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IRAQ
General David Petraeus Sees Huge Progress in Iraq - Patrick Walters, The Australian
There has been "enormous progress" in improving security across Iraq and there are real indications that the country is finally turning away from the endemic violence of recent years.
As he prepares to leave Baghdad within days, General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, cites a host of statistics that indicate the war-torn country is at last "spiralling upwards" towards a more normal existence.
In an exclusive hour-long farewell interview with The Australian in his office in the ornate presidential palace in Baghdad, General Petraeus sees signs of a return to more normal conditions in the capital and increasingly, across a country that only 20 months ago was still riven by horrific sectarian conflict.
General Petraeus is leaving Iraq in two weeks to become the US's CENTCOM commander, a post that will see him charged with responsibility for the wars in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Last Sunday, there were no serious security incidents across the whole of Baghdad.
On Monday in western Anbar province, the scene of years of tough counter-insurgency warfare against al-Qa'ida and Sunni militias by US Marines, the Americans formally handed over security control to Iraqi forces.
General Petraeus, the principal architect of the successful 2007-08 surge of US troops that restored security across Baghdad, says the signs of positive change are everywhere.
More at The Australian.
An Unsung Victory - Ralph Peters, New York Post opinion
A hurricane smacks the Big Easy again. Back-to- back political conventions. A surprise VP pick. Russians behaving like Russians...
All too easy to miss the biggest story out of Iraq this year: Yesterday, security responsibility for once-bloody Anbar Province officially passed from the US military to the Baghdad government.
Fallujah. Ramadi. Al Qaeda's worst atrocities. Those opposed to the liberation of Iraq celebrated years of headlines from Anbar.
Then it all changed: We won - and the headlines vanished.
More at The New York Post.
AFGHANISTAN
British Troops Kill 200 Taliban in Afghan Operation - Thomas Harding, Daily Telegraph
A major secret British operation to boost the economy in Afghanistan's Helmand province has been completed after a force of 5,000 troops fought for a week to drive a huge dam turbine through Taliban lines. British commanders estimate that more than 200 Taliban were killed as they tried to prevent the convoy of 100 vehicles from getting the machinery to Kajaki hydroelectric dam where it will provide a significant increase in energy for up to two million Afghans.
The operation has been described as the biggest of its kind since the Second World War.
For the last five days the force has fought through the heart of Taliban territory to push through the 220 tonne turbine and other equipment that included a 90 tonne crane to lift it into place.
With a third turbine fixed at Kajaki it will mean that the extra electricity could double the irrigation output allowing farmers to plant two crops of wheat a year. With a dramatic rise in world wheat prices this could crucially mean that it becomes more profitable than producing opium which would deprive the Taliban of a major source of revenue.
More at The Daily Telegraph
British Army in Afghan Dam Triumph - The Times
It was 2.30am when the convoy finally reached Camp Zeebrugge, crawling through the moonless night like a herd of prehistoric beasts, headlights peering into the dust ahead, brakes squealing at the stars above.
As attack helicopters circled overhead, and mortar rounds thumped in the distance, the first of the juggernauts came into sight - a 36-wheel, 34-tonne tank transporter carrying a container plastered in Koranic verses.
Then came another. And another. And more and more until the entire road through the camp was blocked by a procession of lorries, mine-clear-ers, bulldozers and armoured personnel carriers that stretched at times for more than 2½ miles.
This was the moment when British troops completed one of their most complex and daring operations since the Second World War: outfoxing the Taleban to deliver a giant new turbine to the Kajaki Dam in the southern Afghan province of Helmand. In doing so they marked a turning point that Nato commanders hope will prove decisive in the battle for Afghan hearts and minds.
More at the Times and Washington Times.
British Army Can Celebrate Real Success With Kajaki Dam - The Times opinion
The completion of the Kajaki dam project has been a long time coming. In some ways the success of the whole British military campaign in Helmand province. which began in 2006 has rested on the ability of a team of engineers to install the third turbine at the hydro-electric power station to provide electricity for the region.
Until the new turbine was installed, Britain’s reputation in southern Afghanistan has relied on the professionalism of its troops in confronting the Taleban and the devoted but restricted efforts of the Department for International Development, which has been trying to make a difference on a limited budget and with resources that often consisted of one harrassed-looking, often female, official working on her own in a high-risk environment. It was difficult to chart the real success of the British campaign.
