News and Analysis (2/11/10)

Maliki’s use of the military in a political dispute does not bode well for the coming elections:

• Leader Faulted on Using Army in Iraqi Politics (NY Times)

“At stake is who are the true heirs of Iran’s revolution and its first promises of ‘Independence, freedom, [and] Islamic Republic’”:

• Iran Braces for Demonstration Showdown: Will the Future of Iran be Changed? (Christian Science Monitor)

Jon Elmer report arrests that “are part of a wider plan being executed by Palestinian security forces – trained and funded by American and European backers – to crush opposition and consolidate the Fatah-led government’s grip on power in the West Bank”:

• ‘A Prescription for Civil War’ (Al Jazeera)

In the war against Shi’a rebels in the north, Yemen leaders have utilized radicalized Sunni fighters who share al-Qaeda’s rhetoric and intolerance:

• Yemen’s Alliance with Radical Sunnis in Internal War Poses Complication for U.S. (Washington Post)

The ironically named Center for Human Dignity, the Museum of Tolerance, would be built over a century-old Muslim cemetery:

• Museum Creates New Jerusalem Divide (NY Times)

As new revelations pour out of Blackwater misbilling the U.S. …

• 2 Ex-employees say Blackwater Billed Government for Prostitute (Washington Post)

… Iraq has ordered the company’s personnel out of the country by Monday:

• Blackwater Security Contractors Ordered Out of Iraq (Christian Science Monitor)

As Obama pushes forward on his missile shield over the Persian Gulf states:

• Technical Setbacks Cause Iran to Falter in Push to Enrich Uranium, Report Says (Washington Post)

Imran

Minaret of Freedom Institute Program Assistant