RFE/RL In The Media
# RSF on journalists not being allowed in or out of Belarus
# "Eurasianet" on RFE/RL's Turkmen Service and Turkmen diplomats at the UN 

International Press Review

Iran
# "Escape From Iran" - Sohrab Ahmari, "The Atlantic"
# Sefi Rachlevsky on how Iran has started a cold war between Israel and the U.S.

Russia
# "Russia's Online Democracy" - Matthew Kaminski, "The Wall St. Journal"
# Russia wasn't thrilled with U.S.-Georgia military exercises

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# Gen. John Allen testified on the Afghan War
# "Newsweek" on splits in the Afghan Taliban
# The Pakistani government will cancel a tender to filter the Internet
# Robert Bales' wife sends condolences to the victims of the Panjwai killings

Of Interest
# David Ignatius on al Qaeda's media strategy
# Yulia Latynina on the executions of the convicted Minsk metro bombers
# Sebastian Junger is starting a medical training center for combat journalists

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Ezra Klein on the Paul Ryan budget
# Matt Armstrong on the national framework for strategic communications

RFE/RL In The Media
# "CNN" reports on the Khadija Ismailova case
# "Global Post" cites Radio Azadi reporting on a hunger strike at an Afghan prison

International Press Review

Iran
# One war game model shows potential effects of an Israeli strike on Iran
# "How Bad Would Iran be With the Bomb?" - Walter Pincus, "The Washington Post"

Russia
# "Replace Jackson-Vanik With the Magnitsky Act" - Vladimir Ryzhkov, "Moscow Times"
# Alexey Navalny wants to jam state TV
# "Boycott St. Petersburg" - Masha Gessen, "International Herald Tribune"
# Moscow hosted Alexandr Lukashenka for economic talks

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# The Pakistani parliament reviews relations with the U.S. today
# "Resetting the U.S.-Pakistan Relationship" - Teresita C. & Howard B. Schaffer, "Foreign Policy"
# "Afghanistan: A Gathering Menace" - Neil Shea, "The American Scholar"

Of Interest
# The ups and downs of awareness
# Leaked documents show Bashar al Assad approved the crackdowns in Syria

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Where does U.S. foreign aid go?
# "Afghanistan vs. Obama" - Les Gelb, "The Daily Beast"

RFE/RL In The Media
# Shaun Walker ("The Independent") interviews Khadija Ismailova
# "The New York Times" cites RFE/RL Belarus Service reporting on the Minsk metro bombers
# "Reuters" quotes RFE/RL's Kazakh Service's interview with Igor Vinyavsky
# Photos from an event in Bucharest on RFE/RL Cold War broadcasts

International Press Review

Russia
# Olga Romanova on the Russian legal system
# "Russia's Stake in Syria and Iran" - Melik Keylan, "The Wall St. Journal"
# "After Jackson-Vanik" - Editorial, "The Wall St. Journal" (some Senators remain reticent)
# "Russia's Frank Sinatra" is planning a U.S. tour

Iran
# "Iran's Missing Moderates" - Ray Takeyh, "International Herald Tribune"
# "The New York Times" on difficulties in gathering intelligence on Iran
# Iran's central bank lifted restrictions on foreign curreny trading

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "A Lion in Winter" - David Ignatius, "The Washington Post"
# Staff Sgt. Robert Bales is awaiting military court in the U.S.
# "Pakistan’s Fracturing President" - Azeem Ibrahim, "The Diplomat"
# A dispatch from Kandahar

Of Interest
# Who will win the tender to filter Pakistan's Internet?
# "Ukraine at yet Another Crossroads" - Amanda Paul, "Zaman"
# How one man escaped a North Korean prison camp

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The "PBS Newshour" analysis of Shields and Brooks
# "Spiegel" on the legality of drone warfare

RFE/RL In The Media
# "Global Voices" and Amnesty International wiegh in on the Khadija Ismayilova case (more here)
# A report by "The Huffington Post" on satire mentions "250+"
# Golnaz Esfandiari discussed Iran for "Global Journalist"

International Press Review

Russia
# Protest organizers were sentenced in Russia
# "The Next Phase of Russia's Awakening" - Dmitri Trenin
# Nikolaus von Twickel on recent editorial decisions at Russia's TV stations
# "My goal is a financial apocalypse, a destruction of the global financial system"

Iran
# Insiders say Iran is unlikely to yield much in nuclear talks
# "Misreading Iran" - Jason Rezaian, "Foreign Policy"

