IPS Writers in the Blogosphere

Posts by: Ali Gharib

Taliban Commander: ‘At least 70 Percent Of The Taliban Are Angry At Al Qaeda’

From On March 19, 2014 · Leave a Comment

In a rare extended interview with the U.K.’s New Statesman, according to multipleoutlets, an anonymous Taliban commander says the group was “naïve and ignorant of politics and welcomed Al Qaeda into their homes.” That came back to bite the group when Osama Bin Laden’s militants attacked the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001, leading to [...]

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Romney Lowers Threshold For Military Involvement In Iran, Says He’d Back Israeli Strike

From On July 30, 2012 · Leave a Comment

via Think Progress

Speaking to reporters in Jerusalem, a top foreign policy adviser to Mitt Romney said the GOP presidential nominee would support an Israeli decision to attack Iran’s nuclear program. The right-wing adviser Dan Senor said Iran should not be able to attain a nuclear “capability” — a significant break in [...]

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Romney Fundraiser Host Bankrolled Right-Wing Group That Wants To Bomb Iran

From On July 9, 2012 · Leave a Comment

via Think Progress

Yesterday, Mitt Romney held three fundraisers in the Hamptons, the exclusive beach towns known as a playground to super-rich New York City financiers.According to the Los Angeles Times, one event was co-hosted by Daniel Loeb, a hedge-funder who turned against President Obama and bankrolled a neoconservative pressure group [...]

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Sniping In The Press: Disarray, Lack Of Direction On Display From Romney’s Foreign Policy Team

From On July 2, 2012 · Leave a Comment

via Think Progress

Conservative commentators and advisers to Mitt Romney’s foreign policy team have been chattering to the press a lot in the past few weeks, often on background to discuss in internal machinations over policy. The result is an emerging picture of a Romney team fractured by a lack of focus and [...]

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Clinton On New Sanctions: Iran ‘Will Understand Even More Fully The Urgency Of The Choice They Face’

From On June 29, 2012 · Leave a Comment

via Think Progress

The new U.S. sanctions against Iran that kick in today — along with an E.U. oil embargo set to take effect Sunday — are expected to put significant pressure on an already faltering Iranian economy. The new U.S. sanctions, signed into law by President Obama, will penalize any foreign [...]

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Former Defense Secretary: Turkey’s Clash With Syria May Require NATO, U.S. To Go To War

From On June 27, 2012 · Leave a Comment

via Think Progress

Former Defense Secretary William Cohen said in aninterview with CNN last night that the U.S. doesn’t want to go to war in Syria, but with tensions mounting between Turkey — a NATO ally — and Syrian dictator Bashar al Assad’s embattled government over a downed Turkish plane, the [...]

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Romney Distances Himself From Kristol’s Call For Congress To Authorize Iran War

From On June 19, 2012 · Leave a Comment

via Think Progress

The Weekly Standard’s Bill Kristol and the Foreign Policy Institute’s Jamie Fly this weekend penned an article calling on President Obama to ask Congress to authorize military force against Iran. The piece came just days after a Kristol-led pressure groupunveiled a television ad pushing for war.

But Congress [...]

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Romney Adviser Lays Out Iran Policy Nearly Identical To Obama’s: ‘Romney Will Seek A Negotiated Settlement’

From On June 15, 2012 · Leave a Comment

via Think Progress

Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign studiously avoids calls for war with the Islamic Republic. While some advisers have been hawkish on Iran in the past, only John Bolton has called for an attack since the campaign got underway. Instead, on a recent press call, Romney adviser Dan Senor went out [...]

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Former Israeli Spy Chief: Attacking Iran Would Cause International Sanctions Regime To Crumble

From On June 14, 2012 · Leave a Comment

The former head of Israel’s vaunted Mossad spy agency told the Atlantic magazine that an attack on Iran would not spur the Iranian people to rise up against the regime and could cause the international sanctions regime imposed against Iran to crumble.

In the interview, Meir Dagan said that, contrary the contention made by of [...]

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Senate Draft Letter Presses Administration To Offer Few Concessions For Confidence-Building Deal With Iran

From On June 12, 2012 · Leave a Comment

via Think Progress

Photo: Sens. Blunt (L) and Menendez (R)

With negotiations over Iran’s nuclear program moving to Moscow next week, a draft letter to be circulated among Senators for signature calls on the Obama administration to not offer Iran major concessions without a comprehensive deal on its nuclear program. The draft letter, [...]

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