IRAQ

Struggle for Power Among Sunnis - Sudarsan Raghavan, Washington Post

A new political movement is emerging in Sunni Muslim enclaves across Iraq. It is an outgrowth of the Awakening Councils -- launched by tribal leaders and backed by the United States - that have fought extremists and become a key to stability in many areas. Awakening leaders are planning to compete as a political force in provincial elections scheduled for the fall, when Iraqis will choose governing councils in Iraq's 18 provinces. The leaders likely will challenge established Sunni groups, including the Iraqi Islamic Party, the largest Sunni political party, which is led by non-tribal Sunnis who mainly lived in exile during the rule of Saddam Hussein. At stake is the leadership of a rudderless Sunni community still struggling for a political foothold in the new Iraq.

Helmick Takes Helm of Training Mission in Iraq - AFPS

Army Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick assumed command of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq and the NATO training mission in Iraq during a ceremony at the Iraqi Cultural Center here today. Helmick relieved Army Lt. Gen. James Dubik, who will retire after 37 years of service. Under Dubik’s leadership, the security transition command helped the Iraqi military and police forces grow to nearly 185 army, national police and special operations battalions. The forces under the Iraq’s ministries of Interior and Defense now number more than 550,000. Prior to today’s assumption of command, Helmick was the commanding general of the U.S. Army Southern European Task Force.

The Disaster for Christians - Robin Harris, The Times opinion

When American and British-led forces invaded Iraq in 2003, neither George Bush nor Tony Blair, devout Christians both, can have imagined that one consequence of their action would be the extinction of Christianity in a land where it had survived for nearly 2,000 years. Since Saddam Hussein's fall, perhaps half of Iraq's 800,000 Christians have fled the country. About half the rest are internally displaced persons. There is no mystery why. Last summer, the traditionally Christian Dora suburb of Baghdad was cleansed of its Christian families by threats, intimidation, looting and abduction for ransom. Even on the plains of Nineveh, where they now congregate, they have no effective protection.

Why We Went to War in Iraq - Douglas Feith, Wall Street Journal opinion

A lot of poor commentary has framed the Iraq war as a conflict of "choice" rather than of "necessity." In fact, President George W. Bush chose to remove Saddam Hussein from power because he concluded that doing so was necessary. President Bush inherited a worrisome Iraq problem from Bill Clinton and from his own father. Saddam had systematically undermined the measures the UN Security Council put in place after the Gulf War to contain his regime. In the first months of the Bush presidency, officials debated what to do next.

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

Britain Gves Pakistan £1bn to Fight Extremism - Zahid Hussain, The Times

Britain is doubling its aid to Pakistan to almost £500 million, reflecting concern over rising Islamic militancy in the lawless areas along the border with Afghanistan. About a third of the money is expected to be spent in provinces abutting the porous western border, where the Taleban and other militant forces are increasingly challenging the authority of the central Government.

US Grants NATO Request to Extend Marine Tour - Jim Garamone, AFPS

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates has approved a NATO-led International Security Assistance Force request that the 2,200 Marines of 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit remain in Afghanistan a month longer than planned. Marine Corps spokesman Maj. Dave Nevers said the Marines “have been doing an effective job” in Regional Command South. NATO officials said the ISAF commander, Army Gen. David McKiernan, requested the one-month extension. “The extension will allow these Marines to reinforce the success they have had on the ground,” a Defense Department official speaking on background said. The unit is part of a one-time deployment to Afghanistan that began in March. The original orders called for the Marines to be back at Camp Lejeune, N.C., in October. The extension will move their return into November. Families began receiving notification of the extension yesterday.

IRAN

America Softens Stance on Iran - David Blair, Daily Telegraph

America and its allies have quietly watered down their stance on Iran's nuclear programme, pledging no more economic sanctions if Tehran keeps its enrichment of uranium at present levels. This vital process, taking place inside Iran's underground plant in Natanz, could be used to produce weapons-grade uranium - the essential material for a nuclear bomb. America's position had been that Iran must completely stop enriching uranium or face steadily increasing pressure. Four United Nations Resolutions, three of which impose economic sanctions on Tehran, make this demand.

