01128f - 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 January/February 2008 Atlantic Monthly The $1.4 Trillion Question What do we owe China? The Chinese are subsidizing the American way of life. Are we playing them for suckers—or are they playing us? by James Fallows

Washington Post Bush Arrives In Gulf Region Mideast Peace, Iran At Top of Agenda

CFR Gause: Saudis ‘Very Anxious’ to Hear Bush Views on Iran

Forging Ties With Iran By: Mark Brzezinski and Ray Takeyh | The Boston Globe The recent tension in the Persian Gulf between Iranian vessels and the US Navy, coming on the heels of the disclosures of the National Intelligence Estimate, highlights the failure of the Bush administration to craft a coherent Iran policy.

U.S.-Israeli Fault Lines - Barbara Opall-Rome, New York Post

Financial Times Gulf states wary of Iran’s charm offensive Gulf states still see their security as closely tied to the US and consider containing Iran’s influence in the Middle East as their biggest challenge

UK slips behind France on economy The size of the British economy has slipped below that of France for the first time since 1999 thanks to the slide in the value of the pound

Iran Incident Has Echoes of Faked Tonkin Attack

Bush: US Could 'Easily' Be in Iraq for 10 Years

Shi'ite calls for Sunni detente One of Iraq's most powerful Shi'ite political and religious figures yesterday issued a stunning call for the government to set aside differences with Sunni Muslim politicians and entice them back to help lead the country.

McClatchy Mysterious crowd suddenly stopped Bhutto's car, officer says Two new reports on the assassination last month of Pakistani opposition leader Benazir Bhutto suggest that the killing may have been an ambitious plot rather than an isolated act of violence and that the government of President Pervez Musharraf knows far more than it's admitted about the murder.

Bush to the Middle East: Previewing a Presidential Visit Washington Institute for Near East Policy

DEBKAfile Exclusive: Green light for limited Israeli military operation in Gaza - only practical outcome of Bush visit

Daily Star Disempowering Arabs empowers Islamists By Rami G. Khouri

The Surge at One - Ralph Peters, New York Post

The three Rs: Rivalry, Russia and 'Ran The declining United States-Russia relationship (and that of Europe and Russia) does not occur in a strategic vacuum. If the US wants to calm Iran's nuclear ambitions, it is going to need to brush up on its diplomatic basics. This means that Moscow has to be convinced its long-term interests are best served by full-fledged cooperation with the West. - Robert D Blackwill

Syria Rebuilds on Site Destroyed by Israeli Bombs

Should Democracy Be Promoted or Demoted? By: Francis Fukuyama and Michael McFaul | The Washington Quarterly The tragic result of the gap between declared objectives and strategies on democracy promotion is that many Americans are starting to view this goal as no longer desirable or attainable. A more effective strategy for promoting democracy and human rights is both needed and available

Musharraf: US Would 'Regret' Invading Pakistan

Guardian Leader Insubstantial pageant Bush's Middle East tour: After all the supercharged talk of change in the primaries this week, George Bush's trip to the Middle East served as a reminder that America still has a way to go before it can wave goodbye to all that

A deal for a deal Robert Fox

If George Bush persuades Israel to stop settlements and end occupation of the West Bank, what kind of quid pro quo will Olmert have won on Iran?

Is the end in sight? Brian Whitaker: It's easy to understand the scepticism over Bush's current intervention in the Middle East, but we shouldn't write off the initiative just yet

Los Angeles Times Cornered in square one Trying to go back to the beginning in foreign policy, the Bush administration has hit a dead end. By Steven Weber and Bruce W. Jentleson

Wall Street Journal Our Ambitions for the Middle EastBy Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum
Dubai hopes to show young Arabs around the region that there are alternatives to extremism

EurasiaNet Russian-Indian Row over Tajik Base Suggests Moscow Caught in Diplomatic Vicious Cycle BY STEPHEN BLANK India’s strategic ambitions in Central Asia are in flux after Russia reversed an earlier stance, and now opposes the deployment of Indian military jets to an air base in Tajikistan. Russian displeasure over India’s strategic drift toward the United States appears to be the primary reason for the Kremlin’s policy shift.

Gvosdev From Democracy Promotion To Evolutionary Reform?