In Kajaki, the issue was always about security. The Louis Berger Group, the company involved in the huge project, was not prepared to risk the lives of its workers while the Taleban operated so close to the plant. Too much was at stake.
More at The Times.
US Rejects Claims of Afghan Deaths - Candace Rondeaux and Javed Hamdard, Washington Post
US military officials on Tuesday flatly rejected claims by the United Nations and the Afghan government that a US airstrike in western Afghanistan two weeks ago killed at least 90 Afghan civilians, saying that a complete investigation into the incident found that only five civilians were killed.
A review of video footage and photos, and an analysis of burial sites after the strike in Azizabad village in Herat province in the early morning of Aug. 22, found that 30 to 35 Taliban insurgents and five civilian relatives of a Taliban commander died in the attack, according to a summary of the findings released Tuesday. Two other civilians were injured, it said.
Interviews with 30 American and Afghan participants in the military operation further reinforced the conclusion that the incident's toll was considerably lower than those suggested by eyewitnesses, the summary said.
More at the Washington Post, New York Times and Washington Times.
US CENTRAL COMMAND
Give Me More Aussies, Pleads General - Patrick Walters, The Australian
David Petraeus would like more Australians to work alongside him as he assumes overall command of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars next month.
General Petraeus said he had already asked Canberra to lend him several Australians. "I have already requested it. I need to be careful here," he said with a broad smile.
Talking to The Australian from his map-lined office in Baghdad, the four-star general said he wanted to thank Australian troops for their contribution to Iraq.
"We are privileged to have them with us," he said. "They have initiative. They have a great work ethic and they have a wonderful sense of humour.
"They don't hesitate to offer a view, even when not solicited.
He also said the ADF "got it" when it came to understanding the nature of counterinsurgency warfare.
More at The Australian.
GEORGIA
Georgians Eager to Rebuild Army - C.J. Chivers and Thom Shanker, New York Times
Just weeks after Georgia’s military collapsed in panic in the face of the Russian Army, its leaders hope to rebuild and train its armed forces as if another war with Russia is almost inevitable.
Georgia is already drawing up lists of options, including restoring the military to its prewar strength or making it a much larger force with more modern equipment, like air-defense systems, modern antiarmor rockets and night-vision devices.
Officials at the Pentagon, State Department and White House confirmed that the Bush administration was examining what would be required to rebuild Georgia’s military, but stressed that no decisions had been made. The choices each pose difficult foreign policy questions.
Georgia’s decision to attack Russian and South Ossetian forces raises questions about the wisdom of further United States investment in the Georgian military, which in any case would further alienate Russia. Not doing so could lead to charges of abandoning Georgia in the face of Russian threats.
More at The New York Times.
White House Careful on Cutting Ties with Moscow - Nicholas Kralev, Washington Times
The Bush administration has ordered a review of US defense cooperation programs with Russia but is not about to draw up "mindless lists" of penalties that could alienate the Russian people while leaving Moscow's troops in Georgia, US officials said Tuesday.
Daniel Fried, assistant secretary of state for European affairs, also called Russia's accusation that "foreign navy ships" are delivering weapons to the former Soviet republic under the guise of humanitarian aid "complete nonsense."
"The first order of business should not be some sort of punishment," Mr. Fried said in an interview with The Washington Times. "Russia has to decide how much it wants to isolate itself from the world. We don't want to have a bad relationship with Russia. We've never wanted that."
More at The Washington Times.
MEXICO
Mexican Drug Wars Threaten US - Jerry Seper, Washington Times
An escalating turf fight between warring drug cartels in Mexico is spreading into the United States with federal officials warning that deadly shootouts and ambushes along the southwestern border pose a serious threat to both US law enforcement and American citizens, according to a confidential multi-agency government report.
The Aug. 29 report predicts a rise in the use of "deadly force" against US police officials, first responders and residents along the border, and further spillage of drug-gang violence deeper into the United States.
Written by the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center (AcTIC) and the High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area (HIDTA) Investigative Support Center, the report also said the drug cartels are expected to hire members of deadly street gangs now in this country, including Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13), to "carry out acts of violence against cartel members in the US."
More at The Washington Times.
