Jeffrey Donovan

Also by Jeffrey Donovan

• February 04, 2005

  U.S.: Secretary Of State Arrives In Europe With Strong Words For Iran

  U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and U.S. President George W. Bush (AFP) U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived in Europe today armed with strong words for Iran. Just a day after U.S. President George W. Bush vowed to continue working with European allies to persuade Tehran to end its nuclear program, Rice said Washington would not accept requests to take part in European diplomacy with Iran. Rice criticized Iran's human rights record, saying nonelected mullahs in Tehran are bad for the Iranian people and the region.

• February 03, 2005

  U.S.: Bush Focuses On Mideast Democracy, But Means Are Vague

  U.S. President George W. Bush (file photo) In his State of the Union speech yesterday, U.S. President George W. Bush had strong words for American adversaries, as well as allies in the Middle East. He accused Iran and Syria of ties to terrorism and demanded that both countries reverse their course. Yet Bush stopped short of explicitly threatening either nation with military action. Instead, he offered a vision where democratic reform in the Middle East is at the top of America's agenda. But how he intends to achieve that goal remains unclear.

• February 03, 2005

  U.S.: Cautious Optimism Awaits Rice on Maiden European Tour

  U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice with President Bush (AFP) The United States and Europe remain bitterly divided over key global issues, including the Iraq conflict, climate change, the war on terrorism, and nuclear proliferation. Nonetheless, February looks set to be a time of symbolic reconciliation in the strained trans-Atlantic relationship. Later this month, U.S. President George W. Bush is due to visit Europe in the first trip abroad of his second term. And tomorrow, new Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is scheduled to arrive in London at the start of a tour across Europe that will also include a stop in Israel. Rice's visit is sure to see both sides pledging to improve relations. But will it be enough to bridge the growing gap between Europe and Washington?

• January 28, 2005

  Poland: Krakow's Devastated Jewish Ghetto Undergoing Revival

  Once a vibrant center for Jewish culture, the Kazimierz ghetto in the Polish city of Krakow was devastated during World War II. Most of its residents were killed and its buildings razed. The following half century of communism saw the district remain dilapidated and deserted -- and it was often a dangerous place to walk at night. But over the last decade or so, Kazimierz's fortunes have changed. Named after the medieval king who founded it, Kazimierz is undergoing a revival as part of renewed interest in Jewish history and culture in Krakow.

• January 27, 2005

  Europe: Auschwitz Legacy Weighs on Residents Of Nearby Town -- Especially Its Youth

  For people around the world, Auschwitz has become a symbol of some of the worst horrors in human history. But Auschwitz itself is the German name for Oswiecim, the small Polish town whose misfortune is to be located just kilometers from Adolf Hitler's most infamous Nazi death camp. Today, as global leaders gather here to mark the 60th anniversary of the camp's liberation by Soviet troops, locals are looking on with both respect and fatigue at living with Oswiecim's notorious legacy.

• January 27, 2005

  Europe: Auschwitz 60 Years After Liberation

  'Work brings freedom' Sixty years ago today -- on 27 January 1945 -- Soviet Red Army soldiers liberated the few remaining inmates of Auschwitz-Birkenau. The Nazi death camp, where up to 1.5 million people were killed during the World War II, was the operational hub of Adolf Hitler's planned Final Solution to eradicate Europe's Jewish population. Today, leaders from around the world will be marking the 60th anniversary of the liberation in a ceremony at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the site near the southern Polish town of Oswiecim. RFE/RL toured the grounds of the former "extermination center," which is now a museum of what may be the worst atrocity in modern human history.

• January 20, 2005

  U.S.: Bush Starts Second Term Focused On Iraq, Iran, And 'Promoting Freedom'

  U.S. President George W. Bush (file photo) Much of the world will be watching anxiously today as George W. Bush is inaugurated to a second term as president of the United States. During his first four years in office, Bush polarized international opinion by leading Washington into a widely unpopular war with Iraq and pursuing a conflict with Islamic militants around the globe. What can the world expect from Bush in the four years ahead?

