0531-2007f - FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW (FPR) - ‘Relevant news, views, comments and analyses from all around the world for informed debate’ Compiled by Şanlı Bahadır Koç U.S. / Britain / Turkey / Magazines / Think-tanks / Blogs / Misc /Books / Quickread / Numbers / Reports - FPR Table - Subscribe to FPR

H1 Washington Post Time for 'Plan B-H' in Iraq? By David Ignatius The Baker-Hamilton plan now seems to be official White House policy. Better late than never.

Endgame Ahead By David S. Broder The end of the war is coming into view -- and sooner than President Bush and Vice President Cheney may wish.

WSJ Can the Iraq 'Surge' Be Salvaged? A resurgence of violence and attacks on U.S. troops, coupled with little to no progress on crucial Iraqi political goals, is spurring discussion about whether the current strategy in Iraq can succeed.

OpinionJournal Federation BY NORMAN PODHORETZ From Commentary: I hope and pray that President Bush will bomb Iran.

Ha’aretz – PM mulls resuming Syria peace talks via 3rd party Gov't source: Serious assessment underway; Olmert in closed meeting: Price of peace with Syria is clear

Peretz: Israel must accept Saudi plan as starting point for talks

Asia Times The Cold War: Fears of an unfinished victoryAll too many experts and observers are looking for the old Cold War to re-emerge - yet they do not properly consider how the components of this era are being updated and restyled by both the East and the West and employed in a neo-cold war that is already proving its dangers. - W Joseph Stroupe

MEMRI The Doctrine of Mahdism: In the Ideological and Political Philosophy of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Ayatollah Mesbah-e Yazdi By: A. Savyon and Y. Mansharof

Strength in Numbers for Globalization's Critics Environmentalists, churches, trade unions – globalization's opponents have many faces. But they have one thing in common: They want to limit the power of corporations and make sure people have a greater say

Boston Globe Back to the endgame in Iraq (By Roger Owen)

Christian Science Monitor

A new/old idea for Palestinian peace Jordan is quietly discussing closer ties - even some form of official union - with the Palestinian West Bank.

Editorial A Clean Start at the World Bank Robert Zoellick is just about everything Paul Wolfowitz was not

At the Edge of Revolution: Does Pakistan Have a Khomeini World Politics Review

RFE/RL CIS: Is South Caucasus 'Region' An Artificial Construct?

BBC Under pressure
One of the deadliest months in Iraq brings doubt over US tactics

Bush's Killer
Iraq Talking Points
by Robert Parry

CFR The Role of the United Nations General Assembly

Guardian Fortress America's gatekeepers need to remember: first impressions count Timothy Garton Ash: The US tightening of entry requirements is understandable, but it must not be at the cost of its welcoming reputation.

Internal conflict and paralysis is corroding our credibility
Ahmad Samih Khalidi: Israel's occupation is the main reason for today's misery. But Palestinians still need to take control of their own future.

Don't ignore the warnings Richard Norton-Taylor Russia has signalled that is not only prepared to use the energy weapon, but military weapons too. A new and dangerous arms race is on the cards.

Iraq—the Coming GOP Collapse? Rich Lowry / National Review: Was talking to an influential Republican strategist who thinks if Iraq looks the way it does now in September, Bush will lose about 25 Senate Republicans on a bill with some sort of timetable for withdrawal.

US Papers Thursday: Forget Sovereignty?

Slate Bush's Failed Campaign To Rebrand America:

The administration believes public relations is a synonym for diplomacy. Fred Kaplan

Bush envisions U.S. presence in Iraq like S.Korea

Diplomats: Iran Hinted at Suspension

Counterinsurgency Intelligence in a “Long War”: The British Experience in Northern Ireland

Training Troops to Defeat IEDs

Dying for an Iraq that Isn't

Pentagon Concedes 'Tough' May in Iraq

Rice to Israel: Don't Push Syria Peace

Assessing the Iraq Surge By: Harlan Ullman | The Washington Times First, a clear-cut chain of command that cuts across all relevant U.S. agencies engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan must be established. Second, every effort must be made to ensure that Gen. Petraeus' September story is factually accurate, rigorously analytical and contains alternative courses of action on the basis of future success, failure or lack of data on which to pass judgment. Third, an effective drug control plan for Afghanistan is needed now.

Outside View: Buildup, not surge

Washington Times Shifting gears on Iraq? By Donald Lambro The administration's latest policy changes toward the Iraq war signal a gradual repositioning in anticipation of a shift in strategy by 2008.

Washington Quarterly India and Iran: New Delhi’s Balancing Act
C. Christine Fair India’s relationship with Iran is about New Delhi’s great-power aspirations and Central Asia, not just energy. But how far can India expand its ties with Tehran while deepening its relations with the United States, Israel, and other states wary of Iran?

