Summaries here and here and here and here.

Qahtan Ali carried an injured friend, searching for safety as the roofs of shops caved in after the third explosion.

“It was like doomsday for me. I can’t believe I’m alive,” he said.… Article

As has been said multiple times, events are ahead of and controlling policy, not the other way around.

In the past year, Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr’s Mahdi Army has pushed into Sunni neighborhoods on the west of the Tigris River, driving Sunnis from their homes with death threats and attacks. Meanwhile, Sunni forces, a combination of neighborhood youths, former members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party and Islamist groups, are pushing to maintain their hold on Sunni neighborhoods west of the river and defend their sect in the east.

Every home is forcefully asked to help. In Sadr-controlled neighborhoods, militiamen ask for donations and young volunteers. It’s a rare occasion when a man says “no” to Sadr’s Mahdi Army.

In Sunni neighborhoods as well, the call to arms comes with a knock at the door. The men of the house are asked to brandish their weapons and fight. No one is certain whom they’re supposed to fight, but anyone who doesn’t comply is apt to be called a traitor and no longer allowed to live at home.

With sectarian separation well under way, an individual’s fate can be determined by his or her tribal origin. Most Iraqis carry two identification cards - one with a Sunni tribal name for Sunni areas, another for Shiite neighborhoods for insurgent or militia checkpoints. The wrong name is a death sentence in Iraq.

Iraqis do not choose a side. Their sect does the choosing. The moment of decision is signaled by a firm knock at the door. Article

A damned good question.

In the nearly four years since the U.S. invasion, cheap and mad death tread freely in Iraqi cities and towns. There have been car bombs and explosions every day and the death is in the hundreds of thousands.

It is estimated that some 5,000 car bombs have so far been used in these explosions along with hundreds of tons of explosives.

[snip]

These cars have registration and serial numbers. We have not heard that the authorities have ever been able to identify the owner of a car bomb or where it came from.

Before the fall of Baghdad to U.S. troops, the country had a sophisticated car registration system and the authorities could identify the owner of any vehicle in a matter of minutes from the wreckage.

Iraqis have the right to ask whether the U.S. has any military, intelligence and scientific capability left in Iraq. What is the government doing? Does it have really a plan?

The U.S. and Iraqi government are talking about a new security plan. But if they cannot say who owns which car in Baghdad how will they be able to spread their control over a sprawling city of six million people. Article

Nearly four years on, how’s that security going? (emphasis added)

An Army pilot said Sunday that enemy fire hit at least 17 U.S. helicopters a month in Iraq but that flying time for troops was growing because of the risks of road travel. Article

There’s brinksmanship, and then there’s lip-twanging, off the chart, psychotic propaganda.

Pace is the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Therefore:

1) If the White House’s and yesterday’s assertions are so, then he’s incompetent for not being so informed

2) If the White House’s and yesterday’s assertions are so, and he’s been kept out of the loop, so he’s irrelevant

3) If the White House’s and yesterday’s asssertions are so, and Pace is fully briefed, he’s duplicitous

or

4) The White House’s and yesterday’s assertions are not so.

General Pace said he was not aware of the Baghdad briefing, and that he could not, from his own knowledge, repeat the assertion made there that the elite Quds brigade of Iran’s Republican Guard force is providing bomb-making kits to Iraqi Shiite insurgents.

“We know that the explosively formed projectiles are manufactured in Iran. What I would not say is that the Iranian government, per se [specifically], knows about this,” he said. “It is clear that Iranians are involved, and it’s clear that materials from Iran are involved, but I would not say by what I know that the Iranian government clearly knows or is complicit.” Article

More:

Neither the White House nor the Pentagon responded to requests for an explanation of the apparent contradiction between the nation’s highest-ranking military officer and his subordinates in Baghdad. Article

Necessary and cogent deconstruction by Josh Marshall.

An important angle discussed here. Gobs more data available here.

