032008f - 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 - Subscribe to FPR FPR Table - H4 NYT WP GU H7 ME Isr H10 CSM IHT Eur FSU Asia H13 Times WSJ FT LAT H16 USP DT Ind H19 Mil Int Ter Wonk H21 Misc

H1 Financial Times Today’s task is to mend broken Iraq The US must stay long enough to avert a bloodbath but leave soon enough to make faction leaders – their safety net removed – reach a modus vivendi

Oil groups circle Iraq’s vast reserves Western groups see a chance to develop deposits of quality crude. Yet sectarian tensions stand in the way

Warning on threat to Europe’s US links The rift in transatlantic relations is deeper than previously thought, with almost half of Europeans seeing the US as having a negative influence on world affairs and a third of US citizens seeing Europeans as ‘snobbish’, according to a British Council survey

Poll on Relations Between the U.S., Canada, and Europe

Los Angeles Times Joint Chiefs, ground commanders split on Iraq Tensions rise over when to bring troops home, exposing rifts over long-term strategy in the region.

The Economist Wall Street's crisis What went wrong in the financial system—and the long, hard task of fixing it

Elections in Iran Conservative or conservative? A pitiful narrowing of choices for Iranians—and for the outside world

International Crisis Group Ruling Palestine I: Gaza Under Hamas

In Mosul, New Test of Rebuilt Iraqi Army The Iraqi Army’s performance so far suggests that while the forces have made strides, there are still big gaps

Obama's Speech on Iraq, March 2008 We cannot seize opportunities to resolve our problems unless we create them. That is what Kennedy did with Khrushchev; what Nixon did with Mao; what Reagan did with Gorbachev. And that is what I will do as President of the United States.

New 'bin Laden tape' threatens EU A new audio message purportedly from Osama bin Laden threatens the EU over cartoons offensive to Muslims

Asia Times Shocked, awed and left to rot Cheney is spot on when he talks of "phenomenal changes" in Iraq. Millions of Iraqis have lost their homes, their jobs, their families, their dreams and in countless cases their own lives because of a pre-emptive war. And anti-American Muqtada al-Sadr will ultimately be the lord of what remains of Iraq. - Pepe Escobar

Wall Street Journal Whatever Happened to Moqtada?
By Dan Senor and Roman Martinez It turns out Sadr's appeal was mostly about the Shiite need for security.

The Maginot Pipeline
By Kyle Wingfield
Business Europe: Europe hasn't committed fully to Nabucco.

America and Iraq
The goals that motivated the invasion are once again in reach.

Sub Sarko
By Pierre Briançon
Voters punished the French president's lack of substance, not style.

CFR Farhi: New Iranian Majlis Will Be Critical of Ahmadinejad on Domestic Issues

Negotiating Arab-Israeli Peace: A Guidebook for American Policymakers

NEW BIN LADEN AUDIO WARNS OF GRAVE PUNISHMENT OVER CARTOONS...

NYT Afghanistan’s New Deal By ZALMAY KHALILZAD Success in Afghanistan will be a major step in helping to create security, stability and progress in the broader Middle East, which is the defining challenge of our time

MESH Iraq: two scenarios revisited

The Economist Exchange rates

Dollar doldrums How low will the greenback go

Obama's Key Advisers Push Persuasion to Resolve Global Traumas Bloomberg -

CNAS Middle East Policy: Thinking Strategically About Iraq: Report from a Symposium

Working with Iran to stabilize Iraq INTERNATIONAL CONCERN over Iran's nuclear program continues to smolder. But from Iran's perspective, Iraq has now become the most dangerous flashpoint of potential conflict with the United States. (By Selig S. Harrison, Boston Globe)

The TimesCommentary: more threats but smaller risks

There is a strong case that, even if the new threats are more diffuse than the old ones, they are also smaller in scale

CHENEY: Iran May Have Resumed Weapon Program...

Bush speech hails Iraq 'victory' President George W Bush marks the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion with a speech hailing its success.

Iraqi Law Paves Way for Provincial Vote

Iraq's Al-Sadr Launches "Brotherhood Initiative" in Basra; Update

GuardianFive years on Leader: Next US president must set date for withdrawal from Iraq and end the occupation

Free countries must defy Chinese blackmail and greet the Dalai Lama Timothy Garton Ash: There is not much that we can do for suffering Tibet, but this we can and must. It's far more than mere tokenism

There must be a reckoning for this day of infamy Seumas Milne: The Iraq catastrophe isn't down to mistakes or lack of planning, but a refusal to accept that people will resist foreign occupation

A war of utter folly Hans Blix: Responsibility for this spectacular tragedy must lie with those who ignored the facts five years ago

Trusting in America Michelle Goldberg: US elections 2008: By appealing to the intelligence and decency of the American people, Obama placed his fate in their hands

Jim Lobe Why Did the US Invade Iraq?

Washington Post After a Decade at War With West, Al-Qaeda Still Impervious to Spies

New Interagency Group to Oversee Cyberattack Defense

Who's Next to Fail? By Robert D. Novak The Fed's new role may calm Wall Street, but it scares the rest of the financial world.

Walker's World: Why the war worked By MARTIN WALKER (UPI) -- Whatever the costs of the Iraq war, it was a crucial catalyst of change in the Arab world

Christian Science Monitor

Five years in Iraq: a deep disquiet in the US The bottom line may be that many in the US view the Iraq invasion as a mistake they don't want to see repeated

U.S. Military takes lessons from Iraq 'insurgent' war As the fight in Iraq drives fundamental changes to the military, it is also forcing a debate on how far those changes should go.

Despite Iraq discord, world eager for U.S. diplomacy But America may need to understand how the world has changed during the war and what different kind of leadership is now required.

IHT Enough with the bling

Hopefully, the results of France's local elections will prompt Sarkozy to refocus his energy on serious economic reforms

The final straw y ELIE FAWAZ

Hezbollah may be undermining itself from within

EU anxiety as Sarkozy prepares to take helm n July France takes over the bloc's six-month rotating presidency, and the prospect is beginning to worry some as President Nicolas Sarkozy is seen to face a steep learning curve.

Millions strike in Greece to protest plan to overhaul pensions
The national strike on Wednesday - the third since December - capped nearly a month of labor unrest that has brought power blackouts, heaps of uncollected garbage and transport disruption.

