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Summary: U.S. The Army is gearing up to keep current troop levels in Iraq through 2010, AP reports. The announcement was the latest acknowledgment by Pentagon officials that a significant withdrawal of troops from Iraq is not likely in the immediate future.
In President Bush's imaginary world, Saddam Hussein defied UN demands that he get rid of weapons of mass destruction and barred U.N. inspectors; al-Qaeda's public statements must be believed; and U.S. withdrawal from Iraq is unthinkable because it would let al-Qaeda "extend the caliphate," a mythical state that doesn't exist, writes Robert Parry.
John Bolton was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize by Sweden's former deputy Prime Minister for "exposing Iran's secret plans to develop nuclear weapons," BBC reports.
President Bush said Wednesday he would not use force against North Korea because "diplomacy hasn't run its course," but acknowledged many Americans wonder why he invaded Iraq but has not taken military action to head off North Korea's race for a bomb.
The American-financed rebuilding of an Iraqi police headquarters that was meant to show a new approach to reconstruction has instead turned out to be rife with shoddy construction and is exposing security forces to unnecessary risk, a federal oversight agency said yesterday.
A former Pentagon employee accepted bribes worth thousands of dollars for steering $6 million in contracts to an Iraqi company, according to an indictment released yesterday by the Justice Department.
President Bush asserted yesterday the administration's strategy on North Korea is superior to the one pursued by his predecessor, because Clinton reached a bilateral agreement that failed, while the current administration is trying to end North Korea's nuclear programs through multi-nation talks. But the reality is more complicated, the Washington Post reports. Bush's current policy envisions bilateral negotiations with North Korea on certain issues, while it is not fully accurate to describe the negotiations that led to a 1994 agreement between the US and North Korea as purely the result of one-on-one negotiations.
The US wants a vote on North Korea by Friday despite opposition from China to some of the economic and weapons sanctions aimed at punishing North Korea for its reported nuclear weapons test, Reuters reports.
Iran The permanent members of the U.N. Security Council agreed Wednesday to start working on U.N. sanctions against Iran, but failed to bridge differences on how harsh the penalties should be, AP reports. While the U.S. called for broad sanctions to punish Iran, Russia and China favored less severe measures.
Iraq Iraq's Shiite-dominated Parliament approved a law on Wednesday enabling provinces to unite to form autonomous regions, in spite of vehement opposition by Sunni Arab leaders. Juan Cole notes that Sunni Arabs only agreed to run for office and participate in last December's elections because they were promised an effective voice on this sort of issue.
The senior American commander in Iraq said Wednesday violence in Baghdad had reached its highest levels in recent weeks, despite the assignment of thousands more American and Iraqi troops to the capital in August.
Israel Dovish members of the American Jewish community are planning to set up a pro-Israel alternative to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported. Among figures behind the initiative are philanthropists George Soros, Edgar and Charles Bronfman and former Democratic congressman Mel Levine.
Lebanon Lebanese Prime Minister Siniora warned Wednesday Israeli military flights over Lebanon were endangering the truce that ended this summer's war, the Washington Post reports. The UN considers the overflights a violation of the truce.
Turkey Turkish novelist Orhan Pamuk won the Nobel literature prize Thursday. His trial for "insulting Turkishness" raised concerns about free speech in Turkey. Turkey's Foreign Ministry congratulated Pamuk, wishing him continued success and saying the prize would help give Turkish literature a wider audience abroad.
Egypt Former President Sadat's nephew Talaat was brought before a military court Wednesday, charged with defaming the army for saying his uncle had died because of military negligence. The case echoes other recent efforts to silence criticism of Egypt's leadership. Talaat, a member of Parliament, will be tried in secret with no right to appeal. If convicted, he faces up to three years in prison.
North Korea North Korea's second most powerful political figure threatened Wednesday North Korea would carry out further nuclear tests if the US did not change what he called its "hostile attitude." He dismissed the impact economic sanctions imposed by the U.N. Security Council would have. He said North Korea would refuse to return to six-party talks unless the US dropped sanctions imposed in 2005. Analysts have said the explosion Monday was small enough to suggest that the test partially failed or was not in fact nuclear.
Colombia A battle to wean Colombian farmers off of the cocaine trade is quietly being cut back in a region where cocaine production is surging, AP reports. The US Agency for International Development cites security risks for its workers and a lack of private investment partners for its pullout from Caquetá State. Six years and more than $4 billion in American tax dollars after Plan Colombia began in Caquetá, coca is still the region's No. 1 cash crop. But programs to provide farmers with a profitable alternative to coca are vanishing.
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