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Archives: November 2007
Elbaradei: An Attack on Iran would Guarantee that it Gets Nukes
The USG Open Source Center translates an interview in an Argentinian newspaper with International Atomic Energy Agency head, Mohamed Elbaradei, on how to deal with the Iranian nuclear research program. He cautions…McCain blames Rise of Hitler on Ron Paul Not Invading and Occupying other Countries Branded ‘Isolationism’
In a new low of despicable looniness, at the Republican debate in St. Petersburg, John McCain equated those Americans who want to stop militarily occupying Iraq with Hitler-enablers. He actually said that,…13 Wounded, including 7 US Troops, in Baquba Bombing Biden says Surge Success ‘a Fantasy’ Da’wa splits, Some eye Jaafari as Leader
7 US troops were wounded along with 5 Iraqi civilians when a female suicide bomber detonated her payload in Baquba. The attack took place on Tuesday but was not announced until Wednesday.…Sadrists Demonstrate Sistani calls for an End to Sunni-Shiite violence Agreement of Principles is Criticized
Thousands of Sadrists demonstrated in downtown Baghdad for a second day on Tuesday, complaining about their marginalization and the high-handed policies of PM Nuri al-Maliki.Al-Hayat reports in Arabic that the Sadr Movement…Pakistani Press on Sharif’s Return
The USG Open Source Center rounds up the Urdu press in Pakistan on the return of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.Urdu Press Roundup on Prevailing Political Situation After Sharif's ReturnPakistan -- OSC…Al-Maliki Negotiates a Treaty with US Kurds Defiant on Oil Deals
The government of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki is negotiating a formal bilateral treaty with the United States. The question is whether the agreement will be submitted to parliament for ratification, and…Dulaim: Al-Maliki is trying to Marginalize Sunnis
The USG Open Source Center translates an interview in the Iraqi newspaper Ilaf with Adnan Dulaimi, a leader of the Iraqi Accord Front (Sunni fundamentalist, called in Arabic Tawafuq), the major Sunni…Bush’s Middle East Unravels Further
Bush's achievements in the Middle East were supposed to have been the 'Cedar Revolution' in Lebanon and the removal of Syria troops; holding fair elections in Palestine in January of 2006; and…Bombings Kill 10 in Baghdad Iraqi Parliament in Uproar over Debaathification Al-Hakim Defends Iran
On Sunday, the government of Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki presented to parliament its bill revising the expulsion of ex-Baathists from government jobs and public life. The Shiite deputies in parliament essentially booed…Miscellany and Annapolis
On the Annapolis "meeting" (downgraded from a conference), Mark Matthews of the Baltimore Sun contrasts the preparation and success of the Madrid peace conference in 1991 under Bush Sr., with the likely…Tanter on Rudd and Australian Security Policy
Professor Richard Tanter of the Nautilus Institute at RMIT in Melbourne writes from Australia:'A small note on your comment on Kevin Rudd's election in Australia. On the question of security policy, this…Firedoglake Book Salon: The DeLay Reaction
Check out the Firedoglake Book Salon on Sunday, All About The Benjamins: A “Follow The Money” Book Salon Preview.It is the story of how Tom DeLay and other corrupt Republican politicians reduced…New Australian PM Rudd will Withdraw Combat Troops from Iraq Shahristani: Kurdistan Oil Deals Void Bush scales back Expectations (again)
Another one bites the dust. World politics is littered with the political corpses of rightwing leaders who bucked their own public to join in George W. Bush's wars and misadventures. Spain, Italy,…Iraq Clerics Call for Stronger Security Forces, National Reconciliation
The USG Open Source Center rounds up Friday prayers sermons shown on Iraqi television this week:'Round-up of Iraqi Friday Sermons 23 NovIraq -- OSC SummarySaturday, November 24, 2007 Major Iraqi television channels…20,000 Brain-injured Troops Not Counted as War Casualties by Pentagon Sectarian Shiite Tribes denounce Iran Chretien Proud of Bucking Bush
