IRAQ

The Petraeus-Crocker Partnership - Robert Burns, Associated Press

One of the defining features of Gen. David Petraeus' tenure as leader of US forces in Iraq is an unusually close partnership with his political counterpart here, Ambassador Ryan Crocker. With that connection about to be broken, the question arises: Will it matter at this calmer but still fragile stage of the war? Petraeus, widely credited as chief orchestrator of a generally successful counterinsurgency strategy, is due to depart in September. Crocker, among the State Department's most experienced Middle East hands, says he will stay until President Bush leaves the White House in January, then retire. In an Associated Press interview, Petraeus said he and Crocker saw "inescapable merit" in a political-military synergy. So when they arrived in Baghdad in early 2007, with sectarian violence still raging, they wrote and then executed a classified "joint campaign plan" for countering the insurgency.

Four Women Kill Dozens In Suicide Blasts - Sudarsan Raghavan, Washington Post

Wearing their flowing black garments, they can carry hidden explosives past most checkpoints because customs of modesty prevent male guards from frisking them. On Monday, four female suicide bombers in two Iraqi cities used this tactic to enter areas defended by hundreds of soldiers and police officers. One bomber struck a massive Kurdish political demonstration in the northern city of Kirkuk. Three others attacked Shiites in Baghdad within a five-minute time frame: at a tent set up to feed pilgrims; at a rare checkpoint where women waited to be searched by female guards; and in a crowd of marchers on their way to commemorate one of the most important days in Shiite Islam.

Baghdad and Kirkuk Attacks Kill 61 - Oppel and Tavernese, New York Times

Three women wrapped in explosives killed dozens in Iraq on Monday, shaking the country as chaos and ethnic violence erupted in the volatile northern city of Kirkuk, where tensions had already run high between majority Kurds and ethnic Turkmens. All told, at least 61 people were killed and 238 wounded, nearly all of them Kurdish political protesters in Kirkuk and Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad. It was one of the bloodiest days in a year in which violence has dropped strikingly. The violence in Kirkuk, with its delicate ethnic and sectarian makeup perched atop great oil reserves, deeply unnerved government and security officials, who instituted curfews there and in Baghdad. Leaders of the Turkmen ethnic group, in competition for land and political power with the Kurds, called for protection by United Nations security forces.

Dozens Killed, Hundreds Wounded in Wave of Attacks - Aya Batrawy, VOA

At least 50 people have been killed in a new wave of deadly suicide bomb attacks in Iraq. Iraqi authorities also say more than 170 people have been wounded in the attacks. The first explosions were believed to have been set off by female suicide bombers who killed at least 28 Shiite worshipers making their way to a holy shrine in Baghdad. Elsewhere, in the northern city of Kirkuk, another suicide bomber killed at least 22. Monday's wave of suicide attacks makes the day one of the bloodiest Iraq has seen in a month. Police say the first wave of bombings was believed to have been carried out by three female suicide bombers. Despite stepped up security during the Shiite pilgrimage that is now underway, the women were able to sneak in through the crowd and carry out the attack. There are expected to be at least one million people at the shrine on Tuesday.

Bombings Kill Dozens in Baghdad, Kirkuk - Ahmed and Parker, Los Angeles Times

Four female suicide bombers attacked religious pilgrims in Baghdad and political protesters in ethnically mixed Kirkuk on Monday, killing dozens of people and wounding hundreds in a reminder of how raw Iraq's divisions remain despite a sharp drop in violence. A four-year low in attacks has prompted senior US officials in Iraq to describe Sunni Arab militants as a spent force no longer capable of toppling Iraq's Shiite Muslim-led government. But Monday's attacks on Shiites in the capital and Kurdish protesters, which ignited ethnic clashes in oil-rich Kirkuk, showcased extremists' enduring ability to cause damage. The bombings also highlighted a sharp increase this year in the number of women who kill themselves in such attacks.

Female Bombers in Day of Bloodshed - Sarmad Ali, The Times

Four female suicide bombers killed at least 57 people in two separate attacks in Iraq today, targeting a major Shia pilgrimage in Baghdad and a Kurdish political protest in the northern city of Kirkuk. The carnage, which also left almost 300 people injured, was the among the worst the country has seen in months, challenging recent security gains that have pushed violence down to its lowest level in four years. In the bloodiest attack, three women blew themselves up amongst thousands of pilgrims gathering in the capital to mark the death of an eighth century religious figure. Up to 32 people were killed and more than 100 wounded in the coordinated blasts that ripped in close succession through the central district of Karradah.

Military Offensive Under Way in Iraq's Diyala - Associated Press

An Iraqi military commander says a new US-backed operation has begun in the volatile Diyala province northeast of Baghdad. Gen. Ali Ghaidan says the operation began Tuesday and is aimed at clearing al-Qaida in Iraq militants from what's considered the last major insurgent stronghold near the capital. The US military in northern Iraq confirms that the offensive is under way.

