CFR.org - Essential Documents

Obama's Remarks on the Housing Settlement, February 2012

Barack Obama — Thu, 09 Feb 2012 14:43:58 -0500

President Obama gave these remarks on February 9, 2012 regarding the "landmark settlement with the nation's largest banks that will speed relief to the hardest-hit homeowners, end some of the most abusive practices of the mortgage industry, and begin to turn the page on an era of recklessness that has left so much damage in its wake".

Statement of Principles, Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:41:50 -0500

The 2009 Statement of Principles of the Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism are, according the U.S. Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, "a set of broad nuclear security goals that encompass a range of deterrence, detection, prevention, and response objectives. The eight principles contained within the SOP aim to develop partnership capacity to combat nuclear terrorism, consistent with national legal authorities and obligations as well as relevant international legal frameworks such as the Convention for the Suppression of Acts of Nuclear Terrorism, the Convention on the Physical Protection of Nuclear Material, and United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1373 and 1540".

White House Fact Sheet on Harnessing Innovation for Global Development

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:54:26 -0500

The White House released this fact sheet on 'harnessing innovation for global development' (part of President Obama's Global Development Policy) on February 8, 2012.

United States’ Draft Fissile Material Cut-Off Treaty, 2006

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:24:16 -0500

This draft treaty was presented by Stephen Rademaker of the Bureau of International Security and Nonproliferation, on May 18, 2006 at the UN Conference on Disarmament. A July 2006 CRS report on the topic states, "The U.S. draft treaty would enter into force with only the five established nuclear weapon states. It would ban new production of plutonium and highly enriched uranium for use in nuclear weapons for 15 years; could be extended only by consensus of the parties; would allow high-enriched uranium production for naval fuel; and contains no provisions for verification other than national technical means."

U.S. State Department Statement on "Subnational Engagement as a 21st Century Foreign Policy Tool"

Reta Jo Lewis — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 11:05:21 -0500

Reta Jo Lewis, Special Representative for Global Intergovernmental Affairs, gave these remarks on "Subnational Engagement as a 21st Century Foreign Policy Tool" at the 7th Annual Peacekeeping, Reconstruction, & Stabilization Conference in Alexandria, VA on February 7, 2012.

Santorum's Speech After the Minnesota Caucus, February 2012

Rick Santorum — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:53:48 -0500

Rick Santorum gave this speech on February 7, 2012, following his wins at the Minnesota caucus and Missouri primary.

Fact Sheet: Central America Regional Security Initiative

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 12:32:02 -0500

The U.S. Department of State released this fact sheet on the Central America Regional Security Initiative on February 6, 2012.

U.S. State Department Statement on Embassy Closure in Syria, February 2012

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 11:51:38 -0500

The U.S. Department of State released this statement regarding the suspension of embassy operations in Syria on February 6, 2012.

Panetta and Clinton's Remarks at the Munich Security Conference, Germany

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Leon Panetta — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:37:23 -0500

Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton gave these remarks at the 48th Munich Security Conference at the Bayerischer Hof in Munich, Germany on February 4, 2012.

Obama's Statement on Syria, February 2012

Barack Obama — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 09:32:16 -0500

President Obama gave this statement on Syria on February 4, 2012.

Obama's "Blueprint for an America Built to Last", January 2012

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:17:53 -0500

The White House describes this January 2012 document: "In his State of the Union address, President Obama laid out a Blueprint for an America Built to Last, calling for action to help responsible borrowers and support a housing market recovery. While the government cannot fix the housing market on its own, the President believes that responsible homeowners should not have to sit and wait for the market to hit bottom to get relief when there are measures at hand that can make a meaningful difference, including allowing these homeowners to save thousands of dollars by refinancing at today's low interest rates. That's why the President is putting forward a plan that uses the broad range of tools to help homeowners, supporting middle-class families and the economy."

Ron Paul's Economic Plan to Restore Nevada, February 2012

Ron Paul — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:30:44 -0500

Ron Paul released this "Economic Plan to Restore Nevada" on February 2, 2012. The press release states,

"The plan helps Nevada residents, workers, retirees, debtors, home buyers, homeowners including those facing foreclosure, job-creators like the tourism industry, federal land ownership victims, and other stakeholders renew the Silver State's economy and sovereignty after decades of disastrous Washington interference.

The five key elements of the 'Plan to Restore Nevada' include:

1. Restoring Nevada's Job Market
2. Restoring the Housing Market
3. Restoring Tipped-Worker Wages
4. Restoring a Common Sense Visa System
5. Giving Nevada Back To Nevadans."

Obama's Remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast, February 2012

Barack Obama — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:28:34 -0500

President Obama gave these remarks at the National Prayer Breakfast on February 2, 2012.

Treaty Establishing the European Stability Mechanism

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 13:18:18 -0500

The treaty establishing the European Stabilisation Mechanism was signed by the Eurozone states on February 2, 2012. It awaits ratification to enter into force.

