IRAQ

US Will Allow Assessment Process to Run its Course - Jim Garamone, AFPS

Even with the positive trend lines in Iraq, leaders will not rush the assessment process for determining US force levels in the country, Pentagon officials said today. The assessment process is as transparent as the department can make it, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said today. While pundits have called for greater redeployments from Iraq, the department will wait and see what commanders recommend. Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates finds his most valuable advice comes from commanders on the ground, and he will continue to rely on them, Whitman said. “We are reaching that period of time when the post-surge assessment will be done,” he said.

Petraeus: Fresh Troop Cuts Hinge on Security - Reuters

The US military commander in Iraq said on Monday that security conditions would determine whether he makes recommendations for further troop withdrawals in the coming months. The comments by General David Petraeus came a day after The New York Times reported the Bush administration was already considering more troop cuts beginning in September. There are some 146,000 US soldiers in Iraq, down from a peak of 170,000 in 2007 when President George W. Bush ordered five additional combat brigades to Iraq to try to drag the country back from the brink of civil war. The last of those extra brigades has already begun leaving Iraq and will have completed its withdrawal this month.

Kirkuk's Status Could Sideline Voters - James Warden, Stars and Stripes

While Iraqi politicians struggle to draft rules that allow them to hold elections this fall, disagreements on where Kirkuk belongs could leave voters in the province watching from the sidelines. Iraq’s presidential council is expected to order lawmakers to vote on election rules Tuesday if they can’t reach an agreement before then, said Melissa Ward, governance adviser for the State Department’s Provincial Reconstruction Team in Kirkuk. They could also agree to temporarily set aside issues surrounding Kirkuk in order to move forward in election discussions. Were that to happen, leaders would likely postpone elections in Kirkuk until there’s a decision on whether the province belongs with the Kurdistan Regional Government or the central government.

Commander Details Basra Transformation - Jim Garamone, AFPS

Security progress in Basra is “overwhelming” and Iraq’s second-largest city could be “another Dubai in the coming decade,” the commander of Multinational Division Southeast said today, referring to the bustling international business hub. British Army Maj. Gen. Barney White-Spunner told Pentagon reporters via teleconference from Baghdad that Operation Charge of the Knights -- ordered by Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in March -- has “well and truly” turned the tide in the city. Before the operation, militias controlled large parts of the city. Militia leaders, many under control of Iran, intimidated the populace and turned the city into a crime empire. Basra is key to Iraq’s success, with oil fields, the port of Umm Qasr and the international airport being economic engines for the region, White-Spunner said.

Suicide Bombers Kill 35 Iraqi Recruits - Richard Oppel Jr., New York Times

Two suicide bombers posing as army recruits struck an Iraqi base just east of Baquba on Tuesday morning, killing at least 35 Iraqi recruits and wounding 63, according to the Iraqi police and medical officials in Diyala Province. The attack came as Iraqi troops prepared for what their commanders predict will be a challenging fight to try to reclaim large areas of Diyala that remain sanctuaries for Salafist jihadi fighters and other anti-government guerrillas. The bombers, wearing belts packed with explosives, waded into a crowd of more than 200 recruits just after 8 a.m. and blew themselves up about 30 seconds apart in front of the headquarters of an Iraqi brigade where the recruits had gathered.

650 Cadets Graduate from Iraq Military Academies - Associated Press

Some 650 cadets from four military academies in Iraq graduated on Monday in a ceremony that underlined what US officials say is the growing self-sufficiency of Iraqi forces. The ceremony in Baghdad was attended by Gen. David Petraeus, the top American commander in Iraq. Petraeus told the cadets that Iraq needs less help from the US military but promised that the United States remains ready to assist when needed. A total of 4,800 Iraqis have graduated from the academies over the past three years.

Al Qaeda's Dealed Fate in Iraq - Deroy Murdock, Washington Times opinion

As al Qaeda in Iraq's fortunes wane, it has no one but itself to blame. President Bush's troop surge indisputably has crushed al Qaeda and other terrorists, while Iraqi soldiers have honed their ability to hammer deadly insurgents. But much of al Qaeda's damage has been self-inflicted. Largely overlooked is the Islamo-puritanism it inflicted on the Iraqi territories it seized. Rank-and-file Iraqis tasted life under bin Laden-style Islam, and they gagged. They responded by collaborating with American and Coalition forces to expel these mad zealots from their midst. At one level, al Qaeda's religious decrees have been nearly comical. As the Institute for War & Peace Reporting's Sahar Hussein al-Haideri revealed before she herself was murdered in June 2007, terrorists targeting what they considered pagan symbols bombed a statue of several women hauling jars on their shoulders.

A Matter of Loyalty in Iraq - Padraig O'Malley, Boston Globe opinion

The Helsinki talks on Iraq concluded July 5 in Baghdad with the public disclosure of the agreement - 17 principles defining the framework for conducting future negotiations among parties and 15 mechanisms to monitor compliance with the principles. There are 37 signatories to the agreement; among them some of the most powerful political figures in Iraq representing every shade of political opinion. What they will do with the agreement is in their hands. If they do not develop the structures to give teeth to the monitoring mechanisms, it is likely that the agreement will become a meaningless piece of paper. Akram Al Hakim, the minister of National Reconciliation, invited us, the co-conveners, as well as the Northern Ireland and South African facilitators to Baghdad to celebrate the agreement. What should have been an event of celebration became one that Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki used to violate every principle of democracy we have been given to believe has taken firm hold in Iraq five years after Saddam's fall.

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

Taliban Breached NATO Base in Deadly Clash - Gall and Schmitt, New York Times

The Taliban insurgents who attacked an American-run NATO base near the Pakistan border on Sunday numbered as many as 200 and some managed to breach the walls of the outpost in what was a well-planned attack that took the soldiers on the base by surprise, officials said Monday. The insurgents, who were repulsed, came so close that some of their corpses were lying around the base afterwards, Tamim Nuristani, the former governor of the region said after talking to officials in the district. A Western official requesting anonymity also confirmed that the Taliban did breach part of the base. The attack on the base in Kunar Province left nine American soldiers dead, the worst single loss for the American military in Afghanistan since June 2005 and one of the worst since the Taliban and their Al Qaeda associates were routed in late 2001.

Base Survives Close Battle with Taleban - Tom Coghlan, The Times

Western and Afghan officials have admitted that Taleban militants breached the outer defences of a remote US base during a battle in Kunar province on Sunday that claimed the lives of nine US soldiers and wounded 19 coalition troops. In the first detailed account of the assault on the US “combat outpost”, NATO confirmed yesterday that the insurgents had come close to wiping out the base, which was only three days old. It was “a pretty close run thing,” a military source said. The attack, a frontal assault rarely attempted by the Taleban since they lost hundreds of fighters in similar raids on British outposts in Helmand in 2006, began 15 minutes after the first call to morning prayers at the local mosque.

