British PM Warns Karzai that Afghanistan May Lose UK Support

In an address to the Royal College of Defense Studies in London today, British prime minister Gordon Brown said that Afghan president Hamid Karzai risks losing western support if Karzai fails to address corruption in his second term. Gordon said "I am not prepared to put the lives of British men and women in harm's way for a government that does not stand up against corruption." Brown, speaking earlier this week to Karzai directly, said that Afghanistan must address security, governance, reconciliation, economic development and regional relations.

Read more at Al Jazeera or the London Times.

ICC Prosecutor Asks for Formal Investigation in Kenya

After completing preliminary investigations into violence that shook Kenya after elections in early 2008, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court, asked for a pre-trial hearing to begin a formal investigation. After the 2007 Kenyan election, the country broke out in violence which ended in tribal warfare and the deaths of over 1,500 people. Kenyan leaders had promised to investigate the violence, but have thus far failed to do so.

Read more at Al Jazeera.

Zimbabwe Prime Minister Ends Boycott

Morgan Tsvangirai, Zimbabwe's prime minister, boycotted the unity government three weeks ago, but has gone back to work in the country's unity cabinet to try to work out difficulties. Tsvangirai had walked out because, he said, the country's president, Robert Mugabe, had not implemented a power-sharing deal they had worked out after a disputed election, and had jailed members of the MDC opposition, most notably deputy agricultural minister Roy Bennett.

Read more about the boycott at National Security Law Brief or Al Jazeera.

UN General Assembly Votes to Back the Goldstone Report

In a 114 to 18 vote, with 44 member-states abstaining, the UN General Assembly voted today to endorse the Goldstone report. The report, which details possible war crimes committed by Hamas and Israel during fighting in Gaza last December. The report calls on both governments to investigate the allegations or for the UN to refer the matter to the International Criminal Court.

The United States, Italy, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands were among the member-states who voted against the report. Great Britain and France were among the member-states who abstained.

Read more at Al Jazeera and the Jerusalem Post.

Chief Of Russian's Spy Agency Warns of New Georgian War

In a very rare public interview commemorating the 91st anniversary of Russia's Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), Aleksandr Shlyakhturov, the head of the GRU, said that Georgia will likely attempt another attack at the breakaway republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia. Although Russia recognized the independence of the two republics after Russia repelled Georgian forces last year, only two other countries have also done so; most of the world recognizes South Ossetia and Abkhazia as part of Georgia.

Mr. Shlyakhturov said that tensions are high because Georgia refuses to recognize the independence of the two republics, and also sighted unpredictable Georgian leadership and small arms shipments going into Georgia from "new NATO members" in Eastern Europe.

Read more at RFE/RL.

The Pentagon Is "Decades Behind" Tracking Satellites

After a defunct Russian satellite collided with a Iridium-owned US satellite, which SatCom commander Gen. Kevin Chilton called a "seminal event," the Pentagon has been trying to keep tabs on over 20,000 satellites in earth orbit. Before the collision last Feburary, Chilton said the Air Force was tracking less that 1oo satellites per day, but has now increased that capacity to 800 per day, and plans on adding the ability to track 500 more by year's end. Chilton also said that the current system is too reliant on Air Force analysts, and is decades behind where it should be.

Read more at Reuters.

India Sells 6.7 Billion U.S. Dollars For Gold

India sent a very clear signal today when it announced it had bought 200 tons of gold from the IMF for $6.7 billion. India, with the fifth-largest foreign reserve of any country, made the largest ever purchase of gold, signaling what they saw was weakness in the U.S. dollar.

The Financial Times reported that Pranab Mukherjee, India's finance minister, said that the European and U.S. economies had collapsed. Central bank holdings around the world went from %9.9 reserves in gold a year ago to %12.6 today. The Times of India said that India felt is was overweight in U.S. Treasuries.

Goldstone Calls H.R. Res. 867 "Factually Inaccurate"

Justice Goldstone issues a line-by-line critique of H.R. Res. 867, which rejects the Goldstone Report as one sided and anti-Israeli. Justice Goldstone points out what he calls "misleading" and "factually inaccurate" interpretations of the Goldstone Report, including the charge that the basis of the fact-finding mission Goldstone led was to investigate Israeli activity. Goldstone says that the mission was to investigate all war crimes committed in Gaza during the fighting last December, and that the report specifically mentions war crimes committed by Hamas.

Read Justice Goldstone's letter to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

IAEA Chief Calls For A Quick Iranian Decision

Mohammed el-Baradei, head of the UN's International Atomic Energy Agency says Iran should make a timely response to an offer to export and reprocess much of Iran's nuclear stockpile. Iran had announced that it would export almost three-quarters of its stockpile of low enriched uranium (LEU) for reprocessing into fuel for its medical experimental rector by Russia and France. According to estimates, this would have left Iran without enough LEU to process into a nuclear weapon.

But Iran has been reluctant to take a clear position on its willingness to export any LEU, and had at one point announced it would keep its LEU and buy fuel for its reactor on the open market. All of this comes in the wake of a revelation that Iran has a second, smaller plant for enriching its uranium stockpile.

El-Baradei said that a clear willingness to export its nuclear stockpile would be a powerful gesture from Iran that it was only interested in nuclear technology for peaceful purposes. However, the IAEA chief warned against the use of force to prevent nuclear proliferation, reminding the world community, possibly Israel and the United States specifically, that the invasion of Iraq was premised on a search for weapons of mass destruction.

Read more at RFE/RL.

Niger Delta Peace Is Shaky

MEND, the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta, has threatened to end a ceasefire agreement negotiated in July. Many of the militants fighting in the Niger Delta want land back from oil companies, a greater share of revenue from oil exports, and complain of environmental degradation.

See a short video interview with MEND leader Henry Okah at Al Jazeera.