Foreign Policy The List: Seven Kremlin Powerbrokers to Watch

Newsweek Who Won Iran's Elections?

Drezner The realist tradition in American public opinion -- published

Stratfor’s War: Five Years Later

Time Why Beijing Needs the Dalai Lama

Salon Our "black Monday" for oil The record high price of crude that was hit this month reflects the new reality of global energy consumption -- and may presage dark times for America. By Michael T. Klare

The GOP attack plan for Barack Obama

American Prospect Five Years Later According to interviews with detained members of al-Qaeda in Iraq, the most powerful recruitment tool for Islamic extremists is ... the war itself

H2 The Economist Turkey's secular constitution See you in court

ABD'den PKK ve AKP mesajı

Washington’un davaya bakışı

Ankara Cheney’e PKK sitemine hazırlanıyor

Washington Institute Will the Turkish Constitutional Court Ban the AKP? By Soner Cagaptay, H. Akin Unver, and Hale Arifagaoglu

Financial Times Does the EU care about Turkish democracy? Like the proverbial mad aunt, Turkey is a topic most European Union governments prefer these days to keep locked well out of sight. But if the EU isn’t careful, it will discover one day that the aunt, quite sanely, has decided she doesn’t want to be part of the family anyway. … Turkey is no longer a cause worth sticking your neck out for. … By challenging the AKP’s right to rule, the secularists damage not the party but themselves and their country.

Ha’aretz What would Ataturk say? By Zvi Bar’el

Turkey mulls to send more troops to Afghanistan

BLOWBACK FROM IRAQ INCURSION SPARKS POLITICAL DEBATE IN ANKARA? Eurasia Daily Monitor

Askere Afganistan yolu!

Christian Science Monitor In divided Cyprus, new leader Christofias energizes unity bid

FT Cyprus leaders attempt to unite island The heads of the two Cypriot communities are to meet for talks that could affect not only the chances of unifying the island but also Turkey’s hopes of joining the EU

Guardian Peace talks must not fail, says Cypriot president Failure of peace talks between Greek and Turkish Cypriots would be devastating for Cyprus, says President

WashingtonTimes Leader to seek Turkish unity The newly elected communist president of Cyprus yesterday pledged to pursue talks to unite the Mediterranean island but gave no indication he would accept Turkish conditions that a U.N. formula be used.

Street - Opening Fosters Hope of Unity

İran dosyasıyla Ankara’ya geliyor

İran’a İHA kalkanı

Hindu India, Turkey propose to initiate talks on FTA

Turkey offers FTA with India

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

Terörün Nevruz planı -

Rights, not cash is East's demand

NEWS ANALYSIS: Cheney concentrates on Iraqi problems with Barzani ...

Cevdet Aşkın Ankara'dan Erbil'e konsolosluk, PKK'dan 'final' Nevruz'u

Bunun adı propaganda

‘Heron’ tespit etti operasyon başlatıldıİsrail’den kiralanarak Şırnak dağlarında keşif ve gözetleme faaliyetinde kullanılan “Heron” adlı insansız hava aracı, Cudi’de bir grup PKK’lının yerini belirledi.

Osman Baydemir’in Irak konuşmasına soruşturma

Sınırda hareketlilik sürüyor

PJAK’ın Piran sorumlusu yakalandı

Türk: Halk çözümün yol haritasını Newroz'da çizecek

Barzani gets White House invitation from Cheney

PKK’nın kasası Seven’i Karayılan ihbar etmiş!..

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

Kaygan zeminlerde Kıbrıs diplomasisi ÖZDEM SANBERK

Kapatma kararı çıkarsa müzakere askıya alınabilir

Turkey-EU trade volume near 100 million euros

Turkey-UN Security Council candidate for 2009-2010
CENGİZ AKTAR

Semih İdiz AKP’nin AB’ye dönmesi için bir fırsattır bu

Hollanda'da bir Türk camisini yakmak istediler

BM ve AB'ye mektup

İngiltere Dışişleri Bakanı: Bu dava Türkiye'ye zaman kaybettirir

Komşuda gör sen grevi!

Avrupalı demokratlardan kapatma tepkisi

Altan ve Çongar savcılığa çağrıldı

Turkey says Nabucco may take Iranian, Russian gas

What can be said in Turkey
cafebabel.com

Cyprus considered dangerous by Mossad

Vicdani ret yine AİHM yolunda

Ermenistan'ın yeni hükümeti diyalog temelinde çalışacak
Serj Sarkisyan / Arthur Bağdasaryan

Hedo Okur Tuncay Nihat Altintop

Pennsylvania'da bir ev ve içindeki gönüllü sürgün... - Ahmet Turan Alkan

Türkiye'de ortaya çıkmamış binlerce faili meçhul var –

Ergenekon sorgusu

Amerikan Nobel’ine Türk jüri üyesi "TARİHÇİLERİN KUTBU", tarih biliminin uluslararası önemdeki adlarından Halil İnalcık, Amerika’daki John W. Kluge Ödülü’ne jüri üyesi seçildi.

Sedat Peker 'Ümraniye' için 9 saat ifade verdi

Ergenekon'u sordular

'12 bin 186 profesör var'

Emniyete toplu gözaltı

Hukuk yoluyla sessiz darbe yapılacak

Ankara Yahudileri

100 milyon dolarlık çeteye sanal tuzak

YÖK'ün bugünkü gündemi kadro

YouTube'a bir haftadır erişilemiyor

Işıkara, İstanbul'a özel afet yönetimi istedi

Savcı’dan Peker’e Veli Paşa sorgusu

Futbolun Ergenekon'u

Serpil Yılmaz RTÜK, Barlas’ın açıklamasını ihbar kabul etti

'Bu devlet bitmiştir!'

Profesör Küçük, AKP'ye kapatma davası açan Başsavcı'yı eleştirenlere yüklendi: Bu devlet bitmiştir. Bu bir aşiret bile değildir

İddianameyi Ergenekon mu hazırlattı?

Canlı yayında mikrofon krizi

Gazi’de içkili kokteyl gerginliğiGazi Üniversiteli yaklaşık 20 kişilik öğrenci grubu, Gazi Üniversitesi Deprem Araştırma ve Uygulama Merkezi’nin (DEPAR) açılış kokteylini Mevlit Kandili’ne denk geldiği ve kokteylde içki servisi yapıldığı gerekçesiyle protesto etti.

