Barack Obama

By Maira Sutton | (Electronic Frontier Foundation) | – – The Senate’s Fast Track bill package failed in the House today, following a landslide vote to reject a piece of the legislation that was necessary to send the bill to the President for approval. The White House has been working alongside powerful corporate lobbyists and […]

Barack Obama

Modest Increase in Iraq Training Mission shows Obama still Uninterested & Maybe he’s Right

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – The Obama administration got itself some headlines on Wednesday morning by pledging to send a few hundred more military trainers to Iraq and to create a new base in al-Anbar Province. But there is less to this announcement than meets the eye. The US has some 3000 […]

Barack Obama

Implications for ICC? SCOTUS Jerusalem Decision shows Limits of Israel Lobbies

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – – It has been the position of the US presidents for decades that the status of Jerusalem in international law is unsettled. That is why the US embassy is in Tel Aviv, and why US passports showing the place of birth as Jerusalem just list the name […]

Barack Obama

Obama: We don’t have a “complete strategy” against ISIL

contributors

CBS News | (Video Report) | – – “President Obama said Monday the United States does not have a complete plan to train and equip Iraqi forces to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS), saying Baghdad needs to show a greater commitment to building a fighting force. “We don’t yet have a […]

Barack Obama

Adelson Tabloid slams Obama for Listening to ‘Court Jews’ in Questioning Israel’s Credibility

Juan Cole

By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) | – President Barack Obama gave an interview on Israeli television on Tuesday in which he said that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s position on rejecting a Palestinian state as long as he is in power is damaging Israel’s credibility. Netanyahu tried to retract his campaign pledge after he won […]

Barack Obama

Obama: Climate change deniers endanger national security

contributors

WTNH News8 | (Video) – “President Barack Obama says climate change deniers are endangering national security.” WTNH News8 “Obama: Climate change deniers endanger national security”

Barack Obama

Was that a White House- Gulf Arab Summit or an Arms Bazaar?

contributors

By Thalif Deen | (Inter Press Service) | – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry chats with Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia on Mar. 5, 2015, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, before the two and their counterparts attended a meeting of the regional Gulf Cooperation Council. Credit: U.S. State Department/public domain UNITED NATIONS, May […]

Afghanistan

Why Obama is bucking Saudis, Israel on Iran: Deal would much Strengthen US Security

contributors

By Brian M Downing | (Informed Comment) | – The dialog between the US and Iran moves ahead, albeit haltingly. Opposition comes from important groups in both Tehran and Washington – as well as in a few Middle Eastern capitals. In Washington, the issue is decried as a sign of the administration’s naivety regarding world […]

Barack Obama

Obama greenlights Shell’s Arctic drilling, tarnishing his climate legacy

contributors

The Tree | — President Barack Obama’s reputation as a climate leader took a hit on Monday when his administration gave its blessing for Shell to begin drilling exploratory oil wells in the Arctic. The move contradicts recent positive actions the US has made on climate, including last year’s historic emissions reductions deal it with […]