Washington, April 10 (IANS) The United States must deploy its private sector more aggressively across global markets to counter China’s expanding footprint, Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau said, calling commercial diplomacy a “key foundation” of American foreign policy.Framing economic engagement as central to both geopolitical competition and long-term global stability, Landau argued that Washington must better mobilise its businesses to compete abroad.“The one question tha…
Latest Western Hemisphere News & Updates
Washington, March 31 (IANS) Senior US lawmakers have pressed the Commerce Department to release detailed data on exports of American-made semi-automatic weapons, citing concerns that such sales are fuelling criminal violence abroad.In a letter to Under Secretary of Commerce for Industry and Security Jeffrey Kessler, Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Gregory Meeks said US firearm exports account for a significant share of crime guns traced globally.Data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobac…
Washington, March 8 (IANS) US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said on Sunday that more than 100 million barrels of Russian crude are currently floating at sea waiting to be delivered to China, a backlog the US believes could temporarily ease global energy market disruptions if redirected to other refineries. “There’s more than 100 million barrels of floating Russian crude waiting in line to deliver to China,” Wright said in an interview with CBS News.”That’s going to be sold, it’s going to be refi…
Washington, March 7 (IANS) U.S. President Donald Trump announced Saturday the creation of a new multinational military alliance aimed at destroying criminal drug cartels across the Western Hemisphere. Speaking at the inaugural Shield of the Americas Summit, Trump said the new initiative would unite governments and militaries in a coordinated campaign against organised crime networks.“On this historic day, we come together to announce a brand new military coalition to eradicate the crimin…
Washington, March 6 (IANS) The United States is strengthening its public diplomacy efforts to counter propaganda and influence campaigns from countries such as Iran and China while explaining Washington’s foreign policy to global audiences, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Sarah Rogers told lawmakers during a congressional hearing.Testifying before the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Thursday, Rogers said public diplomacy remains a key instrument of US national security, partic…
Washington, March 5 (IANS) Secretary of War Pete Hegseth will visit the headquarters of US Central Command (CENTCOM) in Tampa, Florida, on Thursday (local time) to receive operational updates on the ongoing military campaign against Iran, the Pentagon said.Hegseth will meet CENTCOM commander Adm. Brad Cooper at MacDill Air Force Base as US forces continue Operation Epic Fury, a large-scale operation launched last week targeting Iran’s security and military infrastructure.“On Thursday, March …
Washington, Jan 29 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has told lawmakers that Venezuela under Nicolas Maduro had become a strategic base for China, Russia, and Iran in the Western Hemisphere, warning that Beijing had been receiving Venezuelan oil at deep discounts while expanding its influence close to the United States.“We had in our hemisphere a regime operated by an indicted narcotrafficker that became a base of operation for virtually every competitor, adversary, and enemy in the wor…
Washington, Jan 4 (IANS) Senior US military leaders laid out new details of the overnight operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, describing a meticulously planned, multi-domain mission that involved air, sea, cyber, and intelligence assets operating in tight coordination across the Western Hemisphere.Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Dan Caine said the operation, known as Operation Absolute Resolve, was carried out “during the darkest hours of January 2nd” a…
Washington, Jan 4 (IANS) US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro was intended to send a clear message to governments and leaders around the world that the United States will act decisively when its national interests are threatened.Speaking after President Donald Trump announced the operation, Rubio told reporters in Mar-a-Lago that Maduro was “not the legitimate president of Venezuela” and stressed that his status as a fugitive was widely recogn…
Washington, Jan 3 (IANS) President Donald Trump on Saturday defended the secrecy surrounding the US operation that led to the arrest of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro, warning that advance notification to Congress or others would have “endangered the mission” and insisting the action sent a clear message to adversaries in the Western Hemisphere and beyond.Speaking at a press conference at his Mar-a-Lago residence after the operation, Trump rejected criticism over the absence of prior congr…