OFF THE WIRE :

• Chinese soldiers rush to bolster weakened dams
[International Herald Tribune, 15 May 08]
• Colombia extradites paramilitary leaders to US: victims angry
[Christian Science Monitor, 15 May 08]
• 7 Convicted in France On Terrorism Charges
[Washington Post, 15 May 08]
• Israel warns of Gaza rocket range
[BBC New, 15 May 08]
• Afghan police hit by bomb attack
[BBC New, 15 May 08]
• Clashes break out in Sudan's Abyei region
[Reuters, 14 May 08]
• Curfew in Indian city Jaipur after blasts kill dozens
[International Herald Tribune, 14 May 08]
• Britain to renew recognition of Ulster Volunteer Force cease-fire
[AP, 14 May 08]
• 2 expelled U.S. envoys visited Russian military plant
[International Herald Tribune, 14 May 08]
• Hamas rejects Israeli truce terms
[BBC News, 13 May 08]
• Arrests follow Malawi 'coup plot'
[BBC News, 13 May 08]
• Missile is fired at copter over Baghdad, U.S. says
[International Herald Tribune, 13 May 08]
• Fierce fighting breaks out east of Beirut
[International Herald Tribune, 12 May 08]

ISRAEL, THE MIDDLE EAST & NORTH AFRICA :

International Herald Tribune, 15 May 08, by Robert F. Worth
Lebanon reverses decisions that prompted violence
'Lebanon's governing coalition on Wednesday night formally reversed two decisions that had provoked the militant group Hezbollah, bringing the country a step closer to resolving the week-old political crisis that set off the worst factional violence since the nation's 15-year civil war.'

International Herald Tribune, 13 May 08, by Robert F. Worth
Lebanese Army to intervene in sectarian fighting
'The Lebanese Army announced that it would start using force to stop fighting between supporters of the governing coalition and the Hezbollah-led opposition, a step the army had not taken during almost a week of sectarian violence that recalled the country's 15-year civil war.'

Jerusalem Post, 12 May 08, by Herb Keinon and Yaakov Katz
Israel eyes dangers, opportunities in Hizbullah takeover of Lebanon
'If Hizbullah takes over Lebanon and uses it to stage attacks on Israel, Jerusalem would have no compunction about striking at Lebanon's infrastructure, something it was hesitant to do during the Second Lebanon War for fear of toppling the democratic government in Beirut, diplomatic sources said Sunday.'

Radio Free Europe, 12 May 08, by Andrew F. Tully
Middle East: Are Iran, Syria Playing Any Roles In Lebanon Fighting?
'The resurgence of violence in Lebanon has again raised the question of the motives and aims of Iran and Syria, which support Hizballah, one of the groups involved in the fighting. RFE/RL correspondent Andrew F. Tully put these issues before Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. Cordesman is a leading Middle East authority who has served as an intelligence analyst for the U.S. State and Defense departments.'

Christian Science Monitor, 15 May 08, by Ilene R. Prusher
Violence flares as Bush marks Israel's anniversary
'On his second trip to Israel, President Bush will address the issue of settlement building and try to push for progress on a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.'

BBC News, 10 May 08
Hezbollah to end Beirut seizure
'Hezbollah has agreed to withdraw its gunmen from Beirut after the Lebanese army settled tensions between the Shia group and armed government supporters.'

[ recent stories from the Middle East ]

ASIA & THE PACIFIC :

International Herald Tribune, 13 May 08, by Andrew Jacobs
China's quake response is unusually open
'With images of the calamitous cyclone in Myanmar still fresh - and the authoritarian government's lackadasical response earning it international scorn - Wen and his fellow Communist Party leaders are keenly aware that their approach to the earthquake will be closely watched, at home and abroad.'

Christian Science Monitor, 15 May 08, by Christopher Johnson
Burma's neighbors step in
'The junta ruling Burma appears more open to Asian aid than to Western.'

International Herald Tribune, 14 May 08
Junta is stealing aid, relief groups assert
'... the directors of several relief organizations in Myanmar said Wednesday that some of the international aid coming into the country for the victims of Cyclone Nargis was being stolen, diverted or warehoused by the military.'

