IPS correspondents bring you independent perspectives on what is happening in Iran, Iraq and across the Middle East.

U.S.: One More Year of the Same
Analysis by Jim Lobe
WASHINGTON – With just less than one year left in his presidency, George W. Bush remains as focused as ever on the Middle East and Iraq and appears reluctant to take on any major new foreign policy challenges in the time that he remains in power.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40990

Bush Signs Vets Bill, Won’t Ban Permanent Bases – By Aaron Glantz
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40987

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U.N. Security Council Loses Credibility Over Iran, Israel
Thalif Deen
UNITED NATIONS – The 15-member U.N. Security Council is set to lose its credibility once again as it prepares to impose a third set of sanctions on Iran while failing to pass any strictures on Israel for its continued heavy-handed repression of Palestinians in Gaza.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40983

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IRAN: Ahmadinejad Caught Between Reformists and Hardliners
Khody Akhavi
WASHINGTON – Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has garnered headlines around the world for his defiance of Washington, as well as his rhetorical grandstanding on Palestinian issues, the existence of Israel, and his government’s alleged support of Shiite militias in Iraq.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40966

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Palestinians Rush for Confirmation They Exist
Mona Alami
BEIRUT – The Palestinian Liberation Organisation headquarters in the posh neighbourhood of the now closed Summerland Hotel in Beirut is buzzing with activity. A few men in black, Kalashnikovs firmly in their hands, guard the entrance to the elegant building. A handful of veiled women and older men carrying papers scurry past them up the stairs to the PLO offices.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40975

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TURKEY: No Agreement, But a Breakthrough
Analysis by Hilmi Toros
ISTANBUL – For the first time in half a century, a Greek head of government has paid an official visit to Turkey. The two Mediterranean neighbours, often described as the worst of friends or the best of enemies, attempt to tackle their old problems in a volatile eastern Mediterranean.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40976

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Alarm Bells Sound Over “Jewish State”
Analysis by Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani
CAIRO – Within recent months, several Israeli and U.S. officials have stressed Israel’s unique character as a “Jewish state”. But according to many Arab observers, the designation negates the right of Palestinian refugees to return to Israel, and leaves the door open to expulsion of Israel’s Arab citizens.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40957

Palestinians in Lebanon Seek Right of Return – By Rebecca Murray
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40926

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MIDEAST: Egypt Welcomes Border Breach
Adam Morrow and Khaled Moussa al-Omrani
CAIRO – Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flocked into the Sinai Peninsula last week after the border fence separating Egypt from the Gaza Strip was partially destroyed by a series of explosions. In a direct challenge to the Israeli-imposed siege of the territory, Cairo — citing humanitarian concerns — appears to have tolerated the influx.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40946

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U.S./IRAQ: Critics Fear Pact Will Tie Next President’s Hands
Ali Gharib
WASHINGTON – As President George W. Bush seeks to deeply entrench U.S. military forces in Iraq, the Congress and foreign policy pundits are looking beyond his term and debating the future of U.S. foreign policy there.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40934

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‘Al Qaeda’ Records Shed Light on Foreign Recruits
Khody Akhavi
WASHINGTON – Twenty-six-year-old Muhammad ‘Abd-al-Qadir bil-Qasim began his journey in Darnah, Libya. He traveled to Egypt and arrived in Syria, where he paid a man named Abu Umar 2,000 Syrian pounds to smuggle him across the Iraqi border.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40931

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“U.S. the Biggest Producer of Terror”
Ahmed Ali and Dahr Jamail*
BAQUBA – Broken promises have brought a dramatic increase in anti-U.S. sentiment across the capital city of Iraq’s Diyala province.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40924

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IRAQ: Under Curfew, This Is No Life
Ahmed Ali and Dahr Jamail*
BAQUBA – Continuing curfew has brought normal life to a standstill in Baquba, capital of the restive Diyala province north of Baghdad.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40905

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Q&A: “We Are Haunted By a War Begun Under False Pretences”
Interview with Chuck Lewis, founder of the Centre for Public Integrity
WASHINGTON – Eight key players in the Bush administration, including the president himself, made at least 935 false statements in the run-up to and aftermath of the invasion of Iraq in 2003, according to a mammoth report by the Centre for Public Integrity.
www.ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=40887

For more IPS reporting on the Middle East – www.ipsnews.net/middle.asp

Iraq: Beyond the Green Zone – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/iraq/index.asp

Iran: The Parthian Shot – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/iran/index.asp

Holy Land/Unholy War – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/israel_palestina/index.asp

Afghan Divide – www.ipsnews.net/afghanistan/index.asp

View From the U.S.: Bush at War – www.ipsnews.net/new_focus/warII/index.asp

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