2 - White House News in Chinese (weebly.com)
Robert Stephen Ford (born 1958) is a retired American diplomat who served as the United States Ambassador to Algeria from 2006 to 2008 and the United States Ambassador to Syria from 2010 to 2014.
Syria
In 2010, U. S. President Barack Obama nominated Ford as the first U.S. Ambassador to Syria in five years (pending U.S. Senate approval).[6] In December 2010, after the U.S. Senate had failed to act on the nomination, Obama used a recess appointment to secure Ford the position.[7] The Senate then confirmed Ford by unanimous consent on October 3, 2011.[8][9] As a result, Ford no longer was serving under a recess appointment and therefore could have held the position until Obama's term ended in January 2017.
On October 24, 2011, Ford was recalled from Syria; the U.S. State Department cited "credible threats" to his safety.[10] Ford had attracted the ire of pro-Assad Syrians due to his strong support of the Syrian uprising. According to American officials, Ford had been attacked by an armed pro-government mob, and Syrian state television had begun running reports blaming him for the formation of death squads similar to those in Iraq. This led to fears that supporters of the Syrian government might try to kill him.[11]
In August 2013, it was reported by The New York Times that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had recommended that Ford serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, following the incumbent ambassador, Anne W. Patterson, being nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs – the head of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs within the U.S. Department of State, which oversees the Middle East.[12] On February 4, 2014, officials of the U.S. State Department said that Ford was retiring[13] and on February 28 announced his departure.[14] The U.S. States Department announced the appointment of Daniel Rubinstein as U.S. special envoy for Syria on March 14.[15] In December 2018, Ford declared his support for President Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, describing it as "essentially correct."[16]
Actions in Syria
He visited Hama, where he was cheered by protesters.[17] He met with Hassan Abdul-Azim, and was attacked with eggs and tomatoes by government supporters.[18][19]
Syria
In 2010, U. S. President Barack Obama nominated Ford as the first U.S. Ambassador to Syria in five years (pending U.S. Senate approval).[6] In December 2010, after the U.S. Senate had failed to act on the nomination, Obama used a recess appointment to secure Ford the position.[7] The Senate then confirmed Ford by unanimous consent on October 3, 2011.[8][9] As a result, Ford no longer was serving under a recess appointment and therefore could have held the position until Obama's term ended in January 2017.
On October 24, 2011, Ford was recalled from Syria; the U.S. State Department cited "credible threats" to his safety.[10] Ford had attracted the ire of pro-Assad Syrians due to his strong support of the Syrian uprising. According to American officials, Ford had been attacked by an armed pro-government mob, and Syrian state television had begun running reports blaming him for the formation of death squads similar to those in Iraq. This led to fears that supporters of the Syrian government might try to kill him.[11]
In August 2013, it was reported by The New York Times that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had recommended that Ford serve as the next U.S. Ambassador to Egypt, following the incumbent ambassador, Anne W. Patterson, being nominated to serve as the Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs – the head of the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs within the U.S. Department of State, which oversees the Middle East.[12] On February 4, 2014, officials of the U.S. State Department said that Ford was retiring[13] and on February 28 announced his departure.[14] The U.S. States Department announced the appointment of Daniel Rubinstein as U.S. special envoy for Syria on March 14.[15] In December 2018, Ford declared his support for President Trump's decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, describing it as "essentially correct."[16]
Actions in Syria
He visited Hama, where he was cheered by protesters.[17] He met with Hassan Abdul-Azim, and was attacked with eggs and tomatoes by government supporters.[18][19]
President Joe Biden said of China's President Xi Jinping: 'he doesn't have a democratic, small-D, bone in his body'
President Joe Biden says Xi Jinping doesn’t have a democratic ‘bone in his body’ – and asserts the U.S. can avoid a 'conflict' with China and that he won't 'do it the way Trump did'
Feb. 8 - President Joe Biden signaled he is looking to reset U.S.-China policy from the Trump administration, saying the two nations can avoid a conflict, even as he claimed Chinese President Xi Jinping is lacking a democratic ‘bone in his body.’