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# The Taliban suspended talks with the U.S.
# Pakistan is having trouble finding tech companies to filter its Internet
# "A Historical Understanding of Balochistan" - Ikram Sehgal, "Newsline"

Of Interest
# An Uzbek man was arrested in the U.S. for support of a terrorist group
# More activists in Belarus are not allowed to leave the country
# "Democratic Inequality" - Raghuram Rajan, "Project Syndicate"
# Gadhafi's fall meant the end of the 120-foot-boat-with-a-huge-shark-tank project

RFE/RL In The Media
# CPJ issues a press release on the case of Khadija Ismayilova
# Kim Lane Scheppele on Hungary's media landscape

International Press Review

Russia
# "The Right Way to Sanction Russia" - Nemtsov & Kasparov, "The Wall St. Journal"
# The Russian opposition is focusing on local elections

Iran
# Mahmoud Ahmadinejad faced "a grilling" in parliament

Afghanistan
# "War in Afghanistan: From Necessity to Atrocity" - Matthew Green, "Financial Times"
# "What is Plan B in Afghanistan?" - Steve Coll, "The New Yorker"
# "Shape a Peaceful Afghan Exit" - Anatol Lieven, "The New York Times"

Pakistan
# Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani publicly deflected criticisms over missing persons
# An Indian guru thinks Taliban fighters need to de-stress

Of Interest
# Azerbaijan arrested 22 on suspicion of planning attacks against U.S. and Israeli targets
# Some displaced Iraqis are living among ancient ruins
# "The Guardian" publishes a trove of personal emails from the Assads

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Richard Falk on the legality (or not) of drones
# The road ahead in the GOP primary

RFE/RL In The Media
# "The Wall St. Journal" links to RFE/RL reporting on inmates in Tajikistan
# The "LA Times" on the life of Sherwood Rowland
# CHarlie Dameron was honored by his alma mater

International Press Review

Russia
# "The Birth of Civil Society" - Yulia Latynina, "Moscow Times"
# "This Time, Putin May Get the Message" - Vladimir Pozner, "International Herald Tribune"

Iran
# Iran says it may not open the Parchin site to UN inspectors
# "A New Year's Message for Iran" - Rob Sobhani, "The Wall St. Journal"

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# A Chinese bank has "run away" from funding an Iran-Pakistan pipeline
# The Taliban/Gitmo deal includes a westerner

Kyrgyzstan
# Leon Panetta met with Kyrgyzstan's leaders over use of the Manas base
# "Osh's Electoral Geography" - Nathan Hamm, "Registan"

Of Interest
# "Whose Sovereignty?" - Javier Solana, "Project Syndicate"
# Tribal leaders are regaining importance in Iraq
# "BBC Persian" was targetted in a cyber attack

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Rick Santorum won the Alabama and Mississippi primaries
# "The Unpersuaded" - Ezra Klein, "The New Yorker"

RFE/RL In The Media
# Camilla Hawthorne's TedxTbilisi talk
# "The Express Tribune" on Radio Mashaal's mission in Northwest Pakistan

International Press Review

Russia
# "The Trials of Kozlov" - Masha Gessen, "International Herald Tribune"
# Opposition members want Jackson-Vanik repealed
# A Serbian election monitor invokes Milosevic 

Iran
# "Spiegel" on Europe's role in negotiations with Iran
# Stephen Walt on the media's top errors in the Iran war debate
# "Obama's Iran Bluff" - Amitai Etzioni, "National Interest"

Afghanistan
# "A Deal With the Taliban is the Only Way Out" - Ahmed Rashid, "Financial Times"
# The U.S. says it will stick to its schedule in Afghanistan

Of Interest
# The "Enemies of the Internet" list is out
# Facebook and Google will stand trial in India over their lack of censorship
# Two citizen journalists discuss escaping from Syria
# Sarah Kendzior writes the only piece about Kony2012 that I will link to
# Ancient Eurasian nomads may have been more advanced than previously though

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "The Ice Man Leadeth" - David Rothkopf, "Foreign Policy"
# 17 Senators want a $900 million contract with a Russian arms broker to be cancelled

RFE/RL In The Media
# "The Telegraph" cites RFE/RL reporting on the release of Kazakh lawyer Natalya Sokolova
# "RIA Novosti" cites Radio Svoboda reporting on Russia's protest movement

International Press Review

Afghanistan
# David Sanger on the what's next for U.S. forces in Afghanistan
# "Green on Blue" - Ann Jones, "Guernica"

