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Andrew Tully

Also by Andrew Tully

June 30, 2009
Belarus Pardons Jailed American Lawyer

In another sign of thawing relations with the West, Belarusian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka has pardoned a Russian-born American lawyer who has spent almost a year in prison on espionage charges.
June 26, 2009
Obama, Merkel Condemn Iran Crackdown

At a White House meeting, Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Barack Obama said they speak with "one voice" toward Iran and will not let the world turn a blind eye to the crackdown on protesters.
June 25, 2009
Senior Turkmen Visit Highlights U.S. Dilemma

Turkmenistan is, for all practical purposes, a closed country, and Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov rules it with an authoritative hand. But the Obama administration has noted the importance of being pragmatic at a time when his country is struggling in a deep recession and has limited sources of energy.
June 03, 2009
U.S. Reaches Out To Cuba, Sending Message To All Latin America

For much of the 20th century, the U.S. policy on Latin America was to resist communism there by supporting any national leadership that wasn't communist, even some rightist regimes. But following the recent resumption of talks with Cuba and overtures to El Salvador's new leftist president, some observers say these small actions could possibly lead to a broader U.S. engagement with the rest of the Americas.
May 27, 2009
Analysts See Politics In Obama's Nomination Of Hispanic Woman To Court

President Barack Obama has nominated federal Judge Sonia Sotomayor to fill a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court. Sotomayor is the daughter of immigrants from Puerto Rico and is the first Hispanic to be nominated to the nine-member tribunal. Some observers see her nomination as a political move, because it would give the court a representative of the United States' fastest-growing minority group and could have an impact on future elections.
May 22, 2009
Former U.S. Vice President Defends Bush Terror Policies

Former U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney has given his most vigorous defense yet of the antiterrorism policies of the administration of former President George W. Bush. Cheney stood up for the use of what he called "enhanced interrogation techniques" applied to suspected terrorists, including waterboarding -- simulated drowning -- which many critics call torture. And he said future historians will regard the Bush administration favorably because of its response to 9/11.
May 21, 2009
Report Gives Obama A Potential Out On Missile Shield

A group of U.S. and Russian experts has issued a report that says Iran is years away from being able to deliver a nuclear warhead to Europe, much less develop a nuclear warhead, and that the missile shield to be set up in Poland and the Czech Republic wouldn't be a credible deterrent once that capability is reached.
May 18, 2009
Obama, Netanyahu Meet Amid U.S.-Israeli Differences

Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met for more than two hours with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on May 18 to discuss the Middle East peace process and Iran's nuclear program.
May 18, 2009
Iran May Prove Divisive Issue As Obama, Netanyahu Meet

When Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu meets with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House, there will be public handshakes and smiles. But in private, the two leaders will have to face their differences on how to achieve peace in the Middle East.
May 15, 2009
House Speaker Pelosi Says CIA Misled Congress

Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, has charged that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) deliberately misled her and other members of Congress about the use of so-called "enhanced interrogation techniques," which many consider to be torture.
May 14, 2009
Hearings Begin On Bush-Era Interrogation Policies

A U.S. Senate panel has heard testimony about policies under former President George W. Bush that permitted harsh interrogation techniques, including waterboarding. Members of President Barack Obama's Democratic Party said this and future hearings are aimed at exploring the efficacy of such methods and whether using them was a mistake.
May 13, 2009
U.S. Envoy Urges Congress To Boost Aid To Pakistan

At issue during the May 12 hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee was proposed legislation that Holbrooke supports to give Pakistan $7.5 billion over the next four years to fight extremists, particularly Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants hiding in lawless northwestern Pakistan.
May 08, 2009
Russia's Lavrov In Washington Looks To 'Reset' Ties

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov arrived in Washington for meetings with U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in what both sides have described as an effort to "reset" relations that declined under the previous administration.
May 06, 2009
U.S. Presses Israel To Back Two-State Solution

Israeli President Shimon Perez met with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington as a prelude to a visit from the Jewish state's new, hard-line prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu. The Obama administration is moving ahead with the "two-state solution" to the Israel-Palestinian conflict, a goal that hasn't been embraced by Netanyahu, at least publicly. Instead, he has shifted his focus from the Palestinians to Iran and stopping its suspected nuclear-weapons program.
May 05, 2009
Obama Announces New Plan To Close U.S. Tax Shelters

Two of the most important problems facing the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama during the current worldwide recession is putting more Americans back to work and reducing the country's huge deficit. Obama has announced a program that he says will address both by eliminating the tax shelters for companies that outsource jobs to other countries and giving tax incentives to those who create jobs in the United States.
April 22, 2009
Waiting For A Breakthrough

Speculation has been rife that Turkey may be close to reopening its border with Armenia and restoring the diplomatic ties it broke over the Armenia-Azerbaijan war. But Ankara's desire to include progress over Nagorno-Karabakh could signal a more go-slow approach.
April 21, 2009
Obama Seeks To Soothe Feelings At CIA

Last week, U.S. President Barack Obama approved the release of legal government memos written during George W. Bush’s presidency that approved the use of interrogation techniques by the CIA that many consider a form of torture, including waterboarding. The release of those secret memos was opposed by some CIA employees, who felt it was a betrayal of their efforts to protect their country. Obama went to CIA headquarters outside of Washington to reassure them that the White House supports their mission.
March 26, 2009
Obama, NATO Chief Agree Ties With Russia Must Improve

U.S. President Barack Obama discussed relations with Russia and other issues with NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer in a 45-minute meeting at the White House.
March 24, 2009
U.S. Market Responds Well To Obama's Toxic-Debt Plan

Six weeks ago, U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner raised expectations that the Obama administration was ready to take quick action to restore health to the country's banking system. Geithner had scheduled what was promoted as an important statement on the economy. But the resulting speech, lacking specifics, dashed expectations. Geithner has finally announced a concrete plan. The new program has its critics, but it also has supporters, including the U.S. stock market.
March 18, 2009
How France Might Change NATO

As NATO prepares to mark its 60th anniversary next month, France's defense minister, Herve Morin, has made what some observers might regard as some counterintuitive suggestions: Consult Russia before any further expansion of the alliance, and abandon any idea that NATO's role could become global, rather than Eurocentric. Is this the right vision for a military alliance that was created to confront the once-growing sphere of the Soviet Union? Or is it a capitulation to Moscow? RFE/RL discussed France's vision of NATO's future with two veteran observers of international security affairs.

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