1218-2007f - 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 Financial Times COMMENT: Five events that have defined 2007 War in Iraq, Russia resurgent, China on the rise, turmoil in Pakistan and the credit crunch – the theme that links the most significant world events of the past year is the growing strain on the world’s sole superpower, writes Gideon Rachman

Editorial Beating the retreat from a broken Iraq Whatever shape Iraq eventually settles into – a loose but conciliated confederation, a Shia theocracy, or a Balkans-in-the-sands – it takes real gall to claim this as a success

Remodeled Middle East? Here's another map. MESH.

DAVID BROOKS The Obama-Clinton Issue With the presidency, character and self-knowledge matter more than experience. There are reasons to think that, among Democrats, Barack Obama is better prepared for this madness.

Washington Post Violence in Iraq Falling, but Pace of Decline Slows Drop in Roadside-Bomb Explosions Continues; Sniper, Small-Arms Attacks Unchanged, Data Show

Putin Says He Would Accept Premiership Protege Formally Nominated for President; Plan for Sharing Power Remains Unclear

The Second Lebanon War: Strategic Perspectives Israel's Institute for National Security Studies (formerly the Jaffee Center) see also Israeli strategic analysts on the 33-day war

Guardian The remains of occupation Richard Norton-Taylor The handover of power in Basra is motivated by self-interest, and leaves the region on a knife edge

Over a barrel Dilip Hiro: The latest intelligence on Iran has given Russia and China the green light to invest in the country. Europe risks losing out

WSJ Iran's Actions in Iraq Scrutinized A Pentagon report accuses Iran of continuing to funnel weapons into Iraq, adding fuel to the debate about whether Tehran still is trying to destabilize Iraq or if it has begun to curtail such efforts.

Christian Science Monitor

Opinion: Why oil is so expensiveDon't blame OPEC. The major factors are a weak dollar and speculation. By Paul Roberts

WT U.S. joins rebuke of Israel Rice joined her counterparts in the international "Quartet for Middle East peace" yesterday in a rare formal rebuke of Israel for its plans to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Ha’aretz – A Vietnam called Gaza Marcus Israel already had one Vietnam, in the First Lebanon War. It does not need a second Vietnam in Gaza.

WT U.S. joins rebuke of Israel Rice joined her counterparts in the international "Quartet for Middle East peace" yesterday in a rare formal rebuke of Israel for its plans to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Gareth Porter Did Bush Get New Iran Intel Last Winter?

Assassination Jars Nascent US Détente With Syria

Daily Star Why we must not take the pressure off Iran By David Miliband

Jerusalem Post From Basra to Bethlehem to Beit El [ CAROLINE GLICK ,

Survivor, Gulf style [ BARRY RUBIN

Awakening Shakes Up Iraqi Politics By: Trudy Rubin | Miami Herald Six months ago Sheikh Ali Hatem Ali Suleiman al-Dulaimi predicted that tribal leaders would defeat al Qaeda in Anbar province, the Sunni tribal heartland. Now the young prince of the Dulaim, one of Iraq's largest tribes, exults that al Qaeda in Iraq has been driven out of Anbar by tribal fighters aided by American troops.

Helena Cobban US military finally has "Dannatt moment" on Iraq/Afghanistan?

Asia Times Kissinger's foggy focus on Iran The old Cold Warrior is back. At age 84, Henry Kissinger has embroiled himself in the escalating debate over Iran's nuclear intentions. In a newly published opinion piece he dismisses US intelligence estimates, misunderstands the new realities of the Middle East and proves just how out of touch he is with the American public. This is Kissinger, king of contradictions. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi

Iraq's Muqtada not quite Hezbollah mold US fears of the emergence of a Hezbollah-style group in Iraq are centered on cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army. Certainly there are similarities between Muqtada and Hasan Nasrallah, secretary general of Hezbollah in Lebanon. But there are also important differences, notably Muqtada's poor image projection and inferior education - deficiencies he aims to put right. - Sami Moubayed

Iran's engagement is al-Qaeda's threat
Mahmud Ahmadinejad's pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia - the first by an Iranian president since 1979 - is just one example of increased Iranian interaction with its Arab neighbors, under the watchful, and somewhat approving eye of the United States. There is even talk of Tehran returning hundreds of al-Qaeda members and militants to authorities in their Arab countries of origin. Previously, al-Qaeda has had only one response to such situations: terror. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

H2 Washington Post U.S. Helps Turkey Strike Rebel Kurds in Iraq Goal of U.S. program is to identify the movements and activities of the Kurdish Workers' Party in northern Iraq, senior administration official says. Intelligence Role Could Complicate Diplomacy

WSJ Turkey's Terror Problem Is Ours By Michael Rubin Ankara should no more negotiate with the PKK than Washington should negotiate with al Qaeda

Guardian Back together again Contrary to appearances, Ankara and Washington are now more closely aligned than at any time since the Iraq crisis started. Reconciliation, sealed with a bombing run Air raids on Kurdish separatists have more political significance than military, says Simon Tisdall

Turkish troops enter northern Iraq: Kurdish official (AFP)

Pentagon Giving Turkey Intelligence on PKK

Turkey's US-Backed Strike in Iraq TIME

CER Turkey's Role in European Energy Security by Katinka Barysch

Iraqi Kurds Agree to Postpone Key Vote on Oil City

"PKK'yı bitirecek eylem görmek istiyoruz"

Kürt siyaseti yol ayırımda - MECLİS Mİ, PKK MI? - 1 Kürt siyaseti yol ayırımda - MECLİS Mİ, PKK MI? - 2

Boston Globe Editorial Turkey's harmful empty gesture TURKEY did the wrong thing for the wrong reasons Sunday when it sent more than 50 of its air force jets to bomb sites in northern Iraq.