3 ünlü ‘Simsar’da

Galatasaray Menajeri Sezgin, Milli Takımlar Sorumlusu Kızıl ve Ankaragücü Başkanı Aydın’ın, PFDK’nın eski başkan vekili Özcan’la bazı cezalarda indirim için temas kurdukları iddia edildi

20 Mart 2008 Basın Özeti

H3 AKP'nin konuştuğu beş baypas formülü

Milliyet Son Dakika

Ya referandum ya da bağımsız başbakan!

İşte Krizden çıkış planı

[Venedik Komisyonu Kriterleri] Parti kapatmada evrensel ilkeler neler?

Venedik kriteri

AKP’den ‘odak’ olmaya ‘Venedik Kriteri’ formülü

Hukukçular ne diyor?

Paket mini ama tartışma maksi

AKP'yi başsavcı kurtaracak

Baykal: Davayı kaldıracak girişime karşıyız

Cengiz Çandar 'Hırsız'ın da kabahati var, AK Parti'nin de

Ahmet Taşgetiren • Vaziyet-i umumiye deyince... ( 20.03.2008 )

Soli Özel Gelecek inşa etmek

Ruşen - Çakır

Taha Akyol Başsavcı ispat etsin

Fikret Bila Zihniyeti değil, Anayasa’yı değiştirmek

Murat Yetkin Kapatma dosyasında laiklik tartışması

Lale Sarıibrahimoğlu ‘Why has the military been quiet?’

Kaygan zeminlerde Kıbrıs diplomasisi ÖZDEM SANBERK

MÜMTAZ'ER TÜRKÖNE - Velev ki ardında Ergenekon olsa!

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

ŞAHİN ALPAY - "Dağın ardına bakmak"

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

HÜSEYİN GÜLERCE - Bu işin sonu nereye varır?

Baykal'dan MHP'ye gözdağı

Bilal Çetin İddianameyi “yok hükmüne düşürme” planı...

Ertuğrul Özkök Meşruiyet nerede biter

Ahmet Hakan Başsavcı mazlum oluyor

M Ali Birand Freni patlayan taş kamyonu gibiyiz

Hasan Cemal Bir tek sorun var: Türkün demokrasiyle imtihanı!

Cüneyt Ülsever Çok tehlikeli bir olasılık

Mehmet Tezkan

AKP’nin derdi topluma taahhütname vermemek!

Şemdinli iddianamesinden daha ötede bir iddianame

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

Fehmi Koru: Siz mi yansız ve tarafsızsınız? Confessions of an old-fashioned man

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Ali Bayramoğlu: Andıçları hatırlıyor musunuz?

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Tamer Korkmaz: Hürriyet, Ergenekon, İddianame…

İbrahim Kalın Goal of judicial coup PM Erdoğan, not AK Party

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Hayrettin Karaman: Hukuk yargıyı bağlamaz mı?

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

İbrahim Karagül: 'Ulusalcı direniş' mi yoksa psikolojik operasyon mu?

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Hüseyin Hatemi: Densizlik ve Dinsizlik farkı

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Mehmet Şeker: Hiçbir hizmet cezasız kalmaz

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Davut Dursun: İddianame öğretici, hem de çok öğreticidir!...

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Yasin Doğan: Aslan demokratlar…

Perihan Mağden - Her Türk savcı doğar

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Türker Alkan - Amerikanlaşmak

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İsmet Berkan - Tek yol demokrasi

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Hasan Celal Güzel - Kapatma dâvâsının perde arkası

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Nuray Mert - Ortadan konuşmak

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Murat Yetkin - Kapatma dosyasında laiklik tartışması

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Hakkı Devrim - Muzır laf, muğlak maddeler

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Altan Öymen - 'Sadece kendine demokrat'ların 'yargı reformu' girişimleri...

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Tarhan Erdem - Kutuplaşmadan çekinmeyenler

EKREM DUMANLI - Aşırı uçlara savrulanların göremediği gerçek

'Odak olma'
Doçent Serap Yazıcı BBC Türkçe'ye Siyasi Partiler Yasası'nı yorumladı

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Enis Berberoğlu

Oktay EkşiDavacı kim, davalı kim?

Özdemir İnce

Mehmet Y Yılmaz Değiştirmeden önce Anayasa’yı okumak gerek

Bekir Coşkun Aklımıza gelmeyen bir şey...

Mustafa Erdoğan Yargının zihniyet sorunu

Ardan Zentürk ‘Güdümlü’ demokrasi...

Mehmet Altan Hırvat Savcı

YaLÇIN Doğan Günay, Mehmet Akif okuyor

Güneri Civaoğlu Davaya hızlı takvim

Can Dündar Bir duayenden Erdoğan’a tavsiyeler

‘Yine Anayasa Mahkemesi’ne gideriz’ tepkisi

Süheyl Batum Başsavcılık üzerinden savaş siyaseti

Can Ataklı Atanmışlar-seçilmişler safsatası

Serdar Turgut AKP medyasını bekleyen tehlike

Güler Kömürcü Konuşursan ‘taş yaparız’ tehdidi altında...

İsmail Küçükkaya AK Parti’nin yapması gereken...

What if the case against the AKP is a 'political symbol' BURAK BEKDİL

Andrew Finkel Winning more than the battle

Legislation makes shutting parties too easy in Turkey, Parliament finds

'Judicial memo' to open Pandora's Box? Orhan Kemal Cengiz

Ömer Lütfi Mete Parçaların toplamından büyük olmak

MUHARREM SARIKAYA

ERDAL ŞAFAK"Citius, altius, fortius..."

ENGİN ARDIÇ Bıldır yediğin hurmalar

ERGUN BABAHAN

EMRE AKÖZ 'Sömürge idaresi'

Umur Talu Şahsi bir şey

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

NAZLI ILICAKAK Parti'nin gizli toplum projesi!

MEHMET BARLAS"Toplum mühendisliği"nin değil "Değişim mühendisliği"nin zamanıdır

MAHMUT ÖVÜR Siyasetçilerin hepsi mağdur ama...

