THE
THE FLASHLIGHT, November 25 – December 1, 2006
Iraq
CNN 11-25. In Baghdad the educated class is dwindling. The dentists have all left.
Former US Brig. Gen. Karpinski, former nominal head of Abu Ghraib, will testify in the German Court that she saw a memo from Sec. Rumsteld approving various kind of torture.
NY Times, 11-26. According to the report of an Interagency Group of the Bush Administration on the funding of the Iraq insurgency, the insurgents are raising tens of million of dollars a year from oil smuggling, kidnapping, counterfeiting, corrupt charities, and other crimes. Estimates of the amount are vague, but one hundred million a year is possible total. There are corrupt and complicit Iraqi officials aiding the insurgents. The insurgents have so much money they can finance terrorist groups elsewhere.
Other insurgent assets are huge armories left over from Saddam’s days and a large supply of volunteer fighters.
CNN. 11-26. In a debate with Henry Kissinger, Zbig Brzezinski urged that the US withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.
Shiite death squads have infiltrated the Iraqi government security forces.
CNN 11-28. Hizbollah is reported to be helping the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al-Sadr by sending one to two thousand fighters to Iraq.
NY Times 11-29. A secret memo from Steven Hadley, Bush security advisor, says that Prime Minister Maliki is unhelpful because he makes no concessions to the Sunnis and is dependent of al-Sadr.
NY Times 11-30. The Iraq Study Group final report, which will be made public next week, will call for a gradual pullout of 15 brigades (c. 4000 men each) from Iraq, but set no dates for it. Seventy thousand soldiers would remain in Iraq to train Iraqi security units. The Group said that withdrawals are necessary to put political pressure of al-Maliki to make concessions to the Sunnis.
CNN 11-30. Senator Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wants to divide Iraq into three parts.
A CNN report from Baghdad says that Maliki seems to be losing his grip and that Sadr is trying to form an alliance with Sunni elements in order to force US withdrawal from Iraq.
Senator Kerry said that the coming Democratiic led Congress can hold hearings and pass legislation forcing US troop withdrawals.
Lebanon
12-1. Daily Star and An-Nahar. On Friday, Dec. 1, Hizbollah and its allies gathered their followers in Beirut for a massive peaceful sit-in demonstration that was intended to last until the Seniora government, backed by the US and Europe, resigned. The demonstrators are pro-Syrian and do not want an International Tribunal to investigate the political murders of the last two years which many suspect were perpetrated by Syria. The Lebanese Army is defending the Senior government. The president of Lebanon, Emile Lahoud, is pro-Syrian.
The demonstrators condemn the Seniora government because it is backed by the US. They say they want a “clean” government to be elected immediately.
Hizbollah men are intent on keeping violence from breaking out. They are distributing food, water and tents and have setup temporary outdoor toilets.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
Guardian, 11-26. Hamas agreed to a truce with Israel. However, the Palestinians have failed to agree on a national unity government.
US Politics – Climate Change
W Post 11-25. Top executives at many of the nation’s largest energy companies have accepted the scientific consensus among global warming. They also agree that federal regulation is inevitable and see it as better than a patchwork of state regulations.
Congress
SF Chron. 12-1. Speaker Pelosi announced that Rep. Sylvestre Reyes will be the next chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Reyes, whose district centers on El Paso, Texas, is a veteran of the Army and the Border Patrol. Along with Pelosi, he voted in 2002 against the resolution enabling the President to invade Iraq. He will push for withdrawal .
Iraq
CNN 11-25. In Baghdad the educated class is dwindling. The dentists have all left.
Former US Brig. Gen. Karpinski, former nominal head of Abu Ghraib, will testify in the German Court that she saw a memo from Sec. Rumsteld approving various kind of torture.
NY Times, 11-26. According to the report of an Interagency Group of the Bush Administration on the funding of the Iraq insurgency, the insurgents are raising tens of million of dollars a year from oil smuggling, kidnapping, counterfeiting, corrupt charities, and other crimes. Estimates of the amount are vague, but one hundred million a year is possible total. There are corrupt and complicit Iraqi officials aiding the insurgents. The insurgents have so much money they can finance terrorist groups elsewhere.
Other insurgent assets are huge armories left over from Saddam’s days and a large supply of volunteer fighters.
CNN. 11-26. In a debate with Henry Kissinger, Zbig Brzezinski urged that the US withdraw from Iraq as soon as possible.
Shiite death squads have infiltrated the Iraqi government security forces.
CNN 11-28. Hizbollah is reported to be helping the Mahdi Army of Moqtada al-Sadr by sending one to two thousand fighters to Iraq.
NY Times 11-29. A secret memo from Steven Hadley, Bush security advisor, says that Prime Minister Maliki is unhelpful because he makes no concessions to the Sunnis and is dependent of al-Sadr.
NY Times 11-30. The Iraq Study Group final report, which will be made public next week, will call for a gradual pullout of 15 brigades (c. 4000 men each) from Iraq, but set no dates for it. Seventy thousand soldiers would remain in Iraq to train Iraqi security units. The Group said that withdrawals are necessary to put political pressure of al-Maliki to make concessions to the Sunnis.
CNN 11-30. Senator Biden, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wants to divide Iraq into three parts.
A CNN report from Baghdad says that Maliki seems to be losing his grip and that Sadr is trying to form an alliance with Sunni elements in order to force US withdrawal from Iraq.
Senator Kerry said that the coming Democratiic led Congress can hold hearings and pass legislation forcing US troop withdrawals.
Lebanon
12-1. Daily Star and An-Nahar. On Friday, Dec. 1, Hizbollah and its allies gathered their followers in Beirut for a massive peaceful sit-in demonstration that was intended to last until the Seniora government, backed by the US and Europe, resigned. The demonstrators are pro-Syrian and do not want an International Tribunal to investigate the political murders of the last two years which many suspect were perpetrated by Syria. The Lebanese Army is defending the Senior government. The president of Lebanon, Emile Lahoud, is pro-Syrian.
The demonstrators condemn the Seniora government because it is backed by the US. They say they want a “clean” government to be elected immediately.
Hizbollah men are intent on keeping violence from breaking out. They are distributing food, water and tents and have setup temporary outdoor toilets.
Israeli-Palestinian Conflict.
Guardian, 11-26. Hamas agreed to a truce with Israel. However, the Palestinians have failed to agree on a national unity government.
US Politics – Climate Change
W Post 11-25. Top executives at many of the nation’s largest energy companies have accepted the scientific consensus among global warming. They also agree that federal regulation is inevitable and see it as better than a patchwork of state regulations.
Congress
SF Chron. 12-1. Speaker Pelosi announced that Rep. Sylvestre Reyes will be the next chairman of the House Intelligence Committee. Reyes, whose district centers on El Paso, Texas, is a veteran of the Army and the Border Patrol. Along with Pelosi, he voted in 2002 against the resolution enabling the President to invade Iraq. He will push for withdrawal .
posted by THE FLASHLIGHT at 4:42 PM
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