Jim Lobe

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has launched a campaign to oppose policies of the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) that require some 10,000 non-profit groups that raise money through the CFC program to check their employees against federal "watch list" of terrorist suspects. The campaign, which has already drawn 15 other non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including … Continue reading “Watchdog Groups Oppose Federal Watch Lists”

The American Bar Association (ABA) this week added its voice to appeals for independent investigation of the abuse and torture by U.S. soldiers of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere in the Bush administration’s "war on terrorism." Adopting by an overwhelming margin a proposed resolution during its annual convention in Atlanta earlier this week, the … Continue reading “American Bar Association Calls for Independent Torture Probe”

Once again, U.S. armed forces appear on the verge of winning a decisive military victory in Iraq – this time in the holy city of Najaf. And once again, they appear closer to losing the larger wars for a stable and friendly Iraq and for an Islamic world that will cease producing anti-U.S. terrorism. That … Continue reading “US Winning Najaf Battle, Losing Iraq War”

Just days before Venezuelans vote on whether to recall Hugo Chavez, U.S. officials and analysts appear increasingly resigned to at least another two and a half years of a government headed by the fiery populist. They have watched Chavez surge in the polls in the past few weeks and, what with a leaderless opposition united … Continue reading “US Set to ‘Grin and Bear’ Chavez Victory”

After endorsing an appeal from the bipartisan 9/11 Commission to drastically overhaul the U.S. intelligence community, President George W. Bush on Tuesday nominated as his next director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) the longtime chair of a congressional panel that the commission called complacent in the run-up to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. … Continue reading “Bush’s CIA Pick: ‘Business as Usual’”

Amnesty International is calling on the Sudanese government to immediately release all those it has arrested or detained in Darfur for communicating their opinions with foreign visitors about their plight. In a communiqué released Monday night, the London-based group charged that scores of people have been arrested over the past six weeks for talking with … Continue reading “Amnesty Demands End to Free-Speech Abuses in Sudan”

The Bush administration could be forced to slow plans to resume relations with the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) after a Jakarta appeals court Saturday dismissed all pending cases against Indonesians indicted for crimes against humanity committed in East Timor five years ago. The judicial action is also likely to fuel demands by human rights groups … Continue reading “Indonesian Court Dismissals Threaten Tighter US Ties”

One of the greatest coups in Washington’s nearly three-year war against al-Qaeda has suddenly turned sour with reports the White House prematurely exposed the identity of a key source whose contacts and communication with the terrorist group’s operational masterminds had yet to be fully exploited. The source, 25-year-old computer wizard Mohammed Naeem Noor Khan, had … Continue reading “Bush Team on Defensive Over al-Qaeda Leak”

Nearly 130 influential U.S. jurists, including twelve former federal judges and a former director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), have signed a statement denouncing Bush administration memoranda regarding the treatment of Iraqi and other detainees and accusing their authors of unprofessional conduct. The statement, in the form of an open letter sent Wednesday … Continue reading “130 Jurists Condemn White House Torture Memos”

Why did the Bush administration invade Iraq? Most left-wing critics – epitomized perhaps by Michael Moore’s blockbuster documentary, Fahrenheit 9/11– have rather reflexively argued that the economic factor, particularly the interests of Big Oil or “the ruling class,” must have been decisive. But many right-wing critics, who know the ruling class from the inside, lean … Continue reading “Attacking Neo-Cons From the Right”