Whoever is responsible for this disgusting travesty is an automatic candidate for Keith Olbermann's "Worst Person in the World." My guess is that the trail will lead back to Donald "its not…Sadrists: Will Purge Mahdi Army Reject Iranian Troops for Iraq Demand Election Law Reform
The USG Open Source Center translates an article from the Iraqi newspaper "Ilaf," on planned housekeeping inside the Sadr Movement, in which leaders plan to purge hundreds of alleged rogue elements from…Dozens Killed in Bombings, Clashes 3 Mn. Iranian Pilgrims Expected 41% of Jihadis are Saudis
Guerrillas detonated a bomb in a Baghdad pet market on Friday morning at 9 am, killing at least 13 persons and wounding others. Two important gunbattles were fought in Iraq on Thursday,…Pink: Dear Mr. President
Pink - Dear Mr. President Dear Mr. PresidentCome take a walk with meLet's pretend we're just two people andYou're not better than meI'd like to ask you some questions if we can…Abu Abd and Baghdad Security US Soldier Killed, dozens of Iraqis Killed or Wounded
Al-Hayat writing in Arabic profiles Sa'd Uraibi al-Ubaidi, known as "Abu Abd", the 'tribal awakening' leader who, it claims, now controls most of the Sunni Arab neighborhoods of Baghdad. Al-Ubaidi, 35, had…Pakistani Newspapers Critical of Bush Policy
The USG Open Source Center translates excerpts from Pakistani newspaper editorials concerning the visit over the weekend of US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte to Islamabad. The visit has generated controversy…Congress Digs in its Heels over Iraq Funding; Iran-US Talks on Iraq Security
My analysis of this NYT piece is that Bush and the Republicans are betting that they can portray as irresponsible and unpatriotic the Democrats in Congress who decline to give Bush all…Extremists Move North Security Guards arrested by Iraqi militiary
AP reports that US generals in Iraq are talking about the move to northern Iraq of the most violent Sunni religious guerrillas (the US calls them al-Qaeda and some of them style…Sunni Groups at Odds with Each Other
The USG Open Source Center reports on wrangling between two Sunni groups, the more urban and small-town Sunni fundamentalists of the Iraqi Accord Front [al-Tawafuq] and the more rural, tribal Anbar Salvation…Iraqi Gov’t Inaction Poses Grave Risks: US Officers 17 Killed in Sunday Bombing Wave
According to the Washington Post's Tom Ricks, US officers in Iraq are saying that the failure of the government of PM Nuri al-Maliki to capitalize on the reduction of violence in Baghdad…Satellite Channels, Blogs, Criticize Musharraf
The USG Open Source Center surveys electronic media in and about Pakistan, reporting on the situation with regard to closure or blocking of television channels, as well as making remarks toward the…US Increasingly Alone in Iraq Dozens Killed or Found Dead on Saturday
Top British Gen. Sir Richard Dannatt says that British troops are overstretched by their missions in Iraq and Afghanistan and are suffering from "Iraq fatigue." He warned that the covenant of trust…Satellite T.V. on Iraqi Security Developments
The USG Open Source Center reports on how Arabic television is reporting on political and security developments in Iraq.'Al-Sharqiyah, Al-Iraqiyah Report on Political, Security Developments in IraqIraq -- OSC SummarySaturday, November 17,…Farhi: IAEA Finds Iran did not Divert Material to Weapons
Some Saturday reading:At our Global Affairs group blog, Farideh Farhi takes a closer look at the International Atomic Energy Agency and Iran. This issue may be the most important one in world…Turks Favor Invasion
A new poll shows that 81% of Turks favor invading northern Iraq, up from 46% in July.' The number of people saying Turkey should conduct a cross-border military operation against militants of…Cole on Academic Freedom
The Monreal Mirror carries an interview with me by Samer Elatrash, in honor of the holding of the Middle East Studies Association (MESA) Conference in Montreal. MESA has over 2700 members among…The Democratic Debate seen from San Francisco, Boston and Des Moines
Everyone reads the NYT and WaPo, so I thought it might be interesting to see how some other newspapers covered the Democratic debate. The San Francisco Chronicle's Carla Marinucci awards the Las…OSC: Russia Seeks Political, Economic Dividends from Syria Ties
