Incoming Defense Secretary Robert Gates has recommended that President Bush order an immediate buildup of 10,000 troops in Iraq, with an option of doubling that to 20,000 by spring. The plan is known as "Five Plus Two," sending five Army brigades into Baghdad plus two Marine battalions into western Iraq. Two of the Army brigades would go into Baghdad starting in January, with the other three on call. The plan comes with a high-level personnel shake-up in the Global War on Terrorism apparatus. Gen. David Petraeus has been named to replace Gen. George Casey as top US commander in Iraq, with Adm. William Fallon, now head of the Pacific Command, to replace Gen. John Abizaid as chief of Central Command. Outgoing Abizaid and Casey have both expressed qualms in recent weeks about boosting US forces in Iraq, with Abizaid warning that an increase of 20,000 could not be sustained for long by the overburdened US military. (CBS, Jan. 6)

The year is off to a great start. As in Madrid and Bangkok, somebody seeks to prove the intellectual superiority of their position by blowing up random civilians. (And none of these three cases involves Muslims, by the way.) From the NYT. Jan. 6:

COLOMBO — A powerful bomb blew up a passenger bus on Saturday, killing 11 people and wounding more than 40 others on the southern coast of Sri Lanka.

The routing of Somalia's Islamist forces from their last stronghold in the southern port of Kismayo is being portrayed in the Western press as a victory for order and civilization against extremism and terrorism. A look at the local press reveals that the forces of the so-called "Federal Transition Government" which have taken the city are led by exactly the same warlord whose misrule had resulted in the populace rallying to the Islamic Courts Union in the first place. From Garowe Online, Jan. 1:

We actually sympathize with the cause of Basque independence, but given everything that is going on in the world, why does anybody think blowing up random civilians is a legitimate means to acheive political aims? The Basque movement does appear to be divided—or does this indicate that the attack was a provocation to sabotage the peace talks? From The New Standard, Jan. 4:

From El Universal, Jan. 2 via Chiapas95:

Relatives of prisoners detained during a Nov. 25 federal crackdown on Oaxaca demonstrators set up a protest camp outside the Miahuatlan prison in Oaxaca City Monday, and vowed to stay there until all the jailed sympathizers of the Oaxaca People's Assembly (APPO) are set free.

From El Universal, Jan. 2 via Chiapas95. We take strong exception to the last paragraph, for reasons which should be clear to our readers.

OVENTIC, Chiapas - Thousands of Zapatista rebels on Monday celebrated the 13th anniversary of their brief uprising against the Mexican government with dance, song and discussions aimed at improving the status of poor Indians in the southern state of Chiapas.

From El Universal, Dec. 29 via Chiapas95:

TUXTLA GUTIERREZ - The Chiapas state government said Wednesday it has created a special prosecutor's office to investigate a 1997 massacre of 45 indigenous villagers.

Sadam Hussein was hanged in the pre-dawn hours of Dec. 30 for crimes against humanity in the mass murder of 148 men and boys from the Shi'ite town of Dujail in 1982, after a failed assassination attempt against him there. Also hanged were Awad Haman Bandar, the former chief justice of the Revolutionary Court, and Saddam's half-brother Barzan Ibrahim. Four other co-defendants received prison terms ranging from 15 years to life. While President Bush called the execution a milestone on Iraq's road to democracy, Human Rights Watch denounced it, calling Saddam's trial "deeply flawed."