Jim Lobe

Jim Lobe writes for Inter Press Service.

Kerry Argues for Counterinsurgency Lite

Amid growing speculation and partisan bickering over what President Barack Obama will do about the deteriorating situation in Afghanistan, an influential Democratic senator Monday warned against deploying tens of thousands more U.S. troops there. Just back from a diplomatic triumph in Kabul, Sen. John Kerry criticized a military proposal to send some 40,000 more U.S. … Continue reading “Kerry Argues for Counterinsurgency Lite”

Clinton Calls for Strengthened IAEA Powers

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Wednesday called for strengthening the authority of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to inspect suspected nuclear-related facilities and ruled out lifting sanctions against North Korea until it took "verifiable and irreversible" steps toward denuclearization. In what was billed as a major policy address, Clinton also called for Iran … Continue reading “Clinton Calls for Strengthened IAEA Powers”

Congress Begins Pressing Iran Sanctions Legislation

As the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama prepares for a critical series of talks about the fate of Iran’s nuclear program, Congress has begun moving long-pending legislation to impose new unilateral sanctions against the Islamic Republic. In just the past few days, the Senate approved a measure, already passed by the House of Representatives, … Continue reading “Congress Begins Pressing Iran Sanctions Legislation”

Obama Signs Controversial Pakistan Aid Bill

After 10 days of raging controversy centered in Islamabad, U.S. President Barack Obama Thursday signed a major aid bill for Pakistan authorizing some 7.5 billion dollars in non-military assistance for the increasingly beleaguered country over the next five years. The bill, which will more than triple the current level of non-military aid the U.S. provides … Continue reading “Obama Signs Controversial Pakistan Aid Bill”

Foreign Policy Hawks Launch New Campaign Against Obama

Just days after the Nobel Committee in Oslo awarded Barack Obama its coveted peace prize, two of Washington’s most prominent foreign policy hawks launched a new group and ad campaign designed to depict the president as weak and defend the more aggressive policies of his predecessor, George W. Bush. The new group, Keep America Safe, … Continue reading “Foreign Policy Hawks Launch New Campaign Against Obama”

US Public Skeptical and Hawkish on Iran

Despite strong support for diplomatic engagement with Iran, most U.S. citizens believe such efforts will ultimately fail and that Washington should be prepared to use military force to prevent Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, according to a new poll [.pdf] released Tuesday by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. Sixty-one … Continue reading “US Public Skeptical and Hawkish on Iran”

Geneva Talks Seen as Potential Breakthrough

While experts here are being deliberately tentative in their assessments of Thursday’s meeting in Geneva between Iran and the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany (P5+1), there appears to be a growing sense that the results could lay the basis for a long-sought diplomatic breakthrough. Much depends on whether Iran complies … Continue reading “Geneva Talks Seen as Potential Breakthrough”

Goldstone Rejects Netanyahu Remarks

The head of the U.N. commission that investigated the December-January Gaza war Thursday rejected assertions by Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that any action to pursue the recommendations of his commission’s report could prove fatal to any renewed peace process with the Palestinians. "For the life of me, I don’t understand the reason for that … Continue reading “Goldstone Rejects Netanyahu Remarks”

New Nuke Charges Raise Stakes in Upcoming Iran Talks

Charges by U.S. President Barack Obama and the leaders of France and Britain Friday that Iran is building a secret underground plant to enrich uranium appear certain to heighten tensions just days before critical talks between Tehran and its three accusers, as well as Germany, China and Russia. The charges, which were issued at a … Continue reading “New Nuke Charges Raise Stakes in Upcoming Iran Talks”

Has Netanyahu Out-Maneuvered Obama or Vice Versa?

While Israeli officials claimed a major win in U.S. President Barack Obama’s decision to shelve his long-held demand for a freeze on Israeli settlements on the West Bank and East Jerusalem, some analysts here believe it may yet prove a Pyrrhic victory for the hard-line government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The decision, announced at … Continue reading “Has Netanyahu Out-Maneuvered Obama or Vice Versa?”