022708f - 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 NYRB: Thomas Pickering, William Luers, & Jim Walsh "A Solution for the US-Iranian Nuclear Standoff."

Statements on 'A Solution for the US–Iran Nuclear Standoff'
By Chuck Hagel and Dianne Feinstein

Christian Science Monitor Waiting for a US-Iran handshake Iran's diplomatic elite believe that the time has come to lead the region. By Iason Athanasiadis

CSIS Violence in Iraq Report provides up to date data on the patterns and trands in violence in Iraq. + Full Report (PDF; 3.8 MB)

Washington Post It's the Middle East, Stupid - Michael B. Oren

The Specter of Stagflation By Robert J. Samuelson We may be trading modest pain today for much greater pain tomorrow.

US/IRAQ: Strategic Alliances Remain Elusive IPS

Poll: Obama surges past Clinton, trails McCain on security

Daily Star A Poll That Disproves Western Myths
About Muslims
by Rami G. Khouri

New York TimesOne Nation, Indivisible By VUK JEREMIC

Recognizing Kosovo means saying, in effect, that Serbian democracy must be punished because a tyrant, Slobodan Milosevic, was left unpunished.

Editorial Vladimir Putin’s Russia

The next American president will have to deal with a Russia that is not only nuclear-armed but increasingly wealthy and increasingly authoritarian.

Financial Times Why Washington’s rescue cannot end crisis story When bubbles burst, asset prices decline, net worth of non-financial borrowers shrinks and illiquidity and insolvency emerge in the financial system. Credit growth slows, or even goes negative, and spending weakens, writes Martin Wolf

ElBaradei is quietly managing to disarm Iran The path now is to recognise this success, deepen it, and find a way for Iran to come clean safely on its past work, write Ray Takeyh and Joseph Cirincione

Food and the spectre of Malthus Poorer countries will suffer, says Mark Thirlwell

WORLD NEWS: US sees Tehran nuclear dispute going to 2009

Sovereign wealth is a force for stability John Kay on cross-border investment

Iran: A scholar at the Washington Institute previews Iran’s March 14 parliamentary elections, saying victory for the supporters of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is all but assured. The article adds, however, that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s party is expected to lose support.

The Iranian alternative Building bridges -- and pipelines -- with Tehran should be a strategic priority for the EU

MotherJones Blog. Departing US Iran Envoy Says Nuclear Issue Will Not Be Resolved By Time Bush Leaves Office

Is Iran Winning the Iraq War? - Robert Dreyfuss, The Nation

Ha’aretz – Haaretz-Dialog poll: Most Israelis back direct talks with Hamas 64 percent, including 48 percent of Likud voters, support direct cease-fire, Shalit talks with Hamas

Rosner: Would Obama be supportive of a Likud-led Israel?

EDM ARMENIA IN TURMOIL AFTER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PRAISED BY WEST

WINEP Publications U.S. Foreign Policy and Israel's Qualitative Military Edge: The Need for a for Common Vision

Weekly Standard Al Qaeda's Resurgence The leadership regroups. by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross & Kyle Dabruzzi

H2 Iraq Demands That Turkey Withdraw New York Times

Patrick Cockburn: The Turkish invasion could destroy a unified Iraq
Independent

"Harekat 'ayağını denk al' mesajı da taşıyor"

LA Times Kurdish Iraqi lawmakers authorize force

Iraq calls on U.S. to intervene in Turkish incursion

Kurd Fighters Claim to Inflict Casualties Against Turks

'Irak Tehdit Altında Değil'

ABD Savunma Bakanı Gates, Türkiye'nin sınır ötesi harekatı nedeniyle Irak'ta istikrarın tehlikeye girmediğini söyledi

Analysis: Turkey's risky PKK war
United Press International

BBC Rereading Islam
Turkey scholars in radical reappraisal of sacred Islamic texts

Guardian Turkey strives for 21st century Islam Turkey attempts to rewrite basis for Islamic sharia law while reinterpreting Qur'an for modern age

Islamic Newspeak Brian Whitaker A new version of the Prophet's sayings is due to appear - as approved by Turkey's Department of Religious Affairs

Talking Turkey Martin Kettle There is no more fascinating country in Europe at this moment than Turkey, so why do we know so little about what's going on there?

