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FOREIGN AFFAIRS - page 12

House Panel Casts Doubt on Obama Syria Transition Plan; Democrat Calls It “Fantasy”

State Department officials testified in front of a congressional committee on Wednesday, where they summarized how the administration intends to achieve a political solution in Syria. Well received, it was not. Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Anne Patterson, the department’s Assistant Secretary of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs reiterated the administration’s desired endgame: Syrian President Bashar al-Assad must cede power to a transitional government that in turn will draft a new constitution and set up elections. She claimed the new government would be… Keep Reading

Shortcomings of Surveillance Reform Take Center Stage At Hearing On Transatlantic Data Flows

Lawmakers were told Tuesday that in order to enable digital data transfers between the US and the European Union, Congress must further rein in government spying activities, and empower federal agencies to crack down on companies that play loose with their customers’ data. The recommendations came from a witness who appeared before a House energy and commerce subcommittee hearing convened to examine the impact of last month’s ruling by a European high court. That decision struck down a critical data privacy agreement that allowed US… Keep Reading

U.S. Splashed $43 Million in Afghanistan On A $500,000 Gas Station

The US spent $43 million in Afghanistan on the construction of a single gas station, a government comptroller reported on Monday. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko said that the natural gas filling station in Sheberghan, Afghanistan should have only cost the taxpayer about $500,000 to build. “The main purpose of the project was to demonstrate the commercial viability of [compressed natural gas] for automobiles in Afghanistan as part of a broader effort to take advantage of Afghanistan’s domestic natural gas reserves… Keep Reading

Menendez Details Human Rights Report Selectiveness; Admin Interference Paved Way for Malaysia to Join TPP

A member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee described how a key annual State Department human rights inquiry with broad implications may have been manipulated by political appointees. Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) on Thursday detailed how the annual Trafficking In Persons (TIP) report–the subject of intense committee scrutiny since August–last year employed selective analyses in politically sensitive cases. “You can’t say that certain things in that reporting period that happen to be good for that country would be included even though they’re not on the reporting period,” he… Keep Reading

Obama Admin Hails Alliance With Gulf Monarchies as Yemen Burns

The Obama administration on Wednesday hailed its support of authoritarian Persian Gulf monarchies who are currently conducting what has been described as a criminal military campaign in Yemen. Anne Patterson, head of the State Department’s Bureau Of Near Eastern Affairs, told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that White House policies have led to a noticeable improvement in ties between the United States and the controversial oil-rich Middle Eastern kingdoms. “I think relations with our Gulf allies have improved quite dramatically due to the work on… Keep Reading

Pentagon Watchdog Commences Inquiry Into Military’s Handling of Child Sexual Abuse By Afghan Allies

In response to media reports that US soldiers were instructed to ignore acts of sexual abuse by Afghan soldiers and officials, the Pentagon’s Inspector General disclosed that his office opened its own probe into the matter. In a Defense Department memorandum released Tuesday, Deputy Inspector General Kenneth Moorefield highlighted five areas that investigators will focus on, including an effort to ascertain whether the department had any guidance, “informal or otherwise,” that would have discouraged soldiers from reporting abuse. The New York Times reported in September than an “American… Keep Reading

Pentagon Still Won’t Call for Syria No-Fly Zone After Increased Russian Aid to Assad

The Obama administration is still considering intensifying humanitarian intervention in Syria, and the Pentagon still isn’t recommending any specific major course of action. Secretary of Defense Ash Carter on Tuesday told the Senate Armed Services Committee that President Obama “hasn’t taken anything like this off the table,” but detailed challenges the US military would face if it attempted to establish a no-fly zone or a humanitarian corridor in Syria. He characterized both types of missions as “substantial” new obligations for the US military. One of the… Keep Reading

U.S. Navy Sending Ships To Challenge Chinese Territorial Claims—Cue Sen. McCain Victory Lap

The White House stated that the US would “operate, fly, or sail anywhere that international law allows”—a message intended to challenge controversial Chinese claims to artificial islands in the South China Sea. The pronouncement came shortly after a US defense official confirmed to Reuters that the USS Lassen destroyer had been scheduled within 24 hours of Monday morning, Eastern Standard Time, to sail within twelve nautical miles of outposts assembled by China more than 1,000 miles off of its mainland. Administration Spokesperson Josh Earnest told reporters Monday… Keep Reading

Mother of Saudi Dissident Teen Condemned to Crucifixion Makes Obama Plea

The mother of a Saudi dissident teen sentenced to be decapitated and crucified pleaded for the White House to intervene in his case. Nusra al-Ahmed, the mother of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, made the appeal to President Obama in an interview published Wednesday by The Guardian. “He is the head of this world and he can, he can interfere and rescue my son” she said. Al-Nimr, who was 17 when he was arrested, was charged with attending a protest, using his phone to foment more protest,… Keep Reading

New Pentagon Weapons Shipments In Syria Don’t Include Restrictions On Targets; Could Be Used Against Assad Or Russian Forces

In the latest iteration of its Syrian train and equip program, the Pentagon is no longer requiring recipients to pledge that they will only fight the Islamic State (ISIL). The change in policy, which was revealed by Col. Steve Warren during a Tuesday press briefing, gives rebels tied to Washington mostly free rein to use US-backed weapons against both Syrian government forces and their Russian military allies. “We do ask them, we want them to fight ISIL”, Warren told reporters, referring to rebels forces that received 50… Keep Reading

U.S. missiles, Russian Bombs Reduce Syria Peace Hope

A fresh injection of arms into the Syrian Civil War is fueling a proxy conflict that will make any possible imminent peace negotiations less likely, according to a Monday report in The New York Times. The US has responded to recent Russian military operations in support of the routinely brutal Syrian government by ratcheting up the provision of anti-tank weapons to a rebel coalition that includes an al-Qaida affiliate. The effort has largely taken place in the Idlib and Hama provinces, where the Nusra Front… Keep Reading

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