1103-2007f - FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW (FPR) - ‘Relevant news, views, comments and analyses 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 What Kind of War Are We Fighting, and Can We Win It? The editors of COMMENTARY addressed four questions about the struggle against Islamism to a group of leading thinkers. Their answers comprise this symposium. Fouad Ajami John R. Bolton Max Boot Reuel Marc Gerecht
Victor Davis Hanson Daniel Henninger Martin Kramer William Kristol Andrew C. McCarthy David Pryce-Jones Claudia Rosett Amir Taheri Ruth Wedgwood James Q. Wilson R. James Woolsey

Jerusalem Post: US Air Force struck Syrian nuclear site — The September 6 raid over Syria was carried out by the US Air Force, the Al-Jazeera Web site reported Friday. The Web site quoted Israeli and Arab sources as saying that two strategic US jets armed with tactical nuclear weapons carried out an attack on a nuclear site under construction.

Guardian Leader Stopping nuclear ambitions Bombing Iran would be a disaster.

Climate-induced food crisis looms Soaring crop prices and demand for biofuels raise fears of political instability.

Condoleezza Rice forced to testify in pro-Israel lobbyists' spy trial

AIPAC Espionage Case, Court Memorandum

The Times Who are we? Just a satellite of the US? There is a patriotic British case for remaining vigilant over the ambitions of the United States Matthew Parris

The Petraeus Curve Serious success in Iraq is not being recognised as it should be

Financial Times Trapped between hope and fear The world economy has been growing at or near record levels for several years, while nervousness surrounds housing and banks

How to Cope With Global Jihad By: Ariel Cohen | Policy Review
The conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon, and Afghanistan and the global Islamist insurgency have revealed that Western democracies and their political and military leaders do not fully comprehend the multifaceted threats represented by radical Muslim nonstate actors

Asia Times Crisis of opportunity for Iran and the US A flurry of diplomatic activity over the next few days, notably a meeting of foreign ministers in Turkey over the situation in Iraq, will most likely determine whether or not the Turkish military marches into northern Iraq in force to root out Kurdish rebels. The crisis brings Iran and the United States to the center stage as influential power-brokers, yet could prove to be the fire extinguisher on their other "war". - Kaveh L Afrasiabi

The art of the possible
Lofty rhetoric such as President George W Bush's "ultimate goal of ending tyranny in our world" ultimately leads to a self-defeating foreign policy that makes it impossible to effectively fight a war in Iraq, stabilize Afghanistan, deal with Iran and North Korea and combat radical Islamist terrorism. When one tries to do everything at once, it is done less well and makes the US reactive instead of proactive. - Lee H Hamilton

Vanity Fair The Mega-Bunker
of Baghdad by William Langewiesche The new American Embassy in Baghdad will be the largest, least welcoming, and most lavish embassy in the world: a $600 million massively fortified compound with 619 blast-resistant apartments and a food court fit for a shopping mall. Unfortunately, like other similarly constructed U.S. Embassies, it may already be obsolete

The Blotter: Exclusive: Only Three Have Been Waterboarded by CIA

Rice to face subpoena in espionage case

New York Times Editorial That Promised Peace Conference The Bush administration cannot just stage a Mideast peace conference and hope that something will materialize in a region drowning in despair

Sri Lankan Air Force Kills Tamil Tigers Leader By: James Sturcke | The Guardian A leader of the Tamil Tigers separatist group and a number of his senior officers were killed today in a bombing raid by the Sri Lankan air force, the rebel organisation reported.

RFE/RLRussia: Is North Caucasus Resistance Still Serious Threat?

The Struggle To Shape Islam Concerns over Islamic extremism are running high after reports of a foiled terror attack in Baku. But will the government's authoritarian ways -- and its attempt to impose its own brand of Islam -- drive more believers toward Iranian or Saudi-inspired radicalism?

Washington Post Iraq Again Mulls Amnesty Plan: At Issue Is Whom to Include in Politically Sensitive Program

The Iran Counter-Proliferation Act: Potential Implications for Russian-Iranian Relations and U.S.-Russian Nuclear Cooperation CNS
A US article reviewing the likely impact of the Iran Counter-Proliferation Act

H2 McClatchy Will US Join Assault on Rebels or Let Turkey Go It Alone?

