Jim Lobe

In a new blow to the dwindling number of hawks in top administration positions, President George W. Bush Monday accepted the resignation of his ambassador to the United Nations, John Bolton. The resignation came less than three weeks after Bush had resubmitted Bolton’s nomination to the Senate for confirmation, a move that was apparently designed … Continue reading “Bolton Resigns in
New Defeat for Hawks”

Despite a growing and virtually universal consensus both in America and abroad that the United States must engage Syria and Iran if it hopes to stabilize Iraq, U.S. President George W. Bush appears determined to ignore Baghdad’s two key neighbors as long as possible. That is increasingly the assessment of analysts in Washington who had … Continue reading “Bush Seems Determined to
Stay the Course”

Less than a week from midterm elections that are expected to bring at least one house of Congress under Democratic control, neoconservatives, whose foreign policy ideas dominated most of the first half of the administration of U.S. George W. Bush, are having a hard time. Not only do they stand to lose a number of … Continue reading “The Neocons’ Nadir?”

In a major policy address, Sen. Hillary Clinton Tuesday called for a "sea change" in U.S. foreign policy that would include direct talks with Syria, Iran, and North Korea and greater U.S. engagement in promoting peace between Israel and the Palestinians. "Let us never negotiate from fear, but let us never fear to negotiate," she … Continue reading “Hillary Urges ‘Sea Change’ in Mideast Policy”

While U.S. President George W. Bush appeared this week to reject suggestions that Washington directly engage the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, pressure both here and in the region for Washington to work out some accommodation with Damascus is rising. While never officially named to the "Axis of Evil,” Syria has received the same … Continue reading “Bush Under Growing Pressure to Engage Syria”

As the Middle East prepares to mark the 50th anniversary on Oct. 29 of the Suez Crisis that effectively ended European colonialism, a half century of U.S. hegemony in the region also appears to be coming to an end, according to a growing number of analysts. The observation is based primarily on the serious damage … Continue reading “50 Years After Suez,
US Hegemony Ebbing Fast”

More than 70 percent of the U.S. public, including nearly half of self-identified Republicans, say they prefer candidates for Congress in the Nov. 7 mid-term elections who will pursue a "new approach" to U.S. foreign policy, according to a new survey released here Friday by the Program on International Policy Attitudes (PIPA). The survey, which … Continue reading “US Public Wants New Approach on Foreign Policy”

While Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s continued tenure in office has been the subject of a surge of speculation over the past week, it may be George W. Bush’s continued reign – at least over Iraq policy – that appears most endangered at the moment. While no one is talking about a classic "coup d’etat" … Continue reading “A Consensus Develops: Leave the Course”

Five years after the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon, the U.S. public has become increasingly anxious about world events and the role that their country is playing in them, according to the latest "Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy" survey [.pdf] released Wednesday by a nonpartisan group, Public Agenda, and Foreign Affairs … Continue reading “US Poll Finds Growing Anxiety About World Affairs”

If Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Kamal al-Maliki were inclined to bet his life on President George W. Bush’s latest assurances that there will be no timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, he should probably give it a second thought. While Bush, true to his self-image as an uncommonly firm leader in the mold of … Continue reading “Iraqi Endgame Approaching, Bush Ready or Not”