Jim Lobe

The choice of Ibrahim Jaafari as candidate for prime minister of the majority United Iraqi Alliance (UIA) is seen as an important advance for the more pragmatic forces in the administration of President George W. Bush against their adversaries among the neoconservatives and other hawks. Jaafari, who won the UIA’s nod after the withdrawal of … Continue reading “Jaafari Victory a Win for Administration Pragmatists”

In choosing Ambassador John Negroponte as the country’s first national director of intelligence (NDI), U.S. President George W. Bush has opted for a hawkish, tough, ruthless realist who could very well clash with more ideological forces in the administration. Currently Bush’s envoy in Baghdad, Negroponte had never been mentioned as a candidate over weeks of … Continue reading “Negroponte Pick as Intel Chief a Win for Realists”

Whether or not Syrian President Bashar Assad was behind Monday’s assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, the car bombing is sure to strengthen forces inside the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush who have long argued for "regime change" in Damascus. Before the bombing that killed Hariri, half a dozen of his … Continue reading “Hariri Killing Sure to Bolster US Hawks”

Despite the Bush administration’s insistence that, at least for now, it remains committed to using diplomatic means to halt Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program, war drums against the Islamic Republic appear to be beating more loudly here. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice assured Europeans on her trip this past week that Washington does indeed support … Continue reading “Iran War Drums Beat Harder”

Less than a week after U.S. President George W. Bush urged his Egyptian counterpart, Hosni Mubarak, to institute democratic reforms, human rights groups are worried that the long-time leader has instead launched a new crackdown against the political opposition. Since late last month, Egyptian security forces have arrested a number of prominent political activists in … Continue reading “Egyptian Dissidents Arrested on Eve of ‘National Dialogue’”

As U.S. President George W. Bush last week reiterated his strong support for spreading freedom abroad, his administration was preparing to remove a major obstacle to restoring full ties with Indonesia’s armed forces (TNI), widely regarded as one of the world’s most abusive militaries. According to Congressional offices contacted last week by Secretary of State … Continue reading “More Money for Indonesia’s Thugs”

With the pomp and circumstance of the inaugural and the State of the Union address now out of the way, the foreign policy direction to be taken by President George W. Bush in his second term remains a subject of considerable speculation and uncertainty. Foreign diplomats and analysts are still poring over the list of … Continue reading “Hawk-Realist Impasse Could Persist in Second Term”

Clearly buoyed by Sunday’s election in Iraq, a confident George W. Bush told the nation that the Middle East will dominate U.S. foreign policy during his second term as president, just as his proposals to privatize the 70-year-old U.S. Social Security system will be his top priority at home. In a nearly hour-long State of … Continue reading “A Triumphant Bush Pledges More, More, More”

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is urging senators on both sides of the aisle to insist that Attorney General-designate Alberto Gonzales commit to immediately appoint a special counsel to investigate and prosecute any criminal acts in the torture and abuse of detainees held by the U.S. government. According to the ACLU, senators should hold … Continue reading “Rights Groups Urge Gonzales to Commit to Independent Probe”

Amid rising concern about the over-extension of U.S. military forces and the growing budget deficit, the Project for the New American Century (PNAC), a neoconservative group whose past foreign policy recommendations have often been followed by President George W. Bush, is urging Congress to add 25,000 new soldiers to U.S. ground forces each year over … Continue reading “Neocons: More Cannon Fodder, Please”