COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS ARCHIVE :

Please note : Most publications move older stories into their archives which may require a fee to view the full story. Some stories listed below may no longer be available online.

Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies, Dec 08, by J. Peter Pham
Imagining the Congo Secure and Stable
'the role of outside forces like [the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, MONUC] must be redefined…shift[ing] its emphasis to privilege the “responsibility to protect” and control the flow of people and matériel along its borders, rather than trying half-heartedly to use force to assert the expansive sovereignty claims of questionably legitimate central “governments” like the one which the younger Kabila inherited from his assassinated father.'

International Herald Tribune, 30 Dec 08, by Benny Morris
Why Israel feels threatened
'Israelis, or rather, Israeli Jews, are beginning to feel much the way their parents did in those apocalyptic days [of 1967]. ... The foreboding has two general sources and four specific causes.'

Christian Science Monitor, 31 Dec 08, by Alan M. Dershowitz
Israel, Hamas, and moral idiocy
'Much of the world's response is a false moral equivalence that simply encourages the terrorists.'

International Herald Tribune, 30 Dec 08, by editorial staff
There's plenty of blame to go around for Gaza's war
'Before the conflict spins out of control, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries will have to find ways to cajole or more likely threaten Hamas (or its patrons in Syria and Iran) to accept a new cease-fire.'

Christian Science Monitor, 30 Dec 08, by Timothy Rieger
Needed in Gaza: US inspectors, peacekeepers, and aid workers
'The US response thus far to Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip suggests that this double dose of human betrayal will be every bit the geopolitical phenomenon in the 21st century as it was in the 20th. The politics are different from the past, as are the weapons, but the human willingness to shaft the lives of innocents in the name of realpolitik hasn't changed a bit.'

International Herald Tribune, 28 Dec 08, by Rory Medcalf
China's gunboat diplomacy
'... with growing wealth, pride and ambition come expectations that Beijing will contribute to the safety of an interdependent world. It was only a matter of time before China, along with the other awakening giant India, joined the club of maritime security providers, using their fleets simultaneously for self-interest and the common good, whether fighting piracy, interdicting smuggling or delivering disaster relief.'

International Herald Tribune, 28 Dec 08, by editorial staff
Obama and Putin: How to improve relations
'America's leverage over Russia's behavior has been limited further by the widespread conviction among Russians that so long as they appeared to be weak, the United States took advantage of them. The war with Georgia was one result; the recent announcement of $140 billion in military procurement is another.'

Christian Science Monitor, 29 Dec 08, by editorial board
Beyond bombs and rockets in Gaza
'Israel and Hamas need help looking beyond their immediate concerns.'

Christian Science Monitor, 29 Dec 08, by Bennett Ramberg
India: Let Kashmir go
'... the possibility of war may intensify in years to come if India ramps up its "Cold Start" military doctrine. Cold Start transforms New Delhi's traditional focus on defense and lumbering mobilization of hundreds of thousands of troops to one that prizes nimble strikes against its neighbor within hours of crisis onset. The strategy assumes that occupation of limited Pakistani territory would be the bargaining chip to force Islamabad to heel. It also assumes that it could do this without crossing the nuclear threshold – not an easy feat where rivalries run deep.'

Washington Post, 29 Dec 08, by Jackson Diehl
Olmert's Final Failure
'Israel's new battle with Hamas in Gaza means that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be remembered for fighting two bloody and wasteful mini-wars in less than three years in power.'

BBC News, 29 Dec 08, by Jonathan Marcus
Are Israel's war aims achievable?
'For all the chaos and bloodshed in the Gaza Strip, this is not Israel's final reckoning with Hamas.'

Christian Science Monitor, 19 Dec 08, by John Hughes
To save Zimbabwe, South Africa must step up
'Its clout is needed to help end the ruin Mugabe has wrought.'

Middle East Times, 23 Dec 08, by Mark N. Katz
The Russian-Iranian Tradeoff
'Russia's quick, successful military intervention in Georgia during August 2008, though, has raised the prospect that pipelines through Georgia can easily be shut down or even taken over by Russia any time Moscow wants. This poses difficult foreign policy choices for the United States and Europe.'

Middle East Times, 22 Dec 08, by editorial staff
Why are Russia and the U.S. Arming the Lebanese Army?
'Supporting the Lebanese army remains a "pillar of Washington's policy," said U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs David Hale. As does, of course, containing the ever-growing threat of expanding Islamist groups now firmly entrenched in several areas of Lebanon ...'

Middle East Times, 23 Dec 08, by Rahil Yasin
Pakistani-Indian War May Threaten Security of Nukes
'Pakistan's weak political leadership, its unwillingness to root out terrorists from border lands, its intelligence service's and army's alleged links to terrorist groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, the recent increase of Taliban attacks on a crucial NATO transportation route from Pakistan to Afghanistan, and the selling of nuclear technology to Iran, Libya and North Korea in the past, all raise new concerns among world leaders about the possible theft of Pakistan's nuclear assets by religious extremists which might result in a real threat to the United States and the West.'

International Herald Tribune, 22 Dec 08, by Ami Pedazhur
From Munich to Mumbai
'... contrary to much punditry in India and the West, these attacks did not indicate the emergence of a new form of terrorism. Actually, after decades in which terrorism had evolved mostly in the direction of suicide bombings, Mumbai was a painful reminder of the past.'

Der Spiegel, 23 Dec 08, by Matthias Gebauer, John Goetz and Britta Sandberg
An American Nightmare Could Soon End
'The military tribunals in Guantanamo were established to try America's enemies in the war on terror. But the treatment of prisoners and blatant disregard for the rule of law at Camp Delta undermined the system and damaged the country's reputation. The end is in sight for the military prison.'

Christian Science Monitor, 16 Dec 08, by Walter Rodgers
Israel's coming test for Obama
'President-elect Barack Obama could be surprised to discover that the first foreign policy challenge he faces may not come from traditional adversaries, such as Iran or Russia, but from a perceived friend, Israel.'

Asia Times, 23 Dec 08, by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani
Slowly does it with Iraq withdrawal
'The security pact between Washington and Baghdad allowing the United States to maintain a military presence in Iraq for another three years looks good on paper. The reality is that it could be 10 years before the troops are finally out.'

Asia Times, 22 Dec 08, by Dmitry Shlapentokh
Dissecting Obama's 'perestroika'
'Russia is eyeing the election of Barack Obama with mixed views, aware that the next US president's foreign policy moves - including engaging Iran - could cause serious problems for Moscow. Russia may even find itself looking at the George W Bush years with nostalgia. After all, he diverted Islam's attention from Russia and made oil expensive. Obama's "perestroika" might have the opposite effect.'

Asia Times, 22 Dec 08, by Kaveh L Afrasiabi
A shot at Iran via Iraq
'United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has called on the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council, of which Saudi Arabia is a key member, to forge closer ties with Iraq as a way to limit Iran. On the contrary, such a move could help the six countries maintain healthy and normal relations with Tehran.'

Der Spiegel, 25 Nov 08, by Matthias Gebauer, Susanne Koelbl and Cordula Meyer
The Long War in Afghanistan
'The West's strategy is about to change in Afghanistan. Barack Obama intends to follow David Petraeus' formula in Iraq -- a show of strength coupled with outreach on the ground, to convince ordinary citizens that NATO is not the enemy. But will Afghans listen?'

Human Events, 10 Dec 08, by Rowan Scarborough
The Pentagon Is a Republican House
'President-elect Barrack Obama last week became the second consecutive Democratic commander in chief to tap a Republican to run the Pentagon. Defense Secretary Robert Gates, President Bush's defense chief since 2006, said his appointment is 'open-ended.' The pick means a Republican will have run the world's mightiest military and biggest arms budget for more than a decade, despite the election of two Democratic presidents during that time.'

Asia Times, 11 Dec 08, by Zorawar Daulet Singh
Turning point for India's foreign policy
'... the next administration's declared objective to rely on a broader Afghanistan strategy has direct implications for the power play New Delhi had envisaged for itself in the South Asian neighborhood and beyond.'

Washington Post, 10 Dec 08, by Jimmy Carter
Obama's Human Rights Opportunity
'The advancement of human rights around the world was a cornerstone of foreign policy and U.S. leadership for decades, until the attacks on our country on Sept. 11, 2001. Since then, while Americans continue to espouse freedom and democracy, our government's abusive practices have undermined struggles for freedom in many parts of the world.'

International Herald Tribune, 09 Dec 08, by editorial staff
A general for the war at home
'It is heartening to know that Gen. Eric Shinseki will lead the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, an agency that has been marred by inattention and inadequate funding.'

International Herald Tribune, 10 Dec 08, by Roger Cohen
A U.S.-Iranian conversation
'The United States and Iran are talking to each other about the elimination of an entire category of weapons of mass destruction. ... The discussions - often bruising but never to the point of a breakup - are proceeding within the framework of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons.'

Asia Times, 10 Dec 08, by Kaveh L Afrasiabi
The search for a US envoy for Iran
'... in light of Obama's declared willingness to engage the Iranians in dialogue without preconditions, his special envoy on Iran would have to be a convert to this principle.'

Townhall.com, 09 Dec 08, by Thomas Sowell
The Meaning of Mumbai
"Will the horrors unleashed by Islamic terrorists in Mumbai cause any second thoughts by those who are so anxious to start weakening the American security systems currently in place, including government interceptions of international phone calls and the holding of terrorists at Guantanamo? Maybe. But never underestimate partisan blindness in Washington or in the mainstream media where, if the Bush administration did it, then it must be wrong.'

International Herald Tribune, 09 Dec 08, by Asif Ali Zardari
The Mumbai Terrorists: They want to destroy Pakistan, too
'The Mumbai attacks were directed not only at India but also at Pakistan's new democratic government and the peace process with India that we have initiated. Supporters of authoritarianism in Pakistan and non-state actors with a vested interest in perpetuating conflict do not want change in Pakistan to take root.'

Washington Post, 10 Dec 08, by Michael Gerson
Suffering Hopes in Congo
'When the various armies move, whole towns flee, causing spikes in sexual violence and acute malnutrition. And this individual suffering gathers into shocking statistics. Perhaps 4 million deaths related to war over the past decade. Or maybe it is 5 million. We know that the events are approaching a holocaust scale when the margin of error is measured in millions.'

International Herald Tribune, 09 Dec 08, by H.D.S. Greenway
Terror from the sea
'The fire next time could come undetected, from the "great anonymity of the ocean."'

International Herald Tribune, 08 Dec 08, by Robert D. Kaplan
Trouble in Asia I: The other Middle East
'The divisions we split the world into during the Cold War have at long last crumbled thanks to the Mumbai terrorist attacks. No longer will we view South Asia as a region distinct from the Middle East. Now there is only one long continuum stretching from the Mediterranean to the jungles of Burma, with every crisis from the Israeli-Palestinian dispute in the west to the Hindu-Muslim dispute in the east interlocked with the one next door.'

International Herald Tribune, 08 Dec 08, by Patrick French
Trouble in Asia II: Why the terrorists hate India
'As an open, diverse and at times chaotic democracy, India has long been a target for terrorism. From the assassination of Mohandas Gandhi in 1948 to the recent attacks in Mumbai, it has faced attempts to change its national character by force. None has yet succeeded. Despite its manifest social failings, India remains the developing world's most successful experiment in free, plural, large-scale political collaboration.'

Christian Science Monitor, 08 Dec 08, by Claude Berube
Somalia's piracy problem is everyone's problem
'... while piracy may not present an immediate or direct threat to US national security interests, its consequences can affect everyone.'

Christian Science Monitor, 08 Dec 08, by editorial board
The US road through Turkey
'The two countries share strategic concerns. They should work more closely together.'

Christian Science Monitor, 04 Dec 08, by John Hughes
Are Al Qaeda's fingerprints on the Mumbai attack?
'If this crisis, and its attendant politics, should trigger new warfare between India and Pakistan, Pakistan would be distracted from its military action against Taliban and Al Qaeda forces who operate from sanctuary along the rugged Pakistani-Afghan border.'

Christian Science Monitor, 02 Dec 08, by editorial board
Obama's national security balancing act
'With Clinton, Gates, and Jones, he can weigh opposing views better than Bush did.'

