| H1 Stratfor War Plans: United States and Iran
The Times Fear counterweighs overconfidence Iran has a fistful of reasons to be reassured that threats to punish it are flimsy Bronwen Maddox Christian Science Monitor US troop losses plunge in Iraq Combat fatalities could be as low as 23 for October, a level not seen since 2006. GAO: U.S. hasn't taken advantage of Iraq's drop in violence Securing, Stabilizing, and Rebuilding Iraq: GAO Audits and Key Oversight Issues GAO-08-231T, October 30, 2007 Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 17 pages) Time Has the Surge Reached Its Limits? Independent Revealed: how Blair rejected Bush's offer to stay Daily Telegraph Iraqis to take control of Basra province British forces are to transfer responsibility for security in Basra province to Iraqi government in December. Los Angeles Times Wider Iranian threat feared Many believe small conflicts on ground or at sea pose more risk than nuclear program Washington Post American Ties to Pakistan Fray Division grows between two military forces that express a common interest in defeating terrorism Attacks in Iraq Continue to Decline Positive News in GAO's Report Is Tempered by Criticism of U.S. Strategy The Global Poverty Trap By Robert J. Samuelson, Without the proper cultural catalysts, those trying to escape from poverty face long odds. Winning One Battle, Fighting the Next By: Frederick W. Kagan | The Weekly Standard America has won an important battle in the war on terror. We turned an imminent victory for Al Qaeda In Iraq into a humiliating defeat for them and thereby created an opportunity for further progress not only in Iraq, but also in the global struggle. Attacking Iran for Israel?
by Ray McGovern Frontline's recent show on Iran Asia Times Preaching to the converted Showdown With Iran produced by Greg Barker This documentary faithfully recycles the official US line on Iran's nuclear program - that it wants weapons - without ever questioning it. It also perpetuates the artificial sense of crisis generated in Washington as a prelude for a confrontation with Iran, largely as a proxy war on behalf of Israel. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi Daily Star The Israel lobby has its sights on Iran By Rami G. Khouri Asia Times A velvet divorce in China What always looked like a curious dance involving the bear, the dragon and the elephant has become even more curious. Russia, China and India are dancing to different tunes, in contradiction to their "trilateral strategic dialogue". Within 48 hours of their latest get-together, they failed the test posed by the United States imposing sanctions on Iran. India is the odd one out, distinctly apart from Moscow and Beijing on issues of Asian and global security as it juggles its pro-US interests and lip service to multilateralism. - M K Bhadrakumar
Porter Neocon Iran Goal Is Still Regime Change “Sixty years after Auschwitz, it’s still very painful for one who is not Jewish to be called anti-Semitic,” says Tony Judt. How must “Waltheimer” feel?... more» RFE/RLBreakaway Republics Look To Advance Statehood At Summit Representatives of the self-proclaimed republics of Abkhazia, Transdniester, and South Ossetia assembled in the Abkhaz capital today for a four-day summit intended to advance the recognition of their statehood. Iran Sanctions and Regional Security Brookings Institution Guardian While Labour howls, the union is busy disintegrating
Simon Jenkins: As globalisation weakens national governments, the break-up of Britain's homogenised state becomes inevitable. State of disorder Simon Tisdall It may just take time rather than US weaponry to institute regime change in Tehran. New York Times U.S. Military Will Oversee Contractors All State Department security convoys in Iraq will now fall under military control, in a move to bring armed contractors under tighter supervision In Report to Congress, Oversight Officials Say Iraqi Rebuilding Falls Short of Goals Financial Times COMMENT: Biofuels: an everyday story of special interests and subsidies Is it possible to justify complex and expensive subsidies, mandates and protectionist measures? No. But that does not stop people from trying. They point to a host of different justifications, as is too familiar from the history of farm policies, writes Martin Wolf WSJ In Baghdad, a Tale of Shifting Fortunes Baghdad's Sayidia section has emerged as the biggest theater in the battle against Shiite militants. Shiite groups are trying to consolidate their on-the-ground gains and push into neighborhoods that have so far eluded their control. The Sunnis, pressed into a corner, are looking for new ways to fight back. Bernanke Rewrites Fed Playbook Ben Bernanke's handling of his first Fed crisis offers the clearest demonstration of how he differs from Alan Greenspan. He has cultivated a more collaborative process, striving to draw out all sides of a debate and forcing participants to test their assumptions Jerusalem Post The Region: Rules of the game, Palestinian-style [ BARRY RUBIN DEBKAfile Exclusive: Al Qaeda declares Cyber Jihad on the West Brookings Strobe Talbott testified before a congressional committee that in the contentious dialogue between the United States and Russia, we must get the tone and tactics right in a "long-term strategy of inducing Russia to accept the terms and standards of the international community." Read More Ha’aretz – U.S. pressuring Israel to quit West Bank outposts Washington expects Israel to take measures that will assist Abbas ahead of Annapolis peace summit CFR Kuchins: Russians Working Hard to Resolve Iranian Nuclear Crisis Time Oil Prices: Don't Blame OPEC Iran: prepared for the worst, Omid Memarian WINEP The Bush Administration and the Peace Process: Annapolis and Beyond | H2 From the Archive - Rand Corporation - The Kurds and the Destiny of the Middle East by Graham Fuller Full Document Foreign Affairs November/ December 2007 The Old Turks' Revolt Ömer Taspinar The ruckus over the election of a religious conservative as Turkey's president has exposed the illiberal nature of Turkish secularism -- as well as the pragmatism of the country's reformed Islamists. Preserving democracy in Turkey by keeping the military out of politics will be a tall order, but the future of the Muslim world's most promising democratic experiment is at stake. Read Preview Rice faces tough battle on Turkey trip Amerikalı uzmanlar, Rice'ın Türkiye gezisini değerlendirdi Slate Turkey Threatens To Jump Ankara beat Congress; now it's taking on the Bush administration.