International Herald Tribune, 13 May 08
Myanmar aid trickles in, but generals uphold restrictions
'Aid continued to arrive in Myanmar on Tuesday - a darkly clouded and rainy day here and in the south - but international aid experts and diplomats in the capital expressed concern that the government was not up to the task of delivering the aid effectively.'

Christian Science Monitor, 15 May 08, by Mian Ridge
Indian bombings fit pattern of efforts to foment interreligious strife
'Seven synchronized bombs exploded in the city of Jaipur Tuesday evening.'

[ recent stories from Asia and the Pacific ]

IRAQ :

International Herald Tribune, 15 May 08, by Michael R. Gordon
Along the Sadr City wall, cease-fire means nothing
'The formal truce that was announced in the Green Zone with great fanfare Monday has meant nothing here. Shiite militias have been trying to blast gaps in the wall, firing at the U.S. troops who are completing it and maneuvering to pick off the Iraqi soldiers who have been charged with keeping an eye on the partition. U.S. forces have answered with tank rounds, helicopter rocket strikes and even satellite-guided bombs to try to silence the militia fire.'

Christian Science Monitor, 13 May 08, by Anna Badkhen
U.S. Army to Baghdadis: Do you really live here?
'As Iraqis return to Baghdad neighborhoods once racked by sectarian violence, the US military wants to ensure that squatters aren't laying claim to their houses.'

[ recent stories from Iraq ]

AFGHANISTAN & PAKISTAN :

BBC News, 10 May 08
Pakistan's government in turmoil
'Nine ministers from a leading party in Pakistan's new coalition have handed in their resignations, plunging the country into political uncertainty.'

[ recent stories from Afghanistan and Pakistan ]

IRAN :

Christian Science Monitor, 14 May 08, by Scott Peterson and Howard LaFranchi
Iran shifts attention to brokering peace in Iraq
'Details from a secret meeting between top Iranian and Iraqi officials signal Iran's aim to "stop arming" militias.'

[ recent stories from Iran ]

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS :

Washington Post, 15 May 08, by David Ignatius
The Squeeze on the Middle East's Moderates
'The [Arab] center is under siege in Lebanon and across the Middle East as the region becomes more polarized between Iranian-backed extremists and U.S.-backed forces. Iran's proxies strike at will: seizing control of Beirut neighborhoods in a naked show of defiance; lobbing missiles into Israel from Gaza to disrupt peace talks; creating havoc in southern Iraq and Baghdad.'

International Herald Tribune, 14 May 08, by Thomas L. Friedman
The new Cold War
'The next American president will inherit many foreign policy challenges, but surely one of the biggest will be the Cold War. Yes, the next U.S. president is going to be a Cold War president - but this Cold War is with Iran.'

Los Angeles Times 'Babylon and Beyond' blog, 12 May 08, by Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran and Borzou Daragahi in Beirut
Iran: Watching Lebanon from Tehran
'... though Hezbollah might have discreetly sought its backers' OK before taking over West Beirut, the move came as a shock to most Iranians.'

Council on Foreign Relations, 12 May 08, by Bernard Gwertzman
'Prolonged Crisis' in Lebanon Reflects ‘Cold War' in Region
'Michael Young, a political analyst in Beirut, says Hezbollah's efforts to impose its will in Lebanon have led to "a prolonged crisis that is a reflection of the cold war in the region" between Iran and the United States and their respective allies.'

International Herald Tribune, 13 May 08, by editorial staff
Pakistan's coalition can't afford a split
'After an auspicious start, the leaders of Pakistan's new coalition government have let political rivalries thwart their efforts to rebuild their battered country.'

International Herald Tribune, 12 May 08, by editorial staff
The mental suffering of American soldiers
'The Department of Veterans Affairs is struggling to cope with a task for which it was tragically unready: the care of soldiers who left Afghanistan and Iraq with an extra burden of brain injury and psychic anguish. The last thing they need is the blend of secrecy and heedlessness that helped to send many of them into harm's way.'

