Posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 by campaign2008
“The President-Elect and I understand and are deeply sympathetic to Israel’s desire to defend itself under the current conditions, and to be free of shelling by Hamas rockets.
However, we have also been reminded of the tragic humanitarian costs of conflict in the Middle East, and pained by the suffering of Palestinian and Israeli civilians. This must only increase our determination to seek a just and lasting peace agreement that brings real security to Israel; normal and positive relations with its neighbors; and independence, economic progress, and security to the Palestinians in their own state.”
–Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton, in remarks at her Senate confirmation hearing on Tuesday.
Posted in Palestinian-Israeli, Quote of the Day, Transition | 0 Comments »
Posted on Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 by Joanna Klonsky
At her confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday, Secretary of State-designate Hillary Clinton said the United States should “pursue a strategy of smart power in the Middle East,” and should not “give up on peace” in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In her opening statement Tuesday, Clinton:
-
Emphasized the U.S. commitment to nuclear nonproliferation. She said the United States would work with Russia to forge agreements for more reductions in nuclear weapons, and to take both country’s missiles off hair-trigger alert. She also pledged to work with the Senate to ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty and to restart negotiations on a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty.
- Stressed a commitment to human rights, especially for women and children. “We still have a long way to go and the United States must remain an unambiguous and unequivocal voice in support of women’s rights in every country, every region, on every continent,” Clinton said.
- Said the United States would press Iran and Syria to become “constructive” actors in their region. With regard to Iran, Clinton asserted, “we are not taking any option off the table at all.”
Posted in Iran, Palestinian-Israeli, Russia, Transition | 0 Comments »
Posted on Monday, January 5th, 2009 by campaign2008
President-elect Barack Obama discussed his American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan on Saturday in his weekly radio address. Obama said his plan will create three million new jobs, more than eighty percent of which will be in the private sector.
GAZA: The Chicago Tribune looks at Arab perceptions of Obama’s response to the conflict surrounding Gaza.
Posted in Economy, Palestinian-Israeli | 0 Comments »
Posted on Monday, December 29th, 2008 by campaign2008
President-elect Barack Obama spoke with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice by phone Sunday to discuss the situation in Gaza (CNN).
Politico and the Wall Street Journal consider the potential impact of Israel’s strikes in Gaza on Obama’s plan for Middle East peace.
Posted in Morning Update, Palestinian-Israeli | 1 Comment »
Posted on Thursday, November 6th, 2008 by Joanna Klonsky
Among the most daunting policy challenges for the Obama administration is the Middle East. In the latest CFR Forum, Middle East experts blog on what the United States should–and shouldn’t–do in the region. Here’s a summary of what the experts are saying so far:
- Aaron David Miller, Public Policy Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, says a deal resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is “simply not feasible now,” and says the United States should instead focus on negotiating an Israeli-Syrian agreement.
- American Enterprise Institute Resident Scholar Michael Rubin advises the new administration to let the possible establishment by the President Bush of a U.S. Interest Section in Tehran “drop.” He says the initiative is “ill-thought and poorly-timed.”
- Rachel Bronson, vice president of Programs and Studies at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, urges Obama to quickly name a senior representative to go to the Middle East. “It will set back U.S. interests dramatically if he waits to put his cabinet in place, put a senior staff in place, think about a representative and only then, months or a year later establish a presence,” she writes.
Check in here for more expert updates to this CFR Forum.
Posted in Iran, Palestinian-Israeli, Transition | 0 Comments »
Posted on Thursday, October 30th, 2008 by campaign2008
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) told a Florida crowd that national security dangers lurk and should not be ignored amid the financial crisis. He mentioned as one potential crisis “the success of the Iranian regime in its program of acquiring nuclear weapons,” which he said could threaten Israel or spark “an uncontrollable nuclear arms race across the region.”
Separately, McCain said Wednesday he would increase revenue from offshore drilling (AP) for Florida and other coastal states.
Posted in Energy Policy, General Election, Iran, Morning Update, Palestinian-Israeli | 0 Comments »
Posted on Tuesday, October 28th, 2008 by campaign2008
Following a meeting with his economic advisers, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) touted his economic policy plans in a speech in Cleveland on Monday. “To incentivize investments, I have proposed that if you buy stock and hold it for a minimum of a year, your tax on that investment will be cut in half,” he said. He also promised to “make sure that the SEC enacts and enforces rules that keep our markets safe and competitive.”
In what has been billed as his “closing argument,” Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) also discussed his economic agenda in a speech Monday, highlighting his plan to create two million new jobs by rebuilding U.S. infrastructure.
