February 14, 2008

Iraqi Lawmakers Break Impasse Over Three Key Bills

After months of gridlock in Baghdad, Iraqi lawmakers overcame their differences to pass three key laws yesterday, including two legislative benchmarks set by the U.S. Congress to measure the country's political progress amid the continuing U.S. troop presence there. The passage of the three bills is being hailed as a significant development toward reconciliation, particularly among Iraq's Sunni and Shiite factions, although analysts caution that serious hurdles remain.

The three measures passed yesterday include approval of the $48 million budget for 2008, an amnesty bill for Iraqi prisoners, and legislation outlining provincial powers and paving the way for elections later this year. The latter two are considered crucial benchmarks of Iraqi political progress.

To help smooth passage after months of bitter debate and political deadlock, the three provisions were bundled together into a single bill, which allowed members dissatisfied with one or more measures to accept them as a whole.

Debate on the package was not without drama, though. Several lawmakers walked out when provisions they disagreed with hit the floor. But the New York Times reports that most returned in time to cast their votes for the final package, and "the jubilation at the conclusion of the session and the atmosphere of amity contrasted sharply with the stinging accusations and walkouts that have characterized many of the negotiations in recent weeks." As recently as Tuesday, the Sunni speaker was threatening to disband Parliament over its inability to legislate effectively.

Continue reading "Iraqi Lawmakers Break Impasse Over Three Key Bills"

Posted at 11:29 AM
Posted to: Iran, Iraq, Kurds, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East
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January 24, 2008

Freedom Falters Worldwide

If 2007 seemed like a bad year for democracy, that's because it was, according to new data from Freedom House, a U.S.-based organization that monitors and promotes freedom around the world. The group recently released its report on 2007, citing a "notable setback for global freedom" for the second consecutive year.

Freedom House uses its own set of criteria to divide nations into three categories: "free," "partly free" and "not free." In 2007, one-fifth of the world's nations experienced a decline in freedom, the group says. Although the number of countries in the "not free" category did not grow over the last year, "there were many changes within these broad categories" that demonstrate an alarming trend, a press release announcing the report claims. These reversals were seen in countries across the globe -- from sub-Saharan Africa to the former Soviet Union.

Nearly four times as many countries saw declines in levels of freedom as showed improvement. Dishearteningly, several countries that had been experiencing progress toward democracy in recent years, such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nigeria and Kenya, took steps backward in 2007. Two former Soviet countries that underwent "color revolutions" fairly recently -- Kyrgyzstan and Georgia -- also reversed track last year, Freedom House reports.

Continue reading "Freedom Falters Worldwide"

Posted at 2:16 PM
Posted to: Africa, Asia, China, Europe, Iran, Kenya, Middle East, Pakistan
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January 22, 2008

U.N. Power Players Huddle On Iran

The U.N. Security Council meets in Berlin today to try to reach a consensus stance toward Iran -- a tough job, due to the differing positions of the five permanent members of the council, as well as Germany. President Bush emphasized the need to take a unified position opposing Iran on his recent sweep of the Middle East, about a month after a U.S. report suggested Iran had suspended its nuclear program years ago.

"Much of the momentum was lost when the National Intelligence Estimate came out,'' one analyst told Bloomberg News. "I think they will find it difficult to regain the momentum soon.''

Two permanent members of the Security Council, China and Russia, are opposed to taking further action against Tehran, and either country could veto new sanctions proposed by other members of the group.

Bloomberg has more background, and AP explains the goals of the talks.

Posted at 8:04 AM
Posted to: Iran, Middle East, U.N.
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January 18, 2008

Nicholas Burns To Leave State Dept.

Nicholas Burns, No. 3 at the State Department and chief U.S. negotiator in the push to increase international sanctions on Iran over its nuclear program, is leaving the agency after 26 years of foreign service, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced today. The undersecretary of state for political affairs is officially leaving his post in March, citing personal reasons for his departure.

"This is a very bittersweet time for us because Nick Burns has decided that it is time for him to retire,” Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in announcing his resignation. “He has decided that it’s the right moment to go back to family concerns.”

President Bush plans to nominate U.S. Ambassador to Russia William Burns (no relation) for the post. Meanwhile, Nicholas Burns has pledged to "help push the US-India civilian nuclear deal to conclusion and also help in efforts by the Bush administration to secure an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement" as part of his retirement, Agence France-Presse reports.

AP and the New York Times have more details on this story. The State Department has a biography of Burns here.

Posted at 2:50 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Iran, Middle East, President Bush
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January 17, 2008

Gates Goes To The Media

UPDATED.

Several news items are coming from an NPR interview with Defense Secretary Robert Gates broadcast this morning. Some highlights:

No more troops sent to Afghanistan. Gates announced earlier this week that he would ask President Bush for about 3,000 Marines to be sent to Afghanistan, after EU nations would not step up their NATO commitments, but he told NPR that there were no plans to send any more U.S. troops after the additional 3,000.

Iran does not pose an immediate threat. Gates called Iran a "challenge" but not a "direct military threat" to the United States.

Iraq is a "long-term" problem. Declining to make predictions on specific troop levels, Gates said he was heartened to see the Democratic presidential candidates demur on specific numbers as well and added that his goal is to leave the next administration with a sustainable policy on the war.

In other media interviews this morning, Gates addressed NATO countries' reaction to his comments that appeared in the Los Angeles Times yesterday about their ill-preparedness for fighting an insurgency in southern Afghanistan. The paper quotes him as saying, "I'm worried we have some military forces that don't know how to do counterinsurgency operations."

The U.S. ambassador to the Netherlands was summoned to the Dutch Defense Ministry yesterday to do cleanup for Gates. (Dutch, British and Canadian forces make up most of the European NATO presence in southern Afghanistan.) Roland Arnall offered a "clarification" for Gates' comments, noting that NATO forces aren't trained for counterinsurgency fighting and Gates hadn't intended to single out a specific country for criticism. Afterward, a Dutch official told a media outlet, "We assume this was a misunderstanding... This is not the Robert Gates we have come to know. It's also not the manner in which you treat each other when you have to cooperate with each other in the south of Afghanistan."

See the full NPR and LA Times stories for more.

Posted at 10:40 AM
Posted to: Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Robert Gates
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January 14, 2008

Mideast Roundup: Bush's Diplomatic & Cultural Journey

President Bush arrived in Saudi Arabia today as he began to wrap up his first tour of the Middle East as commander in chief. Here's a roundup of the president's recent stops and statements in the region (in reverse chronological order):

Saudi Arabia. Although the Bush family is reportedly very friendly with the Saudi royal family, today marks President Bush's first visit to the desert kingdom, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East. King Abdullah greeted the president upon his arrival in Riyadh, and the two began talks over dinner. They were expected to focus on the main themes of Bush's trip: the threat posed by Iran, the Israeli-Palestinian peace effort and the spread of democracy in the region.

Bush also came bearing gifts: the opportunity to purchase $123 million worth of "smart bomb" technology and related equipment, AP reports. The White House notified Congress of the arms sale, part of an overall $20 billion package for Persian Gulf states, this morning. According to the Los Angeles Times, "Under U.S. provisions governing such arms sales, Congress has 30 days in which it may disapprove the sale once lawmakers receive the formal notification of the administration's plans."

Continue reading "Mideast Roundup: Bush's Diplomatic & Cultural Journey"

Posted at 3:52 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush, Saudi Arabia
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U.S.-Iran Confrontation: Just 'Monkey' Business?

Remember last week, when it seemed as if the controversy over the puzzling confrontation between U.S. naval ships and Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz couldn't get any weirder? Well, a new report from Navy Times blows that theory out of the water, so to speak.

The menacing voice coming from a radio transmission broadcast at the end of a Pentagon video of the clash may have been none other than "a locally famous heckler known among ship drivers as the 'Filipino Monkey,'" the Times reported yesterday. "Several Navy ship drivers interviewed by Navy Times are raising the possibility that the Monkey, or an imitator, was indeed featured in that video."

See the full story for more on the "mysterious but profane voice known by the ethnically insulting handle of 'Filipino Monkey,' likely more than one person, who listens in on ship-to-ship radio traffic and then jumps on the net shouting insults and jabbering vile epithets."

Posted at 1:16 PM
Posted to: Iran, Middle East, Military
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January 11, 2008

The Plot Thickens In The Strait Of Hormuz

UPDATED.

The strange confrontation between U.S. naval ships and Iranian speedboats in the Strait of Hormuz Sunday morning just got a bit more puzzling. Yesterday, as the U.S. Navy began to express doubts about some details of the clash shown in a Pentagon video of the incident, Iran released its own audio-visual version of the story on its English-language Press TV.

