Category: Blogs

Jacobson: Rousseff Visit ‘Critical’ for US-Brazil Relations

By Larry Luxner

With less than two weeks to go before Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff’s June 30 trip to Washington, the State Department’s top Latin America official says she’s optimistic the long-delayed visit will mark “the beginning of a new chapter in our relationship.” Roberta Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, spoke June 19 at […]

Top News: Yemen Peace Talks End in Geneva Without Resolution

By MENASource

The United Nations announced via press conference today that the Yemeni peace talks had ended and there is no date for follow-up negotiations. Ismail Ould Cheikh Ahmed, the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, had hoped to announce progress by the end of Friday, according to UN spokesman Ahmad Fawzi.

Top News: Britain Defends Invite to Sisi After Morsi Death Sentence

By EgyptSource

The British government on Thursday defended its plan to invite Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to visit, saying it was important to engage with countries and to raise “matters of concern.”

TTIP Action – June 18

By Global Business & Economics Program

German Chancellor Angela Merkel delivered her State of the Nation Address this week ahead of the EU Summit, emphasizing the importance of TTIP and her intent on working closely with President Obama to resolve any outstanding issues. This Week in a Nutshell Just a few moments ago, the House narrowly passed Trade Promotion Authority (218-208), […]

Saudis Cannot See the Forest for the Houthis

By Adam Simpson

As Yemeni factions involved in the ongoing conflict entered talks in Geneva on June 15, prospects for a ceasefire look bleak as the Houthis and Saudis—by no means the only participants, but certainly the two most destructive actors—have intensified their attacks.

When Sectarian Conflict Finds a Local Solution, Copts Lose

By Jayson Casper

What is the value of a presidential visit to the papal cathedral for a seventy-year-old Copt driven from his village? What good are warm relations between Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Pope Tawadros if relations remain tense between Youssef Tawfiq and his Muslim neighbors?

EconSource: ISIS Imposes Fuel Blockade on Rebel-Held Northern Syria

By EconSource

The Islamic State (ISIS or ISIL) is blocking oil sales to northern Syria, activists say, unleashing an economic weapon that could cause food shortages and hospital shutdowns. The blockade demonstrates how heavily dependent ISIS’s enemies are on the crude oil it produces.

US-Brazil Relations: Time for a Reset?

On June 30, Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff will visit the United States, nearly two years after she cancelled a planned trip to Washington in the wake of revelations by Edward Snowden that the US National Security Agency was monitoring her phone calls and emails. Peter Schechter, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Adrienne Arsht Latin America […]

Russia’s Brinkmanship Raising Tensions in Europe

By Jeremy Diamond and Greg Botelho, CNN

The war of words between America and Russia is escalating. So, too, is the movement of implements of war — from U.S. fighter jets to Russian nuclear weapons.

Russian Ambassador Warns of ‘Risks’ Should Sweden Join NATO

By The Local (Sweden)

On Thursday, Russia’s ambassador to Sweden, Viktor Tatarintsev, hit out in an interview with the Dagens Nyheter daily at what he called an “aggressive propaganda campaign” by Swedish media.