0525-2007f - 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 Analysis: After Victory on Hill, President Shifts Tone on Iraq

International Crisis Group Central Asia’s Energy Risks - Central Asia Cannot Solve Europe's Energy Problem

WP U.S. Urges New Sanctions as Iran Stands Firm on Nuclear Policy

House, Senate Pass Iraq War Funding Measure Bill funding the Iraq war passes both chambers; Democrats declare lack of timelines for troop withdrawal is just a temporary setback.

U.S. Generals: Sadr Back in Iraq Influential Shiite cleric, militia leader is in the Iraqi city of Kufa, senior commanders say.

Los Angeles Times Bush open to a troop withdrawal President says the Iraq Study Group's plan, once scorned, appeals to him.

The Economist Israel and the Palestinians Israel's wasted victory Six days of war followed by 40 years of misery. How can it ever end?

Israel and the Palestinians Forty years on The aftermath of the war of 1967 has been a story of squandered opportunities and deepening divisions among Israelis and Palestinians alike

Steve Clemmons Cheney Attempting to Constrain Bush's Choices on Iran Conflict: Staff Engaged in Insubordination Against President Bush

New York Times Congress Passes War Funds Bill, Ending Impasse The measure does not set a date to withdraw troops but sets benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet.

Iraqi Shiite Cleric Reportedly Returns By MICHAEL R. GORDON Moktada al-Sadr has returned to Iraq after four months in Iran, according to U.S. intelligence reports. In Baghdad’s Sadr City, images of Mr. Sadr and his forebears.

Jerusalem Post Damascus peace overtures stir new interest in Jerusalem Gov't official urges clarification on how deal may break Iranian-Syrian alliance; widely believed agreement will cost Israel entire Golan.

Wall Street Journal Thailand's Constitutional Crisis By: Thitinan Pongsudhirak Thailand's ruling generals have found out the hard way that seizing power by force is much easier than fulfilling their pledge to restore democratic rule. The junta's new draft constitution is supposed to be put to a national referendum in September, before general elections are held in December. But this happy ending looks less likely as the document's contents are scrutinized and opposition from the Thai public mounts.

Daily Telegraph Decline and fall of the Washington hawks

Hawks fear political fallout over Iraq has led President George W Bush to privately rule out military strikes to prevent a nuclear Iran.

Why Hizbollah is suddenly ready to share Even Sunni and Shia Muslims, historically at constant loggerheads, are united in their aim of bringing down the Lebanese government, says Con Coughlin.

Can US Invoke 'Hot Pursuit' in Syria? Council on Foreign Relations

Lebanon: Worth Saving, or the Hell With it? - Michael Young, Reason

Latest poll results on the Iraq war:

Guardian Iran interest rate cut sparks panic President defies expert advice with shock order that leads to plummeting bank shares.

Cracks in the Financial Foundation: The World Bank, the IMF and the WTO are now facing questions about their relevance in a global economy.

Time Finger-pointing at Syria

Geopolitical Diary: Iran's Moves to Contain Ahmadinejad Stratfor

Time The Link Between Lebanon and Gaza - Robert Baer Talk about the heart of darkness: The Israeli army shelling the Palestinians in Gaza, the Lebanese army bombarding the Palestinians in a refugee camp outside of Tripoli. It may take a while for the smoke to clear, but one thing is for certain: neither Lebanon nor Israel fully understands their enemy and the nature of the relationship between the Palestinians and al-Qaeda, which is strengthening.

Christian Science Monitor US-Iran standoff: stakes rise As the UN reports progress in Iran's nuclear program and US ships gather in the Gulf, US and Iranian diplomats prepare to meet in Iraq.

Israel, US, and Egypt back Fatah's fight against Hamas

The Bush administration has spent most of its $84 million in aid to Palestinians to train an elite corps of Fatah-loyal fighters.

Israel's next war? By Cal Thomas

There could be another war by this summer, probably launched from terrorist positions in Gaza, Lebanon and possibly Syria, which has not directly attacked Israel since it was bloodied in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

IHT Molding a camp of Middle East peacemakers The Arab league offers a chance for Israel, the Palestinians and the U.S. to avoid more conficts.

Germany and Japan press U.S. to take strong action on climate change
But Chancellor Angela Merkel tries to lower expectations that President George W. Bush will agree to ambitious goals at a G-8 summit.

