Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with the sturdy alliances and enduring convictions.

We are the keepers of this legacy, guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort, even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We'll begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people and forge a hard- earned peace in Afghanistan.

--Barack Obama

UNITED STATES

Barack Hussein Obama Becomes 44th US President - Meredith Buel, Voice of America

Barack Obama has become the 44th President of the United States, taking the oath of office on the steps of the US Capitol before a crowd of more than one million people who had gathered in frigid temperatures to see the first African American become president.

Immediately after President Obama took the oath of office, a military color guard fired off a 21-gun salute as an enormous and diverse crowd cheered, waved American flags and chanted the new president's name.

In his inaugural address, Mr. Obama said he is entering the White House at a time when the nation is in the midst of crisis.

"Our nation is at war, against a far reaching network of violence and hatred," Mr. Obama said. "Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age."

More at Voice of America.

A Historic Inauguration Draws Throngs To the Mall - Michael D. Shear and Anne E. Kornblut, Washington Post

Barack Hussein Obama took the oath of office as the nation's first African American president yesterday, summoning a vast crowd and a watching nation to the task of reviving a country in crisis.

The inauguration of the 44th president, who made "hope" and "change" the bywords of his improbable campaign, took place amid a building air of anticipation in Washington. A city that had braced for record-breaking attendance swelled with visitors who would, at least briefly, nearly double its population. Before dawn yesterday, more than 1 million people began streaming into the city to bear witness to the event, brushing aside the frigid temperatures and travel problems.

More at The Washington Post and:

Inaugural Addresses Reveal Challenging Moments in American History - VOA
Obama Takes Oath, and Nation in Crisis Embraces the Moment - NY Times
Obama Takes Charge - Washington Times
Obama Sets Fresh Course for 'Remaking America' - Los Angeles Times
'Time to Reaffirm Our Enduring Spirit' - Christian Science Monitor
Obama: America is Ready to Lead Once More - The Times
Barack Obama Pledges to 'Remake America' - Daily Telegraph
Obama Vows to Meet US Challenges - BBC News
Obama Urges Americans to Work Together in Inaugural Address - AFPS
Obama Reaches Out to Muslims, Middle East - Washington Times
Obama to Discuss Iraq, Afghanistan Wednesday - Voice of America
Obama to Meet War Council on First Full Day - Associated Press
Now President, Obama Plans Urgent First Steps - Christian Science Monitor
Bush Departs Washington as Former President - Voice of America
Massive Crowds Gather for Obama Inauguration - Voice of America
Mr. Obama's Summons - Washington Post editorial
President Obama - New York Times editorial
A Beautiful Day - Washington Times editorial
A 'Responsibility' Era - Wall Street Journal editorial
Obama Takes Oath Amid Great Pride, Promise, Problems - USA Today editorial
On Inauguration Day, One Nation - Christian Science Monitor editorial
A Statement of Intent - The Times editorial
A Day of Hope in DC - Daily Telegraph editorial
President Obama's Journey, and Ours, Begins - Politico opinion
Meet President Obama - Wall Street Journal opinion
"You Cannot Outlast Us" - Weekly Standard opinion
Ducking Applause - Washington Post opinion
Radical in the White House - New York Times opinion
Great Expectations - Los Angeles Times opinion
Flag Day Platitudes - Washington Post opinion
Speech Therapy - Washington Post opinion
Letter to Obama Supporters - National Review opinion
An American Pledge - Washington Times opinion
Obama Must Deliver After Lofty Address - Washington Times opinion
Confidence Man - National Review opinion
A New Era? - Weekly Standard opinion

AFGHANISTAN

Karzai Must be Pressed over Taliban, say Dutch - Mark Dodd, The Australian

The NATO-led mission in Afghanistan, in which Australia is a key player, should pressure the Karzai Government to perform better or face a worsening Taliban insurgency, visiting Dutch Foreign Minister Maxime Verhagen has warned.

Speaking to the Sydney Institute yesterday, Mr Verhagen said the most effective weapon against the Taliban was not helicopters and missiles but more motivated government officials prepared to work for the wider Afghan community and not narrow tribal interests.

Mr Verhagen said the most problematic area was still the south, where too many Afghans had seen only limited benefit from the elected Government in Kabul.

More at The Australian.

Karzai Blames Allies for Problems - BBC News

Afghan President Hamid Karzai has called on his international allies to change the way the "war on terror" is being fought in his country. Addressing parliament, Mr Karzai once again urged US-led and NATO troops to do more to reduce civilian casualties.

He also called for a rethink in the way billions of dollars in aid are spent and accused his allies of not doing enough to curb the illegal drugs trade. On Sunday NATO's head complained of corrupt government in Afghanistan.

