Foreign Press Review - March 31 2006 0331-2006f
FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW (FPR) - ‘Relevant news, views, comments and analysis from all around the world’ Compiled by Şanlı Bahadır Koç Subscribe to FPR
Ext. links Britain/ Turkey/ Magazines/ US / Think-tanks / Blogs / Misc /Books / Quickread / Numbers / Reports
H1 Guardian US encouraged by Tehran's enemy within Simon Tisdall: Increased repression and unrest affecting Iran's numerous ethnic and religious minorities are providing new opportunities for the US

A just peace or no peace Ismail Haniyeh: Israeli unilateralism is a recipe for conflict - as is the west's racist refusal to treat Palestinians as equals.

BBC Base-building Big spending on Iraq bases prompts doubts on when US will leave

Military debate What lies ahead if diplomacy founders on Iran's nuclear issue?

Financial Times COMMENT: The promotion of democracy requires patience to succeed By Philip Stephens What makes the schism among US neo-cons interesting is that it parallels a serious political debate about whether the US can align a foreign policy constructed around values with the more pressing daily concerns of geopolitics.

COMMENT: How America can be safe and open for business By Jeffrey Garten

OpenDemocracy Rivalry in the Caspian Interests, not values, have long shaped Russia's links with Iran. Now, writes James Owen, oil and gas issues are starting to strain their relationship

Democrat Party - "Real Security: Protecting America & Restoring Our Leadership in the World"

CFR Public Agenda Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index Overall confidence in U.S. foreign policy has declined, with casualties in Iraq remaining the public’s top concern. But the consequences of U.S. energy dependency is now a close second -- In the May/June issue of Foreign Affairs, Public Agenda Chairman Dan Yankelovich analyzes the Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index. Read the essay


H2 US Institute of Peace Who Are Iraq's New Leaders? What Do They Want? Download Full Report in PDF Printer-friendly Version
Ha’aretz – Ex-Mossad chief: Hamas offered 30-year cease-fire in 1997 Ephraim Halevy reveals in new book how he helped placate Arab leaders after botched assassinations
LRB Diary Patrick Cockburn: The End of Iraq
Los Angeles Times U.N. Atomic Chief Says Iran Not Imminent Threat
NYT Rice Floats the Idea of U.N. Sanctions on Iran, but China and Russia Reject It
Spain Moves on Law to Give Broad Powers to Catalonia
The Economist Valedictory - A long goodbye Bill Emmott, who stands down as editor on March 31st, offers his parting thoughts
Slate Today's Papers Wikipedia antiwar.com technorati

IHT Whose Ukraine? By VIKTOR EROFEYEV The election results are a call to political realism: Ukraine turns out to be insufficiently Western, perhaps because of the West's failure to commit to a future for Ukraine in the EU.

RFE/RL Scholar Warns Europe Of 'Clash Within Civilization'


Ext links- Dis Basinda Turkiye - Google News Turkey –Turquie- Türkei - İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası - Kurdish Media - FPR Archive - Quickread - Google News - Iraq -Iran - Syria – Kurdish - Greece - Cyprus – Azerbaijan - Israel - BBC Turkish 0700 -TurcoPundit - Mideastwire.com -
Iraqi&Regional MediaMonitoring

How did Europe become home to 20 million Muslims in a mere three decades? Oriana Fallaci looks at this question, and a few others too... more»

H3 The Economist Turkey's wobble A crescent that could also wane Even admirers of Turkey's mildly Islamist prime minister are beginning to worry about his increasingly reckless political tactics

Zaman ‘PKK tangosu’nda ABD bir kez daha mühlet istedi

ABD, Türkiye’nin İran için aracılık etmesini istemiyor

TNA What is Erdogan doing at the Arab summit? Cengiz Candar

FT Pope seeks to bring back Christian values to core EU The Pope joined forces with leading European Union conservatives to call for a restoration of Christian values at the heart of the EU, on a day that further clouded Turkey’s hopes of one day joining the club

Banking investors aiming at Turkish targets Four banking deals in which foreign banks acquired Turkish targets were announced in 2005, and there are at least another...

BBC Kurd unrest escalates in Turkey

Morgan Stanley Turkey: Productivity Revival

Remarks at the Armenian Assembly of America National Conference Daniel Fried

US Not Intent To Violate Montreux Convention

Supporting an independent Kurdistan:IsraPundit

Have your say: How do Kurds prepare for changes in Iranian regime KurdishMedia.com

Regnum - Baku-Ceyhan Project demands new unplanned spendings

Independent Overseas: Turkey - is the coast clear now? A place by the sea for £20,000? It's still possible in this emerging market, discovers Graham Norwood

Event: The Kurds demand justice in Northern Kurdistan - Kurdish Federation in UK Join Kurdistani protest to demand justice and for a political and peaceful solution to the Kurdish Question in Turkey!

H4 New York Times At Sept. 11 Trial, Tale of Missteps and Management Documents released in the sentencing of Zacarias Moussaoui have offered an eerie parallel view of Al Qaeda and the F.B.I.

THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Iraq at the 11th Hour If a national unity government is not formed soon, any hope for building a decent Iraq will vanish.
Rice Floats the Idea of U.N. Sanctions on Iran, but China and Russia Reject It
Spain Moves on Law to Give Broad Powers to Catalonia
French Twist By CORINNE MAIER In Paris, now it's the middle class's turn to express its discontent

PAUL KRUGMAN The Road to Dubai
Creating a permanent nonvoting working class would be bad for America's democracy

Immigrants to Be Proud Of
By DAVID BROOKS Brooks urges social conservatives to join the immigration debate in support of naturalizing undocumented Latino immigrants. He writes that this wave of immigration is not destroying but restoring the social fabric. Recent immigrants provide a booster shot of traditional morality into American society, with a decline in violent crime, divorce, teen pregnancy and abortion. Such good values produce successful future citizens, and government should be equally virtuous, supporting legislation sponsored by Sen. Sam Brownback that rewards productive immigrants with citizenship.
Strong Earthquake in Iran Kills at Least 38
Russia Raises Price of Gas for an Ally, Belarus
U.S. and Europe Say Tariff by China Is Discriminatory
H5 Washington Post Iran Warned, but Russia, China Dissent on Action: Rice Says 'Strong Signal' Sent on Halting Nuclear Activity

Israel's Surprise Issue By E. J. Dionne Jr., The world expected Israel to have an election on national security, but the voters decided that it was about the economy, stupid.

Courage in Coverage The Risks in Reporting Real Stories in Baghdad - By David Ignatius, Reporters are risking their lives in Iraq to tell Americans what we need to know, not what we want to hear.

Eight Oil Workers Killed in N. Iraq: 'Agents of Occupation' Are Shot On Day of Roadside Explosions
Top French Tribunal Upholds Jobs Law Constitutional court backs controversial law that has provoked the largest street protests in decades, putting new pressure on President Jacques Chirac to resolve the crisis that threatens to destabilize his government.
Pentagon to Test a Huge Conventional Bomb A huge mushroom cloud of dust is expected to rise over Nevada's desert in June when the Pentagon plans to detonate a gigantic 700-ton explosive -- the biggest open-air chemical blast ever at the Nevada Test Site -- as part of the research into developing weapons that can destroy deeply buried...

The Twilight Of Objectivity By Michael Kinsley, Cable news and the Internet are becoming more opinionated. That's not necessarily an improvement.

A Meltdown We Can't Even Enjoy By Eugene Robinson, Right-wing America is fighting itself over issues from immigration to Iraq. It's time for Democrats to make us see a better future.