Deaths Highlight Need for Pakistani Cooperation - Jim Garamone, AFPS

The deaths of nine NATO International Security Assistance Force soldiers in Afghanistan’s Kunar province yesterday highlight the need for cooperation with Pakistan’s military and a tougher Pakistani government stance against extremists, Defense officials said today. Taliban extremists attacked the soldiers’ outpost near Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan. ISAF officials in Kabul said nine soldiers were killed and another 15 were wounded before the NATO force drove off the attackers. The United States has long been concerned about the situation along Afghanistan’s border with Pakistan. The federally administered tribal area on the Pakistani side of the border has been used by Taliban extremists to regroup and plan attacks on NATO and Afghan National Army bases. Taliban groups also have launched missiles and mortars against NATO and Afghan targets from their sanctuaries in Pakistan, Defense Department officials said. NATO officials called the situation in Pakistan “dysfunctional.”

Boost in Militant Strength - Aunohita Mojumdar, Christian Science Monitor

A deadly attack on a remote NATO outpost in the eastern province of Kunar is being viewed as a serious escalation in the fighting between the insurgents and the international forces stationed in Afghanistan - and a possible shift in the insurgents' tactical capability. The high casualties sustained by international forces in recent attacks have also increased the prospects that international troops could launch cross-border strikes into Pakistan with increasing frequency. In contrast to their traditional hit-and-run tactics and reliance on use of explosives, bombs, and suicide attacks, militants directly engaged soldiers at the outpost, in the village of Wanat, in a style that had not been seen for more than a year. A wave of insurgents attacked the outpost from multiple sides and some were able to get inside, killing nine US troops and wounding 15. The attack was the worst for US troops since June 2005, when 16 Americans were killed after their helicopter was shot down.

Afghanistan Accuses Pakistan of Supporting Taliban - Associated Press

Afghanistan lashed out at neighboring Pakistan on Monday alleging that its intelligence service and army are behind the bloody Taliban-led insurgency, calling the security forces the "world's biggest producers of terrorism and extremism." The statement will likely strain already difficult relations between the two neighbors, whose shared porous border has become a safe-heaven for Taliban, al-Qaida and other militant groups, whose attacks have killed thousands and are threatening the stability of both countries. In protest of what it called "direct interference in its internal affairs," Afghanistan said it is suspending its participation in three upcoming meetings with Pakistani officials scheduled for the next few weeks.

Musa Qala Dreams Crumble - Anthony Loyd, The Times

Once the Taleban stronghold of northern Helmand, Musa Qala echoed eight months ago to the sudden fanfare of promises and expectations that followed its recapture by the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and Afghan troops. Keen to capitalise on their first tangible victory in 18 months, the British announced a series of projects to rebuild the town, while the Afghan Government vowed to reverse years of neglect. “It is the eighth month of government here. ISAF, the Afghan Army, the Afghan police - can they show the work they have done in this district?” one elder challenged during last week's shurah meeting between the town leaders and British officers. “You must show your work here. Civilians need to understand that you are working for them.” From the start, the British Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) - the joint civilian and military organisation based in the capital of Helmand, Lashkar Gah - was powerless to prevent Afghan subcontractors from carving up British-funded projects among themselves. The ensuing bungs, bribes and embezzlement ensured that much of the money disappeared long before it could be spent on reconstruction projects, some of which are now falling apart as a result of inferior materials and shoddy construction.

Dam Has Security Clause - Chase and Smith, Globe and Mail

It will be Canada's centrepiece development project in Afghanistan - and a target for Taliban attacks - but Ottawa says whoever gets the contract to rebuild the Dahla dam will be required to hire private security to guard the project and people working there. That's the stipulation in a request for proposals that the Canadian government released yesterday on the contract to rebuild the dam, located in the heart of Afghanistan's Kandahar province. "The consultant is responsible to provide primary security for the project sites," the bid documents say. Canadian, NATO or Afghan forces will provide "in extremis" military support - in emergencies, essentially - but soldiers will be working out of a forward operating base 4½ kilometres away, the documents says.

Madrassas Built with Your Dollars - Ann Marlowe, New York Post opinion

The US Army's combination of development with counterinsurgency in Afghanistan is admirable in all but one regard: We're building mosques and madrassas, too. When it comes to building roads, bridges, dams, schools and clinics in the 14 eastern Afghan provinces under de facto US Army protection, our military has done far more than any charity, the US Agency for International Development or the Afghan government. In Khost Province, the model for US counterinsurgency, we built 50 schools last year alone and broken ground on a 200-bed hospital. But we've also finished four mosques, with four more in the works, plus three madrassas, with plans for one in every district (typically areas of 60,000-120,000 people). The Army is building mosques and madrassas with good intentions. But it's far too likely to backfire in the long run.

IRAN

Karzai Opposes US Use of Afghan Soil Against Iran - Reuters

Afghanistan opposes US use of its territory for launching a possible attack against neighbouring Iran, President Hamid Karzai said in an interview broadcast on Monday. Iran has threatened to target Israel and US interests in the region in the event of an attack against the Islamic Republic which is locked in a dispute with the West over its nuclear programme. Karzai said his government, which came to power after US-led and Afghan forces overthrew the Taliban in 2001, had always tried to "keep the balance between the powers."

Assad: Iran Attack Would Hurt US and Israel - Reuters

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad said on Monday a military attack on Iran over its nuclear program would have grave consequences for the United States, Israel and the world. Speculation of a strike against Iran's nuclear facilities has mounted following a report that Israel staged an air force exercise which was a rehearsal for such an attack. "It will cost the United States and the planet dear," Assad said in an interview with France Inter radio, adding that such an attack, if it occurred, would have an impact on Israel.

Ahmadinejad Says Would Welcome Direct US Talks - Associated Press

Iran's hardline president said Monday he would welcome direct talks with the US if both parties are on equal footing, adding such talks could happen "in the near future." President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad did not say whether any definite plans for such bilateral talks were under way. "We will hold talks with the United States if they come to us on equal footing," Ahmadinejad said in a live speech on state TV. Ahmadinejad also said he will attend the next UN General Assembly in New York in September in order to defend Iran's rights and propose changes to what he called the "unjust" Western system of administering international organizations. Ahmadinejad has attended every annual UN General Assembly meeting since he was elected in 2005.

Iran: EU Talks Won't Include Conditions - Associated Press

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad tells state TV he will not accept any conditions on his country's disputed nuclear program during talks with European Union officials this weekend. Major world powers have offered Iran a package of incentives in exchange for a halt to uranium enrichment - a process that can be used to generate electricity, or make a nuclear weapon.

3 Leaders Named in Guard Corps - United Press International

Iran has named three new leaders to its Revolutionary Guard Corps, according to Iranian news reports, a move analysts say is the latest in a series of changes to prepare the force to resist any attack by the United States. The appointments, made at a ceremony over the weekend and reported by Iran's Press TV, "are the continuation of a major reshuffling of the [corps] in recent months to make it more mobile and decentralized as a force to conduct irregular military activities against an invading enemy," said analyst Rasool Nafisi.

