0512-2007f - 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 In Gulf, Cheney Pointedly Warns Iran As He Talks Tough, U.S. Pursues Diplomacy

Iraqi Lawmakers Seek Timetable for Withdrawal

Talk Syria, Avoid the Next War By: David Kimche | The Jerusalem Post As we approach the summer months, we hear an increasing number of voices warning of another war in the North, but this time with Syria, and not Hizbullah in Lebanon. And if that happens, that war will go down in the history of Israel as the most crass, the most idiotic and most unnecessary of all our wars.

U.S. Must Talk With Iran By: Trudy Rubin | The Miami Herald
Disputes within the administration still block serious talks. Vice President Dick Cheney and his circle want Iran regime change, not engagement. Rice understands the need for talks, but wants to keep them narrowly focused -- on issues like Iranian arms for Iraqi militias.

Morton Kondracke Plan B For Iraq: Winning Dirty

Financial Times WORLD NEWS: General who opposed war warns against early pullout

WORLD NEWS: Republicans fear Iraq policy spells defeat at home Unpopular, out-funded and haunted by the memory of Vietnam, Republicans are making it very clear to George W. Bush that their patience with his Iraq policy is wearing thin

The Times Brown reviews strategy on Iraq Gordon Brown plans to fly to Iraq to review British policy and troop numbers, admitting that mistakes have been made

Weekly Standard Nothing to Fear but Polls Themselves?The Iraqi political class is showing a lot more courage than the American political class. by William Kristol

An Iraq To-Do List How we can help the surge succeed. by Max Boot

The Subjection of Islamic Women
by Christina Hoff Sommers

What Cheney Needs to Tell the Saudis By: Robert Baer | Time
Cheney is going to need all of his vast political skills to convince the Saudis things in Iraq are not as bad as they look. One argument that would serve Cheney well is persuading the Saudis that a Shi'a Iraq is not necessarily the same thing as an Iranian Shi'a Iraq.

Jerusalem Post US Affairs: War matters By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER As more US Jews support leaving Iraq, Israel is forced to reassure Democrats of its bipartisanship.

Column one: What is Israel's problem?[ CAROLINE GLICK,

Guardian Brown plans historic written constitutionChancellor aims to restore public trust in politics as he launches leadership campaign

Asia Times Europeans look to temper US pressure
With the US warning of a third round of UN sanctions if Iran does not stop uranium enrichment, European leaders find themselves in a spot. They have to support the sanctions, yet at the same time find a way to kick-start negotiations with Tehran to end the current lose-lose game being played. - Trita Parsi

Al Hayat Who Will Govern Israel After Ehud Olmert? Patrick Seale

Yedioth Ahronoth 'Arabs giving Israel lifeline' Nasrallah: Saudi peace plan rescues Israel from difficult situation after last summer 'defeat'

Daily Star Assad can best serve his country by ending the witch-hunt

What is Caesar's and what isn't in the Arab world By Rami G. Khouri

Prospect – Endgame in Kosovo - Eight years after the Kosovo war, the UN is preparing to make a final decision on the province's final status. Can independence work? Rebecca Thornton

Ali Allawi,Iraq: Four Years of War

Gas for Oil By: Dmitry Butrin | Kommersant Kazakhstan is proposing that Russia give up its full monopoly on the transit of Central Asian oil and natural gas. Russia is prepared to do that, but it intends to pay for Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan's moderation in their encroachment on Gazprom and Transneft.

OxAn AZERBAIJAN: Long-term oil production remains uncertain

The Times Isolated nation puts democracy to the test Ballot-stuffing and vote-rigging have discredited past elections. This time Armenia knows it must get it right

RFE/RL Armenia Will General Elections Foreshadow Presidential Race? Armenians go to the polls on May 12 to vote in hotly contested parliamentary elections

Ermenistan sınırında nükleer tehdidi

Armenians vote in poll seen as test of democracy

H2 Washington Post Ruling Party Charms a Turkish City With New Take on Secular Heritage

National Review THE EDITORS: Both the evolution of democracy and the spread of Islamic piety make it essential for Turkey to develop a more tolerant secularism that will permit the public expression of religious commitment. “Warm Turkey”

Turkey's Misunderstood Moderate Muslims By: Amitai Etzioni | National Interest The constitutional amendment that would lead to direct elections of the Turkish president, replacing the current election by parliament, is in the interest of the United States. This course is best followed despite the fact that direct elections are likely to lead to a head of state who is an observant Muslim

