French Announce Plans To Beef Up Security For Middle East Allies
French President Nicolas Sarkozy told a meeting of the French diplomatic corps that France would keep its troops in Afghanistan as long as necessary and would also defend its friends and allies in the Middle East from the threat posed by an aggressive Iran.

US Condemns Attempts To Derail Direct Peace Talks
US officials have refused to order Israel to extend the Sep. 26 deadline for a self-imposed moratorium on building in West Bank Jewish settlements, even as Palestinian Authority officials continue to warn that if Israel does not continue to freeze building it will be the end of their participation in recently announced direct talks between the two sides.

Iranian Military Flexes Its Muscles And Continues Bellicose Threats
In the latest demonstration of its military power, Iran on Wednesday announced that it had successfully tested an upgraded version of a short-range surface-to-surface missile, the Fateh-110. Iranian Defense Minister Gen. Ahmad Vahidi, wanted by Argentinean police for his role in the 1994 terror bombing of the AMIA Jewish community center in Buenos Aries, declared that the missile would enhance the range at which it could effectively engage targets.

US Not Intimidated By Iran’s New Weapons
US State Department spokesman PJ Crowley told MSNBC on Monday that while the US is worried about Iran’s renegade nuclear program, the new weapons systems unveiled this week by the Islamic Republic’s military industry are not seen by the Pentagon as a serious threat. "I don't think that any one weapon system is going to tip the balance one way or another," said Crowley.

Palestinian Authority Looking For A Reason Not To Honor Direct Talks
Just a few days after an American announcement that direct talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority are set to resume in Washington on September 2, PA officials appear to be looking for a reason to not participate in them. "I fear that ongoing settlement activity, especially in East Jerusalem, along with other Israeli violations of international law and the roadmap will further undermine the credibility of negotiations in the eyes of my people, said PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas in a recent letter to EU Foreign Policy Chief Catherine Ashton.

Mixed Forecast for Scheduled Middle East Talks
Israeli and Palestinian leaders will travel to the U.S. capital next month to begin long-delayed direct peace talks. U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and U.S. Mideast negotiator George Mitchell say they are confident that this round of talks will result in a definitive peace agreement by September 2012. But do the Israelis and Palestinians share their optimism?

Understanding Our Enemy
Jon Kyl
For about a decade now, the United States has been actively fighting a war against militant Islamists -- a fact that is readily apparent to most Americans. Indeed, Americans are smart enough to connect the dots among the terrorists attacks that have occurred and been attempted throughout the world. But the Obama administration has taken pains to avoid characterizing our fight as a fight against militant Islamists.

Israel Fumes As Iranian Nuclear Reactor Receives Russian Fuel
Iran’s firebrand President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, told Al-Jazeera on Sunday that rumors of a possible Israeli strike on his country’s renegade nuclear program were unlikely to prove true because Israel is "too weak to face up to Iran militarily (and) doesn't have the courage to do it," adding that "America is not interested in sparking a military confrontation with Iran" because it is exhausted from inconclusive wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.