Iran Remains a Threat to Israel - Daily Telegraph editorial

Amid the winks and nudges about a reduction of tension between America and Iran, it should not be forgotten that Tehran's policy, enunciated most forcefully by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, is the destruction of Israel. That is already apparent in Iranian support for Hamas and Hizbollah. Possession of nuclear weapons would give it a further edge. While it is unlikely that Tehran would launch a direct atomic assault on the Jewish state, it would acquire greater leverage over its Arab neighbours as the undisputed hegemon in the Gulf, and could pass on nuclear know-how to its guerrilla proxies.

Admiral Mullen Warns the West - Con Coughlin, Daily Telegraph opinion

There are two ways of interpreting this week's warning by America's top military officer, Admiral Mike Mullen, that opening a new front in the Middle East by launching air strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities would be "extremely stressful". Either the United States, with the help of its favoured Middle Eastern proxy, Israel, is already preparing to take out Iran's main nuclear facilities, and is simply preparing public opinion for the likely consequences of such action. Or America's top brass, who already have their work cut out prosecuting two major military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan, are trying to pre-empt any thoughts President George W. Bush, the nation's commander-in-chief, might have about ordering his armed forces into action against the mullahs.

THE LONG WAR

Terror Suspect on Bail - Richard Ford, The Times

An alleged al-Qaeda operative said to have “direct links” with Osama bin Laden was released on bail from a top-security jail. The Algerian man, identified only as U, left Long Lartin prison in Worcestershire after spending more than seven years in jail fighting extradition and deportation. His release came two weeks after the Special Immigration Appeals Commission (SIAC) granted bail to the radical preacher Abu Qatada. A third terror suspect, who was cleared of conspiracy to murder in the “ricin plot” trial in 2005, is negotiating for his release on bail.

2nd Terror Suspect Released in Britain - John Burns, New York Times

A 45-year-old Algerian described by American prosecutors as the mastermind of an abortive plot to bomb Los Angeles International Airport during millennium celebrations in 1999 has been released on tight bail conditions after seven years in British jails, court officials said Thursday. The release of the unnamed Algerian is the second time in a little more than two weeks that a suspect named by prosecutors as having close ties to Osama bin Laden, but not charged, has been let out on bail in Britain pending a final court ruling on government deportation proceedings.

Bin Laden Driver Seeks Delay - Del Quentin Wilber, Washington Post

Lawyers representing Osama bin Laden's former driver asked a federal judge yesterday to halt his fast-approaching military trial so they may have time to continue challenging the legality of the military commission system. Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemeni held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been fighting his detention in federal court since 2004. Declared an enemy combatant by a military tribunal, Hamdan is scheduled to go to trial before a military commission on July 21. He would be the first terrorism suspect tried by one of the commissions, a system established by Congress in 2006.

'Terror' Leader 'Can't Spell Google' - Sydney Morning Herald

The man accused of leading a terrorist group which intended to conduct violent jihad in Australia was a braggart who was ridiculed by some of his followers, according to his lawyer. The Victorian Supreme Court today heard that Abdul Nacer Benbrika was well-regarded for the religious advice and instruction he offered to fellow Melbourne Muslims and also delivered sermons at mosques around the city. But he was also a man with a variety of personal shortcomings, lawyer Remy Van de Wiel, QC, told the court. The Algerian-born Benbrika, 48, who is also known to his associates as Abu Bakr and Sheikh, is charged with directing the activities of a terrorist organisation and other terrorism-related charges. He is on trial with 11 other Melbourne men in Australia's largest ever terrorist case.

Judge Rejects Bush’s View on Wiretaps - Eric Lichtblau, New York Times

A federal judge in California said Wednesday that the wiretapping law established by Congress was the “exclusive” means for the president to eavesdrop on Americans, and he rejected the government’s claim that the president’s constitutional authority as commander in chief trumped that law. The judge, Vaughn R. Walker, the chief judge for the Northern District of California, made his findings in a ruling on a lawsuit brought by an Oregon charity. The group says it has evidence of an illegal wiretap used against it by the National Security Agency under the secret surveillance program established by President Bush after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

Al-Qaeda: The War in Waiting - Philadelphia Inquirer editorial

If the term war on terror ever meant anything, it meant war against those directly responsible for the horrors of 9/11. In October 2001, the United States began that war in Afghanistan. We drove the Taliban from power. Militants (including al-Qaeda) fled across the border into mountainous, tribal regions of Pakistan. That's where the enemy remains. We never chased down Osama bin Laden. In the rubble of the World Trade Center, the president vowed that the terrorists would "hear all of us soon," but the job remains unfinished.