THE LONG WAR

A Smarter Way to Fight - Michael Hirsh, Newsweek

American-style counterinsurgency, in other words, is going global. "Colombia has done a really masterful job," says Michael Vickers, the Pentagon's assistant secretary of Defense for Special Operations. Vickers gives Uribe's government "the lion's share" of the credit for the hostage ruse and anti-FARC strategy in general. But he acknowledges that "the Colombians are very close partners of ours and we've provided the training and other things." Vickers, a former Green Beret, is the ex-CIA officer who became famous as the operational brains behind "Charlie Wilson's War"—the book and movie about how a handful of US officials supplied the Afghan mujahedin against the Soviets. The evolving US approach is a sophisticated blend of tactics: relentless manhunting with Special Forces teams, high-tech surveillance and intelligence gathering through phone calls and cyberspace, deception and infiltration, and a "hearts and minds" campaign that attempts to win over bad guys and turn the population against them. (The Colombians call its civilian informers cooperantes.) Added to that, says Vickers, is the use of conventional forces to "hold on to the gains," as in Iraq.

Airline Plot Accused Admit Bombs Conspiracy - Sean O'Neill, The Times

Three men accused of planning to commit mass murder by blowing up transatlantic airliners pleaded guilty yesterday to lesser offences of conspiring to cause explosions. Abdulla Ahmed Ali, Assad Sarwar and Tanvir Hussain admitted involvement in a bomb plot as their long-running trial drew near its close at Woolwich Crown Court. Along with two other men - Ibrahim Savant and Umar Islam - they also entered guilty pleas to a charge of conspiring to cause a public nuisance by recording apparent “martyrdom videos” threatening terrorist attacks. But the men, along with three other defendants, continued to deny the central accusation against them of conspiracy to murder.

Three Plead Guilty in British Terrorism Trial - Kevin Sullivan, Washington Post

Three men accused of plotting to blow up transatlantic airliners in 2006 have pleaded guilty to conspiring to set off bombs, but denied targeting planes or attempting to cause injuries, prosecutors told a London court Monday as one of Britain's most important terrorism trials neared its end. The three men - Abdulla Ahmed Ali, 27, Assad Sarwar, 28, Tanvir Hussain, 27 -- and five other British Muslim defendants have pleaded not guilty to the most serious charge against them, conspiracy to murder. Ali and Sarwar testified during the trial that they intended to set off bombs at Parliament or other high-profile sites. They said the bombs were not intended to cause injury, but were to be a "publicity stunt" in protest of British participation in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

In Bomb Plot Trial, Question of Imminence - Elaine Sciolino, New York Times

When Scotland Yard disrupted what it called a plot to blow up trans-Atlantic airliners with liquid explosives in August 2006, officials in Britain and the United States said the deadliest terrorist attack since Sept. 11 had been averted. Air traffic on two continents was paralyzed, and passengers around the world were permanently barred from carrying most liquids onto planes. Terrorism alert levels in both countries were raised. There were claims by American officials that the suspected scheme resembled the work of Al Qaeda. Now, as the three-month trial of eight defendants draws to a close, prosecutors indeed have presented evidence of meticulous planning, with experiments on a new kind of bomb, research into plane schedules, videos threatening martyrdom, an apartment purchased for more than $270,000 in cash and a mysterious outsider with strong ties to Pakistan.

Testimony by Guantanamo Detainees Allowed - Josh Meyer, Los Angeles Times

Osama bin Laden's former driver can use testimony by alleged Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and some other detained Al Qaeda operatives in his upcoming military trial at Guantanamo Bay because it might help exonerate him, a military judge said Monday. Defense lawyers said at a hearing that they wanted to call Mohammed and seven other prospective witnesses in the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, the first detainee at the US naval base in Cuba to be scheduled for trial. If the proceedings begin next week as planned, it will be the first time the US has held a military tribunal since World War II.

The Hidden Face of Political Islamism - Dean Godson, The Times opinion

Who says that Islamists can't learn a trick or two from the West when they have to? Take a glance at the glossy brochure of Islam Expo - billed as Europe's “biggest Islamic cultural festival” - which ended at Olympia yesterday. You could be forgiven for thinking that you were looking at the catalogue for the forthcoming Boden sale that comes to the venerable London exhibition centre in a few weeks' time. Visitors to Islam Expo would have witnessed such innocent activities as an Islamic arts and crafts workshop for under 12s, live Islamic storytelling performances and lute-playing and poetry recitals in the pomegranate and date gardens. The old Comintern would have instantly recognised the first rate tradecraft involved in organising all this. Just as Moscow and its allies knew how to organise a “popular front” to draw non-communist progressives and liberals into their orbit of influence, so some Islamists have honed a keen sense of how to present a non-threatening face to the West and to the many hundreds of decent, apolitical Muslims who turned up for a family day out. But behind the cultural soft power of Islam Expo, there is political hard power, and some of it comes in quite raw, unpalatable forms. The organisers gave floor space in the exhibition section to the genocidal regime in Sudan (festooned with pictures of happy-looking black Africans) and to the “Cultural Section” of the Iranian Embassy (representing an aspirant genocidal regime) and the Algerian junta (no spring picnic on human rights).

US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Unanswered Questions in Tillman Report - Josh White, Washington Post

Congressional investigators could not determine when senior Pentagon and White House officials learned the details of the "friendly fire" death of Pat Tillman, the Army Ranger and former NFL player, and what role they may have played in the misleading release of information about the 2004 Afghanistan firefight that killed him, according to a preliminary report released yesterday. The House Oversight and Government Reform Committee has been examining the aftermath of Tillman's death to determine why the military and the White House did not inform his family and the public about the nature of it. Investigators found that senior officials could not remember how they learned the truth or what they did in response to learning it.

Pentagon Funds National Security Research - Jennifer Cragg, AFPS

The Defense Department is continuing its efforts to finance university research on national security-related issues, a senior Pentagon official said. The Minerva Initiative is an effort to build the Defense Department’s capacity to reach out to the academic community for research in social science topics of interest to national security both present and future, Thomas Mahnken, deputy assistant secretary of defense for policy planning, said in a teleconference with online journalists and bloggers July 10. Mahnken said the project has multiple strands, such as an agreement with the National Science Foundation and “broad agency announcements that seek research proposals in specific areas of study. A memorandum of understanding recently signed between DoD and that the National Science Foundation allows researchers to apply for grants to study subjects that may be of interest to US national security. Officials anticipate the agreement will fund work leading to new knowledge about topics such as religious fundamentalism, terrorism and cultural change.

DoD Defiance - Washington Post editorial

The Defense Department has defied the Environmental Protection Agency in a way that could threaten the EPA's ability to regulate federal agencies. Post reporter Lyndsey Layton recently detailed how the Pentagon has refused to allow the EPA to oversee cleanup of three sites on the Superfund list of the country's most polluted places, including Fort Meade in Maryland. Pentagon officials have asked the Office of Management and Budget and the Justice Department to intervene, in effect requesting an oversight body separate from the EPA. If the Pentagon is successful in thwarting EPA oversight, other federal agencies could follow suit. The standoff is the result of a breakdown in negotiations over how to clean up Superfund sites. The Pentagon insisted that it was devoting billions of dollars to clean up contaminants and was proceeding as rapidly as possible. When the EPA set strict timetables, the Pentagon balked, refusing to comply with the EPA's "final orders."

