Victorian Mysteries - Woman in White

I just completed another hidden object / puzzle game.  This one was based on a novel called "Woman in White," by Wilkie Collins.  I usually love games based on stories, and this one proved to be up to par with the best of them.  Not only was the story surprisingly intriguing, but the puzzles themselves were well-placed throughout the plot-line.  I found most of the hidden object scenes to be challenging, but not impossible.  The rooms of the two mansions involved were modestly decorated, but very beautiful and detailed.  My only complaint is that the game ended far to soon!  The "surprising" ending felt a little bit like the developers cut the game short to meet a deadline.  Perhaps more could have been done to draw out the post-script into actual game play.  Overall, I would rate this casual but challenging game a 7.7 out of 10. 

North Korean Impressions

Last week, Bill Richardson and two journalist (including my personal favorite, Wolf Blitzer) visited the reclusive nation of North Korea.  I have read many articles regarding both the trip, and the nation since.  But this article I found on MSNBC.com is by far the best I have come across yet:  NYT:  Visitors see N. Korea stunted by its isolation.  As I read, I noted several points to share with you, my readers:

• I couldn't imagine needing a special permit just to step foot in my nations capital, like North Koreans do.  
• Learning that 310,000 North Koreans subscribe to cell phone service made me contemplate the use of such technology should the populace ever decide to revolt.  Quick communication could be the key to overthrowing the vastly militaristic hierarchy of the North Korean government. 
• Here are a couple stats I found interesting:  It costs $8.27 per minute to make an overseas phone call from north Korea.  Each North Korean male faces up to 10 years of military service.
• As I read how destitute the general population was, I couldn't help but be reminded of my negative view of sanctions ability to correct government's agendas.  Then I read this quote, which even further confirmed my opinions:  "Some North Korea analysts warn that unless aid and trade resume, the North may raise cash by selling nuclear technology and materials to Iran, Syria or others — if it has not already."
• To North Koreans, nuclear weapons are the ultimate defense.  Take this quote from a North Korean maid currently working in China:  "'Nuclear weapons mean we cannot be invaded. I really want to say that. We cannot be touched.'" 

Twisted Lands: Shadow Town: Review

I just completed another hidden picture/puzzle game.  This one was called "Twisted Lands: Shadow Town."  I chose it based solely on its pictures and description because no one had reviewed it on Oberon's site yet.  The graphics in the game itself didn't fail to impress.  The broken down cruise ship, dilapidated police station, and haunting mansion were all aesthetically inspiring.  I would give that aspect of the game a 10/10.  The challenges were also extremely difficult, so much so that I skipped three of them after frustration set in.  There was no way to reset puzzles once you started them; even leaving the scene didn't let me start over.  Because of this high level of difficulty and lack of reset, I would rate the puzzles a 7/10.  They were just a bit too mind-boggling for me when I am trying to relax.  The hidden picture scenes were unfortunately few and far between, and way too easy.  I would give that aspect of the game a 6/10.  However, the overall story and grand "puzzle" it encompassed were both amazing.  I love using the objects I find to solve mini-games, and this game was full of that kind of activity.  So, Overall, I would have to rate "Twisted Lands: Shadow Town" a 8/10.  It was worth every penny of my $7.00 membership fee, but definitely not the best game I have played.

(SPOILER:  I do wonder if I would have had the same ending had I not drank so much of the water available in the ballroom of the cruise ship.)

WikiLeaks II

I started a second post to track my WikiLeaks document analysis because of the extraordinary length of the first.  With this new post, my readers will also find a new format.  I hope it serves to both educate, and enlighten.

Document Subject:  Ambassador Shannon's Meeting with MOD Jobim

Key Terms and Topics:  (Unless otherwise noted all quotes and links in this section are taken from, or lead to Wikipedia.)

A.  Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, Jr.  He is the newly appointed ambassador to Brazil.  "Previously he served as Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, the head of the Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs within the Department of State of the United States from 2005 through 2009." (Thomas A. Shannon, Jr.)

B.  Nelson Jobim:  Former President of Brazil's "Supreme Federal Court."  This is Brazil constitutional court, and it's rulings cannot be appealed.  It's members are forced to retire at 70.  The court is known for it's huge case load, having recieved 100,781 cases in one year.  (Supreme Federal Court) Back on track, Mr. Jobim is currently Brazil's Minister of Defense.  (Nelson Jobim)

C.  DCA (Defense Cooperation Agreement) with Brazil:   "On April 12, 2010 in Washington, D.C., Brazilian Minister of Defense Nelson Jobim and U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert Gates signed an agreement on defense cooperation between the governments of Brazil and the United States of America.  As the two most populous democracies in the Western Hemisphere, the United States and Brazil enjoy an increasingly close bilateral relationship, including in the area of defense. The DCA will enable U.S.-Brazil defense cooperation to deepen and expand into new areas of mutual interest."  (Source:  U.S.-Brazil Defense Cooperation Agreement)

D.  General Ken Keen:  American commander in charge of the joint task force in Haiti called "Operation Unified Response."    Their goal is, "providing humanitarian assistance following the 2010 Haiti earthquake."  In a queer coincidence, "Keen had actually arrived in the country the morning before the earthquake on a visit and was at the U.S. embassy when the earthquake struck."  One of his team of 5 has never been found.  (Ken Keen)

E.  General Floriano Peixoto Veira Neto:  Brazilian general and commander of MINSTAH (United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti) since 2009.  He had previously led a distinguished career as the commander of three other battalions.  (General Floriano Peixoto Veira Neto)

F.  MINUSTAH:  Acronym for United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, led by the Brazilian army.  The Earthquake took a very heavy toll on this mission.  Their headquarters was destroyed, at at least three members confirmed dead.  (MINUSTAH)

UPDATE:  I lost internet connection last night while researching this thread.  I will attempt to re-locate this document later today.  Please scroll down to 12/7 for a continuation of descriptions of key terms and personalities from this document.
EV
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12/6
WikiLeaks cables assess terrorism funding in Saudi Arabia, Gulf states  (CNN, by Tim Lister, 12/6/2010)

I found an article on CNN discussing WikiLeaks documents which discuss the financing of terrorist organizations.  According to the article, it is Saudi Arabia that plays the biggest roll in economically backing Sunni extremist groups.  And guess who else is getting involved in the terror sponsorship business:  Kuwait.  "In particular, the cable says that while the United States had designated the Kuwait-based Revival of Islamic Heritage Society for providing support to al Qaeda and associated groups, the government of Kuwait 'has not taken significant action to address or shut down RIHS headquarters or its branches.'"
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12/6
WikiLeaks reveals U.S. list of worldwide infrastructure 'critical' to security of U.S.  (MSNBC, 12/6/2010)

The list mentioned in the article title linked above, "includes factories, ports, fuel companies, drug manufacturers, undersea cables, pipelines, communication hubs and a host of other 'key resources.'"

I agree that such information should be treated as highly sensitive.  If I owned a company, and asked my board of directors to compile a similar list, I would hold a meeting to have this information communicated to me.  I would never write it down on an e-mail, or a power point presentation.  I would treat it like the code to my companies vault, not distribute it to most of my employees, and the directors of the ancillary organizations we work with.

To clarify for those that don't get my analogy, I would not distribute a list of top security threats to 2.5 million people, and then bitch when the information somehow gets leaked out.  I agree with the folks saying this information is very sensitive and could be physically damaging to the U.S., but our government's failure to work with WikiLeaks when they came to them months ago to discuss what information was to be released and how, and our outright declaration of Mr. Assange as "Americas Most Wanted" leaves little room for negotiation.
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12/7

The headline is everywhere.  Mr. Assange has been arrested in London.  We will know if he will be extradited to Sweden on rape charges within a couple of weeks.  Although I do find the timing of said charges rather conspicuous, as a woman, I hold my judgment on this issue, and consider it completely separate from his role in the WikiLeaks releases.
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12/7

Thanks to the excellent organization of the WikiLeaks website, I was able to locate the document I was working on the other night when my internet failed.  I will continue analyzing the key terms and personalities below.  One key change to note:  All links to Wikipedia, the source for a vast majority of my information, will be made at the beginning, instead of the end of each blurb.  If I use a different site as my source, I will make a designation at the end.


