Faces of Tahrir

In Arabic, but no sub-titles needed.

Links of Interest

Be sure to check out our collection of useful links to blogs and websites from around the globe, ranging from US foreign policy, national security and politics to law, development, econo- and enviro-bloggers, and tech and media.

 

October 2009
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The Biggest Crime

Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamene’i has upped his rhetoric a tad about the dispute over June’s election:

“Iran’ s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has described questioning the country’s disputed June 12 presidential vote as the ‘biggest crime.’

“Khamenei’s comments, reported in Iranian media, appear to be his strongest warning yet to opposition leaders [...]

Irreconcilable Differences?

One justification for continuing (and possibly escalating) our military/non-military commitment in Afghanistan centers around the potential for al-Qaeda to establish safe havens in that country from which to coordinate attacks on US targets.  This al-Qaeda-based rationale rests on several assumptions that include, but perhaps are not limited to:

1. If we withdraw or significantly reduce our military presence, the Taliban will retake Afghanistan (presumably that means the [...]

The Af-Pak Unpack

The New York Times, to its credit, attempts to dispel some of the stubborn misinformation concerning the interchangeability (or lack thereof) of the Afghan Taliban faction and Pakistani Taliban faction.  Contrary to popular and pervasive fictions, these two groups are quite distinct in terms of strategy and objectives.

As it devises a New Afghanistan policy, the [...]

Aluf Benn and Reality

Aluf Benn must be living in an alternate universe:

“Operation Cast Lead in Gaza was perceived in Israel as a shining victory. Rocket fire from Gaza was brought to a halt almost completely. The Israel Defense Forces emerged from its failure during the Second Lebanon War and deployed ground forces with few casualties. ‘The [...]

Rafsanjani on Ahmadinejad

Rafsanjani is definitely no longer part of the opposition in Iran:

“Head of the Expediency Council, Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani, said he was a firm believer in the legitimacy of the new Ahmadinejad administration.

“‘Since the inauguration of the 10th administration, I believe in its legitimacy. Presently Mr. [Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad attends the Expediency Council [...]

The Dude

After what were 30+ hours of grueling labor (for me mostly, though my wife seemed to be in some type of pain as well – I’ll have to check back with her on that), Eric Jae-Young Lee Martin finally decided to join us on Saturday, October 10th at 11:36 a.m. 

In addition to taking [...]

No SOFA Referendum?

The Wall Street Journal reported on October 5, 2009 that there might not be a referendum on the Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) signed between Iraq and the United States. The SOFA is actually two documents that set the future relations between the two countries. When it was originally debated in Iraq’s parliament, the [...]

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