By Anthony Zurcher

In a letter published by the state run newspaper Granma, Fidel Castro wrote that “we don’t need the empire to give us anything” following Obama’s historic visit to Cuba. Breaking silence for the first time since the U.S. president’s visit, Castro reminded readers of events such as the Bay of Pigs invasion, and suggested that Obama not “develop theories about Cuban politics.” Although officially retired from public office, Castro does wield significant influence over the Cuban population, casting a shadow of doubt over both countries’ willingness to bury the past.

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April 04, 2016

By Alex Yeager

In the category of “things you can’t believe are still legal,” President Obama signed a provision on Wednesday that finally closed a trade loophole allowing the importation of goods made by child and forced labor.  The loophole, which originated from the U.S. Tariff Act of 1930, allowed goods procured by these means to be imported as needed by U.S. consumer demand.  The provision allows other bans on these materials to have more binding force, and will prevent the importation of products such as fish caught by slaves in Southeast Asia, and gold mined by children in Africa.

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March 03, 2016

By Evan Abrams

Recent political pressure has led the Obama Administration to begin a crackdown on so-called “inversions,” where American companies move their headquarters abroad for tax reasons. However, as the Financial Times reports, several European companies are now worried about the implications for their American subsidiaries. Many of these companies have launched aggressive lobbying campaigns in Washington, seeking to mitigate any harm from the new rules. They warn that new rules and legislation could deter future European investment in the United States.

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October 01, 2014

By Catherine Kent

Reuters reports that the European Union agreed on Thursday, September 11, to begin new sanctions on Russia over the Ukraine crisis, to which Russia responded by declaring that the EU had “made its choice against” the current peace road map aimed at ending the confrontation between Moscow and the West. President Barack Obama said he will provide details on the new U.S. sanctions new U.S. sanctions on Friday, which will target Russia’s financial, energy, and defense sectors in Tandem with the EU’s sanctions.

If the US follows suit on the EU’s move towards shared energy technology sanctions, US business groups (with $700 million deals with Russia) may have something to start worrying about. You can read more about the economic consequences at Politico.

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September 17, 2014

By Abraham Shanedling

 

A recent Wall Street Journal article reports on a “steady flow” of Western executives to Iran in light of the temporary sanctions relief granted to Iran as part of November’s interim deal.

Even though the Obama Administration has stressed that such relief is limited to only a handful of industries, this hasn’t stopped companies such as telecommunications provider Orange or French drug maker Sanofi Aventis SA from ending corporate representatives on “exploratory visits” to Iran.

The WSJ article describes Western executives organizing training seminars and hosting meetings with Iranian ministers all with an eye toward laying business groundwork should sanctions ease up even more.

The full story can be found here.

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April 03, 2014

By Abraham Shanedling

As the situation in the Crimea escalates, Members of Congress are pushing for targeted sanctions against Russia and an aid package to Ukraine.

The effort comes after President Obama said Russia would face “costs” for intervening in Ukraine. Sen. Bob Corker, the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement saying that “Congress will consider targeted sanctions against Russian persons and entities that undermine the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine.”

Sen. Corker has been echoed by Rep. Eliot Engel (D-NY), the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who called for “a robust international economic assistance package” for Ukraine.

Read more at USA Today.

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March 03, 2014

By Aliza Kempner

President Barack Obama’s mission to place the U.S. stamp of approval on two of the largest free trade deals in our country’s history is hitting some turbulence. 

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, has questioned the White House’s approach to gaining concessions from other countries to finalize the Pacific Rim and European Union pacts without amendments and by skirting debate. Reid and other Democrats fear that the deals could cause serious injury to American labor and environmental protections and also harm the recovering U.S. job market. 

Politico examines the political undercurrent that leaves the agreement in a precarious position, with trade experts warning that other countries might dodge political risks in agreeing to a deal without the United States paving the way.

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February 05, 2014

By Abraham Shanedling

An effort to impose additional sanctions on Iran’s nuclear program has likely stalled in Congress amid pressure from President Obama, who threatened to veto the measure, and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who refused to put the bill to a vote.

