Tag: State Department
Stevenson’s army, October 21
– On the Chinese missile: WaPo compares conflicting views; NYT notes skepticism; Jeffrey Lewis warns against an arms race.
– Dan Drezner likes Treasury’s new views on sanctions.
– Experts see North Korea diversifying its military.
– NYT reports that Trump wanted 250,000 troops to border & raids into Mexico.
– Sen. Cruz blocks nominee for State’s Mideast bureau.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to 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, October 5
– State’s legal adviser Harold Koh is resigning with a blistering letter criticizing administration immigration policy.
– USTR explains Administration’s China policy. Here’s the text.
– Crisis Group suggests changes in war powers to deal with war on terror.
– Joe Klein cites historian’s analysis of early immigrant groups to today’s political divisions. Interesting read.
-I’m beginning to wonder whether the best debt limit action would be a narrow Senate ruling that measures affecting the debt can’t be filibustered. I know McConnell can’t be shamed into changing his position. And Democrats fear a vote-a-rama if they use reconciliation [which is stupid since they’ll face multiple votes on their ultimate package]. But I could see a point of order on the narrow debt question based on the 14th amendment, paragraph 4.
The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor any state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
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Stevenson’s army, October 3
I’ve been traveling the past couple of days, but here is today’s edition:
– NYT explains Republican holds on State Dept nominations. What Sen. Cruz [R-TX] has been doing is objecting to taking up nominations by unanimous consent and thus forcing Leader Schumer to use the 3-day cloture process for every contested nomination.
-China has been sending warplanes to warn Taiwan.
-WaPo highlights the tough budget choices facing the Biden administration, whether to drop favored programs from budget reconciliation or make them temporary in order to meet future budget number targets.
– CRS has new report on international affairs budgets & appropriations.
Here are Charlie’s weekend items from yesterday, October 2:
– Politico has an updated version of “I’m Just a Bill.” Enjoy!
-Defense One notes that the administration is relying on 2001 AUMF for its continuing strikes. See DOD transcript.
-Will we sanction India over its S400 purchase?
– FP says Erdogan might be quite sick.
– Bloomberg says WH Sit Room needs updating.
– Are we really turning against each other? Sad story from Idaho.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to 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, September 22
– House takes up the NDAA today. Here’s the rule governing time and amendments.
– RollCall says congressional budgets flat but demand for services rising. Here’s the CMF study cited in article.
– FP says State plans big expansion of its “China desk.”
-As some argued in class, Time says Macron anger helps his reelection candidacy.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to 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, August 11
– Lured by the prospect of an August recess, the Senate approved the infrastructure package and, after only 14 hours of votes, and 47 amendments, approved the budget resolution intended to pave the way for a filibuster-proof reconciliation bill.
-WaPo reports an intelligence assessment says Kabul could be overrun in 6-12 months. The reporters give no hints of their sources, but I would note that Senators got a secret briefing on Afghanistan on Monday.
– Politico reports that the administration has made a major effort to fill Senior Executive Service positions across government.
– Meanwhile, Senator Cruz [R-TX] still blocks many State Dept nominations because of his opposition to the administration’s NordStream2 policy. [Here’s a CRS report from June, shortly before the Biden-Merkel deal on the project.]
– Nobody blocked former SAIS Prof Mara Karlin, who was confirmed yesterday.
– Biden’s promised “Summit of Democracies” is now set for December.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to 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, July 13
– 31 state legislatures are considering measures to prevent use of their National Guard abroad unless Congress has declared a war.
– FP reports continuing unhappiness at State.
– Guardian describes worsening conditions in Afghanistan.
-Worth remembering: Military Times describes US military resistance to racial integration.
My SAIS colleague Charlie Stevenson distributes this almost daily news digest of foreign/defense/national security policy to “Stevenson’s army” via Googlegroups. I plan to 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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