News and Analysis (12/6/07)

In the opening salvos over Gitmo detainees’ right to habeas corpus, referring to the legal tinkering with the flawed military commissions, defense lawyer Seth Waxman argues, “the time for experimentation is over”:

• Justices Appear Divided on Detainees’ Rights (Washington Post)

Israeli military and economic pressure and peace talks in Annapolis seem to lead to shift in Gazans’ attitudes from support for Hamas to support for Fatah:

• More Gazans Turn Away From Hamas As Fatah Heads Toward Peace Talks (Christian Science Monitor)

Christian Science Monitor editorial argues that possible Lebanese consensus presidential candidate Michel Suleiman can potentially thaw relations with the US and Syria and help regional peace talks:

• Lebanon: A Sellout to Syria? (Christian Science Monitor)

Lawyers protest after Musharraf sacks 37 federal judges, including former Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry:

• Pakistani Lawyers Boycott Courts (Al-Jazeera International)

City where intense Muslim-Hindu rioting took place in 1992 is on edge as the 15th anniversary of the destruction of the Babri mosque approaches:

• Security Tight in India Holy Town (BBC News)

Alejandro

Alejandro Beutel is program assistant for the Minaret of Freedom Institute with expertise in religious freedom, democratization and security issues.