IRAN REPORTS

• Global Security Newswire says “Iran to take new direction in Nuclear and Foreign Policy, President-Elect Says”. Is this the ‘new’ direction: If EU does not recognize Iran’s right to enrichment, it will enrich uranium. If the EU recognizes Iran’s right to enrichment, it will enrich uranium. No enrichment, No deal. Any questions?

• Demonstrations for the popular jailed and hunger striking dissident Akbar Ganji led to clashes with Iranian security. See here and here for more details.
  
• Sunni Group in Iran (Organisation of God's Soldiers for Sunni Mujahideen) beheads Iranian Security agent.

IRAQ REPORTS

• al Qaeda in Iraq field general now out of circulation. Abu Abd al-Aziz, the 'Emir of Baghdad', has been captured.

• Minister says US can begin handing control to Iraqis in quiet provinces. Iraq’s 6th Regiment, 5th Brigade was activated for duty.

• Yet more terrorist attacks against infidels…err…Muslims

• Zarqawi defends attacks on Shias…Denies attacks on Christians…then what’s this?

• Mark Yost offers this week’s Must Read column: Why They Hate Us (Register…you’ll thank us.)

AFGHANISTAN REPORTS

• Senior Afghani Pro-Government cleric murdered.

• Karzai fingers Iran & Pakistan for having intelligence agents within Afghan Government.

• Four prisoners escape US prison in Afghanistan.

• And a story worth repeating: How the Shepherd saved the SEAL.

THE MIDDLE EAST

• Islamic Jihad suicide bomber kills four at Israeli mall (now ten murders by IJ since Sharm Al Sheik summit in February). Israel signals an end of restraint, calling for a ‘root canal’ on Islamic Jihad. In the first counter-operation with IDF in pursuit, 2 PA Police officers who fired on Israeli troops were killed. While Condoleezza Rice demanded that Syria cease support for Islamic Jihad, President Bush rescinded aid to PA for non-compliance with terror agreement…and yet restored it in the next paragraph.

• Pro-Syrian Lebanese Defense Minister survives bomb blast in a Christian neighborhood. The Defense Minister just happens to be the son-in-law of pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud. Imagine that.
  
• Arab media reaction to London bombings: Britain, Expel Extremism.

• Kuwait Raises Level of Alert on al Qaeda attack fears.

AMERICAN DOMESTIC SECURITY

• Michael Chertoff announces a Six-Point Agenda for refocusing US Department of Homeland Security. Point #3 is especially noteworthy: Strengthen border security and interior enforcement and reform immigration processes. Chertoff provided a welcome lesson in leadership with the following: "Over time, as intelligence warrants and progress allows, DHS will be open to change. We will be straight forward. If something goes wrong, we will not only acknowledge it, we will be the first to fix the error." Here, here.

• US sees 175% increase in ‘Other Than Mexican’ (OTM) arrests for illegal entry at the US/Mexican border in 2004. 119,000 of the 919,000 detained were OTM’s.

• Permanent Patriot Act proposed.

THE AMERICAS

• Bombing in the streets of Port of Spain, Trinadad, injures four, one more shot. [Note: 80% of US liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports come from Tobago.]

AFRICA

• Is a Sudan truce really coming?

ASIA & AUSTRALIA

• 150 Australian SpecOps troops bound for Afghanistan for al Qaeda hunt.

• The Stars align as Pakistan & China cooperate militarily… Lest we forget China’s other friend. American Foreign Policymakers, remember, have not been idle in the shade and the G4 attempt to add more members to the UN Security Debate Society also failed.

• Thailand readies for war to the south as guerilla warfare persists in the Muslim-majority southern provinces.

• NoKor Returns to Six-Nation talks demanded by President Bush…meanwhile, back at the ranch, construction resumes on two nuclear facilities.
  
• ‘Internal power struggle’ delays Pentagon’s annual China report.

EUROPE

• Denmark threatened as ‘next on terror attack list’ by Abu Hafs al-Masri Brigades.

• American Future points us to Daniel Pipes who writes of Weak Brits and a Strong France, and also highlights a French journalist who also gets it (and hopefully speaks for more French citizens than we hear of). France’s intelligence community definitely gets it, even if the rest of the French government, including schools, may not.

• Is British government funding a visit by Suicide Bombing promoter??? (See above.)

• Colombian President tells Spain: Terrorism not defeated with negotiation. (Next stop on the speaking tour?)
  
• ETA bombs Spanish power plant.

• Van Gogh Murderer Confesses and refuses defense at trial.

• Amsterdam Teen arrested with Bomb after intercepted phone calls indicated he intended to target conservative MP Geert Wilders.

• EU Justice official proposes that all EU states create national anti-terrorism centers (like France, oddly).

THE GLOBAL WAR

• London – Tel Aviv bombing connection via Chinese explosives?

• London bombers traced back to Pakistani camps…just like the Lodi, California crew.

• It’s a ‘New’ kind of war, AP says, quoting experts. Looks like someone has not been reading the Winds of War reports.

We try to close on a lighter note if possible. This Thursday, we close with a whole new category…

Moonbat Magnet Special

• Global Warming an even bigger threat to National Security than terrorism. (See…it really is a new kind of war.)

Also, for a first-thing-in-the-morning daily news brief that also includes a healthy share of MilBlogger reports direct from the field, go read Mrs. Greyhawk's daily Dawn Patrol (yesterday's is here) over at The Mudville Gazette. It's a consistently outstanding collection of topical links that sets the table for the developing news of the day (with a decidedly Military/NatSec focus). You'll likely make it a daily read as I have.

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