IRAQ

Iraq Private Sector Falters - Campbell Robertson, New York Times

Hampered by years of violence, a decimated infrastructure, a lack of foreign investors and a flood of imports that undercut local businesses, Iraq’s private sector, particularly its small non-oil economy, has so far failed to flourish as its American patrons had hoped. In its absence, the Iraqi government has been sustaining the economy the way it always has: by putting citizens on its payroll. Since 2005, according to federal budgets, the number of government employees has nearly doubled, to 2.3 million from 1.2 million.

US, Iraq Nearing Security Deal - Voice of America

Iraq's foreign minister says Baghdad and Washington are "very close" to reaching a long-term security deal that will decide the future of U.S.-led forces in Iraq. Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told reporters in Baghdad Sunday the United States must provide a clear timeline for the withdrawal of its troops as part of the agreement. But US officials have said they have not agreed to any withdrawal dates. They say there has been progress in security talks, but that some issues remain in dispute.

Iraq Demands 'Clear Timeline' - Robert Reid, Associated Press

Iraq's foreign minister insisted Sunday that any security deal with the United States must contain a "very clear timeline" for the departure of US troops. A suicide bomber struck north of Baghdad, killing at least five people including an American soldier. Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari told reporters that American and Iraqi negotiators were "very close" to reaching a long-term security agreement that will set the rules for US troops in Iraq after the UN mandate expires at the end of the year.

Sadr Redirects Mahdi Army - Tom Peter, Christian Science Monitor

Moqtada al-Sadr has taken yet another step in an attempt to transform his Mahdi Army militia from a force intent on battling US soldiers into a much broader social and political network that can still hold sway in the shifting landscape of Iraq. During Friday prayers in Sadr City, clerics read instructions from the young anti-American leader ordering his militiamen to join a new religious and cultural wing of the movement that he is calling the Momahidoun, or "those who pave the way." The move comes just months after Mr. Sadr's movement was dealt a serious blow in springtime battles with both American and Iraqi forces in Baghdad and Basra that ended when Sadr called off his fighters after the deaths of hundreds of his followers and innocent Iraqis.

US Soldier, 17 Iraqis Killed - Tina Susman, Los Angeles Times

A suicide bomber detonated explosives Sunday amid US and Iraqi troops who were investigating an earlier attack. Iraqi police said nearly 20 people died, and the US military said they included one American soldier. It was the day's worst attack among several that occurred across Iraq, including one at a crowded bus depot in Baghdad that left four people dead. The bloodshed came as US and Iraqi negotiators tried to finalize details of an accord laying out the future for American troops in Iraq. The pact is needed because the United Nations mandate for the US presence in Iraq expires at the end of the year.

US and Iraqi Forces Wall off Threats in Sadr City - Reuters

Late into the night, a crane drops towering slabs of concrete into place, the earth shaking as US and Iraqi forces slowly wall off the slum that was Baghdad's last sanctuary for feared Shi'ite militants. Iraqis gather just beyond the pool of light, looking on from the darkness of the largely Shi'ite area that until several months ago lived in the grip of Mehdi Army militiamen loyal to anti-American cleric Moqtada al-Sadr. This third wall that will encircle Sadr City, home to 2 million people in northeastern Baghdad, is part of the US and Iraqi effort to solidify the sharp drop in violence that followed fierce fighting there this year.

Iraq War's Valid Origins - Arthur Borden, Washington Times opinion

President Bush was right to confront Iraq. While the decision to go to war is in the past and cannot be reversed, the emerging consensus that it was a mistake is not. Unless we can revisit the debate over the invasion, and comprehend President Bush's reasons for removing Saddam Hussein, we will be unprepared to debate policy toward Iran - and potentially ill-equipped to prevent Tehran from achieving the regional domination through weapons of mass destruction (WMD), which we denied Baghdad. President Bush has often invoked the memory of Sept. 11, 2001, to justify the war in Iraq. This is understandable, but the war is widely misunderstood as a result. The conflict was based not solely on the terrorist attacks of 2001 but also on decades of bipartisan consensus on foreign policy.

