Early Bird summary
Wednesday’s Early Bird leads with a piece from the Washington Post reporting that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said Tuesday that he has been "pleasantly surprised" by the response from lawmakers to his plans for shifting billions of dollars in Pentagon spending toward programs of immediate benefit to today's wars."It seems to me that a number of the responses have been thoughtful, and [lawmakers] have been willing to take this seriously and in the vein it was intended," Gates told reporters traveling with him.The secretary, however, noted that Congress will not return to Washington until next week and that it might be premature to judge the response to his sweeping proposals. "I don't know whether I am in the eye of the storm," he quipped.
Meanwhile the Miami Herald reports that Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Tuesday that he had made a mistake when he said that the rising tide of violence in Iraq is the "last gasp" of al-Qaida there."What I should have said is that I hope it's al-Qaida's last gasp. I don't know if it is," Gates told reporters traveling with him on a trip to Fort Rucker, Ala., where he went to meet troops and discuss his proposed budget.Gates made the comment last Tuesday on "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" on PBS. In the days that followed, Iraq saw some of the worst violence of the year, including the deaths of five American soldiers in a suicide attack in Mosul. At least 60 Iraqis were killed and another 200 injured in that and other attacks.
ABC aired an interview with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Adm. Mike Mullen on “Good Morning America.” For a full transcript of the interview, click this link.
Piracy continues to hold its own section in today’s Early Bird, with articles from the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post and New York Times. Pirates attacked a U.S.-flagged cargo ship Tuesday with rocket-propelled grenades but were repelled -- the latest attack in a new spate of crime off the Horn of Africa despite recent U.S. and French military action.The 738-foot-long Liberty Sun sustained damage after the attack with grenades and automatic weapons off the Somali coast, owner Liberty Maritime Corp. said Tuesday.The ship was carrying American food aid from Houston to Mombasa, Kenya, and had already unloaded "thousands of tons" in Port Sudan in its voyage, the company said.The USS Bainbridge -- the same ship involved in this week's rescue of Capt. Richard Phillips, the American merchant captain held hostage by Somali pirates -- was sent to the scene after receiving an alert from the Liberty Sun, and found that the attack was repelled without injuries, according to Capt. Jack Hanzlik of U.S. Central Command. The pirates fled, and both U.S. ships continued on their way.
The deepening U.S. involvement in the Afghan war is forcing villagers to answer a dangerous question, according to the Wall Street Journal: Whose side are you on?The Afghan government and U.S. military have kicked off an ambitious project to build local opposition to the Taliban, reminiscent of a successful American effort to win over Sunnis in Iraq's once-turbulent Anbar province. For the elders of the village of Zayawalat, a safe haven for insurgents conducting attacks into Kabul, it's time to make the call on whether to join. So far, they have balked.Some villages in Wardak Province have signed up for the effort, but Zayawalat's hesitancy indicates the potential hurdles. The U.S. seeks to train and arm locals to form neighborhood-watch forces, about 50 per village, dubbed Guardians. It's one of a series of moves designed to complement the Obama administration's troop increase for Afghanistan. While smaller in scale than the Sunni project in Iraq, it's an indicator of whether the Taliban's resurgence can be blunted.
Facing another bloody summer of fighting in Helmand province, the Taleban commander uttered words that could cost him his life. “We all want peace. We want to put down our guns,” he said quietly.Thus begins an article in today’s London Times.A powerfully built man with a flowing beard and a disarmingly soft voice, Commander Mansoor is — according to checks with Western and Afghan sources — a mid-level Taleban commander from southern Helmand, part of the bloody insurgency fighting against US and British troops in Afghanistan.At a meeting with The Times arranged by tribal intermediaries, however, he painted a picture of war weariness and of local communities desperate to find a way to escape a war that is seemingly without end.As the conflict enters its eighth summer NATO is hoping that it can exploit such popular disillusion. Mullah Mansoor (not his real name), however, is simply looking for a way out. “Local people do not like the Taleban or the Western forces, they even don’t like us local Taleban” he conceded. “They say to us, ‘if you want to go to Paradise fight in the desert, fight in the mountains but don’t fight in my house’. My wish is just to have peace and security in my area.”
A top U.S. senator yesterday urged Pakistan to "ratchet up" its sense of urgency in battling the spreading extremism in its northwest, even as the government defended a deal to impose Islamic law in a swath of the region to achieve peace with the Taliban, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.Sen. John Kerry expressed reservations about the peace pact in the Swat Valley, hours after a hard-line cleric who mediated the deal indicated it would protect extremists accused of killings from prosecution.Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, is spearheading a bill to increase nonmilitary aid to Pakistan, a multibillion-dollar effort to strengthen sectors such as the economy and education in part to lessen the allure of extremism in the impoverished Muslim-majority nation of 170 million.
The Arizona Daily Sun reports that the Iraqi government is stepping up efforts to pressure Iranian exiles into leaving the country, pushing an obscure group to the forefront of Baghdad's relations with Washington and the Obama administration's overtures to Iran.At stake is whether Iraq can resolve the fate of 3,500 members of the People's Mujahedeen Organization of Iran without damaging its ties to both the U.S. and Iran.In recent weeks, leaders of the People's Mujahedeen, known by its Farsi initials MEK, claim the Iraqis blockaded their Camp Ashraf north of Baghdad, allowing in limited food and water.
The commanding officer of a Navy nuclear-powered submarine that collided last month with an amphibious ship in the Strait of Hormuz has been relieved of duty, according to Navy officials, the Virginian-Pilot reports.Rear Adm. Michael J. Connor has relieved Cmdr. Ryan Brookhart of his duty as commanding officer of the submarine Hartford because of a loss of confidence in Brookhart's ability to command, according to a statement from the Navy.
The Washington Times reports that Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates denied permission for the U.S. Northern Command to use the Pentagon's most powerful sea-based radar to monitor North Korea's recent missile launch, precluding officials from collecting finely detailed launch data or testing the radar in a real-time crisis, current and former defense officials said.Jamie Graybeal, Northcom public affairs director, confirmed to The Washington Times that Air Force Gen. Gene Renuart, the Northcom commander, requested the radar's use but referred all other questions to the Pentagon.Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Mr. Gates' decision not to use the $900 million radar, known as SBX, was "based on the fact that there were numerous ground- and sea-based radars and sensors in the region to support the operational requirements for this launch."
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that Iran plans to launch another satellite into orbit, according to USA Today.Iran launched its first domestically made satellite in February. "Iran plans to launch a ... more sophisticated ... satellite into space," Ahmadinejad said. He said a rocket with a range of 450 to 950 miles would carry the satellite to a higher altitude in space than its predecessor. He did not say when the launch would be.Iran's rocket program is a source of worry for the Western countries that suspect the Islamic republic of developing nuclear weapons. Iran says its space technology and nuclear program are being developed for peaceful purposes.
The Washington Times reports that a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that Rep. John P. Murtha, Pennsylvania Democrat, cannot be sued for accusing U.S. Marines of murdering Iraqi civilians "in cold blood," remarks that sparked outrage among conservative commentators.The appeals court in Washington dismissed a defamation lawsuit brought by a Marine who led the squad in the attack. The judges agreed with Mr. Murtha that he was immune from the lawsuit because he was acting in his official role as a lawmaker when he made the comments to reporters.Staff Sgt. Frank Wuterich of Meriden, Conn., charged that Mr. Murtha damaged his reputation by saying the squad he was leading engaged in "cold-blooded murder and war crimes" in Haditha, Iraq, on Nov. 19, 2005.At a Capitol Hill news conference in May 2006, Mr. Murtha predicted that a Pentagon war crimes investigation would show the Marines killed dozens of innocent Iraqi civilians in Haditha.Sgt. Wuterich is charged with voluntary manslaughter, the only person still facing charges in the attack. He has pleaded not guilty.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: The New York Times leads with word that the White House has decided to reveal at least some results from the so-called stress tests that are currently being completed on the nation's 19 biggest banks. (Slate Magazine)
2. Pirates attack second U.S. vessel: Pirates have used rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons to attack another US merchant ship off the coast of Somalia. (BBC)
3. Doubts remain as sharia bill signed: After months of wavering, the Pakistani government has finally approved a law that will enforce the Sharia justice system in its troubled north-western district of Swat. (BBC)
Leading newspaper headlines
The New York Times leads with word that the White House has decided to reveal at least some results from the so-called stress tests that are currently being completed on the nation's 19 biggest banks. The Wall Street Journal leads its world-wide newsbox with North Korea kicking out United Nations nuclear inspectors and announcing it would never again participate in disarmament talks. Responding to the U.N. Security Council's criticism of its missile launch, which it described as an "unbearable insult," North Korea also said it would restart its nuclear program. USA Today leads with a look at how a program to secure the nation's ports is delayed for at least two more years because the Department of Homeland Security still lacks fingerprint readers that can be used with the high-tech ID cards those who work in secure port areas were forced to purchase.
The Los Angeles Times and Washington Post lead with President Obama's speech at Georgetown University, but the papers use the address as a jumping-off point to different issues. In what the LAT dubs "an economic State of the Union address," Obama made it clear he is ready to fight Congress in order to achieve the changes in education, energy, health care, and financial regulation that he had previously outlined. The WP notes that while Obama and Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke tried to sound cautiously optimistic about the economy, "the economy wasn't cooperating." Retail sales fell 1.1 percent in March from February, which was accompanied by a drop in wholesale prices, signifying that the downturn is nowhere near over. The Standard & Poor's 500-stock index fell 2 percent.
The NYT notes that the discussion over what to release from the stress tests "underscores the delicate balancing act by the government" as it tries to build confidence in the financial system. Discussions are still underway about what exactly will be revealed, but officials seem to recognize that leaks would be inevitable and failing to disclose how the banks could weather a severe economic downturn might create even more uncertainty. "The purpose of this program is to prevent panics, not cause them," said one senior official. "And it's becoming clearer that we and the banks are going to have to explain clearly where each bank falls in the spectrum." Banks that are in better shape, of course, are eager to announce that fact from the hilltop, despite the fact that the government has asked them to remain quiet. What does this all add up to? "We are going to have some separation between the haves and have nots," one banking analyst said.
In a smart piece that for some reason isn't on the front page, the WSJ declares that the result of the stress tests combined with the banks' first-quarter results "could lay the groundwork for a new phase in the financial crisis." Up until now, the government has pretty much treated the banks equally, but in the next few weeks a few of the stronger banks could find themselves free of government interference while the others would still be dependent on taxpayer funds, effectively transforming "how investors and the government view the financial sector." Many are worried that by listing which banks are in the worst shape, the government would essentially be propping up some banks while diminishing the stature of others. That could, of course, turn into a vicious cycle that ultimately could make any further bailouts much more expensive.
The NYT speculates that the announcement by Goldman Sachs that it wants to repay the $10 billion it got from the government's Troubled Asset Relief Program may have pushed the government to release some of the results from the stress test. In fact, Goldman is creating lots of (additional) headaches, not only for the government but also for other banks that are now under increased pressure to follow its lead. Although it might be tempting for taxpayers to cheer the move, as usual, things aren't quite so simple. "The downside of it is that you are bleeding capital out of the banking system at a time when the banks would be better off with more, rather than less," notes one banking analyst. The government has made it clear that it will accept the repayment of funds only from banks deemed healthy enough to operate without the assistance. And it is still trying to determine whether the banks that return the TARP money would still be able to enjoy other government benefits that have been extended to banks over the last few months.
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Pirates attack second US vessel
The Liberty Sun was damaged in the pirate attack
Pirates have used rocket-propelled grenades and automatic weapons to attack another US merchant ship off the coast of Somalia.
The pirates damaged the Liberty Sun, which was carrying a cargo of food aid, but were not able to board it.
The ship asked for assistance from the American warship involved in the rescue of a US captain seized last week.
Pirates have vowed to avenge the deaths of those killed in recent rescue operations by US and French forces.
BBC security correspondent Rob Watson says the latest attack shows that pirates have not been deterred by military operations.
Despite renewed US calls to quell piracy, four more vessels have been successfully seized over the past two days.