From the Archive Nationalities, Oil, and Land: Kirkuk and the Disputed Territories. By Brendan O’Leary December, 2007

From the Archive WKI Position Paper: The Territorial Status of Kirkuk Washington Kurdish Institute November 2007

From the Archive MERIA "U.S.-Kurdish Relations in Post-Invasion Iraq" Aram Rafaat December 2007

Turkish Incursion Threatens To Destabilize Domestic Situation RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty

FT Turkey’s fresh look at Prophet nears end Religious authorities are close to completing a revision of the reports and interpretations of what the Prophet Mohammed said and did, in a project likely to generate fierce debate

EBRD considers launching in Turkey

The possible inclusion of Turkey in the multilateral bank’s operations may aid western efforts to build links with the country at a time when Ankara’s EU application faces some difficulty

Iraq, Turkey and US to hold trilateral energy talks in Istanbul ...
Iraq Oil Report

Asia Times Turkey offers oil pipe lifeline Turkey is offering India access to its network of pipelines running from oil-rich Central Asia - with Israel serving as a key link in the chain. A deal would be attractive to New Delhi, if it could secure the oil to course through the pipes.

Kürtlerden çağrı
Kürt meclisinden gelen çekilme çağrıları ve halkın tepkisi

Erdogan Moves to Calm Concerns Over Aim of Iraq Incursion

Turkey Targets Main PKK Base in Iraq

Will Turkey be complicit in another war against another neighbour?
OpEdNews Amply documented, Israel and Turkey are partners in the planned US aerial attacks on Iran, which have been in an advanced state of readiness since mid-2005

The Turkish "Sun" and the US-Israeli Dust Dar Al-Hayat

Google News Fırat News Agency KurdishMedia Kurdish Kurdish Aspect Dış Basında Irak BBC Monitoring

Iraq says Turkey incursion 'unacceptable' AFP

Özel birlik, PKK elebaşlarının ensesinde

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Bölge meclisi, Bağdat'ı Ankara ile gizli anlaşma yapmakla suçladı

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

ABD'den Iraklı Kürtlere uyarı: PKK'ya karşı sorumluluk alın

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Tutumunu sertleştiren Bağdat, Türk askerinin çekilmesini istedi

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Bağdat'a heyet gidecek

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[HABER İZLENİM] Bombalandı denilen köy dimdik ayakta duruyor

Sonuç alınıncaya kadar asker bölgede kalmalı

Ersoy: Boşa kan dökülmesin, boşa savaş olmasın bir çözüm bulunsun

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

“PKK ile çetelere karşı eşzamanlı bir mücadele yürütüyoruz”

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Türk Bombardımanı sertleşti

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Ergenekon hâlâ operasyon gücüne sahip

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Ertelettirdikleri Kerkuk referandumu ve Türk devletinin tezgahladığı oyunlar (5)

Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber Dış Basında Türkiye-AB İlişkileri Günlük Haftalık

Kosovo and Cyprus on Turkey’s agenda

AİHM'den Türkiye aleyhine karar

Mensur Akgün Kıbrıslılar izolasyonu bizim kadar önemsemiyor mu

FT Hristofyas'la yepyeni bir fırsat doğdu –

Kapsamlı müzakereler Nisan'da başlayabilir

Kıbrıs'ta yeni dönem mi başlıyor?

New Marxist President Seeks to Quell Cypriots' Economic Fears By: Helena Smith | The Guardian The election of a Marxist as president of the Republic of Cyprus was yesterday greeted with a mixture of relief and barely disguised horror as Greek Cypriots digested their new status as the European Union's first communist-led state.

'Türkiye'ye çelişkili mesajlar vermeyin'

Koşulsuz AB desteği

Turkey Approves Law Returning Property

Turkish Cypriot Leader Says End to Split In Sight

Why Turkey recognized Kosovo
Turkish Daily News

Welcome to whom in south Cyprus?

Hristofyas: Talat ve benim sorunları halletmemiz gerekiyor

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BM'den Talat ve Hristofyas'a görüşme çağrısı

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Keskin:Hristofyas'ın seçilmesi adanın birleşmesi umutlarını artırdı

Turkish defense industry eyes expansion

Vali, Tuncel'in muhbir olduğunu bilmiyormuş

Kalaşnikof verip ‘hazırlan’ dediler

MTA'da şok gözaltı

One Pot

‘Büyük abi’ şov

CMK'da yer alan bazı kanunlarda değişiklik yapıldı

Radikal bir çözüm önerisi: Köprü ücreti 20 YTL olsun

27 Şubat 2008 Basın Özeti

H3 TSK Basın Açıklaması / 21

PKK'ya büyük darbe

Zap kampına 1 km kaldı

Erdoğan: Kimseyle harekat pazarlığı yapmadık

MHP'yi kuyuya indirdi, şimdi bizi indirecek

Fikret BİLA Güneş harekâtının başarısı ve temel hedefi

Cengiz Çandar 'Kürt sorunu'nun çözüm yolu kısaldı mı

Ahmet Taşgetiren • Keşke, keşke, ama... ( 27.02.2008 )

Ruşen Çakır Bahçeli’nin gözü ve umudu Çankaya’da

Cevdet Aşkın ABD'den Ankara'ya 'açık çek', Barzani'ye baskı tırmanışta

Mustafa Akyol Kürtler için, Kürtlere rağmen

Nasuhi Güngör Harekatın bedeli İran’ı satmak mı?

