BULLETIN No. 194

CIA BLACK PROPAGANDA EFFORTS IN IRAN, SYRIA,LEBANON; DARKER PENTAGON EFFORTS LOOMING?
Analysis: A decision needed on Syria
Al Hayat How to Engage Syria, If You Really Have to Emile El-Hokayem
Asia Times The Resolution Threatens Syria's Stability : Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed
Yedioth Ahronoth Israel watches Syria Security officials to present National Security Cabinet with findings of surveys of actions by Hizbullah in Syria, Lebanon; Prime minister worried ministers’ ‘babbling’ may lead to misunderstanding, military action by Syria
Abbas, Hamas or Syria/ Barnea
Talks with Syria not on agenda for Olmert-Bush meet
Washington Post As Crises Build, Lebanese Fearful of a Failed State
MI: Syria preparing for war, but won't initiate it Assad believed working in tandem with Iran and Hezbollah, security cabinet to discuss possible war in north
SyriaComment The Presidential Plebiscite and Pageantry: What does it Mean?
PM aides fear talks with Syria could harm U.S.-Israel ties
Nat'l Security Council urged PM to end Lebanon war on 4th day Winograd cmte. testimony reveals NSC joined chorus calling PM to stop offensive against Hezbollah.
In Fight Against Militants, Lebanon Bolstered by US, Gulf Countries By: Nicholas Blanford The Christian Science MonitorThe Lebanese army, carrying out a major offensive against Fatah al-Islam, has little combat experience and outdated equipment.
Lebanon: 108 Dead in Worst Strife Since Civil War
New vow to spread Lebanon battle
Fighting between Islamists and Lebanese spreads south
Syria Draws Distinction Between Hariri Murder Trial and Probe
Jund al-Sham The militant group fighting troops in southern Lebanon
Guardian 1967: Israel cannot make peace alone We must pursue a comprehensive solution with energy and vision, writes Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert.
1967: Our rights have to be recognised Israel must recognise our basic entitlements if it is serious about peace, writes Palestinian prime minister Ismail Haniyeh.
New York Times What if Israel Had Turned Back? By TOM SEGEV What if Israel hadn’t taken East Jerusalem and the West Bank in the Six-Day War?
Lessons of the Six-Day War
By Ariel Cohen Today the world will commemorate the 40th anniversary of Israel's victory in the Six-Day War.
US News How the Six-Day War Reshaped the Mideast - Fouad Ajami
Who deters whom? Hamas now deters Israel from going after its fighters in Gaza, despite the daily rocketing of Sderot. A sovereign country cannot permit this kind of imbalance to maintain without suffering severe damage.
CSM Two views on the impact of the Six-Day War An Israeli and a Palestinian reflect on the impact of the Six-Day War that began 40 years ago Tuesday.
Jerusalem Post The war that didn't end War, and the rejection of Israeli sovereignty, perpetuates the lack of a Palestinian state.
Two views on the impact of the Six-Day War An Israeli and a Palestinian reflect on the impact of the Six-Day War that began 40 years ago Tuesday.
Palestinians and Israelis: a political impasse Fred Halliday
THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN What a Mess If America can talk to Iran, Israel can talk to Hamas.

USIP Report: Ayatollah Sistani and the Democratization of Post-Ba'athist Iraq
Briefing: The Iraq Hydrocarbon Law: How and When?
Is There a Nationalist Solution in Iraq? By: Robert Dreyfuss The American Prospect The ethnic and sectarian conflict engulfing the country has gotten the most attention. But under the radar, a rough coalition of nationalist political elements in Iraq has been emerging.
DAVID BROOKS A Million Little Pieces Iraqi society has continued to fracture and is so incoherent that it can’t even have a proper civil war any more.
Guardian The best chance for Iraq is to bring American troops home Barack Obama: This war has diverted us from the struggle against terror. We need to refocus on Israel/Palestine, so long neglected by Bush.
Wall Street Journal Realists on Iraq Democratic presidential candidates should listen to the "experts" they so often cite. By DAN SENOR
Even Plan B Doesn't Look Promising in Failed State of Iraq
Wall Street Journal Realists on Iraq Democratic presidential candidates should listen to the "experts" they so often cite. By DAN SENOR
Why Iraq Isn't Korea By: Bill Powell Time The Administration is now kicking around the idea of Iraq as Korea. White House spokesman Tony Snow made the comparison publicly last week as the Administration acknowledged that it was looking into keeping long-term bases in Iraq. As someone who has spent a lot of time over the years in South Korea, as well as some time in Iraq, let me try to explain why this analogy is so ludicrous.

Gary Sick Lays Out Probabilities in US-Iran Arena
RFERL Middle East: Are Iranian Arms Flowing Into Iraqi, Afghan Conflict Zones?
Iran's practical nationalismRevolutions tend to bury the past. Iran's revolutionaries were no different from Russians, Chinese and others in demonizing previous regimes. But Tehran's new rulers are resurrecting Iran's Achaemenid Empire to buttress nationalism. This appeal to the imperial past indicates that nationalistic feeling is as strong as Islamic fervor. - Dmitry Shlapentokh
American Conservative Iran:Past the Paranoia by Peter Hitchens
Tehran talks raise faith visit hopes First steps by the US and Iran to establish a direct dialogue last week could smooth the way for a ground-breaking visit to Tehran by an inter-faith delegation, including an American cardinal, Theodore McCarrick, who hopes to establish contact with Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader
Iran: Defense Expert Discusses Iran's Missile Capabilities
Asia Times Iran and Egypt point to a new order As US-led pressure to isolate Iran over its nuclear program intensifies, Tehran's bid to normalize ties with Egypt is a timely antidote. Cairo officially supports Iran's nuclear program, and also has the ability to influence the Arab response to the Shi'ite-led government in Baghdad. And as much as Egypt may be calculated by the US as a "strategic counterweight" to Iran, simultaneously Egypt benefits from Iran's counterweight to Israel. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi