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☆ Biden looks to counter China’s influence as he rolls out red carpet for Kenya
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-23 | by ( Kevin Liptak | Kayla Tausche | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Among the goals of his three-day state visit in October: securing another $1 billion in loans from China to help complete infrastructure projects. On Wednesday, when he arrived at Joint Base Andrews to begin another state visit – this time to Washington – he again found a red carpet and troops. Senior administration officials acknowledge a central factor in scheduling a state visit with Kenya was the desire to counter China’s influence and financial leverage on the African continent, which has outpaced the United States in direct investment. One of the goals of Thursday’s state visit is to demonstrate the ability of democracies – like Kenya’s – to deliver for their people. “I plan on going in February,” Biden told reporters.

Persons: Washington CNN —, William Ruto, Joint Base Andrews, Washington –, Jill Biden, Joe Biden, –, Kenya –, ”, “, Biden, Ruto, ” Ruto, he’s, João Manuel Gonçalves Lourenço, Jake Sullivan, ” Biden, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump –, ” Sullivan, Ariel Henry Organizations: Washington CNN, Kenyan, Joint Base, East, Kenya, NATO, Africa –, White, Initiative, Loans, Washington, World Bank, Group, European Union, Democratic, White House, Angolan, Advisers, CNN, Haitian Locations: Beijing, China, Africa, Kenya, United States, China’s, Nairobi, Mombasa, Boston, US, Angola, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Washington, East, Ukraine, ”, Russia, –, combatting al, Shabab, Somalia, Yemen, Haiti

☆ Opinion: Why I’m resigning from the State Department
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Opinion Annelle Sheline | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Unable to serve an administration that enables such atrocities, I have decided to resign from my position at the Department of State. Whatever credibility the United States had as an advocate for human rights has almost entirely vanished since the war began. By resigning publicly, I am saddened by the knowledge that I likely foreclose a future at the State Department. Yet just recently, the State Department ascertained that Israel is in compliance with international law in the conduct of the war and in providing humanitarian assistance. After four years of then-President Donald Trump’s efforts to cripple the department, State employees embraced Biden’s pledge to rebuild American diplomacy.

Persons: Sheline, Israel, Annelle, —, Biden, Joe Biden, Yitzhak Brick, ”, Donald Trump’s, Aaron Bushnell, Jim Crow Organizations: Eastern Affairs, Department of State’s Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, Labor, CNN, Gaza Ministry, Health, UN, West Bank, International Court of Justice, Department of State, United, Protect Journalists, State Department, State, Department, US, Feds United, Peace, Ukraine, Twitter, Facebook, Air Force, Embassy Locations: Israel, Gaza, Rafah, United States, Lebanon, harm’s, Washington

☆ Biden calls Israel’s response in Gaza over the top
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

And he painted a stark portrait of the suffering in Gaza, insisting more must be done to stem the humanitarian crisis there. “I’m of the view, as you know, that the conduct of the response in Gaza – in the Gaza Strip – has been over the top,” Biden told reporters at the White House, describing his own efforts to open up Gaza so more humanitarian aid could flow in. For much of the months since October 7, Biden has embraced Israel and staunchly defended its right to go after Hamas. Privately, however, frustration inside the White House has been building at Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for shrugging off calls by American officials to transition to a lower intensity phase of the war. Biden has come under intense pressure from members of his own party to speak more forcefully on the situation in Gaza, and to demand a ceasefire.

Persons: Biden, Biden’s, “, ” Biden, Privately, Benjamin Netanyahu, shrugging, Gazans, “ I’ve, it’s, reticence, ”, Netanyahu Organizations: Washington CNN —, Democratic, White, Israeli, Michigan, Israel, Hamas, American, Qatari Locations: Gaza, Israel, Palestinian

☆ The quiet American: US reveals pavilion design for World Expo 2025
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Christy Choi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —At next year’s World Expo, a grand carnival showcasing different nations’ achievements, the US is planning something unusually quiet. Courtesy Trahan ArchitectsWorld Expos, or World’s Fairs as some are known, have celebrated some of the major inventions of their time, including stereoscopic photography, vulcanized rubber, the zipper, the internal combustion engine and IMAX. Courtesy Trahan ArchitectsTrahan’s design features an elongated outdoor space sandwiched between two triangular buildings. Courtesy Trahan ArchitectsBut as well as representing American interests overseas, the pavilion design also draws on the nature, culture and history of the Expo’s host country. Expo 2025, which marks the second time Osaka has hosted the event, is expected to welcome almost 30 million visitors.

