IRAQ

Iraqis Fail to Agree on Election Law - Robertson and Oppel, New York Times

Iraqi lawmakers adjourned for the summer on Wednesday without passing a crucial election law that many here hoped would solidify the recent, still fragile gains in security. The failure seemed likely to mean the postponement of provincial elections, originally set for October, until next year - polling seen as vital to reconciling the deep-seated tensions among Iraq’s political and sectarian groups. The decision to go on vacation rather than settle the issue underscored how little progress had been made on the most important recent political question to confront Iraqi leaders, in contrast to the military strides in making Iraq safer than it had been in years. The law was seen as so important to prevent new outbreaks of violence that President Bush, eager to leave office claiming lasting progress in Iraq, had called several Iraqi lawmakers urging them to pass it.

Parliament Fails to Pass Elections Bill - Parker and Rifai, Los Angeles Times

The Iraqi parliament broke for summer vacation Wednesday without passing a bill that would have allowed provincial elections to be held this year, dealing a blow to hopes for bringing alienated Sunni and Shiite Muslim voices into the political process any time soon. The parliament, which tried during a four-day special session to pass the legislation under pressure from the United States and United Nations, could not resolve differences over oil-rich Kirkuk, a volatile mixed area that the Kurds wish to annex to their semiautonomous northern region. Iraq's electoral commission had said the measure needed to be passed before lawmakers adjourned for the month in order to hold elections by the end of December. Lawmakers had been set to adjourn last week when they scheduled the special session. But differences between Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens over Kirkuk ultimately could not be resolved.

Balance: Fighting and Lending a Hand - Tom Peter, Christian Science Monitor

A few months ago, Sgt. First Class Robert Rollheiser and his platoon were locked in fierce battle in Sadr City with the Mahdi Army (JAM), a Shiite militia. Today, they're surrounded by a group of locals just a few miles from the city where a woman has accused some local boys of belonging to JAM. Upon investigation, it appears she wanted to get the attention of US soldiers to seek their help in mitigating a family dispute that arose when her son refused an unattractive bride. The alleged JAM members were, in fact, the bride's brothers and had threatened the picky groom-to-be. Having determined this, Sergeant Rollheiser tells the group, "You need to call the police. We don't handle these types of problems. I am not Dr. Phil." When major fighting ended almost overnight in Baghdad in late May, US soldiers had to make a sharp transition from fighters to peacekeepers. Counterinsurgency efforts have always required a careful balance between these two roles, but many soldiers say none have required such quick switches as Iraq. The US Army has taken major steps to ready soldiers for an environment in which they are asked both to fight and interact with locals. But many still feel underprepared.

Violence Drop-off in Iraq Inspires ‘Cautious Optimism’ - AFPS

For the eleventh straight week, violence in Iraq continues at the lowest levels in four years, despite ongoing threats from al-Qaida in Iraq and Iranian-backed militants, a coalition general said today. Army Brig. Gen. David Perkins, a Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, attributed the nearly three-month lull in attacks to the Iraqi and coalition forces working toward establishing security, enforcing the rule of law and rebuilding Iraq. “We have entered a phase where the progress in security is building upon itself and is allowing for Iraqi government institutions, economic development, and civil society to mature at a quicker pace,” he said during a news conference in Baghdad. Few security incidents have occurred in recent weeks in Basra, an oil-rich port city in southern Iraq with the country’s second-largest population. The success of Iraqi forces there has allowed for new public works projects to proceed, along with repairs to the electrical grid, Perkins said. In the far-reaching Anbar province, which stretches westward from Baghdad, the security situation is stable, as troops continue to uncover illegal weapons caches and capture al-Qaida Iraq operatives in the province’s more rural parts. The general also highlighted an operation north of Baghdad, where coalition and Iraqi forces caught two influential operatives of al-Qaida in Iraq. The men had been involved in recruiting Iraqi boys and manipulating them to conduct suicide bombing attacks, including one that killed more than 15 local sheiks and three US Marines in June.

Various Factors Reduce Roadside Bomb Attacks - AFPS

A combination of factors has brought improvised explosive device attacks in Iraq to record-low levels, a senior U.S. military officer said here today. Army Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz, director of the Joint Improvised Explosive Device Defeat Organization, told Pentagon reporters that a combination of the troops surge, the work of Sunni Muslim “Sons of Iraq” citizen security groups and counter-IED programs are responsible for the reduction in roadside-bomb attacks. Metz’s Arlington, Va.-based organization focuses all Defense Department efforts to defeat the IED threat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Counter-IED training and detection techniques provided through JIEDDO’s efforts have helped US troops in Iraq to recognize and find many roadside bombs before they can explode and do damage, Metz said, though he declined to describe specific programs, citing security concerns. Sons of Iraq groups have been especially helpful, Metz said, in passing on information from their communities on where roadside bombs are buried. Human intelligence, he said, “is the coin of the realm” in regard to defeating IEDs. About 50 percent of IEDs in Iraq are found and cleared before they can do damage, he noted. Metz recalled his service as commander of Multination Corps Iraq in 2004 and 2005. At that time, he said, IED attacks began to rise, until they reached a peak in the 2006-2007 timeframe. For example, about 76 IED attacks took place in June 2007, Metz said. June of this year saw only 14 IED attacks. But the trend line is moving in the other direction in Afghanistan, the general acknowledged. IED attacks there have risen in recent months, Metz said, partly due to more aggressive coalition-Afghan operations to root out Taliban and al-Qaida operatives.

Basra News Roundup - Small Wars Journal

The public dust-up concerning recent British operations in Basra started with three items in Tuesday's Times, nothing yet on the Ministry of Defence official web page or the Basra Blog (official news blog of Headquarters, Multi-National Division South East, Basra) on this issue. (Update: See Top US Officer Praises Army's Efforts in Basra City at Basra Blog) At the link is the SWJ roundup of news, analysis, op-ed, editorials and blog commentary so far.