The Economist France's new government A study in perpetual motion Sarkozy storms ahead, after a surprisingly good start

French foreign policy The Kouchner effect A new minister signals a new foreign policy

Romania and Bulgaria Losers take all

Washington Monthly How A Democrat Can Get My Vote

Advice from seven recent war veterans

By Seven War Veterans

CFR Colton: Putin Likely to Remain Powerful Figure After 2008

OpenDemocracy The Changing Face of China | openDemocracy

ArmsControlWonk First Thoughts on IAEA Iran Report

H2 Yasemin Çongar 'Change' as an engineering project vs. 'change' as social phenomenon

Turkey plans for attack on Kurds
CNN International

Morgan Stanley Turkey Black Swans and the Surprise of 2007 Every election brings an unexpected result, but what will be the surprise of 2007? Turkey remains in a twilight zone of institutional and political uncertainties. All the parties are trying to move towards the centre of the political spectrum. The economy is strong enough to absorb a political realignment, in our view.

TPM BookClub Ruling But Not Governing: The Military and Political Development in Egypt, Algeria, and Turkey

Boston Globe The politics of Turkey By H. D. S. GREENWAY It would be a mistake to describe the Turkish secularists as uniformly democratic, some are anti-Europe, and would be happy to see the army step in and sweep Islam out of Parliament.

Der Spiegel The World From Berlin: 'Turkish Democracy Is in Danger'

Araplar Atatürk'ü mü örnek alıyor?
MUHAMMED SEYİD SAİD

The Turkish Model By Cliff May
Town Hall –

The Kurdish card Kathimerini -

Google News Kurdish Kurdish Media

Şırnak'ta altı şehit
Türkiye Şırnak'tan gelen haberle sarsıldı: Operasyon yürüten birliklere bağlı araç, uzaktan kumandalı tuzağa düşürüldü, altı asker şehit oldu

Bağdat'ın nota cevabı Ankara'yı tatmin etmedi

Sınır ötesine adım adım

Konya'da PKK operasyonu: DTP il başkanı da gözaltında

Gülay Göktürk Kürt kartı

KORAY DÜZGÖREN
Gökten taş düşse de sınır ötesi operasyon...

ABD Irak'a Türk müdahalesine karşı

Kürt kaynakları Türk F-16'ların Kuzey Irak'ta uçtuğunu ileri sürüyor Ayrıntılar

Turkey Pressured to Start War in Kurdistan
IraqSlogger

Bizi sadece çaycılarla şoförler kabullendi

Arslan BULUT ABD ordusu, 5 bin ton patlayıcıyı kime verdi?

Emin Çölaşan Marş marş Irak’a girelim!

Kurds dismayed at links between bombing and operation

Irak'a dönecek olursak Prof.Dr.Haluk Ülman

ABD: Tek yanlı müdahale çözüm olmaz

MİT'ten CIA'ya El Kaide paketi

Hedef Kızılay’dı

Ulus bombalamasında anahtar soru: Canlı bomba mı? Uzaktan kumanda mı?

Bombalar Irak'tan giriyor

‘Apo’yu zehirlediniz ben de sizi öldürecektim’

Kurdish officials in Baghdad to discuss constitutional disputes

El Kaide örgütü Türkiye'ye tehdit savurdu

Attacks put Turkey in a bind over rebel Kurds

Iraq: Talks With President Of Kurdistan Region

Turkish Media Ramps Up Anti-Kurdish Attacks

Iraqi Kurdistan: Investment from the Gulf UNPO

Turkey fieldwork notes: visiting warred villages; doublespeak

Turks Take The War Into Iraq
Strategy Page -

In Kirkuk, a War on Garbage

Kirkuk Airbase

Körfez'deki büyükelçiler istişare için Ankara'da

“El Iraki’yi ABD’ye Türkiye teslim etti”

El Kaide’den Türkiye’ye tehdit

Iraq: UN envoy holds talks with President of Kurdistan Region

Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber

Fransız basını: Sarkozy, Türkiye konusunda çıkış yolu arıyor

Timely support for Erdogan Kathimerini

Sarkozy'nin Türkiye'ye çifte oyunu
Erdoğan telefon etti

Ali Bulaç April 27 and EU membership

‘Medya üzerinden konuşmayalım’

Almanya tasarıyı geçirdi

KKTC önergesine onay

Athens rejects Turkey's statement on Pontian genocide

Türkiye'den Kosova'da Rumlara veto

Greece to Import Electricity from Turkey (24/05/2007)

TURKEY: SCIENTISTS FACE OFF AGAINST CREATIONISTS
EurasiaNet

Ambassador Wilson Opens at the USA Pavilion International Defense Industry Fair (IDEF) 2007 Photo Gallery

Türkiye'de çalışan kadın profili: Ucuz ve sessiz emek gücü
YUSUF ENGİN

Özgürleşmiş Türk kadını mutsuz
Maureen Freely

A new chapter in south-south trade cooperation: Turkey leaps into ...
Yemen Times

BBC 25 Mayıs 2007 Basın Özeti

'Türk ekonomisi istikrar ve AB sürecine bağlı'

Tufan Türenç İktidarın gerçek ekonomi karnesi

Bu mesajları kim açıklayacak?
Yiğit Bulut

OECD'den Türkiye'ye seçim öncesi moral

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM
Dövize yönelenlerin kader ayları

Metin MÜNİR Karamehmet'in dönüşü

Faik ÖZTRAK Büyüme ve istihdamı koruyacak esneklik

Güngör URAS Tarımda alternatif ürünlere yönelmek zorundayız

Deniz Gökçe Bu başarıyı alkışlamalıyız!

