FILM REVIEW
Iraq's heart of darkness
Redacted by writer-director Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma presents a harrowing fictional account of the true-life 2006 rape and murder of a 14-year-old Iraqi girl at the hands of US soldiers. Despite some unsympathetic American stereotypes, this is a powerful antiwar film that depicts the terror in which a soldier lives and the evil that can result. (Dec 20, '07)

U.S. and Iranian Governments Block Citizen Peace Talks

Brian Beutler, Media Consortium

Citizen-driven dialogues provide a gateway to more significant talks -- and could help interrupt a violent crisis.

UK Hands Southern Iraq Over to Iraqis
by AlterNet Staff, AlterNet

Sunni Leader: America is 'Main Irritant' in Iraq
by Ahmed Janabi, Al Jazeera

Hillary Clinton Can't be Trusted on Iraq
by Stephen Zunes, Foreign Policy in Focus

he Mad Corporate World of Glenn Beck
by Norman Solomon, AlterNet

Wal-Mart's Crimes Against Forests
by Al Norman, HuffingtonPost.com

Debt Crisis Spells Doom for "Free Market" Consensus
by Seumas Milne, Comment Is Free

Middle Class Held Hostage by Fat-Cat
Corporate Raiders
by David Sirota, Creators Syndicate

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The Clock Ticks: Sanction Iran NowBy Matthew Levitt
Financial Times Deutschland, December 19, 2007

A version of this article appeared in German in Financial Times Deutschland under the title, "Die Uhr Tickt." The latest U.S. National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Iran's nuclear intentions and capabilities has been the subject of much analysis, most of which has been off point. The new estimate opens with the startling judgment that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program in the fall of 2003, which has led some to conclude sanctions are no longer necessary. They are. Indeed, the estimate's more significant conclusion is that the most likely tool to successfully alter Iran's nuclear calculus is targeted political and economic pressure, not military action.

Iran continues to produce fissile material and the ballistic missiles needed to deploy a weapon. According to IAEA director Mohamed ElBaradei, Iran could produce a nuclear weapon in "only a few months" once it completes the fuel-cycle facilities it is building. The answer is to sanction Iran now, before it reaches this critical threshold.

That is exactly what the U.S. government did in October, even as new intelligence was shaping the soon-to-be-released NIE, when the Treasury and State Departments announced sweeping designations of Iranian entities and individuals involved in proliferation and terrorist activities. Though unilateral, the designations have effectively cut the affected parties off from the U.S. - and by extension the international -- financial system. European officials were pre-briefed on these designations, and were likely supportive. Indeed, the European Union is now debating whether or not to impose sanctions of its own targeting Iran. It should.

Publicly identified as pariahs, the illicit activities of the Iranian banks, leaders, military institutions and companies identified by the Treasury and State Departments were exposed in a fact sheet that accompanied the designations. Focused on these illicit activities, these targeted financial measures represent the strongest non-military tool available to convince Tehran to change its behavior. All those interested in averting a military confrontation with Iran must rededicate themselves to employing a robust regime of smart sanctions targeting Tehran's illicit activities.

Some advocate diplomatic engagement instead of economic sanctions, but it is a myth that policymakers have to choose between sanctions and diplomacy. In fact, these tools are best employed in a complementary fashion. Targeted sanctions should be seen not only as a means to hold Iran to task for its illicit conduct, and not only as a means of protecting the international financial system from abuse, but as a means to create leverage for diplomacy. As Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns explained, "we are focused on diplomacy, we want to get to a diplomatic solution through negotiations, but Iran has to accept that path." Sanctions will not solve the Iran problem, but employed wisely they may create sufficient leverage for diplomacy and avoid military conflict.

And while multilateral sanctions are always preferable, targeted financial measures applied unilaterally by major economic powers and regional bodies are sufficient to successfully target Iran with painful financial sanctions. Consider, for example, that major international financial institutions throughout the world incorporate the U.S. Treasury's various designation lists into their due diligence databases, meaning that designated Iranian banks, entities and individuals find it very difficult to secure loans, lines of credit or otherwise gain access to the international financial system. Just this week an official with Iran's Export Development Bank informed "it is no longer possible to wire money by dollar into Iran and for the payments in Euro there are just three European banks. They could stop cooperating with us at any moment."

With the multilateral UN sanctions process bogged down, it is now all that much more important that action be taken to lay the groundwork for substantive sanctions following Iran's report to the International Atomic Energy Agency next month on its past nuclear activities. French officials have already stated that if there are no new UN sanctions by the end of the year, the EU should "look at more individual kinds of sanctions." Already the EU has designated several entities above and beyond those listed in the annexes to UN Security Council resolutions 1737 and 1747. With its latest unilateral designations, the United States took similar initiative and led by example, as it did in January 2007 when it designated Bank Sepah unilaterally. The international community followed suit then, designating Sepah multilaterally several weeks later under UN Security Council Resolution 1747.

Europe should take the lead pressing the international community to do so now as well, designating at least some if not all of the banks, companies, and persons targeted by the US last month in a third UN Security Council resolution before the end of the year.

The UN channel, however, is not the only one available. Other countries and regional bodies are also considering sanctioning Iran outside the UN system, especially following the October 11 statement issued by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF)-a multilateral, expert body which works by consensus and includes Russia and China-warning that "Iran's lack of a comprehensive anti-money laundering/combating the financing of terrorism regime represents a significant vulnerability within the international financial system." If nothing else, the deceptive and illegal financial practices Iran employs to secretly fund its illicit activities should themselves be reason enough for Germany and other European economic powers to hold Iran accountable.

Whether employed multilaterally, regionally, or unilaterally, targeted financial measures of the kind the United Stated employed this week are the surest way to avoid military confrontation with Iran and create the necessary leverage for effective diplomacy. The EU should act now to apply its own sanctions targeting Iran and help create leverage for diplomacy. Absent this leverage, policymakers on both sides of the Atlantic will eventually be left with the unenviable choice of bombing Iran or tolerating a nuclear Iran.

Matthew Levitt directs the Stein Program on Terrorism, Intelligence, and Policy at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and was deputy assistant secretary of the Treasury for intelligence and analysis until earlier this year.

The European View on Iran: Fallout from the New U.S. Intelligence Estimate

By Michael Jacobson


On December 13, 2007, the Washington Institute hosted a Policy Forum on the Iran National Intelligence Estimate with officials from the three key European countries involving in shaping Iran policy. Neil Crompton, a political counselor at the British embassy in Washington, Hans-Peter Hinrichsen, a first secretary from the Germany embassy, and Nicholas Roche, a counselor at the French embassy, addressed the European perspective on the NIE. They offered their thoughts on how its publication affected -- or more accurately would not affect -- their government's policies towards Tehran.

To read a rapporteur's summary of their remarks, click on attached link.

For a rapporteur's summary of the Institute's recent event with State Department counterterrorism coordinator Dell Dailey, click here

December 18, 2007 03:52 PM Link

AMIA & the NIE

By Aaron Mannes


The NIE on Iran’s nuclear weapons program has sparked an ongoing controversy about the nature of the Iranian regime and its intentions. While the Iranian regime appears to have halted their nuclear weaponization program in 2003, they continue to research ballistic missiles and, most importantly, acquire fissile material (which is the hardest part of building a nuclear weapon.) Putting aside the inherent uncertainty of any intelligence estimate, it is quite feasible that scaling back the weaponization program was a tactical move because the regime was having technical difficulties, the centrifuges used to enrich uranium are sophisticated and fragile - running thousands of them for long periods is no small technical challenge. These technical challenges are not insurmountable so the real question remains, “What is the nature of the Iranian regime?”

