IRAQ

Iran Urges Closer Defense Ties With Iraq - Erdbrink and Paley, Washington Post

Iranian officials advocated a close defense relationship with Iraq during meetings Sunday in Tehran with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and his subordinates. The talks came as Tehran grows increasingly concerned that a proposed long-term security agreement between the United States and Iraq would pose a threat to Iran. Iranian Defense Minister Mostafa Mohammad Najar said there were many possibilities for security and defense cooperation between Iran and Iraq, emphasizing what he called "the great strategic potential" of the two oil-rich countries.

Iraq Tells Iran Not to Fear US Presence - Andrew Krammer, New York Times

Iraq’s prime minister, Nuri Kamal al-Maliki, sought to soothe Iranian opposition to a long-term American military presence in Iraq by offering assurances in Tehran on Sunday that American bases would not be used to attack Iran. “We will not allow Iraq to become a platform for harming the security of Iran and its neighbors,” Mr. Maliki said, according to the Iranian state-run news agency, IRNA, which reported that he met with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on the second day of a three-day visit.

Iraq Want US Troops Kept in Barracks - Deborah Haynes, Times of London

American troops in Iraq would be confined to their bases and private security guards subject to local law if Iraq gets its way in negotiations with the US over the future status of American forces. According to a senior Iraqi official, the negotiations between the two allies became so fraught recently that President Bush intervened personally to defuse the situation. On Thursday he telephoned Nouri al-Maliki, the Iraqi Prime Minister, to assure him that Washington was not seeking to undermine Iraq’s sovereignty and that America would reconsider any contentious part of the agreement. The current United Nations mandate for US troops expires at the end of this year and Washington wants to conclude a bilateral agreement with Baghdad for the future deployment of US forces. There are just over 150,000 US troops in Iraq living on scores of bases across the country, from little 30-men outposts to sprawling camps often built around old Iraqi army barracks.

Iraq Pledges Closer Ties with Iran - Ashraf Khalil, Los Angeles Times

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, in a visit to Iran where he met Sunday with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, pledged closer ties between the two neighbors at the same time Baghdad is negotiating a long-term security agreement with the US. The proposed pact with Washington would establish a legal framework for the continued presence of US troops in Iraq after the United Nations mandate expires at the end of this year. Iranian officials have repeatedly expressed concerns in recent weeks that the agreement would simply formalize the presence of dozens of American military bases.

US-Iraq Security Pact Will Not Harm Iran - Nasser Karimi, Associated Press

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki pushed Iran on Sunday to back off its fierce opposition to a US-Iraqi security pact, Iraqi officials said, as he promised Iranian leaders that Iraq will not be a launching pad for any attack on their country. The agreement has become a center of contention as Baghdad tries to balance its close ties to both Washington and Tehran. Iran fiercely opposes the deal, fearing it will lead to permanent US bases on its doorstep amid fears of an eventual American attack.

Iraqi PM Assures Iran on Security - BBC News

Iraq will not allow its territory to be used to attack Iran, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki has said during a visit to Tehran. Mr Maliki met the foreign minister and President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who pledged to help with Iraq's security. The role of the US in Iraq is high on the agenda, with Tehran concerned about a treaty under discussion on the terms of the US military's future in Iraq. Iran's alleged backing for militants in Iraq was also expected to be discussed.

Car Bomb Kills US Soldier, Wounds 18 - Sameer Yacoub, Associated Press

A suicide truck bomber who concealed his explosives under tanned animal hides struck a U.S. patrol base Sunday in northern Iraq, killing one US soldier and wounding 18 other Americans, US and Iraqi officials said. Two Iraqi contractors working at the base in Tamim province also were wounded, according to a brief statement from the military. Tamim has a mixed population of Arabs, Kurds and Turkomen, with the oil-rich city of Kirkuk as its capital. Three American soldiers were killed last Wednesday by gunfire in Tamim.

Iraq Arrests Qaeda Members, Seizes Explosive Belts - Reuters

Iraqi police have arrested 13 suspected members of al Qaeda and seized 58 explosive belts prepared for suicide bombings, a local official said on Sunday. Hikmat Jubair, mayor of the town of Hit west of Baghdad, said the suspects were arrested on Saturday night in possession of 13 explosive belts and then led police to another 45 hidden in a house.

Bahrain Getting Ready to Open Baghdad Embassy - Associated Press

Bahrain's state-run news agency reports that the tiny Gulf state is getting ready to open an embassy in Baghdad. The Bahrain News Agency quotes the foreign minister as saying the island kingdom "is in the phase of naming an ambassador" to Baghdad.

A Cold, Hard Shelter - Andrea Bruce, Washington Post

The Hassan family thought Fallujah, a traditionally Sunni city, would welcome Sunni refugees fleeing Shiite threats. But the city, a wounded place that has seen more fighting than most, has barely been tolerant. Neighbors rarely acknowledge their existence or offer help. Access to jobs and schools is limited.

Saddam Figures Moved to Iraqi Control - Sameer Yacoub, Associated Press

Eight former members of Saddam Hussein's regime have been transferred from U.S. to Iraqi control, Iraqi officials said Sunday. Badee Izzat Aref, a lawyer for several Saddam-era officials standing trial, said the eight were transferred Friday. He said they included Iraq's former director of military intelligence, Sabir Azizi al-Douri, who was sentenced to life in prison during the Anfal trial in June 2007. Saddam's secretary, Abed Hmoud, and another senior Baath Party official, Abdul-Ghani Abdul-Ghafour, were also among those transferred, Aref said.

Tom Ricks's Inbox - Thomas Ricks, Washington Post

The counterinsurgency strategy implemented by [Army Gen. David H.] Petraeus is the right one and cannot be substantially altered. The crucible of patience among the American people is emptying at a prodigious rate and very little short of a complete shift in conditions on the ground is likely to refill it.

Return of the Purple Fingers - Carpenter and Rubin, Washington Post opinion

Within the next few months, Iraqis will once again wave purple fingers in the air as they cast ballots for provincial governments. As Iraq's parliament debates a law to govern the elections, US diplomats and international experts have an opportunity, if not to correct past mistakes, then to help put local government on the right footing. This spring, officials in Washington and Baghdad celebrated final approval of benchmark legislation governing provincial powers; Ambassador Ryan Crocker called its passage March 19 "a major step forward." No longer would bureaucrats in Baghdad exert arbitrary control over the provinces, assigning budgets and funding projects irrespective of local desires. Sunni leaders would not be able to drain the Shiite-populated marshes without local consent, for example, nor would Shiite militiamen in ministry offices in Baghdad be in a position to carry out vendettas against Sunnis in Anbar province. And as local faces emerge -- accessible and accountable to ordinary Iraqis -- cynicism about unresponsive Green Zone politicians should decline.

