The Candidates and The World

Transition 2012

A guide to foreign policy and the 2012 U.S. presidential transition.

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Showing posts for "Energy"

Video Brief Roundup: Climate Change and Energy

by Newsteam Staff

These videos are from a series with CFR fellows on vital foreign policy and national security topics that will face President Barack Obama in his second term. They were recorded during the campaign and originally posted as part of the President’s Inbox, a collection of materials on issues that will face the next president beginning next year.

Michael Levi on Climate Change

The Obama administration will face at least three sets of climate challenges including reducing U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, facing international pressure, and developing climate-friendly technology, says CFR’s Michael Levi. The United States must also be prepared for a potential “clean energy race” to invent new clean technologies and capture the markets for these technologies, Levi says.

Read more »

Congress Update: Bob Corker on Foreign Relations

by Newsteam Staff
Republican Senator Bob Corker makes a statement following a closed session about the new START treaty on Capitol Hill December 20, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters) Republican Senator Bob Corker makes a statement following a closed session about the new START treaty on Capitol Hill December 20, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters)

Although neither the House nor the Senate switched hands in the recent election, the chairpersons, along with many other influential members, of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and the House Committee on Foreign Affairs will be changing. In Foreign Policy, Josh Rogin writes, “Several key committee leadership posts are changing hands, influential leaders are exiting Washington, and a new crop of national security lawmakers is looking to fill their void. Read more »

Midday Update: Romney to Give Economy Speech

by Newsteam Staff
Photo of the Day: President Obama receives assistance from a poll worker as he casts his vote early October 25, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters) Photo of the Day: President Obama receives assistance from a poll worker as he casts his vote early October 25, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters)

GOP nominee Mitt Romney will give a major economic speech today in Iowa to more fully lay out what he sees as the choice American voters face (WaPo). Read more »

Midday Update: Romney Courts Coal Voters

by Newsteam Staff
Photo of the Day: A young girl listens as President Obama speaks during a campaign rally October 23, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters) Photo of the Day: A young girl listens as President Obama speaks during a campaign rally October 23, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters)

GOP nominee Mitt Romney has been using support of the coal industry to try and woo voters in coal-producing swing states (USAToday) that have been vocal opponents of the Obama administration’s clean energy policies. Read more »

Midday Update: Candidates Understate Nuances on China

by Newsteam Staff
Photo of the Day: A father holds up a baby to catch a glimpse of President Obama during a campaign rally October 17, 2012. (Jason Reed/Courtesy Reuters) Photo of the Day: A father holds up a baby to catch a glimpse of President Obama during a campaign rally October 17, 2012. (Jason Reed/Courtesy Reuters)

While both President Obama and GOP nominee Mitt Romney have spent significant amounts of time talking about how to deal with China’s trade practices, the reality of currency manipulation is far more nuanced, reports the New York Times. Read more »

What They’re Saying: Syria a Bigger Blunder Than Benghazi

by Newsteam Staff
Two members of the Free Syrian Army stand on a tank as they gesture "V" for victory October 12, 2012. (Eyad Garood/Courtesy Reuters) Two members of the Free Syrian Army stand on a tank as they gesture "V" for victory October 12, 2012. (Eyad Garood/Courtesy Reuters)
On Syria:

Amid the ongoing criticism of President Obama over the consulate attack in Benghazi, Jackson Diehl writes in the Washington Post that “when historians look back on Obama’s mistakes in the last four years, they will focus on something entirely different: his catastrophic mishandling of the revolution in Syria.” Read more »

Midday Update: Romney Camp Criticizes Russia Arms Deal Halt

by Newsteam Staff
Photo of the Day: A customer pulls an Obama pin off the jacket of a seller on a street October 11, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters) Photo of the Day: A customer pulls an Obama pin off the jacket of a seller on a street October 11, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters)

GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s campaign characterized a Russian announcement that it is pulling out of a twenty-year-long arms reduction pact with the United States (TheHill) as an indication that “they do not perceive [the United States] to be strong.” Read more »

Midday Update: Debate on Romney’s Foreign Policy Speech

by Newsteam Staff
Photo of the Day: President Obama speaks at a concert in San Francisco October 8, 2012. (Larry Downing/Courtesy Reuters) Photo of the Day: President Obama in San Francisco October 8, 2012. (Larry Downing/Courtesy Reuters)

In a foreign policy speech Monday, GOP nominee Mitt Romney put forward policies that are similar to policies pursued by President Obama, reports Bloomberg News. Daniel W. Drezner in Foreign Policy agrees, saying that looking beyond the “overheated rhetoric” shows that Romney wants a lot of the same ends as Barack Obama.” Read more »

Midday Update: Obama, Ryan Square Off on Medicare at AARP

by Newsteam Staff
President Obama takes part in town hall hosted by Univision at University of Miami September 20, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters) Photo of the Day: President Obama on Univision in Coral Gables, Florida September 20, 2012. (Kevin Lamarque/Courtesy Reuters)

President Barack Obama and GOP Mitt Romney’s running mate, Paul Ryan, addressed an AARP convention in New Orleans today. Obama said the Romney-Ryan plan would leave seniors at the mercy of insurance companies (TheHill), while Ryan said Obama’s signature healthcare law would curb future Medicare spending (HuffingtonPost). Read more »

Midday Update: GOP Blames ‘War on Coal’ for Job Losses

by Newsteam Staff
A senior advisor to U.S. GOP nominee Mitt Romney listens to questions from reporters on campaign plane September 18, 2012. (Jim Young/Courtesy Reuters) A senior advisor to U.S. GOP nominee Mitt Romney listens to questions from reporters on campaign plane September 18, 2012. (Jim Young/Courtesy Reuters)

GOP nominee Mitt Romney and his running mate, Paul Ryan, blamed the Obama administration’s “war on coal” for the announcement of 1,200 coal mining job cuts by Alpha Natural Resources. Read more »