IRAQ
Man Held is Not Leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq - Freeman and Sabah, Washington Post
US Military Denies Iraq Report of al-Qaida Arrest - Associated Press
Leader of al-Qaida in Iraq Has Not Been Captured - Voice of America
US Military Denies al Masri in Custody - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader Arrested In Mosul - Freeman and Sabah, Washington Post
Al-Qaeda in Iraq Leader Abu Ayyub al-Masri Captured - James Hider, London Times
Iraqi Army Says Iraqi al-Qaida Leader Arrested - Associated Press
Al Qaeda's Leader in Iraq Arrested - Reuters
Al-Qaeda Iraq Leader 'Arrested' - BBC News
Abu Ayyub al-Masri Arrested - James Joyner, Outside the Beltway
Al-Masri the Egyptian Falls - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club
Favorable Indicators - Jules Crittenden, Forward Movement
Abu Ayyub al Masri Reported Captured - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Sadr City Residents Fear Fight - Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor
Going for the Kill in Sadr City - Uncle Jimbo, Blackfive
19 Mahdi Army Fighters Killed - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Rocket Attack on Basra Base Kills Two - Reuters
Congress to Pass Iraq War Funds by End of May - Reuters
The Price of War? - Chris Duquette, Washington Times opinion
His 'Moment of Truth' in Iraq - Austin Bay, Washington Times opinion
Iraq Quietly Confronts Iran With Evidence of Trafficking - Omar, Iraq the Model
Ending Iran’s Influence Inside Iraq - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal
Iran and AQI - Dr. iRack, Abu Muqawama
Coming in at # 1 - Max Boot, Contentions
Iraq Status Report - Iraq Status Report
AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS
Marines in Afghanistan to Redeploy as Scheduled - Donna Miles, AFPS
Taliban 'Governor' Killed in Raid - Reuters
Suicide Bomber Wounds 3 in Kabul - Associated Press
IRAN
Iran says Explosion in Mosque Last Month was Deliberate - Reuters
Why West Closer to Bombing Iran - Con Coughlin, London Daily Telegraph opinion
Islands in the Stream - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club
Alarmist on Iran, Except... - Tom Barnett, Thomas PM Barnett
THE LONG WAR
'A Lot' Pose Threat if Freed from Gitmo - David Sands, Washington Times
Judge Says He May Suspend Detainee's Trial - Associated Press
FBI Called Slow to Join the Terrorism Fight - Richard Schmitt, Los Angeles Times
Abu Qatada Gets Bail - O'Neill and Ford, London Times
Radical Muslim Preacher Abu Qatada Granted Bail in Britain - Associated Press
A New Language Code - Diana West, Washington Times opinion
Al Qaeda Calls For Naval Terror Cells - Galrahn, Information Dissemination
Latest Shots on the "War of Ideas" - Marc Lynch, Abu Aardvark
The Recent and the Distant Past - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club
Sublimation of the Primal Soul - Michael Innes, Complex Terrain Laboratory
The Disembodied Insurgent - Michael Innes, Complex Terrain Laboratory
Insurgency, Media... - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group
Military Use of Cyberspace - Jules Crittenden, Forward Movement
US FOREIGN POLICY
Appeasing Iran, North Korea? - Washington Times editorial
US POLITICS
Once a Marine... - Gary Anderson, Washington Times opinion
US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Pentagon Drops Post in Pakistan for Top General - Eric Schmitt, New York Times
Army's 'Stop-loss' Orders Up Dramatically - Julian Barnes, Los Angeles Times
Age, Mold Assail Military Barracks - Alan Gomez, US Today
GI Benefits Stymie Funding Bill - Richard Wolf, US Today
Department Begins Roles, Missions Review - Jim Garamone, AFPS
Inside the Ring - Bill Gertz, Washington Times
Disenfranchised Over There - von Spakovsky and Buhler, Weekly Standard opinion
A Better GI Bill - Phillip Carter, Intel Dump
US DEFENSE CONTRACTORS
The Lucrative Art of War - New York Times editorial
War's Shopping Cart - Nick Turse, Los Angeles Times opinion
AFRICA
Farm Workers Displaced in Zimbabwe Poll Violence - Reuters
Farm-workers Flee Zimbabwe Homes - BBC News
Zimbabwe's Terror - Washington Post editorial
Take Half a Loaf in Zimbabwe - Christian Science Monitor editorial
Mr. Mugabe’s Cynical Plan - New York Times editorial
Kenya Sees Diisplaced Resettled in a Month - Reuters
Eritrea Denies Djibouti War Claim - BBC News
More than a Dozen Killed in Somali Clashes - Reuters
Somalis Die in Mountain Clashes - BBC News
Somalia's Civil War - Vicki Huddleston, Washington Times opinion
'Fifty Killed' in Burundi Clashes - BBC News
Burundi Army Says Killed 50 Rebels in Clashes - Reuters
Attackers Slice Ears off 17 People in Senegal - Reuters
Want to Avoid the Food Crisis? - Chris Blattman, Chris Blattman
A Study in Development Failure - Chris Blattman, Chris Blattman
AMERICAS
Mexico's Police Chief Is Killed In Attack - Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post
Drug Cartel Suspected in Mexico City Killing - Héctor Tobar, Los Angeles Times
Gunmen Kill Chief of Mexico’s Police - James McKinley, New York Times
Drug Traffickers' Hitmen Kill Top Mexico Policeman - Reuters
Acting Mexican Police Chief Killed - Associated Press
ASIA PACIFIC
UN Aid Shipments Reach Burma - Kazmin, Lynch and Schneider, Washington Post
UN Pressures Burma to Allow Aid - Andy Newman, New York Times
US Threatens Food Aid Drops on Burma - The Australian
UN Blasts Burma Regime - Joanna Sugden, London Times
