News and Analysis (1/5/07)

Who benefits?

· Cleric Gunned Down in Gaza After Plea for Calm (Reuters)

French president foresees “the end of the centuries long, undivided Western domination of the world”:

· Chirac Slams Iraq War as Boost to Terrorism (AFP)

Somali example underscores the relationship between law and prosperity: “Mogadishu was liberated by the Islamic Courts movement, which managed to rid the city of the militias and roadblocks that had functioned like a hundred Berlin Walls.”

• Somalis Adapt Warily, Pragmatically to New Order in Capital: Fear of Warlords Returns After Rout Of Islamic Forces (Washington Post)

Is there a planB?

· If Iraq Fragments, What’s Plan B? A Partitioned Iraq, Which Could Preempt Violent Ethnic Cleansing, Looks Ever More Likely to Many Experts (Christian Science Monitor)

“May the government indefinitely detain a foreigner living legally in the United States, without charges and without access to the courts?”

· In War of Vague Borders, Detainee Longs for Court (NY Times)

ImadadDean