IRAQ
Petraeus Expects to Recommend Cuts This Fall - Ricks and Eggen, Washington Post
Generals Hope for Troop Reductions in Fall - Stout and Meyers, New York Times
Petraeus Says New Troop Cuts Likely - Spiegel and Barnes, Los Angeles Times
Petraeus Sees Troop Cuts Later This Year - Deborah Tate, VOA
Petraeus: More Troop Cuts Likely - Gordon Lubold, Christian Science Monitor
More Iraq US Troop Cuts 'Likely' - BBC News
President Bush Sees Progress in Iraq - Scott Stearns, VOA
Bush: Commanders in Iraq Will Get All Resources Needed - AFPS
Odierno Tells Senate U.S. Military Headed in Right Direction in Iraq - AFPS
In Iraq, a Surge in U.S. Airstrikes - Londoño and Amit Paley, Washington Post
Tribe Helps Maliki Win Control of South - Rowan Scarborough, Washington Times
Sistani Flirting with Shiite Militant Message - Associated Press
10,000 Iraqi Troops Bring Calm to Sadr City - Deborah Haynes, London Times
Security Improves in Iraq’s Ninevah Province - AFPS
Police Chief Says US Killed 7 Civilians - Zavis and Rasheed, Los Angeles Times
Iraq Spending Ignored Rules, Pentagon Says - James Glanz, New York Times
Don't Mention the War - Michael Costello, The Australian opinion
End of an Act Approaches in Iraq - Galrahn, Information Dissemination
The Long Count - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club
US Military Killed Mahdi Army Commander - Bill Roggio, The Long War
The IA Enters Sadr City - Dr. iRack, Abu Muqawama
Iraqi Troops Push into Sadr City - Noah Shachtman, Danger Room
Abu Ghraib Torture Trail - Phillip Carter, Intel Dump
Iraq Status Report - Iraq Status Report
AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS
Afghan Troops Ready for Bulk of Fight - Reuters
Afghan National Police Gain More Than 1,600 New NCOs - AFPS
US Slams Pakistan Pact with AQ-linked Rebels - Bruce Loudon, The Australian
NATO Command Extension in Afghanistan Isn’t Done Deal - AFPS
Two Afghans, ISAF Soldier Killed in Koran Protest - Reuters
Afghan Schools Closed by Threats - BBC News
Suicide Bomb Kills Five in Eastern Afghanistan - Reuters
Disarmament and Demobilisation - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group
Pakistan's New Taliban Accord - Steve Schippert, Threats Watch
Swatting the Taliban - Kip, Abu Muqawama
Pakistan Inks Peace Deal with Swat Taliban - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Afghan Development - Kip, Abu Muqawama
German SOF: Not Licensed to Kill - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group
More ROE Problems - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
IRAN
Rice Warns of More US Sanctions on Iran - Reuters
Petraeus: Diplomacy, Not Force, With Iran - Karen DeYoung, Washington Post
Bahais Accuse Iran of Discrimination - Associated Press
THE LONG WAR
Gates Says Lack of Patience Could Cost Victory - AFPS
Petraeus Discusses Challenges in Central Command Area - AFPS
Senate Approves $165B for Iraq, Afghanistan - Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post
US to Review Gitmo Juvenile Numbers - Associated Press
Thinking Through Doomsday - David Ignatius, Washington Post opinion
Al Qaeda’s ‘War Amongst the People’ - David Betz, Kings of War
Why is There Jihad? - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
New Choice for US Commander in Pakistan - New York Times
'Reset' Aims to Standardize Redeployment Services - AFPS
Inside the Ring - Bill Gertz, Washington Times
We Still Need a Larger Army - Donnelly and Kagan, Wall Street Journal opinion
Americans Under Fire - Mackubin Thomas Owens, Weekly Standard books review
We Still Have Grants and Shermans? - Victor Davis Hanson, National Review opinion
The Best Tanker Won - Ronald Sugar, Los Angeles Times opinon
Military Culture, Causation... - Michael Innes, Complex Terrain Laboratory
The Ray and Dave Show - Phillip Carter, Intel Dump
MEMORIAL DAY 2008
Memorial Day 2008 - Austin Bay, Washington Times opinion
Forgotten Heroes - Ed Sherwood, Washington Times opinion
US FOREIGN POLICY
Appeasement as a Hate Term - R. Emmett Tyrrell Jr., Washington Times opinion
US INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY
A Needed Push in the Intelligence Community - Douglas Farah, Counterterrorism
US FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION
'5 Years Up' Costs FBI Top Managers - Jerry Seper, Washington Times
UNITED NATIONS
