Will Israeli Dissent Halt the March towards War?
Jim Lobe | May 03, 2012
Tensions have been reaching near fevered pitch over Iran’s nuclear program as Israeli leaders and their supporters in the United States have pressed for military action to prevent Tehran from developing nuclear weapons. However, a number of factors have been working against the hawks, including recent progress at the P5+1 talks and the lack of enthusiasm for another conflict among a war-weary U.S. public. In recent weeks, a new force has emerged that seems to have made the threat of war even less imminent—the unprecedented wave of dissent from current and former top Israeli officials.
The Militarization of the Syrian Uprising
Samer Araabi | April 18, 2012
As pressure mounts to arm rebels in Syria, there is need for a sober assessment of the costs and consequences of the increasing militarization of the conflict there. If history is any guide, a foreign-backed armed rebellion will likely not produce the kind of victory—or engender the kind of support—that the anti-Assad fighters will require to usher in a new Syria. Additionally, there is the very real possibility that many of the rebels—as we’ve seen in Libya—will turn out to be little better than the regime they seek to replace.
Obama to Pro-Israel Lobby Group: ‘Too Much Loose Talk of War’
Mitchell Plitnick | March 05, 2012
Before a skeptical audience of delegates from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, President Obama affirmed U.S-Israeli ties and challenged detractors to impugn his administration’s record of support for the Jewish state. However, while insisting that that the United States would consider military options in the event of Iran’s developing a nuclear weapon, he also warned Israeli allies of “loose talk” about war, which Obama said only empowers the Iranian regime and decreases prospects for a diplomatic solution.
Whither the Liberal Hawks?
Jim Lobe | January 31, 2012
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Tehran's threat to close the Strait of Hormuz, coupled with mounting threats from hawks in Israel and the United States, has brought the possibility of war sharply into view. But a number of influential members of the U.S. foreign policy establishment—including several prominent liberal interventionists who supported the invasion of Iraq—are warning against further escalation.
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From the Wires
US Should Forge “New Partnership” With Turkey, Report Says
May, 08 2012A new report by the influential Council on Foreign Relations urges Washington to develop a stronger strategic partnership with Turkey.
U.S. Escalating Drone War in Yemen
April, 26 2012As it slowly extracts ground troops from Afghanistan, the Obama administration is escalating the drone war in Yemen.
Debating Syria
April, 24 2012Is diplomacy really dead in Syria, or has it even been given a chance?
New Steps by Obama to Curb Atrocities in Syria, Elsewhere
April, 23 2012The Obama administration’s new “Atrocities Prevention Board” has drawn bipartisan praise, but some critics worry that it institutionalizes the policy priorities of liberal hawks.
U.S.-Israel Deal to Demand Qom Closure Threatens Nuclear Talks
April, 12 2012The inclusion of an Israeli and western demand that Iran close its Fordow nuclear facility could be a “poison pill” designed to tank the latest round of P5+1 negotiations.