Obama’s First 100 Days

By Suzia van Swol, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service
Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) joined military leaders, interrogators, prosecutors, military experts and activists today to discuss how President Obama has tackled national security and international human rights issues during his first 100 days in office. Hagel, who endorsed Obama and traveled with him to the Middle East the presidential campaign, spoke at a conference hosted by Human Rights First in Washington, D.C.

Hagel said Obama’s efforts in Afghanistan, including plans to send as many as 17,000 additional troops, is “the smart thing, the right thing to do.”

Hagel said Obama is building a platform of relationships by reaching out to foreign countries to forge cooperation and common purpose in order to deal with “the great issues of our time.”

“We are in a world today that is essentially a global community,” said Hagel, adding that America must set a standard with regards to foreign relations.

The worst thing that any government can do for its people is to “try to cover things up,” said Hagel and he emphasized a need for accountability, transparency and clarity.

Hagel discussed some of his own foreign policy opinions including North Korea. Hagel said the question to ask is: “How do you most affectively influence the behavior of a government?” Hagel outlined bombing and sanctions as possible options but said that in North Korea’s case, six party talks “is the right process.” Six-party talks with the U.S., China, South Korea, North Korea, Japan, and Russia are meant to find a peaceful solution to North Korea’s nuclear weapons program. The talks originally resulted from North Korea’s decision decision to withdraw from the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty to limit the spread of nuclear weapons.

Hagel warned that we have a very “unpredictable, unstable situation in North Korea that could affect a lot of things.” He went on to state that he believes “Bush was correct in initiating those six party talks.”

Pakistan Potentially Poses Great Threat

By Suzia van Swol-University of New Mexico, Talk Radio News Service
Since Pakistan harbors international terrorists and controls a nuclear arsenal, the country poses the greatest threat to the Middle East, according to two Democrat U.S. Senators recently returned from the region.

During the April Congressional break, Sen. Jack Reed (RI) traveled with Sen. Ted Kaufman (DE) to Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan. The pair were in the Middle East from April 13th through April 20th to meet with leaders and officials.

In every country visited, the pair found "deficiencies in the local police,” Reed said, which inhibits Middle Eastern governments as well as the U.S. governments’ ability to truly assist the individuals and the countries.

Reed said that General David Petraeus, Commander U.S. Central Command, who was appointed by George W. Bush, faces very difficult decisions in terms of allocating resources.

“We are going to look very hard at the budget and the policy defense department to ensure that we have enough of these assets which are the critical enablers between both countries,” said Reed.

Senator Kaufman said that we (U.S.A) are at a pivot point in the region with the withdrawal in Iraq, increased U.S. military forces in Afghanistan and growing instability in Pakistan. “This is not just a military problem,” said Kaufman, suggesting that local police and political figures in the Middle East need to play a role alongside military efforts.

McConnell: U.S. is on the right track in Middle East

By Suzia van Swol, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service
Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) calls President Obama’s plan “hardly distinguishable from the strategy of the previous administration” and says Afghanistan is “clearly an area where we need to keep the pressure on to prevent another attack on the homeland.”

McConnell traveled with Senators Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.), James Risch (R-Idaho) and John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) to the Middle East during the U.S. Congress recess, visiting with foreign officials regarding political, economic and military/security issues affecting bilateral relations.

Following the trip, McConnell said in a news conference today that the U.S. is “on the right track,” in both Iraq and Afghanistan.
“Over in Afghanistan, I think the surge that the President has ordered is the right thing to do,” said McConnell pertaining to President Obama’s decision to send additional troops to boost Afghan efforts.

“We’re going to be in Afghanistan for a long time to come,” said Sen. Chambliss, and it’s going to have to be a political, not military solution. Chambliss went on to say that leadership is needed from a State Department standpoint in Iraq.

McConnell noted that Israel and moderate Arab states have widespread concern over Iran’s nuclear weapon capabilities.

The Future Of Iran And The U.S. Lies In The Hands Of The New Administration

by Christina Lovato, University of New Mexico-Talk Radio News Service

Today on Capitol Hill experts gathered to talk about the future relationship between Iran and the United States and expressed their recommendations to the Obama administration.

