Harold Koh, Dean of Yale Law School, has finally been confirmed as Legal Adviser to the State Department after months of controversy surrounding his nomination.
The Senate confirmed Koh by a vote of 62-35 this afternoon.
Republicans have warned that Koh would give too much weight to international law. Democrats responded that as State Department legal adviser, Koh would certainly consider international law but would adhere to the constitution.
John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, quickly released a statement praising Koh.
"Dean Koh is one of the foremost legal scholars in the country and a man of the highest intellect, integrity, and character," Kerry said. "He is exactly the type of Legal Adviser we need at the State Department, and I thank my colleagues for supporting his nomination."
In one of the boldest signs of his administration's faith in diplomacy, President Obama will send an ambassador to Syria. The U.S. has not had an official representative stationed in Syria for four years.
"It's a reflection of Syria being a pivotal country in terms of achieving a comprehensive peace in the region," one senior official said. "There is a lot of work to do in the region for which Syria can play a role. For that, it helps to have a fully staffed embassy."
The State Department has twice dispatched Jeffrey D. Feltman, the assistant secretary for the Near East, and Daniel Shapiro, a National Security Council official, to Damascus for exploratory meetings.
Two weeks ago, the administration's special envoy for the Middle East, George J. Mitchell, met with Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, for what Mr. Mitchell later said were "serious and productive discussions."
Many conservatives are aghast at the move, which they consider a reward for bad behavior.
John Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released a statement this afternoon praising the move, calling it a sign of Obama's "commitment to a deeper engagement with the Middle East."
Kerry's full statement:
"President Obama has made a smart strategic decision to return an American ambassador to Damascus," said Kerry. "While there remain a number of serious disagreements between the United States and Syria, vigorous diplomatic efforts offer the best way forward and we have much to gain strategically by having this diplomatic channel formally open. Syria can play an important role in moving the region towards peace, and historically Syria has been a vital swing state in a troubled region. Strenuous diplomacy will be required to advance our interests, and the ultimate challenge--moving Syria away from its marriage of convenience with Iran--will certainly not happen overnight. But if the past eight years taught us anything, it is that we gained no leverage by trying to ignore Syria and instead ended up isolating the United States. I fully support the President's commitment to a deeper engagement with the Middle East and believe that we are starting to see the fruits of these efforts."
The Obama administration rescinded its invitation to Iranian diplomats to attend Fourth of July parties at U.S. embassies, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced Wednesday.
"I think as you all know, many weeks ago, the administration extended an invitation to celebrate the freedom that this country enjoys," Gibbs said at the daily press briefing. "Given the events of the past many days, those invitations will no longer be extended."
Gibbs signaled that the rescinded invitations may be moot, since no diplomat had replied to the invitation.
But the invitation -- and its takeback -- are diplomatic signals from the Obama administration as it struggles to more directly engage Iran while trying to walk a tightrope on its reaction to the country's contested presidential election.
Gibbs seemed to take a minor shot at the Iranians, as well, in noting the rescinded invitation.
"July Fourth allows us to celebrate the freedom and the liberty we enjoy: Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to assemble peacefully, freedom of the press," he said. "So I don't think it's surprising that nobody's signed up to come."
The violent protests in Iran will not cost the regime's diplomats their invitation to July 4th celebrations at U.S. embassies around the world, the State Department said yesterday.
The administration had previously invited Iranian representatives to barbecues at various embassies to celebrate Independence Day, and the offer still stands.
"There's no thought to rescinding the invitations to Iranian diplomats," said State Department spokesman Ian Kelly, according to AFP.
"We have made a strategic decision to engage on a number of fronts with Iran," Kelly added. "We tried many years of isolation, and we're pursuing a different path now."
If I had to bet on one curve ball question at Obama's presser today, I'd guess someone will bring this up. Stay tuned.
The Obama administration might reevaluate its stance toward Iran if the violent crackdowns on dissidents were to escalate, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Tuesday.
"Well, obviously, we are watching the events each and every day here at the White House," Gibbs said during his appearance on Fox News.
The White House spokesman said that if an escalation were to take place along the lines of China's Tiananmen Square Massacre -- an event to which Republicans critical of President Obama have compared the Iranian protests -- then the administration would take another look at their stance.
"Obviously, if a tremendous escalation happened -- if tanks happened -- obviously, we would evaluate that immediately," Gibbs said.
Gibbs, in a spate of television appearances this morning, defended the administration's measured statements and involvement in the Iranian presidential elections.
Some members of the GOP have urged Obama to show more active support for Iranian dissidents who have taken to the streets of Iran since the ruling regime declared hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad the victor in his reelection bid, despite reports of election irregularities.
Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner will travel to Europe and the Middle East next month to lay the groundwork for a major G-20 summit in the U.S. this fall.
Geithner will travel to the U.K., Saudi Arabia, the U.A.E., and France between July 12-16, the Treasury Department announced Tuesday.
The visit will ostensibly lay the groundwork for talks in Pittsburgh this September, where G-20 nations are expected to discuss their broad efforts to stimulate the global economy and overhaul efforts to regulate the worldwide financial system.
The trip will be Geithner's first trip to the Middle East since taking office, the Treasury said.
Over the weekend, the death of an Iranian protester named Neda has galvanized international support for opponents of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Graphic video of her death (WARNING: I'm serious about the "graphic" part) was posted on YouTube after she was reportedly shot by Iranian police.
Today, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) praised Neda's courage during a speech on the House floor.
"An event took place which may be the defining moment, just yesterday, in the struggle of the Iranian people to be able to peacefully disagree with their government, in this case because of a corrupt and fraudulent election, without being killed in the streets and beaten and imprisoned," McCain said. "And it has to do with a woman named Neda."
After quoting form an AP article on Neda's death, McCain added: "We've seen, as we have in cases of other brutal repression throughout history, a living example, or the dying example, of martyrdom."
It is more risky to not board a North Korean vessel suspected to have nuclear materials as cargo than to board it, Rep. Trent Franks (R-Ariz.) asserted Monday.
Franks echoed Sen. John McCain's (R-Ariz.) calls yesterday to interdict and board any North Korean ship suspected of carrying banned cargo -- an action Korean officials have said would constitute an act of war.
"Well, you know, there are risks associated with [boarding], but I think the risks of not boarding are even greater," Franks, a member of the Armed Services Committee, said during an interview on Fox News. "I think Senator McCain is correct that if we have hard evidence that there are potentially nuclear missiles or materials aboard that ship, then we should board it because these are critical days."
The U.S.S. John McCain has been been trailing a North Korean ship believed to be carrying small arms cargo banned by the United Nations. According to the Associated Press, the U.S. Naval vessel has received no orders to intercept the Korean ship.
Franks also said that if the North Koreans launch a missile test toward Hawaii, the U.S. should activate its missile defense system to shoot it down.
A top Twitterer in iran got a boost from Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who recommended everyone follow a feed for Iranian election news.
In a tweet, McCain urged his followers to track @TehranBureau, which has emerged as one of the most prominent independent voices to dispatch news from Iran in the wake of that country's contested presidential election.
everyone needs to follow TehranBureau - its compelling call for everyone to be involved.
TehranBureau, which is also a website, bills itself as "an independent online magazine about Iran and the Iranian diaspora" on its Twitter biography.
Twitter is considered to have encountered a watershed moment for its role in the tumultuous aftermath of the Iranian presidential election, after the government has cracked down on official media reports of the violent protests of incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
TehranBureau has more than 17,000 Twitter followers.
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