IHT Decent Policy, Needs Work By: David Shambaugh | International Herald Tribune While U.S. relations with Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Russia under President George W. Bush all receive poor to mixed reviews, Asia policy must be considered a net success.

Russia worried over UN plans for Kosovo independence Foreign ministers from the Group of 8 countries clashed after Russia warned that the independence of Kosovo from Serbia could encourage separatist movements in two Georgian regions.

Georgia: NATO by Way of BMD By: Federico Bordonaro | ISN Security Watch As Tbilisi extends its hand to the US and the latter's missile defense plans, some analysts believe it is also signaling its NATO aspirations.

The Times Iraq holds breath before vital summer The next few months are critical to Iraq. Now politics has to catch up with security Roland Watson

Washington Times Big ideas for the 2008 race By Michael O'Hanlon The Brookings Institution has created a special project designed to inject ideas into the national debate.

Financial Times Editorial Zoellick at the World Bank The Americans and Europeans have, like the Bourbons, learnt nothing and forgotten nothing.

COMMENT: Cash and the candidacy A wide-open field and the arrival of a ‘tsunami Tuesday’ of party primaries are helping turn the US presidential campaign into a contest fought by fundraisers

Rising tensions overshadow US-Russian talks President Vladimir Putin is to visit the US for talks with President George W. Bush, amid arguably the most serious strain in relations between Washington and Moscow since the Soviet era.

H2 Turkey: Preparing to Strike Across the Border? Stratfor

Iraq Papers Thur: Turkey Preparing to Invade?

Morgan Stanley Turkey
The Power of Patience

Brinkmanship on Turkish Border? - IraqSlogger

Turkish Army Build - Up Fuels Anxiety on Iraq Border

World Politics Review | The Religious-Secular Divide and the Battle for Turkey's Future

The World’s Softest Military Coup: A la Turca

Turkey masses troops at border with Kurdish Iraq Debate is raging over whether to stage a cross-border offensive against Kurdish rebel bases.

U.S. sees no unusual troop movements in Turkey near Iraqi border

Kuzey Irak'taki engel ABD MUHAMMED HARRUB -

The Price of Independence: $1 Billion
Public Integrity

Darbe türbandan iyi olabilir mi?

Green: K. Irak'a girmek zekice olmaz

Rehn: AK Parti'nin gizli ajandası yok

Google News Kurdish Kurdish Media

Bir siyasal ironi: Kürdlere empati önermek

[INSIDE NOTHERN IRAQ-2]
Misery is the order of the day in restive Kirkuk

Iraqi Kurdistan Officials Deny US Bases to be Opened in Kurdistan Region

Kürt liderlerin diyalog çağrısına kırmızı ışık

YILMAZ ÖZDİL Ne işiniz var Irak'ta saçmalamayın...

Operasyon Tartışması

ABD faturayı pilotlara kesti

ABD: Sınırdaki hareketler normal

North Kurdistan and the PKK issue

İran: "Türkiye sınırında 10 teröristi öldürdük"

ABD televizyonunda açık ‘PKK propagandası’

Reports Say 12 Killed In Clash Near Iran-Turkey Border

Iraqi Kurds take charge of own security

US Transfers Three Provinces to KRG Control

Sınıra sevkiyat sürüyor

Nereden nereye?

“ABD'ye umut verildiyse Bölükbaşı vermiştirö

Savcı: Trende silah var füze yok

Celikkol hears much talk but no hope of action in Baghdad

Kurds refuse any constitutional amendments impinging on pluralism ...

Tensions rise as Turkish tanks move to Iraq border

‘Do not sing in Kurdish, leave the stage’

Kurds reject delay of Article 140

Preserving the Kurdish Language

PM Barzani thanks multinational forces at security handover ceremony

Oasis of peace in Iraqi Kurdistan

"Bingöl'de devrilen trende füze yok"

Diyarbakır Kilisesi'ne saldırı hazırlığı: 6 gözaltı

YAVUZ DONAT
Reisicumhur bıra em belli bıkın *

Tunceli'de operasyon, 3 PKK'lı öldürüldü

Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber

Mediterranean project vs. EU: An illusion or reality for Turkey?

