When, in the course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bonds which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the laws of nature and of nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

--Declaration of Independence

AFGHANISTAN / PAKISTAN

Marines, Afghans Establish Bases in Helmand - Jim Garamone, American Forces Press Service. US Marines and Afghan security forces are continuing Operation Khanjar in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, NATO officials said today. Almost 4,000 personnel from the Marine Expeditionary Brigade Afghanistan have moved into cities and towns along the Helmand River and are digging in for the long haul. The addition of nearly 22,000 American personnel in Afghanistan will allow the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force to institute a “clear, hold, build” counterinsurgency strategy. Before, small numbers of coalition forces would enter an area and clear it of Taliban, but the shortage of forces meant that when they pulled out, the Taliban flowed back in. Now, Marines and Afghan personnel are clearing the region of Taliban and establishing bases among the people. They will stay to ensure the Taliban or other terrorist groups do not move back in. The strategy calls for experts to move into the region and work with local residents to build the economy and governance. The forces are operating in the districts of Nawa and Garmsir in central Helmand province. The Marines are operating as far south as the vicinity of Khan Neshin, the capital of Rig district in the region of the Helmand River valley known as “The Fishhook.” The effort is part of a larger strategy in Regional Command South. British and Afghan forces also are operating in Helmand and Kandahar provinces.

Insurgents Step Up Attacks on Marines - Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Washington Post. Taliban insurgents stepped up attacks Friday against US Marines in southern Afghanistan's Helmand River valley, forcing troops in some areas to spend the day fighting instead of carrying out plans to meet with residents and local leaders. The stiffest resistance occurred in the district of Garmser, where Taliban fighters holed up in a walled housing compound engaged in an eight-hour gun battle with troops from the 2nd Battalion of the 8th Marine Regiment. The Marines eventually requested a Harrier fighter jet to drop a 500-pound bomb on the compound, which was believed to have killed all fighters inside. The commanders directing the huge Marine security operation here had said they hoped not to rely on airstrikes, which have resulted in numerous civilian casualties in Afghanistan over the past seven years. Officers here noted with pride Thursday that they had not used bombs or artillery in the first 24 hours of the mission.

In Villages, Marines Work to Win Over Afghans - Associated Press. United States Marines moved into villages in Taliban strongholds in southern Afghanistan on Friday, meeting little resistance as they tried to win over local chiefs on the second day of the biggest American military operation here since the fall of the Taliban government in 2001. One Marine was killed and several were wounded Thursday, when 4,000 Marines launched the operation in Helmand Province, a remote area at the center of the country’s opium cultivation, which helps finance the insurgency. So far, however, there has been little resistance from the Taliban, according to Capt. Bill Pelletier, a military spokesman. In the east, meanwhile, American troops and other personnel continued looking for an American soldier believed to have been captured by insurgents on Tuesday, said Navy Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo, a military spokesman.

Afghanistan Blast Kills 2 US Troops - Associated Press. A blast in eastern Afghanistan killed two American troops and wounded four others Saturday, a US military spokeswoman said. The troops were attacked in eastern Paktika province, but there were no immediate details about the incident, said Lt. Cmdr. Christine Sidenstricker. The deaths come as thousands of Marines in southern Afghanistan are involved in the biggest US military operation here since the American-led invasion of 2001, trying to cut insurgent supply lines and win over local elders. US troops continued looking for an American soldier believed captured by insurgents in Paktika province, Navy Chief Petty Officer Brian Naranjo said Friday. The soldier and three Afghans with him went missing on Tuesday. There was no immediate public claim of responsibility from any insurgent group.

Russia to Open Airspace to US for Afghan War - Peter Baker, New York Times. The Russian government has agreed to let American troops and weapons bound for Afghanistan fly over Russian territory, officials on both sides said Friday. The arrangement will provide an important new corridor for the United States military as it escalates efforts to win the eight-year war. The agreement, to be announced when President Obama visits here on Monday and Tuesday, represents one of the most concrete achievements in the administration’s effort to ease relations with Russia after years of tension. But the two sides failed to make a trade deal or resolve differences over missile defense, and are struggling to draft a preliminary nuclear arms deal.