Daily Telegraph US to help Turkey against Kurdish rebels America has signalled that it is prepared to send special forces, possibly joined by a British contingent, to attack Kurdish rebels.

FT Rice urges patience over Kurd question Turkey and the US struggled to develop a common approach to dealing with Kurdish rebels at the start of four days of intensive diplomacy aimed at dissuading Ankara from sending its army into Iraq

NYT Pressed by Turks, Rice Seeks to Solve Kurdish Rebel Threat While Urging Restraint

Turks demand action, not words Rice Friday branded the Kurdish PKK guerrilla force a "terrorist organization" and a "common enemy" of the United States, Turkey, and Iraq, but in crisis talks with Turkish officials, she stopped short of committing Washington to any form of military retaliation

Story | Former envoy: U.S. driving Turkey, Iran together Graphic | Poll of Turkish public opinion

Guardian Why Turkey is holding back

Jason Burke Ousting Kurdish fighters from their mountain strongholds could only be achieved at huge cost - and Turkey knows that.

WP Turkey Urges U.S. To Take Action on Kurdish Violence

Rice: U.S., Turkey Share 'Common Enemy' : Rice Stops in Ankara on Way to Iraq Talks

Condoleezza Rice pressured by Turkish officials

CNN Rice Faces Tall Order Mending Fences in Turkey

:Asia Times Online :: Middle East News - Roots of the Kurdish struggle run deep Kurdish militants based in Iraq are as much of a threat to Iran as they are to Turkey - last year Tehran launched operations into Iraqi territory and arrested 40 rebels. The Kurdish problem in Iran dates to World War I, and if history is any lesson, the idea of a regional "Kurdistan" will remain a thorn for Turkish and Iranian leaders for a long time to come. - Sami Moubayed

The Times Rice: US will help Turkey stop Kurds

Rice: Kurdish Rebels Are 'Common Threat' - Forbes.com

BBC Belligerent mood
Turks urge their government to attack PKK rebels in Iraq

AFP: US pledges to 'redouble' efforts against Kurdish rebels

Across the Aisle » Why Does Turkey Question US Sincerity in the War on Terrorism?

Diplomacy Whirlwind at Iraq Conference in Istanbul

Iran Tips Hand Ahead of Istanbul Conference on Iraq

Google News KurdishMedia Kurdish Kurdish Aspect BBC Monitoring

Iraqi Kurds fear fight with Turkey will damage economy

Barzani: Kirkuk Will Join Kurdish Region in 2007

LA Times Iraqi Kurds Face a Dilemma

Kurdish PM Condemns PKK Attacks

Ankara cool over Iranian mediation in PKK crisis

Eerie Calm as Kurds Brace for More War

Kuzey Irak halkı nefesini tuttu

BM Irak'ta devreye girecek

Aid Agencies Ready for Northern Iraq Refugees Over War Worry

Bush, Erdogan Split Over Kurds' Power in Oil-Rich Northern Iraq

American Chronicle: The PKK problem in Northern Iraq

Kurdish Soldiers in Northern Iraq Face Loyalty Test

Eylem için gelen 4 PKK'lı yakalandı

Türkiye'nin davetine Talabani'den ret

Lawmakers Call for Expulsion of Iranian Opposition From Iraq

Kurdish PM Wants Elections Law Reconsidered

Al Hayat Erdogan and the Kurdish Question

Abdallah Iskandar - A question is raised about the possibility of linking the Turkish government’s desire to facilitate this step and its announcing war plans in northern Iraq and as a result of which, the EU will find itself engaged in a war at its borders, and for motives related to causes that it defends, namely recognizing the full citizenship rights of minorities as well as developing their cultures and languages.

Our Defeated Nationalism and Turkey’s Ascending One

Elias Harfouche - The recent conflict between Turkey and Kurdish separatists has helped to realize historic interests on the part of Turkey's secular and Muslim factions, that have consolidated Turkish nationalism beyond anything imagined by Kamal Ataturk.

Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber

Turkey, Balkan States Lagging on Reforms, EU Report Says | Europe | Deutsche Welle | 02.11.2007

Strategic value key to Turkey's accession' - Turkish Daily News Nov 02, 2007

Avrupa Birliği'ne giden Roma yolu
BAHADIR KALEAĞASI

Başsavcılık: "Azınlık raporu açık tehlike yaratmaz"

AB Türkiye'nin 2007 karnesini Salı günü açıklıyor

Turkey's Muslim nature poses no threat to EU, says report - Turkish Daily News Nov 02, 2007

EurasiaNet Eurasia Insight - Turkey: Revisiting a Flashpoint of the Democratization Process

Azerbaijanis Flock to Turkish Town

Gökçek'in sağ kolu gözaltında

Godfather Selo

H3 Ege Cansen Bi tane patlatacam ama elim acır diye korkuyorum

Ya somut adım atın ya da sınırı geçeriz

Cheney: PKK sorununu çözeceğimizi sanıyorum

Erdoğan, terör örgütü PKK'yı bitirme planını Rice'a verdi

Taha AKYOL Siyasi çözüm!

3 aşamalı plan önerdi

Fikret BİLA PKK sorunu sosyal aşamada çözülmeliydi

Hasan CEMAL PKK bizim de başımıza bela!

Irak'ın geleceği masada

'Bıçak buraya dayandı'

Cengiz Çandar

Maliki, PKK'ya karşı yeni planlarla geldi

Bush'la askerli görüşme Murat Yetkin

Bu fotoğraf neyi anlatıyor?

Asker de masada

Ralston: ABD Türkiye'ye verdiği sözleri tutmadı

Ralston: "ABD Türkiye'yi İran'a itiyor"

ABD: "Sorunu çözeceğimizi umuyoruz"

İran'dan sürpriz öneri

Rice'a Babacan'dan zor soru

Konuşacak şey kalmadı M.Ali Kışlalı

Güneri CIVAOĞLU Oval Oda'da satranç

Küçük ve Kerinçsiz dosyası, Dink Savcısı’nda

Alman basını: NATO Türkiye ile ilgili tavrını değiştirdi

[ANALİZ] Barzani muhatap alınmayı hak ediyor mu?

Türkiye Barzani'yi neden muhatap almıyor?

Şahin Alpay Iraklı Kürtler ve PKK

Mensur Akgün Türkiye göründüğünden çok daha güçlü ama

'Komşu' ya da 'hedef' Murat Belge
Kürt yönetimini 'komşu' diye tanımak, olayı tümden çözmeye yetmez, ancak yolu açabilir

İlter Türkmen Terör ve toplumsal barış

Kürtlerden PKK'ya en sert açıklama

K.Irak alarmda

Labid Abevi: PKK'yı dağa hapsedelim

İran'dan güvenlik duvarı önerisi

Erdoğan: Gündemimiz savaş değil operasyon

Sınırda 'özel harekât'

Rehin askerler bir iki gün içinde bırakılacak

PKK kaynakları: Sekiz asker bırakılıyor

Türkiye, ABD ve Irak üçlü zeminde biraraya geliyor

AKP MYK ekonomik yaptırımları görüştü

ALİ BAYRAMOĞLU İflas etmiş modelin peşinde…

[NEWS ANALYSIS] Kurds slow to act against PKK out of sympathy for group

Semih İDİZ Sadece sözler yetmiyor artık

Sami KOHEN Komşular da siyasi çözüm istiyor

MELİHA OKUR
Şeker gibi 'ambargo'

Mahir Kaynak Kim kazanıyor?

Karayılan Kandil'den kaçtı! Karayılan, Kuzey Irak'ın Yezidi Cebel Sincar bölgesine kaçtı

Can Ataklı Sınır ötesi harekat terörist kovalamak için yapılmaz

Necati Doğru Tezkere, ABD dümen suyuna girdi, sulanıyor!