Pakistan
# "Tribe and Prejudice" - Huma Yusuf, "International Herald Tribune"
# Pakistan is soliciting bids for companies to filter the Internet
# "How an Oscar can Change the World" - An Phung, "Big Think"

Russia
# "Russia's Activists Regroup" - Joshua Yaffa, "Foreign Affairs"
# "Why Putin Let Prokhorov Enter Politics" - Vladimir Frolov, "Moscow Times"
# "Why I Sympathize With Vladimir Putin" - Fyodor Lukyanov, "Russia in Global Affairs"
# The Jamestown Foundation on kidnappings by Russian security forces in The Caucasus

Iran
# "Ahmadinejad's Fall, Khamenei's Rise" - Osama Al Sharif, "Gulf News"
# Don Cooke on lessons from the 1979 Iran hostage crisis

Broadcast Region
# "Nobody's Bigger Than Bidzina" - Julia Ioffe, "Forbes"
# "The New York Times" reports on threats/violence against young people in Iraq
# James Kirchick on Israel and Andrei Sannikov

Of Interest
# Faster mobile Internet in Austin @SXSW...via "homeless hotspots"
# How "Al Jazeera" is teaching people how to use social sites
# James Renovitch on the digital news echo chamber

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The "PBS Newshour" analysis of Shields and Brooks
# "Democracy No!" - David Rieff, "Democracy Journal"
# Jack Shafer on the future of "The New Republic"

RFE/RL In The Media
# CPJ and "Eurasianet" report on the blackmail case against Khadija Ismayilova (more here and here)
# "The New York Times" quotes RFE/RL's interview with Irina Prokhorova
# "Think Progress" and "The Huffington Post" link to Golnaz Esfandiari's report on a topless video protest by Iranian women
# CPJ cites RFE/RL reporting on Tajikistan's blocking several websites
# Golnaz Esfandiari is a contributor to "The Iran War Clock" at "The Atlantic"
# "Global Voices" cites RFE/RL reporting on Macedonian academic Irena Cvetkovik

International Press Review

Iran
# How web censorship is being used for political feuds in Iran
# "Don’t Play Politics with the Bomb" - Philip Stephens, "Financial Times"
# "Iran and U.S. Election-Year Politics" - Aaron David Miller, "The New York Times"

Russia
# Several Kremlin opponents won seats in municipal elections
# "The Promise of Russia's Urban Middle Class" - Condoleeza Rice, "The Washington Post"
# "Stealing Russia's Future" - Amy Knight, "NY Review of Books"
# "Why Women Make Russia a Better Place to Live" - Natalya Bubnova, "Moscow Times"

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# What actually happened in Osama bin Laden's last days?
# "A New Kind of Taliban" - Shanthie Mariet D'Souza, "Foreign Policy"
# Osama bin Laden's wives have been charged with illegally entering Pakistan

Of Interest
# Lawrence Scott Sheets on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
# "The Ancient Art of Fooling Voters" - Peter Stothard, "The Wall St. Journal"
# Aldous Huxley's letter to George Orwell after the publication of "1984"
# The BBC will launch an online corrections page

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Can start-ups save public broadcasting?
# A review of the docudrama "Game Change"

RFE/RL In The Media
# Daud Khattak discussed Pakistan at the New America Foundation
# Golnaz Esfandiari discussed Iran on the "BBC World Service"
# CAP cites RFE/RL reporting on Iran

International Press Review

Iran
# UN nuclear inspectors will be allowed back into Iran
# What do Iranians think of the country's nuclear program?
# Ian Bremmer and Cliff Kupchan on pressuring Iran

Russia
# "Inside Vladimir Putin's Head" - Matthew Kaminski, "The Wall St. Journal"
# "What I Saw as an Election Observer" - Yulia Latynina, "Moscow Times"
# "The New York Times" on U.S.-Russia relations after Putin's re-election
# Neil Buckley on the need for the West to engage ordinary Russians

Afghanistan
# The month in photo reporting from Afghanistan

Tech
# Twitter is now available in Farsi, Arabic, and Urdu
# Google has launched a digital media hub
# The head of the LulzSec group was arrested

Of Interest
# "Uzbekistan as a Values Challenge for NATO" - Scott Horton, "Harpers"
# Twitter is becoming a court room distraction

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Full wrap of the Super Tuesday primaries
# Who said it, George W. Bush and Barak Obama edition

Russia
# A wrap-up of last night's protests and arrests in Russia
# Steve LeVine on oil prices and Putin's grip on power
# "What's Next For the Opposition?" - Christian Neef, "Spiegel"
# Debate: "How Powerful is Russia?"