Details of attack
Owners of the Liberty Sun and the US military confirmed reports of the latest, failed attack, which took place on Tuesday at midday local time.
Some details were revealed in an e-mail from one of the crewmen to his mother at her home in Illinois, AP news agency reported.
"We are under attack by pirates, we are being hit by rockets, also bullets," Thomas Urbik, 26, told his mother, Katy.
"We are barricaded in the engine room and so far no-one is hurt. (A) rocket penetrated the bulkhead but the hole is small. Small fire, too, but put out."
Lt Nathan Christensen, of the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, told the BBC that the ship had taken "evasive manoeuvre action" which had prevented the pirates from boarding.
The Liberty Sun had been en route to Mombasa from Houston, Texas, when the attack took place.
After coming under fire, the ship immediately requested assistance from the USS Bainbridge, said owners Liberty Maritime Corp in a statement.
The navy destroyer arrived some hours later, by which time the pirates had gone.
"We are grateful and pleased that no-one was injured and the crew and the ship are safe," said the Liberty Maritime Corp statement.
The ship did sustain some damage, it said, but was able to resume its journey to Mombasa.
Pirates killed
The operation to free Captain Richard Phillips, who was held captive in a lifeboat for five days, ended with three pirates being shot dead by marksmen from the USS Bainbridge on Sunday.
Somali pirate leaders - who have generally treated captives well in the hope of winning big ransom payouts - said they would avenge the deaths.
"No-one can deter us from protecting our waters from the enemy because we believe in dying for our land," Omar Dahir Idle told AP by telephone from the Somali coastal town of Harardhere.
Because Capt Phillips was on board the USS Bainbridge when it was diverted to the Liberty Sun, he was unable to be reunited with his shipmates from the Maersk Alabama, in Mombasa, before they flew back to the US.
The crew began their journey back to the US on Wednesday, with Capt Phillips due to fly back on a separate flight later.
US President Barack Obama promised on Monday to "halt the rise of piracy" in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
But in the 48 hours prior to the latest attack, four vessels have been seized in the same area:
· A Lebanese-owned cargo ship, the MV Sea Horse, was taken by gunmen in up to four skiffs
· A Greek-owned bulk carrier, the MV Irene, was also seized
· Two Egyptian fishing boats were held the previous day
Meanwhile, three Somali pirates who had taken French hostages are in custody in France, French prosecutors say.
The pirates were captured during a military operation to free hostages taken on the Tanit, a French yacht seized in the Gulf of Aden on 4 April.
The boat's French skipper and two other pirates were killed in the operation.
'Vast area'
Lt Christensen said that although 15 countries had navies operating in the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia, the area was too large to prevent all attacks.
"The area we patrol is more than one million square miles and the simple fact of the matter is we just can't be everywhere at once to prevent every attack of piracy," he said.
Our correspondent says it seems unlikely there will be any major increase in the military effort unless there is a spectacular hijacking involving the deaths of many Americans.
The reluctance to mount a major international naval operation in the area may also be down to the relatively small scale of the problem.
Last year, according to figures from the International Maritime Bureau, nearly 23,000 ships passed through the Gulf of Aden, but only 92 were hijacked.
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Doubts remain as Sharia bill signed
By M Ilyas Khan BBC News, Islamabad
A mass rally in Swat last Friday demanded the president sign the bill
After months of wavering, the Pakistani government has finally approved a law that will enforce the Sharia justice system in its troubled north-western district of Swat.
But the contours of that law are still not clear, sparking fears that differences over the details may yet again derail peace in this once popular tourist resort.
The government seems to think that as the Taleban's demand of Sharia law has been met, the militants will lay down their arms and go home.
The Taleban, on the contrary, seem to believe that they have a peace time job of guiding society along the "right path", if not to conquer new frontiers.
Maulana Sufi Mohammad, the local cleric who helped negotiate peace between the government and the militants, apparently has little leverage with either party and has kept his own understanding of what form the law should take largely to himself.
Call to disarm
Many in Pakistan and in the West are generally sceptical about the Taleban's intentions of respecting human rights.
Sufi Mohammad and his supporters were angry at the president's delay
Moreover, these circles believe the Taleban have negotiated peace from a position of strength, and would be reluctant to give up their military advantage in the area.
Since the middle of 2007, the militants have gradually consolidated their hold over Swat, located in the northern parts of North West Frontier Province (NWFP).
An on-off military operation ordered in the autumn of 2007 stumbled to a halt in February 2009 after conceding nearly the entire district to the militants.
The fighting was brought to an end when Sufi Mohammad agreed to negotiate peace.
In line with that agreement, the ruling party in NWFP, the Awami National Party (ANP), drafted a law to enforce the Islamic justice system in Swat, and sent the draft to President Asif Ali Zardari for final approval.
But the president sat on it for nearly two months, saying the bill would be signed once "the writ of the government has been established" in Swat. That is still not the case.
Now the bill is signed, Sufi Mohammad has called on the militants to lay down their arms.
The head of the interior ministry, Rehman Malik, also expressed "hope that the Taleban would disarm".
A senior ANP leader, Senator Haji Adeel, said if the Taleban wanted to continue to influence public life in Swat, they should organise themselves into a political party.
"Dictating how people should live their lives by holding a gun to their heads is not the right course," he said.
But those who oppose the deal say this is easier said than done.
Over the past few months, the militants have established their organisational chapters in all the sub-districts of Swat, complete with Islamic courts to settle criminal and civil disputes and also to punish lax morality.
Since the ceasefire in February, they have also prevented the army from establishing positions anywhere except at their designated garrisons and camps.
But they have so far refused to submit to any curbs on their own movement, as was evident last week when they raided the nearby district of Buner, occupied a police station and locked up a popular local shrine.
The opponents of the peace deal say this does not augur well for a job that remains unfinished.
Timeframe
Minister for Religious Affairs Hamid Saeed Kazmi pointed out in a press conference on Tuesday that matters concerning the qualification of judges, the mechanism of their appointment and legal procedures for a proper court trial were yet to be settled.
Many in Swat have welcomed the new Sharia courts
The NWFP government has indicated that selection and appointment of judges will remain its prerogative, but the militants have been seeking a role for themselves as well as Sufi Mohammad in this.
Questions about a timeframe for the exit of the army from Swat, and the role of the police and local administration, also remain largely unexplained.
The ANP-led government decided to negotiate peace with the Taleban because its top leaders were convinced the army did not want to evict them from Swat.
They are confident that after the introduction of Sharia, the Taleban will be under growing pressure from the people as well as leaders like Sufi Mohammad to back off.
Aftab Sherpao, a former chief minister of NWFP who first introduced Islamic courts in Swat in 1994, says success will take time.
"It will take a year for things in Swat to get back to normal," he told the media on Tuesday.
How the year unfolds will become clear over the next few weeks.
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Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
14 April MARFORCOM Media Summary
This March 30, 2009 photo shows U.S. Marines from 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment preparing for a mission in Ramadi, 115 kilometers (70 miles) west of Baghdad, Iraq. As the Marine Corps shrinks its footprint in Iraq's western desert, Arab community leaders are publicly voicing worries about what will happen once the Americans are gone. (AP Photo/Maya Alleruzzo)
Early Bird summary
Tuesday’s Early Bird leads with numerous articles regarding Somali piracy and the resolution of the U.S. hostage situation over the weekend. The lead story in that roundup (from the Wall Street Journal) reports that Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Monday that despite the successful rescue of an American merchant captain Sunday, piracy off the coast of Somalia will flourish until a stable government is established in Mogadishu.Mr. Gates said poverty and rampant criminality in Somalia make piracy an attractive option for local youths, and problems there are "probably going to get worse.""There is no purely military solution to it," Mr. Gates said in an address to the Marine Corps War College in Quantico, Va. "There's really no way in my view to control it unless you get something on land that begins to change the equation for these kids."
Meanwhile, the New York Times reports that President Obama vowed Monday to “halt the rise of piracy” off the coast of Africa following the dramatic rescue of an American merchant captain, foreshadowing a longer and potentially more treacherous struggle ahead as he weighs a series of problematic options.In permitting members of the Navy Seals to shoot the pirates holding the captain, Richard Phillips, Mr. Obama navigated a crisis that played out in full view of the world. But policy makers and experts said the precision killing of three Somali pirates with three bullets would certainly prove easier than wiping out the larger threat in the shipping lanes or reversing the instability that makes Somalia a breeding ground for pirates and Islamic terrorists.With the “Black Hawk Down” episode in Somalia still etched in the American consciousness 16 years after two helicopters were shot down and 18 American soldiers were killed, Mr. Obama and his advisers are wary of becoming deeply involved in the region again. That wariness comes at a time when Mr. Obama is already trying to end a war in Iraq and win another in Afghanistan. White House officials on Monday played down suggestions that the United States could attack pirate bases on shore, portraying that as premature at best.
Elsewhere in the Early Bird, the New York Times reports that Taliban insurgents are teaming up with local militant groups to make inroads in Punjab, the province that is home to more than half of Pakistanis, reinvigorating an alliance that Pakistani and American authorities say poses a serious risk to the stability of the country.The deadly assault in March in Lahore, Punjab’s capital, against the Sri Lankan cricket team, and the bombing last fall of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, the national capital, were only the most spectacular examples of the joint campaign, they said.Now police officials, local residents and analysts warn that if the government does not take decisive action, these dusty, impoverished fringes of Punjab could be the next areas facing the insurgency. American intelligence and counterterrorism officials also said they viewed the developments with alarm.
On a related note, the Wall Street Journal reports that thousands of Islamist militants are pouring into Pakistan's Swat Valley and setting up training camps, quickly making it one of the main bases for Taliban fighters and raising their threat to the government in the wake of a controversial peace deal.President Asif Ali Zardari effectively ratified the government's deal with the Taliban Monday by signing a bill that imposes Islamic law in Swat, a key plank of the accord, hours after legislators overwhelmingly approved a resolution urging it. Pakistani officials have touted the deal, reached in February, as a way to restore peaceful order in the bloodied region -- which lies just a few hours' drive from the capital -- and halt the Taliban's advance.The number of militants in the valley swelled in the months before the deal with the Taliban was struck, and they continue to move in, say Pakistani and U.S. officials. They now estimate there are between 6,000 and 8,000 fighters in Swat, nearly double the number at the end of last year.Taliban leaders make no secret of their ultimate aim. "Our objective is to drive out Americans and their lackeys" from Pakistan and Afghanistan, said Muslim Khan, a spokesman for the group, in an interview. "They are not Muslims and we have to throw them out."
The Iraqi military put local journalists on notice on Monday that their organizations could be shut down for misquoting officials, while the Iraqi government accused the news media of deliberately seeking to promote sectarian strife, according to a report in the New York Times.The top military spokesman in Baghdad, Maj. Gen. Qassim Atta, said he was filing a lawsuit seeking to close the Baghdad office of Al Hayat, one of the most prominent newspapers in the Arab world, as well as the satellite signal of Al Sharqiya, a popular Iraqi television channel that has been a strong critic of the government. The lawsuit was announced on the Web site of the Baghdad Operations Command, which coordinates Iraqi security forces in the capital.The National Media Center of the Council of Ministers criticized local, Arab and international news media on Monday for recent reports about arrests of members of the Awakening Councils. “These attempts by some media to depict wanted persons as heroes targeted by security forces provoke hateful sectarian strife in order to damage Iraqi unity,” the government said in a statement, adding that such reports “make us wonder about the true goals of these campaigns and the groups behind them.”
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: The New York Times leads with a look at how members of the Taliban in Pakistan are forging alliances with militants in Punjab, the country's most populous province. (Slate Magazine)
2. As Marines’ exit gathers pace, some Iraqis fret: As the Marine Corps shrinks its footprint in Iraq's western desert, Iraqi community leaders here are publicly voicing worries about what will happen once the Americans are gone. (Associated Press)
3. Marine’s family dispute finding on his death: The Marine Corps has concluded that Cpl. Christian Scott Cotner, a Waterbury Marine who died in a non-combat incident in Iraq last year, committed suicide. (Republican American, Waterbury, Conn.)
