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Foreign Affairs

Foreign Affairs

(photo: whitehouse.gov)

President Obama Promises an End to the War in Afghanistan and ‘Firm Action’ on North Korea and Iran

In his State of the Union speech tonight, President Barack Obama addressed many of the most pressing issues on the world stage including the tense diplomatic situations in Iran and North Korea and the War on Terror in Afghanistan.

On the campaign trail, President Obama vowed to pull all American troops out of Afghanistan by the end of 2014. However, shortly after the election, the White House said they would not be able to commit to a specific withdrawal schedule in Afghanistan. Addressing the nation tonight, President Obama returned to his campaign promise and said the remaining U.S. troops in that country would be withdrawn in the next 22 months. Read More

Foreign Affairs

(Photo: Getty)

Senator Suggests Obama Administration Hid True Cause of Libya Attack to Protect Re-Election Campaign

Earlier today, State Department officials testifying before a congressional hearing investigating the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Libya last month admitted they felt there was a terrorist threat in the region. While making the media rounds tonight ahead of the vice presidential debate Mitch McConnell, the leader of the U.S. Senate Republicans, said this new information creates the “suspicion” that the White House’s initial attempts to tie the attack  to a video mocking the Muslim prophet Muhammad rather than terrorism may have been a dishonest and politically-motivated coverup.

“Well, we’re finally getting the right story from the professionals down at the State Department who’ve been saying, apparently from the beginning, that it’s a terrorist attack,” Mr. McConnell said. “I don’t know where this notion that this thing was video-inspired came from in the first place. It leaves you with the suspicion that, since the president was in the campaign, going around, reminding everybody that bin Laden was gone and that we’re out of Iraq and we’d soon be out of Afghanistan, and implying that the War on Terror was over, the campaign just felt it was inconvenient that we had a terrorist attack that had killed four Americans, as I say, inconveniently within a month of the election.” Read More

Foreign Affairs

The two leaders at Gracie Mansion.

Bloomberg, Bibi Meet and Repeat Iran Warnings

Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined forces this afternoon on the steps of Gracie Mansion where they discussed something Israel and New York have in common–a high risk of terrorism.

“Like Israel, New York City has remained a target for terrorists who seek to destroy them,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “In the wake of the 9/11 attacks, the people of Israel stood with us in solidarity knowing that terrorists are only victorious if they frighten people to give up their beliefs, their values, their way of life. That will never happen with Israel and and it will never happen in the United States.” Read More

Foreign Affairs

President Obama boarding Air Force One this morning at Andrew Air Force Base. (Photo: Getty)

Air Force One Has Runway Run-In With Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s ‘Iran Air’

Air Force One had a close encounter of the Ahmadinejad kind on the way to a campaign event in Ohio this afternoon. According to the press pool report, President Barack Obama’s plane passed by the jet being used by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at Andrews Air Force base in Maryland.

“As Air Force One taxied down the runway at Andrews, plane passed Iran Air, which is parked at the air base, presumably waiting there before spiriting Mahmoud Ahmadinejad home. The Iranian plane is a handsome-looking white 747,” wrote pool reporter Helene Cooper of The New York Times. Read More

Foreign Affairs

President Barack Obama speaking in the Rose Garden this morning as Secretary of State Hillary Clinton looks on. (Photo: Getty)

White House, Romney Respond to Attack on U.S. Embassy in Libya

This morning, President Barack Obama delivered a statement from the White House Rose Garden on the death of U.S. Ambassador to Libya J. Christopher Stevens and three other Americans in a rocket attack last night. The attack occurred during a protest outside the U.S. embassy in response to a trailer for a movie that was posted online last month and paints an insulting picture of the life of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Mr. Obama vowed that, in the wake of the attacks, his administration will work to secure American diplomatic posts and identify those responsible for the four deaths.

“Today, the American people stand united in holding the families of the four Americans in our thoughts and in our prayers. The United States condemns, in the strongest terms, this outrageous and shocking attack,” said Mr. Obama. “We’re working with the government of Libya to secure our diplomats. I’ve also directed my administration to increase our security at diplomatic posts around the world. Make no mistake, we will work with the Libyan government to bring to justice the killers who attacked our people.” Read More

Foreign Affairs

Mitt Romney (Photo: Getty)

Team Obama Calls Romney’s World Tour an ‘Embarrassing Disaster’

This afternoon the Obama campaign held a conference call to highlight the high-profile controversies that occurred during Mitt Romney’s recent world tour. On the call, Obama For America senior advisor and former White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Middle East Colin Kahl suggested Mr. Romney failed “the commander in chief test” when he angered British politicians by questioning London’s readiness for the Olympic Games and when he upset Palestinians by saying the “power” of “culture” could explain the economic disparities between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

“He both offended our closest ally and triggered a troubling reaction in the most sensitive region of the world,” said Mr. Gibbs. “He certainly didn’t prove to anyone that he passed the commander in chief test.”

Mr. Kahl suggested the gaffes on this trip showed Mr. Romney isn’t ready to deal with “our enemies.”

“If Romney can’t handle our special relationship with the British…what’s going to happen when he has to deal with our enemies or has to deal with really tough situations?” Mr. Kahl asked. “It’s not that Romney struck out against a major league pitcher. I mean, here he struck out playing tee ball. This should have been easy and it wasnt for him, apparently.” Read More

Foreign Affairs

800px-Flag_of_the_Dominican_Republic.svg

Dominican Government Decides to Get Involved in American Elections After All

The President of the Dominican Republic, Leonel Fernandez, is formally backing Adriano Espaillat’s candidacy, announcing his support yesterday on his official website, the news of which promptly spread across Caribbean news agencies. Mr. Espaillat, of course, is a Dominican-American and is hoping for high turnout among that community to propel him to a victory over veteran Rep. Charlie Rangel. The news is even more notable as the Dominican government had previously walked back an ambassador’s endorsement of a new Latino-majority seat in the redistricting process.

“I would like to categorically state that the Dominican Republic views the electoral affairs of the United States, including redistricting issues, as internal and sovereign concerns,” the country’s official ambassador wrote in an email to The Politicker at the time.   Read More

Foreign Affairs

Vladimir Putin striking a pose with the other world leaders at the G20 Summit. (Photo: Getty)

Vladimir Putin Waves For No One

World leaders gathered in Los Cabos, Mexico for the seventh annual Group of 20 summit on Monday. As part of the festivities, all of the assembled heads of state posed for a cheerful family photo–except for one. According to the White House pool report from the photo shoot filed by the Wall Street Journal’s Carol Lee, photographers asked the leaders to wave for the cameras and Russia’s once and future strongman Vladimir Putin declined to pose for the picture.

“They all said to wave to the cameras, and most of them did. President Putin didn’t wave,” Ms. Lee wrote. Read More