Tag Archives: North Korea

A Libyan Refugee Crisis / Libya Ousted From Human Rights Council / Green Dentists

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A refugee crisis is boiling over at Libya’s border. The United Nations votes Libya out of the the U.N. Human Rights Council. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urges Congress to approve the administration’s budget for the State Department. The U.S. and China must cooperate on a nuclear-free Korean peninsula. Some U.S. dentists are going green. And, finally, International Women’s Day is March 8.

Refugee Crisis at Libya Borders
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The situation in Libya has become not just a political crisis, but a potential humanitarian crisis as well, the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees says. Foreign workers and frightened Libyans are pouring to the borders to escape the turmoil, and international aid agencies are gearing up resources to cope with needs for food, shelter and clothing.

UNGA Suspends Libya
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All 192 member nations of the United Nations General Assembly have voted to suspend Libya from the U.N. Human Rights Council due to its government’s violent attacks on protesters opposed to Muammar Qadhafi’s rule. U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Susan Rice describes the vote as “unprecedented” and “a harsh rebuke – but one that Libya’s leaders have brought down upon themselves.”

Pass Obama Budget, Clinton Says
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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton urges Congress to approve President Obama’s budget request for the State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development, and warned that cutting funding could harm key investments in countries across the Middle East. “The entire region is changing, and a strong and strategic American response is essential,” Clinton says in testimony to the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.

North Korea’s Nuclear Activities
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Senior State Department officials say China and the United States share the goal of eliminating nuclear weapons programs from the Korean Peninsula and that both countries will need to work together to resolve North Korea’s status as a nuclear weapons state. North Korean nuclear activity “is an issue which is at the very center of the U.S.-China relationship,” says Special Representative for North Korea Policy Stephen Bosworth.

When Your Dentist Turns Green
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A movement is building to “green” America’s 125,000-plus dental offices. Since Ina and Fred Pockrass founded the Eco-Dentistry Association in 2008, dental offices in 45 states and 13 other countries have pledged to reduce their impact on the environment.

Shirley Chisolm “Broad Shouldered” Women
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This year marks the 100th anniversary of the first , which recognizes women’s past struggles and accomplishments and focuses on what needs to be done to provide greater opportunities for women today. At right, Shirley Chisholm, who in 1968 became the first African-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress.

The U.S.-Polish Alliance / Elections in Côte d’Ivoire / Soccer in Cyprus

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President Obama and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski reaffirmed their commitment to the U.S.-Polish alliance. Alassane Ouattara has legitimately been elected president of Côte d’Ivoire and needs to be respected, says Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice. The U.S. urges calm after controversial elections in Haiti. China has a critical role to play in reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula. The U.S. is working with other nations to confront piracy off the coast of Somalia. Learn about the Iran Primer and the International Writing Program. And, finally, American soccer stars visit Cyprus.

The U.S.-Polish Alliance
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President Obama and Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski meet in the Oval Office and reaffirm their commitment to expanding defense cooperation, supporting greater economic links and promoting democracy in Europe and globally. Additionally, they call for U.S. and Russian ratification of the New START arms reduction treaty, which Komorowski, left, says is “the investment in the better and safer future.”


The Vote in Côte d’Ivoire
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U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice says a communiqué from the Economic Community of West African States backs Côte d’Ivoire’s Independent Electoral Commission’s declaration that Alassane Ouattara is the country’s legitimately elected president. Ouattara “has been elected,” she says, and “he needs to be respected.”

U.S. Urges Calm After Haiti Vote
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The Obama administration calls for calm in Haiti as irregularities and complaints stemming from the country’s November 28 presidential election are reviewed. State Department spokesman Philip J. Crowley says the United States and others in the international community “stand ready to support efforts to thoroughly review irregularities so that the final electoral results are consistent with the will of the Haitian people.”