Bülent Ersoy bir tabuyu daha mı yıkıyor?

ALİ BULAÇ - Postmodern darbe ve gerekçeleri

Ertuğrul Özkök 411 el neye kalkmış

Ahmet Hakan Kuzucuk masalı

M Ali Birand Çok farklı bir operasyon yaşanıyor

Cüneyt Ülsever AKP’nin (sözüm ona) türban taktiği!

Taha AKYOL
Bölücülük ve resmi ideoloji

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

İbrahim Karagül: Türkiye Kandil'e askeri üs kursun!

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Hakan Albayrak: Kürt Sorunu'nun çözümüne giden yol

İsmet Berkan - Rektörlere yazık değil mi?

Şamil Tayyar YÖK Başkanı’ndan çarpıcı açıklamalar

MUHARREM SARIKAYA Afganistan'a ek güç kararı

ERDAL ŞAFAK Üç tehlike

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN Kuzey Irak ve Türkiye-1

NAZLI ILICAK İlmiye-Kalemiye-Seyfiye ittifakı

Avni Özgürel - Harekât neyin karşılığı?

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Türker Alkan - Savaş ve barış

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Murat Yetkin - İki cephe, iki mücadele

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

M.Ali Kışlalı - Operasyon ve türban

Gülay Göktürk “Hizmet” sorunu çözer mi?

Nuh Gönültaş PKK biter, Kürt sorunu bitmez!

Türk usulü sorun çözme

'Mahkeme ne derse o olacak'
Baykal, TSK'nın harekâtını övdü

İsmail Küçükkaya
Baykal’ın “Türbana çözüm” formülü

Mensur Akgün Kıbrıslılar izolasyonu bizim kadar önemsemiyor mu

İlk jesti Rumlar yapmalı
Helena Smıth –

WSJ AB Kıbrıslı Türklere borçlu

Yalçın Doğan Gül’ün Talabani daveti ABD üzerinden

İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası Dış Basında Türkiye - BBC Turkish 0700 VOA TSİ 06:30 Turkish Press Review Google News Turkey TurcoPundit

Fehmi Koru: Hukuk ve kanun bir tarafa, borusu ötenler bir tarafa

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Ali Bayramoğlu: Vekil ile müvekkil: Yasin Hayal ile Fuat Turgut ve adalet

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Kürşat Bumin: Bana anlamlı geldi

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Taha Kıvanç: Rektörler de insan, bunu unutmayalım

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

MEHMET KAMIŞ - New York üzerinden mahalli seçimler

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ABDÜLHAMİT BİLİCİ - Askerin Özal'a sürprizi

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MUSTAFA ÜNAL - Özgürlüğe direnenler...

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MÜMTAZ'ER TÜRKÖNE - Profesör öldürmeye niyetlenen albaylar

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A. TURAN ALKAN - Basınımızın interaktif mangal sefası...

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Enis Berberoğlu

Oktay Ekşi Sen ilk örnek değilsin

Bekir Coşkun İki türlü vatan var...

Tufan Türenç Türkiye’de kimse kimseyi sevmez oldu

Özdemir İnce Bir Fethullah Gülen yaratmak

Mehmet Y Yılmaz İki ses kasedi, iki haber

ENGİN ARDIÇ İç polemik

ERGUN BABAHAN Vergi, adalet ve zenginlik

EMRE AKÖZ Dinin şartı olmasa ne yazar?