Female Guards to Fill a 'Void' at Checkpoints - Associated Press

About 70 women clad in black abayas fanned themselves in a courtyard at a police station on a recent Sunday as Iraqi officials and US troops gathered to celebrate the graduation of the first Daughters of Iraq group in this volatile area. The group of female security volunteers was formed in an effort to stop female suicide attacks in Diyala province, still torn by violence. The women will begin searching other women at checkpoints, schools and hospitals next week. The group of 70 represented a total of 130 women who graduated after a five-day training course. They join the ranks of about 80,000 US-allied male security volunteers countrywide, called the Sons of Iraq.

Water Crisis in Iraq - Deborah Haynes, The Times

Iraq is in the grip of a water crisis after this year's seasonal rains failed, wiping out crops in some parts of the country and causing an unusually high number of sandstorms because the land is so dry. Dams and reservoirs in neighbouring Turkey and Syria have made the problem worse. The level of water in the Tigris and the Euphrates, the rivers that flow from the two countries into Iraq, has fallen by more than 60 per cent over the past 20 years. Latif Rashid, the Minister of Water Resources, said that he was concerned but that the Government was doing everything possible to tackle the drought.

The Iraqi Dustbowl - The Times editorial

Like most ancient civilisations, Mesopotamia flourished on the abundance brought by its two great rivers. The land between the Tigris and Euphrates was a wonder of the Ancient World, a cradle of agriculture where corn and vegetables, dates and fruits nourished the empires that arose on its soil. Even now, when most of Iraq's wealth gushes up from below the ground, agriculture remains crucial to the economy. But for the past two years Iraq's farms have been ravaged by a scourge as terrible as it was in biblical times: drought. Without water, all efforts to rebuild the country after decades of violence and war will come to little. The horrific suicide bomb attacks in Baghdad and Kirkuk yesterday deserve the world's attention - and sympathy. But conflicts over water could bring yet more tragedy.

Air Force Plans Altered Role in Iraq - Thom Shanker, New York Times

The commander of American and allied air forces in the Middle East has completed a detailed plan for how air power would be refocused in Iraq if, as is widely anticipated, the number of American ground troops was reduced in the final months of the Bush presidency and beyond. The commander, Lt. Gen. Gary North, described a future approach that would rely on jet fighters and bombers to help ensure the safety of American troops who remain behind to train Iraqis as the number of allied ground combat troops decreased. In addition, surveillance aircraft would take on an ever increasing role in spotting adversaries, while transport planes would continue to support a growing Iraqi military, which for now is not capable of supplying itself.

Are We Winning in Iraq? - Los Angeles Times online debate

Today's question: Violence in Iraq has dropped sharply. Can we finally say we're winning the war? Under what circumstances can the US declare victory? All week, Rivkin and Cirincione debate Iraq, unilateral war and more.

Don't Hold Olympics Without Iraq - Michael Soussan, Wall Street Journal opinion

The decision last week by the International Olympic Committee to ban Iraq from participating in the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing reflects far more negatively on the committee itself than on Iraq. The country's sin, as described by the IOC, is to have changed the members of its national Olympic committee, awarding posts based on local political loyalties. This is an interesting accusation -- given that the previous chief of Iraq's Olympic effort was Uday Hussein, the son of Iraq's former dictator. If Uday Hussein was acceptable to the IOC, why is the committee up in arms about the Iraqi government's decision to reshuffle its Olympic management team? The answer is that Iraq's new Olympic managers have not yet been accredited by the IOC. What will it take to get them accredited? Will they have to start torturing their athletes the way Uday used to do, when they failed to perform to his liking? There is a lot more at stake here than the bruised egos of IOC bureaucrats -- who for the most part, owe their own appointments to political connections within their national governments. The mission of the International Olympic Committee is to provide support and coordination for an event that aims to bring nations together through sports. And Iraqi athletes have, in recent years, overcome overwhelming odds for a chance to join in the Games.

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

Doubts Mount on Afghan Surge - Rowan Scarborough, Washington Times

While US commanders and both presidential candidates are pressing the Pentagon to send more troops to Afghanistan, several military and Afghanistan analysts say a surge there will not solve and could even worsen the problems of a country famous for resisting foreign interference. Pentagon spokesman Geoff Morrell told reporters recently that commanders in Afghanistan want an additional three combat brigades, or about 10,000 troops. But given US commitments in Iraq, he said, a decision on an increase of that size - nearly a 30 percent boost - would be left to the next administration in early 2009. More forces are being pushed as politicians ask what went wrong in a campaign that ousted the Taliban in two months in late 2001 using a few hundred commandos, CIA operatives and waves of air strikes. More than six years later, violence is up and a resurgent Taliban seems to have a limitless supply of suicidal fighters.

Pakistan Plans Push Into Tribal Areas - Julian Barnes, Los Angeles Times

Meeting a key Pentagon demand, Pakistan's military is planning to move a major unit of its regular army into the tribal areas on its western border, a largely lawless area used as a haven by Al Qaeda and Afghan insurgents, Pakistani commanders have told US military officials. The army unit would supplement the country's Frontier Corps, an ill-trained force frequently routed by insurgents, a senior US military officer said. A fully trained and equipped army unit would represent a change, long sought by US officials, in Islamabad's stance toward the troubled region. However, US officials also question how effective or long-lasting the Pakistani push is likely to be.