UPI Outside View: Turkey's political schism By RAYMOND J. MAS

Asia Times 'A bullet at the heart of democracy'The near-coup by Turkey's generals to prevent Abdullah Gul from becoming president shows that secularists are not invariably the good guys engaged in a struggle with irredeemably bad guys from the Islamist camp. In Turkey, it is the secular elite, backing military coups against Islamists, who fail the test of democracy. - Dilip Hiro (

Turkey stakes a Central Asian claim
Stymied by its seemingly hopeless ambition to join the European Union, Turkey is reconsidering its diplomatic strategy with the goal of becoming the main bridge for Western interests into energy-rich Central Asia, where it can claim to have ethnic, linguistic and religious affinities. - Federico Bordonaro

'Seçim Sürecinde Taraf Değiliz'

Almanya Dışişleri Bakanı Frank Walter Steinmeier, Amerika'nın Sesi'nin sorularını yanıtladı

More Ballots May Help Fuel Turkey's Religious Tempest By: Laura King | Los Angeles Times

Türkiye'deki kriz tüm dünya için talihsiz Joseph S. Nye

Why neo-Turcophiles are wrong on "Muslim democrats" Burak Bekdil Of course, Mr Erdoğan and his men disapprove of violence in the name of Islam. But there would be a very thin line between violent Islam and “Muslim democracy” when the latter becomes the dominant ideology of an unstable, unpredictable and young populace

US keeps low profile as Turkey simmers in crisis

Turkey’s healthy constitutional democracy by CHRISTOPHER VASILLOPULOS*

Sami KOHEN Batı'nın desteği kime?..

Güngör URAS Holbrooke '22 Temmuz'dan sonra ortalık sakinleşir' diyor

Semih İDİZ Türkiye üzerine bir analiz demeti

Can Ataklı Batı basını AKP’yi neden destekliyor?

Turkey and US sign $1.8 bln deal for F-16 purchase

Turkey’s Modernization Programs Face Delays Amid Election Uncertainty
DefenseNews.com

TDN Turkey invited to join Eurofighter project

F-16'lar Türkiye'de üretilecek

Sabanci Lecture Essay Award Winners 1st Place, Christine Philliou
2nd Place, Suhnaz Yilmaz and Ipek K. Yosmaoglu 3rd Place, Maximilian Harthmuth

Türkiye 'kısmen özgür'

Hükümet, Türkiye'yi Avrupa'ya taşıyor

Google News Kurdish Kurdish Media

Iraq: A Framework Settlement and Kurdish Concerns Stratfor

Büyük Kürdistan Türkiye için heyula

Büyük operasyonda PKK'ya bomba yağdı

M. Ali BİRAND DTP'yi engelleyerek bir yere varılmaz

The DTP goes out of the PKK's field of influence Mehmet Ali Birand

Arslan BULUT ABD, AKP’yi Kürt devleti için destekliyor!

Sadi SOMUNCUOĞLU Barzani anasını da alıp geliyor

İlnur Çevik Inclusion of Kurds or exclusion?

Abdülhamit Bilici Türkmenler için asıl tehlike

Abdülhamit Bilici How Ankara sees Iraq?

Barzani"nin ITC karşıtı Konuşmasına Türkmen Meclisinden tepki

Turkey shelves plans for second border gate with Iraq

Kurdish state already existing in Northern Iraq
PanARMENIAN.Net

Pro-Kurdish party says it will not repeat past mistakes

MEPs: 80,000 signatures on Öcalan petition

Öteki Irak

"Mam Celal ile Kak Mesut" Kumru Başer'in Kuzey Irak izlenimleri

What Future for the Kurds?
American Chronicle –

Fate of Kirkuk could spell trouble for Iraq Kuwait Times -

Iraq's Kurdish Problem Greg C. Reeson

Kirkuk referendum needed soon, says Iraqi Kurdish leader Kurdistan Regional Government

Petition to Kurdish Regional Government and United Nations Kurdish Aspect

Altemur KILIÇ Seçim ve Kürtler

Irak sınırına sevkiyat

Kürtlere karşı bir konsensüs

Tom Barnett Kurdistan's resilience personified

Mehmetçik Ahpanos’ta PKK’yı çembere aldı

On bin askerle PKK’ya darbe

Los Angeles Times Plain talk in Iraq: Troops needed Speaking frankly, the U.S. commander in northern Iraq says he does not have enough troops to deal with violence.

