A DOD progress report says delays to long-term reconstruction work could weaken the Afghan-led mission after U.S. forces depart.

Clinton said there was "no place in our politics" for such "assaults" and praised Republicans who criticized the allegations.

U.S. security agreements with Canada came under scrutiny Monday as House Homeland Security Committee members met in Buffalo.

The counterterrorism and intelligence subcommittee field hearing follows the release last year of a Government Accountability Office (GAO) report that found that only 32 miles of the 4,000-mile northern border with Canada were considered to have “an acceptable level of security.” Chairman Pat Meehan (R-Pa.) and local Congress members Brian Higgins and Kathy Hochul, both Democrats, were expected to attend along with local law enforcement officials.

The Homeland Security Department's top Canada official praised the progress on “Beyond the Border,” a joint declaration announced in February between President Obama and Canada's Stephen Harper that the prime minister has called “the most significant step forward in Canada-U.S. cooperation since the North American Free Trade Agreement.” A joint Action Plan followed last December, outlining cooperation in addressing threats early; trade facilitation, economic growth and jobs; integrated cross-border law enforcement; and critical infrastructure and cybersecurity.

Canada, however, is reportedly worried about sharing information about travelers with U.S. authorities. The two countries spent months working on joint privacy principles, which were finally released last month.

“These joint principles reflect the shared commitment of the United States and Canada to protecting privacy consistent with each country’s domestic laws,” Deborah Meyers, director of Canadian affairs at the department's Office of International Affairs, said in her testimony. “Responsible sharing not only demonstrates respect for citizens’ privacy and civil liberties but also facilitates and promotes the flow of accurate, relevant and necessary information to address threats to national security and conduct law enforcement.”

Syria’s top diplomat in London has defected from his government over its “oppressive acts” against the Syrian people, the British Foreign Office said Monday.

The Guardian reports that the Foreign Office issued a statement that the Syrian chargé d’affaires, Khaled al-Ayoubi, informed the government that he was leaving his post.

Ayoubi’s departure is another blow to Syrian President Bashar Assad, whose forces fought against Syrian rebels in Aleppo, Syria’s largest city, through the weekend.

Mitt Romney told a fundraiser of top Jewish donors in Israel on Monday that culture and the "hand of providence" were responsible for the "stark difference in economic vitality" between Israel and Palestine, drawing criticism from some Palestinian leaders.

"As you come here and you see the GDP per capita, for instance, in Israel, which is about $21,000 dollars, and compare that with the GDP per capita just across the areas managed by the Palestinian Authority, which is more like $10,000 per capita, you notice such a dramatically stark difference in economic vitality," Romney said.

The presumptive Republican nominee went on to credit Jewish perseverance and business culture in explaining that gap.

Your morning global affairs speed-read

GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney visits the Polish port city of Gdansk — also known by its German name of Danzig — where some of the first shots of World War II were fired. The visit to Poland caps Romney's five-day trip, which started in England and continued in Israel over the weekend.

Romney is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Donald Tusk and former President Lech Walesa. He'll also visit the World War II Westerplatte Memorial and the Solidarity Monument Site. Romney is expected to use the Polish leg of his trip to draw a distinction with President Obama in terms of his commitment to a European missile defense shield and standing up to Russia.

Life's a trip: Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta is also on the move, with a five-day visit to Tunisia, Egypt, Israel and Jordan that's expected to focus heavily on the situation in Syria. During his visit to Egypt, Panetta will meet with new Egyptian President — and Muslim Brotherhood member — Mohammed Morsi. 

On Sunday, Panetta reiterated that Israel and the United States are united in their support for economic sanctions aimed at getting Iran to abandon its alleged nuclear weapons program. [Washington Post] The remarks come as Romney over the weekend sought to appear tougher on Iran by supporting a unilateral Israeli strike.

And Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner is also traveling, with a meeting with German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schauble planned for Monday afternoon in Sylt, Germany. In the evening, the secretary will meet with European Central Bank (ECB) President Mario Draghi in Frankfurt.

"It's long been the policy to ultimately have our embassy in the nation's capital of Jerusalem," said Romney in Israel.

Republican Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.), a prominent Mitt Romney surrogate, took jabs at President Obama's foreign policy on Sunday, arguing he hasn't been aggressive enough with Syria or Iran and has made the United States "weaker" around the world. 

Romney in Jerusalem pledged unflinching U.S. support for Israel and vowed to prevent a nuclear-armed Iran.