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

Military Force is a Blunt Instrument, Mr. President

by Larry Wilkerson Now that we have heard Secretary of State John Kerry’s emotional plea for us to believe the still rather ambiguous intelligence on chemical weapons use in Syria, there are far more substantive answers to be sought from… Continue Reading

US/Syria: Coping with the Global Hangover from the Bush Era

by Wayne White The Bush administration’s deception and irresponsible military action involving Iraq had a wide-ranging adverse impact on populations in countries critical to the enforcement of international standards regarding war crimes. Yesterday’s vote by the British parliament to oppose… Continue Reading

Laughing ’til it Hurts: Political Satirists on Syria

by Marsha B. Cohen One of the more disconcerting developments in foreign policy discussions in the 21st century  is that political satirists seem to be offering keener and more prescient assessments of the dilemmas involved than pundits and policy makers.… Continue Reading