U.S. President- elect Barack Obama, asked about his foreign policy priorities when named Person of the Year by “Time” magazine, listed nuclear proliferation, climate change and global poverty as well as Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, the transatlantic alliance, Russia, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — and then, almost as an afterthought, “managing our relationship with China and the entire Pacific Rim.”
In a way, this is good since it reflects the relatively calm state of that relationship, with no crisis that needs immediate presidential attention.
But the next president must recognize that China is not just a relationship to be managed. It is perhaps the key relationship that the United States must sustain if Obama is to achieve success in virtually all his other foreign policy priority areas.
In the 21st century, there is no relationship more important to the United States.
FULL ARTICLE
31 December 2008
Iran Encounters Obama (Jordan Times, JORDAN)
Since its Islamist revolution of 1979, Iran’s hardline leadership has relentlessly painted America as a racist, bloodthirsty power bent on oppressing Muslims worldwide. Nothing punctures this narrative more than the election of an African-American, Barack Obama, who supports dialogue with Iran and whose middle name - Hussein - is that of the central figure in Shiite Islam. While the Bush administration’s policies often served to unite Iran’s disparate political landscape against a common threat, an Obama presidency could accentuate the country’s deep internal divisions.
Though intolerant conservatives are currently in firm control of Iran’s government, the moderates and reformists among the political elite - dormant but not dead - may be resuscitated by Obama’s victory. They were swept out of power by hardliners who used the country’s jittery sense of security - accentuated by the presence of tens of thousands of American troops in neighbouring countries - as a pretext to rig elections, stifle dissent, and reverse political and social freedoms. But reformists are likely to mount a rigorous challenge to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as he seeks reelection in June 2009.
Similarly, for Iran’s young population - the least anti-American in the Middle East - there is now renewed hope for reconciliation with the United States, something that seemed impossible during the Bush years.
FULL ARTICLE
Though intolerant conservatives are currently in firm control of Iran’s government, the moderates and reformists among the political elite - dormant but not dead - may be resuscitated by Obama’s victory. They were swept out of power by hardliners who used the country’s jittery sense of security - accentuated by the presence of tens of thousands of American troops in neighbouring countries - as a pretext to rig elections, stifle dissent, and reverse political and social freedoms. But reformists are likely to mount a rigorous challenge to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as he seeks reelection in June 2009.
Similarly, for Iran’s young population - the least anti-American in the Middle East - there is now renewed hope for reconciliation with the United States, something that seemed impossible during the Bush years.
FULL ARTICLE
30 December 2008
OP-ED: Bush's Hollow "Promising" Middle East (Jerusalem Post, ISRAEL)
Two events earlier this month summed up differing views of George W. Bush's Middle East record.
In one, Bush himself offered a valedictory speech, declaring that "the Middle East in 2008 is a freer, more hopeful and more promising place than it was in 2001." In the other, an Iraqi journalist, Muntadar al-Zaidi, expressed disrespect and rejection by hurling shoes at Bush as the US president spoke in Baghdad, yelling at him: "This is a farewell kiss! Dog! Dog!" Ironically, Zaidi's very impudence confirmed Bush's point about greater freedom; would he have dared to throw shoes at Saddam Hussein?
While I like and think well of Bush, I have criticized his response to radical Islam since 2001, his Arab-Israeli policy since 2002, his Iraq policy since 2003 and his democracy policy since 2005. In both 2007 and 2008, I critiqued the shortcomings of his overall Middle East efforts.
Today, I take issue with his claim that the Middle East is more hopeful and more promising than in 2001. Consider some of the ways things have degenerated:
• Iran has nearly built nuclear weapons and appears to be planning for a devastating electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on the United States.
• Pakistan is on its way to becoming a nuclear-armed, Islamist rogue state.
• The price of oil reached an all-time high, only to collapse due to a US-led recession.
• Turkey went from being a stalwart ally to the most anti-American country in the world.
• Iraq remains an albatross (or a pair of shoes?) around America's neck, incurring expenses, fatalities and with an immense potential for danger.
• Rejection of Israel's existence as a Jewish state has become more widespread and virulent.
• Russia has reemerged as a hostile force in the region.
• Democratic efforts have collapsed (Egypt), increased Islamist influence (Lebanon) or paved the way for Islamists to attain power (Gaza).
• The doctrine of preemption has been discredited.
Bush's two successes, an Iraq without Saddam Hussein and a Libya without WMD, hardly balance out these failures.
FULL ARTICLE
In one, Bush himself offered a valedictory speech, declaring that "the Middle East in 2008 is a freer, more hopeful and more promising place than it was in 2001." In the other, an Iraqi journalist, Muntadar al-Zaidi, expressed disrespect and rejection by hurling shoes at Bush as the US president spoke in Baghdad, yelling at him: "This is a farewell kiss! Dog! Dog!" Ironically, Zaidi's very impudence confirmed Bush's point about greater freedom; would he have dared to throw shoes at Saddam Hussein?
While I like and think well of Bush, I have criticized his response to radical Islam since 2001, his Arab-Israeli policy since 2002, his Iraq policy since 2003 and his democracy policy since 2005. In both 2007 and 2008, I critiqued the shortcomings of his overall Middle East efforts.
Today, I take issue with his claim that the Middle East is more hopeful and more promising than in 2001. Consider some of the ways things have degenerated:
• Iran has nearly built nuclear weapons and appears to be planning for a devastating electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on the United States.
• Pakistan is on its way to becoming a nuclear-armed, Islamist rogue state.
• The price of oil reached an all-time high, only to collapse due to a US-led recession.
• Turkey went from being a stalwart ally to the most anti-American country in the world.
• Iraq remains an albatross (or a pair of shoes?) around America's neck, incurring expenses, fatalities and with an immense potential for danger.
• Rejection of Israel's existence as a Jewish state has become more widespread and virulent.
• Russia has reemerged as a hostile force in the region.
• Democratic efforts have collapsed (Egypt), increased Islamist influence (Lebanon) or paved the way for Islamists to attain power (Gaza).
• The doctrine of preemption has been discredited.
Bush's two successes, an Iraq without Saddam Hussein and a Libya without WMD, hardly balance out these failures.
FULL ARTICLE
29 December 2008
Looming Crisis with Iran (Daily Times, PAKISTAN)
Obama and the world would then have to choose between tolerating an Iran with nuclear weapons and using military force to prevent this outcome. It is the worst sort of choice, as neither option is attractive. For that reason, it is all the more important that diplomacy be recast and given one last chance
When Barack Obama takes office in January, he will be greeted by many difficult challenges, beginning with the acute economic crisis. But he will not have the luxury of focusing on this exclusively. He will also have to contend with an array of foreign policy challenges. Of these, Iran and its nuclear programme may well constitute the Obama administration’s first foreign policy crisis.
The reason is simple. Iran is well down the path to being able to enrich uranium on a large enough scale to produce a nuclear weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency just reported that Iran may well reach this point in 2009.
FULL ARTICLE
When Barack Obama takes office in January, he will be greeted by many difficult challenges, beginning with the acute economic crisis. But he will not have the luxury of focusing on this exclusively. He will also have to contend with an array of foreign policy challenges. Of these, Iran and its nuclear programme may well constitute the Obama administration’s first foreign policy crisis.
The reason is simple. Iran is well down the path to being able to enrich uranium on a large enough scale to produce a nuclear weapon. The International Atomic Energy Agency just reported that Iran may well reach this point in 2009.
FULL ARTICLE
Gaza Strikes Challenge for Obama (Al Jazeera, QATAR)
While the Gaza Strip erupted at the weekend Barack Obama remained in holiday mode in Hawaii, sticking to his regular gym routine and otherwise relaxing.
The military action comes just three weeks before Obama is sworn in as president and poses a great challenge for a man who has promised to work for Middle East peace from his first day in office.
But although the president-elect has received briefings on the situation, David Axelrod, Obama’s top political adviser, said it would be inappropriate for the incoming chief executive to comment while George Bush is still president.
Nevertheless, he said Obama stood by his defence of Israeli actions when he visited the southern town of Sderot last July, a frequent target of Hamas rockets.
"He said then that when bombs are raining down on your citizens there is an urge to respond and act to put an end to that," Axelrod told CBS talkshow Face the Nation on Sunday.
FULL ARTICLE
The military action comes just three weeks before Obama is sworn in as president and poses a great challenge for a man who has promised to work for Middle East peace from his first day in office.But although the president-elect has received briefings on the situation, David Axelrod, Obama’s top political adviser, said it would be inappropriate for the incoming chief executive to comment while George Bush is still president.
Nevertheless, he said Obama stood by his defence of Israeli actions when he visited the southern town of Sderot last July, a frequent target of Hamas rockets.
"He said then that when bombs are raining down on your citizens there is an urge to respond and act to put an end to that," Axelrod told CBS talkshow Face the Nation on Sunday.
FULL ARTICLE
28 December 2008
Obama and Bush, Two Sides of Same Coin (Palestine Chronicle)
A recent World Public Opinion survey of 21 Muslim countries taken after Obama won the Presidency race revealed a plurality of respondents in the Palestinian occupied lands say the US definitely intended to create an independent and economically viable Palestinian state. Thirty-six percent of the Palestinians sampled, according to the survey, were certain and twenty-three percent thought it probable that the US goal was to help the Palestinians have the state they aspire to have; only thirty-seven percent were skeptical. In the rest of the Middle East countries, only eleven percent of respondents were certain that the US intended to create the Palestinian state; seven percent considered it likely; and fifty percent thought the US had no intention of helping the Palestinians. For some reasons that I do not understand, there is hope among some Palestinians that American patience with Israel will reach the breaking point, provoking a dramatic reversal of the US policies. Perhaps this is an expression of despair and feeling of abandonment by the Arab nations who became irrelevant in dealing with the Palestinians struggle and subservient to the US and Israel interests. In short, the US is the only sheriff in town.
FULL ARTICLE
FULL ARTICLE
South Asia Descends into Terror's Vortex (Asia Times, HONG KONG)
South Asians will watch the year end in a pall of gloom. The region is fast getting sucked into the vortex of terrorism. The Afghan war has crossed the Khyber and is stealthily advancing towards the fertile Indo-Gangetic plains.
Whatever hopes might have lingered that Barack Obama would be a harbinger of "change", have also been dashed by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The Financial Times of London reported on Monday that in an exclusive interview Rice prophesied that the incoming Obama administration might have little option but to follow the current US approach on a range of foreign policy issues. Significantly, her prognosis figured in the course of a foreign policy review that primarily focused on Russia, Iran and Afghanistan.
South Asian security is at a crossroads. On the one hand, the United States made great strides in getting embedded in the region on a long-term footing. South Asia must figure as a rare exception in the George W Bush era's dismal foreign policy legacy. On other hand, the big pawn on the South Asian chessboard, India, is heading for parliamentary elections. Almost certainly, a new government with new thinking will assume office in Delhi by May. US-India ties will also come under scrutiny.
FULL ARTICLE
Whatever hopes might have lingered that Barack Obama would be a harbinger of "change", have also been dashed by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The Financial Times of London reported on Monday that in an exclusive interview Rice prophesied that the incoming Obama administration might have little option but to follow the current US approach on a range of foreign policy issues. Significantly, her prognosis figured in the course of a foreign policy review that primarily focused on Russia, Iran and Afghanistan.
South Asian security is at a crossroads. On the one hand, the United States made great strides in getting embedded in the region on a long-term footing. South Asia must figure as a rare exception in the George W Bush era's dismal foreign policy legacy. On other hand, the big pawn on the South Asian chessboard, India, is heading for parliamentary elections. Almost certainly, a new government with new thinking will assume office in Delhi by May. US-India ties will also come under scrutiny.
