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The U.S. National Security Agency is going through four separate reviews- one by a White House internal review team, by the Review Group for Intelligence and Communications Technology setup by president Obama in August 2013, by the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board setup in 2004, and by the Senate Intelligence Committee. Sources say the head of the agency Gen. Alexander offered to resign but this was not accepted because it would be seen as a win for Snowden. Proposals being considered are having a civilian head the agency, setting up a process where a determination is made balancing the potential value of the information with any political implications. Decisionmakers at the NSA are trained to be apolitical in collecting intelligence making it difficult for them to make such determinations. The recording of conversations on Merkel's mobile phone was made at the request of the State Department. Mr Ledgett, a senior NSA official says there are 36,000 pages of "requirements" or intelligence requests from all parts of the U.S. government, including State, Defense, and Commerce. What to do with such requests and how to assess them will now be important questions for NSA. One of the risks of the NSA revelations is that individual countries will impose restrictions on the internet to protect information leading to a fragmentation of the Worldwide Web. U.S. relations with Iran have remained stuck in the original atmosphere of the period under U.S. president Carter in the late seventies with the Islamic revolution with the most recent president Ahmadinejad being one of the activists from that period, the isolation and sanctions have also created a siege mentality in the Islamic republic. The U.S. and the world has changed since that period after over three decades. The Obama administration sees an opportunity to gradually resolve the Iranian nuclear crisis by relaxing tensions and giving small wins to moderates in Iran like Mr Rouhani. Rouhani may see a way out for Iran's isolation and falling behind other countries in the region in developing its oil resources and economy. The moves also helps to reduce new sectarian tensions in the Middle East as the different countries take sides in the Syria....

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In Suzy Hansen's interview with Greece finance minister Varoufakis in the NYT, May 20, 2015, Varoufakis says his worst fear is that the EU will insist on the 4.5% surplus. He says he cannot budge on pensions because of the way the elderly have suffered, and on collective bargaining rights for workers. The EU proposal made by Hollande and Merkel after stalled negotiations shows the EU conceding on the surplus and collective bargaining, but asking for some cuts in pensions. Dendrinou and Stamouli provide some details of the proposal of Hollande and Merkel for Greece that is emerging after stalled negotiations. The proposal sets targets for primary surpluses- revenues minus expenditures before interest payments- of 1% in 2015, 2% in 2016, 3% in 2017, and 3.5% in 2018. Under the existing program for Greece the targets for surpluses were 3% in 2015 and 4.5% after 2016. The reduction is 2 percentage points for 2015 and 2.5 percentage points in 2016 for the primary surplus from the prior program. Greece's pensions system will have to come up with savings of 0.25%-0.5% of GDP in 2015, and 1% of GDP in 2016. Another major concession by the EU is no reduction in the number of public sector workers in exchange for the Greek government's commitment not to reverse previous measures taken to open up labor markets by prior governments. In place of immediate measures to make firing workers easier, further consultation with the EU will take place. Greece will be asked to simplify its VAT system to 2 rates of 11% and 23% which would generate higher revenues. Greece had asked for 3 rates, which EU officals say did not come up with the extra 1.8 billion euros, or about 1% of GDP....

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Negotiations in Qatar end with the signing of a peace agreement with the Taliban for the first time in two decades. President Trump persisted in the effort following stalled talks in September 2018. Talks went on for 18 months with Afghan American diplomat Khalizad appointed by president Trump to lead negotiations. The agreement was signed in Qatar by Khalizad and Mullah Baradar, in the presence of Secretary of State Pompeo. President Trump stated his view on Afghanistan and places such as Iraq in a New Delhi press conference recently- the U.S. could not act in a (permanent) police role in foreign countries. Efforts were made under previous presidents to end the conflict. President Trump persisted and made this a priority of his administration, following similar policy in Syria and Iraq, where strong deployment of American forces was followed by removal of forces. From beginning to end the deployment was planned in this way, so that resources could be used to improve capabilities for future needs. ...