The Pentagon's video featured a brief encounter between the speedboats and Navy ships, followed by a radio transmission, purportedly from Iran's Revolutionary Guard, that ends with a gruff, heavily accented voice saying in English, "You will explode after (indecipherable) minutes." AP has a full transcript.

In contrast, Iran's footage features a brief and seemingly routine encounter between the speedboats and U.S. ships, with very different audio to go with it, according to the Los Angeles Times' transcription:

"Coalition warship 73, this is Iranian navy patrol boat 16. Come in. Over," an Iranian sailor aboard a speedboat says in English to a U.S. warship apparently in the distance. "Request present course and speed."

"This is coalition warship 73," a voice says over the radio in American English. "I am operating in international waters."

Joints Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Michael Mullen said today he could not determine whether the threats heard in the Pentagon video came directly from the Iranian boats, a point first made by a U.S. Navy spokeswoman yesterday. Still, Mullen said "the incident ought to remind us all just how real is the threat posed by Iran and just how ready we are to meet that threat if it comes to it."

Continue reading "The Plot Thickens In The Strait Of Hormuz"

Posted at 3:54 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Middle East, President Bush, Robert Gates
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January 08, 2008

ICYMI: War In Iraq *Still On*

Hey everybody, we're still at war in Iraq! (And Afghanistan.) We know, it's easy to forget when every newspaper and news channel is focused on New Hampshire.

The Gate is going to let Granite State voters do their thing -- you know, democracy -- and will update with the results tonight when they are confirmed. In the meantime, here are some developments from Iraq that you will have missed if you're as glued to the TV as we are.

U.S. and Iraqi forces have begun a significant air and land raid in insurgent-infested Diyala River Valley. About 4,000 U.S. and Iraqi soldiers are involved in the effort, which launched overnight, the Los Angeles Times reports.

The Pentagon's new counterinsurgency strategy has successfully brought violence down, but commanders still face an uphill battle in their bid to scrub out/neutralize al-Qaida in Iraq. Part of the reason why is that militant fighters in Iraq are by now well-versed in dissipating into the general population when these U.S.-led missions begin.

According to the LAT account, "there were reports that the 50 to 60 senior insurgent leaders holed up northwest of Muqdadiya had fled."

Continue reading "ICYMI: War In Iraq *Still On*"

Posted at 5:09 PM
Posted to: Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, Campaigns, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Middle East, Military, Palestinians, President Bush, Terrorism, WH 2008
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Bush Sets Off On First Major Swing Through Middle East

President Bush embarks today on a lengthy Mideast trip, making first-time visits to all the countries on his planned list -- including Israel but excluding Egypt -- as U.S. president. In the waning days of his term and in the wake of November's Annapolis summit, several questions have arisen: Why now, and what are Bush's goals? And what is it about the Middle East that makes presidents think about the L-word?

It's Iran (not "legacy") that's purportedly on Bush's mind as he heads to the region today. With stops in Kuwait, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, he is trying to reaffirm the support of Iran's Arab neighbors for the U.S. campaign against the country.

Jerusalem is Bush's first stop. He will meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres; on Thursday, he is scheduled to travel to the West Bank to sit down with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. Although doubts about the strength of the brokering partners on all three sides continue to hang over the process, Bush promised in his Saturday radio address that he "will make clear that America is deeply committed to helping both parties realize the historic vision" of a two-state solution.

One editorial board characterizes Bush's visit as an "effort to bring about enormous changes at the last minute" -- hinting at his chance of success in an area where many others have failed. Another board, the Miami Herald's, goes a step further and calls it a "dangerous time for a Middle East visit" because of the escalating violence in the region, adding that it "is not clear what [Bush] hopes to accomplish, but... there is little reason to be hopeful about improving the chances for peace."

Posted at 9:35 AM
Posted to: Iran, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush
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January 07, 2008

U.S.-Iran Tussle Averted, Just In Time For Bush Trip

UPDATED.

Iran has confirmed an incident in which U.S. and Iranian naval vessels appear to have come dangerously close to a military confrontation, but waved off alarm over the near-clash.

"The example that happened on Saturday was similar to previous cases and is an ordinary and natural issue," Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Ali Hosseini said, according to Reuters. "This is an ordinary issue that happens for the two sides every once in a while and after the identification of the two sides the issue is resolved."

Earlier today, U.S. officials said that the "significant" confrontation between Iranian Revolutionary Guard vessels and three U.S. naval ships ended without a shot fired. The incident came just days before George W. Bush is due in Israel for the first Mideast visit of his presidency.

Continue reading "U.S.-Iran Tussle Averted, Just In Time For Bush Trip"

Posted at 1:51 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Israel, Middle East, Military, Palestinians, President Bush
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December 19, 2007

Time Gets It Right With Person Of The Year

After being mocked and ridiculed for its gimmicky 2006 pick, Time magazine reverted to heft with this year's choice: Russian President (for Life) Vladimir Putin.

Continue reading "Time Gets It Right With Person Of The Year"

Posted at 12:33 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Europe, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush, Russia, U.K., WH 2008
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December 17, 2007

Iran Watch: You've Got Fuel

So, Russia has just delivered the first shipment of 80 tons of uranium fuel rods to Iran's disputed Bushehr nuclear reactor. Now what?

Wait-and-see time, apparently. It is not clear how close the Bushehr facility is to full production capacity. A spokesman for Iran's Atomic Energy Agency said that Bushehr was 95-percent finished, according to the Los Angeles Times, but Iran has walked a tricky line between simultaneously exaggerating and denying its nuclear capacity for years.

Taking a question on Iran during a speech on the economy this morning, President Bush seemed to welcome news of the arrangement, but with a caveat.

"Interestingly enough, today Russia sent some enriched, or is in the process of sending enriched uranium to Iran to help on their civilian nuclear reactor. If that's the case, if the Russians are willing to do that -- which I support -- then the Iranians do not need to learn how to enrich," Bush said. "If the Iranians accept that uranium for a civilian nuclear power plant, then there's no need for them to learn how to enrich," he repeated.

Continue reading "Iran Watch: You've Got Fuel"

Posted at 5:20 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Iran, Israel, Middle East, North Korea, Palestinians, President Bush, Russia
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December 11, 2007

Axis Of Evil Watch: Ahmadinejad, Blogger

Even in the blogosphere, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad gets a little tetchy.

From a post dated 11/18/07: "Since my last post on the blog, a few months have passed. But this doesn't ‎mean that I have not been keeping my promise of spending fifteen minutes per week ‎on it. As a matter of fact, I have spent more than the allocated time on the blog."

Hear that, world? Now back off. Ahmadinejad's most recent post is dated 12/1, so it looks as if the president's a little busy these days. If you'd like to send him a little note -- what's Persian for "wassup?" -- there's a comments section. The blog is available in Persian, Arabic, English and French. (Hat tip: IHT)

Now on to North Korea. A few developments here, but if you are keen to know what life is like inside the Hermit Kingdom, NPR producer Madhulika Sikka described her recent visit on "Morning Edition" today.

Posted at 11:27 AM
Posted to: Asia, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, North Korea
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December 05, 2007

Bush: U.N. Security Council On Board With Iran Policy

President Bush sought today to quell skepticism over his administration's Iran policy following a new U.S. intel report [PDF] stating that the regime most likely stopped pursuing nuclear arms four years ago.

Speaking to reporters on a snowy tarmac in Nebraska, Bush said, "On the way out here I spoke with my team, who gave me a report on conversations the secretary of state and national security advisor have had over the last couple of days with their counterparts in the U.K., Germany, France and Russia. These countries understand that the Iranian nuclear issue is a problem, and continues to be a problem, that must be addressed by the international community."

In a press conference yesterday, Bush said that his administration's policy on Iran -- that it must disclose all about its nuclear activities and cease enriching uranium or face consequences as severe as military force -- remains the status quo, despite the National Intelligence Estimate's conclusions. But the intel community's assessment that Iran stopped pursuing nukes out of fear it would meet the fate of neighboring Iraq has led analysts to conclude that Washington no longer has the leverage it requires to get its P5+1 partners in the U.N. to keep pressure on Tehran.

Continue reading "Bush: U.N. Security Council On Board With Iran Policy"

Posted at 11:03 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Terrorism
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December 04, 2007

Bush: NIE Doesn't Change Iran Policy

President Bush denied that he was aware of new intelligence that Iran had abandoned its nuclear weapons program before this week, but said the news would not change White House policy toward the "axis of evil" nation.

