24 November SWJ Roundup
Afghanistan Report Shows Security, Governance Gains - AFPS
Pentagon Report Cites Gains in Afghanistan - New York Times
Progress in Afghan War Called 'Uneven' - Washington Post
Pentagon Offers Grim Status Report on Afghanistan - Los Angeles Times
Pentagon Report Sees Some Progress in Afghan War - Washington Times
Afghanistan Report Describes Slow Gains in Security - Stars and Stripes
U.S.: Afghan Violence Soars, Insurgency Expanding - Reuters
U.S. Says Violence Reaches All-time High - BBC News
Senior Taliban Leader a Fake, Officials Say - Los Angeles Times
Taliban Imposter: Sign of War Gains Proves False - Wall Street Journal
Taliban Impostor Reveals Perils of Negotiation - Washington Post
Afghanistan Shifts from Reconciliation - Christian Science Monitor
Petraeus: NATO to Squeeze the Life Out of Taliban - Associated Press
With an Eye on a Drawdown, U.S. Growing its Force - Stars and Stripes
Peace Talks a Function of Afghan Government - AFPS
Afghanistan Releases Majority of Election Results - Associated Press
Protests In Kabul as Afghan Poll Results Released - Reuters
Afghanistan May Indict Voting Officials - New York Times
Afghan Election Body to Release Final Result Wednesday - Reuters
Afghan Election Officials Suspended - BBC News
Analysis: Tanks to Afghanistan - New York Times
Worse Than Vietnam - New York Times opinion
Futile Death in Afghanistan - Washington Times opinion
Taliban's 'Burn a Koran Day' - Washington Times opinion
Pakistan
Pakistani Interior Minister Denies Flood Aid Corruption - BBC News
Pakistan Blasphemy Law 'Should be Abolished' - BBC News
Bomb Kills 1 Pakistani Soldier in Northwest - Associated Press
Korean Peninsula
SWJ Korea News and Opinion Update - Small Wars Journal
Iraq
Lawmaker Blasts Asylum Offers for Iraqi Christians - Associated Press
Police: 4 Killed in Drive-By Shootings in Iraq - Associated Press
Iran
Report Suggests Problems with Iran's Centrifuges - New York Times
IAEA Confirms Iran Temporarily Shut Down Centrifuges - Washington Post
Iran Ramps Up Uranium Enrichment Despite Shutdown - Los Angeles Times
U.N. Reports Iranian Nuclear Problems - Washington Times
Iran 'Halted Enrichment Temporarily' Says U.N. Watchdog - BBC News
U.N. Nuke Agency: Iran Enrichment Temporarily Halted - Associated Press
U.S. Says IAEA Report Shows Iran Still Defiant on Nukes - Reuters
Ahmadinejad Adviser Says Sanctions Failed - Washington Post
Transcript of Interview with an Ahmadinejad Adviser - Washington Post
Iran Lawmakers Complain About Ahmadinejad - New York Times
Gambia Cuts Ties with Iran and Orders Diplomats to Go - BBC News
Iran Says Woman Sentenced to Stoning May Be Spared - Associated Press
Iran: Pollution Causes Shutdown in Tehran - BBC News
U.S. Department of Defense
Virginia Officials More Optimistic on JFCOM After Meeting Gates - Daily Press
Fears Ease over Joint Command's Closing in Va. - Associated Press
Big Change in JFCOM Debate - Suffolk News-Herald
United Nations
U.N. Reports Fragile Progress Against AIDS - New York Times
U.N. Says AIDS Epidemic Slows, Infections Dropping - Associated Press
At U.N., Groups Cite Gains Against Land Mine Deaths - Associated Press
International Criminal Court
Witness at War Crimes Trial Weeps Over Girl's Rape - Associated Press
Piracy
Somali Piracy Trial: U.S. Jurors Deliberate Over Verdict - BBC News
Africa
Nigeria to Hold Presidential Election on 9 April - BBC News
Nigeria's Mend Militants Claim Oil Pipeline Attack - BBC News
Nigeria: Lagos to be Africa's Biggest City - BBC News
Kenyans Arrested 'On Way to Join Somalia's al-Shabab' - BBC News
Egypt Says "Amazed" By Ethiopia's Nile Remarks - Reuters
Egypt Eyes Sudan for Wheat Needs - Associated Press
Somali Cabinet Fight Exposes Political Paralysis - Associated Press
Gambia Cuts Ties with Iran and Orders Diplomats to Go - BBC News
Americas and Caribbean
Mexico's Booming Meth Industry - Washington Post
Mexican Expats Warned About Holiday Travel Home - Los Angeles Times
Poll: 49 Pct of Mexicans Think Drug War a Failure - Associated Press
Brazil Police Battle Rio de Janeiro Gang Violence - BBC News
Cuba Says Still Investigating Jailed American - Reuters
U.N.: Haiti Cholera Spreading Faster Than Predicted - Reuters
Asia Pacific
U.S. Envoy Bosworth Calls Nuclear Talks With China Useful, Complete - VOA
China Sets Tough Line in Climate Talks - New York Times
China Turns Up Heat on Taiwan to Talk Politics - Reuters
Flournoy Reinforces U.S. Commitment to Asia, Pacific - AFPS
Survivors Fill Hospitals as Cambodia Toll Rises - New York Times
Officials Probe Fatal Stampede in Cambodia - Washington Times
Gunmen Kill Three Muslims In Southern Thailand - Reuters
Philippines Marks Anniversary of Political Massacre - Voice of America
Burma's Leading Dissident Reunites With Youngest Son - New York Times
Central Asia
17 Sentenced Over Kyrgyz Ethnic Violence - Associated Press
Europe
European Police Arrest 11 Suspected of Plotting Attack - New York Times
Police Arrest 10 Over Belgian 'Islamist Terror Plot' - BBC News
Ten Detained in European Anti-Terror Sweep - Associated Press
Political Turmoil Deepens in Ireland - New York Times
Irish Voters Shifting Allegiance to Nationalist Sinn Fein - Washington Post