An Appointment in Samarra - Pete Hegseth, National Review opinion

Samarra was a troubled city when I was last there in 2006. Three years into the war, scarcely a local government structure existed in Samarra, with al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI) targeting every local official and scaring off promising prospective leaders - save for Asaad Ali Yaseen. Besieged yet defiant, Asaad risked his life, and the lives of his family, to try and restore local governance, reconcile warring tribes, eradicate AQI, and rebuild a ravaged city. He was, in many ways, a man before his time - or, dare I say it, a man before our time. A dynamic personality and a businessman by trade, Asaad had the rare combination of sheer courage and social connections needed to lead a fractured city. Before taking the reigns of Samarra’s city council, Asaad had not previously sought public life. He was a reluctant warrior, finally compelled to fight al-Qaeda in Iraq through sheer revulsion at their violent ideology.

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

Can Pakistan Clean Up the ISI? - Shahan Mufti, Christian Science Monitor

As Pakistan faces mounting pressure from its neighbors and the United States to clear pro-Taliban elements from its intelligence service, its weak government is struggling to respond in a convincing way. Last week, American officials alleged that members of Pakistan's powerful intelligence agency, the Directorate for Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), had helped plan the bombing of the Indian consulate in Kabul, Afghanistan, last month. The claim echoed those lodged by both affected neighbors, India and Afghanistan. On top of these accusations came reports that a top CIA official had confronted Pakistani leaders with evidence of the ISI's support for militants that the Pakistani Army has been battling in the country's restive northwest tribal areas. The timing of the allegations against the ISI is weighing heavily on Pakistan, which has struggled to assuage its neighbors' and the US's complaints.

25 Militants and 2 Troops Dead in Pakistan - Associated Press

An attack on a Pakistani military checkpost by some 200 pro-Taliban militants triggered intense fighting that killed 25 insurgents and two paramilitary soldiers near the Afghan border, security officials said Thursday. The fighting broke out Wednesday in Loi Sam village in the Bajur tribal region, said two army officers and an area intelligence official. All three spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to media. The officials said they received reports from local authorities about the casualties. The local intelligence official said the militants used rockets and assault rifles in the attack.

500: Deadly U.S. Milestone in Afghan War - Semple and Lehren, New York Times

June was the second deadliest month for the military in Afghanistan since the war began, with 23 American deaths from hostilities, compared with 22 in Iraq. July was less deadly, with 20 deaths, compared with six in Iraq. On July 22, nearly seven years after the conflict began on Oct. 7, 2001, the United States lost its 500th soldier in the Afghanistan war. Now, a war that had long been overshadowed by the one in Iraq is back in public view, at the forefront of both news media attention and the presidential campaign.

A Dangerous Neighbor - Gartenstein-Ross and Roggio, Weekly Standard opinion

Insurgent activity in Afghanistan has spiked in recent months. According to Army Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, the US commander of NATO forces in the region, there were about 40 percent more attacks in eastern Afghanistan over the first five months of 2008 than during the same period a year ago. Schloesser has also described the attacks as "increasingly complex." A mid-July ABC News/Washington Post poll found that a surprising 45 percent of Americans "do not think the war in Afghanistan is worth fighting," despite the attacks of 9/11. A critical factor behind Afghanistan's deteriorating state is the turn of events in Pakistan, where the Taliban and al Qaeda have found a safe haven in recent years. After the October 2001 US invasion of Afghanistan felled the Taliban, most of al Qaeda's senior leadership relocated to Pakistan's federally administered tribal areas, the remote and mountainous regions that border Afghanistan, and set about finding allies within tribal society.

IRAN

Russia Asks That Iran Be Given More Time - Colum Lynch, Washington Post

Russia said Wednesday that Iran should be granted more time to respond to a package of incentives that the United States and five other powerful nations have offered Tehran to freeze its uranium enrichment efforts, a stance that may slow US and European efforts to impose UN sanctions on Tehran. Russia's UN ambassador, Vitaly I. Churkin, said the six nations should continue negotiating with Iran over its nuclear program. He dismissed assertions by the United States, Britain and France that Tehran had missed a deadline this week to respond to the offer, which would make a push for UN sanctions inevitable.

Unprecedented Report Details Official Corruption - Payam Yazdian, VOA

An unprecedented and highly sensitive investigative report prepared for Iran's Parliament has detailed instances of corruption throughout the country's judiciary. But in an apparent political tug-of-war between rival Iranian leaders, the nearly 200-page document has been suppressed and never released to the public. Iran's constitution authorizes the country's parliament to conduct investigations and, based on this right, several Iranian parliamentary deputies in 2004 requested a probe of alleged corruption by Iran's judiciary. Investigators working for the parliament's Judicial Inquiry and Review Committee, many of them deputies themselves, subsequently reported a variety of corrupt practices. According to the report, these range from cases of judicial officials conspiring with convicted drug dealers who received reduced jail sentences or were allowed to escape custody, to instances of apparent profiteering by judicial officials who collaborated with private businesses for personal gain.

Iran's Mistake - Daniel Gallington, Washington Times opinion

Aggressively pursuing its so-called "nuclear rights" with thousands of new gas centrifuges now online, Iran is concentrating on producing the weapons-grade material it needs to build nuclear bombs and warheads. While this is the "final push" in their nuclear weapons program, they have been on this track since the 1980s and have absolutely no intention of changing direction, despite their conciliatory language from time to time. Sound familiar? The Iranian model emulates the same kind of hosing down given us by North Korea's "Little Kim." The Iranians watched the North Koreans jerk us around (first the Clinton administration and then - to the dismay of conservatives - the Bush administration) for years over their nuclear weapons program, and are copying it - at least the charade cover for it.

