Foreign Policy

Yesterday, hundreds of advocates, survivors, law enforcement officials and lawmakers gathered to witness President Obama sign legislation that will strengthen protection for women threatened by domestic violence, as well as renew the nation’s most important tool to fight modern day slavery, the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).

But this moment didn’t come without political drama. In early February, Sen. Leahy of Vermont, with the support of Sen. Rubio of Florida, added the TVPA reauthorization to the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA), with the amendment passing by a resoundingly bipartisan vote of 93-5. And just last week, the House relented and approved the Senate-passed VAWA, including the TVPA reauthorization.

For 14 years Hugo Chavez and his cronies did everything they could to consolidate their power and retain an iron grip over the Venezuelan people, no matter the cost. In an era without Chavez, the U.S. must take advantage of this situation and pursue innovative ways to help facilitate democratic order to a country that has suffered under authoritarian rule for over a decade. The people of Venezuela, including those in the exile community in the U.S., deserve a free, fair, and transparent election so that they can decide the future of Venezuela.

Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez died of cancer on Tuesday. His passing has the potential to mark the end of an antagonistic and divisive 14-year chapter in this hemisphere. Notwithstanding recent accusations of U.S. involvement in Mr. Chavez’s death, for now, incendiary and vitriolic anti-American rhetoric is somewhat muted. Additionally, the fate of anti-democratic alliances with Cuba, Russia, and Iran are in doubt as are the regional organizations of ALBA, the Bolivarian Alliance of the Americas, and CELAC, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, that have excluded the United States and further fragmented the region. The momentum of a perpetual era of Chavismo – his unique blend of authoritarian styled populism and socialism – has slowed. 

After over fourteen years of global mischief and controversial partnerships on the world stage, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Frias succumbed to his two year battle with cancer earlier this week. The opaque manner in which his sickness and eminent death were handled, coupled with Cuba’s overt role in managing information on the health of the Venezuelan leader, has rightfully led many to question the likelihood of a constitutional, post-Chavez transition. The citizens of Venezuela have the right to expect a transparent electoral process, and it is incumbent on the international community to support them in achieving this aspiration.

The long-dreaded sequestration has arrived, bringing with it potentially catastrophic consequences for governmental programs designed to benefit those most in need. The NAACP estimates these across-the-board cuts will result in 100,000 fewer low-income children being prepared for school through Head Start, 17 million fewer “Meals-on-Wheels” delivered to seniors suffering from food insecurity, and 1.6 million fewer unemployed Americans served through job training, education, and employment services.

Just 21 years ago, Kazakhstan emerged from a collapsing Soviet Union with almost no private sector. Today it has grown into one of the five fastest growing economies in the world.
 
But past achievements are no guarantee of future success. In an era when the pace of change has never been faster, ambitious, developing countries must prepare themselves to cope. They must have the courage to create the socioeconomic and political conditions that empower their people to meet challenges and seize opportunities.

Before Secretary of State John Kerry arrives in Turkey on March 1, he would better reconsider the trajectory of relations with Turkey. Kerry is known to value the Transatlantic ties and is keen on an active U.S. role in Turkey’s broader neighborhood. But he needs to contextualize his case against the current misfit between the two countries’ foreign policy agendas.

On March 1, China’s ban on imported American pork, cattle, and turkey products will go into effect. This will create tremendous ripple effects in American agriculture and international markets. Even people who do not follow food safety news have likely heard of the looming trade disputes with China, Russia, Taiwan, and the European Union over the U.S.’s use of the controversial livestock feed additive ractopamine.  
 
Public outcry from members of Congress, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the U.S. Trade Representative have not stopped China or Russia from moving forward with their bans. These are not the first nations to ban ractopamine, and as other countries are bound to follow suit, it is about time we ask ourselves the cold, hard question: why does American agriculture continue to shutter valuable foreign markets at the expense of agribusiness dogma?

After many years of trying in vain to find the line between lawful and unlawful court-ordered killing, Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun threw up his hands. "From this day forward, I no longer shall tinker with the machinery of death," he said, dissenting in a 1994 capital punishment case.
 
What does this have to do with drone attacks? Justice Blackmun was speaking about a man who had been charged, convicted, and sentenced for a crime established by a democratically elected legislature. Killing in war, on the other hand, generally involves no judicial process. And that’s perfectly legal if done in accordance with the laws of war.

On the merits, Chuck Hagel is wrong for secretary of Defense, and that’s all that should matter. With Americans in the military serving across the globe, and at a time of growing challenges to national security and extraordinary pressures on the defense budget, there’s no time for the irrelevant partisan distractions that have diminished the debate over the Hagel nomination. When it comes to whether Sen. Hagel should be confirmed by the Senate, all that counts is that he’s the wrong person for the job.