Political Chaos Engulfs Ireland, Threatens Bailout - Associated Press
E.U. / IMF Ireland Package to Total 85 Billion Euros - Reuters
Middle East
Palestinians Criticize Israeli Land Bill - Voice of America
Eviction of Palestinians Underlines Tensions Over Jerusalem - New York Times
Israel Stakes Out Lonely Position on Jerusalem - Associated Press
Israel: Law Requiring Public Vote to Surrender Land Stirs Ire - Los Angeles Times
IAEA: Syria's Nuclear Stonewalling Deepens - Reuters
Explosion In North Yemen Kills 12 Rebels - Reuters
South Asia
India to Deploy 36,000 Extra Troops on Chinese Border - BBC News
Indian Forces Kill Maoist Rebels in Chhattisgarh - BBC News
Turning Around an Indian State - New York Times
Indian Pol Wins Election on His Record, Not Caste - Associated Press
SWJ Korea News and Opinion Update
'Crisis Status' in South Korea After North Shells Island - New York Times
North Sparks Korea Crisis - Wall Street Journal
North Korea Fires on South - Washington Times
Two South Korean Civilians Died in Attack by North - BBC News
North Korean Attack: Two Civilian Bodies Found - Daily Telegraph
Tensions High as North, South Korea Trade Shelling - Associated Press
N. Korean Attack Leaves U.S. with Few Good Options - Washington Post
U.S. to Send Carrier for Joint Exercises Off Korea - New York Times
U.S. Scrambles to Limit Korea Hostilities - Los Angeles Times
Obama Meets with Top Advisers on Korea Situation - Voice of America
U.S. Firm in Support of South Korea - New York Times
U.S. Vows Unified Response to N. Korea - Reuters
White House Condemns North Korean Attack - AFPS
U.S. Promises 'Measured, Unified' Response to North Korean Attack - VOA
Pentagon: No Plan for Military Response to North Korean Attack - VOA
U.S. Aircraft Carrier Heads For Korean Waters - Reuters
U.S. and South Korea to Hold Joint Military Exercise - BBC News
U.S. to Support South Korea with War Games - Agence France-Presse
Gates Condemns Attack on South Korea - AFPS
Pentagon Monitors Korean Situation With Concern - AFPS
Concern in Asia After North Korean Attack - Voice of America
China Voices Concern on N. Korea Artillery; Calls for Dialogue - Bloomberg
A Day After Island Shelling, Anxiety Settles in Seoul - New York Times
S. Korea Warns North After Clash - BBC News
South Korea Talks Tough After North Korea Artillery Attack - Reuters
China Calls for Talks, Stability on Korean Peninsula - Voice of America
U.N. Chief Condemns N. Korea Attack on South - Associated Press
From the North, a Pattern of Aggression - New York Times
A Nettlesome Neighbor for China - New York Times
South Mingles Toughness with Calls for Calm - Christian Science Monitor
North Korea Firing: Why Now? - BBC News
Analysis: Attack Is North Korean Bid for Attention - Associated Press
Scenarios: Why did North Korea Launch its Latest Attack? - Reuters
Theories Abound on N. Korea Attack - CNN News
Behind the Koreas' Artillery Fire: Kim's Succession - Time
Seoul: N. Korea's Attack to Bolster Heir - Sydney Morning Herald
Analysts Focus on North Korea's Leader after Shelling - New York Times
Analysis: North Korea Pulls U.S. Back - Reuters
8 Provocations of the Past Decade - Christian Science Monitor
Q&A: North Korea Shells South Korean Island - Daily Telegraph
In Pictures: Korea Shelling Aftermath - BBC News
North Korea's Latest Horror Show - Washington Post editorial
A Very Risky Game - New York Times editorial
Shellshocked by N. Korea - Los Angeles Times editorial
Rogue-state Vogue - Washington Times editorial
North Korea's Message - Washington Post opinion
Why We're Always Fooled by North Korea - Wall Street Journal opinion
Nuclear Blinders - Los Angeles Times opinion
Eventually the Kim Dynasty Must End - Foreign Policy opinion
Kim Jong Il: Lunacy as His Principal Export - Foreign Policy opinion
N. Korea and the Ripple Effects of U.S. Foreign Policy - National Review opinion
Crisis, What Crisis? - FOX News opinion
Getting Serious about North Korea's Nukes - National Review opinion
How to Respond to North Korea - New York Times opinion series
Restrepo to debut on the National Geographic Channel
Monday, November 29 at 9pm ET/PT
Restrepo chronicles the deployment of a platoon of U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan's Korengal Valley. The movie focuses on a remote 15-man outpost, Restrepo, named after a platoon medic who was killed in action. It was considered one of the most dangerous postings in the U.S. military. This is an entirely experiential film: The cameras never leave the valley; there are no interviews with generals or diplomats. The only goal is to make viewers feel as if they have just been through a 94-minute deployment. This is war, full stop. The conclusions are up to you.
Video from Restrepo: "Soldiers and Villagers" - The captain in the Korengal valley meets with the villagers to establish good faith.
Video from Restrepo "Where the Taliban Begins" - The soldiers at the Korengal Outpost have seen much more fighting than most soldiers stationed in Afghanistan.
For more information about the TV premiere of Restrepo, please visit www.natgeotv.com/restrepo. For additional information about the film, please visit www.restrepothemovie.com, and join us on Facebook and Twitter.
