MUST-READS

• Afghanistan
  Hopes for Afghan unity deal wane as candidate claims victory

  The prospect of two candidates declaring themselves the elected successor to Afghan President Hamid Karzai grew significantly Monday, threatening the Obama’s administration’s efforts to prevent the country from erupting in political unrest.

• Iraqi Government
  Iraqi parliament approves new government headed by Haider al-Abadi

  Iraq's parliament approved a new government headed by Haider al-Abadi as prime minister on Monday night, in a bid to rescue Iraq from collapse, with sectarianism and Arab-Kurdish tensions on the rise.

  • Military Times - U.S. expands airstrikes into western Iraq
• U.S. Foreign Policy
  Kerry heads to Jordan, Saudi Arabia to rally against Islamic State

  Kerry plans to meet with his counterparts in Jeddah and Amman, following a meeting of the Arab League on Sunday that endorsed action against the group, if not explicitly joining the cause. Both kingdoms have publicly allied themselves with the US in its fight against the terrorist organization, which has swept throughout eastern Syria and northern Iraq since June.

  • AP - US fears Islamic State group attack on Jordan
  • WSJ - U.S., Allies Step Up Efforts to Choke Off Islamic State's Funding
  • US Department of State - Secretary Kerry Travels to Jordan and Saudi Arabia
• U.S. Public Opinion
  Poll: Public supports strikes in Iraq, Syria; Obama’s ratings hover near his all-time lows – The Washington Post

  Americans overwhelmingly view Islamic State terrorists as a serious threat to vital U.S. interests and, in a significant shift, widely support airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. The nation’s increasingly hawkish mood will form part of the backdrop for a speech by President Obama on Wednesday, when he will outline his thinking on how to confront the threat from the Islamic State. Obama’s remarks will come a day after he confers with congressional leaders at the White House about the administration’s planning.

  • Stratfor - Opinion: The Virtue of Subtlety: A U.S. Strategy Against the Islamic State
  • Defense One - Islamic State Dominates the Post-Recess Conversation in Congress
  • CBS News - Obama to outline plan to fight ISIS
  • Military Times - Obama, Congress in legal gray area over powers to fight Islamic State
  • CFR - How the Lessons of Iraq Are Shaping the Fight Against the Islamic State
  • ME Briefing - Opinion: ISIL May Represent a Turning Point for the US Role in the Middle East
• Transportation
  Saudi to award deal for rail within GCC

  Saudi Arabia is about to award a contract to construct nearly 663 km of rail lines within the planned train network in the six-nation Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), the head of the Saudi railways organisation (SRO) said in remarks published on Monday.

• Asian Games
  Women sidelined as Saudi Arabia selects all-male team

  Saudi Arabia has failed to include a single female athlete in its 199-strong team for the upcoming Asian Games in South Korea, saying its women are not sufficiently competitive. The Saudi stance sparked criticism from Human Rights Watch, which condemned its all-male line-up, saying the ultra-conservative state was shutting the door on female athletes, having previously shown signs of wanting to break down barriers.

• Qatar
  Qatar’s Support of Extremists Alienates Allies Near and Far

  Standing at the front of a conference hall in Doha, the visiting sheikh told his audience of wealthy Qataris that to help the battered residents of Syria, they should not bother with donations to humanitarian programs or the Western-backed Free Syrian Army.

• Solar
  Saudi builder al-Khodari says to diversify into solar, nuclear energy

  Major Saudi Arabian construction firm Abdullah Abdul Mohsin Al Khodari Sons Co said on Sunday that it would diversify into solar and nuclear energy.

• Society
  Saudi Arabia set to halve number of prisoners

  Saudi Arabia is preparing legislation that would allow judges to use alternative sentences to jail for minor crimes such as flirting with women.

• Extremism
  Saudi public calls for severe punishment of extremists

  It is very sad that the people who are the right image of Saudi Arabia are not recognized and have to endure such uncivilized behavior from the fanatics who have no right to be in positions that allow them to harass citizens and expatriates.

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