Topic: U.S Council on Foreign Relations
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Briefing
Colombia - FARC peace talks: 4 things you need to know
Colombia has ample experience holding peace talks – though over the past 50 years, it’s seen little peace. But in early September, President Juan Manuel Santos announced peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Here are four things you need to know about the landmark peace process.
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Brazil's President Rousseff meets with Obama: 5 topics for talks
As the two largest economies in the Western Hemisphere, Brazil and the US have a lot of shared interests, but there are still areas of contention. Here are 5 possible topics on today's presidential agenda:
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Where will bin Laden 'mother lode of intelligence' lead?
It's 'the mother lode of intelligence,' a US official said of the materials found with Osama bin Laden in Abbattabad, Pakistan. Here's a look at what was discovered, where it is now, and what it might reveal.
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Five countries where the GOP victory could make a difference
Foreign policy is typically the executive branch’s domain because that is the branch that decides who the US negotiates with and what gets offered in those negotiations. However, Tuesday’s Republican victory, particularly the GOP takeover of the House and leadership of some key committees, has the ability to affect the US's dialogue, and in some cases policy, on a few key US relationships with other countries.
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3 Reasons Israel won't bomb Iran
A long article in the latest Atlantic argues there's a strong chance Israel will unilaterally attack Iran next summer over its nuclear program. While there are strong arguments for an attack, here are three reasons why it won't happen.
All Content
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Focus
Which world hot spots will clamor for Obama's attention?Obama is unequivocal about his intent to refocus on US domestic issues during his second term. But the world is not likely to cooperate. Here are seven foreign-policy challenges already bearing down on him.
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Europe's big powers unify to push against Israel settlement plans (+video)
Observers are struck by the degree to which the UK, France, and others in Europe have acted together to criticize Israel's plans to expand settlements.
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North Korea rocket preparations: Could it be a bluff?
There are questions about whether North Korean scientists have corrected whatever caused the embarrassing crackup of its last rocket shortly after liftoff in April, and whether Pyongyang is willing to risk another failure — along with UN condemnation and more sanctions.
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Will outgoing President Calderón be remembered for more than Mexico's violence? (+video)
Calderón's legacy will likely include Mexico's heavy drug war death toll. But he made positive strides on the economic front with average annual inflation at historic lows.
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Why Egyptian protesters rally against Morsi (+video)
Protesters took to the streets in Cairo, Egypt on Tuesday, voicing their concerns about President Mohamed Morsi's expanding powers. Hundreds have been injured in what is the biggest protest the country has seen since Morsi took office five months ago.
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Decoder Wire
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rushing to Middle East. Why now? (+video)US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been dispatched for Israel just as reports of a potential cease-fire are growing. The two are probably not unrelated.
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Key test for Egypt's Morsi as Gaza conflict intensifies (+video)
Since taking office in June, Egypt's Islamist President Morsi has upheld Egypt's peace treaty with Israel and strictly controlled border crossings. Could the Gaza conflict change his calculus?
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Opinion: In shifting sands of Middle East, who will lead? (+ video)
Leadership in the Middle East is up for grabs as the Syrian war intensifies, the Arab Spring changes regional power dynamics, and Israel's airstrikes and Hamas rockets again roil Gaza. Last year, Turkey was the assumed role model for the region. But it has fallen down on the job.
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Cover Story
Is Europe really on the brink?Europe's biggest crisis in the postwar era is not just about the economy. It's about a search for identity – and a rationale for staying unified.
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Mitt Romney to lay out foreign policy, national security agenda (+video)
Following a series of rhetorical stumbles, Mitt Romney is scheduled to lay out his more muscular foreign policy and national security agenda at the Virginia Military Institute Monday. But is it really all that different from President Obama's?
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Violence erupts in Venezuela when challenger campaigns in Chavez stronghold
A large crowd of supporters of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez turned violent when opposition candidate Henrique Capriles campaigned in a Chavez-leaning area.
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Consulate attack lifts lid off Libya's security problems
The fledgling Libyan government has been struggling to get armed militias and violent religious hardliners under control for months, but has largely failed.
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War-weary US is numbed to drumbeat of troop deaths in Afghanistan
Each week at war has a certain sameness for those not fighting in Afghanistan. Yet every week brings sorrow to those who learn that a son or daughter, brother or sister, was killed or wounded.
- Briefing
Colombia - FARC peace talks: 4 things you need to know
Colombia has ample experience holding peace talks – though over the past 50 years, it’s seen little peace. But in early September, President Juan Manuel Santos announced peace talks with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. Here are four things you need to know about the landmark peace process.
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Does Obama need to step in to protect power grids from cyberattack?
Congress appears gridlocked on a cybersecurity bill to protect power grids and other critical infrastructure, so President Obama is considering an executive order.
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Syria civil war rages: why Hillary Clinton is focused on what comes after
The US is eager to keep undesirable actors out of a post-Assad Syria, but when Hillary Clinton meets Saturday with senior Turkish officials and Syrian opposition figures, they'll want to discuss the raging civil war.
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Opinion: The threat to American democracy that Romney and Obama aren't talking about
It's called the civics gap. Only one-third of Americans can name all three branches of government. Education reform's focus on high-stakes testing has sidelined civics education. To save American democracy, Romney and Obama must discuss how to help schools educate engaged citizens.
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Syria: Has Obama done enough to bring the violence to an end? (+video)
The failure of diplomacy to address the grinding violence in Syria – hopes are dim for Kofi Annan's latest effort – is feeding renewed criticism of the Obama administration's Syria policy.
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Stefan Karlsson
Economists squabble over how to best assess recovery dataIceland has been used by Nobel laureate Paul Krugman as a poster child for economic recovery. But Stefan Karlsson again argues--this time with help from the Council on Foreign Relations--that Baltic countries may have better overall numbers.
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Not much progress at Geneva meeting on Syria violence
World powers agreed Saturday on a plan for ending Syria’s violence – but only by sweeping under the rug unresolved differences over the role Bashar al-Assad should play in a political transition.
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The Daily Reckoning
C'est la vie: French emphasize food, gossip over economics, warSo who's right? The French seem preoccupied with the mistresses of their new chief, and the details of their last meal. Meanwhile back in America, President Barack Obama is happily married, but taking flak for his economic and foreign policies.
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Backchannels
CIA aiding Syria rebels: Usually, that's just the beginningThe US is wading into ever murkier waters in Syria with unpredictable consequences.
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Opinion: Military soft 'coup' in Egypt has precedent
There is a debate whether Sunday's decree by Egypt’s Supreme Council of the Armed Forces was actually a military coup. Precedent in Turkey and Algeria shows that whether generals put tanks on the street or issue a memo, officers’ interests are safeguarded, but society as whole pays.
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Senate fight brews over Obama's Iraq ambassador pick
Brett McGurk is drawing the ire of Senate Republicans, who point to an inappropriate relationship with his now-wife when she was a journalist.
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Latin America Monitor
Mariela Castro's US visit: a win for free speechThe US visit of Cuban first daughter Mariela Castro has upset many in both countries due to visa issues and comments on gay rights. But it's deserving of some kudos, writes a blogger.
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