United States

Hillary talks defence in Perth – Too close for China’s comfort?

US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is in Perth for a summit to deepen defence links between Australia and the United States. The annual summit is the first since President Barack Obama visited Australia a year ago and upset  China by announcing that up to 2500 US Marines would rotate through a joint military training hub in the northern …

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Inside Story Americas – David Petraeus – A US war hero?

A scandalous affair has brought down a man referred to by many as one of the greatest generals in US history. But how successful have David Petraeus’ strategies really been in Iraq and Afghanistan? Until a few years ago, few people had heard of Petraeus. But in Washington DC, he has been long revered. His counter-inserguency strategies in Iraq and …

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US and NZ defence get further into bed

Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant General Rhys Jones and US Pacific Commander, Admiral Samuel J. Locklear III have signed an open-dated logistics agreement which will provide significant benefits for both countries. The Treaty-level Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement (ACSA) will continue the interoperability, readiness, and effectiveness of NZ and US military forces through increased logistic cooperation. The agreement is designed …

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US Ambassador Mike Moore full of wind – tweet

US Ambassador Mike Moore posted on Twitter that Washington DC is now taking a battering. “The trees in Washington don’t like the wind … and it’s about Wellington windy right now,” he tweeted. The New Zealand Embassy in Washington has been closed and the country’s consulate in New York is also shut. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade says …

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Michael Fullilove’s verdict: Obama v Romney – Behind the rhetoric

President Barack Obama landed a lot of punches in his foreign policy debate with Mitt Romney in Boca Raton, Florida,” says Lowy Institute Executive Director Dr Michael Fullilove. “But President Obama’s truest line of the night was when he said to Governor Romney: ‘You say you would do the same things we did but you would just say them louder.’” …

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The audacity of reasonableness: Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, US foreign policy and Australia

Lowy Institute’s Dr Michael Fullilove  “At first glance, the differences between the two candidates for president of the United States in 2012, President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney, are striking. Each candidate is doing his best to emphasise these differences. Most commentators have drawn sharp distinctions between the two candidates on foreign policy. Global perceptions of the two men …

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Economic warfare over Huawei

The United States attack on Chinese telecommunications company Huawei shapes up like a declaration of economic warfare complete with buckets of political rhetoric and China bashing. Cynics might think a presidential election is looming. In just one month, the US has taken China to the World Trade Organisation claiming the Chinese subsidise their car industry and has blocked a Chinese …

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NZ PM off to woo Hollywood big boys

5:30 AM Wednesday Oct 3, 2012 It has all the trappings of a hit movie – “Johnnie goes to Hollywood” – in which the Kiwi hero tries to inject more lifeblood into the NZ economy while a Great German Hulk flails about claiming New Zealand is in danger because US moguls are conspiring to capture the hero in their net. No …

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