The Rundown -- June 12

# Foreign Policy reviews Abubakar Siddique's book, "The Pashtun Question"

# Andrew Sullivan references Carl Schreck's Iraq explainer

# Carnegie Center mentions RFE/RL Azerbaijani Service interview with Ambassador Richard Morningstar, which was condemned by a government official

# Read Carl Schreck's Iraq explainer in "The Atlantic"

# Washington Free Beacon cites Golnaz Esfandiari's interview with Obama's spiritual adviser

# CNN uses video of Iraq fighting from RFE/RL's Iraqi service

# Iraq militants gain ground and push towards Baghdad as army withers; map of ISIS control

# What the Mosul siege means for ISIS

# Iraq seeking U.S. strikes on militants; so far refused

# Long read from April: "What We Left Behind" - Dexter Filkins, "New Yorker"

# Tweet: Could earlier help to Syria rebels have prevented this?

# French FM says Iran nuclear talks "have hit a wall"

# Iran Air seeks spare parts while it still can

# "Iran's Dissidents, Released But Not Freed" - Robin Wright, "New Yorker"

# Iran's World Cup interest wanes

# Ghani leading in new poll

# Afghan banks may face blacklist because of failure to combat money laundering

# "Why Afghanistan's Political Fervor Is Cooling for Historic Election Runoff" - Ali Latifi, Vice News

# U.S. launches drone strikes in Pakistan for first time this year

# Pakistan's military submit Taliban options to Sharif

# "Pakistan Must Unleash the Military" - Ahmed Rashid, "Financial Times"

# Lavrov admits cooperation with separatists -- says Moscow sending aid

# Are Putin's "European adventures" working?

# Russia charges three Navalny associates with fraud

# Putin denies waging war on Internet freedom

# Russia roles out patriotic candy

# Russians, including Medvedev, apparently enjoy elevator selfies

# Poroshenko says he's ready for talks with separatists if they lay down their arms

# "Can Ukraine Win Its Information War With Russia?" - Peter Pomerantsev, "The Atlantic"

# On why Russian neo-Nazis are attracted to the Ukraine conflict

# "On The Edge Of Civil War In Ukraine" - Mike Giglio, Buzzfeed

# RT surprised that military recruitment office in Luhansk not running with full staff

# World Bank says that eastern Europe growth will drop sharply due to Ukraine crisis

# Lukashenka says west is warming up to him

# Tajikistan brings wild goat from edge of extinction

# Kazakhstan and South Korea agree to visa free regime

# Kazakhstan FM's op-ed in "USA Today" on green initiatives

# Ukraine crisis affects construction in Turkmenistan

# "The Corleones of the Caspian" - Michael Weiss, Foreign Policy

# "Azerbaijan: Caught Between Two EUs" - Giorgi Lomsadze, Eurasianet

# Music by Armenian composer banned in Baku

# Tweetdeck hacked

# Christian Science Monitor on turning reading into action