The Enemy Detainee Mess - Wall Street Journal editorial

Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy has departed for summer vacation, but what a mess he's left behind, especially for the US military. His 5-4 decision requiring habeas corpus review for foreign terrorists is already creating confusion and problems about how to handle these dangerous enemies. The Bush Administration is currently debating how to respond to Mr. Kennedy's war-fighting ukase in Boumediene v. Bush, with President Bush set to make a decision soon. Some in the Administration want Mr. Bush to abolish not merely Guantanamo but even military commissions, the special tribunals set up to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others for their war crimes. This would compound the mistake of Boumediene, and do away with what has long been a useful tool of military justice.

US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

Obama May Consider Slowing Withdrawal - Jonathan Weisman, Washington Post

Sen. Barack Obama raised the possibility of slowing a promised gradual, 16-month withdrawal from Iraq if he is elected president, saying that Thursday he will consult with military commanders on an upcoming trip to the region and "continue to refine" his proposals. "My 16-month timeline, if you examine everything I've said, was always premised on making sure our troops were safe," Obama told reporters as his campaign plane landed in North Dakota, a state no Democratic presidential candidate has carried since 1964. "And my guiding approach continues to be that we've got to make sure that our troops are safe, and that Iraq is stable. And I'm going to continue to gather information to find out whether those conditions still hold."

Obama Fuels Pullout Debate - Cooper and Zeleny, New York Times

Senator Barack Obama said Thursday that he might “refine” his Iraq policies after meeting with military commanders there later this summer. But hours later he held a second news conference to emphasize his commitment to the withdrawing of all combat troops from Iraq within 16 months of taking office. His two statements in Fargo, N.D., reflected how the changing dynamics in Iraq have posed a challenge for Mr. Obama, who is trying to retain flexibility as violence declines there without abandoning a central promise of his campaign: that if elected, he would end the war.

Obama Pledges to Withdraw US Troops - Voice of America

The presumptive Democratic Party US presidential nominee, Barack Obama, says he will begin ending U.S. troop involvement in the war in Iraq on his first day in office. Obama told reporters Thursday that on his first day in office, he will instruct the five top US military officers, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to end the war "responsibly and decisively." He also said he intends to remove U.S. troops from Iraq at a pace that will lead to a total withdrawal in 16 months.

Latin America Policy at a Crossroads - Eilperin and Roig-Franzia, Washington Post

Sen. John McCain's trip to Colombia and Mexico this week made one thing clear: The shape of the United States' relationship with Latin America will hinge on the outcome of the 2008 election. The Republican presidential candidate and his Democratic opponent, Sen. Barack Obama, have outlined sharply contrasting visions of how they would conduct relations in the hemisphere. McCain is committed to putting a new emphasis on the region but would pursue many of the policies followed by President Bush in Latin America, with a heavy emphasis on counternarcotics efforts, free trade and a push to curb illegal immigration. Obama has sketched a broad approach that relies more on diplomatic efforts and expression of soft power, through more foreign assistance, an infusion of Peace Corps volunteers and a willingness to meet with hard-line leftist leaders.

AFRICA

Mugabe Moves to Erase the MDC - Catherine Philp, The Times

Fresh from election victory, Robert Mugabe and his military backers plan to assassinate or frame dozens of opposition MPs in an attempt to consolidate power and take back control of Parliament. The Zanu (PF) party of Mr Mugabe lost its grip on the legislature for the first time since independence when the Movement for Democratic Change took control of the Lower House and drew level in the Senate after the March elections. Having overturned Morgan Tsvangirai's victory in the first round of the presidential vote with a brutal campaign of terror, President Mugabe's henchmen believe that they can retake Parliament using violence or trumped-up criminal charges to drive out elected opposition MPs.

