Briefing Skipper: Russia, Afghanistan, Guinea, Iran
In which we scour the transcript of the State Department’s daily presser so you don’t have to. Here are the highlights of today’s briefing by Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on her way back to Washington after meeting today with Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiyev. Her travels didn’t ...
In which we scour the transcript of the State Department's daily presser so you don't have to. Here are the highlights of today's briefing by Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley:
In which we scour the transcript of the State Department’s daily presser so you don’t have to. Here are the highlights of today’s briefing by Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs P.J. Crowley:
- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is on her way back to Washington after meeting today with Tatarstan President Mintimer Shaimiyev. Her travels didn’t stop her from calling in to today’s Afghanistan strategy session. (The decision on what to do there is "coming in weeks.") Crowley said the State Department is "concerned" about reported irregularities in the Russian municipal elections, which resulted in the Russian opposition walking out of parliament today.
- A decision on the troubled Afghan presidential election is expected by the end of the week, Crowley said, and until then the U.S. is taking a wait-and-see approach. "Whoever emerges as the victor will have to, obviously, attack the issue of corruption," said Crowley, adding, "What is important here is that that government has to be seen as legitimate."
- The State Department is not happy about the huge oil deal China snagged with the government of Guinea, which killed hundreds of protesters just last month. "The current junta led by Captain Dabiss Camara should step aside, should open the door for legitimate elections, so that a legitimate government, duly elected by the people of Guinea, can emerge," Crowley said.
- No word on who will represent the U.S. government at the next meeting with Iran, which will take place on Oct. 19 in Vienna. There should be another meeting by the end of the month, after the international inspectors check out the Qom facility on Oct. 25.
- And the U.S. is disappointed that the U.N. Security Council is discussing the Goldstone Report and the Palestinian leadership is now actively encouraging that discussion. "We, unfortunately, think that the steps that are being taken today and later this week mitigate against the kind of deliberative process that we think is appropriate," Crowley said.
Josh Rogin covers national security and foreign policy and writes the daily Web column The Cable. His column appears bi-weekly in the print edition of The Washington Post. He can be reached for comments or tips at josh.rogin@foreignpolicy.com.
Previously, Josh covered defense and foreign policy as a staff writer for Congressional Quarterly, writing extensively on Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantánamo Bay, U.S.-Asia relations, defense budgeting and appropriations, and the defense lobbying and contracting industries. Prior to that, he covered military modernization, cyber warfare, space, and missile defense for Federal Computer Week Magazine. He has also served as Pentagon Staff Reporter for the Asahi Shimbun, Japan's leading daily newspaper, in its Washington, D.C., bureau, where he reported on U.S.-Japan relations, Chinese military modernization, the North Korean nuclear crisis, and more.
A graduate of George Washington University's Elliott School of International Affairs, Josh lived in Yokohama, Japan, and studied at Tokyo's Sophia University. He speaks conversational Japanese and has reported from the region. He has also worked at the House International Relations Committee, the Embassy of Japan, and the Brookings Institution.
Josh's reporting has been featured on CNN, MSNBC, C-Span, CBS, ABC, NPR, WTOP, and several other outlets. He was a 2008-2009 National Press Foundation's Paul Miller Washington Reporting Fellow, 2009 military reporting fellow with the Knight Center for Specialized Journalism and the 2011 recipient of the InterAction Award for Excellence in International Reporting. He hails from Philadelphia and lives in Washington, D.C. Twitter: @joshrogin
More from Foreign Policy
Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?
The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.
Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World
It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.
It’s a New Great Game. Again.
Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.
Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing
The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.
Sign up for World Brief
FP’s flagship evening newsletter guiding you through the most important world stories of the day. Delivered weekdays.
By submitting your email, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use and to receive email correspondence from us. You may opt out at any time.
