Tag: USA

Happy September, people! How do you feel about fall approaching? I am half sad and half happy as always at this time of the year. Summer is my absolute favorite season, I love the hot weather and oh how I will miss my summer wardrobe! 🙂 But then I am also eagerly waiting for ‘the season’ to begin and for things to re-accelerate. We could call this one a Syria special issue since the news and world affairs blog posts were all about Syria this week. I found some really good analysis among them. On world affairs: Congratulations President Obama…

theatlantic: The Authority to ‘Declare War’: A Power Obama Does Not Have The prime minister of the United Kingdom, armed with the Royal Prerogative, does not need Parliament’s assent to lead Britain into war. The president of the United States, holder of an office designed to keep “prerogative” powers in check, assuredly does. Yet history will apparently write that, in the late summer of 2013, the prime minister sought permission and, when Parliament denied it, receded from the field — and that a president scorned to ask, and went ahead with an act of war.  This paradox shows that American intervention…

breakingnews: Kerry: ‘Must be accountability’ for chemical weapons use in Syria NBC News: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said chemical weapons were used in Syria and that President Barack Obama will be “making an informed decision about how to respond.” In a speech delivered on Monday, Kerry said President Barack Obama believes “there must be accountability” and that the administration is consulting with members of Congress.  He spoke hours after a United Nations team investigating claims of a poison-gas attack in a rebel-held suburb of the Syrian capital collected blood samples and interviewed survivors despite being temporarily turned back by sniper fire. UN Secretary…

Happy Sunday and Happy Summertime Everyone! I still can’t give away too much details, but this is probably one of the most exiting time periods in my professional life so far, so exciting that I am still not quite sure where it is going to land me. At the same time I also have to make difficult decisions in my personal life trying to end an old and really damaging cycle. Meanwhile, it seems like the real summer holiday season have finally come in world affairs, so this is going to be a real brief weekly round-up now: On world…

Caustic Light on White House’s Reaction to a Terrorist Threat The Obama administration’s decision to evacuate so many diplomats on such short notice — however justified by the seriousness of the threat — has upset some of its foreign partners, who say the gesture contributes to a sense of panic and perceived weakness that plays into the hands of the United States’ enemies, and impedes their efforts to engage with people in their countries.

Happy Sunday everyone, there is another major heat wave in Hungary these days, records are expected to break again. Things don’t stop moving for the summer though, I came across quite a few great reads this week. Check them out! On world affairs: US Military: No Good Military Solution to the Syrian Conflict Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Martin Dempsey (and many others) thinks so. But is there any other solution? Our shared responsibility to protect An unlikely couple, former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and President Bush’s envoy to Sudan Richard S. Williamson shared this opinion piece…

Happy Bastille Day to everybody reading from France! Just when I announced layoff season last week, things got going again. Which I don’t mind at all since I can’t take off time for a holiday this year anyway. Let’s see what I have found worthy of reading and sharing this week. On world affairs: Laura Dean’s Cairo Diary Please keep following Laura Dean’s Cairo Diary on Lawfare. Yes, I am recommending this for the second time, but it really is that good! How We Are Failing Syrian People Yet another piece on how the international community is failing to do…

Believe it or not, China likely allowed Snowden’s exit as a favor to the U.S. “Typically, when the United States and China argue about transferring a high-profile and politically sensitive individual between their custodies, it’s a Chinese dissident whom the U.S. wants to grant asylum. Those cases are often perceived as deeply embarrassing for China, although Beijing has increasingly learned to live with them. Perhaps Chinese authorities saw this as a rare reversal: an American political dissident looking for asylum in Hong Kong, which despite its special status is a part of China. In the Chinese government worldview, granting asylum…

G8 2013 Summit – In pictures

The annual G8 summit has wrapped up earlier this week. On Monday I posted about its expected agenda, now I’d like to briefly go through what’s been decided in Lough Erne in those two days. The EU and US came to an agreement to launch negotiations about what could be “the biggest bilateral trade deal in history” both in worth and in significance. After their main economic discussion, the G8 leaders highlighted the fight against unemployment as a priority in fostering global recovery. They agreed that after bright prospects in 2012, economic and financial difficulties remain in 2013 that require…