On the web: http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/newsroom/index.html
To subscribe: http://www.democracyinaction.org/dia/organizationsORG/justforeignpolicy.org/signUp.jsp?key=1271
Summary: U.S. Politics The CIA last fall repudiated the claim there were prewar ties between Iraq's government and Al Qaeda, according to a report issued Friday by the Senate Intelligence Committee. The disclosure undercuts continuing assertions by the Bush administration that such ties existed, the New York Times reports. CIA counterterrorism officers have increasingly enrolled for an insurance plan that would pay judgments and expenses if they are sued or charged with criminal wrongdoing, reflecting heightened anxiety that officers may be vulnerable to accusations of abuse, torture, and human rights violations.
Iran Representatives of Iran and the EU said Sunday that they had made progress in the search for a compromise to avert possible UN sanctions over Iran's nuclear program. The cautious-but-positive tone of the statements from Solana and Larijani contrasted sharply with the US position. US officials have said they hope sanctions language could be ready when the UN General Assembly convenes next week. There were suggestions that Iran might be willing to suspend its uranium-enrichment program if negotiations on the package were to start. The US, however, might not accept the idea.
Iraq An agreement struck 11 months ago by Shiite and Kurdish leaders to win Sunni Arab support for a new constitution is fraying, causing concern among some political leaders that it could jeopardize Iraq's fragile governing coalition. The dispute peaked Sunday as a large Shiite faction continued to fight for quick approval of legislation giving provinces authority to create autonomous states. The chief of intelligence for the Marine Corps in Iraq concluded that the prospects for securing that country's western Anbar province are dim and that there is almost nothing the U.S. military can do to improve the political and social situation there. His report says that there are no functioning Iraqi government institutions in Anbar, leaving a vacuum that has been filled by the insurgent group al-Qaeda in Iraq.
Though Moqtada al-Sadr and his followers hold more seats in Iraq's parliament than any other faction, their attitude toward the U.S.-led occupation remains belligerent, the Washington Post reports. The evolution of Sadr as a political kingmaker is emerging as a core challenge to U.S. visions of stability in Iraq. Sadr is increasingly seen as a man who has the power to either implode Iraq or keep it together. Many adults in the US are disappointed with the way the Iraq is progressing,
In a new Zogby poll of US opinion, 58 per cent of respondents believe the war in Iraq has not been worth the loss of American lives. A small but apparently growing number of Iraq experts believe dissolution of the country is inevitable, the Christian Science Monitor reports.
Palestine Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday his Fatah party and the ruling Hamas party have agreed to form a coalition government, a move Palestinians hope will ease crippling international sanctions. The agreement was said to be based on a proposal that implies recognition of Israel. Western nations and Israel have been withholding hundreds of millions of dollars from the government after Hamas swept January parliamentary elections.
Afghanistan A provincial governor was killed by a suicide bomber. The governor is the highest-ranking official to be killed since the Taliban began a campaign of suicide bombings last year. The bombings have unnerved the public and the government, raising fears of an Iraq-style escalation of violence in large cities.
In the southern provinces, the Washington Post reports, open warfare has resumed after four years of relative quiet. Insurgents are battling NATO troops; thousands of villagers have fled their homes. Schools have shut down, and development projects have stopped. Opium poppy cultivation, virtually wiped out by the Taliban, has soared to record levels. Nationwide it increased by 59 percent in the past year.
Bolivia Opposition leaders in Bolivia's wealthier eastern regions say a strike to protest plans to re-write the constitution was a success, but the government said the stoppage was a failure, because support was limited to the east, BBC reports. The strikers were objecting to plans to allow a constituent assembly to amend the charter by simple majority vote. A power struggle between Bolivia's wealthier, white elite - which opposes the changes - and its indigenous majority is at the heart of the row.
Philippines The trial of four marines charged in a rape case has become the latest focus of long-standing nationalist resentments, the Times reports. For many, the marines and their accuser have come to symbolize more than a century of American domination.
In this issue: U.S. Politics 1) C.I.A. Said to Find No Hussein Link to Terror Chief 2) Worried CIA Officers Buy Legal Insurance Iran 3) Europe Union and Iran Report Progress in Nuclear Talks Iraq 4) Deal on a Constitution for Iraq Is Teetering 5) Anbar Situation Called Dire 6) Sadr, a Question Mark Etched in Black 7) More Americans Upset with Loss of Life in Iraq 8) As violence escalates, so does talk of a divided Iraq Palestine Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Monday his Fatah party and the ruling Hamas party have agreed to form a coalition government, a move Palestinians hope will ease crippling international sanctions. Afghanistan 10) Suicide Bomber Kills a Governor in Afghanistan 11) Afghan Experiment Marked by Progress And Disillusionment Bolivia 12) Bolivia sees anti-reform protests Philippines 13) 4 Marines to Begin Defense in Rape Trial in Philippines
-------- Robert Naiman Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org
Just Foreign Policy is a membership organization devoted to reforming U.S. foreign policy so that it reflects the values and interests of the majority of Americans.