KABUL, Afghanistan—In a surprise move in mid-April, Germany announced it is ready to provide between 600 and 800 troops to the as yet undefined NATO training contingent that will replace the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) mission in Afghanistan after it comes to an end in 2014. It was the first such announcement by any country, including the United States. Washington is in the process of negotiating with Kabul the bilateral strategic agreement that should lay out the framework for a reduced but continued presence of American troops starting in 2015. Germany’s attempt to pull ahead of the pack is [...]
President Barack Obama traveled to Mexico City on May 2 to meet with new Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto in an effort to recast perceptions of the bilateral agenda from security to economic issues. In 2012, for the first time in 12 years, the U.S. and Mexican election cycles coincided, providing an excellent opportunity to coordinate an agenda consistent with the political needs of the new administrations and the economic requirements of their respective countries. An early visit by the U.S. president was an important signal that Mexico’s significant contributions to the health of the U.S. economy can no longer [...]
Yesterday, U.S. President Barack Obama and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto met in Mexico City to discuss the bilateral relationship. It was Obama’s first meeting with Pena Nieto since the latter took office in December, although the two did meet when Pena Nieto visited Washington as president-elect in November. In stark contrast to meetings between the American and Mexican presidents in recent years, the agenda included but was not dominated by security and organized crime. Instead, as underscored by the presidents’ joint press conference, Obama’s visit to Mexico City offered a varied menu of issues such as trade, education, innovation, [...]