NPQ Madeleine Albright: WEST SHOULD RECOGNIZE INDEPENDENT KOSOVO; PUTIN AND CHAVEZ, NOT DEMOCRACY, MAY BE FUTURE

Time 10 Questions for Madeleine Albright
As Secretary of State, she managed crises from Kosovo to Korea. Her new book counsels the next President on how to restore America's standing in the world. Madeleine Albright will now take your questions

Barak Obama's foreign policy

CAP Our Pakistan Problem: Turmoil Requires a Shift in US Policy

The Globalization Election - Fred Siegel, City Journal

CIA Knew About Israeli Nukes in '74 [2]

H2 Iraqi President Said to Mediate Between Turkey and PKK

‘Turkey, PKK to hold negotiations in Europe’

Turkey to help US transport Iraqi oil

PM Erdoğan: Alevi-Bektaşi tradition at the core of our identities

THE REBIRTH OF PAN-TURKISM?Eurasia Daily Monitor

Kurds Say Turkish Army Shells Iraq Border Area

Turkish Military Shells Northern Iraq

Kurdish MP Denies Secret Contacts With Turkmen Over Kirkuk

Turkish Warplanes Bomb Iraqi Kurdistan Villages - Website

Turkey Shells Iraqi Kurdistan Region Border Areas - Kurdish TV

İran Emniyet Müdürü PKK için geliyor

Gül, BM Genel Sekreteri ile ne konuştu?

HOPES LOW FOR CLARIFYING ANTI-“TURKISHNESS” CONCEPT
Eurasia Daily Monitor

Time for energy in energy policy
Turkish Daily News

Türkiye için 3'lü zirve

Where “Soft Islam” Is on the March The Economist Indonesia has some worrying radicals but it seems to be following Turkey, with Islamists moderating as they get closer to power

BBC Monitoring Quotes From Turkish Press 11 Jan 08

Google News KurdishMedia Kurdish Kurdish Aspect BBC Monitoring

Gül: Terörle anlayacağı dilden konuşmaya devam edeceğiz!

Sorunlarımız için ABD'den akıl almaya ihtiyacımız yok

Tuğluk: Arayışlarım sorumluluğumun gereği

Ayrışma yok dilim farklı

Tuğluk, “Politik duruşum değişmedi. Ama şiddet hepimizi kaygılandıran bir boyuta vardı” dedi...

Diyarbakır bombacısının Kandil'de teröristlerle çekilmiş fotoğrafları ortaya çıktı

Er Yüce'nin komutanından şok iddia

Diyarbakır katilinin Kandil fotoğrafları

Serdar Turgut Diyarbakır’ın önemi

Demirtaş: DTP de PKK da kendini gözden geçirmeli

Alçak dağda

1. Er Ramazan Yüce’nin babası PKK’lı mı?

Silahlı Kuvvetler’den dört mevsim 24 saat PKK avı

Analysis: Deeper than an Oil Law in Iraq

Gül: BM, Kerkük'e duyarlı

Amerikan CNN kanalı Türk ordusu tarafından bombardıman edilen bölgelerde

Casey: PKK'nin nasıl yenileceği konusunda siyasal diyalog istiyoruz

BBC Monitoring Quotes From Turkish Press 11 Jan 08

PKK'yı bomba değil siyaset yok eder
HALİD ELSERCANİ

Öcalan: “Bugün bir Sevr durumu var”

''Biji Kemalizm!''

DTP: Devletin Genel Başkanımızla sorunu var

Bu kez topçu vurdu

El Muhaberat'a istihbarat dersi

İkinci saldırı engellendi

Bakan Atalay: Patlamayla ilgili 9 kişi bugün adliyeye çıkacak

Kurdistan Rejects Awakening Councils

Turkish army shells Kurdish bases in northern Iraq

Kürt gazetesinden tuhaf iddia: Türkiye ile PKK, Avrupa'da masaya oturacak

Gül denies discussing ‘political solution’ to PKK problem in US

PKK’nın liderleri Talabani ile Barzani’dir

[TÜRKİYE'NİN 2008 GÜNDEMİ] 2008 terörle mücadelede sonuç alma yılı

DTP'nin bölünmesini hevesle bekliyorlar

Diyarbakır'daki tarihi buluşma kardeşliği pekiştirdi

Iraqi Constitution Court gets Kirkuk issue

İran doğalgazı kesince

Oğlum Kürtçü, alevi, kominist olmiş! Olmiş.. Ne olmiş!?

Davayı AİHM’ye götüreceğiz

SDP’de krizin nedeni taciz mi, Barzani mi

Terrorist Group Allegedly AIDS in Bombing

Türkiye'ye PKK'yla diyalog önermedik

Iraqi Kurdistan President's Party Rejects Awakening Councils in Region

Yakalanmasa ikinci bombayı patlatacaktı

'Melek' operasyonu yeni katliamı önledi

Turkish incursion into Iraq reflects regional instability

Fast food diplomasisi mi?
NTVMSNBC Gül'ün ABD ziyaretini sokağa sordu.

'Hani bana Lazca amca?..'
Perihan Mağden

İsrail tipi demokrasi Ayşe Karabat

UNESCO, İsrail'in Haremüşşerif kazısı için tarafları toplantıya çağırdı

Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber

Talat: New Cyprus initiative ‘last chance’ for settlement

Abdülhamit Bilici The Greeks will establish a Turkish state!

Rauf Denktaş Görüşme yolu ile...

