Foreign Policy

All Foreign Policy

Palestinians win upgrade to 'state ' at UN. What does that change? (+video)

The UN General Assembly's 138-to-9 vote officially put 'Palestine' together with 'state' for the first time. But it appeared to offer little practical change. Even Palestinians called it part of a 'process.'
Palestinians push for elevated UN status: Did Gaza conflict help?

Some nations are warming to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's bid for enhanced UN status. After the Gaza conflict, they see the moderate Abbas as a counterweight to Hamas.
Susan Rice: why GOP opposition to her is no longer white-hot (+video)

Key GOP voices including Sens. John McCain and Lindsey Graham have tempered their rhetoric about Ambassador Susan Rice, who could be nominated as a possible secretary of State.
Gaza cease-fire: Clinton role shows US still dominant in tough neighborhood (+video)

After two days of shuttle diplomacy, Hillary Clinton and Egypt's foreign minister announced a cease-fire agreement between Hamas and Israel. Despite its weakened influence in the Middle East, the US is still the dominant diplomatic force.
Conflict in Gaza: Why is US taking a back seat?

In the effort to broker a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the US has not taken a front-line role. Partly, that's President Obama's style, partly it's because of new realities.
Obama's Myanmar speech sends message to North Korea (+video)

Barack Obama on Monday became the first US president to visit Myanmar, showing other Asian nations – such as North Korea – that America is willing to reach out to help reforms.
Gaza conflict offers Egypt's new leader a defining 'moment,' but it's brief

The Gaza crisis has put Egypt's President Morsi in a tight spot, caught between his sympathy for Hamas and his country's reliance on the US. If he chooses to play the role of mediator, he may have little time.
Obama vigorously defends UN envoy Rice, calling criticisms 'outrageous'

Obama called Susan Rice's work at the UN 'exemplary' and said Sens. McCain and Graham, who threatened a filibuster to block her nomination to higher office, should instead 'go after me.'
Petraeus to testify: What Congress wants to know about Benghazi attack

Resigned CIA Director David Petraeus has agreed to testify to congressional intelligence panels about the Sept. 11 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi, Libya. It'll be a closed-door meeting, but here's what lawmakers are poised to ask him.
What Obama will accomplish with a visit to Myanmar

With the Myanmar visit, President Obama will showcase one of his foreign-policy accomplishments and will underscore a US commitment to supporting Asia’s political and economic development.
War with Iran? 5 ways events overseas could shape Obama's second term.

The threat posed by Iran’s nuclear program is the most urgent example of the foreign-policy challenges that face President Obama in his second term. Here are four others.
Obama's new foreign-policy and security team: Could Colin Powell be on it?

With President Obama likely to begin his second term with a sharp domestic focus, he’ll need a trusted foreign-policy and security team to handle sensitive, and pressing, global challenges.
In Election Day Olympics, US gets an F from the Russian judge

In what may be tit-for-tat recriminations for US expressions of concern regarding Russian democracy, the Russian elections chief ranks the US election system 'the worst in the world.'
Benghazi fallout: CIA reveals secret intelligence hub was nearby

The CIA on Thursday released a timeline that showed how it responded quickly to the attack on the US consulate in Benghazi on Sept. 11. In doing so, it also revealed that it had a larger intelligence-gathering location a mile away.
Behind the US gambit to seek new anti-Assad leadership in Syria

The US pulled its support from the opposition Syrian National Council, based in Paris, this week – a signal that the Obama administration plans to put more stock in rebel forces fighting the Assad regime on the ground.
Benghazi e-mails: What did Obama administration know when?

Newly disclosed State Department e-mails, sent within hours of the attack on the US Consulate in Benghazi, cited a claim of responsibility by Ansar al-Sharia, a Libyan extremist group.
US and Iran: Could Romney be tougher than Obama? Unlikely.

Short of conducting a unilateral military strike or declaring war against the Islamic Republic, a Romney administration would be faced with the same legislative options on Iran as President Obama, who has already administered them.
By taking Benghazi blame, will Hillary Clinton help or harm Obama?

By taking responsibility for the security failure, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton appeared to be trying to shield her boss, a president locked in a tight reelection battle, from further political fallout.
UN envoy for Syria shops a cease-fire idea. Will there be any takers?

Lakhdar Brahimi is proposing a Syria cease-fire built around an upcoming Muslim holiday. But regional experts say neither side appears tired enough from fighting to be interested.
Benghazi attack: Will Senate inquiry be a factor in presidential election?

Senator Lieberman says his committee will try to ‘find out what happened and why’ in the Benghazi attack, but panel staff say the information-gathering stage is unlikely to be finished by the election.