Fearful Lives in a Land of the Free by Robert Fisk, 4/6/2008

Notes on Torture by Jameel Jaffer, 4/6/2008

Memo to the Next President by Tim Rutten, 4/5/2008 I

raq: When Chaos Becomes Success by Doug Bandow, 4/5/2008

In Backing the Basra Assault, the US Has Only Helped Sadr by Jonathan Steele, 4/4/2008

There Were Orders to Follow New York Times, 4/4/2008

Iran Boosting Nuclear Capacity - Mostaghim and Daragahi, Los Angeles Times
The 'Real' al Qaeda - Frederick Kagan, Weekly Standard
Sadr Postpones Big Baghdad Protest - Farrell and Goode, New York Times
Sadr Threatens to End Cease-fire - Parker and Susman, Los Angeles Times
Sadr Cancels Million-Man Rally - Amit Paley, Washington Post
Basra Strike Also About Oil - Sam Dagher, Christian Science Monitor
Iran Says It’s Installing New Centrifuges - Fathi and Broad, New York Times
US Push to Add Darfur Peacekeepers - Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor
Zimbabwe Faces Starvation, Mobs Rampage - Catherine Philp, London Times
Mugabe Steps up Land Grab - Sebastien Berger, London Daily Telegraph
Accounts of Violence Spread in Zimbabwe - Celia Dugger, New York Times
A Crime Against Zimbabwe - London Times editorial
Unrest in Kenya as Peace Plan Falters - Jeffrey Gettleman, New York Times
Israel-Hamas Coalition for Peace - Lewis and Reich, Boston Globe
Disillusion of Muslim Reformers - Masmoudi and Loconte, Weekly Standard
Russia to Parade Military - David Sands, Washington Times
Missile Defense - Helle Dale, Washington Times
Nepal's Ex-rebel Chief Courts Voters - Henry Chu, Los Angeles Times
China Uses Heavy Hand - Edward Cody, Washington Post
Olympic Protests' History of Futility - Tim Rutten, Los Angeles Times
Beijing Visit Great Chance to be Open - The Australian editorial
N. Korea, US in New Talks - Wire Services, The Australian
Pass the Colombia Pact - USA Today editorial
Colombia's Climate of Terror - John Sweeney, USA Today
Ingrate Nation - Debra Saunders, Washington Times

Sadr City a Proving Ground for Iraq Military - Michael Gordon, New York Times
Sadr City Fighting Leaves 10 Dead - Amit Paley, Washington Post
Press 1, Troops 0 - Ralph Peters, New York Post
Evil Money - Deroy Murdock, National Review
P.C. Sacrifice in Iraq - Diana West, Washington Times
AQ on the Run, Bush Turns Focus to Iran - USA Today editorial
Adrift on Iran - New York Times editorial
The Holocaust Declaration - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post
Obama’s Flawed Thinking - Michael Ledeen, National Review
Redefining Turkishness - Washington Times editorial
The Wahhabi Lobby Attacks - Stephen Schwartz, Weekly Standard
U.S. Ready to Ease Sanctions on N. Korea - Glenn Kessler, Washington Post
US Military Expands Role in W. Africa - Tristan McConnell, Christian Science Monitor
Zimbabwe Opposition Rejects Runoff - Celia Dugger, New York Times
Zimbabwe's Opposition To Boycott Runoff Vote - Foreign Service, Washington Post
Mugabe's Thugs Attack Opponents - Catherine Philp, London Times
The Traffic in Lusaka - Michael Gerson, Washington Post
Cuba Reforms Bring Shrugs and Expectations - Carol Williams, Los Angeles Times
Venezuela's Chavez Seizes Sugar Plantations - Chris Kraul, Los Angeles Times
The Case for Colombia - Duncan Currie, Weekly Standard
Foreign Politics - The Australian editorial
Politics and the Beijing Olympic Games - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Rudd Treads Wisely on Tibet - Dennis Shanahan, The Australian
Flame of Democracy Fading - Gerry Baker, London Times
Modern Enslavement - Ann Veneman, Washington Times
The Retreat from Stop-Loss - John Podhoretz, Weekly Standard

Hope for Iraq’s Meanest City - Michael Totten, City Journal
Tribal Identities in a Modern World - H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe
Making War Difficult - Bruce Fein, Washington Times
Countering Terrorism - Joshua Sinai, Washington Times
Bush Fires Off Warning to Foes - Greg Sheridan, The Australian
Whither the US-UK "Special Relationship"? - Nile Gardiner, National Review
After America? - Ian Buruma, The New Yorker
UN Expert? No, a Conspiracy Crank - David Aaronovitch, London Times
Europe or Eurabia? - Daniel Pipes, The Australian
Turkey’s Turning Point - Michael Rubin, National Review
Serbia Insists on Holding Vote in Kosovo - Dusan Stojanovic, Associated Press
Debate Link Between War, Credit Crisis - Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post
Iraq Doles Out $350 Million to 3 'Hot Spots' - Sara Carter, Washington Times
US to Counter Mahdi Army Influence - Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor
British Journalist Rescued by Iraqi Army - David Blair, London Daily Telegraph
Murder's Mess for Muqtada - Amir Taheri, New York Post
Afghanistan: General Urges Longer Tours - David Wood, Baltimore Sun
Bush and Iran, Again - Wall Street Journal editorial
Brushoff for Carter Over Hamas Meeting - Griff Witte, Washington Post
Israel Snubs Carter - Adam Entous, Reuters
Jimmy Carter: Clueless - New York Post editorial
Jimmy's World - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal
Tyranny's Enabler - Frank Gaffney Jr., Washington Times
Zimbabwe Court Refuses to Release Vote Results - Celia Dugger, New York Times
Zimbabwe Poll Petition Rejected - BBC News
Torture and Murder in Zimbabwe - Jamie Walker, London Times
Mugabe's Judges Reject Poll Petition - The Australian
Officials Fear if Mugabe Loses - Scott Baldauf, Christian Science Monitor
Zimbabwe's Power Vacuum - The Australian editorial
Mugabe Must be Brought to His Knees - Graham Boynton, London Daily Telegraph
Kenyans Killed in Sect Protests - BBC News
Chinese Relentlessly Patrol A Subdued but Jittery Lhasa - Washington Post
Judging China's Communists - Wall Street Journal editorial
Don’t Feed China’s Nationalism - Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek
China: Leadership Event - John Tkacik Jr., Washington Times
Torch's 'Journey of Harmony' - Anne Applebaum, Washington Post
Asia: Start of Something New - Boston Globe editorial
Bush's North Korea Capitulation - John Bolton, Wall Street Journal
Nepal: Victorious Maoists Demand King's Exit - Bruce Loudon, The Australian
Australia: Muslims Want Secular Law - Shahram Akbarzadeh, The Australian
Democratic Islam No Contradiction - Waleed Aly, Sydney Morning Herald
Democrats for Colombia - Wall Street Journal editorial
Chávez, Correa and Morales - Carlos Alberto Montanier, Miami Herald
Questions about Missile Defense - Theodore Postol, Boston Globe

