the defense doesn't rest

WP: the obstacles to mounting a legitimate defense of detainees
WP: timing of Bush administration's declaration that waterboarding is not torture not coincidental to charges filed against the 9/11 six; Tony throws in with George
"Supreme Court Justice Antonin M. Scalia echoed the administration's view when he said in a BBC Radio interview yesterday that some physical interrogation techniques could be used on a suspect in the event of an imminent threat, such as a hidden bomb about to blow up. 'It would be absurd to say you couldn't do that,' Scalia said. 'And once you acknowledge that, we're into a different game: How close does the threat have to be? And how severe can the infliction of pain be?'"

LAT: Baitullah Mahsud's story: "pawn" or leading militant?
"Despite his growing infamy, Mahsud has preserved an aura of secrecy, speaking rarely to outsiders and scrupulously avoiding being photographed. Even his age is a mystery; he is believed to be in his 40s."
CSM: in legitimate politics, three old clans introduce new generation

CSM: signs of stress fractures in the Awakening Councils in Iraq
IHT: rape of US women in Iraq goes unpunished
"Kineston is one of a growing number of American women who have reported that they were sexually assaulted by co-workers while employed as contractors in Iraq, but find themselves in legal limbo, unable to seek justice or even significant compensation."
WP: Condi and Bob outline the options in Iraq (op-ed)

WP: Bush fails to acknowledge that NATO is struggling in Afghanistan, despite his own
"Jones, the former NATO commander, does not couch his judgment. In a pair of reports that he oversaw, he made clear he views the situation in dire terms."
Gdn: Red Cross says displacement is growing problem
"Speaking on condition of anonymity, humanitarian groups say most Afghans want security rather than "democracy" as represented by a powerful elite in control in Kabul."

WP: top Hezbollah leader killed in Damascus

BBC: attacks continue in Gaza
WP: Prime Minister says Israel saying one thing, doing another

WP: ethnic conflict reaching police force in Kenya
"...many Kenyans believe the police are as dangerously divided as the country itself. Officers from President Mwai Kibaki's Kikuyu tribe have been accused of allowing attacks on Luos and other ethnic groups loyal to opposition leader Raila Odinga, a Luo, while others say Kalenjin and Luhya officers have permitted attacks on Kikuyus."
BBC: sexual violence spreading in Kenya, other conflicts in Africa
BBC: UN estimates 600,000 have been displaced
IHT: middle class collective action
"The well-established middle class here is thought to be one of the most important factors that separates Kenya from other African countries that have been consumed by ethnic conflict. Millions of Kenyans identify as much with what they do or where they went to college as who their ancestors are."

BBC: riots in Mozambique last week over transport prices

BBC: EUFOR mission to Chad resumes
IHT: Déby backed, dissidents fear increased repression
"At least half a dozen opposition leaders in Chad disappeared more than a week ago, carried off by armed men in military uniforms with no insignia, according to witnesses. They have not been heard from since."

BBC: Mugabe challenger expelled from party

BBC: opposition MP in Uganda charged with sedition after writing an article calling for Mau Mau-like action to remove Museveni from power

BBC: right-wing politician arrested in Mumbai, accused of increasing communal tensions

LAT: right-wing group raises concern in Hungary
"What many people here find particularly provocative are the Hungarian Guard's uniforms (black caps, vests, pants and boots), insignia and flags. All of it is reminiscent of the Arrow Cross, Hungary's World War II fascist militiamen who worked with the Nazis and were responsible for or assisted in the slaughter of tens of thousands of the Hungarian Jews who were killed...Some Hungarians fear the leap from rhetorical anti-Semitism to more dangerous action is a small one, especially with the rise of groups such as the Hungarian Guard that seem to receive at least tacit backing from more prominent rightist political factions."

BBC: death of exiled Georgian opposition figure "suspect"

BBC: 14 Basque political party members arrested, accused of ties to ETA