US Strike May Have Killed Al-Qaeda Aide - Warrick and Eggen, Washington Post

An apparent US missile strike on a compound in northwestern Pakistan killed six people early yesterday, including a man believed to be a top al-Qaeda operative and key figure in the terrorist group's production of chemical weapons and conventional explosives, US and Pakistani sources said. The death of Abu Khabab al-Masri, if confirmed, would be the most significant blow against al-Qaeda's leadership in at least six months. The Egyptian-born chemical engineer is believed to have trained a generation of al-Qaeda fighters in bomb-making, and he once spearheaded the group's efforts to make biological and chemical weapons.

Missile Strike in Pakistan May Have Killed Al Qaeda Official - Los Angeles Times

A Pakistani security official said an apparent US missile strike early Monday may have killed a senior Al Qaeda trainer believed to be a chemical weapons expert. Local officials in the tribal region of South Waziristan said that at least 12 people died in the attack, believed to have been carried out by an unmanned aerial drone. Foreign militants were among the dead, and one of them was thought to be Abu Khabab Masri, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The Pakistani military, as is its custom, denied knowledge of the missile strike and whether it had been carried out by the United States. American attacks inside Pakistan are highly sensitive politically. One US official familiar with the incident said the Pentagon was not involved and that "it was an agency-run op all the way," a reference to the CIA. The agency had no comment.

Bush Praises Pakistan, After US Strike - Steven Lee Myers, New York Times

President Bush on Monday praised Pakistan’s commitment to fighting extremists along its deteriorating border with Afghanistan, only hours after an American missile strike destroyed what American and Pakistani officials described as a militant outpost in the region, killing at least six fighters. Mr. Bush, meeting with Pakistan’s prime minister, Yousaf Raza Gilani, at the White House, sought to minimize growing concerns that Pakistan’s willingness to fight extremists was waning, allowing the Taliban and Al Qaeda to regroup inside Pakistan and plan new attacks there and beyond. Senior American officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice just three days ago, publicly scolded Pakistan for not doing more to root out safe havens like the one bombed on Monday in Azam Warsak, a village in South Waziristan near the Afghan border.

Pakistan PM Raises Attack - Agence France-Presse

Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called on the US not to act "unilaterally" against Islamic militants in Pakistan. Asked by CNN television about a suspected US missile strike on an al-Qa'ida leader in Pakistan, Gilani said he had told President George W. Bush at a White House meeting earlier on Monday that "unilaterally it should not be done". "We must have more co-operation with each other and it's our job because we are fighting the war for ourselves," he said. Gilani declined to directly accuse the US of being behind the missile attack which security officials in Pakistan said had targeted Egyptian militant Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, al-Qa'ida's top expert on chemical and biological weapons. But he said that if it was proven to have been a US operation, it would be a violation of Pakistani sovereignty.

Defence Admits Delay in Aid for Digger - Jamie Walker, The Australian

The Australian Defence Force has admitted that a dying Australian soldier took nearly two hours to reach hospital in Afghanistan, but sharply rejects claims that his retrieval was bungled. Having initially refused to release timings on the wounding and air evacuation of SAS signaller Sean McCarthy, who died of injuries inflicted by a road-side bomb on July 8, the ADF revealed yesterday that aero-medical evacuation choppers lifted off from Kandahar airbase 38 minutes after the blast happened, and 22 minutes after the call for help from the soldiers was logged. But the timeline provided to The Australian shows crucial minutes could have been lost when the AME helicopters stopped at the coalition airfield at Tarin Kowt, where the bulk of Australian troops in southern Afghanistan are based, to pick up a gunship escort. The ADF insists the one hour and 37 minutes that elapsed from when the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force was notified of the emergency to McCarthy's arrival at hospital in Tarin Kowt is consistent with an assertion by Chief of the Defence Force Angus Houston that the evacuation took place immediately.

Team Joins Divided Afghan Districts With Bridges - Neil Myers, AFPS

The Konar River runs for 150 kilometers and serves as a natural border between eastern Afghanistan and northwestern Pakistan. Although the villages along the eastern and western banks of the river are part of Konar, the river reinforces cultural and political alliances between Afghans on the eastern shore and tribesmen across the border in Pakistan. The people on the eastern side have had very little connection to the provincial government. To resolve this problem, the Konar Provincial Reconstruction Team has embarked on a bridge-building strategy to connect the Afghan government to the five provincial districts east of the Konar River. Until recently, Afghans in the Khas Konar, Sarkani, Naray, Marawara and Dangam districts looked to Pakistan for cultural affiliation, services and trade. Two bridges, in Nawabad and Asmar, now connect the eastern side of the river with the west and serve as the only means of vehicle access to the provincial center. The PRT is building five new bridges in the Guryak, Khas Konar, Marawara, Bar Sholtan and Saw Bridge districts to accommodate two-way commercial truck traffic and connect residents from the isolated areas along Pakistan’s border with the rest of Konar. Navy Lt. Matthew Myers, Konar PRT engineer, said local Afghan companies are doing all of the construction work.

