1005-2007f - 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 Al Awsat Who Wants to Carve-Up Iraq and Why : Amir Taheri

The Times Vladimir Putin rescued Russia from disaster: so let’s just leave him be Norman Stone

McClatchy New military leaders question Iraq mission Four and a half years after the nation's top military leaders saluted and fell in behind President Bush's pre-emptive invasion of Iraq, their replacements are beginning to question the mission and sound alarms about the toll the war is taking on the Army and the Marine Corps. The change at the Pentagon is striking but little-noticed, in part because Defense Secretary Robert Gates, a longtime veteran of the CIA, is quiet where his predecessor Donald H. Rumsfeld was not

Ha’aretz – Report: Iran worried over Syrian air defense failure in IAF strike Aviation Week reports IAF used electronic device to jam radars during strike on Syrian target last month

IHT Survey finds erosion of support for globalization's side effects A study conducted by the Pew Research center still found widespread support for trade. But in advanced Western nations - and most of all in the United States - skepticism is growing

Guardian The fallout from an attack on Iran would be devastating Seumas Milne: The drumbeat of war in Washington is growing - and so must public pressure against British involvement in such folly.

Bill Clinton: Hillary wants me to restore image of US If his wife wins the US presidency, Bill Clinton will be asked to repair America's damaged international reputation, the former president tells the Guardian. Read the full interview

The Economist American politics The comeback kids The American presidency is Hillary Clinton's to lose. But that doesn't make her a shoo-in just yet

Hillary Clinton Ready to run the movie again?

Dan Drezner Calling Miss Manners If rising powers don't improve their diplomatic skills, world politics is going to start looking like a bad episode of reality television

CFR HBO History Makers Series: A Conversation with Brent Scowcroft (Audio)

Washington Post Oval Office Overhaul

The Nation Lobbying Degree Zero

Daniel Lazare | Moral mudslinging has stifled debate over the Israel lobby.

Debate Erupts on Techniques Used by C.I.A. The disclosure of secret legal opinions on interrogation sparked debate over the treatment of terrorism suspects and whether Congress has been adequately informed of legal policies

Editorial Sovereignty and Limits for Kosovo Serbs need to come to terms with the fact that Kosovo will never again be ruled by Belgrade. It’s time to begin healing this last Balkan wound

Los Angeles Times U.S. snipers pressured to kill? An elite Army unit in Iraq, three of whom are on trial for murder, say they were pressed to produce high body counts.

EurasiaNet Azerbaijan: Is Iran the Reason for the CIA Director’s Recent Visit to Baku?

stratfor geopolitical diary Geopolitical Diary: Georgia and Ukraine's Russian Problem

Djerejian What a Month: A Depressing September

Iran's Armed Forces 'Article Examines Combat Capabilities of Iranian Military Forces

Al Awsat The Failure of Partition : Abdul Rahman Al-Rashed

H2 EastWest Institute Emerging Global Actor More Turkce

Opposing the Kurdistan Option for Withdrawal By: Matan Chorev | The Boston Globe Proponents of the "Kurdistan Option" believe that an opportunity still exists to achieve victory in Iraq. Undeterred by setbacks to the "freedom agenda," these cartographic entrepreneurs believe the United States should withdraw all troops to Iraqi Kurdistan and create a long-term presence in order to ensure that at least the northern portion of Iraq realizes the neocon fantasy of a democratic Shangri La in the Middle East.

Ali H Aslan Senseless of Congress

Stratfor Russia, Turkey: An Unlikely Proposal

The Economist Turkey and Armenia Genocidal follies The trouble that might flow from an American congressional resolution

Ambassador Ross Wilson, Remarks at Confederation of Businessmen and Industrialists of Turkey (TUSKON) Iftar, Istanbul (October 3, 2007)

Financiers Cold To Turkey's Iran Gas Deal - Forbes.com

SFGate: World Views : Turkey's new constitution and headscarves: "Protecting" or pressuring women?

Doğu-Batı Enstitüsü'nün analizi: Türkiye küresel güç olma yolunda

WSJ Politics and Genocide Congress meddles in some combustible Turkish history.

EDM AKP FACING A CONSTITUTIONAL TRAP OF ITS OWN MAKING

Ralston resignation neither confirmed nor denied

Mustafa Akyol Turkey's Jewish Islamists
Washington Post

The AKP, secularism and the third path Shoshana BEKERMAN

Google News KurdishMedia Kurdish Kurdish Aspect BBC Monitoring

Census to Be Held in Iraqi Oil-Rich Kirkuk in Mid Nov 07

KORAY DÜZGÖREN Kürtler ve çeteler üzerinden uzlaşı (mı?)

