Recently unclassified interviews with Hussein illustrate his obsession with a perceived Iranian threat:

• Hussein Pointed to Iranian Threat (Washington Post)

“Much of the destruction was wanton and deliberate, and was carried out in a manner and circumstances which indicated that it could not be justified on grounds of military necessity.” – Amnesty International…

• Israel ‘Wantonly Destroyed Gaza’ (Al Jazeera)

…Meanwhile, Israeli Court ordered a stronger indictment for a solider charged with “improper conduct” after shooting a blindfolded and handcuffed Palestinian:

• Israel’s Top Court Sides with Palestinian Against Military: Is That Activism’?(Christian Science Monitor)

“The government’s continued reliance on evidence gained by torture and other abuse violates centuries of U.S. law and suggests the current administration is not really serious about breaking with the past” – ACLU lawyer Jonathan Hafetz

• ACLU Says Government Used False Confessions (Washington Post)

Iranians describe the breakdown of rule of law and their punishment for expressing their political beliefs:

• Iran Book Publisher Recalls Weeklong Ordeal in Prison (LA Times)

Entrenching themselves into the local community, US forces hope to develop a relationship with the Afghani citizens while promoting local governance  as an alternative to Taliban rule:

• Marines Deploy on Major Mission (Washington Post)

Prompted by the Dean’s unwillingness to address Muslim bigotry,

• GSU Professor Resigns over “Bomb” Comments to Muslim-American Student (Ireport)

US strategy in Afghanistan will focus on three underlining objectives, “security; economic development and reconstruction; and governance by the Afghans under the rule of law”:

• Key in Afghanistan: Economy, Not Military (Washington Post)

With the help of his powerful allies, Ahmadinejad continues to crack down on the opposition:

• Iranian Opposition Newspaper Shut Temporarily (LA Times)

Although the Pakistani government has a strong support from its citizens, “large majorities opposed all aspects of the U.S.-led war in neighboring Afghanistan”:

• Pakistanis Turn on Taliban, but Resent U.S.: Poll (Reuters / Washington Post)

As Israel’s blockade slowly suffocates the Palestinian fishing industry, which once employed up to 45,000 and brought  in $10 million annually …

• How Israel’s Naval Blockade Denies Gazans Food, Aid (Christian Science Monitor)

… Hamas is dismayed by the “international indifference” towards Israeli piracy:

• Hamas Criticizes World’s ‘Silence’ at Capture of Gaza Aid Boat (Ma’an News)

“One thing remains clear, Palestinians will refuse to go down in history as those Muslims and those Arabs who sold out on Jerusalem…. [T]he conclusion is: no deal is better than a bad deal”:

• No change in Jerusalem, Yet (Guardian)