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Iran-U.K. Showdown

It’s been a week since Iran seized 15 British soldiers off the coast of Iraq. But with the soldiers still in captivity and both sides refusing to budge in negotiations, the aftermath is still heating up… And both sides are playing their political bargaining cards.
 
Back to what happened
The soldiers were seized in the waterway that divides Iraq from Iran while performing U.N. sanctioned anti-smuggling efforts. Iran contends the soldiers entered Iranian waters illegally; Britain maintains they were in Iraqi waters. The soldiers are being held in Iran at an undisclosed location, and the U.K. says they haven’t had contact with them.
 
As for the anti-smuggling mission
Oil smuggling is a big problem in Iraq, with estimates pegging losses to the black market in billions of dollars. More than half of Iraq’s oil production is centered in the South, near the waterway the British troops were patrolling. Iraq has the third largest oil reserves in the world.
 
More on who took them…
The group was reportedly taken by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, a powerful, nationalist military group in Iran that operates in addition to the Iranian army. The group is purported to support Shiite groups in Iraq and Hezbollah in Lebanon.
 
What’s next…
Iran initially said it would release the one capture female soldier, a mother, then rescinded after the U.K. froze all business ties with Iran and asked the U.N. Security Council for support. Iran now says they won’t dismiss the hostages until Britain admits fault.
 
The big picture
The Britain-Iran tug-of-war simply adds to the already mounting tension between Iran and the international community. Last Saturday the U.N Security Council levied more sanctions on Iran for its continued nuclear production program. And jitters over stained relations are sending oil prices higher for fear of disrupted supply. And while no one seems to want to engage in direct aggressions with Iran, it’s anyone’s guess what could be the tipping point.

Plus: In case you missed it…
The Senate passed a $122 billion war spending bill and set a March 2008 deadline for troop withdrawal from Iraq. The House passed its version last Friday, also setting an August 2008 deadline. The two houses will now reconcile the bills into one and pass to the President for signature. But President Bush says he will veto any bill with a troop withdrawal deadline. So watch for this one to heat up!

Score one for babies

Babies born to illegal immigrants in the United States regained automatic healthcare coverage this week, for the first year of their life. You may not have known it, but they lost that right for a brief time.

What’s happening?
Until late last year, Medicaid—government-sponsored health insurance for low-income individuals and families—had provided one year of automatic healthcare to infants of illegal immigrants.

In November, Medicaid changed the rules, stopping automatic coverage and instead requiring illegal immigrants to file citizenship paperwork for their newborn before the baby could receive any coverage.

So why are they covered again?
Hospital officials and healthcare workers complained about the change, saying paperwork took too long and worried some wouldn’t file for fear of being deported.

Then, early this month, Washington State sued the federal government, alleging the new rules violated babies’ constitutional rights. The Fourteenth Amendment deems ANYONE born in United States a citizen, therefore giving the children of illegal immigrants the same rights to health insurance in that first crucial year.

On Tuesday, the government reversed its course, restoring automatic coverage.

The big picture
A New York Times report estimates babies born to illegal immigrants to be in the tens of thousands. And Medicaid is costly, running over $300 billion a year to cover some 52 million people. Officials say the change was part of a broader deficit reduction effort and meant to thwart illegal immigrants who might take advantage of the system. Except in emergencies, including labor and delivery, illegal immigrants are barred from Medicaid coverage. The policy change only impacts babies.

The reversal came just two weeks after the Washington lawsuit. Healthcare costs and illegal immigration issues aside, as the Governor of Washington noted, the focus is really the health of babies.

Mistakes were made

Even being in Mexico couldn’t help President Bush dodge a brewing Washington meltdown of sorts that prompted calls for the resignation of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and ensnared White House adviser Karl Rove.

Why was Bush in Mexico?
Mexico was the last stop on Bush's week-long tour of Latin America. He also stopped in Brazil, where he pledged to develop more ethanol, and spent seven hours in Colombia—the first U.S. President to visit there since 1982.

What's the Washington meltdown over?
Basically it’s over the fact that the White House knew more about last year’s firings of eight U.S. attorneys. The group was dismissed seemingly for no apparent reason and this week testified before the House that they were pressured by GOP lawmakers to prosecute certain types of cases during their tenure (like voter fraud and immigration issues) and asked not to talk about their dismissals.

Gonzales first rejected their charges, writing an op-ed in USA Today, saying they were fired for personnel issues. But when Justice Department emails revealed an orchestrated effort by members of the Bush Administration to move out the attorneys, Gonzales backtracked and said “mistakes were made.” And so did President Bush, though he also defended Gonzales.