• January 10, 2005

  Middle East: Palestinian Winner Abbas Already Under Competing Pressures

  Moderate Mahmud Abbas has won a landslide victory to succeed the late Yasser Arafat as Palestinian president. The Central Election Commission says final results give Abbas about 62 percent of the vote and his nearest challenger, Mustafa Barghouti, about 20 percent. Official voter turnout was 70 percent. RFE/RL takes a closer look at yesterday's polls, which are being hailed as a sign of hope for the troubled region.

• January 07, 2005

  Palestine: Mahmud Abbas -- A Palestinian Refugee Seeks To Return Home

  Palestinians go to the polls on 9 January to elect a successor to Yasser Arafat, the president of the Palestinian Authority who died in November. Of seven candidates, the favorite is 69-year-old Mahmud Abbas, the former Palestinian prime minister whose moderate views have sparked hopes that peace talks can resume under his leadership. Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, has repeatedly urged an end to the four-year-old Palestinian uprising.

• December 30, 2004

  Ukraine: Yanukovych Clings To Office But Is Poised To Build Opposition

  The Yushchenko (left) and Yanukovych camps are seeking to attract allies (screen capture from 21 December presidential debate) Ukrainian Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych has yet to concede defeat in the 26 December presidential election, but his bid to retain power now looks hopeless. Ukraine's Supreme Court today rejected the last three legal challenges lodged by the prime minister aimed at invalidating the vote, which was won by opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko. Yanukovych has further election challenges pending, but analysts said he has already turned his thoughts to a future in opposition.

• October 29, 2004

  Iraq: New Survey Suggests 100,000 Civilians May Have Died As Result Of War

  A startling new survey by U.S. and Iraqi researchers has concluded that an estimated 100,000 civilians may have died in Iraq as a direct or indirect consequence of the U.S.-led invasion in March 2003. That estimate -- far higher than previous ones -- is certain to generate controversy just days before the U.S. presidential election. The researchers based the survey on comparisons of the death rate in households across Iraq during the months before and after the war. They concluded that most of those who died were probably women and children killed in air strikes by coalition forces.

• September 30, 2004

  Lebanon: Backed By UN Vote, Anti-Syrian Voices Grow Louder In Lebanon

  For almost 30 years, Syrian troops have been in Lebanon, with Damascus the de facto power broker in the neighboring country since its devastating civil war came to an end in 1990. But now, change may be in the air. This month, the UN Security Council passed a resolution that called on Syria to withdraw its 35,000 troops from Lebanon and allow the country to go ahead with scheduled presidential polls. While Syria ignored the election demand, last week it pulled out a handful of troops in a move seen as an attempt to appease the authors of the UN resolution -- the United States and France. Meanwhile, emboldened by international support, anti-Syrian voices in Lebanon are growing louder, presaging what some see as an eventual pullout. Yet concerns remain that a withdrawal by Damascus could send the fragmented country back into chaos.

• September 29, 2004

  Italy: Country Welcomes Hostages From Iraq Amid Concern Over Possible Ransom Payment

  Ever since Simona Pari and Simona Torretta were abducted in Baghdad three weeks ago, Italians from Sicily to the Alps have been in anguish over the fate of the two 29-year-old aid workers. Then, last week, their worst fears seemed to have materialized. An Islamic militant website that carries messages from radicals in Iraq announced that the women had been killed. Some Italians greeted the news with tears, but the government of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi urged caution over the unconfirmed report. Two days later, on 26 September, new hope emerged when a Kuwaiti newspaper reported that the women were still alive. Finally, last night, amid reports that a ransom had been paid, the women were freed and flown home to a joyous welcome.

• September 10, 2004

  U.S.: Military Families Grieve The Fallen As Casualty Toll Tops 1,000 In Iraq War

  As U.S. military casualties in Iraq passed the 1,000 mark this week, some families of soldiers are speaking out against a war they believe is not worth dying for. Yet it remains unclear whether the grim milestone or the family protests will have an impact on U.S. public opinion ahead of November's presidential election. RFE/RL spoke this week to the families of some U.S. soldiers in Iraq. Some are bitterly opposed to the policies of U.S. President George W. Bush, while others are supportive, despite the deaths of loved ones.

