In The News

Palestinians Capture Violence of Israeli Occupation on Video

Peter Beaumont July 31, 2008
People are often uncomfortable about photos or films of themselves – and especially so if caught acting boorish or cruel. Even so, such footage encourages self-reflection. Relying on such principles, the Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem distributed 100 video cameras to Palestinians in Hebron, the northern West Bank and elsewhere, to document abuses. The amateurs film Israeli...

Revisiting the “Axis of Evil” – Part I

Dilip Hiro July 29, 2008
In his January 2002 State of the Union address, US President George Bush identified the new enemies of the United States and the world. He pointed to Iraq, Iran and North Korea: “States like these, and their terrorist allies, constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world. By seeking weapons of mass destruction, these regimes pose a grave and growing danger.” Little more...

US Network Falters in Mideast Mission

Craig Whitlock July 23, 2008
The Bush administration’s War on Terror has evolved beyond traditional military operations, and has become a propaganda war in which the hearts and minds of average citizens are at stake. The US primarily uses the radio for communication, but Al Qaeda has become more technologically advanced and imaginative. Therefore, despite the US being a leader in the communications sector, it often finds...

Talking to Iran Is Not So Controversial

Ilan Goldenberg July 15, 2008
Americans have no great love for the Islamic Republic of Iran. Ilan Goldenberg, however, argues that Americans have also lost patience with the foreign-policy failures of the Bush administration – and that they are now ready to start reversing those failures by embracing negotiations with Tehran. With the popularity of negotiations increasing dramatically since early 2007, it seems likely that...

Report Urges Overhaul of the War Powers Law

John M. Broder July 14, 2008
In 1973, toward the end of the Vietnam War, US Congress passed the War Powers Resolution, setting out guidelines for presidents in committing American troops to international conflicts. A yearlong study by a bipartisan group was led by Warren Christopher and James A. Baker III, both former secretaries of state. They conclude that the 1973 law is “ineffective at best and unconstitutional at worst...

Thinking the Unthinkable: A World Without Nuclear Weapons

Carla Anne Robbins July 1, 2008
Arms control has not been a priority for major global powers. Almost two decades after the fall of the Berlin Wall, the US and Russia alone have more than 20,000 weapons, and small countries like Iraq and North Korea have presented nuclear threats. A group of policy experts, including George Schultz and Henry Kissinger, have called for a shift in US policy, arguing that the US lead the charge to...

Election Season Wild Card: Covert Operations Against Iran, Al-Qaeda

Kevin Whitelaw July 1, 2008
Nearly three decades after the Iran hostage crisis, confrontation with Iran may again make November’s presidential election susceptible to an “October surprise.” Amid reports that US Special Forces are already operating in Iran, the specter of an escalating conflict with Tehran looms over the presidential campaign. Meanwhile, reports that the US military may begin covert operations in Pakistan...