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN TRIBAL AREAS

Aussies Capture Taliban Leader - Paul Maley, The Australian

Australian special forces in Afghanistan have claimed a major victory in their fight against the insurgency following the capture of a senior Taliban commander credited with orchestrating a wave of deadly roadside bombings. The Defence Department announced yesterday that Australian troops from the Special Operations Task Group had captured senior Taliban militant Mullah Bari Ghul in an operation last week. Bari Ghul was known as the shadow governor of Oruzgan province, a reference used by the Taliban to describe his status as the head of its underground operations in the southern province of Afghanistan. Defence said no Australian soldiers nor Afghan civilians were hurt in the operation. They would not say if any Taliban fighters were killed.

Pakistani Taliban Repel Government Offensive - Perlez and Shah, New York Times

Taliban fighters forced Pakistani soldiers to retreat from a militants’ stronghold near the border with Afghanistan over the weekend, after a three-day battle sent civilians fleeing from government airstrikes. The pullback from Bajaur, an area of Pakistan’s tribal region where the Taliban and Al Qaeda have forged particularly close ties, came after the military began an offensive there late last week. Military spokesmen said 6 soldiers had been killed, though the Pakistani Taliban put the number at 22. It was unclear how many civilians had died.

Karzai Says Air Strikes Kill Civilians, Urges Action in Pakistan - Voice of America

Afghan President Hamid Karzai says NATO and US air strikes in Afghanistan are only killing civilians. In Kabul Sunday, Mr. Karzai urged international forces to switch the focus of the war on terrorism and target militant training sites and safe havens inside neighboring Pakistan. President Karzai echoed US concerns that Pakistan is not doing enough to stop cross-border attacks on Afghanistan. Pakistan rejects the criticism. Mr. Karzai's latest appeal followed reports that civilians were killed in air strikes north of Kabul.

Coalition Kills 25 Militants, 8 Afghan Hostages - Associated Press

A series of clashes and an airstrike in southern Afghanistan killed 25 militants and eight civilians held hostage by insurgents, the US-led coalition said in a statement Monday. Militants ambushed the coalition and Afghan troops along a road in the southern province of Uruzgan on Sunday, triggering gunbattles during which militants moved into a compound and took 11 civilians hostage, the statement said.

Karzai Urges Military Action in Pakistan - Associated Press

President Hamid Karzai said Sunday that airstrikes carried out in Afghan villages by US and NATO troops are only killing civilians and that the international community should instead go after terror centers in Pakistan. International forces serving under NATO and the separate US-led coalition insist that the vast majority of those killed in air raids are militants. However, they also acknowledge that civilians are sometimes killed in bombing runs, though they accuse militants of firing on international troops from civilian homes they have commandeered.

Pakistani Forces Bomb Houses Near Afghan Border - Associated Press

Pakistani forces bombed dozens of houses in a tribal region near the Afghan border Sunday, officials and witnesses said, in a military offensive that comes amid US pressure for Pakistan to crack down on militants. Days of clashes have reportedly killed at least 100 insurgents and nine paramilitary troops in the area, an insurgent stronghold considered a possible hiding place for al-Qaida leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahri.

IRAN

Iran Unmoved on Nuclear Stance in Face of Sanctions - Reuters

Iran will not back down on its nuclear stance despite the threat of tighter sanctions, Iranian media quoted a government spokesman as saying on Sunday. Britain, France, Germany and the United States are considering imposing sanctions that go beyond existing UN measures against Tehran over its nuclear programme, a British diplomat said on Friday. Western powers fear Iran wants to build a nuclear bomb, while Tehran says it seeks to master nuclear technology for electricity.

Holocaust II? - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times opinion

To bomb or not to bomb Iran was now a matter of time, according to the principal players, but none could agree last week on when the clock runs out. For Israel, it runs out before the US elections on Nov. 4. After that Barack Obama may be the next president of the US and Israeli powers that be fear he may disassociate himself from any Israeli military action against Iran. When Israel's Shaul Mofaz talks, Washington listens, very carefully. "It is a race against time," he said recently, "and time is winning." The Iranian-born Mr. Mofaz, 60, is now deputy prime minister. He came to Israel at the age of nine when his parents left their native Iran. He took part in the legendary rescue mission in Uganda (1976); fought in the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, and the 1982 Lebanon War. From paratroop brigade commander, Mr. Mofaz kept moving up. Superhawk Benjamin Netanyahu, when he was prime minister in 1998, appointed Mr. Mofaz the 16th chief of staff of Israel's armed forces. He served under four different Israeli prime ministers and in 1997 Ariel Sharon appointed him defense minister. He may be Israel's next prime minister.

