Secretary Kerry Visits Ny-Alesund, Norway — Northernmost Civilian Settlement in the World

June 17, 2016 By domani spero in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, John F. Kerry, Photo of the Day, Secretary of State, State Department, U.S. Missions Tags: Arctic, Blomstrand Glacier, Borge Brende, Climate change, global warming, Norway, Ny-Alesund, Secretary Kerry's Travels, Secretary of State Travels

Posted: 1:34 am ET
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Secretary Kerry is traveling to the Dominican Republic, Norway, Denmark & Greenland from June 13-17, 2016. On July 16, he was on the research vessel “Teisten,” with Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, on the Kongsfjorden in Ny-Alesund, Norway, the northernmost civilian settlement in the world.

[O]ne of the greatest challenges of our times besides the fight against extremism is to deal with the enormous battle of climate change. That’s why I’m going to Greenland tomorrow, because if we were to lose the ice sheet of Greenland, we would see a sea level rise of some 22 feet over the course of this century. Everybody knows that what is happening now is a – is a huge transformation in weather patterns, in the melt of glaciers – which I saw in Svalbard today, and I will see again tomorrow – and we have to make smarter decisions about the kind of energy that we’re going to provide ourselves with. (Via)

The research vessel “Teisten,” carrying U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, floats on the Kongsfjorden in Ny-Alesund, Norway, the northernmost civilian settlement in the world, as the two leaders inspect the Blomstrand Glacier to see the effects of global warming on the Arctic environment on June 16, 2016. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

A glacier appears outside the window of a transport plane on June 16, 2016, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry flies from the Svalbard Airport in Svalbard, Norway, to an Arctic research station in Ny-Alesund, Norway, and tour the nearby Blomstrand Glacier. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Two reindeer graze against a glacial backdrop on June 16, 2016, as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende visit an Arctic research station in Ny-Alesund, Norway, the northernmost civilian settlement in the world, and before tour the nearby Blomstrand Glacier. [State Department photo/ Public Domain]

Congressional Research Service Reports (CRS) and Briefs – Published July 2014

August 5, 2014 By domani spero in Congress, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Assistance, Foreign Policy, Govt Documents Tags: AF |Africa, Afghanistan, Arctic, Arms Control, China, Congress, Congressional Research Service, Congressional Research Service reports, CRS, CRS Report, Economy, elections, Foreign relations of the United States, Gaza, Immigration, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Libya, Mexico, Missile Attack, Palestinians, Russia, Syria, Technology, Ukraine

— Domani Spero
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In FY2012, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) had an appropriation of $106.79 million available for expenditure. U.S. taxpayers fund the CRS, a “think tank” that provides reports and briefs to members of Congress on a variety of topics. However,there is no easily accessible depository for all these reports and U.S. citizens who want them have to request the reports from their member of congress.

On its annual report for FY2012, CRS indicated that it prepared 534 new reports, and 2,702 report updates. Some CRS reports are available through the Federation of American Scientists, the University of North Texas, and Open CRS. Also check out CRS on Open Congress; it includes links on the discussion of direct public access of these CRS reports. The reports made publicly available through the State Department are available below. We will routinely republish them here. Note that some documents are web-accessible but most are in pdf formats.

Subject	CRS Reports – July 2014
Afghanistan	-07/28/14 Afghanistan: Politics, Elections, and Government Performance [674 Kb] -07/11/14 Afghanistan: Post-Taliban Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy [1068 Kb]
Africa	-07/24/14 African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA): Background and Reauthorization [444 Kb] -07/23/14 U.S. – Africa Leaders Summit: Frequently Asked Questions and Background [571 Kb]
Arctic	-07/02/14 Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress [1469 Kb]
China	-07/29/14 U.S. – China Military Contacts: Issues for Congress [846 Kb] -07/15/14 China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities – Background and Issues for Congress [4546 Kb] -07/10/14 China – U.S. Trade Issues [581 Kb] – 07/09/14 China’s Economic Rise: History, Trends, Challenges, and Implications for the United States [644 Kb]
Gaza/Palestinians	-07/03/14 U.S. Foreign Aid to the Palestinians [451 Kb] -07/18/14 Israel and Hamas: Another Round of Conflict – CRS Insights [288 Kb]
Israel	-07/22/14 Israel: Background and U.S. Relations [1264 Kb] -07/18/14 Israel and Hamas: Another Round of Conflict – CRS Insights [288 Kb]
Iran	-07/25/14 Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses [827 Kb]
Iraq	-07/24/14 Conflict in Syria and Iraq: Implications for Religious Minorities – CRS Insights [62 Kb] -07/15/14 The Kurds and Possible Iraqi Kurdish Independence – CRS Insights [170 Kb] -07/15/14 Use of Force Considerations in Iraq – CRS Insights [59 Kb] -07/03/14 Iraq Crisis and U.S. Policy [762 Kb] -07/02/14 Iraq: Politics, Governance, and Human Rights [495 Kb]
Libya	-07/28/14 Responding to Libya’s Political and Security Crises: Policy Choices for the United States – CRS Insights [62 Kb]
Mexico	-07/01/14 U.S.-Mexico Economic Relations: Trends, Issues, and Implications [498 Kb]
Russia	07/29/14 U.S. – Russia Economic Relations – CRS Insights [125 Kb] -07/28/14 Russia Sanctions: Options – CRS Insights [60 Kb] -07/18/14 U.S. Sanctions on Russia in Response to Events in Ukraine – CRS Insights [60 Kb]
Syria	-07/24/14 Conflict in Syria and Iraq: Implications for Religious Minorities – CRS Insights [62 Kb]
Ukraine	-07/18/14 U.S. Sanctions on Russia in Response to Events in Ukraine – CRS Insights [60 Kb] -07/08/14 Ukraine: Current Issues and U.S. Policy [367 Kb]
Arms Control	-07/21/14 Arms Control and Nonproliferation: A Catalog of Treaties and Agreements [661 Kb]
Economy	-07/25/14 Stealing Trade Secrets and Economic Espionage: An Abridged Overview of 18 U.S.C. 1831 and 1832 [231 Kb] -07/17/14 International Monetary Fund: Background and Issues for Congress [523 Kb] -07/01/14 Monetary Policy and the Federal Reserve: Current Policy and Conditions [339 Kb]
Elections	-07/24/14 The 2014 European Parliament Elections: Outcomes and Implications – CRS Insights [62 Kb] -07/14/14 Membership of the 113th Congress: A Profile [286 Kb] -07/01/14 The Voting Rights Act of 1965: Background and Overview [398 Kb]
Immigration	-07/28/14 Unaccompanied Alien Children: An Overview [338 Kb] -07/18/14 Unaccompanied Alien Children – Legal Issues: Answers to Frequently Asked Questions [407 Kb] -07/16/14 Unaccompanied Alien Children: A Processing Flow Chart – CRS Insights [207 Kb] -07/03/14 Unaccompanied Alien Children: Potential Factors Contributing to Recent Immigration [501 Kb]
Missile Attack	-07/28/14 Possible Missile Attack on Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 – CRS Insights [61 Kb] -07/28/14 Protecting Civilian Flights from Missiles – CRS Insights [61 Kb]
Technology	-07/23/14 Deploying 5G (Fifth Generation) Wireless Technology: Is the United States on Track? [58 Kb] -07/02/14 Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate [332 Kb]