Iran’s sponsorship and execution of the AMIA bombing in Buenos Aires, the largest massacre of Jews since the Holocaust, should be a reminder that this is a regime that uses terrorism as tool of diplomacy.

AMIA, the communal offices of the Argentine Jewish community, was struck by a massive suicide truck bomb on July 18, 1994 - 85 were killed and over 200 injured. Iran and Hezbollah were suspected from the beginning. The Argentine investigation has had several false starts and has been mired in corruption, but in recent years has gotten on track. Last month Interpol voted overwhelmingly to issue a red letter calling for the arrest of five Iranians (along with Hezbollah’s external operations chief Imad Mughniyah) on the basis of the Argentine investigation. The publicly available report on the AMIA bombing offers tremendous insight into the Iranian regime’s modus operandi and worldview.

Below are two network graphs (for more on the graphs and my research at the University of Maryland see the end of the post). The first graph illustrates the web of interconnecting people and events that carried out the bombing. The second graph is the network linked to Mohsen Rabbani, the cultural affairs attaché at the Iranian Embassy who was the operations coordinator for the attack.

Graph of Events Linked to the AMIA Bombing


Network Graph of Mohsen Rabbani - Operations Chief for the AMIA Bombing


Click here to read the complete blog entry.

Terrorism Tidbits: Short Notes on Various Topics & Events (updated)

By Andrew Cochran


Some condensed news and notes on various topics:

1. The NEFA Foundation has released full English transcripts of the audio of Al Qaeda #2 Ayman Al-Zawahiri denouncing the Annapolis Conference and released on December 14, and of the subsequent video "interview" of him, released on December 16. I see by his claims of success in Iraq as a retort by "Al Qaeda Central" to comments (by Walid Phares here and others) that OBL's October 22 tape was an admission of deep frustration over the course of events in Iraq.

2. U.S. officials are deeply concerned about the developing triangle of Iran, Venezuela, and Nicaragua. Yesterday, reporter Todd Bensman of the San Antonio Express-News posted "Iran making push into Nicaragua," his latest story describing the cooperation between the three countries. "As part of a new partnership with Nicaragua's Sandinista President Daniel Ortega, Iran and its Venezuelan allies plan to help finance a $350 million deep-water port at Monkey Point on the wild Caribbean shore, and then plow a connecting "dry canal" corridor of pipelines, rails and highways across the country to the populous Pacific Ocean. Iran recently established an embassy in Nicaragua's capital." Bensman also linked to a Nicaraguan government document showing that "Nicaragua's chief immigration minister personally authorized 21 Iranian men to enter the country, without visas that would have left a record." Bensman told me in an e-mail that "I've been running those names by every intel person I know. Even went to the MEK in Paris. Nothing back yet. I ended up just posting the names on our web site. If you know anyone who can run them and report back...." So, loyal readers, please take a look at those names.

3. A lot of "experts" are still running around talking about the "moderate" Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt (see this recent Jamestown Foundation piece with that claim). They should consider MEMRI's transcript of an interview with Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leader Sheikh Muhammad Mahdi 'Akef on Al-Hiwar TV, broadcast November 30, 2007. In it, Akef reiterated that the MB is ready to send 10,000 men to Lebanon "in order to support the resistance." Let's ask: "Resistance" to what? The Israeli Army isn't in Lebanon - it left in 2000. The U.S. has no troops in Lebanon. So is Akef promising to deliver the Lebanese from Hezbollah and Syrian oppression?

Read More »


Mais non, Akef would never dream of opposing Hezbollah and Syria. See how Akef groups Sunni and Shiite terrorists:

Interviewer: "There are Sunnis, members of Al-Qaeda, who kill civilians in the name of Islam. There are Shi'ites who kill Sunnis in the name of Islam..." 'Akef: "All these things are American Zionist tricks. The Shi'ites attack one another, the Sunnis attack one another, and the Sh'iites attack the Sunnis. But the Muslim Brotherhood has a principle, which I declared from day one: The Shi'ites and Sunnis are brothers."

So Akef supports Al Qaeda too:

'Akef: "I'd like to go back to the issue of Al-Qaeda. There is no such thing as Al-Qaeda. This is an American invention, so that they will have something to fight for..."

So the 9/11 attacks, which Bin Laden has claimed as his for years (most recently just last month), were for Akef an "invention," as is, no doubt, the murder of thousands of innocent Iraqis, Algerians, and other worldwide victims of Al Qaeda. So I assume that Akef is pledging men and money to support "resistance" against those Lebanese who would resist the terrorism and thuggery imposed by the MB's allies. He's doing what any good Mafia Godfather would have done to support "the family." We didn't need Akef to restate the obvious - that the Egyptian MB will devote its resources to promoting MB-based terrorism. Anybody could find the numerous articles by Doug Farah and others here about the true aims of the MB network, or they could find articles specifically about the Egyptian MB like this article, or this one, or this one, in minutes. But it's always nice to hear it from the horse's mouth. I hope everyone is listening.

By the way, I wrote the author of that Jamestown piece I first cited, asking him about the inconsistencies with the three other articles (one of which he wrote), and he didn't respond.

4. The 'Wired" magazine's website includes a "Blog Network" with different topics, including a "Danger Zone" for national security discussions and links to blogs in that space. Noah Shachtman wries a daily post titled, "Five for Fighting," with links to five recommended blog posts. Today, he added a link to Roderick Jones' "Jihadinets" post from yesterday. We appreciate that nod from one of the leading websites in the tech community.

5. The West Point Combating Terrorism Center has always been one of our favorites for its comprehensive and objective analyses of the terrorism threat and counterinsurgency strategies. Today the CTC issued its first volume of "CTC Sentinel," a new monthly online journal. I recommend it and will add that website to our "Websites and Centers" page.

« Close It

December 18, 2007 12:17 PM Link

Israel’s Shattered Trust
By: P. David Hornik
The NIE has stunned Israel into facing the unthinkable. More>

Putin Agonistes: Missile Defense will not be Deployed
by Mike Whitney / December 21st, 2007

It’s been a lot of hard work, but Russian President Vladimir Putin has finally achieved his goal. He’s cleaned up the mess left behind by Yeltsin, put together a strong and thriving economy, and restored Russia to a place of honor among the community of nations. His legacy has already been written. He’s the man who rebuilt Russia. The last thing he wants now, is a pointless confrontation with the United States. But how can it be avoided? He understands Washington’s long-range plans for Russia and he is taking necessary steps to preempt them. He is familiar with the heavyweights of US foreign policy, like Zbigniew Brzezinski, and has undoubtedly read his master-plan for Central Asia, “The Grand Chessboard”. Brzezinski’s recent article in Foreign Affairs, (A publication of the Council on Foreign Relations) “A Geostrategy for Eurasia” summarizes his views on America’s future involvement in the region: (Full article …)

