United States Foreign Policy

Roundtable on Iran Crisis, Part 1: War on Iran in 2012?

President Barak Obama’s triumphal proclamation of a US military victory in Iraq upon the December 2011 withdrawal of all US armed forces from that country made it possible for the unelected makers of American national security policy to focus attention on Iran, a nation high up on any list of US enemies since 1979. Indeed, from November 2011 until March 2012, the rhetoric of senior political leaders in both the United States and Israel about Iran’s alleged efforts to develop a nuclear weapon fueled a ...

"No Trust" Regarding US Role in the Syrian Uprising: Bassam Haddad on Al-Jazeera's "Min Washington"

Al-Jazeera's "Min Washington" (من واشنطن) show featured a discussion on the role of the United States in the Syrian Uprising. Jadaliyya's Co-Editor, Bassam Haddad, rejects the emphasis on the United States' role as being pivotal in promoting democracy in the region. He also addressed the downward spiral of the Syrian uprising and the role of the Syrian National Council in it. Other guests included a Syrian National Council member, Marah Buqa`i, and political analyst Shibli ...

Press Release: Halt "Ships of Shame" from the USA Carrying Weapons to Egypt

[The following press release was issued by Amnesty International on 15 March 2012.] A ship carrying a cargo of weapons with explosives en route from the USA to Egypt must not be allowed to offload because of a substantial risk the weapons will be used by Egyptian security forces to commit human rights violations, Amnesty International said on Thursday.  The organization has tracked the Dutch-flagged ship, MV Schippersgracht, for the past two months. It is currently in the Mediterranean ...

Occupy AIPAC Photo Essay

Sunday, March 4th was an action-packed day for Occupy AIPAC. From the early hours of the morning, protesters occupied the streets surrounding the convention center to greet conference attendees with signs, chants, artwork, song and dance, and in several instances, attempts to start a dialogue. Despite several hostile encounters with both AIPAC conference attendees and police officers, Occupy AIPAC seemed to only pick up momentum as the day progressed. In what was perhaps the most moving part of the day, ...

Jadaliyya Roundtable on Targeted Killing: Introduction

[This is the first part of a six-part series associated with a Jadaliyya roundtable discussing targeted killings. Participants include Richard Falk, Nathan Freed Wessler, Pardiss Kabriaei, Leonard Small, and Lisa Hajjar.]  On 5 March 2012, Attorney General Eric Holder delivered a speech in which he laid out the US position on law and national security. The second half of his speech was devoted to the targeted killing program, which has escalated dramatically during the Obama ...

Roundtable on Targeted Killing: The Need for Judicial Review of US Targeted Killing Practices

[This is the fourth part of a six-part series associated with a Jadaliyya roundtable discussing targeted killings . Participants include Richard Falk, Nathan Freed Wessler, Pardiss Kabriaei, Leonard Small, and Lisa Hajjar. Click here for the introduction to the roundtable.]  In a speech at Yale Law School in February 2012, the US Defense Department’s General Counsel, Jeh Johnson, outlined several legal principles that form the basis for the Obama ...

Roundtable on Targeted Killing: Lawfare and Targeted Killing Revisited--A Response

[This is the sixth part of a six-part series associated with a Jadaliyya roundtable discussing targeted killings . Participants include Richard Falk, Nathan Freed Wessler, Pardiss Kabriaei, Leonard Small, and Lisa Hajjar. Click here for the introduction to the roundtable.]  The speech that Attorney General Eric Holder delivered on 5 March 2012 in which he outlined the Obama administration’s position on the legality of the targeted killing program ...

Islamophobia For Office

Patent for an Invented People

This cartoon is a response to the dangerous and perplexing position stated, and reiterated, by US Republican party 2012 presidential nomination candidate, Newt Gingrich, that the Palestinians are an invented people. Specifically, he claims that they were invented in the 1970s. In such a strange and an unfounded claim, Mr. Gingrich, is echoing a statement made by Ms. Golda Meir. She was one of the founders of the State of Israel and the fourth Israeli Prime Minister who was quoted by The Sunday ...

The Transformation of the Syrian Revolution: Al Jazeera English Interview with Bassam Haddad

In this Al Jazeera English interview, Jadaliyya Co-Editor Bassam Haddad addresses the impending United Nations (UN) Security Council vote regarding Syria. He posits that the Syrian revolution is undergoing a transformation "from a legitimate domestic fight against dictatorship to someting far more cynical" that involves efforts to redraw the map of the region. Thus, "diplomatic" efforts should not be taken at face value.