AFRICA

Zimbabweans Hope for Deal - Delia Robertson, Voice of America

Zimbabwe's political leaders are locked in talks with South African President Thabo Mbeki in a Harare hotel, amid hopes the leaders may emerge with a power sharing deal aimed at ending the country's political, economic and social crisis. The focus of Sunday's meetings is the composition of any future power sharing government, and who will wield executive power. Will Robert Mugabe remain president but be reduced to a political figurehead with real power resting in the hands of Morgan Tsvangirai in a new post of executive prime minister? Will overall executive authority be retained by Mr. Mugabe? Or will the final agreement reached between Zimbabwe's political leaders be a leadership arrangement somewhere in between the two?

Mugabe and Tsvangirai in Talks - Rob Crilly, The Times

President Robert Mugabe is expected to meet Morgan Tsvangirai later today at a Harare hotel in an attempt to end the crisis in Zimbabwe. President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa arrived in the Zimbabwean capital on Saturday evening to mediate negotiations. His arrival prompted fevered speculation in South African newspapers that a deal could be reached soon - possibly this evening - although neither side would comment officially on the reports other than to say the talks were progressing well.

Mbeki in Zimbabwe - Associated Press

South African President Thabo Mbeki spent more than eight hours in talks Sunday with Zimbabwe's president and opposition leaders to try to resolve a deadly political dispute. Reporters saw Mbeki and main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai head into private talks first at a Harare hotel. After that meeting, which lasted about an hour and a half, Mbeki and Mugabe held talks.

Back to Peacekeeping - Toronto Star editorial

To heavily armed pirates off the Horn of Africa, United Nations food supply ships bound for Somalia are tempting prizes. Some 2.4 million Somalis rely on food aid, 80 per cent of which arrives by sea. This year alone, pirates have attacked dozens of ships in the region, and UN food stocks are running alarmingly low. But the pirates soon will be staring down the barrel of a Canadian navy Bofors gun, Harpoon missiles and torpedoes. Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has despatched the patrol frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec to escort World Food Program supply ships through the risky waters, replacing a Dutch warship that had been doing duty there. The Ville de Quebec should be on site later this week.

AMERICAS

Morales Claims Election Win - Patrick McDonnell, Los Angeles Times

President Evo Morales appeared to have won a sweeping victory Sunday in a nationwide recall election that the leftist chief of state crafted as a means of consolidating support against fierce conservative opposition. Partial unofficial results based on quick counts at polling places indicated that between 56% and 63% of voters cast ballots in favor of Morales and Vice President Alvaro Garcia Linera, according to local television stations. Those totals easily exceeded the 46.3% that the president needed to stay in office. The reported vote also surpassed the 53.7% that the president garnered when elected in December 2005.

Bolivian Deadlock Remains - Joshua Partlow, Washington Post

Bolivians voted Sunday to keep President Evo Morales in office, with unofficial returns on a recall referendum giving him a victory even larger than the one that put him in office more than two years ago. But despite drawing more than 60 percent of the vote, according to partial counts from polling stations, Morales appears to have not fundamentally changed the prevailing political deadlock in this Andean nation. The governors in eastern Bolivia, who form the powerful opposition to Morales, also held their seats by wide margins, leading to concerns that the voting results could exacerbate tensions here. The president, vice president and eight of the nine state governors were subject to Sunday's recall vote. Three governors, including Morales opponents from La Paz and Cochabamba, were defeated. Meanwhile, the governor of Santa Cruz, the relatively wealthy lowlands state that has led the fight for more regional autonomy and to remove Morales, was backed by nearly 70 percent of voters.

Bolivia’s Morales Easily Wins Recall Vote - Reuters

Bolivian President Evo Morales easily won a recall vote on Sunday and vowed to push on with socialist reforms that his rightist opponents in South America's poorest country are trying to block. The election pitted Morales against governors who have pushed for autonomy for their resource-rich provinces and are furious that he has cut their share of windfall natural gas revenues. Morales, a former coca leaf farmer who is Bolivia's first Indian leader, hopes his victory will allow him to forge ahead with changes like nationalizations, land redistribution and a constitution that aims to give more power to the poor.