Victims Seek refuge at US Embassy - Catherine Philp, The Times

More than 200 victims of Zimbabwe's political violence have sought sanctuary at the US Embassy in Harare after being displaced from their homes. Breast-feeding mothers and toddlers were among the crowd huddled on the street outside the heavily fortified building, watched over by embassy guards and Zimbabwean intelligence officials. Several were injured, including one man who came on crutches, begging to see American officials. “I need to go out of this country, I don't feel safe,” one young man who worked as a polling agent for the opposition Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) said.

Peacekeepers Hobbled by Need - Stephanie McCrummen, Washington Post

Nearly a year after its creation, a joint UN-African Union peacekeeping mission to Darfur is struggling, with fewer than half the soldiers promised, broken-down equipment, government obstacles, and what commanders say are the unrealistically high expectations of a world that has failed to support them. The mission, the largest peacekeeping force in UN history, was to be the robust replacement for an underfunded, poorly equipped AU force that has been on the ground since 2004. But of the 26,000 police and soldiers who were to deploy to protect civilians in this region of western Sudan, only 140 Bangladeshi police and a smattering of officers, engineers and UN bureaucrats have arrived.

Rushed ICC Trials Need Rethinking - Brent Latham, Voice of America

While one former Congolese warlord has been ordered released by the International Criminal Court at The Hague, proceedings are just beginning against another one. One analyst says the ICC needs to be more careful about the timing of such cases, especially when conflicts are on-going. An African analyst says that the International Criminal Court, or ICC, needs to be more careful in the future about intervening in on-going conflicts, after the ICC ordered the release of former Congolese warlord and accused war criminal Thomas Lubanga. Judges at the court said Lubanga, however, should not leave detention until the court deals with the prosecution's appeal.

AMERICAS

Chavez and Farc are the Big Losers - Thomas Catan, The Times

The operation to free 15 of Farc’s most prominent hostages has not only triggered a surge of optimism in Colombia that Latin America’s oldest surviving guerrilla insurgency could be nearing an end. It has also vindicated the uncompromising approach of the country’s leader and reshaped the region’s balance of power. The biggest winner - apart from the hostages - is President Uribe of Colombia, who has resisted calls from many hostages’ families to sit down with the rebel movement and negotiate. Despite the careful planning, security experts say that the rescue operation could have gone badly awry. The operation also represents a serious setback for the Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, who has lambasted his Colombian counterpart as a “pawn of the [US] empire” and sought to position himself as a key go-between in Colombia’s four-decade conflict.

Bold Rescue Built on Rebels’ Disarray - Romero and Cave, New York Times

At 5 a.m. on Wednesday, the sun had yet to peek through the jungle canopy in this country’s Guaviare Department when the guerrillas told their captives to gather their belongings. A call had come in from a top adviser to Alfonso Cano, their new supreme commander. He said to move. Immediately. Or so the guerrillas thought. In fact, the gravelly voice that sounded so full of authority belonged not to Mr. Cano, a grizzled leader of Latin America’s most feared insurgent group, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, but rather to a government officer.

3 Hostages Rescued in Colombia Return to US - Associated Press

Three American hostages rescued from leftist guerrillas in Colombia were back in the United States today, more than five years after their plane went down in rebel-held jungle. They returned to the US late Wednesday, as their plane landed at Lackland Air Force Base shortly after 11 p.m. All appeared well as they exited the Air Force C-17 without fanfare. The men were flown by choppers to Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, where they were expected to undergo tests and be reunited with their families.

Hostages Reunited With Families - Fox and Branigin, Washington Post

On their first full day of freedom, the hostages rescued from guerrilla captivity in Colombia were reunited with relatives, as new details emerged Thursday about their captors and the conditions under which they were held. Ingrid Betancourt, a onetime presidential candidate and the best known of the 15 hostages rescued, embraced her two grown children for the first time since she was kidnapped six years ago. In a poignant scene after the pair arrived in Bogota aboard a plane from Paris, she rushed up the stairs to greet them, apparently unwilling to wait for them to disembark.

'Nirvana' in Bogota - McDonnell and Kraul, Los Angeles Times

Ingrid Betancourt, whose plight in captivity came to embody Colombia's fratricidal social strife, embraced her grown children for the first time in more than six years Thursday and prepared for a trip to Paris and a state welcome in France. The exhilarated Betancourt, thin but seemingly in good health and flashing a broad smile after being rescued from her rebel captors Wednesday, has generated a sense of euphoria and hope in a nation eager to shed the legacy of more than four decades of civil conflict and generalized despair.