For or against the European Union and the US? The parties decide

AB: Sınır ötesi, Türkiye'ye çok zarar verir

Mutafyan: Suriye’de 1.5 milyon Ermeni öldü

Bilderberg İstanbul'da

Sezer urges OIC to ease sanctions in northern Cyprus

Louis Michel: Adaylıktan dönüş yok

Sert Sarko yok oldu

Turkey negotiates with Gazprom to get Nabucco going, minister says

OPIC won’t support Kars-Tbilisi-Baku railway construction

Turkey: 'Mediterranean Union' No EU Alternative

Avrupa basını: Sert adam U dönüşü yaptı

Fransa, AB'nin sınırlarını yarım asırdan beri tartışıyor

For or against the European Union and the US? The parties decide

Genelkurmay'dan uluslararası sempozyum

Ve Rakel ve Delal ve Sera ve Nora ve Nare ve Arat ve Maral ve, ve, ve
Perihan Mağden

'Yeter Orhan çok çektin'

Kemal Derviş: The underdogs' candidate C. Cem Oğuz

"Türkiye'nin nüfusu sanılandan az"

Wolfowitz, Kissinger to attend the Bilderberg meeting

Seçim ekonomisinin davul zurnası

Mehmet Şimşek Büyük paraları bırakıp geldim

Seyfettin Gürsel OECD ile büyüme ve enflasyon üzerine

Yaman TÖRÜNER
Global likiditenin yükünü kim karşılıyor? (II)

Koltuk mu değiştirdi? Yiğit Bulut

İbrahim Öztürk Turkey: New stability or old inertia?

Taha AKYOL Cumhuriyet ve ekonomi

MELİHA OKUR
TÜSİAD'ı küçümseyenlere duyurulur!

Ercan Kumcu Sığ sularda çapayı boşluyoruz

Erdal Sağlam Siyaset düzelmezse ekonomi büyümeyecek

Hurşit GÜNEŞ
Yabancı yatırımın kerameti

İbrahim Öztürk Halk dalkavukluğu krizden başka ne getirdi?

Ne olacak bu dövizin hali?
Mahfi Eğilmez

Özel tasarruflar neden azalıyor?
Fatih Özatay

Volkan Akı DP’nin ekonomi programında Tevfik Altınok imzası var

BBC 31 Mayıs 2007 Basın Özeti

H3 Anayasa değişikliğinde 2. tur bugün

Anayasa referandumu olmalı mı, olmamalı mı? İsmet Berkan

Kör dövüşü Gündüz Aktan

Tuğcu "Başbakan saygı sınırını aştı"

Baykal: Bu, hukuka karşı terördür
Murat Yetkin

Yalçın Doğan Amerikalı koordinatör istifa eşiğinde

Gizli dosyadan Atabeyler'e beraat çıktı

AKP'de Şener krizi

Kulislerdeki iddia: 'Şener aday olmuyor'

SOLİ ÖZEL Tezkerenin ötesi

Fikret BİLA PKK kimi vurdu?

Ruşen Çakır Bir El Kaide eksikti!

Semih İDİZ İşleri bu noktaya getiren Amerika

10 gerekçe yüzünden Ankara ikna olmadı

Sami KOHEN Kötü bir "ilk"

Bilal Çetin Kuzey Irak’a askeri operasyon mu?

'Türkiye-Irak sınırı yeniden çizilmeli'

Fatih Çekirge Barzani'nin gizli planı

Hasan CEMAL AKP seçimi kazanır da, yine Gül derse...

762 Kanas Uzaktan kumandalı bombanın patlatılmasıyla raydan çıkan ’55555’ sayılı yük treninde, havan mermisi, patlayıcı ve atış rampasının yanı sıra 762 tane de uzun menzilli suikast tüfeği Kanas bulundu. Silah ve patlayıcı bulunan sandıkların üzerinde İngilizce yazı olması dikkat çekti. Yükün İran’ın başkenti Tahran’dan yüklendiği ve Suriye’de bir firmaya gönderildiği belirtildi.

Silahların menşei sır

Devlet lisesinde gizli mescit müdür eşliğinde toplu namaz

ABD: Türk ordusunun faaliyeti normal

Cengiz Çandar AKP’nin yeni vitrini...

Kim sağcı, kim solcu? Hasan Celal Güzel

Genelkurmay, Dışişleri ve ABD
Turgut Tarhanlı

Bilderberg önlemi

El Kaide'nin uyuyan hücresine operasyon

[Kuzey Irak'ta Son Durum - Bejan Matur] Kerkük'ü görseniz ağlarsınız!

Iraq, ahoy? BURAK BEKDİL

Yusuf KANLI Shall we enter northern Iraq?

İlnur Çevik Turkey needs serious work on Iraq policy

Nuray Mert - 'İncirlik kapatılsın'

İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası

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

Dış Basında Irak BBC Turkish 0700

VOA TSİ 06:30 Dış Basında Türkiye Turkish Press Review Google News Turkey Turquie Türkei TurcoPundit

Taha Kıvanç

Fehmi Koru Yanlış başka bir yanlışla önlenemez

ALİ BAYRAMOĞLU
Muhtıra engellenebilir miydi?