U.S., China to Meet on North Korea
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Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg is leading a high-level team of officials to Beijing for talks with senior Chinese officials about Northeast Asian security and recent hostile acts by North Korea. “China has a critical role to play” in reducing tensions on the Korean Peninsula, says Steinberg.

Confronting Somali Pirates
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The United States is working with more than 60 nations and international organizations to confront piracy off the coast of Somalia, a problem that has threatened the development, peace, security and stability of eastern Africa.

The Iran Primer
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Journalist Robin Wright asked more than 50 experts from government, universities and think tanks, from the United States and the Middle East, to help her educate Americans about modern Iran. The resulting chapters became the Iran Primer.

When Writing Meets Dance
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An international group of writers had their words interpreted by the CityDance Ensemble of Washington as part of the International Writing Program (IWP) at the University of Iowa. “We represent a united nations of writers,” says Christopher Merrill, director of the IWP, “and we are always looking for connections among readers, writers, audiences, and translators.”

American Soccer Stars in Cyprus
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Through the U.S. Department of State’s Sports Envoy program, former U.S. men’s national players Tony Sanneh and Sasha Victorine led soccer clinics for Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot youths during a coaching trip to Cyprus. “Soccer is one of the universal languages that allow us to communicate with people from all over the world,” says Sanneh. At right, Victorine high-fives young players.

In Indonesia, @America / North Korea Talks / Journalism in the USA

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There’s a new place for cultural exchange in Indonesia. North Korea’s recent provocative action has jeopardized peace and stability in Asia, the U.S., Japan and South Korea say. In Haiti, the U.S. is working to end the cholera outbreak. A new trade agreement between the U.S. and South Korea will help both countries. Russian and U.S. authorities join forces in fighting drug trafficking. Jordanians get a lesson in conflict avoidance negotiations. We’ve got a climate control update from COP-16. And, finally, a report on the Edward R. Murrow program for international journalists.

In Indonesia, @america
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In Indonesia, Under Secretary of State for Public Affairs and Public Diplomacy Judith McHale, right, recently attended the opening of the new U.S. cultural center — @america. The center aims to expand engagement between young Indonesians and young Americans through interactive games and live events. McHale described @america as “what we hope will be the first of a new generation of American cultural centers.” 
 
 

New Condemnation for N. Korea
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Recent provocative action by North Korea has jeopardized peace and stability in Asia, foreign ministers from the United States, Japan and South Korea say. Above, left to right, Japanese Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan jointly declared that Pyongyang’s “provocative and belligerent behavior … will be met with solidarity from all three countries.”

Fighting Cholera in Haiti
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U.S. officials are “working vigorously” with the Haitian government and international relief agencies in a joint effort to stop Haiti’s cholera outbreak from spreading and to treat the thousands of people already infected.

New U.S.-South Korea Trade Deal
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The proposed U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement helps the United States balance its economy with greater exports and also helps South Korea foster economic growth, President Obama says. At the White House, Obama says the deal will boost U.S. exports by $11 billion and support 70,000 jobs.

U.S., Russia Joint Drug Busts
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In the past year, some notable drug busts have grown out of bilateral cooperation through the Counternarcotics Working Group of the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission. An important component of resetting the relations between the U.S. and Russia has been in the area of drug trafficking, says Gil Kerlikowske, Director of White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Learning How to Negotiate
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William Ury, an experienced negotiation adviser and mediator, recently discussed conflict negotiation and mediation with Jordanians via digital video conference. One of the biggest challenges to negotiations, he says, is finding a way to say no that still achieves positive results.

The U.S. Climate Commitment
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Nearly a week into the COP-16 climate conference in Mexico, the U.S. delegation maintains that the United States stands by its commitments from last year’s Copenhagen Accord and remains prepared to move forward. Most important, they say, the United States is showing in real dollars and actions that it is addressing climate change at home and overseas.

International Journalists in the USA
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As part of the U.S. Department of State’s Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists, 150 journalists from 100 nations spent three weeks in the United States. During their trip, the journalists, left, visited ABC News and had discussions with members of the network’s investigative reporting unit, its main nightly news program and its late-night newsmagazine.

