Jim Lobe

Jim Lobe writes for Inter Press Service.

Obama Pushes START Treaty to Top of Legislative Agenda

With time running out before he faces a much more hostile and Republican Congress, President Barack Obama appears to have made Senate ratification of the pending New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia his top legislative priority. Not only has he bowed to Republican demands to allocate more money for Washington’s nuclear arms program, … Continue reading “Obama Pushes START Treaty to Top of Legislative Agenda”

Washington Insiders Fret Over WikiLeaks Dump

While the massive dump of some 250,000 internal U.S. diplomatic communications by WikiLeaks includes none marked “top secret,” their dissemination is already causing considerable embarrassment and may well inflict longer-term damage on Washington’s foreign relations. Most analysts said the initial exposure of nearly 250 of the documents – or only about one-thousandth of the total … Continue reading “Washington Insiders Fret Over WikiLeaks Dump”

Hawks, Doves Aflutter Over Pyongyang’s Latest Moves

Given all the other foreign policy challenges he is dealing with, the last thing U.S. President Barack Obama needed three weeks after Republicans swept mid-term elections was the outbreak of a major new crisis on the Korean Peninsula. Yet the revelation that North Korea has succeeded in building a state-of-the-art facility capable of enriching uranium … Continue reading “Hawks, Doves Aflutter Over Pyongyang’s Latest Moves”

Will Pentagon Be Exempt from Budget Cuts?

With pressure to slash the 1.3 trillion-dollar federal deficit rising sharply, the public debate over whether to exempt the Pentagon from such cuts is moving rapidly toward center-stage. Two major bipartisan reports – including one commissioned by President Barack Obama – released over the past 10 days argued against such an exemption. But powerful Republicans, … Continue reading “Will Pentagon Be Exempt from Budget Cuts?”

Blue-Ribbon Panel Finds AfPak Strategy at ‘Critical Point’

The administration of President Barack Obama should begin shifting to a counterterrorism (CT) strategy requiring many fewer troops in Afghanistan if its pending review finds that the current counterinsurgency (COIN) strategy is not working, according to a new report by a bipartisan task force of 25 prominent analysts and former top foreign policy officials. The … Continue reading “Blue-Ribbon Panel Finds AfPak Strategy at ‘Critical Point’”

Formation of New Iraqi Govt Hailed – Tentatively – by US

After an agonizing eight-month delay, the first concrete steps toward the formation of a new coalition Iraqi government were greeted by senior U.S. officials here Thursday as a major advance in stabilizing the long-suffering nation. But independent analysts warned that the power-sharing deal apparently agreed Wednesday night and partially implemented Thursday remained fragile and that … Continue reading “Formation of New Iraqi Govt Hailed – Tentatively – by US”

Netanyahu Pounds War Drums

Less than a week after Republicans made major gains in the U.S. midterm elections, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called on President Barack Obama to “create a credible threat of military action” against Iran. Initial official reaction was negative, with Defense Secretary Robert Gates insisting that Obama’s preferred strategy of enhanced multilateral sanctions and … Continue reading “Netanyahu Pounds War Drums”

Do Afghan Peace Talks Have Traction?

Reports over the past 10 days of high-level talks between the government of Afghan President Hamid Karzai and senior representatives of the Taliban have spurred growing speculation here about whether Washington is looking for a speedy exit to the longest foreign war in its history. The speculation has been fueled by a number of factors, … Continue reading “Do Afghan Peace Talks Have Traction?”

US Jews Increasingly Hawkish on Iran, Skeptical of Obama

U.S. Jews, who, next to African Americans, have constituted the minority most supportive of Barack Obama, are growing more skeptical of his performance and increasingly hawkish on Iran, according to a new poll released Tuesday by the American Jewish Committee (AJC). The survey of 800 self-identified Jewish Americans, the latest in an annual series that … Continue reading “US Jews Increasingly Hawkish on Iran, Skeptical of Obama”

Nine Years in, Afghans Don’t Trust US

On the ninth anniversary of the U.S. military intervention in their country, a new report released here Thursday finds that Afghans remain deeply distrustful and resentful of the impact and intent of foreign forces there. Based on dozens of interviews and focus group sessions in seven provinces in western, eastern, and southern Afghanistan over the … Continue reading “Nine Years in, Afghans Don’t Trust US”