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As a crisis develops on the Turkey Greece borders with migrants Mr. Erdogan orders the coast guard to prevent crossings into the Aegean Sea to Greece. In an effort to prevent the repeat of the 2015 migrant crisis and refugees crossing in boats the European Union has acted to support Greece in its actions to stop migrants.

Another development is that the migrants are now mostly economic refugees from Afghanistan to Turkey, according to DW.com. Syrian refugees to Turkey are better integrated into Turkish society and have preferred to stay in Turkey, according to reports.

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Interview with Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State, in Atlantic magazine, August 2014. In the interview Clinton is critical of U.S. president Obama's approach to foreign policy, and the "don't do stupid stuff" comment by Obama that is the psychology behind Obama's foreign policy of avoiding involvement in overseas conflicts- even when it was badly needed to preserve the U.S. role in the world. Hillary Clinton presented the Obama outlook on foreign policy as inward looking and cautious at every step, to the point of making America look pessimistic about the world and its role. This situation she described as not conducive to making any better decisions than the Bush-Cheney era approach of aggressively and even jingoistically pushing the country into foreign conflicts.

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Journalists of the Economist magazine describe the EU's problems and the British perspective on the issues facing the European Union.

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The effort by 90 German universities to provide education for free to the large number of refugees from North Africa and the Middle East that are being given a home in Germany in 2015-2016. In rural areas especially in former East Germany there is still uneasiness about the large number of refugees expected to come in 2015- but students and most people in urban areas are receptive. Yet the challenges remain as the university system is crowded with students and can accomodate only about a fourth of the refugges coming in 2015. The low unemployment rate and need for workers is helpful in absorbing such a large influx of people into the country. Volunteers and the German language classes will help better integrate the refugees into German society. Though there is a small minority of people opposed to immigration, Germany society remains largely open to taking in and helping the refugees, compared to the situation in Sweden and Denmark where recent elections showed parties with anti-immigration stance getting a larger share of the vote and becoming part of the government....

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Pultizer prize winning journalist for reporting on the Middle East, Karen Elliott House, reports on Saudi Arabia and Middle East following the Arab Spring and the changes in the Middle East. A vast demographic of young people is stuck in the region facing an impasse of poor leaders, internal divisions, and lack of jobs or economic opportunity, following a failed Arab Spring. Their aspirations for a better life on hold.

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Sabotage of two tankers in the Persian Gulf and reports of activity of Iranian proxy forces in Iraq and Syria have led to an American response with the dispatch of a aircraft carrier and other forces to the region.  This report in the NYT says Defense Secretary Shanahan has prepared plans for deployment of American forces in the region with one plan calling for 120,000 troops to be dispatched to the region. As president Trump is against American involvement in land wars in distant places, the force is designed as a precaution in case of an Iranian attack through proxy forces in Syria or Iraq and not for a land operation. National Security Adviser Bolton has taken a strong position on Iran since the days of the Bush administration. The U.S. withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, the sanctions on Iranian oil, are part of a new policy of the Trump administration. The European Union countries have followed a policy of preserving the nuclear deal of 2015, even though the U.S. is pressuring EU countries. The oil sanction have led to a sharp drop in oil exports and is hurting the Iranian economy. President Rouhani of Iran says Iran may withdraw from parts of the Iran nuclear deal and the Iranian response is leading to heightened tensions in the region.  It was only recently that the Democratic party Obama administration pursued the Iranian nuclear deal with opposition from Republicans in Congress and skepticism of Israel. The election of president Trump who says the deal was a bad one has reversed U.S. policy leading to a complete change in policy and a possible confrontation with Iran. U.S. policy can veer back and forth depending on the party or president in power who completely different perceptions of the region. Obama had sharp difference with Israel and Saudi Arabia, and a different perception of Iran. Trump and Bolton see Iran as a threat to the U.S. After Iran shipped most of its nuclear fuel out of the country in 2016 in exchange for lifting of economic sanctions under president Obama's nuclear deal it would take over a year for new uranium enrichment facilities to produce the materials for a nuclear bomb, according to this report in the NYT. When the Obama administration negotiated with Iran the window had shrunk to a few months.   ...