1205-2006f - FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW (FPR) - ‘Relevant news, views, comments and analysis from all around the world’ Compiled by Şanlı Bahadır Koç U.S. / Britain / Turkey / Magazines / Think-tanks / Blogs / Misc /Books / Quickread / Numbers / Reports - FPR Table - Subscribe to FPR

H1 US Envoy Khalilzad to Leave Iraq, Officials Say (Update1) (Bloomberg)

Financial Times COMMENT: There is much more at stake for America than Iraq The US president has on his desk two documents, each telling him in effect that “mission accomplished” has turned into mission bust, writes Zbigniew Brzezinski,

American Interest A Bosnia Option for Iraq Averting maximal disaster in Iraq may require controlled population resettlement. We need to start thinking about it now. Michael E. O'Hanlon and Edward P. Joseph:

Jerusalem Post 'US won't launch preemptive strike against Teheran' Exclusive: According to security establishment assessments diplomatic efforts to stop Iran will fail; Iran to have nukes by end of decade.

The best alternative - nuclear defusing By EMANUEL ADLER Being under NATO's nuclear umbrella would go a long way toward deterring Iran from threatening Israel.

Washington Post U.N. Ambassador Bolton to Resign From Post Bush Wary of Battle With Democrats

Iraqi Shiite Leader Speaks Bluntly in Washington Head of Key Parliamentary Bloc Calls U.S. Anti-Insurgent Strikes 'Not Hard Enough'

News Analysis: Blurring Political Lines in the Military Debate

FT COMMENT: The high price of nuclear prestigeThe UK decision to maintain a strategic nuclear capability until 2050 and beyond has an unspoken aim. It seeks to sustain Britain in the front ranks of world powers, writes Philip Stephens.

Tear up the Bush doctrine Economists’ Forum: Robert Wade replies to Martin Wolf

Christian Science Monitor Report on Iraq strategy confronts Bush resolve The president faces intense pressure to adjust an Iraq policy that experts conclude is failing.

Weekly Standard The Drifting Dollar What the dollar's decline means and where it's heading next.
by Irwin M. Stelzer

Guardian The dollar melts as Iraq burns James K Galbraith: The demise of the dollar has clear links to the Iraq war and the world's loss of confidence in America's elites.

Iran v Saudis in battle of Beirut Britain and other European countries are now scrabbling to shore up Fouad Siniora's shaky pro-western government in Lebanon, writes Simon Tisdall.

Los Angeles Times Rumsfeld memo was part of Bush plan, officials say

“SYRIA: Regime interests dictate regional policies,” by Oxford Analytica

New Republic Damascus's imperial dreams Will the Bush administration enlist Syrian President Bashar Assad's help in Iraq? by Martin Peretz

America, Islam, and the 9-11 War Peter W. Singer, Current History

UN Ambassador John Bolton’s Letter of Resignation to President Bush

Ha’aretz - Print Edition

Bradley Burston: Wishing Palestinians out of existence

The cornerstone of a Mideast alliance By Shlomo Ben-Ami - Iran is indeed an existential problem. But the solution will not be found in a war of Gog and Magog with Iran. The solution lies in neutralizing the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Daily Telegraph Leader Why the rush to replace Trident? A Trident successor will be designed to maintain our security from roughly 2025 to 2050. No one can predict geopolitical developments that far ahead and Mr Blair is right to plan for the worst.

NRO MICHAEL RUBIN: We must look back to move forward. “What Went Wrong”

WSJ Realism and Iran However sincere Tehran's moderates may be, its hardliners have torpedoed deals.

NATO Summit Throws Up a Surprise By: M.K. Bhadrakumar | Asia Times NATO summit throws up a surprise Moscow has reason to feel satisfied after the NATO summit as a decision on enlargement was deferred. China, too, will be pleased as it has been promised improved contact with the bloc.

Why the Buck Is on the Edge - Robert Samuelson, Newsweek

UPI Eye on Iraq: James Baker's first step

Washington Times The 'Iraq Surrender Group' By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. Tomorrow, an unelected, unaccountable and substantially unqualified commission will formally report what hasn't already been leaked about its recommendations with respect to the conflict in Iraq.

UPI Politics & Policies: Three Mideast fires

Trudy Rubin Iraqi civil war shrinks US options

H2 FT EUROPE: Turkish bid to join Europe was a train-wreck waiting to happen By Quentin Peel

Reuters New EU deadline for Turkey sought

Italy's Prodi says EU should leave door open for Turkey

Washington Post - PostGlobal The Pope says Turkey should be part of the European Union. Is he right?