YAVUZ DONAT Cumhurbaşkanlığı Genel Sekreteri Prof. Mustafa İsen'e sorular

Sebahattin Önkibar AKP'ye tezgah kuran kim?

İsrafil Kumbasar

Ali Bayramoğlu Bugünün Türkiye'si: Elitizm, değişim ve siyaset

İlnurÇevik The dirty war against AK Party

AKP bunu hep yapıyor

AKP hakkında açılan kapatma davasını düşürme formülleri arayan Başbakan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan ve kurmayları, daha önce de önlerine çıkan zorlukları birçok kez yasa değişiklikleriyle aştı.
Sekreteri başörtülü çıktı

The headscarf issue & Turkey’s entitlement syndrome by SEVGİ AKARÇEŞME*

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Hizmet etmemizi engelliyorlar

Danıştay kararı ile soruşturma izni kaldırıldı

Şener "Parti kapatma sağlıklı sonuç doğurmaz"

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM Faiz düşerse artık cenneti de göremeyebiliriz

Ercan Kumcu Amerikan Doları’na ne oluyor

Erdal Sağlam Şimşek’in anlaşılmaz tavırları

Seyfettin Gürsel Önceden ilan edilmiş krizin günlüğü

Ergin Yıldızoğlu Çok 'İlginç' Bir Haftadan Öbürüne...

Hurşit Güneş Fırtına henüz dinmiş sayılmaz

Güngör Uras Tüketiciyi korumak için yeni bir kanun çalışması var

Salih Neftçi Volatilite anormal derecede yükseldi

OKAN MÜDERRİSOĞLU
Prim günü 8 bine iniyor, emeklilik yaşı 65

Deniz Gökçe Emeklilik mezarda mı beşikte mi?

Ali Tezel Sosyal Güvenlik Reformu’nda uzlaşma oluyor gibi

MELİHA OKUR
Reyting işe yaramıyor!

Küresel dalgalanma

Dünya ekonomisinde 1929 buhranı riski ne kadar ciddi?

Fed yeldeğirmenlerine karşı
Mahfi Eğilmez

Kriz dersleri Fatih Özatay

Bear Stearns bile batar
Korkmaz İlkorur

Eyüp Can Küresel krizin yeni adı roller coaster

Obama Works to Shift Campaign Back to Domestic Issues

Groups Respond to Obama’s Call for National Discussion About Race

H5 Washington Post On War's Anniversary, Bush Cites Progress

'Strategic Victory' Is Near, He Asserts

Editorial Fantasies on Iraq Political speeches on the war's anniversary have in common the promise of the impossible

After a Decade at War With West, Al-Qaeda Still Impervious to Spies

New Interagency Group to Oversee Cyberattack Defense

Who's Next to Fail? By Robert D. Novak The Fed's new role may calm Wall Street, but it scares the rest of the financial world.

Who'll Pay for This? By Harold Meyerson, The Fed's solution to our financial crisis isn't a great deal for the public, either.

Baghdad Baggage By David S. Broder, John McCain has missed a chance to show some expertise and independence on Iraq

Iraqi Council Clears Key Legislation on Provincial Elections Law Aims to Address Sunni Concerns

Bin Laden Threatens Europe Over Muhammad Cartoons

Will the Answer Outlive Questions?

Obama's Speech Driven by Necessity

William Arkin In Iraq, Unanswered Prayers

President Signals Support for Georgia to Join NATO

Dan Froomkin / Washington Post:
Bush's Triumphalist Amnesia

Going Smart, Not Soft, on Crime

By John Vratil and John Whitmire

There are effective ways to fight crime and punish criminals without breaking the bank on prisons

In Hillary Clinton's Datebook, A Shift Events Less Lofty After Health-Care Debacle

Coal Can't Fill World's Burning Appetite With Supplies Short, Price Rise Surpasses Oil and U.S. Exporters Profit

Clinton Presses Obama on Efforts For Revotes in Florida and Michigan

Bush Fills Key Posts In Homeland Security

H6 GuardianFive years on Leader: Next US president must set date for withdrawal from Iraq and end the occupation

Free countries must defy Chinese blackmail and greet the Dalai Lama

Timothy Garton Ash: There is not much that we can do for suffering Tibet, but this we can and must. It's far more than mere tokenism

There must be a reckoning for this day of infamy Seumas Milne: The Iraq catastrophe isn't down to mistakes or lack of planning, but a refusal to accept that people will resist foreign occupation

A war of utter folly Hans Blix: Responsibility for this spectacular tragedy must lie with those who ignored the facts five years ago

Trusting in America Michelle Goldberg: US elections 2008: By appealing to the intelligence and decency of the American people, Obama placed his fate in their hands

The Iraq legacy: foreign policy

Richard Norton-Taylor: The invasion of Iraq has made long-standing democracies more reluctant to intervene in international crises

War without end

Brian Katulis Mar 19 08, 05:00pm: As news coverage of the Iraq war - and awareness of its toll - has decreased, Americans have grown sanguine about President Bush's strategy

Threat fret Martin Kettle Subversion is out, climate change and pandemics are in. But should we worry about Gordon Brown's redefinition of national security?

The Iraq legacy: the cost of staying

Lawrence Korb Keeping troops in Iraq indefinitely has made it difficult for the US to respond to other crises around the globe

Boxed in on ballots Michael Tomasky US elections 2008: Hopes for re-votes in Michigan and Florida have faded. Now the Democratic party must find a solution

Middle East peace talks stalled

Thinktank warns efforts to isolate Hamas have backfired as Palestinians see no hope of change

New Bin Laden attack on EU over cartoons New message from Osama bin Laden released in which al-Qaida leader threatens the EU over Muhammad cartoons row

Iraq: a conflict arising from the emergence of China? Mark Tran,

Sarkozy aims for Anglo-French axis French president believes strong relationship with the UK is crucial to driving EU foreign policy

Bush: The battle in Iraq is noble, it is necessary George Bush marks the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion with an uncompromising speech

Ali, Baghdad: We live in a nightmare

Nine men of war: Where are they now? Dick Cheney | Donald Rumsfeld | Paul Wolfowitz | Tony Blair | Jose Maria Aznar | John Howard | Ahmed Chalabi | Osama bin Laden | Tariq Aziz

Gently Does It By: Sunder Katwala British Prime Minister Gordon Brown's personal commitment to an Iraq inquiry signals a quiet shift away from the Blair foreign policy agenda

Clinton missed key policy decisions

Documents threaten to undermine Hillary Clinton's claims she played a major role in husband's policies

Where Hillary was at key moments

The Beijing boycott? Open Thread: France's Bernard Kouchner has called for a boycott of the Beijing Olympics' opening ceremony. Should Europe take it a step further?

