FOREIGN AFFAIRS - page 26

State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki appeared on Monday to be caught criticizing the department’s own talking point about an Egyptian court’s acquittal of former dictator Hosni Mubarak. Just after the department’s daily press briefing, Psaki rolled her eyes before giving a friendly glance to Matt Lee of the Associated Press as he approached the lectern. “That Egypt line is ridiculous,” she said, as the TV lights dimmed. Lee, who is known for asking tough questions, could be heard laughing in response. On Saturday, an Egyptian… Keep Reading

Over $125 million in State Department funds to contractors assisting the US mission in Afghanistan is lost and might never be recovered. An Inspector General report published Monday found that State failed to properly oversee the deals because it didn’t follow its own guidelines. “The Department did not consistently meet Federal and Department contract management and closeout requirements,” the study concluded, referring to the avalanche of deals cut to rebuild Afghanistan. A third of contract files reviewed were lost or destroyed. Among the contract files… Keep Reading

The State Department defended controversial ambassador nominees approved by the Senate on Tuesday, saying that the practice of appointing campaign fundraisers as envoys is par for the course in Washington. Two boosters of President Obama, Noah Mamet and Colleen Bell, will be lead the US embassies in Argentina and Hungary. Mamet, a political consultant, and Bell, a producer of the soap opera “The Bold and The Beautiful”, were panned by Republicans for lacking relevant qualifications, given the countries’ relative significance on the world stage. Mamet was approved… Keep Reading

Argentina-US relations have been frostier in recent years due to litigation filed by a vulture fund investor. But despite the heightened sensitivity, Washington is set to send to Buenos Aires an ambassador who admitted last year to barely speaking Spanish. Late Monday, the nomination of Noah Mamet to the position passed a cloture vote. The Senate is expected to approve of his nomination Tuesday. A political consultant, Mamet’s main qualification is that he bundled over $500,000 in donations for President Obama’s re-election campaign. In his… Keep Reading