THE LONG WAR

Work for Bin Laden Is Said to Predate War - Jerry Markon, Washington Post

Attorneys for Osama bin Laden's former driver on Monday began previewing one of their key themes in his military trial: that the United States was not at war with al-Qaeda during most of the chauffeur's service. The defense team for Salim Ahmed Hamdan brought to the stand an expert on military law, who testified that an "armed conflict" between the United States and bin Laden's organization began with the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. By that point, Hamdan had worked for bin Laden for at least five years. That is a potentially key legal issue in the historic trial, the first military commission since World War II. The terrorism conspiracy charges against Hamdan declare on their first line that he violated the "law of war." If the United States and al-Qaeda weren't at war, the defense argues, Hamdan's service as one of seven drivers for bin Laden was not a war crime.

A US Trial by Its Looks, but Only So - William Glaberson, New York Times

On the surface, the proceedings unfolding inside a makeshift courthouse on a hill here resemble an American trial. A judge wearing a black robe presides. There is a public gallery and a witness stand. Prosecutors present witnesses, and defense lawyers cross-examine them. Objections are made and ruled upon. But behind the judicial routine at the first trial for a Guantánamo detainee lies a parallel universe of law and lawyers. Secret evidence held in red folders is not revealed in open court. The gallery is mostly empty, because there are no members of the public. In what would be the jury box, every occupant wears a military uniform. In the first week of the trial of Salim Hamdan, Osama bin Laden’s driver, law enforcement officials recounted what he had said during interrogations in the years since he was detained in 2001. But it was also disclosed that some of the interrogations had been conducted in the middle of the night and by men wearing masks, and that Mr. Hamdan did not have a lawyer during those sessions, nor was he warned that he might be prosecuted.

Jurors Shown Graphic Film on Al Qaeda - Carol Williams, Los Angeles Times

Jurors hearing the first war crimes case against a Guantanamo prisoner watched a graphic 90-minute film chronicling the history of Al Qaeda on Monday, which included footage of mangled corpses in the rubble of the 1998 US Embassy bombing in Kenya. The disturbing images, including some not previously released by US authorities, were part of a film produced and narrated by a prosecution witness under contract with the tribunal hierarchy, the Office of Military Commissions. The film was written, produced and narrated by Evan F. Kohlmann, who described himself as an international terrorism consultant who has conducted research for government agencies in the US and several Western countries.

How to Contain Radical Islam - Kapusta and Campbell, Boston Globe opinion

The Events of Sept. 11, 2001, brutally announced the presence of an enemy seemingly distinct from any our country had faced before. Unlike previous adversaries, such as Nazi Germany, Imperial Japan, or the Spanish monarchy, this new enemy was difficult to define, let alone understand. It was not motivated by causes that an avowedly secular government could easily comprehend, and it took an amorphous yet terrifying form with little historical precedent. Our leaders responded to this new threat with dramatic changes. In the largest government reorganization of the past 50 years, the Department of Homeland Security lumbered into existence. A new director of national intelligence was named to oversee America's vast intelligence apparatus, and the defense of the homeland was made the military's top priority. Most dramatically, the United States announced - and then implemented - an aggressive new policy of preemptive war. Yet, with the seventh anniversary of 9/11 approaching, it seems clear that policy makers have not responded particularly well.

Poisonous Mix in Today's Wars - H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe opinion

Back in the days when the Indochina wars were on everyone's mind, a droll newspaperman, Martin F. Nolan, observed that "when the American people have to know when a country's rainy season is, we are already in too deep." I remembered that recently when I read about Saddam Hussein's tattoo. Hussein had three dots tattooed on his wrist to identify himself as a member of the Albu Nasir tribe. It was once all important to be an Albu Nasirman as the tribe dominated the government of Iraq in Hussein's era. His inner circle was made up of fellow tribesmen and family, for in Iraq tribe and family are often the only entities you can trust. To understand the ebb and flow of today's wars, Americans have to know about the poisonous mix of familial, tribal, ethnic, linguistic, racial, and religious factions at play in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Commandant Unveils Corps' Vision - Patrick Boyce, Marine Corps News

As the first decade of the 21st Century draws to a close, the United States faces a new myriad of threats and challenges in which both the landscape and operating environment of the world continues to undergo dynamic and dramatic upheavals, claims Marine Corps Vision and Strategy 2025. How the Marine Corps can best be employed and the Corps' contributions to national defense in the coming years and decades is outlined in the Vision and Strategy document, which was signed June 18 by Gen. James T. Conway, commandant of the Marine Corps. Important as well is The Capstone Operational Concept, signed June 25, which will act as the first chapter in the forthcoming Marine Corps Operating Concept for a Changing Security Environment, 3rd Edition, scheduled to be published early next year, which serves as a bridge from vision and strategy to operating concepts and capabilities. According to Col. Steve Zotti, director, Strategic Vision Group, Headquarters Marine Corps, both these documents should be read by every Marine in order to understand the future of the Marine Corps and how it will maintain its role as our nation’s expeditionary force-in-readiness.

