Middle East

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Distracted US Finds Mideast Clout Waning
Distracted US Finds Mideast Clout Waning
Analysis
May 26, 2008 3:45 PM CDT

Distracted US Finds Mideast Clout Waning

With clock ticking on Bush administration, hard-line tactics fail

(Newser) - The Bush Administration's problems are hardly confined to abysmal domestic approval ratings, writes veteran Reuters journalist Jonathan Wright. Middle Eastern leaders are paying less and less attention to the lame-duck president, who spoke of the need to isolate Hamas during a visit to Egypt last week—even as his host...

Lebanon Pays High Price to Avert Civil War
Lebanon Pays High Price to Avert Civil War
ANALYSIS
May 22, 2008 9:15 AM CDT

Lebanon Pays High Price to Avert Civil War

Deal achieves short-term peace, but strengthens Hezbollah

(Newser) - The agreement that ended Lebanon's 18-month political crisis is nothing less than a sea change for the country, writes the Washington Post, strengthening Hezbollah and dealing a blow to America and its Middle East allies. The US-backed government in Beirut said that the last-minute deal averted a civil war, but...

Bush Issues Arab To-Do List
 Bush Issues Arab
 To-Do List 
May 18, 2008 1:06 PM CDT

Bush Issues Arab To-Do List

Improve economies, women's rights, democracy to make peace possible

(Newser) - President Bush addressed Arab leaders at the World Economic Forum today, urging them to make the changes necessary to achieve peace in the region. Citing improving women's rights, strengthening their economies, and bolstering democracy as the major goals, Bush reprised some of the same language from his speech last week...

Iran Outsmarting US in New Cold War in Mideast
Iran Outsmarting US in New Cold War in Mideast
OPINION
May 14, 2008 12:02 PM CDT

Iran Outsmarting US in New Cold War in Mideast

America is too dumb, weak right now to counter, Friedman says

(Newser) - The new cold war is being waged between America and Iran, and Iran is winning hands down, Thomas L Friedman writes in the New York Times. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's nation has built up influence from Iraq to Lebanon, with power over Iraq's prime minister, Hezbollah, Hamas, and other militias—and a...

Quick Iraq Exit Would Trigger New 9/11: Bush

It would 'embolden' US enemies, prez says

(Newser) - A withdrawal from Iraq next year would be a disaster that would likely trigger another 9/11, President Bush warns in an interview with Politico. "It would shake everybody's nerves. It would embolden the very same people we're trying to defeat" and "would eventually lead to another attack on...

Palestinians Stand to Benefit in Blair Deal

Israel to dismantle some barriers to trade, travel in West Bank

(Newser) - Tony Blair announced an economic deal today between Israel and the Palestinians aimed at boosting business in the West Bank, the Times of London reports. The agreement, the first brokered by the former British PM in his role as Middle East peace envoy, will see Israel remove four military checkpoints...

Obama Adviser Quits Over Hamas Talk

Mideast expert met with militant group for his job, not campaign

(Newser) - An informal Mideast policy adviser to the Barack Obama campaign has severed ties after critics made an issue of  meetings the adviser had with Hamas, the Times of London reports. The Obama campaign stressed that Robert Malley never had a formal role with them; Malley made it clear that his...

Next Prez's To-Do: Fix Diplomacy
 Next Prez's To-Do:
 Fix Diplomacy 
OPINION
Apr 3, 2008 4:10 PM CDT

Next Prez's To-Do: Fix Diplomacy

New administration will need to fix problems Bush has not addressed

(Newser) - Taking the attitude that "since we were now all-powerful, allies were no longer necessary," President Bush damaged the US' image and diminished its power, Fred Kaplan writes in Slate. How can the next president heal our diplomatic woes?
  1. Visit all Middle East countries; leave a full-time envoy: "
...

New US Mideast Commander Installed
New US Mideast Commander Installed
Mar 29, 2008 8:58 AM CDT

New US Mideast Commander Installed

Out with the Navy, in with the Army as head of CentCom

(Newser) - A new commander has taken temporary charge of US military operations in the Mideast, after a quiet ceremony at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida yesterday. Lt. Gen Martin Dempsey will run CentCom while the administration seeks a permanent replacement for Adm. William Fallon, who quit abruptly earlier this month...

Fatah and Hamas Sign Deal, But Feuding Continues

Rival Palestinian factions bicker over control of Gaza

(Newser) - In a second attempt to mend fences, rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas agreed to resume direct talks today to resolve disputes and revive their failed coalition. A Hamas official called the deal “a new beginning and the start of a new stage,” but just hours after signing...

