Morning Brief, June 26, 2006

Iraq PM Maliki announces a national reconciliation plan, but it produces as many questions as answers. Four Russian diplomats seized in early June may be dead, although the Russian FM still holds out hope. The Pentagon says there will be no troop reductions in western Iraq. Violence notwithstanding, Iraqis are going to class. Democrats wonder why they're not ...

By , a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies.

Iraq

Iraq

PM Maliki announces a national reconciliation plan, but it produces as many questions as answers. Four Russian diplomats seized in early June may be dead, although the Russian FM still holds out hope. The Pentagon says there will be no troop reductions in western Iraq. Violence notwithstanding, Iraqis are going to class. Democrats wonder why they're not allowed to discuss withdrawal timetables but top generals are.

Afghanistan

The Taleban death toll mounts as Afghan and allied troops press a summer offensive. But do body counts matter? WaPo's Pamela Constable reports that Afghans and others are critical of Karzai's government. Meanwhile, in the Pakistani badlands, tribal forces announce a cease-fire with the government; a U.S. general sees it as a sign of progress.  

Mexican Presidential Race

Down to the wire, Calderon makes a last push against López Obrador. The rhetoric was hot at a campaign rally:

Our adversaries represent an alternative of hate and slander. They want to cheat Mexicans with lies that they will magically increase their wages,'' said Calderon.

Israel Kidnapping

Israeli PM Olmert vows to recover a soldier snatched by Hamas. "This is a crisis," said an Israeli spokesman as Israel's much maligned defense minister tries to weather it. Conflicting reports emerge about the soldier's whereabouts. 

Elsewhere 

Buffett and Gates join forces to create a philanthropic juggernaut. The rhetoric escalates in Seoul as the missile crisis lingers. A senior general is killed in Sri Lanka. Peace talks in northern Uganda? East Timor's embattled PM finally calls it quits

David Bosco is a professor at Indiana University’s Hamilton Lugar School of Global and International Studies. He is the author of The Poseidon Project: The Struggle to Govern the World’s Oceans. Twitter: @multilateralist

More from Foreign Policy

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping give a toast during a reception following their talks at the Kremlin in Moscow on March 21.

Can Russia Get Used to Being China’s Little Brother?

The power dynamic between Beijing and Moscow has switched dramatically.

Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.
Xi and Putin shake hands while carrying red folders.

Xi and Putin Have the Most Consequential Undeclared Alliance in the World

It’s become more important than Washington’s official alliances today.

Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
Russian President Vladimir Putin greets Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.

It’s a New Great Game. Again.

Across Central Asia, Russia’s brand is tainted by Ukraine, China’s got challenges, and Washington senses another opening.

Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.
Kurdish military officers take part in a graduation ceremony in Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s Kurdistan Region, on Jan. 15.

Iraqi Kurdistan’s House of Cards Is Collapsing

The region once seemed a bright spot in the disorder unleashed by U.S. regime change. Today, things look bleak.