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This week's arrest of the Bosnian-Serb war criminal Radovan Karadzic has made headlines almost as big as those announcing the arrest of Slobodan Milosevic back in 2001. The shocking photos of Karadzic disguised as a bearded Dr. Dabic have painted the whole story ridiculous; statements from Brussels highlighting the arrest as a milestone trumpet the news that Serbia has really chosen a European future; and re-reported accounts from Bosnian Muslim victims have added an element of remorse for the fact that justice had not been brought sooner. But a lesser story today, that of Dinko Sakic, illustrates the long-term significance of Karadzic's overdue arrest.

Sakic, the last living commander of Jasenovac, the Croatian World War II concentration camp, died this week. Long after fleeing to Argentina, where he lived a rather vocal life in support of Croatian nationalism, Sakic was eventually tried and found guilty of killing thousands of Serbs and Jews -- but not until 1999, decades after his crimes were committed and years after those very crimes were used by Croat and Serb leaders alike to stir up nationalist fervor and inter-ethnic fear during the last bloody days of Yugoslavia.

Fortunately the losses at Srebrenica and Sarajevo will not go the way of Jasenovac, whose significance and death toll still remain in question. Thanks to the work of the ICTY, the former Yugoslavia's crimes of the 1990s have been investigated and documented in great detail, leaving far less room for future finger-pointing and fear-mongering. And with the EU promising future membership to all the countries of the Western Balkans, they'll need all regional stability they can get.

For more reflections what Karadzic's capture means, check out FP's interview with Richard Holbrooke, the man who did as much as anyone to bring peace to Bosnia. He's thrilled:

I got the news on a train from New York to Washington. I’ve rarely been so excited about any news event in a positive sense. The world gets so much bad news, and to bring this man to justice, this terrible man, ranks right up there with capturing Saddam Hussein.

KHALED DESOUKI/AFP/Getty Images

Assuming all goes as planned, I'm going to get a chance to speak with Former Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi tomorrow. Given the format of the event, I'm only likely to get to ask just one or two questions. So, dear readers, what should I ask him? Send me your thoughts and I'll ask the best question you all come up with (And no, "Why is your Web site so bad?" does not make the cut).

Also, if you have questions for Yasheng Huang, the author of our July/August cover story on what India can teach China about economic growth, send them to letters@ForeignPolicy.com by July 25 (tomorrow), and we’ll post his answers on July 30 at: ForeignPolicy.com/extras/huang.

Well, sort of. The seemingly ubiquitous presidential candidate has shelled out $5 million to join McDonalds and Anheuser-Busch as major advertiser during NBC's coverage of next month's Olympics.

The ad buy is the largest by any presidential candidate on network television in the last 16 years, AdAge reports:

While Rudy Giuliani's campaign did a tiny buy to air political ads on "Fox News Sunday" in consecutive weeks, the Obama campaign's spending on the high-rated and expensive Olympics top anything that has been done on network TV by presidential candidates in years.

Traditionally, campaigns target cheaper cable ads in crucial swing states. The last candidate to buck the trend was Bob Dole in 1996. Flush with youthful exuberance and record-breaking cash on hand, the Obama team thinks its campaign will meet a different fate than Dole's.

Drudge posts Barack's Obama's prepared remarks. Some of the rhetoric may sound familiar to those of you who have seen the Illinois senator's stump speech, but this is the European touch:

I come to Berlin as so many of my countrymen have come before. Tonight, I speak to you not as a candidate for President, but as a citizen -- a proud citizen of the United States, and a fellow citizen of the world.

It's official. Iraq won't be competing in Beijing:

The International Olympic Committee says Iraq will not compete at Beijing because of Iraqi government interference.

The IOC suspended Iraq's national Olympic committee in June after Baghdad dismissed elected officials and installed its own people who are not recognized by the IOC.

SEBASTIAN WILLNOW/AFP/Getty Images

The scuttlebutt on Barack Obama's speech in Berlin, due to hit in less than an hour now, is that he's going to use the occassion to demand more of Europe, particularly when it comes to boots on the ground in Aghanistan.

Coming from the lips of George W. Bush of John McCain, it's the kind of appeal that would go mostly unnoticed. But coming from Obama, it's going to seem to many like a "Sister Souljah moment" -- the act of telling a friendly audience what it needs, but doesn't necessarily want to hear. With Obama seen in many quarters as too Europhilic, (gently) criticizing Europe is savvy campaigning.

Politics aside, it's doubtful Europe can rise to the challenge. German officials and politicians have been fretting for days that Obama would ask them to send more troops, and Chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed to resist the Illinois senator's entreaties. Germany is already planning to send an additional 1,000 soldiers to Afghanistan in the fall, and that was hard enough politically for Ms. Merkel to pull off. Nicolas Sarkozy has talked tough, but is in the midst of downsizing the French military. Britain may be able to redirect some of the forces it is planning to withdraw from Iraq, but British officers are already complaining loudly of being overstretched.