Güneydoğu'daki eksik M.Ali Kışlalı

[Uzmanlar PKK'nın yeni dönem stratejisini tartışıyor / 4] PKK ve ötesi

Aksiyon ‘Soft power’ ile terörden eve dönüş - Haşim Söylemez

Hasip Kaplan: Hamas'ı yanağından öpen Başbakan bana 'PKK terör örgütüdür de' diyemez

Reuters Analysis Iraq Kurds need Baghdad's nod for oil exports

Dr. Najmaldin Karim, the Kurdish independent figure is considered ... Dr. Najmadeen Kareem, the Kurdish independent figure, is the strongest candidate for the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan to replace Nechirvan Barzani, ...

Nasuhi Güngör ABD İran’la savaşır mı

Iraq's Kurdistan "Approves" Oil Contracts News Agency

Mehmetcik Kato’yu sardı

ABD Elçiliği: Hálá görevde

Turkey to Finance Iran Gas Project
Wall Street Journal

DTP'ye CHP ve MHP'den randevu yok

Kürt uçağına geçiş yok

ABD Kongresi'nden PKK'ya kınama hazırlığı

VOA News - Turkey, Iraq Security Cooperation

ABD'nin kayıp silah dosyası kabarıyor Erdoğan tarafından Bush'a kayıp sılahlarla iligili geçtiğimiz yıl sunulan mavi dosya kabarıyor. 2007 yılının ilk 9 ayında 797 tabanca ve 14'ü uzun namlulu olmak üzere 811 silahın Türkiye'ye girdiği tespit edildi.

Kurdish Leader Urges Dialogue, Turkey As Country of All Its Nations

Ali Babacan, işgalden sonra Irak'a ilk ziyareti gerçekleştirmeye hazırlanıyor

Biased Kirkuk Media Inflame Tension

Ferai Tınç Hayatı çalınanlar

Albay'ın 'çılgınlığı'ndan kaymakamın haberi yok

DTP: DTP milletvekilleri davalara katılmayacak

DTP saldırganı serbest bırakıldı

Yezidi'ye sahip çıkmak Namık Kemal Zeybek

GAP'a özel teşvik yolda

PKK condemned in Mardin protest

WHO warns Iraq’s neighbors against cholera outbreak

Babacan plans to pay first ministerial visit to Iraq

Zorla para toplayan DTP'lilere polisten gözaltı

Kurdish delegation heads to Iran to discuss border closures

New Kurdish oil deals strain ties with Baghdad; Canada's Heritage ...

Meclis heyeti 12 kişinin öldüğü Şırnak'a gidiyor

''Çatışma Bitebilir, PKK'yle Müzakere Yapılabilir''

Siirt'te 1 terörist yakalandı, Şırnak'ta 2 yaralı

Kato Dağı'nda büyük kuşatma

Murat Yılmaz DTP’ye düşen rol

Anlaşmalar sürüyor
Kürdistan Özerk Yönetimi, yeni petrol anlaşmaları yapıyor

Pentagon'dan itiraf: Irak'a giden 190 bin silaha sahip çıkamadık

Gotta love the Kurds.

Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber

Türkiye'ye ret, 12 ülkeye onay

Babacan: "Kıbrıs'ta tek taraflı adım yok"

Rauf Denktaş Kıbrıs Türk Devleti

Savaş Süzal Ermeni soykırımı tasarısı geliyor!!!

Tekin'den savcıya 'kim olduğumu biliyor musun' mektubu

60 milyon doları 'YÖK'lemişler

Pamuk ‘Siyasi İslam’dan korkmuyorum’

'Yaradılış Teorisi'ne AKPM'den veto geldi

Dünyanın en yaşanası ülkesi Finlandiya... Türkiye 70. sırada...

