IRAQ

‘Sustained Progress’ in Iraq, New Deployments Cut to 12 Months - AFPS

Citing improved conditions in Iraq, President Bush announced today that soldiers deploying there from tomorrow on will serve 12-month tours of duty. Army tours in Iraq were extended from 12 to 15 months in April 2007. Pentagon civilian and military officials have expressed the intent to cut Iraq tour lengths from 15 to 12 months for some time. Violence in Iraq has decreased to its lowest levels in four years, which indicates that the security gains achieved there in recent months may be lasting, Bush said today at the White House. “Violence is down to its lowest level since the spring of 2004,” Bush said. Reduced strife in Iraq, he said, has continued for three consecutive months and is holding steady. Bush said US Ambassador to Iraq Ryan C. Crocker and Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, the commander of Multinational Force Iraq, have cautioned him that the improved security environment in Iraq still is reversible. However, Crocker and Petraeus also believe “there now appears to be a degree of durability to the gains we have made,” Bush said. The success of the surge, Bush said, is “a significant reason for this sustained progress” in Iraq. Iraqi security forces are increasing in capability, he said, noting that 192 Iraqi combat battalions are now in the fight. More than 110 of these units, he said, are taking the lead in combat operations against terrorists and extremists. Iraqi forces proved their mettle earlier this year, Bush said, during the successful Iraqi government-led military operations launched against Shiite extremists in Basra, Amarah and the Sadr City section of Baghdad.

US Deaths Fall To Lowest Of the War - Amit Paley, Washington Post

Five American troops died in July as a result of combat in Iraq, by far the lowest monthly US death toll of the five-year war. The number of Iraq-related American troop fatalities in July - a total of 13 when noncombat deaths and the discovered bodies of two missing soldiers are included - is a dramatic drop from just over a year ago, when more than 100 troops a month were confirmed dead for several months in a row. In a brief statement at the White House early Thursday, President Bush suggested that the decreasing violence in Iraq would allow him to withdraw additional US troops before he leaves office.

US Toll in Iraq Hits All-time Low as Month Ends - Associated Press

The monthly US toll in Iraq fell to its lowest point since the war began, with at least 10 American deaths as July drew to a close Thursday after the departure of the last surge brigade. Iraqis also are dying at dramatically lower numbers with the war in its sixth year. July saw the lowest civilian toll since December 2005, though a series of suicide bombings this week and rising ethnic tensions in northern Iraq reflect the fragility of the security successes.

Citing Stability, Bush Sees Troop Cuts - Myers and Tavernese, New York Times

President Bush said Thursday that increased stability in Iraq would allow the withdrawal of more American forces there, reflecting an emerging consensus at the White House and the Pentagon, though a cautious one, that the war has turned a corner. Mr. Bush’s remarks, made in an unusual early morning statement outside the Oval Office, came as the month ended with the fewest number of deaths of American troops - 13 - since the war began in 2003, according to a group that tracks American casualties. Mr. Bush and his aides have been reluctant to declare the sharp drop in ethnic and sectarian violence over the last year as irreversible. Still, he gave the clearest indication yet that conditions in Iraq would allow him to begin reducing the number of American troops there before he leaves office in less than six months.

Combat Troop Withdrawal from Iraq? - Parker and Spiegel, Los Angeles Times

Iraqi officials said Thursday that they were close to finalizing a new security arrangement that would set out the goal of withdrawing all US combat troops from the country, while stopping short of establishing a strict timetable for their departure. The pact would outline a conditional time frame for Iraqi troops to take charge of the country and US combat troops to be withdrawn, according to Iraqi officials familiar with the talks.

Iraq Stances Seem to Hit a Middle Ground - Karen DeYoung, Washington Post

When President Bush announced his plan, in January 2007, to launch a "surge" of US troops in Iraq, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called the initiative the "best possible chance" for success and proposed a Senate resolution supporting it. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) called the troop buildup "another tired and failed policy" and introduced a bill opposing it. Nineteen months later, after violence in Iraq first rose rapidly and then fell even faster, McCain now credits the buildup with bringing victory "within sight" and says Obama should admit he was wrong. Obama, who says the "surge" was only one factor contributing to reduced violence, argues that McCain should admit the mistake of backing the Iraq invasion in the first place. But even as the two presumptive presidential nominees continue to squabble about the past, their debate over the future of US troops in Iraq seems to have entered a broad new middle ground, in which the question is not whether to withdraw but rather the speed and circumstances of departure.