Shmuel Rosner NPQ Orhan Pamuk: THE ART OF THE NOVEL IS ANTI-POLITICAL Turkey Threats Lift Rebel Kurds' Profile How to counter Kurdish rebels (GulfNews) By Amir Taheri EDM TURKISH AUTHORITIES BEGIN TO APPLY ECONOMIC PRESSURE AGAINST IRAQI KURDS Erdogan: US Stance on PKK Will Determine Future Ties Among the Kurds By: Graeme Wood | The Atlantic When I visited the PKK training camps in northern Iraq last year, about half the terrorists I met were women, and most of the rest looked barely old enough to shave Turkey faces Tora Bora-like challenge in Iraqi Kurdistan (Foreign Policy Passport) Turkey: Fighting With Kurds Will Surge Turkish Helicopters Attack Kurd Rebels Iraqi Kurds pledge to work with US to protect border Turk Sanctions on Northern Iraq May Stoke Kurd Separatism Dağlıca saldırısının talimatı PKK'lı eski asteğmenden Türk-Amerikan ilişkilerinin bozulması Atina için iyi bir fırsat - Hezbollah and the PKK: What's the Difference? by Gwynne Dyer Gvosdev Sanctions for Northern Iraq? Deciphering the Kurdistan Workers' Party Omer Taspinar Iran and Turkey: A look to the future
Tehran Times Who's Behind the PKK? In a word: Washington by Justin Raimondo Turkey hits Kurdish rebels in southeast - Los Angeles Times Rice working hard to find solution to Turkey/PKK problem FT LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Turkish incursions would worsen Iraq instability Sıra Türkiye'ye mi geldi? MUHAMMED HALİFE Google News KurdishMedia Kurdish Kurdish Aspect BBC Monitoring Iraqi Kurdistan President Advises PKK to End Violence Iraqi Kurdish Writer Analyses Factors That Prevent Turkish Incursion Iraqi Kurdistan President Advises PKK to End Violence Austrian Expert Expects Turkish Air Offensive in Iraq Iraqi Kurdish Paper Interviews Kirkuk Governorate Council Chairman Turkish Incursion Aims at Halting Kirkuk Normalization - Iraqi Kurd Official Kurdish TV Carries New Footage of Eight Captive Turkish Soldiers Turkey: Fighting With Kurds Will Surge Iran Calls for End to "Terrorist Moves" From Northern Iraq Turkish Incursion Aims at Halting Kirkuk Normalization - Iraqi Kurd Official Syrian Vice-President, Iraqi MP Discuss Iraqi-Turkish Crisis Iraqi President, Iranian Ambassador Discuss Iraq-Turkey Border Tension PKK Official Says No One Can Arrest Leaders - Iraqi Kurdish Paper Turkish Premier Discuss in USA Fight Against Terrorism Iranian Minister Says No Problems in Energy Cooperation With Turkey TheStar.com | News | Turkey displays might with air attacks, parades Winston-Salem Journal | Kurds and Turks Growing racial tensions between Turks, Kurds put many on edge The Spectator Talking Turkey [MONDAY TALK] Kurdish intellectual Fırat: Turkey should recognize the Iraqi Kurdish administration Iraklı Kürtler rahatsız: Bizi, PKK ile aynı kefeye koymayın Barzani: Kendi tarafınızda çatışın Gül: Meksika sınırında aynı şey olsa ne yapardı?.. DTP sonuç Bildirgesi: Çözümün adresi Öcalan
Iraqi Kurdistan Parliament Meets to Debate Turkish Threats Erdogan Says Turks, Kurds Should Remain United Medyada yorum yapan emekli ve muvazzaflara sert çıktı Genelkurmay: "Şırnak'ta operasyonlar devam ediyor" Bush-Erdoğan zirvesinde gündem PKK olacak Kürt yönetimi: ABD ve Irak'la sınırı koruyalım ÇEMBER DARALIYOR PKK'NIN KORKULU RÜYASI 'SUPERCOBRA'LAR Sınırda Kaygı DTP'nin 'Öcalan Kürt halk önderi' sözlerine jet soruşturma Öldürmeyen ama süründüren silah 'Sokak tepkisi etnik unsurlara yönelmesin' Tabur komutanı görevden alınmadı ABD'de üst düzey katılım ABD'nin yanımızda olması lütuf değil Teröristleri tedavi için gidiyorlardı Saldırıyı eski astsubay planlamış Kurdish parties in Iraq to send joint team to Ankara Helicopters drop bombs over PKK positions in Şırnak DTP leader Türk: We won’t compromise our principles ABD'den, tansiyonu düşürme hamleleri TimeBlog Road Trip Northern Iraq
