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IRAQ
Shi'ite Resistance to Sunnis Threatens Progress of Surge - Shaun Waterman, United Press International (Washington Times)
The Iraqi government is resisting US efforts to incorporate former Sunni insurgents into Iraqi security forces, threatening a strategy that helped make the surge a success thus far and could allow US forces to withdraw from Iraqi cities next year.
Fewer than 600 of the 103,000 Iraqis currently active in US-supported Sunni militia groups have been absorbed so far, said Colin H. Kahl of the Center for a New American Security, a Washington think tank, citing figures provided to him by the US military during a recent trip to Iraq.
The Pentagon provided slightly higher estimates Tuesday.
Capt. Charles G. Calio, a spokesman for US-led forces in Iraq, said in an e-mail that nearly 24,000 "Sons of Iraq" have found permanent employment in the past two years, but only 946 have entered the Iraqi security forces.
About 2,300 others have been vetted for possible positions in the security forces, he said.
More at The Washington Times.
US DIPLOMACY
Crises Reveal Limits of Bush's Personal Diplomacy on World Stage - Michael Abramowitz, Washington Post
He glimpsed inside Vladimir Putin's soul and found something to his liking. He has also showed off his Texas ranch to Saudi King Abdullah, talked economics with Chinese President Hu Jintao and visited Graceland with then-Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.
More than many of his predecessors, President Bush has invested heavily in trying to forge a strong bond with key foreign leaders. But as his term winds down, new crises in Georgia and Pakistan are underscoring the limits of Bush's personal diplomacy, as the president is receiving criticism for overpersonalizing relations with Putin, the Russian prime minister, and with Pervez Musharraf, who resigned as Pakistan's president last week.
More at The Washington Post.
RUSSIA / GEORGIA
West Struggles to Counter Moscow's Move - Paul Richter and Sergei L. Loiko, Los Angeles Times
The Bush administration and its European allies, stung by Russia's formal recognition of two separatist Georgian enclaves, faced new pressure Tuesday to strike back diplomatically and politically against the Kremlin's widening move to assert its power in the Caucasus.
US officials, who have shunned a military response, did not publicly specify available options. But privately, they cited the possibility of excluding Russia from a number of international institutions, such as the World Trade Organization. They also could try to pressure Moscow through economic measures that pinch the wallets or limit the mobility of Russia's wealthy elite and middle class, including restrictions on travel to the West.
More at The Los Angeles Times
'Independence' Day in the Caucasus - Wall Street Journal editorial
We're about to find out who sides with Russia over its assault and now partition of Georgia. Expect it to be a short and undistinguished list.
Russian President Dmitry Medvedev yesterday officially recognized the self-declared independence of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, the Georgian provinces over which Russia went to war earlier this month. Watch for some of the usual suspects -- Cuba, North Korea, Venezuela -- to join Moscow if only to spite the West. The Kremlin might strong-arm a few former Soviet republics into falling in line -- Belarus and Kazakhstan, perhaps -- though others will rightly fear setting a precedent that could later be turned on them.
Beyond that, it's difficult to imagine any major capitals standing beside Moscow here. The US and Europe condemned Mr. Medvedev's move yesterday. China has its own separatist regions and is likely to be hesitant about endorsing a violation of territorial integrity. Ditto India.
More at The Wall Street Journal
VENEZUELA
Hezbollah Presence in Venezuela Feared - Chris Kraul and Sebastian Rotella, Los Angeles Times
Western anti-terrorism officials are increasingly concerned that Hezbollah, the Lebanon-based Shiite Muslim militia that Washington has labeled a terrorist group, is using Venezuela as a base for operations.
Linked to deadly attacks on Jewish targets in Argentina in the early 1990s, Hezbollah may be taking advantage of Venezuela's ties with Iran, the militia's longtime sponsor, to move "people and things" into the Americas, as one Western government terrorism expert put it.
As part of his anti-American foreign policy, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has established warm diplomatic relations with Iran and has traveled there several times. The Bush administration, Israel and other governments worry that Venezuela is emerging as a base for anti-US militant groups and spy services, including Hezbollah and its Iranian allies.
More at The Los Angeles Times
USCENTCOM IA TASK FORCE, IW, JOB OPENING
Director, Interagency Task Force, Irregular Warfare
The Director, Interagency Task Force - Irregular Warfare – (IATF-IW), reports to the Director of Operations, United States Central Command (USCENTCOM) and is the Command's principal advisor concerning coordination and integration of military operations with national and regional interagency activities. The IATF-IW is an Interagency Task Force with the primary goal of operating a joint, interagency, and cross functional organization that is empowered, agile and capable of orchestrating persistent, coordinated and synchronized effects; and serve as the focal point for countering specified threat networks at the strategic and operational levels of conflict. This position is assigned a precedence priority code of DV-6 (equivalent to a Brigadier General) for protocol purposes.
