Syrian Endgame By: Michael Young The Wall Street Journal It is in Lebanon that Syria has shown the least inclination to concede anything. That's why the U.S. must use any future conversation with Iran, assuming it goes well, as leverage to consolidate Lebanon's fragile independence.
Rice Meets with Syrian Foreign Minister at Iraq Conference
Washington Times Rice offers incentive to Damascus (Nicholas Kralev)
'Syria arming intensely'
Debka Despite Syrian military border build-up, Israel has no plans to attack but stands ready to ward off a surprise Syrian strike
Syria refuses role in tribunal
By Betsy Pisik No Syrian will participate in an international trial of suspects in the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, a senior foreign ministry official said yesterday. He also warned that Lebanon is on the brink of civil war.
U.S.-Syria relations complicated by Hariri probe
McClatchy Rice asks Syria to close its border with Iraq
Independent Meeting with Rice ends Syria's diplomatic isolation
New York Times U.S. and Syria Discuss Iraq in Rare Meeting The meeting between the secretary of state and her Syrian counterpart seemed to confirm a change in approach for the White House.
Rice Meets With Syrian CounterpartNo U.S.-Iran Session At Conference on Iraq
Guardian Rice breaks the ice with Syria, but not Iran Iraq conference backdrop for high level discussion where US praises Damascus's counter-insurgency effort.
Christian Science Monitor
Iraq drives US-Syria talks Secretary of State Rice met in Egypt Thursday with Syrian Foreign Minister Moalem, who called their discussion 'frank and constructive.'
Progress as US talk to Syria and Iran At an conference on Iraq, Condoleezza Rice had a 30-minute meeting with her Syrian counterpart, the first for two years
Syrian Military Buildup Worries Israel
SyriaComment Will There be a War this Summer?
Hariri probe complicates U.S.-Syria ... (Betsy Pisik)
Washington Takes Aim at Syria
What can be done at Sharm el-Sheikh By Ghassan Atiyyah
As summit opens, talks with Iran, Syria are main focus
Washington Times Syrians bolstered by visit of 'good American' Pelosi
US Blocks Israel-Syria Talks
Editorial A Harsh, Healthy Verdict in Israel You have to admire the work of the investigating commission appointed to analyze Israel’s botched war in Lebanon last summer.
Hizbollah praises Israel over war report
Hizbollah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah has given rare praise to long-time foe Israel for having investigated its 2006 war in Lebanon
After war in Lebanon... the battle for Israel
The struggle for a nation engulfed by the aftershocks of a bungled war
International community keeping close watch on post-Winograd fallout
Benn Sleep on it The Winograd report has shown that at the root of the failure in Lebanon War II was haste
The mistakes of the Winograd Committee For most Israeli citizens, the committee's report is a document that reinforces existing views rather than telling us anything new.
If Olmert Doesn't Get Message, Into the Streets By: Cameron Brown The Jerusalem Post We knew the Winograd Report investigating the failures during last summer's war with Hizbullah would be critical of the political and military leadership. But no one expected a political earthquake of this magnitude.
After the Winograd report, will Olmert survive? By Shlomo Avineri
The Winograd Report Mainly Provokes Arab Disdain By: Rami G. Khouri The Daily StarA combination of vindication, disdain, and renewed concerns about Israeli militarism are the dominant reactions in the Arab world to the preliminary report of the Winograd Commission released Monday in Israel.
BBC Taking the strainPressure mounts on Ehud Olmert as support crumbles
Ha’aretz Benn A very, very painful response Israel did not make a serious effort to achieve peace with its neighbors, due to the belief that the Arabs wouldn't dare challenge its military superiority. This is the most interesting finding in the Winograd Committee's interim report.
U.S. presents Israel, PA with detailed demands Israel fears confrontation with U.S.; demands include opening passages, upgrading PA armed forces
Benchmark Document / Israel concerned by Washington's demands
THE BENCHMARK DOCUMENT IN FULL
Schiff The conspicuously absent issue
In the saddle again? After reading the Winograd Committee's scathing report, Ehud Olmert launched a heroic struggle for survival this week. Tzipi Livni collapsed under the pressure.
An unnecessary war
Benn A very, very painful response Israel did not make a serious effort to achieve peace with its neighbors, due to the belief that the Arabs wouldn't dare challenge its military superiority. This is the most interesting finding in the Winograd Committee's interim report.
Rosner Reality overtaken by events Until the fate of Israel's government and prime minister becomes clear, there will likely be little progress in U.S. efforts to advance diplomacy in the region. Meanwhile, Syria continues an unprecedented buildup on its front with Israel.
Micro-manager The chief of staff should balance his attention to detail with the need to see the big picture.
'The intelligence didn't reach the troops'
PM, Kadima fear Labor will quit gov't due to Winograd backlash
Sources: Evidence on Bishara case sufficient for indictment
Rosner Bush, Rice, Olmert, Livni: the State of affairs
The Economist Israel A prime minister on the edge
Israel and its neighbours When's the next war?