FULL ARTICLE
27 December 2008
Man of 2008 Has to Do it All (New Zealand Herald)
When Time magazine nominated Barack Obama as man of the year readers could be forgiven for thinking the award somewhat premature, too much too soon. Sure, he fought a mighty campaign to win the top job in his country and the world, but he has yet to slip into the chair behind the big desk in the Oval Office, therefore his main challenge - the defining task of his life - has not even begun in a formal sense.
And yet just getting to the point at which he could undertake that challenge was an outstanding achievement in itself. It was not so long ago that the election of someone with Obama's background would have been unthinkable in America.
However he handles the daunting task before him, whatever his successes and failures, we can be sure that in future the shorthand versions of history will note him as the first black President. That simple fact will be seen as a marker of a profound shift for the better in attitudes in the United States.
But in the present there are more urgent and pressing issues that define Obama's contribution to 2008. He set out to shine the bright light of hope in the gathering gloom of a great country which seemed to be losing confidence in itself and its ideals as it was weighed down by the consequences of an economic crisis and a debilitating war. And shine that light he did.
FULL ARTICLE
And yet just getting to the point at which he could undertake that challenge was an outstanding achievement in itself. It was not so long ago that the election of someone with Obama's background would have been unthinkable in America.
However he handles the daunting task before him, whatever his successes and failures, we can be sure that in future the shorthand versions of history will note him as the first black President. That simple fact will be seen as a marker of a profound shift for the better in attitudes in the United States.
But in the present there are more urgent and pressing issues that define Obama's contribution to 2008. He set out to shine the bright light of hope in the gathering gloom of a great country which seemed to be losing confidence in itself and its ideals as it was weighed down by the consequences of an economic crisis and a debilitating war. And shine that light he did.
FULL ARTICLE
Iran Coming to Grips with Barack Hussein Obama (Daily Star, LEBANON)
Since its Islamist revolution of 1979, Iran's hard-line leadership has relentlessly painted America as a racist, bloodthirsty power bent on oppressing Muslims worldwide. Nothing punctures this narrative more than the election of an African-American, Barack Obama, who supports dialogue with Iran and whose middle name - Hussein - is that of the central figure in Shiite Islam. While the Bush administration's policies often served to unite Iran's disparate political landscape against a common threat, an Obama presidency could accentuate the country's deep internal divisions.
Though intolerant conservatives are currently in firm control of Iran's government, the moderates and reformists among the political elite - dormant but not dead - may be resuscitated by Obama's victory. They were swept out of power by hard-liners who used the country's jittery sense of security - accentuated by the presence of tens of thousands of American troops in neighboring countries - as a pretext to rig elections, stifle dissent, and reverse political and social freedoms. But reformists are likely to mount a rigorous challenge to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as he seeks re-election in June 2009.
Similarly, for Iran's young population - the least anti-American in the Middle East - there is now renewed hope for reconciliation with the United States, something that seemed impossible during the Bush years. While popular skepticism toward American policies lingers, there remains a widespread recognition among Iranians that their country will never emerge from isolation or fulfill its enormous potential as long as its relationship with the US remains adversarial. The Iranian public, sidelined and disillusioned in recent years, is set to re-emerge on the political scene.
FULL ARTICLE
Though intolerant conservatives are currently in firm control of Iran's government, the moderates and reformists among the political elite - dormant but not dead - may be resuscitated by Obama's victory. They were swept out of power by hard-liners who used the country's jittery sense of security - accentuated by the presence of tens of thousands of American troops in neighboring countries - as a pretext to rig elections, stifle dissent, and reverse political and social freedoms. But reformists are likely to mount a rigorous challenge to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad as he seeks re-election in June 2009.
Similarly, for Iran's young population - the least anti-American in the Middle East - there is now renewed hope for reconciliation with the United States, something that seemed impossible during the Bush years. While popular skepticism toward American policies lingers, there remains a widespread recognition among Iranians that their country will never emerge from isolation or fulfill its enormous potential as long as its relationship with the US remains adversarial. The Iranian public, sidelined and disillusioned in recent years, is set to re-emerge on the political scene.
FULL ARTICLE
26 December 2008
For Obama: Urgent Demands of a Perilous World (U.S. News and World Report)
There will be moments, in the years to come, when Barack Obama will feel the weight of the world like no one else. And as this tumultuous first decade of the 21st century winds down—a decade seemingly bracketed by the horror of September 11 and an international financial meltdown—it has to be said: What a weight it is.
America's recession and its deepening problems in joblessness, healthcare, infrastructure, and so on might in the past have invited a period of national introspection, of singular focus on fixing the ailments at home. Obama, however, will not have that option—not in an era in which opportunities, problems, and threats all have been globalized in ways once unthinkable.
Even the most experienced foreign policy veterans marvel at Obama's heavy load. "It's a pretty fearsome number of issues that the new president has to face," says former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft.
Beyond the global economic woes and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there's the ongoing fight against terrorists and the specter of new nuclear powers. Add to that climate change and energy vulnerabilities. Anti-Americanism, strained alliances, and new, rising powers. And those are just some of the main points.
FULL ARTICLE
America's recession and its deepening problems in joblessness, healthcare, infrastructure, and so on might in the past have invited a period of national introspection, of singular focus on fixing the ailments at home. Obama, however, will not have that option—not in an era in which opportunities, problems, and threats all have been globalized in ways once unthinkable.
Even the most experienced foreign policy veterans marvel at Obama's heavy load. "It's a pretty fearsome number of issues that the new president has to face," says former National Security Adviser Brent Scowcroft.
Beyond the global economic woes and wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, there's the ongoing fight against terrorists and the specter of new nuclear powers. Add to that climate change and energy vulnerabilities. Anti-Americanism, strained alliances, and new, rising powers. And those are just some of the main points.
FULL ARTICLE
Europe’s Obama Challenge (Jordan Times, JORDAN)
Will the year 2009 and the beginning of Barack Obama’s presidency mark the beginning of a new era in transatlantic relations, or will the old divisions linger, nurtured by the depth and gravity of the economic crisis? Will the crisis lead to nationalistic and selfish attitudes on both sides of the Atlantic, stymieing the long-awaited rapprochement, if not a full reconciliation?
It is, of course, too early to tell. Even if the left wing of the European left - like the most liberal of America’s Democrats - voices concerns that Obama has selected a far too centrist Cabinet, a classical form of anti-Americanism is bound to recede in Europe. It is very unlikely that Europeans will take to the streets to denounce the “essence” of the United States - what America is as much as what America does - as they did during the Bush era and even during the Clinton years. America’s image in Europe has changed profoundly since November 4, and the style of Obama’s diplomacy once he becomes president will probably confirm that change.
Yet in the realm of transatlantic relations, as is true globally, it is unwise to expect too much from a single man, whatever his exceptional qualities. Fundamental problems remain, and new ones are likely to emerge.
FULL ARTICLE
It is, of course, too early to tell. Even if the left wing of the European left - like the most liberal of America’s Democrats - voices concerns that Obama has selected a far too centrist Cabinet, a classical form of anti-Americanism is bound to recede in Europe. It is very unlikely that Europeans will take to the streets to denounce the “essence” of the United States - what America is as much as what America does - as they did during the Bush era and even during the Clinton years. America’s image in Europe has changed profoundly since November 4, and the style of Obama’s diplomacy once he becomes president will probably confirm that change.
Yet in the realm of transatlantic relations, as is true globally, it is unwise to expect too much from a single man, whatever his exceptional qualities. Fundamental problems remain, and new ones are likely to emerge.
FULL ARTICLE
24 December 2008
Bush Must Account for his Crimes (Guardian, UK)
Seasonal forgiveness has a limit. Bush and his cronies must face a reckoning.
'Tis the night before Christmas and the season of goodwill. The mood is forgiving. Our faces warm with mulled wine, our tummies full, we're meant to slump in the armchair, look back on the year just gone and count our blessings - woozily agreeing to put our troubles behind us.
As in families, so in the realm of public and international affairs. And this December that feels especially true. The "war on terror" that dominated much of the decade seems to be heading towards a kind of conclusion. George Bush will leave office in a matter of weeks and British troops will leave Iraq a few months later. The first, defining phase of the conflict that began on 9/11 - the war of Bush, Tony Blair and Osama bin Laden - is about to slip from the present to the past tense. Bush and Blair will be gone, with only Bin Laden still in post. The urge to move on is palpable.
You can sense it in the valedictory interviews Bush and Dick Cheney are conducting on their way out. They're looking to the verdict of history now, Cheney telling the Washington Times last week: "I myself am personally persuaded that this president and this administration will look very good 20 or 30 years down the road." The once raging arguments of the current era are about to fade, the lead US protagonists heading off to their respective ranches in the west, the rights and wrongs of their decisions in office to be weighed not in the hot arena of politics, but in the cool seminar rooms of the academy.
Not so fast.
FULL ARTICLE
'Tis the night before Christmas and the season of goodwill. The mood is forgiving. Our faces warm with mulled wine, our tummies full, we're meant to slump in the armchair, look back on the year just gone and count our blessings - woozily agreeing to put our troubles behind us.
As in families, so in the realm of public and international affairs. And this December that feels especially true. The "war on terror" that dominated much of the decade seems to be heading towards a kind of conclusion. George Bush will leave office in a matter of weeks and British troops will leave Iraq a few months later. The first, defining phase of the conflict that began on 9/11 - the war of Bush, Tony Blair and Osama bin Laden - is about to slip from the present to the past tense. Bush and Blair will be gone, with only Bin Laden still in post. The urge to move on is palpable.
You can sense it in the valedictory interviews Bush and Dick Cheney are conducting on their way out. They're looking to the verdict of history now, Cheney telling the Washington Times last week: "I myself am personally persuaded that this president and this administration will look very good 20 or 30 years down the road." The once raging arguments of the current era are about to fade, the lead US protagonists heading off to their respective ranches in the west, the rights and wrongs of their decisions in office to be weighed not in the hot arena of politics, but in the cool seminar rooms of the academy.
Not so fast.
FULL ARTICLE
23 December 2008
An American Nightmare Could Soon End (Der Spiegel, GERMANY)
The military tribunals in Guantanamo were established to try America's enemies in the war on terror. But the treatment of prisoners and blatant disregard for the rule of law at Camp Delta undermined the system and damaged the country's reputation. The end is in sight for the military prison.
This wasn't exactly the way Morris Davis had imagined things would turn out when he accepted the post of chief prosecutor at Guantanamo. But he agreed to do it weeks ago, and now he's ready. The 50-year-old retired United States Air Force colonel -- a proud, broad-shouldered man who once wore a briefcase-sized array of decorations on his chest -- has been called to testify by video link as a witness for the defense in the courtroom in Guantanamo. He could even be asked to speak out in favor of the defendant, if necessary.
Davis was called to testify by the defense team of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Davis, the man who, for two years in Guantanamo, decided who should be prosecuted and when, is now being asked to testify about the questionable means with which trials were conducted, and are still being managed today, in this military enclave on the island of Cuba.
FULL ARTICLE
This wasn't exactly the way Morris Davis had imagined things would turn out when he accepted the post of chief prosecutor at Guantanamo. But he agreed to do it weeks ago, and now he's ready. The 50-year-old retired United States Air Force colonel -- a proud, broad-shouldered man who once wore a briefcase-sized array of decorations on his chest -- has been called to testify by video link as a witness for the defense in the courtroom in Guantanamo. He could even be asked to speak out in favor of the defendant, if necessary.
