Saturday, April 26

Global Trade

Trump’s Costly—And Possibly Criminal—Targeting Against Yemen
5Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Geopolitics, Global Trade, International Law, Legal Battles, Middle East, Types of News: Analysis

Trump’s Costly—And Possibly Criminal—Targeting Against Yemen

Trump May Have Just Committed A War Crime April 5, 2025—Donald Trump, president of the United States, may have just committed a war crime. Late Friday night, he tweeted a video of a drone bomb attack against men gathering in a large circle in a desert. He wrote, “These Houthis gathered for instructions on an attack. Oops, there will be no attack by these Houthis!” It’s not clear from the satellite footage what was happening on the ground, but logic suggests that it was more likely a tribal celebration than a war-planning meeting. The Eid Festival Eid al-Fitr is the first of the two main Muslim festivals that takes place in the Spring at the conclusion of Ramadan. Celebrations differ by country. Eid lasts anywhere from two to five days, commencing with the sighting of the new...
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USTR Releases Report on Trade Barriers
1Apr By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

USTR Releases Report on Trade Barriers

April 1, 2025--On the week the Trump Administration is expected to issue tariffs that could potentially impact most U.S. trading partners, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer released a report detailing barriers to global trade. The 397-page report includes input from several government agencies and public comments from October 2024. Organized by country, it will likely serve as a compass for bilateral negotiations going forward. What's helpful is a description of 14 types of trade barriers discussed. They include: Import policies such as tariffs, import charges, quantitative restrictions, and licensing requirements, customs barriers and shortcomings in trade facilitation, and other market access barriers; Technical barriers to trade, such as restrictive standards, conformity ...
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Mexico’s Lawsuit Against Gun Makers Moves Forward
25Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Arms Sales, Military Industry, Corruption, Bribes, Illicit Finance & Money Laundering, International Law, Legal Battles, Types of News: Analysis, United States

Mexico’s Lawsuit Against Gun Makers Moves Forward

Appeals Court Decision Comes As U.S.-Mexico Meet On Root Causes Of Migration January 25, 2024—As President Biden faces pressure at home to stop the flow of irregular migration to the United States at the southern border, Mexico is drawing attention to one of the root causes: U.S.-made weapons in the hands of cartels. Mexico's Defense Department said this week drug cartels are armed with U.S.-made weapons intended for military use, such as grenade and rocket launchers and fully automatic machine guns. Mexico wants the weapons trafficking to stop. Furthermore, the government is demanding answers from the Biden administration.   "It is very urgent that an investigation into this be carried out," Foreign Relations Secretary Alicia Bárcena said on Monday. Mexico has the third...
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Senators Say ‘No’ To Biden’s Unapproved Arms Transfers To Israel
9Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Arms Sales, Military Industry, Types of News: Brief

Senators Say ‘No’ To Biden’s Unapproved Arms Transfers To Israel

January 9, 2024—A group of 12 Senate Democrats are pushing back against President Biden's request to gain authority to permit arms transfers to Israel without going through the normal process. Biden's Arms Transfers To Israel Since October 7 Since October 7, 2023, President Joe Biden has twice invoked emergency authority in shipping military weapons to Israel without first securing congressional authority. On December 9, Biden released a $106.5 million sale of high-explosive anti-tank shells, according to the Defense Security Cooperation Agency. Notably, it included consulting services by "U.S. Government and contractor engineering, technical, and logistics support services; studies and surveys; and other related elements of logistics and program support." The second unauthorized ...
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Iraqi PM Says Its Time For US Troops To Go Home
6Jan By Patti MohrNo Comments
Arms Sales, Military Industry, Geopolitics, Middle East, Types of News: Brief

Iraqi PM Says Its Time For US Troops To Go Home

January 6, 2024—As Israel and Hamas continue battling in Gaza, the conflict is having a destabilizing impact on the wider region. It is impacting Iraq and Syria, where the U.S. military has forces, as well as Lebanon, Yemen, Iran, and shipping in the Red Sea. This week Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani is making it clear to the U.S. government that he is ready for the 2,500 U.S. troops stationed there to go home. The government started "setting the date for the start of the bilateral committee to put arrangements to end the presence of the international coalition forces in Iraq permanently," the prime minister's office said on Friday, according to a Reuters news report. "We stress our firm position in ending the existence of the international coalition after the justif...
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State Department Official Resigns Over Biden’s Middle East Policy
20Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Arms Sales, Military Industry, Human rights, Middle East, Types of News: Brief, UN Security Council

