Seeking to capitalize off of the outpouring of sympathy and anger over Bhutto’s death, the Pakistan People’s Party says it will participate in the upcoming January 8th parliamentary vote…
- Opposition Parties Vow to Proceed With Jan. 8 Election (New York Times)
…meanwhile analysts find that the death of Bhutto and attempted assassinations of other top Pakistani officials bear the marks of an overall Al-Qaeda strategy to create instability in Pakistan:
- Bhutto’s Murder Aids Al-Qaeda’s ‘Chaos Strategy’ Says Top Terror Expert (Adnkronos International)
- Bhutto’s Death Helps Further Al Qaeda’s Pakistan Agenda (Christian Science Monitor)
Famous Israel-based human rights organization B’Tselem says number of deaths due to conflicts between Israelis and Palestinians fell compared to last year, but also notes the new humanitarian crisis in Gaza, a 13% increase in Palestinians detained without trial or charge, a 38% increase of demolished Arab homes in East Jerusalem, and a spike in intra-Palestinian violence:
- Middle East Conflict Toll ‘Falls’ (BBC News)
Former ambassador to South Korea and CIA veteran Donald Gregg finds “draconian positions taken by the Bush administration†including issues of torture, the Iraq war and other confrontational policies make conditions more difficult for agents to gather important intelligence:
- George Smiley’s War (Washington Post)
Pragmatic Iranian leader Ali Akbar Rafsanjani continues his political battles against Ahmedinejad and other hard-liners by helping to revive a “moderate†newspaper that straddles between reformism and conservatism:
- Rafsanjani Allies Revive Moderate Newspaper (AFP/Daily Star Lebanon)
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