Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) On Thursday, 16 April, Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Oregon) released a draft Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) bill – The Bipartisan Congressional Trade Priorities and Accountability Act of 2015 (“TPA-2015”). The bill includes objectives on currency manipulation, settlement of investor-state disputes, intellectual property protections, … Continue Reading
Iran/Israel The disagreement between the Obama Administration and Prime Minister Netanyahu deepened last week. In advance of his address before a joint session of Congress this week, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the deal emerging from the ongoing P5+1 Talks will allow Iran to become a “nuclear threshold state.” National Security Adviser Susan Rice … Continue Reading
State Department’s FY 2016 Budget Secretary of State John Kerry is scheduled to testify this week before Congress on the Department’s FY 2016 Budget request and U.S. interests abroad. The hearings will be held: On Tuesday, 24 February before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee; On Wednesday, 25 February before the House Foreign Affairs Committee; and On … Continue Reading
Russia/Ukraine Crisis Last Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry visited Kyiv and met with Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko. While seeking a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine, Secretary Kerry said the United States would not “close [its] eyes” to Russian tanks and fighters crossing Ukraine’s borders. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François … Continue Reading
Russia/Ukraine Crisis Secretary of State John Kerry travels to Kyiv, Ukraine, on 5 February to meet with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk, Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin, and members of Ukraine’s parliament. Media reports indicate the Obama Administration may be reconsidering its position on providing Ukraine with lethal assistance, which is likely to be a topic … Continue Reading
North Korea On 2 January, President Barack Obama ordered new sanctions on three (3) entities and 10 individuals connected with the North Korean government. This action is in response to a December cyberattack on Sony Pictures Entertainment. In announcing the new U.S. sanctions, White House Press Secretary Joshua Earnest said, “We take seriously North Korea’s … Continue Reading
Presidential Trip G-20 Summit. Over the weekend, President Barack Obama participated in the G-20 Leaders Summit in Brisbane, Australia. While the Summit agenda focused on the global economy, the global banking system and closing tax loopholes for multinational corporations, Western leaders also met and discussed the situation in Ukraine. On Sunday, the White House released a … Continue Reading
Last Tuesday, Republicans secured control of the U.S. Senate – 52 seats, with some races yet-to-be-determined and could result in further gains. Squire Patton Boggs produced a 2014 Mid-Term Congressional Elections Analysis, which summarizes some of the implications of a Republican-controlled 114th Congress on the Obama Administration’s international and domestic policies. This Wednesday, 12 November, … Continue Reading
Iraq/Syria Crises On the eve of the 9/11 anniversary, President Barack Obama addressed the nation and outlined his Administration’s four-part strategy (fact sheet available here) to combat the Islamic State (ISIL/ISIS). First, the President said U.S. airstrikes have shifted from protecting U.S. nationals and humanitarian missions to attacking ISIL targets “as Iraqi forces go on the … Continue Reading
Iraq/Syria Crisis Early last week, on Tuesday, President Barack Obama authorized the deployment of approximately 275 U.S. military personnel to provide support and security for U.S. personnel and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad. On Thursday, President Obama provided the nation with an update on U.S. action in response to the Islamic State of Iraq in the Levant … Continue Reading
Executive and Legislative Branch Activity Iran With the P5+1 interim agreement in effect (as of Monday, January 20), P5+1 negotiators are expected to resume talks with Iran next month. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ed Royce (R-CA) issued the following statement on last Monday’s implementation of the interim nuclear deal: “The U.S. now begins suspending … Continue Reading
Executive and Legislative Branch Activity Defense Authorization The Fiscal 2014 National Defense Authorization Act (S.1197) is expected to come to the Senate floor this week. Speculation is high the Senate debate will be truncated in order to conclude before the Thanksgiving congressional recess. Iran Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State John Kerry continued … Continue Reading