Then, emails surfaced revealing that back in 2005, Karl Rove suggested the firing of all sitting U.S. attorneys, 93 to be exact, something President Clinton did at the beginning of his first term. U.S. attorneys are appointed by the President and approved by the Senate. They prosecute on behalf of the U.S. or defend it. What's odd is the White House first blamed the idea on former White House counsel Harriet Miers, another reason for all the attention on this issue.

So, why were they fired?
It's still a bit of a mystery. Democrats say the move was politically motivated to take advantage of a loophole created by the Patriot Act, which would allow U.S. attorneys to be appointed without Senate approval and for indefinite terms, which the Bush Administration strongly denies.

The big picture
This story is just heating up. A Senate panel approved subpoenas could be issued for Karl Rove and other top White House officials to testify before a Senate committee. And many question whether Gonzales, who says he won’t resign, can survive the melee. But the conversation itself should serve as a reminder that attorneys and judges are meant to operate without political pressure.

 

Terms you should know

When it comes to the many news stories about Iraq, it can be tough to keep all the terms straight and understand who’s who and what’s what. Let’s break down some of the people and places in the news right now.

 

First, the news
Suicide bombers killed almost 200 people this week as thousands of Shiites made pilgrimage to Karbala City for a religious holiday, and as Iraqi and U.S. forces began a security sweep in Sadr City. The new U.S. Commander in Iraq said in his first press conference, there is “no military solution” to the violence.

Now, the terms
When you see references to SADR CITY, know it’s a large, very poor Shiite slum in northeast Baghdad. Two million people live here, with limited access to fresh water and a poor sewer system. It’s controlled, policed and protected by the Mahdi Army.

The MAHDI ARMY is a volatile, anti-American Shiite militia in Iraq responsible for violence against Sunnis, protection of Shiites against Sunni insurgents, and fierce protection of Sadr City. The group operates largely independently of the government and without reprise, though recently, bowing to U.S. pressure, Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki told the group to disarm or face consequences—a difficult task given the support he receives from Mahdi leader, Moqtada al Sadr.

MOQTADA AL SADR is the popular, radical cleric--the son of a powerful Shiite cleric killed under Saddam's regime--who wields much political influence in Iraq. It’s the Mahdi Army’s loyalty to him that worries Commander David Petraeus. And while al Sadr directed the group to retreat during the security sweep, some assume it is simply waiting out the troop surge.

The big picture
The United Nations says some 2 million people have fled the violence in Iraq since 2003, which still challenges any semblance of normal life in Iraq. What's the solution? Democrats say they will call for complete U.S. troop removal by September 2008, and President Bush says he will veto their plan. The U.S. Commander says it will take more than a military solution. Anyone, anyone?

Hey Mr. Taliban

On Tuesday as the U.S. markets began their biggest one-day point drop in five years—largely due to a 9% plunge in the Shanghai stock market—a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan was reportedly targeted at visiting Vice President Dick Cheney.

At least that’s what the Taliban says, who claimed responsibility for the explosion. Remember the Taliban?

What’s happening?
Suicide bombings in Afghanistan increased significantly between 2005 and 2006 to 139. And a Taliban leader says an army of suicide bombers is ready for a spring attack against NATO forces there.

So, five years after the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, let’s revisit the Taliban.

But first… why was Cheney in Afghanistan?
Rising concern about the Taliban’s resurgence and belief that the group and al Qaeda are using Pakistan as a training ground sent Cheney first to Pakistan, then to Afghanistan. In his surprise stop in Pakistan on Monday, he urged President Gen. Pervez Musharraf to crack down on these groups. Then he headed to Afghanistan to meet with President Hamid Karzai to discuss the Taliban’s plans.

Remember the Taliban?
The Taliban in Afghanistan are a group of Muslim extremists that ruled the country from 1996 to 2001—until the United States pushed them out. They rose to power in 1996, helping to quell tribal in-fighting that was rampant after the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan ended in 1989.

The Taliban imposed a strict interpretation of Islamic law and forced women to stop working and cover themselves in full-body veils called burkas. After September 11 they helped hide Osama bin Laden, whose daughter married a Taliban ruler.

The big picture
Given the growing threat of violence in Afghanistan, Great Britain says it will add to the 35,500 NATO troops already stationed there. And while the focus of U.S. military power has been on Iraq over the last four years—some say to the detriment of international efforts to fight global terrorism—the resurgence of the fundamentalist Taliban, the rise in the level of violence in Afghanistan, and Cheney’s visit all suggest the country is likely to become a flashpoint yet again.