IRAQ

Regional Politics Heats Up - Raghavan and Londoño, Washington Post

A growing number of Iraqi groups are choosing to pursue their agendas through politics instead of bloodshed, a trend that has helped bring down levels of violence. But as Iraqis leave behind the sectarian cataclysms of recent years, ethnic and regional political disputes in several parts of Iraq are becoming more pronounced. In the south, ruling Shiite parties are vying for electoral power against loyalists of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr and Shiite tribal leaders. In the west, Sunni tribes are challenging the political control of established Sunni religious parties. And in the north, ethnic Kurds, Arabs and Turkmens are in a struggle for control of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk.

UN Iraq Mandate Renewed - Reuters

The UN Security Council voted on Thursday to keep the United Nations mission in Iraq for another year, as Baghdad urged the world body to do more to help it transform into a functioning democracy. Amid stalled provincial elections, Iraq's ambassador to the United Nations said he would like the body to boost its presence and clout. Part of the organization's task in Iraq, he said, is to help sort out internal border disputes and aid dialogue with neighboring countries.

Iraqis: Deal Close on Plan for US Troops to Leave - Associated Press

Iraq and the US are near an agreement on all American combat troops leaving Iraq by October 2010, with the last soldiers out three years after that, two Iraqi officials told The Associated Press on Thursday. US officials, however, insisted no dates had been agreed. The proposed agreement calls for Americans to hand over parts of Baghdad's Green Zone - where the US Embassy is located - to the Iraqis by the end of 2008. It would also remove US forces from Iraqi cities by June 30, 2009, according to the two senior officials, both close to Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and familiar with the negotiations.

Iraqi Cleric Links Truce, US Withdrawal Timetable - Associated Press

Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr will call on his fighters to maintain a cease-fire against American troops but may lift the order if a planned Iraq-US security agreement lacks a timetable for the withdrawal of American forces, a spokesman said Thursday. The statement by Sheik Salah al-Obeidi comes as al-Sadr plans to reveal details of a formula to reorganize his Mahdi Army militia by separating it into an unarmed cultural organization and elite fighting cells. Several cease-fires by al-Sadr have been key to a sharp decline in violence over the past year, but American officials still consider his militiamen a threat and have backed the Iraqi military in operations to try to oust them from their power bases in Baghdad and elsewhere in Iraq.

Iraqi Official Defends Spending, Surplus - Associated Press

An Iraqi lawmaker close to Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki defended the government's record on reconstruction spending, saying Thursday that US critics of its multibillion dollar surplus were overlooking Baghdad's progress over the past three years. But a senior Iraqi official and a private Iraqi economic analyst both acknowledged that inefficiency and a cumbersome, inexperienced bureaucracy were still delaying many projects aimed at improving the lives of Iraq's 27 million people. A report Tuesday by the US General Accounting Office predicted Iraq could finish the year with as much as a $79 billion cumulative budget surplus due to the influx of oil revenues.

Time for Iraq to Pay the Bill - New York Times editorial

It has been five years since Paul Wolfowitz, the former deputy defense secretary, offered his infamous assurance that Iraq would be able to finance its own reconstruction “relatively soon.” Now, finally, part of that prediction has come true. Iraq is awash in oil money. But it is still not spending it on reconstruction. Federal analysts reported Tuesday that the oil market has produced a bonanza for Iraq, which has the third-largest reserves in the world. The report, by the Government Accountability Office, said that from 2005 to the end of this year, Iraq is expected to have earned at least $156 billion in oil revenues and amassed a budget surplus that could go as high as $79 billion. Roughly $29 billion of that surplus is piling up in Iraqi banks as well as in a fund at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York that was supposed to be used for Iraqi development.

A Deal At Hand In Iraq - Jim Hoagland, Washington Post editorial

US and Iraqi negotiators are days away from agreeing on an "aspirational" date for withdrawing American combat troops from Iraq. Barack Obama and John McCain will find language in the accord to allow each to take credit on the campaign trail for shaping that outcome. But the big political winner from this slimmed-down, vague agreement on U.S. forces will be Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki - whom the Bush administration seriously considered pushing out of office last year but has learned to accommodate. Something surprising is happening to the once rigid, self-centered George W. Bush presidency. The administration is adjusting policy to reflect the changing political landscape of the United States - and of Iraq, where Maliki has emerged as the center of gravity in Shiite politics as other leaders fail physically and politically.

'Rheostat Warfare' - Austin Bay, Washington Times opinion

Victory in war is tough to define. Hollywood's version of victory in World War II provides a finality that history lacks. Gen. MacArthur meets the Japanese emissary on the battleship Missouri, and the curtain falls. Except trouble brews in Korea, China's civil war continues, the Soviet Union imprisons Eastern Europe and the triumph of World War II - dancing in Times Square on V-E Day - slouches toward the Cold War and its thermonuclear brink. A soldier and scholar like Gen. David Petraeus, commander of Multi-National Force-Iraq, knows history is never over, but judgments must be made. This week, I spoke with Gen. Petraeus in a half-hour interview that touched on numerous difficult subjects, including establishing the "Rule of Law" in Iraq and the Iraqi army's "surge" in professional capabilities and numerical strength.

Pillaging Iraqi History - Jon Wiener, Los Angeles Times opinion

Alot worse things have happened in Iraq, but the removal of the Baath Party archives from the country - 7 million pages that undoubtedly document atrocities of the Saddam Hussein regime - is significant. The documents were seized shortly after the fall of Baghdad by Kanan Makiya, an Iraq-born emigre who teaches at Brandeis University and heads a private group called the Iraq Memory Foundation. Despite protests from the director of Iraq's National Library and Archives, the documents were shipped to the U.S. in 2006 by Makiya's foundation and in June deposited with the Hoover Institution at Stanford University under a deal struck with Makiya. The move was criticized in both countries. The Society of American Archivists said seizing and removing the documents was "an act of pillage" prohibited under the laws of war. Iraq's acting minister of culture, Akram H. Hadi, issued a statement in late June expressing the Iraqi government's "absolute rejection" of Makiya's deal. The documents "are part of the national heritage of Iraq," the statement declared, and must be returned to Iraq promptly.