This morning, the Middle East Policy Council, an organization that provides political analysis of issues involving the greater Middle East, held a discussion on the prospects of engagement between Iran and the United States.

Kenneth Katzman, a Middle East specialist at the Congressional Research Service and author of "Warriors of Islam: Iran's Revolutionary Guard" said that Iran envisions a Middle East free of what Iran believes is domination by the United States and Israel.

“Iran’s goal, it’s honored policy goal, the assessment of many, is to fundamentally restructure the Middle East by reducing U.S. influence in the region and weakening Israel to the furthest extent possible,” said Katzman.

Thomas Pickering, the former Undersecretary of State and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and the Russian Federation said that the future of our relationship with Iran will not depend on a totally accurate reading of Iranian internal politics because that remains something of a crapshoot.

“Watch as much as what is done, as what is said,” said Pickering.

Pickering said that the objective for the U.S. and Iran ought to be to seek a normal relationship over a period of time.

“A relationship that involves not just embassies and ambassadors but an ability for people on all sides to meet, talk with, know and work with each other.... We have a lot at stake and Iran has a lot at stake,” said Pickering.

Trita Parsi, the President of the National Iranian American Council and author of "Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran and the United States" said that in order for the U.S. to improve relations with Iran there needs to be a change in atmosphere and said that the speeches and comments made by President Obama are creating just that and injecting trust.

But Parsi said that giving a deadline of diplomacy to Iran will only militarize the atmosphere, and that will not be successful.

“The more the atmosphere gets militarized, the more difficult it will be for the Obama administration to be able to pursue its path of diplomacy,” said Parsi.

Iraqi Refugees need U.S. help, advocates say

By Michael Ruhl, University of New Mexico – Talk Radio News Service

America must invest more time, money, and human resources to help those displaced by the ongoing Iraq War, according to human rights advocates from the Washington, D.C.-based Refugees International.

The presence of 2.6 million displaced Iraqis persons is overwhelming to neighboring Middle East countries and is “undermining” to the social fabric of Iraq, said Ken Bacon, President of Refugees International, at a speech made today at the National Press Club.

President Barack Obama talked about displacement with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki during his surprise visit to Iraq on Tuesday.

Bacon is happy at what is being seen as a distinct change from the “little attention” that the Bush Administration paid to Iraqi displacement.

It is estimated that since the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003, 2.6 million Iraqi’s have lost their homes and have fled other parts of the country. An additional 2 million have fled to neighboring countries, including Syria, Jordan and Egypt.

Bacon said that greater American and international support in receiving refugees and providing financial-aid can help stop the crisis.

Displacement of that many people “affects the whole region”, said Bacon, which results in educated citizens and specialized workers fleeing the country.

There are only 18,000 practicing doctors in Iraq, down from 32,000 doctors in 2002. There are more Iraqi doctors in Jordan than in Iraq’s capitol city of Baghdad, Bacon said.

Last year Democratic Senators Robert Casey (PA) and Benjamin Cardin (MD) introduced a bill to increase aid to Iraqi refugees and allow more of them to enter the United States. Since the FY2010 Budget has been approved by Congress, any appropriated funds to help Iraqi citizens would have to come through additional legislation, Bacon said.

A spokesman for Senator Cardin said it has not been decided yet if similar legislation would be introduced in this Congress.

Refugee International’s Field Report on the Iraqi refugee situation said that the Iraqi government is trying to keep more of its citizens from fleeing their homeland. It is feared by the Iraqi government that the existence of so many refugees tarnishes the image of overall security within the country.

The report also said Iraq violated international refugee laws in 2007 by asking Syria not to accept any more Iraqi refugees.

Many refugees have fears of returning home, the report says, because many of those that returned already have been killed.

Kristele Younes, an advocate with Refugees International, says that security is a major issue in Iraqi neighborhoods, with each little borough acting as its own walled off “fiefdom”.

Younes said that the United Nations is trying to place a tourniquet on the flow of persons out of the country by the end of the year, but significant challenges remain in Iraq, including budgetary shortcomings due to low oil prices, corruption within the government and sectarianism.

The Refugees International’s report on Iraq can be found here.