Chávez Sees Cuba as a Model - Mary O'Grady, Wall Street Journal opinion

It is no secret that Hugo Chávez wants to be just like Fidel Castro someday. And last week he took a step closer to that goal by laying down 26 new decrees designed to eviscerate property rights and further consolidate economic power in the presidential palace. He also nationalized the third-largest bank in the country. Yet it is not only in the economic realm that Hugo is mimicking his Cuban idol. What has been less publicized is the Venezuelan president's expanding collection of political prisoners, and his other sinister methods of neutralizing opponents.

ASIA PACIFIC

Violence taints the Beijing Games - Peter Ford, Christian Science Monitor

In one of the safest capitals in the world, currently under surveillance by one of the tightest security operations ever launched here, Tang Yongming still managed to murder an American tourist on Saturday. Mr. Tang was not a terrorist, neither did he have a criminal record, according to Chinese and international officials, so nobody was watching him. Armed only with a knife he offered an embarrassing reminder to the Chinese authorities - bent on ensuring a flawless Olympics - that they cannot control everything. “This incident proves that there is no watertight security anywhere,” says Chen Yali, a security expert at the China Research Group, a think tank here. “Surprises happen.” “This was an isolated criminal case and no city in the world today is immune from such acts,” adds Sun Weide, a spokesman for the Games’ organizing committee. “Police will now take extra security measures at tourist sites.”

Renewed Bomb Attacks Kill Five in China - Richard Parry, The Times

At least five people were killed and several more were critically injured in a series of bomb explosions in China's far west region of Xinjiang, in what looks increasingly like a concerted bombing campaign by Muslim separatists to coincide with the Beijing Olympics. Witnesses described how attackers threw home made bombs at a police station and office buildings, injuring police and security guards and destroying two police cars. Five of the attackers were reported to have been killed at the scene. The state Xinhua new agency reported a series of explosions between 3.20am and 4am in the oasis town of Kuqa, 2,500 miles west of Beijing in the Taklimakan Desert. "Flashes of fire" and gunshots were reported after the explosions, the report said, and police were hunting for further suspects.

Muslim Separatists Blamed For Blasts - Stephanie Ho, Voice of America

Suspected Muslim separatists armed with homemade grenades attacked a government office complex in far west China early Sunday. Eleven people were killed, 10 of them attackers, according to the official news agency, and two other attackers were captured. The renewed violence comes two days into the Olympic games in Beijing. Security has been tightened in Kuqa, following several blasts there in the pre-dawn hours of Sunday morning. The town is 3,000 kilometers west of Beijing.

Blasts and Clash Kill 11 in China's Tense Far West - Reuters

Suspected Muslim separatists and suicide bombers launched a dozen attacks in west China on Sunday, killing 11 people in the blasts and a subsequent shootout with police in renewed violence two days into the Olympics. It was the second attack in restive Xinjiang in a week after 16 police were killed at a border post on Monday. China says militants seeking an independent "East Turkestan" homeland for Muslim Uighurs in the Xinjiang region are among the top threats to the Beijing Olympics, which began on Friday.

Rah-Rah Diplomacy - Maureen Fan, Washington Post

For months, Olympic officials here fretted about Chinese fans. The fans might boo athletes from countries perceived as unfriendly to China, or maybe they won't know when to cheer, the government feared. Officials went so far as to draft 210,000 retired state employees and teach them the right way to hoot and holler. But Chinese officials needn't have worried. At Sunday night's US-China men's basketball game, the host country's fans cheered wildly for both teams.

N. and S. Korea: The Gulf Grows - Barbara Demick, Los Angeles Times

With surprising speed, the rapprochement between the Koreas has unraveled over the last month since the shooting of a South Korean tourist at a North Korea resort. The North on Sunday started expelling South Korean workers from the resort at Mt. Kumgang, which for close to a decade has been a symbol of Korean reconciliation efforts. Squabbling between the Koreas also forced organizers of the Beijing Olympics to rearrange the opening ceremony Friday to keep the two nations' delegations apart. It was the first time since 1996 that the Koreans had marched separately at the Games' opening ceremony and a sign of just how much the relationship has deteriorated.