UK MINISTRY OF DEFENCE

Royal Navy Captain Sacked - Thomas Harding, Daily Telegraph

Commander Jeremy Woods was sacked from the Type 22 frigate following "administrative action" taken by the Navy, the Ministry of Defence said. But the Navy insisted that the dismissal was "absolutely not" related to the capture of 15 sailors and Royal Marines last year or to any personnel issues on board. Although the Cornwall incident happened in March last year, Navy chiefs decided that Cdr Woods, 41, was not suitable to continue running the £250 million ship 16 months after the incident that caused national humiliation. A Navy spokesman confirmed the officer had been "removed from command". "This is an internal administrative matter between the individual and his senior officers and we will not give further details of the removal," he added. He will remain in the Navy but is now likely to take up an administrative post "where his talent and experience can be used to best effect". The Navy's reputation was severely damaged following the capture and detention in Tehran of the personnel, including a female sailor.

AFRICA

Zimbabwe Crisis Talks Stall - Voice of America

Talks aimed at ending Zimbabwe's political crisis appear to be deadlocked. Officials close to the talks say the sides are at an impasse over what position Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, would hold in any unity government. The MDC says negotiators for the ruling ZANU-PF party have offered Tsvangirai a third vice presidency with no executive power. Tsvangirai is said to be heading to the site of the talks in Pretoria, South Africa to consult with his negotiators. The information comes from anonymous sources close to the talks, since both sides agreed on a media blackout.

Mugabe Offers Tsvangirai Paltry Post - Thornycroft and Berger, Daily Telegraph

Representatives of Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party disclosed that they were mandated only to offer the opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai a vice-presidency, with no executive power. The offer came despite Mr Tsvangirai decisively beating Mr Mugabe in the first round of the presidential poll in March, and Zanu-PF losing its parliamentary majority. The MDC pulled out of the presidential run-off last month in the face of a campaign of violence against its supporters, more than 100 of whom were killed, some in appalling brutal ways. The MDC insists it is the rightful winner of the elections and is adamant that it will only accept a transitional authority, with Mr Tsvangirai in control, leading to fresh elections in about two years.

Zimbabwe's Talks - Washington Post editorial

Negotiations between Zimbabwe's government and opposition broke off yesterday four days after they began, which should have surprised no one who has followed Robert Mugabe's brutal and uncompromising campaign to remain in power. Since the 84-year-old strongman lost a presidential election March 29, his thugs have murdered at least 120 people, including some who were tortured before they died. Villages suspected of supporting the opposition have been looted and burned, and humanitarian groups have been prohibited from distributing food. In agreeing to two weeks of talks, opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai obtained a commitment that the violence would end and won the involvement of international mediators who could help ensure that the peace was kept. But even that has not stopped the rampage of government goons in the countryside.

Militants Blow Up 2 Oil Pipelines in Nigeria - Sarah Simpson, Voice of America

Nigeria's main militant group says it has blown up two more oil pipelines in an overnight attack. Militant attacks repeatedly force oil companies to cut production in Nigeria, pushing up oil prices on international markets. In an email to journalists giving details of the overnight attack, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta says the pipelines in Rivers State are operated by a unit of oil giant Royal Dutch Shell PLC. Shell spokeswoman Caroline Wittgen in Nigeria confirmed to VOA that an incident had taken place. However she could not provide any further details until an assessment had been made of the site from the air. Last week MEND said a ceasefire, called in June, was over and threatened fresh attacks on the oil industry. MEND wants a greater share of Nigeria's oil wealth to benefit the Niger Delta, which produces the country's vast oil exports. The people of the delta are desperately poor despite the riches beneath their land.

Moving Past Life as a Rebel Slave - Ben de la Cruz, Washington Post

Catherine Ojok was cleaning off the tables in her windowless cafe when the first customers of the day walked in. It was 9 a.m., and the morning light peeked through the pale yellow curtain hanging in the doorway. "Catherine, coffee," one customer called out in the local Acholi language. "And katoga," added another, referring to a traditional Ugandan breakfast made with root vegetables. Her customers know her by name. But they don't know her story, her secret. For more than 10 years, Ojok was held captive by the Lord's Resistance Army, a rebel group waging an insurgency in northern Uganda. Since the conflict began in 1987, the group, known as the LRA, has abducted an estimated 66,000 young people, according to a 2008 report by the Survey of War Affected Youth, an organization documenting the effects of the war. Most are forced to serve as soldiers, laborers or sex slaves.

Mercenaries for Darfur - William McGurn, Wall Street Journal opinion

Darfur gets plenty of news coverage from sympathetic reporters sickened by the carnage and devastation they have seen. What the people of Darfur do not get is an armed force capable of taking on the Janjaweed -- a horse-mounted militia. The Janjaweed has murdered men, gang-raped women, beaten children to death, and left poisoned wells and burnt-down villages in its wake. All this Mr. Bashir encourages and supports to help maintain his grip over Darfur. Enter Erik Prince, the chairman and CEO of Blackwater Worldwide. Yes, that Blackwater. Most of the attention the company has attracted has been for its security work in protecting US diplomats in Iraq. But much more of their work is training: from border and narcotics police in Afghanistan to police and maritime forces in countries ranging from the United States and Japan, to nations in Africa and South America.