 

Clinton in Kazakhstan / Climate Talks in Cancun / World AIDS Day

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In Kazakhstan, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton addresses the OSCE Summit and speaks about the role of civil society activism at a town hall meeting. After returning from Asia, Clinton will host foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan in Washington. Faith can be a force for healing among nations, says U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice. At the COP-16 talks in Cancun, countries strive to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, today is World AIDS Day; read how the United States is leading the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Clinton Urges Stronger OSCE
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton called on the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to expand its role in promoting human rights, preventing regional conflicts and enhancing security across the continent. Speaking in Kazakhstan, Clinton also outlined U.S. priorities for the OSCE, the first of which is to increase the group’s role in supporting stability in Afghanistan.

The Role of Civil Society Activists
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says governments cannot build strong democracies, thriving economies or stable societies by themselves. “Governments hold so much of the future in their hands, but they are not the most powerful determinant. That is the people themselves, and particularly the organizations that bring people together in civil society,” said Clinton, speaking at a town hall meeting in Astana.

U.S. to Meet Allies on North Korea
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will host the foreign ministers of South Korea and Japan in Washington for discussions concerning recent North Korean activities and their impact upon regional security.

Faith Among Nations
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice says faith can be a force for partnership and healing among nations.

Climate Talk at COP-16
Leaders from more than 190 countries are attending the COP-16 climate meeting in Mexico to try to build on commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions made during last year’s gathering in Copenhagen. Though a legally binding treaty remains elusive, some 140 countries have signed on to the Copenhagen Accord, and more than 80 have submitted greenhouse gas reduction targets.

World AIDS Day
Increased U.S. support for antiretroviral treatments will help deliver life-saving drugs to more than 4 million people living with HIV around the world by 2013, the State Department says. “By investing in what we know works, we can save millions more in the future,” Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says in marking World AIDS Day.

Clinton to Kazakhstan / The U.N. and North Korea / The Skinny on Obesity

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Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is heading to a summit in Kazakhstan. The U.S wants tighter enforcement of U.N. sanctions on North Korea. You asked why so many Americans are obese; we have some answers. And finally, on the eve of World AIDS Day, we take a look at posters created by young people and a Kenyan doctor who is leading the fight against HIV/AIDS.

Clinton to Attend OSCE Summit
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, will attend the 2010 Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Summit December 1–2 in Kazakhstan. “We hope that this event will shine a light on positive developments in Central Asia and the role that the OSCE has played, and can play in the future, in promoting its principles throughout the OSCE region,” says Assistant Secretary of State Robert Blake.

U.S. Calls on U.N. to Enforce North Korea Sanctions
The Obama administration called on the United Nations Security Council to tighten the enforcement of U.N. sanctions against North Korea following recent reports that Pyongyang has acquired centrifuges capable of enriching uranium to make nuclear weapons. U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations Susan Rice says U.S. concerns about North Korea’s nuclear activities “have only been heightened” by “North Korea’s deadly, unprovoked attack” on November 23 against South Korea.

The Skinny on Obesity
This essay, by Marion Nestle of New York University, is excerpted from the Living Book “You Asked.” Nestle, a professor of nutrition, food studies and public health, is the author of Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health and What to Eat.

Photo Gallery: “Celebrate Life” on World AIDS Day
In honor of World AIDS Day on December 1, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief invited young people from around the world to create posters reflecting the theme “Celebrate life.” In this photo gallery, see some of their submissions. At left, a submission from India.

A Leader in the Fight Against HIV/AIDS
Dr. Frederick Sawe is deputy director of the Kenya Medical Research Institute/Walter Reed Project HIV Program, a prevention, research and treatment project run jointly by his home country of Kenya and the U.S. military’s international HIV program. Read about his success.