Denying Iran's Democrats - Trita Parsi with Emily Blout (antiwar.com, December 20): Last night, Congress dealt a severe blow to the democratic aspirations of the Iranian people. By re-appropriating the infamous Iran "Democracy" Fund, Congress showed blatant disregard for the well being and the wishes of Iranian pro-democracy activists. http://www.antiwar.com/ips/parsi.php?articleid=12082
Declaring Forever War: Giuliani has surrounded himself with advisors who think the Bush Doctrine didn't go nearly far enough - Michael C. Desch (American Conservative, January 14): S. Enders Wimbush, a former Radio Liberty director and currently a Hudson Institute senior fellow, apparently aspires to be President Giuliani's Karen Hughes. One of his major strategic planks is to establish a 'Radio Free Iran' to undermine the mullocracy. He epitomizes the ambivalence about Iran among the Giuliani crowd: on the one hand, they envision a major role for the captive Iranian masses yearning for freedom; on the other, they treat Iran as a monolith.
http://www.amconmag.com/2008/2008_01_14/cover.html
Geopolitics Strikes Back - Heather Hurlburt (Democracy Arsenal, December 19): So Putin is Time's Man of the Year. What does he symbolize? Among other matters, the colossal failure of US public diplomacy, and disastrous devaluing of the idea of America, if this guy is the foil the world raises up -- and it works for him.
http://www.democracyarsenal.org/2007/12/geopolitics-str.html
Nation Is Losing Clear Focus On Iraq - Georgie Anne Geyer (Yahoo! News, December 19): During her time selling "public diplomacy" across the world, Karen Hughes seemed full of nothing but praise for the war in Iraq. But recently, she gave an incredible interview to the Financial Times in which she said it would take "decades" to overcome the intense anti-U.S. hostility across the world, and that Washington was at the early stages of a "long struggle" to improve its image. What's more, Muslim views of the U.S. could not be expected to improve so long as conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan continued.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ucgg/20071220/cm_u...learfocusoniraq
Judge Upholds Muslim Scholar's U.S. Entry Ban - Reuters (New York Times, December 21): A U.S. federal judge on Thursday upheld a government decision to refuse a prominent Swiss Muslim entry into the United States, saying the question of denying visas was best left to the authorities. The United States had revoked the visa of Tariq Ramadan, an academic at Britain's Oxford University and a vocal critic of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and its support of Israel.
http://www.nytimes.com/reuters/news/news-r...agewanted=print
Paradox for Petraeus - David Ignatius (Washington Post, December 21): The Catch-22 for Petraeus is that the more successful he is on the ground, the more pressure he will encounter for troop cuts that might reverse his hard-won gains. In Iraq continued American success paradoxically will mean less and less American control. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2001865_pf.html
Let's Seize the Momentum in Iraq - Barry R. McCaffrey (Wall Street Journal, December 20): The key to winning the war is to massively build Iraqi Security Forces with the equipment, training and leadership needed to maintain internal order and security as we withdraw. Without security for the population there will never be reconciliation in Iraq.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1198122705...days_us_opinion
A surge of their own: Iraqis take back the streets: Attacks plummet as Shias join Sunnis in neighbourhood patrols to tackle militants and reunite communities - Michael Howard (Guardian, December 20)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2230041,00.html
Baghdad safer, but it's a life behind walls: Mini fortified 'green zones' are cropping up, improving security but leaving many residents feeling penned in - Sam Dagher (Christian Science Monitor, December 10)
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1210/p01s04-wome.html
The walls around Bush's Iraq strategy: Barriers built to reduce violence have turned sectarian segregation into the status quo - Rosa Brooks (Los Angeles Times, December 20): We should be glad of the lull in violence, but if stability in Iraq depends on miles of concrete walls and an indefinite U.S. occupation, that's not "victory." It's defeat.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-...inion-rightrail
Survey: Many Iraqis in Syria fled during U.S. troop buildup - Hannah Allam (McClatchy Newspapers, December 14): One in five Iraqi refugees in Syria has been tortured or suffered from other violence, and more than a third fled their homeland between July and October, at the height of the U.S. troop buildup that was intended to quell sectarian violence in Baghdad, preliminary data from a new United Nations study show.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/iraq/v-print/story/23159.html http://www.juancole.com/2007/12/turkish-am...elpful-600.html

The Coming Fight for Northern Iraq: With just days left before the deadline for the Article 140 referendum on who will control northern Iraq, both Kurds and Sunnis are pledging violence over the outcome - Spencer Ackerman (American Prospect, December 20)
http://www.prospect.org/cs/articles?articl...r_northern_iraq
Iraq: The Hidden Human Costs - Michael Massing (New York Review of Books, December 20): In no other war have so many books by soldiers appeared while the fighting was still going on -- accounts written not just by generals like Tommy Franks but also by lieutenants, sergeants, reservists, and privates. Such works have been largely ignored by the mass media, which is too bad, for they provide a grunt's-eye view of the war that is often far richer, and rawer, than anything available in our newspapers or on TV.
http://www.nybooks.com/articles/20906
U.S. needs to engage Tehran, not order it around - Haroon Siddiqui (thestar.com, December 20)
http://www.thestar.com/columnists/article/287264
No More Slam Dunks: A reality-based assessment of Iran's nuclear capability - Philip Giraldi (American Conservative, January 14): The Iran NIE (National Intelligence Estimate) was instead constructed from the ground up with every assumption being challenged. The critics of the NIE curiously engage in their own groupthink when they claim that the CIA?s record of failures in the past mean that it has likely failed again. This time, however, the CIA has gotten it right.
http://www.amconmag.com/2008/2008_01_14/article2.html
The fallout for Bush on Iran: Former U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix assesses the latest U.S. intelligence and whether Bush could still launch a military strike - André Anwar (Salon, December 20)
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2007/12/...x_qa/print.html
Stability through uranium Editorial (Boston Globe, December 20): The time has come for Bush to present Iran with America's best offer, not only for internationally guaranteed nuclear fuel but also for security and economic integration into the global economy. Iran's theocrats can have nuclear power, security, and prosperity, or they can have their own source of enriched uranium. Not both.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editoria...hrough_uranium/
After NIE, More BMD: Ballistic missile defense is one of few remaining options for pressuring Iran - Charlie Szrom (Weekly Standard, December 21)
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Publ...14/496nzhfp.asp
Vetting the Iran NIE - James Lyons (Washington Times, December 20): The recently released NIE on Iran's nuclear weapon program not only left many questions unanswered but left our friends and allies caught off-base and confused.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...mplate=printart
Our Friends in Baghdad - Frederick W. Kagan (Wall Street Journal, December 21): The notion that attacks on America result from the American presence in the Muslim world is nonsensical. America and its allies have been attacked when we had troops in the Middle East and when we did not; when we intervened in regional crises and when we ignored them. But our policies over the past few decades have resulted in the worst of both worlds -- we have generated whatever irritant our presence in the region creates without giving our friends (and enemies) the assurance that we will actively pursue our interests and those of our allies.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1198210045...days_us_opinion
A Tsar Is Born - Adi Ignatius (Time, December 4): 'What gets Putin agitated -- and he was frequently agitated during our talk -- is his perception that Americans are out to interfere in Russia's affairs. He says he wants Russia and America to be partners but feels the U.S. treats Russia like the uninvited guest at a party. 'We want to be a friend of America,' he says. 'Sometimes we get the impression that America does not need friends' but only 'auxiliary subjects to command.'"
http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/pri...1690766,00.html
New Thinking Even in Miami? Cuba Changes, US Policy Stagnates - Wayne Smith and Jennifer Schuett (CounterPunch, December 20): Cuba is on the cusp of change. By contrast, there has been little change in Washington. US policy toward Cuba remains as ill-conceived and counterproductive as ever.
http://www.counterpunch.org/smith12202007.html
Bush and torture: What kind of legacy? Edward M. Gomez (World Views, SF Gate, December 19)
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate...;entry_id=22840
Bush's 'Axis of Evil,' Six Years Later - Charles Krauthammer (Washington Post, December 21): Six years later and with time running out on this administration, the Bush legacy is clear: one for three. Contrary to current public opinion, Bush will have succeeded on Iraq, failed on Iran and fought North Korea to a draw.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2001863_pf.html
Americans' Anti-Global Turn May Stir Race for President - Greg Hitt (Wall Street Journal, December 20): On the eve of the election year, Americans are displaying increasingly severe doubts about the nation's economic engagement with the rest of the world. The latest Wall Street Journal-NBC News poll shows a deterioration in public support for globalization and immigration, reinforcing the importance of those issues -- along with broader concerns about the faltering economy -- in the fight for the White House and Congress.
http://online.wsj.com/page/us_past_edition...d=topnav_0_0002
Marginalizing a Useful Agency - Robert J. Maushammer (letter to the editor, Washington Post, December 20): Why does the United States need another reconstruction reserve corps, as advocated by Sen. Richard G. Lugar (R-Ind.) and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in their Dec. 17 op-ed, 'A Civilian Partner for Our Troops?' As Mr. Lugar and Ms. Rice acknowledged, the United States already has one -- the U.S. Agency for International Development.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...1902103_pf.html