Document Subject:  Ambassador Shannon's Meeting with MOD Jobim

G.  President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva:  Current President of Brazil, and founding member of the Workers Party.  He sees himself, "as a negotiator, not an ideologue."
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12/9

The reason it has taken me so long to continue discussing the key terms from the Ambassador Shannon/MOD Jobim document is because of the wealth of information I found about the next term.  But first, Big Brother is cracking down on folks who even view Wikileaks documents.  Law students with any inkling of joining any branch of the government are being reminded that the Obama administration still views the leaks as classified.  Therefore, viewing them could jeopardize future employment opportunities.  (Source:  Will reading WikiLeaks cost students jobs with the federal government?) The article also mentioned the fact that Pay Pal shut down WikiLeaks account, forcing potential donors to seek different ways to get the controversial company money.

Back on track with my analysis:

H.  F-X2 Competition:  A bidding war between air craft manufacturers from several companies that wanted to win the right to modernize Brazil's air fleet.  The entire process was riddled with controversy.  American company Boeing offered not only it's Super Hornets, but also the technology behind them.  This would have been an unprecedented move for the U.S., demonstrating the high level of trust we have for the Brazilian government. After two years  of negotiating, and tons of revised RFP's, it looks like the program is going to be canceled all together due to financial constraints.   (For more information and a great historical read on the topic, check out this link:  Brazil's F-X2 Fighter Competition.)

I.  Colombian bombing of FARC facility in Ecuador:   On March 1, 2008, Colombian leader Alvaro Uribe, "invaded Ecuador to kill a few FARC guerrillas, including number two, Raúl Reyes."  (Sounds a lot like when we crossed into Pakistan to try to get Taliban fighters).  This was a violation of international sovereignty.  Brazil's President Lula stepped in as a mediator.  (Source:  Colombian attack on FARC in Ecuador)

J. The South American Defense Council (SADC):  The SADC was, "proposed by Venezuela and Brazil to serve as a mechanism for regional security, promoting military co-operation and regional defence. From the beginning Brazil, Argentina and Chile, the countries that took the leadership of the project, made clear that they did not intend to form a NATO-like alliance, but a cooperative security arrangement, enhancing multilateral military cooperation, promoting confidence and security building measures and fostering defense industry exchange."  Because of Plan Columbia (a special relationship with the U.S.), Colombia initially refused to join, but reconsidered and joined on July 20, 2008.

Now, to analyze the related document (Ambassador Shannon's Meeting with MOD Jobim)

The first paragraph states that the event being described was the first meeting between  Ambassador Thomas A. Shannon, Jr., and Nelson Jobim, Brazil's Minister of Defense.  Jobim saw the "overall bilateral security relationship" between the U.S. and Brazil at the time (February 18, 2010) as "strong and transparent."  Jobim favored signing the DCA that was actually signed in April. 

The next paragraph deals with Brazil and the U.S.'s combined efforts to help after the earthquake in Haiti.  We learn that Brazil knows that Venezuela's Chavez's claim of a U.S. invasion of the island nation lacks credibility.  Jobim, "underlined the importance of the UN approaching Haiti's future form the point of view of "constructing" the country rather than simply providing security and said that MINUSTAH will need an improved UNSC mandate to be effective in this role."

Paragraph three deals with the FX-2 competition, specifically, "President Lula's (and Jobim's) denial that there was a final decision in the FX2 competition."  The almost-threatening nature of the "points" made in the following disclosure show how much confidence the U.S. had that their fighter jet would be chosen:

"While the sale has been conducted as a commercial transaction, its significance for the bilateral relationship should not be overlooked. The unprecedented decisions regarding the transfer of U.S. technology in support of the Super Hornet show the high level of confidence the USG places in its partnership with Brazil. Brazil, as it makes a decision, should try to consolidate and protect this important advance."

The final paragraph dealt specifically with regional tensions in South America:

"Jobim spoke of his efforts to ameliorate tensions between Colombia and Ecuador following the 2008 bombing of a FARC facility inside Ecuador by Colombian forces.  Contacts between Defense Ministers, through the South American Defense Council (SADC), he said, had been key to managing the after effects of the strike, providing a good test case for the SADC."

Finally, Jobim "expressed concern about Chavez's increasingly complicated domestic situation. He worried aloud about the impact in Venezuela if Chavez resorted to violent repression of demonstrators."

Overall, this small document seems insignificant, but paired with the background information I provided, it is actually quite a juicy historical dispatch.  
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12/14
Is Bradley Manning a hero?  (CNN, 12/14/2010)

As I sit reading the above linked article from CNN written by Bob Meola, the man trying to pass a city ordinance in Berkley, CA to release Bradley Manning, I finally feel like I found someone who understands my own point of view.  Manning explicitly stated in numerous e-mails his intentions of informing the public, so that we do not go to the voting booths ill-informed. The following paragraph in particular, written by Meola in Manning's defense, echoes my sentiments exactly:

"Democracy must be transparent or it is not democracy. It is the duty of citizens to participate in democracy and shine light on truth. Thomas Jefferson said that given a choice between having government and having newspapers, he would choose newspapers. Blowing the whistle on war crimes is not a crime. It is the war criminals who should be prosecuted."

As a reader of many of Jefferson's writings in high school, I remember hearing the quote Meola references above, about preferring newspapers to government. A quick search on Google helped me locate it for you:

"Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without  a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter."  (Thomas Jefferson Quotes)

For too long, we Americans have been lazy, to the point that we have completely forgotten our roots.  WikiLeaks offers us an alternative to violent revolution; a way to enlighten our minds, and reclaim our place in the democracy we claim to cherish.

In response to charges that the leaks endanger American lives, I also agree with Mr. Meola.  Many more lives would be lost if we continue on our crash course in these wars.  Furthermore, the very essence of what we symbolize as a nation is at stake; how history will remember the United States.  As to Manning breaking his word and the law, I believe that he was forced to do so in order to expose how our own government is doing the same thing, but on a much grander scale.

Sure, there should be some secrets.  But 99% of the leaked documents I have read so far were reported on the news, and even read like articles written by political pundits, not diplomats.  The few that are truly "secret" should have been treated as such (i.e. encrypted and not distributed to most members of the military.)  We are accused of being too stupid to understand the difficult decisions governments are forced to make.  I counter that our stupidity is a direct result of the kind of information containment  exemplified by the entire WikiLeaks debacle. 

I love my country.  I love it so much that I am willing to risk posting my controversial views in the hopes that other like-minded individuals may find solace in learning they do not support Manning and Assange alone.

Note:  I posted these views as Kiabella on the comments section of the article being discussed.
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12/15
Air Force cutting off access to WikiLeaks news  (CNN, 12/15/2010)

Now this one is really gonna make you wonder.  The military is forbidding its members from accessing the WikiLeaks documents online, or from visiting the sites of any news organization that posts their content.  The men and women who are willing to die for our country are being censored!  Great.  Welcome to the new Americhina.
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12/31
WikiLeaks show US frustrated with Egyptian military  (Yahoo News via AP, by Sarah El Deeb, 12/31/2010)

As much as I love reading the dispatches on the WikiLeaks website and analyzing them, recent suspicious events have made me second guess visiting the site directly for now.  But, I still scour news sites for interesting tidbits to share.  Like this line from the article linked above:  "U.S. diplomatic memos leaked this month show previously unknown friction between the two allies over military assistance and strategy."  Reading further into the article, I learned that "The disagreements...are over a wide range of topics, with the U.S. pressing Egypt to focus its military toward terrorism, halting cross-border smuggling and helping out in regional crises."  Furthermore, according to Steve Cook, "[T]he memos exposed that public talk of shared goals between the U.S. and Egyptian military is just rhetoric."  Interesting stuff indeed!
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1/25
NYT:  Financial crisis was 'avoidable,' inquiry finds  (MSNBC, by Sewell Chan, 1/25)

As I read the above linked article, what I found most fascinating had nothing at all to do with the primary topic.  The following paragraph to me exemplifies the kind of impact WikiLeaks has had upon our governments willingness to share information, and our expectations to receive it.

"Many of the conclusions have been widely described, but the synthesis of interviews, documents and testimony, along with its government imprimatur, give the report — to be released on Thursday as a 576-page book — a conclusive sweep and authority.  The commission held 19 days of hearings and interviews with more than 700 witnesses; it has pledged to release a trove of transcripts and other raw material online."
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2/3
Politician nominates WikiLeaks for Nobel Prize  (CNN, 2/3/2011)

Amen!
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2/16

"The WikiLeaks case endangers the reputation of the United States as a defender of free speech and an open Internet globally."  (Tim Wu quoted in Time Magazine, Feb. 21, 2011, page 22)
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3/18
Pentagon Papers leaker: 'I was Bradley Manning'  (CNN, by Ashley Fantz, 3/19/2011)

I would like to share with you some of the messages Bradley Manning is accused of sending out regarding the thousands of documents eventually published by WikiLeaks:

"hypothetical question: if you had free reign over classified networks for long periods of time... say, 8-9 months... and you saw incredible things, awful things... things that belonged in the public domain, and not on some server stored in a dark room in Washington DC... what would you do?"

