By Abolghasem Bayyenat | – ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – Iran is set to hold extraordinary presidential elections in about two weeks following the death of President Ebrahim Raisi in a helicopter crash in northwestern Iran last month. Out of a list of 80 presidential nominees, the Council of Guardians, which is in […]
Israel, Russia and International Law
By Lawrence S. Wittner | ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – International law―the recognized rules of behavior among nations based on customary practices and treaties, among them the United Nations Charter and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights―has been agreed upon by large and small nations alike. To implement this law, the nations of […]
A Way Out: Each Path to Gaza Peace Seems Improbable, Until Steps are taken to Make it Happen
By Louis Kriesberg | – ( Foreign Policy in Focus) -In the face of an increasingly terrible conflict, political leaders, academic scholars, engaged officials, and media experts tend to explain how the conflict arose and is escalating badly. This has the effect of making the conflict appear inevitable and insurmountable short of totally defeating the […]
Dangerous Deceptions and Outright Lies: Language in the War on Gaza
By Dubravka Žarkov | ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – Israel’s political and military leaders have produced so many outright lies regarding Gaza and Hamas that it might seem there is no point in wasting one’s breath on them. Consider the following statements and the contrary evidence for those not yet convinced: The IDF […]
The Most Dangerous Wars: When Local Conflicts become Geopolitics
By Walden Bello ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – The three major wars or conflicts that are ongoing today demonstrate the volatility of the intersection between the local and the global. In the Hamas-Israeli conflict, we see how the maintenance of the Israeli settler-colonial state is intertwined with the preservation of the global hegemony […]
Amid War, Palestinian-Israeli Peace Work Continues
By Louis Kriesberg | February 14, 2024 ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) The terrible war initiated in October 2023 between Israel and Hamas was the result of the failure of leaders in both camps to construct a mutually acceptable peace. Yet, the horrors of this war can be an impetus to put an end […]
U.S. Officials Acknowledge Moral Issues at Stake in Gaza
By Edward Hunt ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – Over the past several months, officials in Washington have acknowledged that one of the fundamental issues at stake in Israel’s military campaign in Gaza is its effect on the people of Gaza. Even as the United States has continued helping Israel wage its military campaign, […]
US Officials Care More about Protecting Oil Tankers than Palestinians
By Edward Hunt | – ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – While Israel continues its military offensive in Gaza, the United States is directing a major military operation in the Red Sea, where U.S. warships are maintaining a persistent presence to protect shipping lanes. With its recently launched Operation Prosperity Guardian, the United States […]
In the Caucasus, the US Priority is Fossil Fuels, not Armenians
By Edward Hunt | – ( Foreign Policy in Focus ) – Officials in Washington are doubling down on their efforts to create a new energy corridor that runs through the Caucasus, a major transit route for trade and energy that connects Europe and Asia. Focusing on Armenia and Azerbaijan, two countries at odds over […]