Yes, But Turkey Must Change Nikos Konstandaras

Look to US ally Turkey By Yilmaz Erolgac Sun-Sentinel.com

The Twain Begin To Meet By: James Carroll | The Boston Globe "Oh, East is East and West is West, and never the twain shall meet." This old dictum of geography came to mind last week when Pope Benedict XVI crossed from Europe to Asia, visiting Turkey.

Washington Times Benedict in Turkey (Tulin Daloglu)

Time Slow Train to Europe

BBC EU attacks Turkey deadline plan

FT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Come, loseyour heartin Istanbul

Cyprus wants to change EU recommendations on Turkey Financial Mirror, Cyprus

NYT Istanbul Journal: Where Traditional and Modern Meet and Sashay Along

5 Aralık 2006 Basın Özeti

Google News Kurdish Kurdish Media

Peşmergelerin komutası Mesut Barzani'ye

Iraqi Kurdistan, Ed Kashi | openDemocracy

Peşmerge yasaklansın

Iraqi Kurdistan: Iraqi Government Agrees on Kurds Demands UNPO

PKK long known as a terror group (letter to the editor) Los Angeles Times,

Iraqi govt agrees on Kurds' budget, electricity and oil demands

Kirkuk is Getting an Electrical Boost

Georgetown Üniversitesi'nde Atatürk Paneli

Ağar: Benelüks modeli AB'ye alternatif değil

Google News Greece - Cyprus

Carlin Romano reviews A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility by Taner Akcam.

Berat Özipek YAŞ kararları hukuka aykırıdır

Ahmet Kekeç Darbenizi nasıl istersiniz?

Eser Karakaş Askeri harcamalar, NATO, AB

Mumcu Barzani'nin siyasetçisi olurlar

OpenDemocracy The Pope and the Patriarch | Michael Walsh

Şahin Alpay Papa'nın U - dönüşleri

Prejudices against Islam and the pope's visit Prof. Dr. Faruk Şen

Oh My God, what a week...
Sylvia Tiryaki

A master class in religious diplomacy Ariana Ferentinou

İlahi komedya Nuray Mert

'AB mesajları' hâlâ tartışılıyor

Ekrem Dumanlı Türkiye'nin vizyonu

Değişen Türkiye'nin haberleri
İsmet Berkan

Ali Bayramoğlu Dar alanda kısa paslaşmalar

Güler Kömürcü Bir casus- gazeteci dosyası

NAZLI ILICAK Başörtülü eş

YUSUF KAPLAN Lozan, Papa ve 11 Eylül süreci

Türkiye ılımlılık örneği
ABDULLAH EBU RUMMAN

The Holocaust and Armenian Case: Highligting the Main Differences ...
Journal of Turkish Weekly

Korg. Erdağı davasında hâkimler ayrı düştü... ... Haberin Devamı>>>

Yurtdışı gezi rekoru kırdı; 4 yılda 73 ülkeye 150 ziyaret

İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası - Dış Basında Güncel Türkiye Bülteni - Dış Basında Türkiye - Google News Turkey - Turquie- Türkei - - TurcoPundit - BBC Turkish 0700

Kur riski artıyor dövizle borçlanan bunu hesaba katsın

Güngör URAS Kasap mal derdinde, koyun can derdinde

Erdal Sağlam Yabancı fonlar Merkel’in girişimini izliyor

Ercan Kumcu Yüksek reel faiz fiyat istikrarını tehdit edebilir

Deniz Gökçe 'O kadar' değil!

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM Yüksek faiz, kısa vade, likit kalma dönemi

'Döviz geliri olmayan dövizle borçlanmasın'

Risk ve işin ekonomisi Korkmaz İlkorur

Hurşit GÜNEŞ Talep yine mi canlanıyor?

H3ASLI AYDINTAŞBAŞ Çekilme takvimi teklifi

İran'la PKK mutabakatı

Türkiye ABD'nin İran kıskacında

İran basını: Yeni dönem başladı

İran ile doğalgaz mutabakat zaptı

FEHMİ KORU Tahran'dan ileriye...

