Canadian Navy – HMCS St. John’s returns home from the Gulf.

• Halifax Herald: Tears of Joy in Freezing Rain

Royal New Zealand Navy – New Zealand recommits itself to a ban on port visits by US Navy ships.

• Associated Press: New Zealand prime minister upholds ban on ships fueled by nuclear power

Background – War on Terror – Thomas Friedman on the “new NATO” – the US, UK, Australia, and France – countries who are all sea powers – and who enjoy projecting their sea power.

• New York Times: A new military alliance, ‘NASTY,’ already works

History – Afghanistan – Part 2 of Bob Woodward’s “Bush at War” series. Is the real reason the Taliban fell so quickly that the CIA bribed the US’s way towards victory?

• Washington Post: Doubts and Debate Before Victory Over Taliban
• Washington Post: CIA Led Way With Cash Handouts

Background – Iraq – John Keegan asks why the US is being so slow at prepositioning land forces in the Gulf.

• Daily Telegraph: No sign of war plan as clock ticks on

Background – Iraq – James F. Dunnigan with a nice summary of the information war steadily being waged against Iraq.

• Strategy Page: The Information War Against the Iraqi Leadership

Background – Iraq – A roundtable, presided over by former US UN Ambassador Richard Holbrooke on what the pre-game, game, and post-game plans on Iraq should be.

• The New Yorker: The Next War

Background – Foreign Policy – David Isby on why we must reexamine our committment to the status quo in our foreign policy.

• Washington Times: Carrots, sticks and status quo