"Iran was dangerous, Iran is dangerous and Iran will be dangerous if they have the knowledge necessary to make a nuclear weapon," Bush said in a White House press conference. "The NIE said Iran had a hidden, covert nuclear weapons program. What's to say they couldn't start another covert nuclear weapons program?"

Bush said that earlier this fall, when the White House was ratcheting up pressure on Tehran, he was unaware of indications that Iran had stopped its weapons program in 2003, even though the intelligence community had been working on the new report [PDF] for months. According to U.S. intelligence agencies' latest consolidated findings, Iran stopped pursuing nukes in 2003 in part because of pressure applied by the U.S. and its allies as well as the Iraq war. The report notes that Iran has never disclosed its nuclear capability, and that it would be difficult to know if they decided again to weaponize the fissile material they already possess.

"We know that they're still trying to learn how to enrich uranium," Bush said. "I view this report as a warning signal."

"This is an opportunity to rally the international community," the president continued. "The best diplomacy is one in which all options are on the table."

Continue reading "Bush: NIE Doesn't Change Iran Policy"

Posted at 11:46 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush, WH 2008
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Iran Welcomes NIE News

After yesterday's announcement that a new National Intelligence Estimate shows Iran's nuclear program was frozen in 2003, Iran today heralded the revised assessment. Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki praised the U.S. decision to "correct" its 2005 claim that his country was still actively engaged in developing its nuclear program.

Israel, on the other hand, is sounding the alarm, arguing that the NIE sharply diverges from Israeli intelligence reports, and even if the program had been halted in 2003, it has now been restarted.

The new NIE "complicates eventually launching a military operation against Iranian nuclear installations and makes it more difficult to justify an Israeli attack," Iran specialist Efraim Kam told Agence France-Presse.

President Bush is set to give an address from the White House at 10 a.m. to criticize Congress for failing to pass legislation to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but Iran and the NIE report are likely to take center stage. Stay tuned.

Posted at 7:26 AM
Posted to: Iran, Middle East
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December 03, 2007

Iran Watch: Over Before It Even Began?

Just when we thought war with Iran was inevitable, along comes a new National Intelligence Estimate telling us: Never mind!

"We judge with high confidence that in fall 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program," the declassified version of the report [PDF] reads. But then: "We also assess with moderate-to-high confidence that Tehran at a minimum is keeping open the option to develop nuclear weapons."

What to make of all this?

The U.S. intelligence community believes "with moderate-to-high confidence" that Iran currently does not possess nuclear weapons. On the other hand, we know North Korea has as many as 10 bombs; it tested one last year. So why has the Bush administration been pointing all of its guns at Iran? Because of the neighborhood it's in. A potentially nuclear-armed Iran spells more immediate trouble for U.S. interests than a definitely nuclear-armed North Korea -- 28,000 U.S. troops on the peninsula notwithstanding.

Democrats and conservatives alike are highly critical of the different policy tracks President Bush has taken on these two problems. While the NIE indicates that the White House will have to lay off a bit on its rhetoric toward Iran, it seems that total transparency (with regard to IAEA inspectors, etc.) is still the baseline.

Continue reading "Iran Watch: Over Before It Even Began?"

Posted at 4:05 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Terrorism
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November 28, 2007

Mideast: Bush Pledges Personal Involvement But Few Trips

The world was treated to the sight of a united President Bush, Mahmoud Abbas and Ehud Olmert once again today after more meetings following by a brief photo-op on the White House lawn.

"Yesterday was an important day, and it was a hopeful beginning," Bush said of Tuesday's Annapolis Conference on Israeli-Palestinian relations. "No matter how important yesterday was, it's not nearly as important as tomorrow and the days beyond."

The Israelis and Palestinians along with the U.S. have been emphasizing that the work ahead will be painful but necessary to reach the goal of final agreement on a two-state solution by 2009. Washington is taking on the main oversight role in the negotiations after years of what administration critics say was neglect of the region.

Continue reading "Mideast: Bush Pledges Personal Involvement But Few Trips"

Posted at 5:58 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Israel, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush
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November 27, 2007

Mideast Summit: 'We Are Ready'

UPDATED.

Reading a joint statement issued by the international participants of the Annapolis conference on Israeli-Palestinian relations, President Bush heralded what is widely seen as a last-ditch attempt to broker a lasting peace between the two Mideast parties.

"We express our determination to bring an end to bloodshed, suffering and decades of conflict between our peoples; to usher in a new era of peace, based on freedom, security, justice, dignity, respect and mutual recognition; to propagate a culture of peace and nonviolence; to confront terrorism and incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or Israelis," Bush said before representatives of the U.N., EU, G-8 and nearly every major Arab League nation. "In furtherance of the goal of two states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security, we agree to immediately launch good-faith bilateral negotiations in order to conclude a peace treaty, resolving all outstanding issues, including all core issues without exception."

Seated on stage to the president's side were Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, the two leaders who will do the heavy lifting in the negotiations. The joint statement was, as expected, a declaration of support from the world community of the two-state solution advocated by both parties as well as the United States. The statement also included a recommitment to the 2003 road map established by the Quartet -- the U.S., EU, U.N. and Russia -- shepherding the peace process.

But Bush also clarified the role the U.S. will play during the coming stretch of talks. While Washington won't exactly be in the thick of negotiations, it will be overseeing and assessing Israel's and the PLO's progress on the road map requirements. Exactly how much of a taskmaster the U.S. is in the process will probably be determined by the depth of involvement by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the mastermind behind the new push for a two-state solution.

Continue reading "Mideast Summit: 'We Are Ready'"

Posted at 3:03 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Fatah, Hamas, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Lebanon, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush, Saudi Arabia, Syria
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Iranians Claim New Missile Can Reach Israel

Government officials in Iran announced today that the country has developed a new long-range missile that can hit a target more than 1,200 miles away -- far enough to reach Israel and U.S. military bases in the Middle East. Iran already possesses a fairly wide arsenal of missiles as part of its existing arms program, which was begun in 1992 to make up for a U.S. weapons embargo.

Although it's not part of the nuclear program that negotiators are trying to wrestle Tehran into dismantling, the announcement of a new missile (regardless of whether it can live up to the hype) is likely to be a source of friction between the U.S. and Iran. Rumblings about the U.S. taking military action against Iran have persisted for several months.

Agence France-Presse has a full rundown of Iran's missile capabilities.

Posted at 8:14 AM
Posted to: Iran, Israel, Middle East, Military
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November 12, 2007

Things That Are Banned In Iran...

...now include makeup. The "morality" crackdown continues.

Hat tip: Radar

Posted at 3:50 PM
Posted to: Iran, Middle East
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November 09, 2007

Iran On Tap For Merkel's First Visit To The Ranch

Completing this week's U.S.-Old Europe bonding experience, German Chancellor Angela Merkel heads to Texas today to discuss a host of global issues in the rustic setting of the Bush family ranch.

Like President Bush's meeting with new French President Nicolas Sarkozy earlier this week, the Bush-Merkel talks will hinge primarily on Iran, as the president seeks to shore up U.S. allies against Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council, told Reuters that "strategically," Merkel and the Bush administration "see eye-to-eye" in opposing Iran's plans to develop nuclear technology. "Tactically, there are some slight differences," he said, adding that the discussions this weekend are part of an ongoing effort and aren't likely to yield any major developments.

Merkel is no softie on Iran, but Bush is seeking stronger commitments from allies to take a hard line against Tehran if it continues to defy orders to stop its nuclear program. In its preview of her visit this weekend, Germany's Der Spiegel notes that Germans are concerned about the Bush administration's perceived "saber-rattling" on Iran. Calling Merkel "the queen of the backroom deal," the magazine writes that "German politicians at both ends of the political spectrum will expect her to voice clear opposition to further military escapades" when she meets with Bush.

Continue reading "Iran On Tap For Merkel's First Visit To The Ranch"

Posted at 3:33 PM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Bush Administration, Europe, Germany, Iran, Middle East, President Bush
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October 30, 2007

Bush Vows 'Three Veto Bill Pileup'

President Bush is seeking to get out ahead of negative headlines this week by accusing the Democratic Congress of holding U.S. troops and poor children "hostage" as part of a "cynical" political strategy.

"They haven't seen a bill they could not solve without shoving a tax increase into it," Bush said derisively. He called the brief press conference outside the White House following a meeting with the top Republican House leaders: John Boehner, Roy Blunt and Adam Putnam.

The president's press conference ushered in the annual appropriations tug-of-war between the White House and Congress, an autumn rite by no means unique to this administration. Tensions are superheated this year, though, because the bills concern an increasingly unpopular war with the prospect of yet another unpopular war and renewal of health care funding for poor children.