Washington Post, 02 Dec 08, by Eugene Robinson
A Team in Need of a Plan
'A concept that excludes nothing defines nothing. That's why one of the most urgent tasks for President-elect Barack Obama's "Team of Rivals" foreign policy brain trust is coming up with a coherent intellectual framework -- and a winning battle plan -- for the globe-spanning asymmetrical conflict that George W. Bush calls the "war on terror."'

International Herald Tribune, 01 Dec 08, by editorial staff
Calming the furies aroused in Mumbai
'We fear that whoever was behind it, the carnage will unleash dangerous new furies between nuclear-armed India and Pakistan. And we fear it will divert even more of Pakistan's attention and troops away from fighting extremists on its western border with Afghanistan.'

The US Report, 01 Dec 08, by Kay B. Day
Mumbai rampage a grim reminder to the US: War of ideology thrives
'No one has conclusively pinned the blame on Al Qaeda, but considering the loose alliances of groups committed to that ideology, coupled with Ullah Mehsud's threat to Pakistan, it's not inconceivable. Major W. Thomas Smith, Jr. (SCSG), a military and counter-terrorism expert and former U.S. Marine who provides articles for publications around the globe, puts it succinctly. "Al Qaeda is an idea—a jihadist can live in the U.S. and wake up one morning and decide to blow something up and call himself Al Qaeda." Smith likens it to a franchise from Osama bin Laden.'

The New York Post, 01 Dec 08, by Peter Brookes
Was the Real Target Indo-Pak Peace?
'In the wake of the terror attacks that killed more than 180 people (including at least six Americans) and wounded another 300 in Mumbai, India, last week, the burning question is: Who done it - and why?'

Washington Post, 02 Dec 08, by editorial staff
Pakistan's Task
'Peace in South Asia requires a crackdown on terrorists.'

Washington Post, 02 Dec 08, by Robert Kagan
The Sovereignty Dodge
'What Pakistan Won't Do, the World Should'

Newsweek, 02 Dec 08, by Muqtedar Khan
Losing the War on Terror
'The horrible carnage in Mumbai is sending depressing messages about the realities of the present age of terror. ... India will need to improve its ability to deal with terrorist threats. Intelligence gathering and operational performance are not on par with the threats it faces.'

The Philippine Star, 02 Dec 08, by Babe Romualdez
Lessons from Mumbai
'What happened in Mumbai could easily happen in the Philippines. Being a close ally of the United States, we are an obvious target of terrorists.'

International Herald Tribune, 01 Dec 08, by W. Scott Thompson
History repeats itself
'Thailand is facing its third and greatest crisis since World War II and by far the greatest test of its monarch's power. It is difficult for outsiders to comprehend how so revered but distant a leader can wield such extraordinary powers, despite his merely "constitutional" role and numerous other constraints on his action.'

The Middle East Times, 26 Nov 08, by Maj. W. Thomas Smith Jr.
High-Seas Pirates Increasingly Working with Jihadis
'They are hardly the bejeweled, Jolly Roger flying buccaneers we've come to associate with of the Golden Age of Piracy (1692-1725). But 21st century pirates operating on the high seas are every bit as dangerous as their romanticized forebears. They are far more tech savvy. And experts contend they may be increasingly coordinating efforts with Islamist terrorists, particularly those pirates operating in the Indian Ocean off the East African coast of Somalia and in the heavily trafficked Gulf of Aden.'

The US Report, 21 Nov 08, by Kay B. Day
Military analyst's warnings about piracy prove true with Somalia attacks
'On the surface this has less to do with radical Islam and more to do with big money to be made in ransoms as well as the utter lawlessness of the remote coastal areas and littorals where pirates generally maintain their bases of operation and launching and reentry points.'

Christian Science Monitor, 20 Nov 08, by Katie Stuhldreher
To turn the tide on piracy in Somalia, bring justice to its fisheries
'A coalition force tasked with fishery protection would address a root cause of the crisis.'

International Herald Tribune, 17 Nov 08, by editorial staff
Remolding NATO to face evolving threats
'... NATO has outlived its original purpose, and the lack of a clear mission now is causing tensions that are avoidable. Because of Russian anxiety about NATO expansion, Obama will need to reach an understanding with allies about whether Ukraine and Georgia can join the organization. He will also have to resolve the difference between NATO's Cold War mission and the version being improvised by some NATO members in Afghanistan.'

Washington Post, 18 Nov 08, by Eugene Robinson
After the Torture Era
'Amid the excitement of the election and the urgency of the economic crisis, it has been easy to lose sight of the terrorism-related "issues" that defined George W. Bush's presidency and robbed America of so much honor, stature and goodwill.'

Wall Street Journal, 18 Nov 08, by Ann Marlowe
Don't Negotiate With the Taliban
'... the terrible idea of talks with the Taliban has penetrated American military and political circles, part of a new pessimism that threatens to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.'

Asia Times, 18 Nov 08, by Tariq Ali
Plus and minus: How to win in Afghanistan
'A military-plus solution to the conflict - centered on a "surge" - cannot work, while a military-minus solution, involving the mobilization of all the regional actors, might. This would represent a true break from present US policy.'

Washington Post, 20 Nov 08, by Mohamed Eljahmi
Forgotten In Libya's Dungeons
'After nearly five years of engagement with the United States, Gaddafi rules supreme in Libya and enjoys renewed legitimacy at home and abroad. The United States, which in 2006 removed Libya from its list of state sponsors of terrorism, has failed to push consistently for meaningful reform.'

The Cutting Edge News, 17 Nov 08, by Walid Phares
Message to Barack Obama from Al Qaeda in Iraq
'As reactions to the election of a new U.S. President across the Arab and Muslim world reflecting the fundamental interests of the various regimes and movements, the most radical groups including al Qaeda have been sending messages in different directions. Of particular interest is one message to Barack Obama.'

Middle East Times, 14 Nov 08, by Walid Phares
First Unofficial Obama Positions on New War Strategies
'The smooth passing of the torch from one leadership to another in the middle of unfinished wars and gigantic counterterrorism efforts is critical, especially if a strategic change of direction is on its way.'

International Herald Tribune, 12 Nov 08, by Tony Blair
King Abdullah and the skeptics
'The decision by King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia to hold an interfaith conference under the auspices of the United Nations is bold, courageous and potentially far-reaching. To many people, especially in the West, his initiative may seem unremarkable. In fact, it is a major step forward in the long march to a relationship between Islam and other faiths that is not one of confrontation or distrust but of peaceful co-existence.'

International Herald Tribune, 11 Nov 08, by Alexander Watson
Armistice Day: A holiday to end all wars
'The 90th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War was commemorated very differently on each side of the Atlantic and across the borders of Europe. These differences are a reminder that not all "victors" experience wars in the same way, and that their citizens can have almost as much difficulty as those of the vanquished states in coping with the collective trauma of conflict.'

Human Events, 11 Nov 08, by W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
'Scared Out of My Wits'
'Everybody seems to want to be a hero. So by today's standards of personal entitlement, almost anybody doing "good work" may be considered a "hero" ... There are, however, heroes and heroines still cut from the old cloth: Men and women who transcend physical courage at a level surpassing the bravest of the brave.'

Family Security Matters, 11 Nov 08, by Maj. W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
Goliath-fighting Davids
'Where we do, however, find "heroes" in the pure sense (and in the greatest numbers) is among our military veterans – the group from which springs Goliath-fighting Davids: men like U.S. Navy SEAL and Medal-of-Honor recipient Lt. Michael E. Thornton, who in the middle of a hellish high-intensity firefight during the Vietnam War, wounded and surrounded by overwhelming numbers of the enemy, made a mad dash over hundreds of yards of open ground to save his more seriously wounded commander, killing two enemy soldiers in close quarters, sprinting toward the sea – constantly under fire – with his commander on his shoulders, and ultimately swimming for over two hours with two wounded men in tow before being rescued.'

Investor's Business Daily, 03 Nov 08
The Iranian Missile Crisis
'While the U.S. scores yet another successful [test] missile intercept, the missile defense chief warns that Iran could target all of Europe and the U.S. within five years.'

Washington Post, 09 Nov 08, by Jim Hoagland
Nuance on the March
'Blunt and pugnacious will soon give way to supple and below-the-radar. Say goodbye to the Bush era in foreign policy and hello to the Obama moment. Prepare for bluster about enemies to become nuance about not-yet-friends; for ideology to cede to empirical practice; for co-opting to overtake confronting as a first resort. And prepare to be surprised by things coming together unexpectedly as well as falling apart.'

Washington Post, 09 Nov 08, by Desmond Tutu
The Man of Tomorrow
'His election has turned America's global image on its head. ... for those of us who have looked to America for inspiration as we struggled for democracy and human rights, these past seven years have been lean ones.'

Christian Science Monitor, 07 Nov 08, by Bennett Ramberg
A smarter North Korea policy
'It will take a combination of diplomacy and blunt threats.'

International Herald Tribune, 06 Nov 08, by Philip Bowring
Obama in the Orient
'Much has been written about the favorable impact of Obama's election on foreign perceptions of the United States. But it is worth turning the question around: What will be the impact on U.S. views of Asia, and Asian countries' views of themselves?'

The Guardian, 03 Nov 08, by Stephen Kinzer
The new Rwanda
'The crisis in eastern Congo isn't really about Congo – it's a continuation of the Rwandan genocide.'

PBS 'Frontline', 03 Nov 08/Aug 07
Congo on the Brink
[video] '... useful insight into a crucial element of the story: the virtually unlimited supply and easy availability of lethal weapons in the region.'

PBS 'Frontline', 28 Oct 08
The War Briefing
'Afghanistan is now a deadlier battleground than Iraq. Can the war there be won? what are the next president's options?'

International Herald Tribune, 07 Nov 08, by editorial staff
Keep your euphoria to yourself, soldier
'In a stroke of self-satire, Pentagon officials tried to block Stars and Stripes - the U.S. military's respected independent newspaper - from covering the troops' plain and honest reactions to the election night news about their new commander in chief. The Department of Defense once again made news by smothering news.'

International Herald Tribune, 31 Oct 08, by Christopher M. Schnaubelt
Lessons of Iraq
'... emerging success in Iraq stands in contrast to the situation in Afghanistan. Violence is on the rise, extremists are gaining strength, the government is weak and corrupt and expectations of an economy that benefits the average Afghan have yet to be fulfilled. Are there lessons from Iraq that might be applied to Afghanistan?'

International Herald Tribune, 31 Oct 08, by editorial staff
How long must Zimbabwe wait?
'President Robert Mugabe is responsible for much of Zimbabwe's terrible suffering. But so long as Africa's leaders allow Mugabe and his henchmen to bully them into silence - with phony claims of anti-colonialism and national sovereignty - they are fully complicit.'

International Herald Tribune, 31 Oct 08, by Boston Globe editorial staff
New tack with the Taliban
'Nothing quick or dramatic may come of the tribal council attended by 50 Afghan and Pakistani political and tribal leaders this week in Islamabad. Still, the very fact of the meeting, or jirga, and its promise of "a dialogue with opposition groups" suggest a promising change of attitudes on both sides of the world's most conflict-ridden border.'

International Herald Tribune, 30 Oct 08, by James Carroll
Our future with Russia
'What most sharply defines the difference between Barack Obama and John McCain? Every reader could suggest an answer, but perhaps the most consequential issue separating the candidates is the future of U.S.-Russia relations.'

International Herald Tribune, 30 Oct 08, by Slawomir Debski
The paradox of an unattractive Russia
'Russia no longer disguises the fact that it wants to recover its sphere of influence. The paradox is that Russia can only achieve this through the use of force, as the model of development it proposes is unattractive to east European societies. And the more Russia resorts to force, the less the chances that it will achieve its sphere of influence.'

Christian Science Monitor, 29 Oct 08, by Kristin M. Lord
The State Department, not the Pentagon, should lead America's public diplomacy efforts
'Increasingly, the Defense Department is at the forefront of US efforts to engage public opinion overseas. While the State Department formally leads the effort, the Pentagon has more money and personnel to carry out the public diplomacy mission.'