The End of Ahmadinejad? - Ali Alfoneh, National Review opinion

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is running out of time, friends, and luck. Presidential elections will be held in June 2009, but Ahmadinejad has still not delivered on his 2005 election promises of “bringing the oil money to the tables of the people.” In a recent televised interview, the Iranian president assured the public that he would distribute the oil wealth of the country before the next presidential elections, “even if I have to do it at my last day in office,” hardly an assuring message to the impoverished Iranians whose’ cause Ahmadinejad claims to advance. Apart from betraying the trust of the “downtrodden,” Ahmadinejad has also alienated the Islamic Republic’s religious and political elites. Unable to resolve the problems arising from Iran’s command economy, Ahmadinejad attacks the clerical and bureaucratic establishment of the Islamic Republic. Not a week passes without the president or his proxies disclosing secrets about economic and morally corrupt celebrities. But, apart from naming and shaming, the Ahmadinejad government does little to prosecute the alleged criminals who all seem to be among the ranks of his critics. The Ahmadinejad government has also not shown interest in fighting the root causes of corruption: Lack of transparency and the patronage system permeating all levels of political life in the Islamic Republic. In reality, Ahmadinejad’s blame game has not other purpose than deflecting responsibility for mismanagement of the economy. His strategy has neither resolved the inflation problem, provided bread for the poor or affordable rent for the middle class, nor gained the president friends.

The End of Nuclear Diplomacy - Reuel Gerecht, Weekly Standard opinion

On July 30, Ali Khamenei demolished what was left of George W. Bush's Iran policy. Iran's clerical overlord also put paid to Senator Barack Obama's dreams of tête-à-tête, stop-the-nukes diplomacy. Ten days earlier the Americans, British, French, Germans, Russians, and Chinese had gathered in Geneva hoping to convince Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment. True to form, Khamenei told them all to stick it. The Islamic Republic will not cease and desist: "Taking one step back against the arrogant powers [the West] will lead them to take one step forward," Khamenei replied. So much for the "significant" presence of William Burns, the undersecretary of state for political affairs, who went to Geneva to show Tehran and the Europeans the United States' willingness to have senior-level contacts with the clerical regime. (Note to the American left: If Ali Khamenei had even once sent a secret senior emissary to Washington expressing his conditional willingness to restore diplomatic relations, we would now have an embassy in Tehran. George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Bush Senior all would have--quite rightly--leapt at the opportunity.)

THE LONG WAR

US Shifts 'Hearts and Minds' Fight - Howard LaFranchi, Christian Science Monitor

Nearly seven years after the 9/11 attacks spawned the question, "Why do they hate us?" and made the repair of America's poor international image a top foreign-policy pursuit, the Bush administration is taking a new tack in the "war of ideas." Out, or at least de-emphasized, is the effort to explain America and its widely disdained foreign policy. In, on the other hand, is a focus on defeating terrorism and in particular radical Islam by largely leaving America out of the equation. The plan, instead, is to promote alternatives to radical violent extremism and nurture the local forces deemed best suited to countering it.

Jury Finds Bin Laden Driver Guilty of Supporting Terrorism - Al Pessin, VOA

A US military jury at Guantanamo Bay has convicted Osama Bin Laden's former driver of providing material support to terrorism, but acquitted him on a charge of conspiracy, which alleged he was a key member of the Al-Qaida terrorist network. Still, he could face life in prison as the military trial moves into its sentencing phase. In this first Guantanamo case to go to trial, the six military officers split their verdict on the charges against Salim Hamdan, who the prosecution portrayed as a member of Bin Laden's inner circle and the defense claimed was a poor man who took a job as a driver in order to feed his family. The 37-year-old who is reported to have only four years of schooling was found guilty, among other things, of transporting two surface-to-air missiles in the trunk of the car he was driving when he was captured in Afghanistan. That was during the US-led invasion that followed the attacks of September 11, 2001. He was transferred to Guantanamo about six months later.

Hamdan Guilty of Terror Support - Jerry Markon, Washington Post

A military jury on Wednesday found a former driver for Osama bin Laden guilty of supporting terrorism but not of conspiring in terrorist attacks, handing the Bush administration a partial victory in the first US war crimes trial in a half a century. The verdict, reached after about eight hours of deliberations over three days, only intensified the debate over whether Salim Ahmed Hamdan's conviction was preordained in an unfair system - or whether military trials are appropriate for people accused of committing heinous acts against the United States. The administration seized on the acquittal to defend its military justice system against accusations that it was politicized and drawn up to ensure convictions. Pentagon and White House officials said they are satisfied with the result.

Panel Convicts bin Laden Driver - William Glaberson, New York Times

A panel of six military officers convicted a former driver for Osama bin Laden of one of two war crimes charges on Wednesday but acquitted him of the other, completing the first military commission trial here and the first conducted by the United States since the aftermath of World War II. In a setback for the military prosecutors, the commission acquitted the former driver, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, of a conspiracy charge, arguably the more serious of the two charges he faced. At a trial that included references to the landmark Nuremberg war-crimes trials of Nazi leaders in the 1940s, Mr. Hamdan was convicted on a separate charge of providing material support for terrorism.

Guilty as Ordered - New York Times editorial

Now that was a real nail-biter. The court designed by the White House and its Congressional enablers to guarantee convictions of high-profile detainees in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba - using evidence obtained by torture and secret evidence as desired - has held its first trial. It produced... a guilty verdict. The military commission of six senior officers (whose names have not been made public) found Salim Ahmed Hamdan, who worked as one of Osama bin Laden’s drivers until 2001, guilty of one count of providing material support for terrorism. The rules of justice on Guantánamo are so stacked against defendants that the only surprise was that Mr. Hamdan was actually acquitted on the more serious count of conspiring (it was unclear with whom) to kill Americans during the invasion of Afghanistan after Sept. 11, 2001.