NEWS NOTES
US Department of State
UN Envoy Rebuked For Solo Diplomacy - Washington Post
Australia
Top-level shake-up to Bolster National Security - The Australian
Iraq
Suicide Bombing in Volatile Iraqi Province Kills at Least 25 - Washington Post
Iraq Bombing Kills 28 at Police Station - Los Angeles Times
US NCOs Executed Iraqis, Statements Say - New York Times
Petrodollars Fail to Help Ordinary Iraqis - Christian Science Monitor
Former Soldier to Face Civilian Trial - Associated Press
Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas
Taliban Gain New Foothold in Afghan City - New York Times
UN Finds Airstrike Killed 90 Afghans - Washington Post
UN: US Killed 90, Including 60 Children, in Afghan Village - New York Times
UN Hails Drop in Afghan Opium Crop - The Times
Afghan Opium Production Falls - Washington Post
Russia / Georgia / NATO
Russia Recognizes Breakaway Regions - Washington Post
Russia Dismembers Georgia - Washington Times
Medvedev Raises Spectre of a new Cold War - The Times
Russia 'Ready for a New Cold War' Over Georgia - Daily Telegraph
Russia Maintains Pressure with Recognition of Georgian Territories - CS Monitor
Georgia Begs the West for Help - The Times
Stuck in Georgia - New York Times editorial
Russia Is Brazen, Europe Weak - Wall Street Journal opinion
Target the Kremlin Pocketbooks - Washington Post opinion
NATO's Eastward Reach - Los Angeles Times opinion
How Russia Clobbered Georgia - and Lost the War - Globe and Mail opinion
Africa
Mugabe Jeered by MDC MPs - The Times
Zimbabwe Parliament Opens to Jeers and Arrests - New York Times
Mugabe Mauled - The Times editorial
In Congo, New Twist on 'Blood Diamonds' - Christian Science Monitor
Algeria: Al Qaeda Group Renews Deadly Attacks - United Press International
Americas
Four Decapitated Bodies Discovered in Tijuana - Los Angeles Times
Colombia's Uribe Problem - Los Angeles Times editorial
Asia / Pacific
N. Korea Threatens to Rebuild Nuclear Program - Washington Post
N. Korea Threatens to Restore Plutonium Plant - New York Times
N. Korea Halts Nuclear Disablement - The Australian
Protesters Storm Thai PM's Compound - The Times
Protesters Try to Overthrow Thai Government - Daily Telegraph
Malaysia's Top Opposition Figure Makes a Comeback - Christian Science Monitor
China's Apologists are Clueless - The Times opinion
Burma: UN Farce - Washington Post editorial
Middle East
Rice, in Israel, Criticizes Surge in Settlement Construction - New York Times
A Syrian-Israeli Peace? - Washington Post opinion
South Asia
Power Struggle Rages in Pakistan - Christian Science Monitor
Zardari Left ‘Crippled by Depression’ - The Times
Front-Runner in Pakistan Has Been Ill - New York Times
Pakistan's Priorities - Wall Street Journal editorial
Pakistan Needs Independent Judiciary - Washington Times editorial
No Favorites in Pakistan - Boston Globe editorial
Dirty Politics are Killing Hope in Pakistan - Daily Telegraph opinion
Militants Take 5 Hostages in Northern Indian State - New York Times
A Jihad Grows in Kashmir - New York Times opinion
BOOKS
Baghdad at Sunrise - Peter Mansoor
This compelling book presents an unparalleled record of what happened after US forces seized Baghdad in the spring of 2003.
The Strongest Tribe - Bing West
From a universally respected combat journalist, a gripping history based on five years of front-line reporting about how the war was turned around–and the choice now facing America.
Tell Me How This Ends - Linda Robinson
After a series of disastrous missteps in its conduct of the war, the White House in 2006 appointed General David Petraeus as the Commanding General of the coalition forces. Tell Me How This Ends is an inside account of his attempt to turn around a failing war.
We Are Soldiers Still - Joe Galloway
In their stunning follow-up to the classic bestseller We Were Soldiers Once... and Young, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Joe Galloway return to Vietnam and reflect on how the war changed them, their men, their enemies, and both countries - often with surprising results.
EVENTS OF INTEREST
11-12 September - DNI Open Source Conferece 2008 (Public Event - Conference). Washington, DC. Sponsored by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. The Office of the DNI is pleased to announce the "DNI Open Source Conference 2008" to be held on Thursday, 11 September and Friday, 12 September, 2008 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington DC. The conference is free; however, all who wish to attend must register online in advance (deadline 31 July). The two-day conference will explore a wide range of open source issues and open source best practices for the Intelligence Community and its partners. We invite participants from the broader open source community of interest including academia, think tanks, private industry, federal, state, local and tribal entities, international partners, and the media to attend. The conference will include speakers from across the broader open source community participating in panel discussions and focus group sessions. Information about the agenda and break-out sessions is now available. The DNI Open Source Conference 2007 was held 16-17 July 2007 at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. More than 900 registered participants and speakers attended. Presentations made at the conference break-out sessions are available on the DNI Open Source Conference 2007 website.
16-18 September - 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.
17 September - The Iranian Puzzle Piece: Understanding Iran in the Global Context (Public Event - Symposium). Marine Corps Base, Quantico, Virginia. Sponsored by the by the Marine Corps University (MCU) and the Marine Corps University Foundation to enhance the overall understanding of Iran, exploring its internal dynamics, regional perspectives, and extra-regional factors and examining its near-term political and strategic options and their potential impact on the course of action of the United States and the USMC.