[Peace-discuss] Just Foreign Policy News, December 20, 2006

[Robert Naiman]

Just Foreign Policy News
December 20, 2006
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/newsroom/blog/

1325 days have passed since President Bush declared "Mission
Accomplished" in Iraq.
There have been more than 25,000 U.S. killed and wounded in Iraq.
http://www.icasualties.org/oif/

Sen. Harry Reid Recants Support for "Surge"
"I don't believe that more troops is the answer for Iraq. It's a civil
war and America should not be policing a Sunni-Shia conflict… we don't
have the additional forces to put in there…even the Joint Chiefs do
not support increased combat forces for Baghdad."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sen-harry-reid/the-clock-is-ticking-mr_b_36752.html

Time to Talk to Iran: Petition
More than 27,200 people have signed the Peace Action/Just Foreign
Policy petition. Please sign/circulate if you have yet to do so:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/involved/iranpetition.html

Tell Your Representatives: Stop the Money and Bring the Troops Home
Please write/call your Members of Congress if you have not done so
recently. They need to hear from you. The Capitol switchboard is
202-225-3121.
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/involved/iraq.html

Voices for Creative Nonviolence: "Occupation Project" at Congressional Offices
http://www.vcnv.org/project/the-occupation-project

AFSC Calls for Local Events Marking 3000 deaths
http://www.afsc.org/3000/

Friends Committee on National Legislation is Looking for Interns:
http://www.fcnl.org/young/intern.htm

Just Foreign Policy News daily podcast:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/podcasts/podcast_howto.html

Summary:
U.S./Top News
Outgoing UN Secretary General Annan said Tuesday that confronting the
threat posed by Iran's nuclear program militarily would be
"disastrous," but he expected the Security Council would come up with
a negotiated settlement, the New York Times reports. [To send a letter
to the Times: letters at nytimes.com]

Annan was right about Iraq, writes Robert Naiman on Huffington Post.
We should press upon our elected officials the fact that he is right
about Iran.

President Bush acknowledged that the US is not winning the war in
Iraq, the Washington Post reports. However, in a comment reminiscent
of Kevin Kline's assertion that "Vietnam was a tie," he also said the
US is not losing. Bush said he plans to expand the "stressed" armed
forces.

Gen. Abizaid, the senior US commander in the Middle East, Gen. Casey,
the senior US commander in Iraq, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff all
oppose a White House plan to increase US troops in Iraq, the New York
Times reports. [In the past, President Bush said he was listening to
his generals. Why won't he listen to them now?] Gen. Abizaid says the
US has to "internationalize the problem" and attack it diplomatically.

The Iraq war will cost more this year than the $110 billion the Bush
administration had forecast, the head of the White House budget office
said Tuesday. Rob Portman's statement adds fuel to speculation that
the war costs will top last year's record $120 billion, USA Today
reports.

The suicide rate among troops deployed for the Iraq war reached its
highest point last year since the 2003 invasion, according to an Army
mental health study.  Overall, the number of soldiers who killed
themselves last year almost doubled from the 2004 total, USA Today
reports.

U.S. soldiers serving repeated Iraq deployments are 50% more likely to
suffer from acute combat stress, raising their risk of post-traumatic
stress disorder, according to the Army survey. The report suggests
many soldiers were returning to Iraq with combat stress symptoms
unresolved from previous tours, notes the Washington Post.

Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan says the US should set a timetable to
withdraw its forces from Iraq, Reuters reports. Erdogan also called
for talks with neighboring countries, including Iran, Syria, and of
course, Turkey. Turkey is a close NATO ally of the United States.

Iran
The Pentagon is considering a buildup of Navy forces in the Persian
Gulf as a show of force against Iran, the Guardian reports. The
proposal calls for sending a second aircraft carrier to the region.

Iraq
Efforts are underway to weed out up to one-quarter of Iraq's national
police who are thought to be sympathetic to militias involved in
sectarian violence, AP reports.

Iraq's prime minister wants U.S. forces to aggressively target Sunni
Arab insurgents instead of Shiite militias, the Washington Post
reports. Under these conditions he would accept a surge of U.S.
troops.

Grand Ayatollah Sistani has tentatively approved an American-backed
coalition of Shiite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish parties that aims to
isolate Shiite militia leader Moktada al-Sadr, the New York Times
reports.

An Iraqi government shake-up won't change key security and economic
Cabinet positions, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Israel/Palestine
Israel is considering handing over millions of dollars in withheld
Palestinian tax funds to President Abbas, Reuters reports. Israel has
been under pressure from Europe and the United Nations for months to
release the tax money.

Ethiopia
A widespread view in Ethiopia's capital is that Prime Minister Meles
is using the conflict in Somalia to distract people from internal
problems and to justify further repression of opposition groups, the
Washington Post reports.  Opponents of war say he is playing up the
claim there are al-Qaeda operatives within the Islamic Courts Union to
maintain support of the U.S., which relies on a steady flow of
Ethiopian intelligence some regional analysts say is of dubious value.

Cuba
The smooth transfer of power from Fidel Castro to his successors is
exposing the ignorance of U.S. policy toward Cuba, writes Julia Sweig
in the January issue of Foreign Affairs. Doug Henwood interviewed
Sweig on his radio show; the link is provided below.

Contents:
http://www.justforeignpolicy.org/newsroom/blog/

-
Robert Naiman
Just Foreign Policy
www.justforeignpolicy.org