Irak Balkanlaşır

F-35’ler çıkmazda komutan gitmiyor Türkiye’nin şu ana kadar 175 milyon dolar ödediği F-35’lerin yapımı, yüksek maliyet nedeniyle tehlikeye girdi. Bu nedenle Hava Kuvvetleri Komutanı Orgeneral Faruk Cömert’in ABD ziyareti şimdilik iptal edildi.

Wilson'a Ermeni uyarısı yapıldı

Irak’ta Türk diplomat vuruldu

İsmail KÜÇÜKKAYA B planı: Gül

Süreç (3) Gündüz Aktan

Cengiz Çandar Tüm yazıları AB ile kapkaranlık bir tünelde...

Mehmet Ali Birand Türkiye Avrupa’ya, bir kaç numara büyük geldi…

AB konusunda Türkiye kusurlu mu?
Hasan Celal Güzel

Serdar Turgut AKP'nin mevzi savaşı

Şakir Süter Özal-Yılmaz Erdoğan-Gül

AKP'den bir kamp daha!

Ağar'dan, demokratik Anayasa paketi

Serpil YILMAZ Rifat bey DYP'ye geçer mi?

Aksiyon Türk Solu Neden İktidar Alternatifi Olamıyor? - Faruk Mercan

Ahmet Taşgetiren Nasıl bir cumhurbaşkanı?

Ertuğrul Özkök 28 Şubat'ı neden destekledim

Cüneyt Ülsever 2007’de Türkiye

Edip Başer Kanal 7'ye çıkınca

Mümtazer Türköne 'Global Demokrasiler Konserti'

TOBB'un zor kararı Murat Yetkin

Türkiye ittifakı
Merkel'in beklentisini Fulya Canşen anlatıyor

Merkel'e Chirac desteği
Chirac-Merkel ittifakı: Limanları açması için Ankara'ya mühlet verilsin

MUHARREM SARIKAYA Baykal: AB hakkaniyetsiz haklı

MEHMET BARLAS Yine iç dinamiklerle dış konjonktür arasında sıkıştık...

Sami KOHEN Limanlar bahane... Esas sebep ne?

Taha AKYOL Merkel başrollerde

Fikret BİLA AB ile ilişkilerde 'Kıbrıs' çıkmazı

Hasan CEMAL 'Asıl Avrupa Birliği, kurban olsun Türkiye'ye

ALİ BAYRAMOĞLU AB'nin taşlı yolları...

AB'nin ciddiyetini göreceğiz ALİ YURTTAGÜL

Yusuf KANLI Moment of truth in our EU bid

NYT AB'nin Türkiye'ye değil Rumlara baskı yapması gerek

Almanya'da kritik zirve; Chirac ile Merkel Türkiye'ye karşı yeni mühlet arayışında

http://www.zaman.com.tr/webapp-tr/haber.do?haberno=466490

'Müzakereleri Askıya Almak Türklere Hakarettir'

Limanlar için 18 ay süre

Hükümetten AB alarmı

Seyfettin Gürsel AB yorumlarına katılmıyorum

Mahir Kaynak Tren kazası

Cengiz Aktar Papa’nın AB konusunda dediği

Cem Oğuz Daisy petal divination and its application in Turkish-EU relations

Nazlan Ertan Losing vs. losing in Turkey

Merkel'in yeni önerisi ve Schröder'in hatırlattıkları... Altan Öymen

Sabancı 'Türkiye'yi caydırmaya çalışıyorlar'

Can Dündar Hodri meydan!

Washington AB için devreye girdi

US diplomacy to avoid EU-Turkey train crash

[Yorum - Prof. Dr. Ali Al-Halil] Kimin kime üyeliği: Türkiye'nin AB'ye mi AB'nin Türkiye'ye mi?

İlter Türkmen Yeni Ortadoğu

Enis Berberoğlu İsrail, Tahran’a saldırırsa ne olur?

Hüsnü Mahalli İlginç hafta!

Hadi Uluengin İran’la istikrar

İBRAHİM KARAGÜL Babil'de son günler!

Barham Salih 'ABD, İran ve Suriye'ye yaklaşsın'

Emin Çölaşan İran bile oynuyor

TAHA KIVANÇ İran'da bir gün, bir gece...

NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF Cut and Walk As we Americans plan our own strategy for Iraq, let's show more emotional intelligence.