İBRAHİM KARAGÜL
O bilgiyi PKK'ya ABD mi verdi?

NAZLI ILICAK Muhtıra Türkiye'ye itibar kaybettirdi

Ertuğrul Özkök Benim dönemimde de bir ihlal oldu

Ahmet Hakan Aykırı analize devam: Erdoğan mı, Gül mü?

M Ali Birand ABD’nin gözlemesi için F-16 gerekmez

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN
Terörü tersinden yazmak

ERDAL ŞAFAK 4 şapkalı örgüt

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM
'Benden sonrası tufan' mantığıyla seçim sonrası en kritik dönem mi?

İbrahim Kalın From airspace to political space

Hüseyin Gülerce Harp, ülke için felâkettir

Ekrem Dumanlı Zoraki nikâh

Mümtazer Türköne Yol haritası!

MAHMUT ÖVÜR Fay hattı üzerinde siyaset!

Şahin Alpay AKP'de merkeze doğru bir adım daha

EMRE AKÖZ Demode orta sınıflar

Haysiyetli bir Alevi AKP’ye oy vermez

AKP’liler türbanda anlaşamadı

Serdar Turgut Günay AKP için kazançtır

Düşünen insan bağırmaz aptallar ise slogan atar

Seçmen sayısı 1 milyon azaldı

Cüneyt Ülsever Mesut Yılmaz, DP’ye zarar verir

Ekrem Dumanlı In Turkey conspiracy theories actually hold because… (2)

Enis Berberoğlu

Türk-Amerikan ilişkilerini sabote etmek isteyenler var

Güneri CIVAOĞLU Demokrasi benim

Murat Çelik Önemli teknik detaylar

What chance does the new DP have for success? by Prof. BİROL AKGÜN*

Mehmet Tezkan Erdoğan artık tek başına Cumhurbaşkanı seçemeyeceğini biliyor.. O yüzden öfkeli..

Reforma ne zaman yöneliriz?
Altan Öymen

DP'de Yılmaz depremi

İhsan Dağı A pro-Russian Turkish general?

Güler Kömürcü
Polise niçin sınırsız yetki?!

Asaf Savaş Akat İdris Küçükömer’in mirası

Yeni seçmen kütükleri Tarhan Erdem

Sabancı: Seçim tarihiyle Türkiye normalleşiyor Funda Özkan

Engin Ardıç
Üniversitenin görevi “Atatürkçü yetiştirmek” değildir

Ardan Zentürk Washington’da esen hava: ‘Türkiye’yi kaybediyoruz...’

Oktay Ekşi Gelsin 301’inci madde

Bekir Coşkun Zemin kaypak...

[Yorum - M. Naci Bostancı] Terörün mesajını reddetmek

Tuğcu: Hedef gösterildik suç duyurusu yolda

Hadi Uluengin Dört yıl önce dört yıl sonra

Şükrü Küçükşahin Değerleri ile AKP’deler

Kanadoğlu: Paket Anayasa'ya aykırı

Mustafa Erdoğan Darbeye ‘gerek’ var mı?

Baykal: "367 olmazsa paket reddedilmiş sayılır"

Can Ataklı Meğer demokrasiyi hiç hazmetmemiş

Şakir Süter
Ağar, DP ve merkez sağ

Şener henüz başvurmadı

H5 Washington Post Time for 'Plan B-H' in Iraq? By David Ignatius The Baker-Hamilton plan now seems to be official White House policy. Better late than never.

Endgame Ahead By David S. Broder The end of the war is coming into view -- and sooner than President Bush and Vice President Cheney may wish.

Editorial A World Bank Choice Robert Zoellick is well qualified to take over a troubled institution

Rice, Russian Clash Over Kosovo Plan, Missile Shield Disputes Could Overshadow Approaching G-8 Meeting

U.N. Council Backs Tribunal For Lebanon

Beirut Braces for Unrest After Vote To Pursue Assassins of Former Premier

Bush Reaches to Putin as Relations Continue to Slide

Obama and Romney Lay Out Positions on Iraq and Beyond

Both Seek Growth Of U.S. Military

U.S. Hunts for 5 Britons Abducted in Iraq

Officials Suspect Shiite Militiamen; Sadr City Residents Tell of Troops Raiding

Bush AIDS Plan Gets Bipartisan Praise

Boeing Unit Sued Over CIA Flights

ACLU: Firm Flew Terrorist Suspects

The Case for Conservatism

By George F. Will, Today's political argument is about the meaning of, and the tension between, two important political goals -- freedom and equality.