H6 Guardian US encouraged by Tehran's enemy within Simon Tisdall: Increased repression and unrest affecting Iran's numerous ethnic and religious minorities are providing new opportunities for the US as it steps up efforts to destabilise and if possible bring down the hardline Islamic government of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

Iran rejects UN deadline for halting nuclear programme · We won't halt enrichment programme, says Tehran · Security council split over punitive action

A just peace or no peace Ismail Haniyeh: Israeli unilateralism is a recipe for conflict - as is the west's racist refusal to treat Palestinians as equals.

Iraqis face a more brutal life with each passing month Jonathan Steele: Terror and chaos reign, and the titanic challenge of ensuring political stability has barely begun to be addressed.

US professors in row over Israel lobbyArticle arguing the pro-Israel lobby is a damaging influence on US foreign policy triggers allegations of anti-semitism.

Brown 'tried to damage PM' Members of Blair's inner circle claim chancellor axed benefit to reduce Labour's chances in May elections.

Orange is not the only colour Russian speakers in Ukraine's Crimean peninsula have helped vote out Viktor Yushchenko, writes Tom Parfitt.

We need to know the truth about the Chernobyl fallout Twenty years on and the casualty figures from the nuclear disaster still don't add up, says Linda Walker.
H7 The Economist France faces the future France is, as so often, riven by strikes and protests. Its politicians need to level with the French people about the need to embrace change

The Security Council and Iran
Diplomacy drags
Valedictory - A long goodbye Bill Emmott, who stands down as editor on March 31st, offers his parting thoughts
China The white peril China is starting to worry about the size and impact of the foreign investment it has so assiduously courted

China's exchange rate Yuan step from the edge

Obituary Caspar Weinberger

What Would Civil War in Iraq Look Like? - Ian Bremmer, RealClearPolitics

Foreign Policy Fool Me Twice By Joseph Cirincione I used to think that the Bush administration wasn’t seriously considering a military strike on Iran, because it would only accelerate Iran’s nuclear program. But what we're seeing and hearing on Iran today seems awfully familiar. That may be because some U.S. officials have already decided they want to hit Iran hard.

Vanity Fair - America's Forgotten War By SEBASTIAN JUNGER More than four years after the invasion of Afghanistan, 20,000 U.S. soldiers are still there, pitting their diplomatic skills—and massive airpower—against the Taliban's terror tactics




H8 BBC Base-building Big spending on Iraq bases prompts doubts on when US will leave

Military debate What lies ahead if diplomacy founders on Iran's nuclear issue?
Asia Times Talking with the 'terrorists' Apart from Israel, there are five political movements and governments in the Middle East of undeniable importance: Iran, Syria, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Muslim Brotherhood. Mark Perry and Alastair Crooke

Democracy: Iraq votes, Bush vetoesCall it desperation or preemptive regime change, but the US has started to take measures in Iraq that would wreck its most cherished goal there: democracy. Ehsan Ahrari

Iran: The ultimate martyr. It might be time for Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to step in. - Pepe Escobar

Bush Calls Iraqi Ethnic, Sectarian Strife Legacy of Saddam Hussein

KR Geopolitics, declining production raise fears about sources for oil Oil prices inched Thursday toward last summer's record high amid concerns of supply disruptions, and energy forecasters think that volatile geopolitics and declining oil production will keep prices up for years. Global oil production is straining to keep pace with demand, which makes oil traders fear supply disruptions and bid up prices for assured future delivery. The balance between supply and demand will remain tight for several years, which is expected to keep fuel prices high.

Daily Star Hypocritical Arab generosity on Darfur By Julie Flint
Lebanon's Confessionalism: Problems and Prospects USIPeace Briefing
H9 Ha’aretz – Ex-Mossad chief: Hamas offered 30-year cease-fire in 1997 Ephraim Halevy reveals in new book how he helped placate Arab leaders after botched assassinations

Schiff - The wrong war Are the Americans winning the war in Iraq, or losing? From the Six-Day War we learned that even a sweeping military victory does not always end the military confrontation, when the victorious forces remain as occupation forces.

The elections are behind usThe election results, which created a map of many small and medium-sized parties, is spurring negotiators to cobble together strange combinations

Jerusalem Post Analysis: A referendum that endorsed withdrawal By URI SAVIRThe 2006 election results are nothing less than an ideological revolution.

Daily Star After the confusion of Oslo's demise, Israel's new realism By Barry Rubin

The Economist Mossad A spymaster's story TOP spymasters usually take a while to emerge from the shadows. Efraim Halevy has waited only four years.
UPI Analysis: Israel's new 'soft' center The Israeli public said goodbye to the dream of a greater Israel in their election Tuesday.
Le Monde Fin du Grand Israël
The New Republic Oil and Vinegar by Martin Peretz Why The New Republic doesn't determine America's Middle East policy

BBC Money worries A mountain of problems awaits Hamas finance chief
UPI Politics & Policies: Hamas gov't in crunch Governing the Palestinian territories has never been a simple task, even at the best of times.
Forward Spy's Handler May Get a Post The surprise showing of the upstart Pensioners' Party could mean a Cabinet post for Jonathan Pollard's spymaster — and the reopening of painful wounds from a case that deeply damaged American-Israeli relations two decades ago.
Evangelicals Reconsider Bush's Drive In Mideast By Ori Nir
H10 Christian Science Monitor
Security Council turns up pressure on Iran Tehran given 30 days to prove that it's not building nuclear arms, but it shows no sign of bending.

The immigration debate: reform vs. enforcement

Blair praises moderate Islam in Indonesia During visit, British PM lauds 'liberal attitudes,' but avoids country's poor human rights record.


OpenDemocracy Rivalry in the Caspian Interests, not values, have long shaped Russia's links with Iran. Now, writes James Owen, oil and gas issues are starting to strain their relationship

H11 IHT Whose Ukraine? By VIKTOR EROFEYEV The election results are a call to political realism: Ukraine turns out to be insufficiently Western, perhaps because of the West's failure to commit to a future for Ukraine in the EU.

Autonomy passes for Catalonia By RENWICK MCLEAN Supporters said the law would keep the restive region content within Spanish borders for a generation but critics said it threatened to fracture the country.

German labor overhaul: Working yet? By CARTER DOUGHERTY Slightly over a year since Germany embarked on an ambitious program to cut benefits for the unemployed, hoping to spur them into jobs, little seems to have changed beyond the creation of a massive - and expensive - new bureaucracy.

Marketing humanitarian crises By CLIFFORD BOB / YaleGlobal OnlineWhy do some humanitarian crises attract global attention while so many others do not?

BBC French job law 'constitutional'
A youth employment law that has sparked protests across France is legal, says the top constitutional body.

PINR "Economic Brief: Italy's Weak Economy" Full text of report

H12 RFE/RL Scholar Warns Europe Of 'Clash Within Civilization' Tariq Ramadan, a leading scholar of Islam in Europe warned on March 29 that the European Union must come to terms with its Muslim citizens or face what he called a "clash within civilization."

Russia is conducting an assertive energy policy: interview of Ariel Cohen to REGNUM

Asia Times Revolutions gone astray in Eurasia The bloom has gone off the "color revolutions" in the ex-Soviet republics of Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan. Maybe that's why the recent election in Belarus didn't get a color code. This time President George W Bush stayed more or less aloof

EurasiaNet Language Rights Issue Fuel Discord in Georgia Discontent is rising within Georgia’s Armenian community, the country’s largest ethnic minority, driven by complaints concerning the central government’s language policy, as well as perceptions of discrimination. The building tension between ethnic Armenians and Georgian government officials has been linked to recent rioting and violence.