Offering Video, Israel Answers Critics on War

H5 Washington Post U.N. Ambassador Bolton to Resign From Post Bush Wary of Battle With Democrats

Iraqi Shiite Leader Speaks Bluntly in Washington

Head of Key Parliamentary Bloc Calls U.S. Anti-Insurgent Strikes 'Not Hard Enough'

A Familiar Mystery By Anne Applebaum,

Despite their widely varying fates, it has long been perfectly clear that many old KGB comrades continue to work together in mutually profitable ways.

Editorial Can't Be Bothered There's no excuse for congressional lethargy on trade.

Message From A Megachurch By E. J. Dionne Jr., In their different spheres, Rick Warren and Barack Obama are both in the business of retailing hope.

Sins of the Father By Michael Kinsley No amount of eloquence can overcome the bald contrast between President Bush's rhetoric and how his own family lives

NASA Unveils Plans for A New Moon Mission Agency aims for self-sustaining settlement of astronauts on moon by 2024 as part of broad plan to resume manned exploration of solar system.

U.S. Army Battling To Save Equipment

Gear Piles Up at Depots, Awaiting Repair

Egypt Detains American In Terrorist Cell Case

Suspect Was Not on U.S. Watch List

British Police Take Poisoning Inquiry to Moscow

Despite Pledge of Cooperation, Russian Officials' Irritation Revealed in Remarks

The Militant Who Eluded the CIA: Counterterror Tactics Often Foiled in Europe

William Arkin Gates and 2008

H6 Guardian Iran v Saudis in battle of Beirut Britain and other European countries are now scrabbling to shore up Fouad Siniora's shaky pro-western government in Lebanon, writes Simon Tisdall.

Bush loses another ally as UN ambassador Bolton resigns in face of Senate hostility

Bush fury as John Bolton quits
The White House has bowed to Senate opposition and given up its attempt to keep its controversial UN ambassador in his job.

Leader Few tears for the great intimidator Outside the depleted ranks of America's neo-conservatives, few tears are likely to be shed over John Bolton's resignation as US ambassador to the United Nations.

Leader Why? And why now?
The words 'nuclear deterrent' occur more than any other in the defence white paper published yesterday, but at no point is the document clear about who or what a new generation of British nuclear weapons is intended to deter.

There has to be equality Ismail Patel: If Britons can join the Israeli army, those who fight for Palestine can't be treated as terrorists.

The union is safe in the embrace of the Scottish raj TM Devine: Nationalists are cock-a-hoop, but Caledonian achievements south of the border help keep the UK secure.

US arms firms in talks over Saudi jets
· Boeing and Lockheed ready to exploit row · Fraud Office inquiry threatens BAE deal

Hardliners turn on Ahmadinejad for watching dancers

Chávez triumph brings emollient words from US

H7 NATO Summit Throws Up a Surprise By: M.K. Bhadrakumar | Asia Times NATO summit throws up a surprise Moscow has reason to feel satisfied after the NATO summit as a decision on enlargement was deferred. China, too, will be pleased as it has been promised improved contact with the bloc.

Why the Buck Is on the Edge - Robert Samuelson, Newsweek

UPI Eye on Iraq: James Baker's first step

Washington Times The 'Iraq Surrender Group' By Frank J. Gaffney, Jr. Tomorrow, an unelected, unaccountable and substantially unqualified commission will formally report what hasn't already been leaked about its recommendations with respect to the conflict in Iraq.

UPI Politics & Policies: Three Mideast fires

Trudy Rubin Iraqi civil war shrinks US options

Bolton's Goodbye: Bowing to the Inevitable - Adam Zagorin, Time

John Bolton's Greatest Hits

A CIA Insider's Take on Gates By: Ray McGovern | Miami Herald

Weekly Standard Gates's Keepers
How Robert Gates will handle his congressional overseers.
by Christian Lowe

The Rumsfeld Memo (And Mine) - Cal Thomas, Sacramento Bee

Civil wars or proxy wars? Asia Times Online - By Spengler

Forward Observer: General Garner's Lament GovExec.com ... "But if you split Iraq into regions whose governments are elected, you'll find leaders everybody coalesces around, like Massoud Barzani up north in Kurdistan.".

The Second Time Around for Bob Gates TIME

BBC Untenable position
Bush's UN envoy becomes a casualty of White House weakness

H8 Google News Iraq Iran - Syria Mideastwire.com -NPR Iraq

BBC Shia leader stresses Iraq's role

A senior Iraqi Shia leader tells the US president attempts to solve Iraq's problems must not sidestep Baghdad.

