OFF THE WIRE :

• Talks to start on Zimbabwe crisis
[International Herald Tribune, 23 Jul 08]
• Militants say they will destroy Nigerian oil pipelines within 30 days
[AP, 23 Jul 08]
• Sri Lanka jets bomb rebels, fighting kills 29 in north
[Reuters, 24 Jul 08]
• Rice Urges N. Korea to Accept Full Verification of Nuclear Program
[VOA, 24 Jul 08]
• Bosnian Serb war crimes suspect caught
[Los Angeles Times, 22 Jul 08]
• Libya retaliates against Switzerland after arrest of Gadhafi's son
[AP, 23 Jul 08]
• 9 members of Basque separatist cell arrested over recent bombings
[AP, 22 Jul 08]

BRITAIN, EUROPE & RUSSIA :

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jul 08, by Nicholas Kulish and Graham Bowley
Hiding in plain sight: The double life of Radovan Karadzic
'Radovan Karadzic's foes and supporters alike are marveling at what appeared to be his complete metamorphosis during more than a dozen years in hiding as he tried to escape arrest on accusations of war crimes. As Serbs grappled with the repercussions of his capture and his place as a symbol of crimes carried out in their name, they were also left to sort out the two lives of a single man.'

International Herald Tribune, 22 Jul 08, by John F. Burns
A leader turned ghost
'With his arrest on Monday after more than 12 years on the run, Radovan Karadzic seems virtually certain to face trial in The Hague — and the prospect of life imprisonment — for his role in masterminding massacres that war crimes prosecutors have described, in indictments drawn up against him, as "scenes from hell, written on the darkest pages of history."'

International Herald Tribune, 22 Jul 08, by David Rohde
Karadzic arrest lends credibility to international tribunals
'The arrest of Radovan Karadzic has given credibility to the international war crimes tribunals that have struggled for years to bring fugitives to justice, according to former prosecutors, legal experts and human rights groups. And the arrest has bolstered arguments from tribunal officials that patience, multilateral diplomacy and creativity can make the institutions more effective.'

[ recent stories from Europe, Britain and Russia ]

AFGHANISTAN & PAKISTAN :

BBC News, 24 Jul 08, by Martin Patience
Nato warning on Pakistan fighters
'Nato's secretary general has said an international effort is needed to prevent Taleban and al-Qaeda militants gathering in Pakistan's border areas.'

New York Times, 22 Jul 08, by Jane Perlez
Unilateral Action by U.S. a Growing Fear in Pakistan
'Strong suggestions by the United States that it could resort to unilateral intervention against Al Qaeda and the Taliban in Pakistan are generating increasing anxiety in the Pakistani press and among government officials, who warn that such an action could backfire.'

New York Times, 22 Jul 08, by Eric Schmitt
Plan Would Use Antiterror Aid in Pakistan on Attack Jets
'The Bush administration plans to shift nearly $230 million in aid to Pakistan from counterterrorism programs to upgrading that country’s aging F-16 attack planes, which Pakistan prizes more for their contribution to its military rivalry with India than for fighting insurgents along its Afghan border.'

[ recent stories from Afghanistan and Pakistan ]

IRAQ :

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jul 08, by John F. Burns
Britain plans pullout of most of its Iraq force
'... Prime Minister Gordon Brown outlined a tentative plan on Tuesday for withdrawing most of Britain's remaining troops from Iraq early in 2009. Brown told Parliament that Britain planned a "fundamental change of mission" at the turn of the year for the 4,100 troops it has in its Iraq contingent, the second largest group of foreign troops serving in Iraq. About 140,000 Americans will be deployed there after current American troop withdrawals are completed.'

International Herald Tribune, 22 Jul 08, by Judy Dempsey
Maliki appeals to Germany to increase investment in Iraq
'... Maliki, who was given military honors in Berlin before he met Chancellor Angela Merkel, said it was time for Germany and Iraq to open a "new chapter" in relations, an indication that Germany's staunch opposition to the U.S.-led war against Iraq in 2003 was no reason to prevent investment by German companies.'