More at BBC News.

US Secures New Supply Routes to Afghanistan - Richard Oppel Jr., New York Times

Faced with the risk that Taliban attacks could imperil the main supply route for NATO troops in Afghanistan, the United States military has obtained permission to move troop supplies through Russia and Central Asia, Gen. David H. Petraeus, the top American commander in the Middle East, said on Tuesday.

About three-quarters of NATO supplies are normally shipped into Afghanistan from western Pakistan, most of them through the Khyber Pass, an ancient trade and military gateway that lies just west of the Pakistani frontier hub of Peshawar.

But Taliban guerrillas who dominate the northwestern Pakistani tribal areas have pushed deeper into the Khyber region recently, burning hundreds of NATO supply trucks in Peshawar and carrying out deadly attacks on NATO convoys.

More at The New York Times and:

US General Announces Deals for Supply Routes into Afghanistan - VOA
US to Be Allowed New Routes To Supply Troops - Washington Post
US Strikes Afghan Supply Deal - Daily Telegraph
US 'Agrees Afghan Supply Route' - BBC News

ISRAEL / PALESTINIANS

Israel Slows Withdrawal From Gaza - Ethan Bronner, New York Times

Israel slowed its withdrawal of forces from Gaza on Tuesday as the two-day cease-fire with Hamas suffered its first violations. Israeli troops twice came under fire, and eight mortar shells were shot at Israel, all falling short. Israel responded with airstrikes on launching sites.

Thousands of Palestinians supported Hamas at four rallies here while the United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, visited to express support for those who had suffered in the war. An Arab meeting in Kuwait aimed at helping Gaza ended in disarray.

More at The New York Times.

Control of Gaza Debated - Craig Whitlock, Washington Post

As Palestinians begin thinking about how to rebuild the bombarded Gaza Strip, the biggest hurdle quickly became apparent: Who will be in charge?

European countries, oil-rich Arab kingdoms and the United Nations have all pledged money or aid since Israel declared a cease-fire Sunday in the military offensive it launched Dec. 27. But none of the donors wants to deal with Hamas, the Islamist movement that still controls Gaza but is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the European Union and the United States.

More at The Washington Post and:

UN's Ban Calls Gaza Suffering 'Heartbreaking' - Voice of America
Peace Holds in Gaza - Wall Street Journal
Ban Ki-Moon Lambasts Shelling of UN in Gaza - The Times
Ban Demands Investigation into Gaza Bombing - Daily Telegraph
UN Chief Tours Gaza Strip, Israel Town - Los Angeles Times
UN Demands Flow of Goods to Gaza - BBC News
UN Calling for Unfettered Access to Gaza Strip - Voice of America
Israel 'Admits' Using Phosphorus Munitions - The Times
Arab Summit in Kuwait Ends in Discord - Voice of America
Few Israelis Near Gaza Feel War Achieved Much - New York Times
Now it's Time in Israel for Electoral Warfare - The Times
The (Now Silent) Guns of January - New York Times editorial

FOREIGN INTERNAL DEFENSE

Fort Bliss Aviation Battalion Presents Mission Unique to Army - Stephen Baack, Fort Bliss Monitor

While not many people here are aware of it, East Fort Bliss features a low-profile building that houses Soldiers and civilians who have a mission unique to the Army. Normally a Special Operations mission, the 3rd Battalion, 210th Aviation Regiment, here carries out foreign internal defense for aviators from abroad.

According to Lt. Col. Manuel Diwa, the unit’s battalion commander, FID is essentially the act of building a partner nation’s capacity to help themselves - or in his unit’s case, to make aviators from partnership nations more successful in the Global War on Terrorism or in counter-narcotics operations throughout the world.

Though a number of units across the Army do FID missions, his is the only battalion that is dedicated to doing aviation FID. “We are the Army’s only battalion anywhere,” said Diwa. “This is also the first time in the Army’s history that they’ve ever created such an organization that was focused on nothing but this. It’s my only mission.”

And unlike the typical Army aviation unit, the battalion does not have a single UH-60 Black Hawk, an AH-64 Apache or a CH-47 Chinook. Instead, they have four types of Russian aircraft: the Mi-17 Hip, the Mi-24 Hind and the Mi-2 Hoplite helicopters, and the An-2 Colt single-engine biplane. The intent, Diwa said, is to conduct aviation FID missions with all the countries that still have these aircraft – countries that may not have the financial resources to have Black Hawks and Apaches.

More at The Fort Bliss Monitor.

