Category Archives: Uncategorized

Calls for Ethics Inquiry Regarding Senior White House Adviser’s Ivanka Trump Promotion

A government ethics advisory body stated last week that Senior White House adviser Kellyanne Conway should be investigated over her promotion of Ivanka Trump’s products. In a letter on 14 February, it advised the White House to investigate and possibly discipline Ms Conway.

The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) found reason to believe that Ms Conway had violated ethnics rules. The statement comes just five days after she urged people to purchase the president’s daughter’s range on Fox News. Her comments prompted complaints from both Democrats and Republicans, who have now been backed by the OGE, which is an independent body.

The inquiry is likely to add pressure to Donald Trump’s administration, in a week where national security adviser Michael Flynn was forced to step down over his contact with the Russian ambassador. So far, the White House has stood behind Ms Conway, who earlier this month urged people to buy after retailer Nordstrom dropped Ivanka’s clothing line, citing a lack of sales. Press secretary Sean Spicer did however disclose that she had been counselled following the incident, however the OGE letter noted that it had received no notice of disciplinary or any corrective action against Ms Conway. The letter notes there is strong reason to believe that Ms Conway has violated the Standards of Conduct and that disciplinary actions is warranted. It recommended that the investigation and any disciplinary action be taken by 28 February.

Ethics rules state officials cannot use their position for personal gain. The letter says that there is no doubt that Ms Conway appeared on television in her official capacity, as she sat in front of the White House seal and next to an American flag.

Republicans Call for Investigation of Flynn’s Contact with Russia

Last week, leading members of the United States Republican Party joined calls for a wide investigation into the former national security adviser’s links with Russia.

On 13 February, Michael Flynn resigned from his post over claims that he discussed US sanctions with Russia before President Donald Trump took office. On 14 February, a White House spokesman disclosed that President Trump knew weeks ago that there were problems with the Russia phone calls, however calls for an independent investigation have encountered a cold response from some senior Republicans.

The development came as the New York Times reported that phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Mr Trump’s presidential campaign, as well as other Trump associates, had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election. However, officials spoken to by the newspaper have disclosed that they had not yet seen evidence that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia on the hacking of the Democratic National Committee or to influence the election. As well as an FBI investigation into the matter, both the Senate and House intelligence committees are already examining Russian involvement in the election, though it currently remains unclear whether the latest claims will be included in their scope.

Mr Flynn stood down over allegations that he discussed US sanctions with a Russian envoy in December 2016, before Mr Trump took office. The conversations took place about the time that then-President Barack Obama was imposing retaliatory measures on Russia following reports that it attempted to sway the US election in Mr Trump’s favor. Mr Flynn could have broken the law, known as the Logan Act, by conducting US diplomacy as a private citizen before he was appointed as national security advisers.

Initially, Mr Flynn, who is a retired lieutenant-general, denied having discussed sanctions with Ambassador Sergei Kislyak, while Vice President Mike Pence publicly denied the allegations on his behalf. While the White House admitted that it had been warned about the contacts on 26 January, President Trump initially concluded that Mr Flynn had not broken any law. According to White House spokesman Sean Spicer, White House lawyers then conducted a review and questioned Mr Flynn before reaching the same conclusion as the president, however by that point the trust had gone. On 14 February, White House Counsellor Kellyanne Conway disclosed that in the end, it was misleading the vice-president that made the situation unsustainable. According to US media, Mr Flynn was also reportedly questioned by FBI agents in his first days as national security adviser.

In an interview conducted with the conservative website the Daily Caller on 13 February, and published on 14 February, Mr Flynn disclosed that he “crossed no lines” in his conversation with the ambassador, adding that he discussed the expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats over alleged hacking ahead of of the lection, but “it wasn’t about sanctions.” He went on to say that he was concerned that the apparently classified information had been linked, adding “in some of these cases, you’re talking about stuff that’s taken off of a classified system nad given to a reporters…That’s a crime.”

On 14 February, US House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes told reporters that he wanted to examine the leaks, stating that the FBI should explain why Mr Flynn’s conversation had been recorded. The Senate’s second-ranking Republican, John Cornyn, and other Republican senators have also called for an investigation into Mr Trump’s connection with Russian officials. Republican John McCain, who is the Chairman of the senate Armed Services Committee, disclosed that Mr Flynn’s resignation was a “troubling indication of the dysfunction of the current national security apparatus,” which raised questions about Mr Trump’s intentions towards Russia.

While Mr Flynn has resigned, Democrat Adam Schiff, a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, disclosed that his departure will not end questions about contacts between the president’s campaign and Russia. However there are various ways that these questions could be answered. Two Democratic members of the House of Representatives have demanded a classified briefing to Congress on Michael Flynn by the justice department and FBI. Several House Democrats had already called on Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaffetz to launch an investigation into Mr Flynn’s ties to Russia.

Canada’s Trudeau Choses Low Key Approach to New US President

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is opting a low-key approach to dealing with United States President Donald Trump – seeking to avoid clashes while indirectly signalling the two leaders’ difference to a domestic audience.

Insiders have acknowledged that the cautious strategy could anger progressives whose support helped bring Mr Trudeau to power in 2015, however they say that for now, he has no choice but to maintain a low key approach, as Canada sends 75 percent of its exports to the US and could suffer if it were to be targeted by Trump’s administration.

While Mr Trudeau maintained a close friendship with former President Barack Obama, Canadian prime ministers have not always had close ties with US presidents. Insiders however have noted that few in Ottawa have experienced anything like Mr Trump. While Canada regards the US as its closest ally, Mr Trudeau has yet to visit Washington to meet with Mr Trump. According to people familiar with the matter, a visit tentatively scheduled at the beginning of this month was cancelled after a shooter killed six Muslims in a Quebec mosque. No new date has been set.