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

US: Pakistan Aided Kabul Blast - Joby Warrick, Washington Post

US intelligence officials have concluded that elements of Pakistan's military intelligence service provided logistical support to militants who staged last month's deadly car bombing at the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan's capital, US officials familiar with the evidence said yesterday. The finding, based partly on communication intercepts, has dramatically heightened US concerns about long-standing ties between Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency, or ISI, and Taliban-allied groups that are battling US forces in Afghanistan, according to two US government officials briefed on the matter. The July 7 bombing at the Kabul embassy has been linked to fighters loyal to Jalaluddin Haqqani, an ethnic Pashtun militant who has led pro-Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan and has been associated with numerous suicide bombings in the region. More than 40 people were killed in one of the deadliest attacks on Afghan civilians since the US-led invasion in 2001.

US: Pakistanis Aided Attack in Kabul - Mazzetti and Schmitt, New York Times

American intelligence agencies have concluded that members of Pakistan’s powerful spy service helped plan the deadly July 7 bombing of India’s embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, according to United States government officials. The conclusion was based on intercepted communications between Pakistani intelligence officers and militants who carried out the attack, the officials said, providing the clearest evidence to date that Pakistani intelligence officers are actively undermining American efforts to combat militants in the region. The American officials also said there was new information showing that members of the Pakistani intelligence service were increasingly providing militants with details about the American campaign against them, in some cases allowing militants to avoid American missile strikes in Pakistan’s tribal areas.

US: Pakistan Link to Taliban Bombing - Josh Meyer, Los Angeles Times

American authorities believe that members of Pakistan's powerful intelligence service assisted the Taliban militants who bombed the Indian Embassy in Afghanistan last month, killing 60 people, a US official confirmed Thursday. The assessment that at least some elements of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence agency helped those responsible for the July 7 bombing has significantly deepened US concerns over whether Pakistan can be trusted unequivocally as an ally in the US-declared war on terrorism, according to the official. That US official and several US intelligence and counter-terrorism authorities said in recent days that the subject of ISI support for the Taliban, affiliated extremists and even parts of Al Qaeda was a central issue in visiting Pakistani Prime Minister Yusaf Raza Gillani's meetings this week with President Bush and other top administration officials.

Al Qaeda Says Bagram Escapee Killed in US Bombing - Reuters

An al Qaeda field commander who escaped from a US prison in Afghanistan in 2005 was killed in a recent US bombing, an al Qaeda leader said in a statement posted on the Internet on Thursday. The militant, whose alias indicates that he was born in a Levant country along the eastern Mediterranean, was one of four who escaped from the US military prison in Bagram in 2005. Among the group was Abu Yahya al-Libi, a key al Qaeda figure.

An Iraq Milestone - New York Post editorial

America's military progress in Iraq (thanks to the troop surge Democrats heatedly opposed) has been so steady lately, it's become almost ho-hum news. But milestones bear noting, and President Bush did that yesterday when he hailed "our third consecutive month with reduced violence levels holding steady." This month, US casualties reached their lowest level since the '03 invasion. Plus, there are reports (albeit, unconfirmed) that Al Qaeda in Iraq's leaders have fled and may be looking to divert recruits away from Iraq. All of which has allowed Bush to declare that, as of today, new deployments in Iraq will last only 12 months instead of 15. And it makes it more likely that Gen. David Petraeus will be able to order further reductions in troop levels in the fall.

Who Doesn't Want to Withdraw? - Los Angeles Times online debate

Joseph Cirincione says support is growing across the political spectrum for pulling troops out of Iraq and de-emphasizing the military aspect of the war on terrorism. David Rivkin says the troop withdrawal can begin, but the use of force in the region remains crucial to US interests.

IRAN

Tehran's Tricks - Amir Taheri, New York Post opinion

Tomorrow is the deadline for Iran to respond to the latest offer on its nuclear program. The package, shaped by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council plus Germany and offered in Geneva two weeks ago, offers a way out of the impasse. But don't expect Tehran to call the lead negotiator, European Union foreign-policy czar Javier Solana, to say it's accepted the deal. Iran has made it clear it doesn't intend to show any flexibility.

