Scholars, advocates, and activists seeking to make the U.S. a more responsible global partner.
Democracy & Governance

Obama Administration Reveals Deep Divisions on Syria Policy

by | Feb 20, 2013

Little is known about the current state of U.S. involvement in the two-year Syrian uprising, which may have claimed the lives of over 60,000 Syrians. Senior White House officials have repeatedly expressed concern that increasing the arms supply to the Syrian rebels may result in weapons falling into the “wrong hands”, a concern exacerbated by the influx of foreign fighters in Syria. Yet, revelations over the past week have shown near-unanimous agreement among the president’s top national security advisors for greater military intervention.

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The Latin American Exception

by | Feb 19, 2013

The Washington Post recently featured a “staggering” map of 54 highlighted countries that reveals, in the years after 9/11, how the CIA turned just about the whole world into a gulag archipelago. But what’s most striking about the Post’s map is that no part of its wine-dark horror touches Latin America; that is, not one country in what used to be called Washington’s “backyard” participated in rendition or Washington-directed or supported torture and abuse of “terror suspects.”

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Dumb and Dumber: A Secret CIA Drone Base, a Blowback World, and Why Washington Has No Learning Curve

by | Feb 19, 2013

Approximately two years ago, the CIA got permission from the Saudi government to build one of its growing empire of drone bases in a distant desert region of that kingdom. The purpose was to pursue an already ongoing air war in neighboring Yemen against al-Qaeda on the Arabian Peninsula.
Yet news outlets didn’t publish this story until almost two years later – not for any lack of awareness, but because these editors, urged on by the CIA and the White House, had done their ‘patriotic duty’ and kept the news from the public.

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U.S. Arms Fuel Asian Tension

by | Feb 11, 2013

Against the backdrop of Chinese territorial assertiveness, the year started off with the bang of big-ticket U.S. arms sales to treaty allies and strategic partners across the region, including an expanded package of sophisticated military hardware featuring state-of-the-art anti-missile systems and warplanes. On top of this, Washington has also stepped-up its joint military exercises with Asian allies perched on the forefront of ongoing territorial spats.

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It’s All About Israel

by | Feb 2, 2013

If former Defence Secretary-designate Sen. Chuck Hagel’s lacklustre performance at his confirmation hearing Thursday heartened neo-conservatives and other hawks opposed to his nomination, those who argued that the Israel lobby has been exerting too great an influence on U.S. foreign policy were ecstatic. In fact, the degree to which Israel and the threat posed to it by Iran dominated the hearing was somewhat understated: The full transcript revealed that Israel was brought up no less than 178 times, followed closely by Iran with 171 mentions.

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Setbacks Push Mideast Peace to Back Burner

by | Feb 1, 2013

Speculation that President Obama might put significant effort into Israel-Palestine peace was fueled by his nominees for two key Cabinet posts: John Kerry for secretary of state and former Senator Chuck Hagel for secretary of defence. Since Obama’s re-election, however, there has been considerable debate in the U.S. media about whether he would re-engage in peace efforts between Israel and the Palestinians.

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