... and for seasoning, "CIA to describe North Korea-Syria nuclear ties"..

In the LATimes, here

"...Some administration officials are believed to be unhappy with the latest developments in talks with North Korea. But several analysts were skeptical of speculation that the briefing might have been initiated by internal opponents who hope to set off an outcry that would scuttle any deal with Pyongyang...."

.... while Joint Chiefs Chmn. Mullen says "Iran's activities ..., resulted in the deaths of Coalition forces..."

At the Atlantic Council of the United States, here

"...We also live in a time where Iran routinely pushes its way into more and more realms of instability. And I, for one, think it is important that we deal with that instability that they create, whether it is Hezbollah, Hamas. Recent operations in Southern Iraq, recent combat operations in Southern Iraq in Basra highlighted yet again Iran's activities in ways that very specifically pointed to activities which, in fact, resulted in the deaths of coalition soldiers. And I think for the ability to create stability in that part of the world that not just this alliance, but those who are allied, will have to deal with Iran in the very near future..."

Gates: says another Mideast War Would Be "Disastrous".......

AP, via the Huffington Post, here

"Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he believes Iran is "hell bent" on acquiring nuclear weapons, but he warned in strong terms of the consequences of going to war over that..... Gates also said that if the war in Iraq is not finished on favorable terms the consequences could be dire..."

Lebanon finds Berlusconi's "rules-of-engagement-review" comment "dangerous"...

Monsterandcritics, here

Barbra Streisand pulls out of Israel 60th anniversary jubilee..."disturbed by Israel's complicity in the worsening problems with Gaza"?

Here, and Steve Clemons adds this "She gave no reason for her cancellation -- but those who know her tell me that she's disturbed by Israel's complicity in the worsening problems with Gaza and with the failure to move towards some kind of a credible Palestinian state solution. " here

"Mossad.. was involved in tragic histories of using Jewish citizens to spy on their governments..led to the deaths of many Jews around the world.."

At SicSemperTyrannis, here

U.S. arrests American suspected of giving nuclear secrets to Israel

In Reuters and true to the Pollard Tradition, here

"....The documents included information about nuclear weapons, a modified version of an F-15 fighter jet and the U.S. Patriot missile air defense system...."

La France renoue le dialogue avec la Syrie

Bernard Kouchner a rencontré son homologue syrien mardi à Koweït pour parler du Liban. C'est une première depuis la décision française en décembre dernier de suspendre les contacts officiels avec Damas, .... Le Figaro, here

Mottaki, Kouchner & Muallem ...

Is the United States still the “indispensable nation”? How much more time does it have on top of the global political order?

In the National Interest, Leverett, Weber & Kempe weigh in, here

".... a foreign policy approach predicated on collapsing oil prices is probably not feasible....

....Leverett saw a huge disconnect between the foreign-policy rhetoric of the U.S. presidential candidates and the actual situation, going so far as to say that Obama, Clinton and McCain must be talking about “some other planet.”

......Gvosdev left off. Wondering how long it would take for Americans to “wake up” to the fact that “another center of gravity” is emerging, he spoke of a group of developing states building an “alternative . . . international system” that largely bypasses the United States....."

U.S. Embassy 'clarifies' David Welch’s Statement

"Several media outlets have incorrectly reported on recent remarks by Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs C. David Welch

Answering a question from a reporter in the United Arab Emirates about his trip to Lebanon, Assistant Secretary Welch said Lebanese had expressed to him concern that tourism could suffer again this summer because of the tension in the country.

The Assistant Secretary said:

"They're worried that they'll have another difficult summer of tourism being low because of the tension in the country, and more broadly, I think they are concerned, ever since Hizballah launched the war in 2006, that maybe Lebanon will miss out from this oil boom, that it will be left behind in the region as there is economic progress elsewhere. So I found them troubled about the future."

Department of State continues to strongly urge that Americans defer travel to Lebanon

STATE's update, here

Think Again: Israel

By Gershom Gorenberg in FP, here

...Garrison State: Far from endangered, Israel now controls the commanding heights....(and endangers its neighbors!)

