U.S. Should Promote Diplomacy, Not War, in Somalia The Washington Post reported this week on entry of thousands of Ethiopian troops into Somalia, with the perceived blessing of the Bush Administration. Ask Congress to pressure the Bush Administration to support diplomacy in Somalia, not war. http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/involved/somalia.html
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Hersh/Ritter on "Target Iran": http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/12/21/143259
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Summary: U.S./Top News The US and Britain will begin moving additional warships and strike aircraft into the Persian Gulf region in a display of military resolve toward Iran, the New York Times reports. Senior American officers said the increase in naval power should not be viewed as preparations for an offensive strike against Iran. But they acknowledged the ability to hit Iran would be increased and Iranian leaders might well call the growing presence provocative.
Britain, France and Germany have scrapped plans to impose a UN travel ban on Iranian officials linked to Iran's nuclear program to win Russian support for a U.N. resolution restricting Iran's nuclear trade, the Washington Post reports. Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov said the council had made headway in narrowing the scope of the resolution's measures but more needed to be done to ensure the resolution supports U.N. efforts to uncover mysteries surrounding Iran's nuclear program and helps "start talks with Iran, rather than punish Iran." Lavrov complained the resolution would establish a committee with the power to expand trade sanctions, a process that could cut off legitimate trade.
Representative Louise Slaughter sent a letter to President Bush expressing concern over former Administration official Flynt Leverett's allegations he had been censored by the White House for his criticism of Iran policy. Leverett says a draft op-ed was censored where he talked about Iran's assistance to the U.S. in Afghanistan and its offer of a "grand bargain" with the U.S. in 2003.
The debate over sending more troops to Iraq intensified as President Bush signaled he will listen but not necessarily defer to balky military officers, the Washington Post reports.
Defense Secretary Gates said Wednesday that senior commanders had expressed their concern to him that sending more American troops to Iraq might delay the Iraqi government from taking responsibility for its own security, the New York Times reports.
The Pentagon wants the White House to seek an additional $99.7 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, AP reports. The military's request would boost this year's budget for those wars to about $170 billion.
Iran The Iranian student movement is reawakening from its recent slumber and may even be spearheading a widespread resistance against President Ahmadinejad, the New York Times reports.
President Ahmadinejad's opponents won local council elections in Iran, AP reports. His hard-line stances are believed to have divided conservatives who voted him into power last year, with some feeling Ahmadinejad has spent too much time confronting the West and has failed to deal with Iran's struggling economy.
Iraq In the view of the Bush administration, Abdul Aziz al-Hakim is a moderate and Moqtada al-Sadr is an extremist, the Washington Post reports, although both lead militias that are widely alleged to run death squads. Administration officials say they are pursuing a Hakim-led moderate coalition of Shiites, Sunnis and Kurdish parties in order to isolate extremists, in particular Sadr. But some wonder whether the US is overestimating Hakim's ability.
Syria Senators Kerry and Dodd met with Syrian President Assad Wednesday, urging Syria to cooperate with efforts to stabilize Iraq, AP reports. Kerry has criticized the Bush administration for refusing to engage with Syria and Iran, a move that was recommended by the bipartisan Iraq Study Group.
Somalia Somalia's Council of Islamic Courts and the country's transitional government agreed Wednesday to resume peace talks, the Washington Post reports. Ethiopia is estimated to have at least 8,000 troops in Somalia. The Islamic movement has demanded withdrawal of the troops, which it regards as a U.S.-backed invading force.
Somalia's Islamists are at war against Ethiopia not the government according to one of their leaders, Reuters reports. Reuters puts the number of Ethiopian troops between 15000-20000. Witnesses told Reuters Ethiopian troops were heavily involved in recent battles.
Bolivia Some Mennonite farmers in Bolivia are nervous about the government's land reform program, Simon Romero reports for the New York Times. Some farmers have clear title to their land but others do not. Nearly 90% of Bolivia's arable land is held by its wealthiest 10% of families.
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- Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org