Reform var mı? Uğur Gürses

Ercan Kumcu Küresel gelişmeler ulusal ekonomileri yönlendiriyor

Erdal Sağlam

Salih Neftçi Gerginlik ortamında... Dış riskleri küçümsemeyin

[Yorum - Prof. Dr. Bünyamin Duran] Türkiye'nin uçuşu engellendi!

Ertuğ Yaşar İş dünyası AKP’ye oy verir

Biz sizi ağırlayalım
CHP Genel Başkanı Deniz Baykal, TÜSİAD’ın davetini, programının yoğunluğunu gerekçe göstererek reddetti.

BAHÇELİ’DEN TÜSİAD’A RED..

Haluk Bürümcekçi Seçim ekonomisi mi, AKP klasiği mi

Güven Sak Reform nasıl yapılmaz

İbrahim Öztürk Faiz lobisi ne durumda? (2)

Kendi kaderini belirlemek! Uğur Civelek

Seçim boncukları Maliye Bakanı Unakıtan: Akdeniz ülkelerinde turizm KDV'si düşüktür, biz de yüzde 8 yapacağız, uygulama 2008'de. Bazı gıda ürünlerinde de düşüreceğiz

H3 Sınırlı operasyona "yeşil ışık" ihtimali

Taha Kıvanç Önemli olan kimin yaptığı değil, neden yaptığı

Sınır ötesi operasyon için hâlâ ne bekliyoruz? Hasan Celal Güzel

ERGUN BABAHAN PKK kimin taşeronu?

Nasuhi Güngör Kuzey Irak’a girmek

Şamil Tayyar Hedef Büyükanıt değil metroydu

MİT eski Müsteşar Yardımcısı Cevat ÖneşTerörün hedefi sandık

ABD: Türkiye'nin Irak'a müdahalesi hiçbir sorunu çözmez

ABD Irak'a Türk müdahalesine karşı

ABD operasyona soğuk bakıyor

Cengiz Çandar Ankara senaryoları: Kuzey Irak’a mı; 22 Temmuz’a mı?

M Ali Birand Barzani de bu olaydan korkmalı

Bilal Çetin Yeniden koalisyon dönemi mi?

Cross-border operation gains currency in capital

Sınır ötesine adım adım

Taha AKYOL Terörle mücadele

Türkiye batağa mı çekiliyor?

Mr. Loğoğlu is wrong, considerably wrong, about Turkey MUSTAFA AKYOL

6 şehit, 10 yaralı

EMRE AKÖZ Yapsa da yaptı, yapmasa da!

MAHMUT ÖVÜR Demokrat Parti ne yapacak?

Ufuktaki kara bulutlar Erdal Güven

Ferai Tınç İhtara gerek var mı?

Ankara'da hedef... İsmet Berkan

Köşk krizinde İzmir zirvesi Murat Yetkin

Ertuğ Yaşar İş dünyası AKP’ye oy verir

Mehmet Tezkan

Erdoğan intikam duygusu ile hareket ederse kasımda yeniden seçim olur

Türkiye'yi anlamak M.Ali Kışlalı

İlnur Çevik Cross border operation is not a political game

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 Önemli olan kimin yaptığı değil, neden yaptığı

Fehmi Koru Irak o kadar ırak değil

ALİ BAYRAMOĞLU Asıl büyük tehlike nedir?

İBRAHİM KARAGÜL Bütün bunlar tesadüf mü?

NAZLI ILICAK Cumhurbaşkanı 'faul' yapıyor Başer neden görevden alındı?

Baykal Hem cumhuriyet hem demokrasi

Erdoğan'dan iki kritik görüşme

The aging doyen of Turkish politics stripped of rational support by ELISABETH ÖZDALGA

YASİN DOĞAN Terörün yedeğinde siyaset olmaz

Ali H Aslan Politics of fear in US and Turkey

Fikret BİLA Baykal'ın 'kadın merkezli' sosyal politikası

Ertuğrul Özkök Şerif Hoca, Kemalist mi oldu

Güneri CIVAOĞLU Partisiz cumhurbaşkanı

Hurşit GÜNEŞ CHP, AB'ye karşı mı?

