0119-2007f - FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW (FPR) - ‘Relevant news, views, comments and analyses 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 IHT Withdrawal is not an option HENRY A. KISSINGER Bush's bold decision to order a "surge" of American troops for Iraq has brought the debate over the war to a defining stage. There will not be opportunity for another reassessment.

Stratfor -- 2007 Annual Forecast: Time to Look Inward

Washington Post A Plausible Plan B By Charles KrauthammerThe Pentagon should be working on a sustainable Plan B whose major element would be not so much a drawdown of troops as a drawdown of risk to our troops. If we had zero American casualties a day, there would be as little need to withdraw from Iraq as there is to withdraw from the Balkans.

Cheney's Enigmatic Influence By David Ignatius, How does the most important but elusive presidential adviser in modern history use his power behind the scenes?

Herzliya Conference Series on the Balance of Israel’s National Security January 21-24, 2007. Program Live VOD Speakers

The Economist Globalisation and the rise of inequality Rich man, poor man A poisonous mix of inequality and sluggish wages threatens globalisation

On the March Intelligence agencies see worrying signs of al-Qaeda’s revival

Global terrorism On the march, not on the run

CFR Cordesman: 'Victory' in Iraq Possible But Not Probable

Financial Times Germany proposes wider Iran sanctions

Los Angeles Times Beijing's missle test prompts protest China demonstrates new technological capability at time of growing alarm over militarization of space.

Those ingrate Iraqis Rosa Brooks: President Bush is right: We deserve gratitude for cutting Iraqis' energy consumption and tackling their overpopulation problem.

Diplomacy is deal-making

By Aaron David Miller Condoleeza Rice couldn't be more wrong when she said diplomacy is not about "making deals," especially in the Middle East.

The Economist Albania and Kosovo What happened to Greater Albania?

International Crisis Group - Georgia Abkhazia: Ways Forward

Roots of Radical Islam in Central Asia Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Martha Brill Olcott

Ha’aretz - Abdullah: Jordan will develop nuclear power In exclusive interview with Haaretz, Jordan's king says program would be for peaceful purposes.

Yedioth Ahronoth 'Assad called your bluff' Ibrahim Suleiman, negotiator in secret Israeli-Syrian talks, in exclusive interview with Ynet, reveals details of diplomatic contacts, peace proposal; says Syria serious about talks, blames US for torpedoing previous peace efforts

Can a Conventional Army Vanquish a Terrorist Insurgency? - Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

Guardian A new game plan at last Simon Tisdall: Suddenly everybody has a Middle East peace plan.

PINR "Intelligence Brief: Tensions Increase Between Iran and Saudi Arabia" Full text of report

Wall Street Journal How Rice Uses History Lessons Condoleezza Rice often cites the history of the Cold War to explain and justify the Bush administration's Middle East policy, leaving some scholars baffled.

Knesset panel calls to strengthen National Security Council Jerusalem Post

Goodbye, my friends

(By Art Buchwald) SEVERAL of my friends have persuaded me to write this final column, which is something they claim I shouldn't leave without doing.

H2 Der Spiegel Turkey Concerned as Kurds Take Control of Northern Iraq By: Annette Grossbongardt Ankara is thinking aloud about a possible military intervention in northern Iraq. As the Kurdish population consolidates its hold on oil-rich Kirkuk, the Turkish government worries about increased sectarian violence among the separatist PKK.

Holbrooke 'Irak'ta en büyük tehlike muhtemel Türk-Kürt savaşı'

IHT Cultural thaw nudges Greeks and Turks closer
By IAN FISHER A warmer climate between Greece and Turkey is showing up in the daily lives of Greeks, and things are changing faster, perhaps, than the political differences that still divide the two nations.

EurasiaNet New Lending Trend Could Improve Tax Collection in Turkey

CSM Daniel Schorr: The Kurds as Charlie Brown

TEXT-Q&A with Iraqi President Jalal Talabani

ABD'nin gözü Kerkük'te
FEVAZ EL ACEMİ

Serdar Turgut Kan Uykusu
That promises to improve the lot of humanity as a whole incalculably. But in the rich world labour's share of GDP has fallen to historic lows, while profits are soaring.