"its important that it gets out... i feel, for some bizarre reason ... it might actually change something ... ...I just... dont wish to be a part of it... at least not now... im not ready... i wouldn't mind going to prison for the rest of my life, or being executed so much ..."

When asked about his plan, ""hopefully worldwide discussion, debates, and reforms ...if not... that we're doomed ... as a species."

Would you have the courage of Bradley Manning?  I know I am lacking, and view the young man currently rotting away in a military prison as a hero our founding fathers would be proud of.
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9/27/2011

Once again, Wikileaks is the reason we know the truth.  All the recent headlines about bunker-busting bombs in Israel wouldn't exist without Wikileaks.  By serving as an outlet for full disclosure, the truth has come to light once again. 

Letters from Nowhere

One of my other passions (besides writing) is hidden object games.  I am in an awesome club sponsored by Best Buy that lets me pick one game per month for $7, and as many more as I want after the required single purchase at the member price.  If you look at these games in the computer section at the actual Best Buy store, they are all $20. 

Last month, I chose a title called "Letters from Nowhere."  Some of these games have good stories, and this game was definitely one of them.  You play as the wife of a man, Patrick, who mysteriously disappears.  It turns out a local college cult, that has been practicing for three decades, may be involved.  With the help of a friendly ghost, (a postman who sends letters, hence the title) the main character tracks her husband down.  On a scale of 1-10, I would give this game's story line a 9.

The game play itself was also far superior to your average hidden picture game.  The pictures were challenging, and I absolutely loved the way the cheats and other collectibles worked.  The time trial mode was also very fun, and took me over a week to get through, a couple levels at a time.  I would rate the pictures and puzzles in "Letters from Nowhere" a 9 as well,

My only complaint is that I have to wait for the sequel to come out to find out what happens!

Wikileaks

(Copied from my Thread:  The Internet - Security vs. Privacy)

Wikileaks is in the news again, this time for the release of  "embassy cables."

"The cables, which date from 1966 up until the end of February this year, contain confidential communications between 274 embassies in countries throughout the world and the State Department in Washington DC. 15,652 of the cables are classified Secret."  (http://cablegate.wikileaks.org)

I know that I am in the minority, but I believe Wikileaks founder, Mr. Assange, is a hero.  As Americans, we have every right to know what is said and done in our name.  There are times and places for secrets, but diplomacy amongst representatives of vast populations should not be one of them.  We have been seduced into inaction, and ignorance for so long that most people don't even realize the breaches of basic democratic principles the secrecy inherent in diplomacy breeds.  Mr. Assange, and his organization, provide a small glimmer of hope that someday governments will act in true transparency, in the interest of the people that they represent, not because they want to, but because of the kind of accountability Wikileaks provides.

I have decided to spend some time reading and analyzing these documents.

The first I came across involves the announcement of Rio winning the 2016 Olympic bid.  ((Rio Olympics - The Future is Now)  I found it interesting that the current Brazilian President, Lula, is using the success as both a validation of his government, and a political tool to ensure his chosen successor, Mr. Rousseff, wins the 2010 Presidential elections.

"The Lula government has taken care to associate Lula's chosen candidate to succeed him in 2011, Dilma Rousseff, with the IOC decision and expects the euphoria engendered by Rio's selection to translate into higher poll numbers for Rouseff."

This tactic worked.  Ms. Rousseff won the election in two rounds, and will become Brazil's first female President in 2011.

In regard to the impact on the U.S., the document stipulates that the Olympics will offer an opportunity for coordination with Brazil on "security," and "information exchanges."

The Brazilian Ministry of External Relations (MRE) Coordinator for Sporting Cooperation Vera Alvarez, relates Brazil's successful bid to the country's ability to emerge from the financial crisis relatively unscathed.  "'The IOC appreciated that we were the first to emerge from the crisis,' she said."

Brazil has big plans for the 2016 games, and plans to open its borders so that sporting fans from across South America can attend.  They also promise to host the most environmentally sound Olympics yet.

But security is a huge, acknowledged concern.  The drug gangs in Brazil are notoriously strong, and even shot down a police helicopter.  Terrorism is also on the radar of possible catastrophes.

"Alvarez went so far as to admit that terrorists could target Brazil because of the Olympics, a highly unusual statement from a government that officially believes terrorism in Brazil does not exist."

The next portion of the document confused me:

"Rio authorities, meanwhile, expressed confidence in the impact the Favela Pacification Plan (Ref d) will have on the city's overall security. The Plan - which involves evicting drug traffickers, establishing a sustained police presence, and providing basic services to favela residents - envisions the "pacification" of over 100 favela communities by 2016."

I had no idea what a favela was, so I went to good old Wikipedia to find out.  Apparently, it is just a fancy, Portuguese term for a shanty town.  Most modern favela's in Brazil are the result of the rural exodus of the 1970's. 

So, as long as this "pacification" involves finding proper homes with water and electricity for these favela communities, the Olympics may serve a social function.  However, "pacification" can go very wrong.  This particular tidbit from the leaked document is worth investigating in the future.

Though the Lula administration, and the person in charge of the games and the next President, Ms. Rousseff, have promised grandiose things, including free tickets to the youth of South America, there has been little work done on how to actually follow through with the promises.

"At this point, however, though state and municipal planning is moving ahead steadily, there has been little practical planning at the federal level for implementation of this grand vision. NOTE: Rio's challenges in building infrastructure and paying for the Games will be reported septel. For example, to make events more accessible to the South American public, Lula has said the GOB will distribute free tickets to the working classes and the youth of the continent. MRE admitted that there had been no thought given to how this would impact on ticket revenue projections or security, or to how the potential flow of youthful spectators across Brazil's borders would be managed. Rio also faces a host of challenges building infrastructure and paying for the Games. Lula has similarly decreed that Brazil will win more medals at the Rio Games than in the past, but there is no program in place to enhance the development of elite athletes."

I hope that this is not an indication that the 2016 Olympics will end up like the recent Commonwealth games in India, were roofs were caving in on competitors, and some countries even refused to show up.  But it is equally possible, as the next paragraph of the leaked document suggests, that preparations will begin when the Rousseff administration actually takes over in January, 2011.

The next document I discovered brought me to the Caspian Sea, where a new Italian yacht worth 60 million Euro caused quite a stir in 2008.  Given to Turkmanistan's President  by the Russian company Itera, "the ship would be the first in a fleet of boats to float in the Caspian in support of the Avaza Free Tourism Zone."  (The Yacht)

President Berdimuhamedov originally wanted an even bigger yacht, but the maximum size was limited by the small canals of the Caspian Sea.  He had a special dock built beside his palace to store his new toy, complete with two helipads.

The Yacht's staff were literally stolen from a Swedish company in an episode that reads like a strange bribe-kidnapping scenario.  The yacht itself was probably given as an added "incentive" to move forward on signing onshore natural gas contracts.

"The company undoubtedly really wants a gas exploration contract, especially onshore, and the gift of the yacht is a nice enticement to move the process along." (The Yacht)

There are implications for U.S. businesses:

"IPC Group, official distributors of John Deere and Case New Holland equipment in Turkmenistan, have had concerns about Itera and the company’s ability to take over the farm equipment market in Turkmenistan at least since Berdimuhamedov’s visit to Tatarstan. Itera’s business activities are wide-ranging and difficult to isolate, and the reported gift of the yacht serves as a sign that the company’s willingness to go to great lengths to win business should not be underestimated."

The first two were decently interesting enough for me to click the third (BERDIMUHAMEDOV AND TURKMENISTAN’S RULING FAMILY).  The first line of this leaked diplomatic communication is absoultely awesome in it's bluntness.

"Turkmen President Berdimuhammedov is vain, fastidious, vindictive, a micro-manager, and a bit of an Ahal Teke 'nationalist.'”  (Ahal Teke is a Turkish horse breed known for its speed and for endurance on long marches, according to Wikipedia)  Furthermore, many think his father is smarter than he is.  "The father, many in Turkmenistan think, is more intelligent than the son."

The second paragraph goes even further:  "Berdimuhamedov is vain, suspicious, guarded, strict, very conservative, a practiced liar, 'a good actor,' and vindictive."  Furthermore, like an elephant, "Berdimuhamedov never forgets."