U.S. Seeks Unified Condemnation of N. Korea / The Global Fight Against Corruption / Flags for Pakistan

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The U.S. calls for a unified condemnation of North Korea’s attack on South Korea. The stakes are high in the global fight against corruption. The online Encyclopaedia Iranica is putting Iranian history at your fingertips. Since last year, the number of partnerships between American and Russian universities has nearly doubled. And finally, learn what a group of students did to raise awareness and money for flood victims in Pakistan.

U.S. Wants A Unified Message to N. Korea
The Obama administration says China and other countries need to join the United States in sending “a clear, direct, unified message” to North Korea’s leadership that its attack upon the South Korean island of Yeonpyeong was “unwarranted, unhelpful and should cease.” The State Department Assistant Secretary of State for Public Affairs Philip J. Crowley says the attack “was a clear premeditated action by North Korea specifically intended to inflame tensions in the region.”

A Global Effort Against Corruption
Officials attending major international gatherings have vowed to turn anti-corruption commitments into action as the stakes in the global fight against bribery, graft and embezzlement have grown greater.

Iranica: An Online Encyclopedia
Encyclopedias have been around for 2,000 years, but websites like the online Encyclopaedia Iranica are reinventing them. With Encyclopaedia Iranica, the reader can click on any of hundreds of featured entries that pop up randomly on the online version’s home page and also jump from one article to another with a click.

U.S.-Russia University Ties
Since the U.S.-Russia Bilateral Presidential Commission was formed by Presidents Obama and Medvedev in July, 2009, the number of partnerships between American and Russian universities has nearly doubled.

Flags for Flood Awareness
To increase awareness of conditions in Pakistan and encourage support for its 160 Pakistani alumni, Plymouth State University student leaders covered the New Hampshire campus lawn with 25,000 neon green flags, each representing 800 persons displaced by flooding. They call the display the “Flood of Flags” and it helped raise more than $3,000 for flood relief. At left, student leaders Bryan Funk (left) and Sam Wisel (right) were among the organizers.

U.S. Condemns N. Korean Attack / Climate Change Talks / An Award for Global Fairness

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President Obama is outraged by North Korea’s attack on South Korea. Despite their difficult year, Haitians are preparing to vote in elections this coming weekend. At the U.N. climate change conference COP-16, there is potential for progress. In Pakistan, U.S. flood relief efforts reach a new milestone. Defense Secretary Robert Gates endorses a new plan to create crisis cells. In Indonesia, there’s new research on bird flu. A professor in New York is behind the Encyclopaedia Iranica. And finally, Ela Bhatt receives the first Global Fairness Award.

U.S. Condemns “Outrageous” N. Korean Attack
North Korea’s artillery attack upon a South Korean island is an outrageous act, and the United States is working with other countries in the region to develop a “measured and unified response,” U.S. officials say. Deputy White House press secretary Bill Burton says Obama “is outraged by these actions.” At right, South Koreans read special news editions on the attack.


Haitians Encouraged to Vote
The United States is urging Haitians to exercise their right to vote in Haiti’s upcoming presidential and legislative elections, says U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Kenneth Merten. Haiti’s new leaders will face the challenge of rebuilding the nation of 10 million citizens.

COP-16’s Potential for Progress
Parties to the U.N. climate change conference that begins next week in Cancún should focus on attainable goals that could set the groundwork for a future climate treaty, says U.S. Special Envoy for Climate Change Todd Stern. “Rather than insisting on a legal treaty before anything happens, we should move down the pragmatic path of concrete operational decisions,” Stern says.

A Milestone in Pakistan Relief
U.S. flood relief efforts in Pakistan reached a new milestone on November 21, with more than 25 million pounds of relief supplies delivered in Pakistan since U.S. military relief flight operations began August 5, says U.S. Embassy Islamabad.

A Plan for Disaster Response
The United States “wholeheartedly endorses” a plan to create crisis cells that would be on standby to respond in the event of natural disasters across the Western Hemisphere, such as Haiti’s earthquake in January, Defense Secretary Robert Gates says.

