Briefing Skipper: India, Gaza, Iran, Rwanda
In which we scour the transcript of the State Department’s daily presser so you don’t have to. These are the highlights of Thursday’s briefing by spokesman P.J. Crowley: The U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue is over and President Obama announced he will travel to India in early November. If you want to read the joint statement, find ...
In which we scour the transcript of the State Department’s daily presser so you don’t have to. These are the highlights of Thursday’s briefing by spokesman P.J. Crowley:
- The U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue is over and President Obama announced he will travel to India in early November. If you want to read the joint statement, find it here.
- Crowley confirms that confirm that a U.S.-Turkish dual national named Furkan Dogan was among those killed in the raid on the Free Gaza flotilla. U.S. consular officers met with his father in Turkey. No confirmation that he was shot four times in the head. "We have made no decisions at this point on specific actions the United States Government will take," he said, reiterating that Israel would be trusted to conduct the investigation. Dogan was born in New York and was 19 years old.
- The U.S. had talked seriously with the Israelis about this particular flotilla before the raid. "I think we understood that there was a greater potential for a confrontation," Crowley said, "We urged caution and restraint. And in fact, in previous episodes, that’s precisely what Israel has done." The State department is in contact with several government trying to avoid a repeat with the next flotilla that is headed toward Gaza now. As for the future of the blockade, "We don’t think it’s in Israel’s long-term security interest to maintain the status quo," Crowley said. No evidence that the proximity talks are being affected, yet.
- The State Department is "concerned about reports of fraud and interference" in the recent Egyptian elections, including the one candidate who got shot in the leg. "We expect the Egyptian Government to take action to remedy any problems along with providing measures to ensure parliamentary elections next fall are free from similar problems," Crowley said.
- Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke with Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov Thursday about the UN resolution on Iran sanctions and Undersecretary Bill Burns had a conference call with all the P5+1 political directors on the same time. The goal still to pass the thing by June 21, the end of Spring, Crowley said. Robert Gibbs predicted a vote could come next week.
- State is pressing the Rwandan government to release lawyer Peter Erlinder on "compassionate grounds," Crowley said. He was arrested May 27 after he arrived in Rwanda to represent Rwanda’s opposition leader, Victoire Ingabire. No comment on reports he tried to commit suicide.
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.
