COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS :

NewsHour, 30 Jun 09, with Jim Lehrer
Upon U.S. Troop Pullback, Jones Assesses Iraq's Future
'U.S. troop withdrawals from Iraqi cities prompted a national holiday, but continued violence leaves the country's stability in question. National Security Adviser retired Gen. Jim Jones discusses the path ahead in Iraq.'

Washington Post, 02 Jul 09, by John R. Bolton
Time for an Israeli Strike?
'With Iran's hard-line mullahs and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps unmistakably back in control, Israel's decision of whether to use military force against Tehran's nuclear weapons program is more urgent than ever.'

Washington Post, 02 Jul 09, by
Russia's Grand Inquisitor
'U.S. analysts talk about a new strategic partnership, but Russian officials are mistrustful of large American designs.'

Stratfor, 29 Jun 09, by George Friedman
The Real Struggle in Iran and Implications for U.S. Dialogue
'... the real struggle in Iran has not yet been settled, nor was it ever about the liberalization of the regime. Rather, it has been about the role of the clergy — particularly the old-guard clergy — in Iranian life, and the future of particular personalities among this clergy.'

New York Times, 01 Jul 09, by Álvaro Vargas Llosa
The Winner in Honduras: Chávez
'In pushing the limits of democracy by trying to force a constitutional change that would permit his re-election, [President Manuel Zelaya] set a trap for the military. The military fell for it, turning an unpopular president who was nearing the end of his term into an international cause célèbre.'

Stratfor, 30 Jun 09, by George Friedman
Russia, Poland and U.S. Strategy
[video] 'George Friedman analyzes the upcoming summit July 6-8 between Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Barack Obama from a geopolitical perspective. Likely topics on the agenda include Iran, Afghanistan, U.S. ballistic missile defense installations in Poland and Russia's sphere of influence.'

Christian Science Monitor, 29 Jun 09, by editorial board
Iraq's next milestone: the Kurdish question
'The survival of the country depends on bridging the Kurd-Arab divide.'

Townhall.com, 29 Jun 09, by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Violence in Iran: What the West Needs to Know
'Saturday, I discussed Iran with Middle East expert Dr. Walid Phares – director of the Future of Terrorism Project for the Foundation for Defense of Democracies – for the initial Q&A in what will be an ongoing series of interviews, "Three Questions for Dr. Walid Phares," providing timely perspective on Middle East issues and international terrorism as events unfold.'

Christian Science Monitor, 29 Jun 09, by Lydia Khalil
Iran today: 1979 revolution redux?
'Reformers hope to fulfill the work they began 30 years ago.'

PBS NewsHour, 29 Jun 09
Military's 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Policy Faces New Scrutiny
'President Barack Obama met with gay rights activists on Monday, giving the strongest signal yet he may move to lift the ban on gays openly serving in the military. Watch extended interviews from Monday's NewsHour report on the "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" debate here.'

San Francisco Chronicle, 26 Jun 09, by J. Peter Phan
The Invisible Hook : The Hidden Economics of Pirates
[book review] '... Peter Leeson, an economics professor at George Mason University, offers a fascinating perspective into the world of Blackbeard, "Black Bart" Roberts and "Calico Jack" Rackham in his highly readable book ...'

Washington Post, 01 Jul 09, by Barry Wingard
No Justice Today at Guantanamo
'The Obama administration is reportedly considering an executive order that would "reassert presidential authority to incarcerate terrorism suspects indefinitely," and the situation at the prison itself is worsening.'

New York Times, 01 Jul 09, by Luis Moreno-Ocampo
Impunity No More
'In 1998, more than 100 states adopted the Rome Statute to end impunity for those crimes that we had thought, over and over, would never happen again, only to see them occur, again and again: genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.'

Wall Street Journal, 29 Jun 09, by Joshua Muravchik
The Abandonment of Democracy
'The most surprising thing about the first half-year of Barack Obama's presidency, at least in the realm of foreign policy, has been its indifference to the issues of human rights and democracy.'