US in Arab View

Arab News (Editorial)

April 16, 2008

The findings of a just-published American opinion poll of Arab views of the US come as no surprise. The poll indicates a massive 80 percent of Arabs distrust the US. If anything, the only surprise about the poll, carried out in a number of Arab countries by the University of Maryland and Zogby International — which also confirms a recent BBC survey on the subject — is the implicit suggestion that 20 percent of Arabs do trust the US. It is hard to find anyone here in the Kingdom at the moment who has anything good to say about the US. The anger at President George W. Bush's blundering, bloody intervention in Iraq, his persistent refusal to rein in the Israelis (especially now with Palestinian suffering greater than ever before) and his administration's total failure to understand the Middle East and the bizarre notion that American-style democracy can and should be transplanted here have pushed resentment to a peak.

We Arabs have had our fill of being treated by the US administration (and its followers in the US media) as delinquents who have to be re-educated into the ways of polite and responsible society. If the US treated its European allies with the same patronizing contempt and insistence on change, they would turn on it in fury, not just the European public, but governments as well. That Arab governments have not is proof of their reliability and loyalty. But it is hard work trying to remain friendly with a government that is so objectionable, so arrogant — and so wrong in everything it does in the Middle East.

For the Arab in the street at the moment, a distinction is still made (as seen in the poll) between the American people and the American government. The object of dislike is Bush himself and the scale of the dislike is unprecedented. It should be astonishing that the same poll found that he topped the list of world politicians Arabs disliked the most — 63 percent dislike Bush compared to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's 39 percent.

The anti-Bush juggernaut also explains the oddities in the poll — such as Arab public opposition to the Lebanese government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and the Palestinian one of President Mahmoud Abbas, an opposition not replicated by the Lebanese and Palestinians themselves. That 30 percent of Arabs back Lebanon's Hezbollah and twice as many support Hamas as back Fatah is the Bush factor at work. Anything he supports is enough to damn it in Arab eyes. But do these anti-Bush findings indicate a state of affairs that will change once there is a new occupant of the White House? We must hope so.

Good relations with the US are important but they cannot be guaranteed. What the poll did not do is ask Arabs if they think there will be a difference if Barack Obama or Hillary Clinton is elected president. The answer would probably be the hope that there would be, tempered with an expectation that nothing will change. If that is the case, it will kill off any lingering Arab affection for the US as a country.
_______________________________________________

http://www.salon.com/opinion/kamiya/2008/0...ents/print.html





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Iraq: The ten commandments
In honor of Charlton Heston, here are 10 lessons we should engrave on our foreign policy tablets as we prepare to leave Iraq. By Gary Kamiya

Apr. 15, 2008 | The Iraq war is over. The failure of Bush's surge to produce political reconciliation in Iraq, combined with the unsustainable stress on our military and Congress' unwillingness to keep writing checks for $12 billion a month, all point in one direction: withdrawal. Even if John McCain is somehow elected president -- and for that to happen, there would have to be a near-miraculous breakthrough on the ground -- he too will have to face the reality that this is not the kind of war you win. You just have to decide when you're going to cut your losses.

This is a surreal situation. The war drones along on autopilot, but it's already finished. It's a dead war walking. We're just waiting for George W. Bush to leave. In Vietnam, the slogan was "How do you ask someone to be the last man to die for a mistake?" In Iraq, it's "How do you ask someone to be the last man to die so that the worst president in U.S. history can keep his doomed war going until he leaves office, so he can blame his successor for losing it?"

Bush will face the judgment of history, and it will not be forgiving. But that is not our immediate concern. The most important thing now is to recognize the mistakes that led us into the most disastrous war since Vietnam -- a war that will thankfully cost America many fewer lives than Vietnam, but that has had far worse strategic consequences. If we don't want to repeat those mistakes, there are 10 lessons we must take away from Bush's war. In honor of the recently departed Charlton Heston, let's call them the Ten Iraq Commandments.

Commandment I
Thou shalt not launch preventive wars.

It is immoral and illegal to attack a state that has not attacked you. Dick Cheney's "One Percent Doctrine," which held that America was justified in attacking a foe even if there was only a 1 percent chance it would attack us, violates "just war" doctrine, international law and American tradition. If a deity descended from the heavens and informed the president that a state was about to launch nuclear missiles at the United States, then a preemptive (as opposed to preventive) war would be justified. But no such deity exists (although the devoutly deluded Bush may have thought one did). Corrupted by the Bush administration, U.S. intelligence notoriously failed in Iraq, but intelligence is never going to be reliable enough to justify attacking a state that has not attacked us. In any event, the Bush administration could not even claim that its war on Iraq was preemptive, since it posed no imminent threat. It was a preventive war. And as Iraq has shown, one ounce of preventive war is worse than a ton of cure.

Commandment II
Do not exaggerate the threat posed by terrorism.

Terrorism is a deplorable tactic used by the less powerful to achieve certain goals. It has existed as long as human history, and it will always exist. It can inflict harm, but it does not pose an existential threat to the United States. Declaring war on it is idiotic and self-defeating. Military responses to terrorism kill civilians and breed more terrorists.

As we've seen, Bush's excessive response to al-Qaida's successful terrorist strike only increased the danger of terrorism. A military response to terrorism may be justified, as in Afghanistan, but this is a rare case. And even the invasion of Afghanistan is looking problematic. Police and intelligence work are far more effective. Our moralistic response to terrorism is useless. In a little-recognized irony, the Bush administration was forced by necessity to recognize this in Iraq, magically turning yesterday's Sunni "terrorists" into today's "concerned local citizens." This pragmatic approach should guide our larger strategy for dealing with terrorism.

Commandment III
Dry up the terrorist swamp.

The only effective way to reduce the threat of terrorism is to work to end the conditions that give rise to it. In the case of Islamist terrorism, this means a comprehensive and enlightened political, economic and diplomatic strategy for dealing with the Arab/Muslim world. Only a tiny minority of the world's 1.2 billion Muslims support radical jihadis, but catastrophic errors like invading Iraq make violent fundamentalism more attractive. Follow the physician's credo: First, do no harm.

Commandment IV
Recognize that not all terrorists are the same.