Guardian US general asks for more troops in northern Iraq

Iraqi Kurdistan Moves to Curb Militant Attacks

Holbrooke denies favoring independent Kurdish state

'Chemical Ali' Denies Attacks on Kurds

Talabani Blair'i "Kürdistan"a davet etti

Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber

Sarkozy tehlikesi ve Türk siyaseti SİNAN ÜLGEN –

İlter Türkmen Sarkozy devri

Sarkozy has Ottoman Roots fron Selanik

Rauf DENKTAŞ Siyasi eşitlik ve federasyon

Fransız tuzağı

"İmtiyazlı ortaklık"

Where is Turkey headed? (5)by JOOST LAGENDIJK*

Barçın Yinanç Kapadokyalılar 'biz Avrupalıyız demezse' Sarkozy'nin istediği olur

Zeynep Göğüş AB ile iletişim hataları

Beril Dedeoğlu Will France be obliged to carry Turkey to the EU?

Ankara expresses uneasiness over Greek Cypriot flag issue

FT Blair chews over EU with SarkozyTreaty, trade and Turkey on Paris menu

Sarkozy, Türkiye yanlısı dışişleri bakanı mı atayacak?

‘Blocking Turkey’s EU bid will push it to radicalism’

AK Party pulling Turkey toward Europe, says Rice

Yunan 'Metal Fırtınası' komşuyu karıştırdı

Ata Atun The new direction for Turkey: Eurasian Union

NYT A Father’s Pain and an Empty Pizzeria

Culture of fear, hate and denial= Santoro, Dink, Malatya
Orhan Kemal Cengiz

Erhan Tuncel de ‘o müdür’ü işaret etti

US hasn’t recognized Turkish Republic juridically so far PanARMENIAN.Net

Military’s think tank organizes security symposium

H3 Değişiklik belirsizlik getirdi

Hukukçular Çankaya kaosunu yorumladı

SaptamalarGündüz Aktan

Şahin Alpay Cumhurbaşkanı Sezer'e itirazlarım

Türkiye için bir seçim sistemi TOSUN TERZİOĞLU

Ümit Enginsoy AKP-Israel 'affair' trapped between pragmatism and incompatibility Trade, economic ties have been boosted during the AKP term, but lack of mutual trust remains in place

Radikal 'Memduh abi'nin bir bildiği varmış Tuncel bir numaradan üç, birinden bir kez arandı. İlki 'Memduh abi'den, ikincisi Tuncel'i muhbir yapan Muhittin Z.'den. Görüşmeler dosyada yok Polis, cinayet sonrası Tuncel'i dört defa aradı

Başbakanlık'tan Büyükanıt görüşmesine açıklama

Devekuşu gibi olmak İsmet BerkanDarbenin önlemi: Demokrasiyi genişletip derinleştirmek ve tartışılır olmaktan çıkarmak...

AK Parti mağdur mu, iktidar mı?
Murat Yetkin

Abdülhamit Bilici How Ankara sees Iraq?

Gül Benden çok eşim kırıldı

Cengiz Çandar

Ertuğrul Özkök Makul kürsüye çıkıyor

Ali Bulaç AK Parti'nin yanında olmak

Taha AKYOL Atatürk, efsane ve gerçek (2)

Enis Berberoğlu Resim, hayatın aynası

Baykal'ın senaryosu

Gül: Halk seçerse aday olacağım

Teziç'e göre 5+5 darbeye davetiye

Baykal Egemenlik parçalanır

PO, Maliye ile uzlaştı

Petrol Ofisi, vergi cezası için Maliye ile uzlaştı

CHP’nin üç ayaklı seçim stratejisi

Peki şimdi ne olacak? Senaryoları okumak için tıklayın...

Teziç: Halk seçerse rejim krizi çıkabilir

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 Mahremi öldürdük

Fehmi Koru Anketlerin kışkırtıcı câzibesi

ALİ BAYRAMOĞLU Militarizmin krizi

Dış dinamik öldü, yaşasın iç dinamik!
Haluk Şahin

NAZLI ILICAKAtatürk vizyonu ve laiklik çığırtkanlığı

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN
Böceklerden yıldızlara kadar!..

Bir 'irtica' tanımı Murat Belge

Hasan CEMAL Ecevit'le Baykal, değişimle demokrasi!

ERGUN BABAHAN Darbe sopası

Can the Turkish left pull it off?
Semih İdiz

Can Dündar Tatilde kim sandığa gider?

Paket geçti ama tartışma bitmedi

Sağda sıkıntı çok, dedikodu bol

Vecdi Gönül Biraz boş bulunduk söyledik

Baykal 'Sezer veto edecek'

Büyük dert açar

Gül: Adaylığımız devam ediyor

Çankaya için vahim sözler

3 CHP oyu 1 AK Parti oyunu silsin

Kurtulma Yolları ve Çözümün Ruhu Perihan Mağden

Election alliances by MÜMTAZ’ER TÜRKÖNE

MAHMUT ÖVÜR İstanbul'da seçimi kim kazanacak?

