We aren't sure that the optimism in his closing assessment of Obama's AIPAC speech is warranted. But this June 13 piece by Bernard Avishai in the Israeli daily Ha'aretz says much about the dilemmas the candidate faces. The piece is ostensibly about how Obama is perceived by the ruling elites within Israel, but much of it also applies to "the Lobby," the "neocons," and Israel's stateside amen chorus generally:

As the UN Security Council, Arab League and African Union urge Eritrea to halt military action against neighboring Djibouti, French officers stationed in the Horn of Africa mini-state say that France is providing Djibouti with military support—and preparing to send more troops and war material. Speaking to the official Agence Djiboutienne d'Information (ADI), a French officer identified as Col. Ducret said French forces are "providing assistance in logistics, medical [and] intelligence service to the Djiboutian army."

Police in Quito arrested three Colombians and one Ecuadoran in an alleged plot to assassinate President Rafael Correa. Two were arrested on the capital's Independence Plaza, where Carondelet presidential palace is located. The suspects were detained by agents of the elite Anti-Kidnapping Unit (UNASE), and had numerous photos of the palace and maps of the square. Ecuadorean Security Minister Gustavo Larrea told Caracol Radio the suspects were carrying weapons, but failed to say what kind. Spanish press agency EFE said one of the Colombians confessed to be from the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC) paramilitary network. Prosecutor General Washington Pezantes said the men were being investigated for their links to armed groups. But Correa himself raised the possibility they are "simply scam-artists" (estafadores).

Pakistan protested a June 11 US military strike that killed at least 11 soldiers as a "gross violation" of its sovereignty. The Foreign Ministry in Islamabad summoned US Ambassador Anne Patterson to denounce a "senseless use of air power against a Pakistani border post," Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir said. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani called the attack a "blatant and willful negation" of the sacrifices Pakistan has made in combating terrorism. Pakistan's military said in a statement that attack was "unprovoked and cowardly," adding, "The incident has hit at the very basis of cooperation and sacrifice with which Pakistani soldiers are supporting the coalition in the war against terror."

An estimated 100 people were killed and thousands fled their homes in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in renewed fighting over the weekend following between Ethiopian troops and insurgents. Another 200 were wounded as the Bakara market, Somalia's largest open-air market, was hit by artillery fire. The fighting started when Ethiopian and Somali government forces moved into the restive Yaqshid and Wardigley districts.

Two bombs exploded June 8 at the Beni Amrane rail station in Boumerdès wilaya, just east of Algiers, killing 12, including fire-fighters, soldiers, an engineer from the French water engineering company Razel, and his Algerian driver. A third bomb was successfully disarmed, authorities said. There has been no claim of responsibility for the attacks, but this is the second time Razel has been targeted. Al-Qaeda Organization in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for the first blast last September, when three Razel employees, a driver and five police escorts were injured when a bomb targeted their vehicle in the Koudiet Asaserdoune area of Lakhdaria. Responding to the new bombings, French President Nicolas Sarkozy offered Algeria's President Abdelaziz Bouteflika his "unwavering support in the determined struggle against terrorism."

Patrick Cockburn claims in The Independent June 5 that a "secret deal being negotiated in Baghdad would perpetuate the American military occupation of Iraq indefinitely, regardless of the outcome of the US presidential election in November." Speaking to several anonymous Baghdad politicians who oppose the deal, he writes: "Iraqi officials fear that the accord, under which US troops would occupy permanent bases, conduct military operations, arrest Iraqis and enjoy immunity from Iraqi law, will destabilise Iraq's position in the Middle East and lay the basis for unending conflict in their country." The anonymous politicians call the deal "a terrible breach of our sovereignty," and dismiss US denials that it seeks permanent bases in Iraq as "just a tactical subterfuge."

On May 29 and 30, the Medellín anti-militarist group Red Juvenil (Youth Network) received e-mail messages from the address redesnegras (at) hotmail.com, reading "DEATH TO ANARCHISTS DISGUISED AS PACIFISTS, NO MORE COMMUNIST DRUG CONCERTS, NO MORE WARNINGS." It named eight people associated with Red Juvenil, and was signed "GRUPO AGUILAS NEGRAS". The Aguilas Negras (Black Eagles) are a paramilitary network which has survived the "demobilization" of the United Self-Defense Forces of Colombia (AUC). The e-mail handle "redesnegras" means "black networks." On May 17, Red Juvenil held a free rock concert in Medellín's Parque Boston. Two days before that, the group's office was broken into. (Red Juvenil statement, received via e-mail, June 6)