BM Genel Sekreteri ile mini Kıbrıs zirvesi

Cyprus’ history from 1960 to 2008 (7)

Kıbrıs sorunu

'Bölünme kalıcı olabilir' diyen ICG raporunun ayrıntıları

ADL'den teminat: Ermeni 'soykırımı' tasarısı artık sorun olmaktan çıktı

AKPM Başkanı'nın Türkiye ziyareti başlıyor

Hopes rise for Ottoman-era peace in Cyprus

EurActiv.com - Turkish telecoms, energy and transport sectors in light of EU harmonisation | EU - European Information on Enlargement & Neighbours

Greek/Turkey relations marred by incidents

UPDATE 1-Germany's RWE might join Nabucco - Turkish minister

Malatya sanığı kimlerle, neler görüştü?

Zafer Bey tankların yerini bile biliyordu

Çete operasyonunda bir albay tutuklandı

Malatya sırları adalete emanet

A new system to be developed for effective use of water, waste

'Derin Çete'de bir albay da tutuklandı

Malatya’da bu kez de sim kart ihmali

Malatya’daki ihmalleri sordular

Polis üniformalı klibe inceleme

Tarlabaşı'nda sona doğru...

Son röportajında TÜBİTAK'a çattı

Students draw Turkish flag with blood

Pasaportlar değişiyor

Acun: Oyumu AK Parti'ye vermem mahalleliyi şok etti

Kandan bayrağa tebrik yağıyor

H3

Gül: Akıl almaya ihtiyacımız yok

Abdullah Öcalan DTP'ye 'öfkeli'

ERDAL ŞAFAK İmralı'dan gelen iki itiraf

Şahin Alpay Kürt sorununda yapılması gerekenler belli

Ege Cansen Askeri başarı olmadan asla

Ahmet Taşgetiren Siyasi çözüm ne?

Semih İDİZ Iraklı Kürtler ABD'de hayal kırıklığı yarattı

Cengiz Çandar “Boğaz’ın darboğazı”ndan Körfez’deki Amerika’ya...

Fikret BİLA Dağlıca taburunda er Ramazan Yüce'nin ne işi vardı?

Cevdet Aşkın Öcalan: PKK'nın başı Talabani, DTP tehlikeyi görmüyor

Hedefler çok güzel ama yol belli değil
Bu planla take-off zor
İsmet Berkan

'Sorunlar geçiştirildi'

Seyfettin Gürsel AKP 2007'de reformdan sınıfta kaldı, 2008'de büyüme 3,5 olur

Ömer Lütfi Mete Eylem planı ve beton ölçü

'Kıbrıs ayrılığa sürükleniyor'
Murat Yetkin

'Muharrem iftarı'na Alevilerden ilgi yok

Bu ziyaret gerekli miydi? Haluk Şahin

Gül'ün anlamadığı M.Ali Kışlalı

Sadi Somuncuoğlu Hacet kapısında neler oluyor?

Güven Sak Katılımlı bir anayasa hazırlama süreci pekâlâ mümkündür

Hasan CEMAL İnandırıcılık artık sözden değil, eylemden geçiyor!

Ülkelerin kaptan köşkü
BAHADIR KALEAĞASI

İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası

Dış Basında Türkiye-AB İlişkileri Günlük Haftalık - Dış Basında Irak BBC Turkish 0700 VOA TSİ 06:30 Dış Basında Türkiye Turkish Press Review Google News Turkey Turquie Türkei TurcoPundit

Taha Kıvanç Kravat ile papyon arasında fark var mı?

Fehmi Koru Beyinler bize gelsin

ALİ BAYRAMOĞLU

KÜRŞAT BUMİN

"ABD'den akıl almadık"

Derya SAZAK AKP'ye muhalefet

Nuh Gönültaş Sonbahar'da erken seçim yüzde 99 ihtimal

Mensur Akgün Çözüm tabii ki siyasi olacak

Mehmet Kamış Derin devletin sonu mu?

Mehmet Altan Restorasyon soruları...

Mahir Kaynak Eylem planı

İlter Türkmen Gül-Bush görüşmesi ve yansımaları

Cami israfı var diyorum başıma iş açılıyor

Mehmet Barlas Muhalefetin bulunmadığı dönemde zorla muhalefet üretilemez ki…

Turkey’s ethnic problems by MÜMTAZER TÜRKÖNE

AKP'de seçim öncesi 12 bin kişi eğitilecek

Ertuğrul Özkök Size ’bayan’ diyebilir miyim

Ahmet Hakan

M Ali Birand Hayır sayın Başbakan, AB’yi uyutuyorsunuz

Cüneyt Ülsever

Enis BerberoğluGül’e Başbakan soruları

Oktay Ekşi Benzetmek istemesek de

Mehmet Yılmaz Anayasa’yı delme çabası

YÖK Başkanı ve paralı öğrenim Murat Belge

Taha AKYOL Paralı üniversite sorunu

AKP: Yerel yönetimler stratejik hata yapmamalı

Parliamentary immunity discussion becomes international issue

MUHARREM SARIKAYA

ERGUN BABAHANMedya ve iktidar ilişkisi

EMRE AKÖZ Kan kültürü?