Bush also plans to veto a $23.2 billion water resources bill that he says is excessive. The bill is overwhelmingly popular in both chambers, however, and it is all but guaranteed an override if Bush follows through on his threat by the end of this week.

Continue reading "Bush Vows 'Three Veto Bill Pileup'"

Posted at 9:49 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Economy, House, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, President Bush
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October 25, 2007

U.S. Unveils Unilateral Sanctions Against Iran

UPDATED.

The Bush administration rolled out a new round of sanctions targeting Iran's military today, including designating the powerful Revolutionary Guard Corps a proliferator of weapons of mass destruction and the Quds force -- a branch of the Revolutionary Guard in charge of foreign operations -- a supporter of terrorism.

The unilateral sanctions are the toughest on Iran since university students overran the U.S. Embassy in Tehran and sparked the Iranian hostage crisis 20 years ago. The current round of sanctions is unprecedented, the Washington Post, reports, because its adoption "marks the first time that the United States has tried to isolate or punish another country's military."

At the White House news conference with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice this morning, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson also announced moves against three Iranian banks, designating them as terror financiers.

Continue reading "U.S. Unveils Unilateral Sanctions Against Iran"

Posted at 2:30 PM
Posted to: Iran, Middle East
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October 24, 2007

Reports: Eight Turkish Soldiers Captured, Iran Seizes Opportunity

U.S. and Iraqi officials are working quickly to appease an angry Turkish government after tensions on its southern border boiled over this week. Efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting, however, are further complicated by reports that Kurdish separatists have captured eight Turkish soldiers and that Tehran is leveraging resentment toward Washington and Baghdad to its advantage.

Photos of the alleged captives have been published by several news outlets. The Turkish government has not confirmed the claims by a group of Kurdish fighters that the soldiers, missing since an ambush on Sunday, were captured. Turkey authorized a cross-border incursion earlier this week against militants with the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, who have been launching discrete attacks on Turkey for years. Forty-two Turkish civilians and soldiers have been killed by PKK fighters this month alone, Bloomberg News reports.

Turkey has been warning its allies in the U.S. and Iraq that if they did not clamp down on the PKK's attacks, the Turkish military would be sent to do the job. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki have sought to persuade Ankara to approach the problem diplomatically, but in Turkey's view neither ally has acted forcefully enough. In August, the Pentagon admitted that American weapons issued to Iraqis had been used by PKK rebels in cross-border attacks against Turks.

Continue reading "Reports: Eight Turkish Soldiers Captured, Iran Seizes Opportunity"

Posted at 12:50 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Europe, Iran, Iraq, Kurds, Middle East, Turkey
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October 23, 2007

'We're Going To Lose You'

Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Michael Mullen is getting an earful from soldiers who are stressed by the 15/12 deployment schedule for the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

"That year we're back, it's just not good enough," an Army captain told Mullen during a stop on a two-day tour of bases.

Army Times reports that the press withheld the soldiers' names so that they could speak freely in the Q&A session at Fort Sill in Oklahoma. The resounding message was that the military has to restore the 1:3 or 1:4 deployment schedule to give soldiers sufficient time to train and be with their families.

Continue reading "'We're Going To Lose You'"

Posted at 6:15 PM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Asia, Iran, Iraq, Michael Mullen, Middle East, Military
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Bush Urges Action On Missile Defense Shield

Amid continued protests from Russia, President Bush today affirmed his support for a U.S. missile defense shield in Eastern Europe to protect American interests and allies from potential strikes from Iran, even as Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested the U.S. might delay activating the shield.

"The need for missile defense in Europe is real and I believe it's urgent. Iran is pursuing the technology that could be used to produce nuclear weapons, and ballistic missiles of increasing range that could deliver them," Bush told students at the National Defense University in Washington. "Today, we have no way to defend Europe against the emerging Iranian threat, so we must deploy a missile defense system there that can."

Today's speech was the latest example of the increasingly forceful rhetoric from the Bush administration about the need for allies to stand with the United States against Iran and its nuclear program.

Continue reading "Bush Urges Action On Missile Defense Shield"

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Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, President Bush, Robert Gates, Russia, Vladimir Putin
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October 17, 2007

Bush: Who You Calling Lame?

Vowing to "sprint to the finish" during his remaining 15 months in office, President Bush went before the White House press corps this morning armed with a laundry list of complaints about Congress' performance on domestic matters. Reporters, on the other hand, came armed with a flood of questions focused mainly on the president's own foreign policy agenda.

"There's little time left in the year," Bush warned in his opening statement. "And Congress has little to show for all the time that has gone by." He listed eight areas where Congress has either failed to act or compromise with the White House: health care, intelligence, the budget, education, housing, trade, veterans care and the judiciary.

Specifically, Bush urged the Democratic leadership to compromise with the White House on two contentious bills -- the expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program and the authorization of a controversial wiretapping program. The former has already earned a presidential veto, and the White House issued a fresh veto threat for the latter yesterday.

Continue reading "Bush: Who You Calling Lame?"

Posted at 1:55 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Congress, Health, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Palestinians, President Bush, Russia, Vladimir Putin
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October 16, 2007

Superpower Watch: Picking Sides, Choosing Teams

Once again, the Bush administration is reminded that while it would be preferable to have the world at its back as it attempts to stabilize the Middle East, it simply does not. Iran and Russia have sealed an agreement among the Caspian Sea nations that "under no circumstances will they allow [the use of their] territories by third countries to launch aggression or other military action against any of the member states." Doesn't take a genius to figure out which third country might top that list.

This declaration accomplishes several things, none of which bode well for Washington's push for Iran to come clean on its nuclear program.

Continue reading "Superpower Watch: Picking Sides, Choosing Teams"

Posted at 1:36 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Europe, IAEA, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Military, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Robert Gates, Russia, Terrorism, U.N., Vladimir Putin
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October 15, 2007

Putin Delays Iran Visit After All

UPDATED.

Russian President Vladimir Putin will be delaying his trip to Tehran amid concerns of an assassination plot, a news agency reported hours after Putin insisted he would arrive there tonight as scheduled.

According to AP, Iran's official news agency is reporting that "Putin will arrive in Tehran at the head of a delegation tomorrow morning." Neither government offered a detailed explanation.

Earlier today, Putin defiantly insisted that he would press on with the visit, despite intelligence that suicide bombers were targeting him in Tehran. "Of course I am going to Iran," Putin said after talks with Chancellor Angela Merkel in Germany. "If I always listened to all the various threats and the recommendations of the special services I would never leave home."

Russia's Interfax news agency had reported that security sources were picking up intelligence on a potential terrorist plot against Putin during his visit. An Iranian official dismissed the report as "part of a psychological war waged by enemies to disrupt relations between Iran and Russia."

Putin is scheduled to meet with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a move akin to -- intentionally or not -- poking Washington in the eye.

Continue reading "Putin Delays Iran Visit After All"

Posted at 5:24 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Russia, Vladimir Putin
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October 10, 2007

The Republicans Yuk It Up In Michigan

This is how low the bar is set for the 2008 Republican front-runners' debate performances: Don't screw up, and make us laugh at least once.

That's according to most of the news coverage, anyway. Of Fred Thompson's long-awaited debut in yesterday's GOP primary debate in Michigan, the general assessment is no, he didn't screw up, and yes, that one thing he said at the end was kind of funny.

"I've enjoyed watching these fellas," the former Tennessee senator said as things were winding down. "I've got to admit, it was getting a little boring without me."

Good line, were it not for the fact that the debate wasn't terribly exciting with him either. He didn't scuffle with any of his eight rivals there, so there were no fireworks. Nor, as Rich Lowry also observed, were any of the "Law & Order" star's lines very funny. Does it matter? Thompson's catching a lot of flak for a rocky campaign launch -- before CNBC aired the debate, Radar magazine went up with a YouTube-laden "blooper reel" feature -- but his ready-made support in the polls guarantees him top-contender status. That support, remember, was there even before he officially entered the race. Unless he goofs up horribly on the national stage, it isn't going away because of one disappointing debate performance.

Thompson's viability is rooted less in who he is than who he is not. So voters might be better served by also paying attention to how Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney fared, even though this was their umpteenth televised debate.

Continue reading "The Republicans Yuk It Up In Michigan"

Posted at 9:15 AM
Posted to: Campaigns, Democrats, Economy, Fred Thompson, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iran, John McCain, Middle East, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Republicans, Rudy Giuliani, Taxes, WH 2008
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October 01, 2007

SNL Weighs In On The Ahmadinejad Love-Fest

UPDATED.