Center for Defense Information/Boston Globe, 24 Oct 08, by Lawrence J. Korb and Laura Conley
The Contributions of Iran
'Few countries were as helpful to the United States in its early involvement in Afghanistan as Iran. Yet after the fall of the Taliban, the US failed to capitalize on the possibilities of that strategic relationship. Now coalition and Afghan troops are losing ground against the same insurgents they confronted in 2001, in a war that the United States is unlikely to win unless it rethinks its relationship with Iran.'

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Oct 08, by Russ Feingold
More U.S. Troops to Afghanistan?
'Before sending more brave men and women there, let's question conventional wisdom. It will take more than military might to succeed in Afghanistan.'

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Oct 08, by editorial board
Reach Out to Zimbabwe's Generals
'The military's fear of retribution threatens a fragile power-sharing deal.'

Middle East Times, 20 Oct 08, by Claude Salhani
Analysis: Beirut 25 years later
'What happened in Beirut two and a half decades ago was by no means an isolated incident. It followed on the heels of the bombing of the U.S. Embassy the very day the CIA was holding a meeting of its regional assets. Most perished in the explosion, setting U.S. human intelligence assets in the Middle East back decades. Coincidence? Hardly. That was the scene setter. Without proper intel the United States was flying blind in Lebanon.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Oct 08, by editorial staff
Bush's boudoir eavesdroppers
'It was bad enough when America learned three years ago that the Bush administration had secretly dispensed with judicial warrants to tap the phones of Americans it suspected of communicating with Al Qaeda terrorists. Now two Senate committees, the Army, and the National Security Agency are investigating allegations by two former military intelligence officers that the NSA regularly listened in on the calls of U.S. military personnel, aid workers, and journalists in Iraq.'

International Herald Tribune, 22 Oct 08, by H.D.S. Greenway
The grand illusion
'... much of the world now looks on the Bush administration's resurrection of Woodrow Wilson's ideals and the expansion of democracy as a cover for coercion and bare-knuckle dominance. As [soldier-scholar, Andrew] Bacevich says [in his new book, "The Limits of Power: The end of American Exceptionalism"], Bush always confused strategy with ideology.'

Human Events, 20 Oct 08, by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Are We Funding the Lebanese Army or Hizballah?
'... the American taxpayer is granting $63 million and much more to an army that refuses to fight Iranian-Syrian-supported Hizballah on its own turf, considers Hizballah to be a legitimate "resistance" force, and has allowed the terrorist group to worm its way into the official Lebanese Defense apparatus as a permanent fixture.'

Christian Science Monitor, 14 Oct 08, by Mark Clayton
Ecoconsciousness can help win wars
'By being sensitive to environmental concerns, US Army can win hearts and minds of populace, but its record is spotty so far.'

Christian Science Monitor, 15 Oct 08, by Alfred Kokh
The West must not push Russia away – again
'It's a truism that stable and friendly relations between two countries require each to look at a situation from the other's point of view. The recent tussle between Russia and the West over Georgia is a stark reminder of how the United States has fundamentally never understood Russia's point of view.'

Townhall.com, 13 Oct 08, by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
A Gift from a Navy SEAL
'Thirty-six years ago this month I was a 13-year-old junior high school student: playing a little soccer, chasing a few girls, listening to Black Sabbath albums, and pestering my parents to buy me a motorcycle (which Mom refused). Meanwhile, on the other side of the earth, 23-year-old U.S. Navy SEAL Michael Thornton was running a series of high-speed missions against the enemy in the final days of America's involvement in Vietnam.'

Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct 08, by Gareth Evans
When nations kill their own
'While the right of humanitarian intervention might be seen in most of the developed world as a noble and effective rallying cry, it had the capacity elsewhere to enrage. And it continues to do so, not least among those new states emerging from the post World War II period, proud of their identity, conscious in many cases of their fragility.'

Christian Science Monitor, 10 Oct 08, by editorial board
Can the US be pals with the terrorist Taliban?
'McCain and Obama need to say if they back Karzai's talks with the Afghan Taliban.'

National Interest, 06 Oct 08, by J. Peter Pham
Strait Talk About the Arms Sale
'However helpful and welcome the arms sale is, a careful examination of the current situation along the Taiwan Strait reveals dynamics which cannot be adequately addressed with even the most advanced defense technologies.'

Washington Post 'Stumped', 10 Oct 08, by Andres Martinez
What Do They Mean by Victory in Iraq?
'... unlike what will happen on a number of other fronts, foreign and domestic, what the United States does in Iraq in coming years probably will be the same whether Barack Obama or John McCain prevails on Nov. 4.'

Family Security Matters, 04 Oct 08, by Douglas Farah
Looming Security Threats for Our Next President
'CIA director Mike Hayden gave an interesting interview to Fox News identifying the greatest security challenges to the next administration.'

International Herald Tribune, 02 Oct 08, by editorial staff
America, Russia and terrorists of the seas
'There is nothing romantic about the pirates who have been hijacking ships off the coast of Somalia. Theirs is a vicious business that endangers maritime workers of many nations, threatens ecological calamities, and pumps millions of dollars into local Islamist militias with links to Al Qaeda.'

International Herald Tribune, 02 Oct 08, by editorial staff
There's no time to lose for Pakistan's new spy chief
'For too long, Pakistan's military and intelligence service have played a cynical and dangerous double-game: accepting billions of dollars in American aid while also aiding the Taliban and other extremists who threaten the United States, Afghanistan and, increasingly, Pakistan's fragile democracy.'

International Herald Tribune, 01 Oct 08, by Maleeha Lodhi and Anatol Lieven
Heeding the lessons of another war
'The U.S. is now making the same mistake in Afghanistan and Pakistan [as it did 40 years ago in Cambodia]. If continued, ground incursions by U.S. troops across the border into Pakistan in search of the Taliban and Al Qaeda risk drastically undermining the Pakistani state, society and army.'

International Analyst Network, 01 Oct 08, by Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker
Open Letter to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of the Islamic Republic of Iran
'Since you seem uncomfortable with that situation of having a Jewish nation in your particular neighborhood, maybe we can find a new exclusive location for you, one preferably with bars around it, just to keep all your "friends" away so that you can have suitable privacy. I'm sure that many of your victims would like to send you elsewhere, but enlightened states do not practice capital punishment.'

International Herald Tribune, 01 Oct 08, by editorial staff
Iraqis stand up
'Iraq's new election law will not, by itself, stop sectarian violence. Nor will the law, which governs provincial elections early next year, deliver electricity, clean water and jobs to bomb-blasted urban areas and forlorn villages. But in adopting the law by a unanimous vote last week, members of the Iraqi Parliament made it clear that they recognize the benefits of waging their power struggles by political means.'

International Herald Tribune, 30 Sep 08, by Henry A. Kissinger and George P. Shultz
Finding common ground
'America has an important stake in the territorial integrity of an independent Georgia, but not in confrontational diplomacy toward Russia.'

International Herald Tribune, 30 Sep 08, by H.D.S. Greenway
Hubris, bellicosity and fear
'The crises of 1914 and 1938 have overshadowed America's decision-making ever since.'

Christian Science Monitor, 29 Sep 08, by F. Jordan Evert
In Afghanistan, hit 'em where they aren't
'MacArthur's tactic worked in WWII. It could work again.'

International Herald Tribune, 30 Sep 08, by editorial staff
Ending 'libel tourism'
'The House of Representatives has passed a good bill that would prevent American courts from enforcing libel judgments obtained in foreign countries if those countries provide less free speech protection than the United States does. The Senate should pass a companion bill before it recesses, and the president should sign it. The "libel tourism" bill strikes an important blow for free expression. U.S. law imposes a high bar on libel lawsuits - far higher than many other countries.'

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Sep 08, by Nir Eisikovits
Israel's slipping democracy
'This beacon of freedom is becoming more like its authoritarian neighbors.'

Christian Science Monitor, 23 Sep 08, by the Monitor's Editorial Board
South Africa's Next Chapter
'A transition in the presidency has big implications for the continent and the country.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Sep 08, by editorial staff
When it comes to Iran, there's no time to waste
'In a report last week, the International Atomic Energy Agency declared that it had reached an impasse over Tehran's refusal to answer questions about its past nuclear activities. The report also said that Iran had substantially improved its ability to produce nuclear fuel in direct defiance of a Security Council ban.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Sep 08, by Ali Babacan
Calming the Caucasus
'The conflict between Russia and Georgia has once again demonstrated the volatile character of the Caucasus and why it is so crucial for the world to defuse tensions there.'

Christian Science Monitor, 22 Sep 08, by Teri Rizvi
Pakistan's Contradictory Faces
'In a country rife with extremism I saw civilized culture and a triumphant human spirit.'

US News & World Report, Spring 2007
A Soldier's Life and Death
'Before he was killed by a sniper in Iraq, Staff Sergeant Darrell Griffin spoke not only to the camera of US News' Alex Kingsbury, but Griffin did his own reporting with a camera and videocamera. He also wrote extensively, in email and his journal, about his experience with the people and politics of Iraq. Griffin believed citizens back in the U.S. did not understand events in the war zone and he wanted to close that knowledge gap. With a mix of a soul-baring interview and a look at the landscape Griffin called "apocalyptic," viewers can see what he saw.'

---

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.'

The Guardian, 23 Jul 08, by Janine di Giovanni
Spectres of Sarajevo
'News of the arrest conjures memories of those dreadful days of death.'

Washington Post, 23 Jul 08, by Richard Holbrooke
The Face of Evil
'Karadzic's capture is another reminder of the value of war crimes tribunals.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jul 08, by editorial staff
Finally, a war criminal with nowhere to hide
'Serbia's government is crediting sound detective work for the capture; officials said Karadzic had adopted a "convincing" false identity and was "freely walking" the streets of Belgrade. A more likely explanation is that President Boris Tadic, and his pro-Western government, decided to improve Serbia's chances of joining the European Union and finally ordered investigators to do their job.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jul 08, by Boston Globe editorial staff
Wired for death in Iraq
The Boston Globe 'For U.S. troops in Iraq, service is dangerous enough even without having to worry about dying from shoddy wiring in their base facilities. But that has been the fate of at least 13 U.S. service members, according to the Pentagon.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jul 08, by Robert M. Gates and Juan Manuel Santos
Colombia's gains are America's, too
'The dramatic rescue of 15 hostages this month by Colombia's special forces underscored how far Colombia has progressed - with strong American support - from a nation under siege by narcoterrorists and paramilitary vigilantes to one poised to become a linchpin of security and prosperity in South America.'

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Jul 08, by Robert Muggah
In Sudan, stability or civil war?
'While the world seems focused on the International Criminal Court's request to arrest Sudan's president Omar al Bashir for genocide, a single dusty town in central Sudan may hold the key to the country's future stability.'

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Jul 08, by Alex Taurel and Shadi Hamid
Turkey's dangerous message to the Muslim world
'President Bush's vision of a democratic Middle East was premised in part on the region's popular Islamist groups reconciling themselves to the give-and-take nature of democracy. It might make sense then, that the Bush administration would do what it could to support a party that has made such a transformation in Turkey. But it's not.'

International Herald Tribune, 10 Jul 08, by Steven Lee Myers
A more confident Iraq becomes a tougher negotiating partner for the U.S.
'The Bush administration's quest for a deal with Iraq that would formally authorize an unlimited American troop presence there well beyond President George W. Bush's tenure appears to be unraveling. The irony is that it may be a victim of the administration's successes in the war.'

Human Events, 09 Jul 08, by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Will Israel Strike Iran?
'... there is an increasing "probability" that the Israeli Air Force (IAF) will soon strike Iranian nuclear facilities. The strikes – if they take place – will be far more extensive than that which occurred during the strike against Iraq's Osirak nuclear facility in 1981. The new strikes will target much more than just the nuclear sites. The extent to which America will or will not provide support will depend on multiple variables. And the strikes will not be over in a single night.'

Asia Times, 10 Jul 08, by Tom Engelhardt
Why the US won't attack Iran
'Despite all the warnings, alarms, rumors and panicky pieces coursing through the international media, an attack on Iran is less likely than ever to happen. For small, vulnerable Israel, an air assault on Iranian nuclear facilities, alone or with the backing of the US, is literally inconceivable, given the disastrous fallout that would follow.'

