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Thursday's global agenda: CIA drone strikes in the spotlight
Your morning global affairs speed-read
The CIA and its drone policy are coming under the microscope today as the Senate Intelligence panel considers the nomination of John Brennan to be the agency's new director. The White House leaked a white paper justifying the use of targeted missile strikes on Monday and President Obama vowed Wednesday to allow lawmakers to see a classified Justice Department memo, but the moves may not be enough to assuage the concerns of lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Back to Benghazi: The Senate Armed Services Committee holds its first hearing on the Sept. 11 attack in Benghazi, Libya, this morning with Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Joint Chiefs of State Chairman Martin Dempsey testifying. Chairman Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and former ranking member John McCain (R-Ariz.) want to probe why U.S. forces didn't respond to the 7-hour assault that claimed the lives of U.S. ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans, but some Republicans on the panel want to relitigate accusations that the administration purposefully lied about what happened for political gain.
Canadian crude: Kerri-Ann Jones, the assistant secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, meets with TransCanada CEO Russ Girling, at the Department of State this afternoon.
Arms control: Rose Gottemoeller, the acting under secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, arrives in Geneva, Switzerland, today to “meet with her foreign counterparts to underscore U.S. interests and strengthen collaborative efforts on arms control and nonproliferation issues.” Geneva is home to the United Nations' Conference on Disarmament.
Budget battles: EU leaders are meeting in Brussels, Belgium, over the next two days to hammer out a budget for the next seven years. "Massive differences over how much to spend on agriculture, development and administration will make a compromise extremely difficult," writes Spiegel Online International.
In other news:
The U.S. is ratcheting up its economic pressure on Iran. [The New York Times]
Japan accused Russia of intruding its air space with fighter jets. [The Wall Street Journal]
Lobbying and regulations:
The State Department's Shipping Coordinating Committee (SHC) meets Feb. 25, while the Advisory Committee on International Postal and Delivery Services meets March 6.
Global Affairs news you might have missed:
Foreign governments lobby hard in favor of immigration reform
US trade officials file case over India's solar program
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