Kerkük'e giremeyiz
12 yıl önce, bugüne kadar PKK’ya karşı düzenlenen en büyük harekât olan Çelik-1 Harekatı’nın komutanı emekli Tümgeneral Osman Pamukoğlu

PKK'ya kış operasyonu

Olası ''sınır ötesi'' harekat üzerine

Mahmur'da 'baskın' değil kontrol yapılmış

İŞTE BASILDI DENEN KAMP

ABD'nin Mahmur baskını Ankara'yı tatmin etmedi

ABD, Mahmur'u kapatma sözü verdi

Burns Kerkük referandumu Irak'ın kararı

Tarihten bir kara sayfa
27 Mayıs darbesinden dört gün sonra 485 Kürt, tek tek toplanıp Sivas'ta bir kampa götürüldü. İçlerinde aşiret liderleri, bugünün siyasetçileri, babaları olan 'zorunlu misafirler' dokuz ay boyu ne savcı ne mahkeme yüzü gördü

ABD: Mahmur baskını bir başlangıç

'Irak egemen bir devlet Kerkük'te karar onların'

Savaş SÜZAL Mahmur’a baskın değil, nezaket ziyareti

Burns 'Türkiye'nin Yanındayız'

Google News Kurdish Kurdish Media

Avrupa'dan PKK'ya destek: Terör listesine itiraz edebilirsiniz

Halepçe'de Kürtlere sahip çıktık, Türkmenlere de ilgisiz kalmayız

Mumcu: Irak bölünürse Türkiye de bölünür

Öymen: Asker için yetki isteyin, destekleyelim

Ağar, Irak konusunda müşterek tavırdan yana

Demirel, Kerkük için diplomasi tavsiye etti

Türk: Kerkük, Kürt kentidir

Iraqi Kurdistan: The Challenges Surrounding Kirkuk UNPO

Semdinli case redux? - New Anatolian

U.S. backs Turkish effort

ABD Mahmur'u kapatıyor • Irak'ta Türkiye'nin muhatabı ABD'dir
• Dışişleri: Artık sonuç bekliyoruz

Erdoğan’dan ABD’ye: Biz sizleyiz siz yoksunuz

Avrupa, PKK’yı terör listesinden çıkaracak

Avrupa'da PKK rezaleti

Talabani: "Petrol geliri Bağdat'a gitmeli"

Mustafa Mutlu PKK teröristtir; özür dileyen de namerttir!

World Economic Forum selects PM Barzani for Young Global Leaders 2007

Eyvah, İsrail Suriye'yle barışacak!

Google News Greece - Cyprus

Cem Özdemir The reflection phase is over -- time to act

Türkiye 7. çerçeve için AB ile sıkı pazarlıkta

Zeynel Lüle Avrupalı Türkler abluka altında

Avrupa kendi kafa karışıklığı içinde

Özdemir İnce Bulgaristan’da durumun vaziyeti

Rumlar Türklere 500 milyon sterlin borçlu

Prospects Of Normalization With Turkey Slim A Turkish activist campaigning for improved relations between Ankara and Yerevan sees little hope until the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute is settled.

Ağar Diplomasinin bittiği yerde diplomasi başlar

Brookings Event: 'Turkey 2007: High Stakes in a Defining Year'

Ankara Avrupa’daki Yahudilerle yakınlaşıyor

Stallone “Ermeni soykırımı filmini her koşulda çekeceğim”

Peres: Türkiye Erez'i yeniden inşa edecek

Küresel ısınmaya karşı Türkiye'den eylem planı

Şemdinli raporunun kilit ismi 46 kilo esrar ile yakalandı

Meclis'te 'karavana' tartışıldı

Cem Yılmaz 'Sufi' oldu iddiası

In pictures
Capturing the magical Turkish landscape

Halkın Mücahitleri

Irak'taki İranlı muhalif örgüt hakkında ABD yönetiminde çelişkili görüşler var

19 Ocak 2007 Basın Özeti

Ukraine wants to be part of Nabucco project

H3 Taha AKYOL / Ordu Kerkük'e!

