U.S. Flag Raised Over American Embassy in Havana

U.S. flag was raised over the American embassy in Havana for the first time in 54 years. Secretary of State John Kerry presided over the ceremony.

Photo credit: The American flag raised over the United States embassy in Havana; 14 August 2015 (ABC)
 

Obama Slows Afghanistan Troop Withdrawal

President Barack Obama today reversed plans to withdraw about 5,000 U.S. troops from Afghanistan this year, keeping the current level of 9,800 troops until end of 2015. Obama announced the decision after meeting with visiting Afghan President Ashraf Ghani at the White House.

“President Ghani had requested some flexibility on our drawdown timelines,” Obama said at a joint press conference, adding the decision “reflects our reinvigorated partnership with Afghanistan… We want to make sure that we’re doing everything we can to help Afghan security forces succeed.” (AFP, 24 March)

Earlier in the day, Afghan President Ghani and Chief Executive Officer (Prime Minister) Abdullah Abdullah visited the Arlington Cemetery to honor more than 2,200 U.S. servicemen and servicewomen killed in action while fighting the Taliban and Al Qaeda in Afghanistan. In a moving ceremony, they placed wreaths to honor the fallen American soldiers.

Photo credit: President Barack Obama (R) with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani during a joint press conference at the White House; 24 March 2015 (AFP/france24.com)

UAE: Top American Partner in Arab World

The Washington Post’s Rajiv Chandrasekaran on Sunday wrote a piece on UAE’s Al-Dhafra Air Base. The vast desert airfield hosts U.S. fighter jets, which night after night for the past six weeks have taken off heading north on bombing runs over Iraq and Syria.

The Pentagon does not publicly acknowledge the American presence at Al-Dhafra, but the twin-runway airfield has become a vital part of U.S.-led campaign against the Islamic State.

On many nights, the U.S. planes are accompanied by a wave of F-16 Fighting Falcons operated by the UAE’s air force, Chandrasekaran reports. The UAE has indeed become America’s closest ally in the fight against ISIL.

“The UAE has gone all in,” said retired General Anthony Zinni, a former CENTCOM commander. “It’s the strongest relationship that the United States has in the Arab world today.” (The Washington Post, 9 November)

Shared concerns over the rise of militant Islam and Iran’s regional policies and nuclear program are likely to be the foundation of the growing U.S.-UAE relationship.

File photo: Emblem of the 380th Air Expeditionary Wing (380 AEW), attached to U.S. Air Force Central (AFCENT) stationed at Al-Dhafar Air Base, the UAE.

Crisis in U.S.-Israel Relations

White House Thinks “Chickenshit” Bibi Won’t Bomb Iran

Today, Jeffery Goldberg has written an explosive piece in the Atlantic, saying the White House does not believe Israel has the guts to bomb Iran. Goldberg, who commands vast knowledge of U.S.-Israel relationship, quotes senior officials in Obama Administration as describing Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin “Bibi” Netanyahu as “chickenshit” , “coward” , and having “no guts.”

“The good thing about Netanyahu is that he’s scared to launch wars,” the official said. “The bad thing about him is that he won’t do anything to reach an accommodation with the Palestinians or with the Sunni Arab states. The only thing he’s interested in is protecting himself from political defeat… He’s got no guts,” the official said.

Another senior official describes Netanyahu as “chickenshit” on peace process, and a “coward” on the issue of Iran’s nuclear threat: Ultimately Bibi couldn’t bring himself to “pull the trigger.”

Naftali Bennett, leader of Israeli right-wing party The Jewish Home, and the country’s minister of economy said of Golberg’s piece: It proves Obama Administration plans “to throw Israel under the bus.” (Twitter/@ChemiShalev)

Barak Ravid, diplomatic correspondent for Haaretz, said: “Obama-Bibi relations have gone from very, very bad, to very, very, very bad.” (Twitter/@JeffreyGoldberg)

To read Goldberg’s piece, please click here.

