Jim Lobe

Human Rights Watch (HRW) has joined the campaign to pressure U.S.-based heavy equipment maker Caterpillar Inc. to stop selling bulldozers to Israel’s military because it uses the machines to violate human rights in the occupied territories. Monday’s appeal by HRW followed an exchange with Caterpillar Chief Executive Officer James Owens, which began three weeks ago … Continue reading “Groups Push Bulldozer Maker to End Sales to Israel”

If three, five, or 10 years from now, Latin America returns to the military dictatorships and "dirty wars" of its all-too-recent past, analysts may point to the past week’s conference in Quito of the hemisphere’s defense ministers – and particularly Pentagon chief Donald Rumsfeld’s role in it – as a milestone in that journey. If … Continue reading “US Media Miss Rumsfeld’s ‘Dirty Wars’ Talk”

The coalition of foreign-policy hawks that promoted the 2003 invasion of Iraq is pressing President George W. Bush to adopt a more coercive policy toward North Korea, despite strong opposition from China and South Korea. By most accounts, North Korea ranked high in bilateral talks between Bush and Northeast Asian leaders, including Chinese President Hu … Continue reading “Hawks Push Regime Change in North Korea”

While after a week of personnel announcements conventional wisdom appears to have concluded that the foreign policy of President George W. Bush’s second term will be at least if not more radical than the first, there is also a minority view that such a conclusion is premature. The second interpretation is based on the theory … Continue reading “Don’t Count Out Realists Yet”

In the wake of the apparent extrajudicial execution by a U.S. soldier of a wounded Iraqi prisoner in Fallujah, caught on videotape by NBC, Amnesty International is calling on the U.S. authorities to issue “unequivocal orders” for the proper treatment of unarmed or wounded insurgents. The appeal, issued by Amnesty from its London headquarters Tuesday, … Continue reading “Amnesty Calls for Prevention of War Crimes in Iraq”

U.S. President George W. Bush’s nomination of National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to replace Secretary of State Colin Powell consolidates the control over U.S. foreign policy of the coalition of hawks that promoted the war in Iraq, led by Vice President Dick Cheney. The promotion of Rice’s deputy, Stephen Hadley, to take her place in … Continue reading “Hawks Flying High With Rice Posting”

A leading U.S.-based press watchdog says it is "deeply disturbed" by a directive issued last week by the Iraqi interim government’s new media commission that warned the press operating in Iraq to reflect the government’s position in fighting by U.S., coalition, and Iraqi forces against insurgents. The warning came in a statement released Thursday by … Continue reading “Press Watchdog ‘Deeply Disturbed’ by Iraqi Govt’s Media Threat”

Monday’s announcement that Secretary of State Colin Powell, by far the most popular of U.S. President George W. Bush’s war cabinet, has submitted his resignation marks the formal launch of a new scramble for top national-security posts that could bring an even more hardline configuration to power. Powell’s disappearance will remove the most influential foreign-policy … Continue reading “As Powell Leaves, Hardliners Make Their Move”

The death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will test whether U.S. President George W. Bush intends to maintain his staunch support for Israel’s right-wing government at the risk of further alienating the U.S.’ European allies and Muslim public opinion. It will also provide an early insight into whether the hardline coalition that has dominated U.S. … Continue reading “Arafat’s Passing Poses Major Test for Bush”

As Iran moves toward a diplomatic agreement with Britain, France, and Germany to freeze parts of its nuclear program, its right-wing security forces are cracking down hard against the country’s besieged reformist movement, according to human rights groups here. About half a dozen prominent activists who use the Internet and Weblogs to communicate with other … Continue reading “Rights Groups Condemn Iranian Crackdown”