Serdar Turgut Yumuşak güç

Ali Bulaç Kötü formülasyon

Some DTP deputies try distancing themselves from PKK

İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası

Dış Basında Türkiye-AB İlişkileri -

Dış Basında Irak BBC Turkish 0700

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

Taha Kıvanç Başyazarlar meydan savaşı

Fehmi Koru Garip bir ısrar, garip bir medya

Yalçın Doğan 1918’den 2007’ye bataklık aynı

Ertuğrul Özkök Eğer düşman ortaksa

Ahmet Hakan

M Ali Birand Hangi bağımsazlıktan söz ediyorsunuz?

Cüneyt Ülsever

Enis Berberoğlu Tıpkı Kabil’deki gibi

Oktay Ekşi Beklenti

YASİN AKTAY PKK DTP'yi boğmaya çalışıyor

İsmail Küçükkaya
Washington’a giderken...

Erdoğan Bush’a son sözü Oval Ofis’te söyleyecek

MUHARREM SARIKAYA

ERDAL ŞAFAK Tatmin etti mi?

ERGUN BABAHAN Halkla ilişkiler ziyareti

EMRE AKÖZ Şeytan bunun neresinde?

Umur Talu

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

NAZLI ILICAK Birlik beraberlik mesajı

MAHMUT ÖVÜR

YAVUZ DONAT

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

Ercan Kumcu

Erdal Sağlam Ekonomik tedbirler nihayet başladı

Enflasyon ÜFE'de % -0.13, TÜFE'de % 1.81

Yaman TÖRÜNER
Merkez Bankası iyi yaptı

H4 New York Times Editorial That Promised Peace Conference The Bush administration cannot just stage a Mideast peace conference and hope that something will materialize in a region drowning in despair

H5 Washington Post Iraq Again Mulls Amnesty Plan: At Issue Is Whom to Include in Politically Sensitive Program

Tammy S. Schultz explains how infighting hurts the State Department, while Hans Binnendijk asks how it could better help the war effort. The State Department and other civilian agencies are important instruments of U.S. national security policy -- but are unprepared

U.S. Warns Musharraf Not to Use Martial Law

Explosion Kills 10 In the Northwest; Missile Reported

Blackwater's Owner Has Spies for HireEx-U.S. Operatives Dot Firm's Roster First it became a brand name in security for its work in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now it's taking on intelligence.

Rice, Others Told to Testify in AIPAC Case

Rice Reaffirms Plan to Force Diplomats to Fill Iraq Posts

Editorial

Thousands Rally Against Pro-Western President of Georgia

H6 Guardian Leader Stopping nuclear ambitions Bombing Iran would be a disaster. Even if bombs busted Iran's nuclear bunkers, they would still miss their target. A military strike on the uranium-enrichment centrifuges would hasten an Iranian weapons programme, not delay it. A pre-emptive strike would turn a covert programme into an overt one, this time with the full backing of a wounded nation. Iran would leave the …

Climate-induced food crisis looms Soaring crop prices and demand for biofuels raise fears of political instability.

Condoleezza Rice forced to testify in pro-Israel lobbyists' spy trial

Tamil Tigers leader killed in Sri Lankan air strike
Key spokesman and five others die in dawn raid, leaving Sri Lanka on brink of all-out war, analysts warn.

Iraqis challenge detention rights

The fate of Iraqis being held by British forces is in the balance after hearings before the law lords

The Cheney gang Guardian, Saturday November 3 2007 Steven Poole

Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army, by Jeremy Scahill (Serpent's Tail, £12.99)

Immoral victories Guardian, Saturday November 3 2007 Richard Norton-Taylor

Just War - The Just War Tradition: Ethics in Modern Warfare by Charles Guthrie and Michael Quinlan 64pp, Bloomsbury, £10

Face to faith Jay Lakhani: All faiths must accept pluralism if we are to defuse strife caused in the name of religion

Waterboarding Mukasey

Sidney Blumenthal Nov 02 07, 07:30pm: President Bush's nominee for attorney general is the latest plaything of an administration that wants to torture with impugnity

US pushes diplomats to go to Iraq
Only one-third of posts filled, leading to prospect of forced postings.