A Gem Worth Saving By Matt Pottinger,

Dear Shareholders of Dow Jones & Co.: The Wall Street Journal is a vital national resource. Don't let Rupert Murdoch have it.

H6 Guardian Fortress America's gatekeepers need to remember: first impressions count Timothy Garton Ash: The US tightening of entry requirements is understandable, but it must not be at the cost of its welcoming reputation.

Internal conflict and paralysis is corroding our credibility
Ahmad Samih Khalidi: Israel's occupation is the main reason for today's misery. But Palestinians still need to take control of their own future.

Book shines light on Pakistan military's '£10bn empire' · Business interests range from cement to cornflakes
· Little transparency into officer-led conglomerates

Leader Might of the militias
Iraq: It was one of the most brazen attacks on a government building in Baghdad.

Talk to foreigners and we will view you as a spy, Iran warns academicsLecturers told not to travel to conferences abroad.

'We are a taxi service with guns'
A former special forces soldier tells Audrey Gillan about his life as a private security guard in Baghdad.

US pledges $30bn to fight Aids
Critics praise Bush as Washington becomes campaign's biggest backer.

UN votes to set up Hariri tribunal
UN security council votes to create special tribunal into 2005 assassination of Rafiq Hariri.

Peres to run for president of Israel
Shimon Peres, the elder statesman of Israeli politics, confirms he will stand for election to be next president.

H7 Assessing the Iraq Surge By: Harlan Ullman | The Washington Times First, a clear-cut chain of command that cuts across all relevant U.S. agencies engaged in Iraq and Afghanistan must be established. Second, every effort must be made to ensure that Gen. Petraeus' September story is factually accurate, rigorously analytical and contains alternative courses of action on the basis of future success, failure or lack of data on which to pass judgment. Third, an effective drug control plan for Afghanistan is needed now.

Outside View: Buildup, not surge

Washington Times Shifting gears on Iraq? By Donald Lambro The administration's latest policy changes toward the Iraq war signal a gradual repositioning in anticipation of a shift in strategy by 2008.

'Axis of Evil' update

By Ernest W. Lefever Nuclear arms in "axis of evil" states underscores the need for a realistic appraisal and the dangers of a moralistic approach to foreign policy.

Washington Quarterly India and Iran: New Delhi’s Balancing Act
C. Christine Fair India’s relationship with Iran is about New Delhi’s great-power aspirations and Central Asia, not just energy. But how far can India expand its ties with Tehran while deepening its relations with the United States, Israel, and other states wary of Iran?

Straightening out US foreign aid programs Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

World: Amnesty International Answers Critics Of Report

Dems Wimp Out on Bush & Prewar Intelligence by David Corn

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

Bush envisions U.S. presence in Iraq like S.Korea

Diplomats: Iran Hinted at Suspension

BBC Under pressure
One of the deadliest months in Iraq brings doubt over US tactics

UN approves Hariri murder court

At the Edge of Revolution: Does Pakistan Have a Khomeini World Politics Review

The colossus of Baghdad
The United States' vast US$592 million "embassy" - 20-odd buildings on 42 hectares in Baghdad's Green Zone - is due to open in September. From the pool house (and tennis courts) to the recreation center and office space, it's a colossus of the modern world and a concrete-and-bricks symbol of the Bush administration's (fading) vision of a US-reordered Middle East. - Tom Engelhardt

H9 Ha’aretz – PM mulls resuming Syria peace talks via 3rd party Gov't source: Serious assessment underway; Olmert in closed meeting: Price of peace with Syria is clear

Olmert exploring third-party talks with Damascus

Peretz: Israel must accept Saudi plan as starting point for talks

Haniyeh: PA gov't wants truce, ball now in Israel's court

Yitzhak Laor: Shin Bet wants democracy for Jews only

Report: Shin Bet, police severly tortured Palestinian suspects

Dovish Groups Mull Mega-Merger In Bid To Build Peace Powerhouse

Daily Alert.org – Middle East Progress - EJC Israeli Press Review – Google News Israel - Palestine

The Economist Is Wrong - Sever Plocker (Ynet News)

Ya'alon: No Peace Until Arabs Recognize Israel –

A review of The Power of Israel in the United States by James Petras.

UPI Analysis: Uncertainty in Israel primaries

Jerusalem Post Home Front Command to get public ready for 'all-out war' Senior officer: It doesn't make a difference where the threat comes from, so we're getting ready for a range of possibilities

Analysis: Changing Israel's anti-boycott strategy By HERB KEINON Maybe it's because we all have become used to the idea that the British elite simply don't like us.

The Soviets' Six Day War
[ DANIEL PIPES,

H10 Christian Science Monitor

A new/old idea for Palestinian peace Jordan is quietly discussing closer ties - even some form of official union - with the Palestinian West Bank.