Umur Talu

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN Modern ve ötesi

NAZLI ILICAK Taciz mi, teklif mi?

MAHMUT ÖVÜR AK Parti farkı!

YAVUZ DONAT Güldal Mumcu "Bakacak... Araştıracak"

Serdar Turgut
Bırakalım hikâyeyi

Mehmet Kamış The end of the deep state ...?

Alevi dedelerinden postmodern fetva

Can kardeşlerim gönül dostlarım

Doğan: Dedeler düşkün ilan edemez

Gelin canlar bir olalım

[Yorum - Yard. Doç. Dr. Ali Yaman] Bir yerden başlamak lazım; ama nasıl!

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

Yaman TÖRÜNER Hazine'nin 2008'e bakışı

Seyfettin Gürsel AKP 2007'de reformdan sınıfta kaldı, 2008'de büyüme 3,5 olur

Ercan Kumcu

2008 senaryosu resesyon ağırlıklı
Taner Berksoy

İşler iyi gidiyor mu? Erol Katırcıoğlu

Erdal SağlamBaşbakan eylem planından tarihleri çıkarttırdı

Ekren: Türkiye'nin yıldız olma projesi sürüyor

Deniz Gökçe Cari açık ve tasarruf!

‘Petkim kârlı kuruluş’ dendi iptal kararı 1 oy farkla alındı

İsmail Küçükkaya
Merkez Bankası’nın taşınması mı dediniz?

Turkey : Hatay emerges to be a potential trade hub

Unakıtan Avrupa’da “Yılın Maliye Bakanı”

İstanbul kimin finans merkezi?

Pakistan Warns U.S. on Attacking Al Qaeda on Its Own

Seeds of Hate - "Jihad and Jew-Hatred: Islamism, Nazism and the Roots of 9/11" by Matthias Kuntzel - Jeffrey Goldberg (New York Times)

H5 Washington Post Bush Arrives In Gulf Region Mideast Peace, Iran At Top of Agenda

Syria Builds at Ruined Site of Israeli Airstrike

Ignatius: America Gets Tribalism Right

Objects From Iranian Boats Posed No Threat, Navy Says

Editorial Immunity Off-Limits Congress should not endanger the criminal investigation of the destruction of CIA tapes

Fears About Economy Increase Debt Crisis Grows; Top Mortgage Firm Sold at a Bargain

FBI Picks Terrorism Expert to Lead Agency's National Security Sector

Those Wacky Libertarians Michael Kinsley | Ron Paul's policies may not be practical, but the questions he and his followers ask are useful -- and undervalued.

Pakistani Women's Flawed Icon Slain Ex-Premier Bhutto Raised Expectations for Advancement but Largely Failed to Fulfill Them

Japan to Resume Its Mission in Indian Ocean

Hazards Ignored at New U.S. Embassy in Iraq Firefighting system in $736M complex contains flaws that top U.S. officials dismissed in rush to complete construction, State Dept. sources show

H6 Guardian Leader Insubstantial pageant Bush's Middle East tour: After all the supercharged talk of change in the primaries this week, George Bush's trip to the Middle East served as a reminder that America still has a way to go before it can wave goodbye to all that

A deal for a deal Robert Fox

If George Bush persuades Israel to stop settlements and end occupation of the West Bank, what kind of quid pro quo will Olmert have won on Iran?

Is the end in sight? Brian Whitaker: It's easy to understand the scepticism over Bush's current intervention in the Middle East, but we shouldn't write off the initiative just yet

Bush takes soundings on Iran

President's tour moves to the Gulf amid concerns about escalating tensions between US and Tehran

Greens 'hurting climate change fight'

Former government science chief accuses activists of jeopardising the fight against global warming

Interview: Sir David King

This battle will not come to an end on Super Tuesday Martin Kettle: On both sides in the US presidential primaries, the big discussions need to continue far beyond the polls of February 5

Face to faith John Coutts: Mainstream Islam stands where the churches stood in 1650 in terms of religious freedom

Guantánamo: how much longer? Moazzam Begg: The notorious prison is six years old today. But despite calls from across the US political spectrum, it doesn't look likely to close soon

Go renewable, not nuclear

Peter Tatchell The wide range of available renewable energy options are a practical alternative to the government's nuclear madness

In Obama we trust

Gordon Lynch : US elections 2008: Barack Obama represents a progressive religious tradition in America that may act as a counterweight to the religious right

Mike Huckabee, heretic

Matthew Harwood US elections 2008: The Republican presidential candidate's foreign policy isn't conservative at all