• September 08, 2004

  Middle East: Tensions Build Between Syria, Israel As U.S. Pressures Damascus

  Tensions appear to be rising between Israel and Syria. Last week, the Israeli leadership threatened to retaliate against Palestinian targets in Syria following a suicide bombing in Israel. At the same time, Damascus is coming under heightened pressure from both the United Nations Security Council and the United States to withdraw some 17,000 troops from Lebanon and cease the Syrian "occupation" of its neighbor. Washington also seeks an end to Syrian support for Palestinian militants and greater efforts to prevent anti-American guerrillas from entering Iraq. Analysts expect pressure on Damascus to continue to build, with possible Israeli strikes in Syria, as the Bush administration seeks to carry through on its plans to reshape the political landscape of the Middle East.

• August 27, 2004

  U.S.: Republican Convention -- Bush's Tumultuous First Term Divides Nation

  Four years after Republicans nominated him to take on then-Vice President Al Gore in the 2000 presidential elections, George W. Bush is again set to receive his party's nomination for president. But this time, Bush will face challenger John Kerry as the sitting president of the United States. Bush's presidency has been one of the most tumultuous in recent U.S. history. After taking office in the wake of a major controversy over the 2000 election results, Bush was soon faced with the attacks of 11 September 2001 -- an event that turned the former Texas governor into a war president determined to respond forcefully to the threat of terrorism, even at the cost of alienating many of America's traditional allies. On the eve of Bush's nomination at the Republican National Convention in New York, RFE/RL takes a look back at his landmark first term in office.

• August 26, 2004

  U.S.: Rumsfeld Faces Calls to Resign After Iraqi Abuse Reports

  U.S. presidential candidate John Kerry and other critics are calling on Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to resign after a prestigious independent panel blamed the Pentagon's civilian leadership for creating the conditions that led to the prisoner abuse scandal in Iraq. But while the panel also faulted Rumsfeld's slow response to the Iraqi insurgency, it appears unlikely the Pentagon chief will step down -- especially just before U.S. presidential elections. Even the panel members themselves urged Rumsfeld not to resign, saying such a step would help America's enemies. Yet how else can top government officials take responsibility for their mistakes, if not by quitting?

• August 24, 2004

  Iraq: Olympic Soccer Team Inspires Nation, Rebuffs Bush

  Politics, war, terrorism -- what's all that compared to soccer? The surprising success of the Iraqi Olympic soccer team has injected a major dose of joy into a nation wracked by military occupation, ethnic and religious divisions, kidnappings, and suicide bombings. Tonight, millions of Iraqis will crowd around televisions to watch their team take on Paraguay in a bid to reach the soccer final. But the Iraqi team refuses to be used for political purposes -- either at home, or as propaganda for the reelection campaign of U.S. President George W. Bush.

• August 18, 2004

  Olympics 2004: Greeks Ready To Put Olympic Doping Drama Behind Them

  For now, at least, the Greek drama is over. A scandal involving the Olympic host nation's top sprinters reached a "tragic" climax today. Costas Kenteris and Katerina Thanou officially pulled out of the games, nearly one week after shaming the country by failing to show up for a drugs test and then being hospitalized for a mysterious motorcycle accident. The saga has dominated Olympic news in the birthplace of the games. But as RFE/RL reports, the Greeks are eager to put the scandal behind them.

• August 06, 2004

  Olympics 2004: Despite Problems, Olympic Ideals Endure

  The Olympic Games have long represented ideals of humanity's highest callings -- a universal quest for peace, moral integrity, and an exalted mix of mind, body, and spirit that transcends culture. From the outset of the modern games, its organizers have looked to ancient Greece as the source of those ideals. However, with the integrity of sports now threatened by corruption, commercialism, and doping -- not to mention the wider problem of terrorism and war -- those ideals appear in peril. Yet were they ever truly real, even in ancient Olympia? Maybe not. But as RFE/RL reports, the Olympic spirit is alive and well nonetheless.

Load more