Baghdad diary: 'What to do?'

Profile: The Iraq Study Group

US diplomat calls for Iran action A senior US diplomat calls for agreement on sanctions against Iran, calling it a "disruptive force".

Baghdad diary
Andrew North on the worsening mood in the Iraqi capital

Iraqi Shiite politician calls for tougher U.S. action against Sunnis

Iraqi Shi'ite Leader Calls For Strikes On Sunni Insurgents

CFR El Reedy: Arabs Need to Talk to Iran on Settling Lebanon Crisis

EurasiaNet Reformists Hope to Make Comeback in Iran’s Local Elections

Bahrain Experiments with Democracy Der Spiegel Does Bahrain represent the democratic future of the Middle East? Even before the Iraq war, the Gulf state had experimented with free elections. The Islamist parties - no friends of the island's U.S. naval base - won hands down.

Egypt holds 'foreign terror cell' Egypt arrests several foreigners including European, US and Arab nationals linked to terror groups, officials say.

The anti-Siniora craze in Beirut
Asia Times

How the Taliban prepare for battle Asia Times

Sliding to Disaster FrontPage magazine.com - By Amir Taheri

New Republic Beirut Dispatch: Hezbollah's answer to the Cedar Revolution by Annia Ciezadlo

Without International Support, Lebanon May Go Under

H9 Ha’aretz - Print Edition

Bradley Burston: Wishing Palestinians out of existence

The cornerstone of a Mideast alliance By Shlomo Ben-Ami - Iran is indeed an existential problem. But the solution will not be found in a war of Gog and Magog with Iran. The solution lies in neutralizing the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Israel and Egypt Not the peace we expected

Claude Sitbon: France's Mideast politics must change

Rosner's Guest on Jewish opposition to Zionism

Was AIPAC pressured to stop paying Rosen and Weissman?

Marcus Six comments on the situation

Israel offering to free 1,000 for release of Shalit

Watchdog accuses military of failing to train senior officers

State comptroller slams IDF in report on defense establishment

Daily Alert.org - EJC Israeli Press Review – Google News Israel

Jerusalem Post 'US won't launch preemptive strike against Teheran' Exclusive: According to security establishment assessments diplomatic efforts to stop Iran will fail; Iran to have nukes by end of decade.

Hizbullah-backed Christian general vies for power Aoun, a former PM and commander of the Lebanese Army, was forced into exile for 15 years by Syria.

IDF seeks intel-sharing with NATO
Army also considers accepting foreign officers for participation in MI courses.

The best alternative - nuclear defusing By EMANUEL ADLER Being under NATO's nuclear umbrella would go a long way toward deterring Iran from threatening Israel.

Our World: Olmert's Saudi friends
[ CAROLINE GLICK

Iran warns EU on nukes
President Ahmadinejad tells Europeans, ‘If you try to take steps against rights of Iranian nation, we will consider it an act of hostility’; adds: If you insist on pursuing this path, Iran will reconsider its relations with you

Washington Times Israel embarks on PR face-lift

By Anju S. Bawa Israel's international image is hurting, and the country's top officials have turned to the wisdom of Madison Avenue in a bid to "re-brand" their product

A “Grand Settlement” Versus the Jewish Lobby
Dissident Voice

H10 Christian Science Monitor Report on Iraq strategy confronts Bush resolve The president faces intense pressure to adjust an Iraq policy that experts conclude is failing.

Confirmation in doubt, Bolton exits the UN

Voters go left, but not that far left

Chávez's victory caps region's year of elections, but in many ways, Venezuela stands alone.

Kremlin intrigue feeds spy theories

Who was behind ex-KGB agent Alexander Litvinenko's highly public demise?

Three years on, experts and participants are looking back to try and glean the war's lessons

Putin's Russia: Better and Worse By: Fred Weir

Commentary - A U.S. banker in China once said, “There’s a billion people here who don’t like following instructions.” The Chinese are today even more willful... more»

Washington's schizophrenic China policy Asia Times

UPI India: Asia’s rising elephant—Part 4

Analysis: Pakistan undermining its 'major ally' status

NRO HENRY SOKOLSKI: India’s no great partner. “With Friends Like This …”

ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT BRIEFING

India's blossoming economy

But there are fears of tough times ahead

H11 IHT Revisiting Putin's soul The suspicious murders and attempted murders of Kremlin critics in recent months pose fundamental questions about Russia, and how the West should treat it.