Revolt of the diplomats

Spencer Ackerman Nov 02 07, 08:30pm: The refusal of US state department officials to serve in Iraq isn't about politics. It's about self-preservation

Broken promises Stephen Kinzer

President Bush has vowed to bring democracy to Cuba. He's wrong to think that Cubans will welcome American interference

H7

How to Cope With Global Jihad By: Ariel Cohen | Policy Review
The conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon, and Afghanistan and the global Islamist insurgency have revealed that Western democracies and their political and military leaders do not fully comprehend the multifaceted threats represented by radical Muslim nonstate actors

Expect No World War III For Now By: Dennis Jett | Miami Herald
Everybody relax. We are not going to bomb Iran. The reason why we are not is obvious. But because it does not add more hype to an already overwrought story, it is ignored by the media. The reason is because in a president's first term in office, nothing is more important than reelection and, during his second term, nothing matters more than enhancing his place in history

Dealing With the Iran Threat By: Hugh Cortazzi | The Japan Times
If Iran does develop nuclear weapons, given its relationship with Israel, it would be a serious threat to peace. But this does not justify an armed strike before peaceful means have been truly exhausted.

Al hayat The Confrontation With Iran In The Calculations Of Us Presidential Candidates

Raghida Dergham - Iran has begun to take the place of Iraq as a leading topic of interest in the early stage of the US presidential campaign. Attention is shifting from the actual war that the US is waging in Iraq to scenarios for war with Iran. There is considerable division among the public and within the Democratic and Republican parties. Half of Americans, at the least, support military strikes against Iran to prevent it from acquiring nuclear weapons.

Oil Prices and the Inevitability of Striking Iran

Randa Takieddine - Since the diplomatic path with Iran is not only ineffective, but it also seems to be in trouble, the "disastrous" option that French President Nicolas Sarkozy warned against, a military strike, is imminent, and oil prices will continue to fluctuate upwards.

Six Years Later: Assessing Long-term Threats, Risks and the U.S. Strategy for Security in a Post-9/11 World
CEIP

Who Failed Whom? Assessing the UN's Human Rights Efforts
MIT CIS

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

Turkey hosts Iraq security talks

BBC Diplomatic push
Top players assess new ideas and people in Iran's nuclear row

Glubb’s Guide to the Arab Tribes (Part 1)

Lebanon: Why is the Presidential Election Becoming Crucial? : Amir Taheri

For a Welcome Change, Good News From the Middle East By: Bernd Debusmann | The Daily Star
For the first time in their history, the rich countries of the Arab Gulf are setting aside more money for education than for arms. The United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia alone are planning to spend more than $22 billion on ambitious projects to close the knowledge

Egypt ruling party opens congress

Egypt's National Democratic Party begins its congress on Saturday, putting the president's son centre-stage

Iraq war source's name revealed

A US network reveals the key Iraq war source codenamed Curveball and says he lied to support his asylum claim.

British DM: Aircraft Carrier Headed to Gulf in 2008 Not Part of Iran Attack

Sadr City MP a 'Man of the People' Fighting Occupation

Anbar Leaders Seek Billions From US

BBC Monitoring Quotes From Middle East Arabic Press for 2 Nov 07

H9 Ha’aretz – AIPAC trial judge okays Rice, Hadley subpoenas

AIPAC trial: Bring on the top government officials

The genes that make Jews smart (What To Read)

Report: Lebanese Army Fired on Israeli Military Jets Over Country's South

Court Authorizes Subpoenas of Senior Officials in AIPAC Case

Editorial: Israel kowtows to its Jewish masters overseas

World powers agree to push for tougher UN sanctions on Iran

Russia and China fall in line on Iran

Agree with UNSC to devise new sanctions if IAEA doesn't report improved Iranian cooperation.

Powers seek more sanctions
Britain, France, Germany, US, Russia and China agree Friday to push for another round of sanctions against Iran, unless IAEA reports indicate Tehran ‘trying to address concerns’ about its nuclear program

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

Israel: Ready for Harder Military Tactics By: Brooks Tigner | ISN Security Watch
As Israel seems to perceive a rising 'threat factor' on its borders, military leaders seem prepared to go for harder and more overt tactics regardless of international opprobrium

Lessons From the Failed Peace Talks at Camp David By: Moshe Amirav | The Daily Star
This month U.S. President George W. Bush proposes to host an international conference in Annapolis, near Washington, in the hope of advancing a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians. The failures of previous attempts -- in Madrid in 1991, in Oslo in 1993 and at Camp David in 2000 -- highlight the difficulties.