Teziç: Acele değişiklik rejim krizi çıkarır

Emine Hanım kriterleri

AKP’de vitrin operasyonu

Yılmaz kırgın ve bağımsız

Aday trafiği hızlandı

Çuval olayının komutanı MHP'den aday

Gül to accompany Erdoğan on election trail

Seçim rüşvetini de eleştirecekler mi?

Fikret BİLA CHP ile DSP arasında psikolojik duvarlar aşıldı

Güneri CIVAOĞLU 'Devlet benim' yetkileri

Soru:Hangi bakanın karizmasını çizecek

5 partinin kasası doldu

İşbirliği olursa biz de içinde yer alırız

Şimdi de Sezer'e baskı: Kimse ülkeyi allak bullak etmeyi göze alamaz

YAVUZ DONAT Ankara bilmecesi

Yusuf KANLI Do parties have plans for tomorrow?

Ayşe Önal Laik olmanın sorumlulukları

Oktay Ekşi Ciddiyetsizlik anıtı...

Özdemir İnce AKP, İslami değil(miş)

Mehmet Y Yılmaz Tony Blair Türkiye’de yaşasaydı

Emin Çölaşan Yangından mal kaçırmak

Nuh Gönültaş Bu kısır döngü kırılmadıktan sonra...

İsmail Küçükkaya Teşekkür etmesini bilmek

İlker Sarıer - The Economist, yeni paradigma

MELİHA OKUR Çiller, Ağar'a arka sırayı gösterdi!

Mumcu, Mesut Yılmaz'ı veto edince, Rize teşkilatı ayaklandı

[Yorum - Dr. Murat Yılmaz] DYP-Anavatan: Tavan anlaştı, taban sancılı! (II)

İŞTE AKP'NİN DESTEKÇİLERİ

[Yorum - M. Naci Bostancı] Karizmanın gücünden doğan görev - 2

[Yorum - Oğuz Satıcı] 'Sözde' değil, 'özde' demokrasi!

MEHMET KAMIŞ - 22 Temmuz'a yaklaşırken

Ümit ÖZDAĞ Suçlar, cezalar ve doğrular

Atatürk'ün kızları, annelerimiz
M.Ali Kışlalı

Metin MÜNİR Akbank'ta nöbet değişikliğine doğru

Yaman TÖRÜNER Seçimden sonra

Erdal Sağlam Enflasyonla mücadele seçime feda edilmemeli

Murat Kelkitlioğlu TÜSİAD’ın değil parlamentonun dediği oldu

POAŞ'ın cezası iyice küçüldü

Ege Cansen Gurur eşekliktir

BOB HERBERT The Millions Left Out More than 90 million Americans are struggling to make ends meet on incomes that are less than twice the official poverty line. In my book, they’re poor.

H5 Washington Post In Gulf, Cheney Pointedly Warns IranAs He Talks Tough, U.S. Pursues Diplomacy

Bank May Vote No Confidence In Wolfowitz

Brown Sees A New Path For BritainFinance Chief Opens Bid to Succeed Blair

Post Assistant Managing Editor Bob Woodward on former CIA Director George Tenet's book, "At the Center of the Storm: My Years at the CIA." Transcript

Editorial Bipartisan Trade For now, Democrats are the main beneficiaries of a deal with the Bush administration's trade negotiator.

Venezuelan Oil Losing Share of U.S. Market

New study of trade and oil consumption data shows that Venezuela is dependent on selling its oil to the United States.

William Arkin Looking Beyond Iraq, and Bush

H6 Guardian Brown plans historic written constitutionChancellor aims to restore public trust in politics as he launches leadership campaign

Naomi Wolf v Alan Wolfe, round one Take Two Is America on the road to fascism?

Leader Goodbye, grumpy Gordon
Gordon Brown's formal leadership bid yesterday was a beginner's attempt, by a notoriously private man, at becoming a salesman not just of ideas but of himself.

Changing relationships Mark Seddon Those hoping for a shift in foreign policy from Gordon Brown may be pleasantly surprised.

Greenspan warns of recession for US economy · Weak housing market puts brake on retail spending · New Fed chairman may be forced to cut interest rates

Serbian leaders reach agreement on coalition · EU promises membership talks after last-minute deal · Nationalist Kostunica to remain prime minister

Blair faces questions over alleged US plan to attack al-Jazeera

The country wants a change - but does it mean Brown? Martin Kettle: Labour is feeling fragile in the absence of the human shield that has stood between it and the public for 13 years.

