Daily News Brief — August 11, 2010

11 Iraqis killed in explosion Eleven people were were killed in a raid in Iraq’s northern Diyala province. Iraqi soldiers had been tipped off about insurgents hiding in a house in al-Saadiya — but when they raided the house it exploded, killing at least eight Iraqi soldiers and three nearby civilians. As Iraqi politicians have ...

11 Iraqis killed in explosion
Eleven people were were killed in a raid in Iraq’s northern Diyala province. Iraqi soldiers had been tipped off about insurgents hiding in a house in al-Saadiya — but when they raided the house it exploded, killing at least eight Iraqi soldiers and three nearby civilians. As Iraqi politicians have been unable to form a government since their March election, the bombing comes amid increased attacks across Iraq and an increase in political uncertainty in the country. U.S. troops will continue their drawdown ahead of the combat-ending August 31 deadline set by President Obama.

  • Israeli military chief defends Gaza flotilla raid.
  • Toyota stops its shipments to Iran.
  • U.S. to send the imam from the ground zero mosque debate to the Middle East.
  • Iran says it will make up for cutoff of U.S. aid to Lebanon.
  • Outgoing U.S. envoy defends progress in Iraq.

Daily Snapshot

An Iraqi man holds a plate of dates on August 11, 2010. Dates are a popular way for Muslims to break their day-long fast during the holy month of Ramadan — which begins today. (Sabah Arar/AFP/Getty Images)

Arguments & Analysis
Nasrallah achieved his aim: to sow doubt‘ (Rami G. Khouri, The Daily Star)
Nasrallah “is playing the role of prosecutor or defense attorney in a murder trial,” writes Rami Khouri of the Hezbollah secretary general’s televised address from Monday. Nasrallah’s “reasonable doubt” narrative has helped strengthen his hand as the Special Tribunal for Lebanon moves forward, but whether or not his claims regarding Israel’s role were diversionary or held some credible leads is yet to be seen.

‘U.S. and Iraqi Interests May Work Against Pullout’ (Tim Arango, The New York Times)
With an imminent deadline for American drawdown from Iraq, the Obama administration mulls whether it will indeed remove all US troops from Iraqi soil by the end of 2011. “A sustained American presence, at relatively low cost, could prevent Iraq…from slipping back into civil war,” writes Tim Arango. But the political stakes for President Obama are high, “especially as his party slowly abandons him on the war in Afghanistan.”

‘A Kurdish flag in Turkish skies?’ (Mustafa Aykol, Hurriyet)
How will Turkish nationalists respond to Osman Baydemir, mayor of the Kurdish city of Diyarbak?r, who suggested that it fly a Kurdish flag? Mustafa Aykol argues that the mayor’s remarks offer an opportunity to confront the “astonishing perception gap between the Kurds and the Turkish majority.”

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Maria Kornalian is the executive associate for the Project on Middle East Political Science and an assistant editor for the Middle East Channel.
Jonathan Guyer is senior editor of the Cairo Review of Global Affairs. He blogs about Arabic comics and caricature at Oum Cartoon. On Twitter: @mideastXmidwest. Twitter: @mideastXmidwest

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