Harry Hamburg/APU.S. Speeds Up Military Withdrawal From Iraq
()During testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, Army Gen. Ray Odierno called for "strategic patience" during the withdrawal and the transition of responsibilities to Iraq's security forces. The U.S. is sending 4,000 more troops home next month.
U.S. Afghan Strategy Hinges On Reliable Ally In Kabul
The relationship between Afghanistan's Karzai and the Obama administration is on shaky ground.
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The Marines of the 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment, are among 21,000 additional forces in Afghanistan.
Europe
Georgia Started War With Russia, EU Report Finds()
The report supports Russia's insistence that Georgia launched the short but intense 2008 war with an indiscriminate rocket and artillery barrage on the separatist capital of South Ossetia. It adds, however, that Russia's retaliation went "far beyond the reasonable limits of defense."
Despite Pakistani Concerns, Envoy Welcomes U.S. Aid()
A U.S. aid package would give Pakistan $7.5 billion over the next five years. Husain Haqqani, the Pakistani envoy to the U.S., says that while conditions placed on the package have upset Pakistanis, many of the concerns will go away once the two countries build trust.
The Two-Way
Iranian Businessman Released From Prison()
Iranian businessman Bijan Khajehpour, whose case was brought to the attention of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad by NPR, is released from prison.
Asia
Powerful Earthquake Rocks Western Indonesia()
The underwater temblor, which had a preliminary magnitude of 7.6, collapsed buildings in the coastal city of Padang in Southern Sumatra province and briefly triggered a tsunami alert. Indonesia's vice president said at least 75 people were killed and warned that the death toll may rise.
Afghanistan
Can Obama Say No To His Generals On Afghanistan?()
The president met Wednesday afternoon with his full team of national security advisers to discuss the next steps in Afghanistan. But scaling back now could appear to many as a hasty reversal, particularly for a president who came into office without much of a foreign policy or military background.
