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RUSSIA
Military Bear is Back - Sebastian Alison, Bloomberg News (Washington Times)
When British Gen. Sir Michael Rose commanded United Nations forces protecting Bosnia in the mid-1990s, he gained firsthand knowledge of Russia's army, which participated in the mission.
"They were worse than useless," the 68-year-old retired officer said in an interview.
Not any more.
Russia's five-day drubbing of the US-trained and -equipped Georgian military this month followed a $200 billion buildup undertaken in 2006 and lessons learned from misadventures in Afghanistan and Chechnya.
"Today they're a reinvented institution and a military force to be reckoned with" after "10 years of humiliation and pressure from NATO," Gen. Rose said.
The resurgent military deployed in Georgia gives Russia a credible threat of force as it seeks to check the pro-Western aspirations of its neighbors. Backed by the United States, NATO in April promised Georgia and Ukraine, both former Soviet republics, eventual membership in the military alliance.
More at The Washington Times.
PAKISTAN / AFGHANISTAN
US Troops Crossed Border, Pakistan Says - Candace Rondeaux and Karen DeYoung, Washington Post
Helicopters carried US and Afghan commandos many miles into Pakistan on Wednesday to stage the first US ground attack against a Taliban target inside the country, Pakistani officials said. At least 20 local people died in the raid, according to the officials.
Pakistan filed a formal protest with the US government, which had no comment on what appeared to be a new escalation of US pressure on Taliban and al-Qaeda sanctuaries in Pakistan's mountainous border regions.
As the Taliban insurgency escalates in Afghanistan, US officials have increasingly turned their attention to those havens. Pakistan has committed to securing the borders, but has been beset with rising violence, both in the frontier region and in its cities.
In another example of eroding security, the limousine of Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani was ambushed Wednesday in the capital, Islamabad. Two bullets struck the side window of his black Mercedes-Benz as it sped toward an airport. Gillani was not in the vehicle at the time.
US forces based in Afghanistan have periodically conducted air and artillery strikes against insurgents across the border in Pakistani territory, and new hot-pursuit rules provide some room for American troops to maneuver during battle. But the arrival of US helicopters in the village of Musa Nika, deep in undisputed Pakistani territory, would constitute a new tactic.
More at the Washington Post, New York Times, Washington Times, Los Angeles Times, Times, Associated Press and Christian Science Monitor.
IRAQ
Petraeus Says US Combat Troops Could Exit Baghdad by July - Voice of America
The top US commander in Iraq says American combat troops could be withdrawn from Baghdad by next July if security gains persist.
In an interview with the Financial Times newspaper published Thursday, General David Petraeus says such a pullout is possible, in his words, "conditions permitting." The US military now has about 16,000 combat troops in Baghdad.
Petraeus says Iraq is a "dramatically changed country" from when he took command in February 2007. He says daily attacks in Baghdad have recently declined to less than five a day, in a city of seven million people.
In another development, the International Monetary Fund says Iraq's economic prospects are improving as better security helps Iraqis to boost oil production and exports.
An IMF statement issued Wednesday says Iraq also has reduced inflation and made progress in fighting corruption in the oil industry by introducing oil meters.
More at Voice of America, Financial Times and The Australian.
AMERICAS
Threats in the Hemisphere - Norman Bailey, Washington Times opinion
It is high time the US government stopped ignoring multiple threats to US interests and security in our own part of the world. The Middle East and the Caucasus are important, but at least equally important is the region we ourselves inhabit.
George W. Bush came to office in January of 2001 proclaiming that Latin America would be at the top of his list of foreign policy priorities.
Then came Sept. 11, 2001, the invasion of Afghanistan, the invasion of Iraq and almost total concentration of the attention of the government on the Middle East and the struggle against terrorism. Latin America was not just placed on the back burner but was off the stove entirely, except for occasional events such as the near-fatal illness of Fidel Castro.
Unfortunately, Latin America did not forget us. While our attention was elsewhere, a wave of radical anti-democratic, anti-market and anti-US regimes emerged in the Hemisphere, led by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, fat with oil money. He succeeded in creating allies in Bolivia, Nicaragua, Ecuador and Argentina and only missed Peru and Mexico by a hair.
More at The Washington Times.