NPR Iraqi Kurds Prepare for Possible Turkish Invasion
PKK Troubles Inflame Turkmen-Kurdish Tensions
Middle East Security Alliances Need Update The Turkey Kurdistan Issue
Kurdish Aspect THE THUNDER OF TURKISH WAR DRUMS Foreign Correspondent Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber Rehn urges Turkey to implement Ankara protocol Verheugen Kimse Türkiye'yi dışlamayı göze almaz Sami KOHEN İlerlememe Raporu! AB orduya yüklendi AB, farklı kimliklere özel haklar istiyor 15 arrested in Germany after clashes between Turks, Kurds US Congress, Turkish Parliament, many questions - Turkish Daily News Oct 30, 2007 Turkey: An Armenian in Istanbul US Azerbaijanis demand dismissal of journalist publishing photos of Khojaly genocide as “Armenian genocide” Marmara Denizi'ndeki beyaz madde için uyarı Turkey plans to produce own general purpose and fire fighting helicopters Oray Eğin Her komplo teorisi doğru çıkmıyor Kanal 7' nin ilginç zamanlaması AB İlerleme Raporu'nda Kıbrıs eleştirisi Teziç'in yerine Doğramacı destekli yeni YÖK Başkanı
US writer Claire Messud: We don’t know you much [MUSLIM WORLD IN TRANSITION: CONTRIBUTIONS OF THE GÜLEN MOVEMENT-2] Fethullah Gülen & the role of nonviolence in a time of terror | H3 Erdoğan'ın en sert uyarısı DTP'den 'özerklik' talep eden bildiri PKK ve Pankürdizm - Ali Bayramoğlu Fikret BİLA Gül ve Erdoğan'dan sert mesajlar PKK ne istiyor? Barzani ne istiyor? ABD ne istiyor? Murat Yetkin VATAN AB ilerleme raporunu ele geçirdi Bir yapacağız pir yapacağız Taha AKYOL Türk, Kürt kavgası! Hasan CEMAL 'PKK ateşkesle Irak'a çekilmeli' Cengiz Çandar 'Ordular ilk hedefiniz Kuzey Irak' mı Ruşen Çakır İncirlik’ten esir turları! 11 Eylül’ün ardından Amerika’nın esir kampı gibi kullandığı Guantanamo üssüne yapılan zanlı sevkiyatlarında İncirlik’in merkez üs gibi kullanıldığı ortaya çıktı. 628 esir İncirlik’ten üsse gönderildi Ruşen Çakır PKK nasıl bölgesel güç oldu? Kaçırılan Mehmetçik'ten şok sözler İBRAHİM KARAGÜL Bırakın PKK'yı, harita değiştiriliyor harita!.. Ertuğrul Özkök Biz girmeyelim, siz çıkarın Ertuğrul Özkök'ün sorusuna cevaben İsmet Berkan Serdar Akinan Kuzey Irak'a girmezsek daha büyük eylem yapacaklar Şamil Tayyar İki hainden PKK’ya mesaj Başbakan Erdoğan askerlerle gidecek AK Parti’li vekillere Kuzey Irak rehberi Irak'a yaptırım görüşülecek Bakanlar Kurulu bugün Milli Güvenlik Kurulu'nun Irak'a ekonomik yaptırım önerisini görüşecek. Toplantı öncesinde konuşan bakanlar, güvenlik güçlerinin mücadelesinin siyasi ve ekonomik önlemlerle destekleneceğini açıkladı. Zafer ve kazanmak farklı şeyler
Avni Özgürel Bıçak sırtı M.Ali Kışlalı Sınır ötesi diplomasi için çok geç
Henri J. Barkey BM Genel Sekreteri Türkiye'ye geliyor PKK'da panik Sınırımız değişemez PKK liderlerinden 'Kaçmayın' anonsu Güneydoğu'dan sıcak gözlemler
Haluk Şahin KDP ve KYB'den ABD'ye ortak mesaj Türk, çözüm için 1920 ruhu istedi Baykal 'Bu kaçıncı 72 saat' PKK 'gelirine' darbe: 60 gözaltı Samsun'da 200 bin kişi yürüdü Kaçırılan sekiz askerin aileleri muhatap bulamamaktan şikâyetçi HAKAN ALBAYRAK Boğulacaksak büyük denizde boğulalım!
