IRAN REPORTS

• The U.S. Department of Defense completes a simulation for invasion of Iran.

• Iran refutes the accusations of interference in Iraq's upcoming election made by Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawer and Jordan's King Abdullah II.

• "Reformist" Iranian President Mohammad Khatami was heckled by pro-democracy Iranian students during a speech at a university in Tehran. Barbs hurled at Khatami include these gems: "Khatami traitor, Khatami, shame, shame."

• The Iranian Justice minister says Iran is trying members of al Qaeda, but the Intelligence minister says no. Who's on third?

• The Arms Control Wonk reports the Bush administration may be working to sabotage any agreement with the EU3 on Iran's nuclear program, as verification would be all but impossible.

• Is Iran's space program really a “Trojan Horse” designed to test the Shahab-3 missile for the nuclear program?

THE MIDDLE EAST

• Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the attack on the United States Consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Fayez Awad Al-Jihani, one of the terrorists who died in the assault, dismissed several years ago from Saudi Arabia’s religious police, known as the Authority for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. This is the same organization responsible for the deaths of 15 schoolgirls in a fire in the Saudi city of Makkah in 2002.

• Israel and the Palestinian Authority have agreed to terms that will allow elections in February.

• It appears there is a move afoot in some Arab countries to make peace with Israel. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is asking Kuwait to open a diplomatic relationship to Israel, convince Syria to work towards peace with Israel and present a plan to the Gulf States Council for Cooperation which provides for a diplomatic and security agreement with Israel.

• The Jerusalem Post makes a strong case that the Intafada is over and credits the Israeli Defense Force with the victory. The article also notes the increasing influence of Hezbollah in Palestinian terrorism.

AMERICAN DOMESTIC SECURITY

• Congress passes the intelligence reform bill which places 15 agencies under one a single National Director of Intelligence, formalizes the National Counterterrorism Center and a host of other provisions.

• Benard Kerik withdraws his name from consideration as Secretary of Homeland Security. The immigration status of the former family nanny is in question.

• Concerns that al Qaeda are entering the United States via the Mexican border resurface after the arrest of a Bangladeshi Muslim, who was accompanied by members of an al Qaeda linked Central American gang.

AFRICA

• John Danforth, the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, stated that attempts to halt the violence and easy the suffering in Darfur have failed. "We've tried everything, we've tried the carrot approach, we've tried the stick approach and we are getting nowhere." Perhaps he meant to say we've tried the United Nations' version of the stick approach...

ASIA & AUSTRALIA

• Some Taliban fighters have accepted Afghanistan's offer of amnesty and are surrounding their weapons. Trust but verify.

• Eradication of the opium trade has become a priority for the Karzai administration, and the United States and Britain are providing substantial aid to fight the rise in production. [JK: Good freaking luck...]

• A Pakistani General states operations in Southern Waziristan have foreign terrorists on the run, and estimate on 100 remain in the region. We'll see.

• Pakistan arrests Syed Akbar Agha, the leader of the Army of Muslims, who is responsible for kidnapping United Nations workers in Afghanistan.

• Pakistan has detained 14 suspects thought responsible for the bombing in Quetta which killed 11 people. They are believed to be members of the Baluch Liberation Army.

• Japan reaffirms its commitment to the war on terror by extending the deployment in Iraq for one year.

• Indonesian prosecutors are having a difficult time attempting to link radical cleric Abu Bakar to the bombings in Bali and Jakarta. Convicted terrorists such as Hambali and Idris refuse to finger Bashir.

EUROPE

• European al Qaeda are using expertly reproduced cash cards (ATM) to withdraw hundreds of thousands of dollars to fund their activities.

• France wants Imans to learn French and study law and civics. It seems far to many clerics are foreign born and do not understand or appreciate French customs.

• Stephen Schwartz looks at the dangers of Greece promoting a Wahhabi funded Mosque outside of Athens.

• Dutch police believe they have uncovered a plot to attack Amsterdam’s red light district. The suspect is believe to have ties to the murderer of filmmaker Theo van Gogh.

THE GLOBAL WAR

• Athena writes a fascinating and insightful piece about the pervasive effects of honor killings in the Arab culture.

• Chrenkoff reports on the shifting alliances in the Pacific. France continues its attempts to strike an alliance with China, and Australia and Japan may begin to conduct joint training exercises. This affects America's military posture in the war on terror as it must maintain forces in the region.

• Children are being abducted from nations such as Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, transported to Pakistan's South Waziristan tribal regions, and being indoctrinated into jihad.
  
  We try to close on a lighter note if possible.

• You're the leader of a Southeast Asian nation racked with Islamist violence. What do you do? What do you do? Enter Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The plan? Operation Origami Airdrop, a massive barrage of 130,000,000 paper birds. The results were less than spectacular.

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