Jim Lobe

Has the U.S. public lost so much confidence in the George W. Bush administration’s handling of the Iraq war that its current strategy – to the extent one actually exists – is unsustainable? With President Bush himself besieged by antiwar protesters on his seemingly endless and ill-timed vacation at his Texas ranch, that appears to … Continue reading “Has the ‘Tipping Point’ on Iraq Been Reached?”

Growing pessimism about averting civil war in Iraq, as well as mounting concerns that the U.S. military presence there may itself be fueling the insurgency and Islamist extremism worldwide, has spurred a spate of new calls for the United States to withdraw its 140,000 troops sooner rather than later. Although resolutions to establish at least … Continue reading “Civil War Specter Spurs New Iraq Exit Plans”

Is U.S. President George W. Bush at last ready to deal with the third charter member of his “Axis of Evil,” thus giving up his dreams of “regime change” in North Korea? And is North Korean leader Kim Jong-il really prepared to dismantle his nuclear weapons program, and even give up as many as eight … Continue reading “Much at Stake on Eve of Six-Party Talks”

Despite the best efforts of the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush to make Iran an international pariah, the Islamic Republic keeps wracking up one diplomatic victory after another. One month after the surprise election victory of hardline President-elect Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran finds itself in a substantially stronger position to resist the U.S. campaign … Continue reading “Iran Sits Pretty in World’s Hottest Region”

A plurality of the U.S. public now believes that Iraq war has undermined U.S. prospects for victory in the larger war on terrorism, but a majority still believe that Washington should not yet begin withdrawing its troops, according to a major new poll released Thursday shortly after Britain reported four new bombing incidents in London. … Continue reading “Iraq Seen as Weakening Terror War”

This week’s agreement by U.S. President George W. Bush to sell advanced nuclear technology to India, coming three weeks after the signing of a 10-year bilateral defense agreement that makes New Delhi eligible to buy sophisticated U.S. military equipment, confirms a major policy shift with global as well as regional implications, according to experts here. … Continue reading “US Chumminess With India Roils Strategic Waters”

While to people living outside the Washington Beltway, the current affair over the disclosure by top White House officials of the identity of a covert intelligence officer may seem somewhat esoteric, the stakes could not be higher. It is not just that Karl Rove, President George W. Bush’s top political adviser, and Vice President Dick … Continue reading “‘PlameGate’ Hardly a Summer Squall”

Concerns about "Islamic extremism" and disapproval over violence motivated by it are growing in both Muslim and non-Muslim countries, according to a major new survey that also found declining support for Osama bin Laden in most of the Islamic world, with the exception of Jordan and Pakistan. The survey, released here Thursday by the Pew … Continue reading “‘Islamic Extremism’ Alienates Most in Muslim World”

Battered by sagging poll numbers, new doubts in the aftermath of the London bombings about the effectiveness of its war on terrorism, and no letup in the bad news out of Iraq, the White House has found itself this week embroiled in yet another controversy, one that threatens the credibility, if not the tenure, of … Continue reading “‘Bush’s Brain’ Besieged”

A recent appeals court decision to acquit 12 soldiers convicted last year of a notorious 1984 massacre in Jakarta, Indonesia, could complicate efforts by the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush to normalize military ties with the Southeast Asian nation. The acquittal, which was reported last week by the BBC but has yet to … Continue reading “Indonesia Court Ruling Could Set Back US Ties”