Persons: ”, Trey Trahan, Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, George Westinghouse, Rahm Emanuel, Biden, Donald Trump, Trahan, “ wabi Organizations: CNN, Fairs, Trahan Architects, Architects World Expos, Chicago World’s, Expos, US State Department, ES Global, Imagination, Trahan Locations: Osaka, Japan, Tokyo, Chicago, Seattle, Philadelphia, Paris, —, Los Angeles, New York, New Orleans, United States

☆ The horror of Henry Kissinger’s legacy in Southeast Asia goes on
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Simone Mccarthy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Hong Kong CNN —Fifty years after Henry Kissinger drove American foreign policy in Southeast Asia, the region continues to live with the fallout from the bombing and military campaigns backed by the former secretary of state, who died last week. That’s more than the Allies dropped during World War II, according to an account by Yale University historian Ben Kiernan. Experts say the devastation – which is especially acute for people in rural areas – will go on for years to come. That’s Kissinger’s legacy,” said Bill Morse, president of the nonprofit Landmine Relief Fund, which supports organizations including Cambodia Self-Help Demining. They play catch with it and it blows up 10 year old children … (unexploded ordnance) are where the injuries are coming from now,” he said.

Persons: Henry Kissinger, Kissinger, Richard Nixon, ”, Youk Chhang, Chhang, Nixon, Vietnam –, CNN It’s, Gerald Ford, Suharto’s, “ Kissinger, Chong Ja Ian, Ben Kiernan, …, That’s, Bill Morse, Morse, Le Duc Tho, “, Barack Obama Organizations: Hong Kong CNN —, Center of Cambodia, CNN, National University of Singapore, ”, Yale University, Paris Peace Accords, MPI, Getty, NPR Locations: Hong Kong, Southeast Asia, Cambodia, Vietnam, Khmer Rouge, Phnom Penh, Khmer, Laos, East Timor, United States, Missouri, destabilized, Paris, United Kingdom

☆ Biden praised Kissinger in life, offers measured reaction on his death
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Heather Timmons | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

U.S. President Joe Biden speaks In the Indian Treaty Room of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building at the White House complex in Washington, U.S., November 27, 2023. Fifteen years later, Biden's White House took a more distant approach, waiting about 24 hours to issue a statement after Kissinger died at age 100 on Wednesday. Biden said he first met Kissinger when he was a young Democratic senator from Delaware and he was secretary of state. Biden said after Kissinger retired from government "he continued to offer his views and ideas to the most important policy discussion across multiple generations." “It’s a huge loss,” National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Thursday, noting Kissinger’s military service during World War Two and years of public service afterward.

Persons: Joe Biden, Eisenhower, Evelyn Hockstein, Henry Kissinger, Biden, Kissinger, Biden's, " Biden, Jill, Nancy, Elizabeth, David, “, John Kirby, Kirby, Heather Timmons, Steve Holland, Caitlin Webber, Stephen Coates Organizations: REUTERS, Rights, Democratic, Paris Peace, White, Biden, ” National Security, Thomson Locations: Washington , U.S, Iraq, Delaware, China, U.S, Israel, Paris, North Vietnam, America

☆ Blinken says progress made on Middle East trip despite few tangible results
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Jennifer Hansler | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Ankara, Turkey CNN —Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday asserted he made progress on the goals he set for a whirlwind Middle East trip as he departed with few tangible results to show for a flurry of meetings with leaders about the Israel-Hamas war. Meanwhile, the civilian death toll in the war-torn Gaza Strip is mounting, and concerns about regional conflagration loom large. There have been no further releases of any hostages held by Hamas since Israel escalated its offensive in Gaza. But we also believe that a pause could help advance that proposition as well,” Blinken said Monday. Throughout the trip, Blinken repeatedly spoke of the need to discuss the “day of” but also the “day after” for the region and Gaza.