Umur Talu Bırakın ağlasınlar

MEHMET BARLAS Bizim ihtiyacımız reform değil çağa uyumlu olmaktır

Mehmet Altan ‘www.savaskarsitlari.org’

MAHMUT ÖVÜR

YAVUZ DONAT

07:00 Pilot Üsteğmen'in babasından MHP'li Vural'a 'Kendinize gelin' sitemi

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04:00 Boğaziçi'nde AKP karşıtı eylem

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04:00 ODTÜ'de türban protesto edildi

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04:00 Yasalar dayatırsa elimizde patlar

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04:00 Tartışması değil kendisi vardı

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04:00 Lisede türbana kontrol

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04:00 DTP'lilerden Ersoy'a alkış

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04:00 Hakkında çok sayıda tutanak var ama işlem yapılmadı

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04:00 Türbanlı doktor serum torbası attı

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM Tekel'de kemiksiz satış

MB uyardı: Yavaşlama göz ardı edilmemeli

TÜSİAD'tan hükümete uyarılar

Ercan Kumcu İhracat artışı ve sıkıntılar

Erdal Sağlam

Eser Karakaş Önlem paketinde neler olmamalı?

Ege Cansen Sağlık sektöründe devletleştirme

08:55 Yabancı yatırımcı Türkiye'de iyi kazandı...

Servet Yıldırım Arap sermayesini çekmek kolay değil

Metin Ercan - Resesyon göstergesi

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Mustafa Aysan - Ekonomide yavaşlama

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Uğur Gürses - AKP bir karar vermeli

H4 New York Times Democrats Clash on Health, Trade and Rival Tactics Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton set aside their cordiality and traded accusations in a contentious debate Tuesday evening. Debate Transcript

One Nation, Indivisible By VUK JEREMIC Recognizing Kosovo means saying, in effect, that Serbian democracy must be punished because a tyrant, Slobodan Milosevic, was left unpunished.

Editorial Vladimir Putin’s Russia

The next American president will have to deal with a Russia that is not only nuclear-armed but increasingly wealthy and increasingly authoritarian.

MAUREEN DOWD Begrudging His Bedazzling Hillary Clinton can’t turn on her own charm and wit because she can’t get beyond what she sees as the deep injustice of Barack Obama not waiting his turn.

Britain Convicts 7 of Terrorist Training

H5 Washington Post It's the Middle East, Stupid - Michael B. Oren

The Specter of Stagflation By Robert J. Samuelson We may be trading modest pain today for much greater pain tomorrow.

Suicide Bomber Hits Bus in Iraq's North, Killing at Least Eight In Baghdad, Turks Urged to Withdraw

Britain Told to Release Blair Cabinet's Minutes Notes May Clarify Debate on Iraq Invasion

Vice Presidential Contest Heats Up -- at Least Here New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is emerging as consensus pick for vice president among both Republicans and Democrats

Why the Superdelegate Idea Works

By Jim Hunt, Why the Democratic Party needs these elected officials and party leaders to be involved

Faith Without a Home By Michael Gerson I have seen the future of evangelical Christianity, and it is pierced. And sometimes tattooed.

Winter of the Patriarchs By Harold Meyerson, What do Fidel Castro and Ralph Nader have in common?

China Set to Resume Human Rights Dialogue Move to Revive Discussions With U.S. Seen as Bid to Improve Country's Image Ahead of Summer Olympics

In North Korea, Breaking a Barrier With Sound N.Y. Philharmonic's Landmark Concert Opens 'a Little Door'

H6 Guardian Putin rolling back civil rights Kremlin using new laws to persecute NGOs, break up demonstrations and wipe out dissent, says report

Obama support grows amid offensive

Obama takes significant lead, winning over former Clinton supporters, opinion polls show

Government told to release cabinet minutes on Iraq war

Afghan wasteland Conor Foley The west's money for reconstruction in Afghanistan has been spent appallingly in ways that have done little to help the people

British hostage pleads for release of militants

Former SAS man condemns British role in torture tactics

Instead of elected local leaders, we have the police Simon Jenkins: Our society has no tier between individuals and the central state - and nobody to enforce communal discipline

Photo finish Michael Tomasky: US elections 2008: The Clinton campaign's reaction to an image of Barack Obama in a turban is a sad symptom of its recklessness

The cost of eating Josette Sheeran Rising food prices are now affecting communities that had previously been protected from the scourge of hunger

Imagine Super Thursday contests in sunny Cornwall or pivotal Yorkshire

Jonathan Freedland: I can see the appeal of British primaries, but it will take more than this cherry-picking to engage the public with politics

H7 Iran: A scholar at the Washington Institute previews Iran’s March 14 parliamentary elections, saying victory for the supporters of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is all but assured. The article adds, however, that President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s party is expected to lose support.