International Herald Tribune, 24 Jul 08, by Sabrina Tavernise and Riyadh Muhammed
Veto leaves provincial Iraqi elections in limbo
'The president of Iraq has vetoed legislation on provincial elections, sending it back to lawmakers for revisions as political leaders continued to try to strike a deal that would allow the vote to be held this year as planned.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jul 08, by Alissa J. Rubin
Kurdish defiance likely to delay Iraqi elections
'The Iraqi Parliament approved legislation to govern provincial elections, but Kurdish lawmakers boycotted the session, vowing to force the measure to be rewritten and probably delaying the balloting for months.'

[ recent stories from Iraq ]

COMMENTARY & ANALYSIS :

The Guardian, 23 Jul 08, by Janine di Giovanni
Spectres of Sarajevo
'News of the arrest conjures memories of those dreadful days of death.'

Washington Post, 23 Jul 08, by Richard Holbrooke
The Face of Evil
'Karadzic's capture is another reminder of the value of war crimes tribunals.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jul 08, by editorial staff
Finally, a war criminal with nowhere to hide
'Serbia's government is crediting sound detective work for the capture; officials said Karadzic had adopted a "convincing" false identity and was "freely walking" the streets of Belgrade. A more likely explanation is that President Boris Tadic, and his pro-Western government, decided to improve Serbia's chances of joining the European Union and finally ordered investigators to do their job.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jul 08, by Boston Globe editorial staff
Wired for death in Iraq
The Boston Globe 'For U.S. troops in Iraq, service is dangerous enough even without having to worry about dying from shoddy wiring in their base facilities. But that has been the fate of at least 13 U.S. service members, according to the Pentagon.'

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jul 08, by Robert M. Gates and Juan Manuel Santos
Colombia's gains are America's, too
'The dramatic rescue of 15 hostages this month by Colombia's special forces underscored how far Colombia has progressed - with strong American support - from a nation under siege by narcoterrorists and paramilitary vigilantes to one poised to become a linchpin of security and prosperity in South America.'

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Jul 08, by Robert Muggah
In Sudan, stability or civil war?
'While the world seems focused on the International Criminal Court's request to arrest Sudan's president Omar al Bashir for genocide, a single dusty town in central Sudan may hold the key to the country's future stability.'

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Jul 08, by Alex Taurel and Shadi Hamid
Turkey's dangerous message to the Muslim world
'President Bush's vision of a democratic Middle East was premised in part on the region's popular Islamist groups reconciling themselves to the give-and-take nature of democracy. It might make sense then, that the Bush administration would do what it could to support a party that has made such a transformation in Turkey. But it's not.'

[ recent commentary and analysis ]

US MILITARY, THE PENTAGON, &
INTELLIGENCE :

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Jul 08, by Gordon Lubold
Military revisits Afghanistan plan
'A key component is likely to be more troops, but the strategy must go beyond that, experts say.'

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

THE MIDDLE EAST, TURKEY & NORTH AFRICA :

International Herald Tribune, 22 Jul 08, by Nada Bakri
Syria moves ahead in recognizing Lebanon
'The foreign minister of Syria reiterated on Monday that Syria intends to establish diplomatic relations with Lebanon, for the first time since the two nations gained independence more than 60 years ago.'

[ recent stories from the Middle East ]

IRAN :

International Herald Tribune, 23 Jul 08, by Alan Cowell
Iran won't relent on nuclear program
'As world powers await Iran's reply to proposals concerning its nuclear program, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad insisted on Wednesday that Tehran would not "retreat one iota" from its atomic work, which includes the enrichment of uranium.'

[ recent stories from Iran ]

ASIA & THE PACIFIC :

Christian Science Monitor, 24 Jul 08, by Jonathan Adams
Delay in U.S. arms sale to Taiwan stirs concerns
Taiwanese officials maintain the postponement is motivated by a US desire to secure China's cooperation in tackling North Korea and Iran.

[ recent stories from Asia and the Pacific ]

AFRICA :

International Herald Tribune, 24 Jul 08, by Jeffrey Gettleman
Arrest warrant looming, Sudanese president goes on tour
'With an international indictment looming on charges of genocide, Bashir returned to the scene of the war crimes he is accused of committing in Darfur - this time on an uncharacteristic charm offensive.'

[ recent stories from Africa ]