Obama Sets Softer Sudan Policy

(NEWSER) - President Obama opened bilateral talks with China today with a friendly speech, saying the US-China relationship would “shape the 21st century” and highlighting areas in which the nations have common interests, like nuclear proliferation, terrorism, and the global economy. He also touched on climate change, noting that the US and China are the world’s top energy consumers. “Common sense calls upon us to act,” he said. More»

(NEWSER) - The humanitarian situation in Darfur will worsen significantly in just a few weeks if aid organizations do not move quickly, says the new American envoy. Scott Gration said groups expelled by President Omar Bashir last month for allegedly colluding with the International Criminal Court to indict him on war crimes must be replaced, reports Reuters. “We are on the brink of a deeper crisis in Darfur,” he said. More»

President must find a way to prevent another war

(NEWSER) - Finally, President Obama has a chance to earn that Nobel Peace Prize. "He can prevent war from igniting in Sudan," suggests the Christian Science Monitor in an editorial. Sudan "is again on a knife-edge. A referendum is scheduled for Jan. 9 in which the oil-rich south is expected to vote for secession." The US government's intention seems to be to "make sure the vote takes place and that any aftermath is peaceful," and that's good—as long as Obama sticks with his preference of using "diplomatic engagement and incentives more than pressure and threats." More»

President's actions don't match the promises that wowed Berliners

(NEWSER) - President Obama's decision to skip the celebrations of the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall highlights the gap between his rhetoric on the campaign trail and the realities of his presidency, writes Bret Stephens. Obama hailed the "dream of freedom" in his big speech in Berlin last year but he has done nothing to advance the dream of freedom for the people of China, Iran, Burma, and Sudan, Stephens grumbles in the Wall Street Journal. More»

(NEWSER) - President Obama’s decision to scrap plans for a missile defense shield is a political bombshell, writes Robin Oakley for CNN. America’s allies in Poland and the Czech Republic are left holding the bag after expending significant political capital on the unpopular system. Abandoning it might make their lives easier, but it won’t make them likelier to embrace future US causes. Moscow, meanwhile, must choose whether to tout its victory or embrace the move as a sign of easing relations. More»