FOREIGN AFFAIRS - page 4

A powerful congressional committee just threatened to repeal a military authorization used by Presidents from George W. Bush to Barack Obama to Donald Trump to fight the so-called global war on terror. The House Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment on Thursday to an annual defense spending measure that would repeal the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF). The measure was introduced by Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.)—the lone “no” vote against the bill in both houses of Congress when the AUMF was first approved in… Keep Reading

An influential Republican lawmaker blamed the Venezuelan government for an aerial assault on the country’s Supreme Court, despite the fact that it was led by a man who identified himself as being opposed to the country’s leftist president, Nicolas Maduro. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.), a hawkish conservative and the former head of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, leveled the accusations on Wednesday morning, at a hearing held by the committee. “Things have taken a turn for the worse just in the last 24 hours, as… Keep Reading

Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) wrote a letter to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Monday informing the top diplomat that future weapons sales to Persian Gulf coast countries would face more restrictions. The missive arrived at the Secretary’s desk as the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf (GCC) is dealing with a diplomatic crisis. Several of the council’s members, including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, are posturing for conflict with fellow council member Qatar, over alleged support of terrorist groups.… Keep Reading

Every single Democrat in the Senate joined every single Republican but one to pass a new sanctions package targeting Iran and Russia. The vote was 98-2, with the opposition consisting entirely of Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rand Paul (R-Ky.). The measure broadens sanctions on Iran’s ballistic missile activity. It applies new restrictions to foreign entities that do business with known suppliers of Tehran’s missile program, such as banks and energy companies. In an amendment approved almost entirely by the Senate on Wednesday, Russian sanctions… Keep Reading

A Democratic Congressman has concerns about the Trump Administration’s plans to sell $110 billion in arms to Saudi Arabia: it could make Israel’s military relatively less powerful. “Can you provide the committee with an assurance that the State Department will closely scrutinize any proposed sales to ensure that they do not adversely impact Israel’s qualitative military edge?” Rep. Brad Sherman (D-Calif.) asked Secretary of State Rex Tillerson on Wednesday. Sherman also asked about State overseeing the deal to prohibit the sale of F-35 jet-fighters to… Keep Reading

Syrian government and American forces engaged in firefights on Thursday outside of At Tanf, a desert town near the borders of Jordan and Iraq. American forces “destroyed” two armed trucks that “advanced toward Coalition forces,” according to the US military. Shortly afterward, American warplanes downed an armed Syrian drone “after it fired on Coalition forces,” the Pentagon said. Although the drone “hit dirt,” American officials said that the discharge wasn’t intended to serve as a warning shot, according to Reuters. The Pentagon said that the… Keep Reading

A freshman lawmaker reacted to the attacks in London over the weekend with a threatening social media post, calling for violence against Muslims. The comments were made on a verified Facebook page belonging to Rep. Clay Higgins (R-La.). The congressman called for hunting down and killing all “radicalized Islamic suspects.” “The free world… all of Christendom… is at war with Islamic horror,” Higgins wrote. “Not a single radicalized Islamic suspect should be granted any measure of quarter,” he added, saying, “every conceivable measure should be… Keep Reading

Europe is again resisting efforts by the Trump administration to install a laptop ban on all flights headed to US destinations. Following a conference call Tuesday afternoon between Department of Homeland Security and European Commission officials, it was reported that the Trump administration is not extending its laptop restrictions to EU airports. A commission official told Politico that there would be “no ban” and that “both sides have agreed to intensify technical talks and try to find a common solution.” In March, the Trump administration… Keep Reading

The Pentagon claimed it has been upfront in its dealings with South Korea, after the country’s newly-elected president said that a US missile defense system is being partially-deployed in secrecy. President Moon Jae-in said on Tuesday that he was “very shocked” to hear that four additional launchers were recently added to the Terminal High Altitude Aerial Defense (THAAD) system. He ordered an inquiry to probe the actions of his own Ministry of Defense. US military officials, however, say they have been nothing but forthright in… Keep Reading

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee overwhelmingly advanced legislation that could kill the Iran Nuclear Deal, according to advocates of the initiative, including former Secretary of State John Kerry. A bill that would impose additional sanctions on Iran passed the committee on Thursday in an 18-3 vote. The only “no” votes came from Sens. Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Tom Udall (D-N.M.). The legislation would penalize Iranian entities involved in Tehran’s ballistic missile program. Proponents of the nuclear deal say this would violate terms… Keep Reading

The watchdog charged with overseeing the US government’s costly reconstruction effort in Afghanistan has more bad news: the campaign is still plagued by corruption. It is a common refrain from John Sopko, the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR), who produces quarterly reports on the $117 billion rebuilding mission. “The big issue…is corruption,” he said on C-SPAN Monday, discussing the oversight body’s latest report. “We have problems of intense corruption in the Afghan military and police,” Sopko added. He used a metaphor his office has… Keep Reading