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Foreign Policy Tag

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on May 24, 2018 42 Comments
Thursday morning, President Trump canceled the upcoming Singapore summit with North Korea, "based on tremendous anger and open hostility displayed" in their most recent statements. North Korea recently insulted Vice President Pence calling him "ignorant and stupid" and a "political dummy."

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on April 24, 2018 25 Comments
Ahead of Chancellor Angela Merkel's one-day visit to Washington scheduled for Friday, German media have complained about the lack of ceremonial pomp accorded to the visiting leader. German media outlets were incensed by the fact that French President Emmanuel Macron, who is also touring the US this week, was receiving an preferential treatment from the White House. Germany, given its economic strength, considers itself a bigger player in Europe than France.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on March 08, 2018 72 Comments
Rattled by President Trump's proposal to raise tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, the European Union is threatening the U.S. with a full-blown trade war. "We will now impose tariffs on motorcycles, Harley Davidson, on blue jeans, Levis, on bourbon," Jean-Claude Junker, President of the European Commission, warned earlier this week. "Should Trump follow his words with actions, Europe will reply proportionately," German Economy Minister Brigitte Zypries said in response to the proposed move.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on February 24, 2018 21 Comments
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's first official visit to India is grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons. "Why India is being really rude to Justin Trudeau," lamented Washington Post in an opinion piece. "There seems to be no end to the Indian snubbing of the Canadians, even as the Trudeaus are trying their best to disarm the Indians with a charm offensive," the newspaper continued. Indian Prime Minister Modi remained conspicuously absent during his Canadian counterpart's eight-day visit to India.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on February 23, 2018 3 Comments
Of all the topics I cover for Legal Insurrection, stories related to India-Israel relations are closest to my heart. It was, therefore, a pleasant surprise when I was invited to address a large pro-Israel rally in the Indian city of Calcutta. The invitation for the last week's event was extended by Hindu Samhati, a prominent Hindu organisation active in eastern India.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on January 26, 2018 6 Comments
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is rolling out the red carpet for the leaders of Southeast Asian countries on the eve of India's Republic Day. What is being described by the Indian media as a diplomatic 'coup' in India's ongoing territorial row with China, ten heads of states from Southeast Asian countries will finalize the details of a new maritime mechanism with New Delhi and attend tomorrow's Republic Day parade, an annual event that showcases India's military prowess.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on January 15, 2018 16 Comments
Despite the recent diplomatic rift over India's vote against Israel in the UN General Assembly, the visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi got off to a promising start with both country's singing nine bilateral agreements -- ranging from transfer of agriculture technology to strategic defense cooperation.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on December 21, 2017 41 Comments
The European Union has launched disciplinary proceedings against Poland, accusing the county of breaching the EU's "core values" over a series of judicial reforms passed by the Polish parliament. The European Commission, the EU's executive body, triggered Article 7, also dubbed as the "Nuclear Option." The process could lead to economic sanctions and suspension of the country's voting rights within the EU's decision making bodies.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on November 16, 2017 0 Comments
In what amounts to a significant policy shift, Indian public sector companies are bidding for Israeli offshore oil and gas fields. A consortium led by India's state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) is seeking drilling rights in 24 offshore blocks in Israel’s Mediterranean waters, Indian and Israeli newspapers reported on Wednesday. Last month, India's Oil Minister Dharmendra Pradhan indicated his country's intention to bid for Israeli oil-and-gas blocks. According to Israeli media reports, a high-ranking Indian delegation visited Israel in September "to discuss taking part in the tender for blocks in the Mediterranean Sea and Israeli officials said they were pleased with the visit."

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on June 27, 2017 9 Comments
Combatting Islamist terror was high on the agenda when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the White House on his first official visit since President Donald Trump took office. "We are both determined to destroy terrorist organizations and the radical ideology that drives them. We will destroy radical Islamic terrorism," President Trump said in his joint statement with the Indian Prime Minister at the Rose Garden. "We discussed the serious challenges of terrorism, extremism, and radicalisation, which are the major challenges facing the world today.  And we have agreed to enhance our cooperation in fighting against these scourges," Prime Minister Modi said.