Photo credit: Reuters/the Atlantic

Syria ‘Satisfied’ with U.S.-led Air Campaign against ISIL

Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem said today his government is “satisfied” with the U.S.-led bombing campaign against the Islamic State. He made the remarks during an interview with the Associated Press.

Moallem said that the U.S. does not inform Syria of every strike before it happens. He added, “But it’s OK.” He said that Syria heard from the United States 24 hours before it led the initial airstrikes last week.

Moallem continued that the fight against ISIL has “aligned” Damascus with Western and Arab opponents of the Syrian regime in “fighting the same enemy.” (AP, 29 September)

Moallem’s remarks contradicted the Iranian and Russian opposition to the U.S. air campaign in Syria. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called the airstrikes illegal during a speech at the UN General Assembly earlier this week. The Iranians could be concerned about a possible warming up of relations between Assad’s government and the U.S. at their own expense.

Moallem suggested that al-Nusra and other extremist Islamist groups should also be hit.  

Photo credit: Syria’s Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem addressing the UN General assembly; 29 September 2014 (UN.org)

House Votes to Authorize Aid to Syrian Rebels -UPDATE

UPDATE: Senate Also Approves the Legislation

U.S. House of Representatives today overwhelmingly voted to authorize the training and arming of Syrian opposition in the fight against ISIL. The Senate is expected to pass the legislation on Thursday.

“Obama is our commander-in-chief. You don’t weaken the commander-in-chief when we’re in a serious crisis,” said Representative Dutch Ruppersberger of Maryland, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee. (The New York times, 17 September)

Opponents, an unusual left-right coalition, cautioned that a “yes” vote would be a step toward a wider conflict in a region where American troops have been fighting for more than a decade.

UPDATE: The Senate on Thursday approved legislation allowing training and arming of Syrian opposition by a vote of 73-22. (AP)

File photo: U.S. House of Representatives; Washington, DC. (Dreamtime.com/@Kuosumo)

GCC, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Egypt, U.S. Issue Joint Communique on ISIL

Jeddah Communique; September 11, 2014

The following is the Jeddah Communique from the ministers representing states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and the United States. (Source: Department of Sate)

“The ministers representing states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and the United States declared their shared commitment to stand united against the threat posed by all terrorism, including the so-called Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), to the region and the world.

The participants hailed the formation of the new, inclusive Iraqi Government and expressed their support for the immediate steps it has pledged to take to advance the interests of all Iraq’s citizens, regardless of religion, sect or ethnicity.

The participants resolved to strengthen their support for the new Iraqi Government in its efforts to unite all Iraqis in combatting ISIL and discussed a strategy to destroy ISIL wherever it is, including in both Iraq and Syria.

The participants confirmed their commitment to implement UN Security Council Resolution 2170, and noted the Arab League Resolution 7804 of September 7, 2014, as well as the discussion of ISIL at the NATO Summit in Wales. The Ministers affirmed their strong commitment to continue the effort to eliminate global terrorism.

The participating states agreed to do their share in the comprehensive fight against ISIL, including: stopping the flow of foreign fighters through neighboring countries, countering financing of ISIL and other violent extremists, repudiating their hateful ideology, ending impunity and bringing perpetrators to justice, contributing to humanitarian relief efforts, assisting with the reconstruction and rehabilitation of communities brutalized by ISIL, supporting states that face the most acute ISIL threat, and, as appropriate, joining in the many aspects of a coordinated military campaign against ISIL.

Participants emphasized that the role played by regional states is central to this effort.”

Photo credit: Arab leaders with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry; Jeddah, 11 September 2014 (AFP)

Obama Discusses Iraqi Crisis, Iran Talks with Tom Friedman

President Barack Obama on Friday discussed Iraqi crisis and his decision to order airstrikes against Islamic State positions near Erbil with the New York Times columnist Tom Friedman. Obama also spoke of difficulties to strike a deal with Iran over its nuclear program and foreign policy issues, saying some “Islamic Leaders” may fear a pact would loosen their grip on power, clearly referring to Iran’s supreme leader and his close associates. 

Below are excerpts from a New York Times article on Friedman's interview with Obama. To read the article, please click here.