Avoiding Ahmadinejad Newsweek

The Iranian alternative Building bridges -- and pipelines -- with Tehran should be a strategic priority for the EU

MotherJones Blog. Departing US Iran Envoy Says Nuclear Issue Will Not Be Resolved By Time Bush Leaves Office

Is Iran Winning the Iraq War? - Robert Dreyfuss, The Nation

Asia Times Russia gas pact energizes Iran
A deal that will expand Gazprom's interest in Iran's South Pars gas field and involve daughter company Gazpromneft in an oil project in the country underlines Tehran's expanding role in the region's energy sector and the immunity of Russian gas companies from sanctions emanating from the United States. - Pepe Escobar

The Coming Financial Pandemic By: Nouriel Roubini | Foreign Policy (subscription required)
For months, economists have debated whether the United States is headed toward a recession. Today, there is no doubt. President George W. Bush can tout his $150 billion economic stimulus package, and the Federal Reserve can continue to cut shortterm interest rates in an effort to goose consumer spending. But those moves are unlikely to stop the economy’s slide

A Foreign Policy Difference That Matters - Gerald Seib, Wall Street Journal

Daily Star For all its complexity, Lebanon's crisis offers some very simple choices

Wake up Arabs, Obama may be a menace By Hussain Abdul-Hussain

A poll that disproves Western myths about Muslims By Rami G. Khouri

Egypt, Iran: Obstacles to Closer Ties | Stratfor

Another Israel-Hezbollah war?
Michael Young, MESH

Al Awsat The Anticipated Regional War Will Not Take Place : Huda al Husseini

2008 Arab Capital of Culture - Boms and Spyer, Washington Times

President Bush’s Africa Trip
Source: Center for Strategic & International Studies

New Republic Applying The Lessons Of Kosovo To Darfur
by The Editors

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

Khamenei hails Iran 'nuclear win'

Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hails the "great victory" achieved by Iran on the nuclear issue.

Q&A: Iran nuclear issue

Quick guide: Nuclear row

Iran's key nuclear sites

Iraq denounces Turkish offensive

Baghdad condemns Turkey's incursion into northern Iraq and demands an immediate troop withdrawal.

Iran-Iraq engage diplomatically

Petraeus Wins Support in Troop Cut Delay

Forward U.S. Takes Aim at Shadowy Syrian Businessman

H9 Ha’aretz – Haaretz-Dialog poll: Most Israelis back direct talks with Hamas 64 percent, including 48 percent of Likud voters, support direct cease-fire, Shalit talks with Hamas

Rosner: Would Obama be supportive of a Likud-led Israel?

Nazir Majali: Why is Israel destroying its ties to Egypt?

Japanese PM Fukuda exhorts Israel to adhere to road map

Jews mostly stay Jewish (WTR)

Jerusalem Post Defense minister Barak vows to fence Egypt border by 2010 Two pieces of fence planned will cover about 85 kilometers - less than half of the isolated desert border with Egypt.

'Al-Qaida entered Gaza during breach' Yadlin says dozens of combat experts, weapons also brought in, nuclear-armed Iran likely by 2010.

Koch's Comments: The final three

I think Hillary is the best, but I'm also OK with Obama and McCain.

Here's why It is difficult to explain the persistence of anti-Semitism.

Fundamentally Freund: Perverted priorities and demographics [ MICHAEL FREUND

Center Field: Walk in the footsteps of JFK [ GIL TROY

Yedioth Ahronoth

Daily Alert.org – Hebrew Press Editorials (2008) - Middle East Progress - EJC Israeli Press Review – Google News Israel - Palestine

Palestine: A commentary in the Egyptian weekly al-Ahram warns that collective action by Israel and the Palestinian Fatah party are causing substantial humanitarian strife in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The article faults Egypt for not doing more to help Gazans.

James J. Zogby considers the report of a study group which examined U.S. peace-making efforts over the past four decades.

Israeli Economy Grew 6.4% in Fourth Quarter

EU Condemns "Uncivilized" Iranian Comments on Israel

What Obama said... to some Jews. Text.

Hezbollah and the ‘Unknown Knowns’
Middle East Online

H10 Christian Science Monitor Waiting for a US-Iran handshake Iran's diplomatic elite believe that the time has come to lead the region. By Iason Athanasiadis

A slowdown in U.S. economy, yes, but a mild one Many economists say the stimulus plan and rate cuts will help soften the downturn.

Wheat prices hit record high The cost of March spring wheat hit $24 a bushel Monday, double its cost two months ago.

Putin generation: Opportunity – and corruption – test a young entrepreneur Yulia Barabasheva puts in long hours at her beauty salon, which she opened last April.

Sarkozy saga distracts from France's reform His latest faux pas – a new hit on YouTube – comes as his approval rating slips to 36 percent.

