IRAQ

Iraqi Prisoners Reformed, Released - Richard Tomkins, Washington Times

US military authorities in Iraq are crediting prisoner review boards and programs for Iraqis accused of terrorism-related offenses or security violations for an uptick in detainee releases this year and a recidivism rate that they say is as low as 1 percent. Gen. David H. Petraeus, quoting figures from the detainee handling unit TF-134, said recently that more than 10,000 Iraqis in US custody have been released in 2008 compared with 8,900 for all of 2007. Task Force 134 said that for every 30 Iraqis picked up on average each day for security offenses, 45 leave Camp Bucca in southern Iraq and Camp Cropper near Baghdad for special release ceremonies in their home districts that include the signing of good-behavior agreements.

Jordan's Abdullah Travels to Baghdad - Paley and Mizher, Washington Post

King Abdullah II of Jordan on Monday became the first Arab head of state to visit Iraq since the US-led invasion five years ago, the latest sign that Iraq's Sunni Arab neighbors are strengthening ties with its Shiite-led government. During Abdullah's brief, unannounced visit to the capital, he met with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and Vice President Adel Abdul Mahdi, both Shiites, to express his support for the Iraqi government. The king later issued a statement urging other Arab nations to reach out to Iraq.

Northern Iraq Security Improving, but Not Ready for Iraqi Control - AFPS

While the security situation in northern Iraq has improved, none of the governors of the four provinces there believe it is time for provincial Iraqi control, the coalition commander in the region said. Army Maj. Gen. Mark P. Hertling gave a rundown of the situation in the four provinces his Multinational Division North has responsibility for during a Pentagon news conference today. Hertling spoke via teleconference from Forward Operating Base Speicher, in Iraq. Northern Iraq is a combat zone today because of successes in other parts of Iraq. The “awakening” movement in Anbar province pushed al-Qaida out of there to the east, and successes against extremists in Baghdad and its environs pushed extremists to the north. “We are the most volatile area in Iraq right now, but we're continuing to pursue [terrorists] so that isn't the case in a few months,” he said.

The War in Iraq Is Over. What Next? - Bing West, Wall Street Journal opinion

The war I witnessed for more than five years in Iraq is over. In July, there were five American fatalities in Iraq, the lowest since the war began in March 2003. In Mosul recently, I chatted with shopkeepers on the same corner where last January a Humvee was blown apart in front of me. In the Baghdad district of Ghazilia - where last January snipers controlled streets awash in human waste - I saw clean streets and soccer games. In Basra, the local British colonel was dining at a restaurant in the center of the bustling city. For the first time in 15 trips across the country, I didn't hear one shot or a single blast from a roadside bomb. In Anbar Province, scene of the fiercest fighting during the war, the tribal sheiks insisted to Barack Obama on his recent visit that the U.S. Marines had to stay because they were the most trusted force. The war turned around in late 2006 because American troops partnered with Iraqi forces and tribal auxiliaries to protect the population.

Revelations at the Al-Rasheed - Pete Hegseth, National Review opinion

While awaiting transport to Samarra two days ago, I spent most of the morning and afternoon at the (in)famous Al-Rasheed Hotel; meeting place du jour for Iraq’s politicians, tribal leaders, businessmen, contractors, journalists, and journeymen. Describing the lobby scene itself could fill this entire page - with elegantly shrouded sheiks sending seemingly choreographed plumes of smoke skyward as they debate, Iraqi journalists hustling to the next story, and businessmen negotiating contracts between puffs on the hookah. Think of the bar scene from Star Wars. All types, from all lands, converge here. As I wait for my first meeting, I do my best - and fail - to fit in. My first interview spots me easily and we sit near a wall-to-ceiling window, overlooking an overgrown garden and dried up fountain - typical Green Zone landscaping. Tea is served, and while I turn on my tape recorder, my counterpart lights a thin cigar and settles in.