The USG Open Source Center analyzes Russia's renewed ties of patronage with Syria. The analysts look at arms sales, energy deals and port access for the Russian navy, among other dimensions of…3 US Soldiers Killed Blackwater Blues Dems Try Again to Bring Troops Home
An FBI investigation has found that the Blackwater Security guards who killed 17 Iraqis in mid-September had broken laws and regulations on the use of deadly force in 14 of the shootings.Fred…Jama’at Demands Restoration of the Pakistani Judiciary
The USG Open Source Center translates an interview given by the leader of Pakistan's oldest and largest Muslim fundamentalist party, the Jama'at-i Islami [Islamic Society], Qazi Husain Ahmad. The Jama'at had been…Sunni Party Joins Call for New Elections in Iraq
Turkish aircraft struck at targets inside Iraqi Kurdistan on Tuesday, seeking to inflict damage on the Kurdish Worker Party guerrillas who have crossed over into Iraq in search of safe haven.The Iraq…Like, Bad Vibes, Man, in Pakistan: Musharraf; Bhutto: Musharraf must Go
The Pakistani public is generally outraged at the repressive measures implemented by Gen. Musharraf, which now include forbidding the importation of satellite dishes to Pakistan. Musharraf seems to think he is dealing…US Drawdown Begins Sadrists call for New Parliamentary Elections
The US military has begun to reverse last year's troop escalation, which brought the number of combat brigades in Iraq up to 20. It is now going back down to 19, and…Bhutto Calls for Musharraf to Step down Put under House Arrest
Opposition politician Benazir Bhutto has called for Gen. Pervez Musharraf to resign as president of Pakistan, and says she will never serve as prime minister under him. He put her back under…Poll: Turkish Kurds Would not Emigrate to a Kurdistan 72% say US soft on Terror
The Turkish Daily News reports the results of a poll of persons living in 14 cities in southeastern Turkey, which has a large Kurdish population.Only 1% of those polled said that they…Shiite Preacher Praises Increased Security Calls for Timetable for US Withdrawal
The USG Open Source Center translates Friday prayer sermons from last week in Iraq. Of particular interest is the sermon of Shiite cleric Sadr al-Din al-Qabanji of Najaf, who preaches at the…Maliki Said to Induct 18,000 Militiamen into Security Services
Al-Zaman reports in Arabic that PM al-Maliki has taken the controversial decision to recruit 18,000 members of Shiite militias into the Iraqi government security forces. (In fact, the Iraqi military has de…Pakistan Elections By Jan. 9 Emergency not to be Lifted Jama’at-i Islami Slams Bhutto
Gen. Musharraf says he will keep the State of Emergency in place but will dissolve parliament and hold new elections for it before Jan. 9 under a caretaker government. Provincial elections will…A Sad Veterans Day; 1/4 of Homeless are Vets Bombings in Baghdad, Mosul, Diyala Showdown at Samarra
On Veterans Day, think about the thousands of US dead and wounded in Iraq (for what purpose, exactly?), and think about Iraqi Veterans against the War as Star Tribune columnist Nick Coleman…Iraqi Kurd Op-Ed: Turkey must Recognize Kurds for there to be Dialogue
The USG Open Source Center translates an article by an Iraqi Kurd writer, "Diyar Gharib," calling on Turkey to recognize the Kurdish people as a first step toward productive political dialogue.'Iraq Kurd…Did W. Create Ron Paul?
Gordon Robison argues that his stance on the Iraq War almost single-handedly explains Rep. Ron Paul's amazing fundraising ability (which recently outstripped that of Sen. John McCain, the last unreconstructed hawk on…Pakistan Dictatorship Pledges to End Emergency; Bhutto said released from House Arrest
The military dictatorship in Pakistan says that it has released Benazir Bhutto from house arrest and that it will end the State of Emergency within one month and go to parliamentary elections…Awakening Council in Diyala Bombed; Rumors of US Contacts with Sunni Resistance; Iran: Nukes forbidden in Islamic Law
A suicide bomber blew up a meeting of the Diyala Awakening Council of Sunni tribal shaikhs, killing five tribal chiefs who had been cooperating with the Americans against radical Sunni Salafi extremists.Other…