Decade After Iraq, Right-Wing and Liberal Hawks Reunite Over Syria Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, 8 May (IPS) - Ten years after right-wing and liberal hawks came together to push the U.S. into invading Iraq, key members of the two groups appear to be reuniting behind stronger U.S. military intervention in Syria. more...   Europe Urged to Step into Breach of Failed Mideast Peace Mitchell Plitnick WASHINGTON, 7 May (IPS) - The Oslo peace process has failed and Europe must take stronger leadership in the Middle East, according to a distinguished group of former European leaders that is pushing for a stronger and more independent European stance on the Israeli occupation. more...   Obama Seen Unlikely to Sharply Escalate Intervention in Syria Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, 4 May (IPS) - Despite renewed pressure by hawks in Congress and the media, U.S. President Barack Obama appears determined to avoid sharply escalating U.S. involvement in the ongoing civil war in Syria. more...   The West Disappoints Azerbaijan Government Critics Shahin Abbasov BAKU, 3 May (IPS) - Democratisation activists in Azerbaijan are increasingly pessimistic about what they describe as the West’s lack of support for reform and the protection of basic rights in the energy-rich South Caucasus country. more...   As Hunger Strike Spreads, Obama Again Denounces Guantanamo Jim Lobe WASHINGTON, 1 May (IPS) - With at least 100 detainees now participating in a three-month-old hunger strike, U.S. President Barack Obama Tuesday reiterated his earlier denunciations of the Guantanamo detention facility and blamed Congress for preventing its closure. more...   Some Hear Death Knell for a Two-State Solution Mitchell Plitnick WASHINGTON, 30 Apr (IPS) - Despite indications that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is committing a substantial amount of time and effort to revive the long-stalled Israel-Palestinian “peace process", a growing number of experts believe a two-state solution is no longer viable and the lack of a realistic discussion of the issue in the United States is leaving the country without an alternative policy. more...   OP-ED How Bin Ladin’s Jihadist Message Continues to Lure the Vulnerable EmileNakhleh WASHINGTON, 29 Apr (IPS) - The surviving Boston Marathon bomber reportedly told authorities the U.S. “war on Islam” drove him and his brother to commit their terrorist act. Their linking the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan with a perceived global war on Islam is at the heart of the Jihadist message Bin Ladin and Al-Qaeda issued to the Muslim world almost two decades ago. more...   White House Letter Fuels U.S. Involvement in Syria Debate Jasmin Ramsey WASHINGTON, 26 Apr (IPS) - A White House letter Thursday to Congressional leaders suggesting chemical weapons use by the Syrian government of Bashar al-Assad has reignited debate about direct U.S. military involvement in the war-torn country. more...   U.S., Others Wrangle over Future Arctic Governance Joe Hitchon WASHINGTON, 24 Apr (IPS) - With climate change rapidly opening up new opportunities for shipping and resource extraction across the once permanently frozen Arctic, the United States and other northern countries are being compelled to re-examine their policies, both national and collective, towards this region of growing geostrategic importance. more...   Kerry's Mideast Trip Seen as "Going Through the Motions" WASHINGTON, 19 Apr (IPS) - Despite repeated pledges of his determination and enthusiasm for resolving the long-stalled Israeli-Palestinian impasse, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent trip to the region has provoked more scepticism than hope among observers in Washington. more...