Reconciliation in the Iraqi Military

Gina Chon of the Wall Street Journal reports some positive developments between Kurdish and Arab military personnel in Iraq, which has been one of the largest hurdles peace and cooperation within the government. Gina writes:reports on

“Gen. Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, has said Arab-Kurd tensions are the country's biggest security threat. But over the past six months, in parts of Iraq's north, American commanders have brokered a quiet, if uneasy, détente between the two sides' military forces. Officers from Iraq's mostly Arab national army have started working with counterparts from the Kurdish regional government's armed militia, the peshmerga.

American military officers in Kirkuk have persuaded Arab and Kurdish commanders to cooperate partly by emphasizing what it means to be a professional soldier, which is not being involved in politics. They tell them that the problems between Kurdish and Arab politicians in Baghdad, and between the Kurdish regional and Iraqi governments, need to be solved by the politicians -- that their job as soldiers is to take care of security.”

Is the Catholic church a force for good in the world?

More Christopher Hitchens. This is really the type of program they should have on all major television stations. If the cable news networks need something to drone on and on about everyday as they attempt to make every piece of news an important event worth aimlessly discussing, they could at least have folks on to have a serious debate.

There is no reason this type of program isn't the norm.

Turkish Psychedelic

Another rare find I came across here in Edinburgh. This is a track from the Turkish west-meets-near east act known as Hüsnü Özkartal Orkestrasi. As far as I can tell, they only released one record in 1972.

Mahmoud Vahidnia, A Very Big Man

A math student in Tehran has done the unthinkable: asked why Iranian citizens can't criticize the clerical leadership in the country.

"I don't know why in this country it's not allowed to make any kind of criticism of you," said the student, wearing a long-sleeved blue polo shirt and appearing calm.

"In the past three to five years that I have been reading newspapers, I have seen no criticism of you, not even by the Assembly of Experts, whose duty is to criticize and supervise the performance of the leader," he said, referring to the clerical body that chooses the country's supreme leader.

Khamenei countered, "We welcome criticism. We never said not to criticize us. ... There's plenty of criticism that I receive," according to accounts in state media and on opposition Web sites.

Hitchens vs. Turek

Well recorded, and while Hitchens hits the same points for the past year now, it's still worth a watch. Turek makes some rather poor arguments, and seems to think that if he simply throws every possible contention at Hitchens he can win the debate. He surely doesn't come out well. Part 1 of 13, so make some coffee or get some scotch and sit back. Hitch comes in in the third part.

Edinburgh Castle

Recent Joshua Muravchik

Joshua had an interesting interview on Public Radio Tulsa, specifically on Iran.

Newsmax interviewed him for a piece they did on the Obama administrations plan to cut Pro-Democracy funds for Iran.

He also appears in a new DVD aimed at high school students titled "Deadly Mistakes?", which deals with American military intervention overseas.

Elsewhere

Pic from Zombietime.

Another week, Fascism Still Undefeated - Bob from Brockley

Thirty Mahdi Army commanders assassinated in Damascus - Iraq the Model

Hungarian MP: Jews taking over Hungary and the world - Adam Holland

I Rang Up the Taliban in Quetta and Complained - Airforce Amazons

From Bucharest to Chernobyl - Michael Totten

Child's Play - Terry Glavin

Unknown Occupations - The Contentious Centrist

A Hollow Victory for Goodies - Your Friend in the North

You Cannot Kill the Truth with a Bullet - The Poor Mouth

Bill Maher on vaccination: we have to debate this... - Simply Jews

Some choice Democratiya from Poumista

Anti-German Translation also has some nice links that I approve of.

A Painful but Necessary Process in Afghanistan - Max Boot

Is California Finished? - John B. Judis

BNP Official's Mask Falls Off - Little Green Footballs

Shame! Galloway and Crow aid diehard admirers of Stalinist tyranny - Workers Liberty

Islamist Extremism and the Murder of Daniel Pearl - Joseph Lieberman