This morning a coordinated car bombing and attack by heavily armed militants on the US embassy in the Yemeni capital of San'a left 16 dead. It is the second attack on the embassy this year, though the first one to actually hit its target. The other strike, a mortar...
Gates Apologizes to Afghans as Civilan Deaths Soar
United States Secretary of Defense Robert Gates has issued his "sincere condolences and personal regrets" for the large number of Afghan civilians recently killed by the US and its allies in air strikes. Gates pledged that NATO forces would do more in the future to...
Admiral Mullen Makes Surprise Visit to Pakistan as Tensions Worsen
Admiral Michael Mullen arrived in Pakistan today on a hastily arranged, unannounced visit. He will hold meetings with Pakistan's Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Defense Minister, and Chief of Army Staff. The visit comes one day after a reported border incident in...
UN Atomic Agency Cites Laptop Photos in Iran Allegations
Updated 9/17 1:35 PM EST One day after accusing the Iranian government of blocking its probe into their alleged nuclear weapons program, the International Atomic Energy Agency has released documents and photographs which it confronted Iran with, and for which the...
Maliki Increasingly Beyond America’s Control
We reported earlier this month that American officials had been privately expressing concerns about Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's growing independence. Two weeks have passed, but little has happened to change this trend, and the Los Angeles Times is reporting...
Georgia’s “Evidence” of Russian Aggression Revealed
Last week, Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili claimed to have presented "very solid proof" to the European Union that the Russians instigated last month's brief conflict. Today, we finally have this evidence available for public scrutiny. It comes in the form of...
Odierno Assumes Iraq Command
With General David Petraeus dedicating his full attention to his new role as head of Central Command, replacing Admiral William Fallon who reportedly referred to his eventual successor as "an ass-kissing little chickensh*t," Lieutenant General Ray Odierno today has...
Ukraine’s Coalition Also a Casualty of Russia-Georgia War
Ukraine's Parliament is expected to declare its coalition government dissolved tomorrow, after a split between the factions of President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko. Unless a new coalition is formed within the next 30 days, which at this...
Georgia’s Path to NATO Stalled by Questions About Democratic Credentials
In a high profile visit to Tbilisi, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer reiterated the alliance's backing for Georgia in the aftermath of its brief August war with Russia. The NATO visit is seen as an important step towards Georgia's eventual membership in...
Officials: Pakistani Troops Fired on US Helicopters Trying to Cross Border
Early this morning, US helicopters crossed the border into Pakistan's South Waziristan Agency and attempted to land in Angor Adda, in a raid reminiscent of September 3rd's unprecedented attack by US helicopters and ground forces in the same region, which killed 20...