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Yesterday the Iraqi cabinet approved a security agreement that stipulates that the withdrawal of American forces from Iraq should take place by the end of 2011. This reflects a growing consensus that it is time for American forces to redeploy.

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Colin Powell’s endorsement of Senator Obama signifies the culmination of a long simmering split within the conservative foreign policy establishment between neoconservatives and pragmatists.

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Twenty-five years ago today, a suicide bomber destroyed the U.S. Marine Corps barracks in Beirut, Lebanon. The tragedy demonstrated a point brought home on 9/11/01 -- that terrorism is a national security challenge we ignore at our peril.

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After months of negotiation, speculation, and leaks, the Bush and Maliki Administrations last week presented a draft security pact – and it was promptly attacked by both Sunni and Shiite politicians, including Maliki’s allies. Iraqis are demanding a faster timetable for the withdrawal of American combat forces, but the Bush Administration has balked – although it says it does not want to keep troops in Iraq if they are no longer welcome.

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A new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) concludes that Pakistan is “on the edge” and that the situation there is “very bleak.” The Pakistan NIE confirms that Al Qaeda has found a safe haven along the border with Afghanistan and says that the Pakistani government is too weak and divided to take effective action. This rebuffs the past approach advocated by President Bush and supported by Senator McCain. Led by Senator Biden, Progressives have put forth a comprehensive plan that seeks to address the terrorist threat, strengthen Pakistani democracy, and promote economic development.

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Last week it became apparent that only a unified international response can stop the global credit crisis. This weekend, a coordinated approach was finally crafted after meetings of the G7, IMF, World Bank, European Union and other international organizations. The international infrastructure of alliances and institutions that was set up after World War II played a crucial role in helping forge a strategy which, by infusing capital into the banking system and guaranteeing interbank loans, has at least for the moment buoyed the markets.

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Tomorrow marks a major milestone in Iraq as the Iraqi Government takes responsibility for paying and integrating large numbers of the Sons of Iraq (SOI) - the former Sunni insurgents who began aligning themselves with the U.S. in 2006 and were one of the main reasons for the reduction in violence. There are still significant tension between the Shi'a dominated central government and the SOIs; and, if the government does not continue to pay these fighters or integrate enough of them into the security forces, it could spell trouble.

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Yesterday, in testimony in front of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Defense Secretary Gates said that military operations in Afghanistan require another 10,000 troops that he did not have because of Iraq. Gates also stated that the Al Qaeda safehaven in Northwest Pakistan represented the most direct threat to the U.S. homeland. This isn’t surprising.

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The news this week highlighted the bankruptcy of the conservative economic approach. America’s economic power – which has direct and important implications on America’s international strength - eroded throughout the Bush administration, as tax cuts in the midst of two wars, out of control spending, and poor economic management resulted in spiraling budget deficits. Yet this week also once again highlighted the total lack of a conservative strategy to deal with foreign policy problems.

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