Fighting Bird Flu 
The new Indonesian National Laboratory for Infectious Diseases Research in is seeking to better understand and control the avian influenza (bird flu) virus and other dangerous diseases facing Indonesia. Statistics from the World Health Organization show Indonesia has had the largest number of bird flu cases and related deaths worldwide.

The Encyclopaedia Iranica
Ehsan Yarshater, a professor emeritus at Columbia University in New York, came up with the idea for the Encyclopaedia Iranica as a student in the 1930s. In the decades since, Yarshater has made his idea for an English-language encyclopedia a hardbound and online reality as the premier compendium of scholarship on the Iranian world.

Clinton Honors Ela Bhatt
In a ceremony at the Kennedy Center for the Arts, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton conferred the first Global Fairness Award on Ela Bhatt. Bhatt, right, is the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association in India, a combination trade union and social movement which now has more than one million members.

Biden on Iraq / African Stocks / Modifying Crops

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In an op-ed, Vice President Joe Biden discusses what America must do for Iraq. North Korea issues provocative claims about its nuclear program. Visiting Arab journalists share their impressions of America. Africa is getting increased attention at the stock exchanges. And finally, advances in modified crops could help avert a global food crisis.

Biden on Iraq
In an op-ed by Vice President Joe Biden in The New York Times, he discusses “what we must do for Iraq now.” Biden, right, says, “The United States must also continue to do its part to reinforce Iraq’s progress. That is why we are not disengaging from Iraq — rather, the nature of our engagement is changing from a military to a civilian lead.”

North Korea’s Nuclear Claims
North Korea’s claims that it has centrifuges for the production of enriched uranium reinforce longstanding international concerns over its nuclear activities, U.S. officials say. White House press secretary Robert Gibbs says North Korea needs to “be serious about living up to their obligations” to the international community.

Arab Journalists Visit U.S.
150 emerging media leaders from around the world recently traveled to the United States through the State Department’s Edward R. Murrow Program for Journalists. The journalists visited grass-roots programs, educational institutions, radio and television stations and newspapers.

African Stocks Heat Up
The NYSE Euronext – the home of the New York Stock Exchange – has seen a threefold increase in the trading of African stocks on its exchanges over the past five years.

The Need for Modified Crops
Advances in genetically modified crops could help avert a food crisis of massive proportions, agriculture experts say. Between now and 2050, food production must increase 70 percent to feed a rapidly growing population. This will require a dramatic overhaul of farming practices along with a new generation of superefficient and “climate-ready” crops. At right, farmers planting rice in the Philippines.

Obama in South Korea / Sharing Power in Iraq / Trying to Explain Iran

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President Obama discusses new G20 regulations and urges North Korea to get serious about nuclear disarmament. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton applauds a new Iraq power-sharing deal. In China, clean energy policies are a priority. A new food security fund aims to reduce global poverty. Pakistani Peace Builders help with flood relief. And finally, meet Hooman Majd, an Iranian-American author whose goal is to explain the sometimes baffling Iranian landscape.

G20 Agrees on Regulations, Trade
The Group of 20 major economies agrees to implement tighter financial controls to prevent another global financial crisis and to achieve more sustainable and balanced economic growth. “For the first time, we spelled out the actions that are required … to achieve the sustained and balanced growth that we need,” says President Obama, right.



Obama to N. Korea: Get Serious
North Korea must show “a seriousness of purpose” before nuclear disarmament talks can resume, President Obama says. “We’re not interested in just going through the motions with the same result.” 

In Iraq, New Power Sharing
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton praises Iraq’s new power-sharing agreement, which was struck by rival factions after eight months of negotiations. “Iraq’s political leaders have worked together to agree on an inclusive government that represents the will of the Iraqi people,” says Clinton

Toward A Greener China
China will aggressively pursue clean energy policies for the foreseeable future, driven mostly by the desire to reduce its dependence on overseas energy supplies, according to U.S. experts.