Abdülhamit Bilici Kandil'e karşı Kerkük mü?

Bülent Korucu Kuzey Irak'ta nerede hata yaptık?

İşte Kerkük Planı Kerkük'e BM kontrolü

Ferai Tınç Kürt sorunu Kerkük’te çözülmez

Cengiz Çandar AB onayı olmadan Irak'a asker göndermek

MEHMET BARLAS Ankara'daki savaş tamtamlarını nasıl dinlemeliyiz...

Ali H Aslan Tough talk and realities

Torumtay'ın istifa nedeni
Murat Yetkin Irak'a girelim mi?

Fikret BİLA / Türkmen lider Ergeç: Kerkük patlarsa iç savaş durdurulamaz

M. Ali BİRAND / Mahmur kampını kapatmak çok güçtür

Hasan CEMAL / Ezberler bozulurken (1)

Derya SAZAK / Kerkük tuzağı

PKK'yı yok sayarak barış mümkün mü? İsmet Berkan

Cevat Öneş Barış toplantısına neden katıldım?

İlnur Çevik War cries won't help our interests in Iraq

Irak'a ne zaman girilir? M.Ali Kışlalı

Öneş Iraklıları ABD çatıştırıyor

Ece TEMELKURAN / MİT ve "ben"

ERGUN BABAHANMİT'e kulak verin

Mustafa Ünal Irak siyaseti

Bülent Keneş The Makhmour show

Irak'a ne zaman girilir?
M.Ali Kışlalı

İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası

Dış Basında Türkiye-AB İlişkileri - Dış Basında Güncel Türkiye Bülteni

Dış Basında Irak BBC Turkish 0700

Dış Basında Türkiye Turkish Press Review Google News Turkey Turquie Türkei TurcoPundit

MUSTAFA KARAALİOĞLU Sorun bizi çözmeden!..

FEHMİ KORU 'Millî duruş' iyi de...

Nasuhi Güngör Askeri güç ve dış politika

İBRAHİM KARAGÜL K. Irak'a nakledilen füzeler: Yeni bir tezkere mi geliyor?

KORAY DÜZGÖREN Erdoğan'ın sertliği neden ciddiye alınmıyor?

Güler Kömürcü Irak çok mu ırak?

Lale SIVGIN
Türk - Amerikan ilişkilerine tamirat girişimi

Etyen Mahçupyan Devekuşu sendromu

[Yorum - Prof. Dr. Beril Dedeoğlu] ABD'nin oyununa gelmeyelim!

[Yorum - Prof. Dr. Samir Salha] Gelişmelere sessiz kalamayız

Mehmet Metiner Kerkük'e dair hatırlatmalar

Türkiye ABD ile savaşa girer mi?

Evren Değer 2 messages to 2 countries from defense minister

ALİ BAYRAMOĞLU EMASYA asker ve hükümet

Asker yiyor da götürüyor da

ERDAL ŞAFAKKısmen özgür

Hüseyin Gülerce AK Parti ve cumhurbaşkanlığı

Protokol hâlâ 'valiye sorma' diyor

NAZLI ILICAK Dış politika ve iç siyaset

Ömer Lütfi Mete

Ahmet Kekeç Deniz baba bizi Kerkük’e götür!

Aleviler’den 'Solda birleşin' uyarısı!..

[Yorum - M. Naci Bostancı] Cumhurbaşkanlığı satrancı-2

Bilal Çetin
Gidişat seçim ekonomisine doğru mu?

Abbas GÜÇLÜ / Baykal ile ülkücülerin 'milliyetçilik' kavgası!

