Twitter This Commentary In The News: Back to work and not much has changed... Things are STLL not going well in our war on Afghanistan. A new strategy has been announced that may require 40,000 more troops and 5 >>> 10 years of 'continued operations' "needed".

"(The new) strategy has essentially three legs, more security, followed by economic development, followed by better governance from the -- at the local levels in Afghanistan," Jones said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "My opinion was that we did not have a well-articulated strategy until March of this year. We had a strategy for security. We had a little bit of a strategy for economic development.... And we had a strategy that maybe addressed a little bit of governance and the rule of law. This strategy merges all of those three things." Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, is currently assessing the American military's involvement there and is expected to release his analysis soon. Raising troop levels is a top point of concern, as many "military experts insist that the additional resources are necessary," as reported today in The Washington Post. Jones was non-committal on troop increases, saying all options are under consideration. "... We have yet to be able to measure the implementation of the new strategy, so if you have recommendations, make it in the context of the new strategy. This -- we have learned one thing in six years, we -- this is not just about troop strength," Jones said on CBS. [In Full]

Also, another NATO soldier has been killed and ten days from now the Afghan elections happen. There are only 2 other candidates to split the vote and Hamid Karzai, ex-Unocal consultant (along with Abdul Rashid Dostum, the Uzbek Opium warlord from the Northern Alliance allegedly responsible for the massacre of thousands of captured Talib, as Chief of the Afghan army) in.

The likelihood that there will be a run-off between the top candidates in the upcoming Afghan presidential elections could spark civil unrest and ethnic violence in the already war-torn country, according to a report released Friday by an international think tank. In a report titled “Afghanistan Elections: Guns and Money,” the London-based International Council on Security and Development (ICOS) says that a combination of factors could lead to a much closer race than expected. ICOS: Afghanistan Elections: Guns and Money [Download PDF] Entering this summer, most analysts believed that incumbent Hamid Karzai would regain the presidency with a healthy margin of victory. However the potential for a run-off has been growing, as two of the 41 candidates for President have emerged as legitimate challengers – former foreign affairs minister Abdullah Abdullah and former finance minister Ashraf Ghani. Mr. Abdullah is currently second in most polls behind Mr. Karzai. However the ICOS report points out that Afghanistan's southern provinces – including Mr. Karzai's home province and power base of Kandahar, where Canadian troops are stationed – are rife with growing violence that will likely lead to several polling station closures on August 20th, when Afghans elect their new leader. That means many Paushtuns, who live in the south and largely support Mr. Karzai, may not be able to vote. On the other hand, the report notes, Mr. Abdullah's Tajik support base in the north enjoys much more security, and so may turn out to vote in larger numbers, increasing the likelihood of a run-off between the two men. [In Full]

President Obama is in Guadalajara Mexico and met with Mexican president Calderon yesterday. Today he will meet with prime minister Harper of Canada. One of the major issue discussed with president Calderon is the NAFTA allowance for Mexican trucks on the roads of the US. there have also been economic discussions.

President Obama tried to strike a balance between American and Mexican priorities when he met Sunday night with Mexican President Felipe Calderon in Guadalajara, Mexico. While there was no movement on either of Mexico's largest concerns-- a trucking dispute and Mexico's drug war-- the two leaders had a "cordial" 45-minute meeting, says a senior Obama administration official. Mr. Obama expressed his "strong support" for President Calderon's efforts in fighting the pervasive and violent drug cartels which are affecting the security of both the US and Mexico. But the Mexican government says the delay of the implementation of the Merida Initiative, a $1.4 billion US aid package intended to help Mexico combat traffickers, is holding back their cause. But President Obama wanted to assure Calderon the issue won't languish forever, "[The President] had expressed the desire to accelerate the implementation [of Merida] over the course of the last four months [since Obama last met Calderon]. We've seen significant progress on that front. That progress was discussed." [In Full]

Attorney General Holder is apparently ready to appoint a Special Prosecutor to look into the CIA contracting out the torture and abuse of Guantanamo prisoners. Expect it back in the news next spring.

Los Angeles, Aug 10 (IANS) The US attorney general is set to order an inquiry into alleged abuses committed by CIA during the interrogation of terrorism suspects. Democrats and opponents of the Bush administration have been demanding a probe into the methods used by the agency against terror suspects, particularly at Guantanamo Bay. President Barack Obama has not ruled out the investigation but he has been reluctant to commit himself, fearing it will open divisions. But quoting government officials, the Los Angeles Times said Sunday that Attorney General Eric Holder Jr is now poised to appoint a criminal prosecutor to investigate alleged CIA abuses against terrorism suspects during their interrogation. The newspaper said the inquiry will focus on “whether people went beyond the techniques that were authorised”. It said cases of criminal abuse that have not previously been disclosed also include an instance in which a CIA operative brought a gun into an interrogation booth to force a detainee to talk. Other potentially criminal abuses have already come to light, including the waterboarding of prisoners in excess of Justice Department guidelines, and the deaths of detainees in CIA custody in Afghanistan and Iraq in 2002 and 2003, according to the newspaper. [In Full]

Uighurs fleeing Western China. Over the weekend a KAM airliner from Kabul was turned back and they have been detained in Kyrgyzstan.

BISHKEK, Aug 10 (Reuters) - Kyrgyzstan's police detained two Uighur community leaders after they accused China of "state terrorism" at a rally on Monday and called for an independent investigation of last month's clashes in neighbouring Xinjiang. About 500 Uighurs gathered at a building on the outskirts of the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek with photographs posted to the walls showing what they said was abuse of their kinfolk in China. The pictures portrayed people being beaten up and held at gunpoint as well as unconscious or dead people lying in the streets. In Xinjiang's worst ethnic unrest in decades, Uighurs staged protests in the regional capital Urumqi on July 5 after two Uighurs were killed in a clash at a factory in south China in June. The violence left 197 people dead and more than 1,600 wounded, mostly Han Chinese who launched revenge attacks in Urumqi days later, according to the Chinese government. About 1,000 people, mostly Uighurs, have been detained in a government crackdown. [In Full]

In Honduras the illegitimate Micheletti government is prepared to negotiate with them the internationally recognized Zelaya government using Costa Rica and the OAS as intermediaries even as Colombia prepares to allow the US to use their airbases in return for military and economic aid (Plan Colombia) and Venezuela claims a territorial incursion by Colombian forces.

The interim government in Honduras now says that it is willing to accept mediation talks with a delegation from the Organisation of American States. But it says it will only do so if the OAS Secretary-General, Jose Miguel Insulza, attends only as an observer. It had earlier refused to accept the delegation because it said Mr Insulza lacked objectivity. He has called for the reinstatement of President Manuel Zelaya, who was toppled in a military coup in June. It's not known whether the OAS will accept the terms for the visit. The meeting had been planned for Tuesday, but a new date has yet to be announced. Mr Zelaya was sent into exile after a coup in June amid a power struggle over his plans for constitutional change. [In Full]

[After the commentary David Lindley and friends want to tell you all about an American classic you will soon see no more of. Courtesy of the respective artists and KPIG radio Freedom California.] -30-
Creative Commons Copyright Courtesy of Cabale News Service, KPIG Radio, and KVMR Radio. Listen to KPIG, Listen to KVMR Recorded & transcribed by The Buffalo Amongst Wolves @ Razed By Wolves

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