Protect America - and the law We don't buy Bush's scare tactics on surveillance. By Jay Rockefeller, Patrick Leahy, Silvestre Reyes and John Conyers

ASIA

Daily Star The US may soon find itself partnerless in Pakistan
By Arif Rafiq

Watch those warheads: How real is the danger that Pakistan's nuclear arsenal could fall into the hands of militants?

The Taliban have Kabul in their sights A surge in militant violence in Pakistan's tribal regions and another high-profile assassination are clear messages to the yet-to-be-finalized new government in Islamabad: leave the Taliban alone. The Taliban are putting the final pieces in place for an assault on the Afghan capital, Kabul, and they desperately need secure supply lines starting in Pakistan. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

Pakistan's extremism starts at the top While the election victory of Pakistan's secular opposition parties will relieve some concern over the "Talibanization" of Pakistan, the threat remains as long as Islamic extremism continues to be employed as a tool by political parties, the military and the intelligence agencies. - Chietigj Bajpaee

Strait talking on Taiwan

Simon Tisdall Despite hawks' insistence that a military confrontation between China and the US over Taiwan is inevitable, a diplomatic solution seems more likely

Nest of Potential Assassins Eye Each Other in Pakistan By: Eric Ellis | Asia Sentinel
Although the western powers are breathing a sigh of relief over what appears to have been a relatively free and clean election in Pakistan last week, which delivered a decisive drubbing for the strongman Pervez Musharraf, it didn’t take long for the men of violence to re-appear

Winning party in Pakistan's frontier province seeks peace talks with militants The secular party that won last week's elections in Pakistan's North West Frontier Province plans to open peace talks with al Qaida-allied Islamic insurgents, a drastic departure from the military crackdowns that the national army has pursued with U.S. backing for the last five years

Pakistan: The Canadian paper Globe and Mail reports on the dual challenges the Pakistani government faces in providing basic economic needs while also trying to counter extremist activity.

Pakistan arrests al-Qaida suspect for October Bhutto attack

Water shortage projected for China

Guardian Discordant notes Leader: It is in no one's interests for the denuclearisation of North Korea to collapse

Washington Times China gestures It is gratifying to hear that China has finally exerted pressure on the government of Sudan to end the Darfur conflict, but Beijing needs to move beyond rhetoric. Only substantive solutions will end the genocidal crisis and bring peace to Sudan

Nuclear Energy: A paper from a Japanese think tank examines the country’s use of nuclear energy and questions to what extent the technology can be used to cope with energy and environmental challenges.

Malaysia's political poverty

By PHILIP BOWRING

The race-based parties of the scandal-tainted governing coalition are likely to win.

H11 IHT The daydream believers' nightmare By H. D. S. GREENWAY

One of the more insightful books on what has gone wrong since George W. Bush came to power is Fred Kaplan's new "Daydream Believers, How A Few Grand Ideas Wrecked American Power."

Look before you leap By PAUL KENNEDY The high-velocity electromagnetic railgun shoots a 'slug' at 7 times the speed of sound.

A $12 Billion History Lesson By: Timothy W. Ryback and Elazar Barkan | International Herald Tribune
Last week, a senior French official flew to Istanbul to discuss Turkey's exclusion of Gaz de France from an $12 billion pipeline project - designed to bring Central Asian oil directly to European markets - because of recent French legislation making it a criminal offense to deny that the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Armenians in 1915 constituted genocide.

EUROPE European press review

R. Nicholas Burns on Kosovo

Kosovo Independence: Making a Bad Situation Worse By: Jacqueline Carpenter | World Politics Review
As Kosovars waved gigantic American flags in Pristina and stopped traffic in New York City wearing "Thank You America" jackets, it was natural for Americans to smile and think that the United States had done something right for a change. But the situation isn't so simple.

Europe's time to choose (By Paul Belien)

The Price of Freedom By: Rüdiger Falksohn and Renate Flottau | Der Spiegel Europe's youngest nation already has problems. Violent Serbs in Belgrade are protesting Kosovo's independence, and the Serbian government has demanded €220 billion in damages. Can the little state last?

From Eurozine, living in visa territory: Countries that declare individual freedom to be the highest value decide the extent of a person's freedom on the basis of their country's political status.

Slovenia: A report from the Economist Intelligence Unit looks at the economic toll Slovenia has paid regionally for its fervent support of Kosovo’s independence.

How Kosovo could end Scotland’s European dream

H12 RFE/RLUzbekistan: Is EU's 'Engagement' Policy With Karimov Bearing Fruit?