TURKEY SPEAKS VOLUMES WITH A MUTED RESPONSE TO EU SNUB Eurasia Daily Monitor By Gareth Jenkins

Predator'lar buldu, F-16'lar vurdu

ABD: PKK’ya son verecek eylemler istiyoruz

Kuzey Irak Kürt Yönetimi: Saldırıdan ABD de sorumlu

Iraqi Kurds agree to 6-month delay for Kirkuk vote

Irak sınırında hareketlilik arttı PKK'lıların geçiş yolu tutuldu

FT Turkey defends raids on northern Iraq Military denies bombing civilian targets during its weekend attack on suspected PKK Kurdish bases in the mountains and says ‘all planned targets were hit’

Philip Giraldi 12/18/2007 Turkey: Another Ally Lost

US Reacts Cautiously to Turkish Air Strikes in Iraq

Turkey’s flight into no-fly zone Tehran Times

Iraq Angered by Turkish Bombing
New York Times

WT Turkey strikes rebels (By Tulin Daloglu)

Dünya operasyonu konuşuyor

AB 'anlayışla' karşıladı

Nagy: Türkiye orantısız güç kullanmaktan kaçınmalı...

[NEWS ANALYSIS] Operation success built on diplomacy

Kerkük referandumu 6 ay ertelenebilir Neçirvan Barzani, Kerkük referandumunun altı ay ertelenmesini kabul ettiklerini söyledi

Iraq Parliament Condemns 'Cruel' Turkish Air Strikes

Rice'tan sürpriz Kerkük ziyareti

IHT Iraq condemns Turkish air attack as a violation of sovereignty illagers near rebel targets recovered after Turkish air strikes on Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. The attacks amounted to the largest known cross- border incursion since 2003.

Rice yorum yapmadı

ABD: İstihbaratı biz verdik

Iraq seeks "coordination" in Turkish PKK strikes

US Pentagon giving Turkey intelligence on PKK Reuters

How Much American Support for Turkish Air Strike? Harper's Magazine

EU calls on Turkey to halt strikes in northern Iraq

EU concern at Turkish air strikes BBC

Italian Commentary Views Minorities Protection in Turkey After Priest Stabbed

Lübnan'daki cumhurbaşkanlığı krizi için Türkiye devrede

Turkey remains secular Times of India Mustafa Aydin

Turkey 'hit all targets in Iraq'

'Dünya, Türkiye'yi dikkate almadan hesap yapamaz'

STATE OF THE UNION Irrelevant Europe By: Sinan Ülgen | The Wall Street Journal The magic of the EU used to be its ability to forge a common vision, transcending narrowly defined national interests. That magic is vanishing as the resurgence of national priorities undermines the EU's reputation as a credible and reliable actor.

PKK konusunda şüpheli olma zamanı geçti

ABD: PKK’ya son verecek eylemler istiyoruz

US backs Erdoğan bid to get PKK members to quit

‘Terörden çok çektik sizi destekliyoruz’

Rice'dan Irak'a sürpriz ziyaret

Google News KurdishMedia Kurdish Kurdish Aspect BBC Monitoring

[Yorum - Bejan Matur] DTP neden bir Gerry Adams çıkaramaz?

BELDES ve KÖYDES projeleri

Asıl 'operasyon' Gaziantep'te!!!

Barzani: Kürtlerin kanı bu kadar ucuz değil

Demirtaş gözaltında

DTP'li Demirtaş'ın avukatı: Ortada ihmal ya da kasıt var

Terörle mücadelede 'barış ağaları' planı devrede

DEHAP eski Başkanı Tuncer BakırhanDTP çizgisi, çözüm değil siyaset peşinde koştu –

HAKAN ALBAYRAK

DTP'lilerden 'sınır ötesi' protestosu

Kandil'deki köylüler kasabalara kaçıyor

Top security council convenes to discuss ‘active repentance’

Hedefler tam isabet siviller vurulmadı

Kürt yönetimi sert Irak notası 'nazik'

Iraq complains of lack of ‘coordination’ with Turkey

ABD’li gözüyle PKK’nın kitabı

'Eve dönüş' esnetilirse bataklık kurur

‘Terörist 221’i iyi duymadı’