Davis was called to testify by the defense team of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the self-proclaimed mastermind of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Davis, the man who, for two years in Guantanamo, decided who should be prosecuted and when, is now being asked to testify about the questionable means with which trials were conducted, and are still being managed today, in this military enclave on the island of Cuba.
FULL ARTICLE
22 December 2008
From Bush’s Idealism to Obama’s Realism? (Today's Zaman, TURKEY)
When President George W. Bush entered office, he promised to follow a "realist's" foreign policy. His secretary of state, Condoleezza Rice, was a student of Brent Scowcroft, who, together with Henry Kissinger, is an icon of American realpolitik.
Cheney, his vice president, was known as somebody who practiced such realism. Rice, like Scowcroft, was a strong believer in a balance of "power politics" and the need to prioritize American national interests above any idealistic vision based on morality, freedom or nation building. As Bush himself promised during the 2000 presidential election campaign, his administration wanted to follow a "humble foreign policy." And then Sept. 11 happened. The whole world turned upside down and realism was thrown out the window. Overnight, Bush turned into a Wilsonian idealist and embraced the "freedom agenda" as a cornerstone of his war on terrorism.
Now America is taking a sharp turn toward what appears to be realism again. President-elect Barack Obama has signaled that foreign affairs will not be his primary concern.
FULL ARTICLE
Cheney, his vice president, was known as somebody who practiced such realism. Rice, like Scowcroft, was a strong believer in a balance of "power politics" and the need to prioritize American national interests above any idealistic vision based on morality, freedom or nation building. As Bush himself promised during the 2000 presidential election campaign, his administration wanted to follow a "humble foreign policy." And then Sept. 11 happened. The whole world turned upside down and realism was thrown out the window. Overnight, Bush turned into a Wilsonian idealist and embraced the "freedom agenda" as a cornerstone of his war on terrorism.
Now America is taking a sharp turn toward what appears to be realism again. President-elect Barack Obama has signaled that foreign affairs will not be his primary concern.
FULL ARTICLE
Is the Peace Process Irreversible? (Jerusalem Post, ISRAEL)
Lame duck Israeli and US leaders are making a serious effort these days to ensure that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process enters an irreversible track before they leave office. Palestinian negotiators are also trying to put on the record the latest that the talks have accomplished.
This irreversible train left office in September shortly after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resigned due to the police investigation. Olmert, who has continued as caretaker prime minister surprised the Israeli public by stating publicly that the ultimate solution of this conflict will require a return to the 1967 borders and will have to include giving up parts of Jerusalem.
The US President George W. Bush, who has failed to accomplish his declared goal of reaching an agreement on an independent state before the end of his term, has decided instead to institutionalize his position in the UN. After five years of the US refusing to allow the Security Council in the conflict, it has cosponsored with Russia a resolution documenting the position of the international community. A resolution supporting the Annapolis process was approved with 14 votes and the abstention of Libya, even though it failed to speak about illegal Jewish settlements.
FULL ARTICLE
This irreversible train left office in September shortly after Prime Minister Ehud Olmert resigned due to the police investigation. Olmert, who has continued as caretaker prime minister surprised the Israeli public by stating publicly that the ultimate solution of this conflict will require a return to the 1967 borders and will have to include giving up parts of Jerusalem.
The US President George W. Bush, who has failed to accomplish his declared goal of reaching an agreement on an independent state before the end of his term, has decided instead to institutionalize his position in the UN. After five years of the US refusing to allow the Security Council in the conflict, it has cosponsored with Russia a resolution documenting the position of the international community. A resolution supporting the Annapolis process was approved with 14 votes and the abstention of Libya, even though it failed to speak about illegal Jewish settlements.
FULL ARTICLE
21 December 2008
Shoe-Thrower, A Hero? (Jakarta Post, INDONESIA)
After a number of disconcerting facts regarding the downfall of media institutions which were affected by the global financial crisis, international journalism ended spectacularly this year by the shoe incident during a recent press conference in Iraq.
Iraqi TV journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi's action has ignited debate and controversy among media practitioners and consumers. Some people dubbed al-Zaidi "a patriotic hero", while others simply labeled him "unprofessional". Can we call him the "unprofessional hero" of our time?
Indeed, throwing shoes at your source, regardless of who he or she is and his or her position, is rude. But as a writer on a mailing list sarcastically commented: "Indeed, civilized people do not throw shoes. They drop bombs."
"Al-Zaidi's anger is widely accepted. Journalists are human beings. They have emotions, too," the writer penned.
There are other emotions that journalists have expressed this past year: Smiling and laughing at funny news while presenting news, crying at tragedy and disaster while reporting. So, what's the difference? If a journalist is allowed to look happy or to be sad, why can't he be angry?
FULL ARTICLE
Iraqi TV journalist Muntazer al-Zaidi's action has ignited debate and controversy among media practitioners and consumers. Some people dubbed al-Zaidi "a patriotic hero", while others simply labeled him "unprofessional". Can we call him the "unprofessional hero" of our time?
Indeed, throwing shoes at your source, regardless of who he or she is and his or her position, is rude. But as a writer on a mailing list sarcastically commented: "Indeed, civilized people do not throw shoes. They drop bombs."
"Al-Zaidi's anger is widely accepted. Journalists are human beings. They have emotions, too," the writer penned.
There are other emotions that journalists have expressed this past year: Smiling and laughing at funny news while presenting news, crying at tragedy and disaster while reporting. So, what's the difference? If a journalist is allowed to look happy or to be sad, why can't he be angry?
FULL ARTICLE
Somalia will also be a challenge for Obama (Today's Zaman, TURKEY)
It is widely assumed that President-elect Barack Obama will face serious challenges in foreign policy when he takes over. Among those challenges, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Russia stand out most.
However, it is almost certain that a small country in Africa will pose a considerable and difficult challenge for the next president.
This country is, of course, Somalia, which has dominated the international agenda for some time now due to increasing piracy threatening international trade. It is for this reason as well as a fear of increasing chaos that the US took the matter to the UN Security Council this week to try to enlist its support for two resolutions on Somalia.
The first resolution, drafted by the US, concerned land and air operations against the pirates. After overcoming serious misgivings among Security Council members, the US won a unanimous 15-0 endorsement last Tuesday for this resolution, Number 1851(2208), which authorizes countries fighting piracy off the Somali coast to take all necessary actions in Somalia's territory and its airspace for one year, subject to consent by the country's federal government.
FULL ARTICLE
However, it is almost certain that a small country in Africa will pose a considerable and difficult challenge for the next president.
This country is, of course, Somalia, which has dominated the international agenda for some time now due to increasing piracy threatening international trade. It is for this reason as well as a fear of increasing chaos that the US took the matter to the UN Security Council this week to try to enlist its support for two resolutions on Somalia.
The first resolution, drafted by the US, concerned land and air operations against the pirates. After overcoming serious misgivings among Security Council members, the US won a unanimous 15-0 endorsement last Tuesday for this resolution, Number 1851(2208), which authorizes countries fighting piracy off the Somali coast to take all necessary actions in Somalia's territory and its airspace for one year, subject to consent by the country's federal government.
FULL ARTICLE
20 December 2008
OP-ED: Obama Will Change the Game (Sydney Morning Herald, AUSTRALIA)
Kevin Rudd's visit to Afghanistan was long enough for a gift-laden Christmas thank you to the troops - but short enough to avoid addressing Australia's future contribution to a faltering war.
Unlike the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who made a surprise visit to Afghanistan last weekend, Rudd did not meet the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai. And, unlike Brown, Rudd did not come armed with an announcement of an increase in troops.
For now, Australia is exempt from the persistent pressure by the United States on its allies to bolster their commitments. Rudd and the Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, can fairly argue that Australia is pulling its weight and that European nations should bolster their commitment. They can point to both the size of the deployment - 1000-plus troops - and the growing danger levels of the commitment, as demonstrated by the recent loss of a sixth soldier in less than 18 months.
But from January 20, these arguments may start to crumble.
The inauguration as president of Barack Obama will mark a new level of US commitment to the war.
FULL ARTICLE
Unlike the British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who made a surprise visit to Afghanistan last weekend, Rudd did not meet the Afghan President, Hamid Karzai. And, unlike Brown, Rudd did not come armed with an announcement of an increase in troops.
For now, Australia is exempt from the persistent pressure by the United States on its allies to bolster their commitments. Rudd and the Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon, can fairly argue that Australia is pulling its weight and that European nations should bolster their commitment. They can point to both the size of the deployment - 1000-plus troops - and the growing danger levels of the commitment, as demonstrated by the recent loss of a sixth soldier in less than 18 months.
But from January 20, these arguments may start to crumble.
The inauguration as president of Barack Obama will mark a new level of US commitment to the war.
FULL ARTICLE
Obama May Press Japan (Japan Times, JAPAN)
Japan's ruling establishment hoped that John McCain, surrounded by "friends of Japan," would win the race to the White House. Conservative commentators fear that President-elect Barack Obama will neglect Japan while paying too much attention to China.
These concerns are unfounded. There is no evidence that the Japan-U.S. alliance fares better under Republicans than Democrats. Although there are real reasons for Tokyo to worry about relations with the United States, they are different from the apprehension about "panda-huggers" taking America away from Japan. The cause for alarm is the global recession, not the switch of the party in power in Washington.
Barack Obama will not assume the presidency until Jan. 20. We cannot predict the exact nature of the economic situation he will face, but we know it will be very bad. We can also already see fault lines developing over the handling of the global recession.
FULL ARTICLE
These concerns are unfounded. There is no evidence that the Japan-U.S. alliance fares better under Republicans than Democrats. Although there are real reasons for Tokyo to worry about relations with the United States, they are different from the apprehension about "panda-huggers" taking America away from Japan. The cause for alarm is the global recession, not the switch of the party in power in Washington.
Barack Obama will not assume the presidency until Jan. 20. We cannot predict the exact nature of the economic situation he will face, but we know it will be very bad. We can also already see fault lines developing over the handling of the global recession.
FULL ARTICLE
19 December 2008
Entering History on the Wrong Shoe (Haaretz, ISRAEL)
During the final days of his presidency, George W. Bush could definitely sign on to the famous statement by retired Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
"You can condemn me as much as you wish. It does not matter, history will absolve me."
The problem is that even while he awaits the judgment of history, Bush seems to be making every possible mistake. For example, instead of sitting and waiting for the world to sober up, the president of the United States is embarking on a lightning trip to the Middle East whose results are leading to the conclusion that a lame duck is apparently better off staying at home.
When one chooses to rely on history, there is no need for last-minute attempts to repair one's image. The combination of the drama of the hero whose own generation did not know how to appreciate his activity and the desire to reap the unripe fruits of the campaign in Iraq has given rise to a farce. And an embarrassing illustration has been added to the Bush chronicles, in the guise of the president who was forced to avoid a shoe that was thrown at him in Baghdad.
FULL ARTICLE
"You can condemn me as much as you wish. It does not matter, history will absolve me."
The problem is that even while he awaits the judgment of history, Bush seems to be making every possible mistake. For example, instead of sitting and waiting for the world to sober up, the president of the United States is embarking on a lightning trip to the Middle East whose results are leading to the conclusion that a lame duck is apparently better off staying at home.When one chooses to rely on history, there is no need for last-minute attempts to repair one's image. The combination of the drama of the hero whose own generation did not know how to appreciate his activity and the desire to reap the unripe fruits of the campaign in Iraq has given rise to a farce. And an embarrassing illustration has been added to the Bush chronicles, in the guise of the president who was forced to avoid a shoe that was thrown at him in Baghdad.
