Tag Archives: US
22 July 2013
Two US fighter jets dropped four unarmed bombs in the Australian Great Barrier Reef Marine Park during a training exercise when civilian boats entered the drop zone, according to a US Navy statement. The Marine Park is a World Heritage Site containing the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem.
US authorities stated that the Navy was reviewing the possibility of retrieving the ordnances in consultation with Australia, but stated that the bombs only posed a low risk to the marine environment. Australians and environmentalists were reported as describing the dumping of bombs in an environmentally sensitive area as an outrageous act that should not be allowed.
Source: Al Jazeera | Outrage over US bomb drop on Barrier Reef
Source: Sky News | Barrier Reef: US Navy May Retrieve Bombs
19 July 2013
The Panamanian Foreign Ministry announced that a five-member team of UN experts will inspect the Cuban weapons shipment that was seized last week in Panama on suspicion of carrying weapons to North Korea in violation of the UN arms embargo.
Although Panama has claimed to have acted on its own, American sources have reportedly confirmed that US intelligence was used, and the seizure has received strong support from the US. The US, operating the Panama Canal until 1999, has declined to comment on the details of the case, but security experts say the US likely assisted Panama in the operation.
Source: Reuters | U.S. concerned over North Korean arms ship, Panama awaits U.N.
1 July 2013
The Mexican government welcomed on Friday the passing of the immigration reform bill in the US Senate last Thursday as a breakthrough and reiterated its call for the continued need of a ‘shared vision’ on the topic.
The Mexican Foreign Secretary Jose Antonio Meade hailed the bill as containing a comprehensive vision for modifying the normative framework on immigration and a potential for improving the lives of millions of Mexicans living in the US. He added that Mexico has in the past expressed concerns over US measures that move away from the principles of shared responsibility and good neighborly relations. The immigration reform bill opens the door for the legalization and eventual granting of citizenship to undocumented immigrants in the US while also significantly strengthening border security.
Source: USA Hispanic Press | México promueve una “visión compartida” con Estados Unidos sobre migración
Source: Latin American Herald Tribune | Mexico Promotes a “Shared Vision” with U.S. on Immigration
20 June 2013
John Glaser, the editor of Antiwar.com, argues in his opinion post released on Al Jazeera that US arming the Syrian opposition risks entangling the US in a brutal and complex civil war.
Providing small arms to the opposition would not tip the scale in favor of the opposition and would instead prolong the stalemate and even push the Assad regime to be more violent, Glaser argues.
More intrusive intervention could even turn into a broader clash with Iran and Hezbollah with potentially dangerous implications for the entire Gulf Region, Glaser notes. Echoing the comments by Tufts Professor Daniel W. Drezner on Foreign Policy on 14 June, that arming the opposition is US realpolitik towards Syria, Glaser reminds his readers of the last time US interests coincided with those of the Saudis: supporting insurgents in Afghanistan in the 1980s, now a textbook example of blowback and unintended consequences.
Source: Al Jazeera | Sending arms to Syria is irrational and dangerous
Source: Foreign Policy | Why Obama is arming Syria's rebels: it's the realism, stupid.
17 June 2013
Cross posted on EJIL: Talk!
In the last few weeks, a shared responsibility trap has arisen in relation to the conflict in Syria. On 4 June 2013, the Report of the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic documented that anti-government forces have engaged in a wide range of violations of human rights and international humanitarian law. At the same time, several States are inching towards openly supplying the Syrian opposition with arms. On 27 May, the Council of Ministers of the European Union decided not to renew the arms embargo against Syria. On 14 June, the United States announced that it plans to provide weapons in response to its finding that Syria has used chemical weapons. (more…)