Iran/Iraq: US Talks Unlikely To End Tehran’s ’Soft Power’ In IraqBY BILL SAMII


Le Monde L'UE gagne à Kiev et perd à Minsk, par Thomas Ferenczi
H13 The Times Sorry. Condimania stops here Gerard Baker The US Secretary of State is charming and accomplished but consistency wouldn't go amiss

Iran - Tough talk, but the threats are empty

Defiant sabre-rattling

WSJ Protect Our Heritage America's openness to foreign investment is under threat. By STUART E. EIZENSTAT and MICHAEL C. MAIBACH

Abominable Gasman? Russia needs its gas customers as much as they need Russia. By VIJAY V. VAITHEESWARAN
H14 Financial Times COMMENT: The promotion of democracy requires patience to succeed By Philip Stephens What makes the schism among US neo-cons interesting is that it parallels a serious political debate about whether the US can align a foreign policy constructed around values with the more pressing daily concerns of geopolitics.

COMMENT: How America can be safe and open for business By Jeffrey Garten If America’s Lucent Technologies and France’s Alcatel agree to merge, the deal will surely raise national security concerns in Washington, writes Jeffrey Garten, former US undersecretary of commerce for international trade.

Big powers fail to agree next move on Iran nuclear issue

US may support unilateral Israel line

Indecisive victory forces Olmert to wrangle over numbers

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: US academics add to a rich heritage of vibrant debate Their essay "The Rise of US Nuclear Primacy" provides us with a sophisticated appreciation of the divergent fortunes of...

COMMENT: Europe is winning the war for economic freedoms By Dan O'Brien The "four freedoms" underpinning the European integration project - the free movement of goods, services, labour and... Concerns that the half-century of (unsteady) progress towards European market integration is going into reverse are not supported by the evidence, writes Dan O’Brien of the Economist Intelligence Unit

Home-grown police force takes on Iraq insurgents

Bush enters Iran 'freedom' debate


H15 Los Angeles Times U.N. Atomic Chief Says Iran Not Imminent Threat As the country insists its nuclear program is peaceful, ElBaradei believes that threatening sanctions could cause the situation to unravel
Democratic Plan to Beef Up U.S. Security Lacks Specifics By Ronald Brownstein

Iraq bases are indefensible

FT EU and US in WTO challenge to China The US and the European Union joined forces for the first time to challenge China before the World Trade Organisation, sweeping aside diplomatic niceties weeks before a visit of the Chinese president to Washington.

COMMENT: Inheritance tax should be killed off By Martin Wolf The absurdities of taxation often reveal themselves most completely in those taxes that raise relatively small sums. Inheritance tax is an excellent example.

Editorial Commercial break-out The BBC, justly famous for its classic dramas, sometimes resembles Robert Louis Stevenson's Dr Jekyll. To the outside world, it is a public service broadcaster notable...

Editorial Chilling effect on bidsWhen they seemed just aimed at keeping US assets out of Chinese or Arab hands, Congress' moves to tinker with the legislative framework for the vetting of foreign...

COMMENT: How people power can undermine democratic institutions By Anthony Spaeth The political turmoil in Thailand is an aptly timed snapshot of the state of Asian democracies, writes Anthony Spaeth, former executive editor of Time Asia
H16 KR Question: What is an American? Both sides in the emotional debate over immigration agree on at least one thing: This is a fight over what it means to be an American. The passions that are being unleashed in street protests, on talk radio and in Congress are as old as the American dream. We may be a nation of immigrants, but we sometimes recoil from foreigners with different languages, religions, cultures and complexions.

NRO Mark Krikorian: Do we want to be like Europe?

The Economist Lexington
The rebirth of outrage There's an epidemic of it

UPI Commentary: Rebuilding Iraq while the U.S. decays As we "rebuild" Iraq, what is happening here to our own society and its infrastructure?

Blogometer realclearpolitics – ABC’s The Note - Early Bird thru GovExec -
H17 Daily Telegraph -Blair All over by Christmas The Prime Minister's closest aides feel that, following a series of damaging rows over education and sleaze, he will quit within nine months.

Superpowers in disarray over Iran sanctions Attempts by the world's leading powers to join forces and stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons have fallen into disarray as they disagreed in public over whether Teheran could face sanctions.

Israel's plans rejectedHamas has dismissed Israel's plan to withdraw from part of the West Bank and given warning that it is likely to stir yet more violent resistance from Palestinians.

Out of the shadows As the head of Mossad, Efraim Halevy presided over some of the most ruthless and controversial decisions in Israeli history.
H18 Independent US split by need for cheap labour and a fear of outsiders

Mosul slips out of control as the bombers move in
H19 HIV/AIDS Country Profiles
H20 Slate Into Thin Air: What happened to a Pakistani journalist who exposed a U.S. missile strike? Eliza Griswold

New Yorker Is poverty absolute? Or is it a relative value, affected by a poor family’s exclusion from DVDs, computers, cellphones, or vacation homes?... more»

An article on the dangers of monotheism in the Age of Globalization
H21 Google planning TV service?

The 'Da Vinci' genre
For the paperback release of Dan Brown's novel, the Monitor reviews four recent conspiracy novels.

Is organic worth it? Amid conflicting news stories, Leo Hickman goes in search of the truth.

Zizek on why nobody has to be vile.


Ext links Blogs - memeorandum - Slate's Today's Blogs - Blogometer - Juan Cole - Kevin Drum - Belgravia Dispatch - Thomas P.M. Barnett
Joshua Marshall - Daniel Drezner - Laura Rozen - the washington note - Syria Comment - David Corn - William Arkin - Phil Carter - Helena Cobban - Matt Yglesias - Oxblog - Brad DeLong
winds of change - political theory/
CounterterrorismBlog OutSide the Beltway - InstaPundit - Kausfiles - andrewsullivan.com - Becker Posner-- armscontrolwonk - Registan Arts & Letters Daily/
  ¶ 10:59 (1) comments

  Foreign Press Review - March 30 2006 0330-2006f
FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW (FPR) - ‘Relevant news, views, comments and analysis from all around the world’ Compiled by Şanlı Bahadır Koç Subscribe to FPR
Ext. links Britain/ Turkey/ Magazines/ US / Think-tanks / Blogs / Misc /Books / Quickread / Numbers / Reports
H1 Foreign Affairs - The Rise of U.S. Nuclear Primacy by Keir A. Lieber and Daryl G. Press - With the U.S. arsenal growing rapidly while Russia's decays and China's stays small, the era of MAD is ending -- and the era of U.S. nuclear primacy has begun.

KR Security Council calls on Iran to halt uranium enrichment The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday called on Iran to stop enriching uranium and resolve concerns that it's developing nuclear weapons, but the statement wasn't legally binding, and it was watered down in response to demands from Russia and China.

UN Statement: Draft Statement on Iran's Nuclear Program

Guardian How will the ventriloquist's dummy of History judge Blair's foreign policy? Timothy Garton Ash: In the Foreign Office's strategic plan I see a face of Britain that I can be proud of - were it not for Iraq.

Slate What Clash of Civilizations?: Why religious identity isn't destiny. Amartya Sen

The Erring Republican Authority: Kevin Phillips is wrong about everything. Why is he taken so seriously? Jacob Weisberg

Karl Rove Supreme - Robert Novak

CSIS - Open Source Information: The Missing Dimension of Intelligence. --- Audio (mp3, 1:40:15)

Independent The New Israel: Plans to redraw border on West Bank

The future of the European economy Report on the CER conference
H2 IHT The key lies in Iran's history CHARLES A. KUPCHAN AND RAY TAKEYH Tapping into Iran's national pride rather than confronting it head-on holds out the best hope for containing its nuclear ambitions

Washington Post Could Sanctions Stop Iran? Recent History Suggests That the Prospects Aren't Good By Carne Ross - Recent history suggests that economic sanctions won't deter Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons, even in the unlikely event that the international community imposes them.