Why so few bomb-safe military trucks in Iraq? No one has been killed riding in the 31,000-pound 'Cougar.' But only a few hundred are in service.

Sympathy for Islamists on
the rise in Lebanon's camps Recent battles between Lebanese police and Fatah al-Islam militants anger local residents

Pipeline would extend Iran's reach

US is concerned that revenues would boost Iran's nuclear program

G-8 to take up climate change

Europe, Japan, US, and developing nations are divided over how to handle greenhouse-gas emissions.

Tasks for next World Bank chief: heal rifts, tackle poverty

Bush taps Robert Zoellick, a veteran of both Wall Street and Washington, to replace Wolfowitz at the World Bank.

THE MONITOR'S VIEW

Young US Muslims: a threat?

Defeating Afghanistan's drug fix

ASIA China: Hegemonic Threat of Just Another Sputnik? By: William Pesek | Bloomberg
It's oddly fitting that 2007 marks the 50th anniversary of Sputnik. Just as U.S. lawmakers panicked over the Soviet Union's 1957 space launch, they're overstating the effects of China's economic rise.

Asia Times A warning shot for China's markets The Chinese markets gave their instant verdict on an overnight increase in stamp duty for securities transactions by plunging more than 6% on Wednesday. Normal business is expected to resume soon, once the news is fully digested. But if the bull again starts to run too far and too fast, the authorities can be expected to bring out a much bigger stick. - John Ng

From Japan Focus, Reins of Liberation: An article on geopolitics and ethnopolitics of China, Central Asia and the Asia Pacific.

Washington Quarterly The Tenuous Hold of China Inc. in Africa Bates Gill and James Reilly

Pax Asia-Pacifica? East Asian Integration and Its Implications for the United States Joshua Kurlantzick

America’s Grand Design in Asia
Daniel Twining

Balancing Interests and Values: India’s Struggle with Democracy Promotion C. Raja Mohan

Is India, or Will it Be, a Responsible International Stakeholder? Xenia Dormandy

The Dragon and the Elephant: Chinese-Indian Relations in the 21st Century Jing-dong Yuan

What are the High-Probability Challenges to Continued High Growth in China?
Source: Brookings Institution Full Paper (PDF; 116 KB),,

As African Presence Grows, China Should Become a Better Stakeholder By: Richard Weitz | World Politics Review
Beijing should consider joining the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, which encourages transparency in contracts and calls for environmental impact studies of potential investments. Chinese officials should also support international efforts to encourage economic transparency and counter major abuses of human rights. In addition, China would benefit from helping to promote the rule of law and effective judicial systems in Africa.

From Defense News, an essay on US and Chinese nuclear and missile development, and the risk of accidental nuclear war.

H11 IHT Decent Policy, Needs Work By: David Shambaugh | International Herald Tribune While U.S. relations with Africa, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and Russia under President George W. Bush all receive poor to mixed reviews, Asia policy must be considered a net success.

Russia worried over UN plans for Kosovo independence Foreign ministers from the Group of 8 countries clashed after Russia warned that the independence of Kosovo from Serbia could encourage separatist movements in two Georgian regions.

The follies of Bush's Iran policy By SHIRIN EBADI AND MUHAMMAD SAHIMI The Bush administration should put an end to its misguided policy of "helping" the cause of democracy in Iran.

Roger Cohen: Bearish politics, bullish markets
By ROGER COHEN The world today looks very different according to which measure you use to gauge the mood.

EUROPE European press review

Political Crises Abound in Eastern Europe By: Walter Mayr, Marion Kraske and Jan Puhl | Der Spiegel
Almost two decades after the fall of communism, a number of Eastern European countries are still struggling to establish stable democracies. From radical right-wingers to authoritarian post-communists, the political landscape lacks a center.

H12 RFE/RL CIS: Is South Caucasus 'Region' An Artificial Construct?

Russia: Gazprom's Hones Its Strategy On Ukraine

Google News Azerbaijan

Georgia: NATO by Way of BMD By: Federico Bordonaro | ISN Security Watch As Tbilisi extends its hand to the US and the latter's missile defense plans, some analysts believe it is also signaling its NATO aspirations.

EurasiaNet Azerbaijan: Building Bridges for President Aliyev’s Re-Election? BY MINA MURADOVA AND KHAZRI BAKINSKY
An ambitious infrastructure upgrade campaign has taken Azerbaijan by storm in recent months, but some economists point to the 2008 presidential vote as the prime reason for the state-funded building boom and question the projects’ transparency.