‘Yeni Apo’ Barzani’nin devlet oyunu TÜSİAD'dan NATO, ABD ve AB'ye çağrı Noyan Doğan Kuzey Irak’a operasyon, ticareti ne boyutta etkiler [Yorum - Prof. Dr. Mehmet Emin Çağıran] Ambargo doğru tercih mi? Taha Kıvanç İlhan Selçuk ve faiz yasağı Fehmi Koru Madalyonun öteki yüzü Sadi Somuncuoğlu "Yavuz hırsız ev sahibini bastırır"mış! Özcan Yeniçeri ABD’nin derdi nedir? Cevdet Aşkın Ankara'dan Rice'a 'Çantan boş gelme' mesajı Ahmet Hakan İtirazım kime ve neye M Ali Birand Bu coşkunun bir anlamı var… Serdar Turgut Bakış açısı Ali Bulaç Başka seçenekler Bekir Coşkun Meydanlarda niye türbanlı yok?.. Cüneyt Ülsever Irak Konferansı güme gidiyor! Enis Berberoğlu Oktay Ekşi Akıllı mı, çılgın mı? Tufan Türenç Talabani, Barzani anlamamakta direniyor Mehmet Yılmaz Barzani galiba akıllanıyor Yalçın Doğan DTP şimdi daha radikal Özdemir İnce PKK ve Kürtçülük konusunda mavra atmak Ege Cansen Papuç pahalıysa yalınayak dolaşılır Yavuz Baydar Drifting stubbornly Beril Dedeoğlu The PKK in the US-Russia-Europe equilibrium Amanda Akçakoca US: A fair weather friend Doğu Ergil Looking back at the odd referendum MUHARREM SARIKAYA Asker ve siyaset... ERDAL ŞAFAK DTP'nin gri bölgesi ERGUN BABAHAN 'Siz fotoğrafları sağlayın ben savaşı sağlarım' EMRE AKÖZ MHP de suçluyu buldu
Umur Talu Az düşünün: Nasıl oldu da böyle oldu? HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN NAZLI ILICAK Hava kurşun gibi ağır MAHMUT ÖVÜR YAVUZ DONAT Haçlı Savaşları - 2007
PM Erdoğan rebukes media for provocation KÜRŞAT BUMİN Bu açıklamalara da 'yayın yasağı' gerekmez mi? SALİH TUNA Senden korkulur! Hadi Uluengin Kandil Dağı’na projektör Ahmet Taşgetiren Sekine
Nabi Yağcı Savaş denilen canavarı tanıyor muyuz Mehmet Barlas Ya Hayrünnisa Gül de, 12’nci cumhurbaşkanı olursa… Kadri Çelik eski Asteğmen çıktı Mehmet Altan Andıç ulağı ... Eser Karakaş Sayın Ertuğrul Özkök’ün ısrarı üzerine Nasuhi Güngör Toplumsal öfke ve okullarımız Mehmet Kamış Daha parçalı bir Ortadoğu Abdülhamit Bilici Gülen'in odasındaki harita ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM 'Lira değerli kalmaya devam edebilir'
Kayıtdışı işçi çalıştıran 5 yıl kamu ihalesinden men Ercan Kumcu Hangi enflasyona bakacağız Erdal Sağlam Yıldırım: İletişim vergisinde indirim 2009'da Karapara aklamada yeni yöntemler
Metin Ercan Kaş yapayım derken... Uğur Gürses Yeni bütçe Mustafa Aysan Salih Neftçi Doların durumu... Ve orta dönem PKK'yı bitirecek operasyon Türk ekonomisini olumlu etkiler Finance expert says Turkey, India to be rising stars of 2008 FDI Cabinet discusses economic measures against Iraq Deniz Gökçe 100 dolara giden petrol neden kriz çıkartmıyor? Volkan Akı MB Başkanı Yılmaz: FDF’nin kalitesi artmalı İ.Hüseyin Yıldız Ekonomik gelişmelerin yönü Servet Yıldırım Finansal istikrar dışarıya bağlı |
H4 New York Times U.S. Military Will Oversee Contractors All State Department security convoys in Iraq will now fall under military control, in a move to bring armed contractors under tighter supervision Securing Russian Nuclear Missiles? U.S. Is Set to Say ‘Done’ THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN If I.T. Merged With E.T. A breakthrough in an energy technology revolution could drive the I.T. revolution into every corner of the world to create jobs. In 7th Round, a Pitched Debate: Clinton Hears It From Her Rivals Editorial Twenty-Five Years and Counting There are many reasons to ratify the Law of the Sea, not least the fact that it would allow the U.S. to play a role on a range of global ocean issues. MAUREEN DOWD Hillary la Française, Cherchez la Femme? The French first lady, Cécilia Sarkozy, acts so American, while the former American first lady, Hillary Clinton, acts so French. | H5 Washington Post American Ties to Pakistan Fray Division grows between two military forces that express a common interest in defeating terrorism Attacks in Iraq Continue to Decline Positive News in GAO's Report Is Tempered by Criticism of U.S. Strategy The Global Poverty Trap By Robert J. Samuelson, Without the proper cultural catalysts, those trying to escape from poverty face long odds. U.S.: No Immunity for Blackwater State Department says its "limited protections" do not preclude successful prosecution of contractors Editorial Unbury This Treaty The Senate can protect American interests by ratifying the Law of the Sea Convention. Partners In the War On Terror Telecommunications Firms And the Senate's FISA Bill By John D. Rockefeller IV, Willing cooperation by telecommunications firms is vital to national security. Open-Arms Conservatism By Michael Gerson, A Republican Party that does not offer a robust social agenda will fade into irrelevance. To Implement Policy, Bush to Turn to Administrative Orders The White House plans to try implementing as much new policy as it can by administrative order while stepping up its confrontational rhetoric with Congress after concluding that President Bush cannot do much business with the Democratic leadership, administration officials said. Intelligence Budget Disclosure Is Hailed In Russia, a Seemingly Scripted Call for a 3rd Term Leading Party Seen Behind 'For Putin' Rallies | H6 Guardian While Labour howls, the union is busy disintegrating
Simon Jenkins: As globalisation weakens national governments, the break-up of Britain's homogenised state becomes inevitable. State of disorder Simon Tisdall It may just take time rather than US weaponry to institute regime change in Tehran. With friends like these
Jason Burke: The House of Saud may insist they're allies against fanaticism, but the reality is much more disturbing. Rising fear of UK energy crisis this winter Electricity shortages and gas supply problems predicted to push bills up. Labour slips behind Conservatives Prime minister damaged by apparent indecision over a possible election as Tories hold five-point lead. Spain braced for verdicts in train bombings that killed 191 Eight main suspects face 40-year terms for involvement in Europe's worst terror attacks since Lockerbie. Hundreds of Russians were ordered to attend Putin rallies Documents seen by the Guardian show bosses forcing staff to show up in apparent breach of the law. Immunity offered to Blackwater
State department offers security guards immunity over Iraqi shootings This is not a poker game Peter Mandelson and Louis Michel: Critics of the EU's trade agreements are gambling with livelihoods in the developing world. The numbers game
Immigration: A business school staple is that if you can't measure it, you can't manage it. But when it comes to immigration, the official measurements are being exposed as deeply unreliable There is a better way Thomas Palley The world economy needs a new method of setting exchange rates to avoid further financial imbalances Debating diversity Anthony Giddens We may find debates on the future of a multicultural society unpalatable, but that does not mean we should ignore compelling arguments Drowning in lawyers Jedediah Purdy: The new US attorney general's view of waterboarding is about more than torture. It's about the integrity of officials who oversee presidential powers. America's race obsession Lionel McPherson: The sudden appearance of nooses in the US is just the most blatant representation of the hostility many whites still have for blacks Rubbish from Riyadh Brian Whitaker: A new report says inflammatory texts from Saudi Arabia can be found in British mosques. If so, they need to be challenged, not banned. |
| H7 Winning One Battle, Fighting the Next By: Frederick W. Kagan | The Weekly Standard America has won an important battle in the war on terror. We turned an imminent victory for Al Qaeda In Iraq into a humiliating defeat for them and thereby created an opportunity for further progress not only in Iraq, but also in the global struggle. Attacking Iran for Israel?
