Within a span of almost 6 months, there have been two near-miss terror attacks on U.S. soil—the Christmas Day plot and Saturday’s Times Square attempted bombing. The Obama Administration had emphasized, in its review of the Christmas Day terror plot that: …despite several opportunities that might have allowed the CT community to put these pieces together in this case, and despite the tireless effort and best intentions of individuals at every level of the CT community, that was not done. Despite this admission, the Obama Administration continues to drag its …
There is much hand-wringing in the mainstream media about the Senate Budget Committee’s 6.8% cut of $4 billion last week to the Obama Administration’s massive $58.5 billion Fiscal Year 2011 request to fund the foreign affairs “150 Account” budgets that include the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). What the critics of congressional cost-cutting conveniently gloss over is that the budgets of the foreign affairs agencies have grown by more than 30 percent in just the past two years! Of course, the $4 billion reduction barely …
On April 5, in a speech at Harvard University Secretary of State Clinton’s lead diplomat for Africa Johnnie Carson outlined policy guidelines for sub-Saharan Africa. Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Carson is a seasoned, three-time ambassador to Africa with an illustrious career as a diplomat and an analyst of African affairs. His speech stressed the importance of strengthening African governments and institutions, promoting economic progress, addressing health challenges, preventing and resolving conflicts, and meeting transnational challenges from climate change to drug trafficking. In short, Carson followed the familiar, …
If you are a human rights activist or suffer under the yoke of an oppressive regime, do not expect the United States to be rushing to your assistance these days. As the U.S. government persists in pursuing engagement with less than savory regimes – such as those of Cuba and Iran – those who fight for liberty for their citizens are feeling the pinch. Groups supporting freedom for the citizens of Iran have felt the change in tone since President Obama took office. One example was the defunding of the …
The only real victim in the attempted Christmas Day bombing of an international flight bound for Detroit was the Department of Homeland Security. Claiming the “system worked” earned the secretary more than a few cat calls, late night jokes, and even demands for her resignation. Napolitano’s statement, however, was never the real story. First, that statement was taken out of context. Second, none of the security failures rest at the feet of Homeland Security. As we detailed last month: “The decision to flag an individual for secondary screening or bar …
Increasing spending on the State Department and international affairs while freezing discretionary domestic spending is probably not likely to endear President Obama further to constituencies on either side of the Congressional aisle. Yet, the State Department is one of the few winners in President Obama’s FY 2011 budget request, continuing a five year commitment made last year to increase capacity at Foggy Bottom. The way the funding request is structured tells you much about the President’s priorities in foreign policy, which hold fairly closely to traditional Democratic priorities. It certainly …
Internet outreach is the hottest new item in the U.S. government’s array of public diplomacy tools. While international broadcasting is in disarray, the focus has moved to Internet outreach through social networking and websites to promote America and its allies abroad. The Internet can be a great tool for the advancement of freedom and the empowerment of individuals. Yet it is not immune to the designs of state actors, nor does it exist in a policy vacuum. After having tangled with China over its internet censorship policy, Secretary of State …
The National Security Council is priding itself on a successful first year for President Barack Obama in terms of strategic communications. In a blog posting on the White House Web site, Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communication Ben Rhodes gave President Obama credit for his “steady diplomacy” and renewing America’s moral authority on the world stage. It is of course not surprising that the administration should want to spin its achievements at the first year mile-stone, yet for others it is hard to see the justification for the chest-pounding. …
New media is playing a critical important role in the rush to save Haiti. Almost immediately after the earthquake struck the White House and State Department appealed the American people to donate $10 by texting HAITI to 90999 on their cell phones. Even celebrities such as Haitian born rapper Wyclef Jean are setting up text messaging services accepting donations. In Jean’s case, cell phone users can text YELE to 501501 to make a donation that goes to his Yele Foundation for reconstruction. So far, more people have given money in the first …
With all the money that has been shelled out through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Act, it turns out that the State department has its hand out, too. The State Department is requesting funding for a Foreign Affairs Security Training Center — to provide U.S. diplomats, or at least those charged with protecting them, with a greater set of survival skills. Just this New year’s Eve, the killings of seven CIA employees at the CIA’s base in Khost Province, Afghanistan, near Pakistan, was a deadly reminder of …