Saruhan Özel Doğrudan yatırımlar ve borçlanma

Güngör URAS / Mısır'ı 49 teşvikli ilin başına oturttular

Faik ÖZTRAK / Seçim ekonomisinin önündeki engeller kalkıyor

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM Sermaye piyasasını kurtarmaya ince ayar yetmez

Asaf Savaş Akat Dünya ekonomisi

Kadir Dikbaş Enerji başkasınınsa...

Hurşit GÜNEŞ / İletişimde yeni fiyat rekabeti

Metin MÜNİR / Ilısu: İlerlememe raporu

FT FRONT PAGE - COMPANIES AND MARKETS: StanChart is the frontrunner to buy Turkey's Oyak Bank

THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN A Warning From the Garden If we are to turn the tide on climate change and end our oil addiction, we need a broad range of programs, a “Green New Deal.”

Fed Chief Warns That Entitlement Growth Could Harm Economy

H5 Washington Post A Plausible Plan B

By Charles Krauthammer, The U.S. needs an Iraq alternative that serves both as a threat to Nouri al-Maliki and as an actual fallback if the surge fails.

Cheney's Enigmatic Influence By David Ignatius, How does the most important but elusive presidential adviser in modern history use his power behind the scenes?

Seven Challenges in Facing Iraq Danielle Pletka

China Criticized for Anti-Satellite Missile Test

Destruction of an Aging Satellite Illustrates Vulnerability of U.S. Space Assets

Rice Highlights Opportunities After Setbacks On Mideast Trip

Officials Predict Shiite Militia Will Lower Profile in Baghdad

Dan Fromkin A Reality-Based State of the Union

PostGlobal When, if ever, will political turmoil derail the world economy? Give us evidence from where you live.

A Reality-Based State of the Union By Eugene Robinson, For those of you who can't wait until Tuesday's big speech, my fellow Americans, here's the real state of the union

William Arkin The Foreign World of Barack Obama

European Court Finds Two Chechens Were Tortured Ruling Is Panel's First On Issue in Restive Russian Republic

H6 Guardian A new game plan at last Simon Tisdall: Suddenly everybody has a Middle East peace plan.

Rice calls Quartet meeting in push for Middle East peace US secretary of state briefs Blair on negotiations.
Republican rebels defy Bush line on Iraq

Leader Soul searching Something important happened in October 2005 at Hampton Court, although no one today in Britain can remember quite what. Britain, then president of the EU, hosted a summit that put climate security and Europe's energy supply at the top of the EU agenda.

Carbon levels surge raises fears
Scientists warn earth may be absorbing less gas as figures show higher than expected rise in CO2.

The US is still a nation of immigrants

H7 Geopolitical Diary: The Problems with Iraq's New Oil Law Stratfor

McClatchy Middle East hasn't turned out the way Bush, Rice predicted

From LRB, Perry Anderson on Russia’s managed democracy, and Norman Dombey on Iran and the Bomb.

U.S. Repeating Mideast Mistakes? - Steven A. Cook

Weekly Standard Numbers Games How many troops are needed for the "surge"? by Frederick W. Kagan

First Lady of Intelligence Roberta Wohlstetter, 1912-2007. by Robert Zarate

Please Say This . . . (Advice on the State of the Union. No charge.)
by David Gelernter

NRO MICHAEL LEDEEN: Was that tough-on-Iran-and-Syria talk just for show? “The Little-Bit-Pregnant Policy”

Dan Drezner "Regime Proliferation and World Politics: Is There Viscosity in Global Governance?"

See the Superpower Run - Pat Buchanan, Creators

UPI Outside View: Arabs give U.S. free hand

Le Monde Cavalier seul en Iran

From Economic and Political Weekly, secularism without secularisation: What explains the failure of secularism in the US and India? Why have secular constitutions proved to be incapable of preventing the growing "religionisation" of the state and the public sphere?

From American Diplomacy, and article on assessing the Long War; and a look at why Iraq reminds of Vietnam

National Journal bad as the situation in Iraq may be, an immediate withdrawal of U.S. forces would only make things worse.

Djerejian Surgin' Lowry, and Kagan's Latest

Putting the annual cost of war in perspective: What $1.2 trillion can buy.