Enerji Bakan Güler, Cem Uzan ile görüştü, yazılı talep aldı

Gençler, büyüklerin sözünü dinliyor

NYT BOOKS OF THE TIMES; Self-Portrait, Assembled, by a Son of Istanbul

The Economist The Byzantine empire The lasting glory of its art

Akseki'de üsteğmenle AKP ilçe yöneticisinin süs köpeği kavgası

Anasınıfını mescide çevirdiler

Ana sınıfında namaz

Önce fatiha sonra gıda

'Umut Kitabevi'nin bombalanması askerî suç'

Gülay Göktürk Negatif ayrımcılık

Başbakan'ın bilgisine sunulur Kota Fransa, Yunanistan ve Arjantin'de anayasa, Belçika ve İspanya'da seçim yasalarıyla düzenleniyor. Çok sayıda ülkede ise partiler kota koyuyor

Erdoğan karşı çıkıyor ama...
Türker Alkan

Nimet Çubukçu'dan kota açıklaması: Kotayı siyasi partiler koysun

Yüce Divan: Aydın'la ilgili karar bugün bekleniyor

Polisten bomba yüklü kamyon yalanlaması

Hırsızlar Yargıtay 6. Daire’yi perişan etti

Kaçak getirilen hayvanlar şap hastalığına yol açtı

Türkiye'de Antibiyotik Uyarısı

Santoro’nun katili 26’sında serbest

‘Müftüyü vursaydı 3 yıl sonra çıkardı’

British appeal to municipality for lira use in restaurants

Book | The Turkish Diplomat's Daughter

05 Ekim 2007 Basın Özeti

H3 AKP'den geri adım

Takvim nasıl işleyecek?

Referandum krizine ortak çözüm

Fikret BİLA Üniversiteye türban sokulmamalı

Gece yarısı sürpriziyle Gül'ü kurtarma harekatı

Ergin’in mekik diplomasisi

Nuh Yılmaz Türkiye-ABD arasında ‘yeni dönem’ palavrası

Aksiyon ‘Soft power’ ile terörden eve dönüş - Haşim Söylemez

[Uzmanlar PKK'nın yeni dönem stratejisini tartışıyor / 4] PKK ve ötesi

'Artık siyasetçi değilim' Murat Yetkin Siyasetle arasına mesafe koyan Gül'ün AB mesajları hükümetin hızını artırabilecek mi?

Further delays to constitution loom large on horizon

Ahmet Taşgetiren Ak Parti toplumu dönüştürür mü?

Ali Bayramoğlu Kemalist mahalle baskısı…

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 Bir geziden notlar

Fehmi Koru Bundan kelli bütün maçlar...

ALİ BAYRAMOĞLU Meydan okuyanlar, meydan okumalar…

Kadınlar evde mi dursun?
İsmet Berkan

Ankara fena yalpalıyor
Haluk Şahin

OKAN MÜDERRİSOĞLU
Gümrükte 'iftar molası' tartışması

Ertuğrul Özkök

Ahmet Hakan Sevgiliyle anayasa taslağı hazırlamak

Eser Karakaş Yeni Anayasa, Türkiye, özgünlük ve küreselleşme

Şamil Tayyar Karakol komutanı değil orman amiri

Serdar Turgut CHP halkını arıyor

Şimdi de yeni takvim lazım

Cüneyt Ülsever

Enis Berberoğlu

Oktay Ekşi Gerçeği nihayet gördüler

Bekir Coşkun Türbanlı laiklik...

Tufan Türenç ’Mahalle baskısı yok’ aymazlığı

Özdemir İnce Bir tatlısu demokratı: Mehmet Barlas

Mehmet Barlas ‘Seçim tatili’nde okumayı ve yazmayı unuttular mı?

Yılmaz Özdil Orucu erikle aç, enflasyon eksiye düşsün...

MUHARREM SARIKAYA Sezer ve YSK'nın dediği oldu...

ERDAL ŞAFAK Israrın nedeni

ERGUN BABAHAN Referandum geyiği

EMRE AKÖZ

Umur Talu

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

NAZLI ILICAK Laiklik tanımında anlaşalım

MAHMUT ÖVÜR

YAVUZ DONAT Şifre '1021... 11 mi, 12 mi?'

İBRAHİM KARAGÜL Bin yıllık tarih, yüz yıllık hafıza

Mehmet Altan Hükümetin pusulası

Etyen Mahçupyan Fear of coincidence

Burhan Kuzu ‘Minareyi iple düzeltiyoruz’

İlnur Çevik They're trying to keep a military democracy

Mustafa Mutlu MHP, AKP’nin ‘stepne’si mi?

Tamer Korkmaz 'Madem başını örtüyorsun, öyleyse evinde oturacaksın!'

Bülent Tanla:AKP'nin gücü kendisi için ciddi problem

Mustafa Ünal Referandumun özü

Mümtazer Türköne "11. cumhurbaşkanı seçimi" hangisi?