BBC Monitoring Quotes From Israel's Arabic Press 2 Nov 07

BBC Monitoring Quotes From Israel's Hebrew Press 2 Nov 07

H10 Christian Science Monitor

ASIA

Chinese Military Boosts Hacking By: Bill Gertz | The Washington Times
Senior military commanders at the U.S. Pacific Command here said China's recent test of an anti-satellite weapon and increased computer-hacking activities prompted increased defenses for U.S. forces in the region and in space.

BBC Behind the smiles
Tamil Tigers' public face was a ruthless and skilled operator

Book on India Spy Agency Hits Nerve By: Henry Chu | Los Angeles Times
As tell-alls go, it's fairly tame stuff. A new inside look at India's equivalent of the CIA contains some modest allegations of corruption, mismanagement and petty behavior, but no bombshell revelations. Try telling that to the Indian government, which has accused the author of leaking classified information and raided the man's home, turning what otherwise would have been a minor annoyance into a headline-grabbing imbroglio.

U.S. Influence Behind Bhutto's Return By: B. Gautam | The Japan Times
Benazir Bhutto's return to Pakistan after eight years of a self-imposed exile conveys that the United States is set to delete President Pervez Musharraf and bring in Bhutto, albeit without an invasion

EUROPE European press review

Making Montenegro ISA
Montenegro finally completes its split with its former federal partner, Serbia, with the adoption of a new constitution. Though the battle was only narrowly won thanks to strong opposition from pro-Serbian forces who are not ready to give up their flags and symbols for a new, independent identity, the victory was a solid one and the country is progressing.

Two for the Price of One?
CEPS
A 2-page commentary on the new 'Lisbon Treaty'

H12 RFE/RLRussia: Is North Caucasus Resistance Still Serious Threat?

The Struggle To Shape Islam Concerns over Islamic extremism are running high after reports of a foiled terror attack in Baku. But will the government's authoritarian ways -- and its attempt to impose its own brand of Islam -- drive more believers toward Iranian or Saudi-inspired radicalism?

Tbilisi Seeks End To Russian Peacekeepers’ Mandate In Abkhazia

Tensions between Tbilisi and Moscow have hit a new high following reports that Russian troops seized and beat five Georgian police officers in the breakaway region of Abkhazia.

FT Georgians want president’s power curbed Thousands demonstrate against President Mikheil Saakashvili in Tbilisi in the biggest popular protest since the 2003 Rose Revolution that swept the pro-west leader to power

Google News Azerbaijan

Even Putin's Popularity Can Evaporate By: Christopher Granville | The Moscow Times
Opinions about Russian President Vladimir Putin run the gamut. In the West, he is regarded as an authoritarian, an autocrat, even as a dictator. In Russia, a huge majority regards him as the most democratic of leaders on the grounds that he has done more than his predecessors to improve the lot of ordinary people. But there is one point on which both camps agree: Putin intends to remain in power indefinitely

WSJ Living Larger in the New Russia

Like millions of Russians, the Starodubov family has been lifted out of poverty by a booming economy. Their ascent from the hand-to-mouth existence of the 1990s to relative security today helps explain why Putin is perceived so differently in Russia than he is in the West. For many, he is a hero.

Chechens Among Russian "Peacekeepers" During Incident in Georgia By: Vladimir Socor | Eurasia Daily Monitor
The incident revealed publicly for the first time the presence of Chechen soldiers among Russian “peacekeepers” in Abkhazia. Intelligence had reported this fact recently, but now a few Chechen “peacekeepers” appeared on television when Saakashvili confronted the Russian unit

Protesters in Georgia stage mass rally to demand early elections

H13 The Times Who are we? Just a satellite of the US?