Disappointing conduct David Cronin t's nearly 10 years since the EU devised its code on the arms trade. Now it must take a stand and make the rules binding on members

H7 Cami McCormick / CBS News: Gen. Petraeus' View Of Battleground Iraq

Obama: We Must End the Iraq War to Address Our National Security Priorities

A review of Dreams and Shadows: The Future of the Middle East by Robin Wright (and more).

Juan Cole Iran: Danger and Opportunity; Polk Guest Op-Ed

The Arab Conscience and the 5th Anniversary of the Iraq War

4,000 Americans, Innumerable Iraqis, $3 Trillion By: Leonard Pitts Jr. | Miami Herald
And five years later, here we are. There were no weapons of mass destruction. We were not greeted as liberators. The war did not pay for itself. The smoking gun was not a mushroom cloud. There was no connection to 9/11. The course we stayed led over a cliff

The Sahara Dispute By: Robert M. Holley | The Washington Times The United Nations has reached a critical crossroads in its effort to foster a more stable, secure and prosperous North Africa. However, prospects have not improved following the fourth round of the U.N.-sponsored negotiations to resolve a long-standing dispute over the Western Sahara

Operation Iraqi Freedom - Harlan Ullman, Washington Times

Analysis: Marriage of convenience in Iraq The U.S. military's use of organic forces in Iraq gives a sense of Iraqi solutions to Iraqi problems, but may also be a sign of a partnership of convenience

Walker's World: Why the war worked By MARTIN WALKER (UPI) -- Whatever the costs of the Iraq war, it was a crucial catalyst of change in the Arab world.

Progress in Iraq - Helle Dale, Washington Times

Daily Star Bush keeps talking about Iraq, but no one can understand what he says

Reading between the lines of Detlev Mehlis
By Michael Young

America is spending too much on the wrong weapons
By Pascal Boniface

Bush defends Iraq war as worth it; Democrats disagree

Figuring Out the Insurgency - Dexter Filkins, New York Times

Stabilizing Iraq (By Michele A. Flournoy)

Facts for Feith on CPA History - L. Paul Bremer III, National Review

Five Years On: Folly's Toll - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial

War in Iraq: 5 Years On - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review editorial

The 5-year Mess in Iraq - San Francisco Chronicle editorial

Iraq's Grim Bookends - Mark Santora, New York Times

Iran's Miiltary Moves Up - Amir Taheri, New York Post

Insight into the balance of power
GulfNews By Amir Taheri

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

CHENEY: Iran May Have Resumed Weapon Program...

Bush speech hails Iraq 'victory' President George W Bush marks the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion with a speech hailing its success.

Iraqi Law Paves Way for Provincial Vote

Iraq's Al-Sadr Launches "Brotherhood Initiative" in Basra; Update

Gaza Daily Says Cheney Seeks New Alliances Serving US Policy in Region

Lebanon: The Daily Star reports Lebanon is likely to play a low-level role at the upcoming Arab League summit in Damascus and notes criticism from some Arab leaders of Syria’s role in Lebanese politics.

Arab Financial Offensive on U.S. Companies Concerns Analysts –

Kuwait emir calls fresh elections

Taking on Mubarak
Egypt's new middle-class protesters, with a woman as their leader

Still patrolling
Are the remaining British troops a force for good in Basra?

Bush Interview with VOA Persian Service

Iraqi delegates prepare for business expo

Iran's meddling in the Gulf

Mar 19 IA# 428 - (Un)Civil War of Words by Dr. Mamoun Fandy: A New Book Analyzing the Arab Media

Mar 18 IA# 427 - Syrian Regime Clamps Down On Opposition

Iraq Burn Rate > $12 Billion Per Month?

H9 Ha’aretz – Shmuel Rosner: U.S. Mideast pressure - just a lazy routine

Israel, U.S. commanders test 'extreme' scenarios in joint drill

Jerusalem PostTen more months

While Bush may not win the War on Terror, he can give his successor a solid base from which to do so.

Yedioth Ahronoth 'Beware of delays in Israel'
State Department says Israeli authorities may question US Palestinians on arrival in Jewish state, demand they obtain PA travel documents. US Arab groups: Bush administration saying we are second-class citizens

Bin Laden threatens EU

McCain woos Evangelists

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

Peace Index Poll: Israelis Against Cease-Fire with Hamas -

Ceasefire - But Only in Gaza - Yossi Alpher (bitterlemons.org)

PLO Says Israeli Statement on Settlements Destroys "What is Left" of Annapolis

Russia Says It is Potential, Not Intentions, That Matters in Missile Defences

The Cold, Cold Heart of Hamas - Nat Hentoff

Betraying our history

Seth Freedman: Those in Israel's Knesset who criticised Angela Merkel's speech there are indulging in xenophobia: they should know better

H10 Christian Science Monitor Five years in Iraq: a deep disquiet in the US The bottom line may be that many in the US view the Iraq invasion as a mistake they don't want to see repeated

U.S. Military takes lessons from Iraq 'insurgent' war As the fight in Iraq drives fundamental changes to the military, it is also forcing a debate on how far those changes should go.

Despite Iraq discord, world eager for U.S. diplomacy But America may need to understand how the world has changed during the war and what different kind of leadership is now required.

Iraq, five years later – still too soon to judge It'll take decades to set the record straight. What we need now is the fortitude to win.

Not so black and white Obama's extraordinary speech on race captured the subtleties of today's debate.

How able are Americans to bear the costs of war? The Iraq war has cost taxpayers about $526 billion so far – and could reach $2 trillion by 2017, according to one congressional study.

Senator Webb criticizes Bush's long-term plan for Iraq The freshman senator from Virginia spoke at a Monitor Breakfast about how an agreement will hinder the next president's ability to change course.

For Beijing, Tibet threat is 'life and death' Officials say exiled leaders seek independence to break up China.