Delays in adopting the euro spread across Eastern Europe Setbacks over the past year fall into two categories: big countries with ever-greater political resistance to the euro and small countries who want to join.

Politicus: Clinton and Royal run for president - and the likeness ends there

EU trade report could lead to curbs in protectionism

Turning refugees into 'terrorists' ANNA HUSARSKA / IHT
Let's hope the new U.S. Congress rewrites terrorist definitions used in its legislation and distinguishes between genuinely bad individuals and freedom fighters.

Bernard-Henri Lévy on Europe and the culture of scapegoats.

H12 RFE/RL

EurasiaNet Small Azerbaijani Newspaper Sparks International Religious Furor
An article recently published by an Azerbaijani bimonthly newspaper that disparaged Islam has sparked a religious furor both in Azerbaijan and neighboring Iran. An Iranian cleric exacerbated the controversy by issuing a fatwa, or religious order, for faithful Muslims to kill the two men behind the offending article’s publication

PINR "Intelligence Brief: Iran Offers Energy Supplies to Azerbaijan" Full text of report

EU, Kazakhstan: The Geopolitics of Energy Cooperation
Stratfor

Russian Elite Still See U.S. as Bogeyman By: Andrei Piontkovsky | The Japan Times
The Kremlin appears to be seeking systematically to obstruct the U.S., even when obstruction does not seem to be in Russia's national interest.

UPI Outside View: Russia must stay nuclear

Google News Azerbaijan

Peace in Chechnya Comes at Brutal Cost By: Tom Parfitt | The Boston Globe

Kazakh Bid to Lead OSCE Examined By: Oana Lungescu | BBC News

West to weigh Kazakhstan bid, stalled progress (Christopher Pala)

The Elephant and the Bear Try again: Options for a New Agreement Between the EU and Russia
CEPS This 120-page book explores whether the EU and Russia can improve their strained relationship

Eurasian Integration -- a Super-continental Opportunity for Russia Johannes F. Linn, Kommersant

EDM ALTERNATIVE SOUTH OSSETIAN LEADER INAUGURATED

- RUSSIA IGNORES THE RIGA SUMMIT AND EXPECTS NATO TO FAIL IN AFGHANISTAN

- PRESIDENT BAKIYEV REASSESSING BISHKEK’S FOREIGN SECURITY RELATIONS

H13 The Times UN Ambassador is forced to quit as Bush ducks fight with Congress The resignation reflected the new reality in Washington of a greatly weakened President who can no longer count on getting what he wants

Bolton’s exit is necessary, but still a loss

Russian security service 'led poison plot' Security sources have told The Times that the Federal Security Service orchestrated a 'highly sophisticated plot'

Shia leader visits White House for Iraq talks The meeting between Mr Bush and Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim is part of an effort by the US Administration to marginalise radical cleric Moqtada al-Sadr

Safety Margin A courageous decision to retain Britain’s ultimate deterrent

Clinton said to me: ‘I told them that if they played by Queensberry rules, you were gonna beat their brains out’
James Baker

Washington Times Iran's poison pen

The declining dollar As report after report continues to confirm that the U.S. economy has entered a period of relatively tepid growth, the dollar has come under increasing pressure, falling to new cyclical lows that defied expectations earlier this year.

Royalty and diplomacy

By Martin Sieff - Saudi prince gets both jobs done

WSJ Realism and Iran However sincere Tehran's moderates may be, its hardliners have torpedoed deals.

Bolton Departs He has understood that the essence of realism is, or ought to be, to see the world as it is.

H14 Financial Times COMMENT: There is much more at stake for America than Iraq The US president has on his desk two documents, each telling him in effect that “mission accomplished” has turned into mission bust, writes Zbigniew Brzezinski, former national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter.

COMMENT: The high price of nuclear prestigeThe UK decision to maintain a strategic nuclear capability until 2050 and beyond has an unspoken aim. It seeks to sustain Britain in the front ranks of world powers, writes Philip Stephens.

Tear up the Bush doctrine Economists’ Forum: Robert Wade replies to Martin Wolf

Bolton resigns as US ambassador to UN

THE AMERICAS: Another scalp for the Democrats as Bolton quits

Analysis: Substance, but little diplomatic style

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Bush tells Shia cleric of US displeasure at Iraq's progress

Editorial Unanswered questions surrounding Trident

COMMENT AND ANALYSIS: Next in line? Why Europe is betting it can weather a US downturn Currency traders have become convinced over the past two weeks that something big is afoot in the global economy. But they seem to reject the old adage that “when the US sneezes the rest of the world catches a cold”.