'Bush Lied'? If Only It Were That Simple - Fred Hitatt, Washington Post opinion

Search the Internet for "Bush Lied" products, and you will find sites that offer more than a thousand designs. The basic "Bush Lied, People Died" bumper sticker is only the beginning. Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, set out to provide the official foundation for what has become not only a thriving business but, more important, an article of faith among millions of Americans. And in releasing a committee report Thursday, he claimed to have accomplished his mission, though he did not use the L-word. "In making the case for war, the administration repeatedly presented intelligence as fact when it was unsubstantiated, contradicted or even nonexistent," he said.

War and Punishment - National Rewview Q&A

Scott McClellan has made a stir with his book, What Happened, but it’s former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas Feith, who sheds some light on what happened in the Bush administration vis-à-vis the Iraq war in his book, War and Decision: Inside the Pentagon at the Dawn of the War on Terrorism. He recently took questions from National Review Online editor Kathryn Lopez about the book, it’s treatment in the media, and the war.

Documenting Iraqi Casualties - Tim Stevens, Ubiwar

A new RAND report, An Argument for Documenting Casualties: Violence Against Iraqi Civilians 2006 by Katharine Hall and Dale Stahl is likely to reopen the debate on the quantification of civilian deaths in Iraq.

Spatial Syntax of Insurgency in Iraq - Michael Innes, CTLab

A team of three academics - Jerry Ratcliffe of Temple University in the U.S., Shane D. Johnson of University College London in the U.K., and Michael Townsley from Griffith University in Australia - have published their research on quantifcation of the "Space Time Dynamics of Insurgent Activity in Iraq". Still in press so not yet available to the public, the article is forthcoming in the Palgrave MacMillan periodical Security Journal. Here's the abstract.

Political Realignment in Iraq? - Dr. iRack, Abu Muqawama

Last week, former Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jafari loudly criticized the ongoing US-Iraq SOFA/SFA talks (see also here). Jafari appears to be tapping into a growing nationalist backlash against the long-term US-Iraq security negotiations, which has also included protests over the past two weeks from Sadrists and a full-court press by Iran to undermine the talks.

Stay In Touch - Carl, Because We're Here Boy...

I went home for most of last month. When I returned through Germany (Germany is very clean) I met an interpreter who was coming back also. He had moved to the United States from this country in his teens and had been working over here as an interpreter with the American military since 2005. He is civilian contractor and he loves his job. All the things the troops do, raids, searches, interviews and interrogations, he is there to assist them. Sometimes they go out for days and days at a time. It can be extremely interesting and he likes the action; but not too much action. He didn't care to be ambushed again but raids are great fun.

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

Laura Bush Visits Afghanistan - Carlotta Gall, New York Times

First lady Laura Bush flew by helicopter deep into central Afghanistan on Sunday on a one-day visit to highlight the United States’ continued commitment to the country and President Hamid Karzai ahead of an international donor’s conference next week in Paris. Her visit comes as concern has been growing, particularly in Europe and at the United Nations, that Mr. Karzai may not be up to the task of addressing Afghanistan’s many economic and political problems.

Mrs. Bush Showcases Progress - Deb Riechmann, Associated Press

Rallying international aid for Afghanistan, first lady Laura Bush on Sunday showcased projects to better the lives of war-weary Afghans. Yet at each stop, an eerie reminder of the country's violent past was just a glance away. In a prelude to her trip to the Afghanistan donors conference this week in Paris, Mrs. Bush visited a construction site of a learning center for youngsters that will double as an orphanage. She marveled at how women, who just a few years ago were being forced by the Taliban to shroud themselves from head-to-toe, are now Afghan National Police trainees. She celebrated the halfway point of a project to pave a road from the airport to the town center in Bamiyan Province.

A Lady Goes to War - Gordon Chang, Contentions

Today, First Lady Laura Bush arrived in Afghanistan for a half-day visit. She met President Hamid Karzai, but the focus of the trip was the women of Bamiyan province. In Bamiyan, Habiba Surabi, the country’s first female governor, accompanied Mrs. Bush, who met with women police trainees and visited an orphanage being built with the assistance of the Afghan-US Women’s Council. (Seven years ago the Taliban regime dynamited two giant statues of Buddha that had stood for more than 1,500 years in that remote province.) The contrast between the much-criticized Karzai government and the Taliban could not be greater. Karzai is struggling, but now children go to school and many of them are girls—about 38,000 according to Kabul’s statistics. Females constitute 45 percent of the school population, up from about zero during the days of Taliban rule.

Karzai to Ask for More Money - Christina Lamb, The Australian

Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai will fly to Paris this week to appeal to the international community for $51.2billion to rebuild his country's battered economy and to promote locate food production. The man who has enjoyed six years as the darling of the West will face tough questions about widespread corruption and his failure to rein in the warlords responsible for growing lawlessness across Afghanistan. As Mr Karzai prepared to leave for Paris, US first lady Laura Bush arrived in Afghanistan on a trip designed to highlight signs of rebirth in the war-worn nation. Ms Bush is going to Bamiyan province and will visit a police training academy and a learning centre. She will also meet Mr Karzai and visit US troops.

Bombing Takes British Toll to 100 - Michael Evans, Times of London

The British death toll in Afghanistan reached the 100 mark yesterday after three soldiers of the 2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment were killed by a suicide bomber during a patrol in Helmand province in the south. The suicide attack, the first this year against British soldiers, happened in the Upper Sangin Valley in the north of the province, the location of many of the fatalities since thousands of reinforcements were sent to Helmand to confront the Taleban in 2006.

Three Paras Killed in Attack - Thomas Harding, Daily Telegraph of London

The three Parachute Regiment soldiers were on a perimeter patrol under a mile outside their base in Helmand province when they were approached by the suicide bomber. It is unclear what device the insurgent used but it is believed that the explosives were strapped to his chest. While foot patrols are used regularly to secure base perimeters it is also known that Taliban spies regular keep watch on movements reporting back by mobile phones or hand-held radios.

British Afghanistan Death Toll Hits 100 - Reuters

Three British paratroopers were killed in the southern Afghan province of Helmand on Sunday in a suicide bomb attack, bringing total British military deaths in Afghanistan since 2001 to 100. The Ministry of Defence said the three soldiers from the Parachute Regiment had been on a routine foot patrol close to their Forward Operating Base in the Upper Sangin Valley when their patrol was attacked.