Azerbaijan To Pull Peacekeepers From Kosovo

EDM ARMENIA IN TURMOIL AFTER PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION PRAISED BY WEST

- RUSSIA, AFGHANISTAN AND THE DRUG TRADE

- WILL UKRAINE HAVE NEW CONSTITUTION?

- TEHRAN PUTS PRESSURE ON U.S. MILITARY PRESENCE IN CENTRAL ASIA

Armenia: Dueling Protests Occur in Yerevan, as President Calls on Opponents to Sober-Up Yerevan was the scene of competing rallies on February 26. A protest mounted by supporters of opposition presidential hopeful Levon Ter-Petrosian extended into its seventh day, while, only a kilometer away, Serzh Sarkisian, the man declared the winner of the controversial February 19 presidential election, mustered his loyalists in an attempt to promote the legitimacy of the balloting results. The visiting chief of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe could only describe the situation as “complicated.”

Georgia: Skepticism Clouds Preliminary Deal on Russia’s Entry into WTO
BY MOLLY CORSO
After nearly two years of negotiations, Georgian recently officials announced that they had reached a "preliminary agreement" on Russia’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Tbilisi is staying tight-lipped about specifics, while Georgian analysts remain skeptical about the possibility of a full Georgian-Russian rapprochement.

Google News Azerbaijan

Der Spiegel Tracking the Rise of Putin's Crown Prince Dmitry Medvedev is expected to become Russia's new president on Sunday. A protege of current President Vladimir Putin, Medvedev is suddenly calling for a stronger emphasis on the rule of law, the market economy and freedom of the press. But many in Moscow have their doubts that the new president will become the country's real leader

Post-election jitters in Armenia

New 'Bully' May Help Move Yerevan Forward By: Arthur Martirosyan and Tom Samuelian | The Moscow Times
Slogans say a lot about the recent presidential election campaign in Armenia. Former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan campaigned under the banner "We're going to win."

BBC NEWS | Business | Russian passion for stocks and shares

Moscow's booming stock exchange entices foreign money

H13 The Times Murderous dictators: cool, huh? Why does the Left still worship Fidel Castro and all his appalling fellow communists? Daniel Finkelstein

A grubby catalogue in print

The journalists' code of conduct seems often like a hazard to be negotiated rather than a standard to be achieved

Magnus Linklater

It's difficult to sympathise — but we should There's something to be said for tax havens, but it's an unpopular case to make in the middle of the Liechtenstein storm

Iraq war Cabinet minutes ‘must be made public’ The Information Commissioner has ruled that the Cabinet files should not be exempt under the Freedom of Information Act

The result, not the decision-making, counts We all want to push back the boundaries of what is known about Cabinet decisions. But what limits should there be?

Analysis: ministers set to fight Iraq cabinet ruling No Government likes to have its inner thoughts

Wall Street Journal

H14 Financial Times Why Washington’s rescue cannot end crisis story When bubbles burst, asset prices decline, net worth of non-financial borrowers shrinks and illiquidity and insolvency emerge in the financial system. Credit growth slows, or even goes negative, and spending weakens, writes Martin Wolf

Food and the spectre of Malthus Poorer countries will suffer, says Mark Thirlwell

WORLD NEWS: US sees Tehran nuclear dispute going to 2009

Sovereign wealth is a force for stability John Kay on cross-border investment

ElBaradei is quietly managing to disarm Iran The path now is to recognise this success, deepen it, and find a way for Iran to come clean safely on its past work, write Ray Takeyh and Joseph Cirincione

US sees Tehran nuclear dispute going to 2009 The senior US official responsible for handling the dispute over Iran's nuclear programme has admitted that the Bush administration is unlikely to resolve the issue,...

Kosovo could end Scotland’s European dream EU membership not assured, writes Simon James

Germans lift growth hopes for eurozone German business confidence has risen unexpectedly, strengthening the ECB’s argument that global financial turmoil might have no ‘sizable’ impact on the eurozone

Sarkozy claims poll slump is personal, not political The French president says his falling approval rating is a reaction of voters to events in his personal life rather than rejection of his policies to reform the country

US data fuel stagflation fears A sharp drop in US consumer confidence, to its lowest level since the beginning of the Iraq war in 2003, and a jump in inflation among producers highlighted the deepening risk of stagflation, figures showed

US manufacturers restructure and survive With fears of recession growing in the US, the manufacturing sector would traditionally have been gripped by morbid anxiety. But the companies that have survived are leaner and more plugged in to the global economy