Who Dares Wins - The Times editorial

It will be remembered as one of the most audacious rescues of modern times, comparable in its derring-do to the Entebbe raid that snatched Israeli hostages from Uganda in 1976. The Colombian Army's dispatch of a helicopter deep into the jungle to rescue Ingrid Betancourt and 14 other hostages held by Marxist rebels, with the help of American Intelligence, was a masterstroke of meticulous planning, ingenious deception and faultless execution that has won high praise for Álvaro Uribe, the President, and dealt a critical blow to Farc, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia. The reaction of the outside world has been almost as ecstatic as in Colombia, where there was huge rejoicing at this latest setback to a ragtag guerrilla army that has, for more than 40 years, terrorised Latin America's oldest democracy. In France, the release of Ms Betancourt after six harrowing years in captivity was treated as a cause for national celebration.

Colombian Kudos - Wall Street Journal editorial

If most world news seems depressing these days, consider the exception of Colombia. Yesterday, the Colombian military rescued Ingrid Betancourt and three American contractors who had been held hostage by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) for more than five years. Chalk up one more antiterror win for Colombian President Álvaro Uribe, the best US ally in South America. Also freed in the operation were 11 other FARC hostages. News of the successful rescue came only a short time after John McCain had left Cartagena after his visit this week to tout a free-trade agreement with Colombia that Barack Obama opposes.

Free at Last - Washington Post editorial

Superlatives fail in describing the Colombian army operation that rescued 15 hostages from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC. Having painstakingly infiltrated the guerrilla organization's communications network, the Colombian forces apparently deceived the captors into handing the hostages over to Colombian troops disguised as guerrillas. The rescuers played their roles superbly, even adding a touch of the rebels' characteristic cruelty as they bound the hostages and shoved them aboard a helicopter. Once all were airborne, the soldiers subdued the rebels who had escorted the hostages, then removed the captives' restraints. Thus were the French-Colombian citizen Ingrid Betancourt, three American defense contractors, and 11 Colombians liberated from years of captivity -- without a shot being fired. Europe and the United States, as well as Colombia, owe these brave and skilled men, and their commander in chief, President Álvaro Uribe, a large debt of gratitude.

Freeing Ingrid Betancourt - New York Times editorial

There is every reason to celebrate the daring rescue from FARC guerrillas of the Colombian-French politician Ingrid Betancourt, three American military contractors and 11 members of the Colombian security forces. The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia still holds many more hostages. But the operation by undercover Colombian commandos - who tricked the rebels into handing over the captives without a shot - offered further evidence that the guerrilla group is in disarray. The rescue (pulled off with intelligence from the United States) was another coup for Mr. Uribe’s relentless assault on the FARC, which he has waged with billions in American aid. The movement has lost three of its top seven commanders in recent months, and defectors say the forces are increasingly fractured. The FARC is still flush with drug money and still holds more than 700 hostages. The rebels are unlikely to be so easily tricked again, and an all-out assault could cost many lives.

Hillier Passes the Torch - Allan Woods, Toronto Star

It was a ceremony fit for a king, but engineered to usher out one "warrior" and welcome in his successor. The official procedure that handed responsibility for the Canadian Forces from outgoing Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Rick Hillier to Gen. Walter Natynczyk took just a few minutes to complete. Governor General Michaëlle Jean accepted the former chief's white ceremonial flag and passed it to his successor, the beaming Winnipeg native Natynczyk. But the entire affair stretched to two hours, with speeches from politicians, a 21-gun salute, planes, guns and cheering crowds.

Penetrating the Fog of War - Raymond J. de Souza, National Post

Since Canada went to war in Afghanistan, it has become customary to pay special tribute to the troops on the Dominion Day holiday. It's fitting: Soldiers in battle deserve a high place in the thoughts of their compatriots, especially on patriotic festivals. The Armed Forces' more prominent place in our national conversation is also in large part due to General Rick Hillier, who retires as Chief of the Defence Staff this week. Not only did General Hillier push to make the Canadian Armed Forces a fighting, combat force again, he was tireless in insisting that Canadians give prominent attention to their Forces. He was all over Canada, and frequently in Afghanistan, usually with a camera crew in tow. He knew that an overseas war in a remote place that few Canadians know very much about, let alone have any direct experience of, can easily become out of sight and out of mind. That did not happen on General Hillier's watch, to his great credit.

