By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is meeting with Syrian opposition leaders and Russia's top diplomat a day after saying the U.S. could soon step up aid to rebels fighting Syrian President Bashar Assad's regime.
Russian President Vladimir Putin is so confused by President Obama's muddled policy toward Syria that he sought advice from a political opponent who served as Moscow's ambassador in Washington 20 years ago. Vladimir Lukin, now Russia's human rights commissioner, told an audience in Moscow on Tuesday that Mr. Putin approached him last week.
The Obama administration's "reset" of its relationship with Russia has largely failed, and in his second term, the president must press Moscow harder on human rights, which are under threat from President Vladimir Putin, Russian opposition leaders and Kremlin critics say.
China’s military fears a major cyberattack against its strategic forces, and communist leaders also worry about cyberstrikes against infrastructure, according to Michael Pillsbury, a former Reagan administration defense-planning chief.
As Secretary of State John F. Kerry met in Berlin with his Russian counterpart, American and European officials said Tuesday that the Obama administration is close to deciding whether to provide direct assistance to rebel forces in Syria.
The first meeting between John F. Kerry as the new secretary of state and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov could be dominated this week by the emotional issue of Americans adopting Russian children, after an explosive exchange between Russian lawmakers and the U.S. ambassador in Moscow.
One of the more delicate moments of Secretary of State John F. Kerry's diplomatic tour of Europe and the Middle East this week is likely to occur when he sits down Tuesday with longtime Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
Russia's foreign ministry said the international community must ramp up its efforts and stop the tide of violence from rising in Mali.
Secretary of State John F. Kerry will embark on his first overseas journey as America's top diplomat next week, a whirlwind tour of nine nations in 11 days with a heavy focus on how to end nearly two years of bloodshed and civil war gripping Syria.
Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. plans to discuss arms control with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this month in Munich ("Biden to use Obama's postelection 'flexibility' on weapons with Russia," Web, Thursday). The postelection nuclear-disarmament flexibility promised by President Obama to Russia in an open-microphone gaffe in 2012 may now be realized. The way he would accomplish that is through a discussion with Russia. At the same time, Mr. Obama appears to be ignoring the nuclear buildup of communist China and North Korea, and radical Iran.
The Syrian government bombed areas around Damascus on Monday as part of its push to keep rebel fighters out of the capital, leaving many children among the dozens killed, anti-regime activists said.
Russia's foreign minister said Saturday that Syrian President Bashar Assad has no intention of stepping down and it would be impossible to try to persuade him otherwise.
Syrian rebels stepped up their siege of a military base in north of the country Friday as government warplanes bombed surrounding areas to support the defenders, activists said.
Russia's foreign minister says Moscow has proposed talks with the main Syrian opposition coalition, despite Russia's previous criticism of Western countries for recognizing the group.
Russia's parliament on Wednesday gave overwhelming preliminary approval to a measure banning Americans from adopting Russian children, a harsh retaliatory move against U.S. human rights legislation.
"We believe these are double standards," Mr. Lavrov told reporters after holding talks with China's foreign minister, according to a report by Reuters.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the Kremlin and the League were trying to establish direct contact between the Syrian regime and the opposition.
