Jim Lobe

Is the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), which did so much to promote the invasion of Iraq and an Israel-centered"global war on terror," closing down? In the absence of an official announcement and the failure since late last year of a live person to answer its telephone number, a Washington Post obituary would … Continue reading “‘New American Century’ Project Ends With a Whimper”

A long-awaited report [.pdf] by the Council of Europe on European complicity in "extraordinary renditions" secretly carried out by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) against suspected terrorists was hailed here Wednesday by human rights groups, even as the U.S. State Department tried to cast doubt on its findings. "Amnesty International applauds today’s Council of Europe … Continue reading “Report Traces US/EU Covert Rendition Network”

The takeover of Mogadishu this week by Islamic militias marks a major defeat for the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush, which had secretly backed a coalition of warlords that has reportedly been routed from the Somali capital. While the victors, the Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), sought to assure the international community that … Continue reading “Somalia: Bush Hawks Down”

Wednesday’s unprecedented offer by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to join multilateral negotiations over its nuclear program was hailed as a positive step by Iran specialists who warned, however, that its conditional nature could prove problematic. Bowing to weeks of growing pressure from European allies, Rice announced that Washington was willing to join ongoing … Continue reading “Rice’s Conditional Offer to Iran May Be Problematic”

By just about any measure, May has been a bad month for U.S. policy in Afghanistan. It began with a warning by a shopkeeper in a small-town bazaar in the Pashtun southern part of the country to the visiting commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Lt. Gen. Karl Eikenberry, duly recorded by the New York … Continue reading “Bad Month in Afghanistan May Delay US Drawdown”

Monday’s observance of Memorial Day, the annual commemoration of U.S. soldiers who died in the service of their country, has taken place at a particularly difficult moment for both the U.S. armed forces and the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush. While the traditions of small-town parades, barbecues, and family visits to the cemetery … Continue reading “Massacre Story Mars
Memorial Day”

The administration of U.S. President George W. Bush is under increasing pressure – both here and abroad – to engage Iran in direct talks despite the continued opposition of pro-Israel neoconservatives and Vice President Dick Cheney. In recent weeks, a growing number of prominent Republicans, as well as Democrats, have been urging Bush to pursue … Continue reading “Pressure Grows on Bush to Engage Iran Directly”

On his maiden visit to the United States as Israel’s prime minister, Ehud Olmert received a firsthand look at the political muscle of the right-wing "Israel Lobby," part of which used the occasion to launch a campaign to deter him from following through on plans to unilaterally evacuate tens of thousands of settlers living in … Continue reading “Right-Wing Israel Lobby Seizes on Olmert Visit”

Less than 18 months after U.S. President George W. Bush declared in his 2005 Inaugural Address his unequivocal commitment to the “ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world,” tyrants, particularly in the Islamic world, are taking heart. From North Africa to Central Asia, top U.S. officials are busy embracing dictators – and their sons, … Continue reading “Bush Democracy Doctrine, RIP”

A story authored by a prominent U.S. neoconservative regarding new legislation in Iran allegedly requiring Jews and other religious minorities to wear distinctive color badges circulated around the world this weekend before it was exposed as false. The article by a frequent contributor to the Wall Street Journal, Iranian-American Amir Taheri, was initially published in … Continue reading “Iran the Target of Disinformation Campaign”