THE LONG WAR

US Cites Big Gains Against Al-Qaeda - Joby Warrick, Washington Post
Lawyers Want 9/11 Trial Dismissed - Associated Press
US Military Charges 3 Gitmo Detainees - Associated Press
The President Has Kept Us Safe - Thane Rosenbaum, Wall Street Journal opinion
Constantinople Fell Just 555 Years Ago - Clifford May, National Review opinion
War of Words - Stephen Schwartz, Weekly Standard opinion
The Revolt Against al-Qaeda - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club

IRAQ

Iran Touts Economic Projects in Iraq - Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times
Arab States Wary of Investing in Iraq - Liam Stack, Christian Science Monitor
Arab Nations Fail to Forgive Iraq’s Debts - Associated Press
Marine Suspended Over Coins Quoting Gospel - Amit Paley, Washington Post
Rogue Sadr Militias Roam Baghdad - Anna Badkhen, Christian Science Monitor
Insurgents Hide in Tanker to Attack Police - Oppel and Farrell, New York Times
Suicide Bombing Kills 16 - Parker and Hameed, Los Angeles Times
Suicide Bomber Kills 16 in Northwestern Iraq - Associated Press
Cheney Sees Success in Iraq War - Nicholas Confessore, New York Times
UN Chief: Iraq 'Stepping Back From Abyss' - BBC News
Britain Makes Anniversary Appeal for Hostages - Haynes and Evans, London Times
Hostages: A Year in Captivity - London Times editorial
Iraqi Democracy, Two Years Later - Austin Bay, Washington Times opinion
The Quit-Iraq Time-Travelers - Ralph Peters, New York Post opinion
And the World Nods - Abe Greenwald, Contentions
Special Groups Financier Captured - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Guns and Jesus - Abu Muqawama, Abu Muqawama
Pelosi Credits Iran’s “Goodwill” for Surge Success - Abe Greenwald, Contentions
Re: Pelosi Credits Iran - Jennifer Rubin, Contentions
Iraq Status Report - Iraq Status Report

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

Pakistan’s Tack on Militants Is Not as Expected - Carolotta Gall, New York Times
Afghanistan Seeks to Revive Farming Sector Addicted to Opium - Associated Press
Dozens of Afghan Taleban 'Killed' - BBC News
Suicide Bomb Kills 4 in Kabul - Abdul Waheed Wafa, New York Times
Negotiations With Taliban Under Way - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal
Browne Continues the British Surrender - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal

IRAN

No Early Iran Nuclear Estimate Update - Reuters
A Critical Mess Over Iran - Christian Science Monitor editorial
The Reality Situation - David Brooks, New York Times opinion
Test on Iranian Nuclear Threat - Bronwen Maddox, London Times opinion
Cracks in the Ground - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club
New Iranian Leader, A More Dangerous Iran - Gordon Chang, Contentions

US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Secretary Gates Visits Guam Military Base - Eric Schmitt, New York Times
Ultimate Fighting Recruits Military to Its Ranks - Michael Brick, New York Times
Sticker Shock and Awe at the Pentagon - New York Times editorial
Who Trains US Military Advisors - Kip, Abu Muqawama
Combat-Ready - Max Boot, Contentions
Documenting Our Kills - Tom Barnett, Thomas PM Barnett
Observing Possible Evolution With Sea Basing - Galrahn, Information Dissemination

UK MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Resignations Put Troops Under Pressure - Aislinn Simpson, London Daily Telegraph
Britain Looked to Israel When Studying Military Deception - Associated Press
War is Hell, Not PC Pastime - Con Coughlin, London Daily Telegraph opinion

US FOREIGN POLICY

US Withdraws Fulbright Grants to Gaza - Ethan Bronner, New York Times

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Campaign Jousting Returns to Iraq War - Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post
McCain's Military Service Shield and Weapon - Stephen Dinan, Washington Times
Biden's Foreign Policy Recruited by Obama - Christina Bellantoni, Washington Times
Senate Taste Set Capt. McCain on New Path - David Kirkpatrick, New York Times
McCain Calls Out Obama on Iraq - Investor's Business Daily editorial