Water fears lead Saudis to end grain output Saudi Arabia plans to halt wheat production by 2016 because of concerns about the desert kingdom's scarce water resources

MARKETS & INVESTING: Global concerns force oil back to $100 a barrel

Business studies Higher education should be about more than productivity. A better ambition would be to enable all types of students to reach their full potential

White House plays down N Korea concert The New York Philharmonic’s performance in Pyongyang was ‘not a diplomatic coup’, and North Korea must fully declare its nuclear programs, said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino

Korean overtures The bonhomie with which this rare cultural encounter is being conducted should not obscure the serious issues that still remain unresolved

H15 Los Angeles Times Army plans to cut length of combat tours in Iraq

Better treatment for allies The Bush administration should be ashamed for duping Britain about transporting terrorist suspects.

Islamists' loss in Pakistan isn't a U.S. win Despite secular parliamentary victories, the country is unlikely to rally behind further U.S. efforts to fight militants. Instead, dialogue is on the table.

Radicals never say sorry Jonah Goldberg 'Everything was absolutely ideal on the day I bombed the Pentagon."

H16 American Politics

Poll: Obama surges past Clinton, trails McCain on security

Clinton comes out swinging in debate with Obama

realclearpolitics memeorandum ABC’s The Note – US News Political Bulletin Early Bird GovExec Swamp Gas The Swamp

Economic Mobility: A report from Brookings examines economic mobility in the United States, putting the U.S. income gap into global context.

The Quiet Revolution: The President’s Faith-Based and Community Initiative: A Seven-Year Progress Report
Source: White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
From Fact Sheet:

In a speech Monday in Washington, D.C., Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) again drew distinctions between herself and opponent Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL), and attempted to portray herself as a safe bet for voters concerned about foreign policy. "The American people don't have to guess whether I understand the issues, or whether I would need a foreign policy instruction manual to guide me through a crisis, or whether I'd have to rely on advisers to introduce me to global affairs," she said.

Obama advisers countered that Clinton has shown poor foreign policy judgment (BaltSun), such as her vote to authorize the war against Iraq.

Former Democratic candidate Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) will endorse Obama today, the Hartford Courant reports.

Even White Supremacists Don't Hate Obama
David Duke: "I don't think Obama will be any worse than Hillary or John McCain"
by Michael Crowley

H17 Daily Telegraph Muslims are trying to prove their loyalty Most British Muslims have about as much in common with Mohamed Atta as most contemporary British Catholics had with Guy Fawkes, says Daniel Hannan.

'Osama bin London' groomed 21/7 gang

The conviction of one of the most senior terrorist recruiters in Britain has revealed the missed opportunities in relation to the four failed suicide bombers of July 21.

MI6 'had file on Mohamed Fayed'

H18 Independent Drug giants warned: Tell the truth on medicines The pharmaceutical industry came under assault from senior figures in medical research yesterday over its practice of withholding information to protect profits, exposing patients to drugs which could be useless or harmful

H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism

Military Review: March - April 2008 Issue

Revised Army Doctrine Elevates Stabilization

Outside View: Suicide bombing a crime (UPI) -- The time has come for the international community to strongly and unequivocally condemn suicide bombing as a tactic of war and political violence. U.N. member states, individually and collectively, must come together to clearly proscribe suicide terror in all of its forms.

Weekly Standard Al Qaeda's Resurgence The leadership regroups.by Daveed Gartenstein-Ross & Kyle Dabruzzi

Report Reveals Truth on War - Joseph Galloway, Miami Herald

A review of Brave New War: The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization by John Robb.

Commentary When Jihad Came to America - Andrew C. McCarthy

Mohammed Hamid, accused of organizing terror training camps modeled after al-Qaeda across Britain, was convicted yesterday following a five-month trial. The Guardian reports that Hamid’s trial served as a major test of Britain’s Terrorism Act of 2006.

Army aims to cut Iraq tours this summer, U.S. general says

Why we need to nail Osama

By Elbridge Colby Killing or capturing bin Laden remains a vital national and, indeed, international priority. Not only is it important — it is worth devoting significant resources and making major tradeoffs to do so.

H20 Slate

The coming battle for the right to water

H21

Robot wars 'could be a reality'

Expert warns of an international robot arms race.

How to interpret the growing phenomenon of private tutoring : human capital deepening, inequality increasing, or waste of resources ?
Source: World Bank Policy Research Working PapersFull Paper (PDF; 379 KB)

From Policy Review, a review of books on Prince Talleyrand

Christopher Hitchens reviews On God: An Uncommon Conversation by Norman Mailer with Michael Lennon.

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