State Department Official Resigns Over Biden’s Middle East Policy

Arms Transfer To Israel Contributes To 'Massive Civilian Casualties' October 20, 2023—Josh Paul isn't the only State Department official who has concerns about the U.S. policy on Israel's military assault on civilians. But he might be the first one to resign. The resignation comes as President Biden asks Congress for a $14 billion military aid package for Israel and $9.15 billion for humanitarian aid for Israel, Ukraine, and Gaza. It also comes as the United States vetoed a resolution in the UN Security Council that would have created safe corridors for humanitarians to assist civilians in Gaza. U.S. diplomatic staff are taking notice. Acknowledging the morale problem, Secretary of State Antony Blinken wrote to department staff saying the Middle East crisis "has not only been chal...
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US And Japan Affirm Security Alliance Amid Heightened Tensions In Asia
5Oct By Patti MohrNo Comments
Arms Sales, Military Industry, Geopolitics, Types of News: Brief

US And Japan Affirm Security Alliance Amid Heightened Tensions In Asia

Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin affirmed the U.S.-Japan security alliance on Oct. 4, 2023. October 5, 2023—Defense ministers from the United States and Japan strengthened their two countries' security alliance on Wednesday amid heightened tensions in Asia. Japan is expediting a planned purchase of Tomahawk cruise missiles, moving the date up one year. The United States, meanwhile, reaffirmed its promise to defend Japan's mainland and territories in what U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin called an "ironclad commitment." U.S.-Japan Alliance "This is a time of historic momentum in the U.S.-Japan alliance," Austin said on Wednesday. "We support your government's bold decisions to invest in advanced capabilities including counterstrike...
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U.S.-China Talk Trade, Technology As Commerce Secretary Visits Officials
30Aug By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

U.S.-China Talk Trade, Technology As Commerce Secretary Visits Officials

Investing In China Is Now 'Risky Business,' Raimondo Says Aug. 30, 2023—Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo completed a four-day visit to China this week as part of a diplomatic effort to smooth economic relations between the world's largest economies. The challenge for Raimondo and President Joe Biden is coordinating a new approach to China amid a shift in sentiment away from trade liberalization. Adding to the challenge for U.S. diplomats are China's state control of the economy, tense foreign relations, and a tougher environment for U.S. businesses practicing in China. Raimondo told reporters she raised concerns about theft of intellectual property, raids on businesses, a new counterespionage law, and extreme fines under that law. "Increasingly, I hear from businesses Chin...
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China Sees Sharpest Decline In Trade Since Early Pandemic
8Aug By Patti MohrNo Comments
Global Trade, Globalization, Global Disintegration, Types of News: Brief

China Sees Sharpest Decline In Trade Since Early Pandemic

August 8, 2023—China's trade with the rest of the world fell by 14.5 percent year-on-year in July, according to government data. That was the sharpest drop in imports and exports since early 2020. The decline was more than the 12.5 percent fall predicted by a poll of economists conducted by Reuters. Exports from the world's second-largest economy have fallen for three straight months, as the consumer and business appetite for China's goods in Europe and the United States has fallen. The decline may reflect weaker demand for China-made products as well as other factors such as shifts in supply chain, high global inflation, and rising interest rates. The largest drops in foreign buying of goods occurred in the computer, steel, and clothing sectors, according to reporting by the Financ...
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Russian Grain Deal Is Back On, Turkey Says
2Nov By Patti MohrNo Comments
Diplomacy, Global Trade, Types of News: Brief

Russian Grain Deal Is Back On, Turkey Says

November 2, 2022—A grain deal that lets grain flow from Ukraine and Russia through Turkey to the global economy is back on as of 12:00 p.m. today, according to Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. Erdoğan announced that Russia is rejoining the agreement, known as the Black Sea Grain Initiative. He helped broker the deal with Ukraine and Russia along with the United Nations in July. It establishes a Joint Coordination Center in Istanbul, Turkey where officials inspect vessels for the sake of shipping food and fertilizer to the rest of the world. Russian President Vladimir Putin left the deal over the weekend, citing Ukraine's military actions against a key bridge as a reason. But Russian officials stayed engaged with the initiative, according to a recent UN update. As of toda...
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