4. Journalist goes on trial in Iran: An Iranian-American journalist accused of spying in Iran went on trial this week and a verdict is expected soon, an Iranian official has said. (BBC)
Leading newspaper headlines
The New York Times leads with a look at how members of the Taliban in Pakistan are forging alliances with militants in Punjab, the country's most populous province. This alliance has already led to some high-profile attacks, such as the assault against the Sri Lankan cricket team in March, and authorities warn that unless swift action is taken, areas of Punjab could soon be overrun by Taliban insurgents. USA Today leads with a report by the U.S. Agency for International Development's inspector general that reveals the United Nations spent millions of dollars on poorly built infrastructure projects in Afghanistan. The U.N. diverted some money from a $25 million grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development for a "quick impact" infrastructure program to other countries and then refused to answer questions from U.S. investigators.
The Washington Post and Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with the Obama administration announcing that it would lift restrictions on travel to Cuba by Americans with family on the island as well as limits on remittances. The White House also said U.S. telecommunications companies would be allowed to do business in Cuba. The broad trade embargo that was imposed ins 1962 will largely stay in place, but White House officials say the change in rules toward the island would allow Cubans to become less dependent on the communist government. The Los Angeles Times leads with news that Phil Spector was convicted of second-degree murder yesterday, six years after police found an actress shot to death in the legendary record producer's mansion. Spector is now "the first celebrity found guilty of murder on Hollywood's home turf in at least 40 years," declares the paper. The 69-year-old faces a minimum of 18 years in prison before he is eligible for parole.
Pakistani insurgents with ties to al-Qaida and the Taliban are moving deeper into Pakistan, and officials see their growing alliance with local militant groups in Punjab as a critical step toward expanding their base beyond the country's lawless tribal regions. Links between the Punjab militants and the Taliban have existed for years, but they have grown stronger. The NYT reports that "signs of creeping militancy abound" in a number of areas in Punjab, where sectarian attacks are growing. Government officials have chosen to largely ignore this development and have left it up to the police to deal with the growing presence of insurgents, but they're vastly understaffed, particularly in rural areas. The situation on the outskirts of Punjab hasn't quite reached the levels of the Swat Valley, where a controversial truce was declared in February, but "there are strong parallels," declares the paper.
So, how bad are things in Swat Valley? The WSJ traveled to the region and fronts a look at how the valley that was once a popular tourist destination has quickly become "one of the main bases for Taliban fighters." The fighters have quickly moved in, and officials estimate there are now somewhere between 6,000 to 8,000 militants in Swat, which is "nearly double the number at the end of last year." The insurgents have set up a network of training camps and are recruiting young men, many of whom agree to join in order to secure the safety of their families. The paper talks to a Taliban spokesman who openly admits the militants want to use Swat as a base to expand into neighboring areas. "This is a rest stop for the Taliban, it's nothing more," an American official said.
In the USAID report that USAT obtained through the Freedom of Information Act, the agency's inspector general wrote that many questions relating to the U.N. infrastructure program in Afghanistan remain unanswered because the international organization refused to cooperate with the American investigation. The program was meant to demonstrate quick results in Afghan reconstruction efforts, but it seems that around 40 percent of USAID's grant money was diverted to other countries. Meanwhile, several of the infrastructure projects that were supposedly complete were actually so poorly built that they were unusable.
The White House's new policy on Cuba effectively allows Cuban-Americans to travel as often as they like and send as much money as they want to the communist country. That change was largely expected, but news that telecommunications firms would be allowed to do business in Cuba was a surprise. The move is meant to open Cubans up to a vast array of information from the outside world, but it "may be mostly symbolic in the short term," notes the WSJ. Telecommunications companies would need permission from the Cuban government to operate in the island, and there's no reason to believe this permission would be granted.
The NYT specifies that yesterday's announcement amounted to "the most significant shift in United States policy toward Cuba in decades," but were ultimately "modest" steps that reflect "the complicated domestic politics around Cuba and the unpredictability of the Cuban response." People on both sides of the debate criticized the moves, some saying the administration went too far while others contend it didn't go far enough. The LAT points out that the moves will also "blunt pressure" that Obama is likely to face when he meets with Latin American leaders this week at the Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago.
The NYT fronts word that the Obama administration is currently in discussions with European allies to change strategy toward Iran that would drop demands on the country to halt its nuclear programs before talks can take place. Nothing has been finalized, but the proposals currently under discussion would allow Iran to continue enriching uranium during at least the first phase of nuclear talks, and there would be a bigger focus on pressuring Tehran to open up its program to international inspections. The change would amount to a recognition that Iran would never accept to immediately shut down its nuclear facilities before talks can take place, which the Bush administration had demanded.
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As Marines' exit gathers pace, some Iraqis fret
By CHELSEA J. CARTER
RAMADI, Iraq (AP) — As the Marine Corps shrinks its footprint in Iraq's western desert, Iraqi community leaders here are publicly voicing worries about what will happen once the Americans are gone.
They fear a wave of corruption and the return of the insurgency that once held sway over the area.
Marines have begun divorcing themselves from the task of advising local leaders, the clearest signal that their role in Anbar province is quickly nearing its end.
An Associated Press reporter embedded with the troops witnessed two cases in a single day of Iraqis — a headmistress and a party of businessmen — asking for help and being told the Marines could do very little for them.
"We've always said it's not going to be easy," said Marine Lt. Col. Thad R. Trapp. "They are sure looking over with some anxiety at the separation. There is some anxiety about what the road ahead will look like."
Raheem Kalaaf Mohammed, vice president of the North Ramadi City Council, was more blunt, saying: "We feel there will be a disaster here."
President Barack Obama says he will withdraw combat troops from Iraq by Aug. 31, 2010. American commanders are already working on plans to pull out of Iraqi cities by June 30 under a U.S.-Iraqi security pact that also calls for all American forces to be gone by 2012.
Anbar is the largest Iraqi province, stretching from the western gates of Baghdad to the borders of Syria, Jordan and Saudi Arabia. It was a main battleground in the insurgency that broke out soon after the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 toppled Saddam Hussein.
The 22,000 Marines in Anbar have already pulled back to the outskirts of Ramadi, Fallujah and other cities in Anbar. They are wrapping up their involvement in U.S.-funded reconstruction, and are tearing down bases or handing them over to Iraqi control.
Maj. Gen. Richard T. Tryon, commander of Marine operations in Anbar, has ordered the closure or handover of 16 small bases in Ramadi, Fallujah and Karmah since late January. More closures are expected, including in Hit, a town once used as a way station for extremists infiltrating from Syria.
Tryon told The AP in an e-mail that improvements in Iraq's security forces made a "responsible drawdown" possible.
However, Iraqi security chiefs have spoken in recent interviews of their worries that some of the thousands of Iraqis being freed from U.S. custody under the security pact will revitalize the insurgency.
Privately, some Marines share the doubts about the future of Anbar, where tribal and sectarian differences are often dealt with through violence. None would speak publicly because their views go against Marine Corps policy.
Trapp, commander of the Camp Lejeune, N.C.-based 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, dismissed the concerns, saying: "The end always comes, and it always seems quick when we get there."
A U.S.-directed effort in 2006 recruited and funded tribal leaders who fought against al-Qaida in Iraq and other insurgent groups.
Violence throughout Iraq has dropped sharply since 2007 and is almost nonexistent in Anbar. In recent weeks, however, there have been a handful of high-profile attacks in Fallujah, targeting primarily Iraqi security forces.
Trapp, 41, of St. John, Bermuda, said it has been hard for the troops to divorce themselves from helping leaders and security officials to correct mistakes.
"Some of their growth is going to be made with mistakes," he said.
The frustration was evident after the March handover of the Jumiyah base in downtown Ramadi, which the local government quickly reopened as a girls' school to ease classroom overcrowding.
Principal Zanib Ahmed told a Marine lieutenant the school has no electricity, running water or working sewage system. To screen the girls in this conservative Muslim community from the stares of men, she had to build a makeshift wall from rubble and concertina wire.
Marine Lt. Robert Symulski, 25, of Houston, took her name, nodding in understanding. Later he said it would have been easy to get a handful of Marines to fix the school — but it's not their job.
Ahmed lamented the Marines' withdrawal, saying that without them, "the work may never get done."
Hours earlier, Symulski and Capt. Dallas Shaw, 39, of Fairfax, Va., listened to business leaders vent their worries at a North Ramadi council meeting.
The officers were peppered with questions about security measures and allegations that Iraqi security forces were stealing from their stores. They debated hiring their own security force, but Shaw shook his head. He told them they needed to deal with their police precinct commander.
"Very soon, there won't be any Marines coming here," he said.
The remark drew murmurs of dismay.
Kareem Arak, the council president, shook his head, telling Shaw: "We feel many bad things are coming."
Col. Matthew Lopez, commander of Camp Lejuene, N.C.-based Regimental Combat Team 6, said he believed many of the concerns expressed in Ramadi would ebb with the seating of the newly elected provincial government, which took office Saturday.
Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Marine's family dispute finding on his death
The Marine Corps has concluded that Cpl. Christian Scott Cotner, a Waterbury Marine who died in a non-combat incident in Iraq last year, committed suicide.Cotner's family strongly disagrees with the conclusion.Recently, the military completed its investigation into the death of the Waterbury native, graduate of Wilby High School and a member of that school's ROTC program.A copy of the report was provided to the Republican-American in response to a Freedom of Information request.The investigation showed Cotner died of a single, self-inflicted gunshot wound from his M-4 service rifle. His death was ruled a suicide.“We may never know why Corporal Cotner took his own life,” wrote an officer whose name was removed from the report.“We mourn this needless loss of life and hope and pray that his family can overcome the tremendous grief and pain of a life that unquestionably ended far too soon. Corporal Christian S. Cotner was a patriot who bravely and honorably volunteered to serve his Nation during a time of war. We will remember him as such.”During the military's investigation, fellow Marines testified to Cotner's character, his frame of mind in the days before he took his own life and about the plans he talked about for his life after the Marines.Cotner enlisted in the Marine Corps on Nov. 28, 2005 at age 18. He graduated from boot camp and Marine combat training in November 2006. He reported to his first Fleet Marine Force duty station with Marine Wing Support Squadron 172, in Okinawa in April 2007. He arrived in Iraq on March 28, 2008. Two months later, he was dead.His mother, Karen Cotner, and her husband, Graham Cotner, said they do not accept the Marines' findings.“They have their finding and they are satisfied,” Karen Cotner said. “But we don't agree. Everyone who knew Christian also does not agree.”
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Ms Saberi has been in Iran for six years, working and doing research
"The first trial meeting on Roxana Saberi was held yesterday [Monday]," judiciary spokesman Ali Jamshidi told a news conference in Tehran.
"I think the verdict will be announced soon, perhaps in the next two or three weeks," the official added.
Ms Saberi, 31, is being held in Evin prison near Tehran.
She worked briefly for the BBC three years ago. She has also worked for the American public radio network NPR and the TV network Fox News.
She has been in custody in Tehran since late January.
'Baseless'
Ms Saberi originally faced the less serious accusations of buying alcohol, then working as a journalist without a valid press card, but last week Iranian prosecutors accused her of spying for the US.
ROXANA SABERI
Raised in Fargo, North Dakota, by Iranian father and Japanese mother
Wins state beauty pageant before studying at Northwestern University in Chicago, and Cambridge University in the UK
2003: arrives in Iran as a freelance reporter for BBC and Fox News among others
2006: Iran authorities revoke her press credentials
January 2009: arrested in Tehran for buying wine
April 2009: tried for espionage
The Justice Ministry said she is being tried in a closed hearing of Iran's revolutionary court, which handles national security cases.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has demanded her release.
Mr Jamshidi criticised the US state department for saying the accusations against Ms Saberi were "baseless".
"That a government expresses an opinion without seeing the indictment is laughable," he said.
No more details of the case have been released, and Ms Saberi's lawyer says he has been told not to speak to the media.
