the U.S. Embassy to be moved to Jerusalem. President Trump signed such a waiver in June, saying he wanted to give U.S.-brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace efforts a chance to succeed. But in recent days, U.S. officials indicated the president was considering moving the embassy. Oded Balilty/AP hide caption

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Oded Balilty/AP

Parallels

Prospect Of U.S. Embassy Move To Jerusalem Worries Leaders In Middle East And Beyond

The White House says President Trump will announce his decision on the embassy's location in the coming days. Key Arab and Muslim allies of the U.S. warn such a move could spark anger — or violence.

Monday

How 1,000 Volvos Ended Up In North Korea — And Made A Diplomatic Difference

A man gets out of a Volvo 144 to head to a parade in Pyongyang in 2012. In the 1970s, North Korea ordered 1,000 Volvo 144s from Sweden. To this day, the cars have not been paid for. Tanya L. Procyshyn hide caption

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Tanya L. Procyshyn

Parallels

How 1,000 Volvos Ended Up In North Korea — And Made A Diplomatic Difference

In the 1970s, Sweden shipped Volvos to North Korea as part of an ill-fated trade deal. North Korea never paid for the cars. But Sweden remains an important Western diplomatic presence in Pyongyang.

How 1,000 Volvos Ended Up In North Korea — And Made A Diplomatic Difference

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Wednesday

Are Trump's Foreign Policy Stumbles First-Year Growing Pains Or A Reason For Worry?

President Donald Trump, joined by Vice President Mike Pence and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, listens to a question during a meeting with Finnish President Sauli Niinisto in the Oval Office on Monday. Tillerson, when asked Sunday whether Trump's response to violence in Charlottesville, Va., represented American values, said that "the president speaks for himself." Evan Vucci/AP hide caption

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Evan Vucci/AP

Parallels

Are Trump's Foreign Policy Stumbles First-Year Growing Pains Or A Reason For Worry?

University of Virginia historians say tumult isn't unexpected in the first year of a new administration. But there are questions about whether the Trump administration is prepared to handle crises.

Are Trump's Foreign Policy Stumbles First-Year Growing Pains Or A Reason For Worry?

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Sunday

For New U.S. Mideast Peace Envoy, It Will Be A Long Road To 'Ultimate Deal'

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meets President Trump's Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt in Jerusalem on June 21. Handout/Amos Ben Gershom/GPO/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images hide caption

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Handout/Amos Ben Gershom/GPO/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Parallels

For New U.S. Mideast Peace Envoy, It Will Be A Long Road To 'Ultimate Deal'

For years, Jason Greenblatt was chief legal officer at the Trump Organization. Now his job is to help bring peace to the Middle East. His closeness to Trump may help, but it's no guarantee of success.

Wednesday

Moscow's Likely New Ambassador To U.S.: 'Tough' And 'Not That Easy To Work With'

Anatoly Antonov smiles at an October 2016 briefing at Russia's Defense Ministry in Moscow. Antonov is "able to shift in a nanosecond from warmly charming to caustically sarcastic," says a former U.S. defense official. Ivan Sekretarev/AP hide caption

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Ivan Sekretarev/AP

Parallels

Moscow's Likely New Ambassador To U.S.: 'Tough' And 'Not That Easy To Work With'

"When you're not doing business, he is a very pleasant person to deal with," says a former Obama administration official. Otherwise, "he's a tough Russian negotiator, deeply suspicious of the U.S."

Moscow's Likely New Ambassador To U.S.: 'Tough' And 'Not That Easy To Work With'

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Tuesday

Monday

Syria Casts Long Shadow Across Rex Tillerson's Big Trip To Italy And Russia

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson waits for the start of a meeting last month at NATO headquarters in Brussels. Tillerson is scheduled to travel to Russia on Tuesday, in what promises to be a difficult round of talks after the U.S. missile strike in Syria last week. Virginia Mayo/AP hide caption

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Virginia Mayo/AP

The Two-Way

Syria Casts Long Shadow Across Rex Tillerson's Big Trip To Italy And Russia

The secretary of state is meeting with G-7 diplomats, then heading to Moscow on Tuesday for some rather tough discussions. All the while, the U.S. strike on Syria is likely to be Item 1 on the agenda.

Thursday

Sessions Revelations Put 'Quiet, Behind-The-Scenes' Russian Envoy In Spotlight

Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak arrives before President Trump's address to a joint session of Congress on Tuesday. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Parallels

Sessions Revelations Put 'Quiet, Behind-The-Scenes' Russian Envoy In Spotlight

Jeff Sessions, now attorney general, met twice last year with Sergey Kislyak, Russia's U.S. ambassador. This has raised more questions about contacts between the Trump campaign and Russian officials.

Sessions Revelations Put 'Quiet, Behind-The-Scenes' Russian Envoy In Spotlight

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Friday

As He Retires, U.S. Diplomat Delivers Message That 'Values Have Power'

Longtime diplomat Daniel Fried, shown here at a meeting in Seoul in 2016, told colleagues at his retirement party on Friday he's "learned never to underestimate the possibility of change." Lee Jin-man/AP hide caption

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Lee Jin-man/AP

Parallels

As He Retires, U.S. Diplomat Delivers Message That 'Values Have Power'

Daniel Fried, who retired Friday from the State Department, helped shape U.S. policy in Europe over a 40-year career. "I learned never to underestimate the possibility of change," he told colleagues.

Tuesday

Secretary Of State Rex Tillerson Keeps Low Profile Since Taking Office

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson visited Germany last week and heads to Mexico this week, amid growing questions about how much influence he has in the White House. Brendan Smialowski/AP hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AP

Parallels

Secretary Of State Rex Tillerson Keeps Low Profile Since Taking Office

Questions are being raised about how much influence Tillerson has with the White House. He was absent from the president's recent meetings with the leaders of Canada, Israel and Japan.

Secretary Of State Rex Tillerson Keeps Low Profile Since Taking Office

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Friday

Friday

Sunday

In Trump's Taiwan Kerfuffle, Beijing Has Been Uncharacteristically Measured

Copies of local Chinese magazines at a news stand in Shanghai on Nov. 14, almost a week after Donald Trump was elected president. Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Johannes Eisele/AFP/Getty Images

Analysis

Parallels

In Trump's Taiwan Kerfuffle, Beijing Has Been Uncharacteristically Measured

Some are in an uproar over President-elect Donald Trump's phone call with Taiwan's president. Yet the Chinese leadership has shown no interest in escalating the matter.