Potential Senate Campaign for Giffords

Arizona Representative Gabrielle Giffords, (D) is steadily recovering from a gunshot wound to the head that she sustained during an attack at a political event earlier this year. Despite the intense injury, there are rumblings that Giffords may run as a prime Senatorial candidate in an effort to replace Republican Senator Jon Kyl, who is vacating his seat next year.

According to a New York Times article, Giffords' aides and supporters are currently focused on her health rather than politics, as she is still in the hospital. Giffords' husband, astronaut Mark Kelley, is highly optimistic about her recovery, claiming that "she is improving everyday" in terms of memory, walking, and talking. Giffords was among those wounded during her "Congress on Your Corner" event on January 8th, when a gunman opened fire, leaving 6 people dead and 19 injured.

Giffords had expressed interest in running for the Senate before the January shooting, and politically speaking, as a third term representative, she has a strong chance at winning a nomination. Other Democratic hopefuls have expressed support of Giffords recovery and her possible candidacy: one stated that any Democrat running against her "would be doomed." Another hopeful and friend of Giffords, Fred DuVal, has said he will run only if Giffords opts out. However, pending recovery, even a popular Blue Dog Democrat like Giffords still faces fierce competition in a state as red as Arizona.

Libyan Loyalists Face Military Opposition by West

In a self-proclaimed effort to protect Libyan citizens from Colonel Qaddafi's forces, both American and European forces launched airstrikes on Saturday March, 19th, across the country's key cities. The military intervention was passed by the UN Security Council in favor of a no-fly zone on Thursday night, with varying degrees of support.

On Friday the 18th, President Obama issued a strong statement to Col. Quaddafi, calling for an immediate cease-fire, saying his demands were not negotiable, and claiming that military intervention by the United States would be a consequence of any continuing violence. The New York Times reports that the President said he was forced to act because Qaddafi has shown "no mercy to his own citizens." While Qaddafi paid lip service to the warning, stating he would pull back, the attacks on rebel forces continued in Benghazi, and other key areas. As a result, France, Britain, and the United States unleashed warplanes and missiles on Saturday afternoon.

President Obama portrayed the US in a supporting role, saying that Britain, France and Arab nations would take the lead, and that NATO could offer more leverage over as days go on. Indeed, as of this morning, NATO is meeting in Brussels to try to negotiate how the organization can undergird the no-fly zone.

The UN-backed vote passed 10-0, however, both Russia and China abstained from voting, and each country has expressed strong disapproval of military action. According to the Washington Post, Russian Prime Minster, Vladmir Putin, likened the assault to "medieval calls for crusades." Germany also abstained from voting, while Spain, Norway, and Denmark supported the no-fly zone resolution. Even Italy, who has strong ties to its former African colony due to oil, has sent military forces to Libya. Some Arab League leaders expressed support, while other were reluctant due to the potential for civilian deaths that airstrikes often pose.

Obama has pledged that this action will not involve ground troops, and this intervention is largely being carried out with Navy and Air force soldiers, due to the larger Army presence in Iraq and Afghanistan. The US Secretary of Defense, Robert Gates, issued a statement that the current military operation is not focused on Qaddafi himself, but on the protection of Libyan civilians and rebels, as not to violate UN-approved mandate.

To read more, visit these sites:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/20/world/africa/20libya.html?scp=2&sq=libya&st=cse

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/us-jets-strike-gaddafis-forces-coalition-continues-hitting-libyan-air-defenses/2011/03/20/ABgFNa3_story_1.html

Tea Party Prominence Threatens Conservative Candidates

Tea Partyers have rallied throughout Utah since the 2009 Taxpayer March on Washington. Add in the fact that Mormons tend to be politically conservative, and one can see why the Beehive state has been rendered a cozy haven Tea Party idealists. Three key politicians, Utah Senator Orrin Hatch (R), former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney (R), and former governor of Utah, Jon M. Huntsman Jr. (R), are Mormon. The latter two are also GOP presidential candidate hopefuls, while Hatch is carefully courting conservative voters in an effort to win his seventh sojourn in Washington.

Why is Hatch so attentive to his potential supporters? It turns out that Utah's Mormon Tea Party members are looking for more conservatism in their candidates. According to the New York Times, David Kirkman, a business man who founded one of Utah's first Tea Party groups, the Tea Party "opposes all three" candidates due to their individual actions.

Romney has been criticized because of his support of state healthcare legislation in Massachusetts, which makes healthcare compulsory in the Baystate, and was passed during his tenure as governor. Many Tea Partyers see Massachusetts healthcare laws as a model for the the Obama-proposed plan, which they interpret and ideologically oppose, as a big government stronghold. Huntsman, who announced his resignation of ambassadorship to China in January, had taken a fairly moderate position on key social issues and "supported carbon emissions cap-and trade legislation to reduce heat-trapping gases." Those bipartisan stances are deal breakers for Tea Party voters.

And only last year, veteran Utah GOP Senator Robert Bennett lost what would have been his 4th term to the Tea Party candidate, Mike Lee. Hatch faces a battle for his re-election for the same ideological reasons that thwarted Bennett. Therefore, he's taking a pro-active stance by seeking out prominent tea party members in the community, and taking a hard line anti-Washington stance. In addition, he's against same-sex marriage, the national healthcare reforms, and gives no leeway to unions.

Only time will tell if Hatch's strategy will secure his long-running political career as a Utah Senator, and, if Romney and Huntsman can make headway among such staunchly conservative citizens.

