THE AMERICAS :

Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jun 11, by Brad Knickerbocker
Obama details plan to withdraw US troops from Afghanistan
'President Obama announced that the US troop withdrawal from Afghanistan will begin with 10,000 troops this year, plus another 23,000 by the end of next summer. Gains have been made against the Taliban, he said, but the fight against al Qaeda will continue wherever necessary.'

Washington Post, 22 Jun 11, by Scott Wilson
Obama’s Afghan pullout plan faces criticism
'President Obama charted a middle course Wednesday for ending the U.S. military involvement in Afghanistan, outlining a departure plan that will remove troops faster than his commanders had requested but more slowly than many of his political allies would like.'

Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jun 11, by Anna Mulrine
Who will carry out Obama's Afghanistan exit plan? Three new guys.
'After President Obama outlines his strategy Wednesday for winding down the 10-year war in Afghanistan – including the rate of US troop withdrawals – it will be the duty of three men, all new in their roles, to get it done.'

New York Times, 07 Jun 11, by Helene Cooper
Obama and Merkel Tell Qaddafi to Go
'Promising an increase in the punishing NATO effort against the Libyan leader’s regime until he is removed from office, Mr. Obama said that Colonel Qaddafi’s four-decade-long rule is coming to an end.'

Washington Post, 07 Jun 11, by Scott Wilson and Howard Schneider
U.S., Germany look for middle ground
'President Obama and Chancellor Angela Merkel put disagreements aside and commit to Libya and the global economy.'

Christian Science Monitor, 21 May 11, by Howard LaFranchi
Obama's Middle East goal: Tie US policy closer to American values
'Obama's insistence that US policy in the Middle East support, rather than thwart, popular yearnings for self-rule is a warning to autocrats in the region – and marks an 'update' since his Cairo speech.'

New York Times, 22 May 11, by Helene Cooper
Obama Presses Israel to Make ‘Hard Choices’
'President Obama struck back at Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel in a speech to a pro-Israel lobbying group on Sunday, defending his stance that talks over a Palestinian state should be focused on Israel’s pre-1967 borders, along with negotiated land swaps, and challenging Israel to “make the hard choices” necessary to bring about a stable peace.'

New York Times, 25 Apr 11, by David E. Sanger
U.S. Faces a Challenge in Trying to Punish Syria
'... officials acknowledged that the country was already under so many sanctions that the United States held little leverage.'

Christian Science Monitor, 04 Apr 11, by Nissa Rhee
US officials weigh how to fight terrorism in a post-Saleh Yemen
'Reports that US support for Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh is waning raises the question of whether a new leader would continue helping the US fight the local Al Qaeda franchise.'

New York Times, 31 Mar 11, by Elisabeth Bumiller and Thom Shanker
House Panel Presses Gates on Libya Campaign
'Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, faced tough questions on Thursday from members of Congress who are angry about the administration’s push into Libya and deeply skeptical about President Obama’s plans to end the conflict.'

New York Times, 29 Mar 11, by Mark Landler, Elisabeth Bumiller and Steven Lee Myers
Washington in Fierce Debate on Arming Libyan Rebels
'The Obama administration is engaged in a fierce debate over whether to supply weapons to the rebels in Libya, senior officials said on Tuesday, with some fearful that providing arms would deepen American involvement in a civil war and that some fighters may have links to Al Qaeda.'

New York Times, 10 Mar 11, by David E. Sanger
U.S. Escalates Pressure on Libya Amid Mixed Signals
'The White House announced a five-point program on Thursday of steps to isolate Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi and ultimately drive him from power, all stopping well short of military action ...'

New York Times, 06 Mar 11, by Thom Shanker
U.S. Weighs Options, on Air and Sea
'American military planners are sifting through a range of options as the United States, like other Western nations, weighs the response to the bloody Libyan military assaults on rebels trying to oust Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.'

Washington Post, 08 Mar 11, by Peter Finn and Anne E. Kornblut
Obama creates indefinite detention system for prisoners at Guantanamo Bay
'President Obama signed an executive order Monday that will create a formal system of indefinite detention for those held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, who continue to pose a significant threat to national security. The administration also said it will start new military commission trials for detainees there.'

