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 "Syria"

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: Obama, Romney to Debate Tonight

by Newsteam Staff
Photo of the Day: Stand in presidential candidates are seen on a video monitor prior to Tuesday's presidential debate October 15, 2012. (Shannon Stapleton/Courtesy Reuters) Photo of the Day: Stand in presidential candidates are seen on a video monitor prior to Tuesday's presidential debate October 15, 2012. (Shannon Stapleton/Courtesy Reuters)

President Barack Obama and GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney will face off in a town hall-style debate tonight, a less predictable format (CNN) that either candidate could use to his advantage. 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 »

VP Debate: Joe Biden and Paul Ryan Tackle Foreign Policy

by Newsteam Staff
GOP vice-presidential nominee Ryan and U.S. Vice President Biden chat at the conclusion of the U.S. vice presidential debate October 11, 2012. (Michael Reynolds/Courtesy Reuters) GOP vice-presidential nominee Ryan and U.S. Vice President Biden chat at the conclusion of the U.S. vice presidential debate October 11, 2012. (Michael Reynolds/Courtesy Reuters)

Vice President Joe Biden and vice-presidential candidate Paul Ryan faced off in the only vice presidential debate of the campaign 2012, covering international topics from Iran to Syria to Afghanistan in what turned out to be a foreign-policy heavy discussion (NBC). Here’s what they had to say on Iran, Syria, and Afghanistan. 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: Romney Advisers Talk Mideast Response

by Toni Johnson
Photo of the Day: A supporter of U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in Fairfax, Virginia, September 13, 2012. (Jim Young/Courtesy Reuters) Photo of the Day: A supporter of U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in Fairfax, Virginia, September 13, 2012. (Jim Young/Courtesy Reuters)

GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s campaign advisers on Thursday said that the deadly protests in the Middle East would not be happening if the Republican nominee were president (WashPost). Read more »

Midday Update: Candidates Still Sparring on Medicare

by Newsteam Staff
Photo of the Day: President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive by bus in Dubuque, Iowa, August 15, 2012 (Larry Downing/Courtesy Reuters). Photo of the Day: President Barack Obama and first lady Michelle Obama arrive by bus in Dubuque, Iowa, August 15, 2012 (Larry Downing/Courtesy Reuters).

Candidates continue to make Medicare a campaign trail issue as voters worry about the future of the program (NYT) in an economy-focused race. Read more »

Foreign Policy Update: Human Rights and the Next President

by Newsteam Staff
A woman is restrained by police during a protest to defend Article 31 -- the right to free assembly -- of the Russian constitution in Moscow July 31, 2012 (Sergei Karpukhin/Courtesy Reuters). A woman is restrained by police during a protest to defend Article 31 -- the right to free assembly -- of the Russian constitution in Moscow July 31, 2012 (Sergei Karpukhin/Courtesy Reuters).

A group of international human rights advocates recently released a list of the ten most pressing challenges for the winner of the 2012 presidential race, noting that it is in the best interest of the world as well as that of the U.S. interests abroad to protect human rights. Read more »

Midday Update: Sequestration Comes to the Campaign Trail

by Newsteam Staff
Photo of the Day: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney shakes hands with workers at Acme Industries in Elk Grove Village, Illinois August 7, 2012 (Jessica Rinald/Courtesy Reuters). Photo of the Day: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney shakes hands with workers at Acme Industries in Elk Grove Village, Illinois August 7, 2012 (Jessica Rinald/Courtesy Reuters).

Potentially imperiling his reelection campaign, President Barack Obama will be required by law to detail how he would make the $1.2 trillion in federal budget cuts (Politico) that will happen automatically next year if a last-minute deal with Congress cannot be reached. Read more »