Where Does the US Stand After Its Retreat from Iraq?

Charles W. Dunne

"The last American combat troops rolled across the Kuwaiti border from Iraq on August 19, nearly two weeks ahead of schedule. The Obama administration has spoken of this milestone as a promise fulfilled and the first major step toward bringing a "responsible" end to the war in Iraq, setting the stage for the final withdrawal of American troops at the end of next year.

But the departure was a tribute more to US military efficiency in mounting a huge logistical operation - said to be the largest movement of materiel since the Second World War - than it was to President Barack Obama's Iraq policy.

The United States leaves behind a country in flux, without a formal government, experiencing worrisome levels of violence and ethnic tensions, and the ever-present possibility of a return to civil war. And amid all this the future of the US-Iraq relationship remains ambiguous. This is true not only of bilateral political relations but security relations as well. The White House insists the schedule for a permanent US departure in 2011 will remain intact, even though the secretary of defence Robert Gates recently stated the US is open to staying on after that if the Iraqis request it."

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Pakistan's Media is Under Fire

Wendy Chamberlin

"It is hard to imagine a government that faces more existential threats to its people, state, and democracy than the current civilian government in Pakistan.

In the midst of grappling with catastrophic destruction from massive flooding, Pakistan is also battling a brutal extremist insurgency. The civilian democratic government led by the Pakistan People's Party in Islamabad needs all the friends it can rally. So you have to wonder why elements of the ruling party have now strongly turned against the free media.

The ostensible reason for the attacks is the television coverage of a shoe-throwing incident at President Zardari's public meeting in Birmingham, England. The media, both domestic and international, has been especially critical of President Zardari's recent luxurious trip to Europe while Pakistan faces the worst natural disaster in its history."

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Karachi's Melting Pot Boils Over

Wendy Chamberlin

"The desperate plight of over 20 million Pakistani citizens displaced and dispossessed by the most ferocious flooding in the history of the young state is heartbreaking.  Nature is extracting a cruel price on a population already racked by debilitating poverty and a brutal insurgency.  

But at the same time, too little attention is being paid to the violent drama being played out in Pakistan's largest city, Karachi.  The crippling violence of political party gangsterism between Karachi's two dominant parties - the Awami National Party (ANP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) - is alarming, especially as the parties align with organized criminal groups and become increasingly indistinguishable from them. Unlike the flooding, this crisis was avoidable and man-made."

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'Blockade' and 'Embargo' Have Different Meanings

Dr. Graeme Bannerman

"Israel and Egypt have a right to embargo trade with Gaza...A blockade is totally different. A blockade is closing to international commerce by military force the coast of another entity... A blockade is an act of war rather than merely exercising one's own prerogatives... International ships that attempt to enter the sea around Gaza are entering a war zone. They are blockade runners. Blockade runners have historically been treated harshly."

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United States Will Pay a Heavy Price for the Gaza Flotilla Incident

Ambassador David Mack 

Israel’s administration of the blockade and specifically its military action of May 31 are undermining strategies that are designed to protect real interests affecting US national security.  This will continue into the future, as this incident is likely to be followed by more international efforts to run the blockade.