After brutal years, Kashmiris embrace new calm Despite sporadic attacks, such as a bombing Wednesday, violence has dropped in the disputed region.

What Spitzer's fall says about us

ASIA

BBC Tibet quandary
China's options for future governance of restive region

Carnegie Reframing China Policy Debate 8: US Policy Toward Taiwan, Time for Change?

The Economsit Tibet A colonial uprising

A week in Tibet Trashing the Beijing Road

Japan Kamikaze politics

China Unanswered questions

Indian politics Supersonia

Pakistan After the mullahs

Democracy in Afghanistan Spoilt for choice

Malaysia Shuffling deckchairs

WSJ Taiwan Heads for Thaw With China

Taiwan will elect one of two candidates for president who have promised rapprochement with Beijing, which could ultimately calm one of the last tensions of the Cold War.

Tibetan Youth Challenge Beijing, Dalai Lama Young Tibetan activists are courting confrontation. Their more-aggressive stance risks enraging Beijing and triggering a harsher clampdown. The movement clashes with the nonviolent beliefs of the Dalai Lama as leaders seek to shift the views of Tibetans to their more-forceful tactics.

U.S. Aims High in Afghanistan By: Philip Smucker | Asia Times
In remote northeastern Afghanistan close to the Pakistan border, U.S. troops fight an elusive enemy they can seldom get their hands on. They're convinced al-Qaeda fighters are involved

Taiwan identity and China: 1987-2007, Hsin-Huang Michael Hsiao

No Tibetan Independence By: Gwynne Dyer | The Japan Times
As was the case with the Baltic states, Tibet's only chance of gaining independence is with a regime change in China.

China's True Face By: Wei Jingsheng | The Washington Post
As what the Dalai Lama has called "cultural genocide" goes on in Tibet, it is wholly unacceptable that Jacques Rogge, the head of the International Olympic Committee, refuses to take a stand against the Beijing government's current crackdown on Tibetan protesters.

China's Pollution Nightmare Is Now Everyone's Pollution Nightmare By: Jacques Leslie | The Christian Science Monitor
The emergence of China as a dominant economic power is an epochal event, occasioning the most massive and rapid redistribution of the earth's resources in human history. The country has also become a ravenous consumer.

Japan Times In an editorial, the paper says the grievances of the people of Tibet provide a litmus test of the promise by the Chinese president Hu Jintao of the establishment of a harmonious society in China.

China's True Face - Washington Post editorial

China's Tibet Spin - Los Angeles Times editorial

China's Olympic Hurdle in Tibet - Toronto Star editorial

Tibet Again Under China's Boot - Miami Herald editorial

Tibet: US Needs to Work Behind the Scenes - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial

New China's Tibet Test - Frida Ghitis, Toronto Star

Japan-South Korea: A new report from the Japan Institute of International Affairs questions whether Japanese Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak will usher in a new era of Japan-South Korea relations.

Dawn reports the leaders of the parties in Pakistan’s new ruling coalition have worked out the preliminary terms of a power-sharing arrangement. The article notes, however, that the officials have left out important details like the distribution of critical tasks among the parties

H11 IHT Enough with the bling

Hopefully, the results of France's local elections will prompt Sarkozy to refocus his energy on serious economic reforms

The final straw y ELIE FAWAZ

Hezbollah may be undermining itself from within

EU anxiety as Sarkozy prepares to take helm n July France takes over the bloc's six-month rotating presidency, and the prospect is beginning to worry some as President Nicolas Sarkozy is seen to face a steep learning curve.

Millions strike in Greece to protest plan to overhaul pensions
The national strike on Wednesday - the third since December - capped nearly a month of labor unrest that has brought power blackouts, heaps of uncollected garbage and transport disruption.

Failure of new peace talks would be 'devastating,' president of Cyprus says

Bid to revive the Iron Cross awakens Germany's angst The German Army today has no awards for courage, only for attendance. The painful debate over reviving the famed Iron Cross to fill that gap underscores how distant Germany remains from normality when it comes to the military.

A boycott of Olympics ceremony? France raises idea, then backs off Beijing's handling of the situation in Tibet raises questions about how the European Union should manage its relationships with important economic partners such as China and Russia, whose governments are accused of violating democratic standards

Croatia and Hungary recognize Kosovo

EUROPE European press review

New 'bin Laden tape' threatens EU A new audio message purportedly from Osama bin Laden threatens the EU over cartoons offensive to Muslims

Serbia under Pressure: Balkan Nations Recognize Independent Kosovo

Greece gripped by pensions strike Greece's civil servants hold a general strike against pension reforms, paralysing transport and closing public offices.

The Economist France Sarkozy rebuked

Anglo-French relations An entente in London

Germany and Israel Friends in high places

Kosovo's riots Border clashing

Turkey's secular constitution See you in court

Free speech and Islam Flat-earth fears

Charlemagne The hot air of hypocrisy

Poll on Relations Between the U.S., Canada, and Europe

Kosovo: Worst Still to Come By: Anes Alic and Igor Jovanovic | ISN Security Watch In Kosovo, it is not at all difficult to foment unrest and create atmospheric incidents to prove that the two groups cannot live in harmony. It is in the interest of Serbian authorities to show to the world that Kosovo Albanians and Kosovo Serbs cannot coexist peacefully; while it is now in the interest of Kosovo Albanian authorities to prove the opposite

Alexander the Great Fans Take on NATO in Macedonia Name Dispute By: James G. Neuger and Harry Papachristou | Bloomberg News
Natives of Macedonia, the northern Greek province that produced the ancient world's dominant military commander, are determined to prevent a neighboring country from joining today's dominant military alliance under its chosen name, the Republic of Macedonia

ECONOMIST INTELLIGENCE UNIT BRIEFING A setback for Mr Sarkozy Nicolas Sarkozy's party founders in French local elections

Berlusconi Has 9 Percentage-Point Lead Over Veltroni, Poll Says By: Flavia Krause-Jackson | Bloomberg News Former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi leads Democratic Party leader Walter Veltroni by 9 percentage points in the race to be Italy's next premier, according to a poll published in la Repubblica

H12 RFE/RL

Foreign Policy The List: Seven Kremlin Powerbrokers to Watch

Georgia Mum on Details of New Abkhazia Proposal

EDM GAS COMPANIES WELCOME HUNGARIAN MOL’S “NETS” PROJECT FOR CENTRAL AND SOUTHEASTERN EUROPE

- RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY REPORTEDLY PICKED CIVIL SOCIETY REPS TO MEET WITH RICE

NATO EXPANSION PUSHES MISSILE DEFENSE OFF RUSSIAN AGENDA

- BLOWBACK FROM IRAQ INCURSION SPARKS POLITICAL DEBATE IN ANKARA?