Russia to Allow US Arms Shipments to Afghanistan - Associated Press. Russia will allow the US to ship weapons across its territory to Afghanistan, a top Kremlin aide said Friday in a gesture aimed at bolstering US military operations and improving strained ties between Washington and Moscow. The deal is expected to be signed during President Barack Obama's visit to Moscow next week, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Sergei Prikhodko said. Russia has been allowing the US to ship nonlethal supplies across its territory for operations in Afghanistan, and Kremlin officials had suggested further cooperation was likely. Mr. Prikhodko told reporters that the expected deal would enable the US to ship lethal cargo and would include shipments by air and land. He said it was unclear if US soldiers or other personnel would be permitted to travel through Russian territory or airspace. "They haven't asked us for it," he said. The normal supply route to landlocked Afghanistan via Pakistan has come under repeated Taliban attack, and the US and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have been eager to have an alternate overland supply route through Russia and the Central Asian countries.

US Drone Targets Taliban in Pakistan, at Least 6 Dead - Joshua Partlow and Pamela Constable, Washington Post. The followers of one of Pakistan's most feared Taliban commanders, Baitullah Mehsud, came under a fresh round of US drone attacks Friday in bombings that killed at least six people, according to Pakistani government officials. The missile attacks targeted a suspected Taliban camp and a religious school used by fighters in the rugged tribal border region of South Waziristan, said a local official from the region and a resident, who said at least 13 people were killed. A Pakistani military spokesman, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, said he had no information about whether senior fighters had been killed in the attack. Such American bombardments have become the focus of widespread, emotional outrage among the Pakistani public and an uncomfortable issue with the country's civilian and military leadership, who privately support them but must be sensitive to the depth of public animosity.

US Drone Attacks Said to Kill 17 at Taliban Outposts in Pakistan - Alex Rodriguez, Los Angeles Times. Missile attacks believed to be carried out by US drone aircraft Friday targeted a training center and a communications base run by one of Pakistan's most wanted militant leaders, killing 17 people and injuring 27. The attacks in South Waziristan, where Pakistani Taliban leader Baitullah Mahsud and his fighters are entrenched in tribal areas along the Afghan border, come just more than a week after Mahsud narrowly escaped a drone attack on a funeral attended by Taliban militants. Dozens were killed in that strike. US reliance on unmanned aircraft to strike Taliban leaders and infrastructure has angered many Pakistanis, who view the missions as violations of their country's sovereignty and a source of civilian casualties. But it is widely believed that the Obama administration and the government of President Asif Ali Zardari have a tacit agreement allowing such airstrikes.

Pakistan Army Helicopter Crash Kills 26 - Pir Zubair Shah and Ismail Khan, New York Times. A Pakistani Army helicopter crashed in a northwestern tribal area that is a Taliban stronghold on Friday, killing at least 26 Pakistani soldiers and paramilitary fighters. The military said the helicopter had technical problems, and several Pakistani security officials said it was carrying too many people, but Dawn TV reported that local officials said insurgents had shot it down. One security official also said bad weather might have contributed to the crash. The security officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that although the official number of those killed was 26, 41 people had died.

IRAQ

Biden Warns Iraq of Return to Ethnic Fights - Sheryl Gay Stolberg, New York Times. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr. told Iraqi leaders on Friday that he and President Obama were committed to helping them resolve their political differences, but he warned that the United States would be unlikely to remain engaged in Iraq if the country reverted to sectarian violence, American officials said. Mr. Biden spent the day in closed-door meetings to assess Iraq’s political and security situation as part of his new role as an unofficial envoy for the Obama administration. He emerged from a session with Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki to issue a carefully worded statement - partly an offer of support, partly a nudge to action. “The president and I appreciate that Iraq has traveled a great distance over the past year, but there is a hard road ahead if Iraq is going to find lasting peace and stability,” Mr. Biden said. “It’s not over yet.”

