U.S.: Libya Splitting Republicans in 1990s Redux

In something of a replay of the infighting among Republicans over Washington's military interventions in the Balkans in the 1990s, U.S. involvement in the civil war in Libya is exposing serious splits among self-described conservatives.

Broken Promises Loom Large in 2012 Election Run-Up

Just days after United States President Barack Obama announced his reelection campaign for the 2012 run-off via a Youtube video, the White House is poised on the brink of its first shutdown in 15 years, with budget wars, an immigration maelstrom and determined opposition to the administration's seeming tolerance for union-busting barricading the path to a second term for the Democrat incumbent.

Maliki’s Doubts Threaten Post-2011 Troop Presence Plan

President Barack Obama has given his approval to a Pentagon plan to station U.S. combat troops in Iraq beyond 2011, provided that Iraqi Premier Nouri al-Maliki officially requests it, according to U.S. and Iraqi sources.

U.S. Treads Cautious Line on Yemen Protests

United States officials reaffirmed their support for a peaceful transition of power in Yemen, but stopped short of publicly calling for President Ali Abdullah Saleh's immediate abdication as clashes between protesters and Yemeni security forces, which began in late January, violently escalate.

U.S. Defends Role in Cote d’Ivoire Crisis

As Cote d'Ivoire enters its fourth month of post-election violence with intensified fighting and bloodshed, the White House is defending its efforts thus far to shepherd a solution to the stalemate between incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and Alassane Ouattara, the internationally-recognised winner of last fall's elections.

Rights Groups Deplore Order to Try 9/11 Suspects at Guantanamo

U.S. human rights groups reacted angrily to the Justice Department's announcement Monday that the self-acclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks on Lower Manhattan and the Pentagon will be tried before a military commission at the Guantanamo detention facility in Cuba.

OP-ED: Misunderstanding Bahrain’s Shia Protesters

Listening to the rhetoric coming out of Tehran, one might assume that Bahrain's Shia opposition is relying on help from its co-religionists next door. But, in fact, the opposite is true: the Shia opposition wants nothing more than for Tehran to stay out of the sectarian dispute unfolding in the tiny kingdom.

COTE D’IVOIRE: U.S., U.N. Press Gbagbo to Yield

As forces loyal to Ivorian President-elect Alassane Ouattara closed in on Abidjan Thursday, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon called for the incumbent president, Laurent Gbabgo, to immediately step down.

U.S.-SYRIA: Neo-Cons Target Assad Regime

Despite the clear opposition of the Barack Obama administration and apparent ambivalence on the part of the right-wing government in Israel, neo-conservative hawks here have set their sights on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad who they hope will be the next domino to fall to the so-called "Arab Spring".

MIDEAST: Washington’s Patchwork Policy on Democracy

While a NATO-led coalition continues to enforce a no-fly zone in a Libya that seems to be on the brink of catastrophe, the Barack Obama administration has yet to formulate a set of guiding principles in dealing with ongoing protests throughout the region in countries like Bahrain.

Latin America’s Gaze Increasingly Turns East

On the heels of U.S. President Barack Obama's trip to Latin America, Washington's traditional role as "regional hegemon" is being reevaluated as its attention focuses on the Arab Spring and an emerging commercial competitor - China - focuses on the U.S.'s backyard.

LIBYA-U.S.: Obama Speech Leaves Many Questions Unanswered

Widely praised as an effective defence of Washington's 10-day- old military intervention in Libya, President Barack Obama's speech Monday evening appears to have left several key questions about his future intentions unanswered.

U.S.: Long-term Afghan Presence Likely to Derail Peace Talks

The announcement by U.S. Deputy Undersecretary of Defence Michele Flournoy in Congressional testimony Mar. 15 that the United States would continue to carry out "counter-terrorism operations" from "joint bases" in Afghanistan well beyond 2014 signaled that President Barack Obama has given up the negotiating flexibility he would need to be able to reach a peace agreement with the Taliban leadership.

LIBYA: Obama Doctrine of Multilateralism on the Line

As the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) prepares to assume command and control of military operations in Libya after five days of the United States at the helm, U.S. President Barack Obama's doctrine of multilateralism is on the line.

CLIMATE CHANGE: “Act of Conscience” Could Earn 10-Year Prison Term

A college student who derailed a federal auction of oil and gas leases to protest drilling near national parks in the western U.S. state of Utah, as well as the larger issue of reliance on fossil fuels, has reignited debate over the legitimacy of civil disobedience in addressing profound global problems like climate change.

U.S.: Poll Finds Support for Freeze on Nuke Plants

The United States government has been accused of failing to read growing public concern about the future of the country's atomic energy programme, as the crisis at Japan's stricken Fukushima nuclear plant continues to unfold.

OP-ED: Libya Intervention Threatens the Arab Spring

Despite its official U.N.-granted legality, the credibility of Western military action in Libya is rapidly dwindling. Within just 48 hours of the start of the bombing campaign, the U.S. and its allies lost the support of the Arab League.

New Bid to Break Afghanistan Stalemate

As the Barack Obama administration seeks to limit its involvement in a third Muslim conflict in Libya, efforts are intensifying to help it find a political solution to the longest U.S. war – in Afghanistan.

Obama Leaves Door Open to Regime Change in Libya

The fate of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi remains up in the air after the United States and its allied partners began missile strikes over the weekend to impose a no-fly zone (NFZ) in the North African country.

LIBYA: Obama Threatens Military Action if Attacks Resume

U.S. President Barack Obama issued an ultimatum to Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi on Friday, less than 24 hours after the United Nations Security Council passed a resolution to "take all necessary measures" short of deploying an "occupation force".

U.S. Congress Weighs Aid Package to Post-Mubarak Egypt

As Egypt braces for Saturday's vote on constitutional amendments in its first referendum since the revolution, lawmakers here are seeking to address the North African country's economic situation in addition to immediate political developments, by introducing legislation that seeks to stimulate foreign direct investment (FDI).