Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) introduced S.1601, the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2012 and its accompanying report.  The press release noted the committee’s difficult task of funding more with less, including “responding to the turbulent events in the Middle East and North Africa,” with a total budget of $44.64 billion, which is $6.15 billion below the President’s request.  On the Middle East and North Africa:  ...

Days after the U.S. State Department released it's annual report on terrorism and labelled Iran as the "most active sponsor of terrorism," Iran retaliated by accusing the U.S. of being the "biggest sponsor of terrorism."  Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ramin Mehmanparast condemned the report findings by citing that the U.S. supports "the most active supporter of terrorism in the world," Israel. The State Department report says that by supporting groups such ...

Josh Rogin of Foreign Policy writes that Congress is starting to warm to the idea of confirming the U.S. ambassador to Syria, Robert Ford to Damascus despite the fact that some on Capitol Hill are still against the confirmation of having a U.S. ambassador to Syria.  Some on Capitol Hill are reluctant to confirm Ford since many other countries are withdrawing their envoys as a means to protest against President Bashar ...

U.S. Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chairwoman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee said that Italy's decision to recall its ambassador from Damascus will "help increase international isolation of the bloodthirsty Syrian regime."  Ros-Lehtinen said that rather than seeking confirmation of Robert Ford's position as ambassador to Syria, the Obama Administration should "immediately implement the full range of sanctions under existing U.S. law, including by recalling our ambassador." Additionally, Ros-Lehtinen with Representative ...

The Atlantic Council and Legatum jointly produced a report which delineates five myths about Egypt's current political transformation and post-revolution future. The authors of the report argue that "ailure in Egypt could lead other countries in the region to turn away from the very idea of democratic reform." They insist that the country's newly elected parliament and president must guarantee that new jobs constantly become available for the nation's growing youth population, ...

In an article written by assistant Harvard professor Tarek Masoud, he addresses and comments on prominent issues and events leading up to Egypt's current political state. He states that the combination of a "failing regime, aging leader, and a people increasingly willing to confront both" led to the revolution that overwhelmed Egypt in January. Masoud noted the amount of restraint that Mubarak's forces used in the earlier waves of the protests, suggesting ...

Today, the House Appropriations Committee released the FY12 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, which included a total of $39.6 billion in regular discretionary funding, an 18% decrease ($8.6 billion) from last year's level. Global War on Terror funding received $7.6 billion in the bill, $1.1 billion below the President's request. Appropriations Chairman Hal Rogers noted that, "the bill provides essential support to secure and stabilize some of the most critical ...

In an interview with The Cable, Rep. Howard Berman discussed the negative implications of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's markup last week of H.R.2583, a State Department and foreign assistance authorization bill. Rep. Berman argued that the bill was a "waste of time" to begin with, and the over 100 amendments added by GOP Congressmen sent a negative signal to the international community. He criticized his GOP counterparts for throwing ...

On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations held a nomination hearing for five ambassadors to the Middle East and Central Asia. The first of the hearing’s two panels featured the Honorable Anne W. Patterson, to be Ambassador to the Arab Republic of Egypt. The second panel featured Michael H. Corbin, to be Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates, Matthew H. Tueller, to be Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, ...

In the Wall Street Journal today, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) wrote an op-ed emphasizing the importance of U.S. involvement in Libya.  "We have an unequivocal national interest in ensuring Moammar Gadhafi's regime is defeated as quickly as possible," they wrote.  The senators emphasized that it was important for the U.S. to recognize and support the Transitional National Council through providing resources, as well as increasing ...

There were demonstrations Friday in several Jordanian cities including Tafileh, Karak, and Thiban demanding the resignation of Parliament and Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit. Protests also occurred in Amman demanding the abolition of the State Security Court. The Jordanian National Dialogue Committee, appointed by King Abdullah II, announced their recommendations for electoral reforms last week. The recommendations, submitted to the Prime Minister, propose increasing the number of seats in the Parliament and ...

Qatar's cabinet approved a new media law that is likely to be ratified during a meeting presided by Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Thani. The draft states that journalists will be able write freely, "except on issues concerning national security and friendly countries." The Peninsula then adds, "There would be no censorship on the media." The law does, however, prevent journalists from being detained ...

On Wednesday the House of Representatives delayed a vote on H.Con.Res. 51 by Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), which calls for the end of U.S. involvement in the NATO mission in Libya. Fearing the resolution's passage, GOP leaders worked Wednesday and today to come up with alternatives that would not adversely affect the NATO mission.  Today Rep. Kucinich argued in a press release that Congress "cannot stand by idly as a war of choice with significant ...