Iran
# A new trial has been ordered for Amir Mirzaei Hekmati
# Mitt Romeny on how he would deal with Iran

Pakistan
# "The Washington Post" reports on missing persons cases in Pakistan
# The Pakistani Taliban's #2 in command was "fired"
# "Saving More Than Face" - Rabail Baig, "Foreign Policy"

Afghanistan
# "The Seige of September 13" - Matt Aikins, "GQ"
# Negotiators are pressing on in Afghanistan
# Pictures from a ski race in Bamiyan

Of Interest
# "Don’t Despair of Democracy" - Gideon Rachman, "Financial Times"
# Five simple ways a dictator can stay in power
# Sarah Kendzior on activism in Central Asia
# Alexander Lukashenka blows up...again

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Attorney General Eric Holder's speech on targetted killings
# The Facebook IPO and political money

RFE/RL In The Media
# "The Atlantic" links to RFE/RL coverage of protests in Afghanistan
# Hungary's ambassador to the U.S. responds to calls for RFE to return to Hungary

International Press Review

Russia
# Brian Whitmore on what's next for Vladimir Putin (cue "Putin '18" talk)
# "Cleaning Up in Moscow" - Julia Ioffe, "Foreign Policy"
# "Putinism and the Russian Economy" - Justin Burke, "Eurasianet"
# A soldier remembers his time serving in Chechnya
# "The Wall St. Journal" interviews Alexei Navalny

Iran
# The Supreme Leader's allies did well in last week's elections
# Colin Kahl on Israel's 1981 strike on an Iraqi nuclear reactor
# "Netanyahu Won't Attack Iran" - Daniel Levy, "Foreign Policy"
# Pro & con: sanctions on Iran will work, or won't

Of Interest
# "Why Has the Internet Changed so Little?" - James Curran, "Open Democracy"
# "The Art of Sham Elections" - Mark Cheney, "Big Think"
# "Ukraine's Slide" - Hague, Bildt, et al, "International Herald Tribune"
# The end of the universe is coming. Are you prepared?

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# Kim Andrew Elliot on international broadcasting in Russia
# Barak Obama's full speech to AIPAC
# "Life of the Party" - Ryan Lizza, "The New Yorker"

RFE/RL In The Media
# "Bloomberg", "AFP", and "Reuters" cite RFE/RL reporting from protests in Azerbaijan (photos)
# RSF cites Radio Farda in a report on media and elections in Iran
# "The Telegraph" cites RFE/RL reporting on Turkmenistan's new "era of happiness"

International Press Review

Russia
# "Putin's Hollow Victory-to-Be" - Masha Lipman, "The Washington Post"
# "Carnival Spirit is not Enough to Change Russia" - Konstantin von Eggert, "Financial Times"
# Cameras have been deployed to monitor polling stations
# William Browder on the prosecution of Sergei Magnitsky

Iran
# "Why Iran’s Election is a Farce" - Ardeshir Amir-Arjomand, "International Herald Tribune"
# Golnaz Esfandiari on today's elections in Iran
# "Two Worlds Meet, Over Tea" - Parisa Hafezi & Zahra Hosseinian, "Reuters"

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# "Newsweek" reports on "turmoil" in the upper ranks of the Afghan Taliban
# Erica Gaston and Christopher Rogers on the U.S. drone program
# Colin Cookman and Caroline Wadhams on negotiating in Afghanistan
# The "Financial Times" goes inside Pakistan's textile industry

Iraq
# "The New York Times" reports on mental health care for women in Baghdad
# Some people have taken up residence at an unused military base outside Baghdad

Broadcast Region
# "A Useful Clash With Belarus" - Joerg Forbrig, "International Herald Tribune"
# Serbia is a step closer to EU membership

Of Interest
# Some tips for Facebook's timeline layout
# Andrew Breitbart has died

RFE/RL In The Media
# "MacClean's" notes RFE/RL broadscasting in a piece on Israeli radio to Iran
# "Reuters" quotes Anna Kachkayeva in a piece on Russian media
# "RIA Novosti" on a Russian village suffering from "Orange Plague"
# "Adnkronos" cites RFE/RL's interview with Igran Pancevski

International Press Review

Russia
# "The Wall St. Journal" on the Russian state budget
# "To Stuff or Not to Stuff" - Konstantin Sonin, "Moscow Times"
# Stephen Cohen on U.S.-Russia relations

Iran
# "The New York Times" reports on the Iranian regime's election tactics (case in point)
# Inside Iran talks to a former IRGC political adviser
# "Iran Spinning Out of Control" - Martin Indyk, 'The New York Times"
# "A New Approach to Tehran" - Amitai Etzioni, "National Interest"
# Who said it: Iran's Supreme Leader or Rick Santorum?