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Voters Split on Iraq-Pullout Positions - Weisman and Cohen, Washington Post

A new Washington Post-ABC News poll finds the country split down the middle between those backing Sen. Barack Obama's 16-month timeline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and those agreeing with Sen. John McCain's position that events, not timetables, should dictate when forces come home. Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, will deliver what his campaign is billing as a "major address" on Iraq today in Washington, part of an effort to convince voters that he could serve effectively as commander in chief. The public is also evenly divided on that question, with 48 percent saying he would be an effective leader of the military and 48 percent saying he would not. On Iraq policy in general, Americans continue to side with Obama and McCain, his Republican rival, in roughly equal numbers, with 47 percent of those polled saying they trust McCain more to handle the war, and 45 percent having more faith in Obama. The poll results suggest that months of Democratic attacks on McCain's Iraq position have not dented voters' basic trust in his ability to lead the country's armed forces: Seventy-two percent said McCain would make a good commander in chief.

Caught Between Iraq and a Hard Base - Noemie Emery, Weekly Standard opinion

Back in the heady days of late 2006--when Barack Obama decided on his run for president--Democrats had a foolproof plan to gain power: Use the "disastrous" war in Iraq to split the Republican base off from the center, force Republicans in Congress to desert the president, defund the war effort, and compel withdrawal. Declaring defeat in advance, and even embracing it, they tried to cripple the surge before it started. Nancy Pelosi in the House and Harry Reid in the Senate led a chorus of Democrats who declared the war lost. Even after the surge began, they hoped that pressure would cause mass defections among Republicans, and pressure was duly poured on. Reid is "lashing out at top commanders while putting the finishing touches on a plan to force a series of votes on Iraq designed exclusively to make Republicans up for reelection in 2008 go on record in favor of continuing an unpopular war," Politico reported on June 14, 2007. "By September," Reid hoped, "Republican senators will break with the president."

Going Through Withdrawal - Pete Hegseth, National Review opinion

As someone who monitors the Iraq-war-policy debate closely, I was puzzled to open the New York Times and see an oped authored by Sen. Barack Obama entitled “My Plan for Iraq.” Besides the seemingly moderate tone - and calling for an Afghanistan “surge” (an idea I agree, and one proposed by Sen. Joe Lieberman in March) - not much in the piece is new or newsworthy. In the final analysis, the oped is another dogmatic addendum to Obama’s “withdrawal at any cost” position. In fact, just one question entered my head when I finished reading: Why now? Why would Sen. Obama - or any legislator, for that matter - write such a piece before visiting the country for himself, seeing the situation with his own eyes, and speaking with commanders and troops who actually know what’s going on?

Iraq a Tricky Issue for Obama - Trudy Rubin, Philadelphia Inquirer opinion

Last week, Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and aides raised the issue of withdrawal of US troops. Iraqi officials are negotiating a formula to legally define the status of US forces in Iraq after a United Nations mandate expires at the end of 2008. Obama cited Maliki to support his call for a 16-month withdrawal timetable. He had been under fire last week for "flip-flopping" by suggesting he would "refine" his Iraq policies if elected, so Maliki's remarks were sweet music. That music, however, may be deceptive. Any candidate who wants dramatic drawdowns during his first term needs to pay close attention to complex shifts going on in Iraq and the Middle East.

Let's Not Be Provocative! - Matthew Continetti, Weekly Standard opinion

Asked how the United States ought to respond to last week's Iranian missile tests, Barack Obama told CNN that it was important "we avoid provocation." Just as last year, Obama criticized a Senate bill designating the Iranian Revolutionary Guards a terrorist organization because it was too "provocative." This has us wondering: Is the problem with Iran that the United States seems provocative? Iran revealed to the world in late 2002 that it had been conducting a secret uranium enrichment program for 15 years. This was a violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, to which Iran is a signatory. Uranium enrichment is the first step on the road to building an atomic bomb. Most everyone seems to agree that Iranian nukes would destabilize the Middle East. What to do?

Planning to Ignore the Facts - Rich Lowry, New York Post opinion

At some point, Democrats decided that facts didn't matter anymore in Iraq. And they nominated just the man to reflect the party's new anti-factual consensus on the war, a Barack Obama who has fixedly ignored changing conditions on the ground. It's gotten harder as the success of the surge has become undeniable, but - despite some wobbles - Obama is sticking to his plan for a 16-month timeline for withdrawal from Iraq. He musters dishonesty, evasion and straw-grasping to try to create a patina of respectability around a scandalously unserious position.

A Dangerous Dodge - Amir Taheri, New York Post opinion

Barack Obama's op-ed in yesterday's New York Times begins with a major misundestanding and follows with a dangerous pirouette. His first paragraph reads: "The call by Prime Minister Nouri Kamal al-Maliki for a timetable for the removal of American troops from Iraq presents an enormous opportunity. We should seize this moment to begin the phased redeployment of combat troops that I have long advocated, and that is needed for long-term success in Iraq and the security interests of the United States." Yet Maliki has made no such formal demand. Both Maliki and his security adviser, Muwaffaq al-Rubaie, have stated that they wouldn't endorse any agreement that might imply a permanent US military presence in Iraq. But neither they nor the Iraqi government as a whole has presented a demand for US troop withdrawal in the negotiations with the United States.

AFRICA

Sudan’s Leader Accused of Genocide - Simons and Gettleman, New York Times

The prosecutor at the International Criminal Court on Monday formally requested an arrest warrant for Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, on charges of genocide and crimes against humanity committed during the last five years of bloodshed in his country’s Darfur region. Announcing the request, the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, said that Mr. Bashir “masterminded and implemented” a plan to destroy three main ethnic groups in Darfur, the Fur, Masalit and Zaghawa. Using government soldiers and Arab militias, the president “specifically and purposefully targeted civilians” belonging to these groups, killing 35,000 people “outright” in attacks on towns and villages. “His motives were largely political,” the prosecutor said. “His alibi was a ‘counterinsurgency.’ His intent was genocide.”

Sudan Vows to Fight Charges - McCrummen and Boustany, Washington Post

The Sudanese government defiantly rejected International Criminal Court charges of genocide against President Omar Hassan al-Bashir on Monday, vowing to fight them "legally and diplomatically" instead of retaliating against UN peacekeepers, aid workers or residents of Darfur, a reaction that is feared in the volatile, western Sudanese region. Sudan's UN envoy, Abdalmahmood Abdalhaleem Mohamad, called the court's charges a "catastrophe" that will have "disastrous consequences" on peace efforts in Darfur, where a brutal government campaign against rebels and civilians has left as many as 450,000 people dead from disease and violence, and nearly half the region's population displaced. The Sudanese government says those figures are exaggerated.

ICC Seeks Indictment of Sudanese President - Tendai Maphosa, Voice of America

The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, Luis Moreno-Ocampo has asked for an arrest warrant for Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, accusing him of masterminding genocide and war crimes in Sudan's Darfur region. A three-judge panel is expected to take weeks or months to decide whether a warrant of arrest can be issued. Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo made the announcement at a press conference at the International Criminal Court headquarters in The Hague.