To read more, visit:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/in-utah-sen-hatch-courts-tea-partyers-one-by-one-in-quest-for-survival/2011/03/01/ABieqTP_story.html

Wisconsin Cuts Bargaining for Public Workers

Three weeks of Senate stalemate in Wisconsin may have come to an end, after Republican senators voted to pass a controversial bill late last night. The bill, proposed by new Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, is supposed to address current budget issues by limiting public employee benefits, and collective bargaining rights, more specifically. While large anti-bill demonstrations have been a staple outside the state Capital building in Madison over the last month, now groups are protesting the voting measures in addition to the bill itself.

On Wednesday, March 10th, 19 Republican senators strategically trimmed the bill of fiscal policy measures that would render the 20-senator quorum necessary. The senators voted 18 to 1 to pass the bill, without any debate and without a single Democratic counterpart present. The 14 Democratic senators had fled to Illinois in hopes of blocking a vote by absence, and their plan proved unsuccessful. The passage of the bill and the tactics taken to vote on it may threaten the job security for the Republican senators and the governor himself, as recall petitions are being passed around by citizens.

According to The Washington Post, Gov. Walker applauded the Republican strategy, stating it allows leaders to "stand up to the status quo and take a step in the right direction to balance the budget and reform government." The bill that passed targets Unions by limiting bargaining to issues of wags and raises only, unless the public concedes in a referendum. In addition, it does not allow compulsory union dues form members, or let dues be taken from a worker's paycheck. Workers would also have to pay for more of their healthcare.

Walker cited the current economy as impetus for the bill, which was proposed as a fiscal initiative, but voted through without those measures. Walker states that the bill will help create jobs by freeing up money to fill gaps in the current budget, and keeping taxes from rising in his biennial budget proposal. A Rasmussen poll last week, however, reported that 57 percent of likely voters in the state disapprove Walker's sojourn in office so far.

To read more, visit the New York Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/10/us/10wisconsin.html?pagewanted=2&hp&adxnnlx=1299765656-KoE6D5AyjZ%20BWim4IfIOBQ

International Responses: Conflict of Resolutions in Libya

Libya appears to be in the throes of a full-on civil war, with violence escalating throughout the country. Indeed, loyalists are reportedly sniping from rooftops, storming houses, and carrying out airstrikes. Bombing by pro-Qaddafi forces began on Monday, March 7th, targeting the western city of Zawiyah. Loyalists are also closing in on Ras Lanuf, the location of a sizable oil refinery, yet, the opposition appears to be holding Benghazi and Zawiyah, despite heavy air raids.

Bodies line the streets in Zawiyah, which has been under heavy shelling for five days. Numbers of injuries and casualities remain undetermined, but it can be assumed that the total is steadily rising in Tripoli, Misurata, and other cities. According to Al Jazeera sources, some estimates range into the thousands. Numbers of refugees fleeing Libya are said to be around 215,000, and according to the UNHCR, foreign workers are being forced to leave at gunpoint for the Sudanese, Tunisian, and Egyptian borders.

There are reports that Qaddafi's government is negotiating with opposition forces regarding a potential step down from power. The New York Times, wrote that the Head of National Opposition Council, Mustafa Abdel Jalil, claimed that rebel forces were approached by a government official with demands that Qaddafi be able to keep his assets, evade prosecution for war crimes, and secure a safe passage for him and his family, if he leaves Libya within 72 hours. An official of the Provisional Transitional National Council, however, Abdel Hafiz-Ghoga, asserted that there was no truth behind such negotiations. Indeed, such allegations are suspicious, considering not long ago Qaddafi himself vowed to fight "to the last drop of blood."

As brutalities multiply in Libya, foreign policy leaders are conflicted. Most rebel forces voice a desire for a no-fly zone to fortify their few strategic advantages, but they not want direct military intervention. The international community, however, risks losing support from Russia and China if a no-fly zone were carried out. In addition, such a plan is difficult to authorize by legal international standards, and Britain and France are in discussions to bring about a United Nations resolution.

The Arab League is said to be meeting on Friday to discuss options for the current violence, and word from the African Union is coming in regards to solutions. President Obama has called the violence in Libya "unacceptable."

Link to an interactive map from the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/02/25/world/middleeast/map-of-how-the-protests-unfolded-in-libya.html?ref=africa

Read more:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/03/07/AR2011030701703.html?hpid=topnews

Protests Continue in Yemen

This week, Amabassador Tom Krajeski is coming to UMASS Amherst to lecture and lead a discussion on Yemen, and current events throughout the Middle East. The timing is apt, as protesters have returned to the streets in Sanaa, Yemen, on Tuesday for a "Day of Rage".

Protesters for and against President Ali Abdullah Saleh were joined by an alleged former mentor to Osama bin Laden, cleric Sheik Abdul Majid al-Zindani. Zindani, whom the US claims has ties to al-Qaeda, called for Saleh to step down in order to make Yemen an Islamic state. At this point, many anti-government factions are looking for the support of Zindani, while others express ambivalence about the strong religious sentiments.

Both The New York Times and Al-Jazeera report that Saleh is laying blame for protests at the feet of the United States and Israel, claiming they are responsible for destabilizing Yemen and the entire region. The Times contends that the US has been Mr. Saleh’s most powerful Western backer during his three decades in power.

24 people are reported dead so far in the Yemeni protests that have spanned about a month thus far.

Ambassador Krajeski will speak about these events, among others, at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst on Thursday March 3rd at 5pm in Thompson Hall, 106.

For more on Ambassador Krajeski

http://www.ndu.edu/info/LeadershipBios/Krajeski.cfm