Christian Science Monitor, 10 Jul 08, by Joshua Foust and Jeb Koogler
Myths in Al Qaeda's 'home'
'... it is not just [Afghan] President Karzai who is concerned about militancy in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Policymakers in London, New Delhi, and Washington are also worried about a territory increasingly referred to as Al Qaeda's new home.'

Cleveland Plain Dealer, 09 Jul 08, by Elizabeth Sullivan
Star wars goes continental
'The Bush administration's latest missile-defense follies come with the improbable help of Tehran. ... Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pounced on the test to justify the house-of-cards deal she just signed in Prague for a supposed Europe-protecting anti-missile radar station. Missile defenses may seem enticing, particularly as threats proliferate. Yet the Czech deal becomes part of a $150 billion U.S. defense boondoggle.'

International Herald Tribune, 07 Jul 08, by editorial staff
Iraq and Afghanistan: Where do we go from here?
'The resurgence of Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan makes it even more imperative for the United States to begin planning for a swift and orderly withdrawal from Iraq.'

International Herald Tribune, 09 Jul 08, by editorial staff
Whose national interests? Rich nations, poor policies
'With the price of oil shooting upward, food security in danger for billions of the world's poor, and climate change already taking its toll on crops, water and health, members of the Group of 8 rich nations need to cooperate now - and not make vague promises for the distant future.'

The Independent, 10 Jul 08, by Bronwen Maddox
Little things can mean a lot in the machinations of great nations
'It is easy to knock the G8. Many did so as the summit ended yesterday, saying that the most powerful countries in the world had failed to solve anything. ... One problem is that the expectations have become high and precise. The G8 (which consists of Britain, the US, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Russia) has ducked the one question it might be expected to answer, however – whether it is a club for the most-powerful democracies, in which case it should leave out Russia, or whether it is for powerful countries of any stripe, in which case it should bring in China.'

The National Interest, 07 Jul 08, by J. Peter Pham
Kabuki Diplomacy
'... the G8, like many multilateral forums, has become more about institutionalized form than substantive utility. ... Most observers expect that, irrespective of which new administration takes office next January, Washington will pursue a more multilateral foreign-policy approach in the post-Bush era.'

International Analyst Network, 05 Jul 08, by Dieter Farwick
General Karl-Heinz Lather: "We are committed to success"
'"NATO is taking important steps to complete its transformation from a static, reactive Alliance focused on territorial defense to an expeditionary, proactive one that works with nations to deter and defeat the spectrum of 21st Century threats confronting our collective security."'

Bangkok Post, 06 Jul 08, by J. Peter Pham
Reverberations in Mongolia
'The dynamic economies of the Pacific – in both Asia and North America – have much at stake if Mongolia is permitted to descend down the road toward resource nationalism and autarky, thus destabilising the broader region.'

Human Events, 09 Jul 08, by Robert Spencer
The Stealth Jihad in Britain
'Three years after the July 7, 2005, jihad terror attacks in London, the jihad in Britain is stronger than ever. It is not proceeding by means of more terrorism, but by stealth and by the preemptive surrender of all too many British officials.'

The National Interest, 01 Jul 08, by J. Peter Pham
Hanoi’s Coming-Out Party
'After meeting with President Bush last week, [Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan] Dung said his government "took note with great pleasure of rapid development in the Vietnam-U.S. relationship toward a friendly and constructive partnership, multifaceted cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual respect and mutual benefit."� No matter who wins in November, the next administration will need to build on this foundation, reinforcing ties with a country which was a dogged adversary in war but which, in peace, has proven an increasingly significant geopolitical actor.'

Christian Science Monitor, 02 Jul 08, by Shlomo Ben-Ami and Trita Parsi
The alternative to an Israeli attack on Iran
'Serious diplomacy, not military action, will bring regional security.'

AllAfrica.com/The New Times (Kigali), 02 Jul 08
Africa: AU Right on Universal Jurisdictions
'The heads of state should be commended for finally kick-starting a scrutiny campaign that is likely to exert peer pressure on politicians who seem to relish excesses, thereby holding them accountable to their nationals and to Africa as a whole.'

The Guardian, 01 July 08, by Janine di Giovanni
Interventionism's moral imperative
'Foreign policy experts have plenty of reasons not to get involved, but they should try meeting civilians in mortal terror.'

International Herald Tribune, 01 Jul 08, by Stephen F. Cohen
Wrong on Russia
'Neither of the two major American presidential candidates has seriously addressed, or even seems fully aware of, what should be our greatest foreign policy concern - Russia's singular capacity to endanger or enhance our national security.'

The New Yorker, 07 Jul 08 issue, by George Packer
Obama's Iraq Problem
'... The same pragmatism that prompted [Obama] last month to forgo public financing of his campaign will surely lead him, if he becomes President, to recalibrate his stance on Iraq. He doubtless realizes that his original plan, if implemented now, could revive the badly wounded Al Qaeda in Iraq, reënergize the Sunni insurgency, embolden Moqtada al-Sadr to recoup his militia's recent losses to the Iraqi Army, and return the central government to a state of collapse.'

Christian Science Monitor, 03 Jul 08, by editorial staff
High hopes abroad for a new U.S. president
'The rest of the world can't vote for the next American president, but many certainly follow the US campaign as if they could. They also hold high hopes that a new leader – no matter who wins – will change Washington's foreign policy. They may well be disappointed.'

Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jun 08, by editorial staff
France's military about-face
'He may not have de Gaulle's physical stature, but President Nicolas Sarkozy is standing up to Le Général's long-obeyed policy of military independence for France. The US and Europe need to welcome this historic shift.'

Familly Security Matters, 28 Jun 08, by Peter Brookes
Korean Nukes: Don't Get Giddy
'North Korea gave the world some good news this week - finally handing over a declaration about its nuclear program and promising to blow up the cooling tower at its Yongbyon nuclear facility. But don't break out the best bubbly just yet. These moves are only a first step in what is likely to be a drawn-out, slippery, pot-hole-filled road in a (possibly futile) attempt to roll back Kim Jong Il's membership in the nuclear-weapons club.'

The Heritage Foundation, 30 Jun 08, by Baker Spring
U.S. Should Defy Chinese-Russian Attack on Missile Defense
'During their meeting in Beijing on May 23, 2008, Chinese President Hu Jintao and new Russian President Dimitry Medvedev issued a joint statement criticizing the establishment of a global missile defense system. ... This statement was a not-so-veiled criticism of the United States and its allies, which are cooperating in fielding missile defense systems, and should be seen for what it is: an attempt to drive a wedge between the U.S. and its allies.'

World Security Network, 25 Jun 08, by Conn Hallinan
Test of strength for alliances
'Military alliances are always sold as things that produce security. In practice they tend to do the opposite.'

Christian Science Monitor, 25 Jun 08, by John Hughes
The key to a better U.S. image
'USIA helped world views of the US before the cold war; let's revive it.'

International Herald Tribune, 24 Jun 08, by Alan Cowell
Ireland and Zimbabwe: Defying the neighbors
'Simply put, the issue is this: In a globalized era, when so many national frontiers have crumbled, who defines democracy's scope - the nation-states on which modern political systems were conceived, or the newer formations, such as the European Union, designed to shelter and empower the strong and the weak alike?'

International Herald Tribune, 25 Jun 08, by Thomas L. Friedman
Taking ownership of Iraq?
'One of the first things I realized when visiting Iraq after the U.S. invasion was that the very fact that Iraqis did not liberate themselves, but had to be liberated by Americans, was a source of humiliation to them.'

Human Events, 24 Jun 08, by Caspar Weinberger Jr.
Gates and the Air Force
'The Air Force's business has been, since its inception in 1947, to not only fight the current war, but to forsee and plan for the next one, and the one after that. Secretary Gates must not insist on blinding the most forward-looking of the armed forces.'

International Herald Tribune, 24 Jun 08, by editorial staff
Another rebuke on Guantánamo
'... After a hearing before a combatant status review tribunal - a kangaroo court that rules without a real hearing or reliable evidence - [Huzaifa] Parhat was designated an enemy combatant. The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia ruled the designation invalid.'

Middle East Times, 25 Jun 08, by Mark N. Katz
Iraq and America: SOFA Game
'Will events unfold as my class's role playing game predicted? This remains to be seen. The outcome of the game, however, suggests that the Iraqis will come to value the U.S. presence most only when they come to believe that it really might end.'

Christian Science Monitor, 02 Jun 08, by Monica Duffy Toft
Why Islam lies at the heart of Iraq's civil war
'Because it does, US withdrawal may be the surest path to peace.'

Christian Science Monitor, 17 Jun 08, by Robert Dujarric and Andy Zelleke
The death of U.S. strategy in Iraq
'What outcome can justify the costs of fighting on?'

Washington Post, 19 Jun 08, by David Ignatius
The Right Iraq Footprint
'"Don't be afraid of Iraqi sovereignty," Gen. John Abizaid used to say when he was Centcom commander. And that's good advice now as Iraqis and Americans think about the new "status of forces" agreement that will shape the country next year when the Bush administration is gone. America should be looking, as Iraqis are, for a transition to a different kind of relationship.'

Washington Post, 19 Jun 08, by Vali Nasr
Iran on Its Heels
'For the first time since 2003, Iran has stumbled in Iraq. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's decision to confront Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army in Basra and Sadr City last month caught Tehran off guard. The Mahdi Army lost more than face ... Iran wants U.S. forces to leave Iraq and assumes that a friendly Shiite government would then protect Iran's interests.'

Wall Street Journal, 19 Jun 08, by Roger Bate
Mugabe Vows to Hold Power
'The surge of violence and voter intimidation in urban and rural areas is clearly being orchestrated by Mugabe's army. Torture camps, where people are "educated" on how to vote, are widely reported.'

Washington Post, 13 Jun 08, by Eugene Robinson
A Victory for the Rule of the Law
'It shouldn't be necessary for the Supreme Court to tell the president that he can't have people taken into custody, spirited to a remote prison camp and held indefinitely, with no legal right to argue that they've been unjustly imprisoned -- not even on grounds of mistaken identity.'

International Herald Tribune, 16 Jun 08, by Ban Ki Moon
The Real UN: More than just talk
'... the real UN, almost invisible to the general public, is the action-oriented UN. This real UN feeds 90 million people in more than 70 countries - forming a thin blue line between hungry people and starvation. It wipes out debilitating diseases like smallpox and polio and vaccinates 40 percent of the world's children. It provides $2 billion annually in emergency disaster relief and maintains the second-largest army in the world - a global peacekeeping force of 120,000 men and women who go where others can't or won't go.'

International Herald Tribune, 16 Jun 08, by Philip Bowring
A potent, troubling nationalism
'Much has been written about the rise of Chinese nationalism and its implications for the stability of Northeast Asia. But Korean nationalism could prove to be just as destabilizing.'

International Herald Tribune, 17 Jun 08, by Luis Carlos Montalván and Tyler Boudreau
Iraqi Refugees: Help those who helped us
'As combat officers in Iraq, we witnessed the suffering and forced migration of millions of Iraqi civilians. These same people are now struggling to survive as refugees in neighboring countries while millions more have been displaced within Iraq, enduring unimaginable hardship and danger.'

Christian Science Monitor, 17 Jun 08, by editorial staff
Europe's unfinished house
'Building European unity takes time. An Irish vote to halt it should not discourage.'

International Herald Tribune, 11 Jun 08, by Madeleine K. Albright
The end of intervention
'The Burmese government's criminally neglectful response to last month's cyclone, and the world's response to that response, illustrate three grim realities today: Totalitarian governments are alive and well; their neighbors are reluctant to pressure them to change; and the notion of national sovereignty as sacred is gaining ground, helped in no small part by the disastrous results of the American invasion of Iraq. Indeed, many of the world's necessary interventions in the decade before the invasion - in places like Haiti and the Balkans - would seem impossible in today's climate.'

Human Events, 11 Jun 08, by Robert Spencer
The Stealth Jihad in Turkey
'Anyone opposed to the global jihad should be watching recent developments in Turkey very closely – not just for what they reveal about the direction in which that country is headed, but so as to understand nothing less than the new direction of the jihad movement.'