Flying Back to Flying Man - Joel Arends, National Review opinion

Last week, I had the opportunity to visit the World War II battlefields of Monte Cassino, the Rapido River, and Anzio in southern Italy. Those were just some of the places that America’s Greatest Generation fought and where many died in order to break through Hitler’s vaunted Gustav Line in the eventual March to Rome. Today I’m in Baghdad going back to the battlefields where I fought with the Army’s First Cavalry Division, where some of my comrades died, and where America’s next Greatest Generation is currently doing battle. I’ve returned to Baghdad after three years as an embedded correspondent for NRO to observe the situation for myself. The battle for Iraq today is not so dissimilar to the Italy campaign waged by the Allies in WWII. Into the late winter of 1943 - two years into the war - the Allies did not have a strategy for victory. Likewise, America did not have a strategy for victory in Iraq until January 2007 when President Bush announced the Surge.

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

Stronger US Role Likely in Afghanistan - Gordon Lubold, Christian Science Monitor

The Pentagon will send a one-star general to Afghanistan this fall as part of a politically parlous but determined effort by the US to assume greater control in the country's troubled southern sector. It's a small change to the complex command structure blamed for an ineffective counterinsurgency strategy that allowed the Taliban to stage a comeback. But the deployment of the commander may pave the way for the US to slowly begin taking over the southern sector's military efforts as NATO's role there diminishes over time. "I really think this will be a precursor of a larger American role," says one retired senior officer familiar with the move.

Bomb Attack on Allied Convoy Kills 3 - Abdul Waheed Wafa, New York Times

A suicide car bomb hit a convoy of the NATO-led forces on the eastern outskirts of the capital on Monday, killing three civilians and wounding about a dozen others, Afghan police officials said. The attack occurred in midafternoon, when three military vehicles were on the main eastern highway, where a number of foreign military bases are situated. It was the first suicide bombing in Kabul since July 7, when an attacker killed nearly 60 people at the Indian Embassy. Separately, the United States military said it had killed eight civilians and wounded three on Sunday when it bombed a house occupied by militants in the southern province of Uruzgan. In a statement, the military said it had also killed 25 militants who had mounted ambushes on Afghan and coalition forces from buildings in the town of Khas Uruzgan.

'Turmoil in Central Asia' - Olcott and Linn, Wall Street Journal opinion

While the international community focuses on the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, it is paying far too little attention to the storm brewing just beyond the country's northern borders, in Central Asia. That's a serious mistake. Instability in Afghanistan's neighborhood could further destabilize Afghanistan itself. Central Asian countries are instrumental to the effort in Afghanistan. Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan have provided space for NATO bases. The latter two countries form the foundation of the Central Asian South Asian Regional Energy Market project, providing hydroelectric power necessary for Afghanistan's economic recovery. Efforts to secure borders in the area are also key to successful drug interdiction.

The Long, Hard Slog - H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe opinion

"Ragtag Taliban Show Tenacity in Afghanistan," read the headline last week. Washington and NATO capitals were reportedly "soul-searching" over how a disheveled insurgency had managed to "keep the world's most powerful armies at bay." This should hardly have come as a surprise. There is a certain irony for those of us who were up on the North-West Frontier in the 1980s interviewing Islamic fighters who, from their safe bases in Pakistan, were making life miserable for the Soviets in Afghanistan. I once visited a training camp just over the border where insurgents were being trained in guerrilla tactics and in making bombs to be smuggled into Kabul. I guess you would have to say they were terrorists, but they were our terrorists so we called them freedom fighters. As for the Russians, they were always being taken by surprise at the tenacity of their ragtag opponents.

IRAN

Iran and EU in New Nuclear Contact But No Change - Reuters

Iran's chief atomic negotiator and the man representing six world powers discussed Tehran's nuclear program in telephone talks on Monday but an EU official said there was no change in the dispute. Iran's National Security Council said negotiator Saeed Jalili and European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana agreed to continue their talks.