THE LONG WAR

Rethinking the Post-9/11 Strategy - Alexandra Marks, Christian Science Monitor

During the seven years since 9/11 there hasn't been a successful terrorist attack within the United States. And Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization responsible for the downing of the World Trade Center, has been pushed back in Iraq where it continues to lose support. But the core of Al Qaeda continues to thrive, according to security analysts, who note it has increased the number of attacks worldwide since 9/11 as well as its geographic reach. Those facts have led to two starkly different assessments of where the United States stands in its fight against terror – as well as sharp disagreement on the strategy needed as the country goes forward. This week the RAND Corp. sparked renewed debate about the nation's strategy when it released a report done for the Defense Department that concluded that the so-called "war on terror" has so far failed to significantly undermine Al Qaeda's capabilities. It suggested it was time for "fundamentally rethinking post-Sept. 11 US counterterrorism strategy."

Conditions in Iraq Improving; Results ‘Mixed’ in Afghanistan - Jim Garamone, AFPS

While some troops will deploy to Afghanistan in the near future, large units must wait until an assessment of needs in Iraq is completed, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said today. Gates and Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said during a news conference that the situation in Iraq has improved. “I personally believe that there is a real possibility of some additional drawdowns as we look forward,” Gates said. Mullen agreed, saying conditions in Iraq have dramatically improved over the past year. In a briefing this morning, President Bush said military and civilian leaders in Iraq told him there is a “degree of durability” to the progress in Iraq. “Some level of durability, I think, is one that fits,” Mullen said during the news conference. “But it's still … not irreversible. We haven't gotten to that point.” The level of violence in Iraq is lower and other trends also are positive, he said. “Then we clearly are looking at Afghanistan, where results are mixed,” Mullen said. “The challenges are certainly significant. And we'd like to get additional troops there as soon as we could.” Some forces -- a few hundred -- will move to Afghanistan soon, Gates said. This includes more civil affairs personnel, explosive ordnance disposal experts, and engineers. Gates and Mullen also said the Pakistani government recognizes it has a serious problem with extremists in the Federally Administered Tribal Area and the North West Frontier Province. It remains to be seen what actions the new government will take, they said.

AQ Leaving Iraq for Afghanistan - Alex Spillius, Daily Telegraph

Heavy losses in Iraq have also forced al-Qaeda to reroute new recruits to Afghanistan, where they are joining the burgeoning insurgency against coalition forces. An apparent change in emphasis by the terrorist group, which is increasingly concentrating its efforts on Afghanistan, comes amid reports of disarray in its ranks in Iraq and a decline in the number of attacks it has carried out. The deterioration of the foreign-dominated force followed its rejection by Sunni Iraqi tribal leaders and the "surge" of additional US troops over the past 18 months. General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, said this week that most of the country was now pacified and that he hoped the local military would assume control of all Iraq by the middle of 2010. The number of foreign fighters, mostly from Arab states, entering Iraq has dropped to about 20 a month down from about 110 a year ago, he said.

Hamdan Trial Closed for Testimony - Markon and Tate, Washington Post

The military trial of Osama bin Laden's former driver convened in a rare secret session Thursday to hear testimony from two defense witnesses that the government deemed highly classified. Navy Capt. Keith J. Allred, the military judge, cleared the courtroom as the uniformed US Army officers took the stand. Their entire testimony, other than their names and positions, was secret, though a redacted unclassified transcript is expected to be released later. The driver, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, and his attorneys were in the courtroom at the US detention facility here. The classified testimony adds a new layer of controversy to a military justice system that critics contend is essentially rigged to secure convictions. Hamdan is the defendant in the first US military commission since World War II, and virtually all of the trial had been open until now. Prosecutors, who rested their case Thursday, say the commissions are a fair way to bring accused terrorists to justice.

Prosecution Rests - William Glaberson, New York Times

After military prosecutors rested their case against Osama bin Laden’s former driver, the military judge on Thursday closed the courtroom to the news media and other observers for the first time so the tribunal could hear defense testimony in secret. The closed-door proceeding came in the second week of a trial that has become a test of the Bush administration’s military commission system. Defense lawyers for the detainee, Salim Hamdan, the first terror suspect to face a war-crime trial here, said the government had required the closed session for their first two witnesses.

