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Friday, June 19, 2026
News and Views from the Global South
U.S.: Obama Affirms New Focus on Afghanistan, Pakistan
In what marks a significant escalation in U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Pakistan, President Barack Obama Friday outlined what he called a "comprehensive, new strategy" for the two countries to fight al Qaeda and its local allies.POLITICS-US: Neo-Con Ideologues Launch New Foreign Policy Group
A newly-formed and still obscure neo-conservative foreign policy organisation is giving some observers flashbacks to the 1990s, when its predecessor staked out the aggressively unilateralist foreign policy that came to fruition under the George W. Bush administration.MIDEAST: U.S. Jews Open to Palestinian Unity Govt
Contrary to the views of the likely incoming right-wing government of Israel, most U.S. Jews favour peace negotiations with a Palestinian unity government that would include Hamas, according to a new poll released here Tuesday by the year-old, pro-peace Jewish lobby group, J Street.U.S.: Obama’s New Sudan Envoy Faces Big Challenges
As the humanitarian situation in Darfur deteriorates, President Barack Obama's new Special Envoy for Sudan is likely to find his inbox filled with urgent challenges - none more immediate than how to get relief groups back into the province.U.S./LATAM: Economic Crisis May Overwhelm Obama’s Goodwill
For all the goodwill that U.S. President Barack Obama is showing toward Latin America, he may find his efforts overwhelmed by the global economic crisis and growing pressure from labour unions - a key Democratic constituency - opposed to the kind of "free trade'' agreements favoured by his two predecessors, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.U.S.: Bipartisan Experts Urge “Partnership” with Russia
The administration of U.S. President Barack Obama should work hard on areas of common interest with Russia in order to build a "partnership, however uneasy," that would serve Washington's interests in key areas, including non-proliferation, energy, and counter-terrorism, according to a new report released here Monday by the Nixon Centre and the Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University.U.S.: Obama Administration Insists It's Neutral in Salvador Poll
In the face of threats by Republican lawmakers here that a victory by the leftist FMLN party in Sunday's presidential elections could harm relations with the United States, the State Department is insisting that Washington is prepared to work with any government that reflects the will of the Salvadoran people.POLITICS-US: Freeman Affair Puts Israel Lobby in Spotlight
Although the successful campaign to keep Amb. Charles "Chas" Freeman out of a top intelligence post marked a surface victory for the pro-Israel hardliners who opposed him, the long-term political implications of the Freeman affair appear far more ambiguous.US-CUBA: NGOs Hail Congressional Moves to Ease Embargo
Leading advocates for lifting the nearly 50-year-old U.S. trade embargo against Cuba are hailing Congress's approval Tuesday of a general appropriations bill that eases - albeit in a mostly symbolic way - several restrictions on travel and sales to the Caribbean nation.POLITICS-US: Freeman Withdrawal Marks Victory for Israel Lobby
Amb. Chas Freeman withdrew from consideration for a top intelligence post in the Obama administration on Tuesday, following a vitriolic battle that pitted Republican lawmakers and pro-Israel hardliners opposed to his appointment against liberals and members of the intelligence and diplomatic communities who had come to his defence.POLITICS: Pundits Hope for Renaissance in U.S.-Latam Ties
While U.S. relations with Latin America hover near their lowest point since the end of the Cold War, the election of President Barack Obama "has opened the way for a new U.S. approach" to the region, according to the latest report released here Tuesday by the Inter-American Dialogue (IAD), a Washington-based hemispheric think tank.U.S.: Bush-Era Bureaucracy Lingers Amid Lengthy Vetting Process
The meticulous vetting process that potential appointees for senior State Department and other posts must undergo is delaying full staffing of U.S. President Barack Obama's administration, even as it faces ever-more urgent crises both at home and abroad.ECONOMY: Poor Countries to Need Up to 700 Billion Dollars
In the latest in a series of increasingly dire predictions, the World Bank Sunday warned that developing countries may need up to 700 billion dollars in external financing this year due to the squeeze in global credit markets which has seen a dramatic plunge in private investment.U.S.: Call to “Resist and Deter” Nuclear Iran Gains Key Support
A new report on how the United States should "resist and deter" Iran's alleged ambitions to acquire a nuclear-weapons capability by a think tank closely tied to the so-called "Israel Lobby" has been endorsed by two key officials who are expected to exercise major influence on Iran policy in the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama.POLITICS-US: Intel Council Head Draws Ire of Israel Lobby
The appointment of a top-ranking retired diplomat and vocal critic of Israel to a key intelligence post has triggered an intense backlash from hawkish Israel supporters in Congress and the media who are pressing the administration of President Barack Obama to reconsider.U.S.-SYRIA: Washington Ends Its Diplomatic Embargo
Ending a four-year diplomatic embargo on Damascus, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday confirmed that it is sending two high-level officials to Syria this week for "preliminary conversations", presumably on improving relations.DEVELOPMENT: High-Protein Pea Ideal for Drought-Hit Farmers
Agricultural researchers are reporting a major breakthrough in the development of a new, high-yielding variety of pigeonpea, a protein-rich legume that can be grown in marginal lands and is highly resistant to drought.U.S.: Diplomatic, Aid Spending Set to Rise Under Obama Budget
While most mainstream press reaction to President Barack Obama's whopping 3.5-trillion-dollar 2010 budget has naturally focused on its far-reaching - even historic - implications for the U.S. domestic economy, experts here say it also marks at least the beginning of potentially important shifts in U.S. foreign policy.PAKISTAN: Time Running Out to Restore Stability – U.S. Report
The United States and its allies must act urgently to prevent Pakistan - the only predominantly Muslim nation with nuclear weapons - from descending into a spiral of economic, security, and political crises, according to a new report released here by an influential think tank.POLITICS: Many Muslims Reject Terror Tactics, Back Some Goals
Strong majorities of people in predominantly Muslim countries reject terrorism but support key goals of Al Qaeda, notably expelling U.S. military forces from the Islamic world, according to a major new study of public opinion in seven nations and the Palestinian territories released here Wednesday.US-CUBA: Lugar Report Gives Momentum to Anti-Embargo Push
Monday's call by Sen. Richard Lugar for a major re-assessment of Washington's nearly half-century effort to isolate Cuba increases the likelihood that U.S. President Barack Obama will make substantial changes in policy toward Havana beyond those he promised during his election campaign, according to experts here.« Previous Page — Next Page »
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