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

Offensive Against Taliban Under Way - Gloria Galloway, Globe and Mail

NATO and Afghan forces have launched a major offensive against the Taliban in the northern part of Kandahar where the insurgents have established a logistical base for their attacks against coalition troops. Canadian soldiers, their NATO allies based in Kandahar and Afghan National Security Forces have moved into the Maywand and Band-E-Timor districts northwest of Kandahar city to drive the Taliban from the wide swath of territory they now control. The operation, dubbed Roob Unyip Janubi - Southern Beast in the native Pashto - also includes British forces from the neighbouring Helmand province. The NATO forces in Kandahar had not planned to make news of the assault public until next week but foreign media broke an embargo on protected information, forcing the task force to acknowledge the action was taking place.

Gates Pushing Plan to Double Afghan Army - Thom Shanker, New York Times

Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates will endorse a $20 billion plan to substantially increase the size of Afghanistan’s army and will also restructure the military command of American and NATO forces in response to the growing Taliban threat, senior Pentagon and military officials said Thursday. Taken together, the two decisions are an acknowledgment of shortcomings that continue to hinder NATO- and American-led operations in Afghanistan. With the war in Iraq still an obstacle to any immediate American troop increase in Afghanistan, the plan was described by officials as an attempt to increase allied and Afghan capabilities in advance of deploying the additional American brigades that Mr. Gates and his commanders agree are necessary.

French Troops Sent to Troubled Afghan Region - Associated Press

Hundreds of French troops have deployed to train and mentor Afghan security forces in a key southern province wracked by the Taliban-led insurgency, NATO said Thursday. Meanwhile, 22 Taliban fighters and seven policemen were killed elsewhere in the country, authorities said. The French troops traveled in 94 vehicles from Kandahar to Uruzgan province in what was one of the largest ground military convoys in southern Afghanistan in years, the military alliance said in a statement. NATO did not provide the exact number of troops deployed, and officials would not specify whether they were being relocated from elsewhere in Afghanistan or were new to the country.

More UK Troops May be Sent to Afghanistan - Thomas Harding, Daily Telegraph

Military chiefs have been in discussion to almost double troop numbers in Afghanistan, the Daily Telegraph understands. Senior military officers have held preliminary talks about troop strenght and believe increasing numbers up to approximately 14,000 from the current 8,200 may be necessary to defeat the Taliban. During a trip to the frontline in Helmand province yesterday Des Browne said he already agreed on three occasions to military requests for increases. Mr Browne, who is the first senior politician to visit the volatile front line in Sangin town where 10 British troops have been killed since June, said British forces were making progress in Afghanistan, but acknowledged it had come at a "high price". He said: "The force level that we have in Afghanistan is one that was placed there on advice to do the job that we want it to do.

Troops to Get Helicopter Support - Murray Brewster, Toronto Star

Canadian troops battling Taliban militants in Afghanistan will get the helicopter support they've sought since 2006 in a complicated arrangement involving a commercial contractor and the US army. Defence Minister Peter MacKay and Public Works Minister Christian Paradis formally announced yesterday that Canada will buy six used CH-47D Chinooks from the Americans for $292 million. The plan is virtually identical to a proposal that was rejected by air force staff in August 2006, according to documents obtained by The Canadian Press.

Canada Moves to Solve Afghan Helicopter Shortage - Reuters

Canada will overcome a critical shortage of military transport helicopters in Afghanistan by buying six used machines from the United States as well as leasing six Russian-made aircraft, Defence Minister Peter MacKay said on Thursday. Canada has no transport helicopters in Afghanistan and, in MacKay's words, has been reduced to "hitching rides with allies." Canada has 2,500 troops in the southern city of Kandahar on a mission that is due to end in 2011. Ottawa will buy six used Boeing Co Chinook helicopters from the U.S. government for a sum not exceeding C$292 million ($278 million). The aircraft are already in theater and will be available for operations by February 2009. In addition, Canada will lease six Russian-made Mil Mi-8 helicopters for a year for up to C$36 million, depending on how much they are used.

New Afghan Army Retention Regulation Strengthens Ranks - AFPS

Since March 2008, the Afghan National Army has recruited more than 9,000 soldiers. But retaining those troops to eventually reach the force’s 80,000-soldier end strength goal remains a challenge. This week, the country’s minister of defense signed a new regulation governing “recontracting” Afghan National Army soldiers and noncommissioned officers. The new regulation put into effect a three-year re-enlistment for soldiers and a five-year re-enlistment for NCOs, which officials hope will strengthen the ranks. Re-enlistments are vital in building and maintaining a force of competent and capable soldiers and NCOs, said US Army Sgt. 1st Class Steve Theriot, Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan’s advisor for Afghan National Army retention.

Record 500 Recruits Enter Training in Southern Afghanistan - AFPS

In an effort to bolster the Afghan National Police, US forces in southern Afghanistan recruited and sent a record 500 Afghan citizens to eight weeks of focused district development training, a military official said Aug. 6. “No other regions in the country have recruited nearly that amount during a training cycle,” Army Col. John Cuddy, commander of the Regional Police Advisory Command South said during a call with online journalists and bloggers. Due to the level of insurgent activity, Cuddy said, southern Afghanistan is the main effort in the fight against the enemies of Afghanistan. “Today I was told by an Afghan general that if Kandahar becomes secure, all of Afghanistan will become secure,” Cuddy said.