Aid Blockages Could be 'Catastrophic' - Richard Alleyne, London Daily Telegraph
Burma Businesses Gouge, More Rain Falls - Los Angeles Times
Myanmar Allows First UN Aid Flights but None from US - Associated Press
UN 'Disappointed' at Burma Access - BBC News
A Regime in Crisis? - Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times
Burma: Insult to Injury - London Times editorial
To Protect or Neglect in Burma - Boston Globe editorial
Burma: Aid before Politics, Please - Miliband and Kouchner, London Times opinion
A Silver Lining for Burma? - Maureen Aung-Thwin, Wall Street Journal opnion
China Urged to Halt Repression in Tibet - Edward Cody, Washington Post
N. Korea Gives US Nuclear Papers - Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times
N. Korea Hands Over Some Nuclear Documents - Reuters
5 Wounded in Philippine Bus Bombing - Associated Press
Fiji's Rulers May be Heading for Trouble - Chris Merritt, The Australian
PM Rudd's Foreign Fumbles - Dennis Shanahan, The Australian opinion
EUROPE
Putin Sets Plans for Tenure as Premier - Peter Finn, Washington Post
Putin Assumes Role of Russia's PM - Megan Stack, Los Angeles Times
Putin Signals He Intends to Stay in Charge of Russia - Associated Press
Who Rules Russia: Putin or Medvedev? - London Daily Telegraph editorial
Putin Changes Jobs - And Russia - David Satter, Wall Street Journal opinion
Russia Expels Two US Military Attaches from Moscow - Reuters
We are Close to War, Says Georgian Leader - London Times
Georgian Rebels Say they Shoot Down a Georgian Drone - Reuters
Georgia in Jeopardy - Wall Street Journal editorial
Bosnia to Hold Local Election on October 5 - Reuters
Serbia Goes to the Polls - Tomislav Nikolic, Washington Times opinion
Three Killed in Rebel Landmine Blast in SE Turkey - Reuters
MIDDLE EAST
Violence Paralyzes Beirut for Second Day - Ibrahim and Wright, Washington Post
Clashes Intensify in Beirut - Nada Bakri, New York Times
Hezbollah, Sunni Gunmen Fight in Beirut - Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times
Gunmen Seize Part of Beirut - The Australian
Five Killed in Beirut Gun Battles - BBC News
Hezbollah Fighters Impose Control on Beirut - Reuters
Clashes Erupt for Second Day in Lebanon - Associated Press
Lebanon’s Pain is Israel’s Gain - Westhawk, Westhawk
The Realities for Hezbollah - Abu Muqawama, Abu Muqawama
Nasrallah Speaks - Noah Pollak, Contentions
The Strategic Hammer Hits Hezbollah - Galrahn, Information Dissemination
Statehood for Hezbollah? - Noah Pollak, Contentions
Olmert ‘Never Took a Bribe,’ He Says - Bronner and Cowan, New York Times
Olmert Suspected of Massive Bribe-taking - Reuters
Olmert Faces New Corruption Probe - BBC News
SOUTH ASIA
Sri Lanka's Tiger Test - Nira Wickramasinghe, Wall Street Journal editorial
RECOMMENDED READING
Recommended Reading - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner
The Pakistan Security Research Unit - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group
Iraq Status Report - Iraq Status Report
UK CT & COIN Features - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group
EVENTS OF INTEREST
13 May 2008 - After the Iraqi Offensive: An Address by Colonel H. R. McMaster (Public Event). Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute. The government of Iraq has made great strides both militarily and politically over the past year and a half. After dramatically reducing al Qaeda in Iraq’s operational capability, the Iraqi Security Forces have successfully undertaken operations to reclaim segments of Basra and Sadr City from Shiite extremist elements. Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al Maliki has won increasing support from the major Sunni, Kurdish, and Shiite blocs due to his leadership in this offensive. Moreover, in a sign of bottom-up reconciliation, nearly 90 percent of Sunnis polled declared their intention to participate in the October provincial elections. How will Iraqi political dynamics evolve as operations against Shiite extremists continue? How will the security situation in Iraq evolve as the July drawdown in U.S. forces approaches? How have recent events in Iraq influenced our understanding of nation-building strategy? Having recently returned from working with Ambassador Ryan Crocker and General David Petraeus in Iraq, Colonel H. R. McMaster will address these and other questions at AEI on May 13. Following his address, Michèle Flournoy of the Center for a New American Security and AEI’s Thomas Donnelly will join Colonel McMaster for a discussion of these issues.
15 May 2008 - Ground Truth: The Future of U.S. Land Power (Public Event). Washington, D.C. Sponsored by the American Enterprise Institute. In Ground Truth: The Future of U.S. Land Power (AEI Press, May 2008), AEI scholars Thomas Donnelly and Frederick W. Kagan pose a series of urgent questions for policymakers: What is the strategic role of American ground forces? What missions will these forces undertake in the future? What is the nature of land warfare in the twenty-first century? What qualities are necessary to succeed on the battlefields of the Long War? What is the ideal size and configuration of the force--and how much will it cost? On Thursday, May 15, Donnelly, Kagan, and Kathleen Hicks of the Center for Strategic and International Studies will discuss these and other questions about the size, shape, and costs of the land forces the United States will require in the years ahead.
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.
