Friday, January 31

Diplomacy

The GER covers diplomacy, international organizations, and meetings. Looking beyond our individual political systems we find people and organizations working to make life better for people in both conflict-ridden places as well as secure, developed countries. It is not enough to focus on the end results of international relations. It’s worth focusing on the day-to-day work of diplomacy. Often, that’s where breakthroughs occur.

Russia Signs Arms, Energy Deals with African Countries
Arms Sales, Military Industry, Diplomacy, Energy Policy, Oil & Gas, Geopolitics, Global Trade

Russia Signs Arms, Energy Deals with African Countries

October 24, 2019—In the first-ever Russia-African Summit being held this week in Sochi, Russia, Russia signed a series of memorandum of understandings and trade agreements with 54 African countries, the Moscow Times reported. The deals include $4 billion worth of Russian weapons, military helicopters, an investment cooperation deal on an oil pipeline, and potentially a nuclear power station in Ethiopia, according to the article. Debt Write-Off Russian President Vladimir Putin offered to write off $20 billion worth of African debt. Furthermore, he said he plans to double Russia's trade with the African continent within four to five years. Rosatom, a state-nuclear company is in talks with the government of Ethiopia to build a nuclear power station. The Russian enterprise already has...
Turkey-Russia Agree on Plan in Syria
Diplomacy, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

Turkey-Russia Agree on Plan in Syria

October 22, 2019-As U.S. troops pulled out of northeastern Syria, Russia President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made an agreement to share control of north east Syria. Under the plan, Turkey would control the area it currently has under its control while Russian and Syrian troops control the rest of the border, Haartz news reported. Under the Russian-Turkish agreement, Syrian Kurd fighters would need to move 30 kilometers (18 miles) away from the border area within 150 hour period that starts on Wednesday. Erdogan said 800 Syrian Kurdish fighters withdrew since Turkey and the United States agreed to a five-day pause in the operation and that 1,300 more are still expected to withdraw. "Syria should be free from the illegal military foreign presence," Pu...
Seized North Korean Cargo Ship Sold for Scrap Metal
Sanctions, Types of News: Brief

Seized North Korean Cargo Ship Sold for Scrap Metal

October 22, 2019-A U.S. court made an order of forfeiture for a cargo vessel named "Wise Honest" that had shipped coal and machinery for North Korea in violation of U.S. and international sanctions. The U.S. Justice Department announced the decision yesterday, saying that it effectively ends the ship's "career as one of North Korea’s largest sanctions-busting vessels.” A Ship's Story In April, foreign maritime authorities intercepted and seized the ship. In May, DOJ Attorneys John Demers and Geoffrey Berman filed a civil forfeiture complaint in a U.S. court against the 17,061-ton, single-hull bulk carrier ship. According to a DOJ statement, it was the first-ever seizure of a ship evading sanctions. The Korea Songi Shipping Company had used the ship to export North Korean coal ...
U.S. Issues Sanctions Against Two Turkish Ministries, Three Officials
Sanctions

U.S. Issues Sanctions Against Two Turkish Ministries, Three Officials

October 15, 2019-The U.S. Treasury Department issued economic sanctions against two Turkish ministries and three senior government officials on Monday, blocking them from international financial institutions that trade with the United States. The ministries include the National Defense and the Energy and Natural Resources Department. The officials include the ministers of those departments: Hulusi Akar, Suleyman Soylu, and Fatih Donmez. “The United States is holding the Turkish Government accountable for escalating violence by Turkish forces, endangering innocent civilians, and destabilizing the region,” said U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a release. The level of sanctions appear to be moderate. According to an Associated Press reporter David McHugh, the sanctions ...
U.S. Preps Sanctions Against Turkey in Wake of Military Incursion in Syria
Geopolitics, Middle East, Sanctions, Types of News: Brief

U.S. Preps Sanctions Against Turkey in Wake of Military Incursion in Syria

October 14, 2019-As Turkey continued its military operation into northern Syria on Monday, U.S. lawmakers prepared to impose economic sanctions against current and former Turkish government officials contributing to the "destabilizing actions." While U.S. troops moved out of Syria, U.S. leaders prepared an economic response. In a published statement released on Twitter, U.S. President Donald Trump said he is preparing an executive order to impose the sanctions against "those who may be involved in serious human rights abuses, obstructing a ceasefire, preventing displaced persons from returning home, forcibly repatriating refugees, or threatening the peace, security, or stability in Syria." Aside from sanctions against individuals, further actions could include raising tariffs on s...
EU-UK Talks Intensify Ahead of Oct. 31 Brexit
Diplomacy, Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