Washington Post, 23 Jun 09, by Heather Wilson
A Weak Spot in Our Defenses
'Attacks on computer systems will be an integral element of future conflict, and the United States is more dependent on computer networks than any other nation. Both policymakers and the military are in the early stages of coming to grips with this threat.'

Washington Post, 23 Jun 09, by Andrew S. Natsios
Obama, Adrift On Sudan
'... disputes within the Obama administration are inhibiting U.S. efforts to stop Sudan's slide toward civil war at a time when unified American leadership is essential.'

Washington Post, 23 Jun 09, by Richard Cohen
President Cool Plays It Right
'The foreign policy sins of the United States fall into two categories: commission and omission. The commission ones include the wars in Vietnam and Iraq, and a one-time Latin American policy tailored to the needs of United Fruit Co. The sins of omission are less well-known.'

Washington Post, 22 Jun 09, by E.J. Dionne Jr.
Obama's Iran Dilemma
'... there is a tension in the progressive worldview. Usually, the left also favors restraint in foreign policy. It typically prefers negotiation to war, advises caution in the use of American power and recoils at what it sees as the trigger-happiness of parts of the right. Iraq is Exhibit A for the dangers of presuming that American power can easily remake the world.'

Washington Post, 25 Jun 09, by Mona Eltahawy
The Sounds of Silence on Iran
'The Arabs are quiet, but their silence is surely tempered with discomfort.'

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Jun 09, by editorial board
Will digital dissent win in Iran and China?
'Such regimes are more reliant on the Internet yet they try to curb it. In the end, they won't win.'

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Jun 09, by Helena Cobban
My talk with Hamas about peace with Israel
'The US should follow the Northern Ireland and South African models – which had principles, not preconditions.'

Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jun 09, by editorial board
What Iraq can teach Iran
'Ayatollah Sistani in Iraq shows religion can play an influential, but background, role in a secular democracy.'

Christian Science Monitor, 22 Jun 09, by Trita Parsi
What Obama must do now on Iran
'Condemn violence, without picking sides.'

Asia Times, 22 Jun 09, by Peter Lee
A convenient North Korean distraction
'The North Korean crisis represents a collision of two anachronisms: the world's last Stalinist state versus a fading Cold War alliance ill-equipped to face the challenge of China, a burgeoning regional power determined to expand its influence through investment, trade and diplomacy and avoid confrontation on the United States' primary terms of advantage: military power.'

New York Times, 25 Jun 09, by Asli Aydintasbas
Free to Be a Kurd
'Armed with new self-confidence and higher democratic standards, the Turkish government has quietly crafted a bold initiative to persuade the PKK to surrender in return for political representation and, eventually, an amnesty. The deal has the potential to put an end to one of the deadliest conflicts in this region.'

Stratfor, 16 Jun 09
Iranian Elections, Israel and the United States
[video] 'George Friedman discusses the tense future of the Middle East following the recent Iranian elections.'

Washington Post, 19 Jun 09, by David Ignatius
This Is for Real
'What's happening on the streets of Tehran is a lesson in what makes history ...'

Washington Post, 18 Jun 09, by Nader Mousavizadeh
Engage Iran, Not Ahmadinejad
'A two-pronged approach to dealing with Iran and not its president.'

Christian Science Monitor, 15 Jun 09, by Geneive Abdo
Iran's protests do not a revolution make
'Ahmadinejad's reelection signals an end to an internal power struggle that has been under way for 20 years.'

Washington Post, 17 Jun 09, by Robert Kagan
Obama, Siding With the Regime
'The turmoil in Iran since last week's election has confused the foreign policy debate here in the United States in interesting ways.'

Washington Post, 16 Jun 09, by David Ignatius
Obama's Message to Iran
'The stormy Iranian elections are one more sign of how the world has been shaken up in the age of Barack Obama. ... President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is claiming a new mandate, but what the world sees is the regime's vulnerability.'