FULL ARTICLE
All Roads Lead Out of Afghanistan (Asia Times, HONG KONG)
The measure of success of president-elect Barack Obama's new "Afghan strategy" will be directly proportional to his ability to de-link the war from its geopolitical agenda inherited from the George W Bush administration.
It is obvious that Russia and Iran's cooperation is no less critical for the success of the war than what the US is painstakingly extracting from the Pakistani generals. Arguably, Obama will even be in a stronger negotiating position vis-a-vis the tough generals in Rawalpindi if only he has Moscow and Tehran on board his Afghan strategy.
But then, Moscow and Iran will expect that Obama reciprocates with a willingness to jettison the US's containment strategy towards them. The signs do not look good. This is not only from the look of Obama's national security team and the continuance of Robert Gates as defense secretary.
On the contrary, in the dying weeks of the Bush administration, the US is robustly pushing for an increased military presence in the Russian (and Chinese) backyard in Central Asia on the ground that the exigencies of a stepped-up war effort in Afghanistan necessitate precisely such an expanded US military presence.
FULL ARTICLE
It is obvious that Russia and Iran's cooperation is no less critical for the success of the war than what the US is painstakingly extracting from the Pakistani generals. Arguably, Obama will even be in a stronger negotiating position vis-a-vis the tough generals in Rawalpindi if only he has Moscow and Tehran on board his Afghan strategy.
But then, Moscow and Iran will expect that Obama reciprocates with a willingness to jettison the US's containment strategy towards them. The signs do not look good. This is not only from the look of Obama's national security team and the continuance of Robert Gates as defense secretary.
On the contrary, in the dying weeks of the Bush administration, the US is robustly pushing for an increased military presence in the Russian (and Chinese) backyard in Central Asia on the ground that the exigencies of a stepped-up war effort in Afghanistan necessitate precisely such an expanded US military presence.
FULL ARTICLE
18 December 2008
OP-ED: Bush Trip to Iraq (China Post, TAIWAN)
The surprise trip by President George W. Bush to Iraq and Afghanistan nonetheless has received relatively routine media coverage. This reflects not just the lame-duck status of his administration, but also fundamental problems regarding our policies, despite the president’s very optimistic statements regarding Iraq.
The trip clearly has implications for East Asia as well as South and Southwest Asia. Concern regarding Islamic fundamentalism is directly related to the level of violence in both countries visited. In recent months, and insurgent activity in Afghanistan has expanded, and political turmoil in Iraq continues —symbolized by the journalist who hurled his shoes at Bush.
Politicians, like magicians, love public surprises that underscore their prowess. Even when we are well aware that sleight of hand is involved, the skill factor is very impressive when the trick is well done. In March 2006, Bush added a surprise visit to Afghanistan to an announced trip to India and Pakistan. The White House stated publicly that security was the reason, but the politics of surprise also was apparent.
Nearly three decades ago, the ‘October Surprise’ debate dealt with allegations that the 1980 Reagan presidential campaign, including notably vice presidential nominee George H.W. Bush, conspired with Iran to prevent the Carter administration from securing release of American hostages held by the fundamentalist Islamic government in Tehran before the November election. At the time, there was considerable public speculation that the Carter administration might secure release of the prisoners just before the presidential election.
That surprise never happened, and accusations against the Reagan team were never proven.
FULL ARTICLE
The trip clearly has implications for East Asia as well as South and Southwest Asia. Concern regarding Islamic fundamentalism is directly related to the level of violence in both countries visited. In recent months, and insurgent activity in Afghanistan has expanded, and political turmoil in Iraq continues —symbolized by the journalist who hurled his shoes at Bush.
Politicians, like magicians, love public surprises that underscore their prowess. Even when we are well aware that sleight of hand is involved, the skill factor is very impressive when the trick is well done. In March 2006, Bush added a surprise visit to Afghanistan to an announced trip to India and Pakistan. The White House stated publicly that security was the reason, but the politics of surprise also was apparent.
Nearly three decades ago, the ‘October Surprise’ debate dealt with allegations that the 1980 Reagan presidential campaign, including notably vice presidential nominee George H.W. Bush, conspired with Iran to prevent the Carter administration from securing release of American hostages held by the fundamentalist Islamic government in Tehran before the November election. At the time, there was considerable public speculation that the Carter administration might secure release of the prisoners just before the presidential election.
That surprise never happened, and accusations against the Reagan team were never proven.
FULL ARTICLE
17 December 2008
2025: What to Expect (Mail & Guardian, SOUTH AFRICA)
No more them and us, with a farewell to American supremacy -- China to be biggest beneficiary of change, with wealth moving from West to East and nations competing for scarce resources, writes Julian Borger
The view of the world presented by the United States's leading intelligence organisation, the National Intelligence Council (NIC), lacks the black and white, us and them, good and evil clarity of the Bush years. It is a place of competing centres of power, scarce resources and countless potential shocks to the system.
Most importantly, in a conclusion likely to be contested by Washington's remaining neo-conservatives, the NIC report declares the end of American supremacy.
'A less dominant power'
"By 2025 the international system will be a global multipolar one with gaps in national power continuing to narrow between developed and developing countries," says the NIC report, entitled A Transformed World.
FULL ARTICLE
The view of the world presented by the United States's leading intelligence organisation, the National Intelligence Council (NIC), lacks the black and white, us and them, good and evil clarity of the Bush years. It is a place of competing centres of power, scarce resources and countless potential shocks to the system.
Most importantly, in a conclusion likely to be contested by Washington's remaining neo-conservatives, the NIC report declares the end of American supremacy.
'A less dominant power'
"By 2025 the international system will be a global multipolar one with gaps in national power continuing to narrow between developed and developing countries," says the NIC report, entitled A Transformed World.
FULL ARTICLE
OP-ED: U.S. Must Stop Pampering Pakistan (Japan Times, JAPAN)
U.S. policy on Pakistan isn't working, and unless Washington fundamentally reverses course, it risks losing the war in Afghanistan and making the West an increasing target of jihadists. That is the key message emerging from the recent terrorist assaults in Mumbai.
U.S. aid to Islamabad is now close to $2 billion a year, placing Pakistan as one of the three top recipients of American assistance along with Israel and Egypt. In fact, on the eve of the Mumbai attacks, the United States persuaded the International Monetary Fund to hand a near-bankrupt Pakistan an economic lifeline in the form of a $7.6 billion aid package, with no strings attached.
Despite such largess, Pakistan is host to the world's most-wanted men and the main al-Qaida sanctuary. Recent polling shows that Osama bin Laden is more popular in Pakistan than ever, even as America's negative rating there has soared.
A shift in U.S. policy on Pakistan holds the key to the successful outcome of both the war in Afghanistan and the wider international fight against transnational terror.
FULL ARTICLE
U.S. aid to Islamabad is now close to $2 billion a year, placing Pakistan as one of the three top recipients of American assistance along with Israel and Egypt. In fact, on the eve of the Mumbai attacks, the United States persuaded the International Monetary Fund to hand a near-bankrupt Pakistan an economic lifeline in the form of a $7.6 billion aid package, with no strings attached.
Despite such largess, Pakistan is host to the world's most-wanted men and the main al-Qaida sanctuary. Recent polling shows that Osama bin Laden is more popular in Pakistan than ever, even as America's negative rating there has soared.
A shift in U.S. policy on Pakistan holds the key to the successful outcome of both the war in Afghanistan and the wider international fight against transnational terror.
FULL ARTICLE
16 December 2008
Cheney Defends Waterboarding Use (Al Jazeera, QATAR)
Dick Cheney, the US vice-president, has defended the use of waterboarding on prisoners at Guantanamo Bay and said the prison should remain open until the "war on terror" ends.
In an interview with US broadcaster ABC News on Monday, Cheney admitted he was aware that waterboarding was used on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged planner of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.
Waterboarding is used in interrogation to make a detainee feel as if he is drowning.
Asked whether he thought it was appropriate, Cheney replied: "I do."
Asked if he thought, in hindsight, any of the tactics went too far, Cheney said, "I don't."
"I was aware of the programme, certainly, and involved in helping get the process cleared, as the agency in effect came in and wanted to know what they could and couldn't do," Cheney said.
"And they talked to me, as well as others, to explain what they wanted to do. And I supported it," he added.
The out-going US vice-president was also asked about when Guantanamo Camp could be shut down.
"Well, I think that that would come with the end of the war on terror," he told ABC.
Cheney was then asked when that was. "Well, nobody knows," he said. "Nobody can specify that.
FULL ARTICLE
In an interview with US broadcaster ABC News on Monday, Cheney admitted he was aware that waterboarding was used on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged planner of the September 11, 2001 attacks on the US.Waterboarding is used in interrogation to make a detainee feel as if he is drowning.
Asked whether he thought it was appropriate, Cheney replied: "I do."
Asked if he thought, in hindsight, any of the tactics went too far, Cheney said, "I don't."
"I was aware of the programme, certainly, and involved in helping get the process cleared, as the agency in effect came in and wanted to know what they could and couldn't do," Cheney said.
"And they talked to me, as well as others, to explain what they wanted to do. And I supported it," he added.
The out-going US vice-president was also asked about when Guantanamo Camp could be shut down.
"Well, I think that that would come with the end of the war on terror," he told ABC.
Cheney was then asked when that was. "Well, nobody knows," he said. "Nobody can specify that.
FULL ARTICLE
OP-ED: Bush on Back Foot (Independent, IRELAND)
George Bush's valedictory trip to Baghdad will be remembered less for his "security pact" with the Iraqi government and the agreement on American troop withdrawal than for the incident, more comical than menacing, at his press conference on Sunday.
History, the saying goes, repeats itself twice: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce. The farcical element came in when a journalist threw a pair of shoes at the President. In Iraq, such a gesture is regarded not so much as an attack as an appalling insult. Mr Bush, greatly to his credit, took it as a joke.
On the tragic side of the ledger, he will serve out the last weeks of his presidency with very little credit. An agreement -- long in the making -- to withdraw American combat troops from Iraq by the end of June, and all US forces by the end of 2011, hardly begins to compensate for the colossal errors made by invading the country in the first place and in the subsequent ham-fisted attempts to find a political settlement. The war in Afghanistan, a matter of greater strategic importance, is going badly. It remains to be seen whether the incoming administration under Barack Obama can muster sufficient American and allied troops to prosecute the war vigorously and defeat the Taliban.
In the wider world, the United States has undergone a massive decline in standing and respect. It remains the richest and most powerful country in the world, but it has failed dramatically to meet the challenges of the new century. For that, the Bush administration must take a huge share of the blame.
FULL ARTICLE
History, the saying goes, repeats itself twice: the first time as tragedy, the second as farce. The farcical element came in when a journalist threw a pair of shoes at the President. In Iraq, such a gesture is regarded not so much as an attack as an appalling insult. Mr Bush, greatly to his credit, took it as a joke.
On the tragic side of the ledger, he will serve out the last weeks of his presidency with very little credit. An agreement -- long in the making -- to withdraw American combat troops from Iraq by the end of June, and all US forces by the end of 2011, hardly begins to compensate for the colossal errors made by invading the country in the first place and in the subsequent ham-fisted attempts to find a political settlement. The war in Afghanistan, a matter of greater strategic importance, is going badly. It remains to be seen whether the incoming administration under Barack Obama can muster sufficient American and allied troops to prosecute the war vigorously and defeat the Taliban.
In the wider world, the United States has undergone a massive decline in standing and respect. It remains the richest and most powerful country in the world, but it has failed dramatically to meet the challenges of the new century. For that, the Bush administration must take a huge share of the blame.