Biden Warns of Ending Commitment - Nada Bakri, Washington Post. Vice President Biden warned Iraqi officials Friday that the American commitment to Iraq could end if the country again descended into ethnic and sectarian violence. Biden delivered the warning during a three-day visit to Iraq that began Thursday, just a few days after the United States formally withdrew most combat troops from Iraqi cities under a security agreement reached last year. It was the vice president's first visit since President Obama asked him to take the lead on Iraq policy. In meetings with senior Iraqi officials, including Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, Biden stressed that the United States would remain engaged in Iraq, even as its military role diminishes in a withdrawal that is expected to dramatically gather pace after parliamentary elections in January.

Biden Meets Top US Leaders in Iraq - Associated Press. Vice President Joe Biden met with the top American military commander and diplomat in Iraq Friday as he made his first visit to the country after being appointed to oversee the administration's Iraq policy. Mr. Biden's arrival in Baghdad late Thursday came just days after all U.S. combat troops were pulled out of Iraq's cities and towns on June 30, as part of a security agreement that will see all American soldiers out of the country by the end of 2011. On Friday morning, the vice president had breakfast with Gen. Ray Odierno and Ambassador Christopher Hill, America's top soldier and diplomat in Iraq. Mr. Biden will meet later with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani and Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki A White House statement said the vice president will reiterate the US commitment to carry out President Barack Obama's plan to withdraw combat forces. He also will press Iraqi leaders to make more progress toward political reconciliation. It was his first trip to Iraq as vice president.

Iraq's Maliki Declines US Offer on National Reconciliation - Liz Sly, Los Angeles Times. Vice President Joe Biden's mission to promote national reconciliation in Iraq was rebuffed Friday by Prime Minister Nouri Maliki, who told him that the issue was a domestic Iraqi affair and that USinvolvement wouldn't be welcome. Biden was beginning a two-day visit to Iraq after President Obama appointed him this week as his special representative on dealings with the Persian Gulf nation. His assignment, the White House said, is to 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 Biden's meeting with Maliki was a reminder that although the US maintains about 130,000 troops in Iraq, its influence is waning rapidly now that the clock is ticking on the timetable for the departure of all American combat troops next year.

France Hopes to Jump-Start Its Arms Sales With New Iraqi Government - Edward Cody, Washington Post. France, which was an important weapons supplier to Saddam Hussein, has set out to revive its once-flourishing arms sales and training relationship with the new Iraqi government put in place by the United States. The effort has attracted attention because, under former president Jacques Chirac, France opposed the US invasion of Iraq in 2003 and stayed aloof from the coalition of allies that assisted the United States during the bloody occupation that has followed. At stake, specialists here said, are billions of dollars in potential arms sales and training contracts as the Iraqi military seeks to rebuild from the devastation wrought by UN sanctions and then by US forces as they took over the country, destroyed Hussein's Sunni-led military establishment and set up a new order dominated by the Shiite majority.

IRAN

Hardline Sermons in Iran Stiffen EU Resolve over Embassy Staff - Martin Fletcher and David Charter, The Times. Call it pulpit diplomacy. While Western politicians agonise over how to rebuke Iran without undermining talks on its nuclear aspirations, hardline mullahs use their Friday sermons to bullhorn their defiance to the world. Three Fridays ago Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Supreme Leader, demanded that the massive street protests end. Almost immediately his forces flooded the streets and began suppressing the demonstrations. Last week Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami, another hardline cleric, told the thousands gathered at Tehran University that the “rioters” should be mercilessly punished and their leaders executed. Yesterday it was the turn of Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, 83, chairman of the Guardian Council, the country’s highest legislative body, who said the British had planned a “velvet revolution” by inciting riots. He added that some of the nine embassy staff arrested last weekend would face trial for their part in the plot.