Turkey's Regional Influence - Tulin Daloglu, Washington Times opinion

Nearly two weeks after Iran refused to yield to the demand by Germany, France, Britain, Russia, China and the United States that it stop developing nuclear technology that can lead to a nuclear weapon, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad will travel to a NATO country for the first time. Turkish President Abdullah Gul will meet the Iranian leader on Thursday in Istanbul. While Iran's influence as a regional power has undeniably been enhanced by standing against the threats of new sanctions and continuing its nuclear program, Mr. Ahmadinejad's visit to Turkey will further that image. But what will Turks gain from it? At best, nothing. Furthermore, this visit is likely to cause trouble for Turkey. Technically, the UN Security Council's five permanent members and Germany unanimously agree that Iran should not have nuclear weapons. They differ in their tactics, but they agree that it is absolutely vital that Iran sees no positive side to trying to further its nuclear aims. Turkey's political leaders, however, have chosen to see these high-level "talks" as a show of "good will" in the name of peace. Mr. Gul has also hosted Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, who ordered genocide in Darfur, for the same reason. But a Turkish proverb suggests that talking is not always a virtue. Knowing when and how to stay "silent" is.

THE LONG WAR

What If the FBI Is Right About Bruce Ivins? - Randall Larsen, WSJ opinion

If the FBI theory on the man responsible for the anthrax attacks of 2001 is correct, then the threat of bioterrorism is far more troubling than we have imagined. I am not a scientist, and will leave the debate on the scientific evidence against Bruce Ivins to the sort of thorough, independent examination recommended by Sen. Charles Grassley (R., Iowa). But such an examination is crucial. It could have profound national security implications, which have been missed in most public discussions of the case. Here's why: In the years since 1999, while I've provided an executive-level course on the threat of bioterrorism to more than 3,000 senior military officers, plus scores of other presentations, lectures and seminars, one of the most frequent questions asked is, "If the Unabomber had been a biologist instead of a mathematician, could he have produced a sophisticated bioweapon?" The answer has always been "No: That would require a team of individuals." However, if the FBI is right about Ivins, such a lone individual can produce such a weapon.

Judgment at Guantanamo - Bruce Fein, Washington Times opinion

It was altogether fitting that a military commission's verdict in the war crimes trial of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's erstwhile driver, was rendered on Aug. 6, 2008. That date marked the 63rd anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Its five-year death toll approximated 200,000, emblematic of the frightful horrors of World War II when the existence of Western civilization lay in the balance. Upon witnessing an atomic test at Alamogordo, N.M., father of the bomb, J. Robert Oppenheimer quoted from the Bhagavad-Gita: "Now I have become death, the destroyer of worlds." President Bush and Vice President Richard Cheney had decreed that even if there were only a sub-zero chance al Qaeda was tantamount in its lethality and danger to an atomic bomb, the United States must treat that probability like biblical gospel. Mr. Bush had chronically sermonized that al Qaeda's threat was indistinguishable from a murderous cocktail of Vladimir Lenin, Josef Stalin, Adolf Hitler, Emperor Hirohito, Leon Trotsky and Benito Mussolini.

AFRICA

Mugabe Power Row Holds Off Deal - Martin Fletcher, The Times

Talks on creating an unprecedented coalition government in Zimbabwe stretched into a third day last night, with their success hanging on Robert Mugabe’s willingness to surrender his monopoly on power. After two days of negotiations President Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, the opposition leader who was cheated of victory in presidential elections in March, still apeared to be deadlocked. They are due to resume their talks at the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare, today, with Mr Mugabe saying that he was confident of success and Mr Tsvangirai refusing to comment. The two men and Thabo Mbeki, the South African President, who is mediating the talks, agree that Mr Mugabe should remain President while Mr Tsvangirai becomes prime minister, but they were still arguing over the relative powers of the two posts.