Bush vows to support Georgia's hopes at NATO meeting

Gvosdev Discussing the US-Russia Relationship

Google News Azerbaijan

BBC Monitoring Quotes From Russian Press Thursday 20 March 2008

Iran's Nuclear Ambitions Pose Difficulties for Russia

Compromise on Missile Defense Between Russia, U.S. Realistic - Analyst

Saakashvili-Bush Summit Faces Serious Obstacles By: Richard Weitz | World Politics Review
Today (March 19), Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili will meet with U.S. President George W. Bush at the White House. The two heads of state will make an appropriately supportive mutual statement

After the Russian election it may be all change at the top, but who is the real winner?

Good Policies Should Make Good Neighbors By: Fyodor Lukyanov | The Moscow Times
The Orange Revolution in Ukraine in 2004 was a turning point in the policies of all post-Soviet countries. Moscow's aggressive stance during that period turned out to be so counterproductive that it decided to switch tactics

CEPS Caucasian Future 2008: Transformation and Integration for Caucasian Stability and Development

H13 The TimesCommentary: more threats but smaller risks

There is a strong case that, even if the new threats are more diffuse than the old ones, they are also smaller in scale

Security Blanket More of a framework to cope with uncertainty than a strategy

China 'ready for for talks with Dalai Lama' Wen Jiabao, the Chinese Prime Minister, told Gordon Brown he was ready for talks as bomb attack intensifies Tibet violence

Credit crunch: learn from the US

Compare the Bank of England's dithering with the decisiveness across the Atlantic

Camilla Cavendish

Kosovo hunts for friends to back independence Bulgaria, Croatia and Hungary recognise the province but Kosovo has barely a third the number of countries it wanted

Bush: Iraq war a success and will end in victory As President Bush spoke protests took place in the US against a conflict that has cost almost 4,000 American lives

Pakistan gets its first woman Speaker Fahmida Mirza, a former doctor with a striking resemblance to Benazir Bhutto, makes history with sweeping majority in parliament

Wall Street Journal Whatever Happened to Moqtada?
By Dan Senor and Roman Martinez It turns out Sadr's appeal was mostly about the Shiite need for security.

The Maginot Pipeline
By Kyle Wingfield
Business Europe: Europe hasn't committed fully to Nabucco.

America and Iraq
The goals that motivated the invasion are once again in reach.

Sub Sarko
By Pierre Briançon
Voters punished the French president's lack of substance, not style.

A More Honest Socialism
If Washington wants to nationalize the housing market, let's do it in the open.

The Serb Problem

Irresponsible politicians whip up a familiar nationalist lather.
Review & Outlook

Oil shares drag down Wall Street Wall Street's main share indexes go into reverse, dragged down by weaker US oil stocks.

Bernanke running out of bliss room
US Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke and his pack of merry pranksters, having given Wall Street yet more interest rate cuts, now have only a few months before they must conjure up other tricks to end the rot in the US economy as rate levels head toward their floor and inflation concerns mount. - Julian Delasantellis

H14 Financial Times Today’s task is to mend broken Iraq The US must stay long enough to avert a bloodbath but leave soon enough to make faction leaders – their safety net removed – reach a modus vivendi

Oil groups circle Iraq’s vast reserves Western groups see a chance to develop deposits of quality crude. Yet sectarian tensions stand in the way

Warning on threat to Europe’s US links The rift in transatlantic relations is deeper than previously thought, with almost half of Europeans seeing the US as having a negative influence on world affairs and a third of US citizens seeing Europeans as ‘snobbish’, according to a British Council survey

Poll on Relations Between the U.S., Canada, and Europe

Bin Laden threatens EU over drawings Al Qaeda leader threatens Europe with grave punishment over cartoons of Prophet Mohammad in an audio recording that coincides with the fifth anniversary of the Iraq invasion

Italy may see difficulty in rolling over debt The country is seen to pay higher yields and experience ‘temporary difficulty’ as it rolls over €50bn of debt in coming months amid tough market conditions

London and Moscow hope to heal wounds Gordon Brown, UK prime minister, is set to hold his first one-to-one meeting with Russian president-elect Dmitry Medvedev later this year to improve bilateral relations

Serbia’s neighbours to recognise Kosovo Bulgaria, Hungary and Croatia dealt a major blow to Serbia's bid to overturn Kosovo's month-old independence by preparing to become the first neighbours to recognise the new republic

Bush defends Iraq war five years on President George W. Bush said he would only order further troop reductions in Iraq if it would not ‘jeopardise’ the improvement in security that has occurred since the military ‘surge’ took effect last year

Parliament dissolved in Kuwait amid wrangling Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, the ruler of oil-rich Kuwait, dissolves parliament after the entire cabinet resigns complaining of a lack of co-operation from parliamentarians

Clinton presses Obama on Michigan re-run Hillary Clinton warned that the Democratic party risks jeopardising its chances of winning the White House in November if Michigan and Florida are denied a voice in the party’s presidential nomination process

Experts assess the costs of a crisis There are few signs we have entered the vicious debt-deflation cycle that Wall Street fears

Ask the oil producers to rescue Wall Street Why the mideast should invest in US banks

Oil profit holds key to liquidity The fire sale of Bear Stearns brings the credit crisis to a new, more dangerous phase. Many market participants seem to be hoping for a short-term miracle from the Federal Reserve. They will be disappointed, write Anil Kashyap and Hyun Song Shin

Act to stop the markets’ vicious circle The credit crisis has produced an avalanche of problems and also of explanations. Some observers have stressed that it is mainly a solvency crisis; others that it is mainly a liquidity crisis. It is both, writes Paul De Grauwe

Malaysian lessons for Asia’s authoritariansVictor Mallet on this month’s elections

How Bear aided its own demise Rampant card-playing was a symptom of a bigger disorder at Bear Stearns – the bank’s inward-looking and obstreperous culture. It grew up as a scrappy bond-trading firm that did not care about how others regarded it, writes John Gapper

Memorial to expellees helps ease strains Germany hopes that a difficult episode with Poland is over following the cabinet’s decision to build a memorial to those expelled across national borders after the second world war

Obama says Iraq war has hurt U.S. security The Democratic presidential candidate questions McCain's understanding of the situation and Clinton's sincerity about withdrawing

Bin Laden criticizes EU for publication of anti-Islamic cartoons

EditorialObama on race His speech proved to be that rarity in American politics -- a serious discussion of race.