EU-UK Talks Intensify Ahead of Oct. 31 Brexit

October 11, 2019--With less than three weeks to go before the United Kingdom exits the European Union without a plan to trade with the rest of Europe, new hope for a deal emerged on Friday as the chief negotiator for the European Commission indicated that talks are intensifying "in a constructive spirit." "We are intensifying technical discussions with the United Kingdom over the coming days, in a constructive spirit," Michel Barnier, the European Commission's Chief Negotiator, said today on Twitter. Earlier in the week, Barnier suggested that an agreement would be "difficult, but still possible." EU Position: No Hard Border in Ireland The European Union would only support a withdrawal agreement if it "avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland, protects the all-island eco...
U.S. Adds Maduro’s Son to Sanctions Blacklist
Sanctions, Types of News: Brief

U.S. Adds Maduro’s Son to Sanctions Blacklist

June 28, 2019--The U.S. government added the son of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro Moros to its sanction's list, blocking all his property that are in the United States or in possession or control of U.S. persons. In its release, Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control said it is targeting Nicolas "Nicolasito" Ernesto Maduro because he is "a current or former official of the Government of Venezuela," and the office would continue to target regime insiders. "Maduro’s regime was built on fraudulent elections, and his inner circle lives in luxury off the proceeds of corruption while the Venezuelan people suffer," said Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin in a release. "Maduro relies on his son Nicolasito and others close to his authoritarian regime to maintain a stranglehold on...
U.S., India Must ‘Try Harder’ to Negotiate Trade Tensions, India’s Top Diplomat Says
Diplomacy, Global Trade, Sanctions, Types of News: Brief

U.S., India Must ‘Try Harder’ to Negotiate Trade Tensions, India’s Top Diplomat Says

June 26, 2019--Despite a growing economic relationship between the United States and India, high-level meetings today between the nations' top diplomats reveal strained relations due to a tougher trade environment and differing diplomatic views on U.S. sanctions against Iran and Russia. Ahead of this week's G20 meeting in Japan and amid growing tensions with Iran, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo traveled to India and the Middle East this week to garner support. In India, Pompeo met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar. While economic relations between the two countries are growing, it appears that geopolitical differences are also rising. 'Try Harder' on Trade Relations Trade between India and the United States on goo...
U.S. Treasury Cracks Down on Cuba-Related Travel
Globalization, Global Disintegration, Sanctions, Types of News: Brief

U.S. Treasury Cracks Down on Cuba-Related Travel

June 13, 2019-Just a week after the U.S. government announced tougher restrictions on traveling to Cuba, the U.S. Treasury Department announced it reached settlement agreements with internet-travel firm Expedia and Hotbeds USA for apparent violations of the U.S. Cuban Assets Control Regulations. The two actions, which relate to separate areas of the U.S. sanctions law, demonstrate the new emphasis in the United States on tightening and enforcing sanctions against Cuba. Enforcement Targets Travel Agencies Today, the U.S. Treasury 's Office of Foreign Assets Control announced settlement agreements with travel groups Expedia and Hotelbeds USA for assisting Americans for unauthorized Cuba-related travel. Headquartered in Bellevue, Washington, the Expedia Group agreed to pay $325,40...
U.S.-Mexico Promise to Combat Migration, Invest in Central America
Diplomacy, Global Trade, Migration, Immigration, Borders, Types of News: Brief

U.S.-Mexico Promise to Combat Migration, Invest in Central America

June 9, 2019-After a week of negotiations between Mexican and U.S. officials, the United States and Mexico promised to work together to curb irregular migration and promote economic growth and good governance in Central America. U.S. President Donald Trump said in a message on Twitter that new tariffs on Mexican goods would be "indefinitely suspended." Against widespread opposition in Congress and Wall Street, Trump had threatened to impose tariffs of 5 percent starting June 10 and 25 percent in October, saying that Mexico needed to do more to curb migration flows from Central America to the United States. "I think Mexico has to step up. And if they don’t, tariffs will go on," Trump said June 5 during a joint press briefing with Ireland's Prime Minister. "And if they go high, the co...

Contact Us