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

The Economist Egypt Not too happy

Iran A president under fire at home

Somalia What next?

Mahdi militia under siege in Sadr City

Gates sees Tehran as overly ambitious Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates warned yesterday that Iran is "overplaying their hand" in trying to exploit U.S. difficulties in the war in Iraq.

BBC - Newsnight The People's Mujahadeen - known as the PMOI - are labelled terrorists by the State Department. They were given sanctuary by Saddam Hussein in Iraq in Camp Ashraf - where they still are. Newsnight has uncovered an extraordinary letter written after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 where Tehran offers to withdraw military backing for Hamas and Hezbollah as well as give open access to their nuclear facilities in return for Western action in disbanding the PMOI. Tim Whewell investigates this organistaion and whether they may be used as a bargaining chip in negotiations between Iran and Washington

Al-Sadr Aide Reported Arrested In Baghdad

BBC Iran condemns US 'kidnap' in Iraq Iran accuses the US of kidnapping five of its citizens alleged by the Americans to be fuelling Iraqi violence.

Washington 'snubbed Iran offer'

PINR "Intelligence Brief: Tensions Increase Between Iran and Saudi Arabia" Full text of report

For Many Muslims, The 'Bad News' of Globalization Travels Fast By: Mehmood Kazmi | The Daily Star
Ironically, the speed of globalization's negative press can be attributed primarily to globalization itself. Empirically, it seems credible that income levels and life-expectancy in Muslim-majority countries have improved in the last half-century, as have media openness and information distribution. Yet, world events and international discourse strongly suggest that Muslims' net impressions of globalization actually add up to a distinctly negative bias.

Syrian Oil Production Dropped a Third Since 1996 (SANA-Syria)

Iran Finances Pro-Assad Militias in Syria

Iraqi Politicians Propose National Salvation Government
Asharq Alawsat,

H9 Ha’aretz - Abdullah: Jordan will develop nuclear power In exclusive interview with Haaretz, Jordan's king says program would be for peaceful purposes.

Schiff Erosion of public support Even if the hatred toward the IDF does not dissipate, the army has little chance of recovery. Once its reputation has been harmed, good people will no longer be interested in linking their fates to it.

Rosner The Israel Factor: Hillary on the rise

Raanan Eliaz: EU taking over part of U.S. role in Mideast

Yedioth Ahronoth 'Assad called your bluff'
Ibrahim Suleiman, negotiator in secret Israeli-Syrian talks, in exclusive interview with Ynet, reveals details of diplomatic contacts, peace proposal; says Syria serious about talks, blames US for torpedoing previous peace efforts

Q&A with Prof. Uzi Arad
Jerusalem Post

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

Knesset panel calls to strengthen National Security Council
Jerusalem Post

Can a Conventional Army Vanquish a Terrorist Insurgency? - Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yaakov Amidror (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

The Economist Israel and Syria Why can't they just make peace?

The Palestinians It's the little things that make an occupation

BBC Israel hands Abbas frozen funds
Israel transfers $100m of frozen tax to the Palestinian president, bypassing the Hamas-led government.

UPI Analysis: Israel's military commander quits

From Israel Insider, Benny Morris on why The Second Holocaust is looming.

H10 Christian Science Monitor Report: Cheney rejected Iran's
offer of concessions in 2003 A former US senior official says the offer was very close to what the US currently wants.

US inflation down – but far from conquered

2006 prices rose at their slowest pace since 2003, but analysts see a recovering economy.

Bipartisan start for Congress. Tougher tests lie ahead. In the first 100 legislative hours, House Democrats drew significant GOP support for their 'Six for '06' plan.

Bush backs down on wartime powers

The White House is putting its NSA domestic surveillance program under judicial oversight.

Iranians' love affair with America

More evidence of Taliban leader hiding in Pakistan

A captured spokesman says Pakistan is harboring Mullah Omar, stirring international uproar.