H7 Daily Star Disempowering Arabs empowers Islamists
By Rami G. Khouri

Bush of Arabia, or the solitude of the long-distance runner By Fouad Ajami

Asia Times Bin Laden turns heat on Saudi Arabia
In his latest message, Osama bin Laden asserts that Saudi Arabia's Afghanistan-like intervention in Iraq is preventing the mujahideen unity he desires. This raises the very unpalatable necessity of al-Qaeda having to break with its traditional grand strategy and move to try to destroy the Saudi regime. - Michael Scheuer

US beats a Middle East policy retreat
With its "new Middle East" policy in tatters, the US is attempting to readjust some of its positions. But the US failures - both military and moral - have led the region's capitals to re-examine their priorities, even as President George W Bush comes knocking at the door

Captain Ahab and the Islamic whale
Unremitting rhetoric from the George W Bush administration, compounded by the "incident" in the Persian Gulf involving Iranian speed boats and the US Navy, has unquestionably resulted in "mounting tensions with Iran". Against this backdrop, Bush's seven-nation Middle East trip is aimed to yield a gainful harvest in terms of coalition-building against the "Iran threat". - Kaveh L Afrasiabi

The Atlantic After Iraq A report from the new Middle East—and a glimpse of its possible future by Jeffrey Goldberg

About That Straits Incident… by Jim Lobe

• 'Apocalypic Politics: On the Rationality of Iranian Policy' by Mehdi Khaliji, The Washington Institute

USIP Event: Rethinking Democracy Promotion in the Middle East

Al Baradei To Al-Hayat Old And Renewed Nuclear Fears Abdul-Qadeer Khan aided Libya and Iran…No information on Syrias nuclear program

From Al-Ahram, four pillars of Arab salvation: Gamil Mattar sees promising new developments in the Arab world that, if steered in the right direction, can deliver the dream of stability to our region.

Iran showdown has echoes of faked Tonkin attack...

Fred Kaplan on how to prevent a naval war with Iran (and a video).

A review of Memo to the President Elect: How We Can Restore America's Reputation and Leadership

Neoconservatives: Fathers and Sons

MEMRI The Collapse of the Saudi Sunni Bloc Against Iran's Aspirations for Regional Hegemony in the Gulf

Petraeus' Victory - New York Post editorial

The Surge at One - Ralph Peters, New York Post

Gulf Speedboat Guff - Austin Bay, Washington Times

New Republic Needed: A Strategy for Ending the Jihad Against Zion - Marty Peretz

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

Shi'ite calls for Sunni detente One of Iraq's most powerful Shi'ite political and religious figures yesterday issued a stunning call for the government to set aside differences with Sunni Muslim politicians and entice them back to help lead the country.

Bush: US 'easily' in Iraq for 10 years

General: Anbar Ready for Handover By: Robert Burns | The Associated Press In a telephone interview from Iraq, Marine Maj. Gen. Walter E. Gaskin, commander of the roughly 35,000 Marine and Army forces in Anbar, said levels of violence have dropped so significantly -- coupled with the growth and development of Iraqi security forces in the province -- that Anbar is ready to be handed back to the Iraqis.

[Fbis] OSC: Al-Jazirah's Chief Political Analyst Comments on President Bush's Regional Tour

BBC US reveals new Iran 'incidents' Iranian boats were involved in two previously undisclosed incidents in the Strait of Hormuz, a US official says

Deaths in Iraq: the numbers game, revisited, Michel Thieren

Bush visits Gulf with peace plan

US President George W Bush takes his Mid-East peace plan to the Gulf states, starting with talks in Kuwait.

Even with sanctions, Syrians embrace KFC and Gap With American goods already flooding Damascus, analysts say lifting restrictions will help counter Iran's influence.

[Fbis] OSC: Iraqi Analyst Comments on US Air Strike on Al-Qa'ida Targets in Southern Baghdad

Bush's Mideast Mission - Washington Times editorial

Bush's Mideast Trip - Philadelphia Inquirer editorial

Commanders Tout Success of Iraq Strikes

Lebanon in Limbo - Lee Smith, Weekly Standard

An American University in Beirut - Los Angeles Times Q&A

H9 Ha’aretz –

Bradley Burston: Sharon, settler savior, killer of Palestine

Report: Syria rebuilding on site bombed by IAF N.Y. Times: Satellite photo shows new building resembling previous one which was thought to be nuclear reactor

Blair: Latest Mideast push for peace might be 'last chance'

Bush Says US Erred in Not Bombing Auschwitz

Are the Palestinians Waiting for the Next U.S. Administration?

Folly of grandeur Sarkozy's 'Mediterranean community' is unrealistic.

Holocaust scholar: 'Jew' is curse word among German youth

Jerusalem Post America's at war, but doesn't realize itDemocrats' talk of engaging Iran and Syria is both dangerous and silly.

