foreign policy

Honduran Crisis Outfoxes US Attempts at Negotiation

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:58:28 -0500

by Tom Hayden

Representatives of the Honduran resistance against the military coup in Honduras arrived in Los Angeles this week as the Obama administration appeared to be abandoning its support for deposed President Manuel Zelaya and acceptance of the June 28 coup.

The four Hondurans, traveling overnight after four months of street resistance and state repression, displayed the diversity of the new social movement born in the wake of the June 28 coup. Their first meeting was hosted by Carecen, an agency long supportive of Central American immigrants.

China Rounds up Dissidents as President Obama Touches Down in Beijing

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 10:10:23 -0500

by Jane Macartney in Beijing

Chinese officials have rounded up dozens of Beijings's tiny coterie of activists and petitioners in case any dissident tries to approach President Obama, who arrived in the city today.

The arrests continued to gather momentum even as Mr Obama told an unprecedented question-and-answer session with Shanghai students that freedom of information and expression were vital for a stronger, more creative society.

Honduras Accord Is on Verge of Collapse

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:19:57 -0500

by Mary Beth Sheridan

Less than two weeks after U.S. diplomats announced a historic agreement to reverse a coup in Honduras, the accord is in danger of collapse and both Honduran officials and U.S. lawmakers are blaming American missteps for some of the failure.

The Sleazy Advocacy of a Leading 'Liberal Hawk'

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 09:07:09 -0500

by Glenn Greenwald

The New York Times today details the unbelievably sleazy story of Peter Galbraith, one of the Democratic Party's leading so-called "liberal hawks" and a generally revered Wise Man of America's Foreign Policy Community. He was Ambassador to Croatia under the Clinton administration in the mid-1990s and, in March, 2009, the Obama administration (specifically, Richard Holbrooke, Galbraith's mentor) read more

Ousted Honduran Leader Asks for Clinton's Stand on Coup

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 09:07:35 -0500

by Olga R. Rodriguez

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras - Ousted President Manuel Zelaya is asking the Obama administration why, after pressing for his reinstatement, it now says it will recognize upcoming Honduran elections even if he isn't returned to power first.

In a letter sent to the U.S. State Department on Wednesday, Zelaya asked Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton "to clarify to the Honduran people if the position condemning the coup d'etat has been changed or modified."

Why Obama's Iran Policy Will Fail

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:05:18 -0400

by Dilip Hiro

While the tone of the Obama administration is different from that of its predecessor, and some of its foreign policies diverge from those of George W. Bush, at their core both administrations subscribe to the same doctrine: Whatever the White House perceives as a threat -- whether it be Iran, North Korea, or the proliferation of long-range missiles -- must be viewed as such by Moscow and Beijing.

In addition, by the evidence available, Barack Obama has not drawn the right conclusion from his predecessor's failed Iran policy.

Cuban Embargo: Nothing Succeeds Like Failure

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:15:54 -0400

by Saul Landau

Once again, Cuba has asked the United Nations to help end the U.S. economic, financial and trade embargo. Havana says this blockade cost it more than $242 million last year. The embargo also stymies Cuban access to foreign capital from other nations, because investors face possible U.S. sanctions for doing business with Cuba.

Coup's Impact on Honduran Women

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:45:13 -0400

by Margaret Knapke

Ms. Magazine's inaugural cover featured President Obama in Superman pose, ripping open his suit coat and dress shirt to reveal a T-shirt that proclaims: "This is what a feminist looks like." Photoshop tricks aside, Honduran women need this to be true. They need the Obama administration to fully grasp the plight of Honduran women and their families and act decisively on their behalf.

A Vietnam Syllabus for President Obama

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 08:46:12 -0400

by Tom Engelhardt

Here's the thing: This may be our next "Vietnam moment," but Afghanistan is no Vietnam: there are no major enemy powers like the Soviet Union and China lurking in the background; no organized enemy state with a powerful army like North Vietnam supporting the insurgents; no well organized, unified national liberation movement like the Vietcong, and that's just a beginning. Almost everywhere, in fact, the Vietnam analogy breaks down -- almost everywhere, that is, except when it comes to us.

The Goldstone Report: Killing the Messenger

Thu, 08 Oct 2009 11:04:01 -0400

by Stephen Zunes

On October 1, the Obama administration successfully pressured the Palestinian delegation to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) in Geneva to drop its proposal to recommend that the UN Security Council endorse the findings of the Goldstone Commission report. The report, authored by renowned South African jurist Richard Goldstone, detailed the results of the UNHRC's fact-finding mission on the Gaza conflict.