Ahmet Hakan Bir müptezel aday adayı olmuş

Biz bunları daha önce görmemiş miydik? Haluk Şahin

Yılmaz pazarlıkta

Serdar Turgut Zirve darmadağın

Mustafa Ünal Türkiye sürükleniyor mu?

Hüseyin Gülerce Terör ve zaaflarımız

Lale ŞIVGIN Hani Genelkurmay Başbakan’a bağlıydı?

Güler Kömürcü Özel kaynaklar...

Semih İDİZ Tango iki kişiyle olur

Mehmet Altan Senaryo öngörüldüğü gibi mi?

Eser Karakaş Başbakan’ın TÜSİAD konuşması

In Turkey, why is democracy not the only game in town? by Dr. SABRİ ÇİFTÇİ*

Berat Özipek Dokunulmazlıklar pandomimi

Parti değiştirme rekoru kimde?

Ece TEMELKURAN Kurban

Şakir Süter Arınç’ı “çizmek!”

28 Şubat aktörlerine AKP vizesi yok

Cem Uzan Benden iyisi yok

Elazığ DYP'den 37 kişi istifa etti

CHP'de muhalifler liste dışı

Yılmaz: Önemli bir gelişme olmazsa, bağımsız adayım

BBP, seçime bağımsız adaylarla girmeyi tartışıyor

Gülen’in kuzeni AKP’de

ERDAL ŞAFAK
Derin komplocular!

Prof. Dr. AYDIN AYAYDIN
Liderler siyasi havayı tırmandırmamalı

Oktay EkşiDurumun özeti...

Mehmet Metiner Cumhuriyetçi misiniz demokrat mı?

Bülent Keneş Looking in the mirror in the face of terrorist attacks

Yalçın Doğan Alandan ilk izlenimler

Hasan CEMAL Alaturka demokrasi!

[Yorum - Mümtaz'er Türköne] Terörün amacını yeniden düşünmek

İşte DSP’nin aday listesi

Mehmet Y Yılmaz Kime oy vereceğiz?

AKP 'kriz' değil 'vizyon' sunacak

Alaturka Demokrasi

Sezer’in affettiği yasadışı TİKB üyeleri

Emin Pazarcı Terör karmaşası

Başsavcıdan 'günlükteki darbeci' Eruygur'un fişleme raporuna takipsizlik

[Yorum - Doç. Dr. Sabri Çiftçi] Kazananlar-kaybedenler...

Büyükanıt: İzmir bu ülkenin gözbebeği

UMUR TALU Alalım bu tavrı!

Nuh Gönültaş
Genelkurmay Başkanı sıcağı sıcağına konuşmalı mı?

Tarafsız yargı isteyen Erdoğan'a hukukçu desteği

DSP-CHP ittifakında 'Vahdettin krizi' çıktı

Özdemir İnce 500 imza makinesine sorular

Who is insulting Turkey? Intellectuals or 'lovers of Turkey'?
ORHAN KEMAL CENGIZ

'Bulaşıcı davranışlar' Murat Belge

Rektör Aşkın davasında görevsizlik kararı

H4 New York Times Congress Passes War Funds Bill, Ending Impasse The measure does not set a date to withdraw troops but sets benchmarks for the Iraqi government to meet.

Iraqi Shiite Cleric Reportedly Returns By MICHAEL R. GORDON Moktada al-Sadr has returned to Iraq after four months in Iran, according to U.S. intelligence reports. In Baghdad’s Sadr City, images of Mr. Sadr and his forebears.

Israel Seizes 33 Palestinians in Crackdown

Iraqi Tribal Leader Is Killed, and Mourners Are Attacked

U.S. Opens a Sheltered Path to Asylum for Some Iraqis

U.S. Casualties May Spike This Summer, Bush Warns

Spain Voting Seen as Test for Premier and His Rival

Ukraine Fires Prosecutor

Immigration Bill Provisions Gain Wide Support in Poll Americans want to allow illegal immigrants to gain legal status and to create a guest worker program, a Times/CBS News poll found.

· Full Results (pdf)

PAUL KRUGMAN Immigrants and Politics

To see how the proposed immigration bill, despite good intentions, could well make things worse, take a look back at America’s last era of mass immigration.

H5 Washington Post Analysis: After Victory on Hill, President Shifts Tone on Iraq

U.S. Urges New Sanctions as Iran Stands Firm on Nuclear Policy

House, Senate Pass Iraq War Funding Measure Bill funding the Iraq war passes both chambers; Democrats declare lack of timelines for troop withdrawal is just a temporary setback.

U.S. Generals: Sadr Back in Iraq Influential Shiite cleric, militia leader is in the Iraqi city of Kufa, senior commanders say.

