The Week of November 11th, 2013
US Marines in the Phillipines after Typhoon Haiyan on November 12, 2013. Public domian photo by Lance Cpl. Caleb Hoover.
Care
5. US Ends Contracts with Russian Firm
The War in Afghanistan made odd alliances. As the US begins to drawdown their presence in the area, some of these friendships are being called in question. Last week, the US military ended its trade deals with Rosoboronexport, the Russian state agency in charge of selling weaponry abroad. Throughout the conflict in Afghanistan, the Pentagon contracted this firm to supply Mi-17 helicopters to the fledgling Afghan Air Force, due to the speed with which they could be procured. From the start, this partnership was heavily criticized from all sides, and the firm’s consistent delivery of military goods to the Assad regime in Syria did little to alleviate the concerns. Heavily associated with Russian foreign policy, the firm was sanctioned by the US from 2006 to 2010 after allegedly aiding Iran’s nuclear program. Even during this period, however, the US purchased commercial helicopters from subsidiaries of Rosoboronexport, and then outfitted them for military use in the UAE. Once the sanctions ended in 2010 due to Russia’s support of talks with Iran, arms purchases increased without the need for opaqueness.
With the broad surreptitiousness of these arms deals, it was never quite clear why the US military worked with Rosoboronexport so frequently. Some believe that the trade gave us better access to Putin and his inner circle, while others felt that the firm’s foreign nature enabled us to sell weapons we could distance ourselves from after the fact. Regardless of the reason for this deal, the cessation of this relationship gives many hope for an end to a sordid chapter of the partnership between the US and the foremost arms dealer in Russia.
4. Instability Continues in Libya
Last Sunday, in eastern Libya, a group called the Libyan Oil and Gas Corp formed and claimed that it would begin selling crude oil from several ports that it had seized. The group advocates the autonomy of eastern Libya in opposition to the current unitary state. Using control of oil assets to achieve their political ambitions is not out of place in today's Libya. The central government of Libya in Tripoli has been struggling to secure control of the country's oil industry in the face of militias and other civil unrest. The instability of the oil supply is part of a larger lack of government control in Libya. Even Prime Minister Ali Zeidan was, for a short time, kidnapped last month by rebels. In this specific instance, Zeidan had issued an ultimatum against those occupying oil facilities to leave in a week or face resistance. While the threat was vague, the declaration of a new company will likely force the government to act.
Two years after its civil war, Libya is still a country forging its future. While the US fears terrorist groups setting up base, other parts of the country see it as an opportunity to build power that was inaccessible during the Gaddafi years. The oil rich eastern half of the country, which includes Benghazi, has many advocates for a federal system. Libya had a federal system until 1963, which included an eastern province, a northwestern province, and a southwestern province. Gaddafi traditionally favored the northwest, which includes the capital Tripoli, and alienated many eastern residents. The east proved the birthplace of the 2011 rebellion and now operates under a weak national government; some see an opportunity to re-implement the federal system.
3. Obamacare Woes Over Websites
The federal government revealed this week that only about 27,000 people were able to fully sign up for the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, online through its federal website. This is small compared to the number of people who were able to register through state websites, which was around 79,000, and even smaller in comparison to the millions expected to take advantage of the new law. This comes after a month or so of mounting complaints about user difficulties with the website and the frequency with which it has crashed. Such issues have fueled criticism of the law from both Republicans and Democrats. Looking beyond the expected Republican complaints, there has been a new level of dissent among Democrats spurred by the inadequate roll-out of President Obama’s signature legislation.
Many specific complaints have been raised regarding the expiration of health plans that do not satisfy the requirements laid out by Obamacare. Despite Obama’s consistently repeated promise that Americans could keep their current plans if they liked them, many insurance companies have issued notices to their customers indicating that they will have to switch plans or lose coverage altogether. Many Democrats in Congress, along with Republicans, are working to ameliorate the problem. Obama has enacted a “tech surge” and suggested an amendment that would delay certain regulations for a year. It remains to be seen what will become of the Affordable Care Act, but the debacle of the rollout could seriously hurt the prospects of the Democrats in 2014 midterms.
