Foreign Policy's intrepid reporter Josh Rogin first posted last night on a White House memo in which President Obama exempted four governments from a 2008 bill that bars US military cooperation with countries that recruit child soldiers.
Samantha Power says Obama is receiving daily briefs about the situation in the run-up to the South Sudanese independence vote. Further, the newly appointed deputy National Security Advisor is hosting at least three Sudan - focused meetings a week.
As usual, the sideshows like Mahmoud Ahmadenijad's 9-11 Trutherism sucked up much of the mainstream media attention around UN week. But beyond the sideshows, last week brought some very real, substantive accomplishments that could potentially transform the lives of millions of people around the world. Here are three of them:
The Obama administration took the opportunity of the President's speech to the MDG Summit to roll out elements of its new Global Development Strategy. This includes one seemingly minor bit of bureaucratic reshuffling that could have a major impact on US foreign policy.
I sat down with Dr. Esther Brimmer Assistant Secretary of State for International Organizations Affairs. I met Dr. Brimmer at the Waldorf Astoria-- Foggy Bottom's Manhattan headquarters for the week.
President Obama will be in New York for three days, starting Wednesday. Where he will be going, who he will be meeting, and one big event that is surprisingly off his schedule.
Hundreds of world leaders make their annual pilgrimage to New York for the opening session of the United Nations General Assembly. This is what is on their agenda.
President Obama's official agenda for the UN Summit will be released sometime on Friday. On Wednesday, at an address at Johns Hopkins School, Assistant Secretary of State for International Organization Affairs Esther Brimmer gave a thematic overview of the issues and messages that the United States will be pushing next week.
