Policy & Strategy

The Afghan National Security Forces do not have the numbers, experience or the money to support its network of military bases in the country once American forces leave in two years, U.S. officials say.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday called for a shake-up of the Syrian opposition, saying the exiled leaders of the Paris-based Syrian National Council had failed to unite those fighting on the ground to overthrow the regime of President Bashar Assad.

Clinton said the Obama administration is proposing the names of people and organizations ahead of talks next week in Doha, Qatar. 

“We have recommended names and organizations that we believe should be included in any leadership structure,” Clinton told reporters in Croatia after meeting with President Ivo Josipović. “We’ve made it clear that the SNC can no longer be viewed as the visible leader of the opposition. They can be part of a larger opposition, but that opposition must include people from inside Syria and others who have a legitimate voice that needs to be heard. So our efforts are very focused on that right now.”

She added that “this cannot be an opposition represented by people who have many good attributes but have, in many instances, not been inside Syria for 20, 30, or 40 years. There has to be a representation of those who are on the front lines, fighting and dying today to obtain their freedom.”

Clinton's comments come as Republicans this election season have charged President Obama with failing to show leadership on Syria. The administration faces a challenge between greater involvement and avoiding the appearance that the U.S. is dictating its will on the Syrian people.

The State Department issued a tough and lengthy condemnation of Bahrain's crackdown on protesters Wednesday, saying the United States is “deeply concerned” by the U.S. ally's decision to outlaw public gatherings.

“Freedoms of assembly, association and expression are universal human rights,” department spokesman Mark Toner said. “We urge the government of Bahrain to uphold its international commitments and ensure that its citizens are able to assemble peacefully and to express their views without fear of arrest or detention.

“We urge the government of Bahrain to work with responsible protest leaders to find a way for peaceful and orderly demonstrations to take place. The decision to curb these rights is contrary to Bahrain's professed commitment to reform and will not help advance national reconciliation nor build trust among all parties. We also urge the opposition to refrain from provocations and violence; violence undermines efforts to reduce tensions, rebuild trust and pursue meaningful reconciliation in Bahrain.”

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is turning up the diplomatic heat on Tunisia over its refusal to allow U.S. officials access to terror suspect allegedly tied to the deadly Sept. 11 consulate attack in Libya. 

The Obama administration has failed to respond to GOP questions about Libya, a group of Republican senators said Wednesday. 

There will not be a delay in Afghanistan’s elections, the country’s independent election commission said Wednesday, announcing that the elections will be held as scheduled in April 2014.

Afghanistan will pick a new leader in 2014; the Afghan constitution does not allow President Hamid Karzai to run again. Opposition groups and independent observers have been concerned that Karzai would try to push back the date of the presidential election.

The elections are scheduled to occur in a crucial year for Afghanistan, when its forces are supposed to take control of security from NATO as most U.S. and international troops will depart.

"Five minutes after [an attack], ... relief will spread across the region,” Benjamin Netanyahu said in an interview.

“This kind of deceitful tactic is cynical – and it's bad for Israel,” an Obama campaign spokeswoman said.

The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee on Monday questioned why the Obama administration didn’t send forces into Libya in the midst of the attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi last month.

Rep. Buck McKeon (R-Calif.) sent a letter to Obama asking what orders the president gave the military during the attack, in which U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and three other Americans were killed.

McKeon said there appeared to be a “discrepancy” between the president’s directive and the actions taken by the military. 

He referenced Obama’s answer in a Friday interview with local Denver area TV reporter Kyle Clark, where the president said that he gave a clear directive to “make sure that we are securing our personnel and doing whatever we need to.”

“As we are painfully aware, despite the fact that the military had resources in the area, the military did not deploy any assets to secure U.S. personnel in Benghazi during the hours the consulate and the annex were under attack,” McKeon wrote.

The president "took control and he said exactly what needs to be done" following the Sept. 11 attack, said Emanuel.