A US-Iranian national, Ms Saberi has spent six years in Iran studying and writing a book.
Her parents arrived in Tehran earlier this month and were allowed to see her for 20 minutes. According to her lawyer, they found her in good health and good spirits.
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Thursday, April 9, 2009
9 April MARFORCOM Media Summary
Early Bird summary
Thursday’s Early Bird leads with an entire section devoted to piracy, with reports from the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, New York Daily News, San Diego Union Tribune, and transcripts of broadcast news outlet coverage, as an American warship early Thursday reached the scene of a Somali pirate attack on a U.S.-operated container ship, according to U.S. officials, who said the pirates fled with the captain while the unarmed American crew regained control of its ship.Indirect negotiations were underway with the small group of pirates who were holding the captain in one of the ship's lifeboats in the Indian Ocean after orchestrating the first seizure of a U.S. crew in more than 100 years.
A 2-month-old alliance of Pakistani Taliban factions is beginning to fray and could undermine Baitullah Mehsud, a Taliban leader who has claimed responsibility for recent terrorist attacks far from Pakistan's tribal regions and even threatened the United States, the Washington Times reports.A militant commander in the Haji Nazeer group - one of three groups in the alliance - told The Washington Times that the main lieutenant in the group has expressed opposition to the accord.A second Nazeer commander also is objecting, said a Pakistani official in South Waziristan, a rugged tribal area on the border with Afghanistan. He spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect himself from retribution.The rifts are being reported as the Obama administration plans major increases in aid to Pakistan and the Taliban continues to make inroads in some parts of the country.
The Washington Post reports that a bomb tucked inside a plastic bag detonated yards from Baghdad's most important Shiite shrine Wednesday, killing seven people and injuring more than 20, authorities said, the latest of several attacks targeting mostly Shiite areas in recent days.The assault occurred around noon in the capital's Kadhimiyah neighborhood, as worshipers made their way to the Imam Musa al-Khadim shrine. Witnesses said that women and children were among the victims and that Iraqi security forces blocked ambulances from entering the crowded area.
Military jurors at Camp Pendleton, Calif., began deliberating whether a Marine should be convicted of murdering an unarmed detainee during a battle in Iraq, according to a report in USA Today. Sgt. Ryan Weemer, who says he acted in self-defense, is charged with unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty in the November 2004 death in Fallujah. Weemer said in interviews that he shot the man and told a squad mate he would have to live with that for the rest of his life.
The United States said yesterday that it would directly participate "from now on" in international talks with Iran over its nuclear activities, the latest move in the Obama administration's promised diplomatic outreach to the Tehran government, the Washington Post reports."There's nothing more important than trying to convince Iran to cease its efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said. The United States, she said in brief comments at the State Department, would be a full participant with Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China in any future Iran negotiations.
Meanwhile, the Washington Times reports that the Russian ambassador in Washington this week dismissed Iran's nuclear program, saying he saw no "threat to the United States."Ambassador Sergei Kislyak also said the missile-defense system installed by the former Soviet Union would have failed to prevent attacks from NATO.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: The New York Times leads with word that President Obama will soon start discussing the country's immigration system. (Slate Magazine)
2. Pirate stand-off over U.S. hostage: Negotiations are continuing for the release of an American captain held by Somali pirates in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa. (BBC)
3. U.S. bounty scheme struggles in Pakistan: This month the US state department has put up a $5m (£3.4m) bounty for information leading to the capture of one of the most wanted men in Pakistan. (BBC)
4. Iran set to unveil nuclear latest: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to announce advances in his country's nuclear programme in a speech to mark national nuclear day. (BBC)
Leading newspaper headlines
The New York Times leads with word that President Obama will soon start discussing the country's immigration system. Knowing full well that the issue could be particularly controversial during a recession, the administration plans to include discussions about finding a way to legalize the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the country. The Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with, while almost everyone else fronts, the high-seas standoff taking place 240 miles off the Somalia port city of Eyl, a known pirate haven. Somali pirates seized the U.S.-registered Maersk Alabama cargo ship. The 20-member crew managed to regain control of the ship within a few hours, but the pirates fled with the captain, a 55-year-old Vermont resident. It marked the first time a U.S.-flagged ship was attacked off the coast of Africa since 1804. Before dawn, the U.S. Navy destroyer Bainbridge arrived at the scene to keep an eye on the situation.
The Washington Post leads with a look at how Attorney General Eric Holder "took a step" toward fulfilling his promise to take politics out of the Justice Department and investigate possible wrongdoing by its employees. Holder named Mary Patrice Brown, a career prosecutor, to head the Office of Professional Responsibility, the department's internal ethics unit. He also named two other career prosecutors to key posts in an attempt to illustrate that he values expertise more than political connections. USA Today leads with a look at how the recession may be good for the environment. As offices close and factories cut back on production, many countries have experienced marked declines in carbon dioxide emissions. Some fear that the drop in emissions could give governments and companies an excuse not to invest in technology to decrease carbon output.
The White House plans to talk about its efforts to deal with immigration as "policy reform that controls immigration and makes it an orderly system," one official said. Some officials insist that immigration reform won't take priority over other items in Obama's domestic agenda, namely health care and energy. And congressional sources insist the issue won't be taken up in Capitol Hill until those other domestic priorities are debated. Regardless, the president plans to address immigration next month and bring together advocates on both sides of the issue, including lawmakers, to discuss possible legislation. Many, including Democrats, warn that merely bringing up such an emotional issue during such a deep recession could compromise other items in Obama's agenda. Opponents of legalization for illegal immigrants are downright incredulous that Obama would even mention the issue now. "It just doesn't seem rational that any political leader would say, let's give millions of foreign workers permanent access to U.S. jobs when we have millions of Americans looking for jobs," the executive director of NumbersUSA tells the paper.
The situation off the coast of Somalia involving a ship that was carrying food aid for East Africa is a little confusing as no one is sure exactly what is going on or how the unarmed crew managed to overpower the pirates. The WSJ notes that some think the pirates may have been surprised by the number of people onboard since the United States requires that ships bearing its flag have larger crews than many other countries. It is also clear at least some members of the crew were well-trained. The ship's second in command, Capt. Shane Murphy, who is now in control after the captain was captured, is the son of an instructor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy who teaches a course on how to prevent pirate attacks. The crew apparently managed to tie up one of the pirates while the rest fled, but he was released in what was ultimately an unsuccessful effort to exchange him for the captain.
The WP specifies that this was the sixth attack by Somali pirates this week and one of 66 so far this year. USAT points out that the standoff "handed the Obama administration a new foreign policy dilemma over how to deal with the increasingly brazen raiders." As has been stated many times before, the fundamental problem is that Somalia is a failed state that hasn't had a proper government since 1991, so pirate networks controlled by militias can operate with relative impunity. It's certainly a lucrative operation as pirates are estimated to have received around $150 million in ransom payments last year.
The LAT fronts a look at how U.S. citizens have been detained by immigration officials and, in some extreme cases, even deported. The piece, a collaboration between the paper and the Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization, makes it clear that it isn't possible to know how often this has happened since no agency keeps track. But anecdotal evidence suggests it is more common than most would suspect since it can often be difficult for some to prove they are, in fact, citizens. And once tagged as an illegal, it's difficult to prove otherwise since immigration detainees don't have a right to a government lawyer. One expert said she knows of eight cases of citizens who were deported and suspects the real number is significantly higher.
The NYT off-leads word that ordinary Americans may be able to directly make a profit from the bank bailouts. The administration is pushing several large investment companies to create what the paper dubs "the financial-crisis equivalent of war bonds: bailout funds." These funds would allow Americans to participate, theoretically with as little as a few hundred dollars, in the buying up of toxic assets from banks' balance sheet with a huge government subsidy. This could turn into a smart move, particularly since many have complained that the only ones who would profit from the bailouts are big Wall Street firms, some of whom even had a role in creating the crisis. If things go well and the funds can later sell these assets at a profit, thousands, and perhaps millions, of Americans would make money. But it's risky, because if, as many insist, the assets are overvalued, small investors could lose all their money. There's no word on how much the Treasury intends to raise from individuals, and it's still in the process of selecting five fund managers to participate in the program.
The WP fronts a look at how violent anti-American extremists, including members of the Taliban and al-Qaida, often build their Internet presence through U.S. Web hosts. This trend "appears to be growing," declares the paper. The extremists apparently hate America but they like the cheap, and relatively anonymous, service that many U.S. companies provide to those who want to build a Web site for whatever reason. Some U.S. allies have pushed the government to take a more forceful stance and shut down the offending Web sites as soon as possible. But U.S. intelligence agencies often prefer to keep the sites up so they can be monitored for clues. Besides, U.S. officials say that trying to shut down Web sites can often feel like chasing your own tail, since it's so easy for sites to relocate.
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Pirate stand-off over US hostage
Pirates are believed to be holding Capt Richard Phillips hostage
Negotiations are continuing for the release of an American captain held by Somali pirates in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa.
He was taken from cargo ship Maersk Alabama after it was briefly seized by pirates a day earlier.
A US warship on anti-pirate patrol in the high-risk area sailed to the ship.
It remains unclear what the pirates want, but maritime sources say it could be a ransom or compensation for their boat which sank during the attack.
They may also be demanding that the warship retreat beyond the horizon as negotiations continue, says BBC East Africa correspondent Peter Greste in Nairobi.
The stand-off with the pirates could take some time, he adds. The lifeboat is equipped for more than a week at sea.
But a spokesman for the ship's owners, Maersk, said the lifeboat was out of fuel.
"The boat is dead in the water," Kevin Speers told the Associated Press Radio.
The USS Bainbridge remains close to the scene of the stand-off
"It's floating near the Alabama. It's my understanding that it's floating freely."
The Maersk Alabama, carrying food aid destined for Somalia and Uganda, was taken about 500km (311 miles) off Somalia's coast on Wednesday.
At least six other patrol vessels are said to be heading towards it.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the government was following the situation very closely and urged the world to act to end the "scourge" of piracy.
There were 50 hijacks amid 130 incidents last year by Somali pirates, but this was the first time Americans had been seized.
'Ransom'
Earlier, US media organisations telephoned members of the ship's crew to get details of their struggle against the pirates.
Second mate Ken Quinn told US TV network CNN how the crew had captured one of the pirates and kept him tied up for 12 hours.
As they attempted to negotiate the release of their captain, who has been named as Richard Phillips, they freed the captive pirate.
But the gang refused to free Capt Phillips.
"Right now they want to hold our captain for ransom, and we are trying to get him back," second mate Quinn told CNN.
"So now we're just trying to offer them whatever we can - food. But it's not working too good."
He said the attackers had fled in a lifeboat and crew members were using radios to keep in contact with Capt Phillips.
Family members said Capt Phillips had offered himself to the pirates to secure the safety of his crew.
"What I understand is that he offered himself as the hostage," Gina Coggio, his wife's half-sister, told the AP news agency. "That is what he would do. It's just who he is and his response as a captain."
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Maersk confirmed much of second mate Quinn's account.
"The armed hijackers who boarded this ship earlier today have departed, however they are currently holding one member of the ship's crew as a hostage," Maersk said.
"The other members of the crew are safe and no injuries have been reported."
Surge in hijackings
The ship was first attacked by several pirate boats in the early hours of Wednesday.
It is not clear how many attackers were involved, but accounts from the sailors on the Maersk Alabama suggest that four boarded the vessel.
Maritime officials said the ship had taken all possible evasive action before it reported that the pirates had boarded.
Pirates typically hold the ships and crews until large ransoms are paid by the shipping companies - last year the firms handed over about $80m (£54m).
After a lull earlier this year, this was the sixth ship seized off Somalia in the past week.
The attacks are threatening to destabilise one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
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US bounty scheme struggles in Pakistan
By Frank Gardner BBC security correspondent
The whereabouts of Baitullah Mehsud when this image was taken is unknown
This month the US state department has put up a $5m (£3.4m) bounty for information leading to the capture of one of the most wanted men in Pakistan.
