Jim Lobe

The Washington foreign policy elite finds itself on pins and needles this week awaiting a response from the neoconservative heavyweights at the Weekly Standard magazine to a scorching denunciation by one of their most venerable fellow travelers, Francis Fukuyama, in Sunday’s New York Times Magazine. Fukuyama, best known for his post-Cold War essay proclaiming the … Continue reading “‘Leninists!’ Cries Neocon Nabob, Suing for Divorce”

While Undersecretary of State for Public Diplomacy Karen Hughes flies off on her second tour of the Middle East Friday, she must feel at least some relief that Europe – rather than the United States – has been the main target of the two-week outpouring of anger in the Islamic world that has come to … Continue reading “Cartoon Crisis Echoes ‘Why They Hate Us’ Debate”

On the eve of Hamas’ takeover of the Palestinian parliament, the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush still appears uncertain about how hard a line to take with the movement it has long considered a terrorist organization. Pressed by its own strongly pro-Zionist Congress, the administration has effectively ruled out providing direct aid to … Continue reading “Bush Faces Big Choices as Hamas Takes Reins”

WASHINGTON – Despite reports of growing tensions and even occasional clashes between Islamists and nationalists, the predominantly Sunni insurgency in Iraq appears increasingly united and confident of victory, according to a new report released here Wednesday by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group (ICG). The 30-page report, based primarily on an analysis of the public communications … Continue reading “Report: Sunni Insurgents Increasingly Unified”

The U.S. intelligence community’s top Middle East analyst from 2000 to 2005 has accused the George W. Bush administration of distorting and politicizing intelligence in the run-up to the Iraq war. In an article published Friday in Foreign Affairs magazine, analyst Paul Pillar, who resigned from the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) last year, also charges … Continue reading “Top Mideast Analyst Accuses Bush of Politicizing Iraq Intel”

The escalating crisis over Iran’s nuclear program appears to have persuaded the U.S. public that Tehran now poses a greater threat to the United States than any other country, or even al-Qaeda, according to recent surveys. And even though the public remains worried and unhappy about the U.S. invasion and occupation of Iraq, a significant … Continue reading “Polls: Anti-Iran Propaganda Working”

WASHINGTON – While the Pentagon emerged as the big winner Monday among U.S. government agencies in next year’s budget sweepstakes, its failure to choose among the threats it says it must defend the country against may prove costly in the long run, both financially and operationally, according to analysts here. Although a major part of … Continue reading “Special Forces, Big-Ticket Weapons Dominate Defense Plans”

US officials and analysts here are hoping that Haiti’s elections next Tuesday will run smoothly and bring to power a credible government two years after Washington itself helped oust the last elected president, Jean-Bertrand Aristide. Unlike recent elections in the two other countries on which the administration of Pres. George W. Bush practiced "regime change" … Continue reading “U.S. Hopes for Smooth Elections in Haiti”

WASHINGTON – Large majorities of Iraqis believe that the United States has no intention of ever withdrawing all its military forces from their country and that Washington’s reconstruction efforts have been incompetent at best, according to a new survey [.pdf] released here Tuesday. At the same time, however, only 35 percent of Iraqis – most … Continue reading “Most Iraqis Doubt US Will Ever Leave”

WASHINGTON – Despite a UN probe into his possible role in the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and a public challenge to his rule by a prominent Syrian politician in exile, Syrian President Bashar Assad appears likely to endure for the foreseeable future, according to experts here. Hamas’ sweeping victory in this … Continue reading “Assad Keeps Footing Amid Political Tremors”