Report: Saudi nuke program underway

Der Spiegel Israeli Election Analysis: Choosing Divorce over Peace

Asia Times Different beat to Iran war drums In comparison to the rush to war with Iraq, the crisis over Iran's nuclear program is unfolding at a snail's pace. This does not mean, though, that the end result will not be the same. - Ehsan Ahrari
NYT Beleaguered Premier Warns U.S. to Stop Interfering in Iraq's Politics
IHT William Pfaff: Capitalism under fire WILLIAM PFAFF The student riots over labor laws in France, which seem reactionary or even Luddite, may prove prophetic.
The Moscow Times, Will the Authoritarians of the World Unite? By Andrew C. Kuchins
Slate Today's Papers Wikipedia antiwar.com technorati

Los Angeles Times Israel's impossible dream By Yossi Klein Halevi The victory of the centrist sensibility marks the end of three decades' worth of utopian politics, right and left


H3 To Vima - Ten Lies Historic confession of Greeks

Kurdish riots in southeastern Turkey leave three dead, 250 injured

FT Turkey clarifies industry tax cuts

Turkey's GDP Probably Grew 6.6% in Fourth Quarter, Survey Shows

Southern Kurdistan: a political dilemma By Peter Stitt This is your best chance ever at independence and, Barzani and Talabani, as the American reporter put it: "You are blowing it."

Iran is at war with US and Kurdistan By Vladimir van Wilgenburg

Kurdistan: Meet the New Bosses

Ext links- Dis Basinda Turkiye - Google News Turkey –Turquie- Türkei - İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası - Kurdish Media - FPR Archive - Quickread - Google News - Iraq -Iran - Syria – Kurdish - Greece - Cyprus – Azerbaijan - Israel - BBC Turkish 0700 -TurcoPundit - Mideastwire.com -
Iraqi&Regional MediaMonitoring


Brookings Institution The Role of Independent Research in Partisan Times In a speech delivered at the University of Virginia's Miller Center of Public Affairs, Brookings President Strobe Talbott discussed the importance of defending basic values in public policy research—quality, independence, and impact

RFE/RL U.S. Relations With Main Shi'ite Alliance Fraying
H4 New York Times Editorial West Bank Withdrawal
Tuesday's election in Israel was a minor breakthrough.

You Say You Want a Constitution By STEVEN V. MAZIE Their greatest challenge to drafting a new constitution for Israel will be to lend coherence to Israel's dual identity as a state that is both Jewish and democratic.
Beleaguered Premier Warns U.S. to Stop Interfering in Iraq's Politics
Democrats Offer National Security Strategy
Poll: Americans Question Foreign Policy
U.N. Council Urges Iran to Halt Atom Activity
Bush Rejects Idea of Boycotting Meeting in Russia
Hamas Cabinet Is Sworn In, Widening Break With the Israelis
China Is Told of U.S. Impatience on Trade
Economic Scene: The Cost of Invading Iraq: Imponderables Meet Uncertainties
9/11 Tapes Revive Lost Voices, and Families' Pain 911 calls, made from inside the World Trade Center. Audio & Transcript: Christopher Hanley's Call

DAVID BROOKS Immigrants to Be Proud Of Do the real threats come from immigrants, or are some people merely blaming them for sins that are already here?

American Dreams, Foreign Flags By LINDA CHAVEZ Like every generation of immigrants before them, Latinos start out on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder, but they don't stay there.

G.O.P. Risking Hispanic Votes on Immigration
H5 Washington Post Could Sanctions Stop Iran? Recent History Suggests That the Prospects Aren't Good By Carne Ross - Recent history suggests that economic sanctions won't deter Iran from pursuing nuclear weapons, even in the unlikely event that the international community imposes them.

Security Council Pressures Iran In non-binding statement, U.N. panel urges Tehran to suspend uranium enrichment within 30 days.

Democrats Detail Security Policy: Bin Laden, Iraq and Domestic Safety Identified as Midterm Issues

Editorial Editorial A Decisive Election
Israelis overwhelmingly vote to withdraw from the occupied West Bank.

Speak Up, Mr. Bush For immigration reform to have a chance, the president must take a stand.


H6 Guardian How will the ventriloquist's dummy of History judge Blair's foreign policy?Timothy Garton Ash: In the Foreign Office's strategic plan I see a face of Britain that I can be proud of - were it not for Iraq.

Olmert seeks coalition partnersNewly elected leader of Israel looks for support on defining borders.

Leader Small earthquake in Jerusalem Israeli politicians and pundits will be busy in the coming days working out what Ehud Olmert's coalition government will look like.

This can be a vote for peaceAmos Oz:The rise of Hamas is in fact an opportunity for Israel's new government to work with Arab states.

This takeover free-for-all just isn't delivering the goodsLarry Elliott: There is scant evidence that selling off British companies has given our economy the edge over its European competitors.
H7 BBC Family friendly Why the French have one of the highest fertility rates in Europe

The future of the European economy Report on the CER conference
H8 KR Security Council calls on Iran to halt uranium enrichment The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday called on Iran to stop enriching uranium and resolve concerns that it's developing nuclear weapons, but the statement wasn't legally binding, and it was watered down in response to demands from Russia and China.

BBC Crunch talks on Iran nuclear plan Condoleezza Rice will join five other key foreign ministers in Berlin to discuss a strategy on Iran's nuclear plans. Iran confrontation moves on
Key nations' stances on Iran
Q&A: Iran nuclear stand-off

UPI Analysis: Sadr clash ominous for U.S.

SyriaComment - Asad Interview with Charlie Rose (Aired March 27, 2006)

Boston Globe Editorial Arab League futility

Daily Star Both the Arab League and the Lebanese president lack vision

From Sudan, a chronicle of Arab death foretold By Michael Young

Iran to hold large-scale naval war games

H9 Ha’aretz – Olmert, a manager who likes his positions clear Olmert is described as a resolute manager who likes to finish every meeting with a decision.

Editorial Kadima's historic role Should Kadima begin to actively compromise its raison d'etre - pulling out of the West Bank - it is likely Israel will see another election very soon.

Benn- Olmert's troubles ahead Olmert's campaign vow to find a pullout plan acceptable to both the Americans and to the settlers will inevitably force him to retract some of his pre-election promises.

Slate Israel's Big Bang: Tuesday's election changed everything.

Olmert Macher: The international media sort through the Israeli election results.
Zuzanna Kobrzynski and Amanda Watson-Boles

Der Spiegel Israeli Election Analysis: Choosing Divorce over Peace

BBC From bad to worse Palestinians despair over Kadima's victory in Israeli polls

Palestinian cabinet is sworn in War of Words Over Paper on Israel

Washington Times Editorial The post-Sharon era

UPI Analysis: Olmert's monumental task

Analysis: Israel's new pragmatic center

Daily Star Israel is united in avoiding real peace By Jonathan Cook

Yedioth Ahronoth Yes to Palestine, no to Palestinians

Elections 2006: Israeli earthquake
H10 Christian Science Monitor Israeli voters turn to new issues, parties The Palestinian conflict was not the only concern in Tuesday's election.

Editorial Bush must now focus on the West Bank

GAO investigators get 'dirty bomb' materials across US border Enough material to 'make two bombs' gets through customs in Texas and Washington State.