It should go without saying, but the use of anonymity, hearsay and the glossing over of substantiation points out the weknesses and injusidicousness of the so-called tribunals to be attempted in Guantánamo.

And, rightfully questioing whether those ultra-competent Farsi-speaking Iranians are so devious as to purposely label and inventory their arms in English, there is this.

And, perspective-wise, this:

The US stance on the military capabilities of Iraqis today is the exact opposite of its position in four years ago. Then President Bush and Tony Blair claimed that Iraqis were technically advanced enough to produce long-range missiles and to be close to producing a nuclear device. Washington is now saying that Iraqis are too backward to produce an effective roadside bomb and must seek Iranian help. Article

Look, it is no secret whatsoever that the entirety of the Middle East has long been party to an open (and a larger clandestine) arms bazaar. Like any market, it deals in what inventory it can get, what inventory its customers seek, and also what inventory it works to push on customers, whether out of ‘business’ imperatives or in anticpation of estimates of future needs of its clients.

Ken Katzman, a Middle East analyst at the non-partisan Congressional Research Service, believes U.S. troops are not the primary target of the smuggled munitions. He says the Iranians are arming Shiite militias. Yet, he points out, most of the attacks on U.S. forces come from Sunni insurgents.

He said, “Most of the I.E.D.s [improvised explosive devices], most of the roadside bombs, that are having the most effect on American troops are from Sunni insurgents.”

“And I have not seen any evidence presented from the military or elsewhere that these Iranian arms are going to Sunni insurgents, which leads me to question what really is the significance,” he continued.

Wayne White, former deputy director of Near East affairs for State Department intelligence, disagrees. He notes that some of the arms displayed by officials in Baghdad are armor-piercing rockets - and only the U.S. and Britain have armored vehicles in Iraq.

“Why would anybody be arming anybody there with this kind of munition? Only to get somebody who has got the kind of vehicle that this munition is needed to open up like a can opener. And we are the only ones who have it. This is an anti-American weapon in Iraq,” he said. Article

Related (simple equation: arms = money; money = sellers):

Italian police say they have broken up a major arms trafficking ring that was planning to supply thousands of weapons to insurgents in Iraq.

They say the group involved had connections in Malta, Russia, Libya and China and some of those arrested were wealthy businessmen working in exports.

[snip]

So far they have arrested 16 people - 12 on suspicion of drug dealing but four on allegations they were intending to supply arms.

Police from the anti-Mafia unit say they were planning to move 500,000 AK 47 assault rifles and 10 million pieces of ammunition.

The weapons, they said, had been sourced in China during what looked like routine business trips.

The coded emails recovered suggest the weapons were to be moved through Libya and on to Iraq. Article

Scope on Iran: They’re there, they’re not going away and, like it or not, they have a legitimate interest and stake in what happens.

Due to geographical, religious, sectarian and historical reasons Iran has an overwhelming influence on Iraq’s polity, society and economy. Its connections within Iraq are deep-rooted and it is claimed that of all Iraq’s neighbors, Iran is the most influential and could prove the most effective in arriving at any kind of solution to the present crisis. The Shia connection underlines social (cultural, religious and sectarian) and political affiliations. Most Shiite political leaders and clerics in Iraq have either lived in Iran as exiles during the Baathist regime or have been known to be pro-Iran. Therefore, despite differences in their aims and methods they are influenced by Iran in varying degrees. It has also been established that Iran has intelligence operatives deeply embedded within the newly appointed security forces and within the militias. Also, the fact that Iran had made investments in Shia-dominated South Iraq it may be presumed that, to some extent, it also has control over economic resources in Iraq. All these factors make Iran an indispensable player to engage with while working out any solution in Iraq.

[snip]

…As both Iran and the US have direct stakes in the resolution of the crisis, the two need to shed their adamant attitudes and come to the negotiating table.… Article

Noted FYI:

Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari arrived in Saudi Arabia Monday to formally reopen his country’s embassy in the oil-rich kingdom.

