FOREIGN AFFAIRS - page 7

The US has invested nearly $3 billion in improving roadways in Afghanistan since 2002, and yet the country’s transportation infrastructure remains in shambles, according to a new watchdog report. Together, the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Department of Defense (DOD) have spent $2.8 billion repairing Afghan roadways that have deteriorated due to poor weather, lack of maintenance, and insurgency activities amid the US invasion. The findings were made by Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR) John Sopko, and released over the weekend… Keep Reading

President Obama’s chief trade negotiator is optimistic that delegates will meet deadlines for a major deal on services—one scheduled to be completed by the end of the year. US Trade Representative Michael Froman gave his outlook on the Trade In Services Agreement (TISA) on Wednesday, while noting potential roadblocks. “We have a number of challenges whether it’s the data issue or the new services issue that is very important that we are able to resolve in TISA and we are going to continue to work… Keep Reading

US warships lobbed missiles at Houthi rebel positions in Yemen late Wednesday, marking the first time that American forces have been directly involved in the ongoing fighting there—one between the militants and the Saudi Arabian-backed government. American government officials claimed that the attacks hit and destroyed three radar installations, according to NPR. The strikes were launched in retaliation, after two missiles were launched from Yemen at a US destroyer in four days. Houthi forces, via state media organs they control, denied responsibility for the attack.… Keep Reading

While working for ousted Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, Paul Manafort helped transfer more than a million dollars to a high-powered DC lobbying firm led by the brother of Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman. The payments began in 2012, according to the Associated Press, while Manafort and his business associate Rick Gates were advising the Ukrainian ruling party. The pair were reportedly involved in the deal, which saw more than $2 million funneled into the coffers of Washington lobbying firms to advance Ukrainian interests in the US.… Keep Reading

A Democratic lawmaker called on the Obama administration to cut off assistance to Saudi Arabia amid the country’s ongoing bombing campaign in Yemen, saying “the United States is aiding and abetting what appears to be war crimes.” Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) took to social media on Sunday to decry the military initiative, amid renewed bombing by the Saudi-led coalition. Lieu made his comments on Facebook, while posting a Washington Post story, published Saturday, about the killing of 10 children by Saudi jets that had reportedly… Keep Reading

The US Air Force in recent months has significantly increased its support of Saudi Arabia’s war in Yemen—one that has led to atrocities that have drawn widespread international condemnation US Air Force officials reported having upped the number of refueling missions conducted in support of the Saudi-led campaign by 61 percent since February, according to The Air Force Times. “[W]e’ve flown 1,144 aerial refueling sorties totaling approximately 9,793 flying hours and providing 40,535,200 pounds of fuel to 5,525 receiving aircraft,” Air Force spokeswoman Kiley Dougherty told the paper.… Keep Reading

Days after Secretary of State John Kerry met with Brazilian Foreign Minister Jose Serra, he’s been hearing charges that the US is granting legitimacy to a rightwing coup regime. The face-to-face occurred last Friday, ahead of the opening ceremony for the 2016 Olympic Games hosted in Rio De Janeiro, amid instability in Brazilian politics. Serra is an appointee of interim President Michel Temer, who took the reins of the country in May following the impeachment of the democratically-elected head of state, Dilma Rousseff. The former… Keep Reading

Donald Trump dismissed the notion that the United States has the moral high ground in the world, and said the country should conduct itself accordingly. In an interview with The New York Times published Wednesday, the GOP nominee for President said that the US has little authority to exert itself and “lecture” abroad, and said the US must “fix our own mess” before intervening in other nations’ affairs. “Look at what is happening in our country,” he noted. “How are we going to lecture when people are… Keep Reading

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew said that he hopes the ongoing crisis in Turkey convinces Greece’s creditors to warm to “debt relief.” Lew made the remarks in an interview with the Financial Times, published Wednesday. On Thursday, he is scheduled to meet in Athens with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras. “I would hope [the recent regional upheaval] would change the climate in which discussions of debt relief happen, just because it’s the right thing to do on its own, and at a time when Greece is… Keep Reading

Secretary of State John Kerry said that he and his European counterparts will be paying close attention to developments in Turkey, after thousands of Turkish officials were punished in the wake of a failed coup attempt. “Obviously a lot of people have been arrested and arrested very quickly,” Kerry said Monday, in Brussels. “The level of vigilance and scrutiny is obviously going to be significant in the days ahead. Hopefully we can work in a constructive way that prevents a backsliding.” Kerry made the statements… Keep Reading