Topic: Iraq
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10 best books of 2012 – fiction
Here are the Monitor's picks for the best novels of 2012.
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Obama-Netanyahu tensions: Not as bad as 5 other US-Israel low points
Will US-Israel relations fray over Iran? Not likely – they've seen worse.
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3 views on what the US should do about Iran's nuclear program
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad addressed the United Nations General Assembly Wednesday, saying Iran is under a "continued threat by the uncivilized Zionists." As the fourth installment of our One Minute Debate series for election 2012, three writers give their brief take on what the United States should do about Iran's nuclear program.
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Six reasons this UN General Assembly is must-see TV
World leaders descend on New York for the annual United Nations gathering, starting Sept. 25. If the recent past is any guide, it can be a memorable, even explosive, occasion. Here are six moments to watch for, to brace for, this time.
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Bestselling books the week of 9/13/12, according to IndieBound*
What's selling best at independent bookstores across America.
All Content
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Parents of journalist missing in Syria make public plea for his release
The parents of James Foley, age 39, who was kidnapped Syria while on assignment as a videographer for Agence France-Press have had no news of their son in six weeks. In 2012, 28 journalists were killed in Syria.
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Obama-Karzai talks near: How many US troops should stay in Afghanistan?
Afghan President Hamid Karzai will be in Washington next week to meet with President Obama. Top of the agenda: deciding whether US troops should stay beyond 2014 – and how many.
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How Air Force database is preventing its old bombs from claiming new victims
The US military estimates that an Air Force lieutenant colonel is saving hundreds of lives a year through a new database he is creating of past bombing campaigns. He's also challenging the history books.
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Energy Voices
Shale oil and gas predictions for 2013 and beyondNorth America will continue to show the world the way on shale gas and oil, Grealy writes, but we're only at the first baby steps of shale.
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Focus
Obama's pivot to Asia? Middle East will still demand attention in 2013.The popular unrest of the last two years has left the Middle East volatile as 2013 kicks off.
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UN Envoy warns of mass death next year in Syria
The international envoy to Syria emphasized the deteriorating situation in the country, and called for a quick end to the conflict, warning hundreds of thousands could die next year.
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Pakistan militants attack Muslim pilgrims
More than 320 Shiites have been killed this year in Pakistan and attacks are on the rise, which suggests the government is 'indifferent,' according to New York-based Human Rights Watch.
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General Norman Schwarzkopf, Desert Storm commander, dies at age 78
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf, who had an illustrious military career which included many high-profile commands, died Thursday of complications from pneumonia.
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Focus
In 2013, possibilities for stability from Somalia to South China SeaPolicymakers in many of the world's hot spots have a common New Year's wish: for unity to usher in and consolidate political and economic stability.
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Syrian conflict threatens to fracture Iraq
Semi-autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan and the central Iraqi government are on a collision course as the Kurds increasingly side with the Syrian opposition and Baghdad stands by the Assad regime.
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Chuck Hagel: why his candidacy for Defense post is losing altitude
Critics of Chuck Hagel's potential candidacy have focused on remarks he made years ago about Israel, Iran, and Hamas. Some even called him anti-Semitic, a charge branded as outrageous, even by other critics.
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Syrian moderates fear being edged out of uprising
Some of Syria's moderate opposition members worry they are losing a place in the fight against the regime as better-armed, more experienced hard-line groups proliferate.
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Home for the holidays: Fewer US troops are absent this year
Christmas 2012 marks the smallest deployment of combat troops abroad in at least five years, as the war in Iraq ends and US forces deployed to Afghanistan have been drawing down.
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Muslim scholars and clerics: suicide bombings are un-Islamic.
A conference of religious leaders is set to meet in January in Afghanistan specifically to publicize the fact that suicide bombing violence is not in the Quran.
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Iraqi protesters block road to Jordan and Syria
Protesters have flocked to the streets in recent days in the western Sunni heartland. They say Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has marginalized them, and that anti terrorism laws are being used unfairly against Sunnis.
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Video games and shooting: Is the NRA right?
The NRA says the problem with mass shootings like the recent one at the Sandy Hook grade school in Connecticut is not too many unregulated guns but violent video games. But most academic and government research does not support the gun lobby's charge.
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Violence in Iraq spikes. Are US security interests in jeopardy?
A recent rise in civilian deaths and injuries in Iraq is cause for concern, but Pentagon personnel say Iraqi security forces are proving to be 'very capable' in the year since US troops departed.
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Geography of joy? Where the world's happiest people live.
Seven of the world's 10 countries with the most upbeat attitudes are in Latin America, says a new Gallop survey. Panama is No. 1 on the list. People in 148 nations were asked: Were they well-rested, had they been treated with respect, smiled or laughed a lot, learned or did something interesting and felt feelings of enjoyment the previous day.
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Pressure mounts on Obama to change tactics on Iran
In a letter to the White House, Iran experts insisted diplomacy, not further sanctions, will have the best results. But US actions since then indicate more sticks than carrots.
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US Army seeks death penalty for Robert Bales, accused of Afghan villager massacre
The slayings drew such angry protests that the US temporarily halted combat operations in Afghanistan, and it was three weeks before American investigators could reach the crime scenes.
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'Zero Dark Thirty' stirs controversy over torture scenes
'Zero Dark Thirty,' directed by Oscar winner Kathryn Bigelow, follows the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
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Terrorism & Security
Panel on Benghazi attack heaps blame on State, citing 'systemic failures' (+video)An independent panel investigating the 9/11 attack on the US consulate in Benghazi released a report finding that the State Department failed at securing the compound on multiple fronts.
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The Monitor's View: What Kerry, Hagel would bring to Obama diplomacy
Reports of Sen. John Kerry becoming Secretary of State, and Republican Chuck Hagel being tapped for Defense, hint at a new attempt to use 'soft power' in Obama's second term. But will it work?
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Terrorism & Security
NBC's Richard Engel released in Syria, a journalist danger zone (+video)The Syrian conflict is making 2012 the deadliest year on record for journalists.
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Defense Secretary front-runner, GOP's Chuck Hagel has strong Obama ties
Hagel emerged last week as the front-runner for the Pentagon's top job, four years after leaving behind a Senate career in which he carved out a reputation as an independent thinker and blunt speaker.
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