President Obama visited Tucson last night to attend a memorial service for those killed and injured in Saturday’s shooting rampage. I hope you will forgive the departure from our usual “U.S. Role in the World” focus as I note this decidedly domestic event. As a resident and native of Tucson it’s a subject that I […]
I had an opportunity to preview a new documentary that will premier on PBS entitled, After the Wall: A World United, which focuses on the political challenges that had to be overcome in order to reunify Germany at the end of the Cold War. It’s a fascinating look at one of the most critical events […]
The Pentagon announced this week that more Marines will be heading to Afghanistan to help maintain momentum there as Obama continues with his surge policy with the long-term goal of withdrawing American forces: The United States will send more than 1,000 additional Marines to Afghanistan this month to try to solidify progress in the south […]
Yesterday the Associated Press ran an interesting article on President Obama’s plans to increase engagement with Africa in 2011. President Barack Obama is quietly but strategically stepping up his outreach to Africa, using this year to increase his engagement with a continent that is personally meaningful to him and important to U.S. interests. Expectations in […]
Last night 60 Minutes (a TV news program in the U.S.) had an excellent two-part presentation on Wynton Marsalis and his Jazz at Lincoln Center (JALC) Orchestra. The followed the band’s trips to London and Havana, where they engaged in cultural diplomacy of the highest order. What made the JALC trip to Havana so interesting […]
“Our own national security toolbox must be well-equipped with more than just hammers.” Robert Gates, US Secretary of Defense US Defense Secretary Robert Gates understands that the challenges America will face in an increasingly multi-polar 21st century require capabilities that extend beyond traditional combat operations. The U.S. military increasingly finds itself ordered to support peacekeeping, […]
Here are a few items worth reviewing from 2010 and some things to keep an eye on in 2011. Notable Events in 2010: Release of the Quadrennial Diplomacy and Development Review (QDDR): This is the long-awaited (14 months) road map for reform of the State Department and USAID – what they do, how they do […]
Vladimir Sambaiew, President of the Stanley Foundation, recently had an op-ed in the Des Moines Register that very neatly sums up the argument on how multilateralism can work to address (if not always solve) global problems. Sambaiew’s focus is on the G-20 and “responsible stakeholdership.” Two phrases help explain today’s leadership context: the “G-20” and […]
Below are links to three articles that relate to previous postings here at Global Engagement: 1. My previous post on U.S. students seeking to study full-time in the U.K. has been followed up with an article in the Washington Post, “U.S. students crossing pond for college.” The population of U.S. undergraduates at United Kingdom schools […]
Several key Senate Republicans, McConnell, Graham and Kyl are leading the resistance to the ratification of the START (Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty), claiming that the Senate needs more time to review the fine print on the treaty that would specify limits of: – 1,550 deployed warheads, which are about 30% lower than the upper warhead […]
Today the U.S. Senate will finally take up New START. There will be a lot of activity on this issue until the final vote as amendments are considered. Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Richard Lugar (R-IN) believe they have enough votes to secure passage (which is to say, enough to prevent a filibuster), and The […]
The incoming chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen signaled a few weeks ago that State Department and foreign aid programs will most likely be cut when she assumes the chairmanship in 2011. In a recent statement, Ros-Lehtinen laid out her agenda, “I have identified and will propose a number of cuts to […]
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