Malezya'ya karışmamak olmaz Murat Belge

Ordu ve 'postmodernizm' H. Gökhan Özgün

Ali Bulaç Liberalism and ideology

Güven Sak Tehlike geçti zannediyorsanız, yanılıyorsunuz

Ertuğ Yaşar IMF, Türkiye'den ne istiyor

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM Dolarda kayıp da yüksek iştah da

Ercan Kumcu Enflasyon beklendiği gibi

Erdal Sağlam

Türkiye'nin en güçlü 30 iş insanı

Hisarcıklıoğlu: Almanya ile ihracatımız 30 milyar Dolar olacak

'Hamamın namusu'!
Uğur Gürses

GE The Venturesome Giant

Kredi krizi Merrill Lynch'te 'Türk lokumu' Semerci'nin ayağını kaydırdı

Türkiye hesabını yeniden yapıyor

MÜSİAD faiz indirimi istedi

Prof. Dr. AYDIN AYAYDIN
Bürokratik oligarşi Merkez Bankası'nda

H5 Washington Post Congress Seeks Secret Memos on Interrogation Democratic lawmakers assail Justice Department for issuing memos authorizing harsh techniques; officials deny tactics violate anti-torture laws

Military Reports Fault Blackwater U.S. reports on Sept. 16 Blackwater shooting indicate guards opened fire without provocation

A Tax Test for the War By E. J. Dionne Jr., Would conservatives and Republicans support the war in Iraq if they had to pay for it?

General Says 5 Iranians Should Stay In Custody White House Will Review Irbil Case

What Sputnik Launched By Charles Krauthammer Fifty years ago this week, to our horror, the Russians beat us into space. The gift of fear paid dividends for decades.

Editorial Burma's Bloody Silence While the regime crushes popular protests, the U.N. Security Council prepares to . . . listen to a report

Boycott Threats Won't Move China James Fallows | We won't boycott the Olympics for Burma's sake, and the Chinese would hate us if we did.

Tough Stance Is Urged On Nuclear Pact With India

U.S. Hopes for Democracy in Russia Fade

Ex-Investigator Details Iraqi Corruption

He Tells House Panel That Maliki's Government Thwarted Probes

H6 Guardian The fallout from an attack on Iran would be devastating
Seumas Milne: The drumbeat of war in Washington is growing - and so must public pressure against British involvement in such folly.

Bill Clinton: Hillary wants me to restore image of US If his wife wins the US presidency, Bill Clinton will be asked to repair America's damaged international reputation, the former president tells the Guardian. Read the full interview

A Vital Viewpoint By: Edward Pearce | The Guardian Iran is not a threat, if it seeks nuclear weapons it is from a fear of all that might be done to it by U.S. Marines and Israeli warplanes.

Cameron bounces back · Exclusive ICM poll shows 8-point shift
· Chances of early election recede
· No 10 blames inheritance tax move by Tories

H7 Corner Syria at the Annapolis Conference By: Michael Young | The Daily Star
Bashar Assad, never a man to accept conditions, is nevertheless imposing some of his own on the United States. In an interview with the BBC earlier this week, the Syrian president said he would only attend a conference on Middle East peace scheduled for November in Annapolis, Maryland, if the issue of the Golan Heights were discussed.

The Iraq Money Pit By: U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern | The Boston Globe I recently came across a photo of a handwritten sign in a US military facility in Ramadi, Iraq. The sign read, "America is not at war. The Marine Corps is at war; America is at the mall."

A review of Winning the Right War: The Path to Security for America and the World by Philip Gordon; Containment: Rebuilding a Strategy against Global Terror by Ian Shapiro; and The Silence of the Rational Center: Why American Foreign Policy is Failing by Stefan Halper and Jonathan Clarke.

Weekly Standard The Special Relationship Getting less special by the minute. by Irwin M. Stelzer

Forever at the Crossroads
Don't expect too much from NATO.
by Alan W. Dowd

Asia Times The myth of the all-powerful AhmadinejadDespite what his detractors insist, Iranian President Mahmud Ahmadinejad is no tinhorn dictator. He is an elected president with little power and not particularly popular within his own country, where he commands no military power. But there are many who make more of him as a near-satanic force, particularly the US Congress, which has recently given a virtual carte blanche for the White House to attack Iran at will. - Philip Giraldi

Daily Star Is talking to the Taliban inevitable?
By Michael Glackin

Realpolitik Dictates Control of Oil Assets Arab News

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

The Economist Iraq I want to kill you, but not today Will American co-operation with former insurgents last?