H11 IHT The key lies in Iran's history CHARLES A. KUPCHAN AND RAY TAKEYH Tapping into Iran's national pride rather than confronting it head-on holds out the best hope for containing its nuclear ambitions

William Pfaff: Capitalism under fire WILLIAM PFAFF The student riots over labor laws in France, which seem reactionary or even Luddite, may prove prophetic.

Merkel lays out foreign policy, emphasizing 'values' By JUDY DEMPSEY With a confidence strikingly different from her often-rote campaign appearances las September, Merkel proposed a foreign policy strategy based on Germany's defending human rights and freedom.

Marlise Simons: The hoped-for legacy of the Milosevic trial

Beijing speaks softly to Taiwan CHONG-PIN LIN If not attentive to the current trends in Beijing's approach to cross-Strait relations, both Washington and Taipei could find themselves preparing for a contingency no longer on the horizon.


H12 RFE/RL U.S. Relations With Main Shi'ite Alliance Fraying

Prison Riot Fuels Destabilization Theory After Georgian police used force to suppress a prison riot purportedly aimed at aiding the escape of thousands of inmates, officials claimed it was part of plans to destabilize the country.

EurasiaNet Azerbaijani President Lashes Out at "Armenian Nationalists"

BBC Chernobyl diary BBC News website visits Ukraine 20 years after nuclear disaster
UPI Eye on Eurasia: Russia's militia dilemma

EDM ELECTION DEFEAT A COLD SHOWER FOR YUSHCHENKO
- UN SECURITY COUNCIL SHUTS EYES AND EARS TO GEORGIA
- KAZAKHSTAN SET TO SUPPLY MORE ARMAMENTS TO ITS ARMED FORCES

“Armenian and Azeri presidents will do what the West tells them to”: Nagorno Karabakh press digest
H13 The Times Iran told to abandon nuclear arms plan The UN Security Council has taken decisive action by giving Iran 30 days to halt uranium enrichment before it takes 'the next step'

US severs all ties with Hamas

Mick Smith on why the US is losing the battle of ideas

The striking idiocy of youth Theodore Dalrymple French students should go back to the classroom to learn some basic economics

Blair seals alliance to fight terrorism The Prime Minister has turned to Asia, and an intelligence-sharing alliance, to understand the roots of Islamic terrorism

WSJ Israel's Muddled Election Ehud Olmert can still learn from Sharon.

'The Last Helicopter' The enemies of democracy doubt America's resolve. By AMIR TAHERI

Ukraine's Victors The real comeback kid is Yulia Tymoshenko. By MICHAEL MCFAUL
H14 Financial Times UN deadlock on Iran set to end After an impasse of almost a month, diplomats at the UN yesterday appeared on the brink of agreeing a compromise text for...

COMMENT AND ANALYSIS: Israel's election is only another beginning Competing identities among Jews played less of a role, but these elections were still about identity: the Jewish identity of Israel, writes Avishai Margalit of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Putin accuses US of delaying Russia's WTO membership

Rice asks Moscow to probe spy claim

General Pace voices doubt on Iraq files

Olmert weighs options after slim win

Arabs ponder reaction to Kadima victory

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Attack on Brookings without substance By Strobe Talbott

Editorial A missed opportunity to make a break By all accounts Mr Card was a competent administrator. So too is Josh Bolten, Mr Bush's new chief of staff who was previously director of the Office of Management and Budget. But replacing one dedicated administrator with another is unlikely to restore Mr Bush's tattered fortunes.

COMMENT AND ANALYSIS: A missed chance to revive a presidency may cost Bush dear By Edward Luce

COMMENT: Democrats should ditch the doomsayer By Jacob Weisberg

Editorial A small earthquakein a fractious Israel In the event, it was more of an earth tremor than the predicted earthquake, a mere 4.5 on the political Richter scale in the view of Haaretz

Editorial Ben's opening gambitWhen Ben Bernanke took over from Alan Greenspan as chairman of the Federal Reserve, he promised continuity. That was what he delivered yesterday.

Democrats seek gaps in Bush armour

H15 Los Angeles Times Israel's impossible dream By Yossi Klein Halevi The victory of the centrist sensibility marks the end of three decades' worth of utopian politics, right and left

'Israel lobby' paranoia By Max Boot
The Mearsheimer/Walt paper is just as scholarly — and nutty — as Joseph McCarthy's rants.

U.N. Warns Iran to End Nuclear Work In the Security Council's first formal step on the issue, Tehran is told to cooperate with IAEA.

U.S. Tells Shiite Bloc It Opposes Jafari as Premier


FT New Brussels warning to Microsoft The European Union’s top antitrust regulator has warned Microsoft that the next version of its flagship Windows operating system, Vista, due out next year, may run foul of competition rules

Central Europe feels chill wind from global investment climate Rising global interest rates are pushing down currencies in Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary.

COMMENT AND ANALYSIS: How London can close the gap on Wall Street By Peter Weinberg No other European centre can hope to compete with London, but its global leadership should not be a source of complacency, say Paul Myners, chairman of Marks and Spencer, who writes in a personal capacity.

Editorial Enough tax alreadyGordon Brown is nothing if not predictable. It has been obvious for some time that the 2007 comprehensive spending review will face tough choices on the public...
H16 Karl Rove Supreme - Robert Novak

The White House is Circling the Wagons - Howard Fineman, Newsweek

Bush Wanted War - Richard Cohen

GALLUP: MORE AMERICANS CALL SELVES DEMOCRATS THAN REPUBLICANS NOW...

Weekly Standard Polls and PresidentsWhat Truman and Bush have in common.by Alan Dowd

BBC Jury considers Moussaoui's fate The trial jury retires to decide if al-Qaeda plotter Zacarias Moussaoui qualifies for the death penalty.
Moussaoui 'hid 9/11 plot details'
Q&A: Moussaoui trial
Moussaoui: Killer or scapegoat?

Bring it on Mr Bush! Matt Frei on immigration and the battle over the US soul

Blogometer realclearpolitics – ABC’s The Note - Early Bird thru GovExec -

New Yorker Richer and Poorer
Measuring poverty in the United States. by John Cassidy


H17 Daily Telegraph Israelis vote for peace at their price Con Coughlin asserts that the Israeli people are desperate for peace. And that is the inescapable conclusion to be drawn from the final declaration of the results from Israel's strangely subdued general election.

Leader Poor Israelis leave their mark in the Knesset Foreign interest in Israel's election has centred on the prospect for reviving peace talks with the Palestinians. Yet the extraordinary result suggests that for much of the electorate this was not the most pressing issue.
H18 Independent The New Israel: Plans to redraw border on West Bank Ehud Olmert began the task of building a workable coalition yesterday after Israelis voted, for the first time, to return a majority of MPs committed to dismantling settlements in the West Bank

H19 Drone aircraft may prowl U.S. skies Unmanned aerial vehicles sought for border security, domestic surveillance.
U.S. firm offers 'private armies' for low-intensity conflicts...
Strategic Studies Institute - Planning For and Applying Military Force: An Examination of TermsJoint doctrine is currently undergoing some potentially major revisions. The author asks the doctrine community to take a step back from the process of change and take a hard look at the differences between the original concepts and the proposed revisions. Lieutenant General (USMC Ret) Paul K Van Riper
United States, Allies Building Layered Defense Against WMDWashington File
H20 Slate What Clash of Civilizations?: Why religious identity isn't destiny. Amartya Sen

The Erring Republican Authority: Kevin Phillips is wrong about everything. Why is he taken so seriously? Jacob Weisberg


H21 Most new inventions never reach a market. Of those that do, most lose money. It is a mystery that we still have entrepreneurs... more»

Study Links Brain Growth, Intelligence The brains of very intelligent children appear to develop in a distinctive way that distinguishes them from those of less intelligent children, a federal study finds.