It'll be interesting to see if Obama comes up with any creative workarounds, such as an appeal to newer NATO powers to step up. But given that he isn't visiting anywhere east of Berlin, that would be an odd move to make.

UPDATE: Der Speigel reports that "tens of thousands of people" are making their way to the speech site.

Many Passport readers may not be aware of a resource we've been quietly experimenting with in the background -- our "Must Reads" section. We come across a great deal of good stuff on the Internets in the course of our work, and we can't blog or use it all. But we think readers will appreciate a quick and easy place to go to find links to interesting news stories and analysis elsewhere.

We're definitely still tinkering with the format, so let us know if this is a resource you think we can improve.

Also on the top "Quick Links" bar, we have a handy link to the latest free articles posted on ForeignPolicy.com, a.k.a. "the mothership." This week, for instance, we have a list on the world's worst advisors, an argument for why the Ivory Tower and the Pentagon don't mix, and an interview with McClatchy reporter Nancy Youssef on the politics of Barack Obama's trip to Baghdad. Every Monday through Thursday, we post new Web exclusives online, so check back in regularly for the latest and greatest.

And of course, our print edition goes online every two months, though you need to subscribe for the low-low price of $19.95 to read most of it, as well as our extensive archives of back issues.

Finally, if you have any suggestions for topics you'd like us to cover, shoot me an e-mail or weigh in via the comments section below.

Apparently Russia isn't the only country ready to play politics with its resource exports, BBC reports:

Libya's state shipping company says it has halted oil shipments to Switzerland in protest at the brief arrest of leader Muammar Gaddafi's youngest son.

Yes, the son's name is Hannibal. He was charged with assault. It's not the first time he's been in trouble, either.

PETER PARKS/AFP/Getty Images

Moving to disarm critics and follow through on promises made to the International Olympic Committee, China announced yesterday that it will allow demonstrations in special "protest pens": three public parks that are no closer than several miles to the Olympic Stadium.

Unsurprisingly, activists are unmoved. Demonstrations must first obtain formal approval by local police, and it's not clear whether Chinese laws banning political protest "harmful to national unity and social stability" will apply:

We never get it no matter how many times we try," said Jiang Tianyong, a lawyer and legal-rights advocate who has been rejected numerous times [attempting to schedule a protest]. "This is only a show for foreigners. Otherwise, I'd love to see these three places be kept after the Olympics so we can let our voices be heard, too."

That said, such "free-speech zones" are really nothing new for the Olympics. They've also been employed at other large international gatherings such as the G-8, as well as American political conventions. China certainly stands out for its political suppression before and after the Olympics, but during the games, for better or for worse, it's par for the course.

Marc Ambinder reports, you decide:

With less than six months to go before he would be sworn in as the nation's 44th president, Sen. Barack Obama has directed his aides to begin planning for the transition.

William Thomas Cain/Getty Images

John McCain has been tying himself in knots lately trying to explain what he meant when he told CBS's Katie Couric that the "Anbar Awakening" was made possible by the "surge." Chronologically speaking, that's dubious -- but McCain later said that he conceives of the surge as the broader counterinsurgency strategy that the U.S. military began putting in place in the fall of 2006, not solely in terms of the five additional combat brigades that began arriving in the spring of 2007.

McCain's getting lots of criticism for his chronology, but his broader point is not obviously wrong. Gen. David Petraeus testifed earlier this year that the Awakening "started before the surge, but then was very much enabled by the surge." And let's remember that General Petraeus was put in charge in part because he advocated more troops, whereas Generals Casey and Abizaid objected while the change in strategy was under consideration.

That said, it's still highly debateable whether injecting more troops was the decisive factor, and moreover, the additional troops mostly went to Baghdad, not Anbar province (though 4,000 went there). The "surge" announced in January 2007 was really Petraeus's Baghdad security plan, and the key was a shift toward protecting Iraqis and working with local forces rather than strictly going after the bad guys.

One thing nobody is talking about, however, is Basra. Nancy Youssef of McClatchy explains the Iraqi view of the surge:

When you ask the Iraqis here, they say that the added U.S. forces were a part of it, but what really turned things around was the Sahwa movement [of former insurgents switching sides], Moqtada's ceasefires, and in their minds, Basra. Basra was the first Iraqi-led success story, and it really changed the momentum. So, the Iraqis that we talk to see it as a complex equation with the U.S. troop surge as just one factor. And frankly, the situation on the ground suggests that they're right, because the surge troops have left, and the security situation remains better.

