In Operation Khanjar, or Strike of the Sword, hailed by one commander as a “D-Day moment”, 4,000 Marines entered the lower Helmand river valley, hoping to do in hours what British troops have failed to do in three years. It is part of a massive surge ordered by Mr Obama, doubling the number of American troops and flooding Helmand with 10,000 Marines - far in excess of the 8,000-strong British contingent stationed there since 2006. Operation Khanjar aims to capture and hold a swath of Taleban territory, opening the way for a massive influx of development aid and allowing the Afghan Government to put down roots before its presidential election on August 20.

--The Times

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN

In Tactical Shift, Troops Will Stay and Hold Ground in Afghanistan - Thom Shanker and Richard A. Oppel, Jr., New York Times. The first major operation launched with the additional troops ordered to Afghanistan by President Obama is devised to clear Taliban havens across a strategic southern province - and then, in a marked departure from past practice, to leave clusters of Marines in small bases close to the villagers they were sent to guard and aid, according to senior military officers. Despite the troops’ substantial numbers and firepower, the strategy is not without risks. Indeed, on Thursday, the first Marine was killed in the operation. Although American and allied forces have previously swept through the province, Helmand, killing or capturing as many guerrillas as they could, often with airstrikes, the military has never before had enough ground troops to hold onto large areas that were cleared of insurgent fighters in combat operations.

Marines Meet Little Resistance in Afghan Push - Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post. Columns of US Marines in eight-wheeled armored vehicles pushed deep into southern Afghanistan on Thursday in an attempt to cut off Taliban supply lines from Pakistan and restore order in areas long neglected by short-handed NATO forces. The movement of the Marines to the town of Khan Neshin in the lower Helmand River valley is the most significant deployment of US forces in areas near the Pakistani border with southern Afghanistan, and it reflects a growing concern among US military and intelligence officials that much of the violence that has plagued the south is linked to a flow of fighters and munitions from Pakistan's Baluchistan region. The troops encountered roadside bombs and small-arms attacks, which resulted in the death of one Marine, but commanders opted to mute their return fire. In the first 24 hours of the operation, the Marines did not lob artillery or call for fighter planes to drop bombs. The drive to Khan Neshin is part of a Marine campaign to root out Taliban insurgents by restoring the authority of local officials and police departments in the Helmand River valley.

Taliban Slip Away From Afghanistan Surge Battle - Yochi J. Dreazen, Wall Street Journal. The US embarked on a large offensive in southern Afghanistan Thursday in which one Marine was killed, while in the east the military mobilized to recover a soldier apparently captured by the Taliban. The offensive was led by 4,000 Marines who were sent to Afghanistan as part of the new US troop surge. The move is seen as an early test of the Obama administration's efforts to restructure the foundering US-led war effort. The Marines faced little Taliban resistance as they began moving into villages in the Helmand River valley, a Taliban stronghold that is one of the world's largest opium-producing regions. Marine commanders said Taliban fighters seemed to have melted into the surrounding countryside rather than staying to fight the large US force. "There's been sporadic fighting, but it's been light," Capt. Bill Pelletier, a Marine spokesman, said in an interview from southern Afghanistan. "Our focus isn't on going in and killing Taliban; it's on driving those folks out of the area and keeping them from coming back."

Early Success as US Marines Flood into Helmand in Reversal of British Tactics - Catherine Philp, The Times. Thousands of US Marines stormed into the Helmand river valley under cover of night yesterday, the opening phase of Barack Obama’s new high-risk strategy in Afghanistan. In Operation Khanjar, or Strike of the Sword, hailed by one commander as a “D-Day moment”, 4,000 Marines entered the lower Helmand river valley, hoping to do in hours what British troops have failed to do in three years. It is part of a massive surge ordered by Mr Obama, doubling the number of American troops and flooding Helmand with 10,000 Marines - far in excess of the 8,000-strong British contingent stationed there since 2006. Operation Khanjar aims to capture and hold a swath of Taleban territory, opening the way for a massive influx of development aid and allowing the Afghan Government to put down roots before its presidential election on August 20. The election is a critical test for the leadership of President Karzai, once a darling of the West, now tainted by accusations of corruption and ineffectuality yet still regarded as Afghanistan’s least bad option.

US Faces Resentment in Afghan Region - Carlotta Gall, New York Times. The mood of the Afghan people has tipped into a popular revolt in some parts of southern Afghanistan, presenting incoming American forces with an even harder job than expected in reversing military losses to the Taliban and winning over the population. Villagers in some districts have taken up arms against foreign troops to protect their homes or in anger after losing relatives in airstrikes, several community representatives interviewed said. Others have been moved to join the insurgents out of poverty or simply because the Taliban’s influence is so pervasive here. On Thursday morning, 4,000 American Marines began a major offensive to try to take back the region from the strongest Taliban insurgency in the country. The Marines are part of a larger deployment of additional troops being ordered by the new American commander in Afghanistan, Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, to concentrate not just on killing Taliban fighters but on protecting the population. Yet Taliban control of the countryside is so extensive in provinces like Kandahar and Helmand that winning districts back will involve tough fighting and may ignite further tensions, residents and local officials warn. The government has no presence in 5 of Helmand’s 13 districts, and in several others, like Nawa, it holds only the district town, where troops and officials live virtually under siege.

US Operation Aims to Smooth Road for Afghan Elections - Ben Arnoldy, Christian Science Monitor. With national elections less than two months away, the Afghan government is hoping to bring more areas under its control with the help of a new US-led military campaign. The Taliban, who hold sway over large swaths of the country, could disrupt turnout among voters, calling into further question the legitimacy of an election already dogged by registration irregularities and a fractured opposition. "In order to increase the legitimacy of the election it is [crucial] to allow people to open voting booths in every district of Afghanistan, and in Helmand most are under the control of the Taliban," says Kabul-based analyst Haroun Mir. Nearly 4,000 US Marines and 650 Afghan troops poured into Helmand Province Tuesday in an attempt to take back the Taliban stronghold. But simply securing control over every district won't solve all the problems swirling around the August 20 vote for president and provincial councils, analysts caution.

US Seeks to Ensure Afghan Elections - Sara A. Carter, Washington Times. Two months before Afghan civilians head to the polls, US military reinforcements have mounted an offensive against a growing Taliban insurgency that is threatening to destabilize the upcoming presidential elections. Still, clinics, schools and other facilities have refused to let the government set up polling stations out of fear they will be targeted by the Taliban and tribal leaders in the dangerous southern, western and eastern provinces. The US offensive, launched shortly after 1 a.m. Thursday in the western Helmand province, was the first step in a campaign that aims to strike at the heart of the Afghan Taliban. As 4,000 US Marines debarked from helicopters in the searing hot insurgent-controlled territory, it became apparent that quelling the Taliban's growth would not be easy. The offensive - named Operation Khanjar, or Strike of the Sword - led to the death of one Marine, and several others were injured on the first day of the assault. It was the largest military operation in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001.

US Troops Push Further into Southern Afghanistan - Voice of America. US Marines pushed further into southern Afghanistan Friday, meeting little resistance as they moved to capture villages and population centers controlled by Taliban militants. The US offensive is being led by 4,000 Marines who poured into southern Helmand province on Thursday. The operation is aimed at driving out militants and securing the area ahead of presidential elections August 20. Marine spokesman Bill Pelletier says US troops have engaged in only sporadic fighting, but he warned that could change. He said the US is focused one keeping the Taliban militants out and winning the people's trust. The US military says one Marine has been killed and several others wounded in the offensive. Hundreds of Afghan soldiers and police are also taking part in the operation. Separately, US officials say the military is using all its resources to find an American soldier believed to have been captured by militants in eastern Paktika province on Tuesday.