Baitullah Mehsud heads the Pakistani Taleban and is believed to have been behind the murder of the Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto and the Marriott hotel bombing in Islamabad last year.
He has openly claimed responsibility for the attack on a police academy in Lahore that killed 8 cadets last month.
But is anyone likely to be tempted by this latest offer in what America calls its Rewards for Justice programme?
"Overall the Rewards for Justice programme has been very minimal," says Mike Scheuer, a former CIA intelligence officer who spent years trying to track down Osama Bin Laden.
"At least in terms of our Islamist enemies [it has had] almost no impact at all, no successes. The only big success was the 1993 World Trade Center bomber, Ramzi Ahmed Yousef.
"And it was worth getting him, it was a good investment. But he's the only one, in almost 20 years."
The Rewards for Justice programme has been going for years.
In Afghanistan it has posters up of wanted men, their pictures printed on matchbooks, and leaflets distributed in local languages.
But both there and in Pakistan's tribal territories, where some of the most wanted jihadists are thought to be hiding, the US is up against a centuries-old tradition called "pashtunwali".
It is the Pashtun code of conduct that makes tribesmen resent any uninvited intruders, while protecting those seeking shelter.
Asif Durrani, the acting Pakistani high commissioner in London, believes this makes it harder for Washington to persuade local people to reveal the whereabouts of those accused of terrorism.
"I can tell you when it comes to honour, kicking the door itself is the biggest insult, so that also invites a sort of revenge," he says.
"No-one can dare kick my door," continues Mr Durrani, "it's not allowed, because you are then declaring war against my household."
Fear v temptation
But US government bounties have had their successes elsewhere, notably in Iraq.
Anyone caught betraying a fellow Muslim risks finding their family dishonoured for generations.
The former president, Saddam Hussein, was betrayed for money in 2003 and so were his two sons, Uday and Qusai.
No longer able to rule through fear and patronage, Saddam was just too tempting a prize for those who knew where he was hiding.
So why has the rewards system worked in Iraq and not in Pakistan?
Terry Pattar, a counter-terrorism expert at Jane's Strategic Advisory Services, thinks the key difference is that in Iraq it was clear that eventually the US would win whereas that is not the case in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"I think these kinds of rewards perhaps draw out the people who are more likely to give information where it's clear they'll be giving it to the side that is going to eventually win," he says.
The most wanted militants are thought to be in Pakistan's tribal territories
"There's less fear of reprisals. They've got more chance of claiming the money and safely using it."
And that is just the problem.
In Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal territories, where the Taleban and al-Qaeda are resurgent, the US does benefit from a loose network of informants.
But anyone caught betraying a fellow Muslim risks finding their family dishonoured for generations.
Mike Scheuer believes this explains why after all these years Osama Bin Laden is still a free man.
"It's very unlikely that any Muslim is going to turn him in to the Americans for money," says the former CIA officer, making reference to al-Qaeda's attacks on the US in 2001.
"He's been in Afghanistan since 9/11. It's the third poorest place on the planet. We have $200m of reward money outstanding, including $50m for Osama and no-one has come forward to take a cent.
"I think we need in the West to grow up a little bit, everything doesn't pivot on money."
"In the Islamic world, at least when it comes to Osama Bin Laden, it pivots off of religion," Mike Scheuer says.
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Iran set to unveil nuclear latest
President Ahmadinejad insists Iran's nuclear intentions are peaceful
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to announce advances in his country's nuclear programme in a speech to mark national nuclear day.
His address in the city of Isfahan, home to a uranium conversion facility, comes a day after Tehran was invited by six world powers for fresh talks.
A top adviser to President Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that the Iranian government was considering the offer.
Tehran denies Western claims that it is seeking to build a nuclear bomb.
It insists its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes and is purely peaceful.
Policy shift
President Ahmadinejad is expected to give details of the latest developments in Iran's atomic programme in his speech in Isfahan.
On Wednesday, the US, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain announced they would ask EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to approach Iran with the offer of new talks.
In a statement, they said they "strongly urge Iran to take advantage of this opportunity to engage seriously with all of us in a spirit of mutual respect".
Signalling a policy shift, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US would be a "full participant" in talks.
"Obviously we believe that pursuing very careful engagement on a range of issues that affect our interests and the interests of the world with Iran makes senses," she said.
"There is nothing more important than trying to convince Iran to cease its efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon."
Senior Iranian presidential adviser, Ali Akbar Javanfekr said the offer was under consideration.
"We will review it and then decide about it," he told Reuters news agency.
To top of document
Thursday’s Early Bird leads with an entire section devoted to piracy, with reports from the New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, New York Daily News, San Diego Union Tribune, and transcripts of broadcast news outlet coverage, as an American warship early Thursday reached the scene of a Somali pirate attack on a U.S.-operated container ship, according to U.S. officials, who said the pirates fled with the captain while the unarmed American crew regained control of its ship.Indirect negotiations were underway with the small group of pirates who were holding the captain in one of the ship's lifeboats in the Indian Ocean after orchestrating the first seizure of a U.S. crew in more than 100 years.
A 2-month-old alliance of Pakistani Taliban factions is beginning to fray and could undermine Baitullah Mehsud, a Taliban leader who has claimed responsibility for recent terrorist attacks far from Pakistan's tribal regions and even threatened the United States, the Washington Times reports.A militant commander in the Haji Nazeer group - one of three groups in the alliance - told The Washington Times that the main lieutenant in the group has expressed opposition to the accord.A second Nazeer commander also is objecting, said a Pakistani official in South Waziristan, a rugged tribal area on the border with Afghanistan. He spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect himself from retribution.The rifts are being reported as the Obama administration plans major increases in aid to Pakistan and the Taliban continues to make inroads in some parts of the country.
The Washington Post reports that a bomb tucked inside a plastic bag detonated yards from Baghdad's most important Shiite shrine Wednesday, killing seven people and injuring more than 20, authorities said, the latest of several attacks targeting mostly Shiite areas in recent days.The assault occurred around noon in the capital's Kadhimiyah neighborhood, as worshipers made their way to the Imam Musa al-Khadim shrine. Witnesses said that women and children were among the victims and that Iraqi security forces blocked ambulances from entering the crowded area.
Military jurors at Camp Pendleton, Calif., began deliberating whether a Marine should be convicted of murdering an unarmed detainee during a battle in Iraq, according to a report in USA Today. Sgt. Ryan Weemer, who says he acted in self-defense, is charged with unpremeditated murder and dereliction of duty in the November 2004 death in Fallujah. Weemer said in interviews that he shot the man and told a squad mate he would have to live with that for the rest of his life.
The United States said yesterday that it would directly participate "from now on" in international talks with Iran over its nuclear activities, the latest move in the Obama administration's promised diplomatic outreach to the Tehran government, the Washington Post reports."There's nothing more important than trying to convince Iran to cease its efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon," Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said. The United States, she said in brief comments at the State Department, would be a full participant with Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China in any future Iran negotiations.
Meanwhile, the Washington Times reports that the Russian ambassador in Washington this week dismissed Iran's nuclear program, saying he saw no "threat to the United States."Ambassador Sergei Kislyak also said the missile-defense system installed by the former Soviet Union would have failed to prevent attacks from NATO.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: The New York Times leads with word that President Obama will soon start discussing the country's immigration system. (Slate Magazine)
2. Pirate stand-off over U.S. hostage: Negotiations are continuing for the release of an American captain held by Somali pirates in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa. (BBC)
3. U.S. bounty scheme struggles in Pakistan: This month the US state department has put up a $5m (£3.4m) bounty for information leading to the capture of one of the most wanted men in Pakistan. (BBC)
4. Iran set to unveil nuclear latest: Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to announce advances in his country's nuclear programme in a speech to mark national nuclear day. (BBC)
Leading newspaper headlines
The New York Times leads with word that President Obama will soon start discussing the country's immigration system. Knowing full well that the issue could be particularly controversial during a recession, the administration plans to include discussions about finding a way to legalize the estimated 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the country. The Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with, while almost everyone else fronts, the high-seas standoff taking place 240 miles off the Somalia port city of Eyl, a known pirate haven. Somali pirates seized the U.S.-registered Maersk Alabama cargo ship. The 20-member crew managed to regain control of the ship within a few hours, but the pirates fled with the captain, a 55-year-old Vermont resident. It marked the first time a U.S.-flagged ship was attacked off the coast of Africa since 1804. Before dawn, the U.S. Navy destroyer Bainbridge arrived at the scene to keep an eye on the situation.
The Washington Post leads with a look at how Attorney General Eric Holder "took a step" toward fulfilling his promise to take politics out of the Justice Department and investigate possible wrongdoing by its employees. Holder named Mary Patrice Brown, a career prosecutor, to head the Office of Professional Responsibility, the department's internal ethics unit. He also named two other career prosecutors to key posts in an attempt to illustrate that he values expertise more than political connections. USA Today leads with a look at how the recession may be good for the environment. As offices close and factories cut back on production, many countries have experienced marked declines in carbon dioxide emissions. Some fear that the drop in emissions could give governments and companies an excuse not to invest in technology to decrease carbon output.
The White House plans to talk about its efforts to deal with immigration as "policy reform that controls immigration and makes it an orderly system," one official said. Some officials insist that immigration reform won't take priority over other items in Obama's domestic agenda, namely health care and energy. And congressional sources insist the issue won't be taken up in Capitol Hill until those other domestic priorities are debated. Regardless, the president plans to address immigration next month and bring together advocates on both sides of the issue, including lawmakers, to discuss possible legislation. Many, including Democrats, warn that merely bringing up such an emotional issue during such a deep recession could compromise other items in Obama's agenda. Opponents of legalization for illegal immigrants are downright incredulous that Obama would even mention the issue now. "It just doesn't seem rational that any political leader would say, let's give millions of foreign workers permanent access to U.S. jobs when we have millions of Americans looking for jobs," the executive director of NumbersUSA tells the paper.
The situation off the coast of Somalia involving a ship that was carrying food aid for East Africa is a little confusing as no one is sure exactly what is going on or how the unarmed crew managed to overpower the pirates. The WSJ notes that some think the pirates may have been surprised by the number of people onboard since the United States requires that ships bearing its flag have larger crews than many other countries. It is also clear at least some members of the crew were well-trained. The ship's second in command, Capt. Shane Murphy, who is now in control after the captain was captured, is the son of an instructor at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy who teaches a course on how to prevent pirate attacks. The crew apparently managed to tie up one of the pirates while the rest fled, but he was released in what was ultimately an unsuccessful effort to exchange him for the captain.
The WP specifies that this was the sixth attack by Somali pirates this week and one of 66 so far this year. USAT points out that the standoff "handed the Obama administration a new foreign policy dilemma over how to deal with the increasingly brazen raiders." As has been stated many times before, the fundamental problem is that Somalia is a failed state that hasn't had a proper government since 1991, so pirate networks controlled by militias can operate with relative impunity. It's certainly a lucrative operation as pirates are estimated to have received around $150 million in ransom payments last year.
The LAT fronts a look at how U.S. citizens have been detained by immigration officials and, in some extreme cases, even deported. The piece, a collaboration between the paper and the Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit news organization, makes it clear that it isn't possible to know how often this has happened since no agency keeps track. But anecdotal evidence suggests it is more common than most would suspect since it can often be difficult for some to prove they are, in fact, citizens. And once tagged as an illegal, it's difficult to prove otherwise since immigration detainees don't have a right to a government lawyer. One expert said she knows of eight cases of citizens who were deported and suspects the real number is significantly higher.
The NYT off-leads word that ordinary Americans may be able to directly make a profit from the bank bailouts. The administration is pushing several large investment companies to create what the paper dubs "the financial-crisis equivalent of war bonds: bailout funds." These funds would allow Americans to participate, theoretically with as little as a few hundred dollars, in the buying up of toxic assets from banks' balance sheet with a huge government subsidy. This could turn into a smart move, particularly since many have complained that the only ones who would profit from the bailouts are big Wall Street firms, some of whom even had a role in creating the crisis. If things go well and the funds can later sell these assets at a profit, thousands, and perhaps millions, of Americans would make money. But it's risky, because if, as many insist, the assets are overvalued, small investors could lose all their money. There's no word on how much the Treasury intends to raise from individuals, and it's still in the process of selecting five fund managers to participate in the program.