EDM MANAS AGREEMENT UNDER REVIEW

- NEW OPPORTUNITIES OPENING FOR AZERBAIJANI-TURKMEN RELATIONS

Nazarbaev Finds an Ally By: Vladimir Solovyev and Alexander Sidorov | Kommersant Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov completed a two-day state visit to Kazakhstan yesterday. In Astana, his visit was taken as an important step toward Kazakh President Noursultan Nazarbaev's long-time dream of union of Central Asian states.

After Nazarbayev: The Dictator, His Daughter, and a Dynasty at War By: Anne Penketh | The Independent
He is the omnipotent ruler of Kazakhstan. She is the woman tipped to succeed him. But a bitter and bizarre power struggle involving allegations of kidnapping has thrown the family - and the country - into turmoil.

Kazakhstan: Trouble Within the First Family

BBC Ukraine MPs deadlocked over poll

Ukraine's parliament misses a deadline to approve early elections to end a two-month political stalemate.

H13 The Times Iraq holds breath before vital summer The next few months are critical to Iraq. Now politics has to catch up with security Roland Watson

Taleban destroy Chinook killing 7 Nato troops The attack, claimed by the Islamist organisation, represents a major blow for the US-UK force in southern Afghanistan

Afghans blame Nato, the invited peacekeeper, for civilian deaths

Tories try to steal centreground while Blair is away

The Tories’ calculation is that, despite Iraq, Blair was unbeatable - which is not the case for Brown

· Peter Riddell

World Bank’s belated saviour

Two years late, Zoellick will take over an institution that is suffering from low internal morale and divided leadership

· James Harding

Taking Stock

China’s attempt to deflate an investment bubble has wider political implications

Wall Street Journal Zoellick's Clean-Up Duty
The World Bank tries to silence its anti-corruption unit.

Helping Iraq's Refugees
Saddam created a big "displacement" problem of his own.
By PAULA DOBRIANSKY

'Re-Arming' Europe
The Old World needs an intellectual revolution to meet the challenges ahead.
By PASCAL BRUCKNER

My Chinese Jailers By: Rebiya Kadeer | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Upon my release in 2005 after five years in a Chinese prison, I was warned by the Chinese authorities not to speak out on human rights. I should not forget that I had family in China, I was told. The Chinese government certainly lived up to its word. My family has been under constant pressure from authorities and my children have been repeatedly detained, tortured or imprisoned.

H14 Financial Times Editorial Zoellick at the World Bank The Americans and Europeans have, like the Bourbons, learnt nothing and forgotten nothing.

COMMENT: Cash and the candidacy A wide-open field and the arrival of a ‘tsunami Tuesday’ of party primaries are helping turn the US presidential campaign into a contest fought by fundraisers

COMMENT: Good ideas and utter incompetence The US electorate is eager to repudiate the Bush presidency. But is it his ideas they want to reject or the way he failed to implement them, asks Clive Crook.

Rising tensions overshadow US-Russian talks President Vladimir Putin is to visit the US for talks with President George W. Bush, amid arguably the most serious strain in relations between Washington and Moscow since the Soviet era.

WORLD NEWS: Reluctant player prepares to step on to world stage

NATIONAL NEWS: Jewish groups vow to overturn boycott of Israeli universities

Editorial Boycotting Israel Gesture politics are rarely edifying. At times, though, they are downright stupid.

US and Russia makea poor showing in peace rankings A new study ranking 121 countries according to how peaceful they are puts Russia in the bottom five and the US below Yemen in the bottom 30.

Troops seal off Sadr City inhunt for Britons IRAQ ABDUCTION Shia militia suspected

UN sets up tribunal over Hariri killing

Britain closer to arms deal with Libya

WORLD NEWS: Boeing arm faces lawsuit over CIA prisoners

Sarkozy intervenes in French parliament poll Nicolas Sarkozy became the first president in 20 years to intervene in his party’s campaign for parliamentary seats, fronting a rally billed as a non-partisan “republican meeting” but explicitly aimed at boosting the UMP’s score in next month’s legislative elections.

France and Spain set to agree on EU treaty Spain is expected to back French proposals for a “mini” European Union treaty

Israelis carry out West Bank ‘execution’ An Israeli undercover squad shot dead an off-duty Palestinian security man at point-blank range during a daylight raid on Ramallah in what Mustafa Barghouti, Palestinian information minister present at the scene, described as an extrajudicial execution.

WORLD NEWS: Senate bill would allow US to intervene in currency markets

FRONT PAGE - FIRST SECTION: China and India in raceto the moon

WORLD NEWS: Berezovsky's bold defiance

WORLD NEWS: Zoellick appeals to staff to put strife behind them

Paris pressed France's new agriculture minister will today warn Brussels that her country's farmers cannot be sacrificed for a world trade deal, but she faces mounting pressure to...