US Soldier May Be a Captive of Taliban Forces - Ann Scott Tyson, Washington Post. A US soldier discovered missing yesterday from a small outpost in eastern Afghanistan is believed to have been captured by Taliban militants when he walked away from his base, military officials said. A US official in Afghanistan said the soldier's absence was discovered when he did not show up for morning formation. It is highly unusual for a US soldier to leave a military base unaccompanied by other American troops, and the military is investigating. "We are exhausting all available resources to ascertain his whereabouts and provide for his safe return," said a statement issued by the US military headquarters in Kabul. The US military, citing safety concerns, declined to identify the soldier by name or the group holding him, and said that the militants had not made any direct contact with military officials.

US Soldier May Be Held by Taliban, Military Fears - Richard A. Oppel, Jr., New York Times. A young American soldier who walked off his remote combat outpost in a volatile region of eastern Afghanistan has been captured and is believed to be in the hands of the Taliban network led by Sirajuddin Haqqani, American military officials said Thursday. American and Afghan forces fanned out in eastern Afghanistan to shut down routes the kidnappers could use to transport the soldier, officials said. A senior American defense official said that there had been no direct negotiations with the kidnappers but that American forces were reaching out to tribal leaders and local government officials for help. It was not clear when the soldier left the base. One official said other soldiers reported that he was missing at 9 a.m. on Tuesday, while another said that his absence was discovered during a morning formation on that day.

GI Apparently Seized in Afghanistan - M. Karim Faiez and Laura King, Los Angeles Times. The apparent capture of an American soldier by insurgents in eastern Afghanistan, believed to be the first such case in nearly eight years of warfare, presents US military officials with potentially agonizing choices just as a major military offensive is underway in one of the most guerrilla-filled areas of the south. The soldier could provide insurgents with both a propaganda bonanza and a bargaining chip. There was no immediate public claim of responsibility from any group, but a number of militant commanders, not all of them affiliated with the Taliban, operate in eastern Afghanistan. The US military said in a terse statement that the soldier had disappeared Tuesday, but it disclosed virtually nothing of the circumstances other than to say he was believed to have been captured. However, an American military official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to discuss the incident, said that for unknown reasons, the soldier apparently left his base near the Pakistani border. Like most US installations in the country's rugged eastern sector, the base is surrounded by hostile territory where a number of insurgent groups operate. The soldier was reported to have been in the company of several Afghans.

Highest British Ranked Officer in Three Decades Killed in Afghanistan - Thomas Harding, Daily Telegraph. Lt Col Rupert Thorneloe, 40, the commanding officer of the Welsh Guards, died after his Viking armoured vehicle was blown up by a substantial roadside bomb that killed another British soldier and wounded six others. A high-level inquiry is now underway as to why the officer was travelling in a Viking, which were supposed to be restricted to low risk areas pending its replacement by the more heavily armoured Warthog vehicle next year. Lt Col Thorneloe is the first commanding officer to be killed during a military operation since Col "H" Jones, VC, died leading 2nd Bn The Parachute Regiment in its attack on Goose Green during the Falklands War in 1982. The legendary paratrooper was awarded the Victoria Cross for the "utmost gallantry" he showed in leading the assault. Lt Col Thorneloe was also a highly regarded officer and seen as a "high flier" within the Army. His previous job was military assistant to Des Browne, the former defence secretary.

US Missile Strike Kills 15 in Pakistan - Associated Press. US missiles struck a training facility operated by Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud and a militant hide-out Friday, killing 15 people and wounding 27 others, intelligence officials said. The two attacks by drone aircraft took place in South Waziristan, a Mehsud stronghold close to the Afghan border where Pakistani troops are gearing up for a military offensive, two officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media. They took place as US Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano met government officials in the Pakistani capital, Islamabad. She discussed topics of "mutual interest" with them, a US Embassy spokesman said. The drone attacks were the latest in more than 40 believed to have been be carried out by the US against militant targets in the border area since last August. Washington does not directly acknowledge being responsible for the attacks, which kill civilians as well as militants.

'Militant Deaths' in US Drone Hit - BBC News. At least 10 militants have died after missiles were fired by a suspected US drone aircraft at a Taliban target in Pakistan, intelligence officials say. Unnamed officials said it was an attack on a militant training facility in the South Waziristan area. It took place in an area on the Afghan border controlled by Pakistan's top Taliban leader Baitullah Mehsud. There have been more than 35 US strikes since last August, killing over 340 people, it is estimated. Most hits have taken place in the North and South Waziristan areas.

Suicide Bomber Attacks Government Bus Near Islamabad - Washington Post. A suicide bomber riding a motorcycle blew himself up alongside a government bus near Islamabad on Thursday afternoon, the latest in a spate of attacks following the Pakistani army's offensive against the Taliban. The death toll in the blast in the garrison city of Rawalpindi ranged from one to six, with as many as 30 people injured, according to initial reports from police. The senior police official in Rawalpindi, Nasir Durrani, told reporters that the bomber struck along the gas-tank side of a white bus carrying about 25 people. The bus was coming from a government facility that is used for Pakistan's nuclear program, government officials said, and the blast struck within a couple of miles of the Pakistani military headquarters.

On the Offensive - Washington Post editorial. As US Marines launched a major offensive in Afghanistan's Taliban-infested Helmand province yesterday, one problem was already apparent: There are not enough troops to properly carry out the Pentagon's new counterinsurgency strategy. The force is "a little light," Marine Brig. Gen. Lawrence D. Nicholson, its commander, told national security adviser James L. Jones in a meeting reported by The Post's Bob Woodward. "We don't have enough force to go everywhere." Those comments will come as no surprise to anyone who has been following the attempts by US commanders to turn around the Afghan war. The idea is to replicate the strategy that finally reversed American fortunes in Iraq: protecting the population rather than seeking out insurgents, while building the economy and political institutions. Though the Bush and Obama administrations approved new troop deployments that will double the US force, the ratio of American and allied Afghan soldiers to the population is still well below that mandated by the Army's new counterinsurgency doctrine.

IRAQ

Biden to Urge Iraqi Leaders to Resolve Disputes - Voice of America. US Vice President Joe Biden is in Baghdad where he is expected to urge Iraqi leaders to resolve disputes over oil revenues and political power-sharing. Biden arrived in Baghdad Thursday and is scheduled to meet with Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani Friday. The US vice president is expected to stress the importance of achieving political stability in Iraq before US troops leave the country by the end of 2011. Earlier this week, the US withdrew combat troops from urban areas in Iraq. About 130,000 US troops remain in Iraq to conduct combat duties outside cities, and to advise Iraqi forces within cities. President Barack Obama has urged Iraqi leaders to do more to resolve internal differences and on Tuesday appointed Biden to oversee Iraq policy.

In Iraq, Biden to Press Officials to Forge Progress - Sheryl Gay Stolberg, and Timothy Williams, New York Times. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. landed in Baghdad on Thursday, beginning a two-day diplomatic mission that he said was intended to “re-establish contact” with Iraqi leaders and prod them toward settling internal disputes over oil revenues and political power-sharing. Mr. Biden’s surprise trip, just days after American combat forces officially withdrew from Iraqi cities, underscores the concern in the White House about the fragility of the security situation. President Obama has asked Mr. Biden to serve as a kind of unofficial envoy to the country, and the vice president said this would be his first in a series of trips to the region. The trip is unusually long for such a high-level official; when Mr. Obama visited Iraq, he spent just a few hours here, and President George W. Bush did not spend more than a day. But Mr. Biden said Iraq was at a pivotal moment, “the moment where a lot of Iraqis cynically believed we’d never keep the agreement.” He said the White House wanted to send a message to Iraqi leaders that it was engaged at the highest levels.

Biden Takes Surprise Trip to War Zone - Christina Bellantoni, Washington Times. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., on a surprise trip to Iraq as US troops have pulled out of the country's cities, said he is optimistic about the situation in the region. Mr. Biden, who has been tasked with handling Iraq issues for the administration, was there to reiterate the US commitment to implementing President Obama's draw-down plan to have all combat troops out by the end of 2011. "This is a moment when we have to make sure that the Iraqis don't take their eye off the ultimate prize," Mr. Biden told reporters after arriving. The White House tasked Mr. Biden with overseeing the policy and will work with Iraqis "toward overcoming their political differences and achieving the type of reconciliation that we all understand has yet to fully take place but needs to take place," White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said this week.