After the seemingly endless coverage of the Iranian president's recent visit to the Big Apple, Andy Samberg of "Saturday Night Live" injected some much-needed humor into the hype this weekend. See the hilarious results here. (The original YouTube link has been removed.)

Posted at 10:31 AM
Posted to: Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East
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September 28, 2007

New Vote On Iran Sanctions Delayed

UPDATED.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not go out of her way to hide her disappointment at the latest setback in U.S. efforts to clamp down further on Iran.

"The international community has to have a greater sense of urgency about some of these issues," she said, speaking to reporters at the U.N. this afternoon. "We have two unanimous Security Council resolutions in place on Iran. We're working on a third, and using that track to try to invigorate the negotiations track." Rice conceded that there was already a "certain level of cooperation in Iran."

Continue reading "New Vote On Iran Sanctions Delayed"

Posted at 3:25 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Condoleezza Rice, EU, Europe, France, Germany, IAEA, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Terrorism, U.K., U.N.
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September 26, 2007

U.N. General Assembly: Like Last Year, Only Worse

The astute Brits at the Economist called it.

By granting so many interviews to curious American journalists and agreeing to take questions from college students at Columbia, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad made sure that this year's meeting of the U.N. General Assembly would revolve around him. It helps that his BFF in these parts, Venezuelan firebrand Hugo Chavez, sat this one out, which means Ahmadinejad's "no gays in Iran" statement remains the craziest (and most sinister) thing said all week.

Ahmadinejad put on his "serious" face (no smiling) yesterday when he delivered his U.S.-centric speech before the General Assembly. The American delegation didn't bother to stick around for its entirety, such was its predictability. If this scenario reminds you of last year's meeting at the U.N., it should. The bottom line for the Security Council has been no nuclear material for Iran, period. Yesterday, Ahmadinejad ensured that the U.N. will act to shut him down, one way or another.

Continue reading "U.N. General Assembly: Like Last Year, Only Worse"

Posted at 1:15 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, Chechnya, China, Condoleezza Rice, Hugo Chavez, IAEA, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Russia, Terrorism, U.N.
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September 25, 2007

Bush's Other Legacy On Display At U.N.

President Bush called on the U.N. General Assembly to renew its focus on human rights, as he reminded increasingly distant member nations of America's outsized role in humanitarian work around the globe.

Placing the spotlight on the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Bush told the audience, "The nations in this chamber have our differences. Yet there are some areas where we can all agree."

The president ticked off a laundry list of ills, some of them ancient, still plaguing the globe, from malaria to HIV/AIDS, starvation to closed markets, impositions on the freedom of speech and assembly, and "tyranny and violence."

The Universal Declaration is not being upheld, Bush said, "when innocent people are trapped in a life of murder and fear" or "when millions of children starve to death or die from a mosquito bite."

"Changing these underlying conditions is what the declaration calls the work of underlying freedom," he said.

Bush then turned his attention to the representatives of Myanmar.

Continue reading "Bush's Other Legacy On Display At U.N."

Posted at 12:17 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bill Clinton, Bush Administration, China, Climate Change, HIV/AIDS, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, President Bush, Russia, Terrorism, U.N.
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September 24, 2007

Liveblogging Ahmadinejad's Columbia University Speech

3:40. That's all for our liveblog coverage of Ahmadinejad's speech. Here are some questions to follow up on:

1) Will President Bollinger be called out for intellectual dishonesty after that introduction? At least one faculty member, professor of Iranian studies Hamid Dabashi, thought it hypocritical for Bollinger to invite Ahmadinejad to speak and then yell at him before he did.

2) How many prominent audiences does one Islamofascist dictator deserve? What Ahmadinejad had to say today wasn't that different from what he said to the Council of Foreign Relations last year, where experts on Iran and not students grilled him pretty hard on his positions on Israel, record on human rights, and so on. Speaking on CNN, Dabashi said, "In my own classes, I [will] have to undo what has been done today in order to continue their education."

We really can't blame the world for wanting to hear more from Ahmadinejad, though, not with the threat of a war with that country hanging over our heads. The central paradox of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East is it's meant to strengthen the King Abdullah IIs and Fouad Sinioras. Instead, the influence of the Ahmadinejads appears to be growing.

3:12. On FOX, former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton. We didn't have time to transcribe, but here's the unsurprising gist: This visit was a stupid idea, our national security has been compromised, we've legitimized Ahmadinejad in the eyes of the world, they're going to attack us now.

3:11. On MSNBC, former U.N. Ambassador Bill Richardson, also a Democratic presidential candidate: "He's clearly here on a propaganda trip."

3:09. God bless Shepard Smith: "If you thought Ahmadinejad wasn't going to make news today, you were mistaken. Iran has no homosexuals."

Continue reading "Liveblogging Ahmadinejad's Columbia University Speech"

Posted at 4:00 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, President Bush
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This Charming Man: Ahmadinejad & The U.N.

Another opening of the U.N. General Assembly, another chance for America's foes to take a whack at President Bush on a world stage.

The star of this year's production is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. His visit to Columbia University and his request to visit Ground Zero (did anybody really think there was any chance that would happen?) have ensured that the theme of this week's convention, global warming, will be eclipsed by an entirely different kind of heat.

So why the fuss now, when Ahmadinejad's audience before the Council of Foreign Relations last year generated so much less controversy? Easy -- we're going to war in Iran.

Not really. (We think.) The jaw-jaw over taking Iran's nuclear facilities out by force has ratcheted beyond a level many thought possible, given the U.S. entanglements in Iraq.

But anyone who caught Ahmadinejad's squinty-eyed, non-response responses on "60 Minutes" last night probably has a clue into why the West finds this charismatic leader so very maddening.

Continue reading "This Charming Man: Ahmadinejad & The U.N."

Posted at 1:40 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Terrorism
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September 20, 2007

Bush Riffs On Iran, MoveOn And 'Missing' Rumsfeld

Proving yet again that his lame-duck status is the media's gain, President Bush treated the White House press corps to a freewheeling Q&A session this morning, in which the explainer in chief talked about the threat of war with Iran, that MoveOn ad, the GOP's record on race relations -- and even his feelings.

Before taking questions, though, the president scolded Democrats for failing to promptly renew a federal health insurance program for low-income children. "Unfortunately, instead of working with the administration to enact this funding increase to children's health care, Democrats have passed a bill they know will be vetoed."

Congressional negotiators are working to reconcile the House and Senate bills under threat of veto from Bush for provisions that raise the income ceiling for eligibility.

"One of the [Democratic] leaders said a veto would be a victory," Bush said, visibly irked. He was referring to Rep. Rahm Emanuel, who said this week that a White House veto of final SCHIP legislation might be read as opposition to insuring poor children, which would be a "political victory" for Democrats.

Bush said that he has backed SCHIP since his days as governor of Texas, but that he opposed offering federally funded health care to children from families earning $80,000. The income ceiling is actually not that high in either the Senate or House bills, though some states are permitted to issue waivers to families earning around that much. Democrats want to roll back a policy introduced by the White House last summer that prohibits SCHIP coverage for households earning two and a half times the poverty level, or $51,625 for a family of four. They contend that private insurance is prohibitively expensive for some middle-income households.

The president also said he opposed all new taxes, including the cigarette tax hike that would help fund SCHIP. "There's no need to raise taxes. I believe this is a step toward federalization of health care," Bush said. "Their proposal is beyond the scope of the program."

Continue reading "Bush Riffs On Iran, MoveOn And 'Missing' Rumsfeld"

Posted at 11:23 AM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, David Petraeus, Donald Rumsfeld, Economy, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Republicans, Taxes, WH 2008
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Ahmadinejad Denied Ground Zero Visit

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad won't get up close to the World Trade Center site when he visits New York City for a meeting of the U.N. General Assembly next week. Aides to the controversial Iranian president had requested that he be allowed to go to the site to lay a wreath in memory of the 2,700 victims of the 9/11 attacks.

White House hopefuls didn't miss the chance to pan the idea. Republican Rudy Giuliani, who was the city's mayor at the time of the attacks, issued a statement calling the idea of a visit "outrageous" and listing Ahmadinejad's connections to Osama bin Laden, insurgents in Iraq and pursuit of nuclear weapons.

At a campaign event in Florida, fellow Republican Mitt Romney expressed a similar sentiment: "Can you imagine the audacity, the shocking nerve, the chutzpah to suggest he would visit Ground Zero, the handiwork of terrorists of the very kind he supports?" New York Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton also called the idea "unacceptable."

