POWER GAMES: IPS's Coverage of Global Geopolitics / IPS Inter Press Service

IPS Correspondent Gareth Porter talks to Real News.

The U.S. military establishment believed they could easily pressure President Obama to back down on his pledge to withdraw troops from Iraq within 16 months. Having found Obama unconvinced by their argument, they have now launched a campaign in Washington to blame Obama's withdrawal policy for any future instability in Iraq.

GEORGIA
Tbilisi Walks Diplomatic High Wire on Iranian Nuclear Issue
By Giorgi Lomsadze*
TBILISI - Georgia is clearly the closest U.S. ally in the South Caucasus, moving in lockstep with American interests on just about every foreign policy issue – except one: Iran.
MORE >>

"Small Five" Challenge "Big Five" Over Veto Powers
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS - The 193-member General Assembly is expected to vote on a resolution - described as "historic" - requesting the five permanent members (P5) of the Security Council to consider "refraining from using their vetoes on action aimed at preventing or ending genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity".
MORE >>

IAEA Parchin Demand Puts Iran Cooperation Pact at Risk
Analysis by Gareth Porter*
WASHINGTON - In meetings with Iranian officials in Vienna this week, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) apparently intends to hold up agreement on a plan for Iran's full cooperation in clarifying allegations of covert nuclear weapons work by insisting that it must first let the nuclear agency visit Parchin military base.
MORE >>

U.S. Treasury Claim of Iran-Al-Qaeda "Secret Deal" Is Discredited
By Gareth Porter*
WASHINGTON - The U.S. Treasury Department's claim of a "secret deal" between Iran and Al-Qaeda, which had become a key argument by right-wing activists who support war against Iran, has been discredited by former intelligence officials in the wake of publication of documents from Osama bin Laden's files revealing a high level of antagonism between Al-Qaeda and Iran.
MORE >>

Water Conflicts Move Up on U.S. Security Agenda
By Carey L. Biron
WASHINGTON - On Wednesday, the United States intelligence community unveiled a first-ever assessment of global water-security issues.
MORE >>

OP-ED
Waiting for Copernicus
By John Feffer*
WASHINGTON - It's happening in Buenos Aires. It's happening in Paris and in Athens. It's even happening at the World Bank headquarters.
MORE >>

U.S. Should Forge "New Partnership" With Turkey, Report Says
By Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON - Major changes that have swept both Turkey and its neighbourhood since the Cold War require Washington to forge a "new partnership" with Ankara, according to a new report released Tuesday by the influential Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).
MORE >>

Next Round of Pacific Trade Pact Talks to Be Lengthy, Secretive
By Carey L. Biron
WASHINGTON - On Tuesday, the latest round of negotiations begins on the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), potentially the largest free trade agreement ever signed by the United States.
MORE >>

U.N. Fails to Finalise Rio+20 Plan on Sustainable Future
By Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS - After two weeks of closed door negotiations, a U.N. preparatory committee (PrepCom) has failed to reach consensus on a global plan of action, titled "The Future We Want," to be adopted by a summit meeting of world leaders mid-June in Brazil.
MORE >>

Morality Versus Strategy in U.S. Tibet Policy
By Carey L. Biron
WASHINGTON - On Friday, a panel discussion in Washington called on the U.S. government to stop treating the question of Tibetan human and civil rights violations as a moral issue.
MORE >>

Calls Mount for Stronger U.S. Stance as Bahrain Resists Reform
By Jim Lobe*
WASHINGTON - Citing growing violence and polarisation along sectarian lines, human rights groups and independent experts here are urging Washington to exert more pressure on the government of Bahrain to free political prisoners and launch a serious dialogue with its opposition on major democratic reforms.
MORE >>

Small Step Forward in Resolving Okinawa Base Impasse
By John Feffer
WASHINGTON - It's a deal that's been more than 15 years in the making and the unmaking. The United States and Japan have been struggling since the 1990s to transform the U.S. military presence on the island of Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan.
MORE >>

U.S.-Afghan Pact Won't End War – Or SOF Night Raids
Analysis by Gareth Porter*
WASHINGTON - The optics surrounding the Barack Obama administration's "Enduring Strategic Partnership" agreement with Afghanistan and the Memorandums of Understanding accompanying it emphasise transition to Afghan responsibility and an end to U.S. war.
MORE >>

Next >>

	News Feeds RSS/XML
	Make IPS News your homepage!
	Free Email Newsletters
	IPS Mobile
	Text Only

Is the world dominated by three great empires -- the U.S.A, China and the European Union? How much power do the great behemoths of the south -- India, Brazil, and South Africa -- wield? And where does Russia fit in that equation?

Are we in the middle of a new Cold War? What are the implications of the armed conflict with Georgia? What about the new axis: Venezuela-Russia? And what role does Turkey play?

What about issues like Climate Change and other global forces like the food crisis and the high energy prices? How is all this reshaping the world's forces?

IPS looks for some answers.