The US section of Amnesty International sent an "urgent" letter Friday to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, calling on her to end what it called Washington's "lopsided response" to the ongoing Israeli air strikes on Gaza that have reportedly...
Israeli Attack May Complicate Obama’s Plans
Israel's massive three-day aerial assault on Gaza is likely to complicate President-elect Barack Obama's hopes of aggressively pursuing Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations, and it risks inflicting greater damage to Washington's standing in the Arab world, according...
Report: Recognizing Hamas Could Help Peace
Eighteen months after Hamas evicted Fatah forces from Gaza, the prospects for restoring Palestinian unity are more elusive than ever, with both factions believing that time is on their side, according to a new report by the Brussels-based International Crisis Group...
Business Groups Support Dismantling Cuba Embargo
If U.S. President-elect Barack Obama wants to begin dismantling Washington's nearly 50-year-old trade embargo against Cuba, it appears he will have widespread support for doing so. Not only have some major foreign policy heavyweights recently called for ending the...
Mumbai Massacre Seen as Major Blow to Regional Strategy
A week after the massacre of more than 170 people by armed militants in Mumbai, US officials are scrambling to prevent the incident from blowing up into a full-fledged confrontation between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. While Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice...
Obama Urged to Quickly Engage Iran, Syria
The incoming administration of President-elect Barack Obama should move quickly to engage Iran without preconditions and to promote an Israeli-Syrian peace accord, according to two veteran Middle East experts whose views are likely to have influence over Obama's...
Diplomacy, Multilateralism Stressed by Obama Team
Introducing the top figures in his national security team in Chicago Monday, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama promised a "new dawn of American leadership" that will be marked by much greater emphasis on diplomacy and multilateralism than was accorded by the...
Obama Foreign Policy: Realists to Reign?
Less than two months before taking office, President-elect Barack Obama is making clear that realists some more identified with Republicans and the military than with Democrats are likely to rule the incoming administration's foreign policy roost, at...
Hemispheric Group Calls for Major Changes in Americas Policy
An elite inter-American commission sponsored by a think-tank that is considered close to likely key policymakers in the administration of President-elect Barack Obama is calling for sharp break in U.S. policy toward Latin America, a substantial opening toward Cuba,...
Greybeards Urge Overhaul of Global Governance
Capping a nearly two-year consultation involving dozens of US and international leaders, a new report by three US think tanks is calling on President-elect Barack Obama and other leaders to implement sweeping reforms in global governance to more effectively tackle...