[snip]

Saudi Arabia’s embassy in Iraq remains closed due to the deteriorating security situation in the war-torn country. Article

Hearts and minds.

Military police attempted late Monday to piece together events that led to the shooting of an Afghan soldier by Canadian troops guarding a disabled patrol vehicle - an event that has put further strain on the allies.

[snip]

The incident happened on a road east of Kandahar city and involved soldiers in a Canadian re-supply convoy that was returning to the local airfield, NATO’s main military base in the region.

It was the latest in a series of unintentional shootings that have tested the goodwill between Canadian troops and Afghans, primarily civilians who have either been caught in crossfire or on the receiving end of stray warning shots.

Angry they had been fired on, Afghan troops challenged the Canadians, but Phillips couldn’t confirm reports both sides had weapons pointed at each other. Article

Compare and contrast these two pieces’ information (all emphasis added).

#1:

…helping the United States is politically sensitive for Pakistani leaders, as anti-American sentiment is rife in the country, and there have been no arrests of senior Taliban leaders in Pakistan.

Pakistan has not allowed U.S. forces to operate from its territory, or attack militants across the border.

Asked to comment on reports U.S. forces in Afghanistan have been firing artillery at Taliban targets in Pakistan, Gates merely said: “Our operations are coordinated with the Pakistanis.” Article

#2:

As of Sunday, Feb. 11, 2007, at least 297 members of the U.S. military have died in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Uzbekistan as a result of the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001, according to the Defense Department. The Defense Department last updated its figures on Saturday, Feb. 3, 2007.

Of those, the military reports 192 were killed by hostile action.

Outside the Afghan region, the Defense Department reports 56 more members of the U.S. military died in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. Of those, two were the result of hostile action. The military lists these other locations as: Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, Cuba; Djibouti; Eritrea; Jordan; Kenya; Kyrgyzstan; Philippines; Seychelles; Sudan; Tajikistan; Turkey and Yemen.

There was also one military civilian death and four CIA officer deaths. Article

What’s up.

Summaries here and here and here.

A group that has claimed responsibility for recent attacks in the Somali capital Mogadishu Monday warned it would shoot down planes using Mogadishu International Airport.

“They have to know that the resistance will shoot down planes that use Mogadishu airport. All the necessary equipment for carrying out this operation is in our hands,” according to the statement by the Popular Resistance Movement in the Land of the Two Migrations.

The statement was dated Sunday and posted on the Islamic courts’ Web site.

[snip]

The Islamic movement, which still has support in Mogadishu, has vowed to wage an Iraq-style insurgency, and attacks in the capital have happened nearly daily over the past month. Article

Their acronym could seemingly also be for ‘Fumbling, Bumbling and Inept.’ Geez, Louise.

The constancy mentioned is precisely why society has evolved modes and means of dealing with criminality — as opposed to endless and incessant militarism and warfare — and (often too haltingly) set in place steps to alleviate or deal with the underlying social and economic strata and their deficiencies, which can serve as a breeding ground of discontent, disaffection and despair.

It is a sad reality today, as through all human history, there are those who seek through violence and crimes against the innocent to dominate others. Another sad reality is that, when all is said and done, they understand and bow not to reason nor to negotiation, but only to superior force. This is perhaps politically incorrect, and perhaps an old intelligence officer being too blunt. But it is reality. Article

Related:

Faulty analysis of ‘jehadi terror’ by the Western world has created a sorry mess today: America’s war on terror is in deep trouble in Iraq and Afghanistan, while Europeans have begun to feel the heat of ‘home grown terrorism’.

Such are the views of internationally renowned defence analyst and commentator Professor Michael Clarke - currently in India on a lecture series on terrorism.

The fixation of the Western world - Professor Clarke said at a seminar in New Delhi - has been on “what terrorists do” rather than on “what they stand for”. A more robust perspective ought to have been to develop long-term strategies to challenge the narratives that terrorists create and feed off - such as the elaborate conspiracy theories of the ’systematic oppression and humiliation of the Muslims’.

