Iran
Mideast Nuclear Conference in Jeopardy
George Jahn, Associated Press – May 8, 2012
Hopes dimmed Tuesday for staging major nuclear talks later this year between Israel and its Muslim rivals, as Iran and Arab countries at a 189-nation conference accused Israel of being the greatest threat to peace in the region and Egypt warned that Arab states might rethink their opposition to atomic arms.
Iran Seeks to Scuttle U.S. Pact With Kabul
Nathan Hodge and Habib Khan Totakhil, Wall Street Journal – May 8, 2012
Iran is raising pressure on Afghanistan to scuttle a newly signed security accord with the U.S., threatening to deport Afghan refugees and migrant workers if Afghanistan’s parliament ratifies the deal.
New Israel Partner Offers Moderate Voice on Iran
Isabel Kershner, New York Times – May 8, 2012
Less than two weeks ago, Yuval Diskin, the recently retired chief of Israel’s internal security agency, carried out a blistering verbal assault on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his defense minister, Ehud Barak, questioning their judgment in handling what they regard as an Iranian nuclear threat and accusing them of making decisions “based on messianic feelings.”
Missile Defense
GOP plans East Coast missile defense shield
Jeremy Herb, The Hill (blog) – May 8, 2012
A new Republican plan to set up a missile defense site on the East Coast has attracted election-year fireworks, with Democrats accusing the GOP of pushing the idea to undercut President Obama’s national-security credentials.
Afghanistan
As The Clock Ticks, Americans Train Afghan Troops
Tom Bowman, NPR – May 8, 2012
Just outside Kandahar, the main city in southern Afghanistan, the U.S. military is starting a new program it hopes will wean Afghan troops off American assistance. A dozen or so American soldiers make up one of the Security Force Assistance Teams, and the goal is to help the Afghan army plan for operations and supply itself in the field. But the mission is still a work in progress.