Hopes Rise of Robert Mugabe's End - Martin Fletcher, The Australian

For millions of desperate Zimbabweans, there were rising hopes last night that President Robert Mugabe could finally be on the brink of surrendering if not his office, then at least his monopoly on power. Closed-door talks between Mugabe and opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai - mediated by South African President Thabo Mbeki - were scheduled to continue for a second day last night in an effort to form a coalition government. Mugabe's demise has been predicted many times during his 28-year rule, but all parties appeared to agree yesterday that some sort of deal requiring him to share power with Mr Tsvangirai was within reach. Zimbabwe's state-run media reported that in secret talks over the past week the two sides had reached a "common position" on key issues, including land distribution.

Zimbabwe: Anatomy of a Deal - The Times editorial

Outside the Rainbow Towers Hotel in Harare, inflation has surged past two million per cent and children survive on a bowl of gruel a day. Inside, flowers have been ordered for a ceremony. President Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe's opposition leader, have met face to face for the first time since power-sharing talks began three weeks ago. President Mbeki of South Africa has flown in and out again, but with a promise to return. A deal to end Mr Mugabe's stranglehold on power appeared tantalisingly close last night. Having implored Mr Mbeki to take his role of mediator more seriously, Zimbabwe's neighbours and the wider world will have little choice but to accept whatever may be agreed. But no pact will prove a viable basis for rebuilding the country unless the man who has brought about its demolition truly relinquishes control. Mr Tsvangirai can make this happen, but he must hold his nerve.

Mauritania Coup Leaders Say Prime Minister is Free - Associated Press

The leaders of Mauritania's recent coup say in a communique they have released the prime minister and three other high-ranking officials of the toppled government. But the junta made no mention of the country's arrested president, whose whereabouts are unknown.

AMERICAS

Chávez Riles Critics with Decree - Orozco and Llana, Christian Science Monitor

Venezuela's popular leftist president, Hugo Chávez, suffered his first major defeat last December when voters rejected constitutional reforms that would have concentrated more power in his hands. Back then, Mr. Chávez claimed to have accepted the will of the people and seemed to back off his confrontational approach to pushing for a socialist state. But now, his government is once again riling critics with recent moves, such as the passage of a slew of new laws that resemble items in the rejected constitutional reform package and the banning of opposition candidates from upcoming mayoral and gubernatorial elections.

Uribe Backers Submit Re-election Vote Signatures - Associated Press

Supporters of Colombian President Alvaro Uribe delivered more than 5 million signatures, hauled in three trucks, to election authorities Monday calling for a referendum on whether he should be allowed to run for a third consecutive term. Uribe hasn't said if he will seek a third term or not, but his approval ratings have soared to above 80 percent following the military rescue of Ingrid Betancourt and three US contractors from leftist guerrillas. The 56-year-old leader's surge in popularity has fueled hopes by his backers that he will seek to return to office.

Bolivia's Morales Pushes Reforms after Vote Win - Reuters

Confirmed in office in a landslide recall election vote, Bolivian President Evo Morales now plans to push through major constitutional reforms early next year that will further antagonize his rightist opponents. The reforms would give more clout to Bolivia's poor indigenous majority, enable Morales to run for reelection and undermine the campaigns in opposition-led provinces for greater autonomy from central government. But they have driven a deep wedge between Morales and the conservative governors of wealthier eastern provinces.

Cuba's Bold Shift to a Postsocialist Era - Luis Martínez-Fernández, CSM opinion

In an address to the National Assembly a few weeks ago, Cuba's new president, Raúl Castro, announced the latest and most profound ideological shift in the five-decade-long history of the Cuban Revolution. In his speech, Mr. Castro redefined socialism and effectively declared the end of that system – as we know it – on the island. "Socialism means social justice and equality, but equality of rights, of opportunities, not of income," he said. This remarkable declaration represents an embrace of a postmodern version of socialism. Rather than moving Cuba toward European democratic socialism – a capitalist economy with a socialist social-services system – his prescription advocates what amounts to the worst of both worlds: a state-controlled economy in which the government shirks its social responsibilities.

