July 28, 2006

Friday, July 28 06

No cool heads today as Russia 'expresses concern' about Georgia's attacks on Abkhaz border positions, and Russian peacekeepers block a Georgian military convoy in Abkhazia. Two more Canadian troops die in Afghanistan, days after reports of a split in support for Operation Athena, Michael Ignatieff stands firm against critics of his Afghanistan position. The Canadian Department of National Defense (DND) Defense Policy Group has a good vantage point to study the Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) approach. This article on ZNet back in May, 2006 described the Canadian Invasion of Southern Afghanistan. Here's part II of: 'How Australia orchestrated "“regime change" in East Timor' from the World Socialist Web Site. It's official: hair-split elections are some kind of recurring trend. Is high-altitude bombing an effective tool in modern war? Darfur refugee camps in recent CBC and BBC pictures. The International Rescue Team (IRT) is a New-York-based NGO anti-genocide advocacy group with and emphasis outside North America, that receives funding from major corporatdonorsrs, and Crossfire War is a web log for: 'Analysis of international events in the Eurasian Continent and other regions involved in WWIII: 1994-2007.' This article lays out some arguments for political secession of the city New York (!?). A rebel group in eastern D.R. Congo agrees to a cease-fire leading up to the key election.

July 27, 2006

Thursday, July 27 06

Georgian armed forces continued to attack Abkhaz rebels today, amid fears that tension on the Russian border could boil over. Somalia's central government is powerless to re-establish internal security, as Ethiopian forces continue to advance. However, against a U.N. arms embargo, weaponry continues to find its way into the country. In a bizarre twist, U.N. officials claim to have instructed Israel repeatedly to cease fire on its border outpost. In response to recent government attacks, Tamil Tigers appear ready to escalate.

July 26, 2006

Wednesday, July 26 06

With the conflicting messages leaving Afghanistan, hard to tell whether the major operations taking place are achieving real success. Robert Fisk: 'Israeli missiles had clearly pierced the very centre of the red cross on the roof of each ambulance'. In Rome talks, mideast ceasefire is likely a non-option, but consensus emerges about peacekeepers. In Sri Lanka, government troops attacked Tamil Tiger positions yesterday, likely signaling further escalation. Constitutional crisis continues to unfold in Ukraine. Chad and Sudan rivalry continues, but agreement is reached not to host rebel groups. A big election day in D.R. Congo.

July 24, 2006

Tuesday, July 25 06

Seven years after NATO's intervention, Kosovo remains under U.N. control, and talks with Belgrade end deadlocked. The security situation and direct attacks against humanitarian workers and NGOs in the Sudan prevent aid from reaching camps for refugees. With its army demobilized and 15,000 U.N. peacekeeping troops currently deployed, Liberia now begins to train new armed forces.

Monday, July 24 06

Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki says that foreign troops could leave his country 'within months', but senior Iraqi government officials report that sectarian break-up of Iraq is inevitable. In the words of Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari; "Iraq as a political project is finished". Nepal's rebels have agreed to extend June 16th's ceasefire, which could breathe life into peace talks. Chomsky debates NATO's inconsistency and credibility in the Kosovo bombing campaign.

July 23, 2006

july 23

In Somalia, tensions increase as Ethiopian forces continue reclaim territory for the precarious transitional government. Finally the U.N. speaks on the pre-election political violence destabilizing D.R. Congo. As Australia contemplates boosting its troops in Afghanistan, two more Canadians die in a major military operation.