The Guardian:
Ineluctably, a worm is turning deep inside President Barack Obama's policy of constructive engagement. Mr Obama needs something, somewhere to go right. He has filled audiences in Berlin and Cairo with hope. He has deployed his rich family history to shine a beam on all manner of problems. But there comes a point where visio (Read More)
observer.guardian.co.uk:
Europe and Russia are embroiled in an escalating contest over Ukraine ‑ its direction, its stability, and its alliances. Diplomats, analysts, and EU officials are warning that the situation could worsen sharply within weeks, in an early test of Catherine Ashton's crisis management skills.The new EU foreign policy chief will (Read More)
The Guardian:
Pay no attention to the Eurosceptics. Cathy Ashton's posting as EU 'foreign secretary' is a major post-Lisbon developmentThe chorus of ill-informed and patronising calls of "Who?" that have greeted the appointments of the Belgian prime minister, Herman Van Rompuy, as the new long-term president (really chairman) of the Euro (Read More)
The Guardian:
British peer Cathy Ashton receives cautious welcome to EU role from international relations experts in China, Russia and IsraelProfessor Feng Zhongping, director of the Institute of European Relations at the Chinese Institutes of Contemporary International Relations"She is quite popular outside Europe because of her positio (Read More)
guardian.co.uk Politics:
British peer says she will show she is the best person for the job of European foreign minister over the next few months and yearsEurope's eight-year quest to establish a simpler and more democratic regime came to a dramatic climax last night when the Belgian prime minister, Herman Van Rompuy, and British peer Cathy Ashton (Read More)
guardian.co.uk Politics:
From Ukraine to the Caymans and China to Zimbabwe, UK envoys are joining the band of bloggersFor our man in Ukraine, it was an uncomfortable moment. Arriving back at the embassy in Kiev, Britain's ambassador, Leigh Turner, discovered a troupe of angry Ukrainian folk dancers. The dancers were protesting about the fact that t (Read More)
guardian.co.uk Politics:
In the space of a few minutes in Brussels , Cathy Ashton found herself catapulted into the international limelight as one of the world's most powerful women.It is a quite spectacular rise by any standards.Thirteen months ago she was a junior member of the British cabinet, the leader of the House of Lords, pushing through go (Read More)
guardian.co.uk Politics:
Europe's eight-year quest to establish a simpler and more democratic regime came to a dramatic climaxtonight when the Belgian prime minister, Herman Van Rompuy, and Britain's Cathy Ashton, were appointed as the two top officials embodying the new system.In a surprise move that saw Gordon Brown abandon his campaign to have (Read More)
The Guardian:
The main foreign policy job is titled high representative for foreign and security policy because, when negotiating the Lisbon treaty, Britain balked at calling it European foreign minister.The post, while formally the junior of the two, is potentially the more powerful. It comes with a large budget, a large machine, a more (Read More)
The Guardian:
What experts around the world think about Herman Van Rompuy, the centre-right Belgian prime minister, who is set to become the first president of the European CouncilProfessor Feng Zhongping, Director of the Institute of European Relations at the Chinese Institutes of Contemporary International Relations: "Belgium is a very (Read More)
The Guardian:
President's warning comes as Tehran rejects reprocessing dealBarack Obama has signalled a further escalation in the crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions by serving notice that punitive measures could be agreed "within weeks".Obama used a speech in South Korea's capital, Seoul, to warn that the lesson of dealing with neighbo (Read More)
The Guardian:
Separating Iran-US talks from the nuclear issue would drive engagement on other key topics such as Iraq or AfghanistanAs Iran continues to play hide and seek in its response to a nuclear deal supposedly agreed in Vienna, the International Atomic Energy Agency demands more clarity on Iran's nuclear plans. The IAEA said in it (Read More)
guardian.co.uk Politics:
Belgian PM Herman Van Rompuy tipped to be president of European councilIt has gone down in modern history as one of those famous quips never actually spoken – Henry Kissinger venting his exasperation with the arcane procedures of the European Union by asking: "Who do I call when I want to speak to Europe?"The conundrum pers (Read More)
The Guardian:
As Ayatollah Khamenei sidles up to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, he could learn from Turkey's leader about balancing his alliancesThe famous Chinese strategist, Sun Tzu, wrote in his book, The Art of War: "If an enemy has alliances, the problem is grave and the enemy's position strong; if he has no alliances, the problem is minor a (Read More)
guardian.co.uk Politics:
Tony Blair still in frame for president as EU leaders meet on Thursday to decide three key postsEU leaders are to hold a summit meeting on Thursday to decide on the three posts up for grabs after the Lisbon treaty was ratified by all member states – the president of the European council, the EU's high representative for for (Read More)