BULLETIN No.157

Asia Times HOW HEZBOLLAH DEFEATED ISRAEL PART 3: The political war The aftermath of the Israel-Hezbollah war will be felt for years, not months, and has redrawn the political map throughout the Middle East, not just in Israel and Lebanon. And the upshot of it all is that if and when the US attacks Iran, it will lose. - Alastair Crooke and Mark Perry How Hezbollah Defeated Israel, Part 1: Intelligence - PART 2: The ground war
OpenDemocracy Lebanon: the war after the war The idea that Hizbollah's success in its war with Israel is a mirage owes much to military-commercial spin, says Paul Rogers
BBC Talabani backs 'Iran-Syria plan' Violence in Iraq would end "within months" if Iran and Syria were directly involved, says Iraq's president.
Bush confidant prepares way for radical shift on Iraq Iraq: Talks with Iran and Syria seen as way to end chaos · Report leaked before crucial November polls
Israel rejects Syrian offer on the Golan Heights
Jerusalem Post Syria nixes Assad visit to Jerusalem
Syria's Assad preparing troops for war with Israel?
Olmert Scoffs at Prospect of Talks With Assad
MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA: Syrian overtures on Golan Heights spark Israeli debate
Al Awsat Syria, Saudi and the U.S. Embassy : Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed
Egyptian sources: Syrian pressure torpedoed deal to free Shalit
Hizballah Will Rebuild Unless Borders Enforced - Tom Lantos (Forward)
Between Syria and North Korea
Jerusalem Post Editor's Notes: Assad's push for a Golan realignment

For Rice, it's time for Palestine
Washington Institute Ending the Palestinian Political Stalemate: Abbas’s Electoral Option An early presidential election could allow Mahmoud Abbas to trump Hamas with a clear mandate for acceptance of Israel, past agreements, and nonviolence. Mohammed Yaghi and Ben Fishman write.
Debka Tehran Arms Hamas for a Double-Barreled War Option and Gaza as Second Lebanon Print
BBC Israeli rocket 'hits Hamas house' Four Hamas members and two others die in an Israeli air strike on a Gaza house, Palestinian officials say.
Hamas hopesPalestinian Authority seeks to divide EU and US on sanctions MI official: Hamas smuggling anti-aircraft missiles into Gaza
Time New Calls by Hamas Militants to Target the U.S. Washington's efforts to isolate and topple the Islamist government is amplifying calls from its more extreme element to abandon its reluctance to directly attack U.S. interests
Yedioth Ahronoth 'End Palestinian humiliation' US secretary of state says Palestinians deserve better life and to be freed of Israeli occupation
Hamas: Fatah is aiding Western sanctions by foiling unity gov't
Will Olmert make peace?/ Pundak
Hamas tries to heal rift with Cairo
Report: Hamas ready to accept prior agreements with Israel
Clint, what about Iran? Will Israel continue to wait for US to act before Iranian horror movie materializes? Ynetnews

Washington Post A Plan for Iraq By Dennis Ross
Analysis: Iraq Goes Deeper Into Division
Stratfor - Geopolitical Diary: Federalism and Factions in Iraq
CFR Iraq’s Impact on the Future of US Foreign and Defense Policy, Session 1: The United States and the Middle East ]
Iraq’s Impact on the Future of US Foreign and Defense Policy: Session Two: The United States, Europe, and Asia ]
Iraq's Impact on the Future of US Foreign and Defense Policy: Session 3: "The Direction of US Foreign and Defense Policy after the Intervention in Iraq"]
One state or three?Should Iraq be divided into Shia, Sunni and Kurdish regions?
Iraq’s Impact on the Future of US Foreign and Defense Policy: Session Four: Coping with Rogue States, Failing States, and Proliferators]
Reidar Visser 27 September 2006: The Draft Law for the Formation of Regions – A Recipe for Permanent Instability in Iraq?
Financial Times Pentagon to maintain troop levels in Iraq The US army chief of staff said the Pentagon was planning for the possibility that it might have to keep current troop levels in Iraq until 2010.
Reason Breaking Up Ain't Hard to Do James Baker prepares the exits in Iraq by Michael Young
Experts, officials debate Iraq carve-up
CFR Pollack: Iraq Headed in Wrong Direction
Is There a “Civil War” in Iraq? (PDF; 95 KB) Source: Center for Strategic & International Studies
Christian Science Monitor
Bush created a mess in Iraq. Here's how to clean it up. It's time to pull our troops out of Iraq – and to hold our leaders accountable.By Helena Cobban
UPI Eye on Iraq: Iraq's army has a long way to go
Los Angeles Times 'Stay the Course' in Iraq? No Way, U.S. Panel Says Among alternatives being weighed: phased withdrawal of American troops, and bringing Iran and Syria into an effort to stop the fighting
Time Would Defeat in Iraq Be So Bad? Viewpoint: The dominoes didn't fall after Vietnam, argues Leslie Gelb
Iraq approves controversial federalism law Iraqi lawmakers approved by a slim majority a law that lays out a mechanism for forming autonomous federal regions.
CSIS Options for Iraq: The Almost Good, the Bad, and the Ugly -Anthony H. Cordesman
Washington Post Beyond the Coup Rumors, Options for Iraq By David Ignatius Talk of a coup to install a "government of national salvation" in Iraq may be unrealistic -- but it illustrates the rising desperation among Iraqis
New York Times In Victory for Shiite Leader, Iraqi Parliament Approves Creating Autonomous Regions
Washington Times The president's Iraq challenge — and ours What the country needs right now is an honest and forthright debate over the next step in Iraq.
Top U.S. Officer in Iraq Sees Spike in Violence
Federalism or bust: Five reasons why federalism would work in Iraq KurdishMedia.com - By Dr Rebwar Fatah

CFR US Policy Toward Iran R. Nicholas Burns
The role of public opinion Israel, and not the neo-appeasing 'world,' will have to find a solution to the Iranian nuclear threat, the greatest danger that has faced the Jewish state since its establishment.
BBC Last resort?
Yedioth Ahronoth US General: Strikes on Iran Possible by 2007
Daily Star Sensible ideas on why to engage Tehran By Rami G. Khouri
How Not to Handle Iran's Nuke Aspirations by Ehsan AhrariWhy some Israeli leaders would consider attacking Iran
Daily Telegraph Give Iran the bomb: it might make the regime more pliableIran will develop a nuclear bomb whether we like it or not, writes Boris Johnson. Instead of making bogus threats, is there any reason why we shouldn't just let them do so?