British Embassy Staff in Iran Will Be Tried, Top Cleric Says - Farnaz Fassihi, Wall Street Journal. Iran deepened its diplomatic crisis with the European Union on Friday when a senior cleric declared detained Iranian staff of the British embassy would be put on trial for provoking post-election unrest. Delivering the Friday prayer sermon in Tehran, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, an ultra-hard liner, said the British embassy staff had confessed to plotting turmoil in Iran. "In these events, their embassy had a presence. Some people were arrested. Well, inevitably, they will be put on trial," said Mr. Jannati, who is a spiritual guide of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.It is unclear whether Mr. Jannatti's comments will lead to legal action by the judiciary, as harsh rhetoric is customary during Friday prayer sermons in Iran and it doesn't always lead to action. But charges of threatening national security and instigating unrest are extremely serious in Iran and, if convicted, the staffers could face years in prison.m The news shook European nations and fueled calls for tough and immediate diplomatic action against Iran. European Union members had threatened to temporarily pull out all their ambassadors in protest of Tehran's actions if the staffers aren't released.

Iran Cleric Says British Embassy Staff to Stand Trial - John F. Burns and Stephen Castle, New York Times. A high-ranking Iranian cleric said Friday that Iran planned to put some of the detained British embassy staff members on trial, a move that could provoke a tightening of European sanctions against Iran, including the withdrawal of ambassadors. The cleric, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, the head of the influential Guardian Council, told worshipers at Friday Prayer in Tehran that the embassy employees had “made confessions” and would be tried for their role in inciting protests after last month’s disputed presidential election. In London, the Foreign Office said it was urgently seeking clarification from the Iranian government as to whether the cleric’s remarks represented official policy.

Iran Plans to Put British Embassy Staffers on Trial - Borzou Daragahi, Los Angeles Times. A senior Iranian cleric said Friday that the British Embassy employees arrested in Tehran in recent days would be put on trial on unspecified charges of acting against Iran's national security, a move immediately denounced by members of the European Union. Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati, head of the conservative Guardian Council, said in a Friday prayer sermon that the employees, all of them Iranian nationals, would "definitely be tried." They are accused of taking part in or promoting weeks of unrest after the June 12 presidential election, which was marred by allegations of massive vote-rigging.

British Embassy Row: Why Iran's Hard-liners are Inviting Isolation - Dan Murphy, Christian Science Monitor. A leading Iranian cleric's call Friday for some Iranian employees of the British Embassy to be tried for allegedly inciting prodemocracy protests has ratcheted up Iran's confrontation with both global powers and the sizable proportion of its own citizenry who believe the country's June 12 presidential election was rigged in favor of incumbent Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. In a sermon at Tehran University, Ayatollah Ahmad Jannati suggested that the mass demonstrations against the official election result - the largest since the 1979 Islamic revolution - were premeditated by foreign powers. "[The enemy] had plotted the velvet revolution prior to the election, and even on the British foreign ministry website in March it was announced that Iran's election might be accompanied by some unrest and that British citizens were warned to be careful," he said, according to the Guardian newspaper in London. "What is the meaning of these predictions?" The statement by Ayatollah Jannati, head of the country's Guardian Council – a sort of theocratic Supreme Court – was swiftly condemned by European leaders. Britain has called for European Union members to recall their ambassadors from Tehran, and French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for sanctions so that Iran's leaders "will really understand that the path they have chosen will be a dead end." The hard-liners in Tehran appear to be consciously pursuing increased isolation for themselves and their country to create an impression that dangerous outside forces - and not legitimate domestic grievances - were behind the outpouring of national anger at the election result. They appear to believe such a course will make it easier to silence their opponents.

Top Reformers Admitted Plot, Iran Declares - Michael Slackman, New York Times. Iranian leaders say they have obtained confessions from top reformist officials that they plotted to bring down the government with a “velvet” revolution. Such confessions, almost always extracted under duress, are part of an effort to recast the civil unrest set off by Iran’s disputed presidential election as a conspiracy orchestrated by foreign nations, human rights groups say. Reports on Iranian Web sites associated with prominent conservatives said that leading reformers have confessed to taking velvet revolution “training courses” outside the country. Atef, a Web site of a conservative member of Parliament, referred to a video of Mohammad Ali Abtahi, who served as vice president in the reform government of former President Mohammed Khatami, as showing that he tearfully “welcomed being defrocked and has confessed to provoking people, causing tension and creating media chaos.”

Who Will Stand With Iranians? - Afshin Molavi, Washington Post opinion. As Iranians took to the streets to protest a fraudulent election last month, braving tear gas, batons and bullets, pressure mounted on President Obama to take a tougher stand against the Islamic Republic's repression of peaceful dissent. Some said the president's statements were too soft. Others argued that Obama should refrain from picking sides, lest he present a pretext for hard-liners to label the protesters American stooges. People began to argue: What should Obama do? I'd like them to ask another question: What should ordinary Americans do? Today, America's Independence Day, it's important to recognize the Iranian struggle for what it is: a grass-roots, vital movement for greater liberty enriched by more than a century of struggle against foreign powers, autocratic kings and repressive theocrats. Iran's rulers would have the world believe that the protesters are a minority inspired by foreigners, but this denies a fundamental piece of Iranian history.

UNITED STATES

Obama Prepares for Russia Summit, G8, Africa Visit - Paula Wolfson, Voice of America. US President Barack Obama is preparing for another round of international travel. He leaves Washington Sunday evening for a Moscow summit on arms control, followed by the annual Group of Eight Meeting in Italy, and what is sure to be an emotional trip to Ghana. In Moscow, the president will seek to reset the US relationship with Russia. Relations eroded in recent years by disputes over Georgia, NATO enlargement and other issues. He will meet individually with both Russian President Dmitri Medvedev and Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Their primary goal: to jumpstart negotiations on a new agreement to replace the soon-to-expire Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. Mr. Obama says it is important to consult with both men, noting Prime Minister Putin - the former president - still has a great deal of power. White House officials say Ghana is the perfect spot for a presidential visit after the G8, saying it is a shining example of good governance on the continent. "Ghana is a truly admirable example of a place where governance is getting stronger, a thriving democracy," said Michelle Gavin, the top White House advisor for Africa. The trip will end in Ghana on a highly emotional note.

A Soldier's Wife - Georgie Hanlin, Washington Post opinion. My childhood friend of 31 years visited my home on base, in Quantico, a few months after I gave birth to my first baby. As we took a leisurely stroll one evening through the lingering humidity of early September, I explained to her how different military life is from the world in which we grew up in San Francisco. We passed rows of colorful houses on the tree-lined, manicured blocks and gazed at the playgrounds around the neighborhood, ready to welcome the children of the officers who live there. American flags hung from virtually every front door. The occasional "My daddy fights for your freedom" bumper sticker adorned some vehicles. As we looped around the bend toward my house, my friend turned to me and asked, "How do you accept what your husband does for a living?" I glanced at her, startled. "What do you mean?" I asked. "I guess I just don't know how to accept it. I don't believe in war," she responded, matter-of-factly. My husband is an infantry captain for the U.S. Army. This week, he left on his sixth combat deployment with the 2nd Infantry Division's Stryker Brigade.

AFRICA

African Nations Sign Deal for Trans-Saharan Gas Pipeline - Wall Street Journal. Nigeria's state oil company said Nigeria, Algeria and Niger signed an agreement to create a $10 billion trans-Saharan gas pipeline to ship gas to Europe. Managing director Mohammed Barkindo said Friday the project was approved by energy ministers from the three governments. Nigeria's energy minister, Rilwanu Lukman, said the countries are now looking for partners for the project. Europe currently depends on Russia for much of its gas and is seeking new sources and routes, and the European Union recently lent its support to the project. Total SA and Eni SpA have expressed interest in joining the trans-Saharan pipeline project. Last month, Russia's state natural gas supplier Gazprom and Nigeria's main oil company agreed to create a joint venture to explore and produce oil and gas in Africa's most populous country. Gazprom's chief in Nigeria has said the Russian firm would invest $2.5 billion in the new venture. If Gazprom should gain control over Nigeria's gas resources, that could strip European consumers of a possible alternative to Russian gas supplies.

AMERICAS

Honduras Denies Late Appeal by OAS - William Booth, Washington Post. Honduran officials said Friday that they will not restore ousted President Manuel Zelaya to power, rebuffing a last-ditch appeal by the top diplomat for the Organization of American States in face-to-face meetings. Members of the OAS, the hemisphere's main diplomatic body, have given the new Honduran government until Saturday morning to permit Zelaya to return to office from exile. But appeals by OAS leader José Miguel Insulza, who flew to the Honduran capital Friday, appear to have failed. Insulza met with Jorge Rivera, the head judge at the Honduran Supreme Court. Rivera told the diplomat the judiciary had already issued a warrant for Zelaya's arrest and promised that the ousted president would be immediately detained if he came back to Honduras.

Envoy Seeks Ousted Honduran President’s Return - Marc Lacey, New York Times. Some of those who played behind-the-scenes roles in the ouster of the Honduran president told a top diplomat trying to resolve the country’s political crisis on Friday that they stood by their actions and would not permit Manuel Zelaya to return to office. The top envoy for the Americas, José Miguel Insulza, got a close-up view of the bitter political divide in Honduras. Amid street protests that drew tens of thousands of people on both sides of the issue, he met with many of the country’s political and judicial leaders, from whom he heard vigorous defenses of the military operation that removed Mr. Zelaya last Sunday. Mr. Insulza, secretary general of the Organization of American States, did not come here to gauge public opinion, however charged. Rather, he shuttled between closed-door meetings with the same stern message from the organization’s 33 other participating countries: if Mr. Zelaya was not returned to office by Saturday, Honduras would be expelled from the group and possibly face sanctions.

Isolated Nicaragua Senses Opportunity in Honduras Crisis - Tim Rogers, Christian Science Monitor. For Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, whose government has been on the defensive since last year's alleged electoral fraud, the military coup in Honduras has presented a golden opportunity to go on the offensive. "We are launching a battle for democracy," announced Mr. Ortega at a June 29 meeting of Latin American leaders, flanked by leftist presidents Raul Castro of Cuba and Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. In the hours following last Sunday's ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, Ortega quickly jockeyed himself into a leadership role in the region's condemnation of the coup. Taking advantage of the fact that Nicaragua was already scheduled to host a June 29 summit of Central American presidents, Ortega also invited the leftist members of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas (ALBA) and other Latin American leaders to attend. Within less than 24 hours, presidents and representatives from 20 Latin American and Caribbean countries had descended upon Managua, converting the city into what the Sandinista government glowingly called "the capital of democracy." Ortega, seated in the center chair at the banquet table, conducted the meeting as the master of ceremony. The Sandinista administration, which has been accused of trampling on democracy and isolating Nicaragua from the concert of nations, referred to the meeting as "one of the greatest democratic moments" for their government. Ortega's leadership role was hailed as a "cause of pride for Nicaragua."

ASIA-PACIFIC

North Korea Launches 3 Missiles Off Its East Coast - Blaine Harden, Washington Post. Defying the United States on Independence Day, North Korea fired three missiles on Saturday into the sea off its east coast. The test-firings came two days after North Korea, which is being squeezed by the US government and other countries for its recent nuclear test, fired four short-range missiles into the sea. North Korea had warned ships to avoid waters near its east coast through July 10 because of military exercises, and the test-firing were widely predicted. The South Korea military confirmed that three missiles had been fired on Saturday morning, but declined to say what type they were.