Prosecution Finishes in First Guantanamo Trial - Reuters

US military prosecutors finished presenting evidence against Osama bin Laden's driver on Thursday in the first trial at the war crimes court at the Guantanamo Bay naval base. The final government witness against defendant Salim Hamdan was a US naval investigator who testified that the Yemeni prisoner admitted swearing an oath of allegiance to bin Laden. Defense attorneys, who fought unsuccessfully to keep out that testimony, will now begin presenting their case and the jury of six US military officers could begin deliberating their verdict within a week. Hamdan faces life in prison if convicted on charges of conspiring with al Qaeda and providing material support for terrorism.

Justice at Gitmo - Rivkin and Casey, Wall Street Journal opinion

After years of litigation, the first military commission trial of the war on terror - United States v. Hamdan - is underway in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Don't believe the critics who say justice isn't being done. Salim Ahmed Hamdan was captured by American and allied forces in Afghanistan. The government maintains - and Hamdan has confirmed - that he was Osama bin Laden's driver and bodyguard. Hamdan is charged with conspiracy to commit war crimes and providing material support for terrorism. Some of the complaints about the trial are trivial, such as that the proceedings are not televised (neither, of course, are the Supreme Court's). Other complaints are irrelevant, such as the claim that reporters cannot move about the Guantanamo base without an escort (try wandering unescorted into the Oval Office if you are on the White House beat).

COMPLEX OPERATIONS

Interagency Military Cooperation - Daniel Korski, United Press International

As the United States struggles to come to grips with these new challenges, it is saddled with a system of government inadequate to the task. As a new report by a nonpartisan commission states, the "US national security system cannot adequately protect America, its interests and its citizens." Led by one of the architects of the Goldwater-Nichols reforms, James R. Locher III, the Project on National Security Reform has prepared 100 case studies of interagency operations since 1947 to show that - whoever wins the presidential election in November - considerable reform will be required in the US government.

Multinational Students Study Civil Security at Marshall Center - AFPS

The George C. Marshall European Center, a German-American defense and security studies institute here, graduated the first class of its new course on trans-Atlantic civil security yesterday. The course takes an all-hazards approach to civil security as it looks at how nations can prevent, prepare for and manage pandemic disease, natural disasters and industrial accidents as well as terrorist attacks, Marshall Center officials said. Forty-two military and civilian emergency management officials from 25 countries completed the new three-week course. "For years, many nations lacked a formal framework for the concept of civil security," Peter Verga, principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and Americas security affairs, said at the graduation ceremony. "The increased threat of terrorism and regularly occurring natural disasters in the US and around the world have given a renewed sense of urgency to this topic."

HOMELAND DEFENSE

Anthrax Scientist Commits Suicide as FBI Closes In - Associated Press

A top US biodefense researcher apparently committed suicide just as the Justice Department was about to file criminal charges against him in the anthrax mailings that traumatized the nation in the weeks following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, according to a published report. The scientist, Bruce E. Ivins, 62, who worked for the past 18 years at the government's biodefense labs at Fort Detrick, Md., had been told about the impending prosecution, the Los Angeles Times reported for Friday editions. The laboratory has been at the center of the FBI's investigation of the anthrax attacks, which killed five people. Ivins died Tuesday at Frederick Memorial Hospital in Maryland. The Times, quoting an unidentified colleague, said the scientist had taken a massive dose of a prescription Tylenol mixed with codeine.

US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Deserters Don't Rate Refugee Status - Rondi Adamson, CSM opinion

American military deserter Robin Long may well have reasons to think he should not serve in Iraq. That said, I was relieved to hear he had been deported from Canada – where he had lived since June 2005 – to the United States on July 15. The Boomer generation got its wish for a volunteer army after the draft of the Vietnam War. And that is a good thing, for myriad reasons. A volunteer military is more effective and professional, and it certainly makes the matter of deserters an open-and-shut case. Quaint notions of integrity, duty, and honor aside, cases such as Mr. Long's boil down to a simple contract matter, not one's opinion of a particular war. A volunteer army renders moot the idea that Canadians should provide a haven to those who wish to break their contract with the US military. One could be forgiven for concluding otherwise. Since 2004, US deserters have been trickling into Canada – today there are about 200 – to praise from aging Vietnam draft dodgers, the chattering classes, Canada's literati, and the overlap of the three. These sympathizers refer to the deserters as "resisters." A stroll through upscale Toronto neighborhoods isn't complete without seeing "War Resisters Welcome Here" stickers in the windows of homes far beyond the financial reach of most of the deserters. Canada's Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) has not been so welcoming.