Christian Science Monitor, 08 Mar 11, by Tim Rogers
Nicaragua, Costa Rica both see victory in Hague's ruling on border standoff
'The International Court of Justice today ordered Costa Rica and Nicaragua to withdraw all troops, police, and security personnel from a contested border region.'

Washington Post/AP, 23 Feb 11
US considering sanctions against Libya
'The White House stopped short of directly criticizing the unpredictable Gadhafi and did not call for his ouster. As it did with Egypt, the U.S. is walking a fine line given the uncertainty ahead in Libya ...'

New York Times, 16 Feb 11, by Mark Landler
Secret Report Ordered by Obama Identified Potential Uprisings
'President Obama ordered his advisers last August to produce a secret report on unrest in the Arab world, which concluded that without sweeping political changes, countries from Bahrain to Yemen were ripe for popular revolt, administration officials said Wednesday.'

New York Times, 18 Feb 11, by Michael Slackman And Mark Landler
Bahrain Turmoil Poses Fresh Test for White House
'As the army patrolled with tanks on Thursday and heavily armed soldiers, once-peaceful protesters were transformed into a mob of angry mourners chanting slogans like “death to Khalifa,” the king, while the opposition withdrew from the Parliament and demanded that the government step down.'

New York Times, 18 Feb 11, by David E. Sanger
U.S. Tries to Head Off Vote Against Israeli Settlements
'The administration wants to delay or offer a compromise over an imminent vote in the Security Council that would declare Israel’s settlement construction in the West Bank illegal.'

New York Times, 11 Feb 11, by David E. Sanger
President Obama Praises Egyptian People and Army
'President Obama offered Egypt “whatever assistance is necessary” to pursue a “credible transition to a democracy,” on Friday, while offering effusive praise for the Egyptian protesters who forced the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak after nearly 30 years in power.'

New York Times, 03 Feb 11, by Helene Cooper and Mark Landler
White House, Egypt Discuss Plan for Mubarak’s Exit
'The Obama administration is discussing with Egyptian officials a proposal for President Hosni Mubarak to resign immediately and turn over power to a transitional government headed by Vice President Omar Suleiman with the support of the Egyptian military, administration officials and Arab diplomats said Thursday.'

New York Times, 02 Feb 11, by Helene Cooper, Mark Landler and Mark Mazzetti
Sudden Split Recasts U.S. Foreign Policy
'After days of delicate public and private diplomacy, the United States openly broke with its most stalwart ally in the Arab world on Wednesday, as the Obama administration strongly condemned violence by allies of President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt against protesters and called on him to speed up his exit from power.'

Washington Post, 01 Feb 11, by Karen DeYoung
On Mubarak, U.S. charts a delicate course
'The Obama administration, after initially underestimating the force and determination of anti-government demonstrations in Egypt, appeared Monday to have settled on a public and private course of action that officials hope will lead to President Hosni Mubarak's departure from office sooner rather than later.'

New York Times, 30 Jan 11, by Helene Cooper and Scott Shane
U.S. Scrambles to Size Up ElBaradei
'... as Egypt’s powerful Muslim Brotherhood and the secular opposition on the streets of Cairo have increasingly coalesced around Mr. ElBaradei to negotiate on their behalf, the Obama administration is scrambling to figure out whether he is someone with whom the United States can deal.'

Washington Post, 31 Jan 11, by Paul Kane and Felicia Sonmez
Congressional leaders back 'one voice' approach to Egypt
'Congress has taken an unusually bipartisan approach toward the mounting crisis in Egypt, with House and Senate leaders standing behind the Obama administration's message that Egyptians should make an "orderly transition" to avoid a violent conclusion to the week-long standoff.'

Washington Post, 17 Jan 11, by William Booth
Duvalier's return adds to Haiti's political turmoil
'... ordinary Haitians seethe and international diplomats fear Haiti might spin into another round of chaos and violence.'

See Americas archive for past stories.