by Ray McGovern Daily Star The Israel lobby has its sights on Iran
By Rami G. Khouri Jerusalem: an embodiment of the Middle East conflict By Ghassan Khatib The Club of Rome's 'Limits to Growth' report revisited
By Joschka Fischer War is over, if you want it: Is the war in Iraq moving from folly to victory? How are we doing? A review of Bitter Friends, Bosom Enemies: Iran, the U.S. and the Twisted Path to Confrontation by Barbara Slavin; Iran and the Rise of its Neoconservatives: The Politics of Tehran's Silent Revolution by Anoushiravan Ehteshami and Mahjoob Zweiri; and Treacherous Alliance: The Secret Dealings of Israel, Iran, and the United States by Trita Parsi. Tamping the Flames of War With Iran A review of The Iran Agenda: The Real Story of U.S. Policy and the Middle East Crisis by Reese Erlich. War vs. 'War' By: Jonathan Foreman | National Review
One reason that we have not been as successful as we could and should have been, in both Iraq and Afghanistan, is that top officials in the Pentagon and the White House have not treated these conflicts like real wars -- with all the seriousness that a real war entails. Tony Karon Give Fareed Zakaria a Medal! | Books, Foreign Policy, and the Middle East | | Watch or listen to Martin Kramer, Jason Epstein, Kanan Makiya, and Bob Woodward discuss the past and future role of books in shaping public understanding of the Middle East. | Ron Silver / Pajamas Media: HOW TO GET THE WORLD TO LIKE US -THE CASE FOR ISOLATIONISM Norman Podhoretz: Anyone Who Doesn't Want To 'Bomb Iran' Is Appeasing 'Hitler' Winning in Afghanistan (Harlan Ullman) Iran's challenge (Helle Dale) | H8 IraqSlogger Google News Iraq Iran Syria Mideastwire.com - NPR Iraq stratfor Al-Jazeera Interviews US Ambassador Crocker on Progress in Iraq Russian FM in Iran: US Sanctions 'Not Helpful' GAO: US Hasn't Taken Advantage of Iraq's Drop in Violence Iran Says No Role in Killing US Soldiers in Iraq 52% of Americans Support Military Strike Against Iran BBC Monitoring Headlines, Quotes From Iraqi Press 30 Oct 07 - Package B BBC Monitoring Weekly Roundup of Iraqi Press 24-30 Oct 07 BBC Monitoring Quotes From Middle East Arabic Press for 30 Oct 07 BBC Monitoring Headlines, Quotes From Iraqi Press 30 Oct 07 Hariri says he has evidence of Syrian assassination plots Is incessant animosity between Lebanon and Syria worth both nations' downfall? Gen Petraeus: Al-Qa'eda threat reduced Syria Signs $2.6 Billion Refinery Contract With Iran, Venezuela, Malaysia BBC Meeting the king
John Simpson on one of his most difficult interviews ever | H9 Ha’aretz – U.S. pressuring Israel to quit West Bank outposts Washington expects Israel to take measures that will assist Abbas ahead of Annapolis peace summit Rosner Summit of fear If the signing of the Oslo Accords in Washington was the summit of hope, and the 2000 Camp David Summit was the conference of despair, then the international conference due to take place next month at Annapolis will be the summit of fear. Bradley Burston: It's Judeo-Fascism Month in the state of Israel Daily Alert.org – Middle East Progress - EJC Israeli Press Review – Google News Israel - Palestine It may sound counterintuitive but it could just be that Israel is overlooking what is possibly the best option available for avoiding a nuclear Iran. Palestinian Census Carries Sobering Subtext for Israelis By: Joshua Mitnick | The Christian Science Monitor
Palestinian survey-takers this month started going house to house for a tally that is likely to loom large over the renewed peace negotiations with Israel. But the credibility of the new census, which will also document the damage from the second Intifada in 2000, faces obstacles ranging from Israeli restrictions on pollsters' movements to charges of political meddling from the Israeli right to the skepticism of the respondents themselves BBC Still occupied?