The WP fronts a look at how violent anti-American extremists, including members of the Taliban and al-Qaida, often build their Internet presence through U.S. Web hosts. This trend "appears to be growing," declares the paper. The extremists apparently hate America but they like the cheap, and relatively anonymous, service that many U.S. companies provide to those who want to build a Web site for whatever reason. Some U.S. allies have pushed the government to take a more forceful stance and shut down the offending Web sites as soon as possible. But U.S. intelligence agencies often prefer to keep the sites up so they can be monitored for clues. Besides, U.S. officials say that trying to shut down Web sites can often feel like chasing your own tail, since it's so easy for sites to relocate.
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Pirate stand-off over US hostage
Pirates are believed to be holding Capt Richard Phillips hostage
Negotiations are continuing for the release of an American captain held by Somali pirates in a lifeboat in the Indian Ocean off the Horn of Africa.
He was taken from cargo ship Maersk Alabama after it was briefly seized by pirates a day earlier.
A US warship on anti-pirate patrol in the high-risk area sailed to the ship.
It remains unclear what the pirates want, but maritime sources say it could be a ransom or compensation for their boat which sank during the attack.
They may also be demanding that the warship retreat beyond the horizon as negotiations continue, says BBC East Africa correspondent Peter Greste in Nairobi.
The stand-off with the pirates could take some time, he adds. The lifeboat is equipped for more than a week at sea.
But a spokesman for the ship's owners, Maersk, said the lifeboat was out of fuel.
"The boat is dead in the water," Kevin Speers told the Associated Press Radio.
The USS Bainbridge remains close to the scene of the stand-off
"It's floating near the Alabama. It's my understanding that it's floating freely."
The Maersk Alabama, carrying food aid destined for Somalia and Uganda, was taken about 500km (311 miles) off Somalia's coast on Wednesday.
At least six other patrol vessels are said to be heading towards it.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the government was following the situation very closely and urged the world to act to end the "scourge" of piracy.
There were 50 hijacks amid 130 incidents last year by Somali pirates, but this was the first time Americans had been seized.
'Ransom'
Earlier, US media organisations telephoned members of the ship's crew to get details of their struggle against the pirates.
Second mate Ken Quinn told US TV network CNN how the crew had captured one of the pirates and kept him tied up for 12 hours.
As they attempted to negotiate the release of their captain, who has been named as Richard Phillips, they freed the captive pirate.
But the gang refused to free Capt Phillips.
"Right now they want to hold our captain for ransom, and we are trying to get him back," second mate Quinn told CNN.
"So now we're just trying to offer them whatever we can - food. But it's not working too good."
He said the attackers had fled in a lifeboat and crew members were using radios to keep in contact with Capt Phillips.
Family members said Capt Phillips had offered himself to the pirates to secure the safety of his crew.
"What I understand is that he offered himself as the hostage," Gina Coggio, his wife's half-sister, told the AP news agency. "That is what he would do. It's just who he is and his response as a captain."
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Maersk confirmed much of second mate Quinn's account.
"The armed hijackers who boarded this ship earlier today have departed, however they are currently holding one member of the ship's crew as a hostage," Maersk said.
"The other members of the crew are safe and no injuries have been reported."
Surge in hijackings
The ship was first attacked by several pirate boats in the early hours of Wednesday.
It is not clear how many attackers were involved, but accounts from the sailors on the Maersk Alabama suggest that four boarded the vessel.
Maritime officials said the ship had taken all possible evasive action before it reported that the pirates had boarded.
Pirates typically hold the ships and crews until large ransoms are paid by the shipping companies - last year the firms handed over about $80m (£54m).
After a lull earlier this year, this was the sixth ship seized off Somalia in the past week.
The attacks are threatening to destabilise one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
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US bounty scheme struggles in Pakistan
By Frank Gardner BBC security correspondent
The whereabouts of Baitullah Mehsud when this image was taken is unknown
This month the US state department has put up a $5m (£3.4m) bounty for information leading to the capture of one of the most wanted men in Pakistan.
Baitullah Mehsud heads the Pakistani Taleban and is believed to have been behind the murder of the Pakistani politician Benazir Bhutto and the Marriott hotel bombing in Islamabad last year.
He has openly claimed responsibility for the attack on a police academy in Lahore that killed 8 cadets last month.
But is anyone likely to be tempted by this latest offer in what America calls its Rewards for Justice programme?
"Overall the Rewards for Justice programme has been very minimal," says Mike Scheuer, a former CIA intelligence officer who spent years trying to track down Osama Bin Laden.
"At least in terms of our Islamist enemies [it has had] almost no impact at all, no successes. The only big success was the 1993 World Trade Center bomber, Ramzi Ahmed Yousef.
"And it was worth getting him, it was a good investment. But he's the only one, in almost 20 years."
The Rewards for Justice programme has been going for years.
In Afghanistan it has posters up of wanted men, their pictures printed on matchbooks, and leaflets distributed in local languages.
But both there and in Pakistan's tribal territories, where some of the most wanted jihadists are thought to be hiding, the US is up against a centuries-old tradition called "pashtunwali".
It is the Pashtun code of conduct that makes tribesmen resent any uninvited intruders, while protecting those seeking shelter.
Asif Durrani, the acting Pakistani high commissioner in London, believes this makes it harder for Washington to persuade local people to reveal the whereabouts of those accused of terrorism.
"I can tell you when it comes to honour, kicking the door itself is the biggest insult, so that also invites a sort of revenge," he says.
"No-one can dare kick my door," continues Mr Durrani, "it's not allowed, because you are then declaring war against my household."
Fear v temptation
But US government bounties have had their successes elsewhere, notably in Iraq.
Anyone caught betraying a fellow Muslim risks finding their family dishonoured for generations.
The former president, Saddam Hussein, was betrayed for money in 2003 and so were his two sons, Uday and Qusai.
No longer able to rule through fear and patronage, Saddam was just too tempting a prize for those who knew where he was hiding.
So why has the rewards system worked in Iraq and not in Pakistan?
Terry Pattar, a counter-terrorism expert at Jane's Strategic Advisory Services, thinks the key difference is that in Iraq it was clear that eventually the US would win whereas that is not the case in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"I think these kinds of rewards perhaps draw out the people who are more likely to give information where it's clear they'll be giving it to the side that is going to eventually win," he says.
The most wanted militants are thought to be in Pakistan's tribal territories
"There's less fear of reprisals. They've got more chance of claiming the money and safely using it."
And that is just the problem.
In Afghanistan and Pakistan's tribal territories, where the Taleban and al-Qaeda are resurgent, the US does benefit from a loose network of informants.
But anyone caught betraying a fellow Muslim risks finding their family dishonoured for generations.
Mike Scheuer believes this explains why after all these years Osama Bin Laden is still a free man.
"It's very unlikely that any Muslim is going to turn him in to the Americans for money," says the former CIA officer, making reference to al-Qaeda's attacks on the US in 2001.
"He's been in Afghanistan since 9/11. It's the third poorest place on the planet. We have $200m of reward money outstanding, including $50m for Osama and no-one has come forward to take a cent.
"I think we need in the West to grow up a little bit, everything doesn't pivot on money."
"In the Islamic world, at least when it comes to Osama Bin Laden, it pivots off of religion," Mike Scheuer says.
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Iran set to unveil nuclear latest
President Ahmadinejad insists Iran's nuclear intentions are peaceful
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is expected to announce advances in his country's nuclear programme in a speech to mark national nuclear day.
His address in the city of Isfahan, home to a uranium conversion facility, comes a day after Tehran was invited by six world powers for fresh talks.
A top adviser to President Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that the Iranian government was considering the offer.
Tehran denies Western claims that it is seeking to build a nuclear bomb.
It insists its nuclear programme is for civilian purposes and is purely peaceful.
Policy shift
President Ahmadinejad is expected to give details of the latest developments in Iran's atomic programme in his speech in Isfahan.
On Wednesday, the US, Russia, China, France, Germany and Britain announced they would ask EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana to approach Iran with the offer of new talks.
In a statement, they said they "strongly urge Iran to take advantage of this opportunity to engage seriously with all of us in a spirit of mutual respect".
Signalling a policy shift, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the US would be a "full participant" in talks.
"Obviously we believe that pursuing very careful engagement on a range of issues that affect our interests and the interests of the world with Iran makes senses," she said.
"There is nothing more important than trying to convince Iran to cease its efforts to obtain a nuclear weapon."
Senior Iranian presidential adviser, Ali Akbar Javanfekr said the offer was under consideration.
"We will review it and then decide about it," he told Reuters news agency.
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Wednesday, April 8, 2009
8 April MARFORCOM Media Summary
U.S. Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Greg Deane (left) from the Fleet Anti-Terrorism Support Team Europe takes position after fast roping from a Spanish navy SH-3 Sea King helicopter in preparation for exercise Phoenix Express 2009 on April 2, 2009. Phoenix Express is a semi-annual exercise that includes European and African nations and helps to increase interoperability by developing individual and collective maritime proficiencies of participating nations, as well as promoting friendship, mutual understanding and cooperation.
Georgian Chief of Defense Maj. Gen. Devi Tchonkotadze, left, and U.S. Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Marine Gen. James E. Cartwright salute during a wreath laying ceremony in Gori, Georgia, March 30, 2009. The ceremony was held in honor of Georgian soldiers who died during the Aug. 2008 war with Russia.Early Bird summary
Wednesday’s Early Bird leads with the Public Broadcasting Service’s interview with Defense Secretary Robert Gates. For a full transcript of the Gates interview, click this link.
President Obama’s unannounced trip to Iraq receives coverage from the New York Times, Boston Globe and Washington Post. President Obama declared Tuesday that Iraqis "must take responsibility for their country" and predicted that the next 18 months will be trying as U.S. troops start to leave a country stymied by security threats and political problems.During his maiden visit to Iraq as commander in chief, Obama elicited cheers and thunderous applause from American troops inside a palace built by Saddam Hussein as he thanked them for their service."Under enormous strain and under enormous sacrifice, through controversy and difficulty and politics, you've kept your eyes focused on just doing your jobs," Obama told the troops shortly after landing in Baghdad for a visit that had not been disclosed. "You have given Iraq the opportunity to stand on its own as a democratic country."Obama, in Iraq after an eight-day trip through Europe and Turkey, said he was heartened that Iraqis were increasingly fighting their battles in the political arena rather than on the street. But he cautioned that Iraq's upcoming national election is likely to bring many of the country's unresolved political issues "to a head."
The proposed defense budget receives coverage across the spectrum of American media, with the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting that the budget may be a “hard sell.” Defense Secretary Robert Gates' proposed budget, which axes some multibillion-dollar weapons projects, the Inquirer reports, is meeting strong resistance from lawmakers whose districts could lose thousands of jobs during a recession.Members of Congress and military analysts said yesterday that the potential loss of jobs is by far the biggest hurdle the administration's plan must overcome as it looks to build support on Capitol Hill, and they expect some concessions.Part of Gates' proposed $534 billion military budget represents a shift from outdated weapon systems conceived in the Cold War toward futuristic programs aimed at unconventional foes. Analysts say his challenge is to build support in Congress on those larger issues instead of the parochial interests of individual lawmakers.
A summary of broadcast news reports about the budget (from Fox News Channel, CNN, and the Public Broadcasting Service) can be read at this link.
The fate of the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle remains to be decided in the Quadrennial Defense Review, according to Inside Defense. The EFV program, which began in 1996, has yet to produce reliable vehicles the Marines can use in operations. General Dynamics is the prime contractor. Some industry sources recently speculated that Gates would kill the program. But for now the program will continue, according to the defense secretary.“I didn't make any decisions on the EFV, so that program is continuing as is,” Gates said during a roundtable with reporters. “But clearly that would be a part of the [QDR's] amphibious review, it seems to me.”The EFV is an armored and tracked amphibious vehicle, designed to carry Marines from forward-deployed naval ships to foreign shores. In recent years, the program has suffered major developmental delays and cost growth, making it a poster child for acquisition woes. Program officials predict they will improve the EFV's reliability, but the results remain to be seen.A recent Government Accountability Office report noted the EFV’s design is stable. Officials reassessed the vehicle’s design and held a critical design review three months ago, the report notes. Last week, General Dynamics touted the GAO report as good news for the program.
