U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Kurt Campbell met with his counterparts in China on Jan. 4 to discuss the situation in North Korea. The two discussed the maintenance of peace and stability in the country in the wake of the recent leadership change, as well as food aid and a possible resumption of talks over North Korea’s nuclear disarmament, according to Campbell. World News Videos by NewsLook
Amateur video presented to Reuters shows Syrian protesters in setting up night camps in the main square of the city of Homs. The United Nations has said at least 5,000 people have been killed in Syria since the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad began last March. World News Videos by NewsLook
In 2011, Myanmar astonished the international community with a series of political openings that led even U.S. President Barack Obama to see “flickers of progress” in the country. The approval by the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit last November of Myanmar’s bid to chair the regional bloc in 2014 and the historic visit of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the country seem to have launched a regional race for gaining a “special relationship” with the Myanmar authorities, themselves eager to attract new foreign investment. But it is doubtful that increased economic involvement with neighboring countries will […]
The past year was an eventful one for NATO, but despite the success of the alliance’s intervention in Libya, persistent problems will continue to affect trans-Atlantic defense relations in the new year. The United States will need to redouble its efforts in 2012 to make progress, with the NATO Summit in Chicago this May providing an opportunity for high-level attention to the issue. The alliance’s main problem is that European member states spend too little on defense. On average, their military expenditures have fallen almost 2 percent annually during the past decade, despite the continuing operations in Afghanistan. In the […]
Last year was a tough one in terms of global economics, humanitarian disasters and political leadership among the world’s great powers. But it was also the year of the glorious Arab Spring and hints of similar developments in Myanmar, Russia and Ethiopia. So while the year’s “fundamentals,” as the economists like to say, weren’t so good, it left us with plenty to be grateful for as globalization continues to awaken the desire of individuals for freedom the world over. Keeping all that in mind, here is my foreign policy wish list for 2012. A decisive election in the United States. […]