Speculation over Iran-U.S. Détente Continues Apace

by Jim Lobe via IPS News On the eve of a possible – if seemingly accidental – encounter between U.S. President Barack Obama and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani in the corridors of the U.N. Secretariat building Tuesday, speculation over the… Continue Reading

Mutual Interests Could Aid U.S.-Iran Détente

by Jasmin Ramsey via IPS News In the wake of a renewed diplomatic push on the Iranian nuclear front, shared interests in Iran’s backyard could pave the way for Washington and Tehran to work toward overcoming decades of hostility. “I… Continue Reading

Thinking Regionally on Syria

by Robert E. Hunter Following the US-Russian agreement, the Syrian government’s chemical weapons must now be destroyed. To do this without putting UN employees at impossible risk, the Syrian civil war must also stop. To do that requires a plan… Continue Reading

Obama Should “Resist the Call” to Intervene in Syria

by Robert E. Hunter via IPS News But what I think the American people also expect me to do as president is to think through what we do from the perspective of, what is in our long-term national interests?…Sometimes what… Continue Reading

Israel Resumes Threats Against Iran as Experts Urge Patience

by Jim Lobe via IPS News As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resumed his threats to attack Iranian nuclear facilities, 29 former senior U.S. experts and foreign diplomats urged President Barack Obama to show greater flexibility in anticipated negotiations following… Continue Reading