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Obama Pressured to Back Off Iraq Withdrawal
By Gareth Porter | Posted November 18, 2008
Some question whether the Obama administration will follow through with its campaign promise to quickly get U.S. troops out of Iraq.
Pundits Debate the Inevitability of a Nuclear Iran
By Ali Gharib | Posted November 18, 2008
it seems increasingly unlikely to happen, a U.S. strike against Iran’s nuclear infrastructure is still a hot topic of discussion.
Whither Peace in the Middle East
Analysis by Cherrie Heywood | Posted November 10, 2008
President-elect Barack Obama will inherit a “war on terror” that some view as part of a modern-day clash of civilizations in the Middle East.
Obama Advisor Has Ties to Neocons
Analysis by Michael Flynn | November 4, 2008
Dennis Ross, a top advisor to the Obama campaign, has ties to neoconservatives and has supported a hard line vis-à-vis Israel’s neighbors, including promoting an aggressive approach to Iran.
Analysts Question Syria Raid
Ali Gharib | Posted October 30, 2008
Some experts wonder whether the order given for the recent U.S. action on Syrian territory came out of the White House.
Afghanistan: The Enemy of the Enemy
Analysis by Jim Lobe | Posted October 22, 2008
With General David Petraeus insisting that talks with enemies are needed, the Pentagon might back plans to reconcile with Taliban who reject Al Qaeda.
Pakistan: "Greatest Single Challenge" to Next President
By Jim Lobe | October 10, 2008
Trouble in Pakistan means that U.S. efforts in the “war on terror” in Afghanistan could be seriously jeopardized.
Brief Talks with Syria Spur Speculation
By Jim Lobe | October 2, 2008
With the Bush administration drawing to a close, the U.S.-Syria relationship could finally be thawing out as the State Department tries its hand again at diplomacy.
Pushing Islamophobia
By Ali Gharib and Eli Clifton | Posted on September 29, 2008
A network of hardline neoconservatives in the United States who support right-wing settler groups in Israel is funding the mass distribution of a controversial DVD that critics have denounced as Islamophobic.
The Most Secretive Government Ever?
By William Fisher | Posted on September 18, 2008
Government secrecy and surveillance have increased dramatically during the George W. Bush administration, and billions in no-bid contracts have been awarded to contractors in the Iraq War, according to a new report.
EU Takes the Diplomatic Lead on Georgia
Analysis by Zoltán Dujisin | Posted on September 18, 2008
The European Union, driven by pragmatic concerns over energy supplies and a desire to avoid a new Cold War, has split dramatically with the United States over the best way to encourage peace between Georgia and Russia.
Raid May Herald More Confrontational Policy
By Daniel Luban | Posted September 9, 2008
The recent U.S. raid into Pakistan targeting Taliban leaders might herald a new and potentially volatile expansion of U.S. military action in the region.
Blowback from the “War on Terror” in Somalia
By Jim Lobe | Posted September 9, 2008
U.S. decisions in handling the situation in Somalia have led to a dangerous atmosphere that promotes radicalization, according to a new report.
Iran Could Benefit from Georgia Crisis
Analysis by Jim Lobe | Posted September 4, 2008
The U.S. invasion of Iraq has increased Iran’s political leverage in the Middle East, and the crisis in Georgia could further boost that clout.
An End to Pax Americana?
Analysis by Jim Lobe | Posted on August 27, 2008
The Russian invasion of Georgia seems to have marked a definitive end to the “unipolar moment”—as well as to Bush administration plans to impose its will on Eurasia.
“Ally” Musharraf Facilitated Taliban
Analysis by Gareth Porter | Posted on August 22, 2008
Pakistan’s willingness to help the United States in the “war on terror” was partly myth created by the Bush administration.
Legal Battle Continues for Ex-Detainee
By William Fisher | Posted on August 20, 2008
A Canadian citizen wrongly detained in the “war on terror” will get another day in court, but the Bush administration may invoke the state secrets privilege—a tactic it has used excessively, some say, to cover up embarrassing mistakes.
U.S. Debates Russia’s Ambitions
Analysis by Daniel Luban | Posted on August 18, 2008
In the recent conflict between Georgia and Russia, U.S. conservatives hear dangerous echoes of World War II.
Success of Attack on Iran's Nuclear Program Doubtful
By Jim Lobe | Posted on August 11, 2008
Israeli or U.S. military action against Iran is unlikely to eliminate or seriously set back Tehran’s nuclear program, according to two new reports.
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By Najum Mushtaq | November 12, 2008
Wracked by the devastation wrought in the violent aftermath of their own presidential election a year ago, Kenyans across the country’s tribal and religious divisions have rejoiced in Barack Obama’s presidential win in the United States. But the euphoria inspired by the obvious symbolism of the election of a U.S. president with Kenyan heritage is heavily tempered by the burdens of everyday life and the question of whether Obama has the will and wherewithal to stop the excesses of the U.S.-led “war on terror” in East Africa.