BBC Afghan Reporter is Shot Dead - BBC News

An Afghan journalist working for the BBC in the country's southern Helmand province has been found shot dead. Abdul Samad Rohani had been abducted on Saturday and his body was found on Sunday afternoon in Lashkar Gah. The BBC paid tribute to Rohani, saying his "courage and dedication have been a key part of the BBC's reporting from Afghanistan in recent years". Rohani worked with the BBC Kabul bureau and was the Pashto service reporter for the BBC World Service in Helmand.

Four Pakistani Police Die in Ambush by Militants - Reuters

Suspected militants killed four policeman in an ambush near Pakistan's northwestern city of Peshawar on Monday, a police official said. The militants armed with Kalashnikov assault rifles opened fire on a police van then threw an explosive, setting the vehicle alight, in an attack about 10 km (6 miles) south of Peshawar, the capital of North West Frontier Province. "Four policemen have been killed in an attack that happened well after midnight," police officer Nasir-ul-Mulk Bangash said.

Peace Agreement Allows Al Qaeda to Remain - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal

With the flurry of negotiations under way in Northwest Frontier Province and the tribal areas, details are finally leaking about the North Waziristan peace agreement that was signed in February. The Daily Times, a Pakistani news organization, has obtained a copy of the peace agreement. The agreement lets al Qaeda leaders and operatives remain in North Waziristan "as long as they pledge to remain peaceful."

Competing Strategies in Afghanistan - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal

The lobbying and the public relations campaign has been essentially completed, and the stage is set for a major shift in strategy in Afghanistan. The teammates are Hamid Karzai - who has said that the West has bungled the war on the Taliban- and the British. But the shift in strategy will not look anything like the surge or security plan for Iraq. Rather, the British and Karzai are pushing for negotiations with the Taliban, and the British plans have been approved by the Cabinet.

Mehsud's Fighters Killed in Afghanistan - Bill Roggio, The Long War Journal

As the Pakistani government continues to push negotiations with Pakistani Taliban commander Baitullah Mehsud, 18 of his fighters were killed while fighting Afghan and Coalition forces inside Afghanistan. The 18 fighters were among dozens of Pakistanis killed, an anonymous Taliban commander told The News. "They were staying in various houses when someone informed the US forces about their presence. The US planes bombarded their positions, killing most of them."

Operation Longest Mile - John, Argghhh!

Service members from the Afghan National Army, Afghan National Policemen and Able Company, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment air assaulted into the Watapoor valley under the cover of darkness May 10 to start Operation Longest Mile in Kunar province, Afghanistan. The Afghan National Security Forces took the lead in the search-and-clear mission of the village of Kur Baugh to search for weapons, ammunition, explosives and other contraband. They were also there to find and question three local Afghan men designated as “high-value targets,” which were believed to be assisting enemy fighters. Service members from the 2-503rd, also known as Task Force Rock, maintained supporting positions.

IRAN

Israel Backs Away From Iran Statement - Matti Friedman, Associated Press

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert distanced himself on Sunday from a Cabinet minister's suggestion that Israel will be forced to attack Iran. Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz set off an international uproar over the weekend by saying in a published interview that Israel will have "no choice" but to attack Iran if it doesn't halt its nuclear program. Mofaz is a former military chief and defense minister, and has been Israel's representative in a strategic dialogue on Iran with US officials.

Iran and the Problem of Evil - Michael Leeden, Wall Street Journal opinion

Clearly, the explanations we gave for our failure to act in the last century were wrong. The rise of messianic mass movements is not new, and there is very little we do not know about them. Nor is there any excuse for us to be surprised at the success of evil leaders, even in countries with long histories and great cultural and political accomplishments. We know all about that. So we need to ask the old questions again. Why are we failing to see the mounting power of evil enemies? Why do we treat them as if they were normal political phenomena, as Western leaders do when they embrace negotiations as the best course of action?

A Free Ride for Tehran's Missiles? - Peter Huessy, Washington Times opinion

The next American president will face the continued threat from Iranian ballistic missiles and their associated nuclear program. However, the election of Barack Obama would destroy a chance for the United States and Europe to be protected from such threats, This would undermine future associated diplomacy undertaken to change the course of Iranian behavior in the Middle East and beyond.

At the Tip of Iran's Spear - David Ignatius, Washington Post opinion

Let's try for a moment to put ourselves in the mind of Brig. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. For it is the soft-spoken Soleimani, not Iran's bombastic president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who plays a decisive role in his nation's confrontation with the United States. Soleimani represents the sharp point of the Iranian spear. He is responsible for Iran's covert activities in Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan and other battlegrounds. He oversees the regime's relations with its militant proxies, Hezbollah and Hamas. His elite, secretive wing of the Revolutionary Guard is identified as a terrorist organization by the Bush administration, but he is also Iran's leading strategist on foreign policy. He reports personally to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and his budget (mostly in cash) comes directly from the supreme leader's office.

THE LONG WAR

No Time for 'Nobody Home' - Armitage and Flournoy, Washington Post opinion

The early months of 2009 may well be the most precarious period in recent American history. As the next president takes office, some 350,000 US military personnel deployed overseas will await orders from their new commander in chief, the first wartime transition since Johnson-Nixon 40 years ago. The next administration will not only take charge of two wars but will also inherit daunting national security challenges: a global struggle against violent extremism; the continued proliferation of nuclear weapons to hostile states; growing challenges associated with energy security and climate change; an overstretched military under enormous strain; an economy sliding toward recession; and US global standing at an all-time low. The "nobody home" phenomenon that occurs between Election Day and the inauguration, as the old administration empties out and the new one has yet to fill its ranks, poses serious risks. It is imperative that this transition proceed quickly and effectively. As Adm. Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, recently noted, "It's important for us to get as many principals in positions as rapidly as possible in a time of war."

Asian Gains Seen in Terror Fight - Eric Schmitt, New York Times

The deadliest terrorist networks in Southeast Asia have suffered significant setbacks in the past three years, weakened by aggressive policing, improved intelligence, enhanced military operations and an erosion of public support, government officials and counterterrorism specialists say. Three years after the region’s last major strike - the attacks on three restaurants in Bali that killed three suicide bombers and 19 other people - American and Asian intelligence analysts say financial and logistical support from Al Qaeda to other groups in the region has long dried up, and the most lethal are scrambling for survival.

West Overlooks Abuses Against Women - Katie Falkenberg, Washington Times

The plight of tens of thousands of abused Pakistani women doesn't garner the headlines of Darfur's genocide in Sudan, the sympathy afforded Burma's forgotten victims or the outrage unleashed in New Orleans after Katrina. These battered women also don't attract the outpouring of financial support that so many other recent global tragedies have drawn. The reason is rooted deep in the war on terror, which has made the United States and other Western allies reticent to forcefully address issues of human rights in an unstable country strategically essential to the pursuit of al Qaeda, the Taliban and other Islamist extremists, according to US experts.