The bipartisan bill, which has 58 cosponsors, including 15 Democrats, would implement sanctions on Iran unless it agrees to halt all of its uranium enrichment. However, the White House has been openly against the move, warning that it could thwart the current deal in place with Iran and the P5+1.

Instead members of the House and Senate are considering a weaker non-binding resolution expressing concern about Iran’s nuclear ambitions and calling for negotiators to set stricter conditions on the negotiations.

On Tuesday, February 4, at 10 a.m., the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations is hosting a hearing on the current negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program. Set to testify is Wendy Sherman of the Department of State; David Cohen of Department of Treasury; David Albright of the Institute for Science and International Security; and Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.

Head to Reuters for more on the issue. 

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February 03, 2014

By Aliza Kempner

African elephant tusks | WikiCommons

Last month, the deafening crunch of nearly six tons of ivory trumpeted in a new era for international crime fighting and conservation. The United States had seized the massive haul of ivory, illegally harvested from endangered African and Asian elephants, over several years. U.S. agents had seized the ivory from airports and cargo ships, often discovering ivory hidden in the false bottoms of suitcases and shipping crates or disguised by dark brown stain to disguise its young age.

Pursuant to an executive order from President Barack Obama, the “ivory tower” of carvings and trinkets met its demise in massive rock crushers on a sunny Colorado morning – a fate far removed from the gilded displays that many of these pieces had occupied previously. By destroying the ivory, the Obama administration hopes to send the message that the fruits of illegal poaching will not ripen in America, which had previously offered one of the world’s largest illegal ivory markets.

Ivory has long held a place in both Eastern and Western societies as a luxury good, used to fashion items like combs, piano keys, jewelry, and religious figurines. While bringing ivory into the United States is illegal, a complex loophole allows some ivory to sneak into the domestic market legally.  Meanwhile, demand is up in countries such as China due to a rapidly expanding upper class that sees ivory as a symbol of social status.

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December 07, 2013

By Abraham Shanedling

In advance of this week’s follow-up round of nuclear talks in Geneva, the Washington Institute for Near East Policy is hosting a policy forum on Tuesday, Nov. 19, to discuss the strategic, political, and technical aspects of a proposed agreement with Iran.

The discussion will feature Dennis Ross, Olli Heinonen, and Robert Satloff.

Dennis Ross is counselor at The Washington Institute and former senior Middle East adviser to President Barack Obama.

Olli Heinonen is a senior fellow with the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University and a former deputy director-general for safeguards at the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Robert Satloff is executive director of The Washington Institute.

More on how to RSVP or watch the event via webcast can be found here.

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November 18, 2013

By Abraham Shanedling

As the White House claims it is nearing a diplomatic deal with Iran over its nuclear program, the U.S. Senate remains split on whether to impose more sanctions on the Islamic republic.

On Friday, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein said she will strongly oppose any new sanctions on Iran. However senators from both parties, including Foreign Relations Chairman Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL), have expressed support for imposing tighter restrictions on the Iranian regime.

The administration meanwhile has intensely lobbied against new sanctions, claiming they could hinder the negotiating strategy and lead the U.S. on a “march to war.”

The Senate is expected to vote this week.

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November 17, 2013

 Photo courtesy of the U.S. State Department. 

By Abraham Shanedling

Secretary of State John Kerry met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wednesday in Rome, seeking to assure Israel of the Obama administration’s resolve in negotiating with Iran.

However, as The New York Times reported, Kerry’s comments did little to persuade Netanyahu, who demanded that any deal with Iran must include a ban on uranium-enriching centrifuges and the dismantling of a plutonium heavy water plant in Arak.

“We will pursue a diplomatic initiative with eyes wide open,” Kerry told reporters, adding that Iran would be held to the same standards as other states if it was to prove its nuclear program is peaceful.

Netanyahu stressed to Kerry that Iran’s nuclear program poses an existential threat to Israel. “They should get rid of the amassed fissile material, and they shouldn’t have underground nuclear facilities,” Netanyahu told reporters.

The next round of nuclear negotiations between Iran and the P5+1 are scheduled for early next month in Geneva.

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October 24, 2013

A child at his bombed out family home in Syria. FreedomHouse. 