Editorial Pakistan's Peril In trouble, Gen. Musharraf shuns the moderate parties that could save him

Lebanon Violence Is Viewed As Omen

Get Out of Our Garrisons By: Richard Feinberg | The Washington Post
With threats to American power growing stronger and American prestige slipping around the world, our professional Foreign Service officers are more crucial than ever. Unfortunately, our approach to their security is making it almost impossible for many of them to do their jobs.

One Short Amendment The Amnesty Compromise Needs a Caveat By Charles Krauthammer, As the most attractive land for would-be immigrants, America has the equivalent of the first 100 picks in the NBA draft. Yet through lax border control and sheer inertia, it allows those slots to be filled by (with apologies to Bill Buckley) the first 100 names in the San Salvador phone book.

Making History, Reluctantly: In a Hill Anomaly, Pelosi Shepherds Iraq Bill She Opposes

Books Paint Critical Portraits of Clinton

2 Biographies Detail Marital Strife and Driving Ambition

Blessed Be the Ideologues How Evangelicals Became Part of Washington's Fabric

By Hanna Rosin

H6 Guardian Iran interest rate cut sparks panic President defies expert advice with shock order that leads to plummeting bank shares.

Anger growing at Lebanese army
Violent clashes between Lebanon's army and Palestinian militants are in danger of spreading, analysts warn.
Denials mask growing sectarianism

Leader Unwelcome guests Lebanon: Once again Palestinian blood is being shed, as shells are dropping in overcrowded refugee camps.

Iran wants stability in the region

America's Muslim success story Asra Nomani New research suggests that Europe could learn a lot from the US in how to treat its Muslim minorities.

A man with a mission Ian Traynor May 24 07, 07:00pm: If Nicolas Sarkozy's recent performance in Brussels is anything to go by, Europe is about to get a damned sight more interesting.

China's lessons for the World Bank Jeffrey Sachs May 24 07, 07:30pm: As the World Bank clings to its free-market ideology, China is providing more practical help for developing countries.

Rumour-mongers or war-mongers? Robert Fox May 24 07, 08:00pm: Not content with failing in two wars, the US now seems to want to invent another one - this time with their latest enemy of choice, Iran.

To succeed, Brown must show he is like Thatcher Martin Jacques: The celebrity premier's successor can become a leader of substance if only he has the political courage to get serious.

'Rendition flights posed problems'
Former CIA chief says rendition flights had caused serious problems for America's allies.

Where have all the good men gone? Nosratollah Amini: The former mayor of Tehran and attorney to Mohammad Mossadegh reflects on America and Iran more than 50 years after the coup.

Israelis swoop on Hamas politicians
· 33 leaders held in attempt to halt rocket strikes
· Defiant Islamist group says its fight will continue

We should back Chávez Colin Burgon: It's not too late for Britain to stand against the Washington consensus on Latin America.

New files 'link Chirac to secret Japanese bank account' · Documents suggest fund contained £30m
· Police find papers at home of former intelligence boss

Tokyo aims for 50% cut in greenhouse gases by 2050 Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, unveiled an ambitious 'vision' to cut global greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2050.

H7 Cracks in the Financial Foundation: The World Bank, the IMF and the WTO are now facing questions about their relevance in a global economy.

Geopolitical Diary: Iran's Moves to Contain Ahmadinejad Stratfor

Time The Link Between Lebanon and Gaza - Robert Baer Talk about the heart of darkness: The Israeli army shelling the Palestinians in Gaza, the Lebanese army bombarding the Palestinians in a refugee camp outside of Tripoli. It may take a while for the smoke to clear, but one thing is for certain: neither Lebanon nor Israel fully understands their enemy and the nature of the relationship between the Palestinians and al-Qaeda, which is strengthening.

The Bitter End By: Spencer Ackerman | The Washington Monthly
Democrats are right to push for an end to the Iraq war. But don't expect the troops to be grateful.

From surge to sustain

By Austin Bay Withdrawal without ensuring Iraqi stability is a self-inflicted defeat leading to extremely dire consequences.

Morgan Stanley Middle East/North Africa Pumping Money

The most troublesome Mideast state has signaled its desire to deal with us. How should America respond to Iran. Whenever the administration shifts toward engagement, one figure is there to stop it. How Dick Cheney ensures diplomatic failure with Tehran

Kissinger says early Iraq departure would be mistake

Anil Hira (Simon Fraser): The World Is Round: A Real Plan to Solve Global Problems in this Generation

From TAP, the costs of UN peacekeeping missions across the globe have ballooned -- and, along with them, so have America's arrears

BBC Blair: US may back carbon deal The US may be willing to back an agreement on cutting carbon dioxide emissions, the prime minister says.

Iranian gamesmanship

By James G. Zumwalt It should be clear this is an extremist Islamic government committed to exporting terrorism in hopes of fomenting its revolution all around the world -- and doing so aggressively as mandated by its constitution.

