Clinton Ambassador Meeting: Unprecedented Mass Meeting Of Top Envoys

[onehandle]

Source: Huffington Post/AP

WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is convening an unprecedented mass meeting of U.S. ambassadors.

The top envoys from nearly all of America's 260 embassies, consulates and other posts in more than 180 countries will be gathering at the State Department beginning on Monday. Officials say it's the first such global conference.

The gathering comes at a time of crisis in Egypt that could reshape dynamics in the Middle East, fallout from leaked diplomatic documents and congressional calls for sweeping cuts in foreign aid.

Although the meeting has been called to discuss U.S. foreign policy priorities for 2011, officials say Clinton plans to meet personally with ambassadors from front-line states to hear about developments on the ground. Officials also expect that specific concerns about the WikiLeaks revelations will be raised.

Read more: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/31/clinton-ambassador-meeting_n_816146.html

[Catherina]

1. Make no mistakes. Hijack the revolution or it's the biggest blow to capitalism in many decades

They're all shaking in their boots trying to figure out how to hijack this revolution.

[xchrom]

2. +1

[frankieT]

7. Exactly !

Maybe this time they wont find a flower or color name to sell (to domestic western sleepy audiences) a happy ending of a revolution with a good (CIA-sponsored) and modern (Wall Street approved) democrat.

[Recursion]

8. What convinces you this revolution will be a blow against capitalism if not hijacked? (nt)

[Catherina]

9. Watch and learn Recursion cuz the Egyptian people ain't playing the overlord's game no more. n/t

[Recursion]

11. Oh, I'm suggesting we all watch and learn

And not project bourgeois American desires onto the people on the streets of Cairo.

[pampango]

13. Egypt's economy is smaller than Ohio's. They export little and import little.

I wish their burgeoning democracy well. Let them choose whatever economic and social policies they want, but I don't see that socialists or theocrats are leading the revolt.

I see the revolt so far as a lesson in distaste for 30 years of dictatorial rule and a terrible economy, not one focused, at least so far, on achieving a particular form of government or economy.

[roguevalley]

12. status quo feels the heat of uncontrolled peons in mass revolt. HA!

[defendandprotect]

23. Exactly...this is a vote against CAPITALISM and fascist rule which comes with it ... !!

Maybe every day more and more Americans are waking up to that reality, as well?

[jaxx]

3. Good for SOS Clinton.

Makes perfect sense to bring them together to discuss the future.

[dipsydoodle]

4. Interesting acronym.

No further comment.

[jaxx]

5. Yes, especially when the country is being undermined

by leaks and dissent.

[bread_and_roses]

14. eh? Which country? Of what do you speak?

nothing snide here - just not sure what you are talking about?

[Catherina]

10. I like it. I think I'll adopt it then watch all the alerts fly in. Bookmarking that post n/t

[karynnj]

6. This is a great interesting idea

It seems that this was planned before the revolutions in the Arab world, but it is a great idea. The ability for diplomats to share information and insight could be very useful - in addition to allowing them to hear from Clinton (and hopefully Obama). It does sound like this was in response to Wikileaks, but it's a nice idea at any time - though this might be the worst time.

I wrote it might be the worst time as Clinton and others are likely in crisis mode and will be less available to the ambassadors. However, having the presence of all the Ambassadors in the Middle East and Near East could be helpful. Together they are people with a wealth of first hand knowledge. (Most of them are likely career diplomats - not political appointees.) The down side is that they will not be in their respective countries at a point where major changes are occurring.

[Beacool]

15. I also think that it's a great idea.

I don't remember other recent SOS convening all the ambassadors. She has implemented some innovated ideas at State, among them in technology, and was just praised for it by Ammori:

"Today, in 2011, I'm giving Secretary Hillary Clinton the nod as the Obama Administration's improbable MVP in the technology realm. While she has not magically downloaded world peace on every nation's hard drive, she has been the smartest, most aggressive, and most successful senior member of the Obama Administration to attempt to harness all things digital to serve her department's wide-ranging agenda. For that alone, she deserves credit."

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marvin-ammori/two-years-in-obamas-tech-_b_813127.html

:-)

[Dover]

16. Hillary Clinton creates history by calling nearly all US ambassadors for foreign policy meeting

Source: ANI


US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has called US ambassadors from different countries to attend a wide-ranging foreign policy meeting, the first of its kind ever, in Washington on Monday.

Ambassadors from almost all 260 U.S. embassies, consulates and other posts in more than 180 countries are expected to gather at the State Department to attend the meeting, Politico reports.

The meeting would include discussions on several issues, including foreign policy priorities for 2011, and damages caused due to the release of hundreds of secret US diplomatic cables by Wikileaks, American officials said.

Clinton will meet individually with diplomats working in unstable countries, they added.

cont'd



Read more: http://www.sify.com/news/hillary-clinton-creates-history-by-calling-nearly-all-us-ambassadors-for-foreign-policy-meeting-news-international-lcbr4egehej.html

[irislake]

17. Help!

We are losing our empire!

[gratuitous]

18. Gentlemen! We're here to discuss how to keep our phony baloney jobs!

It's good to see some reaction, and calling everyone together is a useful way to start. There are big changes afoot, and simply going on the teevee and spouting a bunch of nonsense - as well as that worked for the Bush administration - really isn't an effective way to govern.

I don't know how much the U.S. can affect the course of things in Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen . . . jeez, that list is getting long! But we'd better have some kind of plan, and a unified set of principles that we're going to endorse ahead of time. For example, it would be really good to come out in favor of peaceful methods as far as that's possible. Due process for anyone accused of crimes under toppled regimes. Respect for life and property by both sides. Some of these thugs aren't going to go peaceably, we know that. But some of them might be persuaded to give up power with some assurances that they, their families and their retainers won't be savaged by frenzied mobs.

[tavalon]

19. That's kind of interesting

I don't know if it's a response to the ME awakening or a diversionary tactic or some third alternative.

[ensho]

20. good for Hill calling them in - now let's see what happens

nt

[defendandprotect]

25. US Ambassador met with El Baradei -- Clinton says US wants peaceful transition ...

[bemildred]

21. This has nothing to do with Wikileaks.

:sarcasm:

[comsymp]

22. AJE reporting Ambassador to Egypt Scobey has met

with elBaradei, will meet w/other opposition leaders, sourcing PJ Crowley.

Also sez Sen. Kerry has called for Mubarek to step down.

[justiceischeap]

24. For the non-cynical view: Maybe she wants to make sure that we aren't surprised again

For all intents and purposes the uprising in Egypt caught the world, not just the US, off guard. Maybe the administration wants to "check the pulse" across the world, so we aren't caught flat-footed again.

Done playing devils advocate, back to being cynical again.