By Eli Clifton | October 29, 2008
The steep reversal of financial fortune for one of the most generous donors to hawkish causes could likely impact the ability of those causes to carry out their work. The fortune of casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, a key backer of groups like Freedom’s Watch and the Likud agenda in Israel, has taken a hit from the global economic meltdown. Will megadonors like Adelson turn their attention to salvaging their business empires at the expense of the political agendas dear to their hearts?
By Najum Mushtaq and Qurat-ul-Ain Sadozai | October 14, 2008
Pakistan is facing one of the worst internal crises in its history. The turmoil—intimately tied to the Bush administration's "war on terror"—is pushing Pakistani citizens against the tenuous U.S.-Pakistani alliance. The volatility of the relationship was underscored recently when members of U.S. and Pakistani forces exchanged fire. As U.S. strategists focus their military campaign on cross-border strikes against Taliban elements in Pakistani territory, they seem to be neglecting the plight of the average Pakistani. Without the hearts and minds of the population, Washington stands no chance of winning its war on terror on any front.
By Leon Hadar | October 1, 2008
The next occupant of the White House will inherit a number of sensitive international situations left over from the Bush presidency, all of which will require fresh insight and new approaches. But with a financial crisis looming and foreign policy slipping downward on the public’s list of priorities, any significant change to the course of U.S. foreign policy in any new administration seems unlikely—a fact made sorely obvious during the recent McCain-Obama debate, during which the candidates made clear that they share a similar vision of America’s position in the world.
By Chip Berlet | September 17, 2008
Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Independent Democrat from Connecticut and vigorous supporter of neoconservative-led advocacy efforts to push an expansive “war on terror” in the Middle East, has used his perch as chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security to push hardline counterterrorism policies that undermine First Amendment rights for dissidents across the political spectrum—and could have potentially far-reaching implications for how the United States prosecutes the “war on terror.”
By Nick Schwellenbach | September 4, 2008
In prosecuting the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the “war on terror,” the Bush administration has relied on a huge number of contractors to do everything from building barracks to serving meals to soldiers and performing other vital jobs in conflict zones. But the Pentagon agency charged with oversight of defense contracts has been stymied by a crippling combination of too much work, too little time, and too much deference toward contractors—resulting in what one senator called a “debacle and an embarrassment.”
Interview by Daniel Luban | Posted August 12, 2008
Middle East expert Joshua Landis describes U.S. policy on Syria as the “fulcrum between the remaining neoconservative influence in Washington and the rising tide of realists.” In an interview with Right Web, he talks about how opportunities for piloting peace in the Middle East are slipping by as the Bush administration watches from the sidelines, how the White House’s “stubborn, counterproductive” policy on Syria is endangering U.S. soldiers in Iraq, how the neoconservatives have “failed miserably”—and what the best way forward is.
By Leon Hadar | July 30, 2008
The Bush administration’s symbolic concessions on Iran may be a smokescreen for plausible deniability, and recent diplomatic steps taken by various Middle Eastern players should not be confused with a search for peace. The Middle East is a place where nothing is what it seems to be, where yesterday’s enemy is tomorrow’s ally, where commitments are made to be broken, and where “peace” is nothing more than a long cease-fire.
By John Isaacs | July 24, 2008
President Bush’s announcement in late June that the United States was taking North Korea off the sponsors of terrorism list thanks to Pyongyang’s progress in dismantling its nuclear weapons program was the culmination of a shift in administration policies that has astonished the world. The shift toward diplomacy has also infuriated many of the administration’s erstwhile supporters who, in John Bolton’s words, have begun to bemoan the “final collapse of Bush's foreign policy.”
By Ali Gharib | July 18, 2008
Businessmen with ties to the GOP and right-wing ideologies and pedigrees are not uncommon. What makes Erik Prince special is the confluence of his core beliefs—militarism, right-wing Christianity, and privatization—in his controversial mercenary business, Blackwater Worldwide. At the center of a heated scandal over abuses committed by private military contractors in Iraq and elsewhere, Blackwater has begun to expand its business into intelligence gathering and a host of other security-related services. Its success is helping fill the coffers of some of the country’s most influential conservative political figures and prompting some observers to call it the “future of war.”
Analysis by Carah Ong | July 10, 2008
With pressure on both houses of Congress to pass legislation imposing more sanctions against Iran, and without key opposition from the oil lobby, the Iran Sanctions Act of 2008 could be passed yet in the Senate. But the act could harm diplomacy not only with Tehran, but also with Moscow, thanks to provisions that are opposed by the Bush administration as well as several senators.