By Stephen Kozey

A year ago, President Obama said that if the Syrian government used chemical weapons against its own people, it would cross a “red line.” That red line has been crossed, with recent reports confirming the use of sarin nerve agent and estimating between 300 and 1,300 casualties, including women and children. The U.N. Security Council has responded to the situation by adopting Resolution 2118. This resolution strongly condemns the chemical attack and requires Syria to forfeit and destroy its chemical weapons stockpile, as well as its means of production and delivery of chemical weapons.

International law prohibits the use of chemical weapons, but doesn’t permit military intervention in another country on that basis alone. Military intervention in another country is justified only in the case of self defense or when there is a U.N. Security Council Resolution authorizing the intervention. The conflict in Syria, however, has remained an internal one and has not yet posed a substantial security threat to neighboring countries. Moreover, Russia and China have consistently vetoed any resolution even hinting at the possibility of intervention. It does not appear that the use of chemical weapons has caused these veto-wielders to change their view, so there is little chance of a legally justifiable intervention as things stand today.

But is the prohibition on the use of chemical weapons the only legal argument that the pro-intervention members of the U.N. Security Council (namely France, the United Kingdom, and the United States) can use to try to sway Russia and China? What about Responsibility to Protect (R2P) as adopted in the 2005 World Summit Outcome Document?

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October 16, 2013

© Dave_djtritium |Stock Free Images

By Kirsten Harmon*

After years of intensive negotiations, the U.N. General Assembly adopted the Arms Trade Treaty on April 2, 2013, by an overwhelming vote of 154 to 3 (with 23 States abstaining). Only Syria, Iran, and North Korea opposed.

This groundbreaking agreement is the first to establish binding common standards for the international transfer of all conventional arms.

It expressly prohibits Parties from authorizing international transfers of conventional arms that would violate measures adopted by the U.N. Security Council; contravene the Party’s obligations under other relevant international arms control agreements; or would be used to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, grave breaches of the Geneva Conventions of 1949, or other war crimes. Parties are also required to refrain from authorizing transfers that would undermine peace and security; commit or facilitate serious violations of international human rights or international humanitarian law, acts of terrorism, or organized crime.

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October 15, 2013

By Abraham Shanedling

As Iranian President Hassan Rouhani joins world leaders this week at the United Nations General Assembly, new discussion has surfaced over a possible deal to end financial sanctions on Iran in exchange for the regime curbing its nuclear enrichment program.

In an interview last week, reported in the New York Times, a prominent adviser to the Iranian leadership said the possible deal stemmed from a private letter sent three weeks ago from President Barack Obama to Rouhani, Iran’s new president. Although the text of the letter has remained private, the adviser said it promised relief from sanctions if Tehran demonstrated a willingness to “cooperate with the international community, keep your commitments and remove ambiguities.”

American official say that Obama has not promised any quick relief to Iran and has avoided any detailed proposals of a plan. However, this was the first time Obama has written directly to an Iranian president – and not Ayatolla Khamenei – suggesting, as some have argued, that the ayatollah has given Rouhani the authority to seek a deal with the West.

As a further sign of a possible thawing of relations between Iran and the West, the Daily Mail is reporting that Britain could be close to agreeing to a deal easing sanctions that have halted gas production from the North Sea’s Rhum field, jointly owned by BP and the National Iranian Oil Co. The gas field, which has been frozen as a result of U.S. and EU sanctions for the last three years, previously supplied five percent of Britain’s gas output.

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September 24, 2013

By Elizabeth Gibson

After half a century of isolation under military rule, there have, of course, been challenges in reopening Myanmar’s economy to foreign investment. The easing back of one of the United States’ most stringent sanctions regimes does not necessarily mean investment in Myanmar is going to be simple.

Reporting requirements for investors interested in Myanmar aside, one of the early challenges appears to be getting financial services in Myanmar. Despite the lifting of general sanctions and the elimination of sanctions against some key politicians, Myanmar’s banks are still on the Treasury Department’s blacklist. President Obama and the State Department announced this past May that some Myanmar sanctions would be lifted in recognition of the Myanmar government’s reform efforts, but that does not mean Myanmar, formerly Burma, is starting with a clean slate.

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December 01, 2012