Roiling in Troubled Waters

2019 ◽  
pp. 187-223
Author(s):  
Pang Yang Huei

After the Sino-US Ambassadorial Talks ceased in December 1957, further talks were suspended indefinitely. On 23 August 1958, the PRC again targeted artillery barrages on Quemoy and Matsu, igniting another confrontation. However, on 6 September, both Zhou and US Secretary of State John Foster Dulles publicly announced possible peaceful measures and this led to the convening of the Sino-US negotiations in Warsaw from 15 September onwards. In particular, this chapter reviews the positions of the ROC, US and PRC just prior to the outbreak of the crisis and critical developments. Next, it scrutinizes the reactions of China, the US and Taiwan to this crisis and the speed of its resolution. Finally, the rationalizations given by China and the US seeking to justify their actions to their domestic public and in the international arena are considered.

1976 ◽  
Vol 6 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 16-26
Author(s):  
George M. Houser

In the early 1950s when the American Committee on Africa was formed, American interest in and knowledge about Africa was something of a joke. There was a Tarzan mentality in the US about the continent. Few books about Africa were known even by the reading public. Gunther’s Inside Africa, when it came out in 1956, served as a reference book for years for those Americans who wanted to get a perspective on the continent. I remember listening to Chester Bowles, who served as under secretary of state briefly in the Kennedy administration, speak about his own attempt to find relevant material about Africa in a Connecticut town. He told about his visit to the town public library, where he culled through the card catalogue. To find books on the Congo he said he had to search under “B” for “Belgium.” In searching for material on Ghana (then the Gold Coast) or Nigeria, he had to look under “Great Britain.” He found books about Liberia and Ethiopia under “Miscellaneous.” Knowledge of Africa was minimal, and the continent was on the whole looked upon as an extension of Europe.


Author(s):  
A. Borisova

The last five years defined an alternative course in the US foreign policy. Obama's reelection caused staff transfers which notably influenced the course. This comprehensive process is based on tremendous work conducted by the Administration of Barak Obama, in particular by John Kerry, who was appointed as a Secretary of State in 2013. His personality plays a significant role in American domestic and foreign policy interrelation. Adoption or rejection of the bills, which are well-known today, depended in large on a range of circumstances, such as personality, life journey and political leader career of the today's Secretary of State. John Kerry’s professional life is mainly associated with domestic policy; nevertheless, he has always been interested in foreign relations and national security issues. Those concerns generally included: non-proliferation, US security, ecological problems, fight against terrorism. The article is intended to highlight Kerry’s efforts in each of these fields, showing not only his actions, but also difficult process of adoption or banning bills in the USA. The author tried to display the whole complicated decision-making process among different parties, businessmen and politicians, law and money clashes. The results of many former endeavors can be seen today, in the modern US policy. Based on assumptions about Secretary of State’s beliefs, certain road map can be predicted. In conclusion, the article offers several courses, where the United States are likely to be most active during the next few years. It can be judged exactly which way some current political issues will develop, how the US foreign policy will be shaped by today's decision-makers in the White House.


Author(s):  
Joseph Heller

This chapter debunks the myth that President Kennedy was the ‘father’ of the American alliance. Once he became predident he had to bow before the constraints of the state department, the Pentagon and the professional staff at the White House. he accepted the beliefs and assessments of Dean Rusk, the secretary of state and Robert McNamara, the secretary of defence. The US national archives show that American diplomats in the Middle East killed Kennedy’s idea of granting an American security guarantee to Israel. Any security they warned, would be followed by deeper Soviet involvement in the region. American commitment was limited to a presidential declaration of territorial integrity of al the regional states. Thus it was no surprise chief-of-staff Rabin failed to convince the US administration to provide a more cogent commitment to Israel.


Subject Outlook for US sanctions on Myanmar. Significance Following Myanmar's historic election that will end decades of military rule, the country's officials and business leaders are pressing for remaining US sanctions to be lifted. The issue arose during Senate confirmation hearings on December 1 for the US administration's nominee to be ambassador to Naypyidaw, Scot Marciel. On November 25 during a visit to Myanmar, Assistant Secretary of State Daniel Russel outlined pre-conditions for sanctions relief. Impacts Congressional support for the full lifting of US sanctions on Myanmar will be limited for now. Thus US citizens will continue facing restrictions on importing Myanmar-mined gems and trading with certain Myanmar banks. Lifting of US restrictions on Myanmar's jade exports will take time and demand environmental and rights improvements.


Significance The Kenyatta-Odinga meeting was related to a visit by US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. However, it appears to have been driven more by domestic politics and a desire to outflank any potential alliance between Deputy President William Ruto and Odinga’s NASA allies. NASA is fragmenting, bringing more fluidity to political alliances and underscoring the inherent uncertainty of electoral politics in Kenya. Impacts Effective pressure by Western envoys (especially the United States) improves the prospects for continued de-escalation. Tillerson’s early end to his unremarkable tour underscores a lack of interest in key African partners and will further dilute US influence. US calls for strong democratic institutions may ring hollow against African perceptions of the US president’s dismissal of these at home.


Significance The investigations relate to concerns that Trump abused his office by seeking to have a political rival, former Vice President Joe Biden, investigated by Ukraine, which Trump denies. It has brought into the spotlight the conduct of US policy towards Ukraine, and that has seen criticism of Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. It also comes as the Trump administration’s senior foreign policy team has seen personnel shifts. Impacts Pence will focus on foreign policy issues that resonate with evangelical voters, notably Israel and Middle Eastern Christians. Pence will also focus on promoting security and human rights abroad, leaving trade policy to Trump and trade officials. Pence will throw his support and influence behind getting the US-Mexico-Canada Agreement passed, and a US-China trade deal.


Worldview ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 5-6
Author(s):  
Harry G. Summers

As is perhaps fitting for a "capitalist" society, Americans tend to address national security issues in monetary terms. In the early 1950s, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles counseled that "the Soviet Communists are planning what they call 'an entire historical era,' and we should do the same. They seek, through many types of maneuvers, gradually to divide and weaken the free nations by overextending them in efforts which, as Lenin put it, are 'beyond their Strength, so that they come to practical bankruptcy.'"


2021 ◽  

In 2020, during his state visit to Latin America and the Caribbean, US secretary of state Mike Pompeo underlined the importance of keeping the People’s Republic of China out of the LAC region, which is (still) regarded as the US’s “strategic backyard”. Earlier already, US politicians had stressed the need for close cooperation between the US and the Organization of American States in countering the rise of autocratic regimes (and the expansion of Beijing’s sphere of influence) in Latin America. The essays compiled on this volume examine the PRC’s role on the ground in Latin America and the Caribbean by assessing the regional level as well as select bilateral relationships. With contributions by Mateo Arbeiter, Pamela Aróstica Fernández, Bruna Bosi Moreira, Benjamin Creutzfeldt, Jefferson dos Santos Estevo, Evan Ellis, Victor Jeifets, Víctor M. Mijares, Haibin Niu, Nele Noesselt, Detlef Nolte, Ana Soliz de Stange, Laís Forti Thomaz and Eduardo Velosa.


Author(s):  
James W. Pardew

Touch-and-go diplomacy by senior European officials fails to halt the momentum toward a civil war in Macedonia after Albanian insurgents use force to demand increased rights and power for their people. With limited capacity to deal with an insurgency, the Macedonians can have a war or a unified nation, not both. President Bush and Secretary of State Powell designate Pardew as the US envoy to work with EU envoy Francois Leotard of France to assist President Trajkovski in finding a peaceful solution to the looming war in Macedonia.


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