The US must return to a policy that prioritises providing both moral and material support for Cuba’s dissidents and human rights activists. Funding for Cuba democracy programmes was redirected by the Obama administration to other activities on the island. [...] Human rights in Cuba must also be reprioritised at the United Nations, other international forums, and in US public diplomacy campaigns.

As President-elect Donald Trump continues making his picks of US officials, including the controversial announcement on Friday of Ambassador to Israel David Friedman, his upset poll victory is still sending shock waves around the world. [...] The continued shock at Trump’s election, and some of his early decisions and appointments, threatens to potentially damage the reputation of the United States (so-called ‘Brand America’) internationally. 

Yesterday, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry made a statement on the United States reaching President Obama's stated goal of increasing the number of Syrian refugees permitted to resettle in the United States through the U.S. Refugee Admission Program.  Secretary Kerry noted, "A year ago, President Obama set the goal of welcoming at least 10,000 of the most vulnerable refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria to the United States. 

President Barack Obama and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday joined a global agreement to cut greenhouse gases, moving the world toward a significant reduction in climate-warming emissions faster time frame than previously imagined.

People can now send a note to President Obama by messaging the White House on Facebook. [...] “It’s about creating opportunities for people to engage with their government in new and accessible ways, using the same technologies we already rely on in our daily lives,” Goldman said.