US Says N.Korea Unlikely to Meet Nuclear Deadline - Reuters

The White House made clear on Sunday it did not expect a deal with North Korea by Monday's initial deadline for presenting a verification plan for its nuclear programmes, but said talks would continue. "I think it is reasonable to say that tomorrow will come and go without that happening," Dennis Wilder, a senior official with the White House National Security Council told reporters during President George W. Bush's visit to Beijing for the Olympics. Washington has promised North Korea it could be removed from a US list of terrorism-sponsoring nations as early as August 11 if a robust verification plan was in place.

EUROPE

Flash Point: South Ossetia - Small Wars Journal

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

Mitterrand's Legacy Under Heavy Scrutiny - Emma-Kate Symons, The Australian

Once a giant in the pantheon of French presidents, Francois Mitterrand is suffering a public battering that is destroying his carefully constructed domestic and international image as France's last truly great leader. From alleged links to genocide in Rwanda to arms deals in Angola, apologies for Soviet repression, shady financial deals, illegal phone-tapping and assorted corruption affairs, the ghost of the man who died in 1996 after 14 years at the Elysee Palace is suddenly once again omnipresent. The return to prominence spells difficulties for the posthumous reputation of a president who was until recently deemed by 60 per cent of voters to have had a "positive record". Mitterrand returned to front-page news with a damning report released by Rwanda claiming the president and his government, including ministers, advisers, diplomats and soldiers, were directly implicated and complicit in the 1994 genocide. The report published last week was based on a two-year inquiry that drew on more than 600 witnesses including victims and those involved in the massacres.

SOUTH ASIA

Pressure Builds on Pakistan's Musharraf - Mian Ridge, Christian Science Monitor

Pakistan's government has vowed to start impeachment proceedings against President Pervez Musharraf Monday, sparking concerns that a protracted constitutional crisis could distract Pakistan's four-month-old government from urgent matters, including a mounting pro-Taliban insurgency and a tumbling economy. A session of the National Assembly, Pakistan's lower house of parliament, has been scheduled Monday to initiate proceedings against Mr. Musharraf, the long unpopular president whose power has diminished since the new government took over. Many here hope that the president will resign. Yet even if Musharraf does step down, political debate for the coming weeks will be dominated by the question of who will take his place.

Allies Call on Beleaguered Musharraf to Quit - Reuters

Pressure is mounting on Pakistan's beleaguered President Pervez Musharraf from his own allies to step down before the ruling coalition tries to impeach him this month, officials said on Sunday. Pakistan has been in political turmoil since early last year. The United States and its allies fear a prolonged political and constitutional crisis will lead to instability in the nuclear-armed state and partner of Washington in its war on terror, and uncertainty has unsettled markets and investors.

Purported al-Zawahri Tape Criticizes Musharraf - Associated Press

In a rare English-language message partially aired Sunday that is believed to be from Al-Qaida's No. 2 leader, Ayman al-Zawahri claimed Pakistan is now "virtually ruled from the American Embassy." The Pakistani ARY channel gave a copy of the tape, whose authenticity could not immediately be verified, to The Associated Press. However, an AP reporter who has reviewed his past recordings said the voice sounds like that of al-Zawahri.

Curtains for Musharraf - Najam Sethi, Wall Street Journal opinion

After months of prevarication, the Pakistani government, led by Asif Zardari and Nawaz Sharif, has finally decided to impeach President Pervez Musharraf. Although a fighting man, Mr. Musharraf is expected to quit within the week. He doesn't have enough parliamentary backing to thwart the move, and the army and America, his main sources of support, have abandoned him in the face of popular pressure. The government has been mulling this move for months. Mr. Zardari, of the People's Party of Pakistan (PPP), and Mr. Sharif, of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), both hate the president for political and personal reasons.

Sri Lanka Says 115 Rebels Are Killed in Fighting - Reuters

Sri Lankan troops killed 115 Tamil Tiger rebels in weekend fighting in the far north of the island, the military said on Monday, as government forces continued their push into the rebels' northern stronghold. Government jets also bombed rebel positions in rebel-held areas in the north, military officials said. "Troops had killed 60 LTTE terrorists and 28 were wounded from Sunday's confrontations," said military spokesman Brigadier Udaya Nanayakkara, adding that three soldiers were also killed and 12 wounded in the fighting.

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.