Trial Evidence Was Allegedly Destroyed - Michael Melia, Associated Press

The Pentagon urged interrogators at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to destroy handwritten notes in case they were called to testify about potentially harsh treatment of detainees, a military defense lawyer said Sunday. Lt. Cmdr. William Kuebler, the attorney for Toronto-born Omar Khadr, said the instructions were included in a 2003 operations manual shown to him by prosecutors. He said they suggest that the United States deliberately thwarted evidence that could help terrorism suspects defend themselves at trial.

Extremists are Turning on Bin Laden - Paul Cruickshank, NY Daily News opinion

New Yorkers last week were reminded yet again of the horrors of the 9/11 attacks, when their unrepentant mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed was arraigned in Guantanamo Bay. But few are aware a tectonic shift has taken place beneath the headlines in the wider war on terrorism - one that could within a few years significantly lower the likelihood of terror returning to New York's streets. This is because Al Qaeda has gotten itself into hot water with the one constituency that it cannot afford to alienate: its fellow jihadists.

Fallacy of Islamic 'National Suicide' - George Bisharat, Los Angeles Times opinion

A new buzzword is arising from the network of Israeli think tanks and security-oriented academic departments bent on instigating a U.S. attack on Iran: "national suicide." The term describes a supposed Arab Muslim tradition of politically motivated suicide at the national, not just individual, level. Arab Muslim regimes have purportedly launched ruinous wars they could not have reasonably hoped to win, condemning their nations to destruction. The notion of an "irrational" and thus untrustworthy Iranian regime has already been widely discussed in the US. It is regularly invoked by Sen. John McCain on the stump. The term "national suicide" advances the notion and gives it a patina of academic respectability.

Al-Qaeda: The Cracks Begin to Show - Abul Taher, Times of London

For the first time, they reported, men whose previous pronouncements had been used as a justification for jihad were speaking out against it. They were not embracing the West, by any means, but they were questioning the ideological basis upon which Al-Qaeda, as a scattered movement, relies. In the battle for “hearts and minds” the group appeared to have scored an own goal. What is behind this change in thinking and what effect is it having on Al-Qaeda abroad and in Britain?

A Not Very Private Feud Over Terrorism - Sciolino and Schmitt, New York Times

A bitter personal struggle between two powerful figures in the world of terrorism has broken out, forcing their followers to choose sides. This battle is not being fought in the rugged no man’s land on the Pakistan-Afghan border. It is a contest reverberating inside the Beltway between two of America’s leading theorists on terrorism and how to fight it, two men who hold opposing views on the very nature of the threat.

Young Radicals Of Next-Gen Jihad - Marc Sageman, Washington Post opinion

We are fighting the wrong foe. Over the past six years, the nature of the international Islamist terrorist threat to the West has changed dramatically, but Western governments are still fighting the last war -- set up to fight an old al-Qaeda that is now largely contained. Unless we understand this sea change, we will not be able to ward off the new menace. The version of al-Qaeda that Osama bin Laden founded is a fading force. After a week in which five detainees who allegedly planned the Sept. 11, 2001, atrocities were arraigned before a US military tribunal at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, it's worth remembering that the terrorists behind 9/11 were mostly young, well-educated middle-class expatriates from Muslim countries who had become radicalized abroad, especially in the West. Such key 9/11 plotters as Mohamed Atta, Ramzi Binalshibh, Ziad Jarrah and Marwan al-Shehhi met and became radicalized as students in Hamburg, then went to Afghanistan looking for al-Qaeda. But over the past six years, most of the professional terrorists who fit this profile have been eliminated during the US-led manhunt for "high-value targets." The few that remain are huddled in the Afghan-Pakistani border area, struggling to extend their reach beyond Pakistan.

Hoffman, Sageman Dustup Goes Mainstream - Stephen Tankel, Kings of War

You no longer need a subscription to Foreign Affairs (or an Athens password) to read about the feud between Bruce Hoffman and Marc Sageman regarding the nature of the jihadist threat. First there was Hoffman’s takedown in the current issue of Foreign Affairs, in which he accused Sageman of “a fundamental misreading of the Al Qaeda threat.” Sageman’s rebuttal, in which he accuses Hoffman of a “gross misrepresentation”, is on the way. But thanks to the NYT Week in Review, we’re all treated to a little preview of what Sageman will have to say. Along with some trans-Atlantic commentary on the feud and a summary of why this matters beyond the realm of the ivory tower.

Rushing to Misjudgment - Michael Tanji, Threats Watch

In the military and national intelligence spheres the phrase is “intelligence drives operations;” in law enforcement its “intelligence led policing,” but whatever the domain the point is the same: More data collected and analyzed effectively is more effective than tripling the number of trigger-pullers. Terrorism is a waning issue? Perhaps, but while Islamists feel the heat and lay low you have suburbs turning into ghost towns (with all that that implies crime-wise) and narco-gangs defeating state forces at the border (the list goes on). Does anyone think that going back to dozens of discrete entities each operating autonomously to tackle these problems is a smart idea?

IRREGULAR WARFARE

Irregular Warfare - William Safire, New York Times opinion

The Pentagon has decided on a name for the kind of war we have to be prepared to fight in decades to come. The definition for irregular warfare - cautiously marked “proposed” when approved in September 2007 by Defense Secretary Robert Gates and other top brass - is “a violent struggle among state and nonstate actors for legitimacy and influence over the relevant populations. Irregular warfare favors indirect and asymmetric approaches, though it may employ the full range of military and other capabilities, in order to erode an adversary’s power, influence and will.” Much tugging and hauling has ensued over what is encompassed in that proposed definition. Brig. Gen. Robert Holmes of the Air Force recently described IW to Pincus as ranging from “combat operations to... information operations and computer net-ops and then begin to expand into threat finance, economic development, criminalization and international law enforcement.” A respected military historian I won’t name notes that “the British don’t like the term ‘irregular activity,’ and other countries don’t use that definition, though we at DOD go by it. Safire ought to write about it because no one can agree on what the term means. It’s a mess.”

War By Any Other Name - Phillip Carter, Intel Dump

In today's New York Times magazine, William Safire enters the thicket of military jargon to write about the latest buzzword sweeping the Pentagon: "irregular warfare." Apparently, the Pentagon was unsatisfied with the use of "counterinsurgency" (too focused on one kind of warfare); "asymmetric warfare" (denotes only war where different or unbalanced tactics are use); and "unconventional warfare" (too confusing because of past usage). Other terms batted around included "small wars" and "hybrid wars" and "full spectrum wars" -- all of which were found wanting by the powers that be. And so, the Pentagon settled on irregular warfare.