NEWS & OPINION NOTES

Afghanistan / Pakistan Tribal Areas

22 Militants Killed in Afghanistan Coalition Ground, Air Assaults - VOA
'Taleban Kill Six Men for Spying' - BBC News

Iraq

Iraq Accuses Iranian Exiles of Plotting Attack - Washington Post
Bombs Kill 5 in Baghdad, but Officials Avoid Harm - New York Times

The Long War

The Plague: Al-Qaeda's Bio Weapon? - Daily Telegraph

United Kingdom

Barack Obama Wants More than Words from Brown - Daily Telegraph opinion

Africa

Rwandan Troops Hunt Rebel Hutus in Congo - Daily Telegraph
Rwandan Troops Enter Congo to Find Hutu Militia Leaders - Washington Post
Rwanda Troops Enter Congo to Help Fight Rebel Militias - Los Angeles Times
Rwandan Soldiers Enter DR Congo - BBC News
SADC Tries to Revive Zimbabwe Talks After Breakdown - Voice of America

Americas

Venezuela Tolerates FARC Rebels in Border Region - Los Angeles Times

Asia Pacific

China Sees Separatist Threats - New York Times
China Seeks a Stronger Military - Wall Street Journal
China Calls on Obama to Promote Stronger Military Ties - Voice of America
We Should Build a Bigger Navy, China Is - Weekly Standard opinion

Europe

Tensions in the Mideast Reverberate in France - New York Times
Russia, Ukraine Open Gas Valves - Voice of America
Thousands in Chechnya Protest After Lawyer Is Killed - New York Times
Kosovo's Quiet Victory over Violent Ethnic Nationalism - CS Monitor opinion

Middle East

Middle East Hopeful Obama Will Help Bring Peace To Region - Voice of America

South Asia

India Tests Cruise Missile - Daily Telegraph
Pakistan: Do School Texts Fuel Bias? - Christian Science Monitor
Sri Lanka Rebel Boats 'Destroyed' - BBC News

BOOKS

The Gamble: General David Petraeus and the American Military Adventure in Iraq, 2006-2008 - Thomas Ricks

Thomas E. Ricks uses hundreds of hours of exclusive interviews with top officers in Iraq and extraordinary on-the-ground reportage to document the inside story of the Iraq War since late 2005 as only he can, examining the events that took place as the military was forced to reckon with itself, the surge was launched, and a very different war began.

Why Vietnam Matters: An Eyewitness Account of Lessons Not Learned - Rufus Phillips

Phillips details how the legendary Edward G. Lansdale helped the South Vietnamese gain and consolidate their independence between 1954 and 1956, and how this later changed to a reliance on American conventional warfare with its highly destructive firepower. He reasons that our failure to understand the Communists, our South Vietnamese allies, or even ourselves took us down the wrong road. In summing up US errors in Vietnam, Phillips draws parallels with the American experience in Iraq and Afghanistan and suggests changes in the US approach. Known for his intellectual integrity and firsthand, long-term knowledge of what went on in Vietnam, the author offers lessons for today in this trenchant account.

Baghdad at Sunrise: A Brigade Commander's War in Iraq - Peter Mansoor

This is a unique contribution to the burgeoning literature on the Iraq war, analyzing the day-to-day performance of a US brigade in Baghdad during 2004-2005. Mansoor uses a broad spectrum of sources to address the military, political and cultural aspects of an operation undertaken with almost no relevant preparation, which tested officers and men to their limits and generated mistakes and misjudgments on a daily basis. The critique is balanced, perceptive and merciless - and Mansoor was the brigade commander. Military history is replete with command memoirs. Most are more or less self-exculpatory. Even the honest ones rarely achieve this level of analysis. The effect is like watching a surgeon perform an operation on himself. Mansoor has been simultaneously a soldier and a scholar, able to synergize directly his military and academic experiences.

The Strongest Tribe: War, Politics, and the Endgame in Iraq - 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. We interpret reality through the clouded prism of our own experience, so it is unsurprising that Bing West sees Iraq through the lens of Vietnam. He served as a Marine officer there, and he thinks politicians and the media caused the American public to turn against a war that could have been won. Now a correspondent for the Atlantic, West has made 15 reporting trips to Iraq over the last six years and is almost as personally invested in the current conflict as he was in Vietnam; this book, his third on Iraq, is his attempt to ensure that the "endgame" in Iraq turns out better than in his last war.

Tell Me How This Ends: General David Petraeus and the Search for a Way Out of Iraq - 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. Linda Robinson conducted extensive interviews with Petraeus and his subordinate commanders and spent weeks with key US and Iraqi divisions. The result is the only book that ties together military operations in Iraq and the internecine political drama that is at the heart of the civil war. Replete with dramatic battles, behind-doors confrontations, and astute analysis, the book tells the full story of the Iraq War’s endgame, and lays out the options that will be facing the next president.

