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Summary: U.S./Top News Yesterday Sam Husseini of IPA Media asked incoming Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, "Isn't continued funding for Bush's execution of the war continued support for Bush's execution of the war?" Reid replied: "We're going to do everything we can to make sure that our troops get everything they need." By conflating supporting funding for continuing the war with "supporting the troops," Reid is marginalizing opposition to funding for continuing the war from debate, writes Robert Naiman on Huffington Post. The problem is that while Congressional language calling for withdrawal would be a very good thing, we have every reason to believe that the Bush Administration may ignore anything but a cutoff of funds.
Former Bush Administration official Flynt Leverett is being censored by the White House for his criticism of Administration policy towards Iran, writes Steve Clemons. The White House has forced the CIA to heavily censor an op-ed draft for the New York Times. Leverett believes that the White House is politicizing the "secrets review" process and is rewarding those who support Bush's policies and punishing those who don't. Juan Cole places the blame on Elliott Abrams and urges people to write Congress and ask why Elliot Abrams is in charge of Middle East policy.
Colin Powell said yesterday the US is losing the civil war in Iraq and he is not persuaded an increase in U.S. troops would reverse the situation, the Washington Post reports. He called giving responsibility for security to the Iraqi government with a U.S. drawdown to begin by the middle of next year. The summer's surge of U.S. troops to stabilize Baghdad failed and any new attempt is unlikely to succeed, and there really are no additional troops. Powell also agreed with the Iraq Study Group's recommendation that the administration open talks with Syria and Iran.
Incoming Senate majority leader Harry Reid said he would support a temporary increase of forces in Iraq, if it were tied to a withdrawal by 2008, the Washington Times reports. But when told one of the troop-increase proposals being considered by Bush would take place over 18 to 24 months, he said, "The American people will not allow this war to go on as it has." Democratic Senators Kennedy and Reed criticized the call for more troops.
The U.S. military's new counterinsurgency doctrine takes issue with key strategies that American commanders continue to use in Iraq, including the practice of concentrating combat forces in massive bases, the Los Angeles Times reports. The manual warns that such military bases could suggest "a long-term foreign occupation."
When political scientists asked volunteers, "What is the exact number of U.S. troops you are willing to see die in Iraq?" the most common answer was zero, the Washington Post reports. The median was 500. The article notes that initially people were more willing to accept casualties if they are contrasted with higher "enemy" casualties, but that this effect loses force as it becomes obvious that "enemy" fighters are easily replaced, a process captured by the Onion headline, "Eighty Percent of Al-Qaeda No. 2s Now Dead."
Iraq Iran has effectively created a Shi'ite "state within a state" in Iraq according to a Saudi security assessment, the Washington Times reports. The report says Iran is supporting Shi'ite militias, schools and hospitals, and pro-Iranian politicians in an effort to counter the remnants of Saddam's intelligence network. Isobel Coleman of the Council for Foreign Relations cautions that the report is not unbiased and is alarmist about Iran.
Iraq's prime minister convened leaders from various communities for a reconciliation conference, but no one claiming to represent the Shiite militias or the Sunni insurgents was in attendance, the New York Times reports.
Iran Friday's elections for in Iran the clerical Assembly of Experts and for local councils suggested a voter shift toward more moderate policies and away from the president's often-confrontational positions, Reuters reports. Former president Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani was leading the count in Tehran for the Assembly of Experts.
Iran's president said Saturday his country was ready to transfer nuclear technology to neighboring countries, Kuwaiti TV reported. The report said President Ahmadinejad told an adviser to Kuwait's emir, "Iran is prepared to transfer to regional states its valuable experience and achievements in the field of peaceful nuclear technology."
Israel/Palestine Armed supporters of Fatah and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire and the withdrawal of armed men from the streets, the New York Times reports. On Saturday President Abbas ordered early presidential and parliamentary elections. Hamas rejected early elections as illegal, saying they would be a blatant effort to overturn their majority, won in free elections 11 months ago. Any election would be at least four to six months away, and many Palestinians are hoping Hamas and Fatah will resume negotiations on a unity government to end the political crisis.
A group of former Israeli soldiers is raising ethical questions about the conduct the Israeli army in the Occupied Territories, the Toronto Star reports.
A coalition of more than 400 groups has asked President Bush not to sign the "Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act." The act would restrict humanitarian aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Afghanistan Increased reliance on US/NATO air power has led to thousands of civilian deaths in Afghanistan, undermining support for the Afghan government and turning public opinion against NATO forces, the Christian Science Monitor reports.
Afghans remain broadly supportive of their government and the western forces that protect it, writes Jim Lobe for Inter Press Service, reporting on a new poll. But that support appears to be slipping due primarily to frustration with the slow pace of reconstruction.
Somalia Assistant Secretary of State for Africa Jendayi Frazer says the Council of Islamic Courts in Somalia is controlled by "al-Qaeda cell individuals," the Washington Post reports. But the intelligence community doesn't endorse Frazer's conclusions about the level of al-Qaeda's control of the Courts. John Prendergast of the International Crisis Group says tacit U.S. support for Ethiopia's military incursion has "incalculably strengthened" the Courts' appeal to Somali nationalism.
Cuba A rare independent poll of Cubans by Gallup shows Cubans want more freedom and economic opportunities and support the Castro brothers by a seven-point margin, the Miami Herald reports.
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- Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org