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Thursday, June 18, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
Key Syrian Defection Heartens U.S.
The defection this week of a key general with longstanding ties to Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad was hailed Friday by officials in the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama as an important step towards ending the regime.New U.S.-Pakistani Supply Accord Seen as Tenuous
As NATO supply convoys began crossing from Pakistan into Afghanistan for the first time in more than seven months Thursday, analysts here warned that the reopening of the key route does not necessarily signal a new dawn in the fraught relations between Washington and Islamabad.U.S. Hawks Aflutter as Clinton Clears China on Iran Oil Sales
The administration of President Barack Obama is waiving tough financial sanctions that would have taken effect Thursday against both China and Singapore because it said the two countries had made "significant reductions" in their crude oil purchases from Iran.U.S. High Court Delivers Mixed Verdict on Arizona Immigration Law
In a long-awaited decision with potential electoral consequences, the U.S. Supreme Court Monday struck down three out of four provisions of a controversial Arizona law aimed against undocumented immigrants.NIGERIA: Three Boko Haram Leaders Put on U.S. Terrorism List
In its first legal action against the northern Nigerian militant group Boko Haram, the U.S. State Department Thursday designated three of the group's alleged leaders to its global terrorism list.U.S.: Asians Surpass Hispanics as Fastest-Growing Immigrant Group
Asia has surpassed Latin America as the largest source of new immigrants to the United States, according to a major new report that found that Asian-Americans also enjoy the highest incomes and best education of any racial group in the United States.African Conflicts Push New Refugee Population to 11-Year High
Civil conflicts in four African nations helped push some 800,000 people to seek safe haven in foreign countries during 2011, according to the annual report of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), released Monday.Little Optimism for Iran Talks, But Lots of Advice
On the eve of a third round of critical talks between Iran and the so-called P5+1 – the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council plus Germany – on Tehran's nuclear programme, optimism about a breakthrough is hard to come by.
U.S.: “No Going Back” on Democratic Transition in Egypt, Says Clinton
As angry demonstrators gathered once again in Cairo's Tahrir Square to protest what many are calling a "soft coup" by the military, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton insisted that Washington still expects "a full transfer or power to a democratically elected civilian government" in Egypt.Obama, U.S. Image Falls, But Still Better Than Bush
While confidence in Barack Obama overseas has declined - in some countries, quite sharply - since his 2009 election, the U.S. president and the U.S. in general still receive higher approval ratings among publics abroad compared to 2008, George W. Bush's last year in office, according to a major new survey of 21 countries released here Wednesday.Communal Violence Threatens Democratic Change in Myanmar
The outbreak over the past week of communal violence between Buddhists and Muslims in Rakhine State seriously threatens the ongoing reform process in Myanmar, according to experts here.Washington’s Asia Pivot Gains Momentum
The much-anticipated U.S. "pivot" from the Greater Middle East to the Asia/Pacific accelerated this week, which began with Pentagon chief Leon Panetta's high-profile, nine-day swing through the region and ended with a White House summit between Barack Obama and Philippine President Benigno Aquino.U.S.: Obama Resists Growing Pressure to Intervene in Syria
While reports of two mass killings in Syria by pro-regime forces in the past week have increased pressure on President Barack Obama to intervene more directly in support of the opposition, his administration appears determined to avoid any military involvement.
U.S.: Law of the Sea Treaty Ratification Faces Unsettled Waters
Given the wide range of its supporters – everyone from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the U.S. Armed Forces to Greenpeace – one would think that Senate ratification of the 1982 Law of the Sea Treaty (LOST) would be a slam dunk.Attacking Iran Likely Counter-Productive, Think Tank Warns
While a nuclear-armed Iran would pose significant new challenges to the United States and Israel, a military attack by either country to prevent Tehran from developing a weapon could well prove counter-productive, according to a major new report released here Wednesday by a think tank close to the administration of President Barack Obama.U.S. Neo-Conservatives Assail Possible Compromise on Iran Talks
As at least two days of talks on the future of Iran's nuclear programme got underway in Baghdad Wednesday, neo-conservatives and other hawks escalated their campaign against any compromise agreement, particularly one that would permit Tehran to continue enriching uranium on its territory.Opposition to Iranian Nuclear Arms Widespread: Global Poll
Opposition to Iran's possible acquisition of nuclear weapons is widespread, although support for taking military action to prevent it appears to have fallen in several key countries over the past two years, according to a new poll of public opinion in 21 countries released here Friday by the Pew Research Center's Global Attitudes Project.U.S. Iran Hawks in Congress in Some Disarray
Hopes by Iran hawks here to get the U.S. Congress to wield the threat of a U.S. military attack on the Islamic Republic on the eve of next week's critical negotiations on Tehran's nuclear programme appear to have fallen unexpectedly short.U.S.: Tea Party Loses in Fight with Big Business
For leaders of the right-wing populist "Tea Party" who have bragged about their growing influence – if not domination – of the Republican Party, the past week's battle over the future of the U.S. Export-Import Bank (Ex-Im) has been a humbling experience.U.S. Arms Sale Sends Wrong Signal to Bahrain, Groups Say
The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is sending the wrong signal to the government of Bahrain in proceeding with a partial sale of new arms to Manama, according to human rights activists and some lawmakers here.
U.S.: Obama Comes Out For Same-Sex Marriage
U.S. President Barack Obama Wednesday declared his support for same-sex marriage, becoming the first sitting president to do so and thrusting the issue into the centre of his campaign for re-election.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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