DIRECTORS' STATEMENT
The war in Afghanistan has become highly politicized, but soldiers rarely take part in that discussion. Our intention was to capture the experience of combat, boredom and fear through the eyes of the soldiers themselves. Their lives were our lives: We did not sit down with their families, we did not interview Afghans, we did not explore geopolitical debates. Soldiers are living and fighting and dying at remote outposts in Afghanistan in conditions that few Americans back home can imagine. Their experiences are important to understand, regardless of one's political beliefs. Beliefs can be a way to avoid looking at reality. This is reality. — Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
TIM HETHERINGTON -- Producer / Director / Camera
Tim Hetherington is an acclaimed photographer and filmmaker who has reported on conflict for more than 10 years. He was the only photographer to live behind rebel lines during the recent Liberian civil war -- work that culminated in the film Liberia: An Uncivil War and the book "Long Story Bit by Bit: Liberia Retold" (Umbrage, 2009). Hetherington is the recipient of four World Press Photo prizes, including World Press Photo of the Year (2008), and an Alfred I. duPont Broadcast Award (2009) for his work in Afghanistan. A native of the UK, he is based in New York and is a contributing photographer for Vanity Fair Magazine. Hetherington's book of photographs, "Infidel," with an introduction by Sebastian Junger, is a collection of images taken during his time with the men of Second Platoon and was published in October 2010 by Chris Boot Ltd. More information on Hetherington can be found at www.timhetherington.com.
SEBASTIAN JUNGER -- Producer / Director / Camera
New York-based writer and journalist Sebastian Junger is the best-selling author of "The Perfect Storm," "Fire" and "A Death in Belmont." He first reported from Afghanistan in 1996 and, four years later, was one of the last Westerners to accompany legendary guerrilla fighter Ahmed Shah Massoud (while reporting for National Geographic) during his war against the Taliban. Junger has reported for Vanity Fair Magazine, where he is a contributing editor, from many war zones across the world: He was trapped in Monrovia during the Liberian civil war in 2003, caught in Sierra Leone during the civil war of 2000 and very briefly held by "oil rebels" in the Niger Delta in 2006. His October 1999 article in Vanity Fair, "The Forensics of War," won a National Magazine Award for Reporting. He has also won an Alfred I. duPont Broadcast Award for his cinematography while embedded with American soldiers for ABC News. Junger's latest best-selling book, "War," is about his time in the Korengal Valley with Second Platoon. (Twelve,www.twelvebooks.com.)
A Tale of Two Manuals
From Trinquier and Galula to Petraeus
Hat tip to Paula Broadwell.
Pros and cons on Galula model
Dr. Peter Mansoor
The Galula model applies in those cases where the population of a country is more concerned about the effectiveness and legitimacy of its government than in its sectarian or ethnic make-up. "Classic" counterinsurgency efforts to improve the legitimacy of a government are then operative. In those cases where sectarian or ethnic identity trumps other factors (e.g., Sri Lanka or Chechnya), then protecting the people will avail the counterinsurgent little in the way of gaining their trust and confidence. In these cases, other strategic or operational approaches need to be considered.
Iraq was not a clear cut case in either direction. Although the Sunnis were initially opposed to the coalition's efforts to stabilize Iraq, they eventually supported American efforts to protect them from violence and intimidation during the surge in 2007 and 2008. In Afghanistan it is too early to tell whether or not the Pashtuns can be reconciled to the government in Kabul. As in Iraq in 2006, I think it would be premature to claim definitively that a counterinsurgency campaign focused on protecting the people will or will not work. Dr. Peter Mansoor (COL US Army ret.) is the Raymond E. Mason Jr. Chair in Military History, Ohio State University.
Dr. Steven Metz
To me, the Cold War/Maoist model of insurgency applied in situations where new segments of a society were becoming politically aware or mobilized and thus made demands on the state which it could not fulfill. These demands were both tangible--infrastructure, security, education--and intangible (a sense of identity). That's why I think it has very little applicability to current insurgencies. Granted current insurgencies attempt to emulate the Maoist strategy because it worked in the past, but I think this will lead to failure. Dr. Steven Metz is Research Professor of National Security Affairs at the Strategic Studies Institute.
Dr. David Betz
The work of the French officer David Galula was clearly very influential on the thinking of the authors of FM 3-24 Counterinsurgency. There is certainly a lot to like. For one thing, his book Counterinsurgency Warfare is less than 150 pages long which makes it an easy read—four cups of tea and a Sunday afternoon will get you through it. For another, it's written in a very aphoristic style which is highly memorable. So if you're trying to get across to a large number of people a number of 'best practices' or paradoxes of COIN then Galula is a very good assigned reading. The truth is though that most COIN best practice would fit on a bumper sticker. In fact the new UK Field Manual on COIN comes with a laminated credit card sized aide memoire on one side of which are printed the principles of COIN and on the other ISAF's game plan for stabilizing Afghanistan. I'm not criticizing—I think it's a handy thing; my point is rather that Galula and his interpreters sometimes sound a bit like Kipling's 'Just So' stories. In practice, it's complicated, as one sees in Galula too if you read his longer, messier, more ambiguous and more rewarding book Pacification in Algeria. Anyway, to get to the point I have three main reservations about Galula.
First, as Thomas Rid observes in his recent essay 'The 19th Century Origins of Counterinsurgency Doctrine' in the Journal of Strategic Studies, Galula was essentially interpreting 100 years of French practice, Bugeaud, Lyautey and Gallieni, for an American audience. However revolutionary it seemed at Harvard and RAND in the early 1960s it would not have seemed so at the time in France. Nor for that matter, in the UK which had a subtly different tradition of pacification of 'uncivilized peoples' as C.E. Callwell put it in his classic Small Wars, Their Principles and Practice. Somewhat counter-intuitively, personally, I find such authors writing from the era of the 'Belle Epoque' to be even more relevant to our day than those dealing with the post-war era of decolonization.
