Please note: Due to some technical issues we have not been able to provide the recent news updates for this site. These should be solved soon. Columnists work is current.
(28 Aug 08)

We thank you for your patience.

OFF THE WIRE :

• Olmert pushes ahead on Palestinian, Syrian peace tracks
[Reuters, 07 Aug 08]
• Rice threatens sanctions on Iran over nuclear program
[AFP, 07 Aug 08]
• Mauritania junta promises free elections "soon"
[AP, 07 Aug 08]
• New battle in Georgian rebel region
[Reuters, 07 Aug 08]
• Mugabe, Zimbabwe opposition leader 'to meet soon'
[AFP, 07 Aug 08]
• Serb nationalists vow months of political action
[AP, 07 Aug 08]
• Kenya and Tanzania mark 10th anniversary of U.S. embassy attack
[AP, 07 Aug 08]
• Bush urges China to improve human rights
[International Herald Tribune, 07 Aug 08]
• Fatah allies seek refuge in West Bank
[AP, 04 Aug 08]
• Venezuelans protest Chavez's new socialist push
[AP, 07 Aug 08]
• Military panel convicts Osama bin Laden's former drive
[International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08]
• Peter Rodman, foreign policy expert, dies at 64
[International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08]
• American-trained neuroscientist charged with trying to kill U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.
[International Herald Tribune, 05 Aug 08]
• Russia looks to renew its influence in Cuba
[AP, 04 Aug 08]
• 16 Chinese police killed in suspected Uighur attack
[Christian Science Monitor, 04 Aug 08]
• Documents link U.S. anthrax scientist to terrorism warning
[International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08]

THE MIDDLE EAST, TURKEY & NORTH AFRICA :

International Herald Tribune, 07 Aug 08, by Ethan Bronner
Israel to free about 150 Palestinian prisoners
'Israel will release about 150 Palestinian prisoners, including perhaps a couple of prominent ones, at the end of this month as a gesture to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, officials from both sides said after a meeting on Wednesday between Abbas and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel.'

Reading Eagle/AP, 06 Aug 08, by Steven Gutkin, Anne Gearan, and Lolita C. Baldor
Israel beefs up strike capability, confident it could deal setback to Iran nuclear program
'Israel is building up its strike capabilities amid growing anxiety over Iran's nuclear ambitions and appears confident that a military attack would cripple Tehran's atomic program, even if it can't destroy it.'

Asia Times, 06 Aug 08, by Sami Moubayed
Syria exploits US loopholes
'Rather than isolate Syria, the United States' tough line on Damascus has made it an indispensable problem-solver in key regional issues. Washington's flawed perception of Syria as a "weak country" has led to it helping stabilize Iraq and Lebanon while also acting as a mediator with Iran. And for Syria, a peace deal with Israel is now a real possibility.'

Christian Science Monitor, 04 Aug 08, by Rafael D. Frankel and Joshua Mitnick
Fatah, Hamas rift widens amid new violence
'The Palestinian factions fought Saturday in the worst internal violence since Hamas's Gaza coup.'

[ recent stories from the Middle East ]

AFGHANISTAN & PAKISTAN :

Christian Science Monitor, 06 Aug 08, by Shahan Mufti
Can Pakistan clean up its intelligence agency?
'The US, India, and Afghanistan are pressuring the government to root out pro-Taliban agents.'

Asia Times, 07 Aug 08, by Syed Saleem Shahzad
US hopes pinned on Musharraf
'President Pervez Musharraf's fate hangs in the balance. The general who ruled Pakistan for eight years faces impeachment by the civilian government elected in February. If Musharraf falls, grand United States plans to tackle militancy in the country's tribal areas will also come tumbling down.'

International Herald Tribune, 07 Aug 08, by Jane Perlez
Pakistan coalition moves to impeach Musharraf
'Pakistan's usually fractious coalition government moved decisively for the first time on Thursday to impeach President Pervez Musharraf, who has been an important American ally in the campaign against terror but who has largely been pushed to the sidelines since his party lost elections in February.'

