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State Department

The Koh Kerfuffle: The Company You Keep

Charles J. Brown | Posted 05.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Harold Hongju Koh, Barack Obama, Harold-Koh-Nominee-for-State-Department-Legal-Advisor, Conservatives, Department of State, State Department, Harold Koh Nominee for State Department Legal Advisor, Politics News
Charles J. Brown

I offer the following lists of those supporting and those opposing President Obama's nomination of Harold Hongju Koh to serve as Legal Adviser in the Department of State. Those on both lists have one thing in common: they describe themselves as conservatives.

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Cuba Policy: Time for a Change? (Not So Fast!)

Rick Horowitz | Posted 05.17.2009 | World

Read More: Trade Restrictions, Fidel Castro, Raul Castro, Diplomacy, Cuba, Cuba Policy, Obama and Cuba, U.S.-Cuba Policy, Barack Obama, State Department, Obama Administration, World News
Rick Horowitz

"Well, the White House isn't the only building in Washington where big changes are taking place these days. Our own intrepid Lara has burrowed her way into a rarely viewed corner of the Nation's Capital, where she's standing by with a gentleman who may be less than thrilled with some of the latest diplomatic announcements from the White House."

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Roxana Saberi and the Iranian Fast Spy-Making Machine!

Omid Memarian | Posted 04.14.2009 | Home

Read More: Hilary Clinton, Roxana Saberi, Iran, Spying, Intelligence Agency, State Department, American-Iranianjournalist, Islamic Republic of Iran, Home News
Omid Memarian

The fact that the Iranian government consistently comes up with news of the arrest of a "spy", show a great amount of incompetency and desperation in its intelligence services.

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State Department: Cuba Poisoning Pets Of US Diplomats

The Hill | Jordy Yager | Posted 05.12.2009 | World

Read More: State Department Cuba, Cuba Poisoning, Cuba, State Department, Cuba Poisoning Diplomats Pets, World News

As President Obama and members of Congress push to strengthen relations with Cuba, the State Department released a report on Friday that details Cuban...

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Terrific News: Alec Ross to Advise Clinton/State Department on Tech & Innovation

Craig Newmark | Posted 05.07.2009 | Politics

Read More: Hilary Clinton, Egovernment, Julius Genachowski, Alec Ross, Gov2.0, State Department, Politics News
Craig Newmark

I've worked with Alec. He'll really help the US work more effectively with the world. This is for real.

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Confirm Harold Koh as State Department Legal Adviser

Brandt Goldstein | Posted 05.02.2009 | Politics

Read More: War on Terror, Rule of Law, President Obama, Harold Koh, Guantanamo, Oxford, State Department, Yale, Harvard, Senate, Human Rights, Treaties, Ted Olson, South Korea, Supreme Court, Cuba, Legal Adviser, Constitution, Obama Transition, Politics News
Brandt Goldstein

Harold Koh is a brilliant and hard-working lawyer with a strong dedication to protecting America's interests and upholding our Constitution.

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Spend More Wisely on National Security

Lt. General Robert G. Gard Jr. (USA, Ret.) | Posted 05.01.2009 | Politics

Read More: John McCain, Military, Defense Spending, Department of Defense, State Department, Barack Obama, Warwire, Iraq, Politics News
Lt. General Robert G. Gard Jr. (USA, Ret.)

In today's disastrous economic climate, the U.S. government desperately needs to prioritize its top national security objectives and realign spending accordingly.

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Ex-State Dept. Lawyer: Bush Panicked After 9/11, Used Torture

AP | ANDREW O. SELSKY | Posted 04.27.2009 | Politics

Read More: Bush Guantanamo, Gitmo Detaines, State Department, GuantáNamo Bay, Guantanamo, Vijay Padmanabhan, Bush Torture, George Bush, Torture, State Dept. Torture at Gitmo Associated Press, Bush Panicked After 9-11, Politics News

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — A former State Department lawyer responsible for Guantanamo-related cases said Friday that the Bush administration overr...

