Syria Referral to Congress Could Spark Historic Debate

By Jim Lobe In light of Amb. Hunter’s post about the important constitutional implications of Obama’s decision to seek an Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) from Congress, I wanted to make a few quick observations about the… Continue Reading

Israel’s Next Ambassador to the US: A Jewish Karl Rove

by Mitchell Plitnick Ron Dermer, the man who is rumored to be the replacement for Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, Michael Oren (who resigned today), has been compared to Karl Rove. The comparison is an apt one. Oren, an… Continue Reading

Syria Hawks Can’t Get No Traction

by Jim Lobe via IPS News With Syrian government forces and their allies scoring a major victory over Western- and Gulf Arab-backed rebel forces this week, neo-conservatives and other anti-Damascus hawks are trying hard to turn up the pressure on… Continue Reading

NORPAC: The Mission and the Message

by Marsha B. Cohen Today hundreds of buses packed with what organizers claim are about a thousand citizen advocates departed from various pick-up points in and around New York and  New Jersey for Washington, DC. They represent NORPAC (not an acronym… Continue Reading

Obama Seen Unlikely to Sharply Escalate Intervention in Syria

by Jim Lobe via IPS News Despite renewed pressure by hawks in Congress and the media, U.S. President Barack Obama appears determined to avoid sharply escalating U.S. involvement in the ongoing civil war in Syria. While administration officials insist that… Continue Reading