Month: June 2009

Lebanese Polls Closely Watched by US and Region

WASHINGTON, Jun 5 (IPS) — After emerging from a political crisis last year, the Lebanese people will head to the polls Jun. 7 to determine the composition of the new parliament. A variety of foreign powers, including the U.S., will be watching closely, waiting for the electoral results before they determine their policies towards the … Continue reading “Lebanese Polls Closely Watched by US and Region”

Obama’s Cairo Speech Widely Hailed at Home

U.S. President Barack Obama’s historic speech in Cairo Thursday elicited broad approval from around the U.S., with the notable exception of the neoconservative right. Obama’s speech itself was largely uncontroversial. Broad in scope and thin on policy specifics, Obama frankly acknowledged a troubled history that has manifested itself in today’s anti-Western Muslim extremism. But rather … Continue reading “Obama’s Cairo Speech Widely Hailed at Home”

Obama Appeals to Muslim World for ‘New Beginning’

In what was perhaps the most widely anticipated speech delivered by a U.S. president abroad in recent memory, Barack Obama Thursday extended a hand to the world’s 1.4 billion Muslims, receiving repeated applause and a standing ovation from the audience at Cairo University in the Egyptian capital. Directed at all Muslims across the globe, the … Continue reading “Obama Appeals to Muslim World for ‘New Beginning’”

US Admits but Still Defends Afghan Civilian Slaughter

The attack in Farah province killed as many as 140 Afghan civilians. The US military says errors were made, but insists the "targets" "posed legitimate threats to Afghan or American forces." The May 4 US bombing in Farah Province in Afghanistan was reportedly the single worst aerial attack by US forces since the 2001 invasion … Continue reading “US Admits but Still Defends Afghan Civilian Slaughter”

Hawks Push ‘Three-State Solution’ for Palestine

As U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to deliver a major foreign policy speech in Cairo and his administration pushes aggressively for a two-state solution in Israel-Palestine, neoconservatives and other foreign policy hawks back home are calling on him to scrap the two-state solution altogether and consider alternatives to Palestinian statehood. The most prominent alternative they … Continue reading “Hawks Push ‘Three-State Solution’ for Palestine”