FULL ARTICLE
15 December 2008
Iraq Reconstruction a "Failure" (Al Jazeera, QATAR)
The US-led coalition's $100bn effort to rebuild Iraq has failed amid bureaucratic quarrels, ignorance of Iraqi society and violence in the country, the New York Times has quoted a US government report as saying.
The newspaper said on its website on Saturday that it had obtained a draft copy of Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience, which is circulating among senior officials.
Compiled by the Office of the Special Inspector-General for Iraq Reconstruction, led by Stuart Bowen Jr, a Republican lawyer, the draft text concluded that the US defence department issued false reports to cover up poor progress of the reconstruction effort.
Colin Powell, the former US secretary of state, is quoted as saying that the Pentagon gave inflated figures on the number of Iraqi security forces on the ground. The defence department "kept inventing numbers of Iraqi security forces - the number would jump 20,000 a week! We now have 80,000, we now have 100,000, we now have 120,000", he is quoted as saying.
FULL ARTICLE
The newspaper said on its website on Saturday that it had obtained a draft copy of Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience, which is circulating among senior officials.Compiled by the Office of the Special Inspector-General for Iraq Reconstruction, led by Stuart Bowen Jr, a Republican lawyer, the draft text concluded that the US defence department issued false reports to cover up poor progress of the reconstruction effort.
Colin Powell, the former US secretary of state, is quoted as saying that the Pentagon gave inflated figures on the number of Iraqi security forces on the ground. The defence department "kept inventing numbers of Iraqi security forces - the number would jump 20,000 a week! We now have 80,000, we now have 100,000, we now have 120,000", he is quoted as saying.
FULL ARTICLE
OP-ED: US-Iran Talks: What Israel Wants (Daily Star, LEBANON)
Unless effective measures are taken soon, Iran will have a nuclear bomb within a year according to worst-case assessments, or a few years under more optimistic ones. President-elect Barack Obama is publicly committed to a policy of engagement with Iran. The question is no longer whether to engage, but how to do so.
Iran has good strategic reasons for seeking a nuclear capability and it is questionable whether any combination of inducements, positive or negative, can elicit a change in its policies. We will only know, however, if a sincere and comprehensive attempt is made. Time is the biggest problem.
First, the timeline may now be such that there simply is no longer a sufficient interval for an engagement process. Assuming the new administration needs a few months to put its policies in place, the United States will only be ready for engagement in the late spring or early summer. If the worst-case scenarios are correct, this would leave only half a year for dialogue and in reality far less, for agreement would have to be reached well in advance. Conversely, this timeline would allow the US to begin dialogue only after Iran's elections in June, and thus hopefully avoid the need to deal with and possibly legitimize its radical president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
FULL ARTICLE
Iran has good strategic reasons for seeking a nuclear capability and it is questionable whether any combination of inducements, positive or negative, can elicit a change in its policies. We will only know, however, if a sincere and comprehensive attempt is made. Time is the biggest problem.
First, the timeline may now be such that there simply is no longer a sufficient interval for an engagement process. Assuming the new administration needs a few months to put its policies in place, the United States will only be ready for engagement in the late spring or early summer. If the worst-case scenarios are correct, this would leave only half a year for dialogue and in reality far less, for agreement would have to be reached well in advance. Conversely, this timeline would allow the US to begin dialogue only after Iran's elections in June, and thus hopefully avoid the need to deal with and possibly legitimize its radical president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
FULL ARTICLE
14 December 2008
Bush's Undermining of Obama (Mail & Guardian, SOUTH AFRICA)
After spending eight years at the helm of one of the most ideologically driven administrations in American history, George Bush is ending his presidency in characteristically aggressive fashion, with a swath of controversial measures designed to reward supporters and enrage opponents.
By the time he vacates the White House, he will have issued a record number of so-called "midnight regulations" -- so called because of the stealthy way they appear on the rule books -- to undermine the administration of Barack Obama, many of which could take years to undo.
Dozens of new rules have already been introduced which critics say will diminish worker safety, pollute the environment, promote gun use and curtail abortion rights. Many rules promote the interests of large industries, such as coal mining or energy, which have energetically supported Bush during his two terms as president. More are expected this week.
FULL ARTICLE
By the time he vacates the White House, he will have issued a record number of so-called "midnight regulations" -- so called because of the stealthy way they appear on the rule books -- to undermine the administration of Barack Obama, many of which could take years to undo.
Dozens of new rules have already been introduced which critics say will diminish worker safety, pollute the environment, promote gun use and curtail abortion rights. Many rules promote the interests of large industries, such as coal mining or energy, which have energetically supported Bush during his two terms as president. More are expected this week.
FULL ARTICLE
Hot Air from Obama (The Australian)
IN one of his first public policy statements as America's president-elect, Barack Obama focused on climate change, and clearly stated both his priorities and the facts on which these priorities rest. Unfortunately, both are weak, or even wrong.
Obama's policy outline was presented via video to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Governors' Global Warming Summit, and has again been shown in Poznan, Poland, to leaders assembled to flesh out a global warming road map. According to Obama, "few challenges facing America and the world are more urgent than combating climate change".
Such a statement is now commonplace for most political leaders across the world, even though it neglects to address the question of how much we can do to help America and the world through climate policies v other policies.
Consider, for example, hurricanes in America. Clearly, a policy of reducing CO2 emissions would have had zero consequence on Katrina's devastating effect on New Orleans, where such a disaster was long expected. Over the next half-century, even large reductions in CO2 emissions would have only a negligible effect.
Instead, direct policies to address New Orleans' vulnerabilities could have avoided the huge and unnecessary cost in human misery and economic loss. These should have included stricter building codes, smarter evacuation policies and better preservation of wetlands (which could have reduced the ferociousness of the hurricane). Most importantly, a greater focus on upkeep and restoration of the levees could have spared the city entirely. Perhaps these types of preventative actions should be Obama's priority.
FULL ARTICLE
Obama's policy outline was presented via video to California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's Governors' Global Warming Summit, and has again been shown in Poznan, Poland, to leaders assembled to flesh out a global warming road map. According to Obama, "few challenges facing America and the world are more urgent than combating climate change".
Such a statement is now commonplace for most political leaders across the world, even though it neglects to address the question of how much we can do to help America and the world through climate policies v other policies.
Consider, for example, hurricanes in America. Clearly, a policy of reducing CO2 emissions would have had zero consequence on Katrina's devastating effect on New Orleans, where such a disaster was long expected. Over the next half-century, even large reductions in CO2 emissions would have only a negligible effect.
Instead, direct policies to address New Orleans' vulnerabilities could have avoided the huge and unnecessary cost in human misery and economic loss. These should have included stricter building codes, smarter evacuation policies and better preservation of wetlands (which could have reduced the ferociousness of the hurricane). Most importantly, a greater focus on upkeep and restoration of the levees could have spared the city entirely. Perhaps these types of preventative actions should be Obama's priority.
FULL ARTICLE
13 December 2008
What Step Will US Take Against North Korea? (Korea Times, KOREA)
North Korea is again testing the patience of the United States by continuously refusing to agree on the verification protocol for its declared nuclear activities. Nuclear envoys of the U.S., China, Russia, Japan and South Korea were disappointed at the North's failure to allow inspectors to take samples from its nuclear facilities during a new round of six-party talks in Beijing this week. The North' refusal is seen as a move to play for time to start a new negotiation with incoming U.S. President Barack Obama who is to take office on Jan. 20.
The recalcitrant North might believe that it can deal more easily with the Obama administration than with the conservative government of President George W. Bush. However, the North must realize that Obama and his policymakers will never play into the hands of intransigent leaders of the world's last Stalinist country. Obama is no doubt liberal and open-minded. He once said during his campaign trail that he is ready to meet with any leaders of friends and foes to solve important global issues.
It is nonsense for the North to interpret Obama's remarks as his willingness to make more concessions to the reclusive communist country than Bush did.
FULL ARTICLE
The recalcitrant North might believe that it can deal more easily with the Obama administration than with the conservative government of President George W. Bush. However, the North must realize that Obama and his policymakers will never play into the hands of intransigent leaders of the world's last Stalinist country. Obama is no doubt liberal and open-minded. He once said during his campaign trail that he is ready to meet with any leaders of friends and foes to solve important global issues.
It is nonsense for the North to interpret Obama's remarks as his willingness to make more concessions to the reclusive communist country than Bush did.
FULL ARTICLE
OP-ED: After Pax Americana? (Daily News, EGYPT)
It has become popular to suggest that when the dust settles from the global financial crisis, it may become clear that the United States-led post-war world has come to an end. If so, the global system that has secured peace, security, openness, and economic growth over the past six decades could be in grave danger. . . .
America not only took the lead role in building the institutions of a globalizing world —the United Nations, World Bank, IMF, NATO — it also became the model that many other countries looked to for inspiration.
After eight years of compromised American leadership, a botched war of choice in Iraq, failure to take the lead in global efforts to address climate change, Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo Bay, running up a $10 trillion debt, and igniting a global financial crisis — America’s once-glittering model has lost a good deal of its luster and America’s leadership has been questioned by many.
FULL ARTICLE
America not only took the lead role in building the institutions of a globalizing world —the United Nations, World Bank, IMF, NATO — it also became the model that many other countries looked to for inspiration.
After eight years of compromised American leadership, a botched war of choice in Iraq, failure to take the lead in global efforts to address climate change, Abu Ghraib, Guantánamo Bay, running up a $10 trillion debt, and igniting a global financial crisis — America’s once-glittering model has lost a good deal of its luster and America’s leadership has been questioned by many.
FULL ARTICLE
12 December 2008
How to Save Detroit From Itself (Der Spiegel, GERMANY)
Painful events can also open doors to new ideas, and in America the end of Detroit's auto industry will cause a lot of pain. The CEOs of Chrysler, Ford and GM paid a visit to Washington last week -- driving hybrid cars, instead of flying private jets -- to ask, again, for billions of dollars in help from American taxpayers.
They flew jets the first time, and American lawmakers advised a lower profile for their second visit. Don't take a taxi to a soup kitchen, they essentially said. The big bosses were scolded like little boys.
But symbolism wasn't enough: After a dramatic series of debates in Congress, the Senate rejected their bid for help. The decision is justifiable, because US auto companies are destitute. They need money, but even more importantly they need managers with a real love for cars. The current culture in Detroit is terminally ill. It has been destroying itself for 30 years. What Congress debated this week was not a rescue plan, as it was officially called, but a multi-billion-dollar assisted suicide.
Ghosts of Cars Past
The year of accelerated economic downturn in America -- Wall Street tarnished, Lehman Brothers dead -- has yet to see its furious finale. An overheated capitalism, which rated seriousness as unimportant and said quality was old-fashioned, has led us to this point. Detroit, unexpectedly, will pose the first serious test for President-elect Barack Obama and his promise of change and hope. Will he throw good money after bad, as powerful voices in his own party advocate?
FULL ARTICLE
They flew jets the first time, and American lawmakers advised a lower profile for their second visit. Don't take a taxi to a soup kitchen, they essentially said. The big bosses were scolded like little boys.But symbolism wasn't enough: After a dramatic series of debates in Congress, the Senate rejected their bid for help. The decision is justifiable, because US auto companies are destitute. They need money, but even more importantly they need managers with a real love for cars. The current culture in Detroit is terminally ill. It has been destroying itself for 30 years. What Congress debated this week was not a rescue plan, as it was officially called, but a multi-billion-dollar assisted suicide.
Ghosts of Cars Past
The year of accelerated economic downturn in America -- Wall Street tarnished, Lehman Brothers dead -- has yet to see its furious finale. An overheated capitalism, which rated seriousness as unimportant and said quality was old-fashioned, has led us to this point. Detroit, unexpectedly, will pose the first serious test for President-elect Barack Obama and his promise of change and hope. Will he throw good money after bad, as powerful voices in his own party advocate?
