Middle East expert Juan Cole provides latest news roundup of Iraq, including the country’s dire humanitarian crisis, latest incidents of violence, Iraqi’s perceptions of the endurance of US military bases, and analysis of tensions and military maneuvers along Turkish-Iraqi Kurd border:
- A Third of Iraqi Children Malnourished, Baghdad Neighborhoods Emptied, by Snipers Skepticism on Gates-Rice Mission (Informed Comment Blog)
Analysis from different scholars find a Cold War analogy between US and Iran holds little weight:
- U.S. vs. Iran: Cold War, Too (Washington Post)
Continuing its campaign to demonstrate its commitment to establishing law and order in the Gaza Strip, Hamas closes down tunnels used for smuggling weapons and other contraband:
- Egypt Finding Fewer Gaza Smuggling Tunnels (Washington Post)
Statist control of wheat supply and corruption leads to exorbitant prices, punishing those meant to be helped by government subsidies:
- Bread Graft Taxes Egypt’s Poorest (Christian Science Monitor)
Christian Science Monitor editorial argues that pushing Pakistan towards the rule of law and democracy, not further support for Musharaff’s authoritarianism, is key to defeating Al-Qaida supporters in Pakistan:
- Getting Bin Laden Up a Tree (Christian Science Monitor)
Taliban-sympathetic militants occupy shrine of Pakistani nationalist Sufi hero and seek to set up a “new Lal Masjid”:
- Militants Occupy Pakistan Shrine (BBC News)
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