The foolish concept of "Islamofascism" conflates all Arab/Muslim terrorism. This is self-defeating. Al-Qaida, an absolutist movement with a totalitarian religious ideology, is not the same as Hamas or Hezbollah, which are, respectively, a religious national liberation movement and a complex political party/militia/public-works provider. By treating them all as if they were the same enemy, we create unnecessary enemies and make the task of defeating the absolutists, who actually do threaten us, much harder.

Commandment V
Reject the idea of "a clash of civilizations."

Muslim societies are in many different transitional stages, and they need to be given the space to work out their sometimes painful entry into modernity. Attempting to violently implant democracy or Western values in traditional Middle Eastern societies is like having a plumber do a heart transplant. If Islamist movements take power through democratic means, don't interfere. We prop up autocratic regimes like Egypt's Mubarak because we're afraid that if we don't, the Muslim Brothers will take power. This is a mistake. Exposure to the modern world will do more to moderate Islamist movements than anything we can do, and we will not earn the hatred of Middle Easterners chafing under despotic regimes.

Commandment VI
Do not allow neoconservatives anywhere near Middle East policy.

Neoconservative ideology, the pea-size brain that drove the Bush administration Stegosaurus, is a weird amalgam of Wilsonian idealism, historical ignorance, American triumphalism and an Israeli-centric worldview. In practice, what these ideas amounted to was "America must hit the Arabs in the face to teach them a lesson." This was not a good idea.

Special Bill Kristol Sub-commandment VI a
Stop giving these buffoons prestigious jobs on newspaper-of-record Op-Ed pages, top magazines and television shows. They have been completely and consistently wrong about everything. Must we continue to be subjected to their pontifications?

Commandment VII
Talk to Iran.

Iran is inescapable -- it's at the center of everything in the Middle East. And thanks to our invasion of Iraq, its bitterest enemy, Iran is now in a much stronger strategic position. Bush is again making threatening noises, but attacking Iran would be insane. Pursuing a diplomatic détente is essential.

As Middle East expert Gregory Gause argued in his recent testimony before the U.S. Senate, the Iranians, who hold most of the cards, will correctly regard a U.S. diplomatic approach as driven by weakness. But Gause makes the key point that engaging with Iran will create a potential showdown between Iran's hard-liners and its moderates. It's in the United States' interest to force Iran to make a choice. Does it want to continue to be a marginalized radical rejectionist state defined by its minority Shiite identity, aligned with two or three small anti-Israeli resistance movements, and buoyed only by the mostly empty goodwill of the Arab/Muslim street? Or does it want to become a major Gulf player, with business and cultural ties throughout the region and the world?

It's true that some hard-line mullahs might choose the first option. But that would only hasten the day when those theocrats quickly assume their rightful place in the ashcan of history. Bush's hard-line approach to President Ahmedinejad and the mullahs has been the only thing holding them up. It's time for a different approach.

Commandment VIII
Make resolving the Israeli-Palestinian crisis our top foreign-policy priority.

This is such a no-brainer that even Bush has paid lip service to it. But it requires more than lip service and impotent American gestures. The next president needs to go in, bust heads on both sides and broker the deal everyone knows is needed: A land-for-peace deal along the lines of the 2002 Saudi Peace Plan or the Geneva Initiative. And yes, this means talking to Hamas. Only the United States has the credibility and the muscle to cut this Gordian knot. Until it does, Israel's long-term viability will be threatened and the greatest source of anti-Americanism in the Middle East will continue to fester. The road to everything in the Middle East runs through Jerusalem and Ramallah.

Commandment IX
Get the media to grow a spine.

The American media's performance in the run-up to the Iraq war was one of the lowest points in its history. Swept up in war fever, the gutless press acted as a quasi-official cheerleader and failed to subject administration claims to elementary due diligence. After 9/11, it was to be expected that large parts of the electorate, and the hapless Congress, would succumb to emotions and the visceral desire for revenge. But the media, which should have acted as the brains of the outfit, abandoned its post and joined in the orgy of uncritical flag-waving. In a contemporary democracy, such a failure has catastrophic consequences. It cannot happen again.

Commandment X
Grow up and join the world.

More than anything else, it was arrogance that led us into this mess. The U.S. National Security Strategy, released on Sept. 17, 2002, summed up the Bush administration's hegemonic worldview, insisting that the United States must maintain military supremacy and had the right to attack anyone we wanted. This is the exceptionalist attitude that led Cheney to cavalierly say, "It's not about our analysis, or finding a preponderance of evidence. It's about our response." This chest-beating, über-patriotic approach, befitting an angry teenager more than a mature adult, has utterly failed. A little more humility and diplomacy, and a lot less stupid self-righteousness, would go a long way to restoring America's sadly tarnished standing in the world community.



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US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Combat Stress May Cost U.S. Up to $6 Billion - Washington Post
US Veterans Struggle with War Stress - Los Angeles Times
COIN Innovation or Inertia? - Insurgency Working Group
Misplaced Military Priorities - Kings of War
Recruiting Trends, Ours - Forward Movement
RIP StratComm? - MountainRunner
Those Other Costs of the MV-22 - Information Dissemination
Human Terrain's 'Catch-22' - Danger Room

US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE / US DEPARTMENT OF STATE

U.S. Effort To Rebuild From War Criticized - Washington Post
The Secretaries of State and Defense on S/CRS - MountainRunner

UK MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Browne ‘Misled MPs over Seizure of British Sailors - London Times

THE LONG WAR

U.S. Lacks Plan to Operate in Pakistani Tribal Areas - Washington Post
Since 2001, a Dramatic Increase in Suicide Bombings - Washington Post
Canada Seizes Two Outposts of Sri Lankan Terrorist Group - Washington Times
Deterring the Undeterrable - Washington Post editorial
Don't Put Detainees at Ft. Leavenworth -- Los Angeles Times opinion
Canada's Homegrown Intelligence Gap - Toronto Star opinion
The Problems with 'Strategic Patience' - Abu Aardvark
Exum on Gates Speech - Abu Muqawama
AQ Finances: Evidence of Organizational Decline? - Counterterrorism
AQ Officially Hates The Counterterrorism Blog - Counterterrorism
Recruiting Trends, Theirs - Forward Movement