‘So Far, So Good’ in Iraq, Odierno Says - Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service. It’s “so far, so good” in Iraq since US combat forces withdrew from the country’s cities and towns, the commander of Multinational Force Iraq said yesterday. “It’s going fine - no problem at all,” Army Gen. Raymond T. Odierno said on the PBS program “Newshour With Jim Lehrer.” Iraqi troops and police are manning checkpoints and stations by themselves, the general added. Baghdad and Kirkuk have seen bomb attacks, but Iraqi forces have been able to handle the situations, Odierno told news anchor Judy Woodruff. US forces have been moving out of the cities and towns for months. June 30 was the deadline under the US-Iraq status of forces agreement for all coalition forces to leave the cities. American forces continue to work with Iraqi security forces, the general said, and 131,000 US servicemembers are in Iraq. “We have US forces in joint coordination centers all over Iraq, inside of the cities, and they are there doing training, advising, assisting, and they also are coordinating with the Iraqis,” Odierno said. The relationships between Iraqi and American forces at all levels are key to good communications, Odierno said, and if the Iraqis need help, a process is in place for US forces to provide it. American advisory and coordination cells are still in the cities, the general said, but in small numbers “and they’re not related to combat formations, such as brigades and battalions.” American combat forces now are in the belts surrounding the cities. These belts often are the area where terrorists set up support bases for operations inside the cities. “We occupy those key areas to provide security and stability, which will make it more difficult for freedom of movement of the insurgent and extremist organizations,” Odierno explained.

Saab al Bor’s Experience Shows Turnaround, but Iraq Now Has to Take Economic Initiative - Teri Weaver, Stars and Stripes. Last week, a woman was putting out bunches of greens at the produce and meat market in this small town near Baghdad. They cost her customers about 25 cents a bunch. Two years ago, her livelihood cost her shrapnel wounds that left scars on her leg, arms and neck. Violence between Sunnis and Shiites once overwhelmed residents in Saab al Bor, which lies along the country’s major highway that runs west to Syria. By the spring of 2007, most of the town’s 40,000 residents had fled. Three things happened to lure people back home last year: The US military hired many of those causing the violence and made them members of the "Sons of Iraq." Those members in turn helped the military find some of the insurgents behind the continuing violence. And the US dumped a load of money into the town. The cash came from the Commanders Emergency Response Program, which began shortly after the March 2003 invasion as a way to help Iraqis clean and secure their neighborhoods - and buy some goodwill. US commanders began referring to CERP as their "walking-around money" - an officer could walk through a town, see a problem, and within a few weeks put money toward fixing it. In Saab al Bor, the cash was used to create jobs, clean up rubble and make the local water drinkable. Now, as the US military presence in Iraq begins to steadily diminish, the CERP money will begin to recede as well. "As troop numbers go down, the CERP money will go down. CERP is a commander’s program," said Lt. Col. Simon Gardner, whose office oversees CERP spending for Multi-National Division-Baghdad. To spend the funds, he said, "you have to have commanders." The turnaround in Saab al Bor has become a case study of the effectiveness of the CERP program; it’s part of the curriculum at the US Army and Marine Corps Counterinsurgency Center at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., officials say.

Bombings Kill at Least 3 in Baghdad - Voice of America. Bombings have killed at least three people in the Baghdad area, the first such violence since US troops withdrew from Iraqi cities. Authorities say a roadside bomb struck an Iraqi army patrol in the capital Thursday, killing an Iraqi soldier and wounding at least eight others. Officials say at least two people were killed and 15 others wounded in a car bombing south of Baghdad. Meanwhile, police in the northern city of Kirkuk said gunmen shot and killed an Iraqi army officer near his home. Violence in the northern city has surged in recent weeks. On Tuesday, a bombing at a Kirkuk market killed 33 people. US troops pulled out of Iraqi urban areas on Tuesday. A spokesman for Iraq's Defense Ministry, Mohammed al-Askari, told reporters Thursday the first phase of implementing the US withdrawal timetable concluded peacefully without any problems. The Defense Ministry spokesman said the next step is to reduce the number of US troops in Iraq.

Documents Show Iraqi Dictator’s Fears - Scott Shane, New York Times. In a series of interrogations before his execution, Saddam Hussein told an FBI agent that on the eve of the 2003 American invasion, Iraq was trapped between United Nations orders to demonstrate that it had disarmed and a fear that appearing too weak would invite attack from its powerful neighbor and foe, Iran. The ousted Iraqi dictator “was more concerned about Iran discovering Iraq’s weaknesses and vulnerabilities than the repercussions of the United States for his refusal to allow UN inspectors back into Iraq,” according to a summary of questioning by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The inspectors, he feared, “would have directly identified to the Iranians where to inflict maximum damage to Iraq,” he told the FBI. Mr. Hussein told the FBI that if United Nations sanctions against his country had been lifted, Iraq would have sought a security agreement with the United States to protect it from Iran.

Stepping Down to Success - Michael Gerson, Washington Post opinion. It may seem strange to Americans, so close to our independence celebration, that Iraqis should break out the fireworks when our troops withdraw. We are not accustomed to being cast in the British role. In Iraq, nearly every achievement seems colored by ambiguity. But we are seeing achievement nonetheless. The recent American withdrawal was not a decisive military shift. Our units will no longer conduct unilateral military operations. Except in Baghdad and Mosul, however, this has been the situation in Iraq for months. American troops will still be visible on the streets in a supporting role alongside Iraqis. And American quick-reaction forces can provide assistance in a pinch. High-profile attacks, mostly by al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), have increased during the past 30 days, compared to previous months - perhaps intended to create the impression that American troops were being forced to leave. But "AQI has not been able to mount a sustained campaign," says an administration official. "The attacks are terrible, but AQI is still on the ropes." Though not militarily decisive, the American handover is a milestone of a different kind. It represents the success of an approach that once seemed doomed - the strategy of "as they step up, we step down."

IRAN

Iran's Ahmadinejad Faces Diplomatic Isolation - Jeffrey Fleishman and Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad can in one instant appear the diplomatic equivalent of damaged goods and in the next a confident leader whose bellicose speeches leave the West wondering how to deal with him and his perplexing nation now that he's won a much-disputed reelection. Russian President Dmitry Medvedev publicly greeted Ahmadinejad at a recent meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, but did not grant him a private meeting as he had the leaders of Pakistan and Afghanistan. In Belarus, the Iranian leader was met not by President Alexander Lukashenko, but by the speaker of the upper house of parliament. A similar pattern has emerged in the Middle East, where Arab regimes have long been wary of Iran's ambitions. Authorities in Jordan withdrew licenses for two Iranian news organizations this week and the sultan of Oman reportedly canceled a trip to Tehran following the unrest after Iran's June 12 election. Snubs and slights in the diplomatic world are common, sometimes almost imperceptible. But as long as Ahmadinejad remains in power, with the support of Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, there are concerns about how the messy fallout over his reelection will influence diplomacy regarding Iran's nuclear program, regional stature and relations with the US and Europe.

Europe Talking Tougher on Iran than US - Shelley Emling, Washington Times. Before Iran's recent election and subsequent crackdown on protesters, European leaders often displayed a kind, gentle attitude toward the country - especially when compared to the more bellicose United States. But after suspicions of electoral fraud, repression of postelection protests and accusations thrown at the British Embassy, it's Europe that's spitting out the toughest talk. Now many are wondering whether the Europeans will follow their words with concrete actions to distance themselves from Iran. "All the major European powers have taken a much firmer stand than the United States," said Patrick Keller, coordinator of foreign and security policy at the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Berlin.