Second, I've always felt that, whatever else his contributions, Galula was responsible for perhaps the most fundamental and widespread theoretical mistake in the literature when he talked about propaganda: 'The asymmetrical situation has important effects on propaganda. The insurgent, having no responsibility, is free to use every trick... Consequently, propaganda is a powerful weapon for him... The counterinsurgent is tied to his responsibilities and to his past, and for him, facts speak louder than words... For him, propaganda can be no more than a secondary weapon, valuable only if intended to inform and not to fool.' Such a reactive mindset is a heavy burden to bear in an era of intensely mediatised conflicts such as those which we are fighting now.
Third, following from the above, and most importantly, Galula is really talking about the Maoist model at the core of which is the biggest bumper sticker of them all: 'The population is the prize!' Is it really? What is 'it', for that matter? As my colleague John Mackinlay has argued in his recent book The Insurgent Archipelago we are now faced with a form of insurgency which is 'Post-Maoist'. Maoist insurgent objectives were national, whereas post Maoist objectives are global; the population involved in a Maoist insurgency is manageable (albeit with difficulty) whereas the populations (note the plural) involved in Post Maoist insurgency are dispersed and unmanageable; the centre of gravity in Maoist insurgency is local or national whereas in Maoist insurgency it is multiple and possibly irrelevant; the subversion process in Maoist insurgency is top down whereas in Post Maoist insurgency it is bottom up; Maoist insurgent organization is vertical and structured whereas Post Maoist is an unstructured network; and whereas Maoist insurgency takes place in a territorial context, the Post Maoist vital terrain is virtual. I don't find Galula especially relevant to all this; indeed in point of fact I find him unhelpful on the matter of propaganda.
There are other more relevant people to be reading and challenging. The social theorist Manuel Castells most importantly. He argues that de-territorialized insurgency is the paradigmatic conflict type of the Information Age. 'The conflicts of our time,' he says, 'are fought by networked social actors aiming to reach their constituencies and target audiences through the decisive switch to multimedia communications networks.' If that sounds like academic fancy consider that Britain's Chief of Defence Staff, General Sir David Richards, appears to think the same thing, as he argued in a speech last year at the IISS 'Conflict today, especially because so much of it is effectively fought through the medium of the Communications Revolution, is principally about and for People—hearts and minds on a mass scale.'
To be honest, I'm not exactly sure what Richards understands by 'hearts and minds on a mass scale' but even so I have the impression that he thinks we have moved quite a long way from Pacification in Algeria, and so do I. Dr. David Betz is Senior Lecturer in the Department of War Studies, King's College, London.
Dr. Alex Marshall
My issue with the Maoist Paradigm is really two-fold.
My first reservation, as a historian, is that we lack a definitive English-language study of Maoist insurgency itself beyond some fairly stereotyped notions of a three-stage or five-stage revolutionary process (from political agitation to guerrilla conflict to regular warfare). Galula and Thompson were great generalizers, but one can scarcely call their work proper historical studies-their general view was that Maoist-style insurgencies involved a degree of mass brainwashing for example. We possess some interesting case studies of how Maoist mobilization worked in practice on the ground, in individual villages or Shanghai for example, but there is so much more that could be done. Thus Western writing during the Cold War in general generated a shorthand stereotype, when in reality insurgency practice was often more diverse. The reason was simple I suggest-most successful insurgents aren't particularly pithy writers (Guevara and Mao were exceptions), most unsuccessful ones are very quickly dead.
My second concern is more overarching however. The majority of discourse on COIN doesn't take into account the strategic context, remaining locked into the operational level instead. So for example most COIN theory today invokes the importance of institution building (essentially state building, though no longer a state 'we' own), but ignores the broader neoliberal economic context which robs states of many of the tools that they had in the past. It's pretty hard for any government to earn credibility in the eyes of it's own population if private security firms are running rampant along the highways. It's also pretty hard to generate traditional carrots if IMF and World Bank advice is to privatise everything that isn't nailed down (and most of what is), even in a state that is already as capacity poor as Afghanistan. Ha-Joon Chang is eloquent on some of these crazy economic models. On top of that, one must add the proliferation of actors and agendas in any modern western intervention makes the implementation of the older COIN models problematic, as PRTs in Afghanistan for example demonstrate in microcosm. So I would suggest that the majority of writing on COIN remains enemy centric, that is to say that it remains focused on the insurgent him/herself. Here is here a reasonable debate as to whether many insurgencies really remain traditionally 'Maoist', with a fair degree of talk of transnational actors and global jihadists and the fact that mobilizing vast numbers may no longer be important, but actually still a relatively shallow base of historical knowledge. But there is much less discussion of how the strategic situation of the major counter-insurgent force-now typically an intervening major western power-has changed radically in ways which make applying COIN, whether 'counter-Maoist COIN' or some vaguely updated concept, much more problematic. To paraphrase Paul Rogers, we've sleepwalked into a Cold War-era model of 'liddism' (intervening to 'keep a lid' on radicalisation), when dealing with problems that are both more diverse that that, and also not necessarily resolvable using the now not-very-joined-up Western strategic context. Dr. Alex Marshall is Lecturer in History at the University of Glasgow. He has published recently "Imperial nostalgia, the liberal lie, and the perils of postmodern counterinsurgency", Small Wars & Insurgencies, June 2010, Vol 21, No. 2, 233 — 258.
