Obama to Increase “Scope and Scale” of Aid to Syrian Rebels

by Jim Lobe via IPS News With U.S. intelligence agencies’ concluding that the Syrian government has used chemical weapons against rebel forces, the White House announced Thursday that it will increase “the scope and scale” of assistance it has been… Continue Reading

President Obama Can Still Channel Kennedy on Iran

by Ryan Costello Fifty years ago today, President John F. Kennedy delivered a visionary commencement speech at American University where he called on Americans to reexamine their assumptions about peace, including with our then-archrival, the Soviet Union. In so doing,… Continue Reading

Decade After Iraq, Right-Wing and Liberal Hawks Reunite Over Syria

by Jim Lobe via IPS News Ten years after right-wing and liberal hawks came together to push the U.S. into invading Iraq, key members of the two groups appear to be reuniting behind stronger U.S. military intervention in Syria. While… 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

Diplomacy is Still Washington’s Best Option for Iran

by Jasmin Ramsey Two conversations are presently occurring in Washington about Iran. Hawks and hardliners are searching for new ways to force the Obama administration to tighten or impose further sanctions, and/or discussing when the US should strike the country. Meanwhile,… Continue Reading