According to Michael Kergin, a former Canadian ambassador to Washington, Mr Trudeau’s caution has been wise, stating “he’s been playing it pretty well by restraining the temptation to be publicly critical of the president.” Kergin went on to say that Mr Trudeau was also right not to follow British Prime Minister Theresa May in rushing to Washington to push for closer ties only to watch President Trump make an unpopular move on immigration after she left.

Mr Trudeau however has taken indirect shots – when Mr Trump signed orders banning people from seven Muslim-majority countries, Mr Trudeau tweeted that Canada was open to those fleeing war. Furthermore, while his chief spokeswoman blasted US network Fox News late last month for a tweet falsely claiming that the Quebec gunman was of Moroccan origin, she said nothing publicly when Trump’s spokesman said that the attack on Muslims showed why it was important to suspend immigration from Muslim nations. This approach however has angered many in Canada, including the opposition New Democrats, who have called on the Prime Minister to denounce Mr Trump’s “racist” immigration policy. In turn, members of Mr Trudeau’s team have acknowledged that over time, the Liberals could lose support before a 2019 election if the prime minister is deemed not tot be standing up for Canadian values, such as inclusiveness.

Chinese Cyber Espionage Against the U.S. Non-State

Allegations of Chinese cyber attacks on U.S. interests, both state and non-state are not new phenomena. Each red dot in the above map shows a successful alleged Chinese attempt between 2010 and 2014 to steal U.S. corporate and military data. Some of the U.S. victims of these attacks have been Google, Lockheed Matin, the U.S. government and the U.S. miitary. Over 600 dots are peppered across the U.S. industrial centers in the northeast and the west coast as well as other places in the country. Nearly 50 cyber attacks have occurred in California alone. Some examples of the kind of data the U.S. has lost to cyber espionage have been specificiations of hybrid cars, formulas for pharmaceutical products, data on critical U.S. infrastructure such as electrical power, telecommunications and internet backbone, and details including U.S. military and civilian air traffic controls systems.

As cyber espionage has been a persistent threat to U.S. enterprises, perhaps, looking at the problem in monetary terms could provide an easily understandable perspective on the magnitude of the matter. Studies show that cyber crime will be a $2.1 trillion dollar problem by 2019. Also, the U.S. dependence on global supply chain and business outsourcing leaves it highly vulnerable to cyber attacks. In 2014, cyber attacks, alone, have cost on average the following to U.S. companies:

• $8.6 million per company in U.S. retail;
• $20.8 million per company in U.S. financial services;
• $ 14.5 million per company in U.S. technology sector
• $12.7 million per company in U.S. communications industry

While this may already look bad enough for U.S. businesses, what could make it worse is the new Chinese cyber security law, which will be effective in June 2017. In the midst of some degrees of ambiguity in the law, the following surface as critical concerns for the U.S. enterprises operatiing in China:

• The law requires that the Chinese government investigators be given full access to companies’ data if wrong-doing is suspected;
• The law requires that business information and data on Chinese citizens be kept in domestic servers and cannot be transferred overseas without prior permission;

Some analysts judge that foreign companies being required to store data in domestic servers leave potentials for the Chinese local industries to gain competitive advantage over their foreign rivals. Although the U.S. and China have struck up a cyber security agreement that forbids theft of intellectual property and economic espionage, analysts cannot entirely dismiss the possibility that the U.S. military will continue to be an attractive target of Chinese cyber espionage.

Colombia and ELN Begin Peace Negotiations

Last week, members of Colombia’s ELN left-wing rebel group and government negotiators began talks seeking to end more than five decades of conflict.

The negotiations were launched at a ceremony in the capital of Ecuador, Quito, where the talks will be held. Ecuador is hosting the first round of negotiations, with Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Norway and Venezuela acting as guarantors.   The chief ELN negotiator, Pablo Beltran, has urged both sides to rally around the points that united them and to leave aside their differences.   He further called on the rebels to officially suspend its kidnapping policy during the negotiations. The ELN relies on the ransom obtained from kidnappings to finance its activities. Mr Beltran disclosed that peace would not be achieved through more repression, adding “we need a political solution. We are willing to take responsibility for the mistakes we have made but we expect the other side to do the same.

The top government representative, Juan Camilo Restrepo, meanwhile disclosed that he expected to draw from the lessons of the negotiations with the FARC in order to reach a peace accord with the ELN. Both officials however agreed that this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for the country to achieve peace.

The ELN, or National Liberation Army, is Colombia’s second largest rebel group.   It was founded in 1964 with the stated aim of fighting Colombia’s unequal distribution of land and riches, which was inspired by the Cuban revolution of 1959.   The talks were initially due to begin at the end of October last year however they were delayed as the Colombian government refused to sit down for formal negotiations while the rebels still held Odin Sanchez, a former congressman. Mr Sanchez was released on 2 February 2017 while on 6 February, the group released a solider it had been holding hostage for two weeks. The soldier, Freddy Moreno, was handed over to delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Arauca province.

The talks come just months after the Colombian government signed a peace agreement with Colombia’s largest rebel group, the FARC. In November 2016, the Colombian government signed a revised peace agreement with the country’s largest group, the FARC, after four years of negotiations in the Cuban capital, Havana. Members of the FARC have ben gathering in “transition zones,” where they are to demobilise and lay down their weapons under the supervision of United Nations monitors. According to government officials, the last of the FARC rebels are expected to reach the designated debilitation areas by 15 February.