There is a patriotic British case for remaining vigilant over the ambitions of the United States Matthew Parris

Iraq surge brings hope for a day without death Since the surge began in June car bombs are down 65 per cent and casualties from roadside bombs have fallen by 80 per cent

The Petraeus Curve Serious success in Iraq is not being recognised as it should be

Rising trade and safer streets for Baghdad now Baghdad needs a decent electricity supply

Peace hopes dashed as Tamil leader is killed Death of S.P. Thamilselvan, international face of the rebels, is a victory for the government but a blow to peace efforts

Wall Street Journal

Four Decades of Conservative Journalism
"We have destroyed the liberals' media monopoly."
By R. EMMETT TYRRELL JR.

Dissident
Natan Sharansky's passion for democracy isn't always welcome in the West.
By MATTHEW KAMINSKI

A Sinkable Treaty
Why America doesn't need the Law of the Sea.

Holocaust Denial and Tehran
Ignorance and openness on Israel and the Jews.
By ROYA HAKAKIAN

Despite Wall Street's nerves, U.S. economy adds lots of new jobs

H14 Financial Times Trapped between hope and fear The world economy has been growing at or near record levels for several years, while nervousness surrounds housing and banks

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Leading US Jewish organisations were more in favour of war against Iraq than the grassroots

Jobs growth calms US recession fears The US economy created more jobs last month than even the most optimistic Wall Street economists were forecasting

Prince to step down at Citigroup Chuck Prince is planning to step down as chairman and chief executive of Citigroup after an emergency board meeting of the financial services giant on Sunday

US hits at Beijing over Iran stance The US for the first time publicly criticised China over its stance on Iran’s nuclear programme, expressing disappointment that Beijing is stalling over plans for a new United Nations resolution imposing sanctions on Tehran

Road-building turns a corner Environmentalism used to be about how we want to live; now it is about how we have to live, says Christopher Caldwell

Bears talking bull on US decline The economy will pass through its trough and start to recover, says John Gapper

H15 Los Angeles Times Editorial Enriching the enemy

Soaring oil prices limit U.S. leverage and embolden our geopolitical adversaries.

Linking public diplomacy to policy

Karen Hughes did some good as public diplomacy chief, but the U.S. needs to incorporate image-making with policymaking

H16 American Politics

· Top conservatives: 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-100 | Your choices

· Top liberals: 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-100 | Your choices

· Toby Harnden: Crossing America

Stumbling Clinton to steady campaign

The senator will seek to stabilise her presidential bid after facing ridicule during the worst week so far in her attempt to win the Democratic nomination

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

Early Bird GovExec Swamp Gas The Swamp

Chuck Schumer says Iran war would destroy the GOP.

H17 Daily Telegraph Immigration must be managed properly

We want settlers to come to Britain; but we also want to have a rough sense of whom we are admitting, and in what numbers.

World's biggest bank in crisis meeting

Citigroup has called an emergency board meeting amid fears of escalating bad debts caused by the sub-prime mortgage crisis.

Darkness is falling in Putin's Russia

Russian people pay high price for new-found prosperity

Coffee at Claridge's With Prince Saud By: Con Coughlin | The Daily Telegraph
The concept of hospitality lies at the very heart of Arab culture. Which makes the treatment the Saudi royal family received during King Abdullah's state visit to Britain this week seem all the more inexcusable.

H18 Independent Gertrude Himmelfarb: Brown's guru

Robert Fisk: Warning... this film could make you angry

Tamil Tigers' deputy leader dies in air strike

Iraqi weapons 'expert' unmasked as a fraud

H19Military Intelligence Terrorism

From Small Wars Journal, Thomas P. Odom (Army): America's Cultural First Battles: Understanding the Influence of Culture on War.

A review of Clausewitz in the Twenty-First Century.

Azure Ethical Dilemmas in CounterterrorismMOSHE YAALON

An interview with former Assistant Secretary of Defense Philip Coyle on the military-industrial complex.

From The Economist, brains, not bullets: Western armies are good at destroying things, but can they be made better at building them too?

After smart weapons, smart soldiers: Irregular warfare may keep Western armies busy for decades; they will have to adapt if they are to overcome the odds that history suggests they are up against.

From Carnegie Council, a talk with Robert Kaplan on Hog Pilots, Blue Water Grunts: The American Military in the Air, at Sea, and on the Ground.