US INTELLIGENCE COMMUNITY

Spy Plan Briefing Rankles GOP - Shaun Waterman, United Press International

House Republicans on Thursday walked out of a briefing by administration officials about new rules President Bush has signed for US spy agencies, complaining that details had been leaked to the media before being told to Congress. "I didn't want to waste my time, or the time of the director of national intelligence," Rep. Peter Hoekstra, Michigan Republican and ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, told United Press International.

AFRICA

UN to Keep Darfur Force - Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times

The United Nations Security Council extended the mandate for beleaguered peacekeeping troops in the Sudanese province of Darfur late Thursday, but the United States abstained from the 14-0 vote to protest what it saw as wobbly support for pursuing war crimes indictments in the conflict. The language of the resolution sent the wrong signal to President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan by mentioning African support for suspending efforts to indict him in the International Criminal Court, the United States said.

US: UN Darfur Text Sends Wrong Signal on Genocide - Reuters

The UN Security Council is set to renew a mandate for peacekeepers in Darfur on Thursday in a resolution that Washington criticized for raising concerns about moves to indict Sudan's president for genocide. Most Western powers agreed to wording that makes clear the council is ready to discuss suspending any future International Criminal Court indictment of President Omar Hassan al-Bashir for genocide in the interest of peace in Darfur. Five years of war have brought humanitarian disaster to the western Sudanese region and Darfur campaigners accused the world of failing to provide helicopters and other badly needed support for the struggling peacekeeping mission there.

Where's the Air Support? - Los Angeles Times editorial

The list of countries responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Darfur is a long one, topped by the repressive government of Sudan but including such players as China, whose purchase of Sudanese oil keeps the Khartoum regime afloat, and Russia, which consistently blocks attempts to impose sanctions. Less frequently mentioned are those nations that are aware of the ongoing genocide but turn away when asked to do anything about it. A new report will make it harder for them to hide. The United Nations' peacekeeping mission in Darfur is foundering. The force is ill-equipped, dangerously undermanned and mostly ineffective at protecting civilians from a motley collection of roving militias, Sudanese soldiers, rebels and bandits. But perhaps most problematic is the mission's lack of helicopters, which are desperately needed to effectively patrol a region the size of France.

Tsvangirai Says Zimbabwe Talks Deadline Flexible - Reuters

Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai said on Thursday he was "fairly satisfied" with talks with President Robert Mugabe's party to end a political crisis, and said a Monday, August 4 deadline was "not inflexible." Tsvangirai said talks would resume as planned on Sunday with Mugabe's ZANU-PF party. Power-sharing negotiations began last week under international pressure after Mugabe's unopposed re-election in a poll dismissed around the world as a sham.

Mugabe's no Einstein - Washington Times editorial

With talks in South Africa set to resume this weekend on Zimbabwe's impasse, strongman Robert Mugabe has suddenly rediscovered his nation's disastrous economy. Not that Mr. Mugabe has applied the right lessons. On Wednesday, the regime rolled out an old classic in government economic illiteracy - a new zim dollar that simply knocks 10 digits off the old currency's denomination. So, a loaf of bread that previously cost Z$50 billion now costs either $50 billion of the old zim dollars, or $5 in new ones. Zimbabwe's annual inflation rate, which topped 1 million percent in May, is expected to rise to 5 million percent by the fall. A loaf of bread costs what 12 new cars did a decade ago. It hard even to make such comparisons anymore. They continually change. The inflation rate has accelerated to the point where the currency is meaningless.