British Calls for Diplomatic Walkout From Iran are Rejected by EU Partners - David Charter, The Times. British calls for a mass walkout of European Union ambassadors from Tehran were shot down by more cautious nations led by Germany and Italy yesterday as the carefully constructed European consensus on responding to Iran came under intense strain. Britain, backed by the outgoing Czech presidency of the EU, had pushed for the dramatic step of a temporary withdrawal of ambassadors to pile pressure on Tehran to free local British Embassy staff from custody. With the release of all but two of the nine staff by yesterday afternoon, the incoming Swedish presidency of the EU, which took the reins on Wednesday, struck a less aggressive diplomatic note, more in tune with Berlin and a number of other EU capitals. Carl Bildt, Sweden’s Foreign Minister, said last night that the EU had called on Iran to release all the British Embassy employees, but added that the EU was still awaiting a response from Tehran. Suggesting that it was too early to recall the ambassadors, Mr Bildt said: “We are taking this step by step.”

Britain Asks Allies for Help on Employees Held in Iran - Stephen Castle and Nazila Fathi, New York Times. Britain continued to push other European countries on Thursday to take a tough stance against Iran for detaining at least one employee of the British Embassy in Tehran, but European Union diplomats meeting here were searching for other ways to resolve the standoff. The Iranian authorities, who have taken to blaming foreigners for the recent unrest that followed the disputed presidential election, have directed much of their ire at Britain and arrested nine Iranian staff members of the British Embassy over the weekend. Several have since been released. Iran’s leaders are struggling to put the election, and the passionate dissatisfaction the results unleashed, behind them. Although the government managed to halt the huge protests days ago using tactics that included mass arrests, it has been unable, or unwilling, to silence Mir Hussein Moussavi, the moderate who says the election was stolen from him, and some of his influential supporters.

'Iran Trial' for UK Embassy Staff - BBC News. Some UK embassy staff detained in Tehran and accused of inciting protests over disputed elections will face trial, a top Iranian cleric says. Guardians Council chief Ahmad Jannati said: "Naturally they will be put on trial, they have made confessions." Nine embassy staff were held in Tehran last weekend. The UK government says all except two have now been released. EU governments are considering temporarily withdrawing ambassadors to Iran in protest at the detentions. "In these incidents, their embassy had a presence, some people were arrested," said Ayatollah Jannati, according to news agencies.

Iran Pro-Regime Voices Multiply Online - Christopher Rhoads and Geoffrey A. Fowler, Wall Street Journal. Supporters of Iran's regime are taking a cue from the opposition's strategy: They're mounting an online offensive. Thousands of Iranians used social-networking sites and blogs after Iran's election last month to criticize the government and spread news of its violent clashes with protesters. But over the past week, a growing number of Iranian users of Twitter - the online service that allows users to send short messages - have been "tweeting" in favor of the regime, according to Internet security experts and others studying the development. Some messages throw cold water on planned protests. "Staying at home tomorrow to avoid angering my elected govt," one user with the name Eyeran wrote. Others make threats. A user with the name Vagheeiat (Persian for "realities") said in an online message to an apparent opposition supporter: "The Basij [volunteer militia] protects the honor of the people and is the killer of you, liars and puppets of the US" Ariel Silverstone, an Internet security expert in Atlanta, says the number of pro-government messages on Twitter in the past few days has increased to about 100 every six hours from just one every 12 hours or so earlier in the post-election period. It is impossible to determine whether the comments come from members of Iran's government or simply supporters. Attempts to reach such users of Twitter weren't successful.

After the Crackdown - New York Times editorial. Tragically, Iran’s government appears to have driven back the most significant challenge to its repressive rule since the 1979 revolution. First, the hard-line mullahs brazenly stole the election for the hard-line president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. When hundreds of thousands of Iranians protested, they sent their thugs to beat and shoot them. At least 20 people are dead, and hundreds of journalists, political activists and former government officials have been detained. Even before the elections, Iranians - likely the majority - were fed up with Mr. Ahmadinejad. They were sick of the corruption and incompetence. They wanted more say in how they are governed and more engagement with the world, including the United States. The regime’s refusal to listen has now exposed deep fault lines in Iranian society. Even some members of the clerical elite seemed to question the thuggery.

Tehran Needs to Stop Meddling - Jonathan Schanzer and Howard Gumnitzky, Weekly Standard opinion. While Iranian citizens demonstrate against the dubious results of their presidential election, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims that America is interfering in Tehran's affairs. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accuses outside forces of fomenting riots, declaring "the enemies of the Iranian nation" are at work. Ahmadinejad warned President Obama: "If you continue your meddlesome stance, the Iranian nation's response will be crushing and regret-inducing." The irony is palpable. For a generation, Iran has spread unrest around the world both directly and through proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas. Tehran's leaders have held conferences, issued edicts, and provided arms to strategically undermine its political foes. Iran has sponsored attacks on US soldiers and citizens. In 1983, Hezbollah operatives, trained by Iran, attacked the US Marine barracks in Lebanon, killing hundreds of American soldiers who were part of an international peacekeeping force. A simultaneous attack killed 58 French soldiers in their barracks in Beirut. Later that year, Iranian-backed militants bombed the American and French embassies in Kuwait, along with the country's airport and main oil refinery. In 1996, Khamenei authorized the bombing of an apartment tower in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, housing US Air Force personnel. Nineteen American servicemen died in the attack. US officials believe Hezbollah was involved in abducting 30 Westerners between 1982 and 1992. In addition, Hezbollah's Imad Mugniyah was connected to the 1984 hijacking of a Kuwaiti airplane that was diverted to Tehran, where hijackers killed two Americans.

THE LONG WAR

Grand Jury Inquiry on Destruction of CIA Tapes - Mark Mazzetti, New York Times. Current and former top Central Intelligence Agency officers have appeared before a federal grand jury in Virginia as part of an 18-month investigation into the agency’s destruction of 92 videotapes depicting the brutal interrogations of two Qaeda detainees. The witnesses recently called by the special prosecutor, former government officials said, include the agency’s top officer in London and Porter J. Goss, who was CIA director when the tapes were destroyed in November 2005. The grand jury testimony of CIA officers is further evidence that, despite President Obama’s pledge not to punish agency operatives for their role in the detention and interrogation of terrorism suspects, the shadow of the controversial program still looms over the agency’s daily operations. The court appearances are tied to a criminal investigation led by John L. Durham, whom the Justice Department appointed in January 2008 to investigate the destruction of the tapes. The tapes had shown CIA officers using harsh interrogation methods, including waterboarding, on two detainees, Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri.

US Says It Will Preserve Secret Jails for Terror Case - Benjamin Weiser and Scott Shane, New York Times. The government will agree to preserve the secret overseas sites where a defendant in a terror case was once held and, his lawyers say, subjected to harsh interrogation techniques after his capture in 2004, a prosecutor indicated in court in New York on Thursday. Lawyers for the defendant, Ahmed Khalfan Ghailani, told a judge this week that they were afraid that the so-called black sites, which were run by the Central Intelligence Agency, would be demolished as the agency has said it will discontinue their use. Mr. Ghailani, who was ordered by President Obama to be tried in civilian court, spent up to two years in the black sites before he was moved to the naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. He has been charged with participating in a conspiracy that included the 1998 bombings of the United States Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania, attacks organized by Al Qaeda which killed 224 people and wounded thousands.

Waiting for al Qaeda's Godot - Arnaud de Borchgrave, Washington Times opinion. It's no longer a war on transnational terrorism? Before Emile Coue's method of psychotherapy, self-improvement based on the healing power of optimistic autosuggestion, becomes our national security comfort blanket, it would behoove us all to take a deep breath and snap out of creeping amnesia. By simply changing mental pictures, Coue figured the subconscious also changes - as well as the body that houses it. By shifting its tone on terrorism and discarding the language of war, the administration junks the global war on terror because it's no longer an accurate description of the terrorist threat. No less an authority than Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, the former governor of Arizona who now runs 22 former government agencies, believes we have been neglecting domestic threats from the far right, neo-Nazis presumably plotting Adolf Hitler's revenge against the Jews.