An al Qaeda Conviction - Wall Street Journal editorial

In a saner world, yesterday's partial acquittal of Salim Hamdan might persuade critics that military commissions aren't the Star Chambers of political caricature. It won't, of course. But for all the press corps innuendo about jurors "handpicked by the Pentagon," these supposed rubber-stamps exonerated an al Qaeda terrorist of some of the charges against him. Hamdan, Osama bin Laden's bodyguard and driver, was charged with two war crimes -- conspiracy and providing material support for terrorism. He was convicted of the latter by a panel of six senior military officers, and now could receive as much as a life sentence. Hamdan was a footsoldier, though by his own admission he provided security and logistics support to al Qaeda. He was privy to the workings of bin Laden's terror network, and was not the mere civilian his lawyers depicted. The conspiracy charge was arguably the more serious. If anything, though, its rejection proves the fairness of the military commissions process, which will stand as the most due-process-minded war tribunal in history.

A Mixed Verdict on Hamdan - Los Angeles Times editorial

The split verdict in the trial of Osama bin Laden's former driver redeems somewhat the military commission system created to deal with alleged enemy combatants held at Guantanamo Bay. But the trial of Salim Ahmed Hamdan fell short of the highest traditions of American justice, and even if he files a successful appeal, he would not be set free. Hamdan, a Yemeni captured by Afghan warlords in 2001 and turned over to US forces, was convicted by a military jury of providing material support to Al Qaeda but was acquitted of the more serious charge of conspiracy. The six-member jury apparently was convinced by prosecution arguments that Hamdan assisted Bin Laden in eluding capture after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. That the jurors, all senior US military officers, didn't rubber-stamp the charges against Hamdan suggests they were more discerning than opponents of the commission system predicted. But the trial offered few of the protections Hamdan would have enjoyed in a civilian court, and the outcome is unlikely to allay worldwide suspicions about legal proceedings at Guantanamo.

We Need a New Think Tank - Jonathan Stevenson, Wall Street Journal opinion

Shortly after 9/11, in an interview for a book I was writing on how to handle terrorism as a strategic threat, the pre-eminent nuclear strategist Thomas C. Schelling remarked: "What the government really ought to do is reverse-engineer the Rand Corporation of the fifties and sixties." During that crucial epoch, Rand helped draw a sharp distinction between first-strike and second-strike nuclear deterrence, and the dangerously offense-oriented "brinkmanship" of the 1950s gave way to the more stable defensive posture of "mutual assured destruction." Back then, Rand was situated exclusively in Santa Monica, Calif., far away from the churn of day-to-day government policy implementation. It had uniquely broad research and budgeting standards that freed analysts to think outside the box about strategic problems. At the same time, Rand's official status as a federally funded research and development center afforded its employees high-level security clearances and access to classified information and government officials. Today, Rand's closeness to the Pentagon and other federal agencies has narrowed its priorities. A new, government-linked think tank with an expansive mandate may be the best mechanism for incubating strategies to fight terror.

Extradition Delayed Is Justice Denied - Andrew McCarthy, National Review opinion

He arrived in Europe with great fanfare: an inspiring young leader from a foreign land who spoke with passion about change and social justice. And Europe answered the call, taking him to her bosom. He is, after all, every bit a “citizen of the world,” seizing on the bright promise of international tribunals to overcome the imperialist Anglo-American unilateralism of the past. And no one is more certain that dealing with terrorism through the maze of judicial processes is far preferable to George Bush’s cowboy-style militancy. He is Mustafa Kamel Mustafa: Egyptian by birth, Briton by dubious marriage, and better known as Abu Hamza al-Masri. Shorn of an eye and armed with a curled prosthesis where his right hand once was - one of those unfortunate “mine-clearing accidents” in Afghanistan - he is the jihad’s very own “Captain Hook.” Abu Hamza is responsible for the 1998 abduction by Yemeni jihadists of 16 Western tourists (including two Americans), four of whom were killed when the terrorists used them as human shields during a rescue attempt. He sent emissaries to Oregon to establish a jihadist camp at which trainees were instructed on how to slit their victims’ throats, hijack trucks, and construct bombs and poisons. He used his position as imam of London’s infamous Finsbury Park Mosque to recruit Muslims for jihadist training in Afghanistan - the same type of training undergone by the 9/11 hijackers, the 1998 American embassy bombers, the 1993 World Trade Center bombers, and countless other Muslim militants.

US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Center Merges Counterintelligence, Human Intelligence Functions - AFPS

A new center here will combine Defense counterintelligence and human intelligence efforts at the national level, Defense Intelligence Agency officials said here yesterday. The Defense Counterintelligence and Human Intelligence Center will take over some of the duties of DoD’s Counterintelligence Field Activity, but also much more, said Mike Pick, chief of the Counterintelligence Human Intelligence Enterprise Management Office at the agency. The center assumes the responsibilities of the Counterintelligence Field Activity. Army Maj. Gen. Theodore Nicholas is the center’s director, reporting directly to the DIA director. This integration reflects the importance that DoD places on both human intelligence and counterintelligence, agency officials said. Human intelligence and counterintelligence are interrelated and complementary disciplines, Pick said. But the new center, which opened Aug. 4, will work to ensure the separate character of both missions is protected.

