FILM-US/IRAQ: Heart of Darkness

Midland, a small city in the heart of the west Texas oil country, is proud to be known as the childhood home of the U.S. president and commander-in-chief, George W. Bush.

PAKISTAN: US Stuck With Reluctant, Inept Partner in Terror War

Demands by U.S. politicians and policymakers that Pakistan co-operate more closely with Washington in its "war on terror" fail to take account of both the Pakistani military's strategic priorities and its incompetence, particularly in conducting counter-insurgency operations, according to a new study by an influential regional specialist.

POLITICS-US: Bush&#39s New Spin Master a Lame Duck?

As Karen Hughes, the close confidante of President George W. Bush, gives up her mission to improve the U.S. image abroad - amid dedicedly mixed reviews of her performance - her replacement is already facing criticism for his support of the Iraq war and a number of alleged ethical lapses.

POLITICS-US: Did Bush Get New Iran Intel Last Winter?

White House officials have now admitted that George W. Bush was told that the intelligence assessment on a covert Iranian nuclear programme might change last August, but they have avoided answering the question of when the president was first informed about the new intelligence that led to that revised assessment.

POLITICS-US: Assassination Jars Nascent Detente with Syria

When the George W. Bush administration asked Damascus to attend last month's Annapolis conference, Emad Moustapha, the Syrian ambassador to the United States, admits he was stunned.

POLITICS-US: Congress Debates Strings on Palestinian Aid

Members of the U.S. Congress expressed concern Wednesday that an aid package aimed at increasing support for the government of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas does not contain enough effective oversight measures to ensure the money doesn't end up in the wrong hands.

POLITICS: U.S. Jews Tilt Rightwards on Israel

U.S. Jews appear to have become more opposed both to Israel's making key concessions in renewed peace talks with Palestinians and to the U.S. carrying out a military attack against Iran's nuclear facilities, according to the latest in an annual series of surveys of Jewish opinion released here this week by the American Jewish Committee (AJC).

POLITICS-US: Clergy Joins “Tapegate” Battle

A coalition of more than 130 religious organisations has joined a growing chorus calling for appointment of a special counsel to investigate allegations regarding the Central Intelligence Agency's destruction of videotapes and its use of "harsh" interrogation techniques.

POLITICS: White House Fought NIE Over an Old Charge

The reported White House resistance to the National Intelligence Estimate's conclusion that Iran had abandoned a nuclear weapons programme in 2003 was an effort to save a political tactic the George W. Bush administration had been using since early 2004, despite the absence of an intelligence analysis to support it.

POLITICS-US: “Laptop of Death”: Revising the NIE on Iran

Nearly one week after a U.S. intelligence report revealed that Iran halted its nuclear weapons programme in 2003, the sabre-rattling inside the Washington Beltway appears to have receded for the moment, and with it, the George W. Bush administration's strongest pretext for a military confrontation with Iran.

POLITICS: Is Iran NIE a Blessing in Disguise for Israel?

The U.S. National Intelligence Estimate's assertion that Iran currently does not have a nuclear weapons programme has caused much frustration in Israel. Deputy Defence Minister Ephraim Sneh referred to the report as a lie at a recent breakfast in New York, and Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer reportedly "doesn't buy" its findings.

CHALLENGES 2007-2008: Darkness Surrounds Spotlight on Peace Talks

In the aftermath of the Annapolis peace conference, foreign policy analysts and human rights advocates are finding considerable irony in Israel's Arab neighbours pressing for freedom for Palestinians while their own citizens continue carry a heavy burden of unrelenting political repression.

POLITICS-US: Peace Group Barred From Florida Schools

Public school districts in two Florida counties are refusing to allow members of a peace organisation to counter the presence of military recruiters by talking with high school students about options other than joining the service, according to a spokesperson for the group.

POLITICS: Iran NIE Validates 2003 European Diplomacy

Despite the White House spin that the new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) supports its policy of increasing pressure on Iran, the estimate not only directly contradicts the George W. Bush administration's line on Iranian intentions regarding nuclear weapons, but points to a link between Tehran's 2003 decision to halt research on weaponisation and its decision to negotiate with European foreign ministers on both nuclear and Iranian security concerns.

IRAQ: Government Fragments Further

As sectarian tensions escalate politically, a new fissure is appearing within the already fragmented Iraqi government.

POLITICS-MIDEAST: Why Annapolis Is About Iran

It was initially billed as a "peace conference" to decisively address the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. But as President George W. Bush's ambitious Annapolis gathering approached - his most intensive effort to restart peace talks in seven years - any prospect of a comprehensive breakthrough appeared as distant as ever, as Israeli and Palestinian leaders struggled to agree on a joint statement until the last minute.

CZECH REPUBLIC: US Radar Provokes PR War

The Czech government has begun an 890,000-dollar information campaign supporting the U.S. plan to set up a radar station in the Czech Republic. Opponents of the plan - led by the Social Democrats - want some of that money to fund alternative information campaigns so as to create an actual debate on the issue and prepare the population for the possibility of a referendum.

IRAQ: A Tenuous &#39Peace&#39 in Al-Anbar

A semblance of calm belies an undercurrent of violence, detentions and fear across Iraq’s volatile al-Anbar province.

FINANCE: Caribbean Banks Feel Heat From USA Patriot Act

Speaking to a hushed room of Caribbean executives, a Florida-based banker recently detailed how tough U.S. banking laws have become since the Sep. 11, 2001 attacks and how easy it is now for U.S. authorities to penalise regional banks if they knowingly or unknowingly help to launder money for narco-trafficking and terrorism financing.

RIGHTS-US: Civil Libertarians Warn of “Patriot Act Lite”

Civil libertarians are worried that a little-known anti-terrorism bill now making its way through the U.S. Congress with virtually no debate could be planting the seeds of another USA Patriot Act, which was hurriedly enacted into law after the al Qaeda attacks of Sep. 11, 2001.

IRAQ: Detentions Escalate in Diwaniyah

Detentions have become commonplace in Iraq, but now more than ever before people are being detained after being accused of membership in "militias supported by Iran."