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Entries Tagged as 'Foreign Policy'

U.S. aircraft carrier’s arrival off Korean peninsula also sends a message to China

November 29th, 2010 · China, Defense, Korean

By John Pomfret Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 25, 2010; 12:49 AM

In dispatching the aircraft carrier USS George Washington to the Korean Peninsula on Wednesday, the Obama administration said it was putting on a show of U.S. support for South Korea.

South Korea was attacked Tuesday by a deadly North Korean artillery barrage, days after the North revealed what could be a new nuclear weapons program, and President Obama said he wanted to stand “shoulder to shoulder” with an American ally.

But the carrier – with 6,000 sailors and aviators and 75 warplanes – has another audience: China. Exasperated with a lack of help from Beijing on the Korean Peninsula, the Obama administration is trying to pressure China to constrain North Korea.

Pointedly, the Obama administration is sending the George Washington, four companion ships and at least one high-tech attack submarine into the Yellow Sea, off China’s coast – the same sea where the administration decided not to hold exercises in July because of boisterous Chinese protests.

“Call it a message,” said a senior U.S. military officer, “but we believe in the freedom of navigation.”

“It’s really important that Beijing lead here as well,” Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told CNN’s “Fareed Zakaria GPS” on Wednesday. “The country that can influence North Korea the most is clearly China.”

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Progress in Afghan war called ‘uneven’: Congress and Administration paint a false picture.

November 24th, 2010 · Accountability, Afghanistan, Deception, Defense, Democrats, Foreign Policy, Non-Transparency, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Terrorism from Within

By Karen DeYoung Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 24, 2010

A new Defense Department report on Afghanistan described progress in the war as “uneven” and painted a more sobering picture than public comments made recently by President Obama and U.S. military officials.

The report, mandated by Congress for delivery every six months, spoke of “modest gains in security, governance and development in operational priority areas.” But the advances cited appeared to be outweighed by what the report’s authors called “numerous challenges.”

The period covered by the assessment ended Sept. 30, and a defense official authorized to brief reporters on the condition of anonymity said there had been “a lot of encouraging signs over the past six to seven weeks.”

The report came as the Pentagon and other government departments and agencies have provided the White House with internal war assessments that will form the basis of a strategic review to be completed by mid-December. An interagency group is now collating the various “inputs” for consideration next week by the National Security Council’s deputies committee, a senior defense official said.

That committee will report overall findings to national security principals and Obama, who will determine whether to make any changes in the strategy he outlined a year ago. The strategy included deployment of an additional 30,000 troops, for a total U.S. force of about 100,000, and a tripling, to more than 1,000, of U.S. civilian officials.

“We’re looking at the path and pace of progress,” the senior official said. “How is the strategy being implemented? Where are we achieving the desired effects, and where we are not, why not? What adjustments can be made?”

As far as the Pentagon is concerned, the official said, “we are seeing the shift of momentum that we aimed for” against Taliban forces. “It’s not complete, and there are still challenges.” But “the concept is being proven in key areas.” Other officials have said they do not anticipate significant changes in the strategy.

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U.S. to stage exercises with South Korea; few good options for dealing with North

November 24th, 2010 · Defense, Foreign Policy, Korean, National Security

By John Pomfret Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 24, 2010; 10:24 AM

The United States is dispatching an aircraft carrier strike group to the waters off the Korean Peninsula for joint military exercises that President Obama said would reinforce the U.S. alliance with South Korea in the wake of a North Korean artillery attack Tuesday.

The U.S. military headquarters in Seoul announced Wednesday that the USS George Washington carrier group would join South Korean naval forces west of the peninsula from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 to conduct exercises that have been planned since July.

“This exercise is defensive in nature,” the military said in a statement. “While planned well before yesterday’s unprovoked artillery attack, it demonstrates the strength of the [South Korea]-U.S. Alliance and our commitment to regional stability through deterrence. It is also designed to improve our military interoperability.”

The announcement came after Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak agreed in a phone call Tuesday night to hold joint military and training exercises in the coming days “to underscore the strength of our Alliance and commitment to peace and security in the region,” the White House said in a statement.

North Korea’s artillery barrage against a South Korean island, coupled with its choreographed rollout of a new nuclear program, has presented the United States with a massive strategic challenge in one of the most dangerous corners of the world.