IRAN

Study Cautions Against Strike - Joby Warrick, Washington Post

A military strike against Iran's nuclear facilities would probably only delay the country's progress toward nuclear-weapons capability, according to a study that concludes that such an attack could backfire by strengthening Tehran's resolve to acquire the bomb. The analysis by the Washington-based Institute for Science and International Security found that Iran's uranium facilities are too widely dispersed and protected -- and, in some cases, concealed too well -- to be effectively destroyed by warplanes. And any damage to the country's nuclear program could be quickly repaired. The study, scheduled for release today, is based in part on a comparison of Iran's known nuclear facilities with Iraq's Osirak reactor, which Israeli jets destroyed in a 1981 strike intended to curb Baghdad's nuclear ambitions. Although Israel struck a devastating blow against Iraq's program, a strike against Iran would be harder by several orders of magnitude, according to Albright and co-authors Paul Brannan and Jacqueline Shire.

UN Nuclear Inspector in Iran for Talks - Reuters

A top UN nuclear watchdog official began talks in Iran on Thursday aimed at improving cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency over Tehran's nuclear program. Diplomats in Vienna, where the IAEA is based, said the visit was a fresh effort to extract Iranian clarifications about intelligence reports suggesting it illicitly tried to design atomic bombs. Iran insists its nuclear work is peaceful.

Dubya's Unwise Gift to the Mullahs - Amir Taheri, New York Post opinion

The State Department will reportedly soon announce the opening of an Interests Office in Tehran. It may prove to be a major mistake. For starters, the Interests Section exists now, operating as part of the Swiss Embassy. The move would simply upgrade it with the appointment of at least two senior US diplomats. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says this would enable the United States to gain a more direct understanding of what's going on inside Iran - and, if the time comes, establish more direct communication with the Islamic Republic's leadership. Advocates of accommodation with Tehran go further, claiming the move would signal US acceptance of the regime, thus allaying the mullahs' fear of regime change.

THE LONG WAR

Bin Laden Driver Sentenced to 5 1/2 Years in Prison - VOA

A military jury at the US detention center in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has sentenced Osama Bin Laden's former driver to five-and-a-half years in prison on a charge of providing material support for terrorism. But because of credit for time already served, Salim Hamdan could be free in five months. The jury's decision was announced Thursday, one day after Hamdan was convicted. Prosecutors had recommended a sentence of 30 years for Hamdan, who was cleared of a conspiracy charge. Earlier, the defendant told the six-member jury that he was merely a low-level employee for bin Laden and not aware of al-Qaida activities. He pleaded for leniency and expressed regret over innocent people being killed.

Hamdan Sentenced to 5 1/2 Years - William Glaberson, New York Times

Rejecting a prosecution request for a severe sentence, a panel of military officers sentenced the convicted former driver for Osama bin Laden to five and a half years in prison on Thursday. The sentence means that the first detainee convicted after a war crimes trial here could complete his punishment by the end of this year. The military judge, Capt. Keith J. Allred of the Navy, had already said that he planned to give the driver, Salim Ahmed Hamdan, credit for at least the 61 months he has been held since being charged, out of more than six years in all. That would bring Mr. Hamdan to the end of his criminal sentence in five months. After that his fate is unclear, because the Bush administration says that it can hold detainees here until the end of the war on terror.

Hamdan Sentenced in First Terror Tribunal - Warren Richey, CS Monitor

Osama bin Laden's former driver was sentenced on Thursday to five and a half years in prison at the conclusion of the first trial of a terror suspect by special military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The sentence, far below the 30 years to life sought by the US government, means that Salim Hamdan of Yemen could be eligible for release in five months after receiving credit for time already served. The sentence is a double-edged sword for the Bush administration, which had hoped a harsh sentence in the Hamdan case would send a stern message to would-be Al-Qaeda sympathizers around the world. But the five-year sentence also underscores the fairness of the particular military panel in the Hamdan case, analysts say.

Stage Set at Guantanamo - David Savage, Los Angeles Times

From the start, the military trial of Salim Ahmed Hamdan had the makings of a mock trial, an exercise in testing the system. Hamdan, a former driver for Osama bin Laden, hardly fit the profile of a major war criminal. And for him, the stakes were low. He had been held at Guantanamo Bay for six years, and Bush administration officials said they would continue to hold him, whether he was convicted or acquitted. But this week's verdict - a partial conviction and a light sentence - may inject some much needed credibility into the administration's heavily criticized system of military commissions. Such a boost could help the White House reach an even more important goal: trials by year's end for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and others who are accused of plotting the Sept. 11 attacks or of leading Al Qaeda.

Courted - National Review editorial

In a trial that defied the antiwar Left’s portrayal of military justice as a cross between star chamber and kangaroo court, the long-awaited first military commission has ended with the war-crimes conviction of Salim Hamdan, formerly the chauffeur, bodyguard and confidant of al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden. A jury of six military officers returned its verdict Wednesday morning at a courtroom at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba. The jury diligently deliberated for three days, following instructions that the military judge, Navy Captain Keith J. Allred, conceded may have been more favorable to Hamdan than the law required on the key issue of what constitutes a “war crime.” Though the defendant was convicted of providing material support to al-Qaeda, the panel acquitted him of a companion conspiracy charge. The acquittal is but one of the indicia of fairness that pervaded the proceedings. Prior to the start of trial, the judge suppressed some of Hamdan’s interrogation statements. However appropriate they may have been for intelligence-gathering purposes, the court reasoned that the “highly coercive environments and conditions under which” Hamdan’s statements were elicited in Afghanistan made them insufficiently reliable for trial. And though Judge Allred found that peacetime interrogation protocols like Miranda warnings and the presence of taxpayer-funded counsel were not required for wartime interrogations of enemy combatants, he ruled that even ostensibly voluntary statements would not be admitted unless a witness could verify that the questioning had not been unduly coercive.

