North Korean Talks Not Dead
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has rejected claims that talks with North Korea about dismantling its nuclear program are in trouble, saying that they are “by no means dead”: NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said on Wednesday that North Korea's actions to reactivate its nuclear plant did not mean an end to six-party nuclear talks ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on September 24, 2008 11:42
Negotiate With Iran!
Five former U. S. Secretaries of State have recommended negotiations with Iran to resolve the various issues between that country and ours, particularly Iran's nuclear development program: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Five former U.S. secretaries of state said on Monday the next American administration should talk to Iran, a foe President George W. Bush has generally shunned as part of an "axis ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on September 16, 2008 13:49
John McCain: Shadow President?
John McCain is taking advantage of Barack Obama's "foreign vacation" in Hawaii and using the crisis in Georgia to showcase his foreign policy prowess. He's dispatched his minions, Joe Lieberman and Lindsey Graham, to Georgia. TPM's Greg Sargent figures, The idea is to showcase himself as a man of action during a time of international crisis and to remind people that the ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on August 14, 2008 08:47
Georgian Forces Retreat, Wonder Where Friends Are
Georgian forces have been routed and have retreated from their South Ossetia province after being outmatched by the Russians. Now, many Georgians are wondering where their Western allies are. Tony Halpin for The Times of London: As a Russian jet bombed fields around his village, Djimali Avago, a Georgian farmer, asked me: “Why won’t America and Nato help us? If they won’t ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on August 11, 2008 08:50
Israel Readying Iranian Strike?
Israel is taking steps to prepare for a military strike against Iran, Steve Gutkin reports for the AP. Israel is building up its strike capabilities amid growing anxiety over Iran's nuclear ambitions and appears confident that a military attack would cripple Tehran's atomic program, even if it can't destroy it. Such talk could be more threat than reality. However, Iran's refusal to ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on August 6, 2008 20:15
U.S. Stationing Diplomats in Iran
The United States has not had a formal diplomatic presence in Iran since our embassy there was stormed and its staff taken hostage on November 4, 1979. That may soon change, Ewen MacAskin reports for The Guardian. The Guardian has learned that an announcement will be made in the next month to establish a US interests section - a halfway house ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on July 17, 2008 12:22
McCain Killing Iranians with Cigarettes, Risks Killing Presidential Chances with Bad Jokes
John McCain's secret plan for Iran: kill them with cigarettes. Presidential candidate John McCain, who once sang in jest about bombing Iran, on Tuesday reacted to a report of rising U.S. cigarette exports to the country by saying it may be "a way of killing 'em." McCain, known for acerbic comments and for sometimes firing verbally from the hip, was ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on July 9, 2008 09:50
OTB Radio - Tonight at 7 Eastern
The next episode of OTB Radio, our BlogTalkRadio program, will record and air live tonight from 7-8 Eastern. Dave Schuler and will be joining me tonight to talk about diplomacy in Iran, the dumbing of the presidency, the power of Google, and various other topics. Dumbing the Presidency Google Shuts Down Anti-Obama Blogs Iranian Nukes Breakthrough? North Korea Nukes Breakthrough: A Roadmap ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on July 2, 2008 16:30
John Bolton Slams Korea Nuke Deal
John Bolton, President Bush's former UN ambassador, is not at all pleased with last week's deal with North Korea on the nuclear stalemate. With much fanfare and choreography, but little substance, the administration has accepted a North Korean "declaration" about its nuclear program that is narrowly limited, incomplete and almost certainly dishonest in material respects. In exchange, President Bush personally declared ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on June 30, 2008 08:59
North Korea Nukes Breakthrough: A Roadmap for Iran?
The news over the past 48 hours or so about movement in solving the nuclear arms standoff with North Korean has been stunning. Not only is President Bush taking the DPRK off the "state sponsors of terrorism" list but the Kim government has taken major steps to dismantle their program and provide with stringent verification regimes. The administration fully ...Posted in Outside The Beltway | OTB on June 26, 2008 14:40