Palestinian Moderates Seek a Voice –

'Syria has resumed construction of site IAF bombed in 2007'

Former Jihadist Backs Alternate Islam

Yedioth Ahronoth 'Iran cooperation crucial'
International Atomic Energy Agency Chief Mohamed ElBaradei urges Tehran to accelerate cooperation with IAEA, clarify all outstanding issues regarding nuclear enrichment program prior to agency's second, 'crucial' report

Stop praising them

Blatant Israeli support for Bush or Arab leaders doesn’t help them – or us, says Roee Nahmias

'Victory shall be ours'

Hizbullah Chief Hassan Nasrallah slams US for trying to force Lebanon to acknowledge Israel

'US promises unacceptable'

Hamas chief accuse Bush as being bias toward Israel, delivering empty slogans, illusions

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

[Fbis] OSC: Haniyah: Bush Visit Aimed to Add 'US-Israeli Domination', Widen Palestinian Rift

Defensible Borders for a Lasting Peace (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

Linking the Gaza Strip with the West Bank: Implications of a Palestinian Corridor Across Israel (pdf) (Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs)

First, Enemies Must Agree By: Uri Dromi | Miami Herald
By the time these lines are printed, President Bush will have already left Israel, heading for the Persian Gulf. Apart from disrupting the daily life of the Jerusalemites, only time will tell whether his short visit produced any significant results.

“The Israelis did a wonderful job,” said Hannah Arendt of the Six-Day War, “I like Dayan a lot.” Yet her view of Zionism... more»,,

Pollard dispute
Spy case is a rare blot in the warm US-Israel relationship

Lantos' Tarnished Legacy
by Stephen Zunes

A Jewish State - Gerald M. Steinberg

H10 Christian Science Monitor

ASIA

EurasiaNet Russian-Indian Row over Tajik Base Suggests Moscow Caught in Diplomatic Vicious Cycle BY STEPHEN BLANK India’s strategic ambitions in Central Asia are in flux after Russia reversed an earlier stance, and now opposes the deployment of Indian military jets to an air base in Tajikistan. Russian displeasure over India’s strategic drift toward the United States appears to be the primary reason for the Kremlin’s policy shift.

Asia Times Pakistan takes a step backwards From Pakistan's point of view, the best way to avoid an extremist backlash and quell all talk of its nuclear arsenal falling into militant hands, is to back off from the tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan, where its military is battling the Pakistani Taliban and al-Qaeda. Instead, there is now talk of renewed peace dialogue, even though this is exactly what the United States does not want. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

Weekly Standard Who Killed Bhutto?
Look at who had the most to gain.
by Ali H. Alyami

Where “Soft Islam” Is on the March The Economist Indonesia has some worrying radicals but it seems to be following Turkey, with Islamists moderating as they get closer to power.

China trade surplus at record high

China, U.S. Make Plans for North Korea Collapse, Reports Say By: Bradley K. Martin | Bloomberg News China and the U.S.-South Korean alliance have begun planning for military intervention in case the Kim Jong Il regime in North Korea collapses, according to two newly published studies -- one of which foresees a race to occupy and control the impoverished communist country

Japan orders Navy back to war zoneJapan's defense minister yesterday ordered the navy to return to the Indian Ocean on a U.S.-backed anti-terrorism mission, ending a three-month hiatus but deepening political divisions with the opposition.

CER What, if anything, is Europe to do about Pakistan?

Life Goes on in Pakistan By: Shreekant Gupta | The Times of India A lot is being written and spoken about Pakistan these days. The media projects a gloom and doom scenario of a country on the brink of an abyss. But no one seems to be talking about the 160 million Pakistanis.

[Fbis] OSC: Pakistan: Musharraf Urges US Not To Send Troops, Discusses Political Outlook

Fears Grow Over Pakistan's Future - The Australian editorial

North Korea's True Colors By: John Bolton | The Wall Street Journal
There's more positive news from the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea: Its leaders have refused to make any further disclosure concerning its nuclear programs.

Needed: Strategy for Space Protection By: Terry Everett | The Washington Times A year ago this week, the People's Republic of China launched one of its ballistic missiles and destroyed a satellite orbiting overhead, creating a field of debris expected to stay in orbit for decades to come.

Altered state From the godfathers of the independence movement to the island’s trendsetting youth, Taiwanese are stepping outside the shadow of their giant neighbour to forge a proud new identity

Pakistan, Afghanistan in Tandem - Washington Times editorial

Switched-on India: How can India address climate change and meet its energy needs?
Source: Institute for Public Policy Research

H11 IHT

EUROPE European press review

The Comeback Continent By: Paul Krugman | The New York Times
The next time a politician tries to scare you with the European bogeyman, bear this in mind: Europe’s economy is doing O.K.