The next paragraph goes into more detail about the President of Turkmenistan's personal habits:  "Berdimuhamedov is very clean and neat and requires all around him to be the same."  This cleanliness seems to have verged on obsession, even to the point of being psychologically diagnosable.  "When Berdimuhamedov became the head of a dental clinic, he insisted that the other men who worked there had creases in their pants. About 30 years ago, when Berdimuhamedov owned an old Russian car, he would leave it at home if it rained and take a taxi instead."

The fourth paragraph apparently shows Berdimuhamedov holds prejudices against some of his own countrymen: "He once told our source that the true and first Turkmen come from the area between Kaka and Baharly in Ahal Province. Other people are not real Turkmen."

Near the end of the document, I found it interesting that the author noted one of Berdimuhamedov's sister's tries to use his position to raise her own prestige:  "His second oldest sister, Aynabat Berdimuhamedova, actively exploits the influence of her brother."
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Coffee Break, But I'm back for more!

The next document needs a lot of deciphering, but is worth the work.  (I am going to start a new format; going forward, the document being discussed will be linked at the top of each section.)
SOLZHENITSYN AND METROPOLITAN KIRILL ON RUSSIA, MEDVEDEV, UKRAINE

First, lets find out who the people are being discussed.  Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, according to Wikipedia, was a Russian novelist and dramatist best known for his works about the Gulags.  Kirill is a Russian Orthodox Bishop.  As a staunch supporter of separation of religion and government, I found this line especially irritating:  "Kirill again expressed optimism about prospects for better relations with Roman Catholic Pope Benedict and described his intention to attempt to jump-start an ecumenical dialogue under the auspices of the UN and, in the United States, via the National Council of Churches."  He can do what he wants with the churches council, but I don't appreciate the idea of using the UN as a guise to promote religious ends.

I do share Mr. Solzhenitsyn's worry that the widening gap between rich and poor, not just in Russia, but around the world, has many negative implications.

It turns out these leaked documents are teaching me a lot. I had never realized that there are no political parties in Russia. "He (Solzhenitsyn)...dismissed the on-again, off-again conversations in Russia about the need to construct a genuine party system as 'irrelevant.' Solzhenitsyn thought it was necessary to elect officials directly, so that they could be held accountable for their actions."  I agree with the last sentence of t his quote wholeheartedly.

I also respect Mr. Solzhenitsyn's sense of worry regarding the younger generation forgetting how horrible some parts of history really were.  "His reference to the Soviet period caused Solzhenitsyn to worry that young Russians did not sufficiently appreciate the dangers of Soviet communism."

The interview with Metroplitan Kirill was typical of a man of the cloth.  He detested modernization, finding small towns more 'preserved' than big metropolises like St. Petersburg.  He sees poverty, "as a by-product of corruption and red tape which were 'stumbling blocks' to progress in Russia." It drives me nuts when churches bemoan the problems of poverty from their gold-encrusted altars.  Though his intentions may be pure, I will never understand how religious leaders can't see their constant demand for money from the masses as part of the reason poverty is a perpetual problem in our world. 
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THREE ISSUES FOR MOD TOLGFORS APRIL 17 CALL ON SECDEF GATES
 This dispatch is contains recommendations for a meeting with Swedish officials back in 2008.   Once again, Wikileaks is teaching me new things.

"For the battalion OMLT (Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team)
to be operationally effective would require a change in the current Swedish policy that decisions to deploy Swedish soldiers outside their PRT areabe made in Stockholm, rather than in the field."  What an interesting law Sweden has regarding troop deployment.  It doesn't seem very logical if serious war were to break out, if you ask me.

Contrary to what most folks on the web are posting, I think comments like this:

"Tolgfors went to high schoolin the U.S. and told the Ambassador he loves the U.S. and maintains friends there."

are important to establish the fact that these politicians are, after all, human beings.  They provide character to otherwise cookie-cutter personalities.
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DINING WITH CHRIS: RANDOM THOUGHTS FROM RELEX COMMISSIONER PATTEN

The summary of this document is priceless, and worth quoting word for word:

"Over rubbery fish at an Adenauer Stiftung affair on April 27, External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten touched briefly on why the EU will never be a 'real power,' the dubious backgrounds of some of the leaders of the EU’s new members, next steps on Cyprus/Turkey, the differences between a union and an alliance, and Russian President Putin’s 'killer’s eyes.' His formal remarks focused on the future of the European Commission, where he offered ten recommendations to the next commission."

Mr. Patten's description of what it takes for a country to be a "real power," is only half accurate, I think.  "To be a real power... a country must be ready and able to adopt and implement a policy, even if the rest of the world considers it unwise."  I would argue that sustainability is equally important, and inversely related to the number of such policies implemented.  The example Mr. Patten gives, the U.S. vs. the E.U. is thus inaccurate. In my view, neither are true powers.  It remains to be seen if China fits the dual sustainable/independent description long enough to be labeled a "real power" in my eyes. 

I don't know enough about E.U. politics to know if Mr. Patten's comment about one or two conservative thinkers always holding progress back.

Though I don't understand a majority of what is discussed in paragraph three, I do comprehend Mr. Patten's criticism of the expanding E.U.

"Some of the new members were people you would 'only want to dine with if you have a very long spoon.'"  This is like my "I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole," quip I use quite often.  Now I can extend my snide remarks repertoire to include a "spoon" metaphor.  Oh, Mr. Patten was talking about Greece, by the way.

Turkey was the next subject at the dinner.  I would imagine appetizers would have arrived by now.  Hopefully the participants ate well, considering the "slippery fish" to come.  Mr. Patten was Turkey's biggest supporter.  According to Wikipedia, negotiations to accept Turkey began on my birthday in 2005 (October 3rd, for those of you that don't celebrate with me).  It is expected that they will be accepted, so Mr. Patten is apparently doing a great job of advocating for them.

The next subject is more serious, and thus I will turn my sarcasm off for a while.  Mr. Patten attempted to explain why the difference between an alliance, like NATO, and a union, like the E.U.

"When a country joins an alliance, it becomes a distinct member of a group committed to a common cause -- but nothing more. When countries join the EU, they become part of the whole, formally and practically indistinct in many areas of EU competence."

I would liken this distinction to joining a Little League baseball team vs. getting married.  The biggest difference is the level of commitment involved, I think.  Mr. Patten then rants on about how certain countries will gain admission before others, despite their preparedness.  It is interesting to note his description of Romania as a "feral nation."  I'm sure they appreciate that description.

The next tidbit is small, but very insightful, given the worlds current energy crisis, and the finagling for resources that is surely in every nations (and unions) future.  According to Patten, "the EU had become overly dependent on Russian energy supplies, and should become more engaged with the countries of the Caucasus and Central Asia in order to diversify supplies."

The next paragraph discusses Worth Trade Organization energy negotiations.  Patten questions the commissions focus on energy, "rather than focussing on other items that really mattered, such as overflights."

The lead sentence in paragraph 8 is worth quoting:

"Patten said Putin has done a good job for Russia mainly due to high world energy prices, but he had serious doubts about the man’s character."  After discussing Putin's disreputable lineage, Patten says this:

"'He seems a completely reasonable man when discussing the Middle East or energy policy, but when the conversation shifts to Chechnya or Islamic extremism, Putin’s eyes turn to those of a killer.'”  A line straight from a Tom Clancy thriller, if you ask me!

The document then moves into Patten's public address at the dinner, that included 10 commandments to make the next commission better.  Some of these seem to be good advice in general, while others are applicable to our own mismanaged government.  "The Commission must also be ready to accept the same sort of management discipline it demands of the Member States," could just as easily start out ,"The U.S. Federal Government. . . "
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THE ONCE AND FUTURE WAR

This next post is about a conflict I have been wanting to learn more about for a while.  "

This message reinterprets the history of the Chechen wars as a means of better understanding the current dynamics, the challenges facing Russia, the way in which the Kremlin perceives those challenges, and the factors limiting the Kremlin’s ability to respond. It draws on close observation on the ground and conversations with many participants in and observers of the conflict from the moment of Chechnya’s declaration of independence in 1991. We intend this message to spur thinking on new approaches to a tragedy that persists as an issue within Russia and between Russia and the U.S., Europe and the Islamic world."

The summary is deep, and worth reading in it's entirety (by clicking the link I provided above).  One point in particular I thought worth noting is how hypocritical the U.S. is in believing Russia should refrain from solely using force to combat Islamic insurgents in Chechnya.

In paragraph four, I again was enlightened by learning that of the 6 territorial conflicts that broke out after the USSR collapsed, 5 still have an active Russian troop presence.

"In all except Nagorno-Karabakh, Russian troops remain today as peacekeepers. Russia doggedly insists on this presence and resists pulling its forces out. Its diplomatic efforts have served to keep the conflicts frozen, with Russian troops remaining in place."

