Primary Sources

Vital primary sources underpinning the foreign policy debate.

President Obama's Statements on Boston Marathon Bombing Investigation

President Obama gave a speech on April 15, 2013, after explosions went off near the finish line of the Boston Marathon. In a second speech on April 16, he said the case will be investigated as an "act of terrorism" and on April 19, he discussed the federal and local coordination in locating and taking into custody one of the suspects and in collecting intelligence.

See more in Homeland Security; Terrorism; United States

Worldwide Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, April 2013

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper testified before the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence on March 12, 2013, and before the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligenceon April 11, 2013, regarding the Intelligence Community's Worldwide Threat Assessment. He discussed the effects of sequestration on the intelligence community and listed cybersecurity as the top threat to U.S. security.

See more in United States; Cybersecurity; Intelligence

UNICEF: Child Well-Being in Rich Countries, April 2013

UNICEF produced this report card, Child Well-Being in Rich Countries, on April 10, 2013. The report card uses measures such as material well-being, health and safety, education, behaviour and risks, and housing and environment, and analyzes how recent government financial policies affect children.

See more in Poverty; Children

Joint Statement of the Fifth BRICS Summit in Durban, March 2013

The fifth summit of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) countries met in Durban, South Africa March 26 and 27, 2013, to discuss "political and economic coordination." They released their fifth summit declaraction, "BRICS and Africa: Partnership for Development, Integration and Industrialisation," which includes plans for a BRICS development bank.

See more in Emerging Markets; Trade

UN Arms Trade Treaty

The United Nations General Assembly adopted the Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) on April 2, 2013. The press release says the treaty makes it "harder for human rights abusers, criminals and arms traffickers to obtain weapons" and gives a brief history of the treaty from the 1990s. The United States signed the treaty, but Congress has not yet ratified it.

See more in Global; Arms Industries and Trade; Treaties and Agreements