PKK’ya bombalar 20 milyon dolara yağdı

Habur'dan K.Irak'a zırhlı geçişine izin yok

'Sivil kayıp' yalanlaması

"Operasyonla Türkiye suç işledi, kınıyoruz"

Rice'tan Kerkük'e ziyaret

Hainlerin tek dostu kalmadı

Iraqi Kurdish Official Denies Agreement With Turkey on Forces' Withdrawal

Turkish Press Welcomes Air Strikes on Kurdish Rebels

Kurdish Leader Says Turks Want to Destroy Iraqi Kurdistan's Stability

Turkey says air strikes in Iraq hit their targets

Iraqi Kurdistan Presidency Condemns Turkish Air Raid on Region

Iraq Kurd President Rejects Parliament-Approved Media Law

Kurdish Separatist Group Poses Serious Threat to Regional Security - Azerbaijan

Kürtler referanduma ertelemeyi kabul etti

Kurds in Germany rally to support PKK

Iran eager to found banks with Turkey

Hüsnü Mahalli Gerçeği savunmak

Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber

'Rodos ve 12 Ada silahlandırılıyor'

Yunanistan'a "Ege'de silahlanma" uyarısı

Cengiz Aktar AB’de karşı strateji gerekiyor

Irrelevant Europe By: Sinan Ülgen | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required)

Barçın Yinanç Sarkozy'nin Türkiye'ye hiç tahammülü yok

Alex gibi adam lazım!

Diplomat Yalım Eralp, AB müzakereleri konusunda Fenerbahçe’nin Avrupa başarısından taktik veriyor. Mine Şenocaklı'nın röportajı

Şahin Alpay AB sürecinin neresindeyiz?

Sarkozy's obsession perplexes Turks
Barçın Yinanç

Avrupa Konseyi, Türkiye'nin AİHM yargıç adaylarını dinleyecek

KKTC'de, Erdoğan'a yakın HİS partisi kuruldu

Are we uniting terrorists? Sylvia TIRYAKI

Greek Cypriot veto a myth
Umut URAS

En küçük yatırım bile Kıbrıs'ta fırtına yaratıyor Funda Özkan

U.S. stands for soonest normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations

Danielsson’dan AB kararına tepki

Rahiplere saldırılar hep ’münferit’ oluyor

Emniyet: Örgüt bağlantısı yok

Engin Ardıç Papazı öldürmek, papazı buldurmak

Şefkat Koleji bir günde peruğa büründü!

Another boat carrying illegal migrants sinks in Aegean, 7 dead

Yasa yapımına STK’lar da katılacak

'Tebrikler Paşam!' Perihan Mağden

Oray Eğin
Beyaz Türkler Lozan kapsamına alınsın

İnternette Başbakan’ı eleştiren 15 polise soruşturma açıldı

'Müzik dersleri fiilen kalktı'

Türbana peruklu savunma

Milli Eğitim Bakanlığı'ndan Say'a dava

Güler Kömürcü Bizim külümüz de yakar...

Devletin zirvesi Mevlânâ'nın çağrısına uydu

18 Aralık 2007 Basın Özeti

H3

K. Irak'ta 4 tank ve bin 500 Türk sınırı geçti

Cengiz Çandar Amerika 'Kandil bombardımanı'nın neresinde

ÇUVAL SKANDALINDAN İSTİHBARAT İŞBİRLİĞİNE

Harekâtın ikinci aşaması: Gözler, kulaklar PKK'da Murat Yetkin Ankara antenlerini açtı, PKK'dan çıkacak sesi bekliyor. Ses gelir gelmez yeni hedef ortaya çıkacak

Mehmetçik K.Irak'a girdi iddiası

'300 Türk askeri Irak'a girdi'

Fikret BİLA Hava operasyonunun etkileri

Ertuğrul Özkök Şartsız şurtsuz destekliyorum

Karargah'ta 9 saatin perde arkası

Ahmet Taşgetiren DTP mesajı aldı mı?

Şahinlerin zaferi ve devin uyanışı
Hasan Celal Güzel

Cüneyt Ülsever Sınır ötesi harekát: Bilanço çıkmalı

M Ali Birand Bilanço değil, verdiği mesaj önemli

Ece Temelkuran Diplomatik talepler sokağı kesmiyor Hep açlıkla 'onur' arasında kalan bölge halkı bu açlığa bir hayal ile katlanıyordu. Şimdi o hayalin yeri boşalınca Kürt siyasetinin Diyarbakır surlarında siyasal İslamın dağıttığı kumanyalarla gedik açılıyor

Mümtazer Türköne "Şiddetin ölümü"ne ağıt yakanlar

Ahmet Taşgetiren Teröre devam mı, dağdan inmek mi?

"Bu operasyonu dünyada 5 ülke yapabilir"

Genelkurmay kamerasından ilk görüntüler

Operasyonun anlamı ve devamı
İsmet Berkan

Cevdet Aşkın PKK'nın tasfiyesinde 'havuç-sopa' devrede

Mustafa Karalioğlu Harekat sonrasının acil gündemi

Ruşen Çakır Hep aynı soru: Kürtleri kim temsil edecek?