Legal arguments swirl around new Israeli sanctions against Gaza New Republic The Cost of the Israel-Palestine Peace Talks – Gen. Eiland: Cut Off All Water and Electricity to Gaza (Jerusalem Post) Israeli Army Conducts Largest Maneuver Since Lebanon War in 2006 Ex-CIA kicks shins... of Walt and Mearsheimer Yedioth Ahronoth Is UN always against us? Israelis like to slam United Nations, but our own conduct not always appropriate, says Avi Klein Jerusalem Post Analysis: Shoot first and ask questions later By YAAKOV KATZ IDF busy reacting to Hamas's unprecedented Gaza buildup, but isn't ready to strike Hamas where it hurts. Geopolitical Diary: Olmert's Political Stability Stratfor |
| H10 Christian Science Monitor US troop losses plunge in Iraq Combat fatalities could be as low as 23 for October, a level not seen since 2006. High-tech trackers: extra eyes for US forces in Iraq Blue Force Tracker lets troops quickly update the location of friendly and hostile forces Urban Pakistanis split on militants As violence intensifies once again, polls reveal divisions on whether a military response is the best answer to extremism Azerbaijan says it foils attack on US Embassy Authorities say detained armed Islamic militants were planning a large-scale attack, but questions have arisen about alleged links to Al Qaeda. ASIA U.S. on the Sidelines of Global Trends? By: Anne-Marie Slaughter | The New York Times
Last week I heard the Singaporean Foreign Minister, a very impressive man named George Yeo, give a twenty-minute address about the rise of Asia and Asia-EU relations in which he did not mention the United States once. Not once. Asian Son Preference Will Have Severe Social Consequences, New Studies Warn Source: United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Energy Challenges in Asia IFRI Temples and green cards
India: It is better that India has more wealth rather than less. But it would be better still if it used that new wealth to bring up living standards for the old poor. Blotted Democracy in India or Just no Democracy at All? Japan PM forced to withdraw Afghan war backing
Speculation mounts that Yasuo Fukuda, could be forced to call an early general election Japan’s Refueling Debate Reheated By: Todd Crowell | Asia Sentinel
Once again Japan is embroiled in one of those hair-splitting arguments over the extent to which it can participate in overseas military operations without bending its constitution and its war-renouncing Article 9 out of all recognition. Driving the World Economy By: H.D.S. Greenway | The Boston Globe I confess to having felt an electric shock when I first read that the famous old British brand, MG, had risen from the dead to be born again here in the Far East. "China gets its first convertible sports car," the article said. Seoul Choice By: Andy Jackson | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Presidential campaigns often tug candidates to the middle ground, but not in South Korea. Chung Dong-young, the country's leading leftist candidate, is running on a platform of redistributionist economic policies and rapprochement with North Korea, while the Grand National Party's Lee Myung-bak stresses free markets and a more reciprocal relationship with Pyongyang Foreign Fighters of Harsher Bent Bolster Taliban By: David Rohde | The New York Times
The foreign fighters are not only bolstering the ranks of the insurgency. They are more violent, uncontrollable and extreme than even their locally bred allies, officials on both sides of the Afghan-Pakistan border warn. BBC Coalition costs
Can India's PM recover from nuclear deal setbacks?
| H11 IHT Let a hundred investments bloom By JING ULRICH Chinese investors have jumped at the chance to invest abroad. EUROPE European press review Schengen evaluation of the new Member States : Overview of results Analysis: Europeans wary of increase in Mosques The cultural economy and cultural activities in the EU27 5 pages; PDF. The Hijacking of British Islam
Source: Policy Exchange Full Report (PDF; 3.1 MB) Transatlantic Ties Are in Good Shape, But Challenges Abound By: Dominique Moisi | The Daily Star
How should we assess the state of transatlantic relations nowadays? With a nod to Wall Street, we can say that the Alliance is up, Europe is flat, and the United States is clearly down. The Alliance is "up" for one key reason: the warming of France's relations with the US following Nicolas Sarkozy's election as French president. FT Corruption in way of reform in west Balkans Corruption, organised crime and ethnic tensions are slowing reforms in the western Balkans, the European Commission says in a report German jobless falls below 3.5m Germany has reached the European Union’s employment goals two years early, according to official figures that underscore the strength of the labour market recovery in Europe’s largest economy Verdict due on Madrid train bombs Security forces are on alert in Spain before a court delivers its verdict on the March 2004 Madrid train blasts. EU Accession is Our Primary Objective, One Without Alternative - Serbia's Tadic IFJ Backs Cyprus Journalists' Condemnation of Threats Against Newspaper | H12 RFE/RLBreakaway Republics Look To Advance Statehood At Summit Representatives of the self-proclaimed republics of Abkhazia, Transdniester, and South Ossetia assembled in the Abkhaz capital today for a four-day summit intended to advance the recognition of their statehood. Ter-Petrosian: Is Armenia Ready for a Comeback? Both in public and in private, one question has dominated conversations in Armenia over the past month: Will Levon Ter-Petrosian’s return to politics prove a true comeback? EDM SOARING TRADE BOOSTS RUSSIAN-ARMENIAN ECONOMIC TIES Google News Azerbaijan FT REPORT - GEORGIA 2007 - EASTERN EUROPE: Caucasus is scene of new chapter in the Great Game FT REPORT - GEORGIA 2007 - EASTERN EUROPE: No pain, no gain: an end to energy-dependency FT REPORT - GEORGIA 2007 - EASTERN EUROPE - FRONT PAGE: Liberal laboratory at Russia's door FT REPORT - GEORGIA 2007 - EASTERN EUROPE: Looking back to the glory days Putin's Plan Is Hot (Just Don't Ask What It Is) By: Nabi Abdullaev | The Moscow Times