23 November SWJ Roundup
Taliban Leader in Secret Talks Was an Impostor - New York Times
Officials: Negotiator for Taliban an Impostor - Washington Post
Man Involved in Afghan Talks Said to Be Impostor - Associated Press
Children Safe in Kabul, Says NATO Ambassador; Aid Groups Disagree - VOA
NATO Official Clarifies Kabul Child Safety Comment - BBC News
Afghan President Still Against NATO Night Raids - Associated Press
Afghan Election Body to Release Final Result Wednesday - Reuters
NATO Official Sparks Criticism Over Safety Remarks - New York Times
Sending Tanks to Afghanistan, Part I - New York Times
Tanks to Afghanistan, a Soldier Writes - New York Times
Afghan Fighting Kills More Than 30 Insurgents - Associated Press
Army Reviews Leadership in Afghan Civilian Deaths - Associated Press
Training Pays Dividends for 101st Soldiers in Afghanistan - AFPS
Face of Defense: Female Advisor Heads to Afghanistan - AFPS
Pakistan
Christian Seeks Pardon in Pakistan Blasphemy Case - New York Times
Pakistan Hajj Scam Inquiry: Top Official Kept on Remand - BBC News
Iraq
Report Details Inadequacies of Iraqi Defense Ministry - Washington Post
Many Sunnis See Iraqi Justice System as Shiite Cudgel - Washington Post
Tariq Aziz Seeks Pardon From Iraqi President - Associated Press
Iran
Iran's Nuclear Program Reportedly Struggling - Washington Post
Technical Woes Halt Some Iran Nuclear Machines - Reuters
Iran Strategy in Nuclear Talks: Stand Its Ground - Associated Press
Stuxnet 'Hit' Iran Nuclear Plans - BBC News
Iran: Computer Worm Didn't Harm Nuclear Program - Associated Press
Nations Should Be Cautious in Dealings With Iran, Gates Says - AFPS
Iran Official Says Life Of Woman May Be Spared - Reuters
Iran Nazi Website Allowed to Re-Open - Reuters
International Criminal Court
War Crimes Trial Begins for Congolese Politician - New York Times
Congo's Bemba Pleads Not Guilty to Murder, Rape - Associated Press
Bemba Denies War Crimes Charges - BBC News
Congo Ex-VP Bemba on Trial In Hague For War Crimes - Reuters
Highlights of Congolese Rebel Leader on Trial In Hague Court - Reuters
Terrorism
Top US Military Officer Says Al-Qaida Threat from Yemen is 'Serious' - VOA
Piracy
Anti-Piracy Force Nets 16 Suspected Somali Pirates - Associated Press
Hamburg Trial of Suspected Somali Pirates Begins - BBC News
Somalis Charged With Piracy Go on Trial In Germany - Reuters
Convention on Cluster Munitions
U.S., China, Russia Resist Weapons Pact - Reuters
WikiLeaks
WikiLeaks Says Next Leak 7 Times Larger Than Iraq Logs - Agence France-Press
WikiLeaks: New Release 7 Times Size of Iraq Logs - Associated Press
U.S. Department of Defense
Marine General's Son Laid to Rest at Arlington - Los Angeles Times
Method to Erase Traumatic Memories May be on the Horizon - Baltimore Sun
U.S. Military Launches World's Largest Satellite - Money Times
Va. Leaders Head to Pentagon in Bid to Save JFCOM - Virginian-Pilot
Pentagon Officials to Meet to Address F-35 Program's Problems - Star-Telegram
Services Meet New Fiscal Year With Recruiting Success - AFPS
DOD Tries to Uncover Secret of Flying Snakes - Washington Post
United States
Alleged Russian Arms Smuggler's Wife Calls U.S. Extradition Illegal - VOA
Report: Nuclear Weapon Drivers Sometimes Got Drunk - Associated Press
Administration to Seek Balance in Airport Screening - New York Times
Nearly Two-thirds of Americans Support Full-body Scanners - Washington Post
TSA Revolts Grow at Grass Roots - Washington Times
TSA is a Joke to al Qaeda, Too - Washington Times editorial
TSA Outcry is Really a Call for Profiling - Washington Post opinion
Do Body Scanners Make Us Safer? - New York Times opinion series
Hoyer: U.S. Jurors Might Enjoy Trip to Gitmo - Washington Times
Try Ahmed Ghailani at Gitmo - Washington Post opinion
Puerto Rico Arrests 12 Linked to Caribbean Drug Lord - Reuters
United Kingdom
Saudi School Lessons in U.K. Concern Government - BBC News
Lessons of Hate at Islamic Schools in Britain - New York Times
United Nations
U.N. Sees Possible Progress at Cancun Climate Talks - Associated Press
Africa
Task Force Prepares for Horn of Africa Mission - AFPS
S. Africa's Zuma to Mediate Zimbabwe Political Stand-Off - Voice of America
Nigeria: North Picks Candidate to Face Incumbent - Associated Press
Nigerian Ex-VP to Challenge Jonathan At Primaries - Reuters
Nigeria Police Arrest 152 Suspected Sect Members - Associated Press
Nigeria Militants Say Attack Pipeline to Refinery - Reuters
Voter Apathy High as Burkina Faso Votes in Presidential Poll - VOA
Americas and Caribbean
Opportunities for Cooperation Highlight Bilateral Meetings - AFPS
Bolivian President Criticizes U.S. in Front of Robert Gates - Los Angeles Times
Bolivian Leader Lectures Gates About U.S. Behavior - Associated Press
Bolivia's Morales: U.S. Seeks Excuse to Meddle In Latin America - Reuters
Brazil: Armed Men Use Roadblocks to Rob Rio Drivers - Associated Press
Mexico Cops Shoot Doctor in Hunt for Gov's Killers - Associated Press
No Return To Town Hit By Mexico Drug War - Associated Press
Mexico Migrants Told to Form Convoys - BBC News
Haiti Cholera Deaths Still Rising as Election Nears - BBC News
Postponing Haiti Polls Could Threaten Stability - Reuters
Asia Pacific
North and South Korea Exchange Fire Near Border - New York Times
North Korea Fires on South Korean Island - Los Angeles Times
N. Korea Fires Artillery onto S. Korean Island, 2 Dead - Associated Press
North Korea Shells South In Fiercest Attack In Decades - Reuters
S. Koreans Puzzle Over Motives Behind N. Korea's Attack - Los Angeles Times