Cocaine Finds Africa - Antonio Maria Costa, Washington Post opinion

West Africa is under attack. The region has become a hub for cocaine smuggling from Latin America to Europe. States that we seldom hear about, such as Guinea-Bissau and neighboring Guinea, are at risk of being captured by drug cartels in collusion with corrupt forces in government and the military. With the exception of cannabis in Morocco, Africa never used to have a drug problem. That has changed, however, in the past five years. Around 50 tons of cocaine are being shipped from the Andean countries to Europe via West Africa every year -- and that is a conservative estimate. Actual amounts could be at least five times higher. The volume seized is rising sharply: from 266 kilograms in 2003, to 3,161 in 2006, to 6,458 in 2007. This steep increase will no doubt continue. This month alone, more than 600 kilos were seized in a plane with fake Red Cross markings at the airport in Freetown, Sierra Leone, and at the international airport in Bissau, several hundred boxes were unloaded from a jet.

ASIA PACIFIC

Before Guests Arrive, Beijing Hides Messes - Jake Hooker, New York Times

Many cities have sought to remake their image when hosting global events like the Olympics. Beijing is polishing off one of the world’s most expensive makeovers with a whitewash. Along the historic central axis of the city that runs from the Yongdingmen Gate due north to the Drum Tower, the authorities are doing their best to give the old city a new face. Beijing has spent $130 million to restore buildings, many of them temples along the five-mile axis, according to the city’s cultural relics bureau. The Olympic Stadium was built on a northern extension of the traditional axis - a nod to the event’s historic importance. On the wide boulevards leading up to the stadium, roadblocks have been set up and flowers, grass and trees planted. The southern part of the axis has proved more difficult to beautify. It cuts through densely populated neighborhoods south of Tiananmen Square that are home to many of the city’s migrants and working poor. To hide neighborhoods leveled for redevelopment in recent years or anything else the government considers unsightly, officials have put up walls.

Thai and Cambodian Leaders Begin Talks - Seth Mydans, New York Times

The foreign ministers of Thailand and Cambodia met Monday to begin what they said would be protracted talks over a disputed mountaintop temple where soldiers from both nations have confronted each other since early this month. “The situation is not easing,” a Cambodian government spokesman, Khieu Kanharith, said at a news conference here in the capital. “Thailand has continued to increase its military buildup.” He said that Cambodia had 800 soldiers at the temple and Thailand about 3,000 troops. The Thai Foreign Ministry in Bangkok said that 400 Thai troops were facing as many as 1,700 Cambodian soldiers. The two sides have dug in and moved artillery into the area, although soldiers from both sides are said to be mingling in a friendly atmosphere.

Economic Gains vs. Democratic Goals - Katie Nelson, Washington Post

After almost four decades of war and poverty, life is looking up in Cambodia. Skyscraper construction in the capital, promising oil exploration and fast-growing international tourism are starting to produce a better standard of living in a country where a third of the 14 million citizens get by on less than $1 a day. As Cambodians head to the polls Sunday for national elections, some say the country's economic transformation should be matched by a political one. They express a desire for a more legitimately competitive political system and a broader spectrum of political players, instead of the singular grip of Prime Minister Hun Sen, who has ruled the country since 1993.

Don't Let Junta Off The Hook - Thaung Htun, The Australian opinion

If it were possible for human rights in Burma to be further assailed, then Cyclone Nargis managed to provide the opportunity. The storm, which swept through Burma's Irrawaddy Delta in May, killed up to 140,000 and ruined the lives of millions. Human rights are also a victim of Nargis. Indeed, Human Rights Watch recently observed: "The greatest obstacle faced by the international community in addressing the large-scale reconstruction needs of the Irrawaddy Delta is Burma's abusive military regime." Yet the Burmese generals pat themselves on the back for ratifying an important regional human rights charter. Those who live in the real world must not be bought off by this latest lavish ruse. Burma's ratification of the human rights charter of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations is infused with the sharpest irony.

EUROPE

Russia's Plan to Avert Second Cold War - Fred Weir, Christian Science Monitor

The dark clouds gathering this summer between Moscow and the West have some experts concerned that the world is on the brink of a new cold war. They point to two flash points. One, the ex-Soviet state of Georgia, is largely driven by Moscow's fear of NATO expanding into its traditional sphere of influence. The other is a proposed US missile-defense shield in Eastern Europe. Russia has promised to retaliate - possibly by basing nuclear-capable bombers in Cuba, according to an unofficial news report quoting unnamed top security officials last week. "It's no longer just rhetoric, it could start to get quite serious," says Dmitri Trenin, an analyst with the Carnegie Center in Moscow. "The message being put out by Moscow is that the West needs to realize that it's approaching a line, beyond which there could be a real showdown."