But their protests were superfluous: According to city police, the request was denied because no one is allowed that close to the site. Ongoing construction means safety concerns for visitors.

Continue reading "Ahmadinejad Denied Ground Zero Visit"

Posted at 7:55 AM
Posted to: Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Terrorism
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September 18, 2007

In Case You Missed It...

... we're going to war with Iran. France is on board, too. (With us, not Iran.)

What?

The surreality of global relations this week is enough to make us wonder if we're trapped inside one of John Bolton's fevered dreams. Let's untangle this web of crazy carefully, lest all our heads collectively explode.

French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner is now seeking to assure allies that his country will "negotiate, negotiate, negotiate" before resorting to the option of war with Iran. On Sunday, the socialist ignited a firestorm when he told an interviewer, "We must prepare for the worst," adding, "The worst, sir, is war."

Kouchner said that France was "preparing" itself for the prospect of war in the event efforts to dismantle Iran's nuclear program were unsuccessful.

En route to a meeting with his counterpart in Moscow today, Kouchner sought to dial back his earlier remarks. "I do not want it said that I'm a warmonger. My message was one of peace, serious and determined," he told traveling reporters. Later, he blamed the media for running wild with what he'd said on Sunday. "As usual with journalists, they take one phrase and you don't know what came after," he said on a Russian radio talk show.

That's fair. Then again, maybe France picked a really bad time to propose Germany dump its historical baggage and dive into the nukes business.

Continue reading "In Case You Missed It..."

Posted at 6:30 PM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, Europe, France, Germany, Iran, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, Russia, Syria, Terrorism, U.K., U.N.
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September 17, 2007

Iran Fumes Over France's Nuke Warning

Iran is set to be the focus of discussions at both a Moscow meeting and the annual IAEA summit today, but a flare-up from French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner already has Iran on the defensive.

Kouchner commented that if Tehran possessed a nuclear weapon, it would pose a "real danger for the whole world," and the EU should prepare sanctions aimed at Iran's nuclear program even if the U.N. isn't ready to do so. Sanctions against Iran will be discussed among the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council in talks set for Friday.

Iran's official media responded angrily to Kouchner's comments, accusing the French government of wanting to "copy the White House" and French President Nicolas Sarkozy of taking on "an American skin."

Agence France-Presse has more on today's story, and The Gate has recent coverage of the international community's evolving attitudes toward sanctions against Iran.

Posted at 8:18 AM
Posted to: Europe, France, Iran, Middle East
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September 14, 2007

Report: Germany Wavers, U.S. Revives Iran Planning

About a month ago, we wondered why White House officials were leaking word that Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps was to be designated a terrorist organization. Looks like we may have an answer.

Reuters reports that the leak may have been a hawkish attempt to goad the State Department into taking a tougher line on Tehran. The White House alleges Iran is arming and funding Shiite insurgents in Iraq, compounding existing frustration over Iran's nuclear ambitions. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has mostly laughed off U.N. economic sanctions aimed at his uranium enrichment program.

Now, there are indications the sanctions process may have hit a roadblock.

Continue reading "Report: Germany Wavers, U.S. Revives Iran Planning"

Posted at 11:41 AM
Posted to: Asia, Bush Administration, China, EU, Europe, France, Germany, IAEA, Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, North Korea, Nuclear Weapons, President Bush, Russia, Terrorism, U.N.
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September 11, 2007

Liveblogging The Other Senate Iraq Report Hearing

[Senate Foreign Relations hearing] [Joint House hearing]

End note. March is the new September. Petraeus has made it crystal clear he's not discussing an ultimate drawdown until that month next year. Reid and Pelosi have promised a super-charged challenge to Bush, which he is expected to ignore or squash. For now, it doesn't look like we'll get the GOP insurrection Democrats have been praying for, and we'll know for sure soon enough. Check back tomorrow for reaction from the White House and Hill. Good night.

7:33. Crocker on the spending: "It's something we have to do, because we don't have enough people in the State Department, and they [private contractors] do it very well."

7:28. The former auditor says the amount of U.S. money spent in one month in Iraq could buy health insurance for 800,000 American children. Expect to see more of that stat this election cycle.

7:22. McCaskill also wants to send Tony Soprano to Baghdad. Crocker responds, "We can facilitate. We can pressure to some degree. Ultimately, national reconciliation has to be an Iraqi process." He continues with words that both hurt and help him: "This is a long, slow, hard grind, that could become easier" in the improved security environment.

7:19. Oh thank God. McCaskill's back.

7:17. Oh golly. Missouri Democrat Claire McCaskill, who hasn't gotten to ask questions yet, and Chairman Levin are both away for a vote. The committee is going to wait for them, and in the meantime Warner is asking follow-up questions. This really is starting to get torturous.

7:07. A parachute for fence-sitters, courtesy of Crocker. Frustrated Republicans, including Tennessee's Bob Corker it seems, want to know why U.S. officials don't simply strong-arm Iraqi politicians, Tony Soprano-style. Crocker's testimony indicates he doesn't buy into this approach, which possibly hands certain Republicans looking for a credible way to break with the administration a means to do so.

Continue reading "Liveblogging The Other Senate Iraq Report Hearing"

Posted at 7:50 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Campaigns, Congress, David Petraeus, Democrats, Donald Rumsfeld, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Iran, Iraq, John McCain, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Republicans, Senate, WH 2008
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September 10, 2007

Liveblogging The House Iraq Report Hearing

[Senate Foreign Relations hearing] [Senate Armed Services hearing]

6:45. It's over, it's really over. Tomorrow, on the sixth anniversary of 9/11, Petraeus and Crocker are due back on the Hill at 9:30 EDT to testify before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. The Senate hearing will be shorter than today's (mercifully), and as we said earlier might be a little more uncomfortable for Crocker and Petraeus thanks to the presidential aspirations of Joseph Biden, Christopher Dodd and Barack Obama, who sit on the committee. We'll be following the proceedings. See you tomorrow.

6:42. Calif. Democrat Loretta Sanchez also accuses Petraeus of cherrypicking. Were they saving the hostile committee members for last?

Sanchez does get to a very good question, though: If life is improving in Iraq, why are Iraqis so miserable? She points to a new poll on Iraqis' attitudes, which shows most of them are miserable, frightened and deeply pessimistic about their future. Crocker, whose central thesis is that Iraqis are far too traumatized and so new to democracy that nation-building will be a protracted and messy affair, says he hasn't seen the poll, and doesn't have much of an answer beyond that.

6:31. The blame-the-Iraqis tack some U.S. pols have adopted in recent months has always seemed a little too convenient. Crocker appears to agree. Missouri Republican Todd Akin asks why Petraeus and Crocker haven't been harder on Iraqi politicians today, and Crocker's measured response is among the more credible arguments for keeping the surge going. "A tremendous amount has happened in a very short time," he says of improvements in some provinces. Crocker adds that in some of the newly stabilized regions, Iraqi leaders are working on restoring law and order. More important, they know that their funding comes from Baghdad, and are showing cooperation with the central government as a result, he says.

Continue reading "Liveblogging The House Iraq Report Hearing"

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Posted to: Al-Qaida, Bush Administration, Congress, David Petraeus, House, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Syria, Terrorism
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September 04, 2007

Second Academic To Be Released From Iranian Prison

Just after Haleh Esfandiari departed Iran after being released from a prison there, an official in Tehran announced that another U.S.-Iranian scholar would also be allowed to leave on bail.

Kian Tajbakhsh had been detained since May, charged with using his academic connections to try to incite a "velvet revolution" in Iran -- the same charges leveled against Esfandiari, who survived eight months of captivity, including 105 days of solitary confinement in the Evin prison, by exercising religiously and composing a biography of her grandmother in her head.

In an interview with the Washington Post, her first public statements since she left Iran for Austria to be reunited with her family, Esfandiari detailed the conditions of her captivity. She was released on bail two weeks ago, and she is expected to return to her home in Potomac, Md., after taking some time in Europe.

Continue reading "Second Academic To Be Released From Iranian Prison"

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Posted to: Iran, Middle East
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August 24, 2007

Saudi Embassy Protest Highlights Role In Iraq

UPDATED.

About a hundred Iraqi-Americans rallied this morning outside the Saudi Embassy -- and across the street from The Gate -- in protest of the kingdom's support for Sunni insurgents and terrorists in their home country. Bearing signs and banners that read "Saudi Are Behind 9/11 And Iraqi Suiside Bombing [sic]" and "Wahhabi Saudi Money Kill Our Children," the protesters traveled from across the country to send Saudi Arabia a message.

(Click here, here and here for photos of the protest.)