ASIA So Much for Abes Reconciliation Policy By: Gregory Clark | The Japan Times Remember all that talk just a few months back about how Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, unlike former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, was embarked on a policy of reconciliation with China? Well, you can forget that now.

JOHN DERBYSHIRE: China embraces Africa. To Africa’s detriment? “The Chinese Are Coming…”

The Economist Britain and India Chasing an elephant

Tom Barnett Infantile US Strategy on China

H11 IHT Withdrawal is not an option HENRY A. KISSINGER
Bush's bold decision to order a "surge" of American troops for Iraq has brought the debate over the war to a defining stage. There will not be opportunity for another reassessment.

Kosovo's moment
AGIM CEKU Strong leadership by the German presidency in overcoming division in Europe on Kosovo's final status will ensure that we seize this historic opportunity, pronounce Kosovo independent and begin a genuine regional push toward the EU.

BBC Worried neighbours
Kosovo tensions overshadow Serbia's general election

UN expected to recommend limited independence for Kosovo

EUROPE The Economist Albania and Kosovo What happened to Greater Albania?

Charlemagne Not normal The European Parliament has yet to fill the democratic deficit

Migration Europe's huddled masses

Immigrants in Russia

Spanish politics Belated realism

Bavarian politics Exit a king

From Der Spiegel, on this increasingly God-fearing globe, only Western Europe looks like the last bastion of secularism - or are the faithful here too returning to the fold?

From Macedonia, the government pushes a plan to bring religion into the schools, while opponents ask some lonely questions

CFR Serbia’s Fateful Choice

H12 RFE/RL

EurasiaNet US Experts Ponder Possibilities for Improved US-Turkmen Relations BY JOSHUA KUCERA The promise of reform by Turkmenistan’s new president has provided the United States with a chance to revive moribund ties with the energy rich Central Asian nation, analysts believe.

International Crisis Group - Georgia Abkhazia: Ways Forward

Roots of Radical Islam in Central Asia Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Martha Brill Olcott contends that “the question of the relationship between Islamic believers and the state is a critical one; depending on how it is resolved, it either encourages, permits, or discourages the use of violence in the name of Islam.” + Full Paper (PDF; 337 KB)

Google News Azerbaijan

Russia to return envoy to Georgia Russia's President Putin announces his ambassador will return to Georgia after last year's diplomatic row.

EDM WARSAW BLOCKS EU-RUSSIAN NEGOTIATIONS ON COOPERATION PACT
- BAKIYEV MANEUVERS TO STAY ON TOP IN KYRGYZSTAN
- TASHKENT USES “DEMOCRACY CARROT” TO ENTICE WEST

Immigrants in Russia

Market forces

Gvosdev Message from Georgia

H13 The Times 'Star Wars' missile test heralds new arms race in space The White House reacted with alarm and anger after China performed the first space test of such offensive military technology by any nation in over 20 years

Wake up and smell the cordite – now China gives Bush another problem For decades the US has been dominant in every aspect of space technology so news of this weapons test will send a blunt message from Beijing

How ghost soldiers are bleeding the Iraqi army of guns and money Widespread corruption is continuing to rob the Iraqi Armed Forces of arms, money and troops
Listen to clips from the al-Maliki interview

An offer that must be turned down Bronwen Maddox: World Briefing
Prime Minister al-Maliki’s challenge can be read as an opening offer, probing the weaknesses of his ally-turned-antagonist, President Bush

Can the West's biggest War on Terror ally ever put his own house in order? Zahid Hussain
In the second extract from his book the Times Pakistan Correspondent, looks at problems facing — and caused by — President Musharraf

Wanted Taleban chief 'sheltered by Pakistan'
Zahid Hussain
Islamabad and Kabul are locked in dispute over the claim that Mullah Omar is living in Pakistan under the protection of its powerful intelligence service

Gerard Baker
The turmoil of free markets is the surest way to economic stability: welcome to 'the Great Moderation'

Should Israel bomb Iran?
William Rees-Mogg discusses both sides of the debate and invites your views

Wall Street Journal How Rice Uses History Lessons Condoleezza Rice often cites the history of the Cold War to explain and justify the Bush administration's Middle East policy, leaving some scholars baffled.