Nationalists Set to Fight Extradition - David Charter, The Times

Belgrade braced itself for a show of force today by thousands of Serb nationalists opposed to the extradition of Radovan Karadzic, as more details emerged of the wartime leader's recent career as a New Age healer. In a further twist to the story of how Dr Karadzic morphed into the mysterious Dr Dragan Dabic, a 78-year-old man came forward yesterday to claim that his persona was stolen by the fugitive. Petar Glumac, a bearded faith healer who looks almost identical to Dr Dabic and lives in northern Serbia, said that he had travelled throughout Austria, Croatia and Serbia treating thousands of patients, accounting for a number of false sightings.

Tension Mounting in Serbia - Dan Bilefsky, New York Times

Tension was mounting here Monday on the eve of a rally called by an ultranationalist party that some feared could turn violent over the likely extradition of Radovan Karadzic, the former Bosnian Serb leader arrested last week on war crimes charges. The fears have been fanned in recent days by death threats against Serbia’s pro-Western president, Boris Tadic, and attacks on journalists by far-right nationalists. The rally on Tuesday is being organized by the Radical Party, which has glorified Mr. Karadzic as a hero and opposes extraditing him to the United Nations tribunal in The Hague, where he has been indicted in connection with the three-and-a-half-year siege of Sarajevo, the Bosnian capital, in 1992-1995.

Erdogan Makes Unity Plea - Suna Erdem, The Times

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the Turkish Prime Minister, prayed with thousands of mourners yesterday at the funeral of victims of Sunday’s bomb attack in Istanbul. He called for a united response to the threat of terror and dismissed concerns over the possibility of his ruling party being closed down by a court ruling. “Today is a day for unity and togetherness. The more support we can give each other and the more we can give terrorism the cold shoulder, the more successful we will be as a nation,” said a sombre Mr Erdogan. He was speaking after carrying a flag-draped coffin and embracing mourners at a mosque in the Gungoren district of Istanbul. The funeral was held for 10 of the 17 victims killed there on Sunday night. More than 150 people were injured.

After Bombing, Turkish Leader Urges Unity - Sebnem Arsu, New York Times

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, eight government ministers and thousands of mourners stood as burial prayers were said at a local mosque on Monday for 10 of the 17 victims of Sunday’s double bombing. The coffins, like many houses in the area around the bombing site, were draped with Turkey’s red-and-white flag. On Monday, the country’s highest court began considering a prosecutor’s contention that Mr. Erdogan’s party, Justice and Development, or A.K., had brought Islamic practices into politics in violation of the founding principles of the Turkish republic. If the party is found guilty, it could be banned and 71 senior members, including President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Erdogan, could be barred from politics for five years. The court is expected to reach its verdict in two weeks.

Turks Mourn Blast Victims; Rebels Deny Culpability - Associated Press

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan served as a pallbearer at a funeral Monday for some of the 17 people killed by bombs in Turkey's biggest city, an attack the government blamed on Kurdish rebels who have targeted civilians in the past. The Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, immediately denied responsibility and attributed Sunday's attack to "dark forces" -- Turkish nationalists who allegedly seek to foment chaos to strengthen the political influence of the military. No one has asserted responsibility for the bombings, and Turkey is home to a variety of violent movements besides the PKK, including radical Islamist groups and alleged coup plotters with ties to the secular establishment.

Turkey's Secularism - Daily Telegraph editorial

The two weekend explosions in Istanbul have been a disturbing reminder of the volatility of Turkey. This haven of western secularism among Muslim countries is a prototype for the Middle East's future. Rightly, it is a prospective member of the EU: its accession would establish a bridgehead between Europe and the Islamic world. It would also help Europe move towards a broader and looser free trade area and away from the top-down, over-regulated superstate dreamed of by the Brussels establishment. Additionally, its NATO membership and geographical location make it an important ally of the West in the world's most unsettled region.

MIDDLE EAST

Olmert: No Accord on Jerusalem This Year - Linda Gradstein, Washington Post

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert told a parliamentary committee Monday that Israel and the Palestinians will not be able to reach an agreement this year on the future of Jerusalem, officials said, all but scuttling hopes that the two sides will agree on the principles of a peace deal before the end of the Bush administration. "I don't believe that understandings that will include Jerusalem can be reached this year," an official present at the closed-door meeting of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee quoted Olmert as saying. At the same time, Olmert said gaps had been narrowed on other issues, such as the final borders of a future Palestinian state, and proposed establishing an unspecified "mechanism" for dealing with Jerusalem.

Palestinian Fatah Forces Arrest Hamas Activists - Voice of America

Security forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah faction have arrested more than 50 rival Hamas activists in the occupied West Bank. Among those arrested by Mr. Abbas's forces Monday in the city of Nablus were several prominent local leaders and university professors. Authorities have not immediately given a reason for the arrests. Tensions are running high between the rival Palestinian factions since a bombing in the Gaza Strip last Friday killed five Hamas members and a young girl. Hamas accused Fatah of carrying out the attack, and has detained at least 160 Fatah supporters in Gaza. Fatah has denied involvement, blaming the blast on Hamas infighting. The two Palestinian factions have been at odds since Hamas routed Fatah forces in a civil war last year and seized control of Gaza.