Top Story

MICHAEL KAPPELER/AFP/Getty Images

The stage is set for Barack Obama's big speech in Germany. After meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Obama will speak to assembled multitudes before the iconic "Victory Column" in Berlin's Tiergarten Park. Yesterday, Merkel said she "wouldn't resist" a backrub from Obama, whom she called "well-equipped -- physically, mentally and politically." [UPDATE: Here's the AP's writeup of the Obama-Merkel meeting.]

Der Spiegel looks at the debate over Barack Obama's 7 p.m. event, and interviews Obama aide Susan Rice and McCain advisor Randy Scheunemann. The McCain camp has criticized Obama for holding a "campaign rally" in a foreign country. "I'm hoping to communicate across the Atlantic the value of that relationship and how we need to build on it," Obama has responded. "I doubt we're going to have a million screaming Germans."

Reuters expects Obama to "ask Europe to shoulder more of the burden" in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

More Decision '08

Tough luck: John McCain had to cancel a planned campaign event at a Gulf Coast oil rig, due to weather concerns.

The latest WSJ/NBC poll finds that voters' views of Obama remain in flux, with many Americans still uneasy about the Illinois senator's background and experience.

Global Economy

The Arctic could hold as many as 90 billion barrels of oil, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Full study here (pdf).

Toyota surpassed General Motors in sales during the first half of 2008.

"Big divergences" are stalling global trade talks at the WTO in Geneva.

Americas

A massive U.S. bill aimed at shoring up housing prices looks set to pass after President George W. Bush withdrew his veto threat.

Fidel Castro says Cuba doesn't have to explain its position on hosting Russian bombers.

The trial of Osama bin Laden's driver reveals that Flight 93 was intended to hit the Capitol dome.

Asia

Lawmakers are upset about a Bush administration plan to help Pakistan retrofit its aging F-16s.

A former U.S. official dishes at length about the Afghan government's ties to the heroin trade.

China is pressuring parents who lost children in the Sichuan earthquake to take "hush money."

Middle East and Africa

Abu Dhabi is partnering with General Electric to finance commercial investments in clean energy, healthcare, and transportation.

Israel's military officer, visiting Washington, calls for action to halt "Iranian aggression."

Sudan's President Omar Hassan al-Bashir danced at a "pep rally" in Darfur.

Europe

A fascinating profile of Radovan Karadzic and his double life. Karadzic's trial will be a chance for the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia to redeem itself.

About 100 staffers at a French nuclear plant have been "slightly contaminated" by radiation.

France moved to scrap the 35-hour workweek.

Today's Agenda

The U.S. federal minimum wage goes up to $6.55 per hour.

Top Story

TEH ENG KOON/AFP/Getty Images

Bombs exploded in two public buses Monday in the southwestern city of Kunming, killing at least two passingers and injuring 14. Officials refuted reports that bizarre text messages had preceded the bombings, and said Tuesday that no evidence had been found linking the bombings to the Beijing Olympics.

On Wednesday, officals tripled the reward for information related to the bombings to 300,000 yuan (around $43,500). Meanwhile, the city of Beijing said it would step up bus-security measures, and Shanghai, which is hosting Olympic soccer matches, announced it will install security cameras on 1,600 buses.

Olympics

Western TV networks are pushing back agianst constraints on Olympic coverage.

Hotels in Beijing are slashing prices as the anticipated tourist onslaught fails to materialize.

Some U.S. Olympians may wear masks in Beijing to protect their lungs from pollution, much to the chagrin of their hosts.

The opening ceremonies will employ "green fireworks" designed to limit pollution.

Guess who's not invited?

Politics

Officials will allow approved protests in designated city parks during the Olympics; the crackdown on Internet dissent, however, continues. Entertainers deemed a threat to China's sovereignty are no longer welcome, either.

China and Russia ended a decades-long border dispute.

Although 86 percent of Chinese are happy with their country's overall direction, more than a third see Japan and the United States as enemies.

A Tibetan living in Beijing is suing the Chinese government after being denied a passport for three years.

Economy

One new report says China's economy has averted the threat of overheating, while another argues the government needs to temper "hot money" inflows to stave off inflation and stabilize markets.

U.S. companies are keeping a wary eye on a new Chinese antitrust law.

Other News

A coal mine flooded in southern China, trapping 36 miners and killing at least seven.

China has more smokers than the United States has people. Unsurprisingly, China's anti-smoking campaign is not having the desired effect.

STR/AFP/Getty Images

I thought yesterday's big bombshell from an anonymous Russian defense source about plans to base Russian bombers in Cuba was totally absurd. I still don't believe this is much more than one overzealous bureaucrat mouthing off to a reporter. But some people are clearly taking the prospect of 1962 redux a bit more seriously.