[Yorum - Bejan Matur] DTP neden bir Gerry Adams çıkaramaz?

Sami KOHEN Daha güçlü ve inandırıcı

Haluk Ülman PKK için sonun başlangıcı

İBRAHİM KARAGÜL

Operasyon, Türkiye'nin diplomatik başarısı

Lale Sarıibrahimoğlu The real message of the Turkish operation

MUHARREM SARIKAYA Org. Babaoğlu: Bir tek sivil hedef vurmadık

MELİHA OKUR Operasyonun maliyeti 15 milyon dolar!

Enis BerberoğluNükleer pazarlık kapıda

Okay Gönensin Askeri başarının gerisi

Cengiz Aktar AB’de karşı strateji gerekiyor

Alex gibi adam lazım!

Diplomat Yalım Eralp, AB müzakereleri konusunda Fenerbahçe’nin Avrupa başarısından taktik veriyor. Mine Şenocaklı'nın röportajı

Hakan Aygün Güvendikleri dağlara karlar yağdı! –

Nuh Gönültaş Operasyondan sonra hiçbir şey eskisi gibi olmayacak...

DEHAP eski Başkanı Tuncer BakırhanDTP çizgisi, çözüm değil siyaset peşinde koştu –

Vu..Vu.. vurulduk

Piknik bitti

Serdar Turgut Türk propagandası

İlnur Çevik Turkey serves final warning to the PKK

İhsan Dağı 'Farklı' bir operasyon

Derya SAZAK Kandil'i vurmak

AKİF EMRE

Bilal Çetin Terör mücadelesinde yeni dönem...

Mahir Kaynak Operasyon

'Terminatörler' akıllı bomba yağdırdı

Türkün güveni arttı

TSK 4 mevsim

'Kürt köylüler haberdar edildi' iddiası

Hedeflere tam isabet

F-16 pilotu operasyon planını anlattı!

Son yılların en büyük saldırısı

PKK'yı vuran jetler yine havadaydı

01 MURAT hala kayıp

Operasyon sessizliği

Yalçın Küçük Hava harekatının tezkereyle ilgisi yok

Operasyon görüntüleri

Çevik Bir Apo ile görüştü mü?

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

Fehmi KoruGüç ve haklılık

Ali Bayramoğlu YÖK başkanları: Gürüz ve Özcan

Leyla İpekçi Medyanın 'resmî seçkinleri' nasıl bir cumhuriyet arzuluyor?

Af değil, şartsız eve dönüş yasası geliyor –

Nuray Başaran Bu kitap herkesi kızdıracak

Küresel üstünlük kurmak için yeni konsept: Akıllı güç NEJAT ESLEN

Muhafazakâr ikiyüzlülük Nuray Mert

Nice rahiplere Murat Belge

Yalçın Doğan Artık Bush’a dua etmiyorlar

Yusuf KANLI Turkey has stretched its hand to Kandil...

Serdar Turgut
İsmet Paşa satranç bilir miydi?

Ahmet Hakan

Romantik çeteciliğin sonu mu?
Türker Alkan

Bayakal: Bizim yaşadığımız islamiyet Talibanı değil, Mevlanayı yetiştirdi

Oktay Ekşi

ERDAL ŞAFAK Bayram değil, seyran değil

ERGUN BABAHAN Irak baskını

EMRE AKÖZ Milliyetçilik böler!

Umur Talu Dost ve müttefik!

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

NAZLI ILICAK Dağdan indirmek için

MAHMUT ÖVÜR AK Parti İstanbul'da 'skandal'

YAVUZ DONATHikâye-i vaka-i vasiyet

Ahmet Taşgetiren İki mesele

Mehmet Tezkan

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIMSendeleyenin düşme refleksi devreye girer

Ercan Kumcu Karışık bir dönem

Erdal Sağlam İşsizlik artıyor yeniden güven vermek şart

Seyfettin Gürsel İşsizlik yavaş ama emin adımlarla artıyor

Güven Sak Tüketici kendini iyi hissetmeyince büyüme yavaşlar

Asaf Savaş Akat Yatırımlar ve büyüme

Haluk Bürümcekçi Resesyon rehberi

Hurşit GÜNEŞ
Yabancı yatırımlarda Türkiye 16'ncı sıraya yükseldi!

Likidite daralması bizi zorlar
Mahfi Eğilmez

Güngör URAS Faizi halk ödüyor, kamu bankaları kâr yazıyor

Privatization revenues drop in 2007 after two record years

ING Gets Regulator Approval to Buy Turkey's Oyak Bank

İşsiz sayısı 2.4 milyonu aştı

Şimşek: "Merkez'i İstanbul'a taşıyacağız"

OKAN MÜDERRİSOĞLU
"Gerekirse yasa da çıkarırız Merkez'i İstanbul'a taşırız"

30 yaşın altındaki gençlere iş verene 5 yıl prim desteği

Para piyasalarında faizler artıyor...
Korkmaz İlkorur

Volkan Akı Türkiye’nin çapa ihtiyacı sürüyor

Yaman TÖRÜNER Bir zamanlar Hazine

Deniz Gökçe Çok kıymetli bir iktisatçıyı kaybettik!