International Herald Tribune, 12 May 08, by editorial staff
The lucrative arts of war and not paying taxes
'Congress is finally moving to shut one of the more egregious forms of Iraq war profiteering: defense contractors using offshore shell companies to avoid paying their fair share of payroll taxes. The practice is widespread and congressional investigators have been dispatched to one of the prime tax refuges, the Cayman Islands, to seek a firsthand estimate of how much the U.S. Treasury is being shorted.'

[ recent commentary and analysis ]

BRITAIN, EUROPE & RUSSIA :

International Herald Tribune/AP, 14 May 08
NATO allies sign agreement on cyber defense center
'Seven NATO allies signed a deal Wednesday to fund a research center to boost the alliance's defenses against cyber attacks, seen as a growing threat to military and civilian computer networks.'

International Herald Tribune, 14 May 08, by Judy Dempsey
Among Czechs and Poles, same missile shield, differing sense of threat
'Whenever the United States sends missile defense negotiators to the Czech Republic and Poland, where the Bush administration intends to deploy parts of its anti-ballistic shield, they encounter surprisingly different attitudes.'

Washington Post, 12 May 08, by Joby Warrick
Spread of Nuclear Capability Is Feared
'Global interest in energy may presage a new arms race.'

Christian Science Monitor, 12 May 08, by Andrew Wander
Pro-European tilt in Serbian vote
'The Democratic Party received 39 percent of the vote to Radicals' 29 percent. But coalition-building maneuvers mean the shape of the next government is still unclear.'

[ recent stories from Europe, Britain and Russia ]

THE AMERICAS :

Washington Post, 15 May 08, by Walter Pincus
U.S. Has Detained 2,500 Juveniles as Enemy Combatants
'The United States has detained approximately 2,500 people younger than 18 as illegal enemy combatants in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay since 2002, according to a report filed by the Bush administration with the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child.'

Washington Post, 15 May 08, by Juan Forero
Venezuela Offered Aid to Colombian Rebels
'High-ranking officials in Venezuela offered to help Colombian guerrillas obtain surface-to-air missiles meant to change the balance of power in their war with the Colombian government, according to internal rebel documents.'

International Herald Tribune, 13 May 08, by Larry Rohter
Obama affirms pro-Israel stance
'Asked whether he thought Israel was a "drag on America's reputation overseas," he said it was not. But referring to tensions in the Middle East, he said that "what I think is that this constant wound, that this constant sore does infect all of our foreign policy."'

[ recent stories from the Americas ]

US MILITARY, THE PENTAGON, &
INTELLIGENCE :

Washington Post, 15 May 08, by Karen DeYoung
Gates: U.S. Should Engage Iran With Incentives, Pressure
'The United States should construct a combination of incentives and pressure to engage Iran, and may have missed earlier opportunities to begin a useful dialogue with Tehran, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said yesterday.'

International Herald Tribune, 14 May 08, by Conrad Mulcahy
U.S. officers battle visa hurdles for Iraq aides
'... given the risks the interpreters took, and [Colonel Michael] Zacchea and others are taking up the cause. They have created a growing network of aid groups, spending countless hours navigating a byzantine immigration system that they feel unnecessarily keeps their allies in harm's way. There is, they say, a debt that must be repaid to the Iraqis who helped the most. To them it is an obligation both moral and pragmatic.'

The New Yorker, 19 May 08, by Sue Halpern
Annals of Psychology: Virtual Iraq
'Using simulation to treat a new generation of traumatized veterans. ... Like Virtual Vietnam, Virtual Iraq is a tool for doing what's known as prolonged-exposure therapy, which is sometimes called immersion therapy.'

[ recent stories about the US military,
the Pentagon and intelligence ]

WAR & THE MEDIA :

International Herald Tribune, 12 May 08, by Katrin Bennhold
A feud over press freedom boils over in France
'Press freedom has long been an uneasy subject in France, a country where many newspapers rely on government subsidies and where defense contractors control large swaths of the print and broadcast media.'

Washington Post, 15 May 08, by Anthony Shadid
Field Notes: Improvised Sea Passage to Beirut, for a Price
'Colleagues like to say that logistics are no less important in journalism than actual reporting and writing. That's undoubtedly true. But more often than not, there's a jazzlike quality in getting from one place to another. Some people are lucky. I'm usually not.'

[ recent stories on war and the media ]