"The muftis of Saudi Arabia send fighters to kill the Iraqi people for their religion," said Abdul al-Mayahi of New Orleans. With protesters shouting "No bomb!" and "Down with Wahhabi!" in Arabic behind him, he continued, "We ask Saudi Arabia to act against those people who import terrorism, who come to Iraq. They need to live in peace."

But aren't the Saudis our allies in the war on terror, you ask?

Not quite.

Continue reading "Saudi Embassy Protest Highlights Role In Iraq"

Posted at 2:30 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Robert Gates, Saudi Arabia
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August 21, 2007

American Academic Freed On Bail From Iranian Prison

American academic Haleh Esfandiari was released today on bail from Iran's infamous Evin prison, after being jailed several months ago for allegedly plotting to undermine the regime. Her mother, who lives in Tehran, posted bail in the amount of $333,000 after having been contacted by Iranian authorities.

Esfandiari is a Middle East expert and a member of D.C.'s Woodrow Wilson Institute. The Institute's president, former congressman and 9/11 commission chair Lee Hamilton, had been corresponding with the U.N. and the supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei, in an attempt to win her release. The State Department and Hillary Rodham Clinton also joined in the effort.

But there is no word yet on when Esfandiari may be allowed to return to the United States. Iranian judicial officers said the investigation against her had been completed, but Hamilton said the charges have not been dropped. The fate of other American detainees, including Kian Tajbakhsh and Ali Shakeri, also remains uncertain.

Previous coverage from The Gate on Esfandiari can be found here and here, and PBS interviewed Hamilton about her detention in May. CBC has the story of Zahra Kazemi, the Canadian photojournalist who died in Evin prison in 2003.

(Photo courtesy of the Woodrow Wilson Institute)

Posted at 1:40 PM
Posted to: Iran, Middle East
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August 15, 2007

White House Seen Leaning Toward Hawks On Iran

Off-the-record sources in the Bush administration informed two of the nation's most widely read papers that the U.S. will soon label Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps a terrorist organization. Why?

There's nothing in either account in the Washington Post or New York Times that indicates the topic is highly controversial within the administration. Heated internal debates have fueled quite a few leaks to the press from individuals alarmed by one executive action or the other.

So, why leak the news when both papers report the unprecedented decision is all but a done deal? (This isn't a rhetorical question, by the way -- we're genuinely curious. Send theories.)

Continue reading "White House Seen Leaning Toward Hawks On Iran"

Posted at 12:08 PM
Posted to: Afghanistan, Asia, Bush Administration, China, Condoleezza Rice, Iran, Iraq, Middle East, Terrorism
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August 09, 2007

Bush Stays Course On Iraq, Taxes & Torture

President Bush today addressed a varied list of topics -- ranging from the nation's bridges to corporate tax cuts to Iran -- ahead of a retreat to his family's compound in Kennebunkport, Maine.

The deeply unpopular leader kicked off the news conference, broadcast by all the networks along with cable, with one of the few bright spots of his administration: education. His initiatives in this arena have managed to receive bipartisan support, including the America Competes Act, which he will sign today. The bill boosts and expands science, technology, engineering and math education, as well as research and development.

"The American economy is the envy of the world and we need to keep it that way," Bush said in his opening remarks. "The bill I will sign today will help ensure we do remain the most competitive and innovative nation in the world."

As Bush was speaking, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was slip-siding after three days of record gains. French bank BNP Paribas announced this morning that it froze three funds because of concerns about the U.S. subprime lending market, reviving American investors' panic about volatility there.

Protesting that he was not an economist, Bush refused to detail what he thought should be done about the subprime lending problem, but did seem to draw the line at a federal bailout. He also said that because many of the defaulting homeowners "didn't understand what they were signing up for," it would be a "proper role for government to enhance education initiatives," and again pointed to the America Competes Act.

Continue reading "Bush Stays Course On Iraq, Taxes & Torture"

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Posted to: Alberto Gonzales, Bush Administration, CIA, Campaigns, Congress, Detainees, Europe, France, Iran, Iraq, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Middle East, Military, President Bush, Taxes, Terrorism, WH 2008
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July 18, 2007

Iran Airs Video Of Detained U.S. Scholars

Iran's state-run television channel plans to broadcast "confessions" by two U.S. academics being held prisoner there, as Washington and the Mideast scholarship community protest their treatment.

"We are outraged that the government of the Islamic Republic of Iran would parade two of these American citizens" -- Haleh Esfandiari and Kian Tajbakhsh -- "on state-run television," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said in a statement. Esfandiari and Tajbakhsh are both Iranian-American.

Video of the two making statements has been airing since Monday ahead of a documentary set for broadcast today. Tehran says the two have confessed to trying to undermine its regime.

Continue reading "Iran Airs Video Of Detained U.S. Scholars"

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Posted to: Iran, Middle East
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June 27, 2007

Iran On Road To Democracy? Thank Ahmadinejad.

Regime change is Washington's policy on Iran, and thanks to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the White House may just get its wish.

The oil-rich nation enacted fuel rationing this morning, sparking attacks on gas stations and further widening a growing rift between Iranians and Ahmadinejad's regime. The belligerent yet strangely charismatic leader is now deeply unpopular in his country, where a burgeoning pro-democracy movement appeared to be taking hold just before Ahmadinejad was elected two years ago on an anti-poverty, anti-corruption platform.

Instead of delivering sorely needed economic reforms -- Iran is on the precipice of a financial crisis, which the fuel rationing is meant to curtail -- Ahmadinejad landed his countrymen in the cross hairs of the United States. Never mind that Defense Secretary Robert Gates has sternly denied plans to invade Iran. Iranians fear becoming the next Iraq, and for propaganda purposes, Ahmadinejad has done little to persuade them otherwise.

Continue reading "Iran On Road To Democracy? Thank Ahmadinejad."

Posted at 1:36 PM
Posted to: Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad
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June 18, 2007

Rushdie Knighting Sparks Outcry

Pakistan and Iran are protesting vociferously after the announcement over the weekend that controversial novelist Salman Rushdie was to be knighted by Queen Elizabeth.

The lower house of the Pakistani parliament passed a resolution today condemning the knighthood, calling it an insult to Muslims worldwide. Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sher Afgan Khan Niazi, who introduced the resolution, referred to Rushdie as a "blasphemer." Religious Affairs Minister Mohammed Ijaz ul-Haq was initially quoted as saying the knighthood would justify terror attacks against the West, but he later insisted his statement had been mistranslated.

In the city of Multan, protesters took to the streets and burned effigies of both Rushdie and the queen.

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Posted at 4:50 PM
Posted to: Asia, Iran, Middle East, Pakistan, U.K.
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May 30, 2007

Iran: Diplomatic Deadlock

The international dispute over Iran's nuclear program appears to have hit another impasse, as AP reports that Iran's nuclear negotiator has dismissed any suspension of the country's uranium enrichment ahead of a meeting with European Union envoy Javier Solana.

According to Iranian state television, nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani said earlier today that "suspension is not the right solution for solving Iran's nuclear issue," and "past experiences have shown that suspension is not acceptable, at all." Larijani's comments reportedly came as he was about to leave for a meeting with Solana in Spain to discuss whether there is any room for negotiation on the enrichment program.

The standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions is high on the agenda for today's meeting of Group of Eight foreign ministers in Germany. In anticipation of the meeting, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice yesterday urged the United Nations not to back down from its demand that Iran halt its enrichment program.

The G-8 ministers released a statement today following Larijani's comments: "If Iran continues to ignore demands of the Security Council we will support further appropriate measures as agreed in Resolution 1747."

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Posted at 12:35 PM
Posted to: Iran
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May 22, 2007

U.S. Academic Held In Notorious Iranian Prison

The Iranian government has still not offered evidence behind its charges against Iranian-American scholar Haleh Esfandiari, 67, even as Washington demands her release.

Esfandiari, the director of the Middle East Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, an independent Washington think tank, was arrested earlier this month by the Iranians after being trapped in the country for more than four months. Tehran accuses Esfandiari, who holds dual citizenship, of acting as an agent of the United States and trying to overthrow the government.

Colleagues of Esfandiari, who specializes in women's issues in the Middle East, deny the accusations. Her employers at Woodrow Wilson also accused the Iranians of abusive interrogation techniques. "Repeatedly during the interrogation, Dr. Esfandiari was pressured to make a false confession or to falsely implicate the Wilson Center in activities in which it had no part," the center said in a statement on May 10.

Worryingly, Esfandiari is being imprisoned in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. In 2003, Iranian-Canadian photojournalist Zahra Kazemi died there. An Iranian physician later said there were signs she had been brutally raped and tortured.