Persons: Antony Blinken, Jordan, we’ve, ” Blinken, “, Majed Al, Ansari, –, we’re, Blinken, Benjamin Netanyahu, Joe Biden, Netanyahu “, “ We’ve, Saudi Arabia –, ”, Mahmoud Abbas, Ayman Safadi Organizations: Turkey CNN —, West Bank, Tokyo, CNN, Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, State Department, United Arab, Palestine Liberation Organization, Palestinian Authority, Palestinian, West Bank . Locations: Ankara, Turkey, Israel, Gaza, Iraq, Qatari, Qatar, Washington, Amman, Jordan, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Jordanian

Five months later, Albanese will be welcomed to the White House with the highest trappings of American diplomacy, including a black-tie state dinner underneath a tent erected on the South Lawn. Already, the White House had struggled to secure billions of dollars in new funding for Ukraine. When Albanese arrives at the White House Tuesday evening, the US House of Representatives will have been without a permanent House speaker – and legislatively paralyzed – for 21 days. Senior Biden administration officials believe that only weeks remain before a lack of additional funding for Ukraine starts to become a serious battlefield concern. The first lady developed the menu with guests chef Katie Button, a James Beard Award nominee who owns a popular tapas restaurant Cúrate in Asheville, North Carolina; White House executive chef Cris Comerford; and White House executive pastry chef Susie Morrison.

Persons: Joe Biden’s, Anthony Albanese, Albanese, Biden, Cedric Richmond, “, Volodymyr Zelensky, Jake Sullivan, ” Sullivan, –, ’ Biden, ” Biden, it’s, Ukraine –, Michèle Flournoy, Xi Jinping, Wang Yi, Wang, Antony Blinken, Sullivan, Blinken, Xi, Blinken’s, ”, Karine Jean, Pierre, Australia –, They’ll, John Kirby, ” Kirby, Kirby, ” Dr, we’ve, Bryan Rafanelli, Katie Button, James Beard, Cris Comerford, Susie Morrison Organizations: CNN, Australian, ., White, Hamas, Ukraine, Biden, CBS, Defense, APEC, Washington, Publicly, ”, Australia, Wednesday, ’, National Security, Army and Air Force, White House Locations: Pacific, Washington, Gaza, Israel, Asia, Vietnam, China, Ukraine, Tel Aviv, Australia, United States, America, White, San Francisco, Beijing, Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, there’s, United Kingdom, India, Japan, Asheville , North Carolina

☆ Those desperate to break the deadlock in Ukraine are hoping China will turn on Russia. They shouldn't hold their breath.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Kelsey Vlamis | Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

One expert said it was "naïve American diplomacy" to think something fundamental between China and Russia had changed. But the idea that China would turn on Russia anytime soon may be little more than wishful thinking. "It is clever Chinese diplomacy to keep meeting and talking, and it is naïve American diplomacy to think that this means something fundamental has changed," English said. He added threats from the West are also unlikely to turn China against Russia, as Xi knows that Europe is more dependent on trade with China than the other way around. "The West needs to stop looking at Chinese behavior through Western eyes, and start understanding it from a Chinese perspective."

Persons: Xi, Putin, Robert English, Xi Jinping, Vladimir Putin, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Antony Blinken, Simon Miles, Miles, Wang Wenbin Organizations: Saudi, Service, Privacy, China, NATO, University of Southern, Duke University's Sanford School of Public, Soviet Union, Foreign, Associated Press Locations: China, Russia, Wall, Silicon, Ukraine, University of Southern California, Soviet Union, Eastern Europe, Moscow, West, Saudi Arabia, American, Europe, Soviet, Saudi

CNN —Welcoming Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the White House this week for a state visit – the most elevated form of American diplomacy – will require President Joe Biden to make certain trade-offs. Yet Modi and India, the world’s largest democracy, also represent a lynchpin in Biden’s strategy in Asia. That, according to officials, was the rationale behind inviting Modi for a state visit, only the third of Biden’s presidency so far. The two leaders will hold a joint news conference – something virtually every state visit over the past two decades has featured – but that was only agreed upon after lengthy, delicate negotiations between the two sides. “We’re just grateful that Prime Minister Modi is going to be participating in a press event at the end of the visit.