For Darfur, A Step Toward Justice? - Robert Marquand, Christian Science Monitor

In a momentous legal move that could pit the immediate stability of Sudan against that regime's long-term accountability for murder and mayhem in Darfur - Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir has been indicted on charges of genocide by International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. "I don't have the luxury of looking away," said Mr. Moreno-Ocampo, who forswore intense diplomatic pressure and fears of retribution in Sudan, to charge Mr. Bashir with 10 counts of mass crimes, including three for genocide. "I have evidence." The prosecutor's indictment argues that over a five-year period, Sudanese state military forces under Bashir's "absolute control" used a rebel insurgency as an excuse to conduct ethnic cleansing of three Darfur tribes from their native land - using tools of mass rape, murder, and deportation. Nearly 2.5 million people were displaced, and some 300,000 people, mostly civilians, died. Bashir denies any wrongdoing.

'We Will Turn Darfur into a Graveyard' - Crilly and Charter, The Times

Sudan promised to turn Darfur into a graveyard yesterday as it reacted with fury to charges laid by an international prosecutor accusing President al-Bashir of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The threat was made by an official in Darfur after Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), called for the arrest of Omar al-Bashir for his Government’s ruthless campaign of violence in the war-torn region. Outlining his case in The Hague, Mr Moreno-Ocampo said that Mr al-Bashir resorted to the alleged crimes after a rebellion by three ethnic groups in Darfur. He asked the court to issue an arrest warrant before 2.5 million more displaced people died a slow death.

Dictator Accused of Darfur Horrors - David Blair, Daily Telegraph

Sudan's military dictator was accused of "genocide" and "crimes against humanity" when the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court held him responsible for Darfur's bloodshed. President Omar al-Bashir, who seized power in a military coup 19 years ago, is the first serving head of state ever to face proceedings at the ICC in The Hague. Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the Court's chief prosecutor, accused Mr Bashir of three counts of "genocide", five of "crimes against humanity" and two of "war crimes".

Praise and Fear for Darfur - Farley and Sanders, Los Angeles Times

Some praise the International Criminal Court prosecutor's request for a warrant against Sudanese President Bashir as necessary for accountability, but others fear it will worsen the situation. The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court filed genocide charges Monday against Sudan's president, igniting a debate over whether the move would help end the long-standing violence in the country's Darfur region or undermine prospects for peace. Luis Moreno-Ocampo submitted evidence intended to show that Sudanese President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir intentionally tried to wipe out a "substantial part" of three tribes in Sudan's western Darfur region based on their ethnicity. Members of the Fur, Massalit and Zaghawa groups rebelled against the government in 2003. When Bashir's army failed to defeat the armed movements, he sent lawless militias known as janjaweed after the people, declared Moreno-Ocampo, who also filed charges of crimes against humanity against the Sudanese president.

US Tightens Security at Embassy in Sudan - Reuters

The United States said on Monday it had tightened security at its embassy and offices in Sudan after an international prosecutor sought the arrest of the country's president on genocide charges in Darfur. Fearing a violent backlash, the United States assessed security at both its embassy in Khartoum and U.S. facilities in the southern Sudanese capital of Juba, said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack. "We have taken appropriate security measures for our people," McCormack said without elaborating. He also refused to say how many US diplomats were in the country.

UN Braces for Retaliation - Betsy Pisik, Washington Times

UN peacekeeping forces and humanitarian groups in Darfur are bracing for attacks from Sudanese forces and allied Janjaweed militias in retaliation for the indictment of Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir issued Monday by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. Sudan's government reacted with fury to a 10-count indictment of war crimes and crimes against humanity by ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo. Mr. Moreno-Ocampo accused Mr. al-Bashir of "genocide."

UN Pulls Back Staff from Darfur - BBC News

The United Nations is pulling back some non-essential staff deployed in Sudan's restive Darfur region. It says the decision comes after recent violence and as a precaution after an international prosecutor accused Sudan's president of genocide. Judges at the International Criminal Court have still to decide if there are reasonable grounds to issue an arrest warrant against Omar al-Bashir.

China Breaking Arms Ban in Sudan - Olivia Ward, Toronto Star

A dull green military truck sits on a dust-blown road. Its licence plate reads "Dongfeng Motor Co. of China." According to a British Broadcasting Corporation television documentary aired yesterday, the vehicle, produced by one of China's leading auto makers, is powerful evidence that China has been breaking the United Nations arms embargo on military aid and equipment bound for Sudan's embattled Darfur region. Its markings, captured on film, show the truck was exported by China to Sudan in 2005, after the United Nations banned the transfer of military goods to Darfur. And, the BBC program alleges, China is also training fighter pilots who fly its A5 Fantan fighter jets in Darfur, where up to 300,000 people have died at the hands of government-backed militias and tens of thousands more have been displaced.

Charged With Genocide - New York Times editorial

The truth can be difficult. That doesn’t make it any less true. And so we support the decision by the prosecutor at the International Criminal Court to bring charges of genocide against Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, for his role in masterminding Darfur’s horrors. There is legitimate concern that Sudan’s government may vent its ire - even more than it has - on aid workers, United Nations peacekeepers and the people of Darfur. But the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, is fulfilling his internationally mandated responsibilities. That is more than we can say for the United Nations Security Council, which has been unconscionably passive over the burning of villages, the bombing of schools and the systematic rape of women in Darfur. We hope it will finally be shamed into action.

Justice for the Sudanese - Washington Times editorial

International Criminal Court (ICC) is at last taking action to enact justice in Sudan on behalf of the 300,000 victims of the genocidal campaign which has been raging for five years. On Monday, ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno-Ocampo asked a three-judge panel to issue an arrest warrant against Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on charges of murder, rape and deportation. Since 2003, when local tribes attacked his government, the Sudanese army and an Arab militia, the Janjaweed, have been systematically purging the darker-skinned African tribes - displacing and starving approximately 2.5 million refugees.

Indictment for Genocide - Boston Globe editorial

When the chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court presented evidence yesterday in support of an arrest warrant for President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan, he touched off a clash between two principles. The bedrock of the ICC is the pursuit of justice for genocide and crimes against humanity. That differs from the mission of the peacekeeper, the humanitarian aid worker, and the peace negotiator, who must often overlook past crimes in order to end wars and save lives in the future. Responsibility for the murder, rape, and dispossession of black African villagers in the Darfur region of Sudan originates with Bashir. What makes the moral balance between justice and conflict resolution difficult is the near certainty that Bashir, far from turning himself over to the court in The Hague, is more likely to retaliate by increasing the suffering of more than 2 million uprooted Darfurians.

Catching a War Criminal in the Act - Richard Goldstone, New York Times opinion

The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has made the tough decision to seek an arrest warrant for a leader of a country at war - Sudan’s president, Omar Hassan al-Bashir. He is to be charged with genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes during the last five years of war in Darfur. One has to go back to the cases against Slobodan Milosevic of Yugoslavia in 1999 and Charles Taylor of Liberia in 2003 to find the last time that international prosecutors charged a sitting head of state. Then, as now, they were criticized for failing to take “politics” into account. These criticisms are misdirected. The 1998 Rome treaty establishing the International Criminal Court removed head-of-state immunity for atrocity crimes. Since 2005, when the United Nations Security Council referred the Darfur situation to the court, the prosecutor, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, has simply been doing his job - which is to present charges against those who bear the greatest responsibility for the crimes.