Who Will Watch the Peacekeepers? - Matthias Basanisi, New York Times opinion
AFRICA
S. Africa Troops Sent Onto Streets - BBC News
S. African Troops Deployed to End Violence - Reuters
Tsvangirai to Return to Zimbabwe - BBC News
Not-So-Diplomatic Ambassador to Zimbabwe - Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times
Details of the Sea Basing Off Monrovia - Galrahn, Information Dissemination
AMERICAS
Congress Trims Bush’s Mexico Drug Plan - Marc Lacey, New York Times
Mexico Town's Police Force Quits in Fear - Associated Press
Colombia: Rebel's Computer Leads to Inquiries - Chris Kraul, Los Angeles Times
Colombia Opens Investigation into Rebel Links - Associated Press
ASIA PACIFIC
Flooding Feared as Death Toll in China Rises - Edward Cody, Washington Post
Other Dangers in Quake-ravaged China - Barbara Demick, Los Angeles Times
Quake Shakes Beijing's Grip on Media - Chris O'Brien, Washington Times
Reconciliation after Disasters - Lothringer and Carey, Washington Times opinion
Ban Ki-moon to Meet Burma Leader - BBC News
UN Chief Ban Ki-moon Asks Burmese Junta to Allow Aid Effort - The Australian
UN Chief Tours Still-flooded Myanmar Delta - Associated Press
Burmese Aid Request Stirs Concerns - Glenn Kessler, Washington Post
Burma: Can a Cyclone Open the Iron Fist - Maggie Farley, Los Angeles Times
Burma to Accept ‘All Aid Workers’ - Seth Mydans, New York Times
Burma's Last Chance - London Times editorial
Burma: The Return of the Hawk - Washington Times editorial
US and N. Korean Negotiators to Meet Next Week - Reuters
EUROPE
UK Bombing Suspect Injured in Blast - Associated Press
Georgia Ruling Party Cements Power - C.J. Chivers, New York Times
Georgia's President Declares Victory - Tara Barahmpour, Washington Post
Georgia's President Declares Election Victory - Tara Barahmpour, Washington Post
Concerns Raised over Georgia Poll - BBC News
Russia's Military-Industrial Complex - Reuben Johnson, Weekly Standard opinion
MIDDLE EAST
Lebanon: 'For All This, People Have Died?' - Anthony Shadid, Washington Post
UN Council Supports Lebanon Deal - Associated Press
Lebanon: Peace in Our Time - New York Post editorial
Hearts, Minds, Votes for Hezbollah - Andrew Cochran, Counterterrorism
Lebanon's Crisis Deferred - David Schenker, Counterterrorism
Olmert Peace Effort Elicits Cynicism and Hope - Ethan Bronner, New York Times
Suicide Bomber Attacks Gaza Crossing - Isabel Kershner, New York Times
Palestinian Suicide Bomber Attacks Gaza Crossing - Associated Press
Israeli Srmy Kills Five Militants in Gaza - Reuters
Talking With the Enemy - New York Times editorial
At Peace Talks, No Sign of US - Boston Globe editorial
Behind the Israel-Syria Talks - Amir Taheri, New York Post opinion
SOUTH ASIA
Pakistan May Ask UN to Probe Bhutto Assassination - Associated Press
Sri Lanka: 22 Rebels, 2 Soldiers Killed - Associated Press
WORLD
IEA Worried Over Oil Supply - Associated Press
RECOMMENDED READING
UK CT & COIN Features - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group
EVENTS OF INTEREST
29 May 2008 - Occupational Hazards: Success and Failure in Military Occupation (Public Event). Washington, D.C. Book forum hosted by The Cato Institute. Featuring the author David M. Edelstein, Assistant Professor, Georgetown University, with comments by Robert M. Perito, U.S. Institute of Peace and Christopher Preble, Cato Institute. What makes military occupations more or less likely to succeed? Drawing on 26 cases since 1815 where outside powers have seized territory without a claim to its sovereignty, David Edelstein attempts to determine why some occupations succeed and why so many seem doomed to failure. Edelstein combines detailed case studies with a theoretical approach and concludes that occupations face a paradox: Success requires a long-term and massive commitment of resources and attention; however, such large-scale occupations can elicit nationalist responses from the occupied populace. Further, as the occupier faces difficulty, discontent grows at home, and pressure builds to remove occupying forces. Examining the history of occupation as a component of grand strategy, Edelstein offers warnings for today’s policymakers, who seem tempted to include military occupations as part of the approach to countering terrorism. Please join the author and our distinguished commentators for a discussion of this timely and pathbreaking book.
