FOREIGN AFFAIRS - page 21

The number of Russian military casualties in Eastern Ukraine took center stage on Tuesday at a Congressional hearing, as a high-ranking State Department official revealed US intelligence on the matter and a bipartisan coalition of Senators called on the administration to help Kiev increase Moscow’s body count—a move that some Russian dissidents have said could backfire in the country’s court of public opinion. About four or five hundred Russian soldiers have been killed in action in Ukraine according to American intelligence, Assistant Secretary of State Victoria… Keep Reading

On the same day that President Obama declared Venezuela a “national security threat, ” and sanctioned seven officials of the country over the alleged jailing of opposition figures, his State Department is renewing commitments to the authoritarian military dictatorship in Egypt. State Department Spokeswoman Jen Psaki announced that Secretary of State John Kerry would travel to Sharm el-Sheik this week to attend the Egypt Economic Development Conference. “The United States is committed to strengthening its long-term strategic and economic partnership with Egypt,” Psaki told reporters… Keep Reading

Confusion reigns over whether Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) will step down from his role as top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, should he be indicted on federal corruption charges. The move could, potentially, alleviate the White House of heartache as it reaches a critical juncture in negotiations with Iran. But chances are, it would merely lead to a game of musical chairs, with the winner essentially no different from Menendez. It is unclear what will happen in the event of a perp walk, with… Keep Reading

In what appears to be an egregious overstep of constitutional powers, Senate Republicans sent a letter to the Iranian government with the intent to kill any potential nuclear deal between Iran and the Obama administration – a move that makes war between Iran and the US more likely. Forty-seven GOP Senators signed on to the “Open Letter to the Leaders of the Islamic Republic of Iran,” informing the government that “while the president negotiates international agreements, Congress plays the significant role of ratifying them,” and… Keep Reading

The US and India are set to hold discussions in New Delhi next week about deepened cooperation on outer space defense issues, despite differences in opinion between the two countries on weaponization. Frank Rose, assistant secretary of arms control, verification and compliance was in the Indian capital on Thursday, where he recognized daylight between the two countries in the policy arena, but called on the US and India “to identify areas of concrete collaboration” during talks. In citing the need to work together, Rose singled… Keep Reading

The Obama administration on Wednesday put a damper on hopes that the thaw in relations between Iran and the United States will lead to a normalization of ties between the two countries. State Department spokesperson Marie Harf said that the the multilateral talks are aimed only at international oversight of Iran’s nuclear program, in a back-and-forth with reporters that started with an exchange between Harf and a French journalist. “No one’s talking about a rapprochement with Iran,” Harf said. “Even as we negotiate, this does… Keep Reading

Last Summer’s prisoner swap that freed Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was met with outrage by a number of Republican lawmakers who claimed President Obama broke the law, and compromised national security in freeing five Taliban prisoners that had been detained at Guantanamo Bay. But there was one powerful conservative who remained silent while his cohorts attacked, and newly released documents provide an explanation as to why. According to documents made public through a Freedom of Information Act request filed by investigative journalist Jason Leopold, on… Keep Reading

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) blasted Benjamin Netanyahu Tuesday address to Congress, accusing the right-wing Israeli Prime Minister of delivering an “insult to the intelligence of the United States.” Pelosi, in particular, took visceral exception to the way Netanyahu said that the ongoing nuclear negotiations between the permanent members of the UN Security Council and Tehran “paves Iran’s path to the bomb.” “That is why, as one who values the US–Israel relationship, and loves Israel, I was near tears throughout the Prime Minister’s speech,” she said.… Keep Reading

More than 40,000 Afghan soldiers have dropped out of their national fighting force in the last year, according to previously classified data released by the Defense Department after a public spat with a government watchdog. The Special Inspector General for Afghan Reconstruction, John Sopko, released a supplemental report on Tuesday containing information about the US effort to support Afghanistan’s government in Kabul – roughly a month after the information was stripped out of a separate SIGAR report by DOD officials. The new data shows an… Keep Reading