Briefing Skipper: North Korea, Iraq, Yemen, Jamaica
In which we scour the transcript of the State Department’s daily presser so you don’t have to. These are the highlights of Tuesday’s briefing by spokesman P.J. Crowley: The U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing is over, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was not able to announce any consensus on the way forward ...
In which we scour the transcript of the State Department's daily presser so you don't have to. These are the highlights of Tuesday's briefing by spokesman P.J. Crowley:
In which we scour the transcript of the State Department’s daily presser so you don’t have to. These are the highlights of Tuesday’s briefing by spokesman P.J. Crowley:
- The U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue in Beijing is over, and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was not able to announce any consensus on the way forward in dealing the North Korea’s sinking of the South Korean ship, the Cheonan. "During the course of the S&ED as we call it, the secretary announced expanded exchanges, increased cooperation on energy and education; on energy, looking for ways to continue to diversify global energy supplies," Crowley said. On North Korea, the best he could do was to say, "We will closely cooperate in the coming days and weeks."
- Crowley said the Pentagon could take some measures, such as increased maneuvers and training with the South Korean army. Clinton said the United States could consider strengthening its security posture there. But putting North Korea back on the state sponsors of terrorism list is not happening anytime soon. "Let’s not get ahead of the process here," Crowley said. Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao will visit Seoul on Friday.
- Deputy Secretary Jim Steinberg and Assistant Secretary Jeff Feltman had another follow-on meeting today with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri Tuesday. Hariri also met with lawmakers, who apparently did not press him on the issue of Syrian arms transfers to Hezbollah.
- Deputy Secretary Jack Lew is still in Nigeria. Undersecretary Bill Burns is still in Afghanistan. USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah is on the way to Bangladesh, where he will speak at the Food Security Investment Forum, part of Shah’s Feed the Future initiative.
- Regarding Iraq, Crowley talked about the Washington Post article in which Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki resisted Feltman’s idea that there should be a Plan B for the formation of an Iraqi government. "We want to see, on behalf of the Iraqi people, the emergence of an effective government, an inclusive government that reflects the will of the Iraqi people," Crowley said. "Clearly, you had a very close election, and there are two major blocs, and these blocs have to work together and see how to form a credible government that will work on behalf of all of the Iraqi people."
- The two U.S. citizens who were kidnapped in Yemen have been released, Crowley said.
- The U.S. Embassy in Kingston, Jamaica, is closed, as the violence surrounding the U.S. request to extradite drug kingpin Christopher Coke continues. Crowley said, "We made an extradition request several months ago. There was a deliberation within the Jamaican government, and most recently they decided to take this action."
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
Saudi-Iranian Détente Is a Wake-Up Call for America
The peace plan is a big deal—and it’s no accident that China brokered it.
The U.S.-Israel Relationship No Longer Makes Sense
If Israel and its supporters want the country to continue receiving U.S. largesse, they will need to come up with a new narrative.
Putin Is Trapped in the Sunk-Cost Fallacy of War
Moscow is grasping for meaning in a meaningless invasion.
How China’s Saudi-Iran Deal Can Serve U.S. Interests
And why there’s less to Beijing’s diplomatic breakthrough than meets the eye.
Sign up for Morning Brief
Foreign Policy’s flagship daily newsletter with what’s coming up around the world today. 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.
