Jim Lobe

While U.S. officials were euphoric over last month’s unexpectedly easy rout by Ethiopia and Somalia’s Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of the Islamic Courts Union, skepticism that stability can be restored to the long-suffering African nation remains high. Much now depends, according to regional specialists, on whether the fractious TFG can be persuaded to make far-reaching … Continue reading “Somalia’s ‘Government’ Still on the Brink”

If, as expected, George W. Bush next week announces his intention to "surge" some 20,000 additional US troops to Iraq to pacify Baghdad and Sunni-dominated Anbar province, he may find himself in a tougher fight than he expected even a week ago. Not only are the new Democratic majorities in both houses of Congress lining … Continue reading “Bush’s Surge Strategy Faces Heavy Opposition”

For those who believed that the precise and overwhelming demonstration of U.S. military power in Afghanistan and Iraq would “shock and awe” the rest of the world – and particularly Washington’s foes and aspiring rivals – into accepting its benevolent hegemony, 2006 was not a good year. Not only has Washington become ever more bogged … Continue reading “A Bad Year for Empire”

Warning that Iraq faces "complete disintegration into failed-state chaos," the International Crisis Group (ICG) is calling on the United States to make a "clean break" in its strategy for both Iraq and the wider Middle East region. In a new report released Tuesday, the Brussels-based group endorsed many of the key recommendations submitted two weeks … Continue reading “Crisis Group Seeks ‘Clean Break’ in US Strategy”

As official Washington breaks for the two-week Christmas-New Year’s hiatus, it knows that the number one issue it will face on its return in early January is the White House’s apparent "urge to surge" as many as 50,000 new troops into Iraq for up to two years in a last-ditch effort to claim what President … Continue reading “The Urge to Surge”

Attitudes toward the United States reached new lows through most of the Arab world over the past year, according to the findings of a major new survey [.pdf] of five Arab countries released here Thursday by Zogby International and the Arab American Institute (AAI). Based on 3,500 face-to-face interviews of randomly selected adult respondents in … Continue reading “Survey: US Losing Arab Allies’ Hearts and Minds”

The findings of a spate of polls taken since last week’s release of the Iraq Study Group’s (ISG) recommendations for U.S. policy show a sharp drop in public confidence both in President George W. Bush’s handling of the war and in the chances that the U.S. will prevail there. The findings will likely make it … Continue reading “US Public Ever More Pessimistic on Iraq War”

With the administration of President George W. Bush under mounting pressure to alter U.S. strategy in Iraq and the Middle East, a new public opinion survey quietly released this week found strong popular support for pursuing new diplomatic avenues as proposed by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group (ISG). The poll, which was conducted at the … Continue reading “Public Found Likely to Support Baker Report”

One day after its official release, the package of 79 recommendations on U.S. Iraq and Middle East policy released Wednesday by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group (ISG) faced a very uncertain future. Denounced by hawks and doves alike in both major parties, the ISG’s 142-page report [.pdf] received what at best could be called an … Continue reading “ISG Report Faces
Uncertain Future”

To have read the neoconservative press here over the past month, one would think that former Secretary of State James Baker poses the biggest threat to the United States and Israel since Saddam Hussein. As the ur-realist of U.S. Middle East policy who once had the temerity to threaten to withhold U.S. aid guarantees from … Continue reading “Neocons Move to Preempt Baker Report”