Abdullah Abdullah Withdraws from the Race

Days after sitting Afghan president Hamid Karzai agreed to a runoff election, his opponent, Abdullah Abdullah announced he was withdrawing from the race. Over a million ballots from the August 20 election were thrown out due to fraud, pushing Karzai below the 50 percent margin required for presidential elections. A second round is scheduled for November 7, but Abdullah said that the Afghan electoral system is so wracked with corruption that no outcome would be legitimate.

Read more at Al Jazeera.

Deposed President Manuel Zelaya Will Return to Honduras

In a deal signed Friday between negotiators for ousted president Manuel Zelaya and the de facto government of Roberto Micheletti, Zelaya will be allowed to return and finish up the last three months of his presidential term. Normal elections will be held on Nov. 29, and neither Zelaya nor Micheletti will run for office. Also, the electoral court will take over control of the army, and a truth counsel will be established to investigate events that lead to the coup.

Government officials are hoping that the agreement will end sanctions that were imposed after the coup and allow much needed aid to flow into the country. Despite sanctions, the IMF was still dispersing money to the de facto government.

Read more at NYTimes.

Iraqi Police and Soldiers Detained

60 soldiers and police officers, including 13 high-ranking officers, were detained today in regards to the twin bombings this past Sunday, Oct. 24. The government is clear that they are being detained, not arrested, as this point, and was not clear if they are suspected of involvement of the bombing or if they are detained because of negligence in their duties.

Read more at Al Jazeera.

Global Rise in IEDs

Although we hear a lot about IEDs in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan, global use of improvised explosive devises (IEDs) is on the rise. According to a study published in the New York Times, the number of IEDs exploded or discovered worldwide rose from 3,267 in 2006 to 4,027 in 2007 to 4,273 in 2008.

Although the number of devices exploded or discovered has decreased dramatically in Iraq, they are on the rise in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Colombia, Somalia, the Philippines, and parts of North Africa. Lt. Gen. Thomas Metz, who is in charge of a Pentagon program to counter IEDs, said that the devices are becoming a favorite tool amongst terrorist and insurgent groups, and is a trend that is likely to continue for decades to come. There is even information that North Korea is training its soldiers in the use of such devices.

Car Bomb Explodes in Pakistani Market

A bomb exploded today in a crowded woman's market in Peshawar, Pakistan. Al Jazeera reported today that almost 90 people were killed today, many of whom were women and children, and over 200 were injured. This is one of a series of bombings that have rocket different areas in Pakistan in the two weeks the Pakistani military has been fighting against Tahreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistani Taliban.

There was a bombing Oct. 23 near an air force installation, the assassination of a senior military leader in Islamabad on Oct. 22, two bomber at the International Islamic University in Islamabad on Oct. 20., a bombing at a police station in Peshawar on Oct. 16, a coordinated attack against security facilities in Lahore that killed 28 people on Oct. 15, and a raid on a army headquarters that left 14 dead and ended after a 22 hour standoff on Oct. 10.

Rocket Fired from Lebanon Lands in Israel

A Katyusha-like rocket, fired from Lebanon, landed in the Israeli town of Kiryat Shmona. No casualties were reported. Israeli forces then fired eight rockets into the Lebanese village of Hula. Lebanese and UN security forces responded to the initial fire, cordoning off and searching the village.

An Israeli military official said that Lebanon was responsible for any attacks emanating from Lebanese territory. This is the fourth attack from Lebanese territory this year.

Read more at Al Jazeera.

State Department Official Steps Down over US Policy in Afghanistan

Matthew Hoh, a senior State Department official in Afghanistan resigned today, stating in a letter that he had "lost understanding of, and confidence in, the strategic purposes of the United States' presence in Afghanistan", according to Al-Jazeera.

Before joining the Department of State, Hoh was a captain in the Marine Corps, had combat experience and had served in the Pentagon, reported the Washington Post. The Post also said Hoh's resignation "sent ripples all the way to the White House." Hoh is the first known US official to resign over the United States' Afghan policy.

Revolutionary Guard Arrested in Pakistan

Eleven members of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guard and two vehicles were detained in Pakistan by police near the Iran-Pakistan border today. BBC reports that the Guard members were found eight days after a bombing in Iran near the border killed 42 people, including six Revolutionary Guard commanders. Iran claimed that a Jundallah, a Sunni militant group based in Balochistan, Pakistan, had committed the bombing, and had called on Pakistan to investigate.

Opposition Leader Killed in Ingushetia

Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported that Maksharip Aushev, a local Ingushetia businessman and political opposition leader, was killed today with automatic weapons while driving his car on a main road in nearby Kabardino-Balkaria. Aushev was a critic of the last Ingushetia president, but was on good terms with the current Kremlin appointed president. This is but one of several attacks in the Moscow-controlled North Caucus region this year.

Another local opposition activist and Kremlin critic, Magomed Yevloyev, was detained and killed by local police in August of last year.

War Gaming Afghanistan

The US Department of Defense modeled the outcomes of the two most likely Afghanistan options available to President Obama this month. The Washington Post reported that these two scenarios were the deployment of 44,000 troops to help the Afghan government gain control of the country, or a more modest 10,000-15,000 troop increase dubbed "counter-terrorism plus."

General Stanley McChrystal drew criticism from members of the administration for publicly espousing favor for a large deployment earlier this month. McChrystal said that he would need at least 44,000 troops to force the Taliban out of populated areas and secure those areas until Afghan forces could take over. Both of the possible troop levels in the war game exercise were based on plans recommended by Gen. McChrystal. The 10,000-15,000 troop increase option would not include plans to force out Taliban shadow governments operating in Southern and Western Afghanistan. McChrystal also included an option that called for 80,000 troops, but this is not getting serious consideration.