Terrorism is a lifestyle choice today and - while there is a global rhetoric to ideologies - the initiatives of fundamentalist groups are driven by localised factors, Clarke said while addressing a seminar titled, ‘Common perspectives on terrorism - Europe and Asia’.

[snip]

Agreeing that the entire world did not share the Western perspective on ‘promoting democracy’, Clarke said this view needed honest evaluation by policy makers. Article

This is a keeper. Blunt and grim, but perhaps the best analysis you’ll have read yet this year. Highly recommended to be read in full.

The United States remains, for the moment, the most powerful nation in history, but it faces a violent contradiction between its long republican tradition and its more recent imperial ambitions.

The fate of previous democratic empires suggests that such a conflict is unsustainable and will be resolved in one of two ways. Rome attempted to keep its empire and lost its democracy. Britain chose to remain democratic and in the process let go its empire. Intentionally or not, the people of the United States already are well embarked upon the course of non-democratic empire.

Several factors, however, indicate that this course will be a brief one, which most likely will end in economic and political collapse. Article

Two very complementary pieces on Egypt, which also can readily be extrapolated to tides lapping throughout the wider Middle East.

#1:

Book censorship is spreading in Egypt now that numerous self-appointed authorities have received the absolute right to ban, sue or destroy a book for so-called religious and security reasons.

Freedom of expression is a right granted by the Egyptian constitution and acknowledges ‘freedom of literary, artistic and cultural invention’.

However, Islamic institutions like the Azhar and state-run bodies such as the Interior Ministry and the Ministry of Education have the right to review books and withdraw them from the market.

[snip]

What these government and religious bodies exercise regarding literary work is a form of thuggery,’ said Mohammed Hashem, owner of a local publishing house.

Hashem was interrogated about a book he published that was later deemed ‘irreligious and profane.’

In the event of censorship, people calling for a ban have only to petition the office of the prosecution, and a case is almost immediately upheld against both the author and the publisher if the book is deemed ‘insulting to Islam’ or to the ruling regime.

‘In my case, I was asked questions like: ‘Why did you publish this book? Did you know it contained blasphemy?’ and so forth,’ said Hashem, adding, ‘Publishers face numerous pressures.’ Article

#2:

The growing Sunni-Shiite divide is roiling an Arab world as unsettled as at any time in a generation. Fought in speeches, newspaper columns, rumors swirling through cafes and the Internet, and occasional bursts of strife, the conflict is predominantly shaped by politics: a disintegrating Iraq, an ascendant Iran, a sense of Arab powerlessness and a persistent suspicion of American intentions. But the division has begun to seep into the region’s social fabric, too. The sectarian fault line has long existed and sometimes ruptured, but never, perhaps, has it been revealed in such a stark, disruptive fashion.

[snip]

At Madbuli’s, a storied bookstore in downtown Cairo, five new titles lined the display window: “The Shiites,” “The Shiites in History,” “Twelve Shiites,” and so on. A newspaper on sale nearby featured a warning by its editor that the conflict could lead to a “sectarian holocaust.”

“To us Egyptians,” said writer and analyst Mohammed al-Sayid Said, the sectarian division is “entirely artificial. It resonates with nothing in our culture, nothing in our daily life. It’s not part of our social experience, cultural experience or religious experience.” But he added: “I think this can devastate the region.”

[snip]

“Politics is perception,” said Jamil Mroue, a Lebanese publisher whose father was Shiite and mother Sunni.

Sentiments today remind him of the tribal-like fanaticism that marked another sectarian conflict, Lebanon’s 15-year civil war — which, among other divisions, loosely pitted Christians against Muslims before it ended in 1990.

“It certainly conjures up the feelings of the civil war, when Lebanon started disintegrating, except on a mega-scale,” Mroue said. He called it “very scary, because I know that there is a possibility of being moved by this tide.”

“At the end of it,” he added, “people are going to look back and say, ‘What the hell was this all about?’” Article

A new reason why support for stem cell research will, um, swell.