Time Magazine, 11 Jun 08, by Robert Baer
How Iran Has Bush Over a Barrel
'If wasn't clear before it should be now: the Bush administration can't afford to attack Iran. With gas already at $4 a gallon and rising almost every day, Iran figuratively and literally has the United States over a barrel. As much as the administration is tempted, it is not about to test Iran's promise to "explode" the Middle East if it is attacked.'

FOX News, 11 Jun 08, by Bill O'Reilly
War Clouds Over Iran
'A recent U.N. report says that Iran is going full speed ahead with its nuke program and its military is now involved. That prompted Israel to threaten Iran with military action, something that would light up the Middle East with violent flames.'

Wall Street Journal, 10 Jun 08, by Kimberly Kagan and Frederick W. Kagan
How Prime Minister Maliki Pacified Iraq
'America is very close to succeeding in Iraq. The "near-strategic defeat" of al Qaeda in Iraq described by CIA Director Michael Hayden last month in the Washington Post has been followed by the victory of the Iraqi government's security forces over illegal Shiite militias, including Iranian-backed Special Groups. The enemies of Iraq and America now cling desperately to their last bastions, while the political process builds momentum.'

The New Yorker, 09 Jun 08, by Philip Gourevitch
Struggles
'The banishment of white-supremacist rule did not bring an end to South Africa's divisiveness and inequality; the terms were merely reconfigured. In the place of political violence, the nation has been plagued by one of the highest rates of violent crime in the world. Most of the victims, like most of the perpetrators, belong to the vast black underclass ...'

Asia Times, 09 Jun 08, by Jim Lobe
Hawks still circling on Iran
'... rumors - most recently voiced by neo-conservative Daniel Pipes - that the administration plans to carry out a "massive" attack in the window between the November elections and Bush's departure from office, particularly if Democratic Senator Barack Obama is his successor, continue to swirl around the capital.'

New York Times, 12 Jun 08, by editorial staff
Interrogation for Profit
'Congress is finally moving to ban one of the Bush administration's most blatant evasions of accountability in Iraq – the outsourcing of war detainees' interrogation to mercenary private contractors.'

Townhall.com, 06 Jun 08, by Oliver North
D-Day in Context
'This year, the anniversary of their achievement received little notice in the so-called mainstream media. Perhaps that's because it would draw uncomfortable parallels between those who stormed the coast of France in 1944 and those who are fighting now – and winning – a war against radical Islam.'

Asia Times, 05 Jun 08, by Kaveh L Afrasiabi
Obama already mired on Middle East road
'... already the intense pressures on him to tame broad calls for "change" in the US's domestic and external policies have chewed away a good deal of his initial sound and fury, already making him look like a business-as-usual candidate.'

Jerusalem Post, 04 Jun 08, by Limor Simhony and Roni Bart
Analysis: Next president will shape the future of the Middle East
'... the policy of Republican John McCain, if elected president, will in almost all certainty be different from the policy of Democrat Barack Obama should he enter the White House. These candidates' views about American foreign policy are significantly divergent, reflecting the difference between their respective parties.'

Middle East Times, 04 Jun 08, by Rabbi Daniel M. Zucker
Syria lost big in Lebanon
'The truth is that Hezbollah is not subservient to Syria, but rather to the Islamic Republic of Iran. Syria, which dearly desires to regain control of Lebanon, if not to actually swallow the Levantine coastal nation outright, just saw Beirut become a satellite of Iran.'

International Analyst Network, 04 Jun 08, by Haider Mullick
Al Qaeda's strategic chaos
'While Pakistani counterterrorism strategists wrestle with Al-Qaeda and its affiliates in the northwest tribal areas bordering Afghanistan, Al-Qaeda successfully applies strategic chaos to achieve its goals.'

Human Events, 04 Jun 08, by Robert Spencer
War On Terror Ends?
'In the interests of political correctness, official Washington is retreating farther and farther from reality. It’s just whistling in the dark to think that Al-Qaeda’s claim to represent Islamic purity can’t draw on genuine elements of Islamic theology that encourage bellicosity. Fantasy-based policymaking is never wise. America will be paying the price for years to come.'

Human Events, 02 Jun 08, by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Doing Business with the Devil
'For now GE is in Iran and conducting business, which means products continue to be delivered, money continues to change hands, and this will continue for at least another month. Even more disturbing are the variety of products sold to customers in Iran and the diversity of the Iranian customer base.'

American Congress for Truth, 01 Jun 08, by Jerry Gordon
Charlie Allen, DHS intelligence chief decries ‘war on terror’: tip toes around Islamic war doctrine
'It appears to me that Allen and many others are part of what author and friend Ken Timmerman calls in the title of his book by the same name: "Shadow Warriors". Useful idiots as Lenin would probably say.'

InformationWeek, 03 Jun 08, by George Hulme
Hezbollah Has Hacking Chops
'Michael Chertoff, Homeland Security secretary, recently stated that Hezbollah is the greatest threat to U.S. national security. And Western intelligence agencies are increasingly taking the organization's cyberattack skills more seriously. What do you think their targets would be?'

Family Security Matters, 04 Jun 08, by Douglas Farah
Viktor Bout: Worth Quite a Bit to the Russians
'From my sources in Thailand and elsewhere it seems that Viktor Bout, weapons merchant extraordinaire, is worth quite a bit to the Russians.'

International Herald Tribune, 28 May 08, by editorial staff
Iran, the U.S. and the inspectors
'Amid all of the White House's saber-rattling, it is tempting to discount Iran's genuine misbehavior. The latest report from the International Atomic Energy Agency is a grim reminder that Tehran is pressing ahead with its nuclear program, and the United States and its allies don't have a strategy for containing it.'

International Herald Tribune, 28 May 08, by Jared Genser and Meghan Barron
How long must the Burmese wait?
'The junta is taking every advantage of Cyclone Nargis to tighten its grip on power.'

Christian Science Monitor, 29 May 08, by Paul Staniland
When talking with terrorists makes sense
'Used wisely, talks provide leverage, not appeasement.'

Asia Times, 29 May 08, by Kaveh L Afrasiabi
A giant backward step on Iran
'The International Atomic Energy Agency's latest report on Iran - like previous ones - gives no evidence of safeguard breaches by Tehran in its nuclear program ... Yet the uncharacteristic - and sudden - negative tone of the report has played right into the hands of those who thirst in their desire to accuse Iran of nuclear proliferation.'

Middle East Times, 22 May 08, by editorial staff
Where in the world is Uncle Sam?
'In the world of high politics, as in the world of intelligence and counter-espionage, people have a hard time believing in coincidences. One such 'coincidence' occurred yesterday leaving a number of Middle East analysts asking themselves: were two major regional developments coincidental; or can a link be found between Lebanese rivals forging a deal, and Syria and Israel announcing a resumption of talks?'

International Herald Tribune, 21 May 08, by Thant Myint-U
Aid v. Sanctions: The Burma dilemma
'UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon arrives in Yangon on Thursday at the invitation of Myanmar's ruling generals, the first official visit by a UN chief in over 40 years. ... he will not just be visiting a country reeling from its worst natural disaster ever. He will be in a country only now emerging from decades of armed conflict, where aid has long been politicized ...'

City Journal, 21 May 08, by Judith Miller
The Other Terrorism
'Because most of the world has focused on al-Qaida and its allied groups, it’s easy for outsiders to overlook the continuing danger of ETA — a seemingly anachronistic “national liberation” force in an ever more globalized world.'

Wall Street Journal, 22 May 08
Kashmir Crossroads
'As Pakistan's political parties try to shore up their governing coalition and India gears up for next year's elections, the dispute over Kashmir has taken a backseat. That's clear from the jawboning at this week's restarted India-Pakistan talks, where little of substance was accomplished. It's crucial that both sides keep talking.'

International Herald Tribune, 21 May 08, by Daniel A. Bell
China's Class Divide: Xenophobic nationalists?
'As tragic as the Sichuan earthquake has been, perhaps it can do some good by helping dispel a widespread myth: that the new generation of Chinese students are materialistic and selfish.'

International Herald Tribune, 21 May 08, by Garrison Keillor
Mutterings over soldiers' graves
'The Current Occupant tossed Nazis into a speech last week ... He likened those who would negotiate with terrorists to those who tried to appease the Nazis, an awkward comparison, since Nazis were self-defined and wore the swastika proudly, and terrorists are anybody we nominate to be terrorists ...'

Townhall.com, 21 May 08, by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Hezbollah Scores Political Win, But Resistance Groups Forming
'On Sunday, I learned that members of Lebanon's pro-democracy movement were indeed forming a “resistance group against terrorism." That group – originating in Beirut – is composed of Christians, Druze, and Muslims (both Sunni and Shiia). This week, other reports indicate there may be like-minded resistance groups forming elsewhere in the country.'

Human Events, 20 May 08, by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Lights Out Temporarily in Lebanon
'Several of my sources have since independently confirmed that many captured and killed soldiers operating with Hizballah were indeed Syrian and Iranian: One source confirmed many of the captured soldiers “spoke Farsi and were unable to speak Arabic." Another said Hizballah fighters operating in Beirut were “specifically ordered” not to communicate in the presence of Lebanese civilians because it would be discovered they were foreign (Iranian) soldiers.'

International Analyst Network, 20 May 08, by Douglas Farah
Is Hezbollah Now the Greatest Threat?
'What makes Hezbollah particularly interesting and dangerous now is its hybrid status-a non-state armed actor, operating with access to state resources (Iran and Syria). This means that, while nominally outside state control and the reach of sanctions available in the international sphere, it has access to state intelligence, arsenals and financial backing.'

Assyrian International News Agency, 17 May 08
The Pretense Is Over: Hezbollah Rules Lebanon
'Lebanon's army cannot and will not fight Hezbollah. When your army tells you bluntly to give the other side what they want, it is no longer your army.'

Townhall.com, 13 May 08, by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Bloodying Iran's Foreign Legion
'Hezbollah – Iran's Lebanon-based terrorist legion – may have bitten off more than it can chew in its recent attacks against pro-government forces in Lebanon. They've certainly underestimated the tenacity of the latter as evidenced by the underreported head-to-head thrashing Hezbollah is getting in-and-around the Chouf Mountain region, southeast of Beirut. Nevertheless, Hezbollah should never have been able to get away with what it has over the past week; or for that matter, the past 25 years. '

EuropeNews, 10 May 08, by Serge Trifkovic
Can the West be saved?
'I am not going to waste your time tonight with yet another treatise on why Islam is not the Religion of Peace, Tolerance, Compassion, etc, etc. We are beyond that. Had America agonized, in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor, whether Shinto was actually OK but only Bushido was bad, the Greater Asian Co-prosperity Sphere would be going strong to this day.'

International Herald Tribune, 21 May 08, by Richard Bernstein
Rethinking Churchill and the Allied warmongers
'Now, in this country at least, a current of opinion is gaining strength that stands Churchill on his head. It wasn't appeasement that brought about the disaster of the conflict, but warmongering on the part of the Allied leaders, Churchill first and foremost among them.'

Argus Leader, 12 May 08, by Bernie D. Hendricks
Hussein supported al-Qaida
'Walid Phares, a Middle East expert and senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, in 2004 reviewed a batch of 42 confiscated Iraqi documents. He concluded: "Saddam Hussein collaborated with and supported Islamic terrorist groups, including the terror nemesis in Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi."'

Washington Post, 15 May 08, by David Ignatius
The Squeeze on the Middle East's Moderates
'The [Arab] center is under siege in Lebanon and across the Middle East as the region becomes more polarized between Iranian-backed extremists and U.S.-backed forces. Iran's proxies strike at will: seizing control of Beirut neighborhoods in a naked show of defiance; lobbing missiles into Israel from Gaza to disrupt peace talks; creating havoc in southern Iraq and Baghdad.'

International Herald Tribune, 14 May 08, by Thomas L. Friedman
The new Cold War
'The next American president will inherit many foreign policy challenges, but surely one of the biggest will be the Cold War. Yes, the next U.S. president is going to be a Cold War president - but this Cold War is with Iran.'

