As the FY2012 budget looms, Congress is under pressure to enact serious cuts, some of which target the FY2012  State and Foreign Operations Budget. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Johnny Isakson (R-GA) have submitted a letter to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of ...

In an op-ed for the LA Times, Max Boot, Senior Fellow in National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations, arguesthat the Senate should confirm Robert Ford as Ambassador to Syria. Ford has been serving as ambassador since December, ...

Ambassador Gene Cretz delivered his first public remarks from Tripoli since he left the post nine months ago, marking the reopening of the U.S. embassy. At the official opening ceremony of the U.S. Embassy in Tripoli on Thursday, Cretz ...

Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, have been released on bail , after being held in Iran for two years on counts of espionage. Masoud Shafiei, an Iranian lawyer representing Bauer and Fattal, spent two hours inside the prison complex signing paperwork, finalizing the ...

After meeting in Tripoli with leaders of the TNC and civil society groups, Assistant Secretary of State Jeffrey Feltman described the city as "remarkably normal in atmosphere," with businesses open, traffic flowing, and police patrolling the streets. In his ...

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State William Burns is visiting Saudi Arabia and the UAE this week to meet with top officials. After his Tuesday meeting with Assistant Minister of the Interior Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, Burns met with King Abdullah ...

Writing for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, David Schenker asserts that the influence of Washington is becoming less of a factor in revolutionary Egypt. The U.S. government is not only having trouble with Egypt's new political rulers, but is ...

Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations delivered a speech Tuesday at the Jesse Helms' Center emphasizing the need for America to "champion the cause of freedom—not only with the power of our example but also ...

U.S. Ambassador to Syria Robert Ford attended the funeral of Syrian human rights activist Giyath Matar on Sunday. Shortly after, Syrian security forces attacked the gathering.  The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has been active in disseminating videos documenting human ...

The U.S. Department of State opened a new Middle East Transitions (MET) office, which started operation this week. William Taylor, former senior vice president for conflict management at United States Institute of Peace, will spearhead Middle East Transitions, with ...

The U.S. Senate Committee on Appropriations announced last week an allocation of $44.6 billion for the State and Foreign Operations budget in fiscal year 2012.  This figure is $3.5 billion less than was allocated in FY 2011 and ...

The State Department released a statement today detailing plans for Under Secretary of State for Democracy and Global Affairs, María Otero, to travel to Egypt and Tunisia. Otero will be Egypt September 10-12 and in Tunisia from September 13-15. ...

With more than 60 nations in attendance, world leaders gathered at the Paris summit yesterday to discuss the continuing Libyan transition. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton released a statement saying she was "inspired by what is happening in Libya" ...

On Wednesday, the Center for American Progress hosted a panel discussion with keynote speaker Thomas R. Nides, Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources. Panelists included Lawrence J. Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, and Miriam ...

As Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's crackdown continues, many analysts are questioning if the regime will fall. Andrew Tabler, with the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, notes that Syria's allies are pushing for reform, but not calling for the ...

A TNC spokesman called the Algerian government's acceptance of Gadhafi family members who fled yesterday an "act of aggression against the Libyan people," and demanded their return. The Algerian Ambassador to the U.N. said the Gadhafi family ...