FBI Reveals Evidence Against Army Scientist - Cindy Saine, VOA

The Justice Department has shed some light on the evidence it has against the prime suspect in the deadly 2001 anthrax attacks, a US Army scientist who killed himself last week. At a news conference Wednesday, US officials said the scientist, Bruce Ivins, had custody of a large flask of highly purified anthrax spores that were found to be identical to the poison that killed five people and left 17 injured. The US Attorney for the District of Columbia, Jeffrey Taylor, told a roomful of reporters gathered in Washington that the evidence in dozens of newly unsealed court documents all points to one conclusion. "Based upon the totality of the evidence we had gathered against him, we are confident that Dr. Ivins was the only person responsible for these attacks," said Jeffrey Taylor.

Documents List Essential Clues - Joby Warrick, Washington Post

The key clues that led the FBI to Army scientist Bruce E. Ivins ranged from the infinitesimally small - tiny bits of genetic coding on a single anthrax spore - to items as ordinary as a time stamp on a building security pass. The evidence trail also included small imperfections on a printed envelope and specks of fiber on cellophane tape. It documented Ivins's odd working hours during early fall of 2001 and his late-night visits to his Frederick lab around the time the deadly anthrax letters were mailed. Each piece of evidence was circumstantial on its face. Yet together they made what Justice Department officials called a compelling case, pointing to a solitary suspect who took his own life last week as indictments were being prepared against him.

Documents Tie Scientist to Anthrax Attack - Shane and Lichtblau, New York Times

The Federal Bureau of Investigation on Wednesday outlined a pattern of bizarre and deceptive conduct by Bruce E. Ivins, an Army microbiologist who killed himself last week, presenting a sweeping but circumstantial case that he was solely responsible for mailing the deadly anthrax letters that killed five people in 2001. After nearly seven years of a troubled investigation, officials of the FBI. and the Justice Department declared that the case had been solved. Jeffrey A. Taylor, the United States attorney for the District of Columbia, said the authorities believed “that based on the evidence we had collected, we could prove his guilt to a jury beyond a reasonable doubt.” Some survivors of the attacks and members of Congress said they were persuaded by the evidence against Dr. Ivins, laid out in hundreds of pages of applications for search warrants unsealed for the first time. But some independent scientists, friends and colleagues of Dr. Ivins remained skeptical, noting that officials admitted that more than 100 people had access to the supply of anthrax that matched the powder in the letters.

The Case Against Bruce Ivins - Washington Post editorial

The circumstantial evidence against Bruce E. Ivins appears overwhelming. Yesterday, the government identified the microbiologist, who took his own life last week, as the government's lone suspect in the 2001 anthrax attacks that killed five people and seriously sickened 17 others. In previously sealed affidavits and in public statements, law enforcement officials paint Mr. Ivins as a deeply disturbed man with bizarre habits, including a proclivity for false identities and inexplicably long drives to nowhere. The government suggests that he had a motive for the crime: The anthrax vaccine program he was working on was going badly, and an anthrax attack could re-energize efforts to plow ahead, according to US Attorney Jeffrey A. Taylor. It says he had opportunity: Mr. Ivins apparently spent many late nights and weekend hours alone at his Fort Detrick Army lab just before the deadly anthrax letters were mailed in 2001; he had not kept such hours before and did not do so again, according to affidavits.

World's Economy Needs Strong Navy - Donald Winter, Washington Times opinion

America is a nation at war, and our Navy and Marine Corps are focused on achieving victory in Iraq, Afghanistan and wherever terrorist enemies may be found. Given this focus, we must examine the full range of implications of today's war. Our nation's maritime strategy reaffirms the use of seapower to influence actions and activities at sea and ashore, and adds to the core applications of naval warfare. Where tensions are high or where there is a need to demonstrate a commitment to security, we will aggregate forces to limit conflict or deter major war. Our maritime forces will also be positioned and tailored to support humanitarian operations, counterpiracy efforts, and the training of partner nations. These new core capabilities move us to adopt persistent global presence as a key tenet of our strategy. The increasing desire for presence is one of the driving factors in decisions on fleet size and fleet composition. I remain concerned that the value of presence is underappreciated. The world is a far more connected and interdependent globe today than it was in years past. Nations have moved away from the idea that they must have economic self-sufficiency and have largely recognized the value of trade.

SECRETARY OF DEFENSE ROBERT GATES

Gates's Next Mission - David Ignatius, Washington Post opinion

Defense Secretary Bob Gates has been talking recently about how to rebuild America's national security architecture so that it fits the 21st century. The next president should think about assigning Gates to fix what he rightly says is broken. Gates is an anomaly in this lame-duck administration. He is still firing on all cylinders, working to repair the damage done at the Pentagon by his arrogant and aloof predecessor, Donald Rumsfeld. Gates has restored accountability in the military services by firing the secretaries of the Army and Air Force when they failed to respond forthrightly to problems. And he has been an early and persuasive internal administration critic of US military action against Iran. Amazingly for a defense secretary, Gates has been arguing against the "creeping militarization" of foreign policy. In a speech last month, he urged more funding for the State Department and other civilian agencies, saying they have been "chronically undermanned and underfunded for far too long." In Washington, that's almost unheard of - sticking your neck out for the other guy - and it's one reason Gates's reputation has been steadily rising.

AFRICA

Army Stages Coup in Mauritania - Booth and Bannerman, The Times

Army officers staged a coup in the vast desert state of Mauritania yesterday, overthrowing the Government hours after the country’s top four military officials were sacked. The President, Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi, the first democratically elected leader of the impoverished country in northwest Africa, was being held in the capital, Nouakchott. Soldiers also detained Yahya Ould Ahmed Waqef, the Prime Minister, according to a presidential spokesman. A brief announcement read on state television said that a new junta would be led by the head of the country’s presidential guard, General Mohamed Ould Abdelaziz. The coup leaders also annulled the new army appointments made by the President. Mr Abdallahi’s rule has been in trouble for months amid anger over soaring food prices. There have also been widespread allegations of ministerial corruption.

