WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States should lead an international effort to protect key population centers in Syria through air strikes on President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, U.S. Senator John McCain said on Monday.

“The ultimate goal of air strikes should be to establish and defend safe havens in Syria, especially in the north, in which opposition forces can organize and plan their political and military activities against Assad,” McCain, an influential Republican who lost the White House to Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential race, said in a Senate floor speech.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Verbal sparring between the United States and Russia has taken on an ugly tone lately, and Vladimir Putin’s determination to reclaim the Kremlin in a presidential election on Sunday does not augur well for a fresh start with Washington.

In one recent U.S.-Russian spat, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called “despicable” the Russian veto of a U.N. resolution backing an Arab League plan for transition of power in Syria, where President Bashar al-Assad’s forces have brutally attacked demonstrators.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. pro-democracy activists face the prospect of imprisonment in Egypt as a result of false accusations made against them there, their leaders told Congress on Thursday.

In prepared testimony about the case that has strained ties between Washington and Cairo, the presidents of the U.S. democracy-building organizations whose staff have been charged in Egypt denied that they had done anything illegal or improper.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House announced plans on Monday to help countries swept by “Arab Spring” revolutions with more than $800 million in economic aid, while maintaining U.S. military assistance to Egypt despite a crisis triggered by an Egyptian crackdown on U.S. democracy activists.

In a year marked by fierce debate over U.S. budget deficits, President Barack Obama sought to maintain the core of U.S. spending on overseas aid and development while squeezing savings out of existing programs and scaling back proposals to build new embassies and hire more diplomats.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The White House announced plans on Monday to help “Arab Spring” countries swept by revolutions with more than $800 million in economic aid, while maintaining U.S. military aid to Egypt.

In his annual budget message to Congress, President Barack Obama asked that military aid to Egypt be kept at the level of recent years — $1.3 billion — despite a crisis triggered by an Egyptian probe targeting American democracy activists.

WASHINGTON, Feb 13 (Reuters) – The White House
announced plans on Monday to help “Arab Spring” countries swept
by revolutions with more than $800 million in economic aid,
while maintaining U.S. military aid to Egypt.

In his annual budget message to Congress, President Barack
Obama asked that military aid to Egypt be kept at the level of
recent years — $1.3 billion — despite a crisis triggered by an
Egyptian probe targeting American democracy activists.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Michael McFaul was in the second day of his new job as U.S. ambassador to Russia last month when Russian state television charged he was on a mission to stir up revolution.

The evidence? Among the reasons cited was McFaul’s work in Russia in 1992 for the National Democratic Institute (NDI), a U.S. pro-democracy organization the Russian television commentator alleged was “close” to U.S. intelligence agencies.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – An Egyptian military delegation abruptly cancelled its meetings with U.S. lawmakers to return to Cairo on Monday after warnings from both Congress and the White House that Egypt’s crackdown on non-governmental groups could threaten its $1.3 billion in annual U.S. military aid.

A spokesman for the Egyptian Embassy confirmed that the delegation had cancelled its meetings this week with U.S. lawmakers, but gave no reason.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Missile defense, an issue that has poisoned U.S.-Russia relations, could be a “game-changer” that transforms ties if the two sides cooperate on a shared system, says a report by former top officials from both sides of the Atlantic.

Recent headlines in both countries have been reminiscent of the Cold War, with the Russians threatening to deploy missiles aimed at countering a proposed U.S. missile shield, and the Americans responding that they will build the system, come what may.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Missile defense, an issue that has poisoned U.S.-Russia relations, could be a “game-changer” that transforms ties if the two sides cooperate on a shared system, says a report by former top officials from both sides of the Atlantic.

Recent headlines in both countries have been reminiscent of the Cold War, with the Russians threatening to deploy missiles aimed at countering a proposed U.S. missile shield, and the Americans responding that they will build the system, come what may.