General Norton Schwartz, the current nominee for Air Force Chief of Staff, was asked how he would respond to such a scenario at his Senate confirmation hearing yesterday. He didn't seem to laugh it off:

I certainly would offer best military advice that we should engage the Russians not to pursue that approach. [...] And if they did, I think we should stand strong and indicate that that is something that crosses a threshold, crosses a red line for the United States of America."

Meanwhile in Moscow, the story has ignited something of a media scandal. The Defense Ministry has denied the plans and accused Izvestia, the newspaper that originally reported the story, of fabricating the crucial quote and running the story under a false byline. Izvestia's editor is standing behind the piece, saying that the reporter's byline was changed because of the sensitive nature of the scoop. Considering Russia's media climate, that is somewhat plausible.

But what do the Cubans think about all this? The Miami Herald's Cuban Colada blog links to this article (Word document) by University of Miami Cuba expert Jaime Suchlicki, who says that while it's unlikely Raul Castro would ever go for such a risky scheme given the instability of his own regime, Russia's new best friend Hugo Chávez might be up for it.

We'll be keeping an eye out for more reactions.

Sure, Barack Obama is quite popular in Europe and has received his fair share of endorsements from unusual areas, but the Arab media has had some other things to say.

Courtesy of the Anti-Defamation League, a sampling of political cartoons from Middle Eastern media sources:

Although the ADL lists the collection under the banner of "Anti-Semitism in the Arab/Muslim World," you might want to take this with a grain of salt. Some of these cartoons are undoubtedly offensive (including some toward Obama's race), but others simply echo familiar claims and criticisms regarding the close U.S.-Israel relationship. Personally, I've seen similar cartoons in the Western media as well.

If anything, these cartoons just reinforce the Walt-Mearsheimer argument about the wellspring of anti-Americanism in many parts of the Arab world: "It's Israel, Stupid!"

iStockphoto.com

A few weeks back, I blogged a Times of India story about how China's construction boom was driving up iron prices, resulting in widespread theft of manhole covers in Mumbai.

Now, the New York Times is reporting that the epidemic of manhole theft is spreading throughout the United States as well. In Philadelphia alone, 2,500 covers have been stolen in the last year, costing the city at least $300,000. Widespread manhole-cover theft has also been reported in Long Beach, Cleveland, Memphis, Miami, and Milwaukee. Some cities are now switching to plastic covers or welding down the metal ones.

Police are trying to crack down on junkyards, but as one North Philadelphia scrap metal collector reports, the demand curve is not in their favor:

These guys here," Mr. Sergeant said, pointing at one scrap yard, "They’d buy a police cruiser and melt it down if we brought it in. The prices for metal are just that good these days."

The McCain campaign has taken to mocking the press corps left behind to cover the Arizona senator while Barack Obama is overseas, Hotline reports. Here are the luggage tags McCain staffers jokingly put on reporters' bags yesterday:

Chuck Todd and company at MSNBC's First Read comment, "Why does McCain think belittling his own press corps is a good idea?" Good question.

ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP/Getty Images

Despite assurances from some that the declining dollar will remain the world's primary reserve currency, there may be an emerging threat -- the Russian ruble. That is, at least, if Hugo Chávez has his way:

Chávez echoed Russian calls to make the ruble a major reserve currency in opposition to a weakened dollar. "The ruble must become a world currency," he said. "The dollar must not become a world currency."

After inking a $1 billion arms deal in Russia, Chávez continues his European tour with visits to Belarus, Portugal, and Spain. No word on whether he's considering a stop to see Barack Obama's speech in Germany.

China, as part of its ongoing efforts to be culturally sensitive and have its people on their best behavior for the Olympics, is displaying posters informing its people of eight things they should not ask foreigners:

1. Don't ask about income or expenses.
2. Don't ask about age.
3. Don't ask about love life or marriage.
4. Don't ask about health.
5. Don't ask about someone's home or address.
6. Don't ask about personal experience.
7. Don't ask about religious beliefs or political views.
8. Don't ask what someone does.

Oh, and if you're a guy, here's a tip on how to be a gentleman:

Men should help women carry things, but must not help women carry their handbags.

STR/AFP/Getty Images

Even as a power-sharing deal between President Robert Mugabe's Zanu-PF party and Morgan Tsvangirai's Opposition for Democratic Change in Zimbabwe seems to be moving forward, deep doubts still remain.

EU leaders don't seem impressed by the negotiations. Yesterday, they slapped an additional 37 people and four companies, all of whom are now blacklisted, with new sanctions including restrictions on banking and travel. This brings Zimbabwe's blacklist total -- which already included Mugabe and several members of his cabinet from earlier sanctions in 2002 -- up to 172 people.

Meanwhile, Kenyan Prime Minister Raila Odinga -- who was in a similar position as Tsvangirai during Kenya's disputed election last December -- has said that a "peaceful, decent exit" would be appropriate for Mugabe.