An inferior Bill Clinton Richard Sennett: The force was with Blair when he took power, but ultimately the American was the smarter operator

A very public secret Richard Norton-Taylor May 11 07, 06:30pm: The Old Bailey's decision to impose reporting restrictions on the Blair-Bush memo case is an unprecedented attempt to hush up something said in the open.

Rebel returns to change world
In a rare interview, Zapatista rebel chief Marcos warns US efforts to secure its southern border are pushing his poor compatriots over the edge.

H7 U.S. Must Talk With Iran By: Trudy Rubin | The Miami Herald
Disputes within the administration still block serious talks. Vice President Dick Cheney and his circle want Iran regime change, not engagement. Rice understands the need for talks, but wants to keep them narrowly focused -- on issues like Iranian arms for Iraqi militias.

What Cheney Needs to Tell the Saudis By: Robert Baer | Time
Cheney is going to need all of his vast political skills to convince the Saudis things in Iraq are not as bad as they look. One argument that would serve Cheney well is persuading the Saudis that a Shi'a Iraq is not necessarily the same thing as an Iranian Shi'a Iraq.

'We'll keep sea lanes open' From an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf, Vice President Dick Cheney warned Iran yesterday the United States and its allies will keep it from restricting sea traffic as well as from developing nuclear weapons.

Asia Times Europeans look to temper US pressure
With the US warning of a third round of UN sanctions if Iran does not stop uranium enrichment, European leaders find themselves in a spot. They have to support the sanctions, yet at the same time find a way to kick-start negotiations with Tehran to end the current lose-lose game being played. - Trita Parsi

Neo-cons drive divestment campaign US neo-conservatives are leading a divestment campaign against Iran. Potentially at stake are billions of dollars controlled by state pension funds and other institutional investors that have invested money in companies - based mostly in Europe and Asia - that operate in Iran. "Terror's lobbyists" are fighting back. - Jim Lobe

ROVING IN THE RED ZONE
'The cultivation of life'
Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, despite what many believe, does not have the "privilege" to issue a religious decree that could bring the US occupation in Iraq to an abrupt end. Rather, leading Shi'ite cleric Sheikh Mohammed al-Roubaie tells Pepe Escobar, people should be more spiritual. It's as simple as that.

Weekly Standard Nothing to Fear but Polls Themselves?The Iraqi political class is showing a lot more courage than the American political class. by William Kristol

An Iraq To-Do List How we can help the surge succeed. by Max Boot

The Subjection of Islamic Women
by Christina Hoff Sommers

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

US Papers Saturday: Bleeding Oil

Iraqi Papers Sat: SCIRI No More?

BBC Iraq leader says troops must stay US and British troops will need to stay another one or two years in Iraq, the President Jalal Talabani says.

Gratitude and anger
Iraqis divided over Blair's role in their country's fate

International Businesses Increasingly Shun Iran, U.S. Official Says

Anbar a bright spot in turbulent Iraq

Iraqi Lawmakers Call for US Timetable

Larijani Deputy: Saudi Arabia Caused Increase In Internal Conflict In Iraq

Six Nations Agree to Ask Iran to Resume Enrichment Talks By: Judy Dempsey | International Herald Tribune
Senior diplomats representing the United Nations Security Council and Germany agreed yesterday to resume negotiations with Iran in a bid to persuade it to stop its uranium enrichment program.

Al Hayat Who Will Govern Israel After Ehud Olmert? Patrick Seale - The obvious lesson to be drawn from these developments is that Israel’s long-term security could best be assured by peace with its neighbours rather than by force. For their part, Arab leaders have understood this.

Can Ban Shift From a Mere Mediator to a Secretary-General? Raghida Dergham - It is unacceptable for Ban Ki-moon to appear as though he might be willing to compromise on an issue as important as establishing a tribunal ratified by the United Nations and the legitimately elected Lebanese government to prosecute terrorist crimes

Lebanon, Syria, Iran: lessons of Sharm el-Sheikh | Robert G Rabil

Briefing: Is Iran Facing an Economic Crisis?

SCIRI Adopts Sistani, emphasizes Iraqiness Bombin...

Daily Star Assad can best serve his country by ending the witch-hunt

What is Caesar's and what isn't in the Arab world By Rami G. Khouri

Sunset at DAWN? By: Hameed Haroon | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) A critical point has been missed in much of the reporting on recent unrest in Pakistan: The people protesting in the streets are liberals, not religious extremists. The "rainbow coalition" opposing President Pervez Musharraf's infringement of judicial independence is composed of lawyers' associations, journalists' unions and other mainstream groups striving to bring Pakistan under the rule of law.