National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy, January 2012

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:17:06 -0500

The U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy released the National Northern Border Counternarcotics Strategy in January 2012. The press release states,

"The Strategy outlines new actions that seek to reduce the two-way flow of illicit drugs between the United States and Canada by increasing coordination among Federal, state, local, and tribal enforcement authorities, enhancing intelligence-sharing among counterdrug agencies, and strengthening our Nation's ongoing counterdrug partnerships and initiatives with the Government of Canada and Canadian law enforcement agencies."

Clapper's Testimony on the Worldwide Threat Assessment, January 2012

James R. Clapper Jr. — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:56:23 -0500

James R. Clapper, U.S. Director of National Intelligence, gave these remarks to the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on January 31, 2012 regarding the annual "Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community". The testimony covers terrorism threats, cyber attacks, counterintelligence, proliferation, mass atrocities, regional and country-by-country threats, and other state and non state intelligence threats such as health threats, water security and transnational crime.

UN High-level Panel on Global Sustainability Report: "Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing"

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 11:25:33 -0500

The UN High-level Panel on Global Sustainability released this report, "Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing", on January 30, 2012. The panel was assembled to "formulate a new blueprint for sustainable development and low-carbon prosperity" and its final report "contains 56 recommendations to put sustainable development into practice and to mainstream it into economic policy as quickly as possible".

Republican Debate Transcript, Jacksonville, Florida, January 2012

Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 09:35:18 -0500

This debate between Republican candidates was held in Jacksonville, Florida on January 26, 2012. It was sponsored by CNN and was moderated by CNN's Wolf Blitzer. Participants were Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum. This transcript was provided by the CNN.

National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security, January 2012

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 12:07:42 -0500

The White House released its National Strategy for Global Supply Chain Security on January 25, 2012.

IMF World Economic Outlook Update, January 2012

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 10:41:41 -0500

The IMF released this update to its World Economic Outlook on January 24, 2012.

State of the Union Address, 2012

Barack Obama — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 09:25:54 -0500

President Obama gave the State of the Union address on January 24, 2012.

Joint Statement by Clinton and Geithner on EU's Iran Sanctions, January 2012

Hillary Rodham Clinton and Timothy F. Geithner — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:53:09 -0500

Secretary of State Clinton and Treasury Secretary Geithner issued this joint statement regarding the EU's new round of sanctions against Iran, on January 23, 2012.

Republican Debate Transcript, Tampa, Florida, January 2012

Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:16:52 -0500

This debate between Republican candidates was held in Tampa, Florida on January 23, 2012. It was sponsored by NBC News, the National Journal, and the Tampa Bay Times, and was moderated by NBC's Brian Williams. Participants were Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum. This transcript was provided by the Chicago Tribune.

Observations by the United States of America on the Relationship Between Climate Change and Human Rights, 2008

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 12:03:03 -0500

The United States submitted these observations on the relationship between climate change and human rights to the UN Human Rights Council in 2008. The observations were "requested by the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) in its communications dated June 3 and August 21, 2008…in accordance with Human Rights Council (HRC) resolution 7/23, in order to conduct "a detailed analytical study on the relationship between climate change and human rights."

ILO Abolition of Forced Labor Convention of 1957

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:54:27 -0500

The ILO Abolition of Forced Labor Convention of 1957 was adopted on June 25, 1957 by the General Conference of the International Labour Organisation and entered into force on January 17, 1959.

Council of Europe Social Charter

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:51:51 -0500

The Council of Europe Social Charter was opened for signature on October 18, 1961 and entered into force on February 26, 1965.

UN General Assembly Resolution 794, Protocol Amending the Slavery Convention

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 11:46:39 -0500

The Protocol amending the Slavery Convention was adopted as UN General Assembly resolution 794 on October 23, 1953. It was signed on September 25, 1926 and entered into force on December 7, 1953.

U.S. State Department Discussion on the Role of Religion in US Foreign Policy, January 2012

Suzan Johnson Cook, Cheryl Benton and Chris Seiple — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 10:47:38 -0500

Suzan Johnson Cook, Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, presided in this interview on the role of religion in foreign policy, with interviewees Cheryl Benton (Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Public Affairs) and Dr. Chris Seiple (President of the Institute for Global Engagement), in Washington, DC on January 23, 2012.

EU Sanctions Against Iran, January 2012

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 09:07:50 -0500

On January 23, 2012 the EU voted on updated sanctions against Iran: EU Regulations 54/2012 and 56/2012, and Council Decision 2012/35/CFSP.

Republican Debate Transcript, Charleston, South Carolina, January 2012

Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:37:00 -0500

This debate between Republican candidates was held in Charleston, South Carolina on January 19, 2012. It was sponsored by CNN and moderated by CNN's John King. Participants were Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Mitt Romney, and Rick Santorum. This transcript was provided by the Chicago Sun Times.