Analysis: Europe bets on weathering US downturn

COMMENT: Neither friend nor foe, Russia tests the limits of realism Browsing through the shelves of recent books on modern Russia it is chilling to realise that the authors of two of the most interesting volumes – Anna Politkovskaya and Paul Klebnikov – were subsequently murdered, writes Gideon Rachman.

EUROPE: Brussels to spend more on border stability

EU to lift spending on neighbourhood policy to $16bn

Kosovo to be an 'issue' for German presidency

WORLD NEWS: Europe in Kazakh energy deal

MIDDLE EAST AND AFRICA: GERMANY URGES SYRIA TO REFRAIN FROM UNDERMINING STABILITY IN LEBANON

NATIONAL NEWS: Russia warns over relations with UK

FT REPORT - GAS INSUSTRY: Gazprom holds the keys to the kingdom

NATIONAL NEWS: Abandon Saudi Eurofighter deal, says former diplomat

H15 Los Angeles Times Rumsfeld memo was part of Bush plan, officials say

Bush hears Shiite leader's views on Iraq

The surrealism of Iraq

Niall Ferguson

Unfortunately, we can't turn back the clock to avoid dealing with sectarian thugs.

Labs developing nuke safeguards

The president directed researchers to make the weapons difficult to use if in the wrong hands.

FT Editorial Now is the time to engage with Hugo

COMMENT AND ANALYSIS: China digs for the raw materials it needs to sustain breakneck growth

Alert over funding gap in fight against bird flu Developing countries need up to $1.2bn in extra funding over the next three years to help protect the world from the threat of a flu pandemic, according to new official estimates to be released this week

France has designs on goods labelling regime The ‘made in France’ labelling system should be overhauled to reflect the flow of manufacturing jobs to low-cost economies, Thierry Breton, the French finance minister, said

Digital divide: still there for the poorest

H16 American Politics

CSM Why the early field for 2008's election is the biggest yet Front-loaded primaries are spurring two dozen would-be presidential nominees in both parties.

Obama Meets With Soros...

Cass Sunstein / The New Republic:
OBAMA AND THE EVANGELICALS:

Brownback, a favorite among social conservatives, to explore 2008 pres

New Gallup poll shows big jump in Pelosi approval rating

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

H17 Daily Telegraph Leader Why the rush to replace Trident? A Trident successor will be designed to maintain our security from roughly 2025 to 2050. No one can predict geopolitical developments that far ahead and Mr Blair is right to plan for the worst.

Blair seeks US deal for withdrawal from Iraq

Tony Blair is to meet President George W Bush in Washington on Thursday to try to forge a joint plan for a phased withdrawal of British and US troops from Iraq, starting next spring.

What a Cameron future will hold
David Cameron has marched his party back on to the same ground as the British people, claims Nicholas Boles. 2007 is the year in which he must show them the future that he wants to achieve.

Migrants face new 'Britishness' test Tests in the English language and the British way of life will be compulsory from next year for foreigners wanting to settle here, the Government said yesterday.

Leader: Examining Britishness

Life in the UK test: Sample questions

H18 Independent Britain needs Trident as it cannot rely on US, says Blair Tony Blair has argued that Britain needs to buy a new generation of nuclear weapons because it might not be able to rely on the United States to protect it if it were attacked.

Trident replacement costs put at £65bn over 30 years

Egyptian police arrest foreigners for allegedly plotting attacks

Leading article: Our duty to help the real victims of conflict

H19Military Intelligence Terrorism

"Intelligence Community Annual Employee Climate Survey," Office of the Director of National Intelligence, November 2006.

The Future of the United Kingdom’s Nuclear Deterrent: Defence White Paper 2006 (Cm 6994) This page links to full text report Source: Ministry of Defence, United Kingdom

UPI Outside View: Alternatives to the draft

Agroterrorism: Why We’re Not Ready
Summary ||| Full Text (8 pages; PDF) Source: National Institute of Justice

Afghanistan's Drug Industry: Structure, Functioning, Dynamics, and Implications for Counter-Narcotics Policy World Bank, UNODC
This 223-page report analyzes Afghanistan's drug industry and counter-narcotics interventions

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