Sunday Semantics - Kip, Abu Muqawama

Kip's not sure that our readers' standard Sunday reading includes Safire's weekly On Language. This Sunday, Safire writes on the evolution of irregular warfare from denoting our enemy's actions to specifying our own responses. Of course, "irregular warfare" is a terrible term for warfare that has become not simply regular but indeed the norm in the Information Age. Perhaps we should drop "irregular" and have our military as a whole learn, organize, equip, and train to fight warfare as it is.

Remembering America’s New Friends - Westhawk, Westhawk

This decade, a million American soldiers have deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. Many have had a chance to develop relationships with Iraqi and Afghan soldiers, civil servants, and businessmen. Summed together, these relations are now forming bonds that will endure beyond whatever decisions statesmen in these countries decide to take. The personal relationships between Americans and their counterparts in Iraq and Afghanistan will influence the strategic balance in the region. These relationships are also likely too numerous and too deep for any statesmen to control.

Beyond COIN - Mark Safranski, ZenPundit

Beyond COIN: A Potential Answer to “Granular” 4GW Scenarios? Global COIN, Chet Richards and John Robb.

Cut Nose, Spite Face - More on Human Terrain - Tim Stevens, CT Lab

Roberto J. González is perhaps best known for his continued opposition to the involvement of anthropologists in the U.S. military's Human Terrain System. The title of his 2007 article, 'We Must Resist the Militarization of Anthropology' sums up his concerns with the delicate relationship between social science and the military. Who shapes the agenda? Is it ethical to 'enable the kill chain'? Should social science be subordinated to the aims of the Department of Defense and the Central Intelligence Agency? These are all valid issues, of course, but González's work often seems tinged with a reactionary attitude as uncritical as those he claims to be challenging.

US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Shakeup May Lead to Overhaul - Gordon Lubold, Christian Science Monitor

The US Air Force must undertake a wholesale assessment of itself in the wake of the extraordinary firings last week of its top two officials, say analysts. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday that the forced resignations of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley was only the result of a loss of confidence in the service's ability to handle nuclear weapons after two embarrassing incidents in the past year. But those events capped a period of turbulence between the service and the Pentagon and Congress over broader issues such as acquisition, contracting, and strategy, analysts say.

Proving Missile Defense - John Carey, Washington Times opinion

On Thursday June 5, 2008, USS Lake Erie, a US Navy guided missile cruiser, did something many critics say was and still is impossible. That ship and her crew destroyed a ballistic missile target just before that ballistic missile would have obliterated its target. This was the first ballistic missile defense test of the sea-based system since a Navy cruiser surprised the world when it shot down an errant satellite earlier this year. USS Lake Erie fired two interceptor missiles that shot down the target in its final seconds of flight about 12 miles above the Pacific Ocean. The target was destroyed about 100 miles northwest of the Hawaiian Island of Kauai about 5 minutes after it was launched.

Mocking the Troops at The Onion - Herschel Smith, The Captain's Journal

The sentiment where one opposes the war but supports the troops has evolved into mocking the troops regardless of any war. The Onion (famous for satirical or fake news) released a report entitled Love Letters from US Troops Increasingly Gruesome. The Captain’s Journal hates to bring any more attention to this sophomoric tripe (it really is very poorly done and inept), but its real value might very well be the instruction it gives us about the author in contrast with its subject.

US DEPARTMENT OF STATE

At Cross-purposes? - Jeffrey Kuhner, Washington Times opinion

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has helped to derail President Bush´s pro-democracy agenda. A leading figure in the administration, Miss Rice has long had the ear of Mr. Bush. She has been at Mr. Bush´s side during every major foreign policy decision. However, as Stephen Hayes points out in the recent issue of the Weekly Standard, Miss Rice may be personally loyal but has proven to be an ideological heretic. In reality, Miss Rice was never a foreign policy hawk - or even a genuine conservative. Rather, she is a flinty realist who emphasizes the importance of geopolitical stability and diplomacy over disruptive change. A protege of Brent Scowcroft and James Baker, she believes multilateralism and negotiations are the most effective tools of statecraft.

AFRICA

13 People Dead in 2 Algerian Bombings - Aomar Ouali, Associated Press

Two bombs exploded Sunday at a train station in Algeria, killing 13 people and wounding several others, a security official said. Both bombs at the station in Beni Amrane, about 60 miles east of the North African nation's capital, were apparently triggered by remote control, the official said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility. Algeria's al-Qaida affiliate, al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, is known to be active in the area. Islamic militants in the country have mounted increasing attacks over the past two years.

Diggers to Join UN Mission in Darfur - Patrick Walters, The Australian

Australia will send nine defence logistics experts to Darfur to assist the UN mission aimed at restoring stability to the troubled region of southern Sudan. The small Australian team will form part of the newly created Assistance Mission in Darfur, which is destined to become the UN's largest peacekeeping operation, with an estimated 20,000 troops and 6000 police and civilian personnel. The Australians will be located within the UNAMID headquarters based at El Fasher, inNorth Darfur, working on logistics, movement and operational issues.

Sudan Agreement on Abyei Reached - BBC News

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir and the southern leader Salva Kiir are to use international arbiters in a dispute over the contested town of Abyei. An estimated 50,000 people fled from the oil-rich area during violent clashes last month which many feared could reignite a bloody civil war. After intense negotiations the two sides have now agreed on an interim administration for Abyei. The region's border will be considered by international arbitration.

Sudan Rivals Reach Agreement - Mohamed Osman, Associated Press

The leaders of Sudan's northern and southern halves signed an agreement Sunday to settle a dispute over the oil-rich Abyei region that, if implemented, could stop the nation's slide back into civil war. President Omar al-Bashir, from the Arab-dominated north, and First Vice President Salva Kiir, of the south, agreed to refer the matter to international arbitration and set up a new interim administration for the troubled border region.

Zimbabwe's 'Military Coup by Stealth' - Catherine Philp, Times of London

The campaign of terror sweeping Zimbabwe is being directly organised by a junta that took over the running of the country after Robert Mugabe’s shock election defeat in March. Details of the organised violence are contained in a report released today by Human Rights Watch, corroborated by senior Western diplomats who describe the situation in Zimbabwe as a “military coup by stealth”. The human-rights group and the diplomats name Zimbabwe’s effective rulers as the Joint Operations Command, a shadowy security politburo made up of military and police generals, senior intelligence officers, prison service officials and leaders of the ruling Zanu (PF) party.