Two senior American officials came under withering public criticism from Pakistan on Tuesday, the New York Times reports, with the Pakistani foreign minister saying that “trust” between the countries was in question, particularly over the issue of American missile attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas.With the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, and the special envoy to the region, Richard C. Holbrooke, at his side, the minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, said: “We did talk about drones, and let me be very frank: there is a gap between us.”He added, “The bottom line is the question of trust.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Times reports that Pakistani Ambassador Husain Haqqani called Tuesday for a $30 billion "Marshall Plan" for Pakistan and Afghanistan over the next five years to fight al Qaeda, blunt anti-American sentiment and secure Pakistan from extremists bent on destabilizing its civilian government.Mr. Haqqani, who plans to attend an international donors meeting for Pakistan in Tokyo next week, told editors and reporters of The Washington Times that the cost to the West of an aid program like the one provided to Europe after World War II would be negligible compared with that of rescuing failing banks and corporations.
The Taliban threat is growing, according to a report from CNN. Correspondent Barbara Starr says that as Marines step up combat operations across southern Afghanistan, U.S. commanders are reviewing significant new intelligence about the insurgent threat. For a full transcript, follow this link.
Reconciliation between followers of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party and the Iraqi government seemed less likely than ever on Tuesday after harsh rhetoric from both sides, according to the New York Times.In an audiotape, a former deputy of Mr. Hussein, who is the last high-ranking fugitive from the American forces, called for Iraqis to topple their government and return the Baath Party to power.At the same time, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki angrily blamed Baathists for a series of car bomb attacks in the capital.Both developments may stall efforts by Mr. Maliki’s government to reach out to former Baathists as part of his country’s reconciliation process.The audiotape by the Hussein ally, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, who was deputy chairman of Mr. Hussein’s Revolutionary Command Council, was broadcast on Al Jazeera on Tuesday, and an e-mailed transcript was provided separately to The New York Times by a Baath Party representative in Syria.Mr. Douri, 65, is a member of the “deck of cards” of 52 Iraqi officials that American troops distributed after the invasion in 2003. American intelligence officials say he is active in financing and organizing insurgents, including Baathists.The United States has posted a $10 million reward for his capture; American and Iraqi officials have accused the Syrian government of giving him refuge.
The Los Angeles Times reports on the growing threat of cyberwarfare. The Pentagon spent more than $100 million in the last six months responding to and repairing damage from cyber attacks and other computer network problems, military leaders said Tuesday, according to the Times.Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, who heads U.S. Strategic Command, said the military was only beginning to track the costs, which are triggered by daily attacks against networks at the Pentagon and military bases around the country.
The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reports that cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials. The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, these officials said, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls. The intruders haven't sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure, but officials warned they could try during a crisis or war."The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the electrical grid," said a senior intelligence official. "So have the Russians."The espionage appeared pervasive across the U.S. and doesn't target a particular company or region, said a former Department of Homeland Security official. "There are intrusions, and they are growing," the former official said, referring to electrical systems. "There were a lot last year."Many of the intrusions were detected not by the companies in charge of the infrastructure but by U.S. intelligence agencies, officials said. Intelligence officials worry about cyber attackers taking control of electrical facilities, a nuclear power plant or financial networks via the Internet.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: The Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with, while everyone fronts, President Obama's surprise visit to Baghdad yesterday, where he urged Iraq's leaders to step up their efforts to unite the country's factions. (Slate Magazine)
2. S. Asia foes face common threat: US envoy Richard Holbrooke has called for India, Pakistan and the US to work together to defeat Islamic militants. (BBC)
3. Somali pirates hijack Danish ship: Somali pirates have hijacked a ship with a 21-strong US crew, after what maritime officials described as a sustained night-time attack. (BBC)
4. Harvard and the Marines: Why not give our officers the best education? (Wall Street Journal)
Leading newspaper headlines
Wednesday’s Early Bird leads with the Public Broadcasting Service’s interview with Defense Secretary Robert Gates. For a full transcript of the Gates interview, click this link.
President Obama’s unannounced trip to Iraq receives coverage from the New York Times, Boston Globe and Washington Post. President Obama declared Tuesday that Iraqis "must take responsibility for their country" and predicted that the next 18 months will be trying as U.S. troops start to leave a country stymied by security threats and political problems.During his maiden visit to Iraq as commander in chief, Obama elicited cheers and thunderous applause from American troops inside a palace built by Saddam Hussein as he thanked them for their service."Under enormous strain and under enormous sacrifice, through controversy and difficulty and politics, you've kept your eyes focused on just doing your jobs," Obama told the troops shortly after landing in Baghdad for a visit that had not been disclosed. "You have given Iraq the opportunity to stand on its own as a democratic country."Obama, in Iraq after an eight-day trip through Europe and Turkey, said he was heartened that Iraqis were increasingly fighting their battles in the political arena rather than on the street. But he cautioned that Iraq's upcoming national election is likely to bring many of the country's unresolved political issues "to a head."
The proposed defense budget receives coverage across the spectrum of American media, with the Philadelphia Inquirer reporting that the budget may be a “hard sell.” Defense Secretary Robert Gates' proposed budget, which axes some multibillion-dollar weapons projects, the Inquirer reports, is meeting strong resistance from lawmakers whose districts could lose thousands of jobs during a recession.Members of Congress and military analysts said yesterday that the potential loss of jobs is by far the biggest hurdle the administration's plan must overcome as it looks to build support on Capitol Hill, and they expect some concessions.Part of Gates' proposed $534 billion military budget represents a shift from outdated weapon systems conceived in the Cold War toward futuristic programs aimed at unconventional foes. Analysts say his challenge is to build support in Congress on those larger issues instead of the parochial interests of individual lawmakers.
A summary of broadcast news reports about the budget (from Fox News Channel, CNN, and the Public Broadcasting Service) can be read at this link.
The fate of the Marine Corps' Expeditionary Fighting Vehicle remains to be decided in the Quadrennial Defense Review, according to Inside Defense. The EFV program, which began in 1996, has yet to produce reliable vehicles the Marines can use in operations. General Dynamics is the prime contractor. Some industry sources recently speculated that Gates would kill the program. But for now the program will continue, according to the defense secretary.“I didn't make any decisions on the EFV, so that program is continuing as is,” Gates said during a roundtable with reporters. “But clearly that would be a part of the [QDR's] amphibious review, it seems to me.”The EFV is an armored and tracked amphibious vehicle, designed to carry Marines from forward-deployed naval ships to foreign shores. In recent years, the program has suffered major developmental delays and cost growth, making it a poster child for acquisition woes. Program officials predict they will improve the EFV's reliability, but the results remain to be seen.A recent Government Accountability Office report noted the EFV’s design is stable. Officials reassessed the vehicle’s design and held a critical design review three months ago, the report notes. Last week, General Dynamics touted the GAO report as good news for the program.
Two senior American officials came under withering public criticism from Pakistan on Tuesday, the New York Times reports, with the Pakistani foreign minister saying that “trust” between the countries was in question, particularly over the issue of American missile attacks in Pakistan’s tribal areas.With the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, and the special envoy to the region, Richard C. Holbrooke, at his side, the minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, said: “We did talk about drones, and let me be very frank: there is a gap between us.”He added, “The bottom line is the question of trust.”
Meanwhile, the Washington Times reports that Pakistani Ambassador Husain Haqqani called Tuesday for a $30 billion "Marshall Plan" for Pakistan and Afghanistan over the next five years to fight al Qaeda, blunt anti-American sentiment and secure Pakistan from extremists bent on destabilizing its civilian government.Mr. Haqqani, who plans to attend an international donors meeting for Pakistan in Tokyo next week, told editors and reporters of The Washington Times that the cost to the West of an aid program like the one provided to Europe after World War II would be negligible compared with that of rescuing failing banks and corporations.
The Taliban threat is growing, according to a report from CNN. Correspondent Barbara Starr says that as Marines step up combat operations across southern Afghanistan, U.S. commanders are reviewing significant new intelligence about the insurgent threat. For a full transcript, follow this link.
Reconciliation between followers of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party and the Iraqi government seemed less likely than ever on Tuesday after harsh rhetoric from both sides, according to the New York Times.In an audiotape, a former deputy of Mr. Hussein, who is the last high-ranking fugitive from the American forces, called for Iraqis to topple their government and return the Baath Party to power.At the same time, Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki angrily blamed Baathists for a series of car bomb attacks in the capital.Both developments may stall efforts by Mr. Maliki’s government to reach out to former Baathists as part of his country’s reconciliation process.The audiotape by the Hussein ally, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, who was deputy chairman of Mr. Hussein’s Revolutionary Command Council, was broadcast on Al Jazeera on Tuesday, and an e-mailed transcript was provided separately to The New York Times by a Baath Party representative in Syria.Mr. Douri, 65, is a member of the “deck of cards” of 52 Iraqi officials that American troops distributed after the invasion in 2003. American intelligence officials say he is active in financing and organizing insurgents, including Baathists.The United States has posted a $10 million reward for his capture; American and Iraqi officials have accused the Syrian government of giving him refuge.
The Los Angeles Times reports on the growing threat of cyberwarfare. The Pentagon spent more than $100 million in the last six months responding to and repairing damage from cyber attacks and other computer network problems, military leaders said Tuesday, according to the Times.Air Force Gen. Kevin P. Chilton, who heads U.S. Strategic Command, said the military was only beginning to track the costs, which are triggered by daily attacks against networks at the Pentagon and military bases around the country.
The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, reports that cyberspies have penetrated the U.S. electrical grid and left behind software programs that could be used to disrupt the system, according to current and former national-security officials. The spies came from China, Russia and other countries, these officials said, and were believed to be on a mission to navigate the U.S. electrical system and its controls. The intruders haven't sought to damage the power grid or other key infrastructure, but officials warned they could try during a crisis or war."The Chinese have attempted to map our infrastructure, such as the electrical grid," said a senior intelligence official. "So have the Russians."The espionage appeared pervasive across the U.S. and doesn't target a particular company or region, said a former Department of Homeland Security official. "There are intrusions, and they are growing," the former official said, referring to electrical systems. "There were a lot last year."Many of the intrusions were detected not by the companies in charge of the infrastructure but by U.S. intelligence agencies, officials said. Intelligence officials worry about cyber attackers taking control of electrical facilities, a nuclear power plant or financial networks via the Internet.
Media summary
1. Leading newspaper headlines: The Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with, while everyone fronts, President Obama's surprise visit to Baghdad yesterday, where he urged Iraq's leaders to step up their efforts to unite the country's factions. (Slate Magazine)
2. S. Asia foes face common threat: US envoy Richard Holbrooke has called for India, Pakistan and the US to work together to defeat Islamic militants. (BBC)
3. Somali pirates hijack Danish ship: Somali pirates have hijacked a ship with a 21-strong US crew, after what maritime officials described as a sustained night-time attack. (BBC)
4. Harvard and the Marines: Why not give our officers the best education? (Wall Street Journal)
Leading newspaper headlines
The Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal's world-wide newsbox lead with, while everyone fronts, President Obama's surprise visit to Baghdad yesterday, where he urged Iraq's leaders to step up their efforts to unite the country's factions. During the four-hour visit, his first to a combat zone as president, Obama met with U.S. soldiers, Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and other Iraqi officials. "It is time for us to transition to the Iraqis," Obama told hundreds of American servicemembers. "They need to take responsibility for their country." The Washington Post leads with a federal judge dismissing the conviction of former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan appointed an outside lawyer to investigate the six Justice Department prosecutors who ran the case against Stevens and determine whether they should face criminal contempt charges.