Biden said he didn't mean the line as criticism – but he leveled as his administration began to press China on Hong Kong, its handling of Tibet, and its treatment of Uighurs on its western frontier.
Biden acknowledged in an interview with CBS that Xi, who consolidated power in 2018 when the National People's Congress removed term limits and effectively made him president 'for life,' is no democrat.
But he sought to hold out at least the potential that the U.S. and China could get on a more cooperative footing, even as the two nations clash on trade and China’s ambitions as a rival global power. continue to read
President Joe Biden says Xi Jinping doesn’t have a democratic ‘bone in his body’ – and asserts the U.S. can avoid a 'conflict' with China and that he won't 'do it the way Trump did'
Feb. 8 - President Joe Biden signaled he is looking to reset U.S.-China policy from the Trump administration, saying the two nations can avoid a conflict, even as he claimed Chinese President Xi Jinping is lacking a democratic ‘bone in his body.’
Biden said he didn't mean the line as criticism – but he leveled as his administration began to press China on Hong Kong, its handling of Tibet, and its treatment of Uighurs on its western frontier.
Biden acknowledged in an interview with CBS that Xi, who consolidated power in 2018 when the National People's Congress removed term limits and effectively made him president 'for life,' is no democrat.
But he sought to hold out at least the potential that the U.S. and China could get on a more cooperative footing, even as the two nations clash on trade and China’s ambitions as a rival global power. continue to read
US sanctions on Myanmar would play into China’s hands
Feb. 8 - Directly or indirectly, the military has always called the shots in Myanmar. And now that it has removed the decade-old facade of gradual democratisation by detaining civilian leaders and seizing power, Western calls to punish the country with sanctions and international isolation are growing louder. Heeding them would be a mistake.
The retreat of the ‘Myanmar spring’ means all the countries of continental Southeast Asia—Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar—are under authoritarian rule, like their giant northern neighbour, China. More fundamentally, the reversal of democratisation in Myanmar is a reminder that democracy is unlikely to take root where authoritarian leaders and institutions remain deeply entrenched.
Given this, a punitive approach would merely express democratic countries’ disappointment, at the cost of stymying Myanmar’s economic liberalisation, impeding the development of its civil society, and reversing its shift towards closer engagement with democratic powers. And, as in the past, the brunt of sanctions would be borne by ordinary citizens, not the generals.
This is a realistic scenario. US President Joe Biden has warned that the military’s action ‘will necessitate an immediate review of our sanctions laws’, followed by ‘appropriate action’. But Biden would do well to consider how US-led sanctions in the past pushed Myanmar into China’s strategic lap, exacerbating regional security challenges. continue to read
Feb. 8 - Directly or indirectly, the military has always called the shots in Myanmar. And now that it has removed the decade-old facade of gradual democratisation by detaining civilian leaders and seizing power, Western calls to punish the country with sanctions and international isolation are growing louder. Heeding them would be a mistake.
The retreat of the ‘Myanmar spring’ means all the countries of continental Southeast Asia—Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam and Myanmar—are under authoritarian rule, like their giant northern neighbour, China. More fundamentally, the reversal of democratisation in Myanmar is a reminder that democracy is unlikely to take root where authoritarian leaders and institutions remain deeply entrenched.
Given this, a punitive approach would merely express democratic countries’ disappointment, at the cost of stymying Myanmar’s economic liberalisation, impeding the development of its civil society, and reversing its shift towards closer engagement with democratic powers. And, as in the past, the brunt of sanctions would be borne by ordinary citizens, not the generals.
This is a realistic scenario. US President Joe Biden has warned that the military’s action ‘will necessitate an immediate review of our sanctions laws’, followed by ‘appropriate action’. But Biden would do well to consider how US-led sanctions in the past pushed Myanmar into China’s strategic lap, exacerbating regional security challenges. continue to read
拜登首场外交政策演说 中国是“对手”也要合作 20210205 |
《今日关注》 CCTV中文国际
Feb 6, 2021
《今日关注》 CCTV中文国际
Feb 6, 2021
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