Los Angeles Times 'Babylon and Beyond' blog, 12 May 08, by Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran and Borzou Daragahi in Beirut
Iran: Watching Lebanon from Tehran
'... though Hezbollah might have discreetly sought its backers' OK before taking over West Beirut, the move came as a shock to most Iranians.'

Council on Foreign Relations, 12 May 08, by Bernard Gwertzman
'Prolonged Crisis' in Lebanon Reflects ‘Cold War' in Region
'Michael Young, a political analyst in Beirut, says Hezbollah's efforts to impose its will in Lebanon have led to "a prolonged crisis that is a reflection of the cold war in the region" between Iran and the United States and their respective allies.'

International Herald Tribune, 13 May 08, by editorial staff
Pakistan's coalition can't afford a split
'After an auspicious start, the leaders of Pakistan's new coalition government have let political rivalries thwart their efforts to rebuild their battered country.'

International Herald Tribune, 12 May 08, by editorial staff
The mental suffering of American soldiers
'The Department of Veterans Affairs is struggling to cope with a task for which it was tragically unready: the care of soldiers who left Afghanistan and Iraq with an extra burden of brain injury and psychic anguish. The last thing they need is the blend of secrecy and heedlessness that helped to send many of them into harm's way.'

International Herald Tribune, 12 May 08, by editorial staff
The lucrative arts of war and not paying taxes
'Congress is finally moving to shut one of the more egregious forms of Iraq war profiteering: defense contractors using offshore shell companies to avoid paying their fair share of payroll taxes. The practice is widespread and congressional investigators have been dispatched to one of the prime tax refuges, the Cayman Islands, to seek a firsthand estimate of how much the U.S. Treasury is being shorted.'

International Herald Tribune, 08 May 08, by Alex Rondos
What side are we on?
'Georgia is under threat of partial occupation by Russia and thus has become a moral lightning rod for the West. All the demons of our 20th-century history are bubbling up again in this embattled outpost of Western interests.'

International Herald Tribune, 07 May 08, by editorial staff
Medvedev's first crisis
'Russia is playing a game of cat-and-mouse with Georgia that could quickly turn deadly.'

Christian Science Monitor, 07 May 08, by editorial staff
Burma's Katrina moment
'A cyclone's ruin exposes a need for the kind of democracy that responds well to disasters.'

Washington Times, 07 May 08, by J. Peter Pham
Ships of fools?
'To fully appreciate the complications and dangers America faces in the post Sept. 11, 2001, world, consider recent actions taken by the government of one of America's strategic allies. ... the Mongolian government in recent years has encouraged the development of a fleet of ships. It now has a significant and a growing maritime presence. ... Despite receiving millions of dollars from America's public purse, Mongolia appears to have no problem renting out its flag to weapons proliferators, criminals and other shady figures who endanger the security of the United States and its allies.'

Los Angeles Times 'Babylon and Beyond' blog, 07 May 08, by Tina Susman
IRAQ: The language of war
'The United States' language toward Sadr and his Mahdi Army has undergone a radical change since last year when, at news conferences and in interviews, U.S. military and political leaders freely referred to it by its Arabic acronym, JAM. Splinter groups were known as Rogue JAM. When Sadr last August called on JAM to cease armed activities, ostensibly so he could sort out the Rogue JAM from the real JAM, some began referring to his truce-abiding fighters as Frozen JAM.'

Christian Science Monitor, 02 May 08, by Ben White
In praise of Palestinian steadfastness
'Despite 60 years of hardship, real achievement, too.'

Asia Times, 01 May 08, by Sami Moubayed
The heat is on Muqtada
'The fierce battle raging in Baghdad's Sadr City between Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army and United States and Iraqi forces has claimed more than 1,000 lives over the past few weeks. What is not clear is the motive behind the offensive against the Shi'ite militia. It could be the Americans, trying to nip in the bud any united front between Muqtada and Sunnis. Or the Iranians, wanting to eliminate a potential thorn in their side. Either way, Muqtada has a fight on his hands.'

Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr 08, by Russell D. Howard and Erik Iverson
Fight Al Qaeda's plan, not its ideas
'The cold war showed it's easier to fight strategy than ideology.'

Christian Science Monitor, 28 Apr 08, by editorial staff
New ways to quell Al Qaeda?
'Pakistan's new leaders go soft with jihadists. But that takes hard tactics to pull off.'

Stratfor, 29 Apr 08, by George Friedman and Peter Zeihan
The Shift Toward an Israeli-Syrian Agreement
'The Middle East, already monstrously complex, grew more complex last week. First, there were strong indications that both Israel and Syria were prepared to engage in discussions on peace. That alone is startling enough. But with the indicators arising in the same week that the United States decided to reveal that the purpose behind Israel's raid on Syria in September 2007 was to destroy a North Korean-supplied nuclear reactor, the situation becomes even more baffling.'

Human Events, 29 Apr 08, by John Gizzi
Why Won't White House Deal With North Korean 'Identity Crisis' in Syrian Caper?
'One thing is certain: this is not going away, no matter how much the President's top spokesman refers me or any other reporter to another outlet of information.'

Christian Science Monitor, 30 Apr 08, by Mark Lange
The only way to alter China's hand in Darfur
'Shame won't work. But enlisting its self-interest can.'

Townhall.com, 30 Apr 08, by Austin Bay
Darfur: Facing the Peacekeeping Conundrum
'Motivated people who really want to have an effect on the ground in Darfur should call for reform of the entire United Nations. Huge job? Yes. One that challenges the "politically correct" and "transnational" (usually anti-American) elites who always demand "international action" and look to the United Nations as a great "force for good"? Yes again. But reform needs to happen if effective peacekeeping is to occur.'

Human Events, 29 Apr 08, by Robert Spencer
No Jihadis Here!
'Last week the State Department, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Counter Terrorism Center issued new guidelines forbidding personnel from using the words "jihad" or "jihadist" in reference to Islamic terrorism and its perpetrators.'

Christian Science Monitor, 28 Apr 08, by Helena Cobban
America's apartheid mentality toward the world
'What kind of relationship do Americans want to build with the world's 6 billion other people in the years ahead? This question is urgent, since the past seven years have seen an unprecedented drop in our country's global favorability rating. In today's hyper-connected world, that has huge consequences for Washington's ability to protect American interests.'

The Heritage Foundation, 26 Apr 08, by James Jay Carafano
Weapons Wal-Mart
'Intelligence officials yesterday briefed key members of Congress on evidence that North Korea was helping Syria build a nuclear reactor like the one that cranks out plutonium for Kim Jong-Il's nuke factory. US and Israeli evidence even includes a damning covert video.'

Townhall.com, 28 Apr 08, by Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.
Incoherence on Deterrence
'Hillary Clinton, Barak Obama and John McCain – and, for that matter, every other candidate for federal office – must address forthrightly their views on the need for U.S. nuclear deterrence.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Apr 08, by editorial staff
The despot of Zimbabwe and his enablers
'Prevented from unloading its cargo by dock workers acting in solidarity with the people of Zimbabwe, a Chinese ship loaded with weapons for Zimbabwe's despot, Robert Mugabe, has been sailing from port to port along the coast of southern Africa. The rejection of the Chinese vessel and its lethal cargo is a tale about the power of commoners when they act in concert, about the corruption of onetime liberation leaders, and the involvement of China's communist rulers with the world's worst dictators.'

International Herald Tribune, 21 Apr 08, by Rami G. Khouri
America through Arab eyes
'One of the paradoxes of the complex relationship between the Arab world and the United States relates to the rhetoric and reality of democratic values. The Bush administration has made democracy promotion a central pillar of its foreign policy in the Middle East at the level of rhetoric, but in practice it pays little heed to behaving democratically in its interaction with the Arab people.'

Washington Post, 22 apr 08, by editorial staff
Aggression in Georgia
'Vladimir Putin steps up his campaign against Russia's democratic neighbor -- and bets that NATO won't respond.'

International Herald Tribune, 21 Apr 08, by editorial staff
China's new nationalists revealed
'As the Summer Olympics approach, some disturbing aspects of contemporary China are coming into view. A worldwide audience has learned what human rights activists have long known about Beijing's complicity with dictatorships in Sudan and Burma.'

International Herald Tribune, 21 Apr 08, by Jeff Jacoby
One man's misrule
'In retrospect, it was an exercise in naïveté to have imagined that Zimbabwe's brutal strongman, Robert Mugabe, would relinquish power just because he had lost an election.'

International Herald Tribune, 21 Apr 08, by Martin Neil Baily
Don't blame the war for the economy
'The war in Iraq and the poor state of the U.S. economy are often viewed as cause and effect. In fact, they are two very different messes.'

Christian Science Monitor, 18 Apr 08, by editorial staff
China bends on Taiwan, why not Tibet?
'If Beijing can talk with Taiwan about ties, it can talk with the Dalai Lama about Tibet's future.'

International Herald Tribune, 08 Apr 08, by editorial staff
Back from Iraq, again facing fire
'General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, America's top two men in Iraq, are in Washington to testify before the U.S. Congress. Three military and diplomatic experts were asked to suggest the questions they would like to have asked.'

Asia Times, 09 Apr 08, by Patrick Cockburn
Muqtada rides the tiger
'Muqtada al-Sadr is the most important and surprising figure to emerge in Iraq since the US invasion. He is the Messianic leader of the religious and political movement of the impoverished Shi'ite underclass whose lives were ruined by a quarter of a century of war, repression, and sanctions.'

International Herald Tribune, 09 Apr 08, by Maureen Dowd
Toil and trouble
'The guardians of Iraq offer more of the same - a post-Surge Pause or "consolidation and evaluation," as the general generically puts it - and no answers about how we can stop our ward from aligning with our enemy.'

Asia Times, 09 Apr 08, by Sami Moubayed
War and peace, Israeli style
'Israel's massive military exercises on the Syrian border have significantly raised tension between the two countries, even as their leaders downplay the development. At first glance, it is in nobody's interest to see yet another war. Yet in their relentless pursuit of Hezbollah, the Israelis have good reason to wage a limited battle on the group's natural ally, Syria - and then seek peace on their own terms.'

International Herald Tribune, 07 Apr 08, by John Vinocur
Are NATO promises backed by anything?
'Delivered directly to the alliance leaders, Putin said: "The presence of a powerful military bloc on our borders would be seen in Russia as a direct threat to the security of our country."'

Der Spiegel, 09 Apr 08, by Erich Follath
Tibet Has Caught China by Surprise
'... in the past few, dramatic weeks, the People's Republic has entered the international spotlight under completely different circumstances than the Communist Party strategists in Beijing had planned.'

Asia Times, 10 apr 08, by Francesco Sisci
Tibet a defining issue for China
'The uprising in Lhasa and the ensuing demonstrations in areas of China populated by ethnic Tibetans created a series of issues for the future of the country. These challenges go beyond the simple scope of the protests and far beyond the pressing issue of assuring the peaceful completion of the Beijing Olympic Games in August. The issues are radical - those of history, geography and the role of China in the world.'

Family Security Matters, 10 Apr 08, by Douglas Farah
What Does Iran Want from Latin America?
'My concern is that Iran, which has little real interest in Latin America in a substantive way, is positioning its favorite quasi-state actor, Hezbollah, around the region in order to be prepared to strike the United States, should it deem such a strike necessary or desirable.'

Turkish Weekly, 25 Mar 08, by Caglar Dolek
The US Hegemony, Failed State and the War on Terrorism: Implications for Africa?
'... when it comes to especially the African continent, the notion of "failed state" has been utilized in order to explain the problems of Africa without any critical reasoning. Considering this rather complex and broad set of questions, it seems vital to critically revaluate those notions with particular focus on Africa. Within in such a critique, however, the place of the US seems to be central especially with the recently initiated project of AFRICOM.'

International Herald Tribune, 09 Apr 08, by Geoffrey Wheatcroft
Belfast's Peace: Misplaced praise for a misbegotten peace
'... All those who defend the settlement must attempt to distinguish between the IRA and other terrorists, not to say between Ulster and pretty much everywhere else, a question which has been addressed on this page. The "irony," Michael Goldfarb writes in "Peace is not about justice" (Views, Dec. 8, 2007), is that "the price of conjuring peace out of conflict is that justice is not done; most crimes go unpunished." That has surely been the case in Northern Ireland.'

