IPS brings you independent perspective on what is happening in Iran, Iraq and across the Middle East.
PERU-IRAQ: A Year in Hell for 1,000 Dollars a Month
Ángel Páez
LIMA – Former Peruvian noncommissioned army officer Norman Alfonso Solano is happy because he has once again been recruited to work as a private security guard in one of the most dangerous places in the world: Iraq.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39941
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PAKISTAN: Hard on Civil Society, Soft on Extremists
Beena Sarwar
KARACHI – Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf appears to be following a strategy of being hard on lawyers and the judiciary, and soft on Islamist extremists — the two groups he blamed for imposing emergency rule in the country on Saturday.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39930
Trouble in Pakistan – More IPS Special Coverage
www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/pakistan/index.asp
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Q&A: “When I Leave My House, I’m Not Sure I’ll Make It Back”
Interview with Afghan lawmaker Malalai Joya
VANCOUVER – Malalai Joya was four years old when her family fled Afghanistan in 1982 to the refugee camps of Iran and later Pakistan. Joya gained international attention in December 2003 when, as an elected delegate to the Loya Jirga convened to ratify the Afghan Constitution, she spoke out publicly against what she termed the domination of warlords.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39954
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TURKEY: Iran Becomes the Trade-Off for Northern Iraq
Analysis by Jacques N. Couvas
ANKARA – Triumphalism, which generally prevails in official communiqués and the Turkish media following Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visits abroad, was dimmed Monday night at the end of the meeting between him and U.S. President George W. Bush.
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Rice Moves to Stall Another Iraq Invasion
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39910
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AFGHANISTAN: Police Academy Duties Faze US Troops
Fawzia Sheikh
KANDAHAR – Like other troops, the Sep.11, 2001 attacks against the United States inspired Sgt. First Class Darryl Cheatham to join the military. The South Carolina native had already served 10 years in the army before returning to civilian life, but patriotism lured him back into uniform.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39951
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MIDEAST: High Stakes for Annapolis Peace Meet
Ali Gharib
WASHINGTON – Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas joined U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Ramallah Monday to express optimism that progress towards a Palestinian state could be made in the upcoming talks sponsored by the Bush administration between Israeli and Palestinian leaders in Annapolis, Maryland.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39944
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IRAQ: Millions Trapped in Their Own Country
Ahmed Ali*
BAQUBA – At least five million Iraqis have fled their homes due to the violence under the U.S.-led occupation, but half of them are unable to leave the country, according to well-informed estimates.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39921
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Palestinians Get Some Medical Care
Ramsey Ben-Achour
RAMALLAH – After packing the ambulance with medical equipment and bags full of medicine, Dr. Jameel Mashny, Dr. Rami Habash and their nurse, Maysa Youseff, all from the Palestine Medical Relief Society (PMRS), prepare themselves for the long day ahead.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39934
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IRAQ: Where Better Security Brings No Reassurance
Ahmed Ali*
BAQUBA – The much touted “surge” of U.S. troops in Baquba has caused more problems than it has solved, residents say. This has long been a volatile city plagued by rampant violence and administrative chaos.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39897
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PAKISTAN: Pro-Taliban Militants Grip Swat Valley, Defy Army
Ashfaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR – Violence has escalated this week in Swat, a high valley in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP) bordering Afghanistan, where a tenuous ceasefire was broken by brazen attacks on government targets by pro-Taliban militants.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39916
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Egypt Challenges Israeli Smuggling Claims
Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani
CAIRO – Throughout October, Israeli officials reiterated longstanding claims that Egyptian authorities were failing to prevent weapons from being smuggled into the Gaza Strip, which has been governed by Palestinian resistance faction Hamas since June. According to many local commentators, however, the Israeli accusations are chiefly intended to achieve broader political ends.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39883
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US-IRAN: Republican Maverick Calls for Unconditional Talks
Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON – Amid growing contention among Democratic presidential contenders about U.S. policy toward Iran, a senior Republican lawmaker has appealed to President Bush to pursue “direct, unconditional, and comprehensive talks” with Tehran.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=39876
LobeLog.com
IPS Washington bureau chief Jim Lobe’s take on U.S. foreign policy and the story behind the story. www.ips.org/blog/jimlobe/
For more IPS reporting on the Middle East – www.ipsnews.net/middle.asp
Iraq: Beyond the Green Zone – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/iraq/index.asp
Iran: The Parthian Shot – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/iran/index.asp
Holy Land/Unholy War – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/israel_palestina/index.asp
Afghan Divide – www.ipsnews.net/afghanistan/index.asp
View From the U.S.: Bush at War – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/warII/index.asp
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