ASIA PACIFIC

Arrests Smash Bomb Network - Stephen Fitzpatrick, The Australian

Indonesian police were last night interrogating 10 terrorism suspects after discovering at least 20 complete bombs and 50kg of explosives in an arms cache in the southern Sumatran city of Palembang. One of the men was an English teacher from Singapore, police revealed, with direct links to the fugitive Singaporean Jemaah Islamiah leader Mas Selamat Kastari. The man, identified only by the initials MH, is believed to have instructed the other detainees in bomb-making. The men, among whose number was also at least one who trained in jihad warfare in Afghanistan, were flown to Jakarta yesterday aboard a police plane for questioning. The bombs reportedly were constructed with live bullets rather than the ball bearings typically used in JI attacks. However, authorities said there was still a strong likelihood the men were JI-linked, including to key terrorist Noordin M. Top, whose support network is in central Java but who has been on the run for several years.

9 Terrorism Suspects Detained in Indonesia - Peter Gelling, New York Times

Indonesian police transferred nine terrorism suspects, bound and wearing black hoods, to the capital, Jakarta, on Thursday after their arrest in southern Sumatra. According to the police, a raid on Wednesday in the Sumatran port city of Palembang by an elite Indonesian counterterrorism team turned up more than a dozen homemade bombs and a cache of ammunition. A police spokesman refused to give further details, saying that the prisoners were being interrogated about the nature of their plan and their roles within the Jemaah Islamiyah terrorist network.

China Agrees to More Talks on Tibet - Jim Yardley, New York Times

China agreed Thursday to hold another round of discussions with envoys of the Dalai Lama before the end of the year, but officials declined to say if the two sides made any progress after the negotiations that ended this week. Tibetan envoys left Beijing on Thursday after two days of private meetings and planned to brief the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India, home of the Tibetan government in exile.

Tibet Talks Conclude With Little Progress - Jill Drew, Washington Post

Envoys for the Dalai Lama ended more than two days of talks with Chinese government officials Thursday with no immediate reports of substantive progress on easing tensions in Tibet, something the United States and other foreign governments had pushed for. A report on the talks in state-controlled media contained no concessions on the part of the Chinese in allowing more autonomy for Tibetans in the wake of widespread protests this spring against Chinese rule. Rather, the report repeated the conditions that the Tibetan spiritual leader would be required to meet before the Chinese would agree to new talks before the end of the year. Most significantly, he must prove that he does not support activities that would disturb next month's Olympic Games in Beijing, and agree to "concretely curb" violent activities of groups advocating Tibetan independence.

Flights Begin From China to Taiwan - Jonathan Adams, New York Times

The first nonstop, cross-strait weekend flights from China landed in Taiwan on Friday morning, in the latest breakthrough in cross-strait relations that are rapidly warming under the island’s new president, Ma Ying-jeou. The first batch of flights was expected to carry 662 Chinese tourists on package tours from five cities on the mainland, but that number is expected to expand gradually to as many as 3,000 tourists per day.

EUROPE

Russia Rated UK's Biggest Threat - Philip Webster, The Times

Britain’s security services have identified Russia as the third most serious threat facing the country, it has emerged before Gordon Brown’s first meeting with President Medvedev. Security officials say that only al-Qaeda terrorism and Iranian nuclear proliferation are greater menaces to the country’s safety than Russia. The services are understood to fear that Russia’s three main intelligence agencies have flooded the country with agents, The Times understands. There is reported to be deep irritation within the services that vital resources are having to be diverted to deal with industrial and military espionage by the Russians.