Paris, December 20, 2007 – The American military command in Iraq is regularly sponsoring 19 focus group consultations, conducted by outside contractors, in five Iraqi cities. The findings are presented to General David Petraeus as part of the Battle Update Assessment his staff compiles daily.
They offer good news and bad news for the command. The latest one notes the fall in roadside bombings and attacks on civilians. As reported by The Washington Post (December 19), it also indicates increased satisfaction with local government in Baghdad, and a rise in fuel supplies, although in each case from a very low base: 25% now are satisfied with their local authorities, and 15% say more fuel is available.
Much more important is something the American military sponsors report as very good news, although it is objectively bad news for Bush administration leaders. It's also bad for those Democratic as well as Republican presidential candidates who share the received wisdom of the Washington policy community that says the United States must stay in Iraq. Stay for years, even for decades (as the Pentagon now is planning), with permanent bases there, supposedly to anchor Middle Eastern stability and guard America's oil supply.
The majority of Iraqis participating in these focus groups assert that "the key to national reconciliation" in Iraq is departure of the "occupying forces."

The American military command analysts justifiably see this as evidence of a "shared belief" among Iraqis that they can overcome the current civil struggle in their country when the United States and its allies leave the country.
The analysts say that until now they expected these focus groups to say that "national reconciliation is neither anticipated nor possible." They are surprised that, as they say, "this survey provides very strong evidence that the opposite is true."
A sense of "optimistic possibility permeated all focus groups...." However the analysis (dated this month) revealed that the Iraqi participants thought that the present Baghdad government "has still made no significant progress" towards national reconciliation. Worse, they believe that "the negative elements of life in Iraq [began] with the 'U.S. occupation' in March 2003." Moreover, the American presence in the country "seems to have totally eclipsed any agonies or grievances many Iraqis would have incurred from the [Saddam Hussein] regime." The people in the focus groups criticize Iran for meddling politically in Iraq, while the U.S. is seen as "[wanting] to control Iraq's oil."
This flat contradiction of what most Americans want to believe about the Iraq situation confirms what some of us have been saying from the start: the Iraqis want us to go home. Invasion and occupation are the primary causes of Iraq's tragedy and violence, and if the U.S. will get out -- as the Iraqis in these focus groups believe - the Iraqi people will be able to overcome its divisions and take charge of their own affairs.
Most of all, these findings again demonstrates the damage done by foreign intervention into the internal affairs of other countries. There is no solution for Iraq's internal crisis possible that the Iraqis themselves do not work out on their own.
Similarly, NATO is incapable of solving the problem in Afghanistan of the Taliban return. The Taliban are not foreign invaders sponsored from abroad. Whatever their extremist religious convictions, they are Afghans, members of the Pathans (or Pashtuns), the largest ethnic community inside Afghanistan and in the surrounding region. There has always been tension between them and the minority Tajiks, Uzbeks, and Hazaras, who all together make up less than 40% of the national community.
No foreign force is ever going to settle this struggle, whatever form it takes – and plenty have tried, most recently the Soviet and British empires, to their regret.
U.S Defense Secretary Robert Gates spoke to a NATO conference on December 11, pleading for more NATO troops for Afghanistan. He said NATO's members should recognize that it's "a post-Cold War world" and the U.S. and NATO must "be ready to operate in distant locations against insurgencies and terrorist networks."
This is the latest strategic wisdom in Washington, and U.S. base deployments are being changed to implement it. This view is echoed by the European Atlanticists (but not by European voters -- or Canadians, whose army has borne the brunt of the Afghan struggle). It's the opinion of most (not all, let us hope) the advisers to the U.S. presidential candidates. They think we're now in a vast struggle with global radicalism. It's exactly what President Bush has been saying all along.
But what is this strategy meant to do? To eradicate all the fundamentalisms, if not all the fundamentalist Moslems? If the U.S. is going to wage a worldwide war against "insurgencies and terrorist networks" everywhere, then it has a big job ahead of it, and it is going to lose. That is a dead certainty. Be serious. Just count.
Nationalism – the defense of national and religious identity and national particularity, even in its extreme versions -- is the most important force in the world. Anyone who goes uninvited into other countries to stamp out other people's extremisms puts itself into the business of creating even more extremism, and this eventually will have profoundly destructive effect upon the United States itself, as well as on allies unwise enough to follow the U.S. into this Maelstrom.
© Copyright 2007 by Tribune Media Services International. All Rights Reserved.

Iraq Seen Plain – Michael Leeden, National Review
Paradox for Petraeus - David Ignatius, Washington Post
Maliki’s Opportunity to Rebuild Iraq – Con Coughlin, London Daily Telegraph
Foreign Policy Follies - USA Today editorial
Bush's 'Axis of Evil,' Six Years Later - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Oil and War Mix – Clifford May, National Review
The Powers of Petrocracy - Fouad Ajami, U.S. News & World Report
Good Will and Armed Vigilance - Austin Bay, Washington Times
Common Sense Needed on Iran – Raymond Ibrahim, National Review
Reflections on the Iran NIE – James Robbins, National Review
Rudd’s Middle East Test – Amin Saikal, Canberra Times
A Ceasefire from Hamas? - Boston Globe editorial
PA: What About the Record? - Diana West, Washington Times
Free Mark Steyn – National Review editorial
Why are the Gitmo 3 Britain’s Problem? – London Daily Telegraph editorial
Castro Giving up the Reins? - Marifeli Perez-Stable, Miami Herald
A Change in South Korea - Washington Post editorial
South Korea Chooses a New President - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Thailand on High Alert on Crucial Poll – Walker and Farrelly, Canberra Times
Zuma’s Victory May Break Up ANC – William Gumede, Canberra Times
CIA: No Destruction Obstruction – National Review editorial
Bush Yields on CIA Tapes - Los Angeles Times editorial
Let Congress, Courts Probe CIA - Miami Herald editorial
Missile Defense Going Global - James Hackett, Washington Times
Throw out LOST - George Allen, Washington Times
Putin: Odd Choice as Person of the Year - Michael Barone, U.S. News & World Report
Helping America's Heroes - New York Post editorial

Hope for Peace Next Year in David’s City – Douglas Alexander, London Daily Telegraph
European Ado About Nothing in Palestine - Rami Khouri, Daily Star
Russia's Choice on M.E. Peace Equation - Jerusalem Post editorial
Bush Backs Moscow’s Fueling of Bushehr – Henry Sokolski, Weekly Standard
After NIE, More BMD – Charlie Szrom, Weekly Standard
Exposing Iran's Ruthlessness - David Horovitz, Jerusalem Post
Shine Light of Hope on Darfur – Fine and Scheinert, Toronto Star
Keeping Darfur Peacekeepers - Conor Foley, Guardian
Standing up to Mugabe – Robert Rotberg, Boston Globe
Kenya Votes – Travis Kavulla, National Review
Vote Heralds Break-up of ANC - William Gumede, The Independent
Putin: Man of the Year? – Garry Kasparov, Wall Street Journal
Philharmonic goes to Pyongyang – Terry Teachout, Wall Street Journal