Since last summer, Moscow streets have been plastered with billboards declaring "Putin's Plan Is Russia's Triumph!" State television anchors mention the plan frequently in their news bulletins. United Russia adopted the plan as its campaign platform earlier this month. And the plan has even won praise in a rock song and ridicule in Internet jokes. But ask anyone -- including United Russia -- to spell out the details of the plan, and the reaction is likely to be bewildered silence Dreaming of New Conflicts By: Alexander Golts | The Moscow Times
Russia's approach to foreign policy is going back in time. During his speech at a February security conference in Munich, President Vladimir Putin told his listeners that the relationship between Moscow and Washington was most stable during the 1980s. Kyrgyz Politics The Economist
Kyrgyz President Kurmanbek Bakiyev, newly empowered by constitutional changes, has dissolved parliament and called a snap election for December 16th. This holds out the prospect of ending the institutional struggle that has raged between parliament and presidency since the so-called Tulip Revolution. Russia's Perplexing Iranian Strategy |
| H13 The Times Fear counterweighs overconfidence Iran has a fistful of reasons to be reassured that threats to punish it are flimsy Bronwen Maddox Oil and Water? Britain has sound reasons for seeking good relations with Saudi Arabia Wall Street Journal Bernanke Rewrites Fed Playbook Ben Bernanke's handling of his first Fed crisis offers the clearest demonstration of how he differs from Alan Greenspan. He has cultivated a more collaborative process, striving to draw out all sides of a debate and forcing participants to test their assumptions Oil experts discussed the prospect of prices pushing well past $100 a barrel. OPEC said the cartel wasn't to blame for high prices. Crude-oil prices tumbled 3.4% to nearly $90 a barrel The Kingdom
Saudi Arabia's monarch complains Britain isn't taking terrorism seriously. He's one to talk European Imperialism
The EU's regulatory assault on U.S. companies. Combustible Countries By: Alexandros Peterson | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)
Combustion happens when fuel combined with oxygen, usually at high temperature, releases heat. While U.S. foreign policy has focused on so-called failed states, it should be concentrating on those countries with the right combination of high-temperature ingredients not just to implode, but to combust. Bush's North Korea Meltdown
So Pyongyang was helping Syria build a reactor? Must be time for more concessions.
By JOHN R. BOLTON | H14 Financial Times COMMENT: Biofuels: an everyday story of special interests and subsidies Is it possible to justify complex and expensive subsidies, mandates and protectionist measures? No. But that does not stop people from trying. They point to a host of different justifications, as is too familiar from the history of farm policies, writes Martin Wolf Data add to gloom on US economy A build-up of bearish data fuelled fears of a US economic slowdown as consumer confidence slumped to a two-year low and house prices in big cities suffered their biggest drop in 16 years How oil shocks hit the economy Energy Filter: With US crude now over $93 and heading for $100, economists are scrambling for their models Iraq to sue foreign security contractors Iraq’s cabinet backed a draft law to make foreign security contractors liable to prosecution, amid continuing controversy over the behaviour of Blackwater and other security companies in the country Perpetual battle for Iran’s reform journalists Shahrvand is the latest example of the reformist press’s struggle for survival: more than 100 publications have been shut since 1997 but new titles always emerge Iran pushes for gas deal movement Iran says it is ready to address the concerns of oil groups that have blamed spiralling costs for delays in signing contracts to develop the South Pars gas field Out with de Gaulle Proposed constitutional changes are a step in the right direction of making the president and his government more accountable to the national assembly Egypt and China in investment deal Egypt said it had reached agreement with China on setting up an industrial zone that it hopes will attract $2.5bn in Chinese investment COMMENT: History's warning about the price of money MARKETS NEWS & COMMENT: How long can China's bubble maintain orbit? COMMENT: Private equity is down but not out No mega-buyouts, but creative deals are emerging, says William Cohan COMMENT: A central telecoms regulator would hurt Europe COMMENT: Research that aids publicists but not the public COMMENT: America's financial regulation needs an overhaul | Bombing North Korea in Syria Primary Source: Former U.N. Ambassador John Bolton stopped by to talk about getting tough with Iran, North Korea and others. We've got highlights. Conservatism's buzz-kill Jonah Goldberg In theory, Americans like limited government; in practice, they're loath to roll back programs that benefit them. Editorial U.N. Still Probing Iran Nuclear Case By: Maggie Farley | Los Angeles Times The head of the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog agency said Monday that the inquiry into Iran's nuclear case was not closed, as the country's president proclaimed to the United Nations last month, and called it regrettable that Iran continued to enrich uranium despite the Security Council's demand to stop the process. Germany Seeks Expansion of Computer Spying By: Kim Murphy | Los Angeles Times
To the unease of many in a country with a history of government spying through the era of the Gestapo and communist rule in East Germany, law enforcement authorities are using the suitcase bomb case to argue for measures that would significantly expand their ability to spy on the once-private realm of My Documents |