ASIA PACIFIC

North Korea Stays on US Terror List - Peter Alford, The Australian

The US has refused to remove North Korea from its "state sponsors of terrorism" embargo at the first available opportunity. Japan's Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura confirmed the listing would remain for the time being after speaking with US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday morning, following the expiry of President George W.Bush's 42-day notice to Congress of his intention to de-list the Pyongyang regime. Removal from the list, which bans US development aid and diplomatic privileges and obliges Washington to veto lending by multilateral bodies like the World Bank, was one incentive to North Korea to honour its undertaking in January 2007 to halt and dismantle its nuclear weapons programs.

Doubts About Nuclear Verification - Dan Eggen, Washington Post

North Korea missed its first chance yesterday to be removed from the State Department's list of terrorist states, US officials said, because it has not provided a way for international inspectors to verify claims about its nuclear program. President Bush said in June that the United States would begin the process of taking North Korea off its terrorism blacklist, and yesterday was the earliest that Pyongyang could have been removed. But US officials said that North Korea has not followed through on allowing outside verification of its nuclear program, which the Bush administration has set as a condition for action.

Filipino Troops Press Assault on Muslim Rebels - Associated Press

Philippine troops regained control of two southern villages from Muslim rebels Monday as the number of Filipinos displaced in the fighting grew to 130,000, officials said. Government troops pressed ahead with a massive assault to clear 13 other villages. At least one soldier and seven Moro Islamic Liberation Front guerrillas have been killed since nearly 3,000 troops and police launched the attacks on Sunday. The assault, backed by artillery and rocket-firing helicopters, came after the guerrillas defied an ultimatum to withdraw from five towns in North Cotabato province, military vice chief of staff Lt. Gen. Cardozo Luna said. The clashes have forced about 130,000 villagers to flee their homes, the government's disaster agency said.

Exodus Grows in Southern Philippines - Carlos Conde, New York Times

The number of Filipinos displaced from their homes since fighting began late last week between government forces and Islamic separatists in the southern Philippines reached 130,000 on Monday, officials said. The military and the police sent more troops to fight the rebels. Social welfare officials warned of a potential humanitarian disaster as the fighting between troops and elements of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, which had been confined to two provinces, threatened to spill over to other areas. The Moro Islamic Liberation Front is a separatist group that has been fighting for an Islamic state in the southern region of Mindanao for several decades. Local media reported that thousands of residents, the majority of them Muslims, had been fleeing their homes since Friday, many in carts pulled by water buffaloes. Thousands of refugees are housed in more than 40 centers, officials said, but most refugees sought shelter with relatives in other provinces.

Thaksin Shinawatra and Wife Flee Arrest Warrants - Agence France-Presse

Thailand issued arrest warrants yesterday for ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra and his wife after the billionaire couple refused to return home to stand trial for corruption. The pair snubbed a summons to appear before the Supreme Court and instead issued a statement read on state television, saying unnamed political enemies had conspired to deny them justice and that they would stay in Britain for now. In the statement, Mr Thaksin alleged that political enemies who removed him in a 2006 coup were interfering in the courts to "finish off" him and his family.

EUROPE

Flash Point: South Ossetia - Small Wars Journal

SWJ roundup of the conflict in Georgia. News, analysis, commentary, videos and background...

Roadside Bomb Kills Eight Soldiers in Turkey - Voice of America

Turkish officials say a roadside bomb has killed at least eight soldiers in eastern Turkey. Three soldiers were wounded in Monday's attack. Officials say the landmine went off as a military vehicle was traveling on a remote road in eastern Erzincan province. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. Militants form the separatist Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) often attack security forces with remote-controlled explosives.