AMERICAS

Hitmen Kill Six, Including Kids, in Western Mexico - Reuters

Gunmen shot dead six people, including children, in western Mexico in an execution-style massacre of the kind often carried out by drug gangs, Mexico media said on Thursday. All the victims, apparently from the same family, were shot in the back of the head and found shrouded in blankets in a house near the town of Zapotlan el Grande, online newspapers said. Two girls aged 7 and 8, and a 15-year-old boy were among the dead. Some 1,700 people have died in drug feuds in Mexico this year.

Official Resigns over Drug Cartels Battle - Marla Dickerson, Los Angeles Times

A high-ranking official in the Mexican attorney general's office has resigned under pressure amid poor results in the nation's battle against kidnappers and drug traffickers. Noe Ramirez Mandujano had served for 20 months as deputy attorney general in charge of the Office for Special Investigation Into Organized Crime before tendering his resignation Wednesday. Violence has exploded across large swaths of Mexico as drug gangs fight for control of lucrative smuggling routes to the United States. More than 2,300 people have died this year in Mexico in narcotics-related violence, according to a July 18 body count by the national daily Reforma.

Haiti Approves New Premier After Standoff - Associated Press

Haitian lawmakers ratified Michèle Pierre-Louis on Thursday to be the impoverished country’s prime minister, ending more than three months of political bickering and deadlock in Parliament. Haiti’s Senate approved Ms. Pierre-Louis for the post by a 12-0 vote, making her the second woman to become prime minister of Haiti. There were five abstentions. The decision ends a stalemate that has left the Caribbean country unable to sign foreign aid deals, arrange an international donors’ conference or hold overdue elections for a third of the nation’s Senate.

ASIA PACIFIC

Chinese Say Bush 'Rudely Interfered' - Jill Drew, Washington Post

China on Thursday issued a strong rebuke of President Bush for meeting with five Chinese dissidents in the White House this week, saying he had "rudely interfered" with China's internal affairs and sent a "seriously wrong" message to others who criticize the country. The comments by Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao were unusually pointed. The Chinese have often commended Bush for resisting activists' calls to boycott the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics on Aug. 8 out of concerns over human rights abuses. He also sat Wednesday for a one-on-one interview with China's state-controlled television, without requiring preconditions that would limit editing of his remarks.

Focus on N. Korea Rights Issues - Paul Richter, Los Angeles Times

Under pressure from political conservatives, the top US envoy on North Korea agreed Thursday to step up the Bush administration's emphasis on human rights issues during nuclear weapons talks, but stopped short of saying an improved record would be a precondition for normalized relations. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told a Senate committee that North Korea's rights record was "abysmal." He promised that from now on, the country's treatment of its citizens would be a formal part of discussions between the United States and the government in Pyongyang. Up until now, the Americans have raised the issue only as a secondary concern in the nuclear talks.

EUROPE

Karadzic Stands Defiant - David Charter, The Times

Shorn of the disguise that had helped to keep him at liberty for 13 years as a fugitive, a defiant Radovan Karadzic appeared before a war crimes tribunal yesterday, complaining about his arrest and talking darkly of a plot to assassinate him. The former Bosnian Serb leader invoked the ghost of Slobodan Milosevic, once a defendant in the same courtroom in The Hague, by saying that he was receiving guidance from "an invisible advisor" and declaring that he would represent himself. The latter tactic was used effectively by Milosevic to stretch out his own trial before he died in custody. Looking gaunt at his first appearance in Court One at the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Dr Karadzic refused to enter a plea but used his right to take 30 days to study the 11 charges against him. In an initial hearing lasting just over an hour, Dr Karadzic declared that he remained a citizen of all three countries that he once hoped to unite as Greater Serbia.

Karadzic Has First Court Session, Enters No Plea - Sonja Pace, Voice of America

Former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic made his first appearance before the international tribunal in The Hague which is to try him on charges of genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity linked to his role in the Bosnian war of the 1990s. Karadzic informed the court that he plans to defend himself and wants more time to study the indictment against him before entering a plea. It was a first procedural court appearance. Presiding Judge Alphons Orie asked Karadzic to identify himself and read a summary of the charges against him. "Mr. Karadzic, you are charged with one count of genocide under Article 4 of the Statute of the International Tribunal, with one count of complicity in genocide …. with five counts of crimes against humanity under Article 5 of the Statute, with four counts of war crimes under Articles 2 and 3 of the Statute," she said. Sitting in the dock, Karadzic informed the court that he would defend himself "as he would against any natural catastrophe."

