In a sign of President Obama’s continuing outreach to the Muslim world, the State Department has announced the appointment of a new special envoy. According to this BBC News report: The US State Department has appointed its first Special Representative to Muslim Communities. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said Farah Pandith would play a leading […]
President Obama held a news conference this morning in which he used some of his strongest language yet to criticize the recent Iranian election: The United States and the international community have been appalled and outraged by the threats, beatings, and imprisonments of the last few days. I strongly condemn these unjust actions, and I […]
Last week the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for Fiscal Years 2010 and 2011 (H.R. 2410) that provides funding for the State Department and the Peace Corps as well as oversight for new programs. As the the companion bill works its way through the Senate and the two versions get […]
One of my fellow FPA bloggers has invited me to note a new film that may be of interest to the U.S. Role readership. Sean Patrick Murphy’s Global Film Review blog recently screened the “Battle for Haditha” film, directed by Nick Broomfield, and recommends the film as a dramatic and insightful portrayal of a roadside […]
I’ve been watching the election protests in Iran (see the dramatic video from BBC News below) and like many of you, I’m alarmed at how events have unfolded. The disputed election presents the U.S. with something of a challenge, Obama knows he will have to deal with whoever is eventually declared the winner, so like […]
As the slots get filled for new U.S. ambassadors, I have to modify my earlier praise: too many sensitive overseas posts are being given to Obama fundraisers. For every Carlos Pascual (veteran envoy now assigned to Mexico), there now appear to be several David Jacobsons (Illinois lawyer and Obama-Biden fundraiser set to go to Canada). […]
What does the Ahmadinejad victory in the Iranian election mean for U.S. diplomatic efforts to engage Iran? According to this analysis from Mark Fitzpatrick, Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London, it means efforts will be complicated with long-term prospects looking rather grim: I’m surprised at the regime’s audacity in declaring […]
The Washington Post reports that the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council — the U.S., France, Britain, Russia, and China — along with Japan and South Korea “reached agreement Wednesday on a draft U.N. resolution that condemns North Korea’s recent underground nuclear test and imposes additional military, financial and trade sanctions on the […]
This post is not about foreign policy, it’s about business, but it’s still about the U.S. role in the world. My question today is: Do American companies have a responsibility to be representatives of American values when they operate internationally? This question has often been posed in relation to pollution and environmental protection, labor practices, […]
If you’ve not had a chance to watch President Obama’s speech in Cairo, I recommend this site from The New York Times. They’ve placed the video of the speech alongside the text, which makes it easy to follow along, and then if you would like to share your reaction in our comments, we would like […]
It may come to be known as the “new begininngs” speech. The speech that Barack Obama delivered today at Cairo University was probably not his best speech, but it may be his most important and most widely disseminated ever. The U.S. government distributed it immediately in many languages, it was broadcast live in its entirety […]
President Obama has embarked on an important trip abroad, with stops in Saudi Arabia, Germany, France and Egypt. The highlight of the trip is expected to be his speech in Egypt, which the White House is promoting as an address to the Muslim world. The speech has raised expectations and there is no shortage of […]
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