Final Post For Tonight -- A Tribute Video To U.S. Soldiers

Iraq War News Updates -- May 20, 2008

US: 500 Youths Detained In Iraq -- Washington Times
Gunmen 'kill 11 Iraqi recruits' -- BBC News
US military deaths in Iraq war at 4,080 -- Yahoo News
U.S. Quietly Slashes the Reward for Al Qaeda in Iraq Leader -- U.S. News And World Report
How picture phones have fuelled frenzy of honour killing in Iraq -- Independent
Murderer of Iraqi Archbishop Sentenced to Death -- Jawa Report
Attrition taking toll on Mahdi army -- Strategy Page
Pentagon announces Iraq, Afghanistan troop deployments -- Newsweek
U.S. apologizes over use of Quran as target -- MSNBC
Iraqi court rulings stop at U.S. detention sites -- MSNBC
News Media Exposes Secret Action To Free British Hostages - What’s Up With That? -- Strata-Sphere
Iraqi officials say top Qaeda figure in Mosul has been arrested -- International Herald Tribune
Former Hussein general arrested -- CNN
Updates On The War In Iraq 05_18_08 -- Strata-Sphere
Operation Lion's Roar nets more than 1,000 suspects -- Long War Journal

My Comment: The war continues. But the conflict appears to be slowly dying down. The news is not what it was a year or two ago. Let's keep our fingers crossed. The months of March - June and September - December have always been the most bloodiest.

Afghanistan War News Updates -- May 20, 2008

Pictured: The moment a U. S. Marine escapes death as a Taliban bullet whistles past his head -- Daily Mail

Anti-Taliban push underway in Afghanistan: Australian military -- Yahoo News
2 NATO soldiers die in separate actions in Afghanistan's embattled south -- International Herald Tribune
Soldiers sickened by Taliban tactic of using children as suicide bombers -- My Telus
German Special Forces in Afghanistan Let Taliban Commander Escape -- Der Spiegel
Updates On The War In Afghanistan/Pakistan 05_19_08 -- Strata-Sphere
Hopeful Signs From Ex-Taliban Hotbed -- Toronto Star
Taliban gearing up for spring offensive -- The Globe And Mail
Taliban 'losing momentum' -- Toronto Star
US aid 'failing to reach target' -- BBC News
Taliban Rocket Bounces Off Brit Officer -- Jawa Report
Afghans Free Foreign Contractors -- BBC News
Afghan army kills 15 militants in gunbattle: official -- Rantburg
Suicide bomber kills 4 civilians in Afghan south -- Rantburg
Attacks Kill Afghan Soldiers, Police -- Rantburg
Afghan Journalist Appeals Death Sentence For Insulting Islam -- Gateway Pundit
Pentagon announces Iraq, Afghanistan troop deployments -- Newsweek
Militants free Pakistan envoy to Afghanistan -- L.A. Times
Pakistan resists U.S. pressure on cross-border raids -- International Herald Tribune
U.S. plans new detention center in Afghanistan -- International Herald Tribune

My Comment: I am surprised by the articles from the Toronto Star. The Toronto Star is a very liberal paper in Canada, and not a fan of Canada's role in Afghanistan. The fact that the paper sees a positive trend in Afghanistan means that things may start to get better. I am still skeptical that this is true .... too many Afghans are too heavily invested in NOT having this conflict come to an end (for now), but maybe .... just maybe .... a tipping point is being reached.

Commentary And Opinion On the World's Conflicts -- May 20, 2008

THE U.S. AND ITS WARS
Damaging The War Effort -- Washington Times
How John McCain is not George W. Bush -- Daniel Drezner
What Vietnam taught McCain about war -- Matt Bai, International Herald Tribune
Should next president talk with Ahmadinejad? -- FOX News
When Smart Folks Miss -- Winds Of Change
Culpable mois? -- Kings Of War

INTERNATIONAL
Food crisis creates an opening for Muslim fundamentalists -- LA Times
South Africa's hard truths -- Sean Jacobs, The Guardian
Iraq: Stupid Soldier, Quick Response -- Abu Muqawama
A state in denial needs reality checks (Radical Islam In The U.K.) -- Alasdair Palmer, The Telegraph
Major lapses in nuclear security are routine -- The Independent
The Incredible Shrinking Superpower -- Massimo Calabresi/Al Janadriyah, Time Magazine
A Reality Check as Israel Turns 60 -- Fouad Ajami, U.S. News & World Report

AFGHANISTAN
Is Nato Repeating The USSR's Mistakes? -- Alastair Leithead, BBC News
Who will be left standing when the Afghan war ends? -- Myra MacDonald, Reuters

LEBANON
Hezbollah's Defeat -- Rantburg
Hezbollah's Power Play -- Washington Times
Lebanon's Future -- Winds Of Change
The Resistance as Oppressor -- Abu Muqawama

Wars And Conflicts In Latin America -- May 20, 2008

Venezuela and Colombia at a standoff over possible border incursion -- International Herald Tribune
US 'violated Venezuela airspace' -- BBC News
U.S. Navy aircraft violates Venezuela's airspace -- Reuters
MEDIA IGNORES Rep. McGovern (D-Mass) Was Secretly Working With FARC To Undermine Colombian Government -- Gateway Pundit
Leading Farc Commander Surrenders -- BBC News
Starving FARC Leader Surrenders in Colombia-- Responsible For Murder of President Uribe's Father -- Gateway Pundit
Drug lords go after Mexican police -- MSNBC
Drug Cartels to Mexican Police: 'Join Us or Die' -- Rantburg
New phase seen in Mexico's drug war -- LA Times

My Comment: Venezuela is clearly in one of its phases of saying anything as long as it can rile the people up .... or at least some of them. Colombia is clearly making head way in its war with Farc. Mexico needs to control their narco-gangs, but with so much money involved we should not expect success.

Middle East Wars And Conflicts -- May 20, 2008

MIDDLE EAST
Bin Laden Lashes Out At Arab Leaders -- Yahoo News
Abbas Rejects U.S. Mediation In Peace Talks -- Washington Times
Bush Takes Arabs To Task Over Oppression -- Washington Times
Morocco arrests 11 accused of links to Iraq insurgency and terror plots -- International Herald Tribune
Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula Threatens to Attack Any Foreigner Arriving There -- Memri Blog

SPECIAL COVERAGE ON LEBANON
Lebanese peace talks in Qatar on brink of collapse -- Yahoo News
Lebanese unity plan 'in trouble' -- BBC News
Arab ministers struggle to save Lebanon talks -- Financial Times
Lebanon May Attract Sunnis Seeking to Wage Jihad -- US News And World Report
Lebanese Sunnis bitter after Hezbollah triumph -- Rantburg
Barricading Beirut -- Newsweek
Lebanon power-sharing talks hit snag -- MSNBC
On one street in Beirut, all are welcome -- L.A. Times

Sri Lanka War Updates -- May 20, 2008

'Heavy casualties' in Sri Lanka -- BBC News
78 dead in Sri Lanka clashes -- The Guardian
Sri Lankan military bombs rebel centre -- Rantburg
Sri Lanka: Fight To The Death -- Strategy Page
Suicide bomb in Sri Lanka capital -- BBC
Ex-Tamil Tigers set their eyes on polls -- BBC News

My Comment: This war is sooooo under reported. The government is on the offensive and are confident of victory. Even ex-Tamil Tigers are getting ready to run in federal elections. Unfortunately, like most conflicts that are about to end, that is when the real mass killing starts.