Washington Post, 16 Jun 09, by Jeffrey Gedmin
What Do Iranians Want?
'... the truth is that we can't know precisely what different parts of Iranian society think. Things such as free media, a thriving community of nongovernmental organizations, opinion polling in a society free of secret-police informers -- and ultimately fair and free elections, of course -- give us an idea of what's on people's minds.'

Christian Science Monitor, 18 Jun 09, by John Hughes
A nuclear-free world? Not yet.
'Obama is right to seek reductions. But nukes are still fundamental to deterrence.'

Christian Science Monitor, 18 Jun 09, by Mansoor Ijaz
How India and Pakistan can resolve Kashmir now
'The political atmosphere between the two is ripe for a summit deal.'

National Post, 17 Jun 09, by Jonathan Kay
Pakistan: land of unintended consequences
'While journalists often talk about the Taliban as if it were a single, unified force, there are in fact many Talibans.'

Washington Post, 14 Jun 09, by Nicholas Schmidle
Pakistan's Next Fight? Don't Go There.
'The Obama administration has shown a refreshing realism in its policy toward Afghanistan and Pakistan, and if it wants to succeed there, it should encourage the Pakistani army to stay out of Waziristan -- at least for now.'

FrontlineClub.com, 11 Jun 09, by Mike Hills
The 'Obama effect' and Hezbollah's election tactics
'... don't be fooled into thinking that anything [Obama] said in the Maghreb was powerful enough to convince Lebanese voters to choose one politician over another.'

Christian Science Monitor, 15 Jun 09, by Larry Cox
Obama must prosecute Bush-era torture enablers
'Should they prosecute or protect those responsible for the torture of detainees in secret CIA detention centers? If our leaders wish to steer our country back to the right side of the law, they must act immediately and unequivocally to prosecute.'

Christian Science Monitor, 12 Jun 09, by Helena Cobban
Obama's link to the Muslim world: Turkey
'The West can learn a lot from Ankara's perspective and democratic successes.'

Christian Science Monitor, 10 Jun 09, by Denis Corboy, William Courtney and Kenneth Yalowitz
A wake-up call for Georgia, Ukraine – and the West
'Bickering and divisiveness among democrats within former Soviet states could lead to authoritarian, anti-Western rule.'

Washington Post, 19 Jun 09, by John M. Shalikashvili
Gays in the Military: Let the Evidence Speak
'Tradition is a critical military value, and the armed forces have a long-standing tradition of banning gay men and lesbians. Equally important military traditions, however, are learning and adapting ...'

Christian Science Monitor, 07 Jun 09, by Ben Arnoldy
Why the Taliban won't take over Pakistan
'For reasons of geography, ethnicity, military inferiority, and ancient rivalries, they represent neither the immediate threat that is often portrayed nor the inevitable victors that the West fears.'

Human Events, 10 Jun 09, by James Zumwalt
Journalist Pawns in the Nuclear Game
'The arrest of Ling and Lee near the border on March 17 was not the work of "overzealous"� North Korean guards. Overzealousness is a trait that has been outlawed in North Korea, and it can get you executed very quickly. These guards acted on a direct order from superiors -- as did their superiors in passing the order down. What we will never know is whether the order was specifically to target Americans or whether, as far as Pyongyang was concerned, two Americans were just the luck of the draw.'

Washington Post, 10 Jun 09, by Michael O'Hanlon
Obama's Defense Budget Gap
'After three months of very impressive decisions regarding national security, President Obama made perhaps his first significant mistake. It concerns the defense budget, where his plans are insufficient to support the national security establishment over the next five years.'

Washington Post, 10 Jun 09, by Glenn Kessler
Man Behind Iran Policy Faces Big Task
'As one of the main architects of the Obama administration's Iran policy, Ross is crafting a way to reach out to Iran to persuade its leaders to abandon any plan to develop nuclear weapons. ... If engagement fails, Ross probably will have to shift course and help devise a blunt-force strategy to accomplish the same goal.'

Christian Science Monitor, 08 Jun 09, by editorial board
Lebanon's voters answer Iran's guns
'Hezbollah's loss in Sunday's election should end its veto power, and perhaps its gun power.'