The false decline of the US Navy: Robert Kaplan is convinced the US Navy is in decline—too bad his argument ignores the Navy's true strategic strength and capabilities.

From Regulation, should we bring back the draft? Is the all-volunteer force a "mercenary army"?

Ambush in War Zone D: Wesley Clark on the Vietnam War draftees who fought with valor and saved my life.

A review of A Time to Lead: For Duty, Honor and Country by Wesley Clark

A Disciplined Defense By: Richard K. Betts | Foreign Affairs (subscription required)
The United States now spends almost as much on defense in real dollars as it ever has before -- even though it has no plausible rationale for using most of its impressive military forces. Why? Because without political incentives for restraint, policymakers have lost the ability to think clearly about defense policy. Washington's new mantra should be "Half a trillion dollars is more than enough."

Congressional Research Service

"Nuclear Weapons in U.S. National Security Policy: Past, Present, and Prospects," October 29, 2007.

"National Strategy for Combating Terrorism: Background and Issues for Congress," November 1, 2007.

"China Naval Modernization: Implications for U.S. Navy Capabilities -- Background and Issues for Congress," updated October 18, 2007

Chinese Military Boosts Hacking By: Bill Gertz | The Washington Times
Senior military commanders at the U.S. Pacific Command here said China's recent test of an anti-satellite weapon and increased computer-hacking activities prompted increased defenses for U.S. forces in the region and in space.

Book on India Spy Agency Hits Nerve By: Henry Chu | Los Angeles Times
As tell-alls go, it's fairly tame stuff. A new inside look at India's equivalent of the CIA contains some modest allegations of corruption, mismanagement and petty behavior, but no bombshell revelations. Try telling that to the Indian government, which has accused the author of leaking classified information and raided the man's home, turning what otherwise would have been a minor annoyance into a headline-grabbing imbroglio.

The Fly's a Spy The Economist
Having evolved from military use, drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), are taking to the air in increasing numbers for public-service and civilian roles. They are being operated by groups as diverse as police, surveyors and archaeologists.

Shane Harris / National Journal:
NSA Sought Data Before 9/11

H20 Slate

Michael Howard, Captain Professor: The Memoirs of Sir Michael Howard (New York: Continuum International Publishing Group, 2006), 221 pp., $44.95

The economic impact of the creative arts industries: New York and Los Angeles
by Michael L. Dolfman, Richard J. Holden, and Solidelle Fortier Wasser
14 pages; PDF.

From The New Criterion (reg. req.), a special issue on the 20th anniversary of Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind, including essays by Roger Kimball, Mark Steyn, and Heather McDonald; and Jeffrey Hart on Jacques Barzun at 100.

From Inside Higher Ed, regrets, I’ve had a few: Half of education is knowing what you don’t know.

Scott McLemee checks out a new pamphlet for undergraduates; a skeptic’s take on academic blogs: Adam Kotsko has seen their benefits, but also how difficult they are to sustain in productive ways; and an enthusiast’s view of academic blogs: Scott Eric Kaufman writes that blogging gives him two invaluable things: community and an audience.

From TLS, a review of John Cornwell's Darwin's Angel: An angelic riposte to The God Delusion and John Humphrys' In God We Doubt: Confessions of a failed atheist. An interview with Dinesh D'Souza on What’s So Great About Christianity. From Carnegie Council, a talk with Garry Wills on Head and Heart: American Christianities.

The Future of Coal
MIT
This 192-page US study examines the role of coal as an energy source in a world where constraints on carbon emissions are adopted to mitigate global warming

H21 Celebrate diversity, if you will. But it’s only part of what it means to be a complete human being. There’s group and national pride... more»

Finally, blogging is blessed on high

George W. Bush, proving he has spent more time surfing the web than any US president before him, broke new ground when he announced that a Presidential Medal of Freedom would go to a blogger

From Technology Review, the Semantic Web goes mainstream: Radar Networks is unveiling a new tool that provides a smarter way to find information and increase productivity. Images uploaded to photo-sharing websites like Flickr could find a surprising new application – they could help build accurate 3D models of the real world.

Narcissistic celebrities spiral out of control because they are buffered by people who always say yes to them... more»

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