Jim Lobe

If sending arch-unilateralist John Bolton to the United Nations sent a message of contempt for multilateralism, what does U.S. President George W. Bush mean by sending that ardent advocate of "hard power," Paul Wolfowitz, to the planet’s single biggest purveyor of "soft power," the World Bank? Bush’s confirmation at a press conference Wednesday that he … Continue reading “Wolfowitz Pick for World Bank Prompts Head-Scratching”

The most intriguing aspect of U.S. President George W. Bush’s nomination of Karen Hughes to take charge of Washington’s public diplomacy apparatus – and particularly outreach to the Islamic world – is the building out of which she will be working. The decision to put Hughes, who, along with Karl Rove, has been Bush’s closest … Continue reading “Ultimate Bush Insider Joins Rice at State Department”

Just one week ago, conventional wisdom both here and in European capitals was that President George W. Bush’s second term would see a modest turn toward multilateralism and a new readiness to compromise on key issues with traditional U.S. allies. Today, however, that particular conventional wisdom is being questioned amid renewed anxiety that the unilateralist … Continue reading “The Bolton Nomination: Unipolarity Reaffirmed”

Human rights groups and some senators are expressing growing frustration over the Pentagon’s failure to hold senior officers or civilian leaders accountable for widespread abuses by U.S. forces against detainees in Washington’s "war on terror." The latest report on abuses, released at a Senate hearing Thursday, drew new calls for Congress or the administration to … Continue reading “Groups: Latest Abuse Investigation Report a Whitewash”

Feeling vindicated by dramatic events in the Middle East since the Iraqi elections Jan. 30, especially the growing international clamor for Syria to withdraw from Lebanon, neoconservatives are calling on President George W. Bush to seize the moment by pressing for "regime change" in Damascus and Iran, as well. Despite its own missionary rhetoric, the … Continue reading “Democratization or Disintegration?”

U.S. President George W. Bush must be prepared to make major compromises if he wants a tougher nonproliferation regime to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to countries that do not now have them, according to a new report released here Thursday by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP). At the very least, he … Continue reading “Nuclear Threat Dwarfs Existing Treaties”

Two major U.S. human rights groups Tuesday filed a lawsuit in federal court in Chicago against Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld on behalf of eight named Afghan and Iraqi plaintiffs who say they were tortured and abused while in the custody of the U.S. military. The 76-page filing by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and … Continue reading “Rumsfeld Sued Over Torture in Iraq and Afghanistan”

The State Department’s decision to renew military training for Indonesia – a major step toward full normalization of military ties between the United States and the giant archipelago – has been greeted with skepticism by human rights groups and some lawmakers critical of Jakarta’s record. "The secretary’s determination is premature and unfortunate," noted Sen. Patrick … Continue reading “Skepticism Over Renewed Military Ties With Indonesia”

Releasing the latest edition of its annual human rights Country Reports, the U.S. State Department Monday hailed the progress it said had been achieved over the past year in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Ukraine. However, it also assailed North Korea, Belarus, China, Syria, Iran, and Venezuela, among others, for authoritarian rule or backsliding during 2004. In … Continue reading “State Department Report Assails Usual Suspects”

Despite the apparent decision by President George W. Bush against re-nominating him to the board of the United States Institute of Peace (USIP), “anti-Islamist” activist Daniel Pipes is working as diligently as ever to protect the United States and the Western world from the influence of radical Islamists. He has proposed the creation of a … Continue reading “‘Anti-Islamist’ Crusader Plants New Seeds”