Militias Block Zimbabwe Opposition Rally - Associated Press

Opposition officials accused ruling party militias of preventing their party from holding a rally in a suburb of the capital Sunday, a day after a court lifted a ban on opposition gatherings. Movement for Democratic Change spokesman Nelson Chamisa said President Robert Mugabe's supporters cordoned off the area where opposition leaders were to speak, forcing the opposition to cancel the rally.

Zimbabwe Opposition MP Released - BBC News

A court in Zimbabwe has ordered the release of an opposition MP who had been arrested for the second time in a week on public order charges. Authorities suspected Movement for Democratic Change lawmaker Eric Matinenga of election-related violence. The MDC says Mr Matinenga is being harassed and accuses the government of trying to sabotage its poll campaign.

Zimbabwe Braced for Endgame - Richard Dowden, Times of London opinion

The next three weeks in Zimbabwe will be the most traumatic in its history. Robert Mugabe has declared war on the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), NGOs and churches to reverse the electoral defeat he suffered in March. It is a war on unarmed people. Can he win it and what would victory mean? Scenario one: When the votes are counted after a peaceful, well-organised and credible election on June 27, President Mugabe concedes defeat, congratulates Morgan Tsvangirai, hands over the reins of power and retires. Likelihood? Zero.

Zimbabwe's Suicide - Paul Moorcraft, Washington Times opinion

Robert Mugabe gave me a long interview in early 1980. He was the brightest and most impressive politician I had met in Africa. He preached reconciliation with his enemies. Now, in Zimbabwe, he is reviled as a murderous tyrant. The idea that absolute power over 28 years, plus senility, has caused him eventually to become demented is not convincing. Mr. Mugabe's utterly sober and single-minded determination and ruthlessness have always been marks of his character. He was a tough guerrilla leader in his liberation war. After independence from Britain in April 1980, he wiped out his tribal opposition in Matabeleland, killing more than 10,000 people in the first years of his rule.

Somali Peace Talks Splutter in Djibouti - Omar Hassan, Reuters

A UN-led peace initiative for Somalia appears to have failed, with government and opposition delegations refusing to meet face-to-face in Djibouti to try to end 18 years of conflict. "I made the decision to terminate the conference," UN envoy for Somalia, Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, told a news conference in Djibouti late on Sunday. In the most recent failed international diplomatic initiative, Ould-Abdallah persuaded teams from both sides to come twice to neighboring Djibouti in May and this month.

UN Pushes Peace Effort in Congo's East - Edith Lederer, Associated Press

The UN Security Council renewed a push for civilian rule in Congo's militia-plagued east on Sunday as efforts continue to disarm rebel groups and finally restore peace to the ravaged region. The country's hilly eastern border area - the scene of the worst fighting and a humanitarian crisis in the Central African nation - has been lawless for so long that citizens have given up on any sort of government, France's UN Ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert said as the group toured Goma, a major eastern city.

AMERICAS

US Sees Mexico Drug Gang Violence Worsening - Associated Press

A powerful coalition of drug gangs led by Mexico's most-wanted man is collapsing, meaning the surge in bloodshed and police killings will get worse, a senior US counternarcotics official said. Internal conflicts, greed and pressure by Mexico's military are causing a split among gangs from the Pacific state of Sinaloa, with each group seeking new alliances to smuggle illegal drugs into the United States.

Intellectual Takes Rebel Reins in Colombia - Forero and Dudley, Washington Post

The death of the world's oldest rebel commander has ushered in a new chapter in Colombia's long civil conflict, with a bookish communist intellectual now leading a waning guerrilla force against a government convinced of its ability to deliver a resounding defeat. Guillermo Sáenz Vargas had been an anthropology student from one of Bogota's most desirable neighborhoods when, spurred by radical university politics and determined to oust the ruling elite, he joined the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and took the nom de guerre Alfonso Cano. Now, 26 years later, Cano is leading Latin America's last significant rebel movement, a hermetic, anachronistic organization committed to armed struggle long after the Soviet Union's collapse.

Giving Colombia a Chance - William Ratliff, Washington Times opinion

The death of one of Latin America's top guerrilla leaders, Colombia's Manuel "Sureshot" Marulanda, who died last month of a heart attack at age 77, increases the chances for peace and stability in the region. But much depends on the United States, which needs to understand that what happens in Colombia impacts all of Latin America. The end of Marulanda, founder of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, a narco-terrorist group known as FARC, could, of course, have the opposite effect by giving the next generation of guerrilla leaders a boost. But it also could trigger a series of steps - including release of 700 or so guerrilla prisoners - that could further blunt FARC's already declining influence and allow Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to focus on his country's development.

Morning in Colombia - Mary Anastasia O'Grady, Wall Street Journal opinion

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi refuses to allow a vote on the US-Colombia Free Trade Agreement because she says that President Álvaro Uribe has not done enough to quell political violence in this country, particularly against unionists. In large numbers, Colombians challenge that assertion. On the basis of statistics alone, the Pelosi charge is absurd. Since 2002, when Mr. Uribe took office, the murder rate among all Colombians is down 40% while the murder rate among union members - whom Mrs. Pelosi seems singularly worried about - is down 87%. Government funding for protection of unionists has increased by 285% under Mr. Uribe. Today, life as a unionist is far safer than it is for the population at large. And the population at large is safer than it has been in years.

Chávez Urges Rebels to End Struggle - Simon Romero, New York Times

President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela called on Sunday for Colombia’s largest guerrilla group to end its four-decade struggle to overthrow Colombia’s government, a surprising policy shift just months after he called for the rebels to be recognized as a legitimate insurgent force. Mr. Chávez’s comments came a day after Colombian authorities announced the capture in eastern Colombia of two Venezuelans, including one man identified as a Venezuelan national guard officer, carrying 40,000 AK-47 assault rifle cartridges, which the Colombians said were intended for use by the guerrilla group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

Chavez Urges FARC to End Struggle - Chritopher Toothaker, Associated Press

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged Colombian rebels on Sunday to lay down their weapons, unilaterally free dozens of hostages and put an end to a decades-long armed struggle against Colombia's government. Chavez sent the uncharacteristically strong message to the leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, saying their ongoing efforts to overthrow Colombia's democratically elected government were unjustified.

Chavez Urges Colombian Rebels to Free All Hostages - Reuters

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez urged the new leader of Colombia's FARC rebels on Sunday to release all prisoners held in jungle camps, in an effort to galvanize international efforts to free high-profile hostages. Chavez, who Colombia accuses of supporting Latin America's oldest insurgency, mediated the first major hostage releases in years in January and February but there has been no further progress toward freeing more prisoners for months.

