According to Brigadier Mark Carleton-Smith, departing commander of British forces in Afghanistan, the war in Afghanistan is about reducing the insurgency to a manageable level that is not a strategic threat. 

With Israeli support, Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, has moved his armed loyalists into key West Bank cities in preparation of a possible conflict with his rival Hamas in January. 

Syria officially ended 60 years of non-recognition this past week when it recognized Lebanon as a sovereign state and announced plans to exchange embassies with its neighbor.  The diplomatic move comes at the end of decades of often acrimonious, and violent, relations. 

On Monday, Israel’s Foreign Minister, Tzipi Livni, won the leadership race of the Kadima Party, the ruling party in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, following the resignation of the former leader ex-PM Ehud Olmert. 

Last week’s Paris Summit for the Mediterranean confirmed the likelihood of EU primacy over any future Mediterranean Union. More importantly however, the Summit was notable for the inclusion of Syrian President, Bashar Al-Assad, which marks a major thaw in Euro-Syrian relations.

This past week, Iran noticeably softened its anti-West rhetoric, and European negotiators hinted that Iran may cooperate and abandon its nuclear program. Meanwhile, Israel conducted a massive military exercise simulating a mock attack on Iran, and the Bush administration has begun funneling $500m towards Iranian insurgency groups.

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is being investigated for bribery and tax evasion. His popularity has plummeted, and he may be indicted within the month in which case he has pledged to resign.

Syria announced last week the existence of back-channel peace negotiations with Israel.

Rising tensions between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah have prompted both diplomatic support for and condemnation against Israel’s isolation of Gaza, expansion in the West Bank and possible plans for a large-scale military operation.

Israel’s strategy of isolation and targeted assassinations can be expected to continue against Hezbollah and Hamas after Israel was widely attributed as being responsible for the car-bomb assassination of Hezbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Imad Mughniyah on February 13th in Damascus.