2. Iranian Nuclear Talks Hit Snag
The latest round of nuclear talks between the P5+1 members of the Security Council (US, UK, China, Russia, France, and Germany) and Iran collapsed this week for a myriad of reasons. In a press conference on Monday, US Secretary of State John Kerry stated that all parties had agreed on a deal with the exception of Iran. However, Iranian foreign minister Mohammad Zarif responded to Kerry’s claim in a tweet asking, “Mr. Secretary, was it Iran that gutted over half of U.S. draft Thursday night? And publicly commented against it Friday morning?” This seems to be a direct reference to the actions of the French foreign minister Laurent Fabius, who expressed concerns about the heavy water plant at Arak. A source in the Russian Foreign Ministry has also stated that Iran did not cause the failure of the talks.
France’s stated reason for speaking against the US resolution on the table was that it did not force Iran to suspend work on a reactor at Arak, which may soon have the ability to make bomb-grade fuel. However, since none of the other countries in the talks objected, France’s actions have been seen by some to have intentionally sabotaged the deal. Furthermore, they have been accused of grandstanding by their critics. Their objection is grounded in a legitimate concern, but it could also simply be a reflection of the fact that France has little international political capital to gain by strengthening ties with Iran, and more to gain from taking a hard stance against them. Their position has been supported by some who viewed the prospective deal with Iran as too soft. Israel was strongly against the deal, which would leave Iran with the potential for significant nuclear capabilities. Senator John McCain and other Republicans also criticized the seemingly weak demands on the Iranians the talks. Both Iran and the US have expressed a willingness to continue with negotiations in the future.
1. Typhoon Haiyan Wrecks Havoc
International news this week was dominated by Typhoon Haiyan, which ripped through the Philippines beginning on November 7, and is now one of the strongest typhoons on record. Reports of the dead stand at around 4,000, but officials from various government and international agencies have been revising the death toll upwards consistently over the past week. The Philippines is prone to natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, and volcanoes, but this storm was extraordinary in its power. Whether that power was in part due to global warming will certainly become part of the debate about climate change. But first, the country must recover from the storm.
The Filipino government has been paralyzed, making relief operations inefficient even when possible. However, international assistance is arriving in a powerful way from the US especially. The US has sent the aircraft carrier USS George Washington and her escort to aid in the relief effort of her former colonial possession. Marines and helicopters from the fleet are expected to help the logistics of the relief effort. The UK is also sending an aircraft carrier along with other vessels.
The US is not just doing this mission out of ethical obligation, it stands to gain by showing it can be a relief force for countries in times of need. With the “pivot to Asia” still in force, America can gain allies by showing how it can benefit countries in the region. Another issue is that China, the US's main rival in the region, has been purposefully meek in its response to the disaster. The country has donated slightly more than $1 million, in part due to its dispute with the Philippines over islands in the South China Sea. In this instance, it looks like for the US doing the moral thing will also help strategic goals.
Don’t Care
0. Putin Gets Another Blackbelt
This week Russian President Vladimir Putin was awarded a ninth-degree black belt in taekwondo. His ninth-degree belt actually puts him at one rank above Chuck Norris. While this may seem like an impressive achievement, it turns out only to be an honorary award. Putin received the award from the World Taekwondo Foundation for his efforts to increase athleticism in Russia. This black belt is Putin’s second one; he has an actual black belt in judo as well.
While something like this would seem a bit absurd for a United States president, this award is perfect for President Putin. Some of his most recognizable pictures are of him doing things like horseback riding, fishing, or other outdoor activities, usually shirtless. Whether this is a broad cultural difference between Russia and the United States or just a personal quirk of President Putin is hard to say. Nonetheless, Putin probably believes this image of masculinity helps secure his image as a strong Russian leader. Either way, these press releases do not have a real impact on his job as president of Russia. Similarly, the honorary black belt is a nice little award that is ultimately insignificant.