Jim Lobe

Two major studies prepared by the US intelligence community and distributed to senior officials in every relevant agency two months before Washington’s invasion of Iraq warned of many of the problems that have turned the US occupation there into the worst foreign policy crisis since at least the Vietnam War. The studies by the National … Continue reading “Intel Agencies Warned of Postwar Risks”

Even as Congress moved to approve President George W. Bush’s request for continued funding of the Iraq war through the end of this fiscal 2007, a major new poll released Thursday found that public disillusionment with the war has reached record highs. The New York Times/CBS News poll, the latest in a series of recent … Continue reading “US Public, Republicans Disown Iraq War”

Despite deep dissatisfaction with U.S. foreign policy and President George W. Bush, U.S. Muslims tend to be better assimilated and more content with the larger society in which they live than their European counterparts, according to a major new survey [.pdf] released here Tuesday by the Pew Research Center. The survey, based on interviews with … Continue reading “Survey Finds US Muslims Mostly Mainstream”

More than three months into the implementation of U.S. President George W. Bush’s "surge" strategy, skepticism over the likelihood of its success is still running high here. Except among neoconservatives, who have been the strategy’s most enthusiastic champions, most analysts believe it is doomed to failure in the absence of major moves – of which … Continue reading “Surge Strategy Shows Weaknesses”

Realists in the administration of President George W. Bush appear to have won another victory over the dwindling ranks of neoconservatives and others hawks with this weekend’s announcement that Washington will soon engage in bilateral talks with Iran. While the talks will be confined, at least initially, to the situation in Iraq, some analysts see … Continue reading “Another Step Toward Realism in Iran Policy”

Neoconservative hawks who championed the invasion of Iraq are leading a new campaign to persuade state and local governments, as well as other institutional investors, to "divest" their holdings in foreign companies and U.S. overseas subsidiaries doing business in Iran. While stressing that U.S. military action against Iran’s nuclear program should not be taken off … Continue reading “Neocons Driving Iran Divestment Campaign”

In the run-up to the March 2003 invasion of Iraq, the Pentagon planned to create a “Rapid Reaction Media Team” (RRMT) designed to ensure control over major Iraqi media while providing an Iraqi “face” for its efforts, according to a “white paper” obtained by the independent National Security Archive (NSA) which released it Tuesday. The … Continue reading “Pentagon Moved to Fix Iraqi Media Before Invasion”

Increasingly isolated by his dogged opposition to a timetable for withdrawing U.S. combat troops from Iraq, President George W. Bush will travel to the site of a deadly tornado in Kansas Wednesday, in part to rebut charges that relief operations there were hampered by shortages of equipment that had been shipped to Iraq. In an … Continue reading “Deadly Tornado Brings
Iraq War Home”

With just over 18 months left in office, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush appears once again to be moving in a more "realist" direction in its dealings with the rest of the world, including the Middle East. The most obvious sign came during this week’s regional meeting in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt, … Continue reading “‘Realists’ Gain Bush’s Ear, to Cheney’s Chagrin”

With Thursday’s vote by the U.S. Senate to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq in October, the stage has been set for a prolonged confrontation between the Democratic-led Congress and President George W. Bush over the future of the war. While Bush retains the loyalty of a sufficient number of Republican lawmakers to sustain his … Continue reading “Iraq Showdown Looms After Senate Vote”