Karadzic Makes Court Appearance - Marlise Simons, New York Times

Thin, stiff and impeccably polite, Radovan Karadzic declined on Thursday, in his first appearance before the war crimes tribunal here, to answer charges that he led Bosnia into an ethnic war that turned to genocide. Rather, while families of the victims of massacres he is charged with engineering watched on live television from Bosnia, the former Serb leader announced that he had been kidnapped three days before his arrest was disclosed in Belgrade on July 21. Seated in the same chair that his old mentor, Slobodan Milosevic, occupied in his own trial here, Mr. Karadzic also repeated old rumors that the former American envoy, Richard C. Holbrooke, had brokered a deal with him to evade justice.

Turkish Rulers Backtrack on Head Scarves - Associated Press

Turkey's ruling party has dropped for now its attempts to lift a decades-old ban on wearing Islamic head scarves in universities, a campaign that infuriated defenders of the country's secular principles and nearly brought down the government. Deputy Prime Minister Cemil Cicek signaled Thursday that the government would not push for a fresh round of legislation to lift the head scarf ban, a day after the country's top court narrowly decided not to shut down the ruling party on grounds that it was trying to impose an Islamic regime.

MIDDLE EAST

Turkey Defines New Role in Middle East Diplomacy - Dorian Jones, VOA

Turkish foreign minister Ali Babacan is in Tehran to help find a solution to the ongoing tensions over Iran's nuclear aspirations. Turkey is increasingly playing an active role in working to resolve tensions across the Middle East. Earlier this year it was revealed Ankara had mediated the Syrian-Israeli peace talks. On the eve of crucial talks between Iran and the international community in Geneva earlier this month, Iranian foreign minister Manouchehr Mottaki visited Ankara, for talks with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan. The meeting centered on Iran's nuclear program, and international fears Tehran is seeking to build a nuclear bomb, a charge Iran denies.

Hopes Dim for Peace Deal - Helene Cooper, New York Times

The official line in Washington, Jerusalem and Ramallah is that the decision by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel to resign will not affect American efforts to negotiate a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians before the end of the year. Israeli officials said Thursday that Mr. Olmert could still try to reach a peace pact in his remaining time in office. In Tunisia, Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian leader, pledged to work with Mr. Olmert and his successor. And at the State Department, a senior administration official said that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was not ready to give up yet. “That decision point has not been reached,” the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Israeli MPs Jockey for Olmert's Job - Martin Chulov, The Australian

Israeli leaders have called for immediate general elections in the wake of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's pledge to resign, which has placed regional peace talks on ice and threatened to usher in a new right-wing regime. Jockeying for nominations started immediately after Mr Olmert's surprise announcement from the balcony of his Jerusalem home yesterday when he said he would not contest the primary elections for his Kadima party, when they take place on 17September. Right-wing Likud Party leader, Benjamin Netanyahu led the calls for an urgent national election as media polls showed he would probably win the prime ministership if a vote were held now. Mr Netanyahu was a staunch critic of Mr Olmert and a resolute opponent of the departing leader's two-tracked peace initiative with Syria and the Palestinians.

Olmert Plows Ahead on Peace Talks - Joshua Mitnick, Christian Science Monitor

Peace talks between Israelis and Arabs are on hold until further notice. That's the conventional wisdom in the wake of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's announcement Wednesday that he'll resign: He's a lameduck leader with no leverage. But Mr. Olmert is charging full-speed ahead, say analysts and aides, although his persistence in pursuing a peace deal with the Palestinians and the Syrians appears to be as an eleventh-hour attempt by the disgraced prime minister to recast his political legacy. Still, the question remains: Will his efforts be taken seriously in the Middle East, the United States, or in his own country?

Fiascos Bracket Tenure of Ehud Olmert - Richard Boudreaux, Los Angeles Times

Olmert's decision Wednesday to resign next month sealed his legacy as a symbol of the country's weakened defenses and blatant official corruption. Wounded politically and militarily in Gaza and Lebanon two summers ago, he was finished off at home by dramatic allegations of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. The impact of his leadership on Israel and the Mideast, however, is broader and more complex. It remains to be seen whether his diplomatic ventures will ultimately lead to a calming of regional tensions.