Prime Minister Brown
Gordon Brown's prospective rivals are politically dead.
By MATTHEW D'ANCONA

Merkel's Folly
Europe needs a plan but not a constitution.

'Protect Us Against Bullies'
A defining moment for Russia, energy and the Caucasus.
By ELMAR MAMMADYAROV

The Eonomist Trade's victims In the shadow of prosperity

Cotton suicides The great unravelling

H14 Financial Times Germany proposes wider Iran sanctions The European Union could expand the range of sanctions against Iran beyond United Nations-mandated measures, according to a document seen by the Financial Times

Sunni allies give ‘qualified support’ for Bush’s Iraq strategy

THE AMERICAS: Chastened Bush bows to new reality

Tough talk raises fears of Iran clash Increasingly tough talk on Iran from the Bush administration has rattled politicians and diplomats in Washington worried that the war in Iraq is set to widen.

INTERNATIONAL NEWS: Senators savage security policy erosion of rights

COMMENT: Business must bend with the winds of climate change

Saving the planet is the New Year’s resolution of choice in business boardrooms. The question is whether the effort will outlast the familiar January fitness fads, writes Philip Stephens

COMMENT: Why Scotland cannot be Ireland Pressures for separation between Scotland and England are growing. Many Conservatives blame devolution. But devolution is a consequence, not a cause, writes Martin Wolf.

COMMENT: A feud Berlin and Warsaw must end It is still possible that Poland and Germany will discover that more unites than divides them, writes Marcin Zaborowski, author of “Germany, Poland and Europe”.

COMMENT: Act Two: how Google is muscling its way into the advertising mainstream The technology that enabled the search giant to dominate online advertising markets will stand it in good stead as it tries to repeat the trick in television, print and radio.

COMMENT: Islamic finance has much to learn from the west Despite a 30-year history and current assets of about $300bn the industry has yet to add any value, writes Muhammad Saleem, author of “Islamic Banking: A $300 billion Deception”.

Pelosi puts climate change on the agenda Nancy Pelosi, the House speaker, vowed to make energy independence and climate change legislation the next focus of Democrats’ congressional agenda.

Bernanke warns US of ‘fiscal crisis’ fear Ben Bernanke stepped up the pressure on Congress to address the budgetary impact of soaring spending on entitlement programmes, warning that they could one day cause a “fiscal crisis” in the US

EUROPE: Plans for US base split Italian coalition

NATIONAL NEWS: Gordon in holiday mood as he prepares for his prize

H15 Los Angeles Times Beijing's missle test prompts protest China demonstrates new technological capability at time of growing alarm over militarization of space.

Those ingrate Iraqis Rosa Brooks: President Bush is right: We deserve gratitude for cutting Iraqis' energy consumption and tackling their overpopulation problem.

Diplomacy is deal-making

By Aaron David Miller Condoleeza Rice couldn't be more wrong when she said diplomacy is not about "making deals," especially in the Middle East.

How the left led us into 9/11

By Dinesh D'Souza The Clinton and Carter administrations made the U.S. look like a weak, attractive target for terrorists.

Suffering Binds Iraq and Darfur By: David Bosco | Los Angeles Times
Persuading Americans to see Iraq as a humanitarian crisis in which we still have a moral obligation is a struggle. We now know the Iraqis almost too well. Remember the solidarity we felt when Iraqis voted? Those feelings of kinship have given way to a sense of betrayal. The victims in Darfur, by contrast, remain comfortable abstractions.

H16 American Politics Previewing the State of the Union - R. Wolffe & H. Bailey, Newsweek

The Economist Presidential hopefuls Man versus machine

The president, Congress and the war A hard sell

Lexington A falling star Condoleezza Rice is not the woman she once was

To Flee or Not To Flee: How Republicans handle a failing president.

