The ongoing war in Yemen, called the world’s “worst humanitarian disaster” by the United Nations and independent aid agencies since early last year, received a grand combined total of 20 minutes of coverage on the ABC, NBC, and CBS weekday evening news programs in...
Despite Public’s War Weariness, US Defense Budget May Rise
Despite the public’s persistent war weariness, the U.S. defense budget – the world’s biggest by far – may be set to rise again, according to a new study released here this week by the Center for International Policy (CIP). The 41-page study, “Something in the Air:...
The Uses of Ukraine
The observation that the Chinese characters for the word “crisis” combine the characters for “danger” and “opportunity” has become a staple of Washington foreign policy discourse for years. So it’s no surprise that the ongoing crisis in Ukraine – and Russia’s de facto...
US Hawks Take Flight Over Ukraine
A familiar clutch of hawks have taken wing over the rapidly developing crisis in Ukraine, as neo-conservatives and other interventionists claim that President Barack Obama’s preference for diplomacy over military action invited Russian aggression. At stake in the...
AIPAC’s Annus Horribilis?
The year of 2014 is starting well for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the premier organization of this country’s Israel lobby. Not only has it been clearly and increasingly decisively defeated – at least for now and the immediate...
Top Israel Lobby Group Loses Battle on Iran, But War Not Over
Eight years ago, Stephen Rosen, then a top official at the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and well-known around Washington for his aggressiveness, hawkish views, and political smarts, was asked by Jeffrey Goldberg of the New Yorker magazine whether...
Israel Lobby Thwarted in Iran Sanctions Bid for Now
In what looks to be a clear victory – at least for now – for President Barack Obama, a major effort by the Israel lobby and its most powerful constituent, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), to pass a new sanctions bill against Iran has...
Iran Sanctions Bill a Big Test of Israel Lobby Power
This week’s introduction by a bipartisan group of 26 senators of a new sanctions bill against Iran could result in the biggest test of the political clout of the Israel lobby here in decades. The White House, which says the bill could well derail ongoing negotiations...
Obama Gets More Time for Iran Nuclear Deal
The administration of President Barack Obama appears to have succeeded in preventing Congress from enacting new sanctions against Iran before the next round of nuclear-related talks between the U.S. and other great powers and Tehran scheduled for Geneva Nov. 20. As a...
US-Iran Poised for Breakthrough on Hostage Crisis Anniversary
On the 34th anniversary of the seizure by Iranian militants of the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, a growing number of experts here believe Washington and the Islamic Republic may be moving toward détente, if not rapprochement. While hardline demonstrators in Tehran Monday...