Obama Administration
Video: Charlie Rose Interview with Robert Gates
May 18, 2012 by Editors
Charlie Rose interviewed Robert Gates, the former Secretary of Defense under both George W. Bush and President Barack Obama, on the campus of William and Mary where Mr. Gates was recently named the 24th Chancellor of that prestigious Virginian university. The interview was comprehensive and covered everything from the surge in Iraq ordered while Gates was still the Secretary of Defense to the raid that resulted in Osama bin Laden’s death in Abbottabad, Pakistan.
The Resumption of Business as Usual Between Pakistan and the U.S.
May 17, 2012 by Daniel Wagner
The bilateral relationship between Pakistan and the U.S. is one of the most important and contentious in the world. Illustrating its complexity, Pakistan is expected to shortly announce that it is reopening Afghan supply lines through its border, which were closed following the NATO raid last year that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
Tea Party Loses in Fight with Big Business
May 17, 2012 by Jim Lobe
For leaders of the right-wing populist “Tea Party” who have bragged about their growing influence – if not domination – of the Republican Party, the past week’s battle over the future of the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) has been a humbling experience. It’s also been a reminder of the power enjoyed by Big Business, the corporate empires with globe-straddling interests, in both major parties in Congress.
Paul Krugman’s Economic Blinders
May 16, 2012 by Michael Hudson
Paul Krugman is widely appreciated for his New York Times columns criticizing Republican demands for fiscal austerity. He rightly argues that cutting back public spending will worsen the economic depression into which we are sinking. And despite his partisan Democratic Party politicking, he warned from the outset in 2009 that President Obama’s modest counter-cyclical spending program was not sufficiently bold to spur recovery.
Minister Peiris Goes to Washington
May 14, 2012 by Gibson Bateman
On May 18, Sri Lanka’s External Affairs Minister G.L. Peiris will meet with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in Washington, DC. The two should have plenty to talk about. The Sri Lankan government’s action plan for the implementation of the recommendations of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC) will be at the top of the list.
A Different Diplomatic Approach
May 12, 2012 by Doug Moreland
The recent “crisis” over Chen Guangcheng’s flight to the U.S. embassy raises questions about U.S. diplomatic statecraft. Granted, this all went down quickly without warning, but one would think that a situation like this had at some point been “gamed” by the State Department so that a general response would have been in place.
Commentary: Pakistan’s Baluchistan Issue
May 10, 2012 by Aurangzaib Alamgir
Earlier this year, Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representative recognizing Baluchistan’s right to self-determination. The bill’s co-sponsors where, Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) and Steve King (R-IA). The legislation said in part, the Baluch’s “have the right to self-determination and to their own sovereign country; and they should be afforded the opportunity to choose their own status.”
European’s Have Rejected Austerity Madness: Will the U.S. Get the Message?
May 7, 2012 by Marshall Auerback
So the voters of Europe have spoken, and surprise, surprise: they are not too keen on fiscal austerity. France’s president, Nicolas Sarkozy, became the first incumbent to lose since 1981. In Greece, the mainstream parties that have been happily participating in the country’s national suicide were soundly rejected by the electorate.
Are ‘Good-Faith Assurances’ with the Chinese Enough?
May 5, 2012 by John Lyman
By all accounts, Chen Guangcheng was prepared to resettle in the United States following years of run-ins with Chinese authorities. Chen Guangcheng’s reversal from seeking asylum, to an expressed desire to remain in China and ultimately to plea for help from the U.S. State Department, including a choreographed phone call to a congressional hearing, have created a diplomatic headache for the Obama administration.
The Talented Mr. Chen
May 5, 2012 by Daniel Wagner
Chen Guangcheng’s saga says a lot about the evolution in Chinese political culture currently under way as well as about the maturing relationship between China and the U.S. Not long ago, this ‘crisis’ could have severely impacted bilateral relations between the two countries; today, it appears to be a minor irritant, based on a spirit of compromise and common sense that has apparently prevailed.
A New ‘Rough Patch’ in US-South Africa Relations
May 4, 2012 by Dr. Scott Firsing
The US-South Africa bilateral relationship over the past eighteen months has been a diplomatic minefield. Issues include everything from military equipment and nuclear energy/weapons to oil, communication companies and the global north versus the global south. The most recent, and the most serious issue regarding US-SA relations is Iran.
Iran: Why This Time Is Different
May 3, 2012 by Richard Javad Heydarian
The latest P5+1 talks in Istanbul rejuvenated the diplomatic track between Iran and the West, paving the way for a new chapter in Iranian nuclear negotiations. Yet if the recently concluded talks were a test of intentions, the upcoming negotiations in Baghdad are going to be a real test of wills. Both sides will have to overcome huge obstacles if they want to establish a “sustained process of serious dialogue” to resolve the Iranian nuclear impasse.
The Obama Administration Defends the use of Armed Drones
May 3, 2012 by John Lyman
Set against the backdrop of events marking the one year anniversary of the killing of Al-Qaeda leader, Osama bin-Laden, the Obama administration has for the first time formally acknowledged its use of drone missile strikes that have proven effective in decimating Al-Qaeda’s ranks as well as killing other high value targets in Yemen, Pakistan and elsewhere. Speaking at the Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington on April 30th, John Brennan, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism, affirmed, “the United States government conducts targeted strikes against specific al-Qaeda terrorists, sometimes using remotely piloted aircraft, often referred to publicly as drones.”
Latin America Delivers A Swift Kick
April 30, 2012 by Conn M. Hallinan
On one level, April’s hemispheric summit meeting was an old fashioned butt kicking for Washington’s policies in the region. The White House found itself virtually alone—Dudley Do Right Canada its sole ally—on everything from Cuba to the war on drugs. But the differences go deeper than the exclusion of Havana and the growing body count in Washington’s failed anti-narcotics strategy. They reflect profound disagreements on how to build economies, confront inequity, and reflect a new balance of power in world affairs.
ILO Urges Worker-Friendly Recovery Policies
April 30, 2012 by Jim Lobe
Although economic growth has resumed in much of the world since the 2008 financial crisis, the global unemployment situation remains alarming and could worsen, according to the International Labour Organisation (ILO). European governments, in particular, should adopt more worker- friendly approaches in dealing with fiscal austerity, according to the agency’s “World of Work Report 2012″ that was released here and at its headquarters in Geneva Sunday.