Asia Times Pakistan running out of optionsWith anti-government sentiment in Pakistan reaching boiling point over a judicial crisis, President General Pervez Musharraf and his Washington allies are looking for a way out. The favored option is an alliance with former premier Benazir Bhutto. But she has no control over the military, let alone the Taliban or al-Qaeda. And even the top leaders in her party are opposed to such an alliance. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

Syria's Ruling Party Nominates Assad for Another Seven Year Term in Office

“Sufism and Salafism in Syria” by Itzchak Weismann

H9 Ha’aretz - Olmert: Quitting would be display of irresponsibility

Bradley Burston: The Arabs will never forgive us

Germany: IDF involved in three 'incidents' off Lebanon coast

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

Talk Syria, Avoid the Next War By: David Kimche | The Jerusalem Post
As we approach the summer months, we hear an increasing number of voices warning of another war in the North, but this time with Syria, and not Hizbullah in Lebanon. And if that happens, that war will go down in the history of Israel as the most crass, the most idiotic and most unnecessary of all our wars.

US Affairs: War matters By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER As more US Jews support leaving Iraq, Israel is forced to reassure Democrats of its bipartisanship.

Column one: What is Israel's problem? [ CAROLINE GLICK,

Germany reports close calls between IDF, UNIFIL forces In recent days, IAF jets reportedly buzzed a German ship; In past two weeks, two IDF naval patrols have approached UNIFIL ships unannounced.

Yedioth Ahronoth 'Arabs giving Israel lifeline' Nasrallah: Saudi peace plan rescues Israel from difficult situation after last summer 'defeat'

BBC Clashes follow new Gaza operation Clashes in the Gaza Strip leave six Palestinians injured, a day after major security operation began.

New Jerusalem settlement planned

Israel plans to build new Jewish areas in East Jerusalem, an area regarded as occupied territory.

IHT Why is Israel after my brother? By MARWAN BISHARA
Israeli Arabs believe the motives for investigating leaders like Azmi Bishara are political.

Define Zionism as the Jewish Right of Return

Tony Karon Worse Awaits Olmert, More So Israel

H10 Christian Science Monitor

House, dropping timetable, backs two-stage plan for funding the war

The bill likely won't go far, as President Bush and many Senate Democrats oppose it.

Germany raids G-8 'terrorists'

Conducting widespread raids, German police claim to have uncovered plans by leftists to violently disrupt next month's G-8 summit.

ASIAUntouchables sweep to powerParty of India's lowest caste win landslide vote in Uttar Pradesh.

The Shunning of a State By: Chen Shui-bian | The Washington Post
Taiwan's participation in the WHO is subject to China's approval, even for technical meetings. Such participation is minimal rather than meaningful. It is improper and unprecedented for an international humanitarian organization to enter into a secret pact with one of its member states, especially an authoritarian one.

China’s Nuclear Forces: Operations, Training, Doctrine, Command, Control and Campaign Planning
Source: Strategic Studies institute, U.S. Army War College

Building an Information Technology in China
Source: Center for Strategic & International Studies Full Document (PDF; 4.19 MB)

Asia Times Brace for a China-led chillHaving lost control of the stock markets, Chinese regulators are left with no option but to enact multiple policy moves, including a freeing up of the currency regime. The result will be massive losses for speculators, as well as many of the biggest banks in the country. But it won't stop there; all Asian stock markets will face a chilling downturn in the aftermath

BOOK REVIEWThe uses and limits of 'soft power'
Charm Offensive by Joshua Kurlantzick
The author takes the concept of "soft power", first enunciated by Harvard's Joseph Nye, and develops it in the context of China's international "charm offensive". This book is in essence about two things: China's utilization of its growing soft power, but also the vacuum of soft power and influence an emasculated US is leaving behind. - Benjamin A Shobert

FT COMMENT: Chinese put stock in Lady Luck A nationwide propensity for gambling is feeding the country’s stock market frenzy, writes Richard McGregor.

WORLD NEWS: Beijing to relax curbs on foreign investments

H11 IHT A Foreign Policy That Went Astray By: Sunder Katwala | International Herald Tribune So, while Blair is often defined by his unflinching support for U.S. foreign policy, his Britain is best understood as a mid-Atlantic project - maintaining Anglo-Saxon competitiveness but seeking to mitigate its sharp edges with a more Scandinavian social agenda.

Social Democrats smell victory in regional elections in Bremen, Germany By JUDY DEMPSEY With the Greens, they have a chance to end their coalition with the conservatives.

A Bulldog, Not a Poodle By: Rich Lowry | New York Post
It is the strange fate of retiring British Prime Minister Tony Blair to be called a lackey for adhering to his own deep-felt foreign-policy vision.