Egypt's Envoy Doubts Peace Accord - Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times

Eighteen months after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice began what she described as a concerted push for Palestinian-Israeli peace, no serious negotiations have taken place and a peace deal is "not probable" before President Bush leaves office, Egypt's envoy to Washington said Thursday. Nabil Fahmy, who leaves the United States this month after nine years, suggested that the United States had not exerted sufficient leadership to close a deal.

Israel's Future - Washington Times editorial

Ehud Olmert's announcement that he will not run in the Kadima Party primary brings a close to his tumultuous two-and-a-half years as prime minister of Israel - almost. He will remain in office at least until Sept. 17, when Kadima holds a primary. After that, the winner (the leading candidates are Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz) will have a grace period of roughly a month to form a new government. If that does not work, elections must be held within 90 days - a scenario that would leave Mr. Olmert in office through the fall. The most likely scenario, however, is that Kadima will form a new Israeli government some time in the fall - largely because Kadima and its No. 1 coalition partner, the Labor Party, are far behind in the polls, and would in all likelihood lose badly to the hawkish Likud Party. The next Israeli election is not scheduled to occur until 2010, but Israeli prime ministers rarely complete their entire four-year term.

Settlers in West Bank Defy Promise - Joshua Mitnick, Christian Science Monitor

For nearly three decades this outpost in the desert hills of the Jordan Valley functioned as a stillborn settlement, a temporary respite for soldiers and religious students, but never the residential community intended by Israel when it approved Maskiyot in the 1980s. After Israel's Defense Ministry recently approved plans to build 20 houses, Palestinians and peace process proponents warn that the settlement is a de facto violation of Israel's promise not to establish new settlements in the West Bank – and another indication of the gloomy prospects for reaching a peace deal before President Bush leaves office. "We've planted our stake," says Yosi Hazut, was evacuated fro the Gaza Strip by Israel in 2005 and moved here six months ago. "This is a settlement like any other community in Israel. We're not waiting for the government."

Volatile Mix in Mideast - Austin Bay, Washington Times opinion

Oil and unemployed testosterone don't mix, they collide - with war the likely result. "Economics and demographics" lack the sizzle of oil and testosterone, which as eye-grabbers are an Oprah-notch below money and sex. But in the grand sense of geostrategy and intricate 21st century problems that produce wars, poverty and other sustained miseries, economics and demographics are the fire. Anyone looking for instant soundbites won't find them in William Cooper and Piyu Yue's "Challenges of the Muslim World, Present, Future, and Past" (Elsevier, 2008). Mr. Cooper is an economist at the University of Texas. A spry 94 years old, he is comfortable with detailed history as well as voluminous data. Piyu Yue works at the University of Texas' IC2 Institute.

SOUTH ASIA

Chips Link al-Qa'ida, JI in Indian Terror Campaign - Bruce Loudon, The Australian

Al-Qa'ida and Indonesia-based Jemaah Islamiah were directly linked yesterday to the wave of terrorist bomb attacks sweeping India, as intelligence officials dissected the make-up of dozens of devices planted in three of the country's most important business centres. While al-Qa'ida - acting through surrogates such as Lashkar-e-Toiba (LET), Jaish-e-Mohammed, the Students Islamic Movement of India and the Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami - is frequently blamed for terrorist outrages in India, it is the first time JI has been implicated. Security analysts said the revelation suggested JI was spreading its wings beyond Indonesia and The Philippines. Indian security officials said forensic analysis of the bombs planted in Bangalore and Surat had shown that integrated circuit chips were used. The chips were akin to those used by al-Qa'ida-linked JI to bomb targets in Indonesia and The Philippines, officials said.

IAEA Considering Indian Nuclear Agreement - Associated Press

An inspection agreement crucial to a landmark nuclear deal between India and the United States came under scrutiny Friday by the International Atomic Energy Agency. The Washington-New Delhi pact calls for allowing the sale of atomic fuel and technology to India, a country that has not signed international nonproliferation accords and has tested nuclear weapons. It would be a reversal of more than three decades of US policy.

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.