Iran Parallel purposes UN or no, the squeeze on Iran tightens

Iraqi Sunni tribal leader killed
A Sunni Arab tribal leader who opposed al-Qaeda in Iraq is killed in a roadside bomb attack, officials say.

US Papers Fri: Military Blasts BW over Shootout

Hearing: Assessing the State of Iraqi Corruption
Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Iraqi judge: Corruption undermines Iraq's future

Iraqi Leaders Turn Against US-Created 'Militias'

BBC Monitoring Quotes From Iranian Press 4 October 07

Governor Richardson's "New Realism" on Iraq

Bill Richardson's Speech on Iraq

Marine may escape Haditha charge An US officer says a marine accused of killing Iraqi civilians at Haditha should not face murder charges.

Iraqis to Pay China $100 Million for Weapons for Police By: Robin Wright and Ann Scott Tyson Iraq has ordered $100 million worth of light military equipment from China for its police force, contending that the United States was unable to provide the materiel and is too slow to deliver arms shipments, Iraqi President Jalal Talabani said yesterday.

Iraq, China in $100m arms deal

Five Million and Counting -- Iraqi Refugees Weigh on Our National Conscience

H9 Ha’aretz – Report: Iran worried over Syrian air defense failure in IAF strike Aviation Week reports IAF used electronic device to jam radars during strike on Syrian target last month

Editorial From Camp David to Annapolis It is clear that the Annapolis meeting will require much more creativity and daring than the previous session at Camp David.

Arab - Speak Arabic The Baath slogan "Syria as the focus of Arabism" has been painted by Assad with Muslim colors. Will this bolster his weakened legitimacy? Time will tell.

Yedioth 'Israel blinded Syria's radar'
After IAF strike on Syria confirmed, question remains – how did non-stealth jets evade detection? US aerospace pros tell Aviation Week that Israel used new US-developed technology that can invade and manipulate enemy sensors

‘Israel operation failed’

Syrian parliament member: IAF raid on Syria failed, Israel must change policy, talk peace

Jews come first Vast majority of Israelis wants democratic Israel with Jewish priorities, Uri Ariel says

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

Hudson Institute The Iran-Hamas Alliance

BBC Palestinians seek deal deadline A Palestinian minister calls for a six-month deadline for a peace deal after next month's Mid-East conference.

De-development
Economic hardship takes toll on West Bank Palestinians

Daily Star Here we go again: making much noise but very little sense

Economic gains don't mean Palestinian-Israeli peace
By Yossi Alpher

Mideast Negotiating Teams Get Orders By: Richard Boudreaux | Los Angeles Times The Israeli and Palestinian leaders brought their negotiating teams together for the first time Wednesday and instructed them to start work next week on a joint declaration that would pave the way for full-scale peace talks. The two-hour meeting at Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's residence did not delve into the core issues of the decades-old conflict. That task was handed to the negotiators, who have just weeks to draft a document to serve as the agenda for a peace conference called by President Bush

How Iran Could Help End the Israel-Palestinian Conflict
FPRI

Jerusalem Post When a PM must step down It has always been assumed that a PM must suspend himself if indicted.

Hamas: Fatah has launched insurgency against us in Gaza
Exclusive: Group cites 14 armed attacks over past month; journalist: "Fatah trying to copy tactics of anti-American insurgents in Iraq."

Is 'The Israel Lobby' a laughing matter? By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, JERUSALEM POST CORRESPONDENT
John Mearsheimer grilled on 'The Colbert Report.'

Tony Karon My Favorite ‘Anti-Semite’

H10 Christian Science Monitor

A rosy scenario for stock market, but will it last?

Investors watch job numbers and the Fed after pushing Dow to record high this week.

Will Bhutto boost Musharraf?

ASIA

Guardian Leader In for the long haul Bringing peace back to the Korean peninsula will be a long-haul effort to which successive governments in Washington, Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo must remain committed.

Slate A Political Scientist in China

Forget consumer goods—China's most lucrative export will be its people. Ian Bremmer

Can Fukuda Improve Ties With China? By: Frank Ching | The Japan Times Formalities celebrating the 35th anniversary of China-Japan diplomatic ties held special significance this year because of a new Japanese prime minister well disposed toward China

CSM N. Korea shifts toward engagement with world Kim Jong Il agreed to disable 'all' nuclear facilities by Dec. 31 and met South Korea's President Roh this week.