New Yorker Read All Over The surprising resilience of newspapers. by James Surowiecki

The Times Germans are brainiest (but at least we're smarter than the French)

Turkey is the perfect spot for a total eclipse thrills




Ext links Blogs - memeorandum - Slate's Today's Blogs - Blogometer - Juan Cole - Kevin Drum - Belgravia Dispatch - Thomas P.M. Barnett
Joshua Marshall - Daniel Drezner - Laura Rozen - the washington note - Syria Comment - David Corn - William Arkin - Phil Carter - Helena Cobban - Matt Yglesias - Oxblog - Brad DeLong
winds of change - political theory/
CounterterrorismBlog OutSide the Beltway - InstaPundit - Kausfiles - andrewsullivan.com - Becker Posner-- armscontrolwonk - Registan Arts & Letters Daily/
  ¶ 11:03 (0) comments

  Foreign Press Review - March 29 2006 0329-2006f
FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW (FPR) - ‘Relevant news, views, comments and analysis from all around the world’ Compiled by Şanlı Bahadır Koç Subscribe to FPR
Ext. links Britain/ Turkey/ Magazines/ US / Think-tanks / Blogs / Misc /Books / Quickread / Numbers / Reports
H1 Washington Post Thousands of Iraqis Flee to Avoid Violence

Newsweek The Oval: Why Card Left and What’s Next

Washington Institute Quelling Iraq’s Sectarian Violence: What the United States Can Do There are seven steps the United States can take to reduce or contain intercommunal conflict in Iraq, but tensions between domestic and military imperatives might soon close the U.S. window of opportunity. By Michael Eisenstadt

Slate Memo to Iraq: Four strategies for averting civil war. Gary J. Bass

Financial Times COMMENT AND ANALYSIS: Do not believe everything you hear about global imbalances By MARTIN WOLF If the world is to avoid a serious recession, adjustment must start in the surplus countries. The fate of the global economy does not lie predominantly in American hands

Asia Times Iraq : Headless chickens run amok - An increasingly desperate US is talking to Iran's Shi'ite leadership as Iraq drifts into civil war. At the same time, the American military is alienating Shi'ite sympathizers within Iraq by taking the fight to Muqtada al-Sadr's militia. Iraq's Shi'ite-dominated interim government is now demanding that the US hand over control of the country's security. Meanwhile, the Kurds have fallen out with their Shi'ite allies and are courting Sunnis - to Tehran's concern; the Iraqi president and prime minister are at loggerheads; and there is still no sign of a real government. President Bush's "long haul" is getting longer.Talking to the enemy - Iason Athanasiadis
Fighting with friends - Ehsan Ahrari

KR U.S. appeals to Iraq's top cleric to help end political impasse
Centre for European Reform Democracy in Europe: How the EU can survive in an age of referendums by Mark Leonard


H2 Carnegie Endowment - The Saudi Labyrinth: Evaluating the Current Political Opening By Amr Hamzawy Full Text (PDF)
Jerusalem Post Analysis: The vindication of Sharon The expected results are a stinging rejection of Netanyahu - the politician and the ideology
The Times Result could spell end of US role in pushing for peace

Slate Today's Papers Wikipedia antiwar.com technorati

Neocon "Cabal" Blocked 2003 Nuclear Talks with Iran

Christian Science Monitor Iran's plan to weaken the dollar will fail Tehran lacks the freedom and transparency needed for a successful oil exchange. By Milton Ezrati

Los Angeles Times Russia's Stance on Neighbors Irks U.S.

EurasiaNet Russia Tries To Scuttle Proposed Trans-Caspian Pipeline BY SERGEI BLAGOV

US-Russian Rift Widens BY IGOR TORBAKOV US-Russian relations are hitting the skids. Differences over Iraq, Belarus, Georgia and other issues are prompting the two countries to engage in caustic diplomatic exchanges.

EDM U.S.-RUSSIA RELATIONS: GROWING RIFT OVER EURASIA'S DEMOCRATIZATION

Independent US Won't Accept Iraqi PM Jaafari 'At Any Price'

White House Denies Bush Opposes Iraq's Jaafari

Cryptome For Official Use Only Documents

Israel's Lessons for Fighting Terrorists and their Implications for the United StatesBrookings Institution

CFR While the “threat of a nuclear attack by terrorists has never been greater,” the U.S. government has yet to make prevention the highest priority, says a new CFR report.

Guardian Israelis have at last endorsed the gradual return of a stolen inheritance Jonathan Freedland: The planned unilateral borders cannot stand, but Olmert needs support - because some withdrawal is better than none
H3 IHT Dangerous frustration is creeping in SINAN ULGEN An anti-EU backlash in Turkey could halt vital political reforms.

FT Turkey faces clash over tax relief Turkey is heading for a collision with the International Monetary Fund over a proposal to extend tax relief to struggling industrial sectors in what appears to be a politically motivated loosening of fiscal policy.

CSM Can Turkey bridge the gap between Islam and the West?
By improving ties with Iran and Syria, Turkey aims to help mediate tensions.

Turkey's dream of EU meets with hesitancy Washington Times

UPI Turkey concerned with straits security

Burak Bekdil: Kurdish gambit

WTO chief Lamy calls Turkey textile plan "strange"

US Envoy Seeks Azerbaijan-Armenian Peace Settlement in 2006

Türkiye İncirlik'i yeniden pazarlıyor

Ankara, Kerkük için Sünnilerle temas halinde

Ext links- Dis Basinda Turkiye - Google News Turkey –Turquie- Türkei - İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası - Kurdish Media - FPR Archive - Quickread - Google News - Iraq -Iran - Syria – Kurdish - Greece - Cyprus – Azerbaijan - Israel - BBC Turkish 0700 -TurcoPundit - Mideastwire.com -
Iraqi&Regional MediaMonitoring

FT Coin clash The Brussels authorities are worried about the "confusion" caused by the similarity between Turkish coins and the euro:...

Citigroup Favored to Buy Turkish Bank: Sources

THE SKEPTIC: Gravy In Turkey

We Wish To Increase Turkey - USA Trade Volume To 30 Billion USD ...

Regnum Two approaches to problem of recognition of Armenian Genocide

Washington Times Romania backs alternate route for pipeline to West Russia's New Year's Day cutoff of natural gas to Europe has boosted Romania's strategic value as the route for a competing pipeline

Dozens Injured In Kurdish Riot In Turkey

Take a look at the German citizen test proposed by the state of Hesse.
H4 New York Times Voters in Israel Support Parties Vowing Pullout Israelis turned to the centrist Kadima party and Ehud Olmert, who will become prime minister, but his support proved tepid.

Bush Opposes Iraq's Premier, Shiites Report Shiite officials said they have been told that President Bush does not want Ibrahim al-Jaafari to remain the leader of Iraq.

The Basque Spring By BERNARDO ATXAGA With the Basques, a political nightmare began as a shared dream.

Democrats Opening Assault on Bush Security Policies
New U.N. Draft on Iran Softens Condemnation
Germans Say 6 Companies Sold Nuclear Parts to Iran Network
Influence in Iraq Emerges as Key Issue as Arab Conference Opens
Letter From Europe: A Quiz for Would-Be Citizens Tests Germans' Attitudes
Joshua Brewster Bolten: Longtime Ally, Now a Top Aide The incoming White House chief of staff appears to have the credentials and ability to soothe Congress that President Bush needs

Editorial Not Quite What We Had in Mind If replacing the White House chief of staff, Andrew Card Jr., with Joshua Bolten passes for a shake-up in this administration, the next two and a half years are going to be grim indeed.

THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Facts and Folly The radical Bush tax cuts make spending money to fix our schools and upgrade our communications infrastructure impossible.

H5 Washington Post Thousands of Iraqis Flee to Avoid Violence Sectarian attacks have displaced more than 25,000 people since the Feb. 22 bombing of a Shiite Muslim shrine, U.N.-affiliated agency says. Shelters and tent cities are springing up to house thousands displaced by sectarian strife.
Olmert Claims Victory In Israel Elections Acting prime minister's centrist party wins the most seats in Tuesday's parliamentary elections, but fails to take majority as vote draws lowest turnout in country's history.
A Dangerous Deal With India By Jimmy Carter
The proposed nuclear deal with India is just one more step in opening a Pandora's box of nuclear proliferation.

OMB Head To Replace Card as Top Bush Aide
White House Indicates That More Changes To Staff Are Coming

Editorial Shuffling the Deck President Bush engineers a 'shake-up' that brings continuity, not change.

Card's Departure a Sign Bush Hears His Critics

A Party Waiting to Pounce By David Ignatius, The Democrats have a goal: taking back control of Congress in the midterms and the White House in 2008. Defining a clear agenda and leader are the first steps.

The GOP Walks A Border Tightrope By Ruth Marcus, The Republican push for an immigration bill will crackdown on illegal immigrants. With 71 percent of voters favoring tighter controls on immigration, the GOP may be able to afford a loss of Hispanic voters

Moussaoui Sought Pre-Trial Deal 9/11 figure offered to incriminate himself in exchange for better jail conditions, jurors told.


H6 Guardian Kadima wins Israel's election The ruling party wins as Likud is humiliated, exit polls show. Immigrants favour hardliners

Israelis have at last endorsed the gradual return of a stolen inheritance Jonathan Freedland: The planned unilateral borders cannot stand, but Olmert needs support - because some withdrawal is better than none.

Caspar Weinberger dies at the age of 88 Caspar Weinberger, a central figure in the Iran-Contra scandal, has died at the age of 88. Obituary: Caspar Weinberger

Chief of staff sacrificed as Bush shuffles Card out of pack President George Bush has bowed to demands for new blood from a restive Republican congress.

In the grip of declinology Agnès Poirier: Despite the action on the streets, the French left has yet to confront the ideas of the self-hating elite.

Smoke and mirrors A journalist's disappearance has exposed US attempts to kill Osama bin Laden's deputies, writes Declan Walsh

Climate change Hot air but no action Britain has at least acted more responsibly than most on climate change, not least at last year's Montreal talks.

Greenspan's successor to raise US interest rates · America faces housing boom and high debts · Higher borrowing cost than UK puts pressure on pound
H7 Congressional Research Service "Israel: Background and Relations with the United States,"
"Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: Overview of Internal and External Challenges,"
"Iraq: Elections, Government, and Constitution,"
"Iraq: U.S. Regime Change Efforts and Post-Saddam Governance,"
"Women in Iraq: Background and Issues for U.S. Policy,"
"Lebanon,"
"Saudi Arabia: Current Issues and U.S. Relations,"
"Afghanistan: Post-War Governance, Security, and U.S. Policy,"
CSIS The Global Oil Market: Risks and Uncertainties A new book from CSIS's Anthony Cordesman and Khalid Al-Rodhan provides a risk assessment of the global oil market by examining the six major oil-producing regions of the world: the Middle East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, North America, and South and Central America. Cordesman and Al-Rodhan review the production, resource, and geopolitical risks faced by these regions, and offer ways to manage them for the future. read more...

H8 KR U.S. appeals to Iraq's top cleric to help end political impasse
UPI Analysis: Agreeing to disagree on Iran Three weeks after the IAEA reported on Iran to the U.N. Security Council, the key five nations have still not agreed on a common approach.
West Softens UN Draft on Iran
Rice: Iran a Menace Beyond Nuclear Issue
US Commander: Iranian Agents Operating in Iraq
Arab leaders still cool toward new Iraqi government
POLITICS-US: "Cabal" Blocked 2003 Nuclear Talks with Iran Inter Press Service

NRO Iran Is at War with Us Why are we talking? By Michael Ledeen

BBC US envoy 'calls for new Iraqi PM' The US has told Iraq's Shia leaders that it does not want Ibrahim Jaafari to remain prime minister, Iraqi politicians say.

UN considers Iran nuclear draft UN Security Council members are studying a third version of a draft statement on Iran's nuclear programme.
Washington Times Arabs urged to enter nuke club Amr Moussa called on Arab leaders yesterday to move toward a goal of "entering the nuclear club" and making use of atomic energy for peaceful purposes.
Daily Star In Khartoum, the refrain of Arab failure By Rami G. Khouri
After revolutionary euphoria, make way for disillusion By Vaclav Havel

H9 Ha’aretz – ANALYSIS: Old-timers' turn to make waves in Israeli elections In Olmert-Peretz government, the Labor chairman will wield leverage; if he wants Meretz, he'll get Meretz.
ANALYSIS: Olmert's options, Eitan's victory, Netanyahu's loss
ANALYSIS: Netanyahu bruised and let down by Lieberman
Amir Oren Of Iraq, Pokemon and Israel
Jerusalem Post After counting 99% of the votes, Kadima gets 28 seats Followed by Labor with 20, Shas 13, Israel Beitenu 12, Likud 11, NU/NRP 9, Pensioners 7, UTJ 6 and Meretz 4.
Analysis: The vindication of Sharon The expected results are a stinging rejection of Netanyahu - the politician and the ideology
BBC Israel victor sets out programme Ehud Olmert's Kadima wins the biggest share of votes in Israel's election, and the acting PM details his plans.
In quotes: Israel poll reaction
Daily Star Hamas joins the ranks of the world's unpopular leaders
Only targeted sanctions might moderate Hamas By Martin Kramer
AIPAC Case - A copy of the transcript of the March 24 hearing in U.S.A. v. Rosen and Weissman was obtained by Secrecy News.
Pipes: Iraqi Chaos 'Not Really Our Problem'
Noam Chomsky has a few thoughts on " The Israeli Lobby".
The first chapter from Growing Up Palestinian: Israeli Occupation and the Intifada Generation
H10 Christian Science Monitor Iran's plan to weaken the dollar will fail Tehran lacks the freedom and transparency needed for a successful oil exchange. By Milton Ezrati

With patience, the US can help democracy take root in Iraq

Iraq raid dispute threatens to draw US into sectarian conflict
Differing accounts of raid come after Pentagon announces investigation into other US attacks.

True or not, report of 'massacre' riles Iraqis Did US forces take on a terrorist cell - or innocent worshipers at a mosque?

Systematized revolt in France
A million people took to the streets Tuesday, but the leaders treated the 'crisis' as part of the political process.

UPI War of ideas about justice, not democracy

Analysis: U.N. reform progressing

Outside View: US-India nuke deal tensions

Strategies For a Global Counterinsurgency - Morgenstein & Vickland, Boston Globe

China + Russia = Trouble - Peter Brookes, Heritage Foundation

OpenDemocracy Morality failure Attorney-general Alberto Gonzales's flippant attitude towards torture exposes the US administration's wider moral blindness, says Fred Halliday
H11 IHT The failure of fraternité PEPPER D. CULPEPPER AND PETER A. HALL In France, political disarray is likely to continue until leaders can assemble a new vision of social justice for a market society.

Economists seeing light amid gloom of Europe Despite the gloomy tone in Europe, the European Central Bank - and much of the business world - appear overwhelmingly inclined to see the brighter side.

