U.S. puppeteers civil war in Palestine
Confidential documents have recently surfaced revealing that the Bush administration drafted and pursued a plan to incite a Palestinian civil war following Hamas' electoral triumph in 2006, when Hamas defeated the fragmented and weakened Fatah party. In response, the United States demanded that Hamas recognise Israel and renounce violence, and then promptly cut off all aid to the Palestinian Authority when the Islamist group refused.
Only days after the election, administration officials entered into negotiations with Palestinian president and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas, demanding that he take action to dissolve the newly-elected government under Ismail Haniyeh and hold new elections within a matter of weeks. When Abbas failed, US officials recruited controversial Fatah strongman Muhammad Dahlan to "dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism and establish law and order in the West Bank and Gaza," promising him a financial package of $86.4 million to do so - one which never materialised. After raising approximately a third of this amount from neighbouring countries, Fatah began investing heavily in April 2007 in Egyptian arms and training for security forces, further catalysing the rapidly escalating violence and hostility between the Palestinian factions.
Finally, in early June, Hamas launched a full-scale offensive against Fatah strongholds in an effort to prevent further threats against the government. While the fighting lasted only five days, Hamas destroyed nearly all of Fatah's infrastructure in Gaza, and induced an Israeli blockade that has since devastated the Palestinian economy. The fighting further cemented the division between Hamas-run Gaza and the Fatah-controlled West Bank. With peace talks a remote possibility and Hamas offering safe haven to militants intent on attacking Israel, the situation is looking increasingly dismal. Through all of this, Washington has upheld its policy of non-engagement with Hamas, refusing to enter into any direct communication with the democratically-elected party.
The toD verdict: While the Bush administration has stated that one of the final goals of its term in office is to broker a successful peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians, by resorting to the historically-disastrous tactic of relying on a single strongman, the government can't possibly be surprised by the grim results. Additionally, by attempting to subvert Hamas through secretive and clandestine measures - in what looks like a shoddy mimicry of the Iran-Contra scandal - the U.S. puts its remaining credibility in the middle east in real jeopardy. If Bush is serious about pursuing peace, he must do so by engaging directly with the democratically-elected Hamas government, rather than simply issuing ultimatums and threats.
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This morning, a Pakistani court decided to drop five long-standing graft charges against Asif Ali Zardari, widower of recently assassinated Benazir Bhutto and co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP). Claiming that the charges against him were politically motivated, Zardari spent eleven years in prison without ever being convicted. There are two remaining corruption cases pending against Zardari, which are expected to be dismissed, as well as a charge of laundering money in Switzerland. The dismissal of the charges against Zardari is expected to smooth relations between the PPP and its prospective allies in the next ruling coalition.
Azeri-Armenian conflict leads to violence
Up to 16 people have been killed in a recent confrontation between Armenians and Azerbaijanis in the contested region of Nagorno-Karabakh. As of Wednesday, both sides have provided conflicting information about the casualty figures and accused the other of instigating the violence. Since breaking away from Azerbaijan in 1988, the region has experienced sustained periods of conflict, culminating in a war that caused over 30,000 deaths before finally ending in a ceasefire in 1994. The recent clashes were some of the worst since the end of the war.
Spain drops extradition request
Spain dropped its request to extradite two former Guantánamo Bay detainees from the UK after doctors determined the men had suffered severe mental and physical damage during their time in captivity. Following five years in Guantánamo, the men were released to Britain last December, where they have remained under close government watch. The Spanish government has asserted that they were members of an al-Qaida cell in Madrid responsible for recruiting members and fundraising for the organisation.
International arms dealer arrested in Thailand
Thai authorities arrested Viktor Bout, one of the world's most infamous arms dealers, in a Bangkok hotel on Thursday. Bout is suspected of providing arms to al-Qaida and the Taliban, and of fueling civil wars throughout Africa. He was arrested following a tip concerning his dealings with the Colombian FARC rebels, and may stand trial in the U.S. for providing support to terrorist organisations.
Kenyan president pushes power-sharing agreement
Following post-election violence and strained talks between recently-elected president Mwai Kibaki and opposition leader Raila Odinga, an agreement has been proposed which would make Odinga prime minister and restore peace to Kenya. Asking MPs to back the proposal, the bill would strike a balance between the parties, amend the country's constitution, establish a Truth and Reconciliation commission to address the violence and include an ethnic relations bill to diminish tribal tensions. MPs are slated to begin debating the bill next week.