Almost Infamous - Thomas Joscelyn, Weekly Standard opinion

Much has been written about Salim Hamdan, an admitted driver for Osama bin Laden who was convicted on charges of supporting al Qaeda by a military jury at Guantanamo Bay earlier this week. Said Boujaadia, the suspected terrorist who was captured with Hamdan in Afghanistan in late 2001, has received far less attention. In some ways, Boujaadia's story is more intriguing. Like Hamdan, Boujaadia was once a detainee at Gitmo. But Boujaadia never received the high-profile trial Hamdan did. Instead, Boujaadia was repatriated to his native Morocco in May of this year--more than one year after authorities at Gitmo authorized his transfer. Boujaadia was held at Gitmo as a witness for Hamdan's trial, and when his role there ended Moroccan authorities took custody of him. But, Boujaadia's transfer does not mean he has been deemed an innocent. According to the last public accounts of his case, Moroccan authorities were investigating Boujaadia's plethora of ties to al Qaeda and global terrorism. Indeed, according to unclassified files produced by the US government at Gitmo, the Moroccans have much to investigate.

Tactic Used After It Was Banned - Josh White, Washington Post

At least 17 detainees held at Guantanamo Bay were subjected to a program that moved them repeatedly from cell to cell to cause sleep deprivation and disorientation as punishment and to soften detainees for subsequent interrogation, according to US military documents. Defense Department investigations of abuse had previously revealed that the program was used in a limited manner and only on high-value detainees, but the documents indicate that the program was far more widespread and that the technique was still used months after it was banned at the facility in March 2004. Detainees were moved dozens of times in just days and sometimes more than a hundred times over a two-week period.

Scud Threat a Reality - Martin Sieff, United Press International

The threat is real, the technology exists, and it is available and incredibly cheap; at least a half-dozen rogue states and well-funded terrorist groups around the world could afford it, and the menace puts in danger the lives of more than 200 million Americans. Yet almost nothing has been done about it. The threat is that of old, short-range Scud ballistic missiles being launched with nuclear or biological warheads from large container cargo ships from outside US territorial waters, some of the nation's leading experts in ballistic-missile defense (BMD) warn. The entire populations of the US Eastern seaboard and the West Coast, some 70 percent of Americans totaling more than 210 million people, are at risk from such attacks, experts have warned. Tens of thousands of container cargo ships are at sea every day going to and from the United States. More than 1 million cargo containers a day are unloaded at Long Beach, Calif., alone.

Another Terrorist in Hell - New York Post editorial

It took a while - more than eight years, in fact. But America finally exacted revenge on the mastermind who plotted the terrorist attack on USS Cole, which killed 17 American sailors. Al Qaeda confirmed this week that one of its commanders, Midhat Mursi al-Sayid Umar, aka Abu Khabab al-Masri, was one of four terrorists killed in a recent missile strike in northern Pakistan. Washington didn't confirm that it was behind the mission. But reports from the region suggest that the CIA has conducted similar assaults against al Qaeda using Predator drones. If so, that's good news - and yet another victory in the War on Terror.

US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Anthrax Case Raises Security Doubt - Hernandez and Rucker, Washington Post

Revelations about anthrax scientist Bruce E. Ivins's mental instability have exposed what congressional leaders and security experts call startling gaps in how the federal government safeguards its most dangerous biological materials, even as the number of bioscience laboratories has grown rapidly since the 2001 terror attacks. An estimated 14,000 scientists and technicians at about 400 institutions have clearances to access viruses and bacteria such as the Bacillus anthracis used in the anthrax attacks, but security procedures vary by facility, and oversight of the labs is spread across multiple government agencies.

FBI Will Analyze Ivins' Computers - Ben Conery, Washington Times

A federal judge on Thursday signed search warrants allowing FBI agents to analyze two computers that Army microbiologist Bruce E. Ivins used July 24, just days before he killed himself. According to an affidavit seeking the warrants, Mr. Ivins said during a group therapy session on July 9 that he knew federal investigators were closing in on him in their probe into the 2001 anthrax attacks. "He said he was not going to face the death penalty, but instead planned to kill co-workers and other individuals who had wronged him," the affidavit stated. "He said he had a bullet-proof vest, and a list of co-workers, and added that he was going to obtain a Glock firearm from his son within the next day, because he knew federal agents are watching him and he could not obtain a weapon on his own."

Helper to Suspect in Anthrax Case - Swarns and Lipton, New York Times

In December 2002, federal investigators scoured an icy pond on a snow-covered mountain near Frederick, Md., hunting for clues that would lead to the anthrax killer. As they worked, the Army microbiologist now believed to be responsible for the five deaths stood calmly in their midst, chatting, smiling and watching. Bruce E. Ivins, the scientist, mingled with the investigators in a military tent as a Red Cross volunteer, serving coffee, doughnuts and chocolate bars to agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and members of the search team. Law enforcement officials hustled him away after they realized he was an anthrax researcher who could compromise the investigation, according to Red Cross volunteers who were there. Dr. Ivins seemed embarrassed by it all, prompting his friends to tease him about the incident.

Anthrax Suspect Away On Key Day - Johnson and Warrick, Washington Post

Anthrax attack suspect Bruce E. Ivins took several hours of administrative leave from his Fort Detrick, Md., laboratory on a critical day in September 2001 when the first batch of deadly letters was dropped in a New Jersey mailbox, government sources briefed on the case said yesterday. The gap recorded on his time sheet offered investigators a key clue into how he could have pulled off an elaborate crime that involved carrying letters packed with lethal powder to a distant location for mailing, the sources said.

Pentagon Force Protection Agency Braces for Tourists - AFPS

The Pentagon is the most obvious symbol of the world’s most powerful military. The building is the home of the National Military Command Center. And soon it will be a tourist destination. While there are already tours of the building, the Pentagon will become a major destination for visitors to Washington after the dedication of the Pentagon September 11th Memorial next month. Officials expect between 45,000 and 60,000 people to visit the site Sept. 11, with up to 2 million people visiting the site in a year. The Pentagon Force Protection Agency must ensure the important work in the building continues undisturbed, but they also must ensure the American people’s ability to visit the site. “The Pentagon reservation is a unique place, and the fact that we’re going to have a tourist attraction here has been a challenge for us,” said Steven E. Calvery, the director of the agency. “The Pentagon reservation is not like the (National) Mall in Washington, where it’s designed for visitors. We’re just not designed that way.” The memorial will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It commemorates the 184 people who were killed when terrorists flew American Airlines Flight 77 into the building.

