Taking responsibility

Boston Calling

An impeachment trial is a rare event in the United States but there is something unprecedented about this one. President Trump’s troubles are rooted in his approach to US foreign policy and diplomacy. The president is accused of pressuring Ukraine’s president to investigate his political rival Joe Biden and his son, in exchange for US military assistance. The implications of the senate’s verdict will be felt far beyond America’s borders. Former US ambassador Nicholas Burns says that despite the pressure, diplomats from the US state department have acted courageously and have set a positive example for a new generation of foreign service officers.

Also, the death of a US citizen in an Egyptian prison raises questions about US diplomacy; the internet has made cheating by students more digital and more global than ever before, and that has opened up business opportunities in places like Kenya; we look to the Mexico-Guatemala border where a new migrant caravan has been stopped by Mexican security forces; and we compare the cost of maternity healthcare in the US with other countries around the world.

(Former Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Nicholas Burns testifies during a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC. Credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

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