News and Analysis (7/31/07)

Musharraf government officials dismayed that military financial aid to regime may no longer be unconditional:

• Pakistani Premier ‘Disappointed’ by U.S. Pressure (Washington Post)

Iraq’s Parliament fails to pass any crucial legislation or resolve constitutional crisis before going into recess, leaving Bush with few signs of political progress to tout in Washington:

• Iraqi Parliament Adjourns in Blow to Bush (Reuters)

A look at “In the Name of God” a Pakistani film that explores issues of increased religious fanaticism and militancy in its society:

• The New Movie That’s all the Rage in Pakistan (Christian Science Monitor)

Death of elderly Council of Guardians member Ayatollah Meskini sets up competition to fill the vacancy between pragmatist Hashemi Rafsanjani and hardliner Mesbah Yazdi:

• The Race for Majlis Khobregan (Rooz Online)

While Middle East History Professor Howard Eissenstat sees the AKP’s performance in Turkey’s latest elections as a victory for democracy and economic reform, not theocracy, Foreign Policy Analyst Ben Judah goes so far as to declare the election results a sign that “the army has been more or less removed from politics”:

• The 2008 Turkish Elections: An Islamist Victory? Guest Op-Ed by Howard Eissenstat (Informed Comment Global Affairs Blog)
• Turkey: New Men in Town (ISN Security Watch)

Alejandro

Alejandro Beutel is program assistant for the Minaret of Freedom Institute with expertise in religious freedom, democratization and security issues.