In addition to the Japan-based George Washington and its embarked carrier wing, the participating strike group includes the guided missile cruisers USS Cowpens and USS Shiloh and the destroyers USS Stethem and USS Fitzgerald, the military said.

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Obama heralds Indonesia’s political, religious diversity in latest outreach to Muslims

November 10th, 2010 · Deception, Ethics, Foreign Policy, Non-Transparency, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Terrorism from Within, Terrorist Threat, Treason

By Scott Wilson Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 10, 2010; 12:02 AM

JAKARTA, INDONESIA – Speaking before thousands in the city that helped raise him, President Obama on Wednesday cited this country’s transition from dictatorship to democracy as a model in an Islamic world often governed by unelected autocracies.

He also praised Indonesia – the world’s most populous Muslim-majority nation – for a “spirit of tolerance that is written into your constitution, symbolized in your mosques and churches and temples, and embodied in your people,” a quality worthy for all the world to emulate.

Obama received a warm welcome from the crowd of about 6,500 at the University of Indonesia, particularly when he spoke in Indonesian, as when he recalled buying satay and bakso from street vendors or referenced the national motto, “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika,” or “Unity in Diversity.”

“We are two nations which have traveled different paths. Yet our nations show that hundreds of millions who hold different beliefs can be united in freedom under one flag,” Obama said.

The speech was cast by White House officials as part of the president’s continuing outreach to Muslims, an effort he began last year in Cairo by calling for a “new beginning” between the United States and Islam.

But Muslim views of Obama around the world have worsened in several countries since then, and in the United States, a recent Pew Research Center poll found that nearly one in five Americans thinks the president is a Muslim, in part because of the time he spent here as a child. Obama describes himself as a practicing Christian.

The president’s efforts to mend relations with the Islamic world were partly overshadowed by the reopening Tuesday of a rupture between the United States and Israel, a development that reflected his administration’s struggle to strike a balance that satisfies either side in the Middle East conflict.

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Despite successful U.S. attacks on Taliban leaders in Afghanistan’s northwest, insurgency remains in control

October 25th, 2010 · Deception, Defense, Democrats, Federal Spending, Foreign Policy, Government Control, Homeland Security, National Security, Non-Transparency, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Tax Dollars, Terrorism from Within, Terrorist Threat, Treason, War on Terrorism

By Joshua Partlow Washington Post Foreign Service
Sunday, October 24, 2010; 1:34 AM

MAQUR, AFGHANISTAN – October has been a calamitous month for the Taliban guerrillas waging war from sandy mountains and pistachio forests in this corner of northwestern Afghanistan.

The first to die was their leader, Mullah Ismail, hunted down and killled by U.S. Special Operations troops. Next came the heir apparent, Mullah Jamaluddin, even before he could take over as Taliban “shadow” governor. Within a week, several other top commanders were dead, a new governor had been captured and the most powerful among the remaining insurgents had lit out for the Turkmenistan border – all casualties of the secretive, midnight work of American commandos.

And yet what has happened here in Badghis province also shows how large a gap remains between killing commanders and dismantling an insurgency. Nearly half of the province remains under insurgent control, an Afghan intelligence official estimated. A new Taliban governor has already been dispatched to the province, Afghan officials say, even though NATO portrayed Mullah Ismail’s killing as a “huge blow” that would “significantly reduce Taliban influence throughout the region.”

“Fighting in Afghanistan is like hitting coals with a stick, it just spreads to other places,” said Delbar Jan Arman, who as provincial governor is trying to stave off the Taliban advances. “It will continue.”

The barrage launched against the Taliban by Special Operations forces here in recent weeks is part of a broader American effort that is clearly succeeding. As other U.S. goals in Afghanistan have faltered – reforming the government, winning hearts and minds – Gen. David H. Petraeus and his new troops have so far succeeded at killing their enemies. American officials have held up the example of the onslaught against the Taliban leadership as a clear sign of progress, a development sure to factor into President Obama’s December review of the Afghan campaign.

