dubya's decisions, 7 years later [fatal flaws]

NYT: Bush approved Special Forces missions in Pakistan, without permission
"It is unclear precisely what legal authorities the United States has invoked to conduct even limited ground raids in a friendly country."
BBC: Pakistan's dilemma
"There's no doubt Pakistan is facing a huge problem of Islamic militancy. But many are convinced it can't tackle this if it's seen to be acting at America's behest."
Slate: Woodward's take on the decider's decision-making (as expected, it's a faulty process when undertaken at all)
"[General George] Casey later summarized Bush's approach as: "If you're not out there hooking and jabbing with American forces every day, you're not fighting the right fight."...[Bush would] ask about kills and captures to "find out whether or not we're fighting back. Because the perception is that our guys are dying and [the insurgents are] not. Because we don't put out our numbers. We don't have a tally. … [I]f I'm sitting here watching the casualties come in, I'd at least like to know whether or not our soldiers are fighting."

WP: by that token, Admiral Mullen, US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, might be at odds with the president given his testimony in Congress yesterday on Afghanistan
"Yet even if the Pentagon could achieve a better coordinated regional strategy, Mullen stressed that military forces can do only so much to pacify the area. "No amount of troops in no amount of time can ever achieve all the objectives we seek," he said, adding later: "We can't kill our way to victory."

Greater efforts by U.S. civilian agencies and the international community are essential, he said. For example, he criticized the shortage of civilian personnel in Provincial Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan, saying that without more experts in agriculture, education, commerce and jurisprudence, the PRTs "will remain but empty shells."

BBC: this more balanced approach favored by allies like Indonesia
"[Indonesia's head of counter-terrorism] said each country faced a unique situation in its fight against terrorism, and that there was no one-size-fits-all.

But he said that there needed to be a balance between force and negotiation, and that war - as pursued by America in Iraq and Afghanistan - was not an effective strategy against terrorism."

BBC: Petraeus will 'never declare victory' in Iraq; (sv would like to note that Palin ridiculed Obama for the same)

Gdn: female suicide bombing on the rise in Iraq

LAT: as separatist tensions rise in Bolivia, Morales expels US Ambassador
"Violent protests have convulsed Bolivia in recent days. Demonstrators on Tuesday sacked and burned government offices in the city of Santa Cruz, the epicenter of opposition to Morales.

The governors of five of Bolivia's nine states are aligned against Morales and his agenda of nationalization and empowering the poor Indian masses.

Morales has accused the rebellious states of plotting against him with the U.S. ambassador. Goldberg has repeatedly denied any interference in Bolivian affairs."

BBC: Nigeria creates ministry for Niger Delta

LAT: elections in Angola may entrench MPLA
"The MPLA has ruled Angola since independence from Portugal in 1975. President Jose Eduardo dos Santos, whose wife and daughter won seats in parliament, is widely expected to run in presidential elections planned for next year, despite a previous statement that he would not enter the race.

Members of the president's family and top government officials have shares in the country's top oil, diamond, banking and telecommunications firms. No foreign company can do business in Angola unless it teams up with an influential local company."

BBC: Zimbabwe reportedly close to a power-sharing deal

BBC: Cyprus leaders discuss unification

Gdn: Lebanese politician killed in car bomb blast

Econ: people trickle back to Gori

BBC: imprisoned LA gang leader reveals insights into incarceration, violence in US
"Enriquez's rise from low-level street hoodlum to major player in the Mexican Mafia came about as his reputation for violence grew. While doing time in infamous Californian prisons such as San Quentin and Folsom, the young Enriquez impressed mafia bosses.

On their request, he carried out a series of brazen attacks on other inmates, and in 1984, he was secretly inducted into the Mexican Mafia...

In the early 1990s, the Mexican street gangs in Los Angeles were out of control, with daily drive-by shootings between rival gangs bringing unwanted attention from the city's police.

Heavy police surveillance meant it was nigh on impossible for the gangs to carry on with the lucrative drug trade on which they depended.

The Mexican Mafia infiltrated the street gangs, brought some discipline into the organisations and, crucially, began creaming "taxes" from every Mexican gang in LA.

This generated huge profits for the gang leaders pulling the strings from their prison cells. Cheques and money orders were sent regularly, and Enriquez even began investing in high interest accounts and government bonds.

But this lucrative scheme began to unravel, as greed and paranoia infected the Mexican Mafia leadership, who began to plot against each other. Thye even put hits on their rivals' wives and children - a huge violation of the gang's code.

This erosion of "honour" that had governed the gang had an effect on Enriquez, too, and he began to have doubts about his commitment.

"They call it 'mob fatigue'. Everybody goes through it," he says...

He turned informant and decided to confess to everything...

"I had this surreal experience that I was mourning my own death. That's how I felt. I had depression during the first few weeks, and felt like I was mourning my own death."

**
Slate: the Big Lebowski's Walter and the rise of the neocons