The next several paragraph try to pinpoint exactly why these deployments have lasted so long.  The theory put forth by the document's author alludes to financial reasons, particularly:

"[O]ther lucrative activity outside their official military tasks. . .Sometimes it has involved narcotics smuggling, as in Tajikistan. Selling arms to all sides has been a long-standing tradition. And sometimes it has meant collaborating with the mafias of both sides in conflict to facilitate contraband trade across the lines, as in Abkhazia and South Ossetia."

This ability to perform tasks outside of officially sanctioned government business was facilitated by the independence of the Russian military.  The below quote is a prime example of the sheer lack of respect high ranking generals had for the Yeltsin:

"When they protested that Yeltsin had agreed to other terms, a Russian general replied, “Let the President sit in Moscow, drink vodka, and chase women. That’s his business. We are here, and we have our work to do."

That would be like Petraeus telling Obama to go play basketball, and leave Afghanistan to him.  The next section of the document is tantalizingly titled "The Secret History of the Chechen War."  Every person who loves history should read these unbelievable paragraphs of this document.  I would love to see an accurate representation of these events made into a miniseries.

So how did Putin eventually retake control of the military?  It turns out that it was no easy task, as is demonstrated by the following quote:

"Southern Military District commander Troshev, who led the 1999 invasion, refused outright the first orders transferring him to Siberia in November 2002, and went on television to publicize his mutiny.  He was finally removed in February 2003."

Imagine if General McCrystal  had attempted a similar ploy, enlisting one of the major networks to air his pleas. 

The next section, titled "Chechenization, Ahmad-Haji Kadyrov, and the Salafists," explains how a split amongst Muslims (those practicing mystical sufism vs. the Salafists, who follow a strict interpretation of Islam, against mysticism and pagan symbols) added a curve ball to the Chechen conflict.

"When Arab fighters joined the Chechen conflict in 1995, they brought with them a 'Salafist”'doctrine that attempts to emulate the fundamental, 'pure' Islam of the Prophet Muhammad and his immediate successors, especially ‘Umar, the second Caliph. It holds that mysticism is one of the 'impurities' that crept into Islam after the first four Caliphs, and considers Sufis to be heretics and idolaters. The idea that Kunta-Haji adepts could believe their founder is still alive -- and that they worship the grave of his mother -- is an abomination to Salafis, who believe that marked graves are a form of pagan ancestor worship."

"In February 1995 Fathi ‘Ali al-Shishani, a Jordanian of Chechen descent, arrived in Chechnya. A veteran of the war in Afghanistan, he was now too old to be a combatant, but was a missionary for Salafism. He recruited another Afghan veteran, the Saudi al-Khattab, to come to Chechnya and lead a group of Arab fighters."

Simply because I was reading the American Atheist's website earlier, and came across how many politicians became Catholics just before running for office, I found the following quote interesting:

"In his early interviews, Basayev showed himself to be motivated by Chechen nationalism, not religion, though he paid lip-service -- e.g., proclaiming Sharia law in Vedeno in early 1995 -- to attract Gulf donors."

My head is splitting from staring at the computer, but I have read enough of these "Wikileaks" to know they are precious gems to be treasured, not despised. Thank you, Mr. Assange.

I'm too tired to type more, but I will continue to quote interesting tidbits as I find them, and comment later if I feel the need.

"Putin should realize that his current policy course is not preventing the growth of militant, armed Jihadism. Rather, every time his subordinates try to douse the flames, the fire grows hotter and spreads farther." (P46)

"Russia does not consider the U.S. a friend in the Caucasus, and our capacity to influence Russia, whether by pressure, persuasion or assistance, is small." (P48)

"The British... link their 'dialogue with Islam' closely with their counter-terrorist effort...reinforcing the conception of a monolithic Muslim identity predisposed to terrorism." (P49)

"We cannot expect the Russians to react well if we limit our statements to condemnations of Kadyrov, butcher though he may be." (P51)

"Presidential Advisor Aslakhanov told us last December that Kadyrov expropriates for himself one third off the top of all assistance." (P53)
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A CAUCASUS WEDDING

"The lavish display and heavy drinking concealed the deadly serious North Caucasus politics of land, ethnicity, clan, and alliance." (P1)

"Gadzhi has cashed in the social capital he made from nationalism, translating it into financial and political capital -- as head of Dagestan’s state oil company and as the single-mandate representative for Makhachkala in Russia’s State Duma. His dealings in the oil business -- including close cooperation with U.S. firms -- have left him well off enough to afford luxurious houses in Makhachkala, Kaspiysk, Moscow, Paris and San Diego; and a large collection of luxury automobiles, including the Rolls Royce Silver Phantom in which Dalgat fetched Aida from her parents’ reception. (Gadzhi gave us a lift in the Rolls once in Moscow, but the legroom was somewhat constricted by the presence of a Kalashnikov carbine at our feet. Gadzhi has survived numerous assassination attempts, as have most of the still-living leaders of Dagestan. In Dagestan he always travels in an armored BMW with one, sometimes two follow cars full of uniformed armed guards." (P5)

"Gadzhi’s Kaspiysk summer house is an enormous structure on the shore of the Caspian, essentially a huge circular reception room -- much like a large restaurant -- attached to a 40-meter high green airport tower on columns, accessible only by elevator, with a couple of bedrooms, a reception room, and a grotto whose glass floor was the roof of a huge fish tank. The heavily guarded compound also boasts a second house, outbuildings, a tennis court, and two piers out into the Caspian, one rigged with block and tackle for launching jet skis." (P8)  Notice that this is only his SUMMER house.  I can't imagine what his normal one must be like.  (And yes, I'm back to commenting...it's amazing what a good cup of Chocolate Donut coffee can do.)

"Many of the visitors grew up with Gadzhi in Khasavyurt, including an Ingush Olympic wrestler named Vakha who seemed to be perpetually tipsy." (P8)  I did a web search for "Vahka + Wrestle" and found this article, which includes the following, illuminating, quote from the mentioned wrestler:   "'I myself was a candidate for the Montreal Olympics,” said Vakha Chapayev, a deputy minister for sports in the current pro-Kremlin Chechen government. “They would not take me. It was like in the past when a Chechen could not become a general in the army.'”  No wonder Vakha  was tipsy.

"Also present was Chechnya’s Duma member, Khalid (aka Ruslan) Yamadayev, brother of the commander of the notorious Vostok Battalion. He was reserved at the time, but in a follow-up conversation in Moscow on August 29 (please protect) he complained that Chechnya, lacking experts to develop programs for economic recovery, is simply demanding and disposing of cash from the central government."  (P9)  This was probably the first piece of information I would deem to be of a secretive nature.  Everything else reads like political pundit commentary, and information any wise person could have learned via NYT or CNN.

One of the traditions at Dagestani weddings is to shower dancing children with money.  At this particular occasion, the denomination of choice was $100 bills.  "Both Gadzhi and Ramzan showered the dancing children with hundred dollar bills; the dancers probably picked upwards of USD 5000 off the cobblestones." (P17)

The last words are like the ending to a great movie:

"Gadzhi told us democracy would always fail in the Caucasus, where the conception of the state is as an extension of the Caucasus family, in which the father’s word is law. 'Where is the room for democracy in that?' he asked. We paraphrased Hayek: if you run a family as you do a state, you destroy the family. Running a state as you do a family destroys the state: ties of kinship and friendship will always trump the rule of law. Gadzhi’s partner agreed, shaking his head sadly. 'That’s a matter for generations to come,' he said." (P20)
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LITVINENKO ASSASSINATION: REACTION IN MOSCOW

I originally heard about the Litvinenko case from a CNN story about a year ago.  As a lover of a good conspiracy theory, I read the above linked Wikileaks document with avid interest.  I found these lines from paragraphs 9-10 most intriguing:

"The Institute for Globalization Problem’s Mikhail Delyagin added the November 18 killing in Moscow of Movdali Baysarov, Chechen 'Gorets' division commander and critic of Chechen Prime Minister Ramzan Kadyrov; and the November 4 'Russian March' to Belkovskiy and Venediktov’s lists of recent, linked events...According to Delyagin, the killings of Baysarov, Politkovskaya, and Litvinenko combine to create an atmosphere of chaos desired by the 'siloviki,' who would like Putin to remain in office."
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HAMBURG POLICE TRACK POLONIUM TRAIL

As they police tracked the culprit in the Litvinenko murder, they tested everything he touched.  Including his signature.  "On October 30, Kovtun kept an appointment with the Office of Foreigner Registration in Hamburg-Altona, where he signed a document. His signature has tested positive for radiation." (P3)  I never would have guessed the residue was that pervasive that it would be identifiable in the ink of a signature.  This strange occurrence is explained better in paragraph 5:  "German investigators concluded Kovtun did not have polonium traces on his skin or clothes; Schindler said the polonium was coming out of his body, for example through his pores."