Syrians See Economic Side to Peace - Mahfoud and Worth, New York Times

Prices soared here after the Syrian government cut fuel subsidies in May, deepening the gulf between rich and poor in this nominally socialist state. It had little choice. The oil reserves Syria has relied on for so long are rapidly disappearing. The hefty budget surpluses of a decade ago have turned into multibillion-dollar deficits. A country that could once afford to be serenely indifferent to Western sanctions is now being forced to liberalize and open its economy. None of this has changed Syria’s conviction that any peace agreement must include the return of the Golan Heights, the area captured by Israel in 1967. But a profoundly uncertain economic future has created additional incentives for peace, which could help lure foreign investment by ending Syria’s pariah status in the West. A settlement with Israel “would lift a huge weight from our shoulders,” said Ghimar Deeb, a Syrian lawyer and economist who works with the United Nations here. It would lead to the lifting of sanctions, which would give Syria access to new investment, high-tech supplies and training opportunities, he said.

SOUTH ASIA

India's Prime Minister Vows to Defeat Bombers - Voice of America

Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has vowed to defeat those responsible for bomb attacks that killed at least 45 people and wounded 160 others in Ahmedabad. Mr. Singh and Congress Party leader Sonia Gandhi met wounded bomb survivors in the western city Monday. Speaking at a bomb-hit hospital, Mr. Singh said the "terrorist" attacks aimed to destroy India's social fabric and communal harmony. A group called the "Indian Mujahedin" has claimed responsibility for the 16 coordinated explosions that rocked Ahmedabad, in Gujarat state, Saturday. In an email, the group said it was seeking revenge for Gujarat. It was an apparent reference to sectarian riots in which Hindu mobs killed about 2,000 mostly Muslim people six years ago.

Plagued by Terrorism, Indians Voice Frustration - Emily Wax, Washington Post

An estimated 3,674 people died in terrorist attacks in India from January 2004 to March 2007, making the subcontinent second only to Iraq in deaths from terrorist attacks during the same period, according to the National Counterterrorism Center in Washington, the US agency that analyzes intelligence pertaining to terrorism. The blasts in the western city of Ahmedabad over the weekend added 49 to that total. Two died in the Bangalore attack. "Nation on Edge! Govt. Clueless," said a headline on Monday in the popular tabloid paper Mail Today. Editorials in other newspapers have been filled with calls on the government to be more vigilant in its investigations. While acknowledging the challenges of finding the guilty in a sprawling, chaotic country of 1.1 billion people, terrorism experts say the investigations so far have fallen short of their expectations.

Target: India - Wall Street Journal editorial

India is on high alert after bomb attacks over the weekend killed 50 and injured more than 200. They are the latest evidence of the serious threat India faces from homegrown Islamic terrorism. Friday's blast was set off in Bangalore, the country's technology capital. The Indian Mujahedeen, an Islamic group linked to May's Jaipur bombing, claimed responsibility and warned of more to come. The next day, 16 explosions shook Ahmedabad, the capital of Gujarat state. Terrorism is not new to India, which has suffered violence at the hands of extremists of many ethnic and religious stripes for decades. The Islamic threat has grown in recent years -- backed, New Delhi charges, by militants based in Pakistan. The Indian Mujahadeen also claims responsibility for the Jaipur blasts, which killed 63, as well as for attacks last year in Uttar Pradesh. Islamic radicals were behind major attacks in Hyderabad and Mumbai in the past two years.

India's Counterterrorism Failings - Sadanand Dhume, WSJ opinion

In recent years few countries have changed their public image as dramatically as India. But though pictures of starving peasants and rutted roads have given way to those of svelte supermodels and bustling call centers, in at least one respect India remains more a basketcase than a potential great power. As Friday's bomb blasts in India's software capital, Bangalore, and Saturday's in the industrial city of Ahmedabad show, India is singularly ill-equipped to deal with the scourge of terrorism. The Bangalore and Ahmedabad bombings, which killed one and 49 people respectively and cumulatively wounded more than 200, are only the most recent in a spate of attacks. In the past two years terrorists have targeted the northern city of Jaipur, the high-tech hub Hyderabad, the temple town of Varanasi and India's financial capital, Mumbai. Officials have pinned the most recent attacks on Indian Mujahedeen, a homegrown group linked to the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul Jihad-al-Islami and the banned Students Islamic Movement of India. Both Pakistan and Bangladesh -- carved out of British India to create a homeland for the subcontinent's Muslims -- give shelter and succor to terrorists. But the fact that the most recent attacks were carried out by a made-in-India group shows it's about time that India comes to terms with its own counterterrorism failings.

India, Pakistan Trade Fire in Kashmir for 12 Hours - Associated Press

Indian and Pakistani soldiers traded fire across the Kashmir border for more than 12 hours overnight and into Tuesday in what the Indian army called the worst violation yet of the nuclear-armed neighbors' cease-fire agreement. The gun battle came after an Indian soldier and four Pakistanis were killed Monday in a deadly clash along the heavily armed frontier that divides Indian and Pakistani controlled Kashmir, the Indian army said. No further casualties were reported Tuesday.

EVENTS OF INTEREST

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.