Afghanistan War Needs Focus – Boston Herald editorial
Failure Blooms in Afghanistan – Boston Globe editorial
Poppies vs. Power in Afghanistan – Jim Hoagland, Washington Post
Poor Backroom Boys in Afghanistan – Jeremy Clarkson, London Times
Pakistan’s Tyranny Continues – Aitzaz Ashan, New York Post
Questions for Bush and Musharraf – Tierney and Ahsan, Miami Herald
Holy War Among Jihadis - New York Daily News editorial
The Islamist War on Muslim Women – Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe
U.N. Bankrolled Hatred of Israel and U.S. – Claudia Rosett, National Review
A Ceasefire from Hamas? – Boston Globe editorial
Hamas's 'Offer' - Jerusalem Post editorial

Presidential Candidates on Terrorism – Washington Post editorial
A Step Forward in Iraq – New York Post editorial
Tide Turning in Iraq – The Australian editorial
The State of Iraq: An Update – New York Times op-chart
The British are Going – Claude Salhani, Washington Times
A Gift form Troops in Iraq - Oliver North, Washington Times
Bush’s Game of Chess in Iraq – Andy Zelleke, Boston Globe
Kurdish Conflict: U.S. Nods and Winks – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
General Petraeus: Man of the Year – William Kristol, Weekly Standard

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Vice Chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff, General James Cartwright speak to reporters at the Pentagon, 21 December 2001. Posted by SWJ Editors on December 23, 2007 4:57 AM | Permalink

Olmert Rules Out Hamas Cease-Fire...
The New York Times Sun Dec 23 2007 05:02:40 GMT-0500 (Eastern Standard Time)

The Middle East in 2007 It’s been a rough year for the Middle East, from Saddam’s hanging to mass killings in Iraq and the war of words over Iran’s alleged nuclear weapons program. The Mosaic Intelligence Report takes a look back and asks whether there is hope for the future.

CIA: Subverting Bush – Robert Novak, Washington Post
Vietnam War Owners? – Arthur Herman, Commentary
Australia in for Long Haul – The Australian editorial
Forgotten Population – Anna Husarska, Boston Globe
Sudan’s President – Nat Hentoff, Washington Times
A Shift in South Africa – Washington Post editorial
South Africa’s Challenge – Toronto Star editorial
Zuma the Zeitgeist – Marian Tupy, Washington Times
Blocking Freedom’s Flow – Steve Chapman, Washington Times
Citizen Diplomacy – Scott and Mueller, Washington Times
Putin: Myth of the Strongman – Fred Hiatt, Washington Post
Jihadist’s Useful Idiots – Joel Mowbray, Washington Times
E.U.’s ‘Ode to Joy’? – Slavoj Zizek, New York Times

Washington’s Gift - Thomas Fleming, Wall Street Journal
Christmas 2007 – Washington Post editorial
When Christmas Morning Comes? – New York Times editorial
The Brightness of the Day – Boston Globe editorial
Luke 2:1-20 – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
The Enabling Virtue – E.J. Dionne Jr., Washington Post
Greatest Gift for All – Paul Craig Roberts, Washington Times
Hope in Times of War – H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe
A Christmas over There – Bruce Kluger, USA Today
The True Meaning not Forgotten – Dennis Byrne, Baltimore Sun
Politics? We’ll Take Good Cheer – Jonah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times
Helping the Needy – David Treadwell, Washington Times
A Gift amid Suffering – Michael Gerson, Washington Post
Now Iraq Needs a Surge of Political Will – Trudy Rubin, Baltimore Sun
Turkey – Iraq: An Unbecoming Appearance – Tulin Daloglu, Washington Times
Pakistan’s Fateful Election – Amir Taheri, New York Post
Saudi Arabia Opinion Poll – National Review poll
Thailand in Transition – Washington Post editorial
Putting the Freeze on a Frozen Conflict – Sabine Freizer, Boston Globe
Castro is Losing His Last Fight – Carlos Alberto Montanier, Miami Herald

Heads in the Sand on Iraq - New Hampshire Union-Leader editorial
Looking Back on 2007 – London Daily Telegraph editorial
U.K.’s Long Haul Commitment to Afghanistan – London Times editorial
Afghanistan: Into the Valley of Death – Sebastian Junger, Vanity Fair
Interview with Taliban Suicide Bomber – Sami Yousafzai, Newsweek
Musharraf, ‘Safe Pair of Hands’ without Legitimacy – Irfan Husain, Daily Star
E.U. Should Demand More from Israel – Donald Macintyre, The Independent
Israeli, Palestinian Combatants for Peace – Seth Freedman, Guardian
In Praise of Missile Defenses – Jerusalem Post editorial
Thai Democracy Wins – The Australian editorial
War on Congo’s Women – Maryam Elahi, Guardian
Charlie Wilson’s War – Peter Suderman, National Review
Charlie Wilson’s War, and Ours – Max Boot, Commentary

Drugs Driving Violence in Afghanistan
December 26, 2007
StrategyPage.Com has a devastating analysis of the state of violence in Iraq and the factors driving it: More

Christmas in Diyala, the War Party's 'Model' Province
by Justin Raimondo

U.S. Foreign Policy-making - Helle Dale, Washington Times
America's Challenges - Harlan Ullman, Washington Times
Heads in the Sand on Iraq - New Hampshire Union-Leader editorial
Looking Back on 2007 – London Daily Telegraph editorial
U.K.’s Long Haul Commitment to Afghanistan – London Times editorial
Afghanistan: Into the Valley of Death – Sebastian Junger, Vanity Fair
Interview with Taliban Suicide Bomber – Sami Yousafzai, Newsweek
Musharraf, ‘Safe Pair of Hands’ without Legitimacy – Irfan Husain, Daily Star
Musharraf War on Courts Hurts Terror Fight - Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer
E.U. Should Demand More from Israel – Donald Macintyre, The Independent
Israeli, Palestinian Combatants for Peace – Seth Freedman, Guardian
In Praise of Missile Defenses – Jerusalem Post editorial
Thai Democracy Wins – The Australian editorial
South Korea's Choice - Boston Globe editorial
A Chance to Rein In North Korea - Nicholas Eberstadt, Washington Post
War on Congo’s Women – Maryam Elahi, Guardian
Democracy and South Africa - New York Times editorial

Wanted in Iraq: A Surge of Political Will – Trudy Rubin, Miami Herald
Avoiding a Hollow Force – Holmes and Eaglen, Washington Times
Gordon England’s War – Frank Gaffney Jr., Washington Times
The Costs of Mixed Signals to Kabul – The Independent editorial
Media Military Matters – Michelle Malkin, National Review
A Terrorist’s Tet – Austin Bay, Washington Times
Coal in Israel’s Stocking – Clifford May, National Review
The Arduous Task of Planning Peace – Frida Ghitis, Miami Herald
Charlie Wilson’s War: Not Today – John Fund, Wall Street Journal
Review, Rescind Australia Defence Errors – Michael Costello, The Australian
Beyond the Humanitarian Disaster – The Australian editorial