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President Obama, Why Did You Pay Blackwater $70 Million in February? [Updated]

Jeremy Scahill | Posted 04.17.2009 | World

Read More: Iraq War, Erik Prince, Blackwater, Afghanistan, Blackwater Iraq, President Obama, Blackwater-Obama, Iraq Occupation, Hillary Clinton, Iraq, Xe, Barack Obama, State Department, Arlen Specter, World News
Jeremy Scahill

With the US economy in shambles and millions of Americans struggling to make ends meet and keep their homes, Obama needs to explain to US taxpayers how they justify mega-payments to Blackwater.

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Government May Be Paying Blackwater To Work In Iraq Illegally

Washington Times | Posted 04.17.2009 | Politics

Read More: Iraq War, Blackwater Guards, Private Contractors, Blackwater Security, Blackwater, Private Security Contractors, Blackwater Iraq, Xe, Iraq Contractors, Blackwater USA, Blackwater Investigation, Iraq, War in Iraq, State Department, Politics News

Days after the Baghdad government decided it no longer wanted the company then known as Blackwater in Iraq, the State Department signed a $22.2 millio...

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Extreme Conscription: Recruiting the Taliban for America's Fight

Vikrum Aiyer | Posted 04.16.2009 | World

Read More: Usaid, Department of Defense, Defectors, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Afpak Review, Swat Valley, Holbrooke, Afpak, Taliban, Gao, Fata, State Department, Bruce Riedel, World News
Vikrum Aiyer

While normally the US should exhaust all diplomatic channels, Obama should exercise great caution when it comes to talking with the Taliban, as it comes with one too many concerns.

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The New Non-Human Rights Approach

Jack Healey | Posted 04.15.2009 | World

Read More: Clinton State Department, Human Rights, Waterboarding, Hillary Clinton, State Department, Torture, Extraordinary Rendition, Rendition, World News
Jack Healey

The seeds of change have been sown and it is time for us as a country to guide our leaders towards an ethical standard for human rights, to step out of the darkness of these last few years.

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State Department Issues Travel Advisory To Students Watching Fox News During Spring Break

Steve Young | Posted 04.15.2009 | Comedy

Read More: Fox News, O'Reilly, State Department, Hannity, Comedy News
Steve Young

It seems that Fox News has made an editorial decision to use an inordinate amount of video of bikini-clad coeds to support their coverage of the violent Mexican drug cartels.

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Top US Officials Urge Dialogue With Hamas

Boston Globe | Bryan Bender and Farah Stockman | Posted 04.14.2009 | Politics

Read More: Zbigniew Brzezinski, State Department, Paul Vocker, Hamas, Brent Scowcroft, Politics News

Nine former senior US officials and one current adviser are urging the Obama administration to talk with leaders of Hamas to determine whether the mil...

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Arthur Delaney

State Department Gone Wild (VIDEO)

HuffingtonPost.com | Arthur Delaney | Posted 04.13.2009 | World

Read More: Spring Break, Mexico Drug War, Mexico Violence, Mexico Drug Cartels, Mexico, State Department, Spring Break Cancun, Mexican Drug Cartels, Free Credit Report, Free Credit report.com Commercials, Mexico Drug Wars, World News

The good folks at the United States consulate in Merida have created a helpful, rock music-filled Spring Break video for the Cancun-bound. The messag...

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Defeating Freeman: A Patriotic Duty

Alan Dershowitz | Posted 04.13.2009 | Politics

Read More: Neoconservatives, Chas Freeman, Charles Freeman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Neocons, State Department, China, Politics News
Alan Dershowitz

Those who successfully challenged the nomination of Charles W. Freeman, Jr. to become chairman of the National Intelligence Council should be praised for an act of high patriotism.

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Neocons Win Big Victory Over Obama: Charles Freeman Resigns

Jacob Heilbrunn | Posted 04.10.2009 | Politics

Read More: Neocons, Neoconservatives, Israel, State Department, Saudi Arabia, Charles Freeman, Politics News
Jacob Heilbrunn

Charles Freeman's withdrawal is a big victory for the neocons -- and an even bigger embarrassment for the Obama administration.