IRAQ

Bush and Brown Remark on Iraq and Terrorism - Washington Post transcript
Brown Grilled in America Over Iraq - London Daily Telegraph
Brown Must Find Voice Over Mission in Iraq - London Times opinion
Bombing Kills 55 At Funeral in Iraq - Washington Post
Bombings Target US-allied Anti-AQ Groups - Christian Science Monitor
US Sees Iraqis in Control in Baghdad in a Year - Reuters
NATO Promises Iraq More Army Training, Equipment - Associated Press
U.S. Begins Erecting Wall in Sadr City - New York Times
U.S. Embassy in Baghdad Declared Ready - Washington Post
Rice Says Arabs Must Shield Iraq from Iran's Sway - Reuters
Sharing the Cost of Rebuilding Iraq - Miami Herald editorial
Hand-off to the Iraqis is Not Working - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial
Dr. iRack Ponders Basra - Abu Muqawama
Intercepted AQ Letter Reveals Tactics, Strategy - Blackfive
Is Iraq Un-Winnable? - On Point

AFGHANISTAN

UN Warns Pakistan on Refugee Plan - BBC News
Several Dozen Taliban said Killed in Afghan Clashes - Reuters
Suicide Bomb Kills 16 in Afghanistan - Associated Press
NATO is Failing in Afghanistan, Right? Maybe Not - Westhawk
Bara bin Malek Front Commander Killed - The Long War Journal
Joint Intelligence Centers - The Captain's Journal

AFRICA

Tensions Rise Over Disputed Zimbabwe Vote - New York Times
Zimbabwe Party 'Was Offered Deal' - BBC News
Mbeki Urged to Quit Over Tolerance of Mugabe - London Times
S. Africa Calls on Zimbabwe to Release Election Results - Los Angeles Times
Brown Says World Must Stop Mugabe - The Australian
Still Waiting in Zimbabwe - New York Times editorial
Mugabe's Staying Power - Wall Street Journal editorial
Banditry Forces UN to Cut Food Supplies to Darfur - Associated Press
Odinga Sworn in as Kenyan Premier - BBC News
A Lesson for Africa - London Times editorial
Stop Indulging African Dictators - London Times opinion

AMERICAS

Mexico Agents Arrest Border Police Chief - Associated Press
UN Appeals to Haitian Politicians - BBC News
UN to Step up Food Aid for Haiti - Associated Press
Cuba and the Vatican - Wall Street Journal opinion
Canada: Hillier Goes, Not Bernier - Toronto Star editorial

ASIA

S. Korea Plans New Outreach To the North - Washington Post
'Secret' US-N. Korea Deal Irks South - Christian Science Monitor
Past Deals by N. Korea May Face Less Study - New York Times
N. Korea's nuclear Past Stays Sealed - Washington Times
Verifying N. Korea Declaration to Take Time - Reuters
A Deal With Pyongyang? - Washington Post editorial
Xinjiang: China's Next Trouble Spot? - Reuters
China Patrol Boat Sale to Timor Downplayed - The Australian
Dalai Lama, China Keep Channel Open - Los Angeles Times

EUROPE

Georgia Demands Russia Reversal - BBC News
Russia: Medvedev Votes Rigged - London Times
New War Crimes Chief in Belgrade - BBC News
Italy's Conservative Comeback - New York Post editorial

MIDDLE EAST

Olmert: Effort will Foil Tehran Nukes - The Australian
Palestinian Official Says Talks With Israelis Yield Little - New York Times
Hamas Can end Palestinian Suffering - Miami Herald opinion
Just Say No to Carter - Haaretz opinion
Carter’s Confusion - National Review opinion
Carter Lifts Terrorists, Undercuts Peace - Baltimore Sun opinion
Power and Clarity in Lebanon - Threats Watch

Afghan Commandos Emerge - Washington Post
Keeping Canada in Afghanistan - Time
US, Pakistan Say Taliban Commander Killed in Shootout - Reuters
Dutch Military Head Loses Son to Roadside Bomb - London Times
Roadside Bomb Kills Son of Dutch Defense Chief - Associated Press
Winning Hearts and Minds - National Review opinion
British to Scale Back Violence Against Taliban - The Captain's Journal
The Insurgency There and Here - Kings of War
'Use the Micro-terrain': Marines Take Drills Seriously - Military Watch

Wrong Choice on Missile Defense v. NATO Expansion - Thomas PM Barnett

US Commanders Seeking to Widen Pakistan Attacks - New York Times
US Commanders Urge Wider Pakistan Attacks - Reuters
Bullets, Blood and Bravery in Afghanistan - London Times
Pakistan Envoy 'Held by Taleban' - BBC News
A Dutch Patriot’s Day - Forward Movement

Iraqi Forces Take Last Basra Areas From Sadr Force - New York Times
British Guns Pound Basra - London Times
Iraqi Troops Say Control Basra Stronghold - Reuters
Battle to Retake Basra 'Complete Disaster' - London Daily Telegraph
Al-Qaida in Iraq Tape Calls for Monthlong Offensive - Associated Press
Sadr Warns Of 'Open War' If Crackdown Is Not Halted - Washington Post
Muqtada Sadr Threatens War - Los Angeles Times
Sadr Delivers his 'Final Warning' - Washington Times
Sadr Threatens 'Open War' - BBC News
Sadr Threatens New Uprising in Iraq - Associated Press
Fear and Dread in Iraq’s Holy City of Najaf - Los Angeles Times
Rice Visit to Iraq Intended to Promote Gains - Associated Press
Rice in Iraq for Surprise Visit - BBC News
Rice Says Arabs Should Boost Support for Iraq - Associated Press
Rice Asks Neighbors to Offer Iraq Debt Relief, Ties - Reuters
Don’t Blame the War for the Economy - New York Times opinion
Is it Time to Shift Focus to Iran? - The Belmont Club
Al Jazeera: Setting the Record Straight! - Blackfive
Imperial Auxiliary - Because We're Here Boy

No Peace Without Hamas

By Mahmoud al-Zahar

17/04/08 "Washington Post" -- -- GAZA -- President Jimmy Carter's sensible plan to visit the Hamas leadership this week brings honesty and pragmatism to the Middle East while underscoring the fact that American policy has reached its dead end. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice acts as if a few alterations here and there would make the hideous straitjacket of apartheid fit better. While Rice persuades Israeli occupation forces to cut a few dozen meaningless roadblocks from among the more than 500 West Bank control points, these forces simultaneously choke off fuel supplies to Gaza; blockade its 1.5 million people; approve illegal housing projects on West Bank land; and attack Gaza City with F-16s, killing men, women and children. Sadly, this is "business as usual" for the Palestinians.

Last week's attack on the Nahal Oz fuel depot should not surprise critics in the West. Palestinians are fighting a total war waged on us by a nation that mobilizes against our people with every means at its disposal -- from its high-tech military to its economic stranglehold, from its falsified history to its judiciary that "legalizes" the infrastructure of apartheid. Resistance remains our only option. Sixty-five years ago, the courageous Jews of the Warsaw ghetto rose in defense of their people. We Gazans, living in the world's largest open-air prison, can do no less.