4-5 June 208 - 2008 Joint Symposium - Strategic Re-Assessment: From Long-Range Planning to Future Strategy and Forces (Public Event). Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the Institute for National Strategic Studies, the Office of the Secretary of Defense and US Joint Forces Command. Fundamental to the development and implementation of a successful future defense posture is a foundation comprised of a well-reasoned assessment of the future security environment, a clear understanding of the “realm of the possible” for and limitations of military forces, and an understanding of the nation’s security objectives. Developing an appropriate assessment of the future security environment is not something done in a vacuum as it is impossible to fully separate purely military or national security issues from other elements of the national and global environment. This is particularly true for the United States. Technical innovation and adaptation, the rise and decline of other actors on the international stage, domestic politics, globalization and its effects on trade, migration, communications, and the power of nonstate actors all, bear heavily on any security assessment. There is no shortage of assessments of the future security environment. In the last decade, National Defense University itself has produced several, most recently, Strategic Challenges – America’s Global Security Agenda. The objectives of this symposium are to examine some of these strategic assessments, to review our success at incorporating their key elements into strategic and operational plans, and to propose ways to institutionalize best practices into the process for future force development and joint force planning. We will explore these issues through a series of panel discussions and keynote addresses. Featured speakers will include military officers, government officials, and experts from research institutes.
17-19 June 208 - 3rd Annual North American Security Colloquium: Wars Without Borders (Public Event). Kingston, Ontario. Sponsored by the Strategic Studies Institute of the U.S. Army War College, Queen's Centre for International Relations, and Defence Management Studies at Queen's University, and the Canadian 'Forces' Land Doctrine and Training System. The conflicts today in Iraq and in Afghanistan are examples of what some leading scholars and many commanders have termed “continuous wars among the people.” This type of conflict is developing or occurring in other regions of the world, in Africa and in Latin America for example. In many of these situations traditional and legal borders no longer define or contain the conflict, nor do obvious sovereign entities control belligerents. International commitments to control these conflicts necessarily demand complex, multi-dimensional diplomatic, military, police, and humanitarian responses. What has been learned about such conflicts from operations in Iraq and Afghanistan may to some degree be transferable to conflicts in other regions. Assuming that the international community may well face future operations characterized by regional, borderless “wars among the people”, the centres at Queen’s University and their partners propose convening a distinguished group of approximately 200 experts from academic, military, governmental, and international institutions to examine how best to prepare commanders, military units and governments to plan for and conduct complex, multi-dimensional stability campaigns in this new environment.
16-18 September 2008 - The U.S. Army and the Interagency Process: A Historical Perspective (Public Event - Conference / Call for Papers). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Sponsored by the U.S. Army Combat Studies Institute. The symposium will include a variety of guest speakers, panel sessions, and general discussions. This symposium will explore the partnership between the U.S. Army and government agencies in attaining national goals and objectives in peace and war within a historical context. Separate international topics may be presented. The symposium will also examine current issues, dilemmas, problems, trends, and practices associated with U.S. Army operations requiring close interagency cooperation.