FULL ARTICLE
Portugal to Accept Guantanamo Detainees (Portugal News Online)
Portugal has this week surprised the European community by being the first state to officially offer to take on some of prisoners held at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp in a bid to assist U.S. President-elect Barack Obama in his pledge to shut down the controversial venue.
Lisbon has reached out to the future Washington administration saying it was ready to assist it in closing the camp in Cuba.
In a letter sent out to the European Union’s highest representative in foreign policy, Portugal’s Foreign Minister informed Javier Solana of his country’s intention to house Guantanamo prisoners.
The offer by Luís Amado comes in the week that a group of five accused terrorists, led by the avowed ringleader of the 2001 terror strikes on America, told a military tribunal at the U.S. Navy base they want to plead guilty, in what analysts suggest is an attempt for these specific prisoners to attain martyrdom by being put to death by the U.S.
However, it appears Portugal will not be housing any of the Guantanamo Bay prisoners who have been formally accused of involvement in the September 11 or other terrorist attacks.
FULL ARTICLE
Lisbon has reached out to the future Washington administration saying it was ready to assist it in closing the camp in Cuba.In a letter sent out to the European Union’s highest representative in foreign policy, Portugal’s Foreign Minister informed Javier Solana of his country’s intention to house Guantanamo prisoners.
The offer by Luís Amado comes in the week that a group of five accused terrorists, led by the avowed ringleader of the 2001 terror strikes on America, told a military tribunal at the U.S. Navy base they want to plead guilty, in what analysts suggest is an attempt for these specific prisoners to attain martyrdom by being put to death by the U.S.
However, it appears Portugal will not be housing any of the Guantanamo Bay prisoners who have been formally accused of involvement in the September 11 or other terrorist attacks.
FULL ARTICLE
11 December 2008
OP-ED: Britain Leaves Iraq in Shame; Not U.S. (Independent, UK)
Obama was elected on the back of revulsion at Bush's war, but greater pressure will be needed to force a full withdrawal.
If British troops are indeed withdrawn from Iraq by next June, it will signal the end of the most shameful and disastrous episode in modern British history. Branded only last month by Lord Bingham, until recently Britain's most senior law lord, as a "serious violation of international law", the aggression against Iraq has not only devastated an entire country and left hundreds of thousands dead - it has also been a political and military humiliation for the invading powers. . . .
No wonder the US elite has wanted a complete change of direction and Bush was last week reduced to mumbling his regrets about the "intelligence failure in Iraq". For Obama, the immediate foreign policy tests are clear: if he delivers on Iraq, negotiates in Afghanistan and engages with Iran, he will start to justify the global hopes that have been invested in him. If not, he will lay the ground for a new phase of conflict with the rest of the world.
FULL ARTICLE
If British troops are indeed withdrawn from Iraq by next June, it will signal the end of the most shameful and disastrous episode in modern British history. Branded only last month by Lord Bingham, until recently Britain's most senior law lord, as a "serious violation of international law", the aggression against Iraq has not only devastated an entire country and left hundreds of thousands dead - it has also been a political and military humiliation for the invading powers. . . .
No wonder the US elite has wanted a complete change of direction and Bush was last week reduced to mumbling his regrets about the "intelligence failure in Iraq". For Obama, the immediate foreign policy tests are clear: if he delivers on Iraq, negotiates in Afghanistan and engages with Iran, he will start to justify the global hopes that have been invested in him. If not, he will lay the ground for a new phase of conflict with the rest of the world.
FULL ARTICLE
The Great Wall between Iran and the US (Asia Times, HONG KONG)
As the Iranian revolution enters its fourth decade, the country's real leaders, the Shi'ite clerics who control the commanding heights of government, can be forgiven for reminding the world of their achievements.
In their 30-year quest to consolidate, widen and deepen the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the high priests of the Islamic Republic have secured an impressive list of achievements; from steering the country towards political and economic independence, and securing a solid core of a highly dedicated grassroots support base in the process, to achieving geopolitical dominance in the Middle East.
But arguably their biggest achievement has been to emerge as the most serious and effective anti-American force in the world. Simply put, in the global arena, the United States does not recognize a bigger ideological and security threat than the Islamic Republic of Iran.
FULL ARTICLE
In their 30-year quest to consolidate, widen and deepen the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the high priests of the Islamic Republic have secured an impressive list of achievements; from steering the country towards political and economic independence, and securing a solid core of a highly dedicated grassroots support base in the process, to achieving geopolitical dominance in the Middle East.
But arguably their biggest achievement has been to emerge as the most serious and effective anti-American force in the world. Simply put, in the global arena, the United States does not recognize a bigger ideological and security threat than the Islamic Republic of Iran.
FULL ARTICLE
10 December 2008
Obama Wants Illinois Governor's Head (AFP, FRANCE)
US President-elect Barack Obama has called on Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich to resign over a damning array of corruption allegations. Blagojevich reportedly tried to sell Obama's vacant Senate seat.
Despite Republican demands for further explanation, observers said Mr Obama was insulated from the affair after long keeping his distance from the controversial Gov Blagojevich.
Robert Gibbs, Mr Obama's incoming White House press secretary, said his boss believed Gov Blagojevich should now step down after prosecutors yesterday alleged "a political corruption crime spree" by the governor.
"The president-elect agrees with Lieutenant Governor (Pat) Quinn and many others that under the current circumstances it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois," Mr Gibbs said.
Mr Obama said yesterday he had had "no contact" with Gov Blagojevich over the fate of his vacated Senate seat for Illinois, after prosecutors accused the governor of trying to sell the seat or extract an appointment for himself.
But while saying he was "saddened" by the affair, the president-elect had refused to comment further.
FULL ARTICLE
Despite Republican demands for further explanation, observers said Mr Obama was insulated from the affair after long keeping his distance from the controversial Gov Blagojevich.Robert Gibbs, Mr Obama's incoming White House press secretary, said his boss believed Gov Blagojevich should now step down after prosecutors yesterday alleged "a political corruption crime spree" by the governor.
"The president-elect agrees with Lieutenant Governor (Pat) Quinn and many others that under the current circumstances it is difficult for the governor to effectively do his job and serve the people of Illinois," Mr Gibbs said.
Mr Obama said yesterday he had had "no contact" with Gov Blagojevich over the fate of his vacated Senate seat for Illinois, after prosecutors accused the governor of trying to sell the seat or extract an appointment for himself.
But while saying he was "saddened" by the affair, the president-elect had refused to comment further.
FULL ARTICLE
OP-ED: Obama's Step in the Right Direction (Austrialian Online)
Right now the softest target in the Western world is President George Bush. Partly because at the end of his Republican administration, the United States is in recession. But primarily because many critics of Bush, both within and outside America, resent the fact he continued US involvement in Iraq after the 2004 presidential election, and refused to back down on his strong commitment to national security.In short, Bush has been ridiculed because, stubbornly, he did not want to lose a war which had cost the US, Britain and Australia both blood and treasure. Many of Bush's critics were attracted to Barack Obama, both in the primary and presidential elections, because he was committed to withdraw US forces from Iraq - by his promised date of 16 months after the inauguration in late January next year, that is by mid-2010.
FULL ARTICLE
09 December 2008
OP-ED: Chance to Change Course on Cuba (Japan Times, JAPAN)
The new political landscape in Washington and Havana offers a chance to change a foreign policy decision that has caused considerable, and unnecessary, suffering for almost half a century — the U.S. embargo against Cuba.
The Nation magazine has reported that Cuban President Raul Castro, in private talks with American actor Sean Penn, has expressed a willingness to meet with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and discuss issues of common interest. A crucial component of these talks should be lifting the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
Although lifting the embargo — or recognizing the Cuban regime — requires congressional approval, Obama and the Democratic Party majority in Congress should be able to move forward with this, even if recalcitrant opponents in Congress are taken into account.
FULL ARTICLE
The Nation magazine has reported that Cuban President Raul Castro, in private talks with American actor Sean Penn, has expressed a willingness to meet with U.S. President-elect Barack Obama and discuss issues of common interest. A crucial component of these talks should be lifting the U.S. embargo on Cuba.
Although lifting the embargo — or recognizing the Cuban regime — requires congressional approval, Obama and the Democratic Party majority in Congress should be able to move forward with this, even if recalcitrant opponents in Congress are taken into account.
FULL ARTICLE
OP-ED: How NOT to Spread Democracy (Globe and Mail, CANADA)
With George W. Bush's presidency about to end, what will happen to the neo-conservatives? Rarely in the history of American politics has a small number of bookish intellectuals had so much influence on foreign policy as the neo-cons had under Mr. Bush and his Vice-President, Dick Cheney, neither of whom are noted for their deep intellectual interests. Most presidents hope to attach some special meaning to their time in office. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, gave neo-con intellectuals the chance to lend their brand of revolutionary idealism to the Bush-Cheney enterprise.
Writing for such journals as The Weekly Standard, and using the pulpits of think tanks, such as the American Enterprise Institute, neo-cons offered an intellectual boost to the invasion of Iraq. The logic of the American mission to spread freedom around the globe - rooted, it was argued, in U.S. history since the Founding Fathers - demanded nothing less. Objections from European and Asian allies were brushed away as old-fashioned, unimaginative, cowardly reactions to the dawn of a new age of worldwide democracy, enforced by unassailable U.S. military power.
The neo-cons will not be missed by many. They made their last stand in the presidential election campaign of John McCain, whose foreign-policy advisers included some prominent members of the fraternity. (Most were men). None, so far, seem to have found much favour in the ranks of Barack Obama's consultants.
FULL ARTICLE
Writing for such journals as The Weekly Standard, and using the pulpits of think tanks, such as the American Enterprise Institute, neo-cons offered an intellectual boost to the invasion of Iraq. The logic of the American mission to spread freedom around the globe - rooted, it was argued, in U.S. history since the Founding Fathers - demanded nothing less. Objections from European and Asian allies were brushed away as old-fashioned, unimaginative, cowardly reactions to the dawn of a new age of worldwide democracy, enforced by unassailable U.S. military power.
The neo-cons will not be missed by many. They made their last stand in the presidential election campaign of John McCain, whose foreign-policy advisers included some prominent members of the fraternity. (Most were men). None, so far, seem to have found much favour in the ranks of Barack Obama's consultants.
FULL ARTICLE
08 December 2008
OP-ED: Time for a U.S.-Russia Energy Alliance (Moscow Times, RUSSIA)
U.S.-Russian relations are in poor shape. The old thinking has failed. As President-elect Barack Obama's Defense Secretary Robert Gates put it after the Russia-Georgia war: "For the first time, both the United States secretary of state and secretary of defense have doctorates in Russian studies. A fat lot of good that's done us."
The United States needs a new, 21st-century strategy based on new thinking, new resources and new projects. The strategy must, of course, serve U.S. interests, but it must also be based on a clear sense of what Washington wants from Moscow and what can be reasonably expected from U.S.-Russian relations.
Should we expect a continuation of the current blend of rivalry and collaboration?
FULL ARTICLE
The United States needs a new, 21st-century strategy based on new thinking, new resources and new projects. The strategy must, of course, serve U.S. interests, but it must also be based on a clear sense of what Washington wants from Moscow and what can be reasonably expected from U.S.-Russian relations.
Should we expect a continuation of the current blend of rivalry and collaboration?
FULL ARTICLE
Barack Obama: America's Tony Blair? (The Guardian, UK)
Obama echoes Blair in many ways. But will he realise that being elected is not an end in itself?