Heritage North Korea: Worrisome Gaps in Six-Party Talks' Joint Statement by Bruce Klingner

Afghanistan: six years of war, Paul Rogers

TPMTV Interview with Barnett R. Rubin Part II: Afghanistan and Pakistan

Ruling by Law: Ambitions and Limits of the 21st Century Authoritarian Model BY CHRISTOPHER WALKER AND SANJA KELLY “There’s no quick fix.” These shrewd words were spoken by a senior World Health Organization official commenting on the food and product safety scandals that broke in 2007 and drew the world’s attention to two of China’s several emerging crises. A steady stream of news reports chronicled the thousands of products requiring recall, ranging from tainted pet food to lead-laced children’s toys. But the observation on the absence of “quick fixes” for complex problems has far wider implications for Chinese society, which now faces development challenges on a range of fronts.

Asia TimesTaliban poised for a big push
The Taliban's much-touted spring offensive went off like a damp squib, mainly because the Pakistani military squeezed militant bases and supply lines in the tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan. In recent weeks the militants have hit back hard, winning themselves valuable breathing space. Now 20,000 freshly trained recruits are ready to be sent into Afghanistan. - Syed Saleem

BBC London calling
Why Benazir Bhutto says return to power in Pakistan is close

FT Leader LEADER: Fukuda's Japan Eventually, Yasuo Fukuda, Japan’s cautious new prime minister, must start making some painful choices on policy and reform

The next Iraq? By ERIC S. MARGOLIS
Seen from afar, the growing turbulence in Myanmar appears a simple struggle between the brutal ruling junta and forces of democracy, led by the Noble Prize laureate, Aung San Suu Kyi.

H11 IHT Survey finds erosion of support for globalization's side effects A study conducted by the Pew Research center still found widespread support for trade. But in advanced Western nations - and most of all in the United States - skepticism is growing.

Letter from Europe: A new conservatism rises in Eastern Europe This new kind of conservatism in Eastern Europe, so soon after most of the region joined the European Union in 2004, is spreading at the same time that conservative parties in Western Europe are moving toward the center.

Sarkozy upstaged by absent wife Cécilia Sarkozy, who helped free five Bulgarian nurses and a Palestinian doctor from a Libyan jail, was a topic for discussion when she unexpectedly failed to accompany her husband, the French president, to Sofia on Thursday to receive the country's highest honor.

EUROPE European press review

Go Slow on Kosovo? The Economist
Most observers have for some time assumed that Kosovo is moving inexorably and inevitably towards independence. However, recent developments suggest that this may not happen soon, as the process of resolving Kosovo's status proves far more complicated than had originally been envisaged.

Fragiles Etats balkaniques, par Thomas Ferenczi

ETA Opts for 'Strategy of Confrontation' with France World Politics Review
After long being spared the violence that has characterized Basque separatist agitation in the Spanish Basque country, the French Basque country has in recent months been hit by a series of increasingly spectacular attacks. French police investigations in connection with one such attack led to the arrest last month of 13 people, including some with known links to the Basque terrorist group ETA.

Sarkozy and the Euro's Perfect Storm By: Melvyn Krauss | The Japan Times
The more French President Nicolas Sarkozy attacks the European Central Bank and the strong euro, the more he is criticized in the European media, by European finance ministers, European Union officials and the ECB itself.

Der Spiegel Sarkozy Stays Loyal to Increasingly Divisive Minister

CEPS The 3rd Annual European Energy Policy Conference 2007: Energy Policy and Technology Challenges | Speaker:

H12 RFE/RL

The Economist Russia Democracy, Soviet-style The Russian people are readier for democracy than Vladimir Putin will allow

Vladimir Putin The never-ending presidency

Ukraine's election Oranges and lemons

Georgian politics Saakashvili's test

EurasiaNet Azerbaijan: Is Iran the Reason for the CIA Director’s Recent Visit to Baku? BY ROVSHAN ISMAYILOV
Political analysts in Baku are debating the reasons for an unannounced late September trip to Azerbaijan by Central Intelligence Agency Director Gen. Michael Hayden. US diplomats remain tight-lipped about the visit. Many local experts, however, contend that Hayden’s talks with Azerbaijani leaders likely concerned Iran, Azerbaijan’s neighbor to the south.

Azerbaijan: Politicians Gear Up for Next Year’s Presidential Election
BY ROVSHAN ISMAYILOV
Azerbaijan’s next presidential election is more than a year away, but the country’s political players are already gearing up for the coming campaign.