On America's Global Role
San Francisco Chronicle

Despite the 'surge' A 'continuing high level of attacks' in Iraq
Monday Morning - Beirut,Lebanon
Hadley's National Security Council is in the midst of a major turnover with the departure of Hadley's deputy JD Crouch and Megan O'Sullivan

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

BBC Congress backs Iraq funding bill

Both houses of the US Congress approve a new bill funding the war in Iraq without calls for withdrawal.

'Third way' tactics
Push for controlled enrichment agreement with Iran sparks row

Washington Times Deadline looms on unsettled oil issue Iraq's proposed oil law, a key U.S. benchmark for political progress, remains in sharp dispute one week before the government's self-imposed deadline for passage, and some say it could create more divisions in the fractured country.

Al-Maliki nominates Shiites to fill Cabinet posts Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki on Thursday nominated ministers to fill six Cabinet posts that supporters of anti-American Shiite Muslim cleric Muqtada al-Sadr vacated last month.

Der Spiegel Securing the Iraqi Capital: A Slow, Hard Crackdown

The Economist Lebanon The cauldron may bubble over again The latest outbreak of violence in northern Lebanon menaces the whole region

Iran Warns Israel: Don't Attack Lebanon...

USA 'sabotaging Iran nukes'...

CBS: Bush created 'safe haven' for terrorism

How We Failed the Lebanese State

Middle East Times Commentary: The merits of the upcoming US-Iran talks

H9 Ha’aretz –

Eldar: Israel must take a big step toward the Arab peace initiative

Informal team advised PM on Lebanon war operation Team's advice to launch major offensive on final days of war was not reported to Winograd war probe commission

The Economist Israel and the Palestinians Israel's wasted victory Six days of war followed by 40 years of misery. How can it ever end?

Israel and the Palestinians Forty years on The aftermath of the war of 1967 has been a story of squandered opportunities and deepening divisions among Israelis and Palestinians alike

Jerusalem Post Damascus peace overtures stir new interest in Jerusalem Gov't official urges clarification on how deal may break Iranian-Syrian alliance; widely believed agreement will cost Israel entire Golan.

Israel's next war?

By Cal Thomas

There could be another war by this summer, probably launched from terrorist positions in Gaza, Lebanon and possibly Syria, which has not directly attacked Israel since it was bloodied in the 1973 Yom Kippur War.

Barak, Ayalon neck and neck

Poll indicates 4 percent advantage to Labor MK in Monday's primary elections over former PM

Don't fear world's wrath Giora Eiland

Palestinian Arabs Doing Violence to Own Cause - Youssef Ibrahim (New York Sun)

No Peace Without a Capable and Responsible Palestinian Partner - Interview with Martin Indyk

Ehud Barak Ltd. “His advantage was his connections in the top ranks of the Turkish establishment and his ability to gain quick access to officials and cabinet ministers.”

A chilling 'what if'

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

BBC Refugees' fate
Divisive issue at the centre of the Arab-Israeli conflict

Abbas urges end to rocket attacks

The Palestinian president urges Gaza militants to end "absurd" rocket attacks that are impeding peace efforts.

Analysis: Israel steps up Hamas crackdown

'Chivalrous' Rommel wanted to bring Holocaust to Middle East

H10 Christian Science Monitor US-Iran standoff: stakes rise As the UN reports progress in Iran's nuclear program and US ships gather in the Gulf, US and Iranian diplomats prepare to meet in Iraq.

Israel, US, and Egypt back Fatah's fight against Hamas

The Bush administration has spent most of its $84 million in aid to Palestinians to train an elite corps of Fatah-loyal fighters.

Daniel Schorr: Walls don't solve problems

ASIA U.S FEARS OVER CHINESE BUILD-UP OF LONG-RANGE NUCLEAR MISSILES...

China Concedes Little at US Summit By: Krishna Guha, Eoin Callan, and Doug Cameron | Financial Times
China on Wednesday agreed to a new aviation deal with the US and offered limited concessions in financial services at the conclusion of top-level economic talks in Washington.

H11 IHT Molding a camp of Middle East peacemakers The Arab league offers a chance for Israel, the Palestinians and the U.S. to avoid more conficts.

Germany and Japan press U.S. to take strong action on climate change
But Chancellor Angela Merkel tries to lower expectations that President George W. Bush will agree to ambitious goals at a G-8 summit.

The problem is beyond Musharraf By HUSAIN HAQQANI
Pakistan has become a dysfunctional state, a tinderbox that may not light up for years, or go up in flames in an instant.

Fighting converges in Lebanon Fighting By RAMI G. KHOURI / Agence Global It is unclear what Fatah al-Islam represents, its members come from half a dozen Arab countries with a sprinkling of Asians as well.