Boston Globe Editorial Poland takes up for Poland

President Bush's ill-conceived effort to build a missile shield suffered a setback recently, when the leaders of Poland's new center-right government expressed doubts about US plans to put 10 antimissile interceptors on Polish soil. Poland's course change may be discomfiting for Bush. In the long run, though, it will probably prove beneficial for American and European security, for US-Russian and ... (Boston Globe)

SERBIA: Kosovo faces uncertain economic future

Mardell's Euroblog
Will asylum seekers react to Europe's borders coming down?

NYT: Europe and U.S. Diverge on Rate Prospects - by Mark Landler

H12 RFE/RL Georgia: With New Political Landscape, Can Stability Prevail?

Saakashvili 2.0

It's a whole new world for Mikheil Saakashvili and his allies in the West. The Georgian president's narrow victory means he must work with an opposition that he previously shunned. That's good news for Georgian democracy. But what will it mean for Saakashvili's dream of NATO membership?

The three Rs: Rivalry, Russia and 'Ran
The declining United States-Russia relationship (and that of Europe and Russia) does not occur in a strategic vacuum. If the US wants to calm Iran's nuclear ambitions, it is going to need to brush up on its diplomatic basics. This means that Moscow has to be convinced its long-term interests are best served by full-fledged cooperation with the West. - Robert D Blackwill

Google News Azerbaijan

Mikheil Saakashvili’s bitter victory, Robert Parsons

[Fbis] OSC: Georgian electoral body publishes final results of presidential polls

British Charity Caught in the Middle of U.K.-Russia Diplomatic Row By: Marianna Gurtovnik | World Politics Review What started as a diplomatic standoff has now metastasized into other areas of Russian-British relations. On Dec. 12, 2007, the Russian Foreign Ministry demanded that the British Council, a charity promoting cultural and educational programs in 110 countries worldwide, suspend its operations in two Russian cities, St. Petersburg and Ekaterinburg, by Jan. 1, 2008.

Putin successor urges revival of Russian naval might

Trash Talking: Georgian NGO Activist Claims to Find Proof of Electoral Fraud in CEC Garbage Bin
BY MOLLY CORSO Georgian opposition leaders are seizing on the alleged discovery January 11 of valid presidential election ballots in the trash outside of Central Election Commission (CEC) headquarters as supposed proof of fraud in the vote-counting process. While officials adamantly deny any wrongdoing, the announcement has energized opposition plans to hold a mass demonstration on January 13

H13 The Times

'Real' Bhutto heir denounces family business Benazir's niece Fatima Bhutto breaks her silence to call for an end to the dynastic politics of the Pakistan People's Party

Analysis: prepare for a bloody run-in to election

The warlord of peace

Ex-Taleban chief made Helmand boss is last chance for peace

Wall Street Journal Our Ambitions for the Middle EastBy Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum
Dubai hopes to show young Arabs around the region that there are alternatives to extremism

Economy's Stable Leg Starts to Totter

Fresh signs are appearing that consumer spending, which had been stable throughout the housing downturn, is slowing.

H14 Financial Times Gulf states wary of Iran’s charm offensive Gulf states still see their security as closely tied to the US and consider containing Iran’s influence in the Middle East as their biggest challenge

UK slips behind France on economy The size of the British economy has slipped below that of France for the first time since 1999 thanks to the slide in the value of the pound

Illegal migrants stream through Schengen zone Illegal migration and people-trafficking from eastern Europe into Germany has risen sharply since the removal of Schengen border controls last month, with many would-be migrants originating from Chechnya

FT MAGAZINE - BOOK REVIEW: When the world went global

WORLD NEWS DIGEST: ElBaradei seeks clarity from Iran

LONG VIEW - JOHN AUTHERS: Place your bets for a recession, if it's not too late

Politics of the personal

Candidates seem to be inviting Americans not just to heed their arguments but to identify with them as protagonists, writes Christopher Caldwell

Lunch with the FT: Christopher Hitchens The Mick Jagger of modern letters shows no sign of giving up the vitriol -

Gold is a bright prospect for the bold

John Dizard on the effect of the credit crisis

Reflection that defines choice for voters Philip Stephens on Obama’s pitch for the White House

US import prices and trade deficit climb

Import prices rose at their fastest pace in at least 25 years in 2007, underlining the threat of stagflation as the US enters a period of slower economic growth, according to figures from the Commerce Department.

Chinese, Kuwaiti cash to rescue CITIBANK...