WHAT HAPPENED

What Happened: Inside the Bush White House - Scott McClellan, Amazon.com
McClellan Says Book's Tone Evolved - Eggen and Weeks, Washington Post
Ex-Bush Officials Take Aim at Book - Joseph Curl, Washington Times
Was Press a War ‘Enabler’? - Brian Stelter, New York Times
McClellan Sours on Bush - Peter Grier, Christian Science Monitor
McClellan Blames Bush, Not Aides - Johanna Neuman, Los Angeles Times
Scott McClellan: Monster's Ball - Dana Milbank, Washington Post
For Future White House Aides, Required Reading - Dan Balz, Washington Post
Ex-Colleagues Ask, 'What Happened?' - Dan Eggen, Washington Post
General McClellan's War - Wall Street Journal editorial
But Is It True? - Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal opinion
Scott’s Truth vs. Reality - Peter Wehner, National Review opinion
Bushie's Cruel Cuts - Jay Nordlinger, New York Post opinion
McClellan on "Today" - Greg Bobrinskoy, Real Clear Politics
McClellan as John Dean - Mark Safranski, ZenPundit

UNITED NATIONS

UN Peacekeeping Chief: More for Missions - Associated Press
UN Council to Tackle Sudan, Somalia on Africa Trip - Reuters

AFRICA

Zimbabwe: Mugabe will Keep Office, Wife Says - AFP
South Africa Plans Shelters for Foreigners - Celia Dugger, New York Times
Postwar Liberia: Paradise Amid the Poverty - Craig Timberg, Washington Post
Blowback China's Already Facing in Africa - Tom Barnett, Thomas PM Barnett
Somalia Pirates Strike Again... and Again - Galrahn, Information Dissemination

AMERICAS

Richardson Urges US on Aid Package for Mexico - Associated Press
Colombia Paramilitary Laptops Cause Stir - Chris Kraul, Los Angeles Times
Chavez Recalls Colombian Rebel Leader - Associated Press
Venezuela Says Arrests Suspected US Drug Agent - Reuters
Food Crisis Talks Set to Begin - BBC News

ASIA PACIFIC

N. Korea Taking Tougher Stance - Glenn Kessler, Washington Post
Rice Says Policy on N. Korea Is A Team Effort - Glenn Kessler, Washington Post
China: Thousands Huddle in Fear of a Flood - Andrew Jacobs, New York Times
Japan Shelves Military Aid Flight to China - BBC News
Taiwan and China Agree to Renew Talks - Rowan Callick, The Australian
China and Taiwan Discuss Direct Flights - Alan Cowell, New York Times
Burma Cyclone Cictims Die Waiting for Help - Los Angeles Times

EUROPE

France Gives Putin Presidential Welcome - Bremner and Halpin, London Times
Help Russia Help Us - Lugar and Nunn, New York Times opinion

MIDDLE EAST

Livni Nudges Olmert to Resign - Joshua Mitnick, Washington Times
Aide Puts New Pressure on Olmert to Quit - Isabel Kershner, New York Times
Israel's Olmert Loses Key Support - Griff Witte, Washington Post
Inside Tel Aviv - Washington Times editorial
Syrian Nukes: Behind the Scenes - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club

SOUTH ASIA

Pakistan Calls for Rethink on Terror - The Australian
Pakistan Army Plays Down Musharraf Report - BBC News
Pakistan's Musharraf Denies Resignation Rumors - Associated Press
Rioting Farmers Besiege Delhi - Jeremy Page, London Times
Riot Mars Nepal's Joy as King Ousted - The Australian
Nepal: The New Republic - Wall Street Journal editorial

WORLD

Climate Concern Ripped as 'Religion' - David Sands, Washington Times
Food Report Criticizes Biofuel Policies - Andrew Martin, New York Times
$1.2bn Fund to Tackle Food Crisis - AFP
Carbon Chastity - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Times opinion
Aid Beyond Borders - Sam Brownback, Wall Street Journal opinion

RECOMMENDED READING

Turkey: Two Good Reads - Tom Barnett, Thomas PM Barnett
Recommended Reading - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner
Propaganda Is Now Officially Hip - Matt Armstrong, MountainRunner
Whose Face to the World? - Marc Lynch, Abu Aardvark
Recommended Reading - Mark Safranski, ZenPundit
Adding to My “Antilibrary” - Mark Safranski, ZenPundit
UK CT & COIN Features - Will Hartley, Insurgency Research Group

SWJ "ROGUE COUSIN"

Thank You, and Goodbye - Andrew Exum, Abu Muqawama

EVENTS OF INTEREST

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.