United States
United States
Fair Observer provides inclusive, insightful and non-partisan analysis of important American issues, events and trends.
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360° Analysis / al-Qaeda / AQAP / Drones / Global Security / Pakistan / Politics / United States / United States / Yemen / Middle East / Global Security / AsiaBy Bilal AhmedDestabilisation in Yemen and Pakistan is tipping the scale in the wrong direction for the US drone warfare policy. A highly controversial element of the war on terrorism, drones have led to troubling circumstances in both Pakistan and Yemen. Even as the US painstakingly sought to eliminate terror networks employing the smartest piece of its military technology over the past years, Washington’s high-frequency drone strike strategy has not only further destabilized both countries, ironically it has also aided a fresh spurt of anti-American terrorist outfits now threatening its security and national interests more than ever. Drone strikes have become a staple of the new American century...
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360° Analysis / EU / Human Rights / Iran / Islamic Republic / Politics / Sanctions / United States / Europe / Finance & Economics / Middle EastBy Nabi SonboliSanctions imposed on Iran by the United States and the European Union violate the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, thus undermining the legitimacy of the measures and their originators. Multilateral and unilateral economic sanctions imposed on Iran are contrary to the principle of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The declaration begins with the preamble that “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.” As we see in the following, economic sanctions seriously undermine freedom, democracy, justice and peace both inside the targeted...
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Politics / United States / Europe / Focus Article / BRIC / Middle East / Americas / Africa / Asia / OceaniaFair Observer's five best articles of March. In the Northern Hemisphere, the meteorological beginning of spring occurs on the first day of March. Perhaps that is why China is moderating its approach to the disputed Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands. Pakistan has just seen an elected government complete its first full term, marking a victory for democracy. Now it will have to confront the more intractable issue of poor governance that its democratic neighbor India is still struggling with. Another woman was tragically gang raped in India; this time a married Swiss tourist who was on a camping trip with her husband. President Obama visited Israel, the West Bank and Jordan. He gave a great speech...
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360° Analysis / Baba Amr / CNN / Politics / Safety Training / Syria / United States / Europe / Arts & Culture / Middle EastBy Tim CrockettAs new technologies make war coverage more immediate and demanding, safety expert Tim Crockett talks about the importance of preparation and training for journalists. What advice can you offer to journalists who are, for the most part, freelancers and don’t have the level of support larger networks provide when a story is so important, yet the risks are equally so high? Freelance journalists are in need of safety training more than ever before as kidnappings and death tolls continue to rise across many areas of conflict around the world. 72 Hours Under Fire As I write, it is 12 months to the day since I went with a small team of journalists – CNN reporter Arwa Damon and...
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1984 / 360° Analysis / ceasefire / conflict / DMZ / George Orwell / Ideology / Juche / Kim Jong Un / Korea / military / North Korea / Nuclear Missile / Peninsula / Pyongyang / Seoul / South Korea / United States / Washington / Global Security / AsiaThe annual “Tension Season” in relations between the United States and North Korea is noticeably harsher this year. Every year, there seems to be two periods of tension in the relationship between the United States and North Korea. These seasons of tension are nothing new. The historical pattern of bi-annual tensions are a result of confrontation spawning from joint military exercises by the US and its allies on the Korean Peninsula which coincide with two major North Korean public holidays, May Day and the Mass Games. May Day demonstrations celebrate the effort and sacrifices of the working class and are thus often proceeded by a...
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360° Analysis / Afghanistan / Carnegie Endowment / Politics / Syria / Syrian Civil War / United States / Europe / BRIC / Middle East / Global SecurityTwo years into the Syrian crisis, Russia and the United States are united by the same concern: how to prevent an “Afghanistan on the Mediterranean”. Now and then, there are reports suggesting that a US-Russian deal on Syria might be imminent. The closure has not happened yet, but since the crisis in Syria first erupted two years ago, both the US and the Russian positions have evolved. Russia no longer fears the United States leading a Libyan-style military intervention in Syria. Nor does Moscow believe that Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad will eventually prevail over his opponents. Washington, by contrast, has tempered its initial expectations of Assad’s imminent...
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360° Analysis / Afghanistan / Bridging the Divide / Foreign Assistance / Humanitarian / Iraq / Middle East / United States / Global Change / Middle EastNew technologies and civil society engagement can provide better results through foreign assistance from the US to the Middle East. This is the final part. Read part one here. New Models of Citizen Engagement American funding of overseas development initiatives is not, however, limited to official foreign assistance funding. The dis-intermediating effect of technology has enabled Americans as private citizens to play an increasingly significant — and direct — role in the provision of foreign assistance to projects of their choice. As Internet and mobile applications — “from blogs to wikis, tags, texts and tweets — become increasingly widespread, a network-...
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Brandon Scott, who served on a Tactical Human Intelligence Team in Iraq from 2004 to 2005, argues that despite the storm of sectarianism and violence, the Iraq War should be perceived as a success. The 10th Anniversary of the Iraq War was marked this week with the usual commentary of defeatism. It seems like no matter where one reads, the same underlying statement is made: The United States lost the war in Iraq. I strongly disagree with this argument. Unlike in Vietnam, US soldiers, spooks (intelligence officers), and statesmen did not leave Iraq in a rush. The Mahdi Army or the al-Qaeda inspired Islamic State of Iraq, unlike the North Vietnamese Army in Saigon, did not roll down the...
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360° Analysis / Afghanistan / Bridging the Divide / Foreign Assistance / Humanitarian / Iraq / Middle East / United States / Global Change / Middle EastNew technologies and civil society engagement can provide better results through foreign assistance from the US to the Middle East. This is the first of two parts. The American relationship with the Arab world has been in place since the Jeffersonian era. It was forged at a time when uncompromised access to Mediterranean shipping lanes was pivotal to the young nation’s trade capacity. Since then, the landscape of the Middle East has been continuously shifting as various forces — from Marx to Aramco, and from Allenby to the Internet — have played out across the region. For over 100 years, there has been a fundamental anomaly which has plagued the Middle East with unmet...