S. Korea Could Seek Deployment of U.S. Tactical Nuclear Weapons - VOA
U.S. Officials: China Must Act on N. Korea Violation - Washington Times
U.S., China Disagree on More Nuke Talks With N. Korea - Associated Press
N. Korea Suggests Discarding Ine Nuclear Arms Programs - Washington Post
Mind Games at the Table with North Korea - Los Angeles Times
Diplomats Hold Talks in About N. Korea's Uranium Enrichment Program - VOA
North Korea Nuke Revelations Stir U.S. Policy Worry - Associated Press
U.S. Envoy: N Korea Nuclear Plant 'Provocative' - BBC News
U.S. Open to North Korea Talks Despite Nuclear Advances - Reuters
U.S. Envoy Says Six-Party Talks Won't Resume - Associated Press
South Korea Digests News of North's Nuclear Site - New York Times
Analysis: N. Korea Likely Needed Outside Help for Centrifuge - Associated Press
Toll in Cambodia Stampede Rises - New York Times
Hundreds Die in Stampede at Festival in Cambodia - Associated Press
Hundreds Die in Cambodia Stampede - BBC News
Philippine Leader Vows Justice for 2009 Massacre - Associated Press
Burma Democracy Leader Suu Kyi Reunited With Son - Associated Press
Europe
Russia Proposes Divided Anti-Missile Defense System - Voice of America
Putin foe Nemtsov Assaulted on Return to Russia - Washington Times
Russia Could Shun European Rights Court - Reuters
Germany: Reichstag Cupola Shut Due to Threat - Associated Press
Germany to Scrap Conscription Mid-2011 - Associated Press
Serbia Shifting West, Away Russia - Associated Press
Serbia Prosecutors to Appeal 2 War Crimes Verdicts - Associated Press
In Europe Debt Crisis, Some Call Default a Better Option - New York Times
Irish Leader to Dissolve Government After Budget - New York Times
Irish PM's Own Party Rebels, Plans to Replace Him - Associated Press
Irish Leader to Dissolve Government After Budget - Reuters
Portugal Unions Set Date For Big Strike - Reuters
Middle East
Israel Enacts Bill to Force Referendum on a Treaty - New York Times
New Israeli Law Could Slow Peace Efforts - Washington Times
Israel Passes Bill on Withdrawal from Land - BBC News
Israeli Referendum Bill Could Hinder Peace Moves - Associated Press
Israel Uses Facebook to Catch 1,000 Draft Dodgers - Associated Press
Israel Begins Work on Egypt Border Fence - Associated Press
Egypt Rejects International Election Observers - Voice of America
Expected Hezbollah Indictments Have Lebanese on Edge - Voice of America
Evidence Links Hezbollah to Hariri Death - Washington Post
Lebanon: Hezbollah Members Behind Hariri's Killing - Reuters
Saudi King Heads to U.S. for Medical Tests - Associated Press
South Asia
Indian Journalists Accused of Secretly Helping Politicians - Washington Post
Indian State Launches 'Militant Rehabilitation' Policy - BBC News
New Strategy Needed for Afghan Economic Growth
Via e-mail from CNAS:
Despite ongoing security challenges, the Afghan private sector has enormous opportunity for development and growth and will be a significant determinant to long-term stability in the country, according to the Center for a New American Security's (CNAS) new Voices from the Field policy brief Afghanistan's Willing Entrepreneurs: Supporting Private-Sector Growth in the Afghan Economy. Authors Jake Cusack and Erik Malmstrom are Iraq and Afghanistan combat veterans and graduate fellows at Harvard's Kennedy and Business Schools.
Afghanistan's Willing Entrepreneurs is based on over 130 on-the-ground interviews with business owners and key stakeholders in the Afghan cities of Kabul, Kandahar, Jalalabad, Mazar-e-Sharif and Herat. They describe five key characteristics of the Afghan business environment that have implications for policymakers: 1) Afghan businesses are responding rationally to economic incentives in a highly distorted economic environment; 2) uncertainty and unpredictability, not physical insecurity, are the fundamental obstacles to business; 3) businesses are adapting through strategies such as vertically integrating, pursuing short-term trading over long-term enterprises, and "buying" security; 4) many businesses feel threatened by the Afghan government; and 5) international actors distort the business environment in ways harmful to Afghan business.
"Based on our field research, we conclude that robust private sector development is possible and vital to Afghanistan's future... [but] private sector development is not a quick or easy solution to Afghanistan's ills," write Cusack and Malmstrom. "Moreover, it requires a fundamental shift: Afghan entrepreneurs must be empowered to be the key drivers. Outsiders must accept an enabling role while remaining aware of their potential to create harmful distortions. Importantly, this effort requires smarter policy and the right people, not necessarily more money. With targeted help, Afghanistan can see real and sustainable growth in the next decade and beyond."
Afghanistan's Willing Entrepreneurs is part of the CNAS Voices from the Field Series, a flagship program at CNAS that provides opportunities for members of the military and civilians who return from the front lines a venue to speak and write and help ensure that their unique and invaluable insights inform the national security community. The Kauffman Foundation, who funded the research, will release an expanded and detailed version of this report in December 2010.
Stay tuned for the forthcoming CNAS report on U.S. strategy in Afghanistan authored by CNAS Senior Fellow and Senior Advisor Lieutenant General David W. Barno, USA (Ret.), and CNAS Fellow Andrew Exum.