China, Muslims and the Genocide - Nicholas Kristof, New York Times opinion

The BBC has uncovered evidence of Chinese military support for Sudanese forces in Darfur. Given the arrest warrant sought today by the ICC’s chief prosecutor for Sudan’s president on charges of genocide, that is reckless behavior on the part of China. It always astonishes me that China is so sensitive to its image being hurt by anti-government demonstrations, yet will sully its own image by helping out with genocide in Sudan. On another front, a few days ago, I scolded the international Muslim community for standing behind Bashir, rather than his victims. I asked why the Islamic world can’t muster a tiny fraction of the outrage for mass murder that it generates for a few Danish cartoons.

Doing the Right Thing for Darfur - Sara Darehshori, Los Angeles Times opinion

On Monday, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, the ICC chief prosecutor, sought a warrant from the court for the arrest of Bashir on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. It may take months for the court to rule, but Moreno-Ocampo's actions will, no doubt, be greeted with joy in the camps. Yet some commentators outside Darfur have argued that this "moment of jubilation" can only be a symbolic victory for the long-suffering people of that region. They contend that should the prosecution of top officials -- however terrible their crimes -- go forward, it will interfere with prospects for peace and security. Sudan's history makes a strong case for the opposite conclusion: The persistent lack of accountability has instead undermined the prospects for peace and stability. There has been little peace to keep.

3rd Election Foreseen for Mugabe's Party - Geoff Hill, Washington Times

The Zimbabwean government of President Robert Mugabe is considering a third election before the end of the year to ensure that the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) loses its current majority in Parliament. This was told to The Washington Times by a senior member of Mr. Mugabe's secret police, the Central Intelligence Organization (CIO), who produced a document he said had been discussed in the ruling party's highest decision-making body, the Soviet-styled Politburo.The officer, who was on a visit to Cape Town in South Africa, said he would "disappear" if it was known that he had leaked the information, and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Mugabe Link Threatens S. African Leader - Craig Timberg, Washington Post

At first glance they are nothing alike. Zimbabwe's aging president, Robert Mugabe, is, at 84, among the last of a generation of African Big Men, clinging to power through brutal repression. South Africa's suave President Thabo Mbeki, nearly two decades younger, rules by popular mandate as the elected leader of one of the continent's most robust democracies. But Mbeki's long -- and so far, failed -- diplomatic bid to ease Mugabe into retirement after 28 years has tied the legacies of the two men together, and badly damaged Mbeki's reputation as the exemplar of a new kind of African president. The leader President Bush described as "the point man" on solving the Zimbabwe crisis in 2003 now is widely regarded as an obstacle to freeing that nation from its steep descent into political and economic ruin.

Aid Groups Mull Leaving Somalia - BBC News

Humanitarian agencies in Somalia are considering suspending operations after two aid workers were shot dead in less than 24 hours. Some aid organisations are reported to be reviewing their security measures following the attacks. Violence against aid workers in Somalia has increased dramatically in recent weeks. But it is not clear exactly who is behind the attacks. Half of Somalia's population needs food aid due to drought and conflict.

Nigeria's Rule-of-law Challenge - Bruce Fein, Washington Times opinion

The Republic of Nigeria enjoys oil revenue surpluses by pumping more than 2 million barrels daily as the price per barrel soars past $140. But Nigeria suffers from a rule-of-law deficit despite President Yar' Adua's pioneering rule-of-law agenda. The deficit threatens the surpluses because oil supplies will be disrupted and oil investments will be stunted if the Nigerian people doubt the legitimacy of their federal or state governments. The chronic disruptions of oil production and transport in the Niger Delta region are illustrative. Illegitimate governments are also more vulnerable to penetration by al Qaeda. The United States thus has an enormous national security stake in seeing Nigeria emerge as a rule-of-law nation.

AMERICAS

Mexico Faults US in Suspect's Release - Jerry Seper, Washington Times

Mexican law-enforcement authorities released from jail a man suspected of running over and killing a US Border Patrol agent during an aborted drug-smuggling attempt because US officials never asked that he be held or sought his extradition during the five months he was in custody, the Mexican Embassy in Washington said Monday. Jesus Navarro Montes, 22, was detained Jan. 22 by Mexican state and federal authorities in the town of El Yaqui in the northern state of Sonora in connection with the killing three days earlier of Border Patrol Agent Luis Aguilar Jr. He was released from custody on June 18, a week before the US government presented Mexico with a "provisional arrest request" for his extradition.

Sinaloa Rocked by Soaring Violence - Dickerson and Sánchez, Los Angeles Times

At least 21 people, including a 12-year-old girl and other ordinary citizens, have been killed by warring drug gangs since Thursday in the western state of Sinaloa, in one of the worst spasms of violence in memory in a region long conditioned to narcotics-related savagery. The wave of deadly mayhem began with the audacious daytime shooting of a dozen people in the capital, Culiacan, and continued during the weekend and into Monday. The deaths of innocents, including the young girl, who had just left a party, have terrified the public and left many questioning the effectiveness of the federal government's ongoing crackdown on drug trafficking.

Eight Shot Dead in Mexico Attack - BBC News

Eight people, including two youths of 17 and a 12-year-old girl, were shot dead when gunmen opened fire on their cars, Mexican officials say. The attack happened as the victims were waiting at a traffic light in the city of Guamuchil in the state of Sinaloa. Hours earlier gunmen in Mazatlan, on Sinaloa's coast, killed a policeman and then took dozens of people hostage in a restaurant before escaping. Mexico has seen a surge in drug-related violence and killings during 2008.

Protest Fatigue in Mexico City - Manuel Roig-Franzia, Washington Post

On any given day, there are six or seven or eight demonstrations taking place in the Mexican capital. The city government keeps a running list of them on its Web site. Teachers who want more money. State-employed oil workers who want to stop privatization. Campesinos who say the government stole their land. There are naked protesters. Protesters in Aztec costumes. Protesters dressed like vampires. And they are almost always in the way.

For Many Hostage Nightmare Goes On - Kraul and McDonnell, Los Angeles Times

Pardon Patricia Nieto if she wasn't swept up in the euphoria that lifted this nation after the recent rescue of 15 hostages held by leftist guerrillas. The rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, which was tricked into giving up long-held hostages, including presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three US defense contractors, is still holding 700 people, including Nieto's husband, Sigifredo Lopez.

ASIA PACIFIC

Seoul Refutes Shooting Account - David Sands, Washington Times

South Korean officials are sharply questioning the official account of the killing of a Seoul housewife walking along a beach at a North Korean tourist resort last week, but Pyongyang on Monday continued to block any proposal for a joint investigation of the incident. The shooting of Park Wang-ja, 53, by North Korean soldiers near the Mount Kumgang resort has strained North-South relations just as new South Korean President Lee Myung-bak was preparing a new overture to improve relations on the divided peninsula.

