Iraq Special: 10 Dramatic Revelations in Wikileaks' 400,000 Documents

It has been hard for us to keep up with the swirl of stories emerging from the summaries of Wikileaks' forthcoming release of 392,000 documents on US intervention in Iraq. The scale of revelations on civilian casualties, possible misconduct --- including abuse and torture by Iraqi and US forces --- and complications such as the use of private contractors may take weeks to appreciate fully. And, remember, the documents are not even out yet.

As a starting point for today, we offer two guides: 1) a Top Ten from The Daily Beast And 2) Andy Worthington's incisive overview of the information on civilian casualties and torture.

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Iran Feature: Ahmadinejad's "Problematic Triumph" in Lebanon (Zibakalam)

Whichever way one approaches Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s visit to Lebanon, there can be little dispute that it was a personal triumph for the hardline Iranian president. The Iranian media covered the state visit thoroughly and in particular showed the huge crowd that gathered to welcome the Iranian leader. Ahmadinejad’s aides and supporters back in Iran tried to portray the visit as a personal triumph for the president’s “bold, revolutionary and courageous foreign policy.”

Having confronted unabated criticism since the much-disputed presidential election in June 2009, it was only natural for Ahmadinejad to portray his visit to Lebanon as a victory against his opponents in Iran. Whether or not the visit was equally a triumph for Iran itself is a more controversial question. There are many Iranians who ask why our money should be spent on Shiites in Lebanon or for that matter on the Palestinians.

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The Latest from Iran (25 October): It's "Soft War" Day!

2050 GMT: Air Fuel Wars. Thomas Erdbrink of The Washington Post reports that Iran has retaliated for the cut-off of refueling of its planes in much of Europe: Tehran has refused to fully supply British Midlands International, the only British airline flying to Iran.

BMI flights are making a short stop en route to Tehran to take on more fuel.

2038 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. The one-year prison sentence and 30-year ban from journalism of Jila Bani Yaghoub has been confirmed.

Journalist Amin Madani has been freed.

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Afghanistan Newsflash: US & Peace Talks Far from "Victory" (Exum)

For the past two weeks, reputable U.S. and British newspapers have been filled with articles touting progress in negotiations between the government in Kabul and Afghanistan's major insurgent groups. On Oct. 20, for example, the New York Times reported that Afghan reconciliation talks "involve extensive, face-to-face discussions with Taliban commanders from the highest levels of the group's leadership." These articles have been accompanied by optimistic reports that the United States and its NATO allies have decimated the Taliban's leadership in southern Afghanistan.

As someone who has fought in Afghanistan on two occasions and served briefly as a civilian advisor to the NATO command group there in 2009, I hope the reports are true. The idea that an end to the fighting in Afghanistan and the involvement of the 100,000 U.S. troops in the country might be just around the corner is seductive. However, there is good reason to be skeptical of the reporting coming out of Kabul and Washington.

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Iran Analysis: Supreme Leader Compromises with the Clerics (Azadi)

So how did Ayatollah Khamenei finally get his meetings and photographs with some but not all maraje (senior clerics) and Grand Ayatollahs?

The answer lies in the conditions that the majority of those maraje set for visiting the Supreme Leader. These conditions were set out to him first by some members of Jame Modaresin (Society of Teachers and Researchers of Qom) and then by Ayatollah Javadi Amoli and Ayatollah Makarem Shirazi.

The Supreme Leader is not imposing his authority but having to manoeuvre for it. That in turn means compromise and, perhaps most importantly, recognition of senior clerics who felt they were being sidelined and/or stigmatised by the regime. 

So to the next stage, after Khamenei returns from Qom. Given that many of the maraje are hostile to the current Government, what will the Supreme Leader do?

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Israel-Palestine Analysis: Netanyahu Calls on Ramallah to Avoid UN, Sit Down for Negotiations

Netanyahu's bottom line: due to Israel's security interests, West Jerusalem is not going to accept the demand to extend the freeze of settlements in the West Bank for another two months. If Palestinians want to have a "genuine" peace, then they have to give up all conditions on the final status talks and sit down at the negotiation table.

Meanwhile, Palestinians discussing the approach to the UN are debating whether Ramallah can seek recognition of pre-1967 borders borders and the immediate evacuation of Jewish settlers.

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EA on the Road: The Birmingham Half Marathon

UPDATE: I survived. 1:53:32. It may not have been pretty, but it was beyond my wildest expectations, let alone my goal of under two hours.

Thanks to all for kind wishes.

I will literally be on the road today, as I am running in the Birmingham Half Marathon. If I survive, updates and features will resume in early afternoon. Meanwhile, those readers who are not in the Half Marathon are encouraged to keep news and analysis flowing.

The Latest from Iran (24 October): The "Normal" Tensions

1855 GMT: Political Prisoner Watch. Journalist and activist Heshmatollah Tabarzadi, serving a nine-year sentence, has written a letter asking exiled Iranian lawyers to make his case to international courts, asking for an investigation of the Supreme Leader in light of the activities of Iran's security forces and criminal justice system.

1830 GMT: Cracking Down on the Lawyers. Prominent human rights attorney Mohammad Dadkhah has appeared in court, accused of possession of a firearm.

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Egypt Feature: Cairo "A Modern City in Collapse" (Elmeshad)

A simple stroll through the streets of downtown Cairo reveals the achingly obvious and unfortunate truth about the city.  The first thing that leaps to mind is the complete impasse as far as traffic congestion and pollution are concerned.  Almost equally obvious is that urban planners have not necessarily been kind to pedestrians. The emergence of new suburban and industrial zones is contributing to Cairo’s rapid expansion and is constantly posing new problems of environment and infrastructure.

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Burma and New Media: Aung San Suu Kyi to Join Twitter? (Siddique)

Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi intends to start tweeting once she is released from house arrest in order to communicate with the younger generation, her lawyer said today.

The Nobel laureate has been in prison or under house arrest for 15 of the past 21 years but her current detention is due to end on 13 November. Analysts believe her sentence was designed to keep the 65-year-old locked away during Burma's first election in 20 years, scheduled for 7 November.

Burmese electoral officials said today that foreign media would not be allowed into the country to report on the vote. The election commission also reiterated that it would not allow foreign observers to monitor the polls, which have been widely condemned as a sham designed to cement nearly 50 years of military rule.

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