In Saudi Arabia, a Hotel for Women

Men-free Luthan Hotel 'meeting a very big demand' in conservative Muslim kingdom

(Newser) - Saudi Arabia’s first hotel catering exclusively to women—right down to its plush spa—opened this week in Riyadh, the Independent reports. The conservative kingdom enforces strict Islamic segregation of sexes in public, but women can stay at the Luthan Hotel without a male guardian—nor any men on...

Cheney Makes Surprise Visit to Baghdad

Promises 'unwavering commitment' of US as war begins 6th year

(Newser) - Leading Iraq war architect Dick Cheney made an unannounced visit to Baghdad today, beginning a nine-day Middle East tour by promising Iraq the "unwavering commitment of the United States in finishing the difficult work that lies ahead." John McCain, traveling as a member of the Senate Armed Services...

8 Dead in Jerusalem Shooting
8 Dead in Jerusalem Shooting
Mar 6, 2008 3:24 PM CST

8 Dead in Jerusalem Shooting

Gunmen open fire at Jewish seminary; Gaza celebrates

(Newser) - At least eight people are dead and many more wounded after gunmen attacked a Jewish seminary tonight in Jerusalem, the BBC reports. The shooters—possibly as many as three—are Palestinian, Reuters adds, and two were killed. Witnesses said gunfire lasted 10 minutes. "They were still shooting when we...

US Warship Heads for Lebanon
US Warship Heads for Lebanon
Feb 29, 2008 4:30 AM CST

US Warship Heads for Lebanon

Deployment of USS Cole signals 'we're engaged,' official says

(Newser) - The US has ordered a warship to the coastal waters of Lebanon amid fear the country's political deadlock could turn violent, Reuters reports. The country's presidential election has just been delayed for the 15th time and the US blames the political quagmire on Syrian meddling on behalf of its Hezbollah...

Israel Pounds Hamas Targets in Gaza Strip
Israel Pounds Hamas Targets in Gaza Strip
UPDATED
Feb 28, 2008 11:15 AM CST

Israel Pounds Hamas Targets in Gaza Strip

Rice voices concern after retaliatory strikes kill militants, baby

(Newser) - Israel hit targets inside the Gaza Strip today, including an apparent warning attack near the Hamas PM's home, after a rocket killed an Israeli student, Reuters reports. Two days of violence have left 17 Palestinians dead, including a 6-month-old baby who died when a strike on a Hamas-run ministry damaged...

Meet the Man Putting Paris in Motion

Ex-socialist is now Sarko's buddy and France's star politician

(Newser) - Bernard Kouchner was once a card-carrying socialist hurling red ink at the American Embassy in Paris. Now, as France’s foreign minister, he’s President Nicolas Sarkozy’s right-hand man, helping to rebuild long-strained ties with the US. He also may be France’s most popular politician. The New York ...

Mideast Web Woes Persist as 3rd Cable Is Cut

Repairs could take days or even weeks

(Newser) - A third cable carrying Internet traffic to the Mideast was cut today off the Persian Gulf emirate of Dubai, and web and phone service remained disrupted in large areas of the Mideast and India because of breaks in two cables in the Mediterranean Wednesday. The cables severed earlier carried as...

Foreign Buying Spree Reaches Deep Into US

With weak dollar driving acqusitions, lawmakers get skittish

(Newser) - As the dollar drops, foreign investors are buying up US enterprises large and small, from multi-billion-dollar stakes in Wall Street banks to ownership of chemical factories and construction companies in the likes of North Carolina. Canadian, British and German companies have been expanding their portfolios in the US for years,...

Bush Abandoned Mideast Democracy Push: Activists

He's just after political stability now, they charge

(Newser) - President Bush wound up a Middle East tour yesterday leaving many pro-democracy activists in the region bitter and disappointed, reports the Washington Post. The president and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressured authoritarian Arab governments for political reforms in 2005, but now activists worry that the White House is favoring...

Iran Sanctions Might Not be Working: GAO

With $20B in energy contracts, economic pressure easy to dodge

(Newser) - Sanctioning Iran may not have actually worked, the Government Accountability Office said yesterday, just as the US pushes for a fresh round of UN sanctions. Restrictions on state-owned banks are easy to circumvent, the report notes, and Iran has signed $20 billion in energy contracts since 2003. The “evidence...

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