Venezuela to Pick Up Hostages (MountainRunner, December 27): Chavez was preparing to send Venezuelan helicopters into Colombia's lawless jungles to retrieve three hostages from an anti-Colombian government rebel hideaway. Mountain Runner comment: 'Well played, Hugo Chavez. This has the real potential of being a public diplomacy coup.'
http://mountainrunner.us/2007/12/venezuela...p_hostages.html
U.S. Navy Aims to Flex 'Soft Power': Goodwill missions could become the Navy's chief strategy in the war on terror - Gordon Lubold (Christian Science Monitor, December 27): The US Navy is trying to set a new course, embracing a shift in strategy that focuses heavily on administering humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and other forms of so-called soft power to woo allies to help the United States fight global terrorism.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/1227/p02s01-usgn.html
Al Qaeda: Propaganda and Media Strategy - Canadian Centre for Intelligence and Security Studies, The Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University (Volume 2007-2)
http://www.csis-scrs.gc.ca/en/itac/itacdocs/2007-2.pdf
Overseas security threats to U.S. businesses cited: Cyber-attacks, terrorism and piracy are among the issues in a State Department report - Associated Press (Los Angeles Times, December 28)
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-cybe...1,2499475.story
Doubts Engulf an American Aid Plan for Pakistan - Jane Perlez (New York Times, December 25): Weeks before it is to begin, an ambitious American aid plan to counter militancy in Pakistan's tribal areas is threatened by important unresolved questions about who will monitor the money and whether it could fall into the wrong hands, according to American and Pakistani officials and analysts familiar with the plan. The disputes have left many skeptical that the $750 million five-year plan can succeed in competing for the allegiance of an estimated 400,000 young tribesmen in the restive tribal region, a mountainous swath of territory left destitute by British colonialists and ignored by successive Pakistani governments.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/world/as...agewanted=print http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/24/world/asia/24military.html

News Analysis: Salvaging U.S. Diplomacy Amid Division - Helene Cooper and Steven Lee Myers (New York Times, December 28): The assassination of Benazir Bhutto on Thursday left in ruins the delicate diplomatic effort the Bush administration had pursued in the past year to reconcile Pakistan?s deeply divided political factions. Now it is scrambling to sort through ever more limited options, as American influence on Pakistan?s internal affairs continues to decline.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/world/as...agewanted=print
After Benazir Bhutto Editorial (New York Times, December 28): The United States cannot afford to have Pakistan unravel any further. The lesson of the last six years is that authoritarian leaders -- even ones backed with billions in American aid -- don?t make reliable allies, and they can?t guarantee security. American policy must now be directed at building a strong democracy in Pakistan that has the respect and the support of its own citizens and the will and the means to fight Al Qaeda and the Taliban.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/opinion/...agewanted=print
Assassination in Pakistan: The murder of Benazir Bhutto demands quick action to stabilize the country Editorial (Washington Post, December 28): The Bush administration should follow up aggressively on the president's suggestion that Pakistan "honor Benazir Bhutto's memory by continuing with the democratic process for which she so bravely gave her life."
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2702074_pf.html
Pakistan at an Uncertain Hour - Teresita C. Schaffer (Washington Post, December 28): Benazir Bhutto's assassination leaves slim possibilities for a democratic transition that now matters more than ever to the United States.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2701935_pf.html
The Void Left Behind - Ahmed Rashid (Washington Post, December 28): If rioting and political mayhem worsen, if the opposition refuses to cooperate with Musharraf and the United States finally begins to distance itself from him, then the army may be forced to tell Musharraf to call it a day. If that happens, it will be even more urgent that the world support a national government, elections and a speedy return to civilian rule -- and not another military dictatorship.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2701521_pf.html
With Bhutto gone, does Bush have a Plan B? Bush's failed policies in Pakistan, a nuclear power that al-Qaida still uses to plot against the West, threatens U.S. security more than Iraq ever did - Juan Cole (Salon, December 27)
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/12/27/bhutto/
Pakistan's perilous path Editorial (Washington Times, December 28): No time for lofty rhetoric or finger-pointing, the Bush administration, neighboring countries, including Afghanistan and India, and other allies must seek policies that quell turmoil and push democracy and stability even if those policies lead to a less-than-ideal scenario.
http://washingtontimes.com/article/2007122.../524490508/1013
The Legacy of Benazir Bhutto - David Ignatius (Washington Post, December 28): The Bush administration attempted a bit of political engineering when it tried to broker an alliance between Musharraf and Bhutto and sought to position her as the country's next prime minister. Yesterday's events were a reminder that global politics is not Prospero's island, where we can conjure up the outcomes we want.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2701479_pf.html
Bhutto's Legacy - Husain Haqqani (Wall Street Journal, December 28): As Pakistanis mourn the death of a popular democratic leader, the United States must review its policy of trusting the military-dominated regime led by Pervez Musharraf to secure, stabilize and democratize Pakistan.
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1198803917...in_commentaries
Pakistani Punditry - Victor Davis Hanson (National Review, December 28): When we talk about our current failures vis-a-vis Pakistan and the general chaos abroad, history may take a longer view, and see that our present dismal prospects in Pakistan derive in large part from its nuclearization (Khan was exposed and his nuclear profiteering abroad shut down in 2003/4) a decade ago, and that, contrary to conventional wisdom, we have done pretty well in trying to limit the number of new nuclear states during the last few years.
http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=Y...ZjFkYTU0YmNmYmE=
Benazir Bhutto: Killed by the real Pakistan - Andrew C. McCarthy (National Review, December 27): Jihadists are not going to be wished away, rule-of-lawed into submission, or democratized out of existence. If you really want democracy and the rule of law in places like Pakistan, you need to kill the jihadists first. Or they will kill you, just like, today, they killed Benazir Bhutto.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=MTExN...MWJiM2JmZGQ2NDE=
At the Precipice: Pakistan after Benazir Bhutto - Joshua Kurlantzick (New Republic, December 27): The White House itself admitted in an intelligence assessment this summer that Musharraf's supposed battle against terrorists was failing miserably. Yet at the same time, Musharraf has neutered Pakistan's political culture, helping create a vacuum in which there are few other credible leaders besides Sharif and the slain Bhutto. With Bhutto gone, Musharraf may -- surprise -- again fill that vacuum. That could be the greatest tragedy of all.
http://www.tnr.com/politics/story.html?id=...ec-290f66d4c1f7
The U.S. Army's Intelligence Analysis of the 2004 Fallujah Attack: Fallujah, the Information War and U.S. Propaganda - Stephen Soldz (CounterPunch, December 27): The greater success in manipulating the information war in November was offset, however, by the U.S.'s inability to hide the country's descent into full-scale civil war from reporters and thus, from the world. It remains to be seen if the relative lull in civil war currently occurring as the various factions reevaluate the situation will allow the U.S. greater success in the information war, if not in the real war of occupation.
http://www.counterpunch.org/soldz12272007.html
Hope in Times of War - H.D.S. Greenway (International Herald Tribune, December 27/Common Dreams): ?America needs to keep engaged in the world, and isolationism is not the answer. But I am forever haunted by Graham Greene's lines to the 'Quiet American' who thought that bombs could bring democracy. What people want, says Greene's weary old journalist, is 'enough rice. They don't want to be shot at. They want one day to be much the same as another. They don't want our white skins around telling them what they want.'"
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/12/27/6022/
QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

"In Pakistan, everything is possible, even the impossible."