PHILIPPINES
Philippine Panel on Muslim Rebellion Dismissed - Nancy-Amelia Collins, Voice of America
The Philippine government has dismissed the panel of negotiators brokering peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Wednesday said she had scrapped the government panel negotiating peace with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front.
Mrs. Arroyo stressed the government is not abandoning the peace talks, but would, instead, implement a new approach that would entail wider and more direct dialogue with local communities in the volatile south, home to most Muslims in the Catholic majority country.
Mohaquer Iqbal, the MILF's chief peace negotiator, tells VOA the scrapping of the government peace panel raised serious concerns.
"As far as the situation on the ground and the peace process are concerned, especially in relation to the latest pronouncement of the government, they've disbanded their panel and they're suspending talks with the MILF. These are signs that are raising some serious concerns as far as we are concerned," said Iqbal.
The latest snarl in the peace process comes after the two sides hammered out an agreement, early last month, that would have given the MILF an expanded Muslim autonomous region, a key issue bogging down the talks.
Christian politicians in the affected areas challenged the agreement in the Supreme Court, which stopped the accord, triggering renewed fighting in the southern island, Mindanao.
Scores have died and hundreds of thousands of people left homeless after several rogue MILF commanders attacked several mainly Christian towns in Mindanao.
More at Voice of America.
NEWS & OPINION NOTES
Iraq
This Round, Pentagon May Keep General Petraeus Offstage - CS Monitor
US 'Mistaken Fire' Kills 6 in Iraqi Security Forces - Washington Post
Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas
US Envoy Cites 'Fog of War' in Afghan Tolls - Washington Post
Diggers: Dog Pens Not Used for Taliban - The Australian
Taliban Attack Must Not Go Unanswered - The Australian editorial
Russia / Georgia / NATO
US Announces $ 1 Billion Aid Package for Georgia - Voice of America
US to Provide $1 Billion for Georgia Reconstruction, Humanitarian Aid - AFPS
US to Grant $1 Billion to Georgia - Washington Post
White House Unveils $1 Billion Georgia Aid Plan - New York Times
Russian Nationalist Advocates Eurasian Alliance Against the US - LA Times
Help for Georgia - New York Times editorial
Israel of the Caucasus? - Washington TImes opinion
Hot or Cool on Russia? - Washington Post opinion
A Medal for Putin - Washington Times opinion
Iran
Iran: Assessing US Strategic Options - Center for a New American Security
The Long War
Attack on US Landmarks Thwarted - The Times
Scientist Mum 'Planned Mass US Attack' - The Australian
Africa
Rice in Historic Libya Visit for Gaddafi Talks - The Times
Bush's Enduring Legacy in Africa - Boston Globe opinion
Americas
Ecuador Giving US Air Base the Boot - Washington Post
Flashpoint: FARC’s Fading Fortunes - Peter Brookes, Armed Forces Journal
Asia / Pacific
Report: North Korea Reassembling Nuclear Facility - Associated Press
North Korea Takes Nuclear Equipment Out of Storage - Los Angeles Times
US Says N. Korea Moving Equipment, Not Rebuilding Reactor - Voice of America
US Doubts Reports of Work on North Korea Nuclear Site - New York Times
Thai PM Refuses to Step Down - The Australian
Thai Leader Appears Isolated as Protests Continue - New York Times
Thailand Protesters Unmoved by Emergency - Los Angeles Times
Europe
Ukraine Government Near Collapse - New York Times
Serbia: Good News From the European Union - New York Times
Provisional IRA War Ends - Daily Telegraph
The IRA Is No Longer a Threat, Group Says - Washington Post
Turnaround in Poland - Washington Times opinion
Middle East
Will Summer Fun Foil Gaza's Extremism? - Christian Science Monitor
French President Visits Syria - Voice of America
South Asia
Gunmen Fire on Pakistani PM Motorcade - Voice of America
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Unhurt After Shooting - New York Times
Pakistan PM Escapes Assassination Attempt - The Times
The Perils of Pakistan - Daily Telegraph editorial
Pakistan: Democracy Within Our Reach - Washington Post opinion
Violence in India Is Fueled by Religious and Economic Divide - 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
Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search For a Way Out of Iraq by Linda Robinson. 10 September 2008, 4:30 PM - Merrill Center for Strategic Studies at SAIS, Washington, D.C. Details.
The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq 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.