Iran Looms over Syria Debate for Pro-Israel Groups

by Jim Lobe via IPS News With Congress still deliberating over Barack Obama’s request for authorisation to take military action against Syria, the powerful Israel lobby here has taken the lead in pressing the president’s case. But in addition to… Continue Reading

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

Meet the Republican Mega Donors Funding Washington’s Iran Hawks

by Eli Clifton Washington’s premier hawkish think tank is funded by a small handful of Republican mega donors, according to a just-published tax filing. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), which employs some of the most consistent advocates of crippling… 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

On Iran, Ross Still Knows Best

by Jim Lobe Exactly three weeks ago, a confident Dennis Ross, President Barack Obama’s top Iran policy-maker for most of his first term, made the following assessments and predictions in an op-ed entitled, ironically, “Don’t Discount the Iranian Election:”