The U.S.-Israeli alliance has sought to negate the results of the January 2006 elections, when the Palestinian people handed our party a mandate to rule. Hundreds of independent monitors, Carter among them, declared this the fairest election ever held in the Arab Middle East. Yet efforts to subvert our democratic experience include the American coup d'etat that created the new sectarian paradigm with Fatah and the continuing warfare against and enforced isolation of Gazans.

Now, finally, we have the welcome tonic of Carter saying what any independent, uncorrupted thinker should conclude: that no "peace plan," "road map" or "legacy" can succeed unless we are sitting at the negotiating table and without any preconditions.

Israel's escalation of violence since the staged Annapolis "peace conference" in November has been consistent with its policy of illegal, often deadly collective punishment -- in violation of international conventions. Israeli military strikes on Gaza have killed hundreds of Palestinians since then with unwavering White House approval; in 2007 alone the ratio of Palestinians to Israelis killed was 40 to 1, up from 4 to 1 during the period from 2000 to 2005.

Only three months ago I buried my son Hussam, who studied finance at college and wanted to be an accountant; he was killed by an Israeli airstrike. In 2003, I buried Khaled -- my first-born -- after an Israeli F-16 targeting me wounded my daughter and my wife and flattened the apartment building where we lived, injuring and killing many of our neighbors. Last year, my son-in-law was killed.

Hussam was only 21, but like most young men in Gaza he had grown up fast out of necessity. When I was his age, I wanted to be a surgeon; in the 1960s, we were already refugees, but there was no humiliating blockade then. But now, after decades of imprisonment, killing, statelessness and impoverishment, we ask: What peace can there be if there is no dignity first? And where does dignity come from if not from justice?

Our movement fights on because we cannot allow the foundational crime at the core of the Jewish state -- the violent expulsion from our lands and villages that made us refugees -- to slip out of world consciousness, forgotten or negotiated away. Judaism -- which gave so much to human culture in the contributions of its ancient lawgivers and modern proponents of tikkun olam -- has corrupted itself in the detour into Zionism, nationalism and apartheid.

A "peace process" with Palestinians cannot take even its first tiny step until Israel first withdraws to the borders of 1967; dismantles all settlements; removes all soldiers from Gaza and the West Bank; repudiates its illegal annexation of Jerusalem; releases all prisoners; and ends its blockade of our international borders, our coastline and our airspace permanently. This would provide the starting point for just negotiations and would lay the groundwork for the return of millions of refugees. Given what we have lost, it is the only basis by which we can start to be whole again.

I am eternally proud of my sons and miss them every day. I think of them as fathers everywhere, even in Israel, think of their sons -- as innocent boys, as curious students, as young men with limitless potential -- not as "gunmen" or "militants." But better that they were defenders of their people than parties to their ultimate dispossession; better that they were active in the Palestinian struggle for survival than passive witnesses to our subjugation.

History teaches us that everything is in flux. Our fight to redress the material crimes of 1948 is scarcely begun, and adversity has taught us patience. As for the Israeli state and its Spartan culture of permanent war, it is all too vulnerable to time, fatigue and demographics: In the end, it is always a question of our children and those who come after us.

Mahmoud al-Zahar, a surgeon, is a founder of Hamas. He is foreign minister in the government of Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, which was elected in January 2006.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article19772.htm

Time for Iraq’s Neighbours to Show Leadership by Patrick Seale
Condoleezza Rice's Kuwait conference on April 21-22, trying to rally Iraq's neighbours to aid U.S. plans for Iraq, will probably fail. Iraq needs a neighbours-only process to help it rebuild.
more...

The US Democracy Gap in the Arab World by Rami G. Khouri
Arabs see the United States as among the top countries with freedom and democracy for their own people, but 65 percent said they did not believe that promoting democracy was a real American objective in the Middle East.
more...

Two Arab Worlds Drift Further Apart by Rami G. Khouri
'The' Arab World is fast becoming two Worlds, and doing so by drifting further and further apart due to oil wealth and other factors largely effected by that distinction.
more...

France Back in NATO? Is This for Real? by Immanuel Wallerstein
It is far too early for U.S. neo-cons to gloat about recuperating France into their fold.
more...

An American Electoral Upheaval? by Patrick Seale
A President Barack Obama may join expected Democratic Party increases in Congress. His election is a tossup -- now against Hillary Clinton, and then against John McCain -- but an Obama's victory could change the world.
more...

UN Chief: World Must Urgently Increase Food Production - Associated Press

Food Crisis is the Silent Tsunami - The Economist opinion

Hunger Pains - Washington Post opinion

Water Wars on the Horizon? - Threats Watch

China Urges 'Rational' Protests - BBC News

China's New Nationalists - Boston Globe editorial

Resist the Temptation to Demonize China - Thomas PM Barnett

Torch Relay Inflames Tibet Supporters - Real Clear Politics opinion

Beijing's Welcome Mat - Washington Times opinion

Trouble at the Top of the World - Washington Times opinion

The Way Forward in Tibet - Washington Post opinion

Pakistan Exercise Ignites Potent Nuke - USA Today

Pakistani Parliament Will Consider Reinstating Judges - New York Times

Tamil Tiger Bomb Kills Catholic Priest in Sri Lanka - Reuters

Nepal's Former Rebels Fare Well in Polls - Associated Press

Pakistanis Free Islamist Who Fought US - Khan and Gall, New York Times
UK Backs Pakistan Push for Dialogue - Bruce Loudon, The Australian
Top Pakistani Militant Released - BBC News
Britain Warns Pakistan on Peace Talks - Zahid Hussain, London Times
Kandahar Chief Was Out, Then Bernier Spoke - James McCarten, Toronto Star
Canada Confusing Political, Aid Relief Goals - Olivia Ward, Toronto Star
Militants Kill 6 Border Police - Noor Khan, Associated Press
Afghans Build an Army, and a Nation - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal opinion
Blasphemy in Pakistan - Rogers and Loconte, Weekly Standard opinion
Pakistan Releases Taliban Leader, Peace Deal - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
The Taliban, Executions and the UN - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group
Are We All Pulling in the Same/Right Direction? - Faceless Bureaucrat, Kings of War

Al-Qaida No. 2 Says Still Targeting the West - Maggie Michael, Associated Press
The Al-Arian Times - Steve Emerson, National Review opinion
Al-Qaeda Speaks - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club
Dereliction of Duty - Phil Carter, Intel Dump
Radio To Stay Tuned To - Anne Applebaum, Washington Post opinion