Why Israel is After Me By: Azmi Bishara Los Angeles TimesI am a Palestinian from Nazareth, a citizen of Israel and was, until last month, a member of the Israeli parliament. But now, in an ironic twist reminiscent of France's Dreyfus affair — in which a French Jew was accused of disloyalty to the state — the government of Israel is accusing me of aiding the enemy during Israel's failed war against Lebanon in July.
The Winograd Report Mainly Provokes Arab Disdain By: Rami G. Khouri The Daily Star A combination of vindication, disdain, and renewed concerns about Israeli militarism are the dominant reactions in the Arab world to the preliminary report of the Winograd Commission released Monday in Israel.
To Rabin Square By: Ari Shavit Haaretz For eight months the country's residents allowed their leadership to ridicule them. They did not join the reservists' protest en masse; they did not put the prime minister, whose moral authority was lost, under political siege.
Forward Ehud Olmert Is Not Solely To Blame Martin van Creveld
One on One with Amir Taheri on how to deal with Iran
Column One: The fruits of Hizbullah's victory
Washington Times Israeli inquiry aftershocks By Ariel Cohen The Winograd Commission diagnosed -- correctly -- the main disease of the Israeli politico-military elite: lack of a strategic doctrine "in the fullest sense of the term."
Editorial Was Olmert the problem?
David Makovsky Olmert After Winograd: A Battle for Survival
Yedioth Ahronoth Livni around for now Despite foreign minister's recent statement that Olmert should resign following Winograd report, prime minister seems inclined not to fire Livni, as long as they remain on same page regarding government policy
Deputy Defense Minister discusses ups and downs of Israel's regional situation with AJC
Preserving Humanitarian Principles While Combating Terrorism: Israel's Struggle with Hizbullah in the Lebanon War - Daniel Taub (Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Former CIA Director Blames Arafat for Being "Barrier to Peace" –
Israel's Dilemma: A Discredited Prime Minister and Unappealing Alternatives By: Frida Ghitis World Politics Watch If Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is looking for someone in Israel willing to stand up and fight for his political survival, the only place he may find that person is staring straight into the mirror. Olmert's survival looks like the longest of long shots, and yet, the road ahead looks anything but clear for his political opponents.
Gulf of perceptionCompeting narratives leave no room for Israeli-Arab tolerance
Olmert's Failure - Chuck Freilich, Human Events
Tony Karon The Blind Spot in Israel’s War Probe
Jerusalem Post Lessons of Winograd
US Sets Eight-Month Timetable for Israel-Palestinian Peace Moves
Guardian Olmert's legacy could yet be the failure that forces something better Jonathan Freedland: The crisis triggered by Israel's report on its war with Lebanon may end up putting the Arab League initiative centre stage.
Leader Israel’s Dilemma Agonising over the responsibility for flaws in the Lebanon war
Iraqi Perceptions of the War: Public Opinion by City and RegionSource: Center for Strategic & International Studies Full Paper (PDF; 709 KB)
Don't Abandon Us By Hoshyar Zebari, Iraqis, for all our determination and courage, cannot succeed alone
Asia Times What Muqtada wants All that the Sadrists want is a timetable for a US withdrawal from Iraq, says Nasr al-Roubaie, Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr's top man in government. This struggle, he tells Pepe Escobar, is both "peaceful and armed", and there is a possibility of an Iraqi shadow cabinet being formed uniting Sadrists and Sunni nationalists. But whatever happens, Muqtada remains the kingmaker.
Conferencing Iraq's futureMuch of the attention at the Iraq security conference now under way in Egypt will be on the interaction between Iran and the US, and over Tehran's concerns that it might be ambushed by the US over its nuclear program. But Iraq is the core issue, and Iran has the opportunity to emphasize its pivotal role in defining that country's future. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi
Priorities, Not Delusions By: Dmitri K. Simes The National Interest Those who hoped that the Democrats’ victory in November would launch a major foreign policy debate are disappointed. Setting aside the immediate issue of Iraq, which obviously requires the nation’s attention, neither presidential candidates nor the Congress nor the media have shown much interest in a serious conversation about the direction of U.S. foreign policy.
Financial Times COMMENT: Why it is time for America to start talking to its enemy Silence has amplified misunderstanding and empowered radicals in Tehran. The US has nothing to lose from talking, writes Philip Stephens.
Iran's Nuclear Programme IISSAn article assessing the prospects for a diplomatic resolution of the Iranian nuclear issue
Time Postcard: Tehran (Postcard: Tehran.) Despite a culture that thrives on lavish weddings, men and women are officially barred from celebrating together. How some Iranians skirt the law in order to tie the knot
CFR Should Regime Change in Iran be Part of US Foreign Policy?
Taking Threats Off the Table Before Sitting With Iran By: Ray Takeyh The Boston GlobeAs Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice meets with her Iranian counterpart this week in Egypt, the prospects of talks between the two enduring foes seem closer than before. However, for such negotiations to succeed, Washington must be prepared to adjust an important aspect of its rhetoric.
The perils of sectarianism in opposing Iranian power By Toby Jones
Theodore Dalrymple Violently imposing a socialist or Islamic society is justified in the same way by Marx and Sayyid Qutb: if people were really free, they’d accept this fate instantly, joyously... more»
No comments:
Post a Comment