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NEWS ABOUT: diplomacy

UN's 'Invisible Man,' Ban Struggles to Prove Himself

(Newser) - Halfway through his term as UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-Moon is best known for his low profile, reports the Wall Street Journal. The Korean is praised in many quarters as a fine administrator with strong principles, but his pronouncements often go unnoticed, to the frustration of UN officials who fear his... More »

Obama's 5-Step Foreign Policy Plan

(Newser) - President Obama is several months into a second campaign: a bid to win the world’s approval. But what shapes his foreign policy? Michael Scherer outlines five key parts for Time:
  • Pull from personal history: Obama has been pushing stories of his Indonesian childhood and Kenyan grandfather while overseas, and
... More »

From Russia, No Obama Love

(Newser) - Capitals across Europe have swooned for Barack Obama, but over two days in Moscow, the president got a reception more suited to a traveling salesman than a rock star. News coverage was sparse, crowds were nowhere to be seen, and even the students he addressed at an economics university came... More »

Obama Arrives in Italy for G8

(Newser) - President Obama arrived this morning in Rome ahead of his first G8 summit. Obama is meeting privately with Italian President Giorgio Napolitano and PM Silvio Berlusconi before traveling to L'Aquila, the earthquake-ravaged town that is hosting the international confab. The coming three days' talks will focus on climate change, foreign... More »

Obama Can Lead a Peaceful World: Kissinger

Former secretary of state admires president's early moves

(Newser) - Former secretary of state Henry Kissinger has warm words for President Obama, whom he describes as "like a chess player who has opened his game with an unusual opening" in an interview with Der Spiegel. "I have no quarrel with the opening move," he adds. "I... More »

Obama Meets Putin, Touts Democracy in Speech

(Newser) - Barack Obama began his second day in Russia by meeting with Vladimir Putin at the president-turned-prime minister's country home outside Moscow. The two leaders both expressed a desire for improved relations, and observers said they had a cordial discussion. The president then addressed a Moscow economics university, where he told... More »

Upbeat Obama Opens Talks With Medvedev

(AP) - Barack Obama opened his first Moscow summit with confidence today, predicting "extraordinary progress" out of meetings set to test his diplomatic skills on important priorities such as nuclear arsenal reductions and the fight in Afghanistan. "The United States and Russia have more in common than they have differences,... More »

US vs. Russia: Who's Won Summits Past?

(Newser) - As Barack Obama arrives in Moscow for his toughest diplomatic challenge since taking office, the Guardian looks back on earlier US-Russia showdowns to gauge who had the upper hand.
  • Kennedy vs. Khrushchev, 1961: The ultimate cold war summit, shadowed by the space race and the Berlin Wall. A draw, although
... More »

Paranoid Russia Poses Big Test for Obama

President's trip to Moscow will be hard work, no fun

(Newser) - The last time Barack Obama went to Russia, he and another senator were detained by border guards for hours—and his upcoming trip won't be much fun either, say the editors of the Economist. Russia's economy is beholden to unstable oil and gas prices, the country's mortality rate is spiking,... More »

US Ambassador Returns to Venezuela

Diplomat back in Caracas 9 months after Chavez booted him

(Newser) - The American ambassador to Venezuela is back in Caracas 9 months after Hugo Chavez sent him packing, AFP reports. The diplomat was expelled after Chavez alleged that America was trying to undermine Bolivia's leftist government, one of his key allies. Venezuela's ambassador to the US, who was booted out soon... More »

Iran Bars EU From Nuke Talks

(Newser) - The European Union is “disqualified” from participating in further nuclear talks with Iran, the country’s top general said today, accusing it of “interference” in post-election riots. At the same time, the EU is considering withdrawing its ambassadors in response to the arrest of nine British embassy staffers... More »

Clinton Pushed Obama for Tougher Stance on Iran

President decided last-minute to use 'appalled and outraged' language

(Newser) - When President Obama recently toughened his language against the Iranian government, saying he was “appalled and outraged” at its violence against demonstrators, it came as a “happy surprise” to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, administration officials tell the Washington Times. Clinton had been pushing for a tougher stance... More »

A Frosty Merkel Arrives in DC

Economy, Afghanistan cloud chancellor's talks with Obama

(Newser) - Angela Merkel arrives in Washington today for a two-day visit, where the German chancellor will hold talks with President Obama before a rare joint press conference in the Rose Garden. Yet despite the smiles, the two leaders have a strained if not frosty relationship, with both sides carping about economic... More »

US Sending Ambassador to Syria After 4-Year Absence

Obama aims to boost US presence after 4-year absence

(Newser) - An American ambassador will soon be on the road to Damascus for the first time since early 2005, the Washington Post reports. The Obama administration plans to send an envoy to Syria as part of efforts to reengage with the influential Arab country. The move, which follows recent high-level diplomatic... More »

Fix Iraq to Fix the Region

A 'decent and stable' country could set an example

(Newser) - Many in the Middle East demanded action after President Obama’s Cairo speech, but the action that’s crucial right now is the Iraq peace process, writes Thomas Friedman in the New York Times. Hillary Clinton must lead us in an effort to establish a “decent and stable political... More »

N. Korea May Use Journos' Trial to Make Overtures to US

(Newser) - The day after its defiant second test of a nuclear device, North Korea allowed its two American prisoners, Current TV journalists Laura Ling and Euna Lee, to call home. It was such an unusual act for the repressive state, that experts think it may be a signal that North Korea... More »

Ambassadors: Rich People in Useless Jobs

If posts are just plums for political donors, why have them?

(Newser) - Barack Obama opted for politics as usual in his ambassador appointments yesterday, writes David Rothkopf for ForeignPolicy. Like recent predecessors, Obama turned to deep-pocketed campaign donors; hence Japan, the world’s second-largest economy, will deal with a tech lawyer whose sole qualification seems to have been his ability to raise... More »

US Plans Giant New Embassy in Pakistan

$1B project planned to boost US diplomats in region

(Newser) - The US is planning to invest $1 billion in building a bigger diplomatic presence in Pakistan and Afghanistan, including a huge new embassy in Islamabad, McClatchy reports. The Obama administration is seeking $736 million from Congress for the embassy and permanent housing for American officials in Pakistan’s capital—further... More »

Partners of Gay, Lesbian Diplomats Win Full Benefits

Clinton memo skirts Defense of Marriage Act

(Newser) - The State Department will offer same-sex partners of American diplomats all the benefits given to married spouses, reports the New York Times. An internal memo from Secretary of State Hillary Clinton addressed to a gay and lesbian Foreign Service organization outlined the changes, which would ensure diplomatic passports, access to... More »

Biden Visits Lebanon Ahead of Elections

(AP) - Vice President Joe Biden visited Lebanon today to reinforce US support for the government ahead of key parliamentary elections. The vote in two weeks could see a pro-Western majority ousted by a coalition led by the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah. Biden is the highest-ranking US official to visit Lebanon in... More »

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