South Korea Recalls Envoy to Japan - Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times

South Korea announced on Monday that it was recalling its ambassador to Tokyo to protest Japan’s renewed claim to a string of islets that have been the focus of a protracted territorial dispute. The government of President Lee Myung-bak, which has made improving ties with Japan a major policy goal, said it was an “intolerable act” that Japan restated its territorial claim in a new guideline for junior high school teachers and textbook publishers released on Monday.

Indonesia and East Timor Leaders Regret 1999 Bloodshed - Reuters

Indonesia and East Timor expressed regret on Tuesday for violence surrounding Dili's 1999 independence vote after a joint probe blamed state institutions for "gross human rights violations." The report by the Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) went further than many had expected in blaming Indonesian security forces for the mayhem, although Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono stopped short of an apology. The two governments set up the CTF in 2005 to look into the violence, during which the United Nations estimates about 1,000 East Timorese died, but it has no power to prosecute, prompting criticism that it serves to whitewash atrocities.

North Korea’s Stacked Deck - Art Brown, New York Times editorial

China's announcement on Saturday that negotiators have agreed on a blueprint for verifying North Korea’s nuclear disarmament is being seen as the latest in a string of hopeful signs. For a while, the drumbeat in Washington has been that the so-called six-party talks are going well and the North Korean nuclear program is well on its way to being contained. If only that were true. In fact, the Kim Jong-il regime is getting exactly what it wants and using American hunger for diplomatic success to split us from our most important regional allies in the process. If this were high-stakes poker, the North Koreans would be biting their lips to hide their smiles at the cards in their hands.

EUROPE

86 Charged in Turkey Coup Plot - Sebnem Arsu, New York Times

Eighty-six people, including former military officers, and writers and lawyers, were formally charged on Monday with membership in an illegal ultranationalist organization and of plotting a coup to overthrow the Turkish government. Speaking at a televised news conference, the Istanbul chief prosecutor, Aykut Cengiz Engin, refused to give details of the case against the ultranationalist and hard-line secular organization, known as Ergenekon, citing prohibitions on public briefings before a case is formally accepted by the criminal court. But he said the suspects, 48 of them in police custody and the others free awaiting trial, were charged with forming, managing and aiding the terror organization that allegedly plotted a military coup against the Islamic-rooted governing Justice and Development Party, which came to power in 2002.

‘Anti-Islamist Group’ Charged with Coup Plot - Suna Erdem, The Times

Turkish prosecutors filed charges yesterday accusing 86 people of murder, bombings and inciting public unrest as part of a militant secularist plot to overthrow the Government. “The indictment covers crimes such as forming an armed terror group and attempting to overthrow the Government by force,” Aykut Cengiz Engin, Istanbul’s chief prosecutor, said. Few details were given of the charges, which follow a year-long investigation, but the suspects are alleged to have plotted to provoke a military coup to bring down Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Prime Minister. Those facing charges have not been named but are believed to include several military figures, leading to claims of the existence of a shadowy ultra-nationalist group determined to fight for Turkey’s secularist values.

Five Dead as Turkey Battles PKK - BBC News

Two Turkish soldiers and three Kurdish rebels have died in clashes in south-eastern Turkey, near the border with Iraq, security officials say. The fighting took place on Sunday during an operation against the banned Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) in Sirnak province, the Turkish officials said. Turkey has launched repeated air and land attacks in the region, targeting PKK rebels based in northern Iraq.

Albright Had it Right - Tulin Daloglu, Washington Times opinion

In principle, US foreign policy toward Turkey is consistent whether Republicans or Democrats are in office. The particulars of Turkey's democracy, however, sometimes tests the relationship. The role of the Turkish military, as guardian of secularism, also defines the country's unique understanding of democracy. In recent memory, Turkish armed forces have attempted to intervene in politics twice - on Feb. 28, 1997, and April 27, 2007. Both times, they came close to the brink of a coup because Islamic fundamentalism posed a threat to secular democracy. Both times, the headscarf issue spawned the intervention. The United States made it clear to Turkey that it does not approve of military challenges to civilian authority. Yet the different ways Secretaries of State Madeleine Albright and Condoleezza Rice have approached the subject is defining.

'Russia a Menace to Peace' - Tony Halpin, The Times

The West must confront Russia to prevent another conflict from breaking out in the Caucasus, the President of Georgia has told The Times. Mikhail Saakashvili said that elements in Russia were intent on provoking trouble in Georgia’s breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, and compared Europe’s response to the failures of appeasement in the 1930s. Georgia is threatening to shoot down Russian fighter jets after Moscow admitted that four aircraft flew over South Ossetia last week. Separatists control the region but it is recognised internationally as part of Georgia. “The situation is precarious and the things they [Russia] are doing are outrageous. Unfortunately, they are not opposed by the Europeans and other players,” Mr Saakashvili said.

A War The West Must Stop - Ronald Asmus, Washington Post opinion

There is war in the air between Georgia and Russia. Such a war could destabilize a region critical for Western energy supplies and ruin relations between Russia and the West. A conflict over Georgia could become an issue in the U.S. presidential campaign. How they respond could become a test of the potential commander-in-chief qualities of Barack Obama and John McCain. The issue appears to be the future of Abkhazia, a breakaway province of Georgia and the focus of a so-called frozen conflict. The real issue, however, is Moscow's desire to subjugate Tbilisi and thwart its aspirations to go west. For several years, Russian policy toward countries on its borders has been hardening. Moscow has concluded that democratic breakthroughs in places such as Georgia and Ukraine are threats that need to be squashed.

MIDDLE EAST

In France, Syrian Stirs Tensions - Katrin Bennhold, New York Times

President Bashar al-Assad of Syria was a guest of honor at France’s annual Bastille Day parade here on Monday, a day after he attended the inaugural meeting of a new Mediterranean-oriented association in a sign that his diplomatic isolation is ending but one that angered many because of Syria’s links to Iran and militant groups. The parade capped off the inauguration on Sunday of President Nicolas Sarkozy’s Union for the Mediterranean, which aims to bring closer together the countries of the European Union and the North African and Middle Eastern nations that ring the sea. On the reviewing stand on Monday, a beaming Mr. Sarkozy was surrounded by many of the leaders who attended the founding meeting, even though some of them were clearly not speaking.

UN Truce Hit; Hezbollah Seen Stronger - Joshua Mitnick, Washington Times

Two years after fighting Hezbollah to a draw in southern Lebanon, Israelis are calling the U.N. Security Council cease-fire that ended the war a failure because it failed to prevent the Iranian backed militia from restocking its missile arsenal. According to recent Israeli intelligence assessments, Hezbollah has tripled its pre-war rocket stockpile to about 40,000 missiles. The estimate roughly matches a public statement by the Hezbollah leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, who said nearly a year ago that his forces had stockpiled 33,000 missiles that could strike anywhere in Israel. In an interview with Al Jazeera, the sheik claimed to have imported more than 10,000 rockets in one month alone.

Israel Fears Hezbollah Attacks on Northern Border - Associated Press

Israeli security officials say they fear the Lebanese militia Hezbollah will attack Israel after the sides complete a prisoner swap this week. The officials say that Israel's military is beefing up forces along the border in preparation for any attack after the swap on Wednesday. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity since the security alert was not publicly announced.