EUROPE European press review

Prospect – Endgame in Kosovo - Eight years after the Kosovo war, the UN is preparing to make a final decision on the province's final status. Can independence work? Rebecca Thornton

The Dark Shadows Hanging Over Kosovo By: Bronwen Maddox | The Times of London Kosovo is still controversial. The solution towards which the United Nations Security Council is edging is enormously risky even though it is the best available: encouraging the disputed province to declare independence from Serbia in the hope that the UN will then acknowledge its sovereignty.

France à Droite By: André Schiffren | The Nation The Thatcher-Blair move to the right has finally hit France. In a campaign that played on fears of crime and immigration and vowed to trim social spending, Nicolas Sarkozy, with 53 percent of the vote, handily won the runoff presidential election against Socialist candidate Ségolène Royal.

Weekly Standard Liberté, Egalité . . .
Sarkozy!by Michel Gurfinkiel

AN NRO SYMPOSIUM: Gerard Baker, John Blundell, Peter Brookes, Matthew Elliott, Andrew Haldenby, Tim Montgomerie, Iain Murray, Stephen Pollard, Peter Rodman, Andrew Stuttaford, and Charlie Wolf talk British politics. “Blair’s Legacy”

What will Gordon Brown do now? | Anthony Barnett

Gavin Evans: Why Blair Embraced Bush

Newsweek What's Next for Blair, Brown and Britain?

H12 RFE/RL Chechnya: Why Did 1997 Peace Agreement Fail?

U.S., Europeans To Introduce UN Resolution On Kosovo

Turkmenistan: New President Modifying Niyazov's Neutrality Policy

Armenia: Authorities, Opposition Brace For Postelection Showdown

Armenia: Parliamentary Vote Sets Scene For 2008 Presidential Race

Rice 'Troubled' By Kremlin's Concentration Of Power

CEPS Turkmenistan in Transition - a Window for EU Engagement?

EurasiaNet Armenian Leaders Expect Tight Grip on New Parliament
BY EMIL DANIELYAN
With only one day to go before Armenia’s general elections, President Robert Kocharian and his top political allies appear confident that they will gain a commanding majority in the country’s new parliament. Whether or not they will avoid post-election infighting remains an open question, however. Kocharian’s most uncompromising opponents, meanwhile, are gearing up for a campaign of anti-government demonstrations that they pledge will follow what they expect to be a fraudulent vote.

Russia’s Central Asia Energy Strategy Experiences a Few Setbacks
Russia has suffered several setbacks in its ongoing efforts to secure its energy dominance in Central Asia. Both Uzbek and Tajik officials have taken steps of late to reduce Russia’s energy position in their respective countries.

Google News Azerbaijan

Gas for Oil By: Dmitry Butrin | Kommersant Kazakhstan is proposing that Russia give up its full monopoly on the transit of Central Asian oil and natural gas. Russia is prepared to do that, but it intends to pay for Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan's moderation in their encroachment on Gazprom and Transneft.

EDM ESTONIA’S PRESIDENT UNDERSCORES SHARED GOALS IN VISIT TO GEORGIA

- TASHKENT EXPLORES OPTIONS TO EXPLOIT ENERGY RESOURCES

- UKRAINE’S COMMUNISTS AND SOCIALISTS LEFT BEHIND BY PARLIAMENTARY ELECTION DEAL

H13 The Times Brown reviews strategy on Iraq Gordon Brown plans to fly to Iraq to review British policy and troop numbers, admitting that mistakes have been made

Power to Persuade Brown must be himself but also reach out to others

Pakistan set to declare state of emergency Security forces were placed on high alert amid growing civil unrest against President Musharraf's embattled regime

Wall Street Journal Can Bush Recover? The president casts a long shadow over the 2008 race.
By FRED BARNES

H14 Financial Times WORLD NEWS: General who opposed war warns against early pullout

WORLD NEWS: Republicans fear Iraq policy spells defeat at home Unpopular, out-funded and haunted by the memory of Vietnam, Republicans are making it very clear to George W. Bush that their patience with his Iraq policy is wearing thin

ANALYSIS: Led astray One fateful mistake may have undone a decade of the prime minister’s principled humanitarian intervention and energetic European diplomacy

Blair chews over EU with SarkozyTreaty, trade and Turkey on Paris menu

COMMENT: Sarkozy is past saying 'sorry' ‘Repentance’ has turned France into one of the west’s most guarded places. Sarkozy will not be apologising, writes Christopher Caldwell.