Zimbabwe Opposition Turns to UN - BBC News
Miliband Accuses Mugabe of Killing - Catherine Philp, London Times
Zambia Seeks to Block PRC Arms for Zimbabwe - Reuters
NATO Alert for Somali Pirates - Govan and Pflanz, London Daily Telegraph
Somali Forces Storm Hijacked Dubai Ship - Salad Duhul, Associated Press
Somalia: Scores Die in Clashes - Mohamed Olad Hassan, Associated Press
Somalia Death-toll up to 85 - Yusuf and Sheikh, Reuters
Libya Seeks Exemption for Its Debt to Victims - Eric Lipton, New York Times

Iran Watching US Campaigns - Jeffrey Fleishman, Los Angeles Times
Carter: Hamas Ready To Live Beside Israel - Griff Witte, Washington Post
Carter Says Hamas and Syria Are Open to Peace - Ethan Bronner, New York Times
Carter: Hamas will Deal with Israel - Tim Butcher, London Daily Telegraph
Hamas Rebuts Carter's Claim of Concession - Joshua Mitnick, Washington Times
Hamas Rejects Israeli Recognition - BBC News
Syria Tunes in the West on Madina FM - Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times
Egypt Builds a Wall - David Schenker, Weekly Standard opinion
Carter, Back from Syria - Max Boot, Contentions
Watching Warily from the Gulf - Marc Lynch, Abu Aardvark
O'Hanlon Goes to Tehran in Search of Failure - Dr. iRack, Abu Muqawama
Scott Wilson’s War - Noah Pollak, Contentions

Georgia-Russia Tension Escalates - C.J. Chivers, New York Times
Russia 'Shot Down Georgia Drone' - BBC News

Al Qaeda Chief Slams Muslims for Lack of Support - Agence France Presse
Saudi Government has Bankrolled Hardline Islam - The Australian editorial
UK: "Foiled 15 Terror Plots Since 7/7" - Richard Edwards, London Daily Telegraph
Brit Ex-Jihadis for Tolerance - Mark Rice-Oxley, Christian Science Monitor
Brown's Global Vision Flawed - Irwin Stelzer, London Daily Telegraph opinion
Denmark Evacuates Embassies in Algeria, Afghanistan - Associated Press
Euro-Muslim Tension - Tony Blankley, Washington Times opinion
Keeping up with Ayman - Marc Lynch, Abu Aardvark
“______” Terrorism - Abe Greenwald, Contentions
Radicalization on the Web in Europe - Olivier Guitta, Counterterrorism

Deaths Haunt Afghanistan Mission - Paul Wiseman, USA Today
Insurgents Attacking Cell Phone System - Laura King, Los Angeles Times
Pakistan Taleban Praise Release - BBC News
10 Police Killed in Afghan Attacks - Noor Khan, Associated Press
Rehearsal in Afghanistan - David Wood, Military Watch

Neighbors Noncommittal on Aiding Government - Karen DeYoung, Washington Post
Maliki Tries to Rally Arabs Behind Iraq - Farrell and Worth, New York Times
Western Forces 'in Basra Raids' - BBC News
Bombings Across Iraq Kill 22 - Ned Parker, Los Angeles Times
Women Take On Roles Of Husbands - Ernesto Londoño, Washington Post
Lessons From Dayton for Iraq - Richard Holbrooke, Washington Post opinion
The Iraq They Won't Talk About - Amir Taheri, New York Post opinion
Iraq's Political Refugees in Limbo - Saleh al-Mutlaq, Boston Globe opinion
Why the Campaign Against Sadr? - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club
Basra Confusion - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
The Real Surge Continues - D.J. Elliot, The Long War Journal
Iran - US Common Ground on Iraq? - Dr. iRack, Abu Muqawama
Inconvenient Facts Derail “Battle For Haditha” - Dan Kessler, Democracy Project
An Intriguing Exposé - Faceless Bureaucrat, Kings of War

AFRICA

China Slammed for Arming Kugabe - Baldauf and Ford, Christian Science Monitor
US Tracks Mugabe's Arms Shipment - The Australian
China Urged to Halt Arms Aid - Geoff Hill, Washington Times
Delivery of Weapons to Zimbabwe Thwarted - Craig Timberg, Washington Post
Arms Shipment for Zimbabwe May Turn Back - Dugger and Barboza, New York Times
Neighbours Show Impatience with Mugabe - Clayton and Webster, London Times
Churches Fear Zimbabwe 'Genocide' - BBC News
Action on Zimbabwe - Washington Post editorial
A Gangster and His Enablers - Boston Globe editorial
Chinese Arms Shipment Tinderbox - Steve Schippert, Threats Watch
UN Says Darfur Conflict Worsening - Edith Lederer, Associated Press
Darfur Deaths 'Could be 300,000' - BBC News
Key Sudan Census Gets Under Way - BBC News
Somalia Death Toll Nears 100 - Yusuf and Sheikh, Reuters
Somalia Pirates Strike Quickly - Galrahn, Information Dissemination

CIA to Describe N. Korea-Syria Nuclear Ties - Richter and Miller, Los Angeles Times
US to Brief on N. Korea-Syria Nuclear Link - Arshad Mohammed, Reuters
N. Korea Likely to Stay on US Terror List - Reuters
Rice Price Takes Toll in Manila Slum - Bruce Wallace, Los Angeles Times

Talks in Moscow Get Scant Support - Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times
Administration Disavows Carter’s Trip - Weisman and Worth, New York Times
Hamas and Jordan - Washington Times editorial
Jimmy Carter's Gambit - London Times editorial
Carter's Tragic Misjudgment - Eric Cantor, National Review opinion
The Futility of Talking to Tehran - Abe Greenwald, Contentions

Two Causes of Arab Political Incoherence by Rami G. Khouri
Home grown dysfunction and state collapse at the hands of foreign armies are equally deplorable, but they remain concurrently active in the Middle East today.
more...

Time for Iraq’s Neighbours to Show Leadership by Patrick Seale
Condoleezza Rice's Kuwait conference on April 21-22, trying to rally Iraq's neighbours to aid U.S. plans for Iraq, will probably fail. Iraq needs a neighbours-only process to help it rebuild.
more...

The US Democracy Gap in the Arab World by Rami G. Khouri
Arabs see the United States as among the top countries with freedom and democracy for their own people, but 65 percent said they did not believe that promoting democracy was a real American objective in the Middle East.
more...

Two Arab Worlds Drift Further Apart by Rami G. Khouri
'The' Arab World is fast becoming two Worlds, and doing so by drifting further and further apart due to oil wealth and other factors largely effected by that distinction.
more...