US Calls for Reversal of Mauritania Coup - David Gollust, VOA

The United States Wednesday vigorously condemned the military overthrow of the Mauritanian government and called for the restoration of democratic rule. The coup could lead to sanctions by the United States and European Union. Mauritanian President Sidi Ould Cheikh Abdallahi had taken office last year as the country's first freely-elected leader. His apparent overthrow and detention by the country's military has drawn a strong condemnation from the Bush administration. At a news briefing, State Department Acting Spokesman Gonzalo Gallegos said democratic rule in Mauritania should be restored without delay.

Mugabe May Keep Control of Army - Berger and Thornycroft, Daily Telegraph

Zimbabwe's two opposing sides are expected to meet today to discuss a possible unity deal that could leave President Robert Mugabe in charge of key institutions including the army. Under a 50-page draft agreement, Mr Mugabe would become a ceremonial president with Mr Tsvangirai as prime minister and head of government until new elections are held. In this form, the deal could vindicate President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa's insistence on solving Zimbabwe's impasse through quiet diplomacy. But a Western diplomat described the plan, which effectively amounts to creating a government of national unity, as a "shocking outcome" that failed to heed the will of the people as expressed in the presidential election's first round on March 29, which Mr Tsvangirai won. Observers said it could leave key institutions, including the army and Reserve Bank, under Mr Mugabe's control.

White Farmer's Ordeal in Zimbabwe - Robyn Dixon, Los Angeles Times

The ruling ZANU-PF, shocked by its poor result in the March elections, has accused the opposition Movement for Democratic Change of planning to return land to white farmers, reversing "the fruits of the liberation struggle" against the white regime of Ian Smith in the 1970s. In the subsequent campaign for the presidential runoff, war veterans and ZANU-PF militias invaded farms, beat or evicted white families and their black workers and looted houses. The ruling party set up hundreds of militia bases from which to attack opposition activists and supporters. On June 28, the last Sunday of the month, the day Robert Mugabe had himself inaugurated to another term as president after a one-man presidential runoff, the couple went to church and a family lunch in Chegutu. It was eerily quiet in town. When they returned home at midafternoon, the two-way radio inside crackled urgently. Bruce had news that ZANU-PF militias had badly beaten an old man on a neighboring farm. The radio sputtered and died before he could warn them that the gang had declared it was on its way to Mount Carmel.

Water Shortage Threatens EU Peace Mission - DAvid Axe, Washington Times

Polish army Lt. Col. Marc Gryga has water on his mind. Col. Gryga is a point man for the European Union peacekeeping force deploying to eastern Chad with a UN mandate to protect a quarter-million refugees plus the aid workers who care for them. The refugees, most of whom fled ethnic cleansing in the Darfur region of Sudan in 2004, are housed in a dozen large UN-administered camps. Col. Gryga's zone, centering on the town of Iriba 40 miles from the Sudan border, includes three refugee camps housing around 50,000 people. Around 500 soldiers from the 4,000-strong EU Force, or EUFOR, are bound for Iriba. But before the soldiers can actually begin patrolling around the camps, an advance guard of 200 Polish, French and Irish troops - with significant diplomatic support - must build the infrastructure, and the local relationships, that make the patrols possible. For Col. Gryga, that means begging for water.

AMERICAS

Venezuelans Protest Chavez’s New Socialist Push - Associated Press

Riot police used tear gas Wednesday as they blocked hundreds of Venezuelans protesting what they call new moves by President Hugo Chavez to concentrate his power. The demonstrators said a blacklist barring key opposition candidates from elections and a series of socialist decrees are destroying what's left of their democracy. Though the protest of about 1,000 people chanting ''freedom!'' was small compared to past marches, there is a growing public outcry over the sidelining of key government opponents ahead of state and local elections in November. Chavez opponents also are outraged by 26 laws the president just decreed, some of them mirroring the socialist measures voters rejected in a December referendum.

Power Grab - Washington Post editorial

Only nine months ago, Venezuela's voters rejected President Hugo Chávez's proposed rewrite of the Venezuelan constitution. In addition to making Mr. Chávez de facto president for life, the changes would have given him the power to supplant locally elected governors with his own appointees, dispose of the reserves of the central bank and, perhaps most ominously, create a new "Bolivarian Militia" answerable not to the Venezuelan army's chain of command but directly to him. The defeat, followed soon after by embarrassing revelations of his support for Marxist guerrillas in Colombia, seemed to have a chastening effect on the Venezuelan strongman. He withdrew a provocative domestic spying plan and even called on the Colombian guerrillas to make peace. But now Mr. Chávez has unveiled a package of presidential decrees that will do by fiat most of what the voters refused to authorize in the constitutional referendum. There will be no perpetual reelection or official declaration of Venezuela as a "socialist" state like Cuba. But Mr. Chávez's decrees would nevertheless radically tighten his grip on power.

Hugo's Arms Spree - Peter Brookes, New York Post opinion

While Colombia has gone great guns in quashing the narcoterrorist FARC insurgency here - including a daring July hostage-rescue raid - trouble is still brewing right next door in Venezuela. Just this week, Latin America's troublemaker-in-chief, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, threatened the recently reactivated US Fourth Fleet with two squadrons of newly arrived Russian Su-30 fighter planes, part of a $3 billion arms package he bought in 2006. Engaging in his unique brand of saber-rattling, Chavez said: "Any gringo ship that sails into brown [i.e., coastal] waters will itself turn brown and go to the bottom, because they'll not get through." It gets worse.