NEWS & OPINION NOTES
Iraq
In Iraq, Muslims Hope for Calm During Ramadan - Los Angeles Times
Some Troops Say Iraqis Need To Do More - Stars and Stripes
Victory in Anbar - New York Sun editorial
Battered Baghdad Being Transformed - The Australian opinion
Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas
US-Led Forces Accused in Pakistan Attack - Associated Press
Pakistani Taliban: Attacks Will Continue During Ramadan - Voice of America
Support For Diggers Over 'Dog Pens' - The Australian
Minister Defends Diggers Over Dog Pens - The Australian
Pakistani Woman Indicted In NY - Washington Post
Pakistani Neuroscientist is Indicted in US - Los Angeles Times
Russia / Georgia / NATO
Medvedev Dismisses Georgia’s Leader as a ‘Political Corpse’ - New York Times
Russia Reacts Mildly to EU Condemnation - Voice of America
Russian Pledge Averts EU Sanctions - The Australian
US Military Aircraft, Ships Continue Missions - American Forces Press Service
Cracks in Putin's Kingdom - Christian Science Monitor
'Stop! Or We'll Say Stop Again!' - Wall Street Journal editorial
The Market Will Punish Putinism - Wall Street Journal opinion
Iran
Women's Rights Activists Score Victory on Legislation - Los Angeles Times
Iran's Parliament Delays Vote on Family Bill - Washington Post
Another Rumor of War - National Review opinion
The Long War
Ex-Professor in Palestinian Case Is Freed After 5 Years - Washington Post
Africa
Aid Plane Crashes in E. Congo; 17 Aboard - Washington Post
Americas
Despite US Aid, Coca Cultivation On Rise in Andes - Washington Post
Mexico Police Arrest 8 Digging Tunnel to US Border - Los Angeles Times
Haitians Stranded on Roofs in Flooded City - Associated Press
Ortega's Last Straw in Nicaragua - Los Angeles Times opinion
Asia / Pacific
Thai Protesters Defy Premier's State of Emergency - Washington Post
Thai Leader Faces Challenge in Streets and Courts - New York Times
Thai PM Declares State of Emergency - The Australian
State of Emergency Imposed in Thailand - Daily Telegraph
State of Emergency Declared in Bangkok - Christian Science Monitor
Thai Protesters Ignore Emergency Rule - Associated Press
Japan: Taro Aso Set to Take Over as PM - The Australian
Daunting Tasks face Japan's Next Premier - Christian Science Monitor
Chinese Experiment in Democracy Meets Resistance - Christian Science Monitor
Europe
Germany Charges 3 Jailed in ’07 in Bomb Plot - New York Times
Middle East
Hezbollah Shrine to Terrorist Suspect Enthralls Lebanese Children - NY Times
South Asia
In Secret Letter, Tough US Line on India Nuclear Deal - Washington Post
Corruption Cases Bedevil Pakistan Opposition Leader Sharif - Associated Press
Pakistan Begins Inquiry Into Deaths of 5 Women - New York Times
Kashmir's Fuse Alight - Washington Times opinion
BOOK REVIEW
With the Best Intentions - Adam Hochscild, New York Times
Freedom’s Battle is really two books that don’t quite fit together. The longer and better one is a lively narrative history of a string of European efforts to stop various massacres in the 19th-century Ottoman Empire. In several short chapters before and after this story is a shorter and weaker book, in which Gary J. Bass argues for humanitarian military interventions as a tool of international justice today. The historical episodes, he claims, are “rare lights along an otherwise dark road” that show us how these might work. For me that road remains dark, for reasons I will come back to, but much of the history Bass unearths is fascinating and well told.
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.
BOOK DISCUSSIONS / SIGNINGS
The Strongest Tribe by Bing West. 11 September 2008, 12:00 - 2:00 PM - Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C. Headquarters. Details.
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.
2 October - Civil Affairs Roundtable (Public Event - Roundtable). ROA Headquarters, One Constitution Ave, NE Washington, DC. Sponsored by the Reserve Officers Association. In earlier roundtables, the observation was made that the center of gravity for stability operations is the human population in the area of operations. Civil affairs professionals and information operators are the key national security resources for influencing the human population. Civil affairs professionals assist in humanitarian operations and building civilian capacity. Information operators develop messages and keep the population informed. This roundtable will explore the relationship between the civil affairs and strategic communications functions.