From Russia to US with Love - Henry Kissinger, The Australian opinion

Conventional wisdom treated Dmitry Medvedev's inauguration as President of the Russian Federation as a continuation of Vladimir Putin's two terms of Kremlin dominance and assertive foreign policy. A visit to Moscow with an opportunity to meet leading personalities of the political world, as well as representatives of various age groups in business and intellectual circles, has convinced me that this judgment is oversimplified and premature. For one thing, the emerging power structure in Moscow seems more complex than conventional wisdom holds. It was always doubtful why, if his primary objective was to retain power, Putin, at the height of a popularity that would have allowed him to amend the Constitution to extend his term, would choose the complicated, uncertain route of becoming prime minister. My impression is that a new phase of Russian politics is under way. The statement that the president designs foreign and security policy, and the prime minister implements parts of it, has become the mantra of Russian officials from Medvedev and Putin down.

Bosnian War Crimes Sentence Blocked - Associated Press

A UN appeals court on Thursday overturned the war crimes conviction of Naser Oric, a Bosnian Muslim considered a war hero by many in his country for fighting Serbs in the embattled Srebrenica enclave during Bosnia's 1992-95 war. Oric, 41, was convicted two years ago by the Yugoslav war crimes tribunal of failing to prevent the murder and torture of Serb captives in Srebrenica. But judges gave him a lenient two-year sentence and ordered his immediate release because of time spent in custody. But appeals judges went even further, overturning both convictions because the original trial failed to establish that Oric had control over forces responsible for the crimes.

Judge: Sharia in Britain - Hope and Kirkup, Daily Telegraph

Muslims in Britain should be able to live according to Sharia law, the country's most senior judge has said. Lord Phillips of Worth Matravers, the Lord Chief Justice, strongly backed Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, over his suggestion earlier this year that aspects of Sharia law should be adopted in Britain. The archbishop's remarks sparked a national debate and led to calls for his resignation. Risking inflaming that controversy again, Lord Phillips has said that Muslims in Britain should be able to use Sharia to decide financial and marital disputes.

Aircraft Carriers: Plane Sailing - The Times editorial

If diplomacy is the continuation of war by other means, and if the art of diplomacy is to speak softly and carry a big stick, then no stick comes much bigger, or looks more intimidating, than a 65,000-tonne aircraft carrier. Except maybe two 65,000-tonne aircraft carriers. The tricky part of the equation is that big sticks do not come cheap. The Government has signed a contract for two 65,000-tonne supercarriers for the Royal Navy. As big sticks go, these are the second-biggest of their kind. Only America's Nimitz class aircraft carriers come bigger.

MIDDLE EAST

Israel Right Demands Jerusalem Wall - Sheera Frenkel, The Times

Israel’s vision of Jerusalem as its “indivisible capital” came under attack yesterday as leaders reacted to Wednesday’s carnage by calling for a wall across the city’s ethnic divide. The Government says that the barrier between itself and Palestinian communities in the West Bank has thwarted many terrorist attacks. However, two recent acts of terrorism perpetuated by Arabs living in east Jerusalem has left some asking whether Israel should abandon the dream of a united Jerusalem and isolate itself further from Arab communities.

Jerusalem Vulnerabilities Weighed - Joshua Mitnick, Christian Science Monitor

Mr. Duwiyat, whose rampage left three Israelis dead before he was shot to death, was the second Palestinian from East Jerusalem in four months to embark on a killing spree, exacerbating Jewish fears of the city's 240,000 Palestinian residents who are perceived as threat from within because they enjoy most of the same freedoms as Israeli citizens. "We're vulnerable. What the terrorist act proved is not even a wall can keep us safe. We can't wall off neighborhoods that are in east Jerusalem unless we're ready cede control over the city," said Yossi Klein Halevi, a senior fellow with the Adelson Institute for Strategic Studies at Jerusalem's Shalem Center. "There's the realization that there is an inability to protect ourselves in the most minimal way. At times, we are going to witness outbreaks of madness on our streets."

Motives in Earthmover Rampage Debated - Griff Witte, Washington Post

The attack was the second in four months involving a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, which is mostly Arab, who crossed into predominantly Jewish West Jerusalem. A day after the rampage, differing interpretations of Edwyat's motives reflected the wide gulf between the city's halves. Israeli officials and media described Edwyat as a terrorist who had targeted Jews. But friends and relatives in East Jerusalem on Thursday described a man with no political affiliations or particular grievances against his Jewish neighbors. Instead, they said Edwyat had suddenly snapped for reasons they did not understand.

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.