Jim Lobe

Strong majorities of people in predominantly Muslim countries reject terrorism but support key goals of al-Qaeda, notably expelling U.S. military forces from the Islamic world, according to a major new study of public opinion in seven nations and the Palestinian territories released here Wednesday. Nearly 90 percent of Egyptian respondents, 65 percent of Indonesians, 62 … Continue reading “Many Muslims Reject Terror Tactics, Back Some Goals”

Monday’s call by Sen. Richard Lugar for a major reassessment of Washington’s nearly half-century effort to isolate Cuba increases the likelihood that U.S. President Barack Obama will make substantial changes in policy toward Havana beyond those he promised during his election campaign, according to experts. "What’s significant is that this is the senior statesman for … Continue reading “Lugar Report Calls for New Cuba Policy”

After eight years of the closest possible relations, the United States and Israel may be headed for a period of increasing strain, particularly given the likelihood that whatever Israeli government emerges from last week’s election will be more hawkish than its predecessor. While Iran, with which Barack Obama has pledged to engage in a "constructive … Continue reading “U.S.-Israel Storm Clouds Ahead?”

Eighteen U.S. human rights groups Thursday joined a former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and a retired top diplomat in calling on President Barack Obama to appoint a nonpartisan commission of leading citizens to examine and report on the treatment of detainees held by the United States during President George W. Bush’s … Continue reading “Calls Mount for Obama to Appoint ‘Truth Commission’”

Praise by the U.S. State Department for Sunday’s referendum in Venezuela suggests that President Barack Obama is hoping to ease long-strained relations with President Hugo Chávez, according to regional experts here. While State Department spokesman Gordon Duguid Tuesday noted that Washington had received "troubling reports of intimidation," he added that, "for the most part, this … Continue reading “Washington’s Praise of Venezuelan Vote Suggests Détente”

The strong showing by right-wing parties in Israel’s elections is likely to create new obstacles to U.S. President Barack Obama’s hopes for achieving a swift and substantial progress, if not a breakthrough, in peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians, according to most experts here. While the precise composition of the government that will emerge … Continue reading “Rightward Shift in Israeli Polls Creates New Headaches”

Two years after the administration of President George W. Bush backed Ethiopia’s invasion of Somalia, President Barack Obama is being urged to pursue a much more flexible policy toward the East African nation than his predecessor and let Somalis, including Islamist leaders who were targeted by the invasion, sort things out for themselves. Recent events … Continue reading “US Advised to Back Somalia Reconciliation Efforts”

Despite a shrinking national economy and a record defense budget, U.S. neoconservatives and other hawks are mounting a spirited – if misleading – campaign to persuade Congress that the military should get a bigger slice. They are calling on Congress and President Barack Obama to boost military spending next year even beyond the projections made … Continue reading “Hawks Urge Boosting Military Spending”

Even as U.S. President Barack Obama prepares to deploy more military forces to Afghanistan – what he has called "the central front" in former President George W. Bush’s "global war on terror" – a consensus on overall U.S. strategy there remains elusive. Even Washington’s precise war aims in Afghanistan more than seven years after U.S.-backed … Continue reading “More Troops, More Worries,
Less Consensus on Afghanistan”

The vast majority of the world’s governments effectively deny citizens basic information they need to understand how public monies are being spent, according to a new report [.pdf] released Sunday by the International Budget Partnership (IBP), a Washington-based project that works with civil society groups to promote government transparency and improve accountability. Of the 85 … Continue reading “Report: Most Citizens Kept in Dark on Govt Spending”