North Korean Missile Tests Reported - Choe Sang-Hun, New York Times. North Korea fired three missiles into the sea between the Communist state and Japan on Saturday morning, the South Korean military announced. News reports here called them ballistic Scud or Rodong missiles. The South Korean military declined to clarify what types of missiles the North had fired. But if the reports were correct, the North Korean tests on Saturday were bound to raise tensions between the North and its neighbors. After a nuclear test by North Korea on May 25, the United Nations Security Council adopted a resolution that, among other things, barred it from testing ballistic missiles. A South Korean military official, speaking on condition of anonymity citing government policy, said the missiles launched Saturday were believed to have flown no more than 300 miles, indicating that they might be the North’s Scud-type missiles. The South Korean news agency Yonhap quoted military sources as saying the missiles were either Scud or Rodong missiles.

North Korea Defies US with New Missile Launches - Jon Herskovitz, Reuters. North Korea test-fired four missiles on Saturday, South Korea's defense ministry said, in an act of defiance toward the United States that further stoked regional tensions already high due to its nuclear test in May. South Korea's Yonhap news agency said the missile were Scuds, which would mark an escalation by the reclusive North, which has fired several non-ballistic, short-range missile since the May 25 nuclear test. North Korea is barred by United Nations resolutions from firing ballistic missiles such as the Scud. "North Korea fired two missiles, which appeared to be a Scud type," Yonhap quoted an anonymous South Korean official as saying early on Saturday. "The missiles are estimated to have the range of about 500 km (310 miles)."

Myanmar Denies UN Chief's Request to See Opposition Leader - Associated Press. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon could leave Myanmar empty-handed after failing to win any concessions Friday during a rare meeting with the country's top military ruler or to gain permission to visit opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in jail. Mr. Ban talked for two hours with reclusive Senior Gen. Than Shwe in an ornate reception hall - complete with an indoor waterfall - in Naypyitaw, the junta's remote, newly built capital. It was a rocky start to what the UN chief predicted would be "a very tough mission" to win freedom for Ms. Suu Kyi, the 64-year-old Nobel Peace Prize laureate who has been detained by the junta for nearly 14 of the past 20 years and is now on trial charged with violating her house arrest. Mr. Ban emerged from Friday's meeting saying he still hoped to meet Ms. Suu Kyi before he leaves the country on Saturday night. "I told him that I wanted to meet her, but he told me that she is [on] trial," Mr. Ban told reporters after meeting with Gen. Than Shwe. "But I told him that this is my proposal, and this is important, and I'm waiting for their reply."

EUROPE

Putin: US-Russia Ties Will Improve if US Halts Missile Defense Plans - Voice of America. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin says US-Russian relations will move forward if the United States gives up its plans for deploying a missile defense system in Central Europe. Mr. Putin stressed his country's readiness for effective cooperation. But he said relations will improve if the United States would give up what he termed "its bloc mentality" and halt its approach to expanding military alliances, a clear reference to NATO. His comments in Russia's southern Krasnodar region, came just days before US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart are to open a summit in Moscow. Thursday, in an interview with the Associated Press, Mr. Obama said Mr. Putin still has a lot of influence in Russia. The US president and said he will tell Mr. Putin that old Cold War approaches to US-Russian relations are outdated. Mr. Putin rejected Mr. Obama's comments saying he always looks to the future.

Anti-Americanism Plays in Russia - Megan K. Stack, Los Angeles Times. When President Obama visits the Kremlin next week, he will face the task of trying to reset relations with a government that has built its power base and defined itself by its anti-American, neo-Cold War stance. It's an opportune moment for the United States to warm up a frosty relationship. Moscow could help on some of Washington's most intransigent foreign policy troubles, including Afghanistan, Iran and North Korea. But in Russia, there is scant evidence of a desire for a fresh start. Despite a reshuffle of power that installed Russian leader Vladimir Putin as prime minister and his career underling, Dmitry Medvedev, in the presidency, the Kremlin's policies remain unchanged, including its habit of drumming up anti-American sentiment to bolster political power at home.