COMMENT: Just relax about China's stock markets International investors have begun to fear the potential global fallout from Shanghai’s excesses. They should stop, writes Geoff Dyer.

COMMENT AND ANALYSIS: Why there is no going back to old Japan The suicides that have shaken Shinzo Abe’s administration are the death throes of Japan’s out-dated post-war system, writes David Pilling.

End the war? Start the draft

EditorialChallenging China on genocide

Economic sanctions on Sudanese businesses and individuals are a good effort, but real change must come from Sudan's biggest oil customer.

H16 American Politics

Washington Times Big ideas for the 2008 race By Michael O'Hanlon The Brookings Institution has created a special project designed to inject ideas into the national debate.

Washington Quarterly How the Right Was Knocked Off Balance and How It Can Recover Gideon Rachman
Having won the battle of ideas from 1979 to 2004, the Right has found itself on the wrong side of the two dominant issues in Western politics today: global warming and the Iraq war. But principles for a new Anglo-American conservatism can help prevent a massive overreaction of paralyzing self-flagellation

Iraq—the Coming GOP Collapse? Rich Lowry / National Review: Was talking to an influential Republican strategist who thinks if Iraq looks the way it does now in September, Bush will lose about 25 Senate Republicans on a bill with some sort of timetable for withdrawal.

BBC Primary power
US states vie for influence on 'Super Duper Tuesday'

realclearpolitics – ABC’s The Note – US News Political Bulletin

Early Bird GovExec Swamp Gas Swamp Sunrise Daybook

LA Times The Dems' healthcare flip

Ronald Brownstein: Candidates are embracing reforms the Democratic Party has run away from since Clinton's health insurance failure. Why?

H17 Daily Telegraph Al-Qa'eda prepares for a new wave of terror Bin Laden and his lieutenants have regrouped and are extending their influence across the globe, British officials believe

Missile shield tension brings Putin to US President George W Bush has invited his Russian counterpart to the US in a last-ditch attempt to improve East-West relations.

Leader Al-Qa'eda's ambitions

It is a bitter irony that al-Qa'eda appears to have shifted its headquarters across the border from Afghanistan into Pakistan.

Britons' captors may demand swap

Five could be used to free hundreds of Shia prisoners.

UN court to try al-Hariri murder suspects

The UN Security Council has approved a resolution to establish a special court to prosecute suspects in the murder of Lebanon's former prime minister.

Far From the End of the United Kingdom By: Tom McCabe | The Japan Times
Does an SNP-led government herald the breakup of the United Kingdom? The answer is almost certainly no. Nationalists polled only 31.9 percent of the votes cast with parties supporting the union polling 59.6 percent. Proof positive that proportional representation can produce strange outcomes.

H18 Independent

H19Military Intelligence Terrorism

Educing Information — Interrogation: Science and Art — Foundations for the Future (PDF; 2.04 MB) Source: Intelligence Science Board/National Defense Intelligence College (via Federation of American Scientists)

Guantanamo Saudi 'kills himself' A Saudi Arabian prisoner at Guantanamo Bay apparently commits suicide, the US military says.

Bee-ware mines!
Croatia trains honey bees to sniff out landmines

Missile tests are a success, official says

U.S. at center of spats on missile shield, climate

Outside View: Space race dangers

H20 Slate Bush's Failed Campaign To Rebrand America:

The administration believes public relations is a synonym for diplomacy.

Fred Kaplan

Economic survey of the United States 2007 Source: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Executive Summary available for free; full document available for purchase.

UN Environment Programme 2006 Annual Report 87 pages; PDF.,,

The Day After By: Pamela Cox | The Miami Herald
The aftermath of the crisis that continues to affect the credibility of the World Bank is not just the result of the change in leadership after its president announced his resignation. In fact, the ''day after'' is not business as usual at the World Bank. The crisis -- as the board of directors has suggested -- is in part the result of governance structures in need of review and which, in the opinion of many, do not properly reflect the political situation of the 21st century.

H21 many critics, US embassies are like the US itself: remote, foreboding and impenetrable.

From 3:AM, The Last Revolution in Town: An interview with Christopher Hitchens on the death of that other religion: liberalism

A review of Reclaiming History: The Assassination of President John F. Kennedy. An interview with Thomas Mallon, author of Mrs. Paine’s Garage and the Murder of John F. Kennedy.

Wikipedia aims to take on Google The phenomenally successful online encyclopaedia has plans for a search engine to rival Google by the end of this year.

Table-style computer tipped as next big thing Microsoft hopes £5,000 coffee table bristling with technology could be the next big step forward.

Developers to demolish Asia's biggest shantytown Mumbai shantytown to be demolished and replaced with free homes for the city's poor.

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