FUTURE News: M14 MPs will attend tomorrow's session for the Election of a new President...

..... remains to be seen whether it's a sloganeering & photo-op or ... else! But the else, as of 3:00AM Beirut time, is not possible: 50+1 is unattainable due to the travels of some ...

Attack Iran, With Words...

.... Gerecht on the other hand, is clearer, though with 'nuance'! In the NYTimes, here

Hawkish talks with Iran?

O'Hanlon hoping for 'failure' of diplomacy? I get the feeling that he does! In the Wash-Times, here

"...To suggest sitting down and talking with such a regime will itself be a major step toward solving our problems in Iraq risks sounding naive. To be sure, Mr. Obama has good company: The Iraq Study Group made a similar argument late in 2006. But at that point, at least, it was (slightly) easier to excuse Iran's behavior partly as the result of President Bush's pre-emption doctrine, earlier axis of evil speech, and unwillingness to deal directly with not only President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad but his somewhat more moderate predecessors..."

"They..should never travel outside the US, except to Saudi Arabia and Israel. They broke the law; they violated their professional ethical code..."

In the Guardian, here (Where are you Prof. Michael Ratner?)

Larry Wilkerson, a former army officer and chief of staff to Colin Powell, US secretary of state at the time, told the Guardian: "I do know that Rumsfeld had neutralised the chairman [Myers] in many significant ways.

"The secretary did this by cutting [Myers] out of important communications, meetings, deliberations and plans.

"At the end of the day, however, Dick Myers was not a very powerful chairman in the first place, one reason Rumsfeld recommended him for the job".

He added: "Haynes, Feith, Yoo, Bybee, Gonzalez and - at the apex - Addington, should never travel outside the US, except perhaps to Saudi Arabia and Israel. They broke the law; they violated their professional ethical code. In future, some government may build the case necessary to prosecute them in a foreign court, or in an international court."

David Welch 'predicts' another very hot summer in Lebanon...

The Welch Club is at it again, ... In the UAE's Al Itihad, here

U.S. and Iran Find Common Ground in Iraq’s Shiite Conflict?

In the NYTimes, here

"...The causes of this convergence boil down to the logic of self-interest, although it is logic in a place where even the most basic reasoning refuses to go in a straight line. In essence, though, the calculation by the United States is that it must back the government it helped to create and take the steps needed to protect American troops and civilian officials.

Iranian motivations appear to hinge on the possibility that Mr. Sadr’s political and military followers could gain power in provincial elections this fall, and disrupt the creation of a semiautonomous region in the south that the Iranians see as beneficial...."

"...Incidentally, Miller was never able to name three non-Jewish friends who would have hidden him if the Nazis took over America..."

Eldar in Haaretz, on Aaron Miller, here

"...Aaron David Miller, a former State Department official, says U.S. acted as 'Israel's lawyer' in peace talks...accuses U.S. of pro-Israel bias ..."

Newshour: Mark Perry squares off with Robert Satloff on engaging Hamas ...

MARGARET WARNER: Mark Perry, should Jimmy Carter have met with Khaled Mashal and, if so, to what end?

MARK PERRY, Conflicts Forum: Absolutely he should have met with him, and here’s why. There are three very good reasons.

First, Hamas won an election in January 2006 in the Palestinian Authority, and it wasn’t even close, and it was the most transparent, open and fair elections in Arab world history.

Second, they retain prestige among the Palestinian people. All polls show that they retain their strength.

And, third, most recently, their leaders have been showing real moderation. They want an opening to the United States. This is their opportunity, and Jimmy Carter is capitalizing on that. We should be talking to Hamas.

MARGARET WARNER: So what’s the harm?

ROBERT SATLOFF, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy: This is a grave mistake. Jimmy Carter may be a fairly marginal political actor in the United States, but abroad he’s viewed as an ex-president and a Nobel Peace Prize-winner. He lends the credibility of his office to meeting with a terrorist organization.... (more here)