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Foreign Policy (blog)
The Cable: Kerry: Time to consider safe zones and arming the opposition in Syria - Foreign Policy (blog)
Kerry confirmed that there's a debate inside the administration on when to officially declare that UN special envoy Kofi Annan's plan has failed, even though two administration officials said last month that the plan "is failing.
Citizen Chen - by Isaac Stone Fish - Foreign Policy (blog)
In another, he's seemingly distraught and helpless, just like the people who tried to help him," said a cartoonist, the creator of a popular series of sketches about Chen and modern Chinese life, who asked to remain anonymous. Upon learning the news of ...
The Cable: Obama official: Direct US-Taliban talks ongoing - Foreign Policy (blog)
"We continue to remain in contact with various Taliban leaders and we have several indications of intense interest in the reconciliation process," a senior administration official said. "It's quite clear to us that there is a range of interest among ...
Obama officials: Annan plan 'failing' - Foreign Policy (blog)
Two top Obama administration officials said today that the diplomatic initiative to end the violence in Syria, led by UN Special Envoy Kofi Annan, "is failing." Under intense questioning during Thursday's Senate Armed Services Committee hearing, ...
The Cable: Derek Mitchell to be named ambassador to Burma - Foreign Policy (blog)
"We are very close to being able to name formally an ambassador," a senior administration official said in a Wednesday conference call. "We are in the process now of what is called seeking agrement with the authorities in Nay Pyi Taw.
FP Passport: Was the Mali coup leader trained in the US? - Foreign Policy (blog)
A diplomat who requested anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the press said that [Capt. Amadou Haya] Sanogo, the coup leader, was among the elite tier of soldiers selected by the US Embassy to receive military counterterrorism training ...
If the Afghanistan mission were at a fateful turning point, how would we know? - Foreign Policy (blog)
Those were my thoughts as I read the various accounts of the day's developments in Afghanistan, and especially after reading this quote from an unidentified "Western official": A Western official in Kabul, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to ...
The Cable: 5 coming battles over the 2013 international affairs budget - Foreign Policy (blog)
The remaining $700 million is "new money," an administration official said. "We came to the Middle East changes without any resources dedicated to this in the budget," the official said, explaining that State has spent about $800 million since last ...
Daniel W. Drezner: What the hell is going on between the United States and ... - Foreign Policy (blog)
A former senior Israeli security official, who would speak of the covert campaign only in general terms and on the condition of anonymity, said the uncertainty about who was responsible was useful. “It's not enough to guess,” he said. ...
Preaching the Gospel in the Hermit Kingdom - by Isaac Stone Fish - Foreign Policy (blog)
One missionary living on the border spoke off the record because he didn't want to upset the Chinese regional authorities, which he likened to "a sleeping dog." Proselytizing is illegal in China, too, and the Chinese government, at least publicly, ...
The Cable: US Ambassador to South Korea finally confirmed - Foreign Policy (blog)
Some administration officials said Kyl was requesting a series of letters that defined the administration's engagement with North Korea and made pledges to limit that engagement. One official said that Kyl's demands seemed to change over time, ...
The Cable: Palestinian membership in UNESCO is just the tip of the iceberg - Foreign Policy (blog)
But a senior administration official said that the administration has not been able to find a way around the law. "We have a suicide vest padlocked around our torso and the Palestinians have the remote control," the senior administration official said. ...
Iran negotiations have been a force multiplier - Foreign Policy (blog)
Another Israeli security official, speaking on background in an interview with the authors, said that, while Israelis initially "were skeptical about a possible positive outcome of the negotiations" in respect to the nuclear issue, "we recognize that ...
Taiwan arms sales decision announced - Foreign Policy (blog)
The administration had preemptively given its defense of the decision to reporters on Monday, via a senior administration official speaking on background basis to reporters in New York. "Assuming the decision is to upgrade F-16 A/B, they will provide ...
The Cable: Amid tensions, US and Turkey move forward on missile defense - Foreign Policy (blog)
It is a major strategic decision by Turkey," a senior administration official said in a Sept. 15 briefing for a small group of reporters at the White House. President Barack Obama and Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan are scheduled to meet ...
The AfPak Channel: Forgetting Afghanistan's women - Foreign Policy (blog)
Earlier this year, in a telling quote to journalist Rajiv Chandrasekran, a senior administration official said, "Gender issues are going to have to take a back seat to other priorities...There's no way we can be successful if we maintain every special ...
FP Passport: The Wenzhou debacle gets even weirder - Foreign Policy (blog)
It's important to note that the rumor is very much unsubstantiated; most users cite the number as coming from an anonymous source at an insurance company. Nonetheless, the University of Hong Kong's China Media Project tweets: If real # of fatalities ...
State Department altered Israel travel warning after complaint - Foreign Policy (blog)
"I'm not denying it's unusual to change a travel warning two times in two weeks," said a State Department official, speaking on background. ...
Border skirmish raises questions about arming Lebanese troops - Foreign Policy (blog)
An Israeli official, speaking on background, told The Cable that several persuasive pieces of evidence have led Israel to conclude that the attack was ...
US heavily involved in organizing UN flotilla probe - Foreign Policy (blog)
A US official speaking on background said that Rice was heavily involved in the formation of the panel and met or spoke with several senior Israeli ...
State Department: Russia was not cheating on START - Foreign Policy (blog)
A State Department official, speaking on background, noted the irony of GOP senators worrying about compliance and verification while stalling on ...
Is Holbrooke really a 'wounded animal'? - Foreign Policy (blog)
Diplomatic sources said that Holbrooke, who took his activity largely out of the public eye following an open dispute with Afghan President Hamid Karzai ...