The War Within: A Secret White House History 2006-2008 - Bob Woodward

Woodward interviewed key players, obtained dozens of never-before-published documents, and had nearly three hours of exclusive interviews with President Bush. The result is a stunning, firsthand history of the years from mid-2006, when the White House realizes the Iraq strategy is not working, through the decision to surge another 30,000 US troops in 2007, and into mid-2008, when the war becomes a fault line in the presidential election. As violence in Iraq reaches unnerving levels in 2006, a second front in the war rages at the highest levels of the Bush administration. In his fourth book on President George W. Bush, Bob Woodward takes readers deep inside the tensions, secret debates, unofficial backchannels, distrust and determination within the White House, the Pentagon, the State Department, the intelligence agencies and the US military headquarters in Iraq. With unparalleled intimacy and detail, this gripping account of a president at war describes a period of distress and uncertainty within the US government from 2006 through mid-2008. The White House launches a secret strategy review that excludes the military. General George Casey, the commander in Iraq, believes that President Bush does not understand the war and eventually concludes he has lost the president's confidence. The Joint Chiefs of Staff also conduct a secret strategy review that goes nowhere. On the verge of revolt, they worry that the military will be blamed for a failure in Iraq.

We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam - Harold Moore and 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. It would be a monumental task for Moore and Galloway to top their classic 1992 memoir. But they come close in this sterling sequel, which tells the backstory of two of the Vietnam War's bloodiest battles (in which Moore participated as a lieutenant colonel), their first book and a 1993 ABC-TV documentary that brought them back to the battlefield. Moore's strong first-person voice reviews the basics of the November 1965 battles, part of the 34-day Battle of the Ia Drang Valley. Among other things, Moore and Galloway (who covered the battle for UPI) offer portraits of two former enemy commanders, generals Nguyen Huu An and Chu Huy Man, whom the authors met - and bonded with - nearly three decades after the battle. This book proves again that Moore is an exceptionally thoughtful, compassionate and courageous leader (he was one of a handful of army officers who studied the history of the Vietnam wars before he arrived) and a strong voice for reconciliation and for honoring the men with whom he served.

In a Time of War: The Proud and Perilous Journey of West Point' Class of 2002 - Bill Murphy

The West Point cadets Murphy follows through their baptism by fire are an admirable sample of young American men and women: intelligent, ambitious and intensely patriotic. Most come from career military families and hold conservative opinions. Murphy describes their four years at West Point with respect even when discussing their love lives and marriages. All yearn for battle, and most get their wish. The book's best passages describe the confusion of moving to Iraq or Afghanistan and fighting insurgents, for which they lack both training and equipment. All feel something is not right but concentrate on the job at hand; some inevitably die or are grievously wounded.

Iraq and the Evolution of American Strategy - Steven Metz

Today the US military is more nimble, mobile, and focused on rapid responses against smaller powers than ever before. One could argue that the Gulf War and the postwar standoff with Saddam Hussein hastened needed military transformation and strategic reassessments in the post–Cold War era. But the preoccupation with Iraq also mired the United States in the Middle East and led to a bloody occupation. What will American strategy look like after US troops leave Iraq? Metz concludes that the United States has a long-standing, continuing problem “developing sound assumptions when the opponent operates within a different psychological and cultural framework.” He sees a pattern of misjudgments about Saddam and Iraq based on Western cultural and historical bias and a pervasive faith in the superiority of America’s worldview and institutions. This myopia contributed to America being caught off guard by Saddam’s invasion of Kuwait in 1990, then underestimating his longevity, and finally miscalculating the likelihood of a stable and democratic Iraq after he was toppled. With lessons for all readers concerned about America’s role in the world, Dr. Metz’s important new work will especially appeal to scholars and students of strategy and international security studies, as well as to military professionals and DOD civilians. With a foreword by Colin S. Gray.

EVENTS

26-28 February - Student Conference on National Affairs (SCONA) (Conference). Texas A&M University - Memorial Student Center Complex, College Station, TX. Sponsored by Texas A&M University. The Student Conference on National Affairs at Texas A&M is in its 54th year. This years conference topic is US Interventions in Problematic Area's Around the World. It will take place from February 26th to the 28th. While the conference activities are focused toward Graduate and Undergraduate students, the speakers we have are open to the general public. Two of the at least five speakers we have confirmed are, Joe Galloway, Author of We Were Soldiers Once and Young, and James Olson, former Director of Counter Intelligence for the CIA. The other speakers will be the best individuals we can find in military, humanitarian, and business issues. We are currently interested in any individuals with a background in Humanitarian issues to speak, or individuals with professional knowledge on the topic to facilitate our student delegate roundtables. More information can be found at scona.tamu.edu and interested parties can contact scona.information@yahoo.com.