By Alexander Zaitchik | June 23, 2008
The website of the Project for the New American Century went offline last month, spurring conspiratorial rumors regarding the once-prominent neoconservative group, which had been a vocal proponent of regime change in Iraq before and after 9/11 and had displayed a knack for coalition-building across the political spectrum. Though its former executive director says the dead website is due to a forgetful accountant, PNAC’s loss of support reaches beyond the technical.
Analysis by Gareth Porter | Posted on June 9, 2008
A proposal by Vice President Dick Cheney to strike Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps bases last summer was apparently thwarted by the Pentagon because of concerns that it could spark an all-out war. But that was before Adm. William Fallon was dismissed as head of Central Command and replaced with Gen. David Petraeus, a Cheney ally.
Commentary by Leon Hadar | May 23, 2008
President George W. Bush sought the sunshine of the Middle East, hoping that the images of his five-day excursion to the region would help salvage his personal and political legacy. But it is doubtful that the president’s journey will produce anything more than photo ops. If anything, his visit helped to highlight the gap between his grand designs for the Middle East and the depressing reality on the ground.
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John McCain
2008 Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain’s efforts to tout his hawkish foreign policy record failed to inspire an electorate tired of war and concerned about the economy.
Victor Davis Hanson
A Hoover Institution fellow, Hanson calls 9/11 “our Peloponnesian War” and worries about the “empathy” expressed by countries like Iran for the new U.S. president-elect.
Paula Dobriansky
The Bush administration’s undersecretary of state for democracy, Dobriansky is a longtime Washington insider who supported the neoconservative agenda while pushing the administration’s democracy agenda.
Dennis Ross
A senior advisor to the Obama campaign and longtime diplomat, Ross has a track record of collaborating with hardline neoconservatives, including helping produce a recent report that some consider a “roadmap to war” with Iran.
Clarion Fund
A little-known group connected to the Israeli right-wing, the Clarion Fund has been accused of trying to sway the presidential election by distributing a fear-mongering video about the purported threat to the United States from “radical Islam.”
Kenneth Adelman
Adelman, a former member of the Defense Policy Board who championed an aggressive “war on terror” after 9/11, is one of several hardline conservatives whose views on the presidential race have surprised observers.
Joshua Muravchik
A scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and former head of the Young People’s Socialist League, Muravchik wants the United States to bomb Iran.
Max Boot
Boot, a Los Angeles Times columnist and Council on Foreign Relations fellow, worries that human rights standards prohibiting torture could be a “suicide pact” and that closer U.S. relations with Syria would threaten Lebanese democracy.
James G. Roche
After leaving his top Air Force post under the cloud of scandal, the former Northrop Grumman executive and advisor to the Center for Security Policy returned to the defense industry.
Blackwater Worldwide
For some observers, Erik Prince’s controversial private security firm Blackwater Worldwide serves as a potential model for how countries can fight unpopular wars. Others see it as a threat to democracy.
Michael D. Evans
A prominent Christian Zionist writer who claims that “Islamofascists” pose the “greatest threat America has faced since the Civil War,” Evans has also been a strident opponent of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Julie Finley
After raising millions for her political party and supporting the U.S. invasion of Iraq, Julie Finley, a founding member of the Committee for the Liberation of Iraq, was appointed ambassador to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe.
Michael Ledeen
Ledeen left his longtime post as “Freedom Scholar” at the American Enterprise Institute in August for a position at the further-right neoconservative-led Foundation for Defense of Democracies.
James Woolsey
Woolsey, a former CIA director who calls the “war on terror” the “Long War,” is helping lead the effort to attract environmentalists concerned about oil consumption to the neoconservative view of U.S. security.
Peter Wehner
The former head of strategic initiatives in the Bush White House, Wehner has continued to champion the president’s foreign policies from his perch at the neoconservative Ethics and Public Policy Center.
Jack Kemp
A member of the revived Committee on the Present Danger, the former Republican congressman and standout NFL quarterback has championed the “war on terror,” arguing that “radical Islamists have declared war on freedom, democracy, and modernity.”
Committee for the Liberation of Iraq
The short-lived committee, whose members were an influential cadre of hawkish Beltway think-tankers and politicians, closed up shop in 2003 after what it termed the “successful liberation of Iraq.”
Peter Rodman (1943-2008)
A Kissinger protégé who supported the Project for the New American Century and served as an assistant to ex-Pentagon chief Rumsfeld, Rodman passed away in early August.
International Republican Institute
A key democracy-promotion organization connected to the Republican Party, the IRI—on whose board sit many lobbyists and conservative political advisers—has been involved in controversial interventions abroad.
Council for National Policy
This secretive group of influential right-wing figures has been wooed by Republican politicians for nearly three decades, including recently by Sen. John McCain.
American Enterprise Institute
Several so-called experts featured at a recent AEI event took a page from the presidential campaign of Sen. John McCain in arguing that the “surge” has accomplished all its goals—and thus the United States needs to stay in Iraq.
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