Posted by Mike LaChance on May 10, 2017 5 Comments
Donald Trump and First Lady Melania are set to visit Israel with Ivanka and husband Jared Kushner later this month as part of a three stop tour of the Middle East. A massive effort for increased security is already underway in Israel. The Times of Israel reports:
Frenetic preparations underway for Trump’s Israel visit A delegation from the White House and Central Intelligence Agency is heading to Israel to plan US President Donald Trump’s visit to Israel amid reports it plans to turn Jerusalem’s iconic King David hotel into a virtual fortress.

Posted by Kemberlee Kaye on December 16, 2016 24 Comments
Professor Jacobson has covered the Democrat's futile attempt to mount an electoral college insurrection in the hopes of turning over the results of the recent presidential election. Monday morning, establishment media outlets along with a bevy of Democrats decided Russia was to blame for Hillary's embarrassing electoral loss. The sudden, unified chorus was an amusing sight to behold. I blogged:
The Russian hacking/tainted election story line is a particularly fascinating coping mechanism in leftist elite circles.

Posted by Mary Chastain on December 13, 2016 15 Comments
Google and Cuba finalized their deal to bring servers to the Communist island to allow high speed internet for users. The Wall Street Journal reported:
Alphabet Chairman Eric Schmidt signed an agreement in Havana on Monday with Cuba’s state telecommunications company, La Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba SA, concluding months of talks. The Google servers in Cuba will store content such as popular YouTube videos, allowing the content to be delivered more quickly to Cuban users. The move is the latest to improve internet access for the country of 11.2 million people, which has long been one of the world’s most isolated nations.

Posted by Vijeta Uniyal on November 17, 2016 2 Comments
With Israel's President Reuven Rivlin touring India on an 8-day visit, Ariel University is taking this historic opportunity to connect with Indian universities and tap into South Asian country's huge talent pool. Professor Yehuda Danon, President of Ariel University, is accompanying the presidential delegation, along with fifteen other heads of Israeli universities. Along with student and faculty exchange programmes, Ariel University hopes to set up a joint research fund aimed at promoting research projects with India counterparts. Ariel University, located in Samaria hills, is already home to many Indian research scholars, working mainly in industrial and technological fields. During my visit to Israel, earlier this year, I met few of the doctoral students from India and learned about the path-breaking work they were doing in collaboration with their Israeli teammates.

Posted by Mary Chastain on May 27, 2016 2 Comments
The Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) continues to take advantage of the migrant issue by blending their fighters and shipping them through Europe. Smuggler Abu Walid told CNN that ISIS has contacted people in his business in Libya in the past two months, offering up to $40,000 for 25 people. Libyan officials told the new outlet they have found ISIS members attempting to sneak into Europe disguised as migrants seeking a better life:
A senior Libyan military intelligence official in Misrata, Ismail Shukri, said that ISIS militants sought to disguise themselves by traveling with "their families, without weapons, as normal illegal immigrants." "They will wear American dress and have English language papers so they cause no suspicion."

Posted by Mary Chastain on May 22, 2016 3 Comments
The Afghanistan government confirmed a U.S. drone killed Taliban leader Mullah Mansoor in Pakistan. The U.S. Department of Defense said the government targeted the leader "while travelling in convoy near the town of Ahmad Wal." From The Guardian:
The US secretary of state, John Kerry, speaking in Myanmar on Sunday, said Mansoor “posed a continuing imminent threat to US personnel in Afghanistan, Afghan civilians, Afghan security forces” and members of the US and Nato coalition. He said the air strike on Mansoor sent “a clear message to the world that we will continue to stand with our Afghan partners”. “Peace is what we want. Mansoor was a threat to that effort,” Kerry said. “He also was directly opposed to peace negotiations and to the reconciliation process. It is time for Afghans to stop fighting and to start building a real future together.”

Posted by Mary Chastain on May 11, 2016 26 Comments
The White House said people should not view President Barack Obama's visit to Hiroshima, Japan, as an apology after they announced he will become the first sitting president to visit the city since the U.S. dropped an atomic bomb on it in 1945. White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters that if anyone does "interpret it that way, they'll be interpreting it wrongly." Wrongly? So Obama won't say the word "apologize," but is it effectively an apology?
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