International Herald Tribune, 07 Aug 08, by Kirk Semple and Andrew W. Lehren
500: Deadly U.S. milestone in Afghan war
'Now, a war that had long been overshadowed by the one in Iraq is back in public view, at the forefront of both news media attention and the presidential campaign. The use of the Afghanistan war for political purposes disheartens the Blaskowskis, they say, but has at least one positive aspect.'

Asia Times, 06 Aug 08, by Sudha Ramachandran
Pakistan's problems spill into India
'Pakistan's recent incursion into Indian territory - the first since 1999 - has placed the five-year-old ceasefire between the countries in jeopardy. All the same, Delhi is aware that Pakistan's compulsions possibly have more to do with its problems with Taliban militants and al-Qaeda in its tribal areas than with antagonism towards India.'

International Herald Tribune/AP, 05 Aug 08
Taliban threaten to increase suicide attacks in Pakistan
'A spokesman for the Taliban warned the Pakistani government on Tuesday that if it does not end a military crackdown against insurgents in a restive northwestern mountain valley then it should expect to face an increase in suicide bombings.'

[ recent stories from Afghanistan and Pakistan ]

IRAQ :

International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08, by Campbell Robertson
Iraqi Army willing, but not ready, to fight alone
'While Americans and Iraqi civilians alike are increasingly eager to see combat operations turned over to the Iraqi Army, interviews with more than a dozen Iraqi soldiers and officers in Diyala Province, at the outset of a large-scale operation against insurgents led by Iraqis but backed by Americans, reveal a military confident of its progress but unsure of its readiness.'

International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08, by James Glanz and Campbell Robertson
As Iraq surplus rises, little goes into rebuilding
'Soaring oil prices will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as $79 billion by year's end, according to an American oversight agency. But Iraq has spent only a minute fraction of that on reconstruction costs, which are now largely borne by the United States.'

International Herald Tribune/Reuters, 04 Aug 08
Agreement on Kirkuk could speed vote in Iraq
'Iraqi political leaders reached a compromise Monday that could resolve a stalemate over the fate of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk and allow local elections to go ahead, the deputy speaker of Parliament said.'

[ recent stories from Iraq ]

IRAN :

International Herald Tribune/AP, 06 Aug 08
Nations weigh new Iran sanctions
'Major world powers agreed Wednesday to pursue new sanctions against Iran, even though the watered-down penalties already levied by the U.N. have only made Iran rush faster to perfect nuclear expertise.'

International Herald Tribune, 05 Aug 08, by Nazila Fathi
Iran escalates military rhetoric
'Iran warned Monday that it could easily close a critical Gulf waterway to oil shipments and said it had a new long-range naval weapon that could sink enemy ships nearly 200 miles away.'

[ recent stories from Iran ]

AFRICA :

Middle East Times, 06 Aug 08, by Sana Abdallah
Army Stages Bloodless Coup in Mauritania
'The army in Mauritania has returned to power after staging a bloodless military coup, arresting the president and prime minister after the elected head-of-state dismissed top army generals following a major political crisis in this Arab-African country.'

International Herald Tribune/AP, 06 Aug 08, by
Both sides in Zimbabwe condemn violence
'In an agreement signed July 21 providing a framework for the power-sharing talks, both opposition factions and ZANU-PF pledged to issue statements that would condemn "the promotion and use of violence and call for peace in the country." The negotiations started three days later, briefly broke down and then resumed Sunday. They have been held at a secret location in South Africa, mediated by a team led by President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa.'

Christian Science Monitor, 06 Aug 08, by Scott Baldauf
In Kenya, two protagonists and the conciliators
'In January, one of Africa's most stable democracies was violently ripping itself apart. How was it saved? In Part 3 of a four-part special report, the key players tell what happened.'