I had never heard of the possible Italian connection mentioned here:

"Finally, Menzel was curious about a possible Italian connection to the Litvinenko case and noted that Kovtun had met with an Italian national in Hamburg and that Italians played a role in the London investigation as well."  (P4)

The German investigation was not readily aided by the Russians, as this exerpt shows:

"German authorities had tested the German Wings airplane that had taken Kovtun from Hamburg to London; no traces of polonium were found. Germany had wanted to test the Aeroflot plane that flew Kovtun to Germany, and had prepared to ground it upon its next arrival in Germany. Schindler said Russian authorities must have found out about German plans because 'at the last minute' Aeroflot swapped planes; Schindler said he did not expect Aeroflot to fly the other plane to Germany any time soon." (P5)
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A lot has happened overnight.  According to this CNN article, WikiLeaks was taken off line by it's US domain name provider early this morning.  But, thankfully the organization has been able to come back online via a Swiss domain provider.  Unfortunately, all of the above links I provided yesterday will no longer work.  But I promise every quote I provided was copied and pasted directly from the article stated. The move makes me all the more determined to read these documents, and pull anything important for posterity for my website.  Once again, thank you WikiLeaks for your tireless work!
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BRAZIL DECLINES GUANTANAMO MIGRANTS 

This document from 2005 is actually very interesting.  It shows some of the behind-the-scenes work our diplomats did in trying to find homes for the residents of Guantanamo.  "The GOB still contends that it cannot accept Guantanamo migrants because it is illegal to designate someone not on Brazilian soil a refugee. Despite multiple requests, PolOff did not receive a response regarding the USG's offer to pay for transportation for GOB resettlement officials to travel to Guantanamo. (Comment: Based upon Brazilian legislation and CONARE's strong stance against the USG's proposal, PolOff does not believe that the GOB will accept this arrangement."  (GOB is Government of Brazil, I think, and CONARE is the Brazilian National Committee for Refugees)

Once again, WikiLeaks taught me something.  I didn't realize the Brazilians have/had a strong relationship with the Cubans:

"DDH Office Director Marcia Ramos told PolOff that the GOB's close relationship with the Cuban government would make it impossible for the GOB to accept Cuban refugees." (P3)  (DDH is  Brazil's Human Rights Divisions)  So, our diplomat tried to play their game and offer some Haitian prisoners, to which the Brazilians again refused.  Nice try though, America!

Paragraph four is my favorite out of anything that I have read on WikiLeaks so far:

"UNHCR representative Luis Varese was more forthcoming in providing concrete answers to explain the GOB's position...Varese told PolOff that refugee status in Brazil is usually granted after the refugee has been recognized by the host country (in this case, the U.S.). According to Varese, the GOB and CONARE believe that the migrants at Guantanamo Bay do not fit into this category because the USG has not 'formally recognized' them as refugees. If they were formally recognized, CONARE believes, the USG would allow them to resettle in the U.S. so resettlement would not be an issue."

What a beautiful circular argument, putting the ball back where it belongs; in the hands of the US.
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BRAZIL: REQUEST FOR RESETTLEMENT ASSISTANCE FOR DETAINEES AT GUANTANAMO

I was going to dismiss the above linked document as redundant, but then I saw this line in paragraph four:

"Action Request: Bohlke said he understood the urgency of our request, he told poloff that the GOB would "probably not" be able to resettle the Uighurs due to Brazilian regulations."  I have read a lot about the Uyghur's of China lately.  I wonder if the author is referring to a member of this group of Muslims from China."
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BOUCHER AND KARZAI, SPANTA ON JIRGAS, DRUGS, ECON COOPERATION, GOVERNANCE, IRAN

This sentence from the introduction is a prime example of why the war on drugs was futile from the start:  "Discussion of counternarcotics and governance led Karzai to make a pitch for the international community to give the Afghan government room to do governance 'the Afghan way.'”  (P1)

This fact from paragraph 9 further confirms my believes on this issue.  "Boucher noted that the UN Office of Drugs and Crime had released its latest assessment of drug production in Afghanistan. He highlighted the report’s findings that while the number of poppy-free provinces had increased from six to thirteen, overall production in Afghanistan had increased by 34 per cent, particularly in Helmand."

I have decided to start including definitions of key terms that will help readers of these documents who are not in the diplomatic field to understand fully the content of the communications.  For example, in this document, the term "jirga" is used.  I would assume that most Americans are like me, and do not know what this term refers to.  According to Wikipedia, a jirga is a meeting amongst certain Muslim groups in Afghanistan, Pakistan, or India.  It is similar to an American town hall meeting.

"Karzai shared that there was a recent gathering of Pakistani tribal chiefs in Peshawar during which the chiefs expressed a desire for the same rights and freedoms as ordinary Pakistani citizens.  However, Karzai noted that these same tribes had recently refused to celebrate Pakistani Independence Day." (P3)  Freedom is a strange thing.  The tribes in question want the rights and freedoms of a nation, but also the freedom to ignore that nations historic holidays.

The last sentence of paragraph three actually makes me smirk:  "Pakistani Interior Minister Sherpao did not think a political party system within the Tribal Areas would be feasible in the near term."  Why we would even attempt to shove our broken party system down the throats of the Pakistanis is beyond me.

Controversially, the dialogue then moves to who and how to include the "opposition," including the Taliban and it's supporters, into the mediation process.  I agree with the need to confront the enemy in meaningful dialogue.  The nature of the war we are waging could go on perpetually.  The only solution will be diplomatic.

The next sentence that caught my eye included the term "Baluch," which I searched for on my favorite information site, Wikipedia.  According to this amazing resource, the Baluch are an ethnic Iranian people, 60% of whom live in Balochistan, a western province of Pakistan.  Given this information, the following quote should hopefully be more understandable now:

"Pakistan is concerned about Baluch rebels who are operating in and supported from Afghanistan, and Boucher (Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Co-Operation and Development) stressed the importance of the Afghan government doing all it can to crack down on this."

Paragraph 6 introduces 2 figures I had never heard of before, so I will share what I learned about them from Wikipedia with you.  First is Pervex Musharraf who is introduced in the above linked WikiLeaks document in this sentence: "Spanta (Afghan Foreign Minister) said Musharraf’s appearance at the end of the jirga was a real high point."  He is former President of Pakistan with a lot of military experience.

The second person I had never heard of is Nawaz Sharif.  He is first introduced in this sentence:  "Musharraf’s initial decision not to attend was not a snub to the jirga itself but a cautionary move by Musharraf, who feared the Pakistani Supreme Court would rule to allow former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan."  Knowing that Musharraf is former President, and Sharif a former Prime Minister, makes this quote even juicier.  According to Wikipedia, Mr. Sharif is the current leader of the Pakistan Muslim League, a political party , and was ousted from office by none other than Musharraf.  A little research goes a long way in understanding these documents!

So, knowing everything we now know about both figures, these final thoughts from paragraph 6 should make a lot more sense:"Spanta conceded that, 'We know Sharif is bad news. He is the author of Islamic radicalism in our region.' Boucher agreed that Sharif could return to lead a movement that is pro-Islam, anti-Musharraf and anti- U.S."

Paragraph 9 introduces another new figure, Sher Mohammad.  According to Wikipedia, he was the governor of Helmand Province in Afghanistan from 2001-2205.  The circumstances surrounding his dismissal are controversial.  "Sher Mohammed was accused of links to drug smuggling. In 2005, nine tons of opium and heroin were discovered in his basement. He said the drugs had been planted by the British..."  Mr. Sher Mohammad was mentioned by President Karzai in the following way:

"According to Karzai, 'The question is why do we have Taliban controlling these areas now when two years ago I had control of Helmand? When Sher Mohammad was governor there, we had girls in schools and only 160 foreign troops. The international community pushed me to remove him and now look where we are.' Referring to Sher Mohammad, Karzai retorted, 'My question for you is, do you want a bad guy on your side or working for the Taliban? Where Afghans are in charge, drugs are less but where the international community is in charge, drugs are up.'"

Although Mr. Karzai is often knocked by our media for his bribery and backdoor dealings, it is clear that he has a solid grasp of the situation on the ground in his own country.

