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 "Palestine"

Weekly Video Brief: Arab Revolutions

by Toni Johnson

This week we have a video from CFR’s Steven A. Cook examining what the winner of the 2012 presidential election will face in the Middle East following 2011′s Arab revolutions, which has sparked political change in Tunisia, Libya, and Egypt as well as turmoil in Syria and Bahrain. The next U.S. president, he says, will have to grapple with the fact that the regional political order “that made it relatively easier and relatively less expensive for the United States to pursue its interests in the Middle East has been turned over.”

Watch below:
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Views From Abroad: The U.S. Elections and Iran

by Toni Johnson
Beijing's National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, July 3, 2009. (David Gray/Courtesy Reuters) Beijing's National Stadium, also known as the Bird's Nest, July 3, 2009. (David Gray/Courtesy Reuters)

This week we have a roundup of articles from several countries. We will start with China, a country that has fueled domestic coverage in the past couple of days with Vice President Xi Jinping’s U.S. visit. Read more »

Tracking the Issues: A Waiver for UNESCO Funding Ban?

by Newsteam Staff
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian ambassador to UNESCO Elias Sanbar attend a news conference at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris December 13, 2011. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian ambassador to UNESCO Elias Sanbar attend a news conference at UNESCO Headquarters in Paris December 13, 2011. (Benoit Tessier/Courtesy Reuters)

President Obama’s budget proposal would waive a ban on funding UNESCO (TimesofIsrael), which was imposed in October 2011 after the organization officially recognized Palestinian membership (CNN). The request was included in a footnote stating, “The Department of State intends to work with Congress to seek legislation that would provide authority to waive restrictions on paying the U.S. assessed contributions to UNESCO. Should the Congress pass this legislation, this funding is sufficient to cover the FY 2013 UNESCO assessment and the balance of the FY 2012 assessment.” Read more »