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U.S.-led Afghan reconstruction projects to end because of security dispute

October 22nd, 2010 · Defense, Foreign Policy

By Rajiv Chandrasekaran Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, October 22, 2010; 12:43 AM

KABUL – U.S.-funded development firms are beginning to shut down massive reconstruction projects because the Afghan government has refused to rescind a ban on their use of private security guards, according to U.S. officials and aid workers here.

The decision to start shuttering the projects, collectively worth hundreds of millions of dollars, could have far-reaching effects on the U.S.-led military campaign against the Taliban, disrupting a central component of the strategy to counter the insurgency at a critical moment in the war. Programs to assist Afghan farmers and improve local government, which are vital to the overall U.S. effort to stabilize the volatile southern and eastern parts of the country, are among those that will be affected, the officials said.

The consequences of the ban on development firms employing private guards “will be catastrophic,” said one U.S. official involved in the issue. “If these projects grind to a halt, we might as well go home. They are essential to the counterinsurgency strategy.”

Another U.S. official said the ban would affect about $1.5 billion in ongoing reconstruction work. More than 20,000 Afghans will lose jobs in road-building and energy projects alone, the official said.

The prohibition, which was enacted by President Hamid Karzai, has emerged as the latest flashpoint in the oft-strained U.S.-Afghan relationship, raising new questions about his willingness to cooperate with the international community and potentially complicating crucial year-end assessments of the war effort by the White House and NATO.

The ban, which goes into effect Dec. 17, affects all development firms and non-governmental organizations, including those funded by other countries and the United Nations. It also applies to private contractors who guard supply convoys for the military bearing food, fuel and other essential supplies, as well as to international banks and other private entities whose services support reconstruction work.

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Pentagon plans $60 billion weapons sale to Saudi Arabia

October 21st, 2010 · Defense, Foreign Policy, Homeland Security, National Security, Technology, War on Terrorism

By Dana Hedgpeth Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, October 21, 2010; 12:58 AM

The Defense Department has notified Congress that it wants to sell $60 billion worth of advanced aircraft and weapons to Saudi Arabia. The proposed sale, which includes helicopters, fighter jets, radar equipment and satellite-guided bombs, would be the largest arms deal to another country in U.S. history if the sale goes through and all purchases are made.

Congress has 30 days to review the sale before the Pentagon and the weapons makers go into more detailed contract discussions with Saudi Arabia. Congress is expected to review the deal when it is back in session after the elections.

The arms package includes 84 new F-15 fighter jets and upgrades to 70 more F-15s that the Saudis already have, as well as three types of helicopters: 70 Apaches, 72 Black Hawks and 36 Little Birds. Saudi Arabia would also get versions of a satellite-guided “smart bomb” system, plus anti-ship and anti-radar missiles.

The deal could be completed over five to 10 years, depending on production schedules and training needed.

Defense industry analysts said the weapons sale is key to U.S. efforts to boost support among Arab allies and counter any threats from Iran. The deal is also seen as a boon for U.S. defense companies as the Pentagon tightens its budget in ways that could curb contracting opportunities.

Boeing makes the F-15, the Apaches, the Little Birds and some of the other equipment. Raytheon makes some of the anti-radar missiles.

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U.S. says Chinese businesses and banks are bypassing U.N. sanctions against Iran

October 18th, 2010 · Defense, Foreign Policy, National Security

By John Pomfret  Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 18, 2010; 1:58 AM

The Obama administration has concluded that Chinese firms are helping Iran to improve its missile technology and develop nuclear weapons, and has asked China to stop such activity, a senior U.S. official said.

During a visit to Beijing last month, a delegation led by Robert J. Einhorn, the State Department’s special adviser for nonproliferation and arms control, handed a “significant list” of companies and banks to their Chinese counterparts, according to the senior U.S. official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive issue in U.S.-Chinese relations. The official said the Obama administration thinks that the companies are violating U.N. sanctions, but that China did not authorize their activities.

The Obama administration faces a balancing act in pressing Beijing to stop the deals and limit Chinese investments in Iran’s energy industry. U.S. officials say they need to preserve their ability to work with China on issues ranging from the value of its currency to the stability of North Korea. But the administration also wants to make progress in efforts to dissuade Iran from building a nuclear weapon and to convince other powerful states that China is not receiving lenient treatment because of its energy needs.

“My government will investigate the issues raised by the U.S. side,” said Wang Baodong, a spokesman for the Chinese Embassy.