Neighbor’s Shadow Still Large in Slovakia - Dan Bilefsky, New York Times. When the Czech Republic unveiled an avowedly satirical artwork to mark the beginning of its European Union presidency last January, neighboring Slovakia was depicted as a giant Hungarian sausage. It was a stinging humiliation for many Slovaks, who have spent centuries struggling to assert their own sense of nationhood, first as serfs under the Hungarian Kingdom in the 19th century and then as the poorer segment of the former Czechoslovakia. Slovakia complained until the Czech government apologized. The Slovak artist Martin Sutovec drew a caricature showing the Czechs as beetles wearing socks and sandals. Other critics said it was an insult that Slovakia - the first former Warsaw Pact country to join the euro, in January - was being compared with Hungary, the economic sick man of the region. The fierce reaction underlined both the insecurities that continue to dog the European project, and the ambivalence of relations between Slovakia and its richer, larger neighbor 16 years after their “velvet divorce” in 1993.

Mr. Obama and Mr. Medvedev - New York Times editorial. By the time President George W. Bush left office, Russian-American relations had deteriorated alarmingly. Russia bore a good part of the blame, harassing opponents, stifling a free press and bullying its neighbors. But Mr. Bush both enabled former President Vladimir Putin’s worst impulses and ignored his occasionally legitimate complaints. With President Obama scheduled to meet President Dmitri Medvedev of Russia in Moscow on Monday, both sides say they are eager to “reset” the relationship. One welcome sign: Officials said on Friday that Russia had agreed to let American planes fly over Russian territory to re-supply forces fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. There are certainly a lot of other difficult issues that need their joint attention.

MIDDLE EAST

Israel and US to Hold Second Meeting - Ethan Bronner, New York Times. The Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, and George J. Mitchell, the Obama administration’s Middle East envoy, will confer Monday for the second time in a week to pursue regional peace efforts, a senior Israeli official said Friday. The two met for four hours in New York on Tuesday. The meeting on Monday is to take place in London. There has been tension for several months because the United States has been asking for a total freeze in building Israeli West Bank settlements, partly as a means of confidence-building with the Arab world. Israel rejected the request, saying it was inhumane to the settlers and insufficiently important to the conflict. But Mr. Barak, who is the leader of Israel’s Labor Party and to the left of most of the rest of the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has been trying to bridge the gap. He told Mr. Mitchell on Tuesday that Israel could accept a freeze of three to six months on new building in all settlements outside Jerusalem if it were part of a broader endeavor that included a Palestinian promise to seek an end to the conflict as well as reciprocal steps from the Arab world.

Syrian Leader Invites Obama to Visit, Raising Hope of Policy Shift - Associated Press. Syria’s president sent a Fourth of July message full of praise to President Obama on Friday and invited him to visit Syria. These were the latest signs that Syria is hedging its bets in the politics of the Middle East, warming up to the United States at a time when Syria’s longtime ally Iran is in turmoil. The United States and its Arab allies have been hoping to pull Syria away from its alliances with Iran and Islamic militant groups in the region. Syria seems unlikely to take such a dramatic step, but it does appear worried about Iran’s reliability and the long-term impact of postelection unrest in the country. Also, Hezbollah, a militant organization supported by Iran, suffered a setback when its coalition failed to win parliamentary elections in Lebanon last month; it was defeated by a pro-Western coalition. President Bashar al-Assad of Syria has been expressing hopes for better ties with the United States for months. But the latest developments may make dialogue look more likely.

BOOKS

Horse Soldiers: The Extraordinary Story of a Band of Soldiers Who Rode to Victory in Afghanistan - Doug Stanton.

Horse Soldiers tells the important story of the Special Forces soldiers who first put American boots on the ground in Afghanistan in 2001. Fighting alongside the Northern Alliance, the troops, often riding on horseback, achieved several important victories against the Taliban.

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.