The Soviet Mentality Is Alive and Well By: Georgy Bovt | The Moscow Times
Russia's political elite has failed to develop a new, modern style for governing. When observing, for example, how our leaders speak with the public and make decisions, it reminds me so much of the Soviet way of doing things.

Missile Diplomacy By: Dmitry Sidorov | Kommersant
US and Russian delegations discussed issues of missile defense in Moscow. This round of meetings is likely to be the last attempt to find a compromise to the US missile defense program in Europe. The chances of this is slim, but neither president wants relations to worsen before the upcoming elections in both countries.

Google News Azerbaijan

Ukrainian Alliance Resumes Its Feuding By: Peter Finn | The Washington Post The supposedly reconstituted alliance of the personalities who led Ukraine's Orange Revolution nearly three years ago seemed on the verge of securing a tiny majority in parliament Wednesday but quickly started feuding with each other. With 99.59 percent of the votes in Sunday's election counted, the party of former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko and another party allied with President Viktor Yushchenko had secured a total of 44.93 percent of the vote.

Kremlin Aide Warns of State Control By: Anatoly Medetsky and Miriam Elder | The Moscow Times
The Kremlin's top economic adviser, Arkady Dvorkovich, on Wednesday warned against the creation of more state corporations as a way to boost economic growth. "I view the fashion of creating state corporations as being extremely dangerous, particularly for the industries being proposed," he said at a business forum, Interfax reported.

Russia Resurgent By: Rand Simberg and Homer Hickam | Los Angeles Times
Today is the 50th anniversary of Sputnik's launch. Why does a formerly communist space program seem so much more market-oriented these days (in terms of taking paid tourists, accepting ads, etc) than NASA?

EDM GAZPROM THREATENS TO REDUCE SUPPLIES TO UKRAINE
- RUSSIA AND GEORGIA STILL TEETERING ON BRINK OF WAR
- MOSCOW CONSIDERS ANTI-DUMPING MEASURES AGAINST CHINA
-

H13 The Times

Leader Bhutto and Musharraf agree powersharing deal President Musharraf and Benazir Bhutto are to announce a 'national reconciliation' accord, paving the way for her return

The Deal What Musharraf could achieve with the return of Bhutto

Wall Street Journal Blackwater's Backwash Their legal status needs clarity, but Bush hasn't Rambo-ized Iraq.

H14 Financial Times Excerpt: The Age of Turbulence by Alan Greenspan

Adieu: Qatar, Vietnam ditch the dollar More bad news for the US dollar; Euro, Pound, Swiss Franc fill gap.

Support for shake-up of Saudi justice system

Reformers, businessmen and lawyers have welcomed a royal decree overhauling the archaic judicial system and allocating $2bn for building courthouses and training judges

BETWEEN THE LINES - QUENTIN PEEL: In Russia, politics means business

Al-Qaeda ‘financier’ arrested in Iraq

The US military claimed that American and Iraqi forces had arrested an alleged financier for al-Qaeda who had received $100m from donors outside Iraq to fund insurgent operations

Shortage of skilled staff hits oil projects

Rising drilling and riggings costs combined with a lack of equipment and expertise are delaying hydrocarbon projects throughout the Middle East

FRONT PAGE - FIRST SECTION: Koreans pledge end to war

WORLD NEWS: Gonzales 'approved' US torture memo

Dallas Fed chief warns on inflation The president of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas has cautioned against ignoring the inflation represented by rising food and energy prices

US factories hit by sharp decline in orders

Factory orders in the US fell off sharply in August as demand declined at the fastest rate since the start of the year – a sign that the recovery in manufacturing could be running out of steam

Gonzales ‘approved’ torture note

Alberto Gonzales, the former US attorney-general, reportedly approved the use of waterboarding and other controversial interrogation techniques in a memo in 2005

Prodi juggles twin roles in Kazakhstan

Italy’s prime minister faces the tricky task of lobbying for foreign investors without politicising the dispute over the Kashagan oilfield during his visit to Kazakhstan

The dishonest impartiality that tolerates intolerance It looked like the BBC had made a mistake – inexperienced journalism. Sadly not, writes Philip Stephens

Russia resurgent How did a formerly communist space program become more free-market than NASA? Homer Hickam and Rand Simberg debate space-onomics.