Einhorn’s trip is part of a worldwide effort by the Obama administration to persuade countries to push Iran to enter into negotiations over its nuclear program, which the Islamic Republic says is peaceful. The Obama administration has cobbled together a growing network of countries and companies that have announced measures to cut investments in Iran.

China’s involvement in Iran’s energy sector and the role that some of its companies are believed to be playing in Tehran’s military modernization could disrupt U.S.-Chinese relations. In a recent meetings on Capitol Hill, China’s outgoing deputy chief of mission, Xie Feng, was told that “if he ever wanted to see Congress united, Democrats and Republicans, it would be on the issue of China’s interaction with Iran,” one participant said, speaking on condition of anonymity to disclose a private discussion.

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Senate report: Mismanaged U.S. contractor money aids enemy in Afghanistan

October 8th, 2010 · Accountability, Corruption, Deception, Democrats, Economy, Federal Spending, Foreign Policy, Homeland Security, National Security, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Tax Dollars, Taxes, Terrorism from Within, Terrorist Threat, Treason, Unemployment, War on Terrorism

Reference: SASC Report on Private Security Contractors in Afghanistan 10/07/2010

By Karen DeYoung Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, October 8, 2010; 12:34 AM

The U.S. military has only minimal knowledge of – and exercises virtually no control over – the thousands of Afghans it indirectly pays to guard its installations, including “warlords and strongmen linked to murder, kidnapping, bribery” and to the Taliban, Senate investigators said in a blistering report released Thursday.

The bipartisan report, compiled after a year-long investigation, notes that the military has recently launched its own investigations of the situation and has taken some steps to address it. In one of the most significant steps, Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top U.S. and NATO commander in Afghanistan, has issued new contractor guidelines.

Still, the Senate investigation documents a failure to properly vet, train and supervise Afghan security subcontractors, hired by U.S. and other international firms under multimillion-dollar military contracts.

That failure has cost American lives, undermined the U.S. mission and the Afghan government, and “helped play into the hands of the enemy,” said Sen. Carl M. Levin (D-Mich.), chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

Some of the Afghan security subcontractors, Levin told reporters Thursday, are “creating the very threat they are hired to combat.”

Committee staff reviewed more than 125 Defense Department security contracts dated between 2007 and 2009 and provided a detailed account of two in which subcontractors had direct and well-known ties to the Taliban. The report recounts an instance in which the military raided a Taliban meeting being held at the house of a subcontractor. It also notes instances in which security subcontractors were believed by U.S. military intelligence to be Iranian agents.

According to the U.S. Central Command, the report said, there were more than 112,000 Defense Department contractor personnel in Afghanistan as of April 30. As of May, more than 26,000 armed private security personnel – nearly all of them Afghans – worked for the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies.

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U.S. proposal targets reform of Iraqi civil service while Economy still gloomy at home.

October 5th, 2010 · Deception, Democrats, Economy, Ethics, Federal Spending, Foreign Policy, Non-Transparency, Obama's Scheme, Selling Out the US, Tax Dollars, Terrorism from Within, Treason

By Walter Pincus Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 4, 2010; 8:25 PM

The United States has developed an ambitious plan to help Iraq reorganize its civil service of 3 million employees, including promoting a decentralized system that establishes provincial authorities to run governmental activities at the local level.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) outlines the proposal in its request for bidders on a four-year, $180 million contract to work with Iraq’s prime minister and parliament in setting up civil servant laws and regulations, and also creating local institutions to deliver services to the population.

Meant to assist civil servants in more than 26 Iraqi ministries and 10 ministries of state, the “Iraq National and Provincial Administrative Reform Project” is described by USAID as the “rightsizing of Iraq’s federal structure.” The agency adds that it “is a monumental undertaking.”

“In the past, lack of GOI [government of Iraq] political commitment to carry through on reforms has jeopardized efforts to achieve targeted reforms,” USAID notes.

Potential contractors are advised that they need to be aware of changes in Baghdad’s leadership and must build “a broad and active Iraqi constituency” that would help hold the government accountable for reforms.

The current system has several obstacles, USAID has said. They include “obsolete and confusing” law and a large “number of employees requiring skill development.”

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