Undercover Economist: For better or worth When it comes to pricing, we might learn from Coca-Cola and Amazon

ABC of today's central bankingEconomy A has inflation of 3.1 per cent, B has 1.8, and C has 2.1. All three central banks have explicit or implicit inflation targets of around, or slightly below, 2...

MARKET NEWS AND COMMENT: Dollar rises on US rate-cut stall

US treasury secretary to skip G8

WORLD NEWS: Beijing to relax curbs on foreign investments

H15 Los Angeles Times Plain talk in Iraq: Troops needed Speaking frankly, the U.S. commander in northern Iraq says he does not have enough troops to deal with violence.

Editorial Blair's second act

The outgoing British prime minister, reviled at home, could make a great global environment cop.

Media monoliths Does it matter that a handful of companies own large shares of the markets for TV, radio and print news?

Low-carbon diet Ronald Brownstein: Taxes, caps and other global warming tools for the next president.

H16 American Politics

Battle of wills
Hard bargaining as Democrats and White House seek Iraq deal

What's behind the Hillary surge? Eric Alterman May 11 07, 05:30pm: How did Hillary Clinton steal the momentum from Barack Obama? And how many Americans actually know it happened?

Bloomberg readying for the White House Billionaire mayor might have to spend $500m of his own money if he wants to be president.

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

Early Bird GovExec

H17 Daily TelegraphBlair couldn't govern - can Brown? Tony Blair's resignation speech unintentionally captured a fact about the past 10 years: we have, in many ways, been well led, but we have not been well governed, says Charles Moore.

Paris meeting boosts Franco-British links

H18 Independent Blair finally gives Brown his blessing, ten years on Gordon Brown promised to learn from the mistakes made in Iraq as he launched his campaign for the Labour leadership.

Leading article: Welcome signs of a change in direction

H19Military Intelligence Terrorism

LA Times FBI wary of relying on amateurs The bureau acknowledges that fighting terror requires the assistance of two unreliable allies: the public and informants.

US: Advanced Terror Plot Uncovered in Germany

Sharing the Dragon’s Teeth: Terrorist Groups and the Exchange of New Technologies
Source: RAND Corporation Summary (PDF; 165 KB)
+ Full Document (PDF; 804 KB)

Exclusive: Interview with a Foreign Fighter from Al-Qaida's "Islamic State of Iraq"

Nuclear Khan game to reopen? By Claude Salhani The black-market nuclear network established by the father of Pakistan's nuclear program, A.Q. Khan, broken up in 2004, may be dormant but could resume operations in the future, according to a just-released report by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies.

Washington Institute The Role of Finance in Combating National Security Threats On May 10, 2007, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Robert Kimmitt delivered the keynote address at The Washington Institute's 19th annual Soref Symposium to discuss the government's efforts to use financial tools to counter terrorism and proliferation. Read the prepared text of Ambassador Kimmitt's remarks.

The Terrorist We Tolerate By: Rosa Brooks | Los Angeles Times
Like pirates, terrorists are supposedly hostis humani generis — the "enemy of all mankind." So why is the Bush administration letting one of the world's most notorious terrorists stroll freely around the United States?

Avoiding the Plague: an Assessment of U.S. Plans and Funding for Countering Bioterrorism (PDF; 778 KB)
Source: Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA)
From press release (PDF; 69 KB):

Pentagon Restricting Testimony in Congress

Petraeus Letter on Torture (pdf)

H20 Slate

Foreign Policy Seven Questions: Rupert Murdoch Strikes Again

H21 Anthropologists make the foreign less strange. It’s a skill autistics need, as they struggle to navigate through a world not designed for them... more»

How to Win the Olympic Games – The Empirics of Key Success Factors of Olympic Bids (PDF; 450 KB) Source: International Association of Sports Economists Working Paper Series

Google may use games to compile profiles of web users Players' behaviour could be used by advertisers.

Nul point to Eurovision The Eurovision Song Contest was always an excuse to laugh at our neighbours' bizarre tastes alongside an ever more puzzled Terry Wogan. But now we realise that no one else takes it seriously, either.

The special ones When is competition bad for competition? When it's commercial competition between football clubs. That

FT ‘You’ve beaten them once. Now do it again...’Ahead of the long-awaited first FA Cup final at the new Wembley, Simon Kuper looks at the myths and matches that have made the stadium an indispensable part of the British national consciousness.

0800-CHEATERSAcademic careers, it is often observed, are based on pointing out flaws in the work of one's closest colleagues - or failing that, in the personalities of those...

Francis Fukuyama: L’Enfant’s Washington The grand, strange and illuminating story of Washington, DC, and the eccentric genius of its designer. Also included, a photo tour of the city by the author.

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