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The World Next Week: Debt Debates, U.S.-Indian Relations, and Afghan Handovers

By experts and staff

Published
  • James M. LindsayCFR Expert
    Mary and David Boies Distinguished Senior Fellow in U.S. Foreign Policy
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton shakes hands with Chief of India’s ruling Congress party Sonia Gandhi before their meeting in New Delhi on July 20, 2009. (B. Mathur/courtesy Reuters)
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Sonia Gandhi, head of India’s ruling Congress Party, before a meeting in New Delhi on July 20, 2009. (B. Mathur/courtesy Reuters)

The World Next Week podcast is up. Bob McMahon and I discussed the ongoing negotiations over raising the debt ceiling; NATO’s handover of power in the capital of Helmand province to Afghan forces; Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to India for the second round of the U.S.-India Strategic Dialogue; and the UN Security Council debate on the effect of climate change on international peace and security.

[audio: https://www.cfr.org/content/publications/media/podcast/2011/20110714_TWN…]

The highlights:

CNN Money outlines the repercussions of missing the August 2 deadline on reaching an agreement on the debt ceiling, and it answers some frequently asked questions regarding the debt ceiling. USA Today explains Senator McConnell’s “last-choice option” for avoiding default. Agence France Presse (AFP) provides some details on handing over power to Afghan troops, while Reuters reports on Taliban plans to sabotage the transition. CBC News writes about concerns that the Afghan army may not be ready to take over. The State Department provides Secretary Clinton’s travel plans, India Today reports on diplomatic tensions between the United States and India, and AFP covers some of the topics that diplomatic leaders will discuss. Reuters covers recent UN talks related to the Kyoto Protocol, the UN News Centre gives information on another similar forum in Morocco, and the Washington Post’s “Capital Weather Gang” summarizes the results of a new climate change study.