• “(President Obama) was open to supporting a sustained effort to drive Sunni militants out of Iraq if Iraqi leaders form a more inclusive government, even as he vowed that the United States had no intention of ‘being the Iraqi air force.’”

• “He ordered American fighter pilots back into the skies over Iraq, a decision that he said he reached after concluding that the United States needed to protect the Kurdish regions in the north and ‘bolster’ an Iraqi leadership that was panicked in the face of advances by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.”

• ‘‘We’re not going to let them create some caliphate through Syria and Iraq,’ the president said… ‘But we can only do that if we know that we have got partners on the ground who are capable of filling the void.’”

• “On Iran, the president said the chance that American efforts to strike a deal nuclear weapons is ‘a little less than 50-50,’ in part because some Islamic leaders may fear such a pact would loosen their grip on power.’”

• “‘That may prevent us from getting a deal done… ‘It is there to be had. Whether ultimately Iran can seize that opportunity — we will have to wait and see, but it is not for lack of trying on our part.’”

 File photo: Jacqelyn Nartin/AP/NYTimes      

Kerry in Kabul

Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Kabul today to meet with Afghan presidential candidates Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah, as well as President Hamid Karzai, the State Department announced.

Kerry will follow-up on his July visit to Kabul, encouraging both candidates to help accelerate the audit process of the election results, and make progress on talks to form a unity government when the results are announced, said Jen Psaki, the spokeswoman for the State Department.

Kerry’s surprise trip to Kabul came in the same day that his top deputies, Under Secretary Sherman and Deputy Secretary William Burns, went to Geneva to resume nuclear talks with Iranian negotiators; so much for slow August!

UPDATE: Ashraf Ghani and Abdullah Abdullah reaffirmed their previously-negotiated commitments to the audit process and the formation of a national unity government by the end of the month, Secretary Kerry announced after holding talks with both candidates and with President Karzai. The winner will lead the government, but the loser will also have a key role.

Kerry Decries 'New Isolationism'

Secretary of State John Kerry inveighed against what he called a “new isolation” tendency in the United States. Kerry made the comments on Wednesday to a small group of reporters and added that the country was beginning to behave like a poor nation. (Reuters, 26 February)

Kerry told the reporters that the expected budget for FY’15, with tighter spending, in part at the behest of congressional Republicans, could limit U.S. clout around the world.

“There's a new isolationism,” Kerry said. “We are beginning to behave like a poor nation.” (Reuters, 26 February)

“This is not a budget we want. It's not a budget that does what we need,” Kerry said. Pointing out that the budget deal entailed cuts demanded by the Republican-led House of Representatives. “It was the best the president could get. It's not what he wanted.”

File photo: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in Jakarta, 16 February 2014. (EVAN VUCCI/POOL/REUTERS) 

Planned Attack on Syria

President Obama is reportedly considering a range of limited military actions against Syria. But the White House said today that the goal of any future strikes would not be regime change in Syria.

“I want to make clear that the options that we are considering are not about regime change,” White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters today. “They are about responding to a clear violation of an international standard that prohibits the use of chemical weapons,” he added. (AP, 27 August)

Carney continued that although the “firm conviction” of the U.S. is that “Syria’s future cannot include Assad in power,” but the impending strikes are not designed to facilitate a regime change in Damascus.

The New York Times reported earlier today that the attacks would not be on chemical weapons storage sites in order to avoid the risks of an environmental and humanitarian disaster. Instead, the U.S. strikes would be limited to military units thought to have carried out chemical attacks, air bases where attack helicopters are deployed, and the headquarters overseeing the effort, fewer than 50 sites. (The New York Times, 27 August)

Photo credit: White House Press Secretary Jay Carney. August 27, 2013. (AP)

Kerry’s Statement on Syrian Crisis

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry today made an important statement on the recent chemical attack in Syria, indicating the administration is holding the Syrian government responsible for the attack and is in close consultations with its Arab and Western partners to formulate an appropriate response. The U.S. is expected to lead a coalition of regional countries, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Turkey and Jordan, as well as Western countries, such as Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Canada, in any military action against Syria.