Trying to provide an answer to his question, our Ambassador countered that the reason for the increased drug smuggling in some provinces is due to the presence of insurgency troops in those locations.  As a result, the Taliban doubled their effort to discredit any progress being made.  But, regardless of the excuses, the reason for the lost control and increased drug violence is ultimately the fault of our military personnel not adequately preparing for the war we find ourselves in. 

This is made clear from the way President Karzai instructs our ambassador on the intricacies of tribal chiefdoms in paragraph 11.  He sounds like he is reading out of an anthropology text book; one our government should have at least perused before invading such a deeply diverse country as Afghanistan. This particular warning is the most important line of them all, in my opinion:

Karzai:  "'When we distort tribal structures, the vacuum is filled by the Taliban, and that is exactly what has happened in Helmand and Uruzgan...The people in Helmand and Uruzgan are uneducated, so you have to fight the Taliban with local ingredients...”

Fighting the Taliban using "local ingredients," sounds much like our current efforts of winning over the hearts and minds of the general populace.  Looks like we took Mr. Karzai's advice.  Whether it will pay off is still to hard to tell.

The first lines of paragraph 12 read as follows:  "Boucher informed Karzai that he would meet with Lower House Speaker Qanooni later that day. Boucher told Karzai that his message to Qanooni would be: 'Political opposition is okay, but it has to be constructive.' Karzai’s advice was to remind Qanooni that he would not hold his position without U.S. backing."

So who is Qanooni, and has he held his position?  According to Wikipedia, Yunus Qanuni is an ethnic Tajik, who is still the speaker of the House of the People (the lower parliament in Afghanistan.)

Paragraph 13 deals with Boucher's conversation with Qanooni regarding Russia and Iran. Boucher's conversation with Spanta regarding Iran is the key topic in paragraph 16, from which I pulled the following interesting quote:

"Spanta noted that Iran was primarily invested in supporting political parties, mobilizing Shia mullahs, influencing the Afghan media, and providing material support to the Taliban. He added that Iran is funding the completion of a railway that will go from Iran into Afghanistan and end outside Herat City."

The final part about Iran is actually about Afghan refugees:

"Spanta commented that his biggest problem is that Iran continues to send back Afghan refugees - both those who are registered and those who are not - and added that Iran does not coordinate with the Afghan government on the forced returns." (P17)

I can't imagine how bad living in Afghanistan must be if folks are running away to Iran...

Paragraph 18 is notable because Spanta requests money from the U.S. via Boucher for a meeting of an economic organization that we are not even a member of.  The request is denied due to timing, but the fact that Spanta had the gall to ask is telling of Afghan politician's love of money.
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More news since nap time!  Is the U.S. government behind efforts to shut down WikiLeaks?  That is the question being pondered in this CNN article.   "The site's efforts to publish 250,000 diplomatic cables has been hampered by denial-of-service attacks, ejection from its server host and cancellation of its name by its American domain name provider. Each time WikiLeaks has worked out other arrangements to bring the site back online."  The Pentagon says the impact of the documents is not severe enough to warrant a response.  But one has to wonder who, if not the feds, would care enough to try to bring the now famous site down?  No ideas immediately come to mind.
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USDP EDELMAN NOV 7 MEETING WITH PRESIDENT KARZAI: IRAN, COUNTERNARCOTICS, MUSA QALA AND PAKISTAN

The first topic discussed in this most interesting dispatch is the Baghlan sugar factory bombing.  According to Wikipedia, dozens of people were killed when a bomb exploded at a ceremony for the re-opening of a sugar factory.  "Large groups of people, including children and elderly people were lined up to assist in the inauguration of the facility. It is widely believed that the blast was caused by a bomb full of ball-bearings. It is unlikely that a suicide attacker could cause such a massive carnage."  Though the Taliban denied responsibility for the attack, it is probable they were involved according to some in the Afghan government.

In the WikiLeaks document, Karzai states that if it were indeed a suicide bombing, the Taliban would probably be responsible.  But why, I wonder, would the Taliban not be equally responsible if the bomb were planted.

The next order of business was national unity.  The US urged Karzai to use the Baghlan bombing as an opportunity to forget the divisiveness in his government in favor of national unity.  "Karzai and Qanooni should join in bringing the nation together and use this as a basis for renewed, decisive action to counter the insurgency and take the hard decisions needed to advance good governance goals."  Though I know we are greatly invested at this point in the future of Afghanistan, I still can't get over the irony of a U.S. diplomat urging politicians to forget their differences and get along for a while, given the last year of non-stop stalemate our own Congress put us through. 

Paragraph 7 discloses an Iranian motive for chaos in Afghanistan besides U.S. animosity.  "Karzai asserted that Iran is bothered that Afghanistan is becoming an important transit hub for the region, and it wants to forestall Pakistani and Indian natural gas imports from Central Asia in order to protect its own market."

Paragraph 8 introduces two new terms, one explained, the other I needed to use Wikipedia for.  The former is EFPs, which are explained by the WikiLeaks document as being "explosively-formed projectile weapons."  The latter are MANPADs, which are man-portable air defense systems.  According to Wikipedia, these are SAMs, orshoulder-launched surface to air missiles.   Just like in the video games, "They are typically guided weapons and are a threat to low-flying aircraft, especially helicopters." (MANPADs)

Now, for the context these terms are used in from the above-linked WikiLeaks document:

"The explosively-formed projectile weapons (EFPs) intercepted by British troops are worrying; even small numbers, if effectively employed against a small Ally such as the Dutch, could have a strategic effect. EFPs have been a major cause of U.S. casualties in Iraq. Reports of MANPADS coming out of Iran are also of concern." (P8)

This warning from USDP Edelman is still relevant, three years later:

"Iranian lethal assistance to the Taliban must be stopped before it reaches the levels of similar assistance to insurgents in Iraq..." (P8)

Paragraph 10 is devoted to counter-narcotics.   Here is an excerpt:

"[T]he perception in Washington is that Afghan and ISAF forces have had tactical successes in disrupting the Taliban...Congressional committees plan to hold hearings in the near future on Afghanistan and will be asking what the IRoA and USG are doing to take advantage of the tactical successes to advance police training and reform, extend governance to the provincial and local levels, create economic opportunity and counter the narcotics trade. Interest in counternarcotics action will become particularly acute in the wake of the UN report on record poppy crops during the last growing season.

I believe the most important word in the entire paragraph is in the first sentence; perception.  After reading the prior document I discussed, (BOUCHER AND KARZAI, SPANTA ON JIRGAS, DRUGS, ECON COOPERATION, GOVERNANCE, IRAN), it is obvious the battle season was a stalemate at best, with the Taliban having the advantage if it must be given to one of the two parties.  I wonder if future documents will contain what altered truths were offered to Congress to explain the discrepancies, and keep funding flowing.

Musa Qala is a province and district of Helmand Province.  According to Karzai, it is a central drug trafficking location.  "Karzai said there are 300 shops that sell opium paste and 65 heroin labs in Musa Qala." (P11)  Because of this insane amount of criminal activity, the people there were fed up and supported U.S. efforts to liberate the people. 

The final discussion point from this document was Pakistan.  Before I go into defining some of the uncommon terms used in the two paragraph discussion, I am going to link the last sentence of the section:

"Karzai agreed the situation is complicated. Musharraf recognizes that if/when Bhutto takes power, he will be out, and he may not be ready yet to take that step." (P14)

Given her assassination, it is obvious the diplomat who wrote this dispatch was sadly accurate.  The same sentiments were echoed in the summary paragraph:

"On Pakistan, Karzai expressed the hope that Musharraf,s extra-constitutional approach will work, but it was not clear to Karzai that Musharraf is ready to follow through in the short term on elections and a deal with Benizir Bhutto."  (P1)

Scholars with a focus on Pakistani history will be able to use this WikiLeaks document as evidence of Musharraf's motives in planning the murder.  It must be noted, however, that other parties may have been involved:

"Although there are special interests that are seeking to extend the period for martial law, it must be kept short." (P14)

There are some new terms in the Pakistani section of the dispatch that deserve defining as well. First up is FATA, which is an acronym for Federally Administered Tribal Areas.  According to Wikipedia, these are "a group of small administrative units in the northwest of Pakistan." (FATA)

They were mentioned in the dispatch in relation to Taliban control:

"Karzai emphasized that the issue of Taliban sanctuary in Pakistan has to be solved, noting with dismay that the Taliban flag has been raised in three districts in the FATA." (P13)

Again, Karzai displays his astute understanding of the political situation in his region with this well-phrased comment:

"He observed that while Afghanistan has a national identity and a weak state, Pakistan has a strong state with no coherent national identity." (P13)