JCR: Türk ekonomisinin görünümü pozitif

H5 Washington PostViolence in Iraq Falling, but Pace of Decline Slows Drop in Roadside-Bomb Explosions Continues; Sniper, Small-Arms Attacks Unchanged, Data Show

Putin Says He Would Accept Premiership Protege Formally Nominated for President; Plan for Sharing Power Remains Unclear

Killings of Journalists Hit a High In 2007 Nearly Half Died In Iraq, Group Says

Russia Ships First Lot of Nuclear Fuel to Iran Kremlin, U.S. Officials Say Step Removes Need for Tehran to Pursue Enrichment

Irony and Change What Bill Clinton Showed Barack Obama By Richard Cohen

Conferees Pledge $7.4 Billion in Aid to Palestinian Authority

FBI, CIA Debate Terror Suspect

Agencies disagree on whether al-Qaeda captive's revelations came from interrogations or torture

U.N. Finds Fraud, Mismanagement in Peacekeeping Task Force Says 'Multiple Instances' of Corruption Have a Cost of $610 Million

Editorial Stalling in Bali The Bush administration continues to say one thing and do another on climate change.

Secret Service Logs of White House Visitors Are Public Records, Judge Rules

H6 Guardian The remains of occupation Richard Norton-Taylor The handover of power in Basra is motivated by self-interest, and leaves the region on a knife edge

Over a barrel Dilip Hiro: The latest intelligence on Iran has given Russia and China the green light to invest in the country. Europe risks losing out

Tricks of the trade Brian Katulis : Emergency rule may have been lifted in Pakistan this weekend, but that doesn't mean Pervez Musharraf has loosened his grip on power

Russia delivers nuclear fuel to Iran
Tehran just months from finishing power station

Surprise as Putin puts himself forward as PM ·President was expected to turn down offer of post ·Plan to 'continue our joint work' with Medvedev

Basra is not a 'better place' Maggie O'Kane: Despite what the military spokesmen say, Iraq's second city is now a place where women live in fear of being murdered on the streets

Billions pledged for Palestinians
Tony Blair helps drum up support at conference as international donors pledge £3.6bn for Palestine
Ian Black: Blair's uphill battle

Saudi king pardons woman who was gang raped King Abdullah pardons gang raped woman sentenced to six months in prison and 200 lashes

The shape of things to come James Harkin Trend-spotters and futurologists have become the evangelists of the modern business world. Spend more than 10 minutes listening to their breezy uplift about what is around the corner, however, and two questions begin to well up inside you - how come they know this stuff, and how does one go about separating the wheat from the chaff?

From Bosnia to Afghanistan?

Daniel Korski December 17, 2007 3:30 PM

Whether Lord Ashdown becomes 'super envoy' or not, there are lessons from Bosnia that can be adapted for Afghanistan

H7 Gareth Porter Did Bush Get New Iran Intel Last Winter?

Assassination Jars Nascent US Détente With Syria

Awakening Shakes Up Iraqi Politics By: Trudy Rubin | Miami Herald Six months ago Sheikh Ali Hatem Ali Suleiman al-Dulaimi predicted that tribal leaders would defeat al Qaeda in Anbar province, the Sunni tribal heartland. Now the young prince of the Dulaim, one of Iraq's largest tribes, exults that al Qaeda in Iraq has been driven out of Anbar by tribal fighters aided by American troops.

Daily Star Why we must not take the pressure off Iran By David Miliband

Gulf Arms: Complex Motives By: Dominic Moran | ISN Security Watch A Pentagon announcement of over US$10 billion in potential Gulf arms sales has again highlighted the tensions and international power plays driving the regional arms race.

MERIA Islamist Groups in Lebanon

Reading Tariq Ramadan: Political Liberalism, Islam, and "Overlapping Consensus" [Full Text]

Gvosdev Responding to Kagan

YaleGlobal The Global Money Machine

Foreign Policy The Top Ten Stories You Missed in 2007

FPIF Winning or Losing in Iraq

SPIEGEL Interview with Head of the International Energy Agency: 'Every Human Should Have the Same Right to Produce CO2'

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

Commander Warns Against Quick Iraq Troop Cut

Report Gives Britain Low Marks for Reducing Violence in Iraq

Iraq, Syria Sign Security Agreements

Iran May Now Be Cooperating With US in Iraq

BBC US warns Iran after fuel shipment The US says Iran has no need to enrich its own uranium now that Russia has begun delivering nuclear fuel.

Russia ignores West's Iran fears

Iran's key nuclear sites

Q&A: Iran nuclear row

Peace dividend?
Iraqis demand better lives amid security improvements

Basra pull-out
Local views on UK troops and the future after they leave

Iran building 2nd nuclear plant
Confirms it received fuel for one plant, admits another is underway.