ASIA PACIFIC

China’s Leaders Are Resilient in Face of Change - Jim Yardley, New York Times

As Beijing was starting construction on its main Olympic stadiums four years ago, China’s vice president and leading political fixer, Zeng Qinghong, warned the 70 million members of the ruling Communist Party that the party itself could use some reconstruction. Mr. Zeng argued that the “painful lessons” from the collapse of other Communist parties in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe could not be ignored. He said China’s cadres needed to “wake up” and realize that “a party’s status as a party in power does not necessarily last as long as the party does.” Mr. Zeng, who is now retired, was alluding to the pressures of economic liberalization, political stagnation and globalization that many analysts have argued would ultimately topple one-party rule in China. The Olympics also posed a pressure point as some analysts wondered whether the expectations and international scrutiny brought by the Games might help crack open another authoritarian political system - as happened in Seoul in 1988. But if the Olympics have presented unmistakable challenges and crises, the Communist Party has proved resilient.

US in 'Firm Opposition' - Michael Abramowitz, Washington Post

President Bush on Thursday used some of his bluntest language to date on human rights in China, saying in a speech here before he flew to Beijing for the Olympic Games' opening ceremony that "America stands in firm opposition" to China's detention of political dissidents and religious activists. "We speak out for a free press, freedom of assembly, and labor rights not to antagonize China's leaders, but because trusting its people with greater freedom is the only way for China to develop its full potential," Bush said. "And we press for openness and justice, not to impose our beliefs but to allow the Chinese people to express theirs."

Human Rights Take Center Stage - Los Angeles Times

On the cusp of the Summer Olympics, human rights moved to the spotlight Wednesday as critics attacked China for banning Darfur activists, President Bush expressed "deep concerns" about the government's harsh policies and US Olympians selected a former Sudanese refugee to carry the Stars and Stripes in Friday's opening ceremony. Bush said the United States stood in "firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates, and religious activists," and that his remarks were not intended "to antagonize China's leaders." His remarks were prepared for delivery today in Bangkok and released by the White House. Lopez Lomong, a 1,500- meter runner who gained US citizenship only 13 months ago, was named the flag-bearer in a vote by American team captains -- a move quickly seen as condemnation of China's support of the Sudanese government, which is accused of human rights violations in its war-torn Darfur region.

Activists Pierce China's Security Apparatus - Edward Cody, Washington Post

China's intense efforts to block any protest that would mar the Olympic Games were challenged Wednesday by foreign activists equally bent on diverting attention to issues as varied as Tibetan independence, the crisis in Darfur and religious freedom. Two American and two British protesters slipped through a smothering Olympic security net, climbed a pair of lampposts and unfurled banners demanding freedom for Tibet near the new stadium where the Beijing Games are to open Friday night. In Tiananmen Square, three American Christian activists spoke out against China's rights record and protested its population control policies.

Tibet Protesters to be Deported from China - The Times

Two British graduates were at the heart of a pro-Tibetan protest yesterday that caused deep embarrassment to China as it prepared for the opening of the Olympic Games. Iain Thom, 24, from Edinburgh, and Lucy Fairbrother, 23, a graduate of Bristol University and the daughter of a former senior bursar at Trinity College, Cambridge, were arrested along with Phill Bartell, 34, from New Jersey, and Tirian Mink, 32, from Portland, Oregon. The Xinhua news agency said that the visas of all four had been revoked and that they would be deported.

Gloria's Terror Gambit - Brett Decker, Wall Street Journal opinion

Southeast Asia is a key front in the global war against Islamist terrorism, and the region has seen some notable counterterror successes. The Philippines, however, is in danger of taking a big step backward. Witness the unprecedented autonomy agreement President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo is trying to strike with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front, or MILF, the largest armed Islamist separatist group in Southeast Asia. Called the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain, the deal would grant Muslims significant governing autonomy and the right to live under Shariah law in an expanded area of the archipelago's southern islands. The deal is designed to appease Muslims who want to break away from the Philippine nation and unify with other Muslims in the region. Under the agreement, 700 towns, many with sizable Christian populations, would be turned over to Islamic rule. Residents and local leaders were not consulted about the transition, and a constitutional amendment would be necessary to free Muslim areas from national governance. Such a national campaign to empower Muslims faces an uphill battle in a country whose population is 93% Christian. Which is just as well, since it would be a major mistake.

EUROPE

EU May Force MI5 to Share Intelligence - Waterfield and Gardham, Daily Telegraph

MI5 and MI6 could be forced to share their intelligence with the rest of Europe under new proposals from the EU. Under the plans, seen by the Daily Telegraph, all countries would feed secret information into a central intelligence unit so that any member state can use it. But the proposals risk hard won intelligence gathered by British agents being leaked by less scrupulous security services, particularly in the former Communist states of Eastern Europe. Although the Government has contributed to the proposals being drawn up, Britain's security services are likely to put up stiff opposition to the plans. Historically British intelligence officers have enjoyed a good relationship with their US counterparts, regularly exchanging information particularly in the fight against terrorism. However, there has been a degree of mistrust between the British authorities and European security agencies. In the 1990s the French intelligence service was blamed for leaking information shared by MI6 to the Serbian military.

Russia Mulls Missiles in Belarus to Offset US - Agence France-Presse

Russia could base bombers and missiles in neighboring Belarus in response to US missile defense plans in Eastern Europe, Moscow's ambassador to Minsk said Wednesday, Russian news agencies reported. "We could be talking about the possible basing of Iskander missiles, the possible basing of strategic bombers in Belarus, Kaliningrad and so on," Ambassador Alexander Surikov was quoted by Interfax as saying. "When Poland signs the agreement with the American side about hosting elements of the missile defense system, then we can discuss some additional aspects of military-technical cooperation with Belarus," Mr. Surikov said.