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Arctic Ambassador Position Announced, Move-In Ready Office Available – Hurry Before It Melts!

February 18, 2014 By domani spero in Congress, Foreign Affairs, John F. Kerry, Secretary of State, Special Envoys and Reps, Staffing the FS, State Department Tags: Arctic, Arctic Council, Arctic Region, Lisa Murkowski, Mark Begich, Nunavut, US Mission Canada

— Domani Spero

On Friday, Secretary Kerry announced the creation of a Special Representative for the Arctic Region to help advance American interests in the Arctic:

The Arctic region is the last global frontier and a region with enormous and growing geostrategic, economic, climate, environment, and national security implications for the United States and the world.

Today I informed my two former Senate colleagues that here at the State Department we will soon have a Special Representative for the Arctic Region, a high-level official of stature who will play a critical role in advancing American interests in the Arctic Region, particularly as we prepare efforts for the United States to Chair the Arctic Council in 2015. President Obama and I are committed to elevating our attention and effort to keep up with the opportunities and consequences presented by the Arctic’s rapid transformation—a very rare convergence of almost every national priority in the most rapidly-changing region on the face of the earth.

The great challenges of the Arctic matter enormously to the United States, and they hit especially close to home for Alaska, which is why it is no wonder that Senator Begich’s very first piece of legislation aimed to create an Arctic Ambassador, or why as Foreign Relations Committee Chairman I enjoyed a close partnership with Senator Murkowski on a treaty vital to energy and maritime interests important to Alaska. Going forward, I look forward to continuing to work closely with Alaska’s Congressional delegation to strengthen America’s engagement in Arctic issues.

Apparently, Alaska’s senators — Begich, and Murkowski — have been pressing for an ambassador to the Arctic.

“The bottom line is that the changes we see in the Arctic warrant a higher level of involvement from the U.S. and this position will allow us to better exercise leadership and vision in Arctic policy moving forward,” Senator Begich said in a statement.

The title is ready, just need to know the name of the appointee. Oh, and see the move-in ready office below. Best hurry before it melts.

Igloo in Alert, Nunavut Photo via US Embassy Canada

Igloo in Alert, Nunavut
Alert is the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world.
Photo via US Embassy Canada

Arctic Council Member States are Canada, Denmark (including Greenland and the Faroe Islands), Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russian Federation, Sweden, and the United States of America. Chairmanship of the Arctic Council rotates every two years between the eight member states. Indigenous peoples also have permanent representation on the Council. In May 2013, Canada assumed assumed the two-year chairmanship. The US last held the chairmanship in 1998-2000 and is scheduled to lead the council again in 2015-2017.

The State Department has yet to announce who will be appointed to this new post. The Special Representative position does not require Senate confirmation, so he/she will not be waiting for confirmation for a year. There is also no danger of Senators asking questions like, “Have you been to the Arctic?” or “Do you speak any of the Arctic region’s 40 indigenous languages?”

So hurry, apply now.

* * *

U.S. to appoint special envoy to represent Arctic (thestar.com)
State Department plans Arctic representative (usatoday.com)
US to name special envoy for Arctic (vancouverdesi.com)
At Begich’s request, Obama administration creating an envoy-to-the-Arctic position (hotair.com)
U.S. creates Arctic ‘special representative’ position (cbc.ca)

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