Obama's Lincoln moment Tim Rutten: Never before has a candidate for national office spoken so frankly about race in America.

China's Tibet spin The country's skillful manipulation of its media won't block the Olympic spotlight on its abuses in Tibet.

H16 American Politics

Poll: Obama's lead over Clinton all but evaporated

NYT: Clinton Facing Narrower Path to Nomination...

Poll: Bush's approval hits new low

New Democrat delegate plan emerges

Gallup Daily: Clinton Moves Into Lead Over Obama

DICK MORRIS: 'Obama has already won the nomination. It's over'...

POLL: MCCAIN TAKES LEAD AS DEMS FEUD...

Obama's lead over Clinton narrows: Reuters poll

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

Josh Marshall / Talking Points Memo:

UNFIT FOR DUTY

Was Obama's Speech Enough? - Joan Walsh, Salon

Why Obama's Speech Was a Success - Steve Kornacki, New York Observer

GOP Sees Wright as Pathway to Victory - Jonathan Martin, The Politico

Liberal Democrats Overwhelmingly Choose Obama Over Clinton in Straw Poll

Obama says Iraq war has hurt U.S. security The Democratic presidential candidate questions McCain's understanding of the situation and Clinton's sincerity about withdrawing

Three Big Problems with the Speech - Michael Medved, Townhall

Historic Speech Was Obama's Lincoln Moment - Tim Rutten, LA Times

Can Clinton Win Over Superdelegates? - Chuck Todd, NBC News

Thousands of papers show Clinton's daily activities as first lady

Hillary Docs: Many Overseas Trips Just Standard First Lady Tourist Fare

H17 Daily Telegraph Gordon Brown and a dangerous world It is no coincidence that Gordon Brown should choose the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq to publish his much delayed National Security Strategy, which is a disappointing damp squib.

Afternoon press briefing from 18 March 2008 10 Downing Street

National Security Strategy statement - 19 March 2008

Can Brown and Sarkozy save the world? Writing before next week's Anglo-French summit in London, Mary Riddell suspects Gordon Brown sees Nicolas Sarkozy as filling the Blair-shaped vacuum in his life.

Osama bin Laden threatens Europe The Al-Qa'eda leader has accused the European Union and the Pope of being complicit in the oppression of Muslims in a new message

China loses friends over Tibet Although the Chinese premier, Wen Jiabao, is trying to show the outside world the "soft" face of China's power in the run-up to the Beijing Olympics, there is little likelihood of talks between him and the Dalai Lama.

Why Churchill is a hero

John McCain, who arrived in the UK today, explains how one man's foresight and steely determination conquered Germany's navy

Blairites tell Brown to rethink policies Three leading Blairites have told Gordon Brown he must rethink key parts of his policy programme if he is to avoid leading Labour to a humiliating defeat at the next election

H18 Independent Brown publishes first national security strategy Britain faces an unprecedented array of threats, from ambitious terrorist plots and cyber-spies stealing national secrets to diseases and flooding, the country's first security strategy has concluded.

Leading article: Generals still fighting the battles of the past

The final battle for Basra is near, says Iraqi general General Mohan al-Furayji, the Iraqi commander in charge of security in the south of Iraq, has warned his troops they must prepare for the final battle to defeat Shia militias terrorising Basra.

Rupert Cornwell: The world's lone superpower is on the waneColumnist Rupert Cornwell, writing on the financial crisis in the United States believes that financial mayhem will hasten the leftward shift in America's politics, with the tide of deregulation being reversed, and government, so often branded the enemy, being regarded as a friend.

Hamish McRae: This is serious. But don't panic, it is no worse than other recent downturns

How the blurring of the seasons is a harbinger of climate calamity

Spring, which officially starts today, is starting to dissolve as a distinct season as climate change takes hold

H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism

CFR Fingar: Iran Nuclear Assessment Strong, Framing Of Argument Wasn’t

Pain and coercion in interrogation are not likely to elicit good information. There must be better ways for the U.S. to protect itself... more»

FBI interviews: Saddam on his capture, sons' deaths and WMDs

From Foreign Policy, a photo essay on bombs

Exposure By: Philip Gourevitch and Errol Morris | The New Yorker All that the soldiers of the 372nd Military Police Company, a Reserve unit out of Cresaptown, Maryland, knew about America’s biggest military prison in Iraq, when they arrived there in early October of 2003, was that it was on the front lines

Are Unmanned Airplanes the U.S. Air Force's Salvation? By: David Axe and Bryan William Jones | World Politics Review
The U.S. Air Force is in trouble. The rising cost of high-tech jets and the people to fly and maintain them threatens to put the service "out of business," in the words of Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne

Club Gitmo - Jacob Laksin, Weekly Standard

America’s Naval Supremacy Slipping - W. Thomas Smith, Jr., Human Events

JSF: Swedish Fly - Stuart Koehl, Weekly Standard

FROM THE BOTTOM-UP: INTELLIPEDIA AND THE 21ST CENTURY CIA

Analysis:India reviews anti-Maoist group (UPI) -- An Indian government panel has asked the government to re-examine the policy of arming militia groups to tackle Maoist rebels in Chhattisgarh state, arguing it has not helped in combating the rebellion.

Analysis: Debate on Iraq fuels insurgency (UPI) -- Researchers at Harvard say that public debates about the rights and wrongs of the U.S. occupation of Iraq have a measurable "emboldenment effect" on insurgents there, and periods when there is a lot of media coverage about the issue are followed by small rises in the number of attacks.

Conquest Model of Islamic Terrorism--3/20/2008 12:00:00 AM

Intel needed on foreign terrorists (By Paul M. Weyrich)

H20 Slate Slate's