Chavez to Revoke Spying Law - Chris Kraul, Los Angeles Times

Bowing to popular pressure, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he would rescind a new intelligence law that critics said would have forced citizens to spy on one another and would have moved the country toward a police state. During his Sunday talk show "Alo Presidente," Chavez said he had had second thoughts about the National Intelligence and Counterintelligence Law that he decreed May 28, a law that has been under attack from the nation's human rights and legal experts as unconstitutional. "All Venezuelans can be sure that this government will never trample on their liberty, regardless of their politics," Chavez said. "To err is human. We're going to correct this law." Chavez has the constitutional right to make and undo laws by decree, and he previously described the intelligence law as a defensive measure against a possible US invasion. But speaking Saturday in Maracaibo, he acknowledged that it had generated fear.

Chavez Reverses Course on Citizen Spying Rules - Reuters

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he would scrap new rules that oblige citizens to spy on each other, backing down after an outcry from the opposition, rights groups and the Roman Catholic Church. "Nobody can oblige me to turn into a snitch - nobody," Chavez said on his Sunday TV show. "To err is human. We made a mistake and we have to correct the law. We will never trample on the rights of Venezuelans - no matter what their politics - never." An intelligence law decreed last month fueled criticism that Chavez - who calls ex-Cuban President leader Fidel Castro his mentor - wants to imitate the communist island's political system in Venezuela.

ASIA PACIFIC

Business as Usual in Burma - Wall Street Journal editorial

The US Navy gave up trying to help cyclone-raged Burma Thursday, and sailed away. Also last week, the military junta detained the country's most popular comedian, who was organizing grassroots relief efforts. It's back to business as usual in Burma. This shouldn't come as a surprise. Burma's generals have experienced little tangible rebuke for letting their citizens starve and die in the wake of Cyclone Nargis. The United Nations sent Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, but still welcomes Burma as a member - even naming the country to prominent positions in the General Assembly. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations also welcomes the generals into its ranks. Meanwhile, soldiers have been employed to "encourage" destitute refugees to return to their villages to plant rice - even though most of those villages were razed to the ground. Journalists covering the crisis were branded "despicable" and "absolutely obnoxious" in state media on Friday. The Irrawaddy magazine reported Wednesday that police in Rangoon are beating up children who try to beg for food.

Khmer Rouge Tribunal's Rebirth - John Hall, Wall Street Journal opinion

Eight months ago the United Nations-sponsored Khmer Rouge tribunal in Phnom Penh didn't look like it was worth funding. The United Nations Development Program, which distributes donor funds to the Cambodian side of the tribunal, had tried and failed to suppress an embarrassing audit, first revealed on these pages. The Open Society Justice Initiative's Phnom Penh office brought to light various irregularities at the tribunal, including damning allegations that Cambodian tribunal staff and judges were required to kickback part of their salaries to keep their jobs. Now the cash is running out. This week, the tribunal is expected to ask donor nations for around $100 million to fund its activities for the next three years. Given the advanced age and poor health of the surviving leaders of the Khmer Rouge, the stakes are high. But the tribunal's progress over the past few months has been marked. It is now is worth funding.

Is the PLAN to go Big or Stay Small? - Galrahn, Information Dissemination

The Economist is observing a massive naval buildup in Asia. If you are interested, here is more on the maritime rivalry between China and India the media has been looking at lately. When we read mainstream analysis regarding the Chinese military buildup, it is interesting some articles predict that China is certain to building aircraft carriers. We aren't so sure.

China Reading Worth the Time - Galrahn, Information Dissemination

We are really enjoying China Security since finding it online, and the latest issue is excellent. In the latest edition, the first section offers 21 informed 500 word essays that debate China's future. A PDF of this section is available here. We find several of the essays insightful, and will probably discuss several before it is all said and done.

David and Goliath - Richard Fernandez, The Belmont Club

But who's Goliath? An Australian town takes on the powerful forces of Islamic Dawa, who are trying to establish a very large Islamic academy in their locality. Few noticed that the story was far from over. After the Camden Council announced its decision, the Quranic Society announced its intention to appeal in the land and environment court. The court can reverse the Council’s decision. While the ladies in Akubra hats went home, one of the Quranic Society’s more prominent members, Imam Abdul Quddoos al-Azhari, left immediately for Malaysia to raise more money for the fight. Malaysia is a major hub for funding dawa, or Islamic missionary activities, aimed at Australia. There, funds were available not only from the Regional Islamic Council for Southeast Asia and the Pacific but also from charities funded by Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Libya. They would be back and with more resources.

EUROPE

Hopes for Court Reform Stir in Russia - Peter Finn, Washington Post

Yelena Valyavina, a senior judge at the Federal Arbitration Court, electrified a Moscow courtroom last month when she stated openly what had long been unspoken, at least by influential insiders: The Kremlin has pressured and threatened the Russian judiciary to secure favorable rulings. The testimony by such a senior judge was cause for some cautious optimism that calls by Russia's new president, Dmitry Medvedev, for an independent court system might actually be genuine. Valyavina's boss, Chief Justice Anton Ivanov, is one of Medvedev's oldest and closest associates, and that connection was lost on no one.

Airbrushed by the Kremlin, Again - New York Times editorial

Years ago, Soviet news agencies grew to be experts in removing unwanted comrades from official photographs. People disappeared in the developing rooms just as they disappeared in real life, and early group photos with Stalin often contracted into a picture of the Soviet dictator standing alone. That grim history makes what’s happening today on Russia’s national television networks all the more chilling.

Scarf Dispute Exposes Divide - Nicholas Birch, Washington Times

Two reformist theologians have taken Turkey's most famous Islamic clothes designer to court for exploiting religion, in a case highlighting tensions between political Islam and Turkey's market economy. Dubbed "Allah's tailor" by the press, Mustafa Karaduman long ago earned the wrath of Turkish secularists for his successful mass-marketing of the brightly colored head scarves and ankle-length coats that have become a trademark of conservative urban women.

MIDDLE EAST

New Star Rises in Israel - Ilene R. Prusher, Christian Science Monitor

One of the strongest barometers of Ehud Olmert's expected exit as Israeli prime minister is the extent to which much of the national media's attention has shifted from him to his foreign minister, Tzipi Livni. Ms. Livni, who is only the second woman to serve as minister of foreign affairs in Israel's history and is not yet 50, has been gaining in stature in the decade since she entered politics, but most notably since the founding of the Kadima Party in late 2004. And as Mr. Olmert's star has fallen amid recent testimony alleging that he took thousands of dollars in cash-stuffed envelopes from a US supporter, Livni's has risen precisely because she is seen as the "Mrs. Clean" of Israeli politics.