Christian Science Monitor, 08 Jun 09, by Allan Richarz
Don't fall for North Korea's trap
'Rogue states are using US reporters as pawns. Only swift retribution will stop the cynical game.'

Christian Science Monitor, 05 Jun 09, by John Hughes
North Korea's defiance puts Obama in a corner
'Its nuclear and missile tests are a setback for the president's concept of engagement with rogue nations.'

New York Times, 09 Jun 09, by editorial staff
The Ban on Gays in the Military
'Unfortunately, neither President Obama nor Congress shows much appetite for moving to end a ban that is not only unfair to gay men and lesbians but damaging to the military as well.'

Washington Post, 11 Jun 09, by David Ignatius
Duel of the Spy Chiefs
'A Turf War Exposes a Botched Reorganization'

Human Events, 03 Jun 09, by W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Military Milestones from Devil Dogs to the Great Crusade
'June 6, 1918: U.S. Marines attack and destroy Imperial German Army positions during the Battle of Belleau Wood (an old French hunting preserve near Chateau-Thierry, France) in a grisly close-quarters slugfest, after which the Germans -- convinced the Marines are special American "shock troops"� -- nickname their foes, teufelhunden (devil dogs). At one point during the fighting, Gunnery Sgt. Dan Daly -- a two-time Medal of Honor recipient -- dashes out in front of his Marines and shouts to them: "Come on you sons of bitches! Do you want to live forever?!"�

New York Times, 02 Jun 09, by editorial staff
What the Muslim World Wants to Hear From Obama
'President Obama's tour of the Middle East is intended to set the groundwork for a resolution to the Arab-Israeli conflict and improve the image of the United States in the Muslim world. On Thursday, he is scheduled to give his first speech in Cairo. Here are seven views from the region about what he should say.'

Christian Science Monitor, 02 Jun 09, by editorial board
In Cairo, Obama must thank moderate Muslims
'Gratitude for standing up to the radicals' ideology can bring respect for the US.'

New York Times, 03 Jun 09, by Thomas L. Friedman
Obama on Obama
'... the president has no illusions that one speech will make lambs lie down with lions. Rather, he sees it as part of his broader diplomatic approach ...'

The New Nation (Bangladesh), 03 Jun 09, by Clay Ramsay
A new approach in the Mideast
'As President Obama shifts into a round of White House meetings with leaders from Israel, the Palestinian Authority and the Arab world, and looks for footholds that let him try new approaches, he has a quiet ally in his corner: the American public.'

The Guardian, 03 Jun 09, by Jeremy Sharon
What should Israel do about Iran?
'If the international community fails to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, Israel may take matters into its own hands.'

Asia Times, 03 Jun 09, by M K Bhadrakumar
Iran wages lonely war on terror
'Tehran is probing deeper into last week's deadly mosque bombing in Zahedan, but has yet to point any fingers at the West. Iran can't raise an international scandal with US President Barack Obama set to address the Muslim world on Thursday, and its June 12 national election so delicately poised. Looking further, Tehran realizes rhetorical outbursts against Washington will only play into Israeli hands.'

Asia Times, 03 Jun 09, by Francesco Sisci
Pyongyang better left to its devices
'The crisis evolving on the Korean Peninsula with the North's testing of a nuclear device last month is extremely complicated, ... we shall try to make sense of it.'

Washington Post, 02 Jun 09, by Anne Applebaum
Shadow Boxing in Pyongyang
'... China has more influence over the North Korean regime than all of the other U.N. Security Council members put together, but it does not use this influence to stop Pyongyang's nuclear program.'

Asia Times, 03 Jun 09, by Donald Kirk
The hazards of a hasty succession
'If it is confirmed that the ailing North Korean leader Kim Jong-il has named his Swiss-educated youngest son, Kim Jong-un, as his successor, any optimism should be guarded. Untested in combat and over-privileged, the 26-year-old may not be accepted by the million-strong military establishment, leading to either calamitous internal strife or him taking a harder line than his father to prove himself.'

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