Commission to probe Blackwater incident

Editorial

H16 American Politics

The Times Who can stop President Clinton II? The stately procession of Hillary Rodham Clinton to the White House is accelerating sharply

Gerard Baker

Giuliani prepares to take on the Religious Right Rudy Giuliani believes issues like terrorism and Iraq are of more concern to conservatives than abortion and gay marriage

Senator’s exit enhances hopes of Democrats

Democrats are increasingly hopeful of strengthening their control of Congress in next year’s election after another popular Republican senator announced plans to retire

Bush - Clinton - Bush - ?

Who's giving money to Bill? By Matthew Yglesias Op-Ed: The former president should disclose his foundation's backers before his wife goes up for election.

FOX News Poll: Nearly 1 in 5 Democrats Say World Will Be Better Off if U.S. Loses War

27% of Republicans Would Vote for Pro-Life Third Party Instead of Giuliani

A New 'New Majority' for GOP? by Patrick Buchanan

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

Early Bird GovExec Swamp Gas The Swamp

Washington diary
Matt Frei on the unexpected evolution of America's George W

H17 Daily Telegraph Think twice over war with Iran Intelligence officers know that if the US attacks Iran, Teheran will primarily retaliate through terrorism, warns Michael Burleigh

US 'must break Iran and Syria regimes' America should seize every opportunity - including war - to force regime change in Syria and Iran, a former senior White House advisor has urged.

Washington hawk David Wurmser

British troops step aside for Iraqis There is a palpable sense in Basra that a corner is being turned in the struggle to bring the city back to something approaching normality, writes Con Coughlin

H18 Independent The Big Question: Should the Government impose a uniform policy on schools?

H19Military Intelligence Terrorism

a review of Body of Secrets: How America's NSA and Britain’s GCHQ Eavesdrop on the World by James Bamford.

US tightens law on security firms Private security contractors in Iraq accused of wrongdoing could face prosecution in the US, under a new law

From Salon, Peter W. Singer on the dark truth about Blackwater: Outsourcing the war to private military contractors such as Blackwater has shattered the United States' moral authority and its ability to win the nation's wars — including Iraq (and more).

Hearing on Private Security Contracting in Iraq and Afghanistan
Source: U.S. House of Representatives, Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

Recruiting gets tougher for Army during wartime

The GWOT Effect of Arms for Dictators By: Rachel Stohl | Foreign Policy in Focus
In July 2007 the General Accountability Office (GAO) found that nearly 200,000 U.S. weapons were unaccounted for in Iraq. The GAO blames poor accounting and distribution records for the missing weapons, and other reports have revealed that U.S. weapons have turned up in the hands of Iraqi insurgents and criminals.

How Europe and America Should Confront Islamic Extremism

by Sally McNamara

H20 Slate A Political Scientist in China

Forget consumer goods—China's most lucrative export will be its people.
Ian Bremmer

World's largest offshore wind farm is given government approval for Kent

Wind farm should be ready to provide clean power for a quarter of London's homes by 2010.

Behind London's Boom, Billionaires From Abroad

Signs of new money are engulfing London, and the city has the globalization of wealth to thank for it. New millionaires from Russia, India, the Middle East and Europe, are drawn by low taxes, historical ties and location.

Karl Polanyi: Political Economy 101 (Audio)

Blockbuster Culture’s Next Rise or Fall: The Impact of Recommender Systems on Sales Diversity
Source: Social Science Resource Network

H21 Indonesia to plant 79m trees in a day Indonesia will attempt to repair its reputation of deforestation by planting 79 million trees in one day next month

Huge fine for US music downloader A Minnesota woman is ordered to pay damages of more than $200,000 for illegal file-sharing after losing a court battle.

CCTV footage suggests Henri Paul tipped off paparazzi about Diana's movements

Married parents 'in minority by 2031' Single mothers and cohabitees increase.

Here are five reasons politicians hate academics: Between the worlds of politics and higher education lies a lot of misunderstanding.

Diana's driver 'tipped off paparazzi' The paparazzi who were initially blamed for causing the crash in which Princess Diana died may have been tipped off by the car's driver Henri Paul, it emerged.

Why do people cheat?
By DRAKE BENNETT / The Boston Globe
Why do people cheat in situations where there is little to gain - a good grade, a slight edge in a game - and so much to lose?

Newspapers: Hook 'Em Online... Blogs, Online Chats and Databases Help Drive Readers to Sites, Newspapers Told

Clinton brings over 20 bodyguards to London...

Marion Jones Admits Steroid Use

Sprinter to plead guilty to lying to federal agents about drug use and an unrelated financial matter

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