U.S.

15

Nov

Ansarullah, Houthis, JCPOA, Martin Love, U.S., Vienna Talks

A view from the peanut gallery in the U.S.

BY: Martin Love PEJOURNAL - Few outside Iran’s government probably know exactly what the country’s leaders are primed to focus on around the alleged upcoming resumption of the JCPOA negotiations in Vienna. But a couple smart commentators outside Iran in the Middle East have claimed this past week that Iran will focus almost exclusively on trying to get the U.S. sanctions lifted so that it can again resume exporting oil widely. At first glance this suggests that Iran is not going to renegotiate the JCPOA, and this may be concerning but it’s not – because the nuclear deal of 2015…

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17

Sep

Al-Aqsa, Arna Mer-Khamis, Covid 19, Deir Yassin, Empire, Gilboa Prison, IDF, Israel, Jerusalem, Kfar Tavor, Tel Aviv, U.S., West Bank, Zakaria Zubeidi, Zionist regime

As the U.S. “Empire” frays, there is Zubeidi and his colleagues

BY: Martin Love PEJOURNAL - It has been reported that Zakaria Zubeidi, one of the four of six escapees from maximum security Gilboa Prison in the West Bank who was recaptured by Zionist thugs, has been admitted to an ICU at an Israeli hospital after repeated rounds of torture that included breaking one of his legs and then hanging him upside down by his broken leg, among other atrocities. As for the two escapees who have not yet been recaptured, it has been suggested that one of them MAY have been able to cross into Lebanon, given some unconfirmed evidence…

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11

Jan

Capitol Hill, Capitol Hill Siege, Democracy, European Union, Josep Borrell, U.S.

U.S. Capitol siege a ‘wake-up call’ for democracies

PEJOURNAL - The European Union’s top diplomat said on Sunday that last week’s siege of the U.S. Capitol exposed the dangers of allowing the degradation of democratic values to go unchecked and disinformation to spread on social media. “What we saw on Wednesday was only the climax of very worrying developments happening globally in recent years. It must be a wake-up call for all democracy advocates,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a blog post. “Everybody needs to understand that if we accept setbacks after setbacks, even if they seem minor, democracy and its values and institutions can…

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20

Nov

China, Indo-Pacific, Influence, Powers of Persuasion, U.S.

Influence of U.S. Versus Chinese Powers of Persuasion in Indo-Pacific region

"China's Influence Is Economic, While America's Is Diplomacy and Defense” BY: RAND PEJOURNAL - U.S. policymakers and experts are focused on two central questions about long-term strategic competition between the United States and the People's Republic of China (PRC): How do we assess how well the United States is doing relative to China, and which country has more influence in the Indo-Pacific region? RAND Project AIR FORCE researchers addressed these two questions by first defining what influence means in the context of great-power competition and creating a framework to measure U.S. versus PRC influence. The result brings into focus a…

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25

Oct

climate, policy, U.S.

What’s going on with climate policy in the U.S. ?

BY: Michael Robbins So far in the presidential race the focus has been on mostly issues surrounding social justice, inequality, and revamping the middle class. Much less has been uttered in terms of climate change policy. There was a hint of this topic in the first presidential debate, but not nearly enough, where Biden stuttered and mentioned that skyscrapers should be more energy efficient. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to actually having a mitigation strategy. Policies are long and detailed. Rhetoric is short and appeals to emotion. It would be a good time though,…

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26

Sep

Iran, JCPOA, Mike Pompeo, SANCTIONS, U.S.

The Flawed U.S. Effort to Revive Iran Sanctions

BY: David J. Scheffer PEJOURNAL - The United States has announced the reimposition of international sanctions against Iran that had been lifted under the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA). But the parties to the deal, including China, France, Germany, Russia, and the United Kingdom, say the United States cannot unilaterally invoke “snapback” sanctions because it withdrew from the JCPOA in 2018. The Donald J. Trump administration says the move is essential to prevent Iran from developing nuclear arms, and an executive order issued on September 21 imposed new sanctions on over two dozen…

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15

Aug

arms embargo, Iran, U.S., UNSC

UNSC defeated a U.S. resolution to extend arms embargo on Iran

PEJOURNAL - The U.N. Security Council on Friday resoundingly defeated a U.S. resolution to indefinitely extend the U.N. arms embargo on Iran, with the Trump administration getting support from only the Dominican Republic. The vote in the 15-member council was two in favor, two against and 11 abstentions, leaving it far short of the minimum nine “yes” votes required for adoption. Russia and China strongly opposed the resolution, but didn’t need to use their vetoes. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the defeat of the resolution ahead of a very brief virtual council meeting to reveal the vote. The…

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05

Aug

China, trade deal, U.S.

China, U.S. to review trade deal, air other grievances on August 15: Reuters

PEJOURNAL - U.S. and Chinese officials will review the implementation of their Phase 1 trade deal and likely air mutual grievances in an increasingly tense relationship during an Aug. 15 videoconference, two people familiar with the plans said. U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Chinese Vice Premier Liu He, the principal negotiators for the two countries, will participate in the meeting, an initial six-month review of the pact activated on Feb. 15. The meeting plans were first reported by the Wall Street Journal. The U.S. Trade Representative’s office and the U.S. Treasury did not respond to requests for comment. Under…

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18

Jun

Iran, North Korea, South Korea, U.S.

Newsweek: First North Korea, Now Iran Warns South Korea Over Its Ties to U.S.

PEJOURNAL - Iran has followed North Korea in criticizing South Korea for putting U.S. interests first as the Islamic Republic attempts to free frozen financial assets abroad through legal action. Mahmoud Vaezi, chief of staff for Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, warned in a tweet Tuesday that "the government of South Korea should not sacrifice the Iranian nation's trust in that country's products and technology [gained] in recent decades as well as its long-term interests in the Iranian market for the US regime's demands and pressures." The message came days after the head of Tehran's joint Iran and South Korea commerce…

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16

Jun

China, Pompeo, Reuters, U.S.

Reuters: Pompeo to meet Chinese delegation in Hawaii this week

PEJOURNAL - U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo plans to meet a Chinese delegation at a U.S. military base in Hawaii this week to discuss bilateral ties that have soured deeply since the start of the year, sources familiar with the matter said. In addition to an intensifying strategic rivalry, the world’s top two economies have been at loggerheads in recent months over the handling of the coronavirus pandemic and China’s move to impose new security legislation on Hong Kong. Experts say relations have reached their lowest point in years, and in mid-May President Donald Trump even went so far…

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