CYBER WARFARE / SECURITY

Cybersecurity Plan to Involve NSA, Telecoms - Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post. The Obama administration will proceed with a Bush-era plan to use National Security Agency assistance in screening government computer traffic on private-sector networks, with AT&T as the likely test site, according to three current and former government officials. President Obama said in May that government efforts to protect computer systems from attack would not involve "monitoring private-sector networks or Internet traffic," and Department of Homeland Security officials say the new program will scrutinize only data going to or from government systems. But the program has provoked debate within DHS, the officials said, because of uncertainty about whether private data can be shielded from unauthorized scrutiny, how much of a role NSA should play and whether the agency's involvement in warrantless wiretapping during George W. Bush's presidency would draw controversy. Each time a private citizen visited a "dot-gov" Web site or sent an e-mail to a civilian government employee, that action would be screened for potential harm to the network.

US DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Naval Academy Professor Challenges Rising Diversity - Daniel de Vise, Washington Post. Of the 1,230 plebes who took the oath of office at the US Naval Academy in Annapolis this week, 435 were members of minority groups. It's the most racially diverse class in the academy's 164-year history. Academy leaders say it is a top priority to build a student body that reflects the racial makeup of the Navy and the nation. The service academy has almost twice as many black, Hispanic and Asian midshipmen as it did a decade ago. Much of the increase has occurred in the past two years, with a blitz of 1,000 outreach and recruitment events across the country. But during the past two weeks, a faculty member has stirred debate by suggesting that the school's quest for diversity comes at a price. Bruce Fleming, a tenured English professor, said in a June 14 opinion piece in the Capital newspaper of Annapolis that the academy operates a two-tiered admission system that makes it substantially easier for minority applicants to get in. Academy leaders strenuously deny Fleming's assertion. Fleming served on the academy's admissions board several years ago.

UNITED NATIONS

IAEA Chooses New Chief - David Crawford, Wall Street Journal. The governing board of the International Atomic Energy Agency voted to choose Japan's Yukiya Amano to head the sensitive United Nations watchdog, in another step toward the end of a months-long selection process. Mr. Amano's selection by a one-vote margin in a secret ballot is a significant success for the group of US-led Western governments that back his candidacy for director general. The IAEA is pivotal to their efforts to counter nuclear programs in Iran and North Korea. The process isn't over yet. On Friday, the IAEA's 35-member board is expected to confirm the nomination. Then, in September, the Vienna-based IAEA's most important governing body, the 146-nation IAEA General Conference, must give its final approval. That is usually a rubber-stamp process, but this time, the selection has been particularly contentious.

Nuclear Watchdog IAEA Elects Japanese Diplomat as its Leader - Julia Damianova and Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times. After a months-long deadlock and half a dozen inconclusive votes, the world's atomic energy watchdog on Thursday elected as its leader a Japanese diplomat described as colorless by foes and competent by allies. Yukiya Amano, formerly Japan's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency, or IAEA, will serve as director-general of the United Nations agency when Mohamed ElBaradei, an outspoken Egyptian diplomat, retires this year. Amano's rivalry with South African candidate Abdul Samad Minty emerged as a competition between the West, which wants the agency to focus on preventing countries such as Iran and Syria from obtaining nuclear weapons, and developing nations more concerned with disarming nuclear powers and spreading atomic energy technology to poorer nations. Amano barely secured the necessary two-thirds vote of the agency's board of governors and must now be approved today in an open session with the governors and the general conference, where the board is expected to confirm him by acclamation, said Taous Feroukhi, the board's chairwoman.

AFRICA

Africa Leaders Edge Towards Unity - BBC News. African Union (AU) members have agreed a plan to give its executive arm enhanced powers to co-ordinate common-interest policies, officials say. But the African Authority will not be able to act internationally unless it has a mandate from heads of state. The compromise on the draft came after hours of heated debate in a closed session in the Libyan town of Sirte. Correspondents say its creation is regarded as a stepping stone towards a federal government for the continent. This is of the ambition of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who wants a United States of Africa. The African Authority proposal had been resisted by South Africa and Nigeria, among others, who objected to giving the body too much power.

'Fighter Influx' for Somali Group - BBC News. An Islamist commander in Somalia has told the BBC there has been an influx of fighters from overseas joining their battle against the interim government. The al-Shabab militant leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said several hundred foreigners had joined their militia, many from Pakistan. Meanwhile, at least 25 people have been killed in fighting in the capital, Mogadishu, over the past two days. Africa Union leaders meeting in Libya are due to discuss Somalia later. There have been calls for the AU to boost its force of some 4,000 peacekeepers based in Mogadishu.

IMF Refuses New Aid for Zimbabwe - BBC News. The International Monetary Fund has told Zimbabwe that it will not provide the country with more funds until its existing $1bn debts are settled. Zimbabwe's government estimates it will need $10bn (£6bn) of foreign aid to help rebuild its battered economy. But the IMF said that Zimbabwe would need to clear its debts and show a sustained record of sound policies before it could give financing. China recently agreed to give Zimbabwe a loan of $950m. China was one of the few countries to retain economic support for Zimbabwe in recent years.

AMERICAS

Honduras Coup Spotlights Latin America's Growing Instability - Sara Miller Llana, Christian Science Monitor. The military ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya on Sunday, for many, harks back to dark days of military coups in Latin America. Yet even as it stands as the region's most tense crisis at the moment, it does not stand alone. Protests have erupted across the region in the past year. Citizens took to streets in Nicaragua demanding a recount after municipal elections they say were rigged. In Guatemala, protesters called for their president to step down after he was accused of orchestrating a murder. There, as in other countries in the region, organized crime is taking over wide swaths of territory and corrupting institutions. "Somewhat to my surprise, Central America seems to be unraveling politically," says Kevin Casas-Zamora, a senior fellow in foreign policy at the Brookings Institution's Latin America Initiative. "In different ways, it is showing the vulnerabilities of democracy in the region."

Envoy Prepares to Visit Honduras, Warning of Obstacles - Marc Lacey and Ginger Thompson, New York Times. The hemisphere’s chief envoy for the crisis in Honduras offered a bleak assessment on Thursday of the diplomatic efforts to restore its ousted president, warning that it would be “very hard” to head off a more severe break with the nation and that he was prepared to call for sanctions if he failed. The comments by the envoy, José Miguel Insulza, secretary general of the Organization of American States, were the clearest signal yet of the overwhelming odds against a swift resolution to the standoff. Beyond facing stiff resistance from the Honduran government, Mr. Insulza has also had a hard time keeping his coalition of 33 other countries united over how to bring an end to the crisis. American, Canadian and OAS officials said Thursday that while they all stood behind the reinstatement of the Honduran president, a wide range of disagreements had jolted the coalition - over how much Mr. Insulza should negotiate when he arrives in Honduras this week, whom he should meet with and even who should accompany him on the trip. By the end of Thursday, it was simply agreed that Mr. Insulza would travel alone.

Honduras' de facto Leader Open to Early Elections - Tracy Wilkinson, Los Angeles Times. The man who replaced President Manuel Zelaya in a coup said Thursday that he would be willing to hold elections ahead of schedule if that would ease the standoff, which has left Honduras badly isolated. The offer from Roberto Micheletti came on the eve of a high-level visit by a delegation of the Organization of American States aimed at sealing Zelaya's return to office -- or deciding on sanctions to punish the impoverished nation. Micheletti has repeatedly said that Zelaya, who was dragged from his residence by the army before dawn Sunday and sent to Costa Rica, will not be reinstated. The suggestion to move up elections scheduled for November was a rare hint of concession. "I would totally agree to early elections as part of a political solution," Micheletti said in one of his daily chats with journalists.

Honduran Leadership Stands Defiant - William Booth, Washington Post. Honduran leaders who supported the coup against President Manuel Zelaya maintained a defiant stance Thursday in the face of international pressure, as diplomats conceded that a quick, painless resolution to the regional crisis might not be possible. Officials in the new Honduran government led by interim President Roberto Micheletti said that they were prepared to hunker down for weeks or months and that they could survive economic sanctions, diplomatic isolation and even the condemnation of their closest ally, the United States, which has played an outsize role in the history of Honduras for a century. Micheletti, however, said he was open to one compromise: moving presidential elections up from November to an earlier date in a bid to soften outside condemnation of the coup and keep Hondurans from turning toward violence.