Israel to Swap Six Prisoners for Bodies - Martin Chulov, The Australian

Six Lebanese prisoners due to be swapped by Israel for the remains of two soldiers captured by Hezbollah were farewelling their cellmates yesterday, hours ahead of their politically charged transfer. Israeli President Shimon Peres is certain to overrule security officials' objections to the release of one prisoner, convicted terrorist Samir Kuntar, as the Jewish state presses ahead for answers about two of its soldiers, missing in action since July 12, 2006. Exhumations of several dozen Hezbollah militants killed and taken to Israel during the Second Lebanon War have been completed in a cemetery reserved for enemy combatants. Their remains have been readied for transfer through the Naqura crossing, the main checkpoint separating the two enemy states. Hezbollah will receive five of its militants captured in southern Lebanon during the 34-day war, in return for Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev, who were both taken from a road just inside the Israeli border and sped into Lebanon, triggering the 2006 war. There have been no signs of life from either man since, prompting the Israeli Government to declare them "killed in action".

Israel Moves Hezbollah Prisoners Ahead of Swap - Reuters

Israel prepared on Monday for a prisoner swap with Hezbollah by moving four Lebanese guerrillas in its custody to a holding facility ahead of Wednesday's UN-mediated exchange. Maher Qorani, Mohammad Srour, Hussein Suleiman and Khodr Zeidan were transferred from Ashmoret prison, near the coastal city of Netanya, where they have been held since their capture in the 2006 Lebanon war, to Hadarim jail some 11 kilometers (7 miles) away, a Prisons Services spokesman said. There, they joined Samir Qantar, a Hadarim inmate who is also slated for release on Wednesday. Qantar, the most high-profile Lebanese prisoner in Israel, was jailed for life for killing a policeman, another man and his 4-year-old daughter in a raid in the northern Israeli town of Nahariya in 1979.

Dispute on Paris Summit Wording - BBC News

Israel and the Palestinians have disagreed over the final declaration of the Mediterranean summit held in Paris, France's foreign minister has said. Bernard Kouchner said the wording of the founding text of the Union for the Mediterranean would have to be changed. There were difficulties with the use of the term "national and democratic state" to describe Israel, he said. Earlier, Israel's leader said his country had never been closer to a peace deal with the Palestinians.

New Approach Welcome - The Australian editorial

Current hopes of a settlement are due to the energy and vision of French and European Union President Nicolas Sarkozy at the Mediterranean summit. In recent decades, despite significant expansion of its membership, the EU has been reluctant to take a leading role on the world stage, leaving the onus in the war on terror and the Middle East peace process to the US. But the EU and north African nations have a significant interest in Middle East peace, and the new body, to be jointly chaired by Egypt and France for two years, offers a worthwhile forum in which accords can be struck and built upon. If the summit, being dubbed "Club Med", leads to an effective two-state solution, Mr Sarkozy will have earned himself a place in history as an international statesman and the most influential Frenchman on the world stage since Charles de Gaulle.

No More Appeals - Ehrenfeld and Lappen, Washington Times opinion

The Palestinian Authority (PA) recently asked US federal courts to reopen cases it lost after refusing to defend itself against terror-funding charges. Judgments would come from US and international aid, the PA argues. In both cases, Palestinian terrorists murdered American citizens. In New York, Aharon Ellis' widow sued the PA for the lethal 2002 shooting of her husband and the father of their six children, during an Al Aqsa Martyr Brigade attack of a Bat Mitzvah, in Israel. The court awarded Leslye Knox $193 million, including interest, but the PA refuses to pay.

SOUTH ASIA

India Left Launch Nuclear Protest - BBC News

Left-wing parties in India have launched a national campaign against a controversial India-US nuclear deal. The communists stopped supporting the government last week in protest at its decision to push ahead with the deal to meet India's soaring energy needs. The governing coalition, which has now been reduced to a minority, will seek a vote of confidence on 22 July. If the government loses the vote, India faces early elections and the nuclear deal would probably be scuttled.

IAEA Board to Meet Aug. 1 on India Nuclear Deal - Associated Press

The board of governors for the United Nations' nuclear watchdog agency will meet Aug. 1 to vote on a deal allowing international monitors to inspect some of India's nuclear facilities. Melissa Fleming, spokeswoman for the International Atomic Energy Agency, announced the meeting Monday but is giving no further details. But the board is expected to adopt the agreement, which India has circulated among the 35 nations on the governing board.

EVENTS OF INTEREST

22 July - Counterinsurgency in Modern Warfare (Public Event). Washington, DC. The Center for Naval Analyses (CNA) is sponsoring a discussion on counterinsurgency on 22 July 2008, at the National Press Club (the Holeman Lounge), Washington, DC. Dr. John Nagl (Center for a New American Security), Dr. Daniel Marston (Australian National University), and Dr. Carter Malkasian (CNA) recently collaborated on Counterinsurgency in Modern Warfare (Osprey, 2008), an edited book that examines 13 of the most important counterinsurgency campaigns of the past 100 years, including the current Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts. Dr. David Kilcullen (U.S. State Department), the renowned counterinsurgency expert, will moderate the discussion and provide critical commentary. Lunch will be provided. Books will be available to purchase at a discounted rate. For more information, visit the first link above. RSVP at kattm@cna.org or 703.824.2436.

11-15 August - Counterinsurgency Leaders Workshop (Official Event - Workshop). Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The US Army/Marine Corps Counterinsurgency (COIN) Center is hosting a five-day program for prospective counterinsurgency leaders, 11-15 August 2008, at the Combined Arms Center, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. The program is focused on equipping leaders with an understanding of the insurgency and counterinsurgency environments, as well as close consideration of the kinds of persons and organizations that usually emerge from insurgencies in contrast to those of conventional conflicts. This event will be held at the Battle Command Training Center (BCTC) Training Facility on Fort Leavenworth. Seating is limited. However, registration is open to any person who serves in any official capacity with regard to dealing with insurgencies, with priority is given to those applying from invited organizations. Other applicants will be reviewed for eligibility on a space-available, case-by-case basis. The duty is uniform/business casual. Application must completed on-line at the link above. The deadline for application is 1 August 2008. For more information, contact the COIN Center at 913-684-5196.

11-12 September - DNI Open Source Conferece 2008 (Public Event - Conference). Washington, DC. Sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The Office of the DNI is pleased to announce the "DNI Open Source Conference 2008" to be held on Thursday, 11 September and Friday, 12 September, 2008 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC. The conference is free; however, all who wish to attend must register online in advance (deadline 31 July). The two-day conference will explore a wide range of open source issues and open source best practices for the Intelligence Community and its partners. We invite participants from the broader open source community of interest including academia, think tanks, private industry, federal, state, local and tribal entities, international partners, and the media to attend. The conference will include speakers from across the broader open source community participating in panel discussions and focus group sessions. Information about the agenda and break-out sessions is now available. The DNI Open Source Conference 2007 was held 16-17 July 2007 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. More than 900 registered participants and speakers attended. Presentations made at the conference break-out sessions are available on the DNI Open Source Conference 2007 website.

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.