MIDDLE EAST

Olmert Pushes Ahead on Peace Tracks - Adam Entous, Reuters

Despite Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's decision to resign, the peace process continues on several tracks. Israel agreed on Wednesday to free scores of Palestinian prisoners this month as a gesture to President Mahmoud Abbas. Separately, a senior Syrian official told Reuters that indirect talks between Syria and Israel will continue. Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said between 120 and 150 prisoners, and possibly more, would be released on Aug. 25. Israel has roughly 11,000 Palestinians in custody. The Syrian talks have made progress but not enough to move to face-to-face talks as favored by the Jewish state, a senior Syrian official said Wednesday. "If the talks had not progressed then they would have been stopped," said Buthaina Shaaban, who was recently promoted to adviser to President Bashar al-Assad.

Rocket, Missile Shields in Works in Israel - Jay Bushinsky, Washington Times

Menaced on three sides by enemies armed to the teeth with rockets and missiles, Israel is racing against the clock to develop two deterrent systems that will intercept incoming short- and medium-range projectiles before they can hit their civilian or military targets. Due to become operational in 2010, the Iron Dome system is meant to protect Sderot, Ashkelon and other southern cities, as well as the agricultural communities that ring the Gaza Strip from the homemade Qassam rockets launched by Palestinian gun crews for the past seven years. It also is designed to intercept short-range Soviet-model rockets fired by the Hezbollah guerrillas of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah - which, like Hamas, is funded and supplied by Iran - has 30,000 such projectiles - three times more than it had at the start of the second Lebanon war in 2006. They are thought to be of Russian, Syrian and Iranian manufacture.

Israel's Court Demands New Route for Wall - Mel Frykberg, Washington Times

The Israeli High Court of Justice has given the state 45 days to submit a new route for part of the separation wall that cuts through this Palestinian village near Ramallah in the central West Bank. Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch and Justices Eliezer Rivlin and Ayala Procaccia also criticized the state's representative for ignoring a previous court ruling on the issue just over a year ago after the Bil'in Popular Committee Against the Wall and Settlements took the state to court. An angry Mr. Beinisch told the state's representative, Avi Licht: "We rule that this route cannot remain as is, and we determine what will and will not be in the new route."

SOUTH ASIA

Quit or be Impeached, Musharraf Told - Bruce Loudon, The Australian

Leaders of Pakistan's ruling coalition moved to remove President Pervez Musharraf from office yesterday, warning they would impeach him if he did not quit. Mr Musharraf abruptly cancelled his trip to Beijing for the Olympics opening ceremony amid concerns Pakistan was plunging into its biggest political crisis in years. Signs of a power struggle emerged last night, with indications Mr Musharraf would use his constitutional powers to dismiss parliament before it could pass the impeachment motion. The decision to go ahead with the removal of Mr Musharraf, who seized power in a military coup more than eight years ago, was taken at a day-long meeting of the two major leaders of the coalition, Asif Ali Zardari of the Bhutto Pakistan People's Party and Nawaz Sharif of the Pakistan Muslim League.

Time for Musharraf to Stand Down - The Times editorial

The governing coalition in Pakistan says it is close to an agreement to impeach President Musharraf. He planned to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics this week. The Foreign Ministry has issued conflicting statements about whether the trip will go ahead. It appears that Mr Musharraf will go, a day later than originally planned. The prospect of impeachment has clearly exercised his mind. There are precedents for political leaders to be deposed while attending international events. The danse macabre between Mr Musharraf and the ruling alliance requires speedy resolution. The most dangerous source of instability from Islamist militancy threatens now to be an increasingly unstable Pakistan. Political leadership in that nation is far from adequate to meet the gravity of the threat. Persisting with the internecine dispute will discredit constitutional politics. At the extreme, it may even lay the foundation for another military coup...

Violence Spreads after Kashmir Shrine Siege - Rhys Blakely, The Times

Manmohan Singh, the Indian Prime Minister, held emergency talks with opposition leaders yesterday in an attempt to calm some of the worst Hindu-Muslim clashes in Kashmir for two decades. Tensions have been simmering in the Himalayan region since June, when the state government rescinded a decision to give about 40 acres of forest land to Amarnath, a Hindu cave shrine that contains a revered stalagmite, to build facilities for pilgrims. The move, prompted by violent demonstrations by Kashmir’s Muslim majority, triggered counter-protests by Hindus. In riots and battles with police that followed, at least nine people were killed and hundreds injured. Mr Singh hoped yesterday to gain an assurance from the main opposition Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that it would not fuel tensions in the area. It has been suggested that BJP activists have orchestrated a virtual siege of the Muslim-dominated Kashmir valley by blocking lorries carrying supplies to the region.

Court Overturns Indian Islamists Ban - Bruce Loudon, The Australian

India's war on jihadi militancy was in disarray last night following a court decision to lift the ban imposed after September 11, 2001, on a key Islamic organisation accused of links to al-Qa'ida and involvement in most recent major acts of terrorism in India. There was uproar following the court ruling to overturn the ban on the Students Islamic Movement of India, and the ruling Congress party-led United Progressive Alliance was accused of "incompetence" ahead of the looming national elections, in which terrorism is expected to be a major issue. The Ministry of Home Affairs failed to produce evidence to the Delhi High Court's Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Tribunal that would justify extending the ban on SIMI, despite being given several days by the court to do so.

New Fighting in Sri Lanka Kills 12 - Associated Press

New fighting in Sri Lanka's restive north killed 11 Tamil Tiger rebels and a soldier, the military said Thursday. The worst fighting Wednesday took place in the Welioya district, where 10 rebels and a soldier were killed, the military said in a statement. Another rebel died in Mullaitivu, it said. Rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan could not immediately be reached for comment and it was not possible to verify the military's claims because reporters are barred from the war zone. Both sides often exaggerate their enemy's casualties and underreport their own losses.

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.