French are more positive on immigrants, poll shows More than half of those polled in France a new international survey viewed the number of immigrants in their country as "about right.'

EUROPE European press review

The Economist France's new government A study in perpetual motion Sarkozy storms ahead, after a surprisingly good start

French foreign policy The Kouchner effect A new minister signals a new foreign policy

Romania and Bulgaria Losers take all

Charlemagne Constitutional conundrums The battle over the constitution is likely to be won by the minimalists

EU27 FDI flows with the rest of the world up by 38% in 2006

CSM Elections test Spain's new gender-parity law

Sunday's elections are expected to bring 7,000 women into local and regional offices, where they currently hold less than a third of the seats.

Appeasing Serbia Hurts EU By: Natasa Kandic and Mabel Van Oranje | The Japan Times
This month has been a bad one for the cause of human rights in Europe, as Serbia was allowed to begin its six-month presidency of the Council of Europe, the Continent's oldest political body.

Looking Toward Tomorrow By: Milorad Dodik | The Washington Times
As the prime minister of the Republic of Srpska (RS), one of the two entities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I am facing several challenges of utmost importance for the future of RS and BiH. These include reforms of law enforcement agencies and the constitution, both of which cut to the very core of relationships in Bosnia and Herzegovina and represent a test of maturity for all players on the political scene.

Poland Has Made a Humiliating Farce Out of Dealing With Its Red Ghosts By: Timothy Garton Ash | The Guardian
A partisan law to expose communist informers creates injustice, but other countries can learn from these mistakes.

H12 RFE/RL

Russia: Energy profile

Google News Azerbaijan

The Economist Russia and dissent Old habits, new hypocrisy

Relations with Russia Out of reach

Baltic Cyberwar Nothing But a Squabble By: Gwynne Dyer | The Japan Times
There is no obvious action NATO could take that would stop these attacks, which are being coordinated by Russian hackers who may or may not have been sent into action by the Russian government. And yet another reason for NATO not to get officially involved is that grownups have been conspicuously absent on both sides in this quarrel.

Chill Winds Over Europe By: Ronan Thomas | The Washington Times
The row is already deep and nasty. It just got nastier. British prosecutors have just announced they intend to file murder charges against former KGB officer Andrei Lugovoi for the radiation poisoning of former colleague Alexander Litvinenko in London in November.

Transdniestria Days in Moscow and Chisinau By: Vladimir Solovyev | Kommersant
Deputy Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian federation Yury Zubakov was in closed negotiations with Moldovan President Vladimir Voronin in Moldova. Zubakov was trying to convince the Moldovans to accept the Russian settlement plan for the Transdniestrian conflict.

BBC Ukraine's political crisis grows Ukraine's political crisis worsens after President Viktor Yushchenko sacks the nation's top prosecutor.

H13 The Times Leader The Wrong War The Democrats’ demands on Iraq have given comfort only to extremists

Bush predicts bloody summer in Iraq The President said the next few weeks in Iraq would be critical for determining the success or failure of his troop surge plan

Pretty bad – but not Jimmy Carter bad

It’s an old truth that things are never as good or as bad as they seem and so it is now Gerard Baker

Siege refugees cram into crowded camp

Already filled with residents, the Badawi camp is struggling to cope with a sudden influx of 15,000 fellow Palestinians

Merkel gloomy on G8 climate deal The German Chancellor's pessimism came as her Environment Minister accused the US of narrow-mindedness over global warming

Wall Street Journal How to End 'Islamophobia'
The latest survey of American Muslims won't reassure their fellow citizens.
By TAWFIK HAMID

Iran's Latest Hostages
Haleh Esfandiari is a scholar, not a firebrand opponent of Tehran.

Thailand's Constitutional Crisis By: Thitinan Pongsudhirak
Thailand's ruling generals have found out the hard way that seizing power by force is much easier than fulfilling their pledge to restore democratic rule. The junta's new draft constitution is supposed to be put to a national referendum in September, before general elections are held in December. But this happy ending looks less likely as the document's contents are scrutinized and opposition from the Thai public mounts.

H14 Financial Times

There is a feeling that since the No there is less France in Europe and that the new president must reverse this, writes Dominique Moisi.

The European Union’s responsibilities will begin rather than end with recognition of independence for Kosovo, writes Philip Stephens.

Time is short to halt spread of Jihadism Virulent jihadism seems to be seeping out of Arab soil almost everywhere. The region’s political immune system, is collapsing.

US fears over China long-range missiles

The US is increasingly concerned about China’s deployment of mobile land and sea-based ballistic nuclear missiles that have the range to hit the US, according to people familiar with an imminent Pentagon report on China’s military.