A New Food Security Fund
Partners in the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program is a new fund set up to increase agriculture productivity and reduce poverty. Ethiopia, Niger and Mongolia will receive the fund’s second round of grants totaling $97 million. The fund is supported by the United States, Canada, South Korea, Spain, Australia and The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Pakistani Peace Builders
Pakistani Peace Builders (PPB), an independent cultural diplomacy campaign launched in May, aims to counteract American stereotypes and misperceptions of Pakistanis. Following the devastating floods that struck Pakistan in late July, PPB added a humanitarian angle to its cultural mission and cofounded Relief4Pakistan to mobilize flood relief funds.

Explaining Iran
Hooman Majd, an Iranian-American author, has spent years writing about the complicated relationship between the United States and an Iranian political, social and religious landscape that outsiders find baffling. In his latest book, The Ayatollahs’ Democracy, Majd, right, interviews Iranian figures of all stripes to explain a pivotal and dramatic moment in modern Iranian history, the highly contested 2009 election in which President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was declared the winner.

USAID's Shah in Pakistan, an American Freed, and Crime Fighters' Need for Speed

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USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah returns from Pakistan and announces a $50 million increase in U.S. aid. An American held in North Korea is freed and faster boats help in fighting crime and terrorism. Read about a new volcano threat to air travel and some new educational breakthroughs. Finally, cap-and-trade to reduce greenhouse gases is alive and well in the western United States and Canada.  

Pakistan Flood Damage “Astronomical”
With 20 million people affected by Pakistan’s floods, USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah said that an even larger international humanitarian response is needed.  After returning from Pakistan, Shah said “the scale and the scope of this natural disaster is astronomical.”  Shah announced the Obama administration is providing $50 million in new funding.  That funding brings the U.S. humanitarian assistance in response to the flooding to more than $200 million, in addition to in-kind and technical assistance such as the use of U.S. aircraft to rescue flood victims and deliver relief supplies. 

North Korea Releases Imprisoned American
Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, following two days of talks in the North Korean capital, Pyongyang, secured the pardon of an American who had been imprisoned for seven months by the North Korean regime. Carter and the 31-year-old American, Aijalon Mahli Gomes, boarded a flight August 27 for Boston, which is Gomes’ home. 

Fighting Crime, Terrorism with Faster Boats
The United States donated four police patrol boats to the Philippine maritime police through a program that helps foreign governments develop professional law enforcement capacity to protect human rights and fight corruption, transnational crime and terrorism.  The four boats will also aid in rescues at sea, said U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines Harry K. Thomas Jr. The International Criminal Investigative Training Assistance Program (ICITAP) currently offers training in 38 countries.

Remember That Volcano in Iceland?
Remember the disruption to air traffic caused by the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokul volcano in Iceland?  Volcanic eruptions on Russia’s Kamchatka Penninsula, the Kurile Islands or Alaska could similarly affect air space in Russia, Japan, Canada and the United States. In response to the need to rapidly detect volcanic threats, U.S. and Russian scientists formed the Kamchatkan Volcanic Eruption Response Team in 1993. 

Building a Classroom Across an Ocean
Online collaboration between U.S. and Egyptian architecture students and professors is building real-world skills and friendships. The first student project — a public space and hotel near the Pyramids of Giza – involved 50 third-year architecture students in Cairo.

Islamic College Launched in California
Zaytuna College held its inaugural classes August 24 and aims to become America’s first four-year, accredited, Islamic institution of higher learning. It grew out of the Zaytuna Institute, which was founded in 1996. Zaytuna focuses on renewing Islam’s intellectual tradition while placing it in the context of American society.

Western States Take Aim at Greenhouse Gases
A comprehensive strategy was released last month for the Western Climate Initiative, which aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions through carbon dioxide emissions trading and various clean energy policies. With 11 states and Canadian provinces signed up, it is poised to become the most comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions cap-and-trade market in the U.S. so far. Left, power plants such as this one in New Mexico must cap their emissions when the WCI takes effect in 2012.