USA

07/05/14

US signed a 20-year lease on its military base in Djibouti in the African continent. It is the only US military base- Camp Lemonnier– in the African continent and a staging area for counterterrorism operations in Yemen and Somalia.

Djibouti is a small country of less than one million people, bordering Red Sea and Gulf of Aden. It’s strategic link with US security interest in the region has made it important.

29/05/2014

US President Obama said that limited counter-terrorism strategies, along with a focus on multilateral cooperation would be the centerpiece of US administration’s foreign policy. Obama gave four broad tenets of his vision for US-

1. The eschewing of unilateral military force unless core American interests are threatened;

2. Top priority of counter-terrorism in the world of a decentralized al-Qaeda;

3. A reliance on multilateralism in terms of diplomacy, sanctions and coordinated military action; and,

4. A need to intervene internationally for humanitarian reasons or to preserve the democratic ideal abroad.

02/06/14

US President Obama will unveil a plan on climate change and related issues. It is being seen as a historic proposal in the USA. It is expected to cut carbon pollution from power plants and promote cap-and-trade policy. The rules have been drafted by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Power plants are US’ biggest contributor to carbon pollution (40%). With this plan US will make a positive step towards fulfilling its international climate goals.

In recent times, America’s carbon dioxide emissions have been falling consistenly, because of the witch from coal to natural gas, and an increased investment in the renewable energy resources.