| H16 American Politics From The New York Times Magazine, an article on The Evangelical Crackup: After the 2004 election, evangelical Christians looked like one of the most powerful and cohesive voting blocs in America. Three years later their leadership is split along generational and theological lines. How did it all come apart? Rivals call Clinton divisive In Democratic debate, Obama and Edwards concede strengths in her campaign style, but they voice doubts that she's electable. Mitt Romney: I won't let US go the way of UK The USA will become a "second-tier" nation like Britain if Hillary Clinton wins the White House, said the Republican contender. The 100 most influential Americans realclearpolitics – ABC’s The Note – US News Political Bulletin Early Bird GovExec Swamp Gas The Swamp Fineman: What Obama must do in the debate From The New York Observer, Mr. World War IV neocon patriarch Norman Podhoretz sells Rudy on Islamofascism and Thirty Years' War. From TNR, John Judis on the childhood roots of Giuliani's strange views of liberty; and Jonathan Chait on Giuliani's bizarrely punitive far-right economic beliefs Republicans begin to swing behind Huckabee Armed with little more than a bass guitar, Mike Huckabee is elbowing his way into the 2008 Republican presidential contest Mitt Romney: The US Should Always Rule the Democrats target Clinton's vote on Iran | H17 Daily Telegraph Iraqis to take control of Basra province British forces are to transfer responsibility for security in Basra province to Iraqi government in December. Scottish independence support slumps Support for Scottish independence has fallen to its lowest level in 10 years, despite the Scottish National Party's historic election victory in May, according to a new poll. | H18 Independent Revealed: how Blair rejected Bush's offer to stay Mary Dejevsky: No plan, no peace and no responsibility Iraqi dam burst 'would drown 500,000' |
| H19Military Intelligence Terrorism CSMHigh-tech trackers: extra eyes for US forces in Iraq Blue Force Tracker lets troops quickly update the location of friendly and hostile forces Wired Behind Enemy Lines With a Suburban Counterterrorist By Rachel Kaufman Al Qaeda is shifting toward "small and medium-sized operations in the hopes of draining U.S. resources and economy," William McCants, a fellow at the Combating Terrorism Center at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, told a Center for Strategic and International Studies forum last week. Germany Seeks Expansion of Computer Spying By: Kim Murphy | Los Angeles Times
To the unease of many in a country with a history of government spying through the era of the Gestapo and communist rule in East Germany, law enforcement authorities are using the suitcase bomb case to argue for measures that would significantly expand their ability to spy on the once-private realm of My Documents DNI Discloses National Intelligence Program Budget Stabilization and Reconstruction: Actions Needed to Improve Governmentwide Planning and Capabilities for Future Operations GAO-08-228T, October 30, 2007 Summary (HTML) Highlights Page (PDF) Full Report (PDF, 21 pages) Personnel Shortage Saps Army's Strength By: Joseph L. Galloway | Miami Herald
Although they seem to have faded out of the headlines and been put on the back burner by politicians in the nation's capital in recent weeks, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan grind on, whether we're paying attention or not. Exclusive: ABC News Obtains Text of Blackwater Immunity Deal Global Fissile Materials Report 2007 released Source: Project on Government Oversight Full Report (PDF; 8.8 MB) Depleted Uranium, Depleted Health Concerns By: Anes Alic | ISN Security Watch
As a growing number of Italian soldiers who served in the Balkans meet their death due to serious illness, the specter of 'Balkan Syndrome' and the effects of depleted uranium are again in the spotlight. $43.5 Billion Spying Budget for Year, Not Including Military Bagging trophies on Iraqi safariThe US military is using anthropologists as cultural advisors for its soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. The military is also employing big game hunters and inner city police officers to improve its snipers. Indeed, this "hunting" image has permeated the "war on terror" - imagine your enemy as an animal, a big-game trophy to bag. - Nick Turse An excerpt from Curveball: Spies, Lies and the Con Man Who Caused a War by Bob Drogin (and a review). | H20 Slate I should pay more tax, says US billionaire Warren Buffett
Second-richest man in US delivers a blunt message to the Bush administration: he wants to pay more tax. The US slips down the Economist Intelligence Unit’s business environment rankings Disease made Marx boil A nasty skin condition may have shaped the theories of Karl Marx From Foreign Policy, an article on the Globalization Index 2007, with measures of countries on their economic, personal, technological, and political integration Monetary Policy, Vagabonding Liquidity and Bursting Bubbles in New and Emerging Markets
CESifo | H21 From TLS, Martha Nussbaum reviews The Lucifer Effect: Understanding How Good People Turn Evil by Philip Zimbardo (and more). A review of Blind Spots: Why Smart People Do Dumb Things by Madeleine L. Van Hecke. The Great Novel I Never Read The Sound and the Fury, Swann's Way, and other books that novelists skipped. The first chapter from Strategic Intuition: The Creative Spark in Human Achievement by William Duggan. From Salon, journalism and its discontents: Ninety years after Walter Lippmann first railed against the complicity of the media in wartime propaganda, we're back at ground zero. A review of Turning Back the Clock: Hot Wars and Media Populism by Umberto Eco Paying for news: Print newspapers are dying as readers stray to the internet. But is online journalism really ready to take over? Why you didn't pay to read this: Should newspaper Web sites really be free? From The New Yorker, Anthony Grafton on the future of reading: Digitization and its discontents. Libraries shun deals to place books on Web: Several major research libraries have rebuffed offers from Google and Microsoft to scan their books, instead signing on with a nonprofit effort. |