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I'm American, But to Israel I'm a Number

Hammad Hammad | Posted 04.06.2009 | World

Read More: Jordan, Passport, Palestine, Israeli-Palestinian Conflict, Barack Obama Palestinians, West Bank, Politics, Foreign Affairs, Travel, State Department, Foreign Policy, Tel Aviv, Human Rights, Barack, Hillary Clinton, Israel, Obama Israel, Allenby, World News
Hammad Hammad

"Void in Israel, see Palestinian ID #." That's what an Israeli stamp states in Hebrew on my American passport. In Israel, I am a numbered Palestinian despite my American citizenship.

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The Ideal Un-Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs

John Brown | Posted 04.04.2009 | Politics

Read More: William Rugh, Public Diplomacy, State Department, Politics News
John Brown

A recommendation suggesting the ideal person to fill the post of Under Secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs at the State Department, comi...

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Madam Secretary, the Name is Persian Gulf

Muhammad Sahimi | Posted 04.03.2009 | Politics

Read More: Deniss Ross, Iran, Persian Gulf, Hillary Rodham Clinton, State Department, Persian Empire, Politics News
Muhammad Sahimi

The State Department statement was relatively brief: "The Secretary [of State Hillary Rodham Clinton] is pleased to announce the appointment of Dennis...

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Rebalancing our National Security Strategy

Jonathan Powers | Posted 04.03.2009 | World

Read More: Department of Defense, Afghanistan, National Security, President Obama, Iraq Veterans, Warwire, Development Projects, State Department, World News
Jonathan Powers

The economic crisis that we face today provides us an opportunity to prioritize this needed change by ensuring that we have a strategic balance in our spending.

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Mercenary King Erik Prince Resigns as Blackwater CEO

Jeremy Scahill | Posted 04.02.2009 | Politics

Read More: Total Intelligence Solutions, Erik Prince, Afghanistan, Blackwater, Xe, Pirates, Iraq, Gulf of Aden, State Department, Blackwater CEO, Xe CEO Resigns, Erik Prince Blackwater, Erik Prince Blackwater Resigns, Erik Prince Resigns, Blackwater CEO Resigns, Xe CEO, Politics News
Jeremy Scahill

Prince's resignation could be seen as a public formality in what has been a dramatic attempt to scrub all public vestiges of Blackwater.

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Weekly Foreign Affairs Roundup

Christopher Herbert and Victoria Kataoka Rebuffet | Posted 03.30.2009 | World

Read More: Sanctions, Nuclear Program, Clinton, Economy, Missile, Iran, Drugs, Obama, Tibet, Non-Military Goods, Ceasefire, Taliban, Nato, Bribe, Kurds, Turkmenistan, Security, Pakistan, Swat, Mexico, United States, Uzbekistan, Us, Nukes, Instablity, Human Rights, State Department, Guam, Mosul, Qaeda, China, North Korea, Foreign Affairs Roundup, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, World News
Christopher Herbert and Victoria Kataoka Rebuffet

The Week's Top Stories in Foreign Affairs: American Economic Leadership Recognized Facts: US President Barack Obama made his first address to Americ...

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George Bush in Retirement: "I Never Listened To Anyone But Me"

Jackson Williams | Posted 03.28.2009 | Politics

Read More: George Bush, Bob Woodward, The Decider, Colin Powell, Commander Guy, George W. Bush, Vladimir Putin, Cbs, 60 Minutes, Pooty Poot, Jim Hightower, The Dallas Morning News, Poppy Bush, Smu, State Department, Supreme Court, Treasury Department, Bush Authoritarian Voice, Sammy Sosa, Politics News
Jackson Williams

Poor George. He can't help it. Even out of office, he reinforces the narcissistic traits that were a hallmark of his failed presidency.

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Afghanistan: Obama's Men and Women Go to War

Mayhill Fowler | Posted 03.28.2009 | World

Read More: Obama Afghanistan, Nato, State Department, Us Troops Afghanistan, Afghanistan War, World News
Mayhill Fowler

The experience of Lieutenant Colonel Brian Mennes is but one small example of why the Afghanistan experts who met with military reporters last week are dubious about a "new outlook" in this new American presidency.

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