Why sterling is the next dollar

Martin Wolf calls for a focus on low inflation

Brown looks busy

It would be better to focus on identifying the underlying reasons why the UK does not have higher standards of public services and then on how to achieve necessary reforms - ,

A wasteful but necessary stimulus

Tighter fiscal policy during the US boom years of growth would have been better than to have panicked, ad hoc discussions in the face of looming recession

The new Model-T

Environmental concerns aside, there is much to celebrate about Indian manufacturer Tata’s mass production of the one-lakh people’s car – surely everyone will want one

H15 Los Angeles Times Cornered in square one Trying to go back to the beginning in foreign policy, the Bush administration has hit a dead end. By Steven Weber and Bruce W. Jentleson

Iraqi soldiers in Sunni militant area

U.S. troops turn police investigators

Navy lists two earlier encounters with Iran

Editorial

H16 American Politics

Time Game On! (Cover Story / Left for dead by the experts, Hillary Clinton and John McCain ride a record turnout to victory in New Hampshire. Here's what's next in a campaign whose only certainty is uncertainty

Messy and imperfect, the U.S. primary season is an exuberant showcase of democracy

A look at the candidates' foreign policy positions.

The Surge Effect The gamble is paying off for Bush and McCain.
by Fred Barnes

Ben Smith / The Politico:

Racial tensions roil Democratic race

It Wasn’t Because He’s Black
A thorough takedown of the theory that racism sunk Obama in New Hampshire.
by John B. Judis

A black president? Seen a few

Joel Stein: Hollywood has warmed us up already, namely with Morgan Freeman in 'Deep Impact' and Dennis Haysbert in '24.'

Kos / Daily Kos: Let's have some fun in Michigan

Running for Hillary: the marketing guru who's in touch with small-town America

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

Early Bird GovExec Swamp Gas The Swamp

How Hill's Angels saved Clinton

Female voters in New Hampshire were enraged by media coverage following Iowa rout

H17 Daily Telegraph

H18 Independent Saudi prince ready to invest $2bn in Citigroup

Serbia bans US and British election monitors

H19Military Intelligence Terrorism

'Mysterious crowd' halted Bhutto's car Reports: killing may have been 'ambitious plot' including Musharraf.

Report: French look into terror threat 'Vague and confused' message threatened attack on Eiffel Tower.

The US Military Inflicts More Damage on Its Own Credibility
by Glenn Greenwald

FBI Picks Terrorism Expert to Lead Agency's National Security Sector

From Foreign Policy, an interview with Gen. David Petraeus on how he plans to draw down without leaving chaos behind.

The Numbers Guy on a new approach to count of Iraqi civilian deaths.

WSJ First to the Fight
by Brendan Miniter
The Weekend Interview: Marine Commandant James T. Conway says the Corps must preserve its agility and its speed.

GAO Sees Fraud in US Nonproliferation Payments

Pentagon Releases Full Video of Naval Clash...

Foul Play at the Pentagon - Diana West, Washington Times

Homeland Security on the Hustings - New York Times editorial

CIA Tapes: No Immunity Deal - New York Times editorial
Wiretap Politics - Wall Street Journal editorial

Waterboarding and its Discontents - Paul Greenberg, Washington Times

Hollywood Misconstrues the Cold War, Again - John Podhoretz, Weekly Standard

Analysts: US Missile Shield Would Be Major Change of Strategy

H20 Slate

"Why should I vote in a Pakistani election? I don't recognize Pakistan."
Nicholas Schmidle

The New Politics of Personal Information Demos A 79-page UK paper offering a framework to put individuals at the centre of personal information flows and the decisions that govern them

Common Vision, Different Paths
Pre-K Now, Zero to Three
A 36-page US report setting out the lessons learned from the experiences of five states with pre-natal-to-five childhood care and education systems

State Fact Sheets
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service State fact sheets provide information on population, employment, income, farm characteristics, farm financial indicators, and top commodities, exports, and counties for each state in the United States

CA wants to control home thermostats
State plans to control temp. through required radio-controlled device.

Accountability and Governance Series: Performance Measurement and the World Bank

H21

In democracy, skills and attitudes that arise in the play of the free market move to the polity. Individual choice becomes a habit... more»

From The Bulletin, is the availability of genetic information dangerous?

Algorithmic inelegance: Complexity in living things is a product of the lack of direction in evolutionary processes, of the accumulation of fortuitous accidents, rather than the product of design

The last word? Spaniards agonise over anthem lyrics
Spain finally finds the words to match its national anthem - which has been lyric-less since 1978

WSJ The Lost ArchiveFor half a century, a unique photo archive of ancient Quran manuscripts was presumed lost during the British bombing of Munich. But the cache survived, and a research project buried for more than 60 years has risen from the grave. It plays into a new debate: how to reconcile Islam with the modern world?

Personal transformation is what some people credit Scientology for having given them. Then there are stories of savings spent, lives derailed. And that weird château... more»

Ashlie Warnick (Yale): Sex Without Romance: The Political Economy of Prostitution.

“It” is still there

Humanity is hard-wired to explore

Why being funny is no joke

When the world went global

The final decade of the 18th century comes to life in a vividly portrayed opera of sex, violence and great ideas, starring period icons such as Louis XVI and George Washington

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