EU probes Google grip on data

European data protection officials have raised concerns that Google could be contravening European privacy laws by keeping data on internet searches for too long. -

Google believes that the responsible way to handle this privacy issue is to ask users if they want to opt-in to the service, writes Peter Fleischer, global privacy counsel for Google.

As China and the rest of the world seek to get a better return on swollen forex reserves, investors are asking where the money will actually be deployed.

The alarmists might have a case. There is a whiff of ‘The Last Days of Pompeii’ in the atmosphere, writes Samuel Brittan.

H15 Los Angeles Times Bush open to a troop withdrawal President says the Iraq Study Group's plan, once scorned, appeals to him.

U.S. helps Mexico grow eavesdropping program Documents suggest that American officials will have access to the data derived from tapped calls and e-mailsEditorial

H16 American Politics

McClatchy Congress approves Bush's war funding legislation In a setback for Democrats' efforts to bring the Iraq war to an end, Congress approved legislation on Thursday that funds President Bush's request for nearly $100 billion for the war but attaches no demand for a withdrawal.

Senate votes to legalize 12 million undocumented immigrants

Clinton, Obama Vote 'No' On Iraq Bill

Post: New Hillary books critical but show Clinton 'brilliance'

As Giuliani emerges, conservative Catholic organizations are in the process of rolling out potentially broad-reaching “viral” initiatives with the common aim of denying him the Republican nomination.

The Economist Immigration Of fences and visas The latest attempt to fix America's broken immigration system has come under attack from all sides

Iraq Pulling the pull-out

Lexington The politics of plenty How mass affluence shapes American politics and culture

John Zogby on Gore, Gingrich, Bloomberg scenarios in '08.

Wolfowitz's tomb Salon - USA
By Sidney Blumenthal

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

Early Bird GovExec Swamp Gas Swamp Sunrise Daybook

H17 Daily Telegraph Decline and fall of the Washington hawks

Hawks fear political fallout over Iraq has led President George W Bush to privately rule out military strikes to prevent a nuclear Iran.

Why Hizbollah is suddenly ready to share Even Sunni and Shia Muslims, historically at constant loggerheads, are united in their aim of bringing down the Lebanese government, says Con Coughlin.

Militants 'will fight to the last drop of blood'

Islamic militants besieged inside a refugee camp in Lebanon seek martydom, say supporters.

Europe worried at Hamas arrests Party talks at risk after Israel arrests 33 Hamas politicians

H18 Independent The green house effect The home of the future will be kind to the environment. This week ministers laid the foundations

Hamas cabinet ministers seized by Israel troops

Leading article: A refusal to engage that is both deadly and foolish

Saeed Taji Farouky: Gaza's innocents suffer amid the anarchy

Bush: be prepared for more bloodshed in Iraq

Government orders full inquiry into Murdoch's UK empire

H19Military Intelligence Terrorism

Al Qaeda: Past, Present and Future

**WARNING: GRAPHIC**: Pentagon releases al-Qaeda torture manual drawings, victim photos ...

"Presidential Directives: Background and Overview," updated April 23, 2007.

Homeland Security Department: FY2008 Request for Appropriations," May 17, 2007.

The Air Force Handbook 2007 (326 pages, 17 MB PDF file).

Uniting conservative Catholics, evangelicals and neoconservatives to fight a theoconservative holy war: A review of Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army.

Army ancestry
From Houdini to Babe Ruth - 90m US military records go online

The Big Question: What are control orders, and are they effective against terrorism?

NIGHTMARE SCENARIO: Attack of the cyber terrorists...

Revealed: Torture, al-Qaeda style

Old and New Emerging Diseases Threaten Nations Worldwide

H20 Slate

Hyping al-Qaida:

Bush bungles a press conference.

Fred Kaplan

In the Trenches: US Muslim population: fact and fiction

H21 Econoblog: Nudging as Policy

Some economists advocate a new breed of policies that nudge and coax -- but don't force -- individuals toward certain choices. Is this sensible governance? Two economists debate.

E-Mail Reply: 'Leave Me Alone' Swamped by too many messages and plagued by spam, some users are saying "Enough!"

From Seed, are most published research findings actually false?

The team who conquered the Continent by accident

Just think of it: the biggest prize in European football went to Milan because a ball accidentally hit a chap Simon Barnes

Institute Urges Extensive Smoking Deterrents

By Christopher Lee, In the 43 years since the U.S. surgeon general warned of the dangers of cigarette smoking, the percentage of Americans who light up has been cut in half, tobacco companies have paid billions of dollars in legal settlements and smoking has come to be widely reviled as a nasty habit.

WSJ A Future for Newspapers
The "pipes" have more to fear from the coming media shakeout than the content providers do.
By ANDY KESSLER

VARIETY REVIEW: 'OCEAN'S THIRTEEN' breezy, stylish, smooth, meaningless...

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