[ recent stories from Africa ]

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS :

Armed Forces Journal, Aug 08, by Peter Brookes
Flashpoint: As the terror turns
'The good news is that nearly seven years after Sept. 11, 2001, al-Qaida appears to be battered. The bad news is that like a prize fighter, it is bloodied, but not bowed – leaving it still capable of dealing a devastating blow. In June, CIA Director Michael Hayden trumpeted the good news, telling the Washington Post that al-Qaida movements in Iraq and Saudi Arabia were essentially defeated and struggling elsewhere, including in the terrorism hot-bed Pakistan. In truth, some doubt Hayden's take on Pakistan, especially with Osama bin Laden and his deputy Ayman al Zawahiri still on the loose in the tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan.'

Council on Foreign Relations, 05 Aug 08, by Greg Bruno
Redefining the War on Terror
'In the nearly eight years since the terror attacks of 9/11, the phrase "global war on terror" has morphed from a jingoistic slogan to the cornerstone of American foreign policy.'

Family Security Matters, 06 Aug 08, by Joel Himelfarb
Emboldening Terrorists: 'Moderates' Kowtow to Hezbollah
'Olmert's failure to defeat Hezbollah in the Lebanon war two years ago has helped create an emboldened, more dangerous terrorist group. Defense Minister and Labor Party leader Ehud Barak told Vice President Cheney last Monday that the number of missiles in Hezbollah's possession has doubled or tripled since the war two years ago, and their range has been extended significantly. Barak acknowledged the obvious: that UN Security Council Resolution 1701 – the ceasefire resolution which followed the 2006 fighting – did not work.'

Christian Science Monitor, 07 Aug 08, by editorial board
Build bridges in Turkey
'Turkey's Islamist party has escaped being banned. It now must reach out to secularists.'

International Herald Tribune, 05 Aug 08, by Ethan Bronner
In Gaza, a blurry line between enemies and friends
'The events of the past few days in and around Gaza – mortar and grenade battles, negotiations drawing in Israel and Egypt, and the bizarre denouement in which Israel both saved and interrogated scores of Palestinian fighters – offer a glimpse of the byzantine nature of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.'

Christian Science Monitor, 04 Aug 08, by editorial board
Can America still lead?
'The collapse of the Doha trade talks reveals a clash of giants over how to run the world.'

International Herald Tribune, 05 Aug 08, by
The other enemy in Afghanistan
'In the morass that is Afghanistan, not just the Taliban are flourishing. So too is opium production, which increasingly finances the group's activities.'

Christian Science Monitor, 07 Aug 08, by editorial board
America, take notice: a 'change' president – in France
'Sarkozy is delivering on his promise to break with the past.'

International Herald Tribune, 07 Aug 08, by Natsuko Waki, Reuters
The downside of sovereign wealth funds
'Since 2007, sovereign wealth funds, mainly from emerging economies with excess reserves, have spent nearly $80 billion to buy stakes in major banks desperately needing cash to repair balance sheets damaged by losses on U.S. subprime mortgages.'

[ recent commentary and analysis ]

ASIA & THE PACIFIC :

International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08, by Jim Yardley
China's leaders are resilient in face of change
'As Beijing was starting construction on its main Olympic stadiums four years ago, China's vice president and leading political fixer, Zeng Qinghong, warned the 70 million members of the ruling Communist Party that the party itself could use some reconstruction.'

Asia Times, 07 Aug 08, by Shawn W Crispin
US, Thailand: A conflicted alliance
'President George W Bush's farewell address to Asia was made symbolically in Thailand, where he heaped praise on the kingdom as his country's oldest Asian ally. Unaddressed was speculation from supporters of ousted prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra that Washington has backed the Thai military and put strategic interests before commitment to democracy.'

International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08, by Edward Wong
Town in China returns to normal a day after attack kills 16
'China portrayed the ambush of a military police unit as an act of terrorism and said the culprits were members of a group they contend has links to Al Qaeda.'

