1. As the US troop drawdown in Iraq continues, American politicians and officials who opposed the surge strategy before, during and after its implementation are now proclaiming victory in Iraq. Top military bloggers and veterans remind Americans of the irony of political and media opposition.

2. As the direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians draw nearer, a top Palestinian Authority official says the PA will have met all preconditions for a Palestinian state within a year. The same official also says that Isreali PM Netanyahu needs to "explain his definition of a Palestinian State."

3. Israel and the US stand in opposition to missile sales to Syria and Lebanon while the Israeli Defense Minister is set to travel to Russia hoping to persuade Russia to halt its planned deal with Syria.

4. Iran says that if it is attacked it will strike Israel's nuclear research facility at Dimona. In a typical Iranian news cycle, an Iranian official also called France's photogenic first lady a "prostitute."

5. Turmoil in Mexico continues to rise to unprecedented levels as President Calderon continues efforts to combat powerful drug cartels. A second mexican mayor in two weeks has been assassinated in the north, and the mexican president has 'purged 3,200 police' in an attempt to curb corruption in that narco war. ThreatsWatch provides a rapid state-by-state snapshot.