US Limits Contact with Honduran Military - John J. Kruzel, American Forces Press Service. The American military contingent in Honduras has limited its contact with Honduran forces as the US government evaluates the situation in the Central American country, a Pentagon spokesman said. Roughly 600 US forces are stationed at Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, 50 miles northwest of the capital city of Tegucigalpa, where President Manuel Zelaya was removed from office earlier this week. “Our activities have largely been postponed with the Honduran military forces while our government has a chance to evaluate the situation and determine the way ahead,” Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman told reporters today. But the US forces that make up Joint Task Force Bravo, meanwhile, will continue “sustainment activities” such as flight operations from Soto Cano in support of the hospital ship USNS Comfort operating in Nicaragua. “We have a lifesaving rescue capability there that we continue to sustain,” Whitman said. “But we have limited our contact dramatically, to what I would call minimal contact, with the Honduran military as the United States continues to evaluate and make judgments about the way forward.” Whitman added that Joint Task Force Bravo continues to provide regional and interagency support in various capacities, and participates in counter-narcotic efforts.

Not So Fast, Amigas y Amigos - Robert Killebrew, Small Wars Journal opinion. The United States has always had mixed feelings about our relationship with Central America, so when the Honduran Army sent President Manuel Zelaya packing last week, we joined with a chorus of regional leaders, including Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez, in condemning the soldier’s putsch. But now that we’ve exercised our moral indignation, we ought to step back and take a deep breath. As reports continue to come in, it appears that it was Zelaya, not the army, that was most egregiously breaking the law. The president was apparently involved in his own takeover, against the courts and Honduran Congress, and was about to stage a Chavez-style “referendum” on ballots printed in Venezuela and looted from an army warehouse where they were being safeguarded. The army’s move was legitimized by the Honduran Supreme Court and applauded by the Congress, which has appointed a stand-in president until regular elections this November. Certainly we deplore military coups, just as we deplore sin. But in the tangled web of Central American politics, Honduras has long been the US’ most staunch ally. Among the four states from Nicaragua north, it has tried hardest to convert from a military-run banana republic to a constitutional democracy and, until just the other day, with some success.

A Coup for Democracy? - Edward Schumacher-Matos, Washington Post opinion. Honduras is guilty of two sins: impatience and size. The rest of the world is committing two more: hubris and hypocrisy. It is now clear that if the Honduran Supreme Court or Congress had used legal means such as impeachment before asking the army to remove President Manuel Zelaya, we would be calling events there a constitutional crisis rather than a coup d'etat. This would be especially true if Honduras were a larger country such as Brazil or Pakistan and its court, Congress, attorney general, human rights ombudsman and electoral commission were all saying afterward, as they do in Tegucigalpa, that the army moved legally in alliance with them. The Honduran army never took political control.

A Coup for Democracy - Jaime Daremblum, Weekly Standard opinion. To say that people in Latin America are sensitive about military coups would be an understatement. Due to the often tumultuous and bloody histories of their respective countries, they have a strong aversion to anything that looks like military interference in civilian politics. Recent events in Honduras have struck many Latin Americans as a return to the bad old days when power-hungry generals routinely dislodged elected officials and stomped on democracy. Yet upon closer examination, the removal of Honduran president Manuel Zelaya bears very little resemblance to traditional Latin American military coups. Indeed, it was not really a "coup." Rather, it was a response to a leader who had trampled the law and attempted to hold an illegal referendum on constitutional reform. Zelaya's ouster was approved by Honduras's Congress, Supreme Court, Electoral Tribunal, attorney general, and national prosecutor. Zelaya started this whole imbroglio when he ignored a Supreme Court ruling and tried to use thuggish mob tactics to impose his will on the Honduran political system.

Mexico: High Stakes and Rampant Voter Apathy in Upcoming Elections - Ken Ellingwood, Los Angeles Times. Mexicans vote Sunday, but the biggest story may be how many don't bother. At stake are all 500 seats in the lower house of Congress, six governorships and scores of local posts. But apathy and disgust with politics are rampant. Many voters plan to deface their ballots in protest. It may seem risky to play up an inconclusive drug war that has claimed about 11,000 lives. But President Felipe Calderon's PAN is doing just that, airing campaign spots that show video of drug traffickers being arrested and piles of marijuana and cocaine seized. Will the ads remind voters of just how violent a place Mexico has become since Calderon declared war on traffickers in late 2006? Or will they convince Mexicans that, as the spots say, the administration is protecting their children from the scourge of drugs and violence as no government before it? Pollsters say the PAN seems to have succeeded in painting the war as a winning - or at least courageous - battle. Public support for the administration's anti-crime crusade is high. But foes say the PAN has politicized the drug war by accusing its main competitor, the PRI, of colluding with traffickers and, on the eve of elections, by rounding up 30 local and state officials on suspicion of having ties to cartels in Michoacan state.

Drug-Cartel Links Haunt an Election South of Border - Joel Millman and Jose de Cordoba, Wall Street Journal. The candidacy of Mario Anguiano, running for governor in a state election here Sunday, says a lot about Mexican politics amid the rise of the drug cartels. A brother of the candidate is serving a 10-year prison sentence in Mexico for peddling methamphetamine. Another Anguiano is serving 27 years in a Texas prison for running a huge meth ring. A few weeks ago, a hand-painted banner hung on a highway overpass cited the Zetas, the bloodthirsty executioners for the Gulf Cartel drug gang, praising the candidate: "The Zetas support you, and we are with you to the death." Mr. Anguiano says his meth-dealing brother was just an addict who sold small amounts to support his habit. He says the man jailed in Texas, reported by local media to be his cousin, may or may not be a relative. "If he is my cousin, I've never met him," he says. Denying any involvement with traffickers, he says the supposed Zetas endorsement was just a dirty trick by his election rivals. If so, it backfired. In the weeks after the banner made local headlines, new polls showed Mr. Anguiano pulling ahead in the race. He is expected to be elected governor on Sunday.

Hail Colombia - Los Angeles Times editorial. President Obama, who withheld his support for a free-trade agreement with Colombia when he was a senator, recently sounded a more positive note on the issue. At a joint news conference this week with Colombian President Alvaro Uribe, Obama commended him for the progress his country has made in addressing human rights violations. In particular, he remarked on the more hospitable environment in Colombia today for labor organizers - one of the sticking points for Obama and other Democrats in Congress. "We've seen improvements when it comes to prosecution of those carrying out these blatant human rights offenses," Obama said. Furthermore, he added, he has instructed US Trade Representative Ron Kirk to work with his Colombian counterparts to bring the free-trade agreement to fruition. All of which suggested that Colombia has turned a corner since Obama's election, and that the United States may now be more favorably inclined to free trade with this Andean nation.

ASIA-PACIFIC

North Korea Test-Fires 4 Short-Range Missiles - Blaine Harden, Washington Post. North Korea on Thursday continued to rattle its neighbors by firing four short-range missiles into waters off its east coast. The missile tests, monitored by the South Korean government, had been widely expected, as North Korea had warned ships to avoid the east coast through July 10 because of military exercises. The four missiles were fired in the late afternoon and early evening from a base near the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, a South Korean defense spokesman told the South Korean news agency Yonhap. Other South Korean officials said the missiles splashed into the sea about 60 miles from the launch site.

Pyongyang Fires Missiles - Evan Ramstad, Wall Street Journal. North Korea test-fired four short-range missiles from locations on its east coast Thursday evening, South Korean defense officials said, the latest in a series of acts that have stepped up international tension with Pyongyang. Observers in other countries have been expecting such tests since North Korea last month ordered domestic vessels out of several zones in the Sea of Japan where it said it would conduct military drills through July 10. North Korea possesses about 600 short-range missiles and 300 medium-range missiles and tests them several times a year. But such tests gained more attention this year because North Korea in April tested a long-range missile for the third time and in May tested a nuclear explosive device for the second time.