People vs. Dinosaurs - Thomas Friedman, New York Times opinion

Question: What do America’s premier investor, Warren Buffett, and Iran’s toxic president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, have in common? Answer: They’ve both made a bet about Israel’s future. Ahmadinejad declared on Monday that Israel “has reached its final phase and will soon be wiped out from the geographic scene.” By coincidence, I heard the Iranian leader’s statement on Israel Radio just as I was leaving the headquarters of Iscar, Israel’s famous precision tool company, headquartered in the Western Galilee, near the Lebanon border. Iscar is known for many things, most of all for being the first enterprise that Buffett bought overseas for his holding company, Berkshire Hathaway. Buffett paid $4 billion for 80 percent of Iscar and the deal just happened to close a few days before Hezbollah, a key part of Iran’s holding company, attacked Israel in July 2006, triggering a monthlong war. I asked Iscar’s chairman, Eitan Wertheimer, what was Buffett’s reaction when he found out that he had just paid $4 billion for an Israeli company and a few days later Hezbollah rockets were landing outside its parking lot. Buffett just brushed it off with a wave, recalled Wertheimer: “He said, ‘I’m not interested in the next quarter. I’m interested in the next 20 years.’ ”

Friedman Right On - David Hazony, Contentions

Thomas Friedman nails the argument about Israel and Iran in today’s New York Times. One of the clear indicators of which side we should be on in Iran vs. Israel is to compare Iranian economic stagnation with Israel’s flourishing economy.

Analysis: Out of luck in Gaza - Yaacov Katz, Jerusalem Post opinion

In a briefing with military correspondents at the Kirya military headquarters in the spring of 2006, when the possibility of war in Lebanon was far from the IDF's mind, then-chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz was asked to explain the army's strategy for dealing with the Hamas threat in the Gaza Strip. These were the days before Hamas kidnapped Gilad Schalit (in June 2006) and before it violently took over Gaza (in June 2007). Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah forces still patrolled the streets in a show of absent force before they were run out by the outnumbered Hamas men.

War-Gaming Gaza - Noah Pollak, Contentions

Yaacov Katz has an analysis in the Jerusalem Post about the Israeli military’s war planning for Gaza. A discrete attack on Iran may not be possible given the current state of affairs, even if there is a preexisting cease fire in Gaza and a peace process with Syria. Likewise, a discrete war against Hamas may not be possible given the existence of Hezbollah and Syria on Israel’s borders. Properly understood, Israel is facing a war against one enemy whose power has been extended to many locations.

It’s Not Time to Talk to Syria - Noah Pollak, Contentions

On Thursday, Senators Chuck Hagel and John Kerry teamed up on a Wall St. Journal op-ed titled “It’s Time to Talk to Syria.” It’s a bizarre piece; they claim that “history shows that intensive diplomacy can pay off,” yet offer not a single plausible example to justify the claim. Their one anecdote - that Syria sided with the U.S.-led coalition in Desert Storm because James Baker visited Damascus so many times in the run-up to the war - is, to put it nicely, a cynical rewriting of history.

WORLD

Of Human Bondage - Wall Street Journal editorial

The biofuels boom has contributed to the recent spike in food prices that threatens the world's poor. In Brazil, home of ethanol made from sugar cane, it's had another unintended consequence: slavery. The use of forced labor to work in sugar cane plantations is "a growing trend," according to the US State Department's latest report on human trafficking. The annual report, released last Wednesday, documents sexual exploitation and forced labor in 170 countries. It is always a tough read. This year's edition records the appalling abuse of men, women and children in brothels, factories and farms - often while government looks the other way - and spots trends. Every country receives a ranking based on its record in prosecuting exploiters, protecting victims and preventing abuses.

Managing Disaster - Immelt and Mulcahy, Wall Street Journal opinion

In the aftermath of a terrible natural disaster like China's Sichuan earthquake, global businesses with operations in the area have a critical role to play in providing much-needed relief. Their ability to do that depends greatly on how well they have "learned the landscape" – not only of their host country, but also of disaster response. Following the May 12 earthquake, many multinational companies like FedEx, General Electric, IBM, Xerox and others, responded not only immediately and generously, but correctly and effectively. Most of the companies provided an outpouring of cash, nearly always the most effective way to help a relief effort in any disaster. Cash is liquid, and it can be used to respond to the most urgent needs. Cash also allows relief agencies to purchase items such as food, clothing and tents locally, helping to restart economies that come to a halt in a disaster's aftermath.

UNITED NATIONS

Search Process for Post at UN Raises Ire - Betsy Pisik, Washington TImes

A secret Cabinet convened by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will select the new UN high commissioner for human rights in the next few weeks. In fact, the process is so closely guarded that UN officials, diplomats, human rights advocates and nongovernmental organization (NGO) representatives say they do not know who is on the selection team to find Louise Arbour's successor, how many people are involved with the process, or when they will come up with a name.

Your UN at Work, IV - Wall Street Journal editorial

The General Assembly of the United Nations voted this week to elect Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann as its new president. Readers with a long memory will recall Father D'Escoto (he's a Catholic priest) as Nicaragua's foreign minister during the Sandinista regime of the 1980s. He's also the winner of the 1985 Lenin Prize. Only at the UN does that count as a recommendation. The UN also voted to name the government of Burma – which otherwise has been busy preventing humanitarian assistance from reaching hundreds of thousands of its own needy victims of last month's devastating cyclone – as one of the Assembly's vice presidents. Only at the UN is this not considered an embarrassment. If that weren't enough, a US official was present for the vote - which was by acclamation - when the US could have at least protested the choice with an empty seat. Nor did the State Department make any effort to offer an alternative to Father d'Escoto, who ran unopposed. Somehow, we don't think this would have happened had John Bolton still been ambassador.

Politics and Hunger - New York Times editorial

One might expect that food riots in Egypt and Haiti would convince the world’s wealthy nations of the need to do more to feed the world’s poorest. If not, maybe the threat of 100 million more people falling into poverty due to soaring food prices would spur them to help. Yet at last week’s United Nations food summit, the world’s more-developed nations proved, once again, that domestic politics trumps both humanitarian concerns and sound strategic calculations.

RECOMMENDED READING

KeepNet 8 June 2008 - Tim Stevens, Ubiwar

More great reading from a SWJ friend.

Recommended Reading - Mark Safranski, ZenPundit

More great reading from a SWJ friend.

EVENTS OF INTEREST

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.