Unless the US ponies up more funds for reconstruction activities in Iraq, efforts “are likely to slow considerably” in the next few years, leaving many goals in the lurch, according to a new report from Steven Kosiak at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. The Bush Administration has submitted a request for $2.2 billion in reconstruction funds for its 2007 budget—the CSBA says the number could range up to $10 billion, even with a little help from the international community.
The U.S. military struck key Iranian nuclear sites June 21 in an operation that was intended to shut down Iran’s nuclear program but which was not aimed at the country’s leadership. U.S. Air Force bombers and submarine-launched cruise missiles struck three sites in the early hours of June 22: Fordow, Natanaz,…