BBC Monitoring Quotes From Iranian Press 17 Dec 07

BBC Monitoring Pan-Arab TV Headlines 17 Dec 07

Russia Delivers First Nuclear Fuel to Iran Reuters Iran will not halt uranium enrichment even with delivery of fuel from Russia for its first nuclear power plant, a senior Iranian official said on Monday, adding he could not yet confirm Iran had received the fuel.

Saudi King Pardons Rape Victim

Hezbollah leader relieved of power, Arabic paper says (By Abraham Rabinovich)

H9 Ha’aretz – A Vietnam called Gaza Marcus Israel already had one Vietnam, in the First Lebanon War. It does not need a second Vietnam in Gaza.

Editorial Roadblocks counter fundingIf Israel's security and a blooming Palestinian economy do not contradict each other, as the FM maintains, she must take immediate action to lift the roadblocks that infringe on the Palestinian economy.

9 Islamic Jihad men killed in IDF strikes in Gaza Strip

Ron Breiman: Greater Israel - Not Peace Now but Zionism Now

FM Livni: Israel is committed to creating Palestinian state

Israelis appear twice in 50 top scientific breakthroughs

Guest: The leader of the Zionist Organization of America on the Mideast post Annapolis

Officials: Israel to allow building in existing W. Bank settlements

Newly appointed U.S. Mideast envoy to visit Israel Tuesday

Islamic Jihad vows to avenge killing of top commander

Israel and the United States confirmed that they are holding high ...

Jerusalem Post From Basra to Bethlehem to Beit El [ CAROLINE GLICK ,

Survivor, Gulf style [ BARRY RUBIN

Helena Cobban Israeli strategic analysts on the 33-day war

Yedioth Ahronoth

WT U.S. joins rebuke of Israel Rice joined her counterparts in the international "Quartet for Middle East peace" yesterday in a rare formal rebuke of Israel for its plans to expand Jewish settlements in the West Bank.

Daily Star It will take more than money to end the plight of the Palestinian people

Getting to peace needs Palestinian security
By Ziad Asali

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

Struggle for Equality By: Nadia Hijab and Victoria Brittain | The Guardian
A one state solution might be the fairest outcome for Israel and Palestine. But first Palestinians must focus on securing their basic rights.

BBC Aid for Palestinians
How donor money is meant to reach those who need it most

WT A threat to Israel (By Zalman Shoval)

“Follow Us Not Them” - The Ramallah Model: Washington’s Palestinian Failure

H10 Christian Science Monitor

Opinion: Why oil is so expensiveDon't blame OPEC. The major factors are a weak dollar and speculation. By Paul Roberts

Now the world buoys the US economy

Rising demand for US exports has offset the domestic downturn in home-building.

Putin agrees to become Medvedev's prime minister

The Russian president's announcement Monday was no surprise, but analysts had also expected him to bolster the relatively weak premiership.

Republicans score key wins on spending

With the GOP united, President Bush is poised to get the war funding he wants.

ASIA

WORLD BANK: Size of China's economy overestimated by 40%...

CSIS Water and Energy Futures in an Urbanized Asia

IHT The yuan is not the problem By BEHZAD YAGHMAIAN

If Americans stopped importing from China, they would go elsewhere.

Third U.S.-China Economic Dialogue Ends with Multiple Agreements

Japan intercepts missile in milestone test

A Japanese navy destroyer shot down a dummy ballistic missile in a test about 100 miles over the Pacific, a first for a US ally, Japanese and US and forces said

Abdullah revives Malaysian authoritarianism
For many Malaysians the government's return to strong-arm tactics is nothing new. They just weren't expected of Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi, a soft-spoken former repairman who once vowed to bridge the nation's glaring socio-economic divides. In shades of his predecessor, Abdullah is now threatening his detractors with a draconian security law that allows for indefinite detention without trial. - Ioannis Gatsiounis

The Voter Rebellion in Japan By: Yoshi Tsurumi | The Japan Times
Shinzo Abe and John Howard of Australia have something in common: They became ex-prime ministers because of their blind allegiance to U.S. President George W. Bush.

India's superrich get even richer

Since February 2007, the value of India's stock market has doubled to 20000 points, and the biggest winners have been India's richest. Based on these gains, India's four wealthiest men are now worth more than China's 40 wealthiest combined.

Pakistanis speak
Ask ordinary Pakistanis about their hopes and fears

H11 IHT John Vinocur: Rhetorical excess undercuts the case against global warming.
The fight against global warming has such merit that the props of language now being used in its support - nations mobilized for war, moral courage, Hitler, Churchill - undercut its credibility.

Belgian king moves to ease political crisis Lacking a government for more than six months, King Albert II on Monday turned to the man who lost the last elections, Guy Verhofstadt, asking him to help Belgium out of its protracted political crisis by forming a temporary government.

EUROPE European press review

The anthropological demography of Europe
Source: Demographic Research Full Paper (PDF; 372 KB)

German FM Rejects Peaceful Nuclear Programs for Arabs

Irrelevant Europe By: Sinan Ülgen | The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) In an elaborate ceremony on Thursday in the Portuguese capital, European Union leaders signed the Lisbon Treaty that, among other institutional changes, creates a powerful foreign policy czar. Or so eurskeptics complain.

