diplomacy

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China's Drunken UN Diplomat: I Don't Like Americans

Sha Zukang goes on drunken rant

(Newser) - An apparently drunk senior UN official tore into his colleagues, the organization, and Americans in general last week at a retreat at an Alpine ski resort, according to Foreign Policy . “I know you never liked me Mr. Secretary-General,” declared Sha Zukang, the undersecretary general for Economic and Social...

Obama and Netanyahu Reject Rumors of Rift

Both leaders say relations are strong between the two nations

(Newser) - President Obama and Benjamin Netanyahu both dismissed the notion of a rift between Israel and the White House, the Hill reports. Obama took a reporter to task for suggesting such a thing, inviting the reporter to look at "every public statement" to find an example of distance between the...

North Korea Severs Ties With South

Irate over 'smear campaign' in battleship's sinking

(Newser) - North Korea says it will sever all ties and communication with Seoul as punishment for what it calls a "smear campaign" over the sinking of a South Korean warship. North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency quoted the Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of Korea as saying late today...

Calderón Slams Arizona Law; Mexico Issues Travel Advisory

Immigration law creates adverse atmosphere for Mexicans

(Newser) - Arizona's tough new immigration law isn't winning friends across the border: Mexican president Felipe Calderón slammed the law in a speech last night, saying it "opens the door to intolerance, hate, discrimination and abuse in law enforcement." And Mexico issued a travel advisory, warning citizens it's no...

Poll: World Likes US Again
 Poll: World Likes US Again 

Poll: World Likes US Again

'Obama effect' is real, say pollsters

(Newser) - How soon they forget. America has become a lot more popular around the world since President Obama took office, according to a BBC poll. The poll of 30,000 people in 28 countries found that positive views of the US now average 40%, up from a low of 28% in...

Gates: US Lacks Cohesive Strategy in Iran

White House downplays defense secretary's missive to Jones

(Newser) - The US lacks a viable long-term plan for dealing with Iran's nuclear program, Defense Secretary Robert Gates wrote in a January memo that one anonymous White House official called a "wake-up call." As the New York Times reports, the missive came amid an administration push to develop a...

Karzai Calls Clinton, Backs Off

Afghan president 'clarifies' his knock on international community

(Newser) - A day after accusing the US of "vast fraud" that nearly denied him a second term, Afghan President Hamid Karzai called Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to back off. The 25-minute phone call came as the Obama administration labeled his comments "genuinely troubling" and dispatched its ambassador to...

Netanyahu, Obama to Meet Tuesday

President, Israeli PM will discuss settlement dispute

(Newser) - Now that his Asia trip is postponed, President Obama will be available to meet with Benjamin Netanyahu next week to discuss recent tensions over settlement plans in East Jerusalem. The Israeli PM has already apologized for the timing of the settlement announcement, which occurred during Joe Biden’s recent visit...

Israel, US in Worst Crisis in 35 Years

White House presses Netanyahu to stop construction

(Newser) - The US is pressuring Israel to scrap its plans to build 1,600 new apartments in East Jerusalem, in what Israel’s ambassador to the US called “ the most serious crisis since 1975” in US-Israeli relations. The US wants the project killed, according to Israeli officials, both because East...

US Aide 'Sorry' for Dig at 'Senseless' Gadhafi

He apologizes for making light of anti-Swiss jihad speech

(Newser) - A State Department spokesman has apologized for making light of Moammar Gadhafi's call for a jihad against the Swiss and his rambling UN speech. Libya had threatened to take action against American business interests last month after PJ Crowley said the leader's anti-Swiss speech was like his UN address: "...

Unlikely Allies Help Obama in Afghanistan

White House engages with Russia, China, and more, and gets results

(Newser) - Diplomacy has become a major part of Barack Obama’s strategy in Afghanistan; the administration has been proactively recruiting regional allies, even ones that seem like strange bedfellows. Russia, for example, which suffered its own defeat in Afghanistan in part thanks to US covert operations, recently gave a general authorization...

Bill Clinton Likely Headed Home Tomorrow
Bill Clinton Likely Headed Home Tomorrow
UPDATED

Bill Clinton Likely Headed Home Tomorrow

... and Hillary won't leave for Middle East until Saturday

(Newser) - It looks like Bill Clinton will only spend one night in the hospital after undergoing an emergency heart procedure today—and wife Hillary will merely postpone her diplomatic trip to the Middle East by a day. “He’s in good spirits, and we hope to have him go home...

'Hillary Effect' Credited for Rise of Female Diplomats

There are more woman diplos in Washington than ever

(Newser) - The number of women diplomats in Washington has jumped five-fold since the 1990s, thanks, in part, to Hillary Clinton. Washington-watchers and female diplomats say the rise of female politicians like Clinton has opened doors for a new cadre of women. "Hillary is so visible," Mozambique ambassador Amelia Matos...

Kerry Mulls Iran Visit
 Kerry Mulls Iran Visit 

Kerry Mulls Iran Visit

Tehran dismisses idea of last-ditch talks on nuclear program

(Newser) - John Kerry is weighing plans to become the highest-ranking American emissary to visit Iran in over 30 years. White House officials won't oppose the visit, aimed at brokering an agreement on Iran's nuclear program. "This sounds like the kind of travel a chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee would—...

Clintons Strive to Avoid Conflict of Interest Claims

Pair lead separate lives focusing on same issues

(Newser) - Bill and Hillary Clinton live largely separate professional lives but still end up dealing with many of the same leaders and issues. The secretary of state, keen to avoid any accusations, downplays her husband's influence, but Team Clinton sometimes still works together. The couple's combined energies have paid off on...

Obama Tone in China Reflects New Power Realities

US needs China's help as never before

(Newser) - President Obama's starkly different tone in his visit to China—more congratulatory than confrontational—is less a shift in policy from his predecessors than a change in the two country's roles, write Andrew Higgins and Anne Kornblut in the Washington Post . When President Clinton visited in 1998, the US was...

Obama to Myanmar: Free Suu Kyi

First direct appeal for pro-democracy leader's release

(Newser) - President Barack Obama today abandoned decades of Western avoidance and told Myanmar's prime minister to free opposition leader and fellow Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi in a rare face-to-face meeting. The strong message, delivered during his summit with leaders of 10 Southeast Asian nations, signals a further thawing in...

Clinton Praises Russia on Iran
 Clinton Praises Russia on Iran 

Clinton Praises Russia on Iran

Hails cooperation, but no deal on potential new sanctions

(Newser) - The US isn’t seeking further nuclear sanctions against Iran, at least not for now, Hillary Clinton said today, after meeting with her Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov in Moscow. The pair professed unity on the Iranian issue, with Clinton praising Russia for its “extremely cooperative” work. Clinton added that...

Neutral Swiss Becoming US Lapdogs, Critics Charge

'Active neutrality' policy questioned after Polanski, UBS decisions

(Newser) - Some Swiss politicians are griping that the country's prized neutrality appears to be sliding as the government adopts a more accommodating stance toward US authorities. The government agreed in August to turn over the names of thousands of suspected American tax dodgers banking with UBS, and Roman Polanski was busted...

UN Official Denies Cover Up in Afghan Vote

Recount will rectify fraud, says head of mission in troubled nation

(Newser) - The head of the UN mission in Afghanistan is denying that he helped cover up vote-rigging in the disputed Afghan election, refuting charges made by a top US diplomat. In a rare press conference, Kai Eide also said a partial recount being conducted by a UN-backed election panel would root...

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