NRO RICH LOWRY: Barry Goldwater’s shellacking in 1964 paved the way for the conservative transformation of the Republican party. Jimmy Carter’s 1976 victory paved the way for Reagan. Will Nancy Pelosi pave the way for something positive, and if so, whom or what? “In Disaster, Renewal”

realclearpolitics – ABC’s The Note - Early Bird GovExec

House Democrats celebrate the passage of their 100-hour agenda

Climate Change: A Shared EU/US Energy Course Stratfor

The Politics of Globalization - M. Penn & T. Freedman, Blueprint Magazine

H17 Daily Telegraph A missile destroys satellite in space

The prospect of "Star Wars" between China and the West is looming after Beijing used a ballistic missile to destroy a satellite.

Let's put the Union to the vote

The dilemma for many Scots is that because the Conservatives are so weak, those who want to get rid of Labour have nowhere to go but the SNP, suggests Jeff Randall.

H18 Independent The battle to save Iraq's children

Doctors issue plea to Tony Blair to end the scandal of medical shortages in the war zone

Leading article: Haunted by Iraq

After Shell, Kremlin turns its sights on BP's Russian assets

Leading article: The BBC must adapt to changed circumstances

Joan Bakewell: Holocaust denial should be debated, not banned

H19Military Intelligence Terrorism

After the battle is won: A review of The Art of Victory. A review of The Utility of Force: The Art of War in the Modern World.

Webcast — Face to Face with a Guantánamo Detainee
This event took place at Georgetown Law on Tuesday, January 18, 2007. The video runs about 100 minutes.

Patriots in Defense of the 'Enemy' By: Daniel Coquillette | The Boston Globe
When Cully Stimson, deputy assistant defense secretary for detainee affairs, suggested last week that CEOs should pressure law firms to stop representing Guantanamo prisoners, he sent a shudder through the legal profession. His comments represented a real threat to all suspects' right to counsel.

New US rules on terror detainees

The US defence department drafts a new manual for trying detainees at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.

US: The White Supremacist Movement's Metamorphosis Stratfor

BMD Watch: F-15s may air launch PAC-3s

Intelligence reform crossroads

By Elbridge Colby/Kate Heinzelman

H20 Slate

eJournal USA: Benefits of Trade: Costs of Protectionism U.S. Department of State

Location decisions of foreign banks and competitive advantage World Bank Policy Research Working Papers

Art Buchwald We mourn the passing of a very funny man

Satirist Art Buchwald dies at 81 after 'lap of honour'

Bloggers threaten to forbid Starbucks Half a million Chinese internet users have rushed to agree with Rui Chenggang's blog Why Starbucks needs to get out of the Forbidden City

The Internet: Power and Governance in a Digitised World

Google opens dialogue with book publishers ZDNet

The Ultimate Guide to Google Services

H21 Booksearch x 3 - Search Inside Books with A9.com, Google & MSN Live

From New English Review, is the heart of man irredeemably evil, or at any rate inclined to evil? What are the conditions in which evil may flourish? Theodore Dalrymple wants to know

Will the United States survive until 2022? John Derbyshire investigates.

Online newspaper blog traffic grows 210%

FT Web is wonderful, but don't write off newspapers For the foreseeable future websites will be secondary media – reliant on old media and a handful of news sites to point them out, writes David Bowen.

Changing channels and fixed funding Certainty is a valuable commodity. So it is good news for the BBC that the government has at last decided how the licence fee will increase to 2012.

From First Things, an essay on America in the European mind.

From The Chronicle, European antipathy toward America is at a high point. And that's by no means all President Bush's fault.

From The New Federalist, an article on Europe vs. USA: Whose economy wins?

Judaism and the rise of Christianity Spiritual and temporal

Microsoft Peaks, valleys and vistas

Vista and Office An end to that blue screen of death?

The introduction to Schooling Islam: Modern Muslim Education

The NBA's Eight-Man Swap

Can a problem player be the perfect pickup for another? Sizing up the Pacers-Warriors deal. Plus: NFL analysis; Chris Webber's homecoming; and a new Pillow Fight League.

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