A Return to Diversity in the Balkans? By: John Feffer | The American Prospect
The failure of multi-party talks over Kosovo's independence has many bracing for further conflict in southeastern Europe. But the region is finding ways to negotiate conflict without violence.

Balkans: Stability Pact Goes Into History By: Risto Karajkov | World Press
With the final preparations for the setup of the Regional Cooperation Council, a new body of regional cooperation, due to come to life beginning of 2008, the Stability Pact for southeastern Europe is getting ready to go into history.

Der Spiegel The World from Berlin: It's Up to Europe to Save The World

H12 RFE/RL

WSJ Putin and Orthodox Church Cement Power

The repentance of a defrocked priest who dared to support a Kremlin foe is an example of what has become a pillar of Vladimir Putin's Russia: the rebirth of the pre-Soviet alliance between the Orthodox Church and the Kremlin.

Putin declares intention to become prime minister of Russia
The move would ensure the current president's dominance of the Russian government even after his term ends.

Russia makes first delivery of nuclear fuel to Iranian plant

Te nuclear station is at the center of an international dispute, but President George W. Bush said Monday that he supported the Russian action, because it meant that Tehran would not need to pursue its own enrichment capabilities.

Al Hayat The Russian Mutiny Ghassan Charbel - The Russian mutiny against the sole superpower is no passing incident. It extends from the Middle East and its files, to Kosovo, and all the way to the halls of the Security Council. This mutiny directly concerns the Arabs

Google News Azerbaijan

BBC Putin ready to be PM after polls Vladimir Putin says he will serve as Russian PM under Dmitry Medvedev, the ruling party's presidential candidate

Moscow's mistrust
Russia's suspicion of the outside world reaches fever pitch

EDM WILL PUTIN ACCEPT MEDVEDEV’S INVITATION?

- RUSSIA, UKRAINE TRADE HARSH WORDS OVER HISTORICAL MEMORY

FT OSCE criticises Kyrgyz landslide victory President Kurmanbek Bakiyev has strengthened his grip on power in the central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan by securing a landslide victory which European monitors said fell short of international standards and opposition leaders condemned as fraudulent

For Tycoon’s Campaign, Money Does the Talking
BY NINA AKHMETELI
While six of Georgia’s presidential candidates have kicked off cross-country campaign blitzes, one remains in the shadows. Citing security concerns, tycoon Badri Patarkatsishvili has not yet returned to Georgia to launch his campaign. Instead, in his place, his reported plans for generous social welfare programs appear to be left to do the campaigning for him.

H13 The Times Russia sends nuclear shipment to Iran

Moscow's nuclear supplies show that it is prepared to create difficulties if its views on foreign policy are ignored

Leader West Bankers Israel and the Palestinians must make the most of donors' new funding pledges.

Be liberal, but not with the facts

The opponents of 42-day detention should take account of stories from Italy and Spain David Aaronovitch

£3.6bn boost for Palestinian cause

Money is pouring in for the Palestinians as a meeting of world leaders signals new hope for peace in the region

Putin sets seal on plan to stay at the helm The Russian leader has no intention of relinquishing his grip on the country when his time as President comes to an end

Wall Street Journal

WT Walking the inflation tightrope EDITORIAL The whiff of stagflation that has been meandering through the markets and the U.S. economy in recent months got a whole lot stronger last week.

H14 Financial Times COMMENT: Five events that have defined 2007 War in Iraq, Russia resurgent, China on the rise, turmoil in Pakistan and the credit crunch – the theme that links the most significant world events of the past year is the growing strain on the world’s sole superpower, writes Gideon Rachman

Editorial Beating the retreat from a broken Iraq Whatever shape Iraq eventually settles into – a loose but conciliated confederation, a Shia theocracy, or a Balkans-in-the-sands – it takes real gall to claim this as a success

US weighs Iraq post-surge troop levels General David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, has started assessing military options for the country after the troop surge winds down next summer as a debate intensifies in the Pentagon over what to do next

UK invests hope in Basra economy After handing control of Basra province to Iraqi authorities at the weekend, British officials are hoping the region’s economic development will hasten its path towards stability

Credit squeeze: A global turning point? Economists’ Forum: Robert Wade and Charles Wyplosz respond to Martin Wolf’s assertion that the credit crisis represents an historic moment for the world economy

COMMENT: The Fed must not play Santa to the markets Most traders’ bonuses will benefit from a softer Fed policy stance, writes Kenneth Rogoff

Putin confirms he is here to stay Vladimir Putin accepted an offer to serve as prime minister under the man poised to succeed him as president, confirming the Putin era will continue

Lebanon postpones vote on presidentSuggesting that last week’s killing of a senior army general has not convinced Lebanon’s rival politicians to end the impasse, parliament again postponed a vote on a new president despite international appeals to end the standoff and ignoring increasing fears over the country’s stability

Fears of inflation If commodity inflation starts to cause broader price rises, central banks will not be able to, and should not be expected to, slash rates to stave off recession

Russia delivers first nuclear fuel to Iran Russia said it had shipped the first consignment of nuclear fuel to Iran’s atomic power station at Bushehr, giving the ­Iranian regime a significant boost in its plans to generate electricity through a civilian programme

WORLD NEWS: Bush backs move by Russia to send uranium to Iran

Predictions for 2008 FT experts have made their predictions (watch video) - now it is your turn. What do you think will happen to oil prices or interest rates, for example? Who will be the next US president? Have your say.

