Jim Lobe

Jim Lobe served as chief of the Washington bureau of Inter Press Service (the other IPS) from 1980 to 1985 and again from 1989 to 2015. Best known for his coverage of the neoconservative movement’s influence on U.S. foreign policy, he has directed LobeLog.com, which has focused primarily on U.S. Middle East policy, since 2007. In 2015, LobeLog became the first weblog to win American Academy of Diplomacy’s Arthur Ross Media Award for Distinguished Reporting and Analysis on Foreign Affairs. Proud native of Seattle, Jim graduated with Highest Honors in History from Williams College and received a law degree from the University of California at Berkeley (Boalt Hall).

Latest

U.S. Escalates War Against Al-Qaeda

Jim Lobe | June 23, 2011

Increasingly worried that Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) is taking advantage of the growing political chaos in Yemen, the administration of President Barack Obama has tasked the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to use drone missiles to strike at suspected AQAP militants.

NGOs Call for IMF Head to Be Chosen by Double Majority

Jim Lobe | June 7, 2011

“European countries are vastly over-represented on the Board, and the IMF’s archaic voting system discriminates against large developing economies,” said Oxfam spokesperson Sarah Wynn-Williams.

U.S. Denies It Is Trying to Undermine Assad

Samer Araabi, Jim Lobe | April 22, 2011

As anti-government protests in Syria showed no sign of abating, the U.S. State Department Monday denied that it was seeking the regime’s ouster.

Rights Groups Deplore Order to Try 9/11 Suspects at Guantanamo

Jim Lobe | April 7, 2011

U.S. human rights groups reacted angrily to the Justice Department’s announcement Monday that the self-acclaimed mastermind of the 9/11 attacks will be tried before a military commission at the Guantanamo detention facility in Cuba.

Time for Intervention Running Out

Jim Lobe | March 16, 2011

With Libyan government forces advancing towards the rebel capital of Benghazi, the time for possible military intervention by the U.S. and its NATO or other allies appears to be running short.

Neo-Con Hawks Take Flight over Libya

Jim Lobe | March 4, 2011

On Wednesday, Obama said his staff was preparing a “full range of options” for action.

Washington Voices Impatience with Regime

Jim Lobe | February 16, 2011

The United States is losing patience with Egyptian government.

Palestine Papers Cause More Heartburn in Washington

Jim Lobe | January 25, 2011

Newly released documents are likely to destroy the Palestinian-Israeli peace process.

New Poll Underlines Gloom Shrouding “Peace Process”

Jim Lobe | December 15, 2010

Hope among both Jewish and Palestinian Israelis that a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians can ever be achieved appears to be fading.

Will Pentagon Be Exempt From Budget Cuts?

Jim Lobe | November 24, 2010

With pressure to slash the 1.3 trillion-dollar federal deficit rising sharply, the public debate over whether to exempt the Pentagon from such cuts is moving rapidly toward centre-stage.

Obama Foreign Policy Likely to Face Republican Challenges

Jim Lobe | November 6, 2010

The historic Republican landslide will almost certainly make Obama’s vision of a more positive U.S. role in international affairs more difficult to pursue.

U.S. Military Aid Far Outpaces Democracy Assistance

Jim Lobe | October 20, 2010

Desperate to secure supply routes to Afghanistan, the United States has been spending at least six times more on military aid for the mostly authoritarian states of Central Asia than on efforts to promote political liberalisation and human rights in the region.

U.S. Scrambles to Save Peace Talks

Jim Lobe | October 7, 2010

With a key Arab League meeting delayed until Friday, the administration of U.S. President Barack Obama is scrambling to keep one-month-old direct Israeli- Palestinian peace talks alive.

U.S. Still Top Arms Supplier to South as Record Sale to Saudis Pends

Jim Lobe | September 17, 2010

Despite an unusual dip in global weapons sales in 2009, the United States retained its spot as the world’s top arms supplier of developing countries, according to an authoritative new report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS).

Obama Fighting on all Fronts

Jim Lobe | September 3, 2010

United States President Barack Obama will try this week to underline his progress in extricating the US from the morass his predecessor’s “war on terror” in the Greater Middle East.

Iran Gains as Arabs’ Obama Hopes Sink

Jim Lobe | August 10, 2010

United States President Barack Obama has suffered a sharp drop in popularity in the Arab world over the past year, and Iran may be reaping the benefits, according to a major new survey of public opinion in five Arab countries.

Patraeus Circles Two Camps

Jim Lobe | July 2, 2010

Nearly a week after the abrupt departure of Washington’s top commander in Afghanistan, U.S. strategy for reversing the flood of bad news that has been recently pouring out of that strife-torn country remains as unclear as ever.

Obama Shakes Pillars of US Security

Jim Lobe | June 3, 2010

In his first National Security Strategy (NSS), President Barack Obama Thursday pledged to maintain Washington’s “military superiority” but stressed that the persistence of the nation’s global power will depend more on the health of its domestic economy and international cooperation.

Radio, TV Marti Seen as Bust

Jim Lobe | May 21, 2010

Despite spending more than half a billion dollars over the last quarter century, U.S. government broadcasts to Cuba have gained only a tiny audience and have had virtually no effect on the island’s politics, according to a new report by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

Sanctions Debate Heats Up

Jim Lobe | May 5, 2010

The recent and highly unusual public launch of a “conference committee” of both houses of Congress to hash out differences in long-pending legislation to impose unilateral sanctions on Iran marks a new stage in the escalating debate over what to do about Tehran’s nuclear programme.