Due to critical situation in Syria, we are posting the transcript of Secretary Kerry’s statement made in a news conference in Washington on Monday. The text was provided by Federal News Service. The video is posted on You Tube. The transcript:

“For the last several days President Obama and his entire national security team have been reviewing the situation in Syria.

“What we saw in Syria last week should shock the conscience of the world. It defies any code of morality. Let me be clear. The indiscriminate slaughter of civilians, the killing of women and children and innocent bystanders by chemical weapons is a moral obscenity. By any standard, it is inexcusable. And despite the excuses and equivocations that some have manufactured, it is undeniable.

“The meaning of this attack goes beyond the conflict on Syria itself. And that conflict has already brought so much terrible suffering. This is about the large-scale indiscriminate use of weapons that the civilized world long ago decided must never be used at all, a conviction shared even by countries that agree on little else.

“What is before us today is real, and it is compelling… So I also want to underscore that while investigators are gathering additional evidence on the ground, our understanding of what has already happened in Syria is grounded in facts, informed by conscience and guided by common sense. The reported number of victims, the reported symptoms of those who were killed or injured, the firsthand accounts from humanitarian organizations on the ground, like Doctors Without Borders and the Syria Human Rights Commission -- these all strongly indicate that everything these images are already screaming at us is real, that chemical weapons were used in Syria.

“Moreover, we know that the Syrian regime maintains custody of these chemical weapons. We know that the Syrian regime has the capacity to do this with rockets. We know that the regime has been determined to clear the opposition from those very places where the attacks took place. And with our own eyes, we have all of us become witnesses.

“We have additional information about this attack, and that information is being compiled and reviewed together with our partners, and we will provide that information in the days ahead.

“I spoke on Thursday with Syrian Foreign Minister Muallem, and I made it very clear to him that if the regime, as he argued, had nothing to hide, then their response should be immediate: immediate transparency, immediate access, not shelling. Their response needed to be unrestricted and immediate access. Failure to permit that, I told him, would tell its own story.

“Instead, for five days the Syrian regime refused to allow the U.N. investigators access to the site of the attack that would allegedly exonerate them. Instead, it attacked the area further, shelling it and systematically destroying evidence. That is not the behavior of a government that has nothing to hide. That is not the action of a regime eager to prove to the world that it had not used chemical weapons. In fact, the regime’s belated decision to allow access is too late and is too late to be credible.

“Today’s reports of an attack on the U.N. investigators, together with the continued shelling of these very neighborhoods, only further weakens the regime’s credibility. At President Obama’s direction, I’ve spent many hours over the last few days on the phone with foreign ministers and other leaders. The administration is actively consulting with members of Congress, and we will continue to have these conversations in the days ahead. President Obama has also been in close touch with the leaders of our key allies, and the president will be making an informed decision about how to respond to this indiscriminate use of chemical weapons.

“But make no mistake: President Obama believes there must be accountability for those who would use the world’s most heinous weapons against the world’s most vulnerable people. Nothing today is more serious, and nothing is receiving more serious scrutiny.”

Kerry Arrives in Iraq

Discussing Iranian Overflights to Syria and Kurdish-Turkish Oil Pipeline

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made an unannounced visit to Iraq after accompanying President Obama to Israel, Palestine and Jordan. Kerry will urge Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to make sure Iranian flights over Iraq do not carry arms and fighters to Syria, a U.S. official told Reuters. Washington believes Iranian flights and overland transfers take place nearly every day.


“He will be very direct with Prime Minister Maliki about the importance of stopping the Iranian overflights and the transits across the territory or, at a minimum, inspecting each of the flights,” the U.S. official said. (Reuters, 24 March)


Kerry also plans to speak by phone with Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani. The U.S. is concerned that Kurdish regional government’s plans to press ahead with the construction of an oil pipeline to Turkey could lead to the break-up of Iraq.

“Kerry will stress the importance of maintaining the unity of Iraq,” said a U.S. official. “Separate efforts undercut the unity of the country.” (AP, 24 march)

File photo: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (AFP)