COMMENT: Obama learns a trick from Blair

ECB steps up fight to safeguard liquidity Emergency help for financial markets entered new territory as the European Central Bank announced it would offer unlimited funds at below market interest rates in a special operation to head off a year-end liquidity crisis

Bali leaves big concessions needed on climate change A post-2012 mechanism on global warming must resolve the depth and distribution of CO2 emission curbs

H15 Los Angeles Times

Editorial

H16 American Politics

USAT/Gallup Poll: Giuliani & Clinton hold slightly wider leads

Heartland issue
How the immigration debate may hijack the 2008 Democratic race

America's politics of religion

By JAMES CARROLL

Presidential candidates, pundits and religious leaders all share a confusion about questions of faith and citizenship.

SULLIVAN: 'Ron Paul For The Republican Nomination'...

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

Early Bird GovExec Swamp Gas The Swamp

Clintonian triangulation comes full circle

,By JONAH GOLDBERG

H17 Daily TelegraphThe Palestinians need peace and aid Is committing billions of aid money before any peace deal is signed between Israel and the Palestinians not putting the cart before the horse, asks Tim Butcher.

Russia could target US defence bases Russia opposes missile shield with nuclear threat.

Aid saves Palestine from bankruptcy International donors pledge £3.7 billion to keep the Palestinian government afloat.

Iraq still beset by violence, says MoD

Thatcher would have backed the EU treaty

The background to the current EU treaty is enlargement, and Lady Thatcher was a strong advocate of this policy, reflects Roland Rudd.

H18 Independent UK Guantanamo detainee near suicide after years of torture, doctors warn A British resident being held in Guantanamo Bay may be close to suicide after five years of captivity, the Government has been warned

Donor nations offer billions to boost Palestinian economy

Europe divided over targets for cutting car CO2 emissions

Belgium: A nation divided

H19Military Intelligence Terrorism

Long-Term Implications of Current Defense Plans: Summary Update for Fiscal Year 2008 (PDF; 1.4 MB) Source: Congressional Budget Office

Asia Times Touchy, feely in the kill chain In its push for a more culturally sensitive military, the post-Rumsfeld Pentagon is scrambling to recruit top academics to assist in the war effort in Iraq and Afghanistan. It's becoming the era of the embedded anthropologist, and the prospect is confounding the halls of higher education amid a growing debate over whether posts with the military violate core professional principles. - David Isenberg

Inside the war By Joshua Sinai Details of counterterrorism efforts

Why I Quit as Chief Prosecutor at Guantanamo By: Morris D. Davis | Miami Herald
I was the chief prosecutor for the military commissions at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, until Oct. 4, the day I concluded that full, fair and open trials were not possible under the current system. I resigned on that day because I felt that the system had become deeply politicized and that I could no longer do my job effectively or responsibly.

Building an Atomic Bomb By: Peter Huessy | The Washington Times
The die is now cast. In 2010, an Iranian nuclear bomb will detonate in an American city, fabricated with the help of the Syrians, the North Koreans and the A.Q.Khan network, with financing from criminal elements in both Moscow and Peking.

Africa Command: U.S. Strategic Interests and the Role of the U.S. Military in Africa (PDF; 544 KB)
Source: Congressional Research Service

Al Qaeda firebrand plans Internet chat (United Press International)

H20 Slate The Mystery of Condi Rice Where did she learn how to play the game? Anne Applebaum

The Wahhabi Woman Problem

Why no campaigns against Saudi Arabia's institutionalized sexism? Anne Applebaum

The Condensed Condoleezza Rice

Slate reads the new Condi biography so you don't have to.

This Is Not a Test It's perfectly reasonable to reject a candidate because of his religious views.
Christopher Hitchens

Bali Pulpit The latest pseudo-agreement on global warming.
William Saletan

Fiscal Year 2007 Financial Report of the United States Government

The Role of Inter-governmental, State and Non-governmental Players in Conflict Resolution

H21

The power of love: Love is the best antidepressant—but many of our ideas about it are wrong.

From The New Yorker, twilight of the books: What will life be like if people stop reading? Caleb Crain investigates.

From Literary Review of Canada, books you should read that you shouldn’t read: Ten contributors warn of “classic” books with over-sized reputations.

The Americans go for self-help books, the French buy unreadable philosophy books and the British buy books filled with trivia.

Since when did wealth have anything to do with generosity? Being stingy is in the genes

Google preps Wikipedia rival

The search giant's 'knol' project will offer encyclopedia entries with bylines and ads.

Competition to add lyrics to Spain's national anthem reaches crescendo

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