When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

eyes on the U.S.

Inquiry Into Deadly Benghazi Attack Highly Critical Of US State Department

US STATE DEPT. (USA), AFP

Worldcrunch

An independent inquiry has criticized the State Department for inadequate security at the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya, on the day of the September attack that killed four American government personnel including Ambassador John Christopher Stevens.

The 39-page unclassified report, which also cited intelligence failures, focused much of its attention on the on-site security at the Consulate: “Systemic failures and leadership and management deficiencies at senior levels within two bureaus of the State Department resulted in a Special Mission security posture that was inadequate for Benghazi and grossly inadequate to deal with the attack that took place.”

The report cites the "remarkable heroism shown by American personnel" during the Sept 11 assault, but says the response was inadequate "in the face of a series of attacks that began with the sudden penetration of the Special Mission compound by dozens of armed attackers.”

The Board also cited intelligence failures and a lack of "understanding of extremist militias in Libya and the potential threat they posed to U.S. interests, although some threats were known to exist.”

The report concludes by saying that despite the shortfalls, "no individual U.S. Government employee engaged in misconduct or willfully ignored his or her responsibilities."

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she accepted "every one" of 29 recommendations made by the inquiry and was working to boost global security, according to the AFP.

In a letter to U.S. lawmakers, she said the State Department was partnering with the Pentagon to "dispatch hundreds of additional Marine Security Guards to bolster our posts."

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

Geopolitics

Yes, Xi Jinping Is Now More Powerful Than Mao Zedong Ever Was

After being re-elected as head of the Communist Party last year, the Chinese leader has been unanimously re-elected to another five-year term as head of state. Now, wielding more power than any other past Chinese communist leader, he wants to accelerate the rise of Chinese influence around the world.

Photo of huge portrait of Xi Jinping

Huge portrait of Xi Jinping is displayed in the National Day mass pageantry celebrating the 70th founding anniversary of the People's Republic of China

Yann Rousseau

-Analysis-

BEIJING — Chinese Communist Party leader Xi Jinping has been re-elected to a third five-year term at the head of the world's second largest economic power. Nobody was surprised.

The vote took place during a legislative assembly convened to rubber stamp decisions of the authoritarian power, during which 2,952 parliamentarians unanimously approved Xi's re-election before rising, in perfect choreography, to offer a prolonged standing ovation to their leader. As usual, Xi remained completely neutral in the face of the enthusiasm.

His victory was a mere formality after his re-election last fall as the head of the all-powerful party, which controls all of the country's political institutions, and after legislative amendments to erase term limits that would have forced him out.

Xi Jinping, who took over the presidency in 2013, "is now the most powerful leader in the history of the People's Republic, since its founding in 1949. Institutionally, he holds even more power than Mao Zedong," says Suisheng Zhao, a professor and Chinese foreign policy expert at the University of Denver.

Keep reading...Show less

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

The latest