As President Obama embarks for Riyadh and Cairo this evening, the “scene setters” appear: the BBC headlines “what could be one of the most important speeches of his presidency”; America’s own NPR features a pre-departure interview focused on the Cairo speech as a “high-profile opportunity to reshape America’s image among Muslim countries.” We’re all familiar […]
We often get reminders that a new Administration in Washington means new leadership at U.S. Embassies overseas. Within a year of taking office, an incoming President generally will have nominated (and the Senate approved) new Ambassadors for all major overseas postings. In many foreign government establishments, these appointments are highly anticipated events, more closely watched […]
A quick recap for those just joining us: On October 6, 2006 North Korea exploded its first nuclear weapon. This past week, it conducted an underground nuclear test and missile launches provoking international condemnation and raising tensions (and military alert levels) in the region. Satellite surveillance suggests it may have restarted its Yongbyon reactor (and […]
I’ve been trying to catch up on news and events after being away for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, and it appears that North Korea’s provocative nuclear test and subsequent missile launches are high on the agenda. This video from the UK’s Telegraph shows President Obama responding to the recent nuclear test: President Obama reaffirmed […]
On this Memorial Day, the U.S. Role blog would like to salute the men and women of the U.S. armed forces who have made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our country. Because this blog is specifically devoted to the U.S. role in the world, I would like to honor those who are buried far […]
It was said during the presidential campaign that closing the Guantanamo detention center was one of the things the new president could do to immediately change the view of the U.S. role in the world for the better. After his election victory, President Obama immediately signed an executive order to do just that (I think […]
The meeting between President Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is now history, and it appears that both leaders gained something from the meeting. President Obama secured assurances from the Israeli leader that new peace talks will begin soon and Prime Minister Netanyahu won a timetable for progress on dealing with Iran’s nuclear program. Despite […]
President Obama will meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu today at the White House. The Mideast peace process will be on the agenda, though as this report points out, the two leaders bring two very different agendas to the table: Israel’s new conservative prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, comes to the White House Monday set on […]
Further evidence that President Obama is prepared to take some political heat at home in order to improve America’s standing abroad comes in the form of his decision on torture photos. Obama said on Wednesday that publishing additional pictures, taken by U.S. servicemen in Iraq, similar to those previously published from the Abu Ghraib prison, […]
Is a crisis brewing between the U.S. and Israel? On the one had, we have a new American president determined to make headway on the perennial presidential to-do item of forging Mideast peace, and on the other, we have a new Israeli prime minister who sees the divided Palestinians no longer viable as a peace […]
Thanks to the new relationship between the U.S. and Russia (after hitting the proverbial reset button) it would appear that progress in being made in nuclear non-proliferation talks. According to this report from the Reuters news service: Delegates meeting on the 1970 Non-Proliferation Treaty struck their first agreement on the anti-nuclear arms pact in a […]
Barack Obama soon will make his second overseas trip as President, visiting Egypt, Germany and France. Although Obama differs from his predecessors in many respects, some things are true of any Presidential visit to a foreign country. The people at the White House who plan the trip want to set a theme, they want a […]
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