ISRAEL: Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin met Monday with Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Sallai Meridor. According to Israeli officials, Palin and Meridor discussed U.S.-Israel relations and the nuclear threat from Iran.
Posted in Economy, General Election, Morning Update, Palestinian-Israeli | 0 Comments »
Posted on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008 by campaign2008
Both candidates responded to President Bush’s announcement of a troop drawdown on Tuesday and called for more troops in Afghanistan.
Israeli newspaper Haaretz compares the GOP and Democratic platforms on Israel.
Newsweek reports on the battle for the Latino evangelical vote.
Posted in Afghanistan, General Election, Morning Update, Palestinian-Israeli | 0 Comments »
Posted on Wednesday, September 3rd, 2008 by Robert McMahon
MINNEAPOLIS — It is no stretch to say the region ranging from North Africa to Pakistan, known as the “Greater Middle East,” poses the biggest policy challenges for the next U.S. presidential administration. But solutions to the region’s myriad conflicts defy any quick accounting. A panel of top experts at a meeting convened this morning by CFR on the sidelines of the GOP presidential convention outlined the following most pressing issues:
– Pakistan. What CFR President Richard N. Haass, the panel moderator, called potentially “the greatest national security challenge for the next administration” is coping with a troubled civilian government and a military that appears increasingly resistant to cooperating with U.S. efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. CFR Adjunct Senior Fellow Vali Nasr said the Pakistani military has never fully supported U.S. efforts to defeat the Taliban in Afghanistan and should not be considered a reliable ally by an incoming U.S. administration.
Nasr also warned of Taliban preparations for a military surge against Afghan and U.S.-led allied forces by early next spring that may include an attempt to seize Kabul. Meghan O’Sullivan, a former Bush administration deputy national security adviser for Afghanistan and Iraq, said the United States will never be able to bring enough troops to pacify Afghanistan. She suggested looking at new ways of engaging Afghan tribal forces to help secure the country and counter insurgents.
– Iraq. O’Sullivan stressed the importance of continuing what she called a “virtuous cycle” that has calmed the country over the past 18 months. She credited the U.S. military surge strategy, the Sunni “Awakening” movement, and the stand down of a major Shia militia for sustaining progress and added “You don’t want to change too many variables in that cycle at once.”
– Iran. Nasr said Iranian officials want to steer the United States toward engagement and away from confrontation but are not willing to grant concessions on their nuclear program prior to full-fledged talks with the United States.
The panel noted Israeli officials continue to threaten military strikes against Iranian nuclear sites – believed to be cover for nuclear weapons research – in the absence of Iran suspending its uranium enrichment program. “I take the Israeli government at its word that an Iran weaponized or near weaponized would constitute an existential threat,” said Haass. “Over the next couple of years if Iran continues to advance the way it was advancing, there is a significant chance of [an Israeli strike] happening.”
– Israeli-Palestinian talks. Michael Barnett of the Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs likened the peace talks to “something akin to a suicide watch.” But Barnett was more optimistic about the prospects of Syrian-Israeli peace talks, noting Syrian officials have “decoupled” those talks from the Palestinian issue. He also cited the positive role of Turkey as a peace broker.
– Democratization. CFR Senior Fellow Steven A. Cook said aside from an initial boost to civil society efforts provided by the Bush administration’s pro-democracy efforts, authoritarian regimes such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia have proven they are “more supple, flexible, and have the capacity to repress political challenges.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, Palestinian-Israeli, RNC | 0 Comments »
Posted on Thursday, July 24th, 2008 by Joanna Klonsky
In a major speech Thursday at Berlin’s Victory Column, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) recounted the historic relationship between the United States and Europe and said the “burdens of global citizenship” will continue to bind the two powers together. A “true partnership” between Europe and the United States will require “sharing the burdens of development and diplomacy; of progress and peace,” Obama said.
- Obama called on Europe to provide resources to the war in Afghanistan, saying both the United States and Germany have a “stake in seeing that NATO’s first mission beyond Europe’s borders is a success.”
- Obama also said it is time “renew the goal of a world without nuclear weapons.” He called for a reduction in nuclear arsenals and said all loose nuclear materials must be secured.
- Obama briefly discussed free trade, saying the United States and Europe should “build on the wealth that open markets have created, and share its benefits more equitably.”
- Obama called for Europe and the United States to “come together to save this planet” and to reduce carbon emissions.
- He also said Europe and the United States must stand together in “sending a direct message to Iran that it must abandon its nuclear ambitions.” He also urged support for Lebanon in its quest for democracy, and for “the Israelis and Palestinians who seek a secure and lasting peace.”
Posted in Afghanistan, Climate Change, Europe, General Election, Palestinian-Israeli | 0 Comments »