The next term used that deserves some investigation is "Provisional Constitution Order."  The definition on Wikipedia is only mildly enlightening this time;

"A Provisional Constitutional Order or PCO is an extra constitutional order that suspends either wholly or partially the Constitution of Pakistan. It provides a temporary constitution while the actual constitution is held in abeyance or suspension. In the history of Pakistan, when ever a PCO has been declared, the higher judiciary have been required to take oath on PCO. One of the typical clauses of a PCO is that no court will pass judgement against PCO."  (Provisional Constitution Order)

Wikipedia lists three instances of this occurring, the last of which is the one mentioned in the dispatch:

This "Provisional Constitutional Order was issued on November 3, 2007 and later amended on November 15, 2007. It was lifted on December 16, 2007."  ((Provisional Constitution Order)

Here is the context in which it was used in the WikiLeaks document:

"Edelman noted that U.S.-Pakistan Defense Consultative Group (DCG) talks were postponed to underscore U.S. dissatisfaction with the imposition of the Provisional Constitution Order; it was also not clear that our Pakistani interlocutors would be able to focus on the DCG agenda, given the current political turmoil." (P14)

The very next sentence has a term I had never encountered before:  "Quetta Shura."  According to my only source for clear, concise definitions, Wikipedia, the Quetta Shura is an Islamic militant group based in Quetta, Balochistan, in Pakistan.  It is comprised of top Afghan Taliban leadership.  The group was created as a result of U.S. attacks on the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2001.  Since the WikiLeaks document being discussed was relayed in 2007, several members of the Quetta Shura, "who were dispersed in various cities and towns in Pakistan, were detained by Pakistani intelligence.  Pakistan agreed to repatriate them to Afghanistan if not found to have committed crimes in Pakistan."  (Quetta Shura)

Here is the context in which it was used in the diplomatic communication:

"The USG and Afghanistan share an interest in Pakistani authorities moving against terrorist sanctuaries and the Taliban,s Quetta Shura..." (P14)

This document was by far the most enlightening, and educational I have read so far.  Everyone criticizing the release of  these documents should be ashamed of themselves for not taking the time to actually read what they contain.  Nothing I have read should have been kept secret from the American population.  
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AZNAR KEPT UNDER WRAPS IN EU PARLIAMENT ELECTIONCAMPAIGN CENTERED ON IRAQ, US TIES

This next document is also very intriguing.  It is about a particular EU politician, Jose Maria Aznar, who was once the Prime Minister of Spain (1996-2004).  However, his close association with the Bush administration, and overall agreement with US policies regarding Iraq, made him a "radioactive" candidate for his party (the Popular Party or PP), "in the June 13 EU parliament election campaign." (P1)  Indeed, the title of the first section is titled "Aznar Radioactive."  Furthermore, according to Timmermans, "Many Popular Party members, Timmermans said, blame Aznar's Iraq policy for the defeat and believe Aznar gambled with the party's future on Iraq and lost."  (P6)

Like former President Bush, Mr. Aznar is, "confident time will vindicate his policies toward Iraq and the US." (P4)  This statement is reiteriated in paragraph 6, with an added caveat regarding the elections described above:

"Timmermans underlined that Aznar remains unyielding in his beliefs. Aznar will continue to support the Iraq war and say publicly that the Madrid terrorist attacks on March11 brought the Socialists to power."

This line I actually bypassed yesterday, and re-read this morning:

"Timmermans noted that Aznar had expressed concern to President Bush that the March 11 Madrid terrorist attacks had sent a message to terrorists that they can influence elections." (P5)  It should be remembered that this dispatch went out shortly before Bush was re-elected.  One of the many conspiracies surrounding this election was the raising of the U.S. terror alert to high, so that folks would be afraid and vote based on their fear of terrorism, and thus, historically, for Republicans.  So it is possible that the Bush administration took this sort of information and spun it on it's head to use as a political tool for election purposes.  I wouldn't put it past them.

Paragraph 7 introduces Aznar's replacement, and the current, Prime Minister of Spain, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

"Zapatero has not had to make any unpopular decisions and his one major decision  (to pull the troops out ) was highly popular."   But, according to Wikipedia it did have it's international consequences, including "long term diplomatic tension with the George W. Bush administration."  (Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero)

"Timmermans said that all of Zapatero's decisions are taken with one idea in mind:doing what is popular." (P7)  This line leads to a major philosophical debate: Do we want our governments doing what the majority asks, or doing what they deem "hard, but right," like a parent?  (I say the former; put the responsibility in the people's hands.  Many have the misconception that the people are stupid, and thus their majority opinions unwise.  I disagree.  We are not stupid, just ill-informed.  A perfect example is how all of this pertinent information had to come out via leaked documents.  It is unfair to ignore the majority decision based on intelligence, but at the same time keep the means for educating hidden.)

Which leads me to mention the one thing that really gets me about this document, and a couple others I have evaluated so far.  Why is it that Bush's policies resulted in so many EU defeats, but his own re-election?  Maybe all those conspiracy theorists, hanging chads proponents included, are on to something.

Moving on to paragraph 8, which deals with Mr. Aznar's future.  Amongst other things mentioned, the document states that:

"Aznar is working hard on his English and is presiding over the Popular Party think tank, FAES."

According to Wikipedia, FAES translates into the "Foundation for Analysis and Social Sciences."  It is of the "conservative liberal ideology," and was formed in 2002.  Aznar is still the acting President of this organization as of 12/4/2010.

According to Wikipedia, Mr. Aznar is currently on the Board of Directors for News Corp, a media conglomerate.  The other party mentioned in the document is Alfredo Timermans.   My Google search indicates that he is currently CEO of Telefonic, a Spanish-based broadband and telecommunications company.

The final paragraph of this dispatch deals with how surprised the PP was to keep the June 13, 2004 election as close as it was.  Reading the transcript, I couldn't help but think of our own recent elections, and how the democrats ended up doing much better than expected.
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12/10
WikiLeaks cable: Pfizer hired investigators to dig dirt on Nigerian AG  (CNN, by Tim Lister, 12/10/2010)

The article above gives a decent summary of a leaked document from 2009.  According to the leak, Pfizer's Nigerian representative paid investigators to dig up dirt on a federal lawyer who was prosecuting the drug company.  During a 1996 meningitis outbreak, Pfizer administered the drug Trovan to children who later died, or became deformed.  Though Pfizer denies the information leaked, drug companies will do almost anything to keep their reputations clean, so I wouldn't put it past them.
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12/10
WikiLeaks 'Anonymous' hackers: 'We Will Fight'  (CNN, by Ashley Fantz, 12/10/2010)

Want to help support Wikileaks?  CNN says you can, just by providing your e-mail address to one of the hacking organizations currently targeting major companies like Mastercard and Visa.  So far, 1,500 computers have requested to help, and have downloaded the exploitative software used to initiate the attacks.  Members of the organization called "Anonymous" claim it takes only 120 computers to bring down the web sites of most major corporations.  I also found it interesting that one of the interviewed members called copyright "copywrong."

"The Scoog," a commenter on the article, did clarify a few points.  The sites aren't actually being "hacked."  Our credit card information is safe, at least for the moment.  The services are just being disrupted by a bunch of automated computers.  His or her analogy is great, and worth quoting:

"Hacking is like exploiting a hidden entrance to a house to get in. What we're seeing in these DDOS attacks is more like a thousand people punching a house repeatedly until the walls collapse. Not a big difference, but it is an important distinction."
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3/19
U.S. ambassador to Mexico resigns  (CNN, 3/19/2011)

"The move by Ambassador Carlos Pascual comes amid tension between the United States and Mexico after a U.S. diplomatic cable released last fall by the WikiLeaks website quoted U.S. officials talking about "widespread corruption" in Mexican security agencies and "a dysfunctionally low level of collaboration." The cable, dated January 29, 2010, also described the Mexican army as "slow" and "risk averse" and concluded that only 2% of people arrested in Ciudad Juarez -- the most violent city in Mexico, wracked by drug-cartel-related killings -- were charged with a crime."

The fact that Pascual had to resign is a sign of the tension that resulted from the leak, especially in regard to President Calderon.  It is also a sign of weakness on the part of our government, I think.  Instead of backing Pascual up for stating statistics, and the facts as he saw them, the Obama Administration, represented by Secretary of State Clinton, are not commenting on anything about how right the analysis was.   Instead, they are promulgating the usual of nonsense about maintaining bilateral relations, and letting the diplomat take the fall.   I am sure Mr. Pascual will have a fine career going forward, but it will always be marred by this incident, when, in fact, he should be commended for his blunt, but accurate assessment of our southern neighbors current situation.