Family Security Matters, 10 Apr 08, by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
J-Roc Insults Combat Aircrews
'So here we have a United States Senator – who sits on the Senate Veterans Affairs committee – essentially damning military pilots as combatants who, and I'm paraphrasing, "don't know what happens" when their munitions strike their targets. In his words, McCain "was [which means all combat pilots are] long gone when they [the missiles] hit."'

Washington Post, 09 Apr 08, by editorial staff
Obama's Iraq Weakness
'At some point, most foreign policy debates, especially during a war, come down to a binary determination: Is a candidate strong or weak? Voters can disagree with a nominee on many things and still find him stronger than his opponent.'

Townhall.com, 06 Apr 08, by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Why the MSM is dumbfounded by McCain's refusal to go home
'McCain's rejection of the enemy offer seems remarkable to many journalists who have recently been covering the presidential campaign of the now 71-year-old U.S. senator from Arizona.'

Christian Science Monitor, 01 Apr 08, by editorial staff
The Battle of Basra
'Lessons from this six-day conflict may decide if Iraq is to have a strong government.'

Christian Science Monitor, 01 Apr 08, by Eugene Rumer
NATO's message to Russia
'It mustn't let Putin's challenge go unanswered.'

International Herald Tribune, 01 Apr 08, by Karl F. Inderfurth
A New Compact: Afghanistan, Pakistan and NATO
'The NATO summit meeting in Bucharest this week comes at a critical time for the 26-member alliance and its mission in Afghanistan. It also comes at a critical time for the one country that can make or break that mission: Pakistan.'

International Herald Tribune, 02 Apr 08, by Jaap de Hoop Scheffer
NATO and Afghanistan: A new phase
'The NATO summit meeting in Bucharest ... It will set out the path to a new phase in our Afghanistan engagement: What used to be a predominantly military effort will begin to shift toward a more balanced approach, with a stronger emphasis on civilian efforts and on Afghan ownership.'

Christian Science Monitor, 03 Apr 08, by Benjamin H. Friedman
Don't 'pull an Iraq' in Afghanistan
'... what US involvement in Iraq principally demonstrates is the limitation of American military power in reordering foreign societies. US troops can check violence in areas they occupy, but cannot repair the tensions that produce such violence. Those tensions stem from political problems that only Iraqis can solve, as the current unrest in the Shiite south indicates. If Iraq teaches Americans that flooding troops into other states racked by civil war and that undertaking massive state-building efforts is a good use of tax dollars, they are misguided.'

International Herald Tribune, 02 Apr 08, by Anthony H. Cordesman
Shiite on Shiite: A civil war Iraq can't win
'Even if American and Iraqi forces are able to eliminate Al Qaeda in Iraq, there are still three worrisome possibilities of new forms of fighting that could divide Iraq and deny the United States any form of "victory."'

Human Events, 03 Apr 08, by Walid Phares
The Winning Side of the Iraq Campaign
'In his latest assessment of the state of the campaign in Iraq President Bush drew strategic assertions regarding the measurement of success and the risks of failure on that battlefield, in what we can coin as the next stage in the confrontation against the forces of terror in the region.'

Asia Times, 02 Apr 08, by M K Bhadrakumar
Iran torpedoes US plans for Iraqi oil
'By all accounts, Iran played a decisive role in hammering out the peace deal among the Shi'ite factions in Iraq.

International Herald Tribune, 02 Apr 08, by editorial staff
Wasting and wanting at the Pentagon
'If ever there was an indictment of the wanton ways that the Pentagon wastes money, a new report by U.S. government auditors is it. Dozens of the Pentagon's most costly weapons programs are billions of dollars over budget and years behind schedule. ... Now, in stark terms, we see that an unseemly percentage of that money has gone to wasteful cost overruns and delays. Even when weapons systems are finally delivered, investigators say, far too many fail to deliver the capabilities promised.'

Human Events, 03 Apr 08, by W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
U.S. Ground Forces Wearing Out
'Designers, engineers, contractors, maintenance personnel, and budget planners have always had to consider everything from handguns to howitzers to tactical missiles for U.S. ground forces and every imaginable soldier’s weapon in between. Those considerations have only increased with the current pace of ground combat operations.'

International Herald Tribune, 01 Apr 08, by H.D.S. Greenway
Greenway: Dith Pran: A gallant guide
'The world got to know of Dith Pran, who died of cancer Sunday, through the power of movies, specifically "The Killing Fields," in which he was played by Haing Ngor, who won an Oscar for his performance.'

PBS 'Frontline', Mar 08
Bush's War
'More than anything else the Iraq war will be the lasting legacy of this administration. Here is the epic story of how it began and how it has been fought.'

New York Times, 23 Mar 08, by Nicholas D. Kristof
Iraq, $5,000 Per Second?
'For all the disagreement, there appears to be at least a modest connection between spending in Iraq and the economic difficulties at home. So as we debate whether to bring our troops home, one central question should be whether Iraq is really the best place to invest $411 million every day in present spending alone.'

New York Times, 23 Mar 08, by Paul Berman
Why Radical Islam Just Won’t Die
'... extremist ideologies have prospered because of their own ability to adapt and survive — their strength, in a word.'

Globe and Mail, 21 Mar 08, Geoffrey York
Why Tibet is boiling over
'As protests spread beyond Lhasa, The Globe examines the environmental, economic and demographic grievances at the root of the bitter conflict.'

International Herald Tribune, 26 Mar 08, by H.D.S. Greenway
Prayer onto the wind
'Seldom has the world seen such a stark clash between soft power and hard power as the current confrontation between the Dalai Lama and the might of the People's Republic of China. In a real sense, both have failed.'

International Herald Tribune, 26 Mar 08, by Roger Cohen
Imaginary snipers, real challenges
'What's needed ... is some new, creative thinking about a changed world in which authoritarianism is enjoying a renaissance and America and its allies need to work together to spread peace, prosperity, freedom, equity, security and, yes, democracy.'

Washington Post, 13 Mar 08, by David Ignatius
A Centcom Chief Who Spoke His Mind
'The first thing that many of Adm. William Fallon's colleagues note about him is that he's a Navy officer. By that, they mean he has the stubborn self-confidence, some would say arrogance, that is part of command at sea.'

International Herald Tribune, 12 Mar 08, by editorial staff
Helping Iraqi refugees who helped America
'Federal efforts should focus on helping Iraqis who come here build new lives. One challenge for some professionals from Iraq (and other countries) is finding jobs that match their abilities.'

Stratfor, 11 Mar 08, by Rodger Baker
Asia's Security Role Goes Global
'Over the last few decades, China, Japan and South Korea have dabbled on the international stage mainly via "soft" tools such as cultural and economic exchanges. But as the global trading system has evolved – along with the East Asian trio's stature within that system – the three countries' hunger for resources and markets has grown to an all-time high. This has pushed them into increasingly bold experiments on the international stage with "harder" tools such as military and security exchanges.'

International Herald Tribune, 12 Mar 08, by editorial staff
Serbia's choice: Isolation or the EU
'Kosovo made a historic choice for independence last month. Serbia will soon have a chance to make its own historic choice - either for a better future as part of the European Union or for isolation, stagnation and decline.'

Washington Post, 11 Mar 08, by Christopher Hitchens
Iraq: Worth the Price
'A few years ago, we had armed forces that were quite able to remove a ramshackle yet horrific government in Kabul or Baghdad but were quite unprepared to tackle the much more agonizing and tenacious enemies -- a Baathist/Al Quaeda alliance, or a Pakistani Pushtun/Bin Laden coalition -- that had partly emerged under those ex-governments' shadows. Now, after infinite labor, we have armed forces who have learned in practice how to smash Islamist terrorism on the battlefield, and also how to isolate and discredit it in the slums and the villages. This is what we needed in the first place and still need, as it happens, in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and will also need in the future.'

World Affairs Council of Northern California, 05 Feb 08, with Ivan Eland and David Henderson
Iraq End Game
[video] 'A recurring question found in most public opinion polls and on the 2008 presidential campaign trail: What will be the end-game for the U.S. in Iraq? How will U.S. decisions about continued engagement affect Iraq itself, and the Middle East?'

The National Interest, 05 Mar 08, by J. Peter Pham
Inside Track: Helping Taiwan Help Itself
'On Monday, the Pentagon released the 2008 edition of its legislatively mandated Annual Report to Congress: Military Power of the People's Republic of China. ... overall the report passed unnoticed, especially when one contrasts the attention it received with the headlines generated by some of its predecessors.'

Washington Post, 06 Mar 08, by
Homeland Security's Struggle
'Five years on, the department is very much a work in progress -- still struggling to mesh the 22 agencies that were combined to create a sprawling security establishment with about 208,000 employees. Critics say it remains more a collection of bureaucratic parts than a unitary Cabinet department.'

International Herald Tribune, 27 Feb 08, by Roger Cohen
The long haul in Afghanistan
'Hauling Afghanistan from the Middle Ages and the Taliban's vestigial clutches will involve every lever of power - economic, social, diplomatic and military. The last of these is not the least. If solidarity dissolves at the point of danger, the war's lost.'

Christian Science Monitor, 27 Feb 08, by Iason Athanasiadis
Waiting for a US-Iran handshake
'Iran's diplomatic elite believe that the time has come to lead the region.'

International Herald Tribune, 27 Feb 08, by editorial staff
Dealing pragmatically with Putin's Russia
'The next U.S. president will have to deal with a Russia that is not only nuclear-armed but increasingly wealthy and authoritarian.'

Washington Post, 28 Feb 08, by David Ignatius
The Fading Jihadists
'Politicians who talk about the terrorism threat ... should be required to read a new book by a former CIA officer named Marc Sageman: 'Leaderless Jihad'. It stands what you think you know about terrorism on its head and helps you see the topic in a different light.'

International Herald Tribune, 27 Feb 08, by Francisco Rodríguez
Venezuela's empty revolution
'Although opinions differ on whether Chávez's rule should be characterized as authoritarian or democratic, just about everyone appears to agree that, in contrast to his predecessors, Chávez has made the welfare of the Venezuelan poor his top priority.'

Washington Post, 20 Feb 08, by Anya Landau French
Our Failed, Punitive Policy
'Treating Cuba as an all-or-nothing proposition has netted the United States nothing. Our interests go unserved and our ideals unmet.'

Washington Post, 20 Feb 08, by Robert Kagan
A Card to Play for Cuba's Freedom
'To encourage the broader transition to democracy, the United States should be more than a passive spectator.'

International Herald Tribune, 19 Feb 08, by H.D.S. Greenway
Echoes of 'Nam
'... Tet showed there was no light at the end of the tunnel, and that to fight on in an endless war was not something the American public was going to stand for. Vietnam showed that we could win every battle and still lose the war.'

International Herald Tribune, 19 Feb 08, by Desmond Tutu
Taking the responsibility to protect
'The horrors of conflict in Africa continue today, but there is also a sign of how rapid response, with support from neighbors and the international community, can save lives and bring hope.'

International Herald Tribune, 19 Feb 08, by Charles Nasibu
Make the peace work
'The peace agreement signed in my homeland of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Jan. 23 has given hope to my family and compatriots for the first time in years. ... Will this agreement really bring lasting peace to DR Congo? This depends on how the details of the plan are implemented.'

Washington Post, 19 Feb 08, by Michael Gerson
Dying Silently In Zimbabwe
'One of the most reckless and cruel acts of government is the destruction of a currency. ... hyperinflation is rare in history, but we are seeing it once again, in Zimbabe. ... Mugabe manages to pay off his military leaders and political cronies with hard currency that comes from mining gold and platinum. He also sells farmland to Chinese and Libyan speculators -- land expropriated from white farmers, supposedly in the cause of Zimbabwean nationalism. Mugabe is literally putting his country on the block to maintain his power.'

International Herald Tribune, 13 Feb 08, by Michael R. Gordon
The case for a pause in U.S. troop reduction in Iraq
'There is an overarching reason American commanders in Iraq want a pause in American troop reductions this summer: The United States has learned through painful experience that security can rapidly deteriorate if it overestimates the capability of Iraq's forces to keep the peace.'