AFRICA

Rapes in Zimbabwe as Terror Tool - Lawrence Altman, New York Times

A 13-year-old girl was abducted, then raped repeatedly over a two-week period during a campaign of political terror in Zimbabwe surrounding recent elections there. Hers is one of 53 cases documented by AIDS-Free World, an advocacy group investigating rape as a political weapon in Zimbabwe, activists said Thursday at a news conference at the 17th International AIDS Conference here. Betty Makoni, director of Girl Child Network in Zimbabwe, said at the news conference, “Rape is being used as a weapon of political intimidation to instill fear in us, our families and communities.” Youth militias have raped an estimated 800 girls on bases, she said. Other rape victims include the wives, sisters, mothers and grandmothers of political opponents, Ms. Makoni said. Some were teachers, ward leaders and clergy members, she said. Some were raped in front of family members and some men were forced to rape their mothers-in-law. The victims were often forced to say they would never support the opposition, she said.

UN Concerned at Sudan Anti-terror Courts - Reuters

The United Nations on Thursday raised concerns Sudanese anti-terrorism courts which condemned 30 Darfur rebels to death did not meet international standards and urged the appeals courts to review the sentences. Defense lawyers have asked Sudan's Constitutional Court to overturn the sentences, saying the special courts formed to try those alleged to have been involved in a May attack on the capital were unconstitutional.

Mauritania Coup Commander Leads March in Capital - Associated Press

The general who masterminded Africa's latest coup appeared in public for the first time Thursday, leading a triumphal march on the streets of Mauritania's capital and declaring he is "determined to save democracy" in the Islamic nation. Elsewhere in sand-swept Nouakchott, police fired tear gas at protesters opposed to the change of power a day earlier that put Gen. Mohamed Ould Abdel Aziz in control. The coup has returned military rule to the desert country that held historic elections just last year, its first free and fair ballot in more than 20 years. Mauritania won international praise for that vote, which saw President Sidi Cheikh Ould Abdallahi emerge as victor after a two-year transition to civilian rule begun with the army's 2005 ouster of a dictator.

US Cuts Non-Humanitarian Aid to Mauritania After Coup - VOA

The United States Thursday suspended most of its aid program to Mauritania because of this week's military ouster of the elected government there. The Bush administration is obligated under a 2006 act of Congress to cut off non-humanitarian aid to any country in which an elected government is overthrown by the military. The action against Mauritania announced here freezes more than $22 million in U.S. aid for the current fiscal year. The State Department said the suspension, effective immediately, affects $15 million in military-to-military aid, more than $4 million in peacekeeping training, $3 million in development assistance, and smaller amounts for such things as mine clearance and anti-terrorism efforts.

Calls for France to Rethink Africa Role - Robert Marquand, CS Monitor

A bombshell of a report by Rwanda this week implicating high-ranking French officials in the arming and training of Hutu forces that committed genocide in Rwanda – could have been issued last November. President Paul Kagame sat on the 500-page study, approved by the Rwandan Senate, for months. It was a time of some bonhomie with France. President Nicolas Sarkozy and Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, much liked in Kigali, were working on a new rapprochement policy - after Rwanda broke all ties with France in 2006 over a French judge's indictment of Mr. Kagame for allegedly ordering an assassination in 1994. Kagame, a Tutsi, appears to have lost patience with France. He had hoped that the 2006 indictment would be renounced and that high-level Hutus still living in France would be deported to Rwanda to face genocide charges. Still, what is likely the last major report on the 1994 Rwandan genocide that killed more than 800,000, leaves France with an embarrassing problem - one cutting to the heart of its own political elite, to a network of French unofficial "parallel structures" of commerce and intelligence in Africa, and to how a major power will deal with thorny questions of justice about its behavior in the postcolonial world.

France and Genocide: Murky Truth - Linda Melvern, The Times opinion

There is remarkable television footage shot in the first days of the genocide in Rwanda. It shows a large room in the French Embassy in Kigali filled floor to ceiling with shredded documents. This was probably the paper trail that might have revealed the depth of involvement between the Elysée Palace and the Hutu faction responsible for massacring hundreds of thousands of Tutsi and opposition Hutu. This week Rwanda's commission of inquiry published its findings into the role of France in the genocide of 1994. The report - the fruit of two years' work that includes the testimony of 638 witnesses, including survivors and perpetrators of genocide - is damning. It says that certain French politicians, diplomats and military leaders - including President François Mitterrand - were complicit in genocide. The French authorities knowingly aided and abetted what happened by training Hutu militia and devising strategy for Rwanda's armed forces. Training and funding was also given to Rwandan intelligence services on how to establish a database later used to draw up a “kill list” of Tutsi. The most shocking allegations come from survivors who allege that French soldiers participated in the massacres of Tutsi. These soldiers were a part of Operation Turquoise, a French military intervention in June 1994, an ostensibly humanitarian mission that had the backing of the UN Security Council.

AMERICAS

Ecuadorans Track an Elusive Foe - Joshua Partlow, Washington Post

The four-decade-long conflict between the government of Colombia and guerrillas of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, known as the FARC, is not confined by borders. And while Colombian forces have scored major victories this year -- guerrilla commanders killed; hundreds of rebels deserting; prisoners, including former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt, freed -- the view from neighboring Ecuador near the frontier is different. The Ecuadoran soldiers who pursue the guerrillas operate along a 366-mile-long border, most of it marked by rivers that can be crossed at any point by canoe. In this remote jungle, they have found weapons dumps, cocaine labs and hundreds of guerrilla camps linked by footpaths that ribbon for miles through the undergrowth.