22 November SWJ Roundup
Afghanistan
U.S. Officials Confident on 2014 Date to End Combat in Afghanistan - VOA
NATO Adopts Transition Plan for Afghan War - Washington Post
NATO Sets 2014 Target for Afghan Pullout - Los Angeles Times
NATO, U.N. Pledge to Back Afghan Security Lead by 2014 - AFPS
Karzai and NATO Agree on Afghanistan Exit Strategy - BBC News
With Afghan Control by 2014, Obama Sees Combat End - Associated Press
Taliban Rejects NATO Withdrawal Timetable - Voice of America
Taliban Scorns NATO Plan - Los Angeles Times
Taliban Vows to Force NATO Out Before 2014 - Associated Press
Taliban: Afghan Withdrawal Timeline "Irrational" - Reuters
Gates Addresses Role in Afghanistan After Security Transition - AFPS
On TV, an Afghan Unit Tackles the Taliban - New York Times
NATO, Afghan Troops Kill 5 Insurgents in Attacks - Associated Press
Helmand Refugees Disheartened at U.S. Presence - Washington Post
Survey: Most Afghans in South Unaware of 2001 Terrorist Attacks on U.S. - VOA
Afghans Losing Patience in War - Associated Press
NATO Aide: Children Safer In Afghan Cities Than New York City - Reuters
Kabul' Safer for Children Than Many Western Cities' - BBC News
Caught on Tape, a Snippet of Afghan Voting Fraud - New York Times
Afghan Fraud Panel Disqualifies 19 Candidates - Associated Press
Afghan Election Watchdog Disqualifies 21 Winners - Reuters
Between Firefights, Jokes and Sweat, Tales and Tedium - New York Times
Afghans Want Country Back, Americans Should Listen - Washington Post opinion
Pakistan
Pakistan Cautiously Backs NATO's Afghan Plans - Reuters
U.S. Seeks Expansion of Drone Operations in Pakistan - Voice of America
U.S. Wants to Widen Area Where it Can Operate Drones - Washington Post
Pakistan Rejects U.S. Drone Expansion - Los Angeles Times
Foreign Militants, Taliban Figure Die in U.S. Strike - Associated Press
Suspected U.S. Drone Attack Kills 6 in Pakistan - Voice of America
Suspected U.S. Missiles Kill 6 in NW Pakistan - Associated Press
After Major Offensive, Pakistan Still Faces Serious Obstacles - Washington Post
Iraq
Iraqi Leaders Delay New Government - New York Times
New Iraqi Parliament Session Focuses on Procedure - Associated Press
Can a Flawed Political Agreement be Implemented? - Los Angeles Times
A Killing Set Honor Above Love - New York Times
Welfare Funding Runs Out in Iraq - Associated Press
What We Must Do for Iraq Now - New York Times opinion
Iran
Computer Worm Can Deal Double Blow to Nuclear Program - New York Times
Court Date Postponed for American Hikers Held in Iran - Los Angeles Times
Iran Sets February Trial Date for 3 Americans - Associated Press
German Paper Rejects Spy Claim About Its Reporters - Associated Press
Ahmadinejad Urges Girls to Marry at 16 - Associated Press
NATO
NATO Sees Long-Term Role After Afghan Combat - New York Times
Strategic Concept Will Guide Alliance for Next Decade - AFPS
Obama Praises Acceptance of NATO's New Strategic Concept - AFPS
NATO-Russia Relations at 'Turning Point' - Voice of America
Russia to Aid NATO on Anti-missile Network in Europe - Washington Post
Russia 'to Work with NATO on Missile Defence Shield' - BBC News
Summit Helps 'Reset' U.S.-Russia Relations, Obama Says - AFPS
Terrorism
Yemen: Qaeda Branch Aimed for Broad Damage at Low Cost - New York Times
Al-Qaeda Affiliate Threatens More Small-scale Bomb Attacks - Washington Post
Would-be Plane Bombers Post Attack Details - Associated Press
Al Qaeda Eyes Small U.S. Attacks At "Bargain" Prices - Reuters
Germany Seeks Suspects in Islamic Terrorist Plots - New York Times
Obama's Assassination List - Washington Times editorial
U.S. Not Prepared for Mumbai-like Attacks - San Francisco Chronicle opinion
U.S. Airport Security
TSA Grants Airline Pilots an Exception to Screenings - New York Times
Officials Feel Furor of Airport Pat-downs - Washington Times
TSA Has Met the Enemy, and They are Us - Associated Press
To Find the Needles, Reduce the Haystack - Los Angeles Times editorial
TSA's Security Charade - Washington Times editorial
The T.S. of A Takes Control - Washington Post opinion
Piracy
High-seas Piracy Drama Plays Out in U.S. Courtroom - Los Angeles Times
U.S. Piracy Trial Nears End in Virginia - Associated Press
10 Alleged Somali Pirates Being Tried in Germany - Associated Press
British Mercenaries Hired to Take On Somali Pirates - Daily Telegraph
WikiLeaks
International Warrant Issued for WikiLeaks Founder - Voice of America
International Criminal Court
For ICC, Frustration and Missteps in Its First Trial - New York Times
Congolese Ex-rebel Jean-Pierre Bemba to Face ICC Trial - BBC News
Committee to Protect Journalists
Persecuted Journalists to Receive Awards for Their Work - VOA
U.S. Department of Defense
Does America Need to Cut Defense Spending? - Washington Post
School of the Americas: A Protest Dwindles, if Not Its Passion - New York Times
USMC Whistleblower: Clearance Removal is Retaliation - Washington Post
'Don't Ask' Report to be Released a Day Early - Washington Post
Pentagon Trying to Get Ban Lifted This Year - Associated Press
Pentagon to Issue Report on Gays In Military Nov 30 - Reuters
Marines as the Biggest Backer of DADT - Washington Post opinion
United States
For Obama, a Little Help From His Friends - New York Times
Europe Concerned About a Possible Failure of New START - Washington Post
Clinton Says START Treaty is 'Beyond Politics' - Voice of America
Gates Warns Anew of Fallout if Russia Treaty Fails - Associated Press