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Posted at 12:42 PM
Posted to: Bush Administration, Condoleezza Rice, Iran, Middle East
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May 15, 2007

Speak Softly... For Now

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad this week warned that any U.S. attack on his country over its nuclear program would provoke "severe" retaliation from Iran. His combative words came just as U.S. and Iranian officials planned direct talks on stabilizing Iraq for the first time since the war began.

A new survey in In today's Poll Track (subscription) suggests Americans are more amenable to diplomatic relations with Iran than they are to military engagement, but they aren't ready to rule out the "big stick" entirely.

Sixty-three percent of respondents to a new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll said they would oppose military action against Iran. And in a Public Agenda poll last month, a 44-percent plurality suggested that diplomacy was the best way for the United States to deal with Iran; only 5 percent favored threatening military action and 8 percent preferred actually taking military action.

Posted at 1:00 PM
Posted to: Iran, Middle East
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May 14, 2007

Ahmadinejad Issues Warning After Cheney Visit

Vice President Dick Cheney blew through the Middle East on his weeklong tour, meeting with heads of state in Egypt, Jordan and Dubai. But Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, whose influence Cheney had been trying to curb during his visit, dogged the vice president after his stop in the United Arab Emirates.

Ahmadinejad headed up an anti-American rally the day after Cheney's visit. AP reports that the crowd responded enthusiastically to Ahmadinejad's comments, including this one: "Every time your name is mentioned, hatred builds up.... Go fix yourself. This is Iran's advice to you. Leave the region."

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Posted at 9:20 AM
Posted to: Iran, Middle East
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May 04, 2007

U.S. & Iran Meet On The Side

Ambassadors from the United States and Iran met today at the Iraq conference in Sharm al-Sheikh, Egypt.

It wasn't the high-level talks between Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki that had been discussed for days -- those fell apart this morning, after anti-Iraq war remarks from Mottaki and a flap over dinner last night -- but the Washington Post reports that two unidentified representatives did speak.

The Post categorizes the meeting as "expert level" rather than the highest level, which would have been Rice and Mottaki. The two countries haven't participated in that level of talks since 1979, when Ayatollah Khomeini assumed power after the Islamic revolution.

Posted at 10:01 AM
Posted to: Iran
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Rice Unlikely To Meet With Iran

Hopes that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice might sit down to talks with Iran at the Iraq conference in Egypt were probably dashed today, when Manouchehr Mottaki spoke out against the U.S. involvement in Iraq. BBC News categorized his comments as "a strong attack against US policy in Iraq, blaming the American presence there for sectarian violence."

Last night Mottaki, Iran's foreign minister, abruptly walked out of a diplomatic dinner -- where he was seated facing Rice -- allegedly because he objected to the revealing clothing of a female violinist playing at the event. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack didn't buy that explanation, however, commenting to the media, "I don't know which woman he was afraid of, the woman in the red dress or the secretary of State."

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Posted at 7:39 AM
Posted to: Condoleezza Rice, Iran
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May 02, 2007

Iran Arrests Former Nuclear Negotiator

Hossein Mousavian, a former ambassador and member of Iran's nuclear negotiation team until 2005, was arrested Monday on unspecified charges.

Mousavian was a political ally of former Iranian President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, who was defeated by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005. Ahmadinejad replaced the entire negotiating team after he was elected.

The president has also frequently reiterated his commitment to strengthening his country's nuclear program for domestic energy use and recently said he would "cut off hands of invaders" if its facilities were threatened.

Posted at 2:38 PM
Posted to: Iran
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April 09, 2007

U.K.: No More Paid Interviews With Military

After a lashing from critics over allowing some of the 15 sailors and marines kidnapped in Iran to give tabloid and TV interviews for pay, the British Ministry of Defense has announced that all military personnel are from now on prohibited from doing so.

Defense Minister Des Brown said the ministry allowed the 14 men and one woman -- who were returned to Britain late last week -- to accept money in exchange for media interviews because of the "exceptional circumstances, but later concluded that the decision had "not reached a satisfactory outcome."

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Posted at 1:52 PM
Posted to: Europe, Iran, U.K.
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Iran Announces Large-Scale Nuclear Enrichment

On the first anniversary of its announcement that it successfully enriched uranium, Iran told the world today that it had entered a second, "industrial" phase of uranium production, BBC News' Web site reports.

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Posted at 9:18 AM
Posted to: Iran
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April 06, 2007

U.K. Sailors: Capture Was 'Complete Media Stunt'

Seven of the 15 British sailors and marines held prisoner in Iran for nearly two weeks denounced their capture as a "media stunt" and denied that they had violated Iranian waters or that they surrendered to the Revolutionary Guard prematurely and willingly.

"Let me make it absolutely clear: Irrespective of what was said in the past when we were detained, we were inside internationally recognized waters" that belonged to Iraq, Royal Marine Capt. Chris Air said at a press conference today, where the seven sailors and marines spoke to the media.

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Posted at 10:33 AM
Posted to: Europe, Iran, U.K.
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April 05, 2007

U.K. Sailors Back Home; Bomb Suspects Charged

With Congress in recess and President Bush clearing brush in Crawford, it's very quiet today in Washington. Not so for America's allies across the pond.

First, the latest news: Police have charged three more suspects in the 2005 London transit bombings that killed 52 and injured nearly a thousand, the London Guardian reports. "Sadeer Saleem, 26, Mohammed Shakil, 30, and Waheed Ali, 23," are accused of conspiring with the suicide bombers who carried out the rush-hour attacks on three crowded subways and one double-decker bus on July 7, 2005.

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Posted at 12:55 PM
Posted to: Europe, Iran, Terrorism, Tony Blair, U.K.
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April 04, 2007

Ahmadinejad Gets In The Holiday Spirit

When Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced the release of 15 British sailors and marines who had been held captive since they allegedly trespassed into Iranian waters 13 days ago, he cast the move as a "gift" to England in honor of three religious holidays -- Passover, Easter and the birthday of the Prophet Muhammad.

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Posted at 2:29 PM
Posted to: Iran
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April 03, 2007

Iranian Diplomat Freed In Iraq

An Iranian diplomat has been released after being held for about two months in Iraq, officials in both governments confirmed. Jalal Sharafi, a diplomat in Iran's embassy in Baghdad, was seized Feb. 4 by gunmen wearing Iraq army uniforms, Reuters reports. The U.S. military has disputed Tehran's charge of American involvement.

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Posted at 9:53 AM
Posted to: Iran
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March 28, 2007

Iran Update: Turney Interview Released

In an interview broadcast on Iranian state television, Faye Turney said she and 14 other British sailors were captured because they "obviously... trespassed" in Iranian waters, BBCNews.com reports. Turney, whom Iranian leaders said would be freed either today or tomorrow, also described her captors as "friendly" and "thoughtful." In addition to the interview, a video of the 14 male sailors still being held captive was broadcast on Iranian TV.

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Posted at 1:25 PM
Posted to: Iran
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Iran: 'The Lady Will Be Released'

Iran said the lone female among the 15 British sailors the country is holding captive will be released, AP reports.

"Today or tomorrow, the lady will be released," Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said, referring to Faye Turney, 26.

AP also reports that Iran plans to broadcast video of the 15 hostages. Doing so for the purposes of humiliation or propaganda is generally seen as a violation of the Geneva Conventions, and British officials said they had received assurances that images of the hostages would not be aired.

Posted at 11:58 AM
Posted to: Iran
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March 23, 2007

Iranians Seize 15 British Sailors

As many as 15 British sailors are being held by Iran's navy following a skirmish in the Shatt al-Arab waterway in the northern Gulf, the London Guardian reports. The British government has summoned Iran's ambassador in London as it works to secure the sailors' release.

It is not known why the sailors were seized. CNN reports that the incident may have been sparked by a territorial dispute over which party was in which nation's waters.

Posted at 9:14 AM
Posted to: Iran
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March 15, 2007

Why Is Iran So Angry About This Action Movie?

News agencies have been reporting this week that the film "300," a special effects-heavy action flick described by a New York Times critic as "about as violent as Apocalypto and twice as stupid," has incited protests in Iran. According to AP, "300" is "a comic-book fantasy version of the battle of Thermopylae in 480 B.C., in which a force of 300 Spartans held off a massive Persian army at a mountain pass in Greece for three days." With headlines like "Hollywood Declares War On Iranians" splashed across papers in the Middle Eastern country, it's probably safe to guess that Iranians did not appreciate how their ancestors were portrayed.

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Posted at 1:50 PM
Posted to: Iran
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