Mexican President Proposes Life in Prison for Kidnappers - VOA

Mexican President Felipe Calderon has sent a new initiative to his country's Congress that would impose life in prison for those convicted of several categories of kidnapping, including current or former policemen involved in the crime. Mexico has one of the highest rates of kidnapping in the world and police have often been linked to cases around the country. Calderon called on the legislative body to take action soon on a proposed reform that would stiffen penalties for kidnapping. He said he is sending this proposal to the Congress because the Mexican people demand stronger penalties for vicious and cruel crimes. He said he wants to end the impunity enjoyed by many kidnappers, especially those who are law enforcement officers.

ASIA PACIFIC

For China, It's Showtime - Edward Cody, Washington Post

In the lobby of a provincial Chinese hotel stood a 25-foot-high inflatable character, a beaming Olympic mascot cheerfully inviting one and all to enjoy the 2008 Beijing Games. But in small Mandarin characters stenciled neatly across its polyurethane rump was a discreet reminder: "For Government Use Only," it said. The 29th Olympiad opening Friday evening in Beijing has from the beginning been a political as well as an athletic event, its impact extending far beyond the fields and stadiums where 16,000 athletes from 200 countries and regions are set to vie for glory. As the giant plastic mascot suggested, the competitor with the most at stake is China's Communist Party, particularly President Hu Jintao and the eight others on the Politburo's elite Standing Committee who rule this vast nation of 1.3 billion people.

Olympic Message to Some Is ‘Please Leave’ - Andrew Jacobs, New York Times

Li Tianchao is an itinerant worker who has spent his adult life toiling long hours, living in bleak worksite dormitories and chasing the next construction job from boomtown to boomtown. A no-nonsense, weatherworn man, he is not quick to grouse. But as he waited for a train to take him back to his hometown north of the capital, Mr. Li, 50, could not help but feel wistful. “The Olympics have finally come to China, and I won’t even be here,” he said, lounging on a woven plastic sack stuffed with his possessions. He glanced up at the “Participate in the Olympics, Enjoy the Fun” banner above his head and shrugged. Like thousands of others who packed Beijing’s main train station on Thursday, Mr. Li was prompted to leave town by a lack of work and an unwritten government policy encouraging migrant workers to clear out until the dignitaries and journalists have gone home.

Bush Arrives in Beijing - Steven Lee Myer, New York Times

President Bush arrived here on Thursday eager to shift his focus to Olympic sports, only hours after China pointedly rebuffed his criticism of the country’s record on human rights. Responding to President Bush’s speech earlier in the day in Thailand, which praised China’s modernization but expressed “deep concern” over restrictions on faith and free speech, the Chinese Foreign Ministry issued a curt statement that bristled with anger over “any words or acts that interfere in other countries’ internal affairs.”

China Rebukes Bush Rights Speech - Abramowitz and Wilgoren, Washington Post

President Bush arrived in Beijing late today to begin his Olympics visit, even as the Chinese government reminded the world that it opposes interference from other countries on human rights issues. The stern warning from the Foreign Ministry came a day after Bush spoke out in Bangkok against China's detention of political dissidents and religious activists. Many human rights groups have criticized Bush for his decision to attend the Games and for what they call his unwillingness to confront Beijing over a crackdown on dissent and new Internet restrictions in the run-up to the Olympics. The advocates have pressed Bush to make a stronger statement while in Beijing about China's human rights practices or to meet with dissidents. But both scenarios appear unlikely. Bush has said he is going to the Olympics to cheer on US athletes and to show his "respect" for the Chinese people.

Chinese Islamic Group Issues New Olympic Threat - Associated Press

A Chinese Islamic group that has threatened to attack the Beijing Olympics released a new video warning Muslims to avoid being on planes, trains and buses with Chinese at the games, a US group that monitors militant organizations said Thursday. The video was purportedly made by the Turkistan Islamic Party, which seeks independence for China's western Xinjiang region, the SITE Intelligence Group said. The militants are believed to be based in Pakistan, where security experts say core members have received training from al-Qaida. Last month, the group issued videotaped threats and claimed responsibility for a series of bus bombings in China. The new video, issued just ahead of Friday's opening of the games, features graphics similar to ones used earlier: a burning Olympics logo and an explosion imposed over an apparent Olympic venue.

Beijing's Games - Washington Post editorial

There was a certain stage-managed quality to President Bush's mini-clash with China over human rights this week. The words he employed were indeed strong: "The United States believes the people of China deserve the fundamental liberty that is the natural right of all human beings," Mr. Bush declared. "So America stands in firm opposition to China's detention of political dissidents, human rights advocates and religious activists." Yet he spoke these words not on Chinese soil but in democratic Thailand. They came near the end of a broader address in which the president touched on many Asian subjects and offered countervailing praise for Chinese cooperation on international issues. The president released his text well in advance, giving Beijing plenty of time to respond. "We firmly oppose any words or acts that interfere in other countries' internal affairs, using human rights and religion and other issues," the Communist government replied -- and promptly returned to preparations for today's Olympic Opening Ceremonies, which Mr. Bush and other Western leaders will attend.

The Beijing Games - Wall Street Journal editorial

As the Beijing Olympics begin, people of goodwill wish for a successful Games. The competing athletes, in events both celebrated and obscure, dedicate their lives for this opportunity, and properly the spotlights will fall on them. There is no ducking the fact, however, that this is a political Olympics. China today is in no way the rank evil that lay behind Nazi Germany in 1936 nor the grim totalitarianism of Moscow in 1984. China's ruling Communist Party, which was responsible for so much of the country's suffering the past half-century, can take credit for continuing the market reforms begun under Deng Xiaoping. This is an opportunity for China to showcase economic progress that was unimaginable only 30 years ago. For all that, China remains a one-party state. The Communist Party brooks no dissent, and already controversy has arisen over blocked Web sites and Internet access. The mass closing of factories to diminish pollution was a fantastic display of authoritarian might.

