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Summary: U.S. Democrats criticized Senate Majority Leader Frist for saying that the Afghan war against Taliban guerrillas can never be won militarily and for favoring bringing "people who call themselves Taliban" into the government. Frist said Monday in Afghanistan that Taliban fighters are too numerous and too popular to be defeated. "You need to bring them into a more transparent type of government," he said. Democrats accused Frist of trying to "cut and run" in Afghanistan. "Senator Frist now suggests that the best way forward in Afghanistan is to coddle the Taliban by welcoming Taliban members into a coalition government, as if 9/11 had never happened," House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said.
Pelosi's criticism is unfortunate. If it's wrong for Republicans to try to silence debate of U.S. foreign policy by accusing critics of cowardice, it's wrong for Democrats to do it. If it's wrong to do it with respect to Iraq, it's wrong to do it with respect to Afghanistan.
To express support for Senator Frist's suggestion that the U.S. seek a political accommodation with supporters of the Taliban, you can write a letter to a newspaper using this link: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/involved/fristafg_ltr.html
Note that this story has been mostly ignored by mainstream press: only the AP is covering it. Neither the New York Times nor the Washington Post has run an article on it. This is striking, given Frist's stature. If you didn't read the Just Foreign Policy News, you might not know about it.
The US, France and Britain rejected Iran's proposal that France organize and monitor the production of enriched uranium inside Iran. Washington has consistently taken the position that any uranium enrichment on Iranian soil is out of the question because it could give Iran the ability to master the nuclear fuel cycle. [This U.S. position has no basis in the nuclear non-proliferation treaty.]
A majority of U.S. adults say President Bush has deliberately misled the public about progress in Iraq and opposition to the war matches an all- time high, according to a poll conducted for CNN.
Secretary of State Rice is under pressure from Arab allies to renew efforts for a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians. Arab officials expressed frustration that the US seems far more focused on the issue of Iran's nuclear program.
Iran British forces in Iraq have found no evidence to support US claims that Iran is providing weapons and training in Iraq, the Washington Post reports.
In a policy brief on US options regarding Iran's nuclear program, the Cato Institute's Ted Carpenter argues sanctions won't work, subversion won't work and could backfire, and air strikes won't work and would cause a terrible backlash. The US could accept Iran as a member of the nuclear club and rely on its own deterrent power as it has done successfully in the past, but the best option would be to normalize diplomatic and economic relations in exchange for Iran's agreement to open its nuclear program to rigorous inspections.
Iran's president has ordered the country's nuclear sites be opened to foreign tourists to prove its program is peaceful, the BBC reports.
Iraq Two months after a security crackdown began in the capital, U.S. military deaths appear to be rising, even as fatalities among Iraqi security forces have fallen. U.S. officials said the recent increases could be attributable to U.S. troops' greater exposure to combat since redeploying in early August from heavily guarded bases to Baghdad's streets.
Iraqi authorities have taken a brigade of up to 700 policemen out of service and put members under investigation for "possible complicity" with death squads following a mass kidnapping earlier this week.
Afghanistan An unexpectedly fierce and prolonged Taliban offensive that began last spring has U.S. and NATO officials deeply worried that they face a serious insurgency, writes Jim Lobe for Inter Press Service. Greatly compounding their concern is Pakistan's ceasefire agreement with pro-Taliban tribal leaders. A senior U.S. military officer said cross-border attacks by Taliban forces had tripled since the truce took effect.
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-------- Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org
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