France Back in NATO? Is This for Real? by Immanuel Wallerstein
It is far too early for U.S. neo-cons to gloat about recuperating France into their fold.
more...

New momentum for US-Iran dialogue
This week's summit in Kuwait of Iraq and its neighbors, although not officially breaking any ice between Iran and the United States, points to the two countries showing a new willingness to demonstrate their support for the embattled Baghdad government, as well as the latter's attempts to build bridges with its Arab neighbors. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi (Apr 24, '08)

US paradox of construction and destruction
In the 1960s a construction consortium, The Vietnam Builders, completed a nearly miraculous construction effort in South Vietnam. But Vietnam showed that war is not the same as nation building; greater militarization only brings more suffering and accentuates the paradox of simultaneous construction and destruction, which unfortunately has found painful new life in Iraq. - James M Carter (Apr 24, '08)

Demonizing Jimmy Carter by Patrick Seale
Israel is determined to avoid serious negotiations. Little wonder, therefore, that the gentle, peace-loving Jimmy Carter is seen by Israel as an enemy, not a friend.
more...

NATO

Stand Up For Georgia - Biden and Lugar, Washington Times opinion
Can NATO be Rehabilitated? - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal

AFRICA

Zimbabwe Officials Confirm Opposition Win - Angus Shaw, Associated Press
Mugabe Parliament Loss Confirmed - BBC News
Mugabe’s Link to Chinese Arms Firm - Michael Sheridan, London Times
Angola Pressures Zimbabwe on Arms - Celia Dugger, New York Times
Memoir Tells of Darfur Atrocities - Matthew Campbell, London Times
New Darfur Peacekeepers, Old Problems - Edmund Sanders, Los Angeles Times
Darfur: Shake Hands with the Devil - Chris Blattman, Chris Blattman
Some Ex-rebels May Quit Algeria Amnesty Plan - Hamid Ould Ahmed, Reuters
Somali Pirates Free Crew of Spanish Boat - BBC News
Spanish Fishing Boat Released by Pirates - Galrahn, Information Dissemination

AMERICAS

Tijuana Drug Shootout Leaves 15 Dead - Dickerson and Marosi, Los Angeles Times
15 Killed in Mexico Drug Battle Near US - Lizbeth Diaz, Reuters
FARC Rebels Fire Mortars from Ecuador - Reuters
Chávez to Help Negotiate for FARC Captives - Simon Romero, New York Times
New Mexico Gov. in Venezuela - Rachel Jones, Associated Press

Lt. Gen. Odierno Embodies 'Surge' - Peter Spiegel, Los Angeles Times
A Storm of Sand and Shelling - Sholnn Freeman, Washington Post
Protest Mixes With Attacks in Sadr City - Rubin and Goode, New York Times
38 Militants Killed in Baghdad - Associated Press
US Pushes Utilities to Counter Sadr - Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor
Green Zone Shelled Amid Sandstorm - Kim Gamel, Associated Press
Clashes Ongoing in Sadr City - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Forces See spike in IEDs in April - Jim Michaels, USA Today
122 Detainees Released as Part of Reconciliation - Multi-National Force - Iraq
Grilling Petraeus, Protecting Tehran - Washington Times editorial
Rhetoric and Action on Iran - Max Boot, Contentions
Iran in Iraq: Why Do Sabers Now Rattle? - Gordon Chang, Contentions
Defending Stalemate - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group
How War was Planned, Executed - John Weisman, Washington Times book review
Feith-less - Dr. iRack, Abu Muqawama
Best Man to Carry Out a Withdrawal - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club
Second Sight - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club
Missing the Forest for the Trees - Joe Hill, Goodies 2 Choose

Rudd: More Afghanistan Deaths Likely - Samantha Maiden, The Australian
Taleban Breach Major Security - Richard Beeston, London Times
Karzai Escapes Attack in Kabul by Gunmen - Gall and Wafa, New York Times
Assassination Attempt Shakes Afghanistan - Faiez and Chu, Los Angeles Times
Attempts on Afghan President's Life - Associated Press
Karzai Unhurt After Parade Attack - BBC News
Karzai Escapes Assassination Bid - Matt Dupee, The Long War Journal
Digger Killed in Fight with Taliban - Mark Dodd, The Australian
Pakistan: Making Their Own Mistakes - New York Times editorial
Afghan Commandos - Warren Wilkins, Threats Watch
The Torkham Crossing - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal

Progress in Selling Al-Qaeda As an Enemy - Walter Pincus, Washington Post
New Ways to Quell al-Qaeda? - Christian Science Monitor editorial
An Anatomy of Surrender - Bruce Bawler, City Journal opinion
Cruel Intentions - Phillip Carter, Intel Dump

AFRICA

Signs of Attacks Rise in Zimbabwe - Celia Dugger, New York Times
Top US Envoy Urges Tough Stance on Mugabe - Angus Shaw, Associated Press
Zimbabwe Candidates to Vet Poll - MacDonald Dzirutwe, Reuters
US Moots UN Sanctions on Harare - BBC News
Jailed for Committing Journalism in Zimbabwe - Chris Blattman, Chris Blattman
UN Troops 'Armed DR Congo Rebels' - BBC News
Kenyan Army Accused of Mass Torture - Andrew Cawthorne, Reuters
Rwanda's Comeback - Gerard DeGroot, Christian Science Monitor opinion
How Can We Catch Sudan's Murderers? - Nick Donovan, London Times opinion
The Nigerian Paradox - Boston Globe editorial

AMERICAS

Peru Fears Bolivian Camps Harbor Rebels - Martin Arostegui, Washington Times
Chavez Says Will Work for US Hostages - Christopher Toothaker, Reuters
Mexico Drug Gang Clashes Kill 15 - BBC News
Mystery Surrounds Tijuana Shootings - Héctor Tobar, Los Angeles Times
Haiti's President Picks Candidate for Premier - Associated Press
No Space for Dissent in Cuba - Washington Post editorial
Friends of Terror in Peru - Mary Anastasia O'Grady, Wall Street Journal opinon

ASIA

N. Korea's Underground Jet Runway - The Australian
Uighurs Struggle Under Chinese Influx - Peter Ford, Christian Science Monitor
Chinese Talks Welcome - The Australian editorial
E. Timor Rebel Leader to Surrender - Reuters
North Korea's Tremors - James Zumwalt, Washington Times opinion
US and China Over a Barrel - Michael Klare, Los Angeles Times opinion

As in Northern Ireland, So in the MIddle East by Rami G. Khouri
There may be important parallels today between the IRA cease-fire in 1994 and Hamas’ offer of a mutual, not a unilateral, truce. Israel and its friends would seem sensible to respond to Hamas...
more...

