The World Next Week: Obama Visits The Hague, Brussels, Rome, and Riyadh

The World Next Week podcast is up. Bob McMahon and I discussed Obama’s upcoming international trip. The president will be stopping in The Hague, where he will attend the Nuclear Security Summit and meet with world leaders on the sidelines; Brussels, where he will attend an EU-U.S. summit; Rome, where he will meet with the Italian prime minister and Pope Francis; and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with King Abdullah.

[audio: https://www.cfr.org/content/publications/media/editorial/2014/20140320_T…]

The highlights:

For more on the topics we discussed in the podcast check out:

The Hague: ABC News reports that President Obama has proposed a G-7 meeting to discuss Ukraine on the sidelines of the Nuclear Security Summit. I discuss the challenges President Obama will face in making sanctions against Russia work.  Robert Kahn explains the need for “off-ramps” in the use of sanctions on Russia over Crimea. Stewart Patrick explains how the Crimean annexation sets a terrible precedent for the international community. The Wall Street Journal reports that Xi and Obama will have a bilateral meeting in The Hague.

Brussels: The Guardian explains why the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) is “not a threat to democracy”. Reuters reports that the United States and European Union have promised to remove all tariffs on bilateral trade. The European Voice argues that there is no chance for TTIP in 2014. The Helsinki Times report that the Finnish Parliament’s Left Alliance has called for ending the trade agreement talks.

Rome: Bloomberg reports that the Italian debt will be a challenge for Renzi’s plan to revive the Italian economy. The Huffington Post writes that Pope Francis’s meeting with Obama should encourage social justice. The Washington Post predicts what Obama and Pope Francis will discuss.

Riyadh: The Washington Post writes that Obama plans to visit Saudi Arabia. Reuters reports Saudi Arabia seeks to discuss security issues with President Obama. AFP reports experts are urging Obama to press Saudi Arabia to help end the Bahrain crisis. Al-Monitor writes that King Abdullah will raise regime change in Syria during his discussion with Obama.