After Sudan, at Obama's request, Senator Kerry is in Lebanon - is likely to go to Syria and Israel

[karynnj]

Here is the Boston Globe article on Kerry's trips to Sudan (thanks to MBS).

. . . The offer, which is aimed at avoiding a renewed war in Africa’s largest country, was conveyed to the Sudanese government in Khartoum by Senator John F. Kerry, a Massachusetts Democrat who heads the Foreign Relations Committee. Kerry flew to Sudan this weekend to deliver it in person.

The previously unannounced trip to Sudan was Kerry’s second in two weeks, illustrating his growing role in the Obama administration’s attempts to head off a crisis between the mostly Muslim and Arab north and the mostly Christian and animist south.

“President Obama made clear in the proposal conveyed this weekend that if Sudan’s leaders take concrete steps to implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, including recognizing the results of the referendum in January, he is prepared to immediately take significant steps to begin to transform the bilateral relationship,’’ Kerry said in a statement. . .

. . .Kerry traveled to Sudan on Friday with Obama’s special envoy to Sudan, J. Scott Gration, and Michelle Gavin of the National Security Council, and left Khartoum yesterday. They met with a number of Sudanese officials, including Vice President Ali Osman Taha and South Sudan’s president, Salva Kiir. . .

http://www.boston.com/news/world/africa/articles/2010/11/08/us_offers_to_pull_sudan_from_terror_list

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, held meetings in Lebanon Monday before traveling to Damascus for meetings with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
<snip>
At a press conference in Beirut Monday after meetings with Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Lebanese President Michel Sleiman, Kerry defended the Tribunal saying it had been requested by the Lebanese people who are "tired of the notion that assassination should be used as a political tool."

Following his visit to Damascus, Kerry is expected to travel on to Israel, the West Bank and Turkey, although his itinerary is still tentative.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/laurarozen/1110/Kerry_in_Lebanon_Damascus.html?showall

This article explains the need to defend the tribunal - it is very short, so I think this might be all I can quote.

Many observers fear violence could break out if the court indicts Hezbollah members. The group says the tribunal is biased and has warned Lebanese against co-operating with it.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gdUKmlnooyA6FSn_oXpFhtEd26HA?docId=5070663

Here is an article that explains more of the Lebanese situation.
http://www.monstersandcritics.com/news/middleeast/news/article_1597422.php/US-Senator-Kerry-says-UN-s-Hariri-tribunal-will-complete-its-work

[karynnj]

1. Looking at this and Obama's brilliant India trip

and looking back at the major efforts made to gain trust with the Pakistani government. Could it be that the next two years will be a series of hard won foreign policy achievements and fighting to keep the major domestic achievements of the last two years?

Foreign policy is one area mostly controlled by the President - and it is the Senate that approves ambassadors and treaties. While it may be tougher to approve treaties or to approve the foreign aid bills, there is a huge amount the President can do. It was not just liberal Democrats who were concerned about Darfur, it was some of the staunchest Republicans. If a solution is found that ends the hostilities here and includes some way to use the oil wealth (that will come only when they are politically stable) to help not just the South, but the entire current country, this could be a major Obama success - at a time that Republicans don't want him to have any.

Watching Obama's awesome speech in India, where he spoke of possibly not be President if it were not for Ghandi's influence over Martin Luther King. He quoted Ghandhi's exhortation to be the change you want to see. He praised India's democracy and spoke of the ties between the US and India, acknowledging that their were times we were not on the same side. He spoke of both of our terrorism tradgeies. He spoke of how both India and we need a stable and peaceful Pakistan and Afghanistan.

What is clear from this entire trip - from Michelle and Barak Obama dancing with Indian kids for Diwali to this speech, is that Obama is winning not just the respect and support, but the love of Indians. With that likely comes some very real measure of success. Given that he (with Kerry and others) has worked hard to earn the trust of the Pakistani government, he could well be the first President in a position to really help resolve that flash point.

It very well may be that Obama's next two years might be able to reduce our commitment in Afghanistan by improving relations between India and Pakistan, moving Pakistan to concentrate on fighting terrorism - not India.

Both of these are decades long hostilities - neither will turn into oases of peace, but if the US could help start either of them in eliminating open hostilities it will be a major accomplishment. Inn the India/Pakistan case, it could also become part of what gets us out of Afghanistan.