--Mir Murtaza Bhutto, brother of Benazir Bhutto; cited in Amy Wilentz, 'The Benazir I knew' (Los Angeles Times, December 28)
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-...=la-tot-opinion

Soft Power: Voice of Freedom – Matthew Kaminski, Wall Street Journal
General Petraeus Q&A – Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung Q&A
Six Months that Could Change Iraq – Fred Kaplan, Slate
Iraq: Beginning or the End? – Patrick Cockburn, The Independent
Surge and Spin Cycles – Michelle Malkin, Washington Times
Two Allies Renew Afghanistan Vows – Claude Salhani, Washington Times
The Right Way to Engage Iran – McFaul and Milani, Washington Post
Musharraf’s Moment – London Times editorial
The Pakistan Test – Washington Post editorial
Pakistan Elections Must Go Ahead – London Daily Telegraph editorial
World Plunged Deeper into Chaos – The Australian editorial
From Benazir into the Unknown – Sidney Morning Herald editorial
Beyond Benazir – Los Angeles Times editorial
Bhutto Risked All for Democracy – Toronto Star editorial
Death Kills Best Chance for Democracy - New Zealand Herald editorial
Pakistan’s Bitter Political Harvest – Canberra Times editorial
Murder and Politics – Baltimore Sun editorial
Pakistan Must Stay Course to Democracy – The Independent editorial
Pakistan’s Perilous Path – Washington Times editorial
Foe of Extremists Pays Ultimate Price – Miami Herald editorial
Assassination of Benazir Bhutto - Philadelphia Inquirer editorial
Pakistan's Predicament - New York Post editorial
Pakistan on the Brink – Ottawa Citizen editorial
Pakistan’s Best Chance – Chamberlin and Weinbaum, Washington Post
Pakistan: After the Shock – Greg Sheridan, The Australian
Bloody Reflections on the Dynasties – Graham Stewart, London Times
Tragedy Born of Despotism and Anarchy – Tariq Ali, Guardian
Apocalypse? Mmm, Bring it On – Matthew Parris, London Times
Terror's New Theater - Stephen Schwartz, New York Post
Defying Fate Pointless for Bhutto – Amir Taheri, London Times
Setback for the War on Terror – Haroon Siddiqui, Toronto Star
All Eyes on Musharraf – Simon Tisdall, Guardian
Bhutto's Bravery - Rich Lowry, New York Post
Terrorism Strikes Heart of Pakistan's Democracy - Irfan Yusuf, New Zealand Herald
Tragedy Recasts the Race – David Nason, The Australian
Real World Intrudes on the Race – Mona Charen, National Review
Previous Op-Ed's on Bhutto Assassination - Small Wars Journal
Cleaning Up the U.N. - New York Post editorial
Indonesia: Time and the Dictator – New York Times editorial
Beyond the ‘Big Man’ in South Africa – Boston Globe editorial
Cuba: Old Guard Spy Heads Interest Section – Chris Simmons, Miami Herald
A Tighter Ship at Justice – Washington Post editorial
My War with Charlie Wilson – Gary Schmitt, Weekly Standard
David Hicks is No Hero – The Australian editorial

He Could Care Less About Obama's Story - Reza Aslan (Washington Post, December 30): The main issue in U.S. foreign policy that the next president will face is repairing our image in the world. But in foreign policy, unlike advertising, image is created through action, not branding.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...2801899_pf.html

Bill Richardson on Pakistan and American Values - (MyFox Kansas City, MO, December 28): Democratic presidential candidate Richardson: 'We cannot win the war against Al Qaeda alone. It is urgent that we rebuild our alliances, so that we can once again lead other nations. Trust is critical to getting allies to work with us in the secret world of counter terrorism and in the open world of public diplomacy. This administration has driven away our allies with swagger and saber rattling. I will rebuild our alliances by making common cause with partners who share our values and interests.'
http://www.myfoxkc.com/myfox/pages/News/De...p;pageId=3.11.1
America's constitution produces a pure democracy we will never have - Simon Jenkins (Sunday Times, December 16): America's friends abroad have felt more despair this past five years than in the previous 50. To turn a phrase once applied to Britain by the American diplomatist Dean Acheson, America has acquired an empire but not found a role.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/c...icle3056758.ece
Pakistan's Blood-Stained Democracy - William F. Buckley Jr. (National Review, December 29): The Bush administration should announce to the waiting world that the United States cannot be charged with responsibility for maintaining order in Pakistan, and does not accept responsibility for the assassination of Benazir Bhutto.
http://article.nationalreview.com/?q=ZmFkN...MjgwOTM0NmFmMDI=
Beyond Benazir: Bhutto assassinated, turmoil -- even civil war -- loom for nuclear-armed Pakistan Editorial (Los Angeles Times, December 29): The United States now finds itself with no strong ally in Pakistan besides Musharraf, and no good options remaining for promoting democratic change -- a situation for which the Bush administration is partly to blame.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-ed-...pinion-leftrail
Blowback from an Unholy Alliance: The U.S. and Pakistan After 9/11 - Gary Leupp (Counterpunch, December 29/30): Pakistan, more or less stable as of 2001, has in the interval been knocked off balance by U.S. action in the region. Told it must be for or against the U.S., it was obliged to obey, with grim results.
http://www.counterpunch.org/leupp12292007.html
Bush's best-laid plans: The Bhutto assassination demonstrates anew the folly of the administration's efforts to manage history - Andrew J. Bacevich (Los Angeles Times, December 30): The virtual impotence of the U.S. in the face of the crisis enveloping Pakistan -- along with its complicity in creating that crisis -- ought to discredit once and for all any notions of America fixing the world's ills.
http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-op-...-opinion-center
Options for Pakistan: Salvaging US Diplomacy Amid Division - Helene Cooper and Steven Lee Myers (Spiegel Online - December 28): The assassination left in ruins the diplomatic effort the Bush administration had pursued in the last year.
http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,525626,00.html
In Memory of Benazir Bhutto, Cut US Ties to Musharraf - Medea Benjamin (Common Dreams, August 28): The US government must use this time to radically change its policy in Pakistan.
http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/12/28/6028/
How Bhutto Won Washington - Elisabeth Bumiller (New York Times, December 30): In the end, with yet another American administration behind her, Ms. Bhutto?s Washington network only underscored how little the United States fathomed the feudal politics of South Asia, and its own ability to control events in the cauldron of Pakistan.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/weekinre...agewanted=print
"Musharraf has much to answer for": After Bhutto's death, the press in South Asia and Europe fear for democracy's future in Pakistan, which could go up in "turbulent smoke and bloody dust" - Edward M. Gomez (Salon, December 28)
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2007/...utto/print.html http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate...;entry_id=22965

