Free Republic

Turkey will support gasoline sales by Turkish companies to Iran, Energy Minister Taner Yildiz said on Wednesday, despite U.S. sanctions that aim to squeeze the Islamic Republic's fuel imports.

With their numbers approaching 100,000 as a consequence of the troop buildup ordered by President Obama in December, U.S. troops now account for about two-thirds of the NATO force in Afghanistan. And American casualty rates are commensurate with that dominance, making up more than two-thirds of July's Western military fatalities, according to figures provided by icasualties.com, an independent website. With NATO allies distancing themselves from the notion of an open-ended stay in Afghanistan, the American aspect of the war comes increasingly to the fore.

Five Taliban have been struck off a U.N. Security Council list of militants subject to sanctions -- a move sought by Kabul to ease reconciliation talks with insurgents, the United Nations said on Friday. Their removal from the U.N. blacklist followed a review of the list of Taliban and al Qaeda members maintained by a Security Council committee. Two of the five were delisted because they were dead, the committee said in a statement issued by the U.N. Department of Public Information.

And then there is Iran. Media coverage clearly points to the increasing likelihood of a U.S.-Israel offensive war against Iran. Do Americans want war with Iran? Can their economy stand what will be another unending war? Do 300 million Americans want to take on 1.4 billion Muslims who will be at least temporarily united after Washington and Israel start a war on Iran? Do these same Americans really want the violence in their towns and cities that Iran will sponsor after it is attacked? Can Americans trust their generals to put U.S. interests first after seeing General Petraeus kiss the...

Israel has committed to reduce the number of civilian casualties in future wars in a new response to the Goldstone Report released by the Foreign Ministry. The IDF has committed to a number of operational changes in its combat doctrine to minimize civilian casualties, including restricting the use of white phosphorous and integrating a Humanitarian Affairs Officer in each combat unit, as well as defining new regulations regarding the destruction of private property when necessary.

For many observers, the long-term implications of Israel's deadly May 31 assault against the MV Mavi Marmara, the Turkish flagship that was part of the Gaza Freedom flotilla, on Israeli-Turkish relations are unclear. The attack left eight Turks and one Turkish-American dead and scores more wounded. The flotilla set off to break Israel's illegal blockade of Gaza and to raise global awareness of the suffering endured by the 1.5 million Palestinians living in what is widely described as the world's largest open-air prison. While acknowledging the growing rift between Israel and Turkey that began amid Israel's December 2008 invasion of...