Iran Archives - Page 35 of 79 - Foreign Policy In Focus

Nervously and Rapidly, Iran Courts Egypt

by Erik Leaver, Rostam Pourzal | Feb 14, 2008

While much of the world is focused on Bush’s attempts to demonize and isolate Iran, the Islamic Republic is forging new ties with an unlikely partner, Egypt. Egypt is among the largest recipients of U.S. aid and the only Arab country that equals Iran’s international stature. It is also the only one without an embassy in Tehran. Although the north African nation is not among Iran’s neighbors, its historic influence in the Persian Gulf makes it enormously important in Tehran’s strategic planning in response to American and Israeli pressure.

India and Israel Eye Iran

by John Feffer, Ninan Koshy | Feb 12, 2008

Israel’s spy satellite launched by India in the third week of January considerably enhances Israel’s intelligence-gathering capability. The launch of the Tecsar satellite, also known as Polaris, also marks a new stage in India-Israeli strategic relations and adds a new factor in the complex security scenario in the Middle East.

Behind Obama and Clinton

by John Feffer, Stephen Zunes | Feb 4, 2008

Voters on the progressive wing of the Democratic Party are rightly disappointed by the similarity of the foreign policy positions of the two remaining Democratic Party presidential candidates, Senator Hillary Clinton and Senator Barack Obama. However, there are still some real discernable differences to be taken into account. Indeed, given the power the United States has in the world, even minimal differences in policies can have a major difference in the lives of millions of people.
As a result, the kind of people the next president appoints to top positions in national defense, intelligence, and foreign affairs is critical. Such officials usually emerge from among a presidential candidate’s team of foreign policy advisors. So, analyzing who these two finalists for the Democratic presidential nomination have brought in to advise them on international affairs can be an important barometer for determining what kind for foreign policies they would pursue as president. For instance, in the case of the Bush administration, officials like Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, and Richard Perle played a major role in the fateful decision to invade Iraq by convincing the president that Saddam Hussein was an imminent threat and that American forces would be treated as liberators.

Bush’s Last State of the Union

by John Feffer, Stephen Zunes | Jan 29, 2008

On January 28, President George W. Bush gave the last State of the Union address of his two-term tenure. Many of his remarks centered on foreign policy. FPIF’s Stephen Zunes annotates the president’s claims and statements.

Chomsky on World Ownership

by John Feffer, Michael Shank | Jan 23, 2008

Noam Chomsky is a noted linguist, author, and foreign policy expert. On January 15, Michael Shank interviewed him on the latest developments in U.S. policy toward Iraq, Iran, and Pakistan. In the first part of this two-part interview, Chomsky also discussed how the U.S. government’s belief in its ownership of the world shapes its foreign policy.
Michael Shank: Is the leading Democrats’ policy vis-à-vis Iraq at all different from the Bush administration’s policy?

Barack Obama on the Middle East

by Emily Schwartz Greco, Stephen Zunes | Jan 10, 2008

The strong showings by Senator Barack Obama of Illinois in the early contests for the Democratic presidential nomination don’t just mark a repudiation of the Bush administration’s Iraq policy and “war on terrorism.” They also indicate a rejection of the Democratic Party establishment, much of which supported the invasion of Iraq and other tragic elements of the administration’s foreign policy.

For an Iran Policy, More Nixon, Less Bush

by Nathan Gonzalez, Erik Leaver | Jan 10, 2008

In a post-9/11 era, platitudes sell. The mere name of our current conflict, the “war on terror,” betrays a dangerous lack focus by the current Administration. Terrorism, after all, is military tactic. But amidst all the crusading and slogan mongering, our future president will do well in remembering Richard Nixon’s approach to international politics, which, while often callous, was focused on clear end-goals for our nation.

Iraq Outlook 2008

by Erik Leaver, Emily Schwartz Greco | Jan 9, 2008

January 10th marks the one year anniversary of Bush’s “surge” strategy. Many analysts are now claiming the “surge” is a success, but with no end in sight to the war, the year of the “surge” really is a tale of two Iraqs. Coming off a very deadly end to 2006, the first half of 2007 brought some of the highest levels of violence and displacement since the war began. But by the middle of the year, the level of violence reportedly began to drop, with December being the second least violent for U.S. troops since 2003. But the current calm has been crafted on a foundation that can topple at any moment, leaving its “success” in doubt.

Best of Bush 2007

by John Feffer, William D. Hartung | Jan 3, 2008

Sure, there were some downsides to the Bush administration foreign policy in 2007 such as [INSERT YOUR FAVORITE EXAMPLE HERE]. But what about the good news?

Iran Hawks Find New Supporters Against the NIE

by Erik Leaver, Rostam Pourzal | Dec 26, 2007

Many of us remember the Iraqi exile groups whose tall tales the Administration used to justify the invasion of their country in 2003. Fewer people are aware that similar groups from other Middle Eastern countries frequent the halls of Congress and editorial board rooms carrying their frightening ghost-written books with guidance from pro-war think tanks. The organized challenge against the 2007 National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) summary on Iran this month included such a group, which for years cried wolf about Iran.