SOUTH ASIA

India Frustrated by Rudderless Pakistan - Somini Sengupta, New York Times

Usually, when two rival nations try to work toward peace, their governments talk to each other. And at least in an official capacity, that is still happening between nuclear-armed rivals India and Pakistan, even as the peace between them lies tattered. But the problem, the Indian side contends, is that by talking to the new civilian government of Pakistan, it is no longer negotiating with those who have the power to decide between war and peace. “The real power,” said one Indian official, “is so far away from the structures the world deals with.” For India, argued the official, that distance has become all the more vast in recent months, since it is negotiating with an elected Pakistani government that has little influence over the country’s more powerful army and spy agency.

Assembly Votes for Musharraf to Quit - Candace Rondeaux, Washington Post

Members of Punjab province's local assembly voted 321 to 25 Monday that President Pervez Musharraf should leave office, a move that analysts say is likely to be followed by the country's three other provincial assemblies in coming days. The nonbinding votes were requested by the country's two ruling civilian parties to keep pressure on the former general as they prepare formal impeachment documents for submission to Parliament. People here were divided over whether Musharraf, an ally of the Bush administration, would contest the charges, which will likely focus on abuse of office, or simply resign.

Musharraf Opponents Methodically Plot Ouster - Barry Newhouse, VOA

Opponents of Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf are continuing to plot a strategy to unseat the unpopular leader that they say will unfold in the coming weeks. Following last week's impeachment threat from the country's ruling parties, lawmakers are preparing a series of legislative actions aimed at publicly undermining the president. Leaders of Pakistan's two major political parties, the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N party say they are working on a so-called "charge sheet" outlining a series of impeachable offenses allegedly committed by the president during his nearly nine years as leader of Pakistan. But before beginning formal impeachment proceedings, Pakistan People's Party spokeswoman Sherry Rehman says the country's four provincial assemblies will pass measures calling for the president to take a vote of confidence.

Bush's Pakistan 'Buddy' Cast Adrift - Bruce Loudon, The Australian

George W.Bush has dumped Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf, refusing to take a series of "help me" telephone calls from the man he once described as his "best buddy". The US presidential snub came as American strategists warned that Pakistan's intensifying political power struggle was imperilling the battle against al-Qa'ida and the Taliban. As the National Assembly convened last night to begin the impeachment process, only 14 of 54 MPs from the Pakistan Muslim League (Qaid), on which Mr Musharraf relies for political backing, turned up for a vital pre-session meeting in Islamabad. In a further blow, 26 PML (Q) members supported a no-confidence motion against their patron in the Punjabi provincial assembly. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said the impeachment motion would be submitted during the current session, as Mr Musharraf's official spokesman, General Rasheed Qureshi, insisted he would not resign.

Kashmiri Leader Aziz Shot Dead - Rhys Blakely, The Times

Indian-administered Kashmir braced itself for a violent backlash yesterday after police shot dead a separatist leader as he headed a large proindependence march. Sheikh Abdul Aziz, a member of the Hurriyat Conference, an influential coalition of separatist parties, was killed as about 100,000 Muslim Kashmiris made an unprecedented attempt to breach the border that splits the fiercely contested region between India and Pakistan. His funeral, which is expected today, looks set to inflame some of the worst violence to hit the troubled region since the eruption of an all-out insurgency in 1989 and is likely to fan a resurgent Islamic separatist movement across the Kashmir Valley.

Deadly Force Used in Kashmir - Sengupta and Jameel, New York Times

Indian security forces on Monday fired into marchers and killed a prominent Kashmiri separatist in an effort to stop thousands of protesters from the Muslim-majority Kashmir Valley from approaching the disputed frontier with Pakistan, the Kashmir state government said. The government responded by imposing a curfew on Srinagar, the valley’s principal city, for the first time in a decade or more. Four people died in the protests, which were prompted by a blockade of the main road between the valley and the plains of northern India. More than 100 were injured, mostly in Srinagar and in Baramula, a town about 27 miles from the Pakistan-controlled portion of Kashmir. The violence on Monday threatened any immediate prospects of calm within Indian-controlled Kashmir, the state known as Jammu and Kashmir, which has been agitated by increasing tensions between Hindus and Muslims in recent months.

EVENTS OF INTEREST

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.