China's Political Games - Boston Globe editorial

Although the motto "faster, higher, stronger" expresses an ideal of athleticism that transcends borders, the Olympic Games have long been an exercise in politics by other means. The International Olympic Committee routinely deplores efforts to use the quadrennial Summer Games as an occasion to protest a host country's policies. China is sticking to the same script. As the Beijing Games begin, human-rights advocates want the emerging power to answer for its suppression of political freedom, its recent crackdown in Tibet, and its support for murderous regimes in Sudan, Burma, and Zimbabwe. China's communist rulers will have none of it. "China's firm stance," a Foreign Ministry spokesman insisted earlier this summer, "is to oppose politicizing the Olympic Games, and especially using them to interfere in China's domestic affairs."

Olympic Backfire - Ralph Peters, New York Post opinion

I rarely watch sports on TV. I'm a doer, not a viewer. But I usually make an exception for the Olympics. Not this year. I'm staging my own private boycott. Anyway, I'm more interested in what's going to happen outside of the sports facilities. I'm thrilled to see global spotlights turned on Red Chinese tyranny ("Red" is for the bloodshed in Tibet, Darfur, Zimbabwe, Burma and China itself). The butchers in Beijing thought they could buy a happy-face propaganda image, that they could stage-manage the Olympics the way Stalin's PR boys seduced the New York Times as millions died. Boy, did their ignorance of the suppleness of today's communications networks backfire.

UN Urges East Timor Not to Drop Violence Probe - Reuters

The United Nations urged on Thursday East Timor not to let those responsible for bloodshed surrounding Dili's 1999 independence vote from Indonesia off the hook, pledging to provide support to prosecute perpetrators. Leaders in East Timor and Indonesia said last month that the case was closed after expressing regret at the findings of a joint truth commission that blamed Indonesian security and civilian forces for "gross human rights violations." The two governments set up the Commission of Truth and Friendship (CTF) in 2005 to look into the violence, during which the United Nations estimates about 1,000 East Timorese died, but it had no power to prosecute, prompting criticism that it served to whitewash atrocities. It was boycotted by the UN.

EUROPE

Georgian Forces Attack Russian-backed Separatists - Tony Halpin, The Times

Heavy fighting was reported tonight in the capital of the breakaway region of South Ossetia after Georgian forces launched an assault on Russian-backed rebels. The battles erupted shortly after the president of Georgia made a dramatic appeal for a ceasefire following a day of heavy clashes which claimed at least 10 lives. President Saakashvili offered “an immediate ceasefire and an immediate beginning of talks” in a televised address to the separatist region. He repeated an offer of autonomy within Georgia, saying that he was willing to make Russia the guarantor of any agreement.

Separatist Fighting Erupts in Georgia - Michael Schwirtz, New York Times

Fighting in the border region between the former Soviet republic of Georgia and a breakaway Georgian enclave has reached its highest level in years, with Georgia saying that up to 10 civilians and soldiers had been killed in violence that erupted overnight on Wednesday and lasted throughout the day on Thursday. The deaths were part of an intense, new round of fighting that has continued sporadically since last Saturday, when six people in South Ossetia, the breakaway enclave, died and more than 20 were wounded on both sides.

Fighting Rages in Separatist Capital - Reuters

Fighting raged in and around the capital of Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia region on Friday as Georgian troops, backed by warplanes, pounded separatist forces in a bid to re-take control of the territory. A Reuters correspondent said the roar of warplanes and the explosions of heavy shells were deafening more than three km (two miles) from the town. Many houses were ablaze. Georgia's pro-Western president, Mikheil Saakashvili, said his forces had "freed" the greater part of the territory's capital, Tskhinvali, and ordered a full-scale mobilization of military reservists. Georgia said four Russian jets entered Georgian airspace and dropped bombs on two places just south of the territory, which has been outside central government control since the 1990s.

Georgian Army Moves to Retake South Ossetia - Associated Press

Government troops launched a major military offensive Friday to regain control over the breakaway province of South Ossetia and the president accused Russia, which has close ties to the separatists, of bombing Georgian territory. Russian Premier Vladimir Putin said the offensive will draw unspecified retaliation. Separatist officials in South Ossetia said 15 civilians had been killed in fighting overnight after Georgia attacked with aircraft, armor and heavy artillery. Georgian troops fired missiles at the regional capital, Tskhinvali, an official said, and many buildings were on fire.

Georgia Surrounds Rebel Capital - BBC News

Georgia says its troops have surrounded the capital of separatist South Ossetia as Russia warns further aggression would lead to retaliation from Moscow. Fighting around Tskhinvali resumed overnight, breaking a ceasefire deal, and bombardments are continuing. Georgian President Mikhail Saakasvili has called on reservists to sign up for duty and accused Russia of sending fighter jets to bomb Georgian towns. At least 15 civilians are said to have died as well as several Russian troops.

MIDDLE EAST

Gaza Militants Warn Israel Truce May End in 3 Weeks - Reuters

Gaza's Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) militant group on Thursday warned Israel that a truce between Israel and Hamas which went into effect on June 19 was in danger of collapse, saying it could end in three weeks. Abu Mujahed, one of the group's leaders, told dozens of fighters undergoing military training that Hamas, the PRC and other factions were disappointed at Israel's slow action on opening Gaza's border crossings and prisoner release talks. "(Israel) has until the end of the tenth week (since the declaration of the ceasefire) and if they do not abide by the obligations of calm, politicians will stop talking and military men will act," Abu Mujahed said.

No Peace Without Democracy - Sharansky and Eid, Wall Street Journal opinion

A tragic peace process turned to farce last weekend. After bloody clashes between Hamas and Fatah loyalists in the Gaza strip killed 11 Palestinians and injured 120 more, nearly 200 Palestinians associated with Fatah sought asylum in Israel. Some have been transferred to the West Bank cities of Jericho and Ramallah, where they are now under the jurisdiction of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas. Dozens more who were considered unwelcome by Mr. Abbas's office were anxiously awaiting possible deportation back to Gaza. The only thing that saved them from this fate was an appeal by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which petitioned the Supreme Court to prevent the government from sending the Fatah refugees back to Gaza. The irony of the present situation boggles the mind. In 1993, then Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin defended the Oslo accords he signed with Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Liberation Organization to a somewhat skeptical Israeli public by arguing that Arafat would fight Hamas much better than Israel, since he had "no Supreme Court and no Betselem" (an Israeli human-rights organization).