Christian Science Monitor, 05 Aug 08, by Simon Montlake
Philippines' peace accord blocked
'The Supreme Court prevented the signing of a territorial accord between the state and MILF, a rebel group, Monday. Opponents had called the deal unconstitutional.'

International Herald Tribune, 05 Aug 08, by Edward Wong
China eases tensions with Japan and Taiwan
'... when the Japanese Navy made its first Chinese port call since World War II and a Chinese charter plane ferried mainland tourists to neighboring Taiwan this summer, they were symbols not of China's dangerous rivalries, but of the diplomacy that President Hu Jintao has used to defuse them.'

International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08, by Seth Mydans
Exiles to ask Bush to engage Myanmar's generals
'Friday is the anniversary of a huge popular uprising, on Aug. 8, 1988, that was crushed by soldiers at the cost of some 3,000 lives, leaving the country in the grip of a military junta and setting the course of Myanmar's history ever since - and very likely well into the future.'

[ recent stories from Asia and the Pacific ]

BRITAIN, EUROPE & RUSSIA :

International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08, by Katrin Bennhold
France rejects Rwanda's charge of links to '94 genocide
'France dismissed as "unacceptable" on Wednesday a Rwandan report alleging the involvement of top-level French politicians, including former President François Mitterrand and former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, in the 1994 genocide that killed up to 800,000 people.'

International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08, by Judy Dempsey
German Social Democrats in trouble
'It just keeps getting worse for Germany's Social Democrats. As one of Europe's oldest and biggest left-wing parties, it has managed to survive many upheavals, from the times of the Kaiser starting in the 19th century through the Nazi era, the Cold War and, more recently, differences with the United States.'

International Herald Tribune, 04 Aug 08, by Stephen Castle
Two ways of looking at the Lisbon Treaty
'Nice was considered such a failure that, within a year, European leaders called for another effort to streamline the bloc's ramshackle institutions to help the EU play a bigger role on the global stage. The intervening years have seen two attempts to do so, first through a proposed European Constitution, rejected by French and Dutch voters in 2005. Then came the Lisbon Treaty, which the Irish rejected in a referendum in June.'

International Herald Tribune, 05 Aug 08, by Michael Schwirtz
Russians pay tribute to Solzhenitsyn
'Scientists and clergymen, dissidents and government officials - both Soviet and Russian - joined together Tuesday to bid farewell to Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian literary master who died Sunday evening. With his searing prose, Solzhenitsyn sliced into the propaganda of the Soviet Union, helping to alter the consciousness of a whole generation. For this, many braved driving rains in Moscow on Tuesday for a chance to offer final thanks.'

International Herald Tribune, 06 Aug 08, by Elisabetta Povoledo
Italy begins military effort to quell crime
'Soldiers were deployed throughout Italy on Monday to embassies, subway and railway stations, as part of broader government measures to fight violent crime here for which illegal immigrants are broadly blamed.'

[ recent stories from Europe, Britain and Russia ]

US MILITARY, THE PENTAGON, &
INTELLIGENCE :

Christian Science Monitor, 07 Aug 08, by Tom A. Peter
In Iraq, troops balance fighting and lending a hand
'Counterinsurgency efforts require US soldiers to shift from fighting to peacekeeping, but many feel ill-prepared to conduct investigations and interact with Iraqis.'

Military.com, 04 Aug 08, by PO3 James Harless
Coast Guard Celebrates 218th Birthday
'The Coast Guard is one of America's five armed forces and traces its founding to Aug. 4, 1790, when the first Congress authorized the construction of 10 vessels to enforce tariff and trade laws, prevent smuggling, and protect the collection of federal revenue.'

International Herald Tribune, 04 Aug 08, by Donald G. McNeil Jr.
'War Surgery in Afghanistan and Iraq: A Series of Cases, 2003-2007'
'A new book, quietly issued by the U.S. Army, is the first guidebook of new techniques for U.S. battlefield surgeons to be published while the wars it analyzes are still being fought.'

[ recent stories about the US military,
the Pentagon and intelligence ]