Jim Lobe

Growing indications that North Korea’s central government is reasserting its control over the national economy may be strengthening hardliners in the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush who have long favored a policy of "regime change" in Pyongyang. In recent months, the government of Leader Kim Jong Il has reportedly revived rationing and rolled … Continue reading “N. Korean Reform Rollback May Bolster Bush Hardliners”

The strong turnout in last week’s parliamentary elections in Iraq may have been just the kind of civic demonstration that President George W. Bush needed to restore some confidence in a weary public that Washington’s adventure in the country may not turn out to be such a disaster after all. But one week after a … Continue reading “Iraqis Spoke, but Hardly in Unison”

Amid efforts by a bipartisan coalition in Congress to ban torture and inhumane treatment of detainees in the "war on terror," a major U.S. human rights groups charged Monday that Washington ran a secret prison in Afghanistan where suspected terrorists were held in total darkness for days and even weeks at a time from 2002 … Continue reading “Group Exposes CIA’s ‘Dark Prison’ in Afghanistan”

Amid growing alarm over extreme views voiced by Iran’s new president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a major U.S.-based international human rights group called Wednesday for the immediate dismissal of two of his top cabinet ministers for their involvement in past repression and atrocities. In a report titled "Ministers of Murder: Iran’s New Security Cabinet," Human Rights Watch … Continue reading “Ahmadinejad Pushes Iran Toward Internal Crisis”

Despite their mutual enthusiasm for ousting Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, Israel and the United States appear increasingly at odds over what to do about the larger Middle East region. While the administration of President George W. Bush favors, or is at least indifferent to, the collapse of the Ba’athist regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad, … Continue reading “Israel Troubled by Bush’s Priorities”

WASHINGTON – Despite a modest decline in hostility toward the United States, opinion in the Arab world appears to have hardened over the past year, according to the latest in an annual series of surveys of six Arab countries released here Wednesday by the Arab American Institute (AAI). That hardening appears due primarily to continued … Continue reading “Arabs Unimpressed by Bush Democracy Drive”

While the past 15 months have brought a slight decline in anti-U.S. sentiment, public opinion in the Arab world about Washington’s policies and intentions in the Middle East remains overwhelmingly negative and deeply skeptical, according to a major new survey released here Friday. Most Arabs continue to believe the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq has … Continue reading “Arab World Remains Hostile, Fearful Toward US”

Hoping to reverse plunging confidence in his strategy for Iraq – and in his own leadership – U.S. President George W. Bush Wednesday launched a major campaign to persuade the public that Washington is indeed prevailing against the insurgency there. Speaking before a generally friendly, if somewhat restrained, audience of cadets at the U.S. Naval … Continue reading “The Unpopular in Pursuit of the Unwinnable?”

While the George W. Bush administration launches a campaign to persuade the public that an accelerated buildup of Iraqi security forces will permit substantial numbers of U.S. troops to begin returning home next year, recent reports from Iraq suggest that the security forces – and their sectarian make-up – are themselves contributing to the country’s … Continue reading “Iraq’s Armed Forces Sinking Into Sectarian Chaos”

In a new indication that the balance of power within the administration of President George W. Bush has tilted strongly in favor of the realists, Washington’s influential ambassador to Iraq, Zalmay Khalilzad, has disclosed that Bush has authorized him to open direct talks with Iran about stabilizing Iraq. The announcement, which came in an interview … Continue reading “Realists Tighten Grip as Talks Open with Iran”