Demonizing Jimmy Carter by Patrick Seale
Israel is determined to avoid serious negotiations. Little wonder, therefore, that the gentle, peace-loving Jimmy Carter is seen by Israel as an enemy, not a friend.
more...

Two Causes of Arab Political Incoherence by Rami G. Khouri
Home grown dysfunction and state collapse at the hands of foreign armies are equally deplorable, but they remain concurrently active in the Middle East today.
more...

Will the Middle East Go Up in Flames this Summer? by Patrick Seale
Only Israel, with American aid, could precipitate a Middle East war this summer. And it is unlikely to do so.
more...

Time for Iraq’s Neighbours to Show Leadership by Patrick Seale
Condoleezza Rice's Kuwait conference on April 21-22, trying to rally Iraq's neighbours to aid U.S. plans for Iraq, will probably fail. Iraq needs a neighbours-only process to help it rebuild.
more...

The Erased
Vol. 3, No. 17
Apr 28, 2008

Penn State's Frightening Defense
Bryan Farrell
Apr 25, 2008

Base-less Strategy
Col. Daniel Smith, U.S. Army (Ret.)
Apr 25, 2008

Postcard from...Ljubljana
John Feffer
Apr 25, 2008

The Democrats 'Free Trade' Divide
Mark Engler
Apr 23, 2008

Peaceful Protests and Attacks - Rubin and Goode, New York Times
4 U.S. Troops Killed by Rocket Fire - Londoño and Paley, Washington Post
Shi'ite Fighters Delay Barrier - Richard Tomkins, Washington Times
Militants Shell Green Zone - Alexandra Zavis, Los Angeles Times
4 US Soldiers Killed; Green Zone Shelled - Slobodan Lekic, Associated Press
US in Big Battles with Shi'ite Gunmen - Graff and Cocks, Reuters
Senior Government Official Assassinated in Baghdad - Associated Press
Drone Attacks Hit High in Iraq - Tom Vanden Brook, USA Today
Fomer FM Aziz in Court - Deborah Haynes, London Times
Former Deputy PM Tariq Aziz Faces Trial - Qassim Abdul-Zahra, Associated Press
The Price of the Surge - Steven Simon, Foreign Affairs
Are Sadr and Al-Qaeda Teaming Up? - Omar, Iraq the Model
41 Mahdi Army Fighters Killed - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Lady Sky - Abu Muqawama, Abu Muqawama
The Big O - Dr. iRack, Abu Muqawama
Moderation on Basra and Sadr City - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
Abu Abed Survives - Dr. iRack, Abu Muqawama
Reading Trash in Sadr City - Abe Greenwald, Contentions

UN Envoy Sees Threats To Progress - Karen DeYoung, Washington Post
US Marines to ‘Stir Things Up’ in Helmand - Richard Beeston, London Times
Marines Flood into Taliban-held Afghanistan - Paul Wiseman, USA Today
Marines Launch Operation in Taliban Territory - Associated Press
US Marines Move to Seize Town from Taliban - Reuters
Afghanistan: Joined-up Thinking - London Times editorial
Gunning for Karzai - Boston Globe editorial
We're Not Losing Afghanistan - Bret Stephens, Wall Street Journal opinion
A Pro-Taliban Threat - Malou Innocent, Washington Times opinion
Putting the Afghans in the Lead - National Review Q&A
Afghan Insurgency Spreading North - Anand Gopal, Christian Science Monitor
Karzai Says Fight Should Be Taken to Pakistan - Voice of America
Top Pakistan Militant Halts Talks - BBC News
Pakistani Taliban Chief Pulls Out of Peace Talks - Zeeshan Haider, Reuters
Afghan UN Envoy Gets Strong US Backing - Eckert and Mohammed, Reuters
Afghan Troops Take to Kabul's Streets - Amir Shah, Associated Press
Australian PM in Afghan Warning - BBC News
Karzai Warned of Assassination Plot - Fisnik Abrashi, Associated Press
The Latest Attack in Kabul - Kip, Abu Muqawama
Taliban Tactics Evolve - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal

From Chief Prosecutor To Critic at Guantanamo - Josh White, Washington Post
The Myth of Grass-Roots Terrorism - Bruce Hoffman, Foreign Affairs
After Guantánamo - Kenneth Roth, Foreign Affairs
Precision in the Global War on Terror - Sherifa Zuhur, Strategic Studies Institute
Progress in the War of Ideas - David Betz, Kings of War
Britain's First Jihadi 'Lone Wolf' Bomber? - Roderick Jones, Counterterrorism
'Head in Sand' Torture - Daniel Gallington, Washington Times opinion

US, France Circulate Resolution to Battle Pirates - Edith Lederer, Associated Press
7 Somali Pirates Sentenced to Life - Mohamad Olad Hassan, Associated Press
Mapping Sub-State Violence in Somalia - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group
Zimbabwe Opposition Reunites - Barry Bearak, New York Times
Zimbabwe Opposition Reunites, Calls on Mugabe to Quit - Voice of America
Opposition Reunites in Zimbabwe - BBC News
Zimbabwe Presidential Vote Count Complete - Nelson Banya, Reuters
Zimbabwe Terror Reaches Hospital Wards - Catherine Philp, London Times
Zimbabwe: Keep Your Nose Out - Mick Hume, London Times opinion
Chinese Agri-Business and Mugabe's Lost Arms - Steve Schippert, Threats Watch
UN 'Covered Up Congo Peacekeeper Corruption' - London Daily Telegraph
UN Defends DR Congo Investigation - BBC News
The Trouble With Congo - Séverine Autesserre, Foreign Affairs
UN Force Makes Progress in Darfur - Rob Crilly, Christian Science Monitor
Beyond Darfur - Andrew Natsios, Foreign Affairs
Fix Chad to Save Darfur - Horta and Djiraibe, Los Angeles Times opinion

Iran Takes Goodwill Tour to India - Scott Peterson, Christian Science Monitor
IDF Shows Off Unmanned, Armed Vehicle - Matti Friedman, Associated Press
Plutonium on the Euphrates II - Wall Street Journal editorial
Syrious Blow to Nonproliferation - Ed Royce, National Review opinion
Al Kibar: How Bad Proliferation Has Become - Westhawk, Westhawk
Syriana - Noah Pollak, Contentions
A “Reckless Intelligence Striptease” - David Hazony, Contentions
6 Killed in Israeli Raid on Gaza - Alouf and Khalil, Los Angeles Times

The Age of Nonpolarity - Richard Haass, Foreign Affairs