News and Analysis (3/7-8/09)

A former Afghani PM says “to negotiate with the Taliban would be “very appreciated” by the Afghan people” …

• US Open to Afghan Taliban Talks (Al Jazeera)

… as U.S. forces are stymied by the challenge of striking a balance between suspicion and sensitivity:

• U.S. Troops Face a Tangle Of Goals in Afghanistan (Washington Post)

Activist, attorneysay conduct of Saberi’s arrest violates Iranian law:

• Perplexing Case of Detained U.S. Reporter in Iran (LA Times)

Hamas says it expected Fayyad’s resignations “because this government is illegitimate and illegal and built on failed and mistaken policies connected to American agendas”:

• Premier Quits to Help Unify Palestinians (NY Times)

Morocco accuses Iran of an unspecified “intolerable interference in the internal affairs of the kingdom”:

• Morocco Severs Relations with Iran (AP / Washington Post)

As America begins a withdrawal of 12,000 troops from Iraq over six months, …

• US Announces Iraq Troop Cuts (Al Jazeera)

… the impact of violence of both the US invasion and Saddam’s regime becomes more evident:

• Iraqi Surveys Start to Unveil the Mental Scars of War, Especially Among Women (NY Times)

Sometimes addressed as the mayor in the male gender and the former “mayors daughter” proves herself an effective leader:

• In Egypt, a Village Boasts the Nation’s First Female Mayor (LA Times)

Imran

Minaret of Freedom Institute Program Assistant