The IRGC announced that it had closed the Strait of Hormuz to shipping, and there are reports of British and other vessels turning around
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Cole in Salon: Obama is Wrong on Afghanistan
My Salon column, , “Obama is saying the Wrong things about Afghanistan,” , is now available online. Excerpt: ‘ The governor of the North-West Frontier […]
Passage of Electoral Provision Likely will Delay Elections
It is not looking good for the holding of provincial elections in Iraq this year. First the high electoral commission warned that if enabling legislation […]
Troop Agreement Misses Deadline; Provincial Law Misses Deadline; Bombings in Mosul, Diyala, Fallujah
First there was going to be a status of forces agreement between the US and Iraq, which would be ratified by the Iraqi parliament and […]
Obama in Iraq; Der Spiegel Proves al-Maliki Story Correct; Series of Bombings hit Baghdad
Senator Barack Obama is in Iraq for consultations with American military commanders and Iraqi leaders. Despite all the talk about Iraq being “calm,” I’d like […]
Obama in Afghanistan
Presidential hopeful Barack Obama held consultations Saturday in Kabul with Afghan government officials. He discussed the rapidly deteriorating security situation in the country. I heard […]
OSC: Afghan Observers Sceptical of Senator Obama’s Plan To Send More Troops
The USG Open Source Center translates a report in Dari Persian on a parliamentarian and two close observers from Afghanistan who entertain the severest doubts […]
Bush Accepts Time Horizon for US Troop withdrawal
Bush has agreed in all but name with Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki on a timetable for US troop withdrawal from that country. As usual […]
Gazprom’s Businesss with Iran
The USG Open Source Center summarizes Russian press comment on the Gazprom deals with Libya and Iran. The deal with Iran is extremely important because […]
Helman: Is Bush’s Engagement with Iran Hurting McCain, Helping Obama?
Ambassador Gerald B. Helman writes, in a guest op-ed for IC: The decision by the Administration to send William Burns, the State Department’s third ranking […]
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