Persons: Narendra Modi, Joe Biden, Modi, He’s, India’s, Biden, “ We’re, John Kirby, Jake Sullivan, New Delhi’s, ” Sullivan, “, Barack Obama, Xi Jinping, Donald Trump, Howdy Modi, Emmanuel Macron, Rahul Gandhi, Modi’s, he’s, Pramila, Sen, Chris Van Hollen, Jayapal, ” Modi, Rashida, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio, Sullivan, ”, It’s, Russia can’t, Xi, ” Biden Organizations: CNN, Indian, White, Office, National Security, Indian Embassy, White House, Trump, Bharatiya Janata Party, BJP, Rep, Democrat, Maryland Democrat, Reps, State Department Locations: India, Asia, China, Beijing, Ukraine, New, United States, America, Houston, Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Washington, Maryland, Alexandria, Cortez, Russia

☆ Opinion | Fareed Zakaria on Where Russia’s War in Ukraine Stands — and Much More
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-02 | by ( The Ezra Klein Show | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +96 min

Obviously, the line is not perfect, but I think that’s a very sensible line. And I don’t think that’s all about absorption capability. But I don’t think it’s fair to say that the Russians have done everything they can. fareed zakaria[LAUGHS] And by the way, I think that’s some key to understanding the alliance is a personal one. I think India, Israel, and Poland — usually, in the 70 percent-plus say they like — have a favorable view of America.

Persons: ezra klein, it’s, Fareed Zakaria, Zakaria, “ Fareed Zakaria, fareed zakaria, Ezra, Putin, They’ve, there’s, fareed zakaria It’s, they’re, It’s, Fidel Castro, Sean Penn, haven’t, you’re, won’t, Biden, They’re, Washington, Winston Churchill, Merkel, wouldn’t, —, Nancy Gibbs, Khomeini, Macron, Ron DeSantis, YouGov, fareed zakaria I’m, that’s, DeSantis, Lindsey Grahams, Mitch McConnell, Xi Jinping, ezra klein Yes, Xi, Gorbachev, Zelensky, Trump, Obama, Bush, United States —, McCarthy’s, I’ve, they’d, doesn’t, didn’t, ezra klein They’re, fareed zakaria They’re, we’ve, Simpson, I’m, Janet Yellen, Colin Powell, unquote, That’s, Jonathan Haidt, We’ve, he’s, fareed zakaria That’s, they’ve, fareed zakaria Well, gee, TikTok, we’re, George Kennan, Mike Gallagher, klein, Nirupama Rao, Bob Kagan, can’t, — fareed zakaria, Lord Mountbatten, Gandhi, Franklin Roosevelt, Ho Chi Minh, fareed zakaria Right, narratively —, Modi, you’ve, China’s —, fareed zakaria Modi, India’s, Advani, Vajpayee, you’d, There’s, India, Joe Biden, fareed zakaria I’ve, Benedict Anderson’s “, Orville Schell, John Delury, Sunil Khilnani, ezra klein Fareed Zakaria Organizations: CNN, The Washington Post, Putin, Starbucks, Russia, Revolutionary Guard, NATO, Ukrainian, Communist, European Union, U.S, Republican Party’s, Republican Party, Republicans, ASEAN, Trump, Defense, United, U.S ., Democrats, Chinese Communist Party, State, Facebook, Google, Soviet Union, Huawei, Twitter, South China Seas, Foreign Affairs, Yale Law, International Criminal, South China, . Security, Trade Organization, Pax Americana, Americana, New York Fed, America, Republican, Fox, Beijing Locations: ezra klein Russia, Ukraine, Russia, America, Europe, China, India, Russian, United States, Relatedly, Japan, Turkey, Holland, South Korea, Singapore, Iran, Venezuela, Central America, Southeast Asia, Washington, Britain, ‘, U.S, United Europe, Germany, Soviet Union, Vietnam, Beijing, Trump, Asia, Iraq, Hainan, Montana, Republic, Soviet, weirdly, South, Taiwan, Pakistan, New Delhi, South Africa, Kuwait, Russia’s, Eden, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Kashmir, it’s, Cuba, Pax, American, Mumbai, Shanghai, Israel, Poland, Indian, Nigeria

[1/2] Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva meets with Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro (not pictured) before a summit with presidents of South America to discuss the re-launching of the regional cooperation bloc UNASUR, in Brasilia, Brazil, May 29, 2023. "We won't decide anything at tomorrow's meeting, it is just about discussing possibilities," Lula told a news conference on Monday with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, on his first visit to Brazil in eight years. Lula said the leaders did not have to recreate a new Unasur but could come up with a different sort of organization. Maduro is hoping the South American countries will unite in calling on the United States to lift its sanctions against Venezuela, which he and Lula assailed at their news conference. "The aim of this initiative is to unite all the countries of the region once again," she told reporters on Friday.