Christian Science Monitor, 14 Feb 08
Bush's unfinished Africa legacy
'He has done well with health and foreign aid, but his vision for a new US military role still needs defining.'

Washington Post, 14 Feb 08, by David Ignatius
Bush's Iraq Calculus
'President Bush, newly confident that his troop-surge strategy is working, is taking steps that are likely to guarantee another Iraq-driven election.'

International Herald Tribune, 14 Feb 08, by Steven Erlanger
Israel's quandary in Gaza
'As rockets continue to fall on Israeli towns, and Israeli politicians call for harsh retaliation, Israel faces an acute quandary in Gaza, with delicate political, military and moral dilemmas.'

International Herald Tribune, 13 Feb 08, by Roger Cohen
Here comes Kosovo
'Europe will get a new state, Kosovo, on Sunday and the long, bloody unraveling of Yugoslavia will be concluded 17 years after the first war of its dissolution broke out in Slovenia. That is cause for celebration.'

International Herald Tribune, 13 Feb 08, by editorial staff
Unnecessary damage to America's image
'The Bush administration's decision to put six detainees at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, on trial before military tribunals and to seek the death penalty is both a betrayal of American ideals and simply bad strategy.'

International Herald Tribune, 13 Feb 08, by editorial staff
Putin strengthens his legacy
'In less than three months, he plans to turn over the presidency to his anointed heir, Dmitri Medvedev, through elections that will be a mockery of democracy.'

America Abroad, 13 Feb 08
Communication Breakdown: Losing the War of Ideas
'Following the attacks of September 11, the US recognized the need to explain itself and its policies to the Muslim world and attempted to resuscitate its public diplomacy infrastructure. More than six years later, America continues to shoot blanks in the war of ideas, and anti-Americanism is at an all-time high.'

Human Events, 12 Feb 08, by W. Thomas Smith, Jr.
Defense Spending Crisis
'The first duty of government, as Adam Smith wrote in 1776, is defense which can only be accomplished by means of a military force. Our federal government is Constitutionally charged "to provide for the common defense." Yet that essential function is literally on the verge of collapse, descending into a proverbial black hole of debt, skyrocketing costs, poor planning, Beltway politics, and wartime wear-and-tear.'

The New Yorker, 11 Feb 08, by Seymour M. Hersh
A Strike in the Dark
'What did Israel bomb in Syria?'

Christian Science Monitor, 04 Feb 08, by editorial staff
The world can't ignore the Al Qaeda and Taliban threat in Afghanistan
'A triple alarm sounded on Afghanistan last week. Three reports by reputable, nonpartisan groups in the US concluded that it's a country verging on failure. It needs more troops and aid, the reports said. The international community must step up – and soon.'

Washington Post, 07 Feb 08, by editorial staff
Darfur's Chaos Spreads
'A rebellion in neighboring Chad benefits Sudan's dictator.'

Human Events, 05 Feb 08, by Caspar Weinberger Jr.
Leaving Iran for the Next Administration
'It's obvious by now that the Bush Administration has no intention of acting decisively on the Iranian nuclear threat. That is unfortunate because the longer we wait, the more serious the problem grows.'

Human Events, 01 Feb 08, by Walid Phares
The Candidate Who Can See the Enemy, Can Defeat It
'The post 9/11 era has changed the rules of engagement for national security experts and for those who can read the mind of the Jihadists, when it comes to US Presidential elections. While the principle was that the counter Terrorism community should let the voters chose their candidates and select their chief executive first, then offer the expert advice to the President later, unfortunately for that principle, things have changed.'

Investor's Business Daily, 29 Jan 08
The Defense Rusts
'Ronald Reagan won in 1980 in part by pledging to rebuild a military eviscerated by Jimmy Carter. Who'll challenge Hillary Clinton on the damage her co-president husband did to America's defenses?'

Washington Times, 28 Jan 08, by Tom Harb
Hezbollah's dark hand
'Like all international terrorist groups, Lebanon-based Hezbollah has always relied on the classic methodology of terror: horrifying, grisly attacks and detonations that produce mass casualties in order to garner as much press as possible. In short, its goal is to terrorize the public as a means of manipulating the same.'

TownHall.com, 28 Jan 08, by W. Thomas Smith, Jr
Hezbollah's bags of cash
'For years it's been reported that Hezbollah ... has been receiving money from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) ... The money factor is simply too big; and it seems as if the U.S. and our allies in the global war on terror are fighting a losing battle – at least temporarily – as we try to shut down this dangerous cash flow to Hezbollah.'

International Herald Tribune, 30 Jan 08, by Paul Kennedy
Who's hiding under our umbrella?
'... the complex relationships between the "provider" of the strategic umbrella and the countries that shelter underneath it.'

PBS 'Frontline', 29 Jan 08
Return of the Taliban
'A nightmare scenario has come true: a resurgence of jihadist forces in an area far out of America's reach.'

Asia Times, 31 Jan 08, by Alan G Jamieson
Towards a new 'Suez crisis'
'The economic problems in the United States have drawn attention away from the continuing efforts of certain members of the George W Bush administration to provoke a military confrontation with Iran. Yet these two themes, economic vulnerability and warlike intent, may be woven together in the near future in a way that parallels an earlier crisis in the Middle East.'

International Herald Tribune, 29 Jan 08, by Daniel Barenboim
Israeli and Palestinian
'In the Israeli-Palestinian conflict there was and still is an inability to admit the interdependence of their two voices. The creation of the state of Israel was the result of a Jewish-European idea, which, if it is to extend its leitmotif into the future, must accept the Palestinian identity as an equally valid leitmotif.'

International Herald Tribune, 29 Jan 08, by Celestine Bohlen, Bloomberg News
Kosovo's independence won't end its struggle
'With 16,000 North Atlantic Treaty Organization troops keeping a tenuous peace between Albanian and Serbian residents, Kosovo enters the world of nations with major handicaps.'

International Herald Tribune, 28 Jan 08, by John Vinocur
West dithers as Iran goes it merry way
'Outplayed for years by Moscow and Tehran, Washington has become even more ineffective since its National Intelligence Estimate said Iran stopped work on the weapons segment of its nuclear program in 2003. ... Regardless of how little taste there is for a conflict, the threat of American military action was the allies' best and perhaps most essential card in rattling Iran out of its intransigence.'

Christian Science Monitor, 30 Jan 08, by Eric Reeves
Genocide prevention: 60 years of abject failure
'Darfur reinforces the impotence of this UN mandate.'

Cato Institute, 24 Jan 08, by Stanley Kober, Washington Times
NATO Must Succeed in Afghanistan
'That future is now staring NATO in the face. If NATO fails in Afghanistan, it is questionable whether the alliance will survive.'

Asia Times, 24 Jan 08, by Greg Mills and Chris Thompson
China: Partner or predator in Africa?
'The conventional wisdom is that China presents Africa with major threats and opportunities, and that there is growing tension between the United States and China over the latter's evolving African interests. On paper, at least, the nascent interest of China in Africa looks to the latter's advantage.'

Cambridge Forum, 29 Oct 07, broadcast Jan 08
The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy
'John Mearsheimer and Stephen Walt address as they discuss their controversial book The Israel Lobby and US Foreign Policy.'

Washington Post, 24 Jan 08, by editorial staff
Breach in Gaza
'As thousands stream across the border to Egypt, Hamas blockades the peace process.'

Washington Post, 24 Jan 08, by David Albright and Jacqueline Shire
Slowly, but Surely, Pyongyang Is Moving
'There is no indication that North Korea is backing away from its commitments to disable key nuclear facilities and every reason to expect this process to unfold slowly, with North Korea taking small, incremental steps in return for corresponding steps from the United States and others in the six-party discussions.'

Washington Post, 24 Jan 08, by David Ignatius
A Pro for the Pakistani Army?
'Ashfaq Kiyani May Do What Pervez Musharraf Couldn't'

Washington Post/Cato Institute, 23 Jan 08, by Malou Innocent
The Shah of Pakistan?
'America's most vulnerable ally in the war on terror is Pakistan. But our alliance with the nuclear-armed Islamic state may be exacerbating that country's instability.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jan 08, by editorial staff
Once again, Sudan shows its scorn for the world
'In its latest show of disdain for world opinion, the regime in Sudan has named Musa Hilal, the leader of the dreaded Arab militias known as Janjaweed, as special adviser to Sudan's Ministry of Federal Affairs.'

Financial Times, 23 Jan 08, by Roula Khalaf
Middle East: Region would prefer jaw, jaw to war, war
'In the Middle East, and in Europe, officials say Mr Bush's search for a Middle East breakthrough, even at this late stage, should be encouraged, however slim the chances of a successful outcome and whatever the motives.'

International Herald Tribune, 22 Jan 08, by H.D.S. Greenway
A Mideast lesson for Bush
'The biggest lesson that Bush might have learned from Israel's example is that overdependence on brute force to solve complicated problems does not always provide a solution, and usually makes things worse as Lebanon and the occupied territories have so amply demonstrated.'

Stratfor Geopolitical Intelligence Report, 22 Jan 08, by Peter Zeihan
The Unraveling of Russia's Europe Policy

Christian Science Monitor, 18 Jan 08, by A. Wess Mitchell
A tale of two allies
'The Polish lesson: America must give something in return for support.'

Washington Post, 17 Jan 08, by Hussein Agha and Robert Malley
Middle East Triangle
'The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has gone from a violent, intractable, clear-cut duel to a violent, intractable, three-way chess match. Today, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas each fears that the other two will reach a deal at its expense. And each is determined to prevent that outcome.'

Washington Post, 17 Jan 08, by editorial staff
Fight in Afghanistan
'It's becoming clear that the war must be won by U.S. troops, and not by NATO.'

Christian Science Monitor, 14 Jan 08, by Jacqueline M. Klopp
The real reason for Kenya's violence
'Contrary to popular belief, it isn't simply "tribal" or "spontaneous."'

International Herald Tribune, 16 Jan 08, by Pervez Hoodbhoy
A state of denial
'As suicide bombings escalate, criticism of religious extremists remains taboo.'

Christian Science Monitor, 09 Jan 08, by George Moffett
In the Middle East, no time to spare
'Bush must push hard for a two-state solution.'

Asia Times, 10 Jan 08, by Erik Leaver
Iraq faces up to life beyond the 'surge'
'January 10 marked the one-year anniversary of President George W Bush's "surge" strategy. Many analysts are now claiming the "surge" is a success, but with no end in sight to the war, the year of the "surge" really is a tale of two Iraqs.'

International Herald Tribune, 09 Jan 08, by Charles J. Dunlap Jr.
We still need the big guns
'The relative calm that America's armed forces have imposed on Iraq is certainly grounds for cautious optimism. But it also raises some obvious questions: how was it achieved and what does it mean for future defense planning?'

International Herald Tribune, 09 Jan 08, by Roger Stern
We can beat Iran - but not by fighting
'For the last century, technological change has relentlessly degraded the value of capital ships. Too often, naval high commands deny that this process is happening.'

Asia Times, 10 Jan 08, by Robert D Blackwill
The three Rs: Rivalry, Russia and 'Ran
'We are witnessing a systemic decline in Russia's relations with the West. There is a long list of complaints from the industrial democracies regarding Moscow's behavior, many of them justified. But the US-Russia relationship (and that of Europe and Russia) does not occur in a strategic vacuum.'

Christian Science Monitor, 04 Jan 08, by Marc Lynch
Why U.S. strategy on Iran is crumbling
'Gulf states no longer want to isolate Iran.'

International Herald Tribune, 04 Jan 08, by William Dalrymple
Bhutto's deadly legacy
'The obituaries painting Benazir Bhutto as dying to save democracy distort history.'

2007 Commentary and Analysis archive

"Hunt for the Somali Pirates" airs soon on the National Geographic Channel.
When Somali pirates hijack the Maersk Alabama -- and international headlines -- Navy SEALs launch a sneak attack to rescue the ship's American captain. Pirate Hunters recounts the harrowing five days from hijack to final fatal shots, and reveals sophisticated Navy SEAL training methods that prepare the world's most elite reconnaissance teams for daring missions with no second chances.