Morning Brief, Tuesday, July 25

Crisis in the Middle East

Israel agrees to allow relief flights into Beirut airport, and while everyone agrees on the necessity of an international force in Lebanon, no one wants to volunteer. Hezbollah rockets continue to pound northern Israeli towns. The pressure of absorbing so many Lebanese refugees begins to take a toll on Syria, and Israeli military intelligence is worried about the Syrian army being on high alert.

Top international officials will convene in Rome to discuss brokering the peace. Israelis debate whether the IDF has replaced brainpower with firepower. YouTube brings the conflict to your computer screen.

Iraq

PM Maliki visits the White House today. He'll likely press Bush to allow American troops to be tried under Iraqi law, and administration officials hit back by implying that Maliki's security plan isn't working. Peter Galbraith argues that US troops should withdraw sooner rather than later. Kristof sees in Lebanon the same misguided notions of utopia that led the US into Iraq.

Elsewhere

As a show of support for the Darfur peace deal that no one is following, Bush will meet the only rebel leader to have signed it. Chavez goes jet shopping in Russia. India plans to pursue its own bilateral trade deals after the Doha world trade talks collapse. ASEAN expresses concern over the North Korean missile tests. Nearly two thirds of Britons think the UK's relationship with the US is too close.