☆ Takeaways from Biden's trip to Ireland
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-14 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

Biden’s trip came as he nears a decision on running again for president. “I own property in Ireland, I’m not going to Ireland,” former President Donald Trump said during Biden’s trip. Patrick Semansky/APDiplomatic legacy: ‘Keep the peace’White House officials made little attempt at ascribing major policy objectives to Biden’s trip. Kevin Lamarque/ReutersBiden makes Ireland visit a family affairMore than anything, Biden’s trip this week had the feeling of a family spring break. Throughout the sometimes-rainy trip, Biden kept his head dry with a baseball cap from the Beau Biden Foundation.

"This is not a good moment for American diplomacy," said William Kirby, a professor of Chinese studies at Harvard University. A source familiar with that conversation called it the most antagonistic U.S.-China engagement since contentious talks in Alaska early in the Biden administration. Name me one," Biden said in his speech, evidently referring to a host of domestic and foreign policy challenges facing China. However, Biden is likely to find Xi emboldened in any call after a Chinese-brokered rapprochement between Saudi Arabia and Iran and his meetings with Putin. Reporting by David Brunnstrom and Michael Martina Editing by Don Durfee and Alistair BellOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ State Department launches 'China House' amid rivalry with Beijing
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

WASHINGTON, Dec 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. State Department on Friday launched its long-planned "China House" unit, an internal reorganization to help expand and sharpen its policymaking toward its top geopolitical rival. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in May announced the creation of China House, calling it a department-wide, integrated team that would coordinate and implement U.S. policy across issues and regions. China House will bring together China experts from throughout the department to coordinate with "every regional bureau and experts in international security, economics, technology, multilateral diplomacy, and strategic communications," the statement quoted Blinken as saying. It will replace the department's China Desk, but will continue to be overseen by Rick Waters, the deputy assistant secretary of state for China, Taiwan and Mongolia in the Bureau of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, according to an official. President Joe Biden's administration has laid out a strategy to compete with China focused on investing in U.S. competitiveness and aligning with allies and partners.

☆ Байден выдвинул на пост главы ЦРУ бывшего посла в России
▼ + stars: | 2021-01-11 | by ( Mld Media Srl | Степанов Георгий | ) noi.md time to read: +1 min

Избранный президент США демократ Джозеф Байден выдвинул на пост главы Центрального разведывательного управления (ЦРУ) дипломата и бывшего посла в России Уильяма Бернса. Как пишет tass.ru, Бернс был послом США в РФ с 2005 по 2008 годы. В 2011–2014 годах он занимал пост первого заместителя госсекретаря США, а в последние годы является президентом Фонда Карнеги. Он указывал на важность сохранения договора о стратегических наступательных вооружениях (СНВ-3) в качестве "защитного ограждения" в отношениях двух стран. Кроме того, Бернс указывал на растущее влияние РФ на Ближнем Востоке.

Persons: Джозеф Байден, Уильям Бернс, Бернс Organizations: American Diplomacy, Washington Post, Центральное разведывательное управление (ЦРУ), Фонд Карнеги, НАТО, ЦРУ Locations: США, Россия, РФ, Москва, Вашингтон, Ближний Восток, Евросоюз, Великобритания

With the term “personal taxes,” however, Mr. Garten appears to be conflating income taxes with other federal taxes Mr. Trump has paid — Social Security, Medicare and taxes for his household employees. Fragments of Mr. Trump’s tax returns have leaked out before. Mr. Agalarov’s father, Aras, a billionaire who boasts of close ties to Mr. Putin, was Mr. Trump’s partner in the event. Mr. Trump’s avoidance of income taxes is one of the most striking discoveries in his tax returns, especially given the vast wash of income itemized elsewhere in those filings. When they got to line 56, the one for income taxes due, the amount was the same each year: $750.

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