Tag: Foreign Policy
Stevenson’s army, March 31
– WSJ says many Europeans don’t want a security guarantee for Ukraine.
– WaPo says Gulf countries unhappy with US.
– US pressured to open consulates in Western Sahara and Jerusalem.
On Ukraine, US continues info ops by claiming Putin angry at military and intelligence.
– UK intelligence chief adds more details of Russian problems.
– Many Russian dead are ethnic minorities.
– WaPo details Russian logistical problems.
-Reuters details repression in Russia.
FY 2022international affairs budget has small increase. Much more proposed for FY 2023
Yesterday I sent Kori Schake’s critique of the new defense budget. Today, read Fred Kaplan’s complaint about excessive spending on nukes. CNAS has its reports on defense. DOD released mere 2 pages summarizing new National Defense Strategy. WaPo shows how Facebook uses K Street to fight TikTok.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, March 29
As you know all presidential budgets are wishlists sent to Congress, cloaked in bright political messages. WaPo summarizes those messages and mentions some of the political goals. The real details are at OMB and the various departments.
I’m surprised at how much the administration wants to increase defense and pleased by the additions for international affairs. I’m awaiting analyses of how it proposes to deal with issues like Army vs Air Force and the unknown Ukraine costs.
I’m sure there are budget gimmicks, but haven’t seen any good analyses of them.
Other interesting news: WSJ reports the generational divide among Russian speakers in Latvia.
– NYT recount the history of restraint in attacking enemy sanctuaries.
In preparation for our week 12 discussions of the media, it’s useful to see Columbia Journalism Review’s comment on coverage of Ukraine, including Politico’s Jack Shafer’s column saying journalists love war.
And to correct fake history, proof that W.R. Hearst never told Frederic Remington in Cuba in 1898 to furnish the pictures and he would furnish the war.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, March 2
Just in time for our week 6 discussion of foreign economic policy, USTR released her first annual report and future year plans. WSJ analyzes. China impact.
Politico reports USTR fights with other US officials.
China offers to mediate Ukraine fighting.
Turkey blocks Russian navy entering Black Sea.
Western arms to Ukraine hindered by need for Russian models.
NYT notes Russian casualties undermine Putin narrative.
WOTR has 2 great reports — on Russian logistics and on recent Marine Corps University war game.
Opinions — from Eliot Cohen and from our brownbag guest next week, AEI’s Kori Schake.
RollCall reports on party unity in Congress last year.
Politico says SecState Blinken is Biden favorite:
Biden begins each day with the presidential daily briefing. On most days in recent weeks, the intelligence briefer has been joined by some of Biden’s top national security advisers: Secretary of State Antony Blinken, national security adviser Jake Sullivan, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley and more. Carrying over reading habits from his three-plus decades in the Senate, Biden dives into the briefing books and peppers his aides with questions, according to two senior White House aides. But the routine has gotten more time-consuming and frantic in recent weeks as the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine turned into a reality. Unlike his last foreign policy crisis — the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan — Biden has been forced to spend his time responding to the actions of a foreign nation rather than shaping U.S. policy there. In recent days, Biden has attended morning meetings in the Situation Room as well as evening sessions in the Oval Office; he worked in the Treaty Room last Wednesday when aides believed a Russian invasion was imminent. Blinken, above all others, has emerged as the president’s top confidant, used as a sounding board and consigliare on how to shape U.S. policy and rally global pressure against Russia in light of its invasion. Biden has also leaned on those with vast Russian experience, including Bill Burns, the CIA director who once served as the nation’s ambassador to Moscow, and Victoria Nuland, the under secretary of State who was a top liaison to Ukraine under President Barack Obama.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, January 23
– UK says its intelligence sees Kremlin plot to install pro-Russian leader in Ukraine. NYT reports; here’s WaPo report. Baltic states have been shipping arms.
-WaPo reports NATO help.
– But Germany blocks transfer of German equipment.
–Biden is meeting with advisers at Camp David.
– Conservative Ross Douthat urges”retreat from Ukraine”
-LAT sees few options for US in Yemen.
-CARE reminds us of under-reported humanitarian crises.
– FP has several experts grading Biden’s foreign policy.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, January 19
I think the media are misunderstanding the Democratic efforts to get around the filibuster of voting rights bills. Leader Schumer reportedly plans to force a “talking filibuster” to exhaust opponents and thus allow a majority vote to pass the measures. News reports say that will fail because Senators Manchin and Sinema oppose modifying the rule currently requiring 60 votes to end debate. I think there are interim steps that could be sucessful and may be the Schumer plan. [I could be wrong; Schumer is not as skilled at parliamentary procedures as some of his predecessors and he lacks any margin for defections in the 50/50 Senate]
Schumer may try and fail to change the rules by saying voting rights measures aren’t subject to the filibuster. But he then can let debate continue and strictly enforce the two-speech rule until no opponents have the right for additional speeches. This hasn’t been done in recent decades because it takes too many days, even weeks, when nothing else could be considered. And the rules still allow for numerous obstructive actions — motions to adjourn, to prove a quorum, etc. What Schumer may need Manchin and Sinema for is an interpretation of what constitutes two speeches, and they might support restrictive interpretations since that doesn’t change the underlying rule.
[Background: Rule XIX allows only two speeches on any measure on a legislative day, which can last for weeks until there is a formal adjournment, not recess. See pp. 781-785 of Riddick’s Senate Procedure, and also 282ff on cloture. Those pages show a lot of confusion over what constitutes a speech, but that could be settled by a ruling of the chair and a sustained point of order. If dilatory measures are not allowed, then maybe the opponents would give up after prolonged debate. There’s a lot more on congressional practice in a 1993 report by a joint committee seeking reforms.]
– In other news, WSJ says US may sanction Russian agents in Ukraine.
-Jake Sullivan gives FP an extended defense of Biden foreign policy.
-Some commentators see important messages in President Xi’s speech to the virtual Davos conference.
-As President Biden finishes his first year in office he has scheduled a rare 4pm news conference and many writers are weighing in with their assessments. We’ll do our own in class in week 3.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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Stevenson’s army, January 8
[FYI, I’ll be away for a few days]
-SecState Blinken says US has two new security arrangements with Japan. There was more in his Friday news conference.
-WH denies report of troop cuts in Europe.
– Bloomberg reports on bureaucratic fights over cyber.
– Vox reports on former Trump officials.
– Atlantic Council has several reports on 2022 foreign policy issues.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I republish here. To get Stevenson’s army by email, send a blank email (no subject or text in the body) to stevensons-army+subscribe@googlegroups.com. You’ll get an email confirming your join request. Click “Join This Group” and follow the instructions to join. Once you have joined, you can adjust your email delivery preferences (if you want every email or a digest of the emails).
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