SOUTH ASIA

Musharraf Faces Impeachment - Candace Rondeaux, Washington Post

Pakistan's ruling coalition parties agreed Thursday to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, setting up a major showdown between the former military chief and the newly elected civilian government. Leaders of the ruling Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N faction called for a no-confidence vote in Parliament against Musharraf and said they could begin official impeachment proceedings against him within a few days. Pakistan People's Party co-chair Asif Ali Zardari said Musharraf's nearly nine-year rule had thrown the country into turmoil. The time had come, he said, to break the six-month-long political deadlock that has paralyzed Pakistan since the civilian-dominated coalition was swept to power in parliamentary elections Feb. 18.

Coalition Moves to Impeach Musharraf - Jane Perlez, New York Times

Pakistan’s usually fractious coalition government moved decisively for the first time on Thursday to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, who has been an important American ally in the campaign against terror but who has largely been pushed to the sidelines since his party lost elections in February. “It has become imperative to move for impeachment against General Musharraf,” said Asif Ali Zardari, the head of the Pakistan Peoples Party, sitting beside Nawaz Sharif, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N, at a noisy news conference. The two, leaders of the main parties in the governing coalition, have barely been on speaking terms in recent weeks, but they joined together in saying that Mr. Musharraf would be required to face a vote of confidence in the National Assembly. By calling for the vote, they were essentially giving the president an opportunity to step down gracefully before having to confront impeachment proceedings.

President Musharraf to be Impeached - Zahid Hussain, The Times

Pakistan’s political crisis came to a head yesterday after the country’s ruling coalition moved to impeach President Musharraf, dealing a potentially critical blow to a key Western ally in the War on Terror. The decision, which would take Pakistani politics into uncharted territory, heightens pressure on the beleaguered President to step down from office. Mr Musharraf has said that he would rather resign than face impeachment but he does retain the power to dismiss Parliament to prevent such proceedings. Announcing the decision after three days of crisis talks, Asif Ali Zardari, head of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which leads the coalition Government, accused Mr Musharraf of conspiring with opposition parties to undermine the country’s transition to democracy. “Musharraf has brought Pakistan to a critical impasse,” said Mr Zardari, widower of Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister who was assassinated in December.

Pakistan Ruling Coalition Pledges to Pursue Musharraf Impeachment - VOA

Top leaders of Pakistan's ruling coalition government say they have agreed on a plan to pursue impeachment proceedings against President Pervez Musharraf. Pakistan's coalition government has been deadlocked for months over whether it will impeach president Musharraf and restore the top judges he fired last November. The leaders have long said they agreed in principle on the issues, but were divided over the process. But in a news conference Thursday led by Pakistan People's Party leader Asif Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Nawaz Sharif, the two announced a strategy to unseat the unpopular leader.

Coalition Seeks to Impeach Musharraf - Zaidi and King, Los Angeles Times

In its first decisive move against Pakistan's former military ruler, the governing coalition announced Thursday that it would seek to impeach President Pervez Musharraf unless he agreed to resign. Musharraf's allies indicated that he would fight the attempt to oust him from his civilian post. The developments could usher in a fresh round of turmoil in Pakistan, which has spent the last 18 months in a state of political upheaval. Pakistan is considered a crucial US ally in the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda, although relations have lately been badly strained by American concerns over whether the country's new civilian government has the resolve to confront Islamic militants.

Musharraf Vows to go Down Fighting - Bruce Loudon, The Australian

Moves to impeach President Pervez Musharraf and force him from office were formally announced by Pakistan's coalition Government last night as the former military dictator abandoned a trip to the Olympics and declared he was prepared to "go down fighting". Blaming Mr Musharraf for the country's woes, Asif Ali Zardari, leader of the Bhutto Pakistan People's Party, made the announcement in Islamabad, while Mr Musharraf was reportedly gathered with advisers nearby, planning a strategy to counter the move. There were widespread fears the 600,000-strong army, which has dominated Pakistan for most of its 60 years as an independent nation and is fiercely loyal to the President, may move to defend his rule.

Pakistan's Deadly Vendetta - David Blair, Daily Telegraph opinion

To govern Pakistan is to be permanently in the eye of the storm. Since President Pervez Musharraf seized power almost nine years ago, he has probably survived more plots, assassination attempts and assorted crises than any other leader alive. The most powerful politicians in the new coalition government, over which he uneasily presides, decided yesterday to try to impeach him. This latest threat to Mr Musharraf is remarkably novel. Instead of adopting the traditional methods of removing a Pakistani leader - a military coup; perhaps even a mysterious plane crash - his opponents have chosen an entirely legal way of deposing him. That is the good news. And the disastrous news? Whatever the outcome of the bitter struggle over Mr Musharraf's future, the move to impeach him will ensure that Pakistan's government is consumed by infighting. This power vacuum could scarcely be more dangerous. Islamic extremists who already have free rein across large areas of the country will exploit the official paralysis for all it is worth.

Thousands of Troops on Standby for Kashmir - Rhys Blakely, The Times

The Indian Army was preparing to send 10,000 extra soldiers to Kashmir yesterday amid fears that Hindu-Muslim violence in the volatile state would spread. Fifteen people have been killed and hundreds injured in riots and running battles with police since the state’s government rescinded a decision to give about 100 acres of forest land to Amarnath - a Hindu cave shrine containing a revered stalagmite - to build shelters for pilgrims. The move, which followed demonstrations by Kashmir’s Muslim majority, caused violent Hindu protests this week. An army source said that the fresh forces would back up paramilitary and police units that have been stretched close to breaking point.

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.