Iraq suicide attacks on the rise: Gen. Petraeus, the top U.S. commander, notes that despite the slight recent upturn in such bombings, violence overall has dropped to its lowest sustained levels since 2005 - Tina Susman and Alexandra Zavis (Los Angeles Times, December 30)
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/wo...=la-home-center
Iraq Attacks Fall 60 Percent, Petraeus Says - Stephen Farrell and Solomon Moore (New York Times, December 30): The top American military commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, said Saturday that violent attacks in the country had fallen by 60 percent since June, but cautioned that security gains were tenuous and 'fragile,' requiring political and economic progress to cement them.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/world/mi...agewanted=print
Despite Success, Iraq's Future Uncertain - Robert H. Reid, Associated Press (Washington Post, December 30): Nearly a year after the U.S. gambled by pouring troops into Iraq's capital, there is finally cause for hope that the worst of the Iraq war may have passed, even if the endgame takes longer than Americans and Iraqis want. But the political rivalries between Sunnis and Shiites that fueled the conflict remain unresolved. And time may be running out for America to midwife a solution.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/conte...3000441_pf.html
Surge and spin cycles - Michelle Malkin (Washington Times, December 29): There should be no question what the top story of the year was: America's counterinsurgency campaign in Iraq, the Democrats' hapless efforts to sabotage it, and the Western mainstream media's stubborn refusal to own up to military progress.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/apps/pbcs.d...mplate=printart
Top Ten Myths about Iraq 2007 Juan Cole (Informed Comment: Thoughts on the Middle East, History, and Religion. December 26): 1. Myth: The reduction in violence in Iraq is mostly because of the escalation in the number of US troops, or "surge." Fact: Although violence has been reduced in Iraq, much of the reduction did not take place because of US troop activity. Guerrilla attacks in al-Anbar Province were reduced from 400 a week to 100 a week between July, 2006 and July, 2007. But there was no significant US troop escalation in al-Anbar. Likewise, attacks on British troops in Basra have declined precipitously since they were moved out to the airport away from population centers. But this change had nothing to do with US troops.
http://www.juancole.com/2007/12/top-ten-my...-iraq-2007.html
An Iraqi solution for Iraq Editorial (Boston Globe, December 27): The sooner Iraq's contending sects and factions accept that none can dominate and that all stand to prosper from a regional power-sharing arrangement like that envisioned in the present constitution, the sooner Iraq's oil wealth will rain down on its people. And the sooner a disastrous occupation can end -- and US forces can come home.
http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editoria...or_iraq?mode=PF
Worthy and Unworthy Victims: Turkey's Bombing of Iraq - Anthony DiMaggio (CounterPunch, December 28): American media attention to the repression and terror of foreign countries is not driven by legitimate humanitarian concerns, but by the strength of the alliance between the U.S. and the country in question. Little else can explain why the very same Iraqi Kurds who are regarded as worthy victims when killed by US enemies such as Saddam Hussein are not worthy when killed by an allied government like Turkey.
http://www.counterpunch.org/dimaggio12282007.html
Cold War Lite - Brian Whitmore (RFE/RL, December 29): This was the year Vladimir Putin implicitly compared the United States to the Third Reich and it was the year that -- despite the occasional diplomatic language to the contrary -- the last remnants of the vaunted strategic partnership between Russia and the West appeared headed for the dustbin of history.
http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2007/...53c6c27b22.html
Bear Market : Cold War classics for an age of a resurgent Russia - Ernest Lefever (Opinion Journal from the Wall Street Journal Editorial Page, December 29): 1. "The Twenty Years' Crisis: 1919-1939" by E.H. Carr (Macmillan, 1939). 2. "Darkness at Noon" by Arthur Koestler (Macmillan, 1941). 3. "The Children of Light and the Children of Darkness" by Reinhold Niebuhr (Scribner, 1944). 4. "The Super-Powers" by William T.R. Fox (Harcourt, 1944). 5. "The True Believer" by Erich Hoffer (Harper & Row, 1951).
http://www.opinionjournal.com/weekend/fivebest/?id=110011058
The Poles Get Cold Feet Editorial (New York Times, December 30): Polish and Czech leaders seemed initially to like the idea of a European-based missile-defense system because they saw an American military presence on their soil as further protection against Russia. Russia's theatrical fury over the plan, coupled with the Bush administration?s general decline, has taken the gloss off. Why not put Russia's intentions to a practical test by seriously exploring President Vladimir Putin's offer to share a Russian early-warning radar in Azerbaijan? American officers who have checked out the site have come away impressed with its capabilities.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/opinion/...agewanted=print
Long, Gone Neocons: The Bush administration is no longer influenced by neocons. Instead, it's governing the way its predecessors have - Michael Young (Reason, December 27): It's time to stop referring to the neocon policies of the Bush administration. The neocons are gone, many for so long that no one seems to remember their leaving. What we now have in Washington is a mishmash of old political realism and improvisation, topped with increasingly empty oratory on freedom and democracy. That should please quite a few of Bush's domestic critics. He's returned to the futile routine in the Middle East that they always urged him to.
http://reason.com/news/printer/124101.html
Balance of Power Is Continuing to Shift From the US Leon Hadar (antiwar.com, December 29): If the financial crisis at home has accentuated US geo-economic weakness in the form of massive deficits, a weak dollar and rising oil prices, the mess in Iraq and the continuing tension with Iran and other global military diplomatic problems like North Korea expose the erosion in US geo-strategic power. The growing anti-globalization sentiment and anti-immigration mood in the United States in the form of political pressure in support of protectionism and isolationism suggest that the adjusting of US interests and policies to the changing realities of weakening American economic and military power will not be easy.
http://www.antiwar.com/hadar/?articleid=12129
Passport Update: What's In Store for 2008 - Patricia Kushlis (Whirled View, December 26)
http://whirledview.typepad.com/whirledview...pdate.html#more

Commander Leads U.S. Troops - Steve Fry, Topeka Capital-Journal
Heroes of the Year – Oliver North, Washington Post
Building Proper Peace in Afghanistan – Liam Fox, London Daily Telegraph
He Could Care Less about Obama’s Story – Reza Aslan, Washington Post
Pakistan: Into the Unknown – London Times editorial
Grieving for Benazir – Bernard-Henri Levy, Wall Street Journal
Bush's Best-laid Plans - Andrew Bacevich, Los Angeles Times
Pakistan's Blood-stained Democracy - William Buckley, Real Clear Politics
Bhutto's Destiny - Benazir Bhutto, New York Post
Pakistan May Not Make It – Peter Galbraith, Washington Post
Pakistan Won't See the Danger - Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer
Unfortunate Allies - Lisa Schiffren, National Review
How a ‘Wisp of a Girl’ Conquered Pakistan? – Mohammed Hanif, New York Times
As PM, Bhutto Did Little – Jemima Khan, London Daily Telegraph
Pakistan an al-Qaeda Target Now - Trudy Rubin, Miami Herald
Assassin Killed West’s Foreign Policy Too – Michael Portillo, London Times
Climax of a Grim Year in Pakistan – Claude Salhani, Washington Times
Saving Pakistan From Itself - Adil Najam, New York Daily News
Pakistan Politics Played Out in Britain – Matthew d’Acona, London Daily Telegraph
Peace Talks Skirt Housing Issue - Boston Herald editorial
Palestinians: Good Money After Bad - Shmuel Rosner, New York Post
Pelosi and Syria – James Zumwalt, Washington Times
Endless Conflict in West Sahara – Ahmed Charai, Washington Times
Humanizing the Revolution in Venezuela? – Enrique Krauze, New York Times
So Who, Exactly, Voted for Putin? – Tom Keane, Boston Globe
Poles Get Cold Feet on Missile Defense? – New York Times editorial
Waterboarding: A Clarification - Mark Bowden, Philadelphia Inquirer
TSA: Most Hated in Government - Kyle Smith, New York Post

Well Done, Soldiers - General George Casey Jr., New York Daily News
General Petraeus on Iraq Progress - Ralph Peters, New York Post
Make-or-Break Time in Iraq? - Jackson Diehl, Washington Post
Midlevel Officers Show Enterprise in Iraq – Greg Jaffe, Wall Street Journal
Surge 101: Lessons from Iraq – Michael Barone, National Review
Demagoging Pakistan's Crisis - Washington Times editorial
Pakistan: A Monster Unleashed - Ottawa Citizen editorial
Pakistan: On America's Watch - Roger Cohen, New York Times
What about Pakistan’s Nukes? – Graham Allison, Newsweek
Musharraf, Army Should Step Aside Now – William Maley, The Australian
Can Musharraf Survive? – Ron Moreau, Newsweek
Reform Pakistan’s Only Hope – Chamberlain and Weinbaum, Sydney Morning Herald
Pakistan’s Political Void – Kevin Whitelaw, U.S. News and World Report
Pakistan in a Vortex - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times
What Bhutto Was Worried About - Robert Novak, Washington Post
Why Mrs. Bhutto Had to Die - Walid Phares, Washington Times
Bhutto of Greater Use as Martyr – Ralph Peters, The Australian
U.S. Failed Benazir Bhutto - John Nichols, Toronto Star
Pakistan Deserves Better - Tariq Ali, The Independent
Good May Emerge from Pakistan Disaster – Paul Sheehan, Sydney Morn