In the normal run of things, you'd expect to find British spin doctors - for Brown, for Cameron - taking their seats in the convention stalls for America's big election, then taking notes. Anything you can do, we can nick better. But this year the cycle seems to have spun into reverse as what went around comes around again. In short, eerily enough, Obama 2008 begins to trail memories of Blair 1997.
This isn't a tidy thesis to turn into some quick book, instantly remaindered before Christmas. But consider: our principals are both young, slim, wonderfully eloquent lawyers (who never really practised), and both won by walloping margins, replacing leaders wracked by financial calamity and ideological exhaustion. New Labour, New Britain. New Barack, New Change, the change we need, the yes-we-can mantra. Gently, however, remember what comes next.
The president-elect has filled 35 of his most important administration jobs already: he's gone further and faster than any of his immediate predecessors. And nothing signals more clearly the true nature of the man, and his intended course, than the people choices he makes. Obama, the wildest liberal in the Senate? Forget it. Obama, the rash? Don't bother to ponder it. What we see, here assembling, is a team of the honed, the tried, the tested, the effortlessly superior: talented centrists going on total pragmatists.
FULL ARTICLE
In the normal run of things, you'd expect to find British spin doctors - for Brown, for Cameron - taking their seats in the convention stalls for America's big election, then taking notes. Anything you can do, we can nick better. But this year the cycle seems to have spun into reverse as what went around comes around again. In short, eerily enough, Obama 2008 begins to trail memories of Blair 1997.
This isn't a tidy thesis to turn into some quick book, instantly remaindered before Christmas. But consider: our principals are both young, slim, wonderfully eloquent lawyers (who never really practised), and both won by walloping margins, replacing leaders wracked by financial calamity and ideological exhaustion. New Labour, New Britain. New Barack, New Change, the change we need, the yes-we-can mantra. Gently, however, remember what comes next.
The president-elect has filled 35 of his most important administration jobs already: he's gone further and faster than any of his immediate predecessors. And nothing signals more clearly the true nature of the man, and his intended course, than the people choices he makes. Obama, the wildest liberal in the Senate? Forget it. Obama, the rash? Don't bother to ponder it. What we see, here assembling, is a team of the honed, the tried, the tested, the effortlessly superior: talented centrists going on total pragmatists.
FULL ARTICLE
07 December 2008
OP-ED: The Financial Crisis and US Middle East Policy (Jerusalem Post, ISRAEL)
What do the financial crisis and US Middle East policy have in common?
Behind the financial crisis was a well-practiced mechanism for concealing risk. The risk was there, and it was constantly growing, but it could be disguised, repackaged and renamed, so that in the end it seemed to have disappeared. Much of the debate about foreign policy in the United States is conducted in the same manner: Policymakers and pundits, to get what they want, conceal the risks.
In the case of the Middle East, they concealed the risks of bringing Yasser Arafat in from the cold; they concealed the risks of neglecting the growth of al-Qaida; and they concealed the risks involved in occupying Iraq. It isn't that the risks weren't known. The intelligence was always there. But if you were clever enough, and determined enough, you could find a way to conceal them.
FULL ARTICLE
Behind the financial crisis was a well-practiced mechanism for concealing risk. The risk was there, and it was constantly growing, but it could be disguised, repackaged and renamed, so that in the end it seemed to have disappeared. Much of the debate about foreign policy in the United States is conducted in the same manner: Policymakers and pundits, to get what they want, conceal the risks.
In the case of the Middle East, they concealed the risks of bringing Yasser Arafat in from the cold; they concealed the risks of neglecting the growth of al-Qaida; and they concealed the risks involved in occupying Iraq. It isn't that the risks weren't known. The intelligence was always there. But if you were clever enough, and determined enough, you could find a way to conceal them.
FULL ARTICLE
Memo for Obama (Palestine Chronicle, PALISTINE)
The following humble suggestions are based on my 70 years of experience as an underground fighter, special forces soldier in the 1948 war, editor-in-chief of a news magazine, member of the Knesset and founding member of a peace movement:
(1) As far as Israeli-Arab peace is concerned, you should act from Day One.
(2) Israeli elections are due to take place in February 2009. You can have an indirect but important and constructive impact on the outcome, by announcing your unequivocal determination to achieve Israeli-Palestinian, Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-all-Arab peace in 2009.
(3) Unfortunately, all your predecessors since 1967 have played a double game. While paying lip service to peace, and sometimes going through the motions of making some effort for peace, they have in practice supported our governments in moving in the very opposite direction. In particular, they have given tacit approval to the building and enlargement of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian and Syrian territories, each of which is a land mine on the road to peace.
FULL ARTICLE
(1) As far as Israeli-Arab peace is concerned, you should act from Day One.(2) Israeli elections are due to take place in February 2009. You can have an indirect but important and constructive impact on the outcome, by announcing your unequivocal determination to achieve Israeli-Palestinian, Israeli-Syrian and Israeli-all-Arab peace in 2009.
(3) Unfortunately, all your predecessors since 1967 have played a double game. While paying lip service to peace, and sometimes going through the motions of making some effort for peace, they have in practice supported our governments in moving in the very opposite direction. In particular, they have given tacit approval to the building and enlargement of Israeli settlements in the occupied Palestinian and Syrian territories, each of which is a land mine on the road to peace.
FULL ARTICLE
06 December 2008
OP-ED: Obama & Europe’s Foreign Policy (Hindu Online, INDIA)
President-elect Barack Obama’s election to the American presidency does not solve western Europe’s conundrums over foreign policy but instead throws them into sharp relief. The issues are familiar enough. They include the role, possible expansion and general future of NATO, relations with Russia, all the problems arising from the war in Afghanistan and the continuing occupation of Iraq, and the challenge of global warming.
Mr. Obama’s general approach to European foreign policy issues is likely to be far more thoughtful and nuanced than the Manichaean, good-versus-evil, attitude that has permeated the Bush administration for all its eight years in office. Mr. Obama has also taken recent steps to counter criticism of his comparative neglect of a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee that he used to chair. He has maintained a high international profile since his election and worked hard to master the details of a range of international issues.
Nevertheless, the major western European states are no nearer to a judicious and united foreign policy than they were at the start of the Bush administration.
FULL ARTICLE
Mr. Obama’s general approach to European foreign policy issues is likely to be far more thoughtful and nuanced than the Manichaean, good-versus-evil, attitude that has permeated the Bush administration for all its eight years in office. Mr. Obama has also taken recent steps to counter criticism of his comparative neglect of a Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee that he used to chair. He has maintained a high international profile since his election and worked hard to master the details of a range of international issues.
Nevertheless, the major western European states are no nearer to a judicious and united foreign policy than they were at the start of the Bush administration.
FULL ARTICLE
Somalia May Haunt U.S. Again (China Post, CHINA)
Barack Obama’s incoming administration could be stuck on the horn of a security dilemma in the strategic but unstable horn of Africa.
A widening Somali crisis which has challenged both George Bush I and the Clinton Administrations, with disastrous consequences, now confronts Obama with the specter of “Blackhawk down” in Mogadishu. The combination of a failed state, a widening humanitarian disaster, and the growth of offshore piracy against international shipping, creates a dangerous vortex in East Africa astride strategic shipping lanes of communication.
It also throws down the gauntlet to the incoming administration and NATO to ensure maritime security in the troubled waters off East Africa.
FULL ARTICLE
A widening Somali crisis which has challenged both George Bush I and the Clinton Administrations, with disastrous consequences, now confronts Obama with the specter of “Blackhawk down” in Mogadishu. The combination of a failed state, a widening humanitarian disaster, and the growth of offshore piracy against international shipping, creates a dangerous vortex in East Africa astride strategic shipping lanes of communication.
It also throws down the gauntlet to the incoming administration and NATO to ensure maritime security in the troubled waters off East Africa.
FULL ARTICLE
04 December 2008
Arrogant and Joyless: Obama's Take on Britain? (Times Online, UK)
The President-elect's writings seem to be coloured by his grandfather's brutal treatment at the hands of the colonists.
More than half a century ago an African was arrested by Kenya's colonial police; he was imprisoned, tortured, and finally released two years later, a broken man. Such episodes were grimly common during the Mau Mau rebellion against British rule in Kenya, yet this sharp little shard of history has now poked above the surface again, as the story of Barack Obama's grandfather.
This is more than simply another fascinating element in Mr Obama's already colourful story. No president of modern times is so steeped in history, both America's history and his own family narrative. The past, and where he came from - Hawaii, Indonesia, Kenya, Chicago - is how Mr Obama has chosen to define himself to the American electorate.
But the story of his grandfather's treatment at the hands of the British illustrates how little we, as a country, yet know about Mr Obama's view of Britain, and the extent to which those attitudes are likely to be filtered through the prism of the past.
FULL ARTICLE
More than half a century ago an African was arrested by Kenya's colonial police; he was imprisoned, tortured, and finally released two years later, a broken man. Such episodes were grimly common during the Mau Mau rebellion against British rule in Kenya, yet this sharp little shard of history has now poked above the surface again, as the story of Barack Obama's grandfather.
This is more than simply another fascinating element in Mr Obama's already colourful story. No president of modern times is so steeped in history, both America's history and his own family narrative. The past, and where he came from - Hawaii, Indonesia, Kenya, Chicago - is how Mr Obama has chosen to define himself to the American electorate.
But the story of his grandfather's treatment at the hands of the British illustrates how little we, as a country, yet know about Mr Obama's view of Britain, and the extent to which those attitudes are likely to be filtered through the prism of the past.
FULL ARTICLE
Obama and Kashmir (Daily Times, PAKISTAN)
If Obama tries to force things on India, it would negatively impact Indo-US relations which, given the importance that India currently enjoys in American strategic thinking, the US simply cannot afford
When then-Senator Barack Obama linked peace in Afghanistan with the settlement of the Kashmir dispute, the Pakistani and Kashmiri leadership welcomed it. The Indian government, on the other hand, was quite upset, though it put up a brave face by dismissing the statement as a “pre-election rhetoric that deserved to be ignored”.
However, following Obama’s election as president, and the media speculation that he was thinking of appointing former President Bill Clinton as special envoy on Kashmir, India got worried and directed the Indian delegation, which was leaving for the UN General Assembly, to apprise Obama’s aides about the state of the ongoing peace process between the two countries and the futility of the American initiative.
FULL ARTICLE
When then-Senator Barack Obama linked peace in Afghanistan with the settlement of the Kashmir dispute, the Pakistani and Kashmiri leadership welcomed it. The Indian government, on the other hand, was quite upset, though it put up a brave face by dismissing the statement as a “pre-election rhetoric that deserved to be ignored”.
However, following Obama’s election as president, and the media speculation that he was thinking of appointing former President Bill Clinton as special envoy on Kashmir, India got worried and directed the Indian delegation, which was leaving for the UN General Assembly, to apprise Obama’s aides about the state of the ongoing peace process between the two countries and the futility of the American initiative.
FULL ARTICLE
03 December 2008
OP-ED: Obama Starts Well with the Right Choices (New Zealand Herald)
One of the oft-repeated criticisms of Barack Obama during his run to the White House was that his foreign policy was naive to the point of being highly dangerous to America's best interests. The President-elect's misreading of history would undercut the United States in its dealings with adversaries such as Iran and North Korea and offer sustenance to terrorist groups, said opponents.
Such critics would have strengthened in number had Mr Obama chosen idealists and ideologues for the key positions in his national security team. He has not. Fortunately, those selected, including, most notably, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are all of an utterly pragmatic disposition.
Any concerns should have been further allayed by Mr Obama's statement as he unveiled those appointments.
