Middle East/North Africa

Romney stood by his statement criticizing the Obama administration over its handling of protests in the Middle East.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton offered a defense of Libya Wednesday after a mob attack left four Americans dead.

Your morning global affairs speed-read

The death of the U.S. ambassador to Libya and the attack against the U.S. embassy in Egypt are likely to further strain relations between America and the Middle East and put the repercussions of the Arab Spring squarely into the election debate. The attacks immediately became campaign fodder for the Republicans, with Mitt Romney blasting the Obama administration's response as “disgraceful” Tuesday night.

Eyes on China: The House Foreign Affairs Committee marks up legislation reaffirming “the strong support of the United States for the peaceful resolution of maritime territorial disputes in the South China Sea, the Taiwan Strait, the East China Sea, and the Yellow Sea” and condemning the use or threat of force by China and its ally North Korea. [H.R. 6313]

The markup will be immediately followed by a hearing on “Beijing as an Emerging Power in the South China Sea.” In the afternoon, the oversight subcommittee holds a hearing on organ harvesting of Chinese dissidents by the Communist Party.

The call came after news reports that Obama refused to meet with Netanyahu when he visits the U.S. this month.

The White House denied Obama was snubbing the Israeli prime minister on his U.S. visit, citing scheduling differences.

Protests in Benghazi and Cairo sparked by anger over anti-Islam video linked to Florida pastor Terry Jones.

Senate hawks John McCain (R-Ariz.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on Tuesday called on the Senate to quickly approve President Obama's pick to be the new ambassador to Iraq. Read more...

Back from a trip to Iraq, Senate hawks say Obama is to blame for creating the conditions fueling post-war strife. 

Netanyahu unleashed his harshest comments to date after Secretary Clinton said Sunday the administration was "not setting deadlines" on Iran.

The Obama administration is sending one of its top Treasury officials on a tour of the Middle East this week to help ramp up sanctions against Iran and Syria.

Deputy Treasury Secretary Neal Wolin's trip to Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia comes as the administration is under fire from Republicans and Israel to turn the screws on Iran and get the country to abandon its alleged nuclear weapons program. 

Wolin is expected to press Lebanon to “prevent abuse of the Lebanese financial sector by illicit actors” and “discuss the need for Lebanese banks and regulatory authorities to remain vigilant against the evasion of sanctions by Iran and Syria.” The Treasury Department last year imposed sanctions on the Lebanon-based subsidiary of the Commercial Bank of Syria.