U.S. Politics
Losing a Voice for International Justice in the Senate
Senator Chris Dodd announced today that he will not be running for re-election as U.S. Senator from Connecticut. Dodd was first elected to the Senate in 1980, and in during his 30 year career on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee he emerged as one of the more thoughtful voices of constructive U.S.
What About Additional Screening for Entrants from Visa Waiver Countries?
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration is mandating that airline passengers from a few countries will be selected for special screening. From the Washington Post:
Members of U.S. Congress Invoke their Faith to Oppose Ugandan anti-Gay law
Five Republican members of Congress penned a letter to Ugandan President Yoweri Mouseveni urging him to do everything within his constitutional authority to stop legislation that would criminalize homosexuality, sometimes under the penalty of death, from being enacted in Uganda. The signatories, Representatives Chris Smith, Frank Wolf, Joe Pitts, Trent Franks and Anh “Joseph” Cao are conservative, members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and self-proclaimed “men of faith.”
Nomination hearing for USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah today, UPDATES
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is holding its nomination hearing on USAID Administrator-designate Rajiv Shah today. You can watch it live, online, on the newly redesigned website of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (welcome out of the 1990s, guys!) In all seriousness, this is the first opportunity for an in-depth query of someone who is a relatively unknown entity.
U.S. Senate rejects false choice between supporting veterans and UN Funding
Yesterday afternoon the Senate defeated an amendment to the Veterans Affairs funding bill that would have taken money U.S. contributions to UN peacekeeping and other UN programs to offset costs for extended benefits to U.S. Veterans. The amendment, which was sponsored by Oklahoma Republican Tom Coburn, was defeated by a 66-32 vote. Nine Republicans voted to defeat the amendment, and one Democrat (Evan Bayh of Indiana), voted in favor.
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The SC; HRC; DPRK; South Sudan
The SC: The Security Council today held its last consultations under the Council Presidency of ROK. Tomorrow, Russia will take over the rotating Presidency of the Security Council for March under Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
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The SG; Mali; Middle East; Palestine
The SG: At the Fifth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, Austria today, the SG emphasized the role of youth in ensuring a “prosperous, equitable and peaceful future.”
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The SG; DRC; HRC; Palestinian Prisoner
The SG: In Ethiopia over the weekend, the SG is now in the United Arab Emirates. Today he met with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, where the two discussed developments in the region, including Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, and in the Middle East Peace Process.
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