FULL ARTICLE
Such critics would have strengthened in number had Mr Obama chosen idealists and ideologues for the key positions in his national security team. He has not. Fortunately, those selected, including, most notably, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, are all of an utterly pragmatic disposition.
Any concerns should have been further allayed by Mr Obama's statement as he unveiled those appointments.
FULL ARTICLE
OP-ED: Seoul Should Move Before It Gets Too Late (Korean Times)
To sum up, U.S. President-elect Barack Obama's pickup of new cabinet secretaries was a bipartisan embrace of rivals based on pragmatism.
This comes in stark contrast not just to Obama's predecessor but to his Korean counterpart, who clings to people from the same region, school and church while refusing to promote figures of rival factions within his own party to any posts of significance.
Obama's selection of key cabinet posts reflects his awareness that unusual situations require unusual countermeasures. There was a similar example in Korean politics, too. In 1997 when the nation faced an unprecedented financial crisis, the then President-elect Kim Dae-jung filled two key economic posts ― finance minister and corporate restructuring chief ― with figures he had not known personally, at the recommendation of a coalition partner: Korea was then able to get out of the crisis in a most swift and exemplary way.
President Lee Myung-bak has long posed himself as a pragmatic leader, while stressing this is an ``unheard-of'' crisis needing ``unheard-of remedies.'' Still, he is sticking to a finance minister increasingly shunned even within the governing camp for failing to earn the trust of markets. What Lee preached for a year as only an empty slogan, Obama practiced in just one month after his election.
FULL ARTICLE
This comes in stark contrast not just to Obama's predecessor but to his Korean counterpart, who clings to people from the same region, school and church while refusing to promote figures of rival factions within his own party to any posts of significance.
Obama's selection of key cabinet posts reflects his awareness that unusual situations require unusual countermeasures. There was a similar example in Korean politics, too. In 1997 when the nation faced an unprecedented financial crisis, the then President-elect Kim Dae-jung filled two key economic posts ― finance minister and corporate restructuring chief ― with figures he had not known personally, at the recommendation of a coalition partner: Korea was then able to get out of the crisis in a most swift and exemplary way.
President Lee Myung-bak has long posed himself as a pragmatic leader, while stressing this is an ``unheard-of'' crisis needing ``unheard-of remedies.'' Still, he is sticking to a finance minister increasingly shunned even within the governing camp for failing to earn the trust of markets. What Lee preached for a year as only an empty slogan, Obama practiced in just one month after his election.
FULL ARTICLE
OP-ED: Obama's Victory and What It Means to Us (Palestine Chronicle)
Besides restoring my faith in humanity, Barak Obama’s victory made me think of one thing: The first Palestinian Prime Minister in a post Zionist, secular, democratic state in Palestine/Israel. This may sound strange coming from an Israeli living in America, but just as Obama is good for black and white Americans, a Palestinian prime minister in a secular democracy will be good for Israelis as well as Palestinians.
If it can happen in the US it can happen in the holy land. On January 20, an African American by the name of Barak Hussein Obama will be sworn in as President of the United States. This is a milestone if ever there was one, and there are many lessons to be learned from it. At the same time, this does not mean that we should expect that an Obama administration will offer anything new as far as US policy towards Israel and the Palestinians.
One lesson we need to take from Barak Obama’s victory is this: With razor sharp focus on a single issue, driven home here in America and in our shared homeland, we can achieve equal rights between Israelis and Palestinians in all of Palestine/Israel. The message has to be: End the apartheid.
FULL ARTICLE
If it can happen in the US it can happen in the holy land. On January 20, an African American by the name of Barak Hussein Obama will be sworn in as President of the United States. This is a milestone if ever there was one, and there are many lessons to be learned from it. At the same time, this does not mean that we should expect that an Obama administration will offer anything new as far as US policy towards Israel and the Palestinians.One lesson we need to take from Barak Obama’s victory is this: With razor sharp focus on a single issue, driven home here in America and in our shared homeland, we can achieve equal rights between Israelis and Palestinians in all of Palestine/Israel. The message has to be: End the apartheid.
FULL ARTICLE
02 December 2008
OP-ED: Obama's "Hawks" to Follow in Bush's Footsteps (Independent.ie, IRELAND)
The three best tests of how conservative the new administration will be are Iran, Russia and the Israeli-Palestinian deadlock
Obama's new foreign policy trio hardly live up to his promise of change. His team is more conservative by reputation than many Democrats wanted and is full of familiar faces.
In picking Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, in keeping Robert Gates as secretary of defense, and in supporting them with General James Jones as national security adviser, Mr Obama has picked a line-up of big names whose known positions appear much closer to those of the Bush administration than many Obama followers hoped.
Those who wanted an overt and dramatic rejection of Bush policy are furious.
FULL ARTICLE
Obama's new foreign policy trio hardly live up to his promise of change. His team is more conservative by reputation than many Democrats wanted and is full of familiar faces.
In picking Hillary Clinton as secretary of state, in keeping Robert Gates as secretary of defense, and in supporting them with General James Jones as national security adviser, Mr Obama has picked a line-up of big names whose known positions appear much closer to those of the Bush administration than many Obama followers hoped.
Those who wanted an overt and dramatic rejection of Bush policy are furious.
FULL ARTICLE
OP-ED: Middle East Priorities for January 21 (Daily News, EGYPT)
The election of Barack Obama to be the 44th president is profoundly historic. We have at long last been able to come together in a way that has eluded us in the long history of our great country. We should celebrate this triumph of the true spirit of America.
Election Day celebrations were replicated in time zones around the world, something we have not seen in a long time. While euphoria is ephemeral, we must endeavor to use its energy to bring us all together as Americans to cope with the urgent problems that beset us.
When Obama takes office in two months, he will find a number of difficult foreign policy issues competing for his attention, each with strong advocates among his advisers. We believe that the Arab-Israeli peace process is one issue that requires priority attention.
In perhaps no other region was the election of Obama more favorably received than the Middle East. Immediate attention to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute would help cement the goodwill that Obama’s election engendered. Not everyone in the Middle East views the Palestinian issue as the greatest regional challenge, but the deep sense of injustice it stimulates is genuine and pervasive.
FULL ARTICLE
Election Day celebrations were replicated in time zones around the world, something we have not seen in a long time. While euphoria is ephemeral, we must endeavor to use its energy to bring us all together as Americans to cope with the urgent problems that beset us.
When Obama takes office in two months, he will find a number of difficult foreign policy issues competing for his attention, each with strong advocates among his advisers. We believe that the Arab-Israeli peace process is one issue that requires priority attention.
In perhaps no other region was the election of Obama more favorably received than the Middle East. Immediate attention to the Israeli-Palestinian dispute would help cement the goodwill that Obama’s election engendered. Not everyone in the Middle East views the Palestinian issue as the greatest regional challenge, but the deep sense of injustice it stimulates is genuine and pervasive.
FULL ARTICLE
01 December 2008
Iran Could Blow Up in Obama's Face (Der Spiegel, GERMANY)
The world may be focused on Iraq, Afghanistan, and terror in India, but experts say the biggest foreign policy challenge for the next US president will be dealing with Iran. Obama has promised a new approach -- but the risk of failure is great.
Between the financial crisis, bankruptcy in the US auto industry, and terrorism in Mumbai, the television sets in President-elect Barack Obama's transition office in Chicago must be flickering with images from a host of crisis spots these days.
Amidst it all, the news from Vienna could easily be missed: According to information from the International Atomic Energy Commission, Iran now has access to more than 630 kilograms of slightly enriched uranium, is building more and more centrifuges for enrichment, and is barely cooperating with inspectors. A successful nuclear test from Tehran is imaginable within a year, the nuclear watchdog warns.
FULL ARTICLE
Between the financial crisis, bankruptcy in the US auto industry, and terrorism in Mumbai, the television sets in President-elect Barack Obama's transition office in Chicago must be flickering with images from a host of crisis spots these days.Amidst it all, the news from Vienna could easily be missed: According to information from the International Atomic Energy Commission, Iran now has access to more than 630 kilograms of slightly enriched uranium, is building more and more centrifuges for enrichment, and is barely cooperating with inspectors. A successful nuclear test from Tehran is imaginable within a year, the nuclear watchdog warns.
FULL ARTICLE
OP-ED: Change, and Experience (Globe and Mail, CANADA)
U.S. president-elect Barack Obama has not betrayed his promise of change by appointing Washington veterans such as Tom Daschle, Paul Volcker and Hillary Clinton to top posts in his administration. Such a charge, gaining currency in leftish parts of the blogosphere and on American cable news channels, shows a misunderstanding of Mr. Obama's character, and confuses means with ends.
Mr. Obama has never been a procedural radical. Despite his grassroots popularity, he built much of his political stature the old-fashioned way: first by winning over the bosses of Chicago's Democratic machine, and then by assembling powerful allies in Washington and beyond.
He would not be where he is – poised to deliver on a long wish-list, with a large mandate and ample legislative support – if he had not learned to work within the system.
Both Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter presented themselves as Washington outsiders, and brought many of their top advisers from Arkansas and Georgia, respectively. The results were disappointing.
FULL ARTICLE
Mr. Obama has never been a procedural radical. Despite his grassroots popularity, he built much of his political stature the old-fashioned way: first by winning over the bosses of Chicago's Democratic machine, and then by assembling powerful allies in Washington and beyond.
He would not be where he is – poised to deliver on a long wish-list, with a large mandate and ample legislative support – if he had not learned to work within the system.
Both Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter presented themselves as Washington outsiders, and brought many of their top advisers from Arkansas and Georgia, respectively. The results were disappointing.
FULL ARTICLE
Mr. Obama Steps Up (Japan Times, JAPAN)
The standard response from any U.S. president-elect about his policies prior to inauguration is that there is only one president at a time. That deference is designed to avoid undercutting the current officeholder, to keep from marginalizing him and prevent confusion about who is in charge. President-elect Barack Obama has tried to stick to that approach, particularly when it comes to foreign policy.
But the scale of the current economic crisis and the confusion that has surrounded the policy of the administration of President George W. Bush has forced Mr. Obama to lean forward and be more assertive. That is a good thing: Forceful U.S. action is essential to restore confidence and create a foundation for markets. The Bush administration appears to be increasing the level of confusion, the very last thing the world needs.
FULL ARTICLE
But the scale of the current economic crisis and the confusion that has surrounded the policy of the administration of President George W. Bush has forced Mr. Obama to lean forward and be more assertive. That is a good thing: Forceful U.S. action is essential to restore confidence and create a foundation for markets. The Bush administration appears to be increasing the level of confusion, the very last thing the world needs.
FULL ARTICLE
OP-ED: Attacks a Message Aimed at Obama (The Australian)
THIS is a devastating assault on India, its democracy, its way of life and its brilliant economy, all of which excite envy and hatred from Islamic extremists.
But it is also a message from Terror Central to US president-elect Barack Obama.
Despite everything you Americans have done, the terrorists are saying, we can still hit you. We can hit your friends in their economic heartlands, and we can hunt down your citizens in the commercial capitals of your friends.
Only last week, al-Qa'ida ideological boss Ayman al-Zawahiri issued a statement exhorting jihadists everywhere to continue hunting Americans and British.
FULL ARTICLE
But it is also a message from Terror Central to US president-elect Barack Obama.
Despite everything you Americans have done, the terrorists are saying, we can still hit you. We can hit your friends in their economic heartlands, and we can hunt down your citizens in the commercial capitals of your friends.
Only last week, al-Qa'ida ideological boss Ayman al-Zawahiri issued a statement exhorting jihadists everywhere to continue hunting Americans and British.
FULL ARTICLE
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