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The Global Citizen: President Obama
President Obama spoke this morning at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. to observe a Day of Remembrance for the victims of the Holocaust and announce the launch of a new Atrocities Prevention Board. Obama was introduced by author and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel. Both speakers gave moving testimony on the horrors of the Holocaust and how we can achieve the promise to "never again" allow such atrocities to occur.
Obama spoke to the need to more formally intervene to prevent mass atrocities and genocide, saying "national sovereignty is never a license to slaughter your own people." He said that "never again is a challenge to us all," adding that "remembrance without action changes nothing."
Tomorrow may be Valentine's Day, but for those of us who care about international affairs funding (or federal funding of any kind, for that matter), today was a day which has long been almost as breathlessly anticipated: the release of the President's annual budget request for the upcoming Fiscal Year 2013. (I know, not as delightful as Valentine's Day, but still important.)
President Obama stressed that his overall budget aims to balance many different priorities, such as spurring job growth while reigning in the deficit. But stepping away from that bigger picture, what does the President's budget request mean for funding for international affairs in the next year?
Monday night President Obama participated in the first Presidential virtual interview ever! This Google+ Hangout event was part of the White House's continued public outreach following the State of the Union Address last Tuesday. Since the president's address last week, the White House has been requesting that people send in questions via all forms of social media, and has been holding Twitter interviews with many of the senior administration officials. This Hangout was the culmination of that week, and it turned out to be a great moment for foreign policy!
Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Susan Collins (R-ME) are circulating a "Dear Colleague" letter in the Senate, asking their fellow Senators to sign on in support of genocide and atrocity prevention.
The letter, which will be sent to President Obama once it has been circulated to other Senators for their sign-on, commends the Obama Administration's recently issued Presidential Study Directive (PSD) 10, which created an Atrocities Prevention Board and stated that preventing genocide and mass atrocities is in America's national interest. The letter urges the Administration to develop the necessary tools to successfully avert mass atrocities and prevent the conditions that can lead to violence against innocent civilians.
Last Friday, President Obama announced that the U.S. will send a small deployment of troops to several countries in Central Africa to help combat the Lord's Resistance Army. Approximately 100 American soldiers will likely be sent to Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in support of a regional effort to counteract the notorious LRA.
President Obama took to the podium today at the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), and spoke to that body-and the world--about the progress that's been made since last year's UNGA and the multitude of challenges that lie ahead. This was a speech more focused on lofty goals than concrete proposals or policy commitments, but nevertheless it was powerful and touched on many key issues at the heart of Citizens for Global Solutions' mission.
The key theme of Obama's speech? "Peace is hard." But it's also worth the effort.
On the eve of President Obama's address to the United Nations General Assembly, Citizens for Global Solutions calls on the President to use the opportunity to emphasize the need for continued U.S. leadership and support of the United Nations.
Isolationist attacks are fanning the flames of anti-U.N. rhetoric, both inside Washington and around the country. These attacks range from decreasing U.N. funding to abolishing the institution altogether.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) is the latest member of Congress to viciously attack the U.N. with the introduction of an extreme and misguided bill that would slash U.N. funding if her outrageous demands aren't met.
The President's address to the General Assembly is the most appropriate time to remind the American people and peoples of the world that international cooperation is essential to tackle problems that know no borders to build a safer, more secure world.
President Obama took his boldest step yet in addressing the violent crackdown in Syria today, calling on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave office.
"The future of Syria must be determined by its people, but President Bashar al-Assad is standing in their way. His calls for dialogue and reform have rung hollow while he is imprisoning, torturing, and slaughtering his own people. We have consistently said that President Assad must lead a democratic transition or get out of the way. He has not led. For the sake of the Syrian people, the time has come for President Assad to step aside," Obama said in a statement released this morning.
The situation in Libya is looking grim and stagnant as opposition forces remain unable to make any real progress in the war against Moammar Gaddafi's government. The UN's recent call for a cease-fire has had little impact, and conditions for many Libyan civilians remain harsh. The UN has had some success in gaining access to civilians in need of humanitarian assistance in major Libyan cities such as the rebel stronghold Benghazi, Misrata, and even Gadaffi-controlled Tripoli.
In a strong partisan vote, the House today voted for Rep. Paul Ryan's proposed FY2012 budget (H.Con.Res 34). The vote was 235-193 with every Democrat voting against the budget and 4 Republicans joining them. It is not expected to pass through the Democrat controlled Senate. H.Con.Res 34 aimed to cut $6 trillion over 10 years, while cutting the International Affairs budget by 43% in 2012. Cutting what is about 1% of the total budget is not the place to go to reduce government spending.
In a speech on Thursday at the George Washington University, President Obama rejected Rep. Ryan's plan saying, "We will all need to make sacrifices, but we do not have to sacrifice the America we believe in, and, as long as I'm president, we won't." Ranking member Rep. Van Hollen, of the House Budget Committee, also stated that, "We think the Republican budget is the wrong choice for America..."
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