North Korea Fires Four Short-range Missiles - John M. Glionna, Los Angeles Times. North Korea test-fired four short-range missiles Thursday, according to South Korea's Defense Ministry. The launches came just weeks after the reclusive state warned vessels to avoid its coastline because of projected military maneuvers. The regime sent up what officials said were two anti-ship missiles that flew 60 miles before splashing down in the sea. Two more short-range missiles were fired a few hours later. The latest launches follow a recent nuclear detonation and a flurry of missile tests by North Korea, apparently in response to proposals for tough new United Nations sanctions -- later imposed. "This afternoon at 5:20 and 6 p.m., two short-range missiles were fired from Sinsang-ri," a South Korean Defense Ministry official told The Times. The third missile was launched at 7:50 p.m. and the fourth at 9:50 p.m., said the official, who said he was not authorized to give his name because of the sensitivity of the information. Tension on the Korean peninsula has increased since spring, when North Korea launched a rocket it said carried a communications satellite. Experts said the exercise was a disguised test of a long-range ballistic missile.

Could a North Korean Missile Reach Hawaii? - Peter Grier, Christian Science Monitor. Could North Korea hit Hawaii with a missile, if it wanted to? In theory, yes. Pyongyang has ballistic missile technology that technically, if it worked to perfection, could throw a small payload across the 7,100 kilometers or so that separate the Korean peninsula from Honolulu, according to a US Congressional Research Service (CRS) report. But North Korea has tested its most advanced long-range missiles only a few times, and in each instance, something major has gone wrong. The warhead would be so tiny it would do little damage - if it survived the heat of reentry, which is doubtful. (It wouldn't be nuclear. North Korea remains years from developing that kind of capability.) Accuracy would be problematic. The missile would be as likely to hit ocean as land. Bottom line: For the moment, the chance of North Korea endangering Hawaii, or any other US territory, may be quite small.

S. Korea Mobilizes Maritime Squads - Andrew Salmon, Washington Times. On their island base in a tense Yellow Sea, black-clad commando squads armed with automatic weapons surge up ladders onto the deck of a training ship, fast-rope down building exteriors and detonate explosives. The Special Sea Attack Team (SSAT), an elite South Korean Coast Guard unit tasked with countering maritime terrorism, is preparing to respond with tougher policies to North Korean shipping in response to North Korea's missile launches and its second nuclear test in May. North Korea fired four short-range missiles into waters off the east coast Thursday, Yonhap news agency reported. "We have not got word from above yet," said Inspector Joung Ku-so, who was suited in body armor and bristling with weapons. "But we are practicing boarding drills for PSI," he said, referring to the US-led Proliferation Security Initiative that aims to block ships from carrying weapons materials to the North.

Ban Ki-moon Faces Warning Calls on Myanmar Trip - Joe Lauria, Wall Street Journal. UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon arrived in Myanmar on Friday as Western diplomats and human rights activists warned he risks lending legitimacy to the ruling junta if he fails in his quest to get political prisoners released. UN officials say Mr. Ban didn't decide to go until he received assurances from Myanmar authorities that he would meet opposition leaders, whom UN officials say have endorsed his trip. It wasn't clear if Mr. Ban would meet Aung San Suu Kyi, whose trial for allegedly violating the terms of her house arrest was set to resume as Mr. Ban's plane touched down in Yangon. A senior UN official said Mr. Ban believes he will secure the release of lesser-known opposition figures. It wasn't clear how their fate would be monitored once the secretary general leaves the country on Saturday after a two-day stay.

UN Chief to Seek Release of Suu Kyi - Alan Cowell, New York Times. The United Nations secretary general, Ban Ki-moon, arrived in Myanmar on Friday for a journey he has said will be difficult as he seeks the release of the jailed pro-democracy leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, or at least a meeting with her. Shortly after he arrived the Burmese authorities said the current trial of Ms. Aung San Suu Kyi, who has been under house arrest for 13 of the past 19 years, would be adjourned for one week until July 10, The Associated Press reported. Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi is accused of violating the terms of her current house arrest after an American man swam uninvited across a lake to her home. Mrs. Aung San Suu Kyi has denied the charge, but could be sentenced to five years imprisonment if found guilty. The trial which was to have resumed on Friday, had been delayed for a month while lawyers objected to a court decision to ban three witnesses.

Chinese Fireworks Display - David Brooks, New York Times opinion. On July Fourth, we think about our country and its future. But these days it’s impossible to think about America and its future role in the world without also thinking about China. This was the subject of a combative discussion this week at the Aspen Ideas Festival. The agent provocateur was Niall Ferguson of Harvard. China and the US, he argued, used to have a symbiotic relationship and formed a tightly integrated unit that he calls Chimerica. In this unit, China did the making, and the United States did the buying. China did the saving, while the US did the spending. Between 1995 and 2005, the US savings rate declined from about 5 percent to zero, while the Chinese savings rate rose from 30 percent to nearly 45 percent.

EUROPE

Lose the Cold War Attitude, Obama Tells Putin - Catherine Philp, The Times. President Obama has scolded the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin for failing to move on from Cold War dynamics. His remarks come on the eve of a much-anticipated trip to Moscow next week in which he aims to “hit the reset button” on relations with Russia. The Bush Administration’s relationship with Mr Putin started warmly, with George Bush gushing that he could see into the soul of Mr Putin, then Russian President, and could trust him as a man to do business with. If Mr Obama was hoping to avoid that trap he certainly did so, but was more complimentary about Mr Putin’s successor, Dmitri Medvedev, whom he said was aware of the dynamics of the current world order. Mr Obama was asked why he would meet Mr Putin at all on his three-day visit, in which he and Mr Medvedev will issue a joint pledge to cut their nuclear arsenals in half. Mr Obama said that the former President “still has a lot of sway” and needed to hear what he had to say - an acknowledgement of his continued influence, while simultaneously sending Mr Putin a message that he regards him as yesterday’s man. “It’s important that even as we move forward with President Medvedev, Putin understands that the old Cold War approach to US-Russian relations is outdated; that it’s time to move forward in a different direction,” he said.

Preparing for Trip to Russia, Obama Praises Putin’s Protégé, at Putin’s Expense - Peter Baker, New York Times. President Obama said Thursday that Prime Minister Vladimir V. Putin of Russia still had “one foot” in the cold war and needed to move on, a provocative assessment for an American leader just days before traveling here for the first time since taking office. Mr. Obama distinguished Mr. Putin from President Dmitri A. Medvedev, his hand-picked successor, who was elected last year and is the object of much speculation, given the unusual power-sharing arrangement here. Unlike Mr. Putin, Mr. Obama said, Mr. Medvedev recognizes that it is time for the two cold war antagonists to put the past behind them. “It’s important that even as we move forward with President Medvedev that Putin understand that the old cold war approaches to US-Russian relations is outdated - that it’s time to move forward in a different direction,” Mr. Obama said in an interview with The Associated Press.

Russia’s Neighbors Resist Wooing and Bullying - Ellen Barry, New York Times. This was supposed to be Russia’s round in the battle over its backyard. All year, despite its own economic spasms, Moscow has earmarked great chunks of cash for its impoverished post-Soviet neighbors, seeking to lock in their loyalty over the long term and curtail Western influence in the region. But the neighbors seem to have other ideas. Belarus - which was promised $2 billion in Russian aid - is in open rebellion against the Kremlin, flaunting its preference for Europe while also collecting money from the International Monetary Fund. Uzbekistan joined Belarus in refusing to sign an agreement on the Collective Rapid Reaction Forces, an idea Moscow sees as an eventual counterweight to NATO. There are other examples, like Turkmenistan’s May signing of a gas exploration deal with a German company, and Armenia’s awarding of a major national honor to Moscow’s nemesis, President Mikheil Saakashvili of Georgia. But the biggest came last week when Kyrgyzstan — set to receive $2.15 billion in Russian aid - reversed a decision that had been seen as a coup for Moscow, last winter’s order terminating the American military’s use of the Manas Air Base there.

