FOREIGN AFFAIRS - page 13

More than one-quarter of the House Democratic caucus called on the White House to engage with Iran and Russia with a view of promoting multilateral talks aimed at ending the Syrian Civil War. Fifty-five representatives, led by Rep. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), asked the Obama administration in a letter sent Tuesday to engage with its two adversaries if it wants to pragmatically find a rapid terminus to the brutal conflict. “The only real solution in Syria, a solution that should be implemented today, is for the… Keep Reading

The Director of National Intelligence James Clapper panned a cybersecurity accord between the US and China that aims to reduce Beijing’s alleged rampant theft of intellectual property, claiming that he has no confidence it will actually work. Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, where the panel’s chairman Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) asked the spy chief if he was “optimistic” that the agreement could reduce Chinese economic espionage, Clapper replied definitively with a simple “no.” He also said that “hope springs eternal,” but… Keep Reading

US civilian officials overseeing non-proliferation of weapons grade nuclear material are lacking a complete inventory detailing the full extent of their worldwide responsibilities, according to a government watchdog report published this week. The Government Accountability Office called on the Departments of Energy and State, and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to compile an inventory of “US-obligated” highly enriched uranium (HEU) and plutonium for the second time in four years, but the trio of organizations are still resisting the recommendation, describing it as unnecessary. “[W]e continue to… Keep Reading

Former CIA head and commander of forces in both Iraq and Afghanistan, Gen. David Petraeus, said that forces could take out Syrian Air Force assets “without undue risk.” Petraeus made the remarks Tuesday before the Senate Armed Forces Committee, as part of a call for increased US military intervention in Syria’s ongoing Civil War. He was the sole witness at a hearing on the Obama administration’s foreign policy in the Middle East. “It was publicly reported that had we taken out the chemical system in… Keep Reading

The Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee accused the State Department of stonewalling an investigation into the political manipulation of a key human rights report, and urged his colleagues to consider a response. Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) claimed Tuesday that during a classified hearing last week with Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken, he requested three specific documents related to the decision-making process behind the department’s 2015 Trafficking in Persons report (TIP). He noted that the request has not been fulfilled. “I do hope… Keep Reading

Senate Armed Services Committee chair John McCain called on President Obama to openly challenge controversial Chinese claims on small islands in the South China Sea. McCain told administration witnesses at a committee hearing Thursday that the US Navy should dispatch boats more frequently within 12 nautical miles of Beijing’s militarized land reclamation projects. Assistant Secretary of Defense for Asian and Pacific Security Affairs David Shear had told McCain that the US has not sent a ship within the internationally-recognized territorial coastline limit since 2012. “I’m… Keep Reading

Senate Judiciary Committee ranking member Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) on Wednesday described the Egyptian military’s mistaken attack on Mexican tourists as part of a series of violent incidents, and called for scrutiny of American aid to Cairo. Leahy, who has questioned the legality of US assistance to Egypt, noted that the key ally’s security forces have been accused of committing a range of abuses without consequence. “This was a terrible avoidable tragedy that unfortunately was not an isolated occurrence,” he said in a statement. “There have been other… Keep Reading

When it comes to coalitions to counter the Islamic State (ISIL), the world is only big enough for one, the Obama administration suggested on Tuesday. State Department Press Secretary John Kirby said Thursday that renewed cooperation between the Russian and Syrian governments will not be seen as a positive development by the US-led alliance against ISIL. “There’s no need for another international coalition against ISIL when 60-plus nations are already aligned and then having an effect on ISIL not just in Syria but also in… Keep Reading