Council on Foreign Relations

Crisis talks kicked off today between Turkish and Iraqi officials in Baghdad as international concerns persisted over the prospects of a Turkish land invasion into northern Iraq. Iraqi officials announced they will help Turkey (BBC) solve its problems with Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants in Iraq, and Ankara said it would continue to try to resolve the crisis diplomatically. But the Financial Times says Turkey’s Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is faced with an “impossible choice” between domestic pressures to squash the PKK and international pressures to hold back, noting that recent violence has emboldened nationalist political opposition to Erdogan.

Some news sources said PKK fighters had agreed to a cease-fire (LAT) with Turkey if it halts air raids on Kurdish targets. But al-Jazeera reports Kurdish fighters in the region continue to deny having agreed to any such truce.

A new Daily Analysis brief notes that a major casualty of a Turkish ground invasion could be Iraq’s already strained federal government.

More than half of Iran’s parliament signed a letter praising recently departed Iranian nuclear envoy Ali Larijani. The BBC says the resolution could signal splits within Iran on how to respond to international pressure to denuclearize.

Iraq: Two new reports (NYT) slam the U.S. State Department for its role overseeing the operations of U.S. private security firms in Iraq.

The Christian Science Monitor notes that the United States has increasingly pursued negotiations with Iraqi militants, finding efforts at reconciliation often work better than violence.

Bin-Laden-Iraq: A new audiotape purportedly by al-Qaeda leader Osama bin-Laden urges Iraqi militants to unite against the Iraqi government and U.S. troops, warning them to “beware of division” (al-Jazeera).

Myanmar will allow the UN Human Rights chief to visit (Reuters) for the first time in four years in the aftermath of a government crackdown on unrest. The UN special envoy to Myanmar says he also hopes to return to the country soon.

This Backgrounder surveys the roots of political conflict in Myanmar.

Australia-Iraq: Al-Jazeera covers a televised debate between the two main contenders to be Australia’s next prime minister. Discussion of Australia’s role in the Iraq war dominated the debate.

South Korea: The Korea Times notes the surging popularity of opposition leader and presidential nominee Chung Dong-young ahead of upcoming elections.

The Financial Times reports that Afghans have grown increasingly disillusioned about their country’s prospects amid deepening violence. More than half the population now believes the country is moving in the wrong direction.

India-U.S.: A news analysis in TIME surveys the breakdown of the U.S.-Indian nuclear deal, saying the collapse is particularly damaging for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Kyrgyzstan: RFE/RL analyzes Kyrgyzstan’s referendum vote on a new constitution, questioning whether it strengthens the country or just its president.

Somali authorities today released (Mail & Guardian) the local head of the UN World Food Program, whose capture prompted the United Nations to cut off food aid to the country.

Congo-Uganda: The Kampala paper New Vision reports that over eight-thousand Congolese have fled to Uganda to escape fighting in the eastern part of Congo-Kinshasa between the government and breakaway general Laurent Nkunda.

Poachers: The Christian Science Monitor looks at a new way of combating poaching in some African countries—providing the poachers higher-paying jobs.

The Washington Post reports that President Bush is seeking a $500 million package to help Mexico squash out its drug cartels, the largest amount requested to fund U.S. counter-narcotic operations in almost a decade. CFR.org later today launches an online debate between two Latin America experts over what role the United States should take helping Mexico fight its drug war.

Venezuela: NPR reports that a U.S.-backed anti-narcotic campaign has forced production out of Colombia and into bordering Venezuela, but that overall production levels have not fallen.

Chile: The Latin Business Chronicle writes that Chile’s energy sector faces “a dangerous level of insecurity, inefficiency and lack of sustainability”—and that no solution seems immediately apparent.

Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) predicted the next eight months will determine whether the United States will win in Iraq. “If things go south again and we have significant setbacks, then I think the American people are probably going to demand that we get out, no matter how I feel and no matter how I am convinced about what the consequences of failure are,” he told the Nashua Telegraph.

McCain also called a new message from Osama bin Laden proof that the U.S. strategy is working in Iraq. “Bin Laden’s return to the airwaves to beg for unity in al Qaeda’s terror campaign in Iraq is evidence of our success in Iraq, where we have effectively driven al Qaeda from Anbar province, and have them on the run elsewhere,” he said in a statement released yesterday.

In a blog post, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) denounces the new Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act provisions for retroactive immunity for telecommunications companies complicit in eavesdropping on American citizens.

The U.S. software firm Microsoft announced it will not appeal (NPR) a European antitrust ruling that has cost the firm millions of dollars in fines, ending nearly a decade of dispute over the matter.

Netherlands: Newsweek International reports that Holland, long known for its liberal drug policies, is instituting an unprecedented ban on hallucinogenic mushrooms.

Belarus: President Alyaksandr Lukashenka, known for unpredictable and “sometimes bizarre” outbursts, has raised a new outcry over recent anti-Semitic statements, reports RFE/RL.