The New York Times leads with the Vermont Legislature overriding a veto to a bill that legalizes same-sex marriage. It marked the first time that a state legalized same-sex marriage through its legislature rather than the courts, and made Vermont the fourth state to recognize the unions. It marked the second victory in less than a week for proponents of marriage equality—the Iowa Supreme Court legalized marriage between partners of the same sex last Friday—and many are hoping others states could soon follow suit. USA Today leads with word that $300 million from the stimulus package will go to 61 housing agencies that have been criticized by auditors at least three times since 2004 for mishandling government money. The money is part of a $4 billion effort to fix public housing projects, and the government has vowed to keep close tabs on how the money is spent.
Obama's brief stop in Iraq came at a time when a recent spate of bombings has raised uncomfortable questions about whether the recent drop in violence can be sustained. The day before his visit, six car bombs exploded in Baghdad, killing 36 people, and nine more people were killed by another car bomb mere hours before Obama's arrival. There's a growing fear that unresolved political disputes could spark a new round of intense violence as different groups vie for power ahead of the withdrawal of most American combat troops.
The trip to Baghdad capped Obama's first trip abroad as president. In a front-page piece looking at the trip, the WP notes that Obama "portrayed a proud but flawed United States, using a refrain of humility and partnership" in order to get other countries to work together on a variety of issues that ranged from the economy to climate change. He received a "celebrity reception" wherever he went, but that didn't help him convince European allies to follow the U.S. example on fiscal spending or Afghanistan. In an analysis piece inside, the NYT declares that a grand strategy for the Obama presidency has yet to emerge, "but that may have been the point. Pragmatic, conciliatory, legalistic and incremental, he pushed what might be called, with a notable exception or two, an anti-Bush doctrine." Throughout his trip, Obama emphasized the importance of international institutions and the rule of law to battle terrorism and rogue states, essentially veering "toward a pre-Sept. 11 world order."
Ordinarily, the Justice Department would handle claims of prosecutorial misconduct with its own internal investigation, but the judge made it clear yesterday that after witnessing such "shocking and disturbing" behavior, he couldn't trust the government to properly investigate itself. "In 25 years on the bench, I have never seen anything approaching the mishandling and misconduct that I have seen in this case," Sullivan said. Among the six lawyers that will be investigated are the chief and deputy chief of the Justice Department's public integrity section. Stevens' lawyer didn't hold back on the outrage and said the "government engaged in intentional misconduct" that cost the longest-serving Senate Republican his seat.
At least nine state legislatures are considering allowing marriages between same-sex couples, and the recent victories for gay rights could push them to pass the measures quickly. The WP fronts news that the Washington, D.C., Council gave preliminary approval to a measure that would recognize same-sex marriages performed elsewhere. The vote was unanimous. The final vote could come in early May, and might quickly make its way to the federal government since Congress has the final say in the city's laws. The NYT states that even opponents of marriage equality "recognized the week's developments as a potential watershed moment." But even if all the legislatures currently considering legalizing same-sex marriages approve the measures, there's little chance that it could become a countrywide phenomenon any time soon. Forty-three states have laws prohibiting the unions, of which 29 have constitutional amendments that define marriage as between a man and a woman.
The WSJ fronts a look at how "cyperspies" from Russia and China, as well as other unnamed countries, have managed to get into the U.S. electrical grid and leave behind software tools that, if activated, could destroy several key components of the network. "If we go to war with them, they will try to turn them on," an intelligence official said. The spying has been discovered across the country, and officials warn that other infrastructure systems, including water, are also vulnerable to spies and attacks. Although terrorist groups could also gain the technical know-how to gain access to the networks, officials say the intrusions have been so sophisticated that Russia and China have to be the main culprits. But, of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that the attacks were sponsored by their governments.
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S Asia foes 'face common threat'
Mr. Holbrooke says the US will not mediate in Kashmir
US envoy Richard Holbrooke has called for India, Pakistan and the US to work together to defeat Islamic militants.
Speaking in Delhi, he said all three faced a "common threat".
Mr. Holbrooke and Admiral Mike Mullen, the chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Delhi after talks with Pakistani leaders in Islamabad.
US President Barack Obama's new strategy combines Afghanistan and Pakistan as part of a new regional push to defeat militants in both nations.
The strategy is high on Mr. Obama's foreign policy agenda.
Mr. Holbrooke, along with Adm Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, met Indian Foreign Minister Pranab Mukherjee and foreign secretary Shivshankar Menon.
"For the first time since partition [in 1947] India, Pakistan and the United States face a common threat and a common challenge and we have a common task," Mr. Holbrooke told reporters. "We must work together."
Adm Mullen said a military strategy on its own would fail and only a joint civilian-military approach could yield results.
'Uneasy'
Analysts say India is uneasy with Mr. Obama's strategy in Pakistan and Afghanistan and say it does not address New Delhi's concerns over what it calls Pakistan's backing of militants.
The US has bought the Pakistan military's line that India's presence in Afghanistan is a threat to them
Kanwal Sibal, former Indian foreign secretary
Tensions in Pakistan-US relations
There are concerns that the US is "tilting towards" Pakistan, an old ally, rather than India which has moved closer to the US in recent years.
"The US is more receptive to Pakistan's concerns, which is worrying India," analyst Bharat Karnad told the Reuters news agency.
Some analysts fear that the US may push India to limit its presence in Afghanistan to "please" Pakistan.
India is spending millions of dollars in infrastructure projects in Afghanistan.
"The US has bought the Pakistan military's line that India's presence in Afghanistan is a threat to them," former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal said.
"And they are saying if the US wants Pakistan's full co-operation in fighting al-Qaeda, then something should be done to contain or limit India's presence."
Mr. Holbrooke has denied that Washington wanted to become a mediator between the two neighbours.
"That is not our job," he told reporters in Islamabad.
He said the US was "not going to be involved" in mediating in the dispute over Kashmir.
Rahul Bedi from Jane's Defence Weekly told the BBC that Mr. Holbrooke was unlikely to get any promises from the Indian government.
"The Americans are quite keen that India re-engages Pakistan in peace talks but with elections coming up in the next few weeks I don't think Holbrooke is gong to get any kind of assurance from Delhi."
Mr. Obama has pledged substantial economic assistance for Pakistan - more than $1bn (£684m) annually over the next five years - but the money will depend on the army's performance against the Taleban and al-Qaeda.
Correspondents say there is frustration and resentment in Pakistan about the aid conditions - which reflect American distrust of the Pakistani army.
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Somali pirates hijack Danish ship
The ship was reportedly attacked by up to three pirate skiffs at a time
Somali pirates have hijacked a ship with a 21-strong US crew, after what maritime officials described as a sustained night-time attack.
The US-operated container vessel, named as Maersk Alabama, was seized in the Indian Ocean about 400 miles (645km) east of the capital, Mogadishu.
The Danish-owned ship's crew members are believed to be safe, the European Union's maritime security force said.
It is the sixth seizure in recent days, including a British and Taiwanese ship.
The AP Moller-Maersk Group confirmed its ship had been "attacked by pirates and presumed hijacked" at around 0600 BST on Wednesday.
The Danish shipping line said the 17,000-tonne vessel had been en route to the Kenyan port of Mombasa.
Evasive action
BBC world affairs correspondent Mike Wooldridge says the Maersk Alabama came under a sustained attack from pirates.
Now the weather has improved, they're back in business again
ICG's Rashid Abdi
The lure of easy money
Why are pirates getting away?
The offensive began late at night and apparently lasted for some five hours, according to maritime officials.
The assault is thought to have involved up to three pirate skiffs at any one time.
Maritime officials say the ship took all possible evasive action before it reported that the pirates had boarded.
Our correspondent says it would appear to be the first time a vessel with an all-American crew has been seized by the Somali pirates.
Before Wednesday's attack, pirates had boarded a British-owned ship, the Malaspina Castle, in an area heavily patrolled by a European Union taskforce.
The taskforce, consisting of six ships and two planes, is among almost a dozen anti-piracy patrols in the area.
But pirates managed to seize 15 ships last month - a large increase on the two taken in January and February.
One expert believes the weather had a bigger impact on pirates than the patrols.
Rashid Abdi, of the International Crisis Group (ICG), a Brussels-based think tank, said: "It was all down to the fact that the weather did not favour them.
"And now the weather has improved, they're back in business again."
The hijackings usually end in the payment of ransoms.
More than 130 pirate’s attacks, including close to 50 successful hijackings, were reported in 2008, threatening one of the world's busiest shipping lanes.
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Harvard and the Marines
Why not give our officers the best education?
By JOSEPH KRISTOL and DANIEL WEST
'ROTC must go because we oppose the policies of the United States and we oppose the military that perpetrates them. The lines are clearly drawn; the time to take sides is now."
It was the spring of 1969, and the leaders of the Harvard chapter of Students for a Democratic Society were (with the above statement issued to the student newspaper) agitating to cleanse their campus of "imperialist exploitation." To opponents of the Vietnam War, members of the military -- even students in the Reserve Officers Training Corps -- embodied the policies they despised.
Forty years ago tomorrow, April 9, 1969, this sentiment culminated in a mob of students storming University Hall. Eager to be at the forefront of radical activism, they turned to violent protest. Arsonists torched a Marine Corps classroom, and the administration buckled. ROTC was purged from campus, symbolically repudiating the Vietnam War.
Today, America congratulates itself for having overcome the knee-jerk radicalism of that era. "Support the troops, oppose the war" is the modern battle cry of the antiwar movement. Americans seem to recognize that those in uniform shouldn't be blamed for policies set by elected officials.
But not at Harvard, where ROTC remains officially unwelcome.
The students of 1969 have become the faculty of 2009, and today students who wish to participate in ROTC are forced to train at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. We are pawns in a political chess game. The issue is no longer Vietnam, but President Bill Clinton's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy that bars gays from openly serving in the military. Because of that policy, the university classifies ROTC as a discriminatory organization and has severed all remnants of support.
So Harvard today happily pays for future bankers to take accounting courses at MIT, but refuses to pay for aspiring military officers who take ROTC courses. Since 1994, anonymous donors have generously picked up the tab, providing hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for Harvard's ROTC students.
Sadly, the number of Harvard students who choose military service has dwindled. Harvard, where ROTC was founded in 1916 and which once boasted over 1,000 participants, is now home to only 29 cadets and midshipmen, spread over four years and four branches of service. Recruitment opportunities are deliberately limited, and the student handbook cautions students against joining ROTC, remarking that the program is "inconsistent with Harvard's values." And cadets begin every semester seeking to avoid the professors known to exhibit hostility toward students who wear their uniform to class.
Rather than embracing the mutually beneficial relationship Harvard might share with the military, the faculty prefers to stand in the way of progress, abdicating its responsibility to contribute to one of our nation's most important institutions. The same Harvard that once produced 10 recipients of the Congressional Medal of Honor, and warrior-scholars such as Teddy Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy, now turns its back on its proud, patriotic history.
But there are reasons to be hopeful that the 40-year exile of ROTC may be drawing to a close. Today, the faculty is out of touch with a student body that is generally supportive of ROTC. The support that both Barack Obama and John McCain expressed during the 2008 presidential campaign for the return of ROTC to elite college campuses showed Harvard's stance to be far from mainstream.
We are also fortunate that Harvard's new president, Drew Faust, has privately praised and met with cadets and midshipmen, and publicly stated her hope that the day ROTC returns to campus is not far off. Though she remains bound by Harvard's discrimination policy, she spoke at last year's commissioning ceremony and expressed her desire to see our numbers grow.
This is encouraging, but it falls short of the appropriate policy: support for the military and those who serve in it, regardless of federal policies. ROTC should be fully and unequivocally welcomed back to Harvard. Accomplishing this would take leadership and courage from President Faust. Perhaps she will be inspired to show this leadership as she joins Gen. David Petraeus in recognizing the ROTC graduates at our commissioning ceremony in June.
Messrs. Kristol and West, seniors at Harvard University, will be commissioned second lieutenants in the United States Marine Corps in June.
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