News and Analysis (12/26/06)

Amnesty International expresses disappointment :

·        Iraq Court Says Saddam Should Hang Within 30 Days (Reuters)

Palestinians say Abbas must produce more than “kisses with Olmert”:

·        Talks Emerge Out of Gaza Conflict: Israeli and Palestinian Leaders Met to Talk About Finances and Prisoner Release (Christian Science Monitor)

A semblance of civil society, restored by ICU, is now threatened by war and neglect:

·        Ethiopia Intervenes In Somali Civil War: Ethiopia Stymied Hopes For Peace After It Launched Airstrikes Against Islamist Forces In Somalia On Sunday (Christian Science Monitor)

Ivan Eland attributes the ICU’s sudden popularity in Somalia to U.S. policy:

·        Another Civil War Exacerbated: US intervention in Somalia (Antiwar.com)

A British officer says the destruction of the police station made Basra safer, but the chief of police disagrees:

·        Discussions to Follow Basra Raid: Explosion of Jamiat Police Station: British Officials Are to Explain to the Authorities in Basra Why Coalition Troops Demolished the Headquarters of the City’s Serious Crime Unit (BBC)

Egyptian human rights advocate is skeptical:

·        President Hosni Mubarak Pledges to Improve Democracy Once New Anti-Terrorism Law Passes (abc News)

He had the bad luck to have met two hijackers, and that “set off a five-year legal ordeal that” began with being hauled in front of a grand jury and “ended last month with his acquittal”:

·       Man Acquitted in Sept. 11 Perjury Charges Wants to ‘Be Like Every Other American’ (abcNews)

Talk about unintended consequences:

·        Christmas under siege: Baghdad tree tradition dies (Middle East Online / Freedom’s Phoenix)

ImadadDean