Morning Brief, Monday, May 22

Must-read of the day: NYT on Iraq's bungled police reform. It's a story of misguided recruitment, slashed budgets, sloppy training, and massive corruption, resulting in a police corps marked by a "startling mix of heroics and incompetence, dedication and criminality." More foreboding:

James Steele, a retired United States Army colonel who also helped develop the special police as a member of General Petraeus's team, said he did not regret their creation, but rather saw their misuse by sectarian groups as one of the biggest threats to the American plans in Iraq.

"That is more dangerous in terms of our strategic success than the insurgency," he said. "If this thing deteriorates into an all-out civil war our position becomes untenable. Who the hell are you fighting?"

And be sure to read yesterday's first part in this series: How U.S. misjudgments handicapped the creation of a police force from the beginning of the war.

Iraq's new government pledges to tackle terror with everything it's got. Tony Blair visits Baghdad to show support.

Threats of fines and lost business convince major European banks to limit deals with Iran. If that isn't enough, the U.S. plans military exercises with Turkey next week to show Ahmadinejad it means business. Officials from the US, Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia will meet on Wednesday in London to discuss options on Iran.

Montenegro votes to secede from Serbia in a squeaker. Angela Merkel gets China to commit to tackling piracy. Head of the WHO dies after emergency brain surgery. Airstrikes against the Taliban in Afghanistan kill dozens.

If you missed it yesterday: Nina Shea in Outlook on Saudi textbooks and the indoctrination of hatred and intolerance in Saudi schools.