START: The Democrats' Treaty Slump - New York Times
Europeans, Russia Urge U.S. Senate to Ratify START Treaty - Voice of America
Ex-Eastern Bloc Nations Tell U.S. Senate to Ratify New START - Washington Post
Gates Urges Ratification of U.S.-Russia Arms Treaty - AFPS
START: Indefensible - Los Angeles Times opinion
Close Watch on Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq - New York Times
A Dummy-Bomb Maker in an Unaccustomed Spotlight - New York Times
Clues to Stubborn Secret in CIA's Backyard - New York Times
Obama's Foreign Policy Needs an Update - Washington Post opinion
Africa
Sudan's Rival Factions Trade Voter Intimidation Charges - Voice of America
South Sudan Denies Voter Intimidation Charge Ahead of Referendum - VOA
Sudan's NCP Threatens to Reject Referendum Result - Reuters
Sudanese Accused of Trying to 'Extort' U.S. - Washington Times
Somalia: Mogadishu Mayor Sets Out to Rebuild the City - Washington Post
23 People Killed in Somalia Weekend Fighting - Associated Press
Nigerian Army Arrests Suspected Delta Kidnap Gang - BBC News
Soldiers in Madagascar End Barracks Mutiny - Voice of America
Army Storms Rebel Outpost in Madagascar - Reuters
Madagascar PM Says Mutiny Ends Without Bloodshed - Associated Press
Zambia Balances Chinese Investment, Workers' Resentment - New York Times
Official Campaigning Underway for Ivory Coast's Presidential Run-Off - VOA
Burkina Faso Goes to the Polls for Presidential Election - Voice of America
Congolese Ex-rebel Jean-Pierre Bemba to Face ICC Trial - BBC News
Detonator at Namibian Airport Was a Test Device - New York Times
Suspect Baggage in Namibia Was U.S. Test Mockup - Bloomberg
Namibia Suspicious Package Was a Security Test - Associated Press
Americas and Caribbean
Critics Say Mexican Revolution's Goals Are Elusive - Associated Press
Lawmakers Block Mexico's Crucial Drug War Reforms - Reuters
Mexico: 2 Bodies Hung From Bridge, Man Beheaded in Tijuana - Associated Press
Gunmen Kill Former Mexico Governor - Associated Press
Gunmen Slay Former Mexico State Governor - Reuters
Mexico Busts Gang Targeting Climate Summit - Reuters
Chavez: U.S. Wanted Drug Suspect to Smear Venezuela - Associated Press
Gates Visit Underscores Strong Relationship With Chile - AFPS
Gates Notes Value of Chile's Disaster Response Capabilities - AFPS
Mired in Crises, Haiti Struggles to Focus on Election - New York Times
Health Care Officials in Haiti say Cholera Easily Treated - Voice of America
Haiti Cholera Outbreak Response 'Inadequate', Says MSF - BBC News
Cholera's Second Fever: An Urge to Blame - New York Times
Cholera Fighting Efforts Restart In Haiti's North - Reuters
Asia Pacific
U.S. Official: North Korea Continues to Destabilize Region - Voice of America
Arms Bid Seen in New N. Korea Plant - New York Times
North Korea Enrichment Plant No Surprise to U.S. - Los Angeles Times
Mullen Calls North Korea's Actions 'Very Dangerous' - AFPS
Pentagon: New Facility Speeds N. Korean Nuke Ability - Associated Press
Security Firm Says North Korea Building Reactor - Voice of America
North Koreans Unveil Vast New Plant for Nuclear Use - New York Times
U.S. Alert: North Korean Uranium Enrichment Program - Washington Post
North Korea Nuclear Plant 'Confirms U.S. Suspicions' - BBC News
U.S.: N. Korea's Nuke Claim Provocative, Not Surprise - Associated Press
U.S. Envoy: Another North Korea Provocation, But No Crisis - Reuters
U.S. Envoy In Asia Amid New North Korea Nuclear Concern - Reuters
Top U.S. Envoy on North Korea to Visit Asia - Associated Press
North Korea: Beijing Holds the Key - Daily Telegraph editorial
Revisiting Policy Toward North Korea - Washington Post opinion
Japan Minister of Justice Quits Over Remarks - New York Times
Japan's Justice Minister Yanagida Quits Over Gaffe - BBC News
China's Billions Reap Rewards in Cambodia - Washington Post
Thailand Confronts Its Issues With Abortion - New York Times
Europe
No Sign of Imminent Militant Attack on German Reichstag - Associated Press
France Rejects 'Bin Laden Talks' to Free Hostages - BBC News
France Lashes Out at al-Qaida Message on Hostages - Associated Press
Ireland Asks for Aid From Europe, Minister Says - New York Times
Ireland Gains Support for an Emergency Bailout - Washington Post
Irish Prime Minister Says Budget Plans Are Already in Place - New York Times
The Hunt for Jobs Sends the Irish Abroad, Again - New York Times
French Fear 'Brain Drain' to the U.S. - New York Times
Elections Confirm Popularity of Polish Government - Associated Press
Russia's Dictatorship of Law - New York Times editorial
Middle East
Opposition Mounts to US Plan for Israeli Settlement Freeze - Voice of America
Middle East Peace and Midterm Maneuvers - New York Times
Abbas Insists on Halt to Settlements in East Jerusalem - New York Times
Abbas Rules Out Talks Without Full Settlement Freeze - BBC News
Abbas Insists on Jerusalem in Settlement Freeze - Associated Press
Abbas: No Talks Without East Jerusalem Building Freeze - Reuters
Israel Troops Get Suspended Sentence on Gaza Abuse - Reuters
Lebanon: Evidence Links Hezbollah to Hariri Death - Washington Post
Saudi King's Fragile Health Raises Succession Questions - Los Angeles Times
Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Reports More Arrests - Voice of America
Egypt Muslim Brotherhood Says More Than 1,000 Arrested - BBC News
Rights Group Cautions Egypt on Election Harassment - Associated Press
South Asia
Unlikely Person at the Heart of India's Scandal - New York Times