Der Spiegel Crunch Time for Merkel as Reform Talks Start
Merkel's first months in office have been dominated by diplomatic trips, photo opportunities and public shmoozing with her coalition allies. The party's over now though. Boosted by the outcome of regional elections last Sunday, she's pledged to tackle reforms that will make or break her government.

PINR "Intelligence Brief: Germany's State Elections" Full text of report

Debka The Moussaoui Testimony, the German BND chief, al Qaeda, Hamas and Israel
H12 RFE/RL Are Ingushetia, North Ossetia On Verge Of New Hostilities? It has been more than 13 years since Ingush and Ossetian informal militias, the latter backed by Russian security forces, engaged in a brief but brutal conflict in North Ossetia's Prigorodny Raion, to which both ethnic groups lay claim.

EurasiaNet Russia Tries To Scuttle Proposed Trans-Caspian Pipeline BY SERGEI BLAGOV In an attempt to preserve control over energy exports out of the Central Asia, Russia is taking a two-track approach to opposing the possible construction of trans-Caspian Sea pipelines. While Russian diplomats argue against an undersea pipeline on environmental grounds, Moscow is concurrently beefing up its military presence in the region.

EDM U.S.-RUSSIA RELATIONS: GROWING RIFT OVER EURASIA'S DEMOCRATIZATION
- IVANOV TAKES CHARGE OF RUSSIAN MILITARY-INDUSTRIAL CONGLOMERATE

Der Spiegel A Patchwork Orange in Ukraine Mixed results in Ukraine's parliamentary election this weekend have dimmed the euphoria from the Orange Revolution -- which doesn't mean the country will fall back into the arms of Russia (yet).
H13 The Times Voters turn their backs on Israeli hardliners Israel is heading for a centrist government committed to withdrawing settlers from the West Bank and imposing new borders on Palestinians

Result could spell end of US role in pushing for peace

Hamas threatens war over Israel's separation plan

De Villepin is defiant over youth job reform Almost a million people marched in protest at proposed labour reforms as De Villepin vowed he would never surrender to public revolt

White House chief pays the price for Bush's falling ratings President Bush accepted the resignation of Andrew Card, his Chief of Staff, after persistent calls for a White House shake-up from Republicans

WSJ Card Quits as Bush Chief of Staff Bush's chief of staff is leaving after five years. Andrew Card will be succeeded by budget adviser Joshua Bolten, another fierce presidential loyalist. There was no word on any further changes coming. Bolten bio Bush, Bolten, Card transcript Video

El Norte On immigration policy, the middle ground is the promised land. By JAGDISH BHAGWATI

Orange II What matters is not who wins but how.

Washington Times Rethink security strategy (Harlan Ullman)

NRO David Frum: Fukuyama and Garfinkle are positioning, not thinking.
H14 Financial Times COMMENT AND ANALYSIS: Do not believe everything you hear about global imbalances By MARTIN WOLF If the world is to avoid a serious recession, adjustment must start in the surplus countries. The fate of the global economy does not lie predominantly in American hands

COMMENT: Nuclear punditry can be a dangerous game The authors of an article on US nuclear capacity must shoulder the responsibilities that go with it, writes Yegor Gaidar, former prime minister of the Russian Federation

. Kadima claims victory in Israeli general election

Editorial A dose of cold reality on climate changeTony Blair and his government have made a very big public issue of the need to combat global warming.

Editorial Merkel's second phase

Far-flung deployment saps the morale of Iraqi soldiers

Straw issues warning on globalisation

Loyal Bush aide chosen as new chief of staff

Weinberger Hawk who led US military build-up

COMMENT: The rich are still cheating developing countries By Dipak Patel It appears the US and other rich countries will go to any lengths to renege on the promises made to the WTO’s most vulnerable members, writes Dipak Patel, Zambia’s minister of commerce, trade and industry.
H15 Los Angeles Times Russia's Stance on Neighbors Irks U.S.

Caspar Weinberger Is Dead at 88 Republican stalwart was a key figure in the cabinets of Nixon and Reagan.

Editorial Orange glow vs. icy Minsk Ukraine was where Belarus was just 16 months ago, but now it's squarely on the road toward democratic liberalism, even as Lukashenko cracks down.

Keep Moussaoui alive
Even if he intended to fly the fifth plane straight into the White House, killing the Frenchman is a bad idea.

Unfair, Unbalanced Channels The Bush administration has poured millions of dollars into creating Western-style news media in Iraq

FT German business confidence highest for 15 years

China forex reserves world’s biggest, report saysChina has surpassed Japan to become the world’s largest holder of foreign exchange reserves

Renminbi weakness tests US patience

Eurozone 'needs stronger representation' in IMF The IMF risks becoming a ‘mere secretariat’ for international policy makers, unless it gives the European Central Bank and eurozone stronger representation, an ECB executive board member has warned.


H16 Report: Fitzgerald Will Seek New White House Indictments

From Time, an interview with Newt Gingrich on the challenges the GOP faces in retaining control of Congress, but Charlie Cook says a race-by-race analysis signals that the GOP has a good chance of retaining control.

Memo: Colin Powell Opposed War Without Second UN Resolution

New Republic Without a Doubt by Damon Linker Father Richard John Neuhaus insists America is essentially a Christian country. A critical examination of a religious radical.

BBC Fatigue factor White House chief-of-staff quits after five years in the job

Cold War warrior The life of Caspar Weinberger - steely US defence secretary

Washington Times Caspar Weinberger
KR New White House chief of staff, Joshua Bolten, is a Harley-riding policy geek

Supreme Court hears challenge to military tribunals

Blogometer realclearpolitics – ABC’s The Note - Early Bird thru GovExec -



H17 Daily TelegraphUS admits attack target contained a mosqueIraqi and US special forces who attacked an insurgent headquarters in Baghdad were unaware that the target contained a mosque, according to America's most senior soldier.



Asia Times How the alliance will shape Asia The US has a host of security problems in East Asia, stemming from a rising China and North Korea's nuclear ambitions. The bottom line for stability in the region, though, is the US-Japan defense relationship, former US deputy secretary of state Richard Armitage explains
H18 Independent Americans' call for removal of Iraqi PM threatens rift with Shias

Your world. Your say: The great global warming debate
Yesterday we asked The Independent's readers to make their contribution to the all-party inquiry on climate change. Your response has been nothing short of extraordinary. Here we publish our first selection of your letters and emails
Emissions target is missed
Margaret Beckett: There is no magic solution

H19 BMD Watch: Alliant joins Israel BMD plan

DEMOCRATS' NATIONAL SECURITY PLANLEAKED; WANT TO UP SPECIAL FORCES...

H20 Slate Israelpolitik?: Readers debate the extent of Jewish influence on U.S. foreign policy. Adam Christian

Same As the Old Boss: Will Josh Bolten change anything in Bushworld?
John Dickerson


H21 BBC wants to make money from the web Technology: Corporation plans a new world website with ads · Rivals will fight scheme to charge for TV downloads

Searching BG, Before Google, And The Need To Search BetterSearch Engine Watch

Selfish Gene: commemorating 30 years of landmark genetics book
Ext links Blogs - memeorandum - Slate's Today's Blogs - Blogometer - Juan Cole - Kevin Drum - Belgravia Dispatch - Thomas P.M. Barnett
Joshua Marshall - Daniel Drezner - Laura Rozen - the washington note - Syria Comment - David Corn - William Arkin - Phil Carter - Helena Cobban - Matt Yglesias - Oxblog - Brad DeLong
winds of change - political theory/
CounterterrorismBlog OutSide the Beltway - InstaPundit - Kausfiles - andrewsullivan.com - Becker Posner-- armscontrolwonk - Registan Arts & Letters Daily/
  ¶ 10:36 (0) comments