Stavridis Becomes First Admiral to Head NATO Military Operations - American Forces Press Service. Navy Adm. James Stavridis today became NATO’s supreme allied commander for Europe, assuming command of allied command operations from retiring Army Gen. Bantz J. Craddock. The change of command, presided over by NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, marks the first time in NATO history that a navy admiral assumed the post, which originated in 1951 with Army Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower. Stavridis is the 16th American officer to hold the post. “Today I am lucky enough to find myself standing on the bridge, ready to take the watch, but I know I am not taking the watch alone,” Stavridis said after assuming command. “With me are over 70,000 shipmates- military and civilian- in three continents from the populated plains and coasts of Europe to the bright blue of the Mediterranean Sea, from the high mountain passes of Afghanistan to the distant Arctic Circle,” Stavridis said. “You stand in a long line of heroes who stood and delivered across this continent for decades in both war and peace,” the admiral continued. “I honor your service, I pledge my support and loyalty to each of you, and I will continue to strengthen the pillars of our transatlantic bridge as we build new ones. That is my mission, and I will do my best."

Underworld Figures are Freed to Run for Parliament in Bulgaria - David Charter, The Times. Underworld figures facing charges of racketeering, embezzlement and worse have found a novel way to escape jail in Europe’s most corrupt country: they are running for parliament. Some of Bulgaria’s best-known alleged mobsters have been let out of custody to campaign in the general election on Sunday under a legal loophole that gives immunity from prosecution to MPs and candidates. Those in the running include the Galev brothers- two reputed gangsters accused of running a southwestern town for years through their police and judicial contacts- as well as Ivan Ivanov, one of nine defendants in a fraud case involving €7.5 million (£6.5 million) of farm aid from the EU. The case was supposed to be a showpiece trial to prove that judicial reforms were working in a country that was allowed into the EU in 2007, despite deep concerns about judicial independence and its backlog of more than a hundred unsolved contract killings. Instead, it has allowed Bulgaria’s critics to insist that the country was let in before it had been forced to change. President Parvanov has called on Bulgarians not to vote for any of the freed suspects, so as not to worsen the country’s image at a time when the EU is assessing whether to release the full €11 billion in aid it has promised over the next seven years. “If we now allow people burdened with heavy sins [to enter parliament] this would not only blacken Bulgaria’s image, but would also hurt our perception about democracy profoundly,” he said. “That is why every voter must use their conscience.”

MIDDLE EAST

Activists Held by Israel for Trying to Break Gaza Blockade - Isabel Kershner, New York Times. Nineteen foreign activists of the pro-Palestinian Free Gaza Movement were being held in Israel awaiting deportation on Thursday, two days after the Israeli Navy seized control of their boat off Gaza. A former United States Representative, Cynthia McKinney, and an Irish peace activist and Nobel laureate, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, were among those being held. Two additional Israeli activists were released without being charged on Wednesday, according to the group. The Free Gaza Movement and other campaigners have sailed several boats to Gaza in the last year, saying they wanted to bring humanitarian aid and challenging the Israeli blockade. Israel has let some boats reach the coastal strip and forced others to turn back at sea.

SOUTH ASIA

Tamil Refugees May End Up in Permanent Camps, Say Aid Workers - Hannah Roberts, The Times. Sri Lankan authorities appear to be building permanent camps to house many of the 300,000 refugees from the last phase of the war with the Tamil Tiger rebels, despite promising to resettle 80 per cent of them by the end of the year. Aid workers have told The Times that permanent buildings are being erected at the Manik Farm site where the UN says that 230,000 of the refugees are being held after the Tigers’ defeat in May. The aid workers said that they were able to do humanitarian work in four of six zones at Manik Farm but were barred from two others, including the mysteriously named Zone Zero. “We’re not allowed to work in these areas,” said Rajinda Jayasinghe, the head of Relief International in Sri Lanka. “But you can see from the outside proper brick-walled buildings going up.” Some aid workers said that the site was fast becoming Sri Lanka’s second biggest city after the capital, Colombo, with schools, clinics and banks, where refugees have deposited more than a billion rupees.

BOOKS

War 2.0: Irregular Warfare in the Information Age - Thomas Rid and Marc Hecker.

War 2.0: Irregular Warfare in the Information Age argues that two intimately connected trends are putting modern armies under huge pressure to adapt: the rise of insurgencies and the rise of the Web. Both in cyberspace and in warfare, the grassroots public has assumed increasing importance in recent years. After the dot-com bubble burst in 2000, Web 2.0 rose from the ashes. This newly interactive and participatory form of the Web promotes and enables offline action. Similarly, after Rumsfeld's attempt to transform the US military into a lean, lethal, computerized force crashed in Iraq in 2003, counterinsurgency rose from the ashes. Counterinsurgency is a social form of war - indeed, the US Army calls it armed social work - in which the local matrix population becomes the center of strategic gravity and public opinion at home the critical vulnerability.

The New Counterinsurgency Era: Transforming the U.S. Military for Modern Wars - David H. Ucko.

Confronting insurgent violence in Iraq and Afghanistan, the US military has recognized the need to "re-learn" counterinsurgency. But how has the Department of Defense with its mixed efforts responded to this new strategic environment? Has it learned anything from past failures? In The New Counterinsurgency Era, David Ucko examines DoD's institutional obstacles and initially slow response to a changing strategic reality.

Journey into Darkness: Genocide in Rwanda - Thomas P. Odom.

In July 1994, Thomas P. Odom was part of the US Embassy team that responded to the Goma refugee crisis. He witnessed the deaths of 70,000 refugees in a single week. In the previous three months of escalating violence, the Rwandan genocide had claimed 800,000 dead. Now, in this vivid and unsettling new book, Odom offers the first insider look at these devastating events before, during, and after the genocide.

Joker One: A Marine Platoon’s Story of Courage - Donovan Campbell.

Donovan Campbell, first as a Marine and then as a writer, shows us that the dominant emotion in war isn’t hatred or anger or fear. It’s love. His story stands as a poignant tribute to his men–their courage, their dedication, their skill, and their love for one another, even unto death.

The Battle for Peace: A Frontline Vision of America's Power and Purpose - Anthony Zinni and Tony Koltz

The intellectual complement to Zinni and Clancy's bestselling Battle Ready (2004), a narrative memoir salted with specific policy recommendations, this volume provides the former US Central Command chief's analysis of America's current global position. Zinni begins by asserting that America's status as "the most powerful nation in the history of the planet" has created a de facto empire. The US has no choice: if it fails to take the lead, nothing significant happens. At the same time, Americans must recognize that, in a global age, there can be no zero-sum games.

The Unforgiving Minute: A Soldier's Education - Craig Mullaney

The Unforgiving Minute is the ultimate's soldier's book - universal in its raw emotion and its understanding of the larger issues of life and death. Mullaney, a master storyteller, plunges the depths of self-doubt, endurance, and courage. The result: a riveting, suspenseful human story, beautifully told. This is a book written under fire - a lyrical, spellbinding tale of war, love, and courage. The Unforgiving Minute is the Three Cups of Tea of soldiering.

Great Powers: America and the World after Bush - Thomas P.M. Barnett

In civilian and military circles alike, The Pentagon’s New Map became one of the most talked about books of 2004. “A combination of Tom Friedman on globalization and Carl von Clausewitz on war, [it is] the red-hot book among the nation’s admirals and generals,” wrote David Ignatius in The Washington Post. Barnett’s second book, Blueprint for Action, demonstrated how to put the first book’s principles to work. Now, in Great Powers, Barnett delivers his most sweeping - and important - book of all.

The Accidental Guerrilla: Fighting Small Wars in the Midst of a Big One - David Kilcullen

A remarkably fresh perspective on the War on Terror. Kilcullen takes us "on the ground" to uncover the face of modern warfare, illuminating both the big global war (the "War on Terrorism") and its relation to the associated "small wars" across the globe: Iraq, Afghanistan, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Chechnya, Pakistan and North Africa.

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.