Pakistan
# "Newsline" reports on dangers to journalists in Pakistan
# "Above the Law" - Anatol Lieven, "Foreign Policy"
# Pakistan and India will expand trade

Afghanistan
# "Fantasy and Reality in Afghanistan" - Fareed Zakaria, "The Washington Post"
# "Reuters" reports from the village of an accused killer

Of Interest
# Jay Ulfelder on authoritarian regimes and opposition to them
# "Inside Power, Inc." - David Rothkopf, "Foreign Policy"
# Thomas Gideon and James Losey on Google's new privacy policy
# "GigaOm" on Twitter and breaking news

RFE/RL In The Media
# Daud Khattak will be dicussing Pakistan at the New America Foundation next week
# The "Moscow Times" cites RFE/RL reporting on an opposition activist being sent to a psychiatric hospital

International Press Review

Russia
# "How I Got Kicked out of Russia" - Anne Nivat, "International Herald Tribune"
# A German filmmaker was granted unprecedentedd access to Vladimir Putin
# "Putin the Peacemaker?" - Dmitri Trenin, "Foreign Policy"
# "The Essence of Putin" - Mikhail Kasyanov, "Project Syndicate"

Iran
# The U.S. Treasury Dept. has disrupted the cash flow to Iran from a Dubai bank
# U.S. officials warn of blowback from a strike on Iran
# "Why Won't Obama Speak Frankly About Iran?" - Jeffrey Herf, "The New Republic"

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# A negotiator syas the Quetta Taliban is showing signs of flexibility
# "West's Afghan Goals Collide with Reality" - Michael Hart, "National Interest"
# "Pakistan's War Against 'Miscreants'" - Sikander Shah, "The Diplomat"

Broadcast Region
# "Eurasianet" on Uzbekistan and the NDN
# "A Probably Fake 'Jihad' in Kyrgyzstan" - Josh Foust, "The Atlantic"

Of Interest
# A Mozilla add-on lets you know if you are being tracked online
# A new study shows the rich are more willing to steal candy from children
# Several Syrian activists were killed saving journalist Paul Conroy
# "The New York Times" launched a Tumblr feed for the archives 

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "The Conservative Case for Foreign Aid" - John Kerry, "The Wall St. Journal"
# Mitt Romney won GOP primaries in Arizona and Michigan
# Senator Olympia Snowe is retiring

RFE/RL In The Media
# "CNN" mentions a detained Radio Farda journalist in a report on Iran
# "RIA Novosti" cites RFE/RL reporting on a Russian activist being sent to a mental asylum
# Fred Petrossian on the Oscar win for "A Separation" for Global Voices

International Press Review

Russia
# "Medvedev's Swan Song" - Vladimir Ryzhkov, "Moscow Times"
# "Will Putinism See the end of Putin?" - David Hearst, "The Guardian"
# Anders Aslund compares Gazprom to a crime syndicate

Iran
# "The Fix is In" - Jamsheed Choksy, "Foreign Policy"
# David Horovitz on a potential Israeli strike on Iran

Afghanistan
# The "PBS Newshour" on anti-Americanism in Afghanistan
# The UN has pulled some staff out of Afghanistan
# David Ignatius on negotiations with the Taliban

Of Interest
# A point/counter-point on cyber war
# The "Financial Times" on Turkish diplomacy
# Germany is the new villian-through-hegemony

Society
# "Does WikiLeaks Still Matter?" - Mathew Ingram, "GigaOm"
# What actually happens at Davos?
# Are people getting dumber?

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# David Carr on prosecutions under the Espionage Act
# "The Lost Party" - Jacob Heilemann, "New York"
# Michigan votes in the GOP primary today

RFE/RL In The Media
# Mark Palmer, Miklos Haraszti and Charles Gati call for renewing RFE/RL broadcasting in Hungary
# IFEX cites RFE/RL reporting on the shutdown of Ferghana.ru in Kyrgyzstan

International Press Review 

Russia
# "What's at Stake in the Russian Election?" - Mikhail Khodorkovsky, "The New York Times"
# "After Putin" Gregory White, "The Wall St. Journal"
# "Who’s Bugging the Russian Opposition?" - Soldatov & Borogan, "Open Democracy"

Afghanistan
# Protests and violence are having an affect on the timeline for international forces in Afghanistan
# "Reuters" reports on the laborer who saw the Korans being burnt

Pakistan
# The bin Laden compound has been demolished
# A new study looks at casualties from drone strikes
# Rob Crilly on extremism in Pakistan

Iran
# "A Separation" won the Oscar for "Best Foreign-Language Film"

Of Interest
# "Foreign Policy" publishes a full issue on modern warfare
# Wikileaks has started publishing emails from Stratfor
# David Kindred remembers Anthony Shadid

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "More Than Georgia on Obama's Mind" - Thomas de Waal, "National Interest"the 
# Matthew Wallin on diplomacy 2.0
# Matt Armstrong on the Smith-Mundt Act

RFE/RL In The Media
# Fast COmpany" cites RFE/RL reporting on Iran's national internet
# CPJ cites RFE/RL reporting on the Ferghana.ru shutdown in Kyrgyzstan
# "Hurriyet" cites RFE/RL reporting on Turkish businessmen expelled from Uzbekistan

International Press Review

Russia
# Alexander Kliment on elections in Russia

Afghanistan/Pakistan
# The full ISAF report on Taliban prisoner interrogations
# "The Softer Side of Peshawar" - Kamila Shamsie, "The New York Times"
# "Why Pakistanis Don't Trust America" - Saleem Ali, "The Huffington Post"

Of Interest
# Joshua Foust on human rights as a priority
# EFF on tech companies working with authoritarian regimes
# On the security of sat phones
# Evgeny Morozov reviews "Steve Jobs"

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# "Clear and Present Safety" - Zenko & Cohen, "Foreign Affairs"
# "Foreign Policy" interviews Rep. Dana Rohrabacher

RFE/RL In The Media
# The "Financial Times" quotes RFE/RL reporting on the health of Yulia Tymoshenko
# "The Asia Times" quotes RFE/RL reporting on bombings in Georgia

International Press Review

Iran
# "An Inside Look at Views of the West" - Hasnain Kazim, "Spiegel"
# "Asking the Right Question" - Scott Clement, "Foreign Policy"
# Daniel Byman on Iran's ties to al Qaeda

Russia
# Ed Lucas on another Putin Administration
# "Why Some Bankers Get Special Treatment" - Yulia Latynina, "Moscow Times"
# Russia awarded a Pushkin Prize to Syrian writer Ali Ukla Ursan

Pakistan
# Mansoor Ijaz testified in the "memogate" trial

Of Interest
# "Where Harsh Realities Meet" - Peel & Khalaf, "Financial Times"
# Dayo Olopade on anti-gay laws in Uganda 
# All those CCTV cameras don't make London any safer, according to a new report

U.S. Politics/Foreign Policy
# The role of the super donor in the presidential race
# "NPR" on new media and diplomacy

RFE/RL In The Media
# Brian Whitmore discusses Russia on "The Kojo Nnamdi Show"
# The "St. Petersburg Times" quotes a Radio Svoboda interview with Vladimir Ryzhkov

International Press Review

Iran
# The IAEA says its mission in Iran has failed
# The Internet continues to be disrupted in Iran (and a "national internet" is on the way)
# Soli Ozel on Turkey and the standoff over the Iranian nuclear program

Russia
# "Portrait of the Young Vladimir Putin" (book excerpt) - Masha Gessen

Afghanistan
# Afghans are protesting the burning of Korans (Twitter hashtags: #Kabul #Koranburningprotest)
# Fawzia Koofi was a guest on "Hardtalk"
# Afghanistan has been meeting with "mid-level" Taliban in Pakistan
# Afghanistan's Central Bank will try to limit cash outflows

Pakistan
# "The New York Times" reports on U.S. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher's non-binding resolution on Baluchistan
# Pakistan is trying to arrest Pervez Musharraf

Of Interest
# Katherine Brown on repealing Smith-Mundt
# Iraqis are torn over armed support for people in Syria
# Sarah Kendzior on the Wikipedia ban in Uzbekistan
# "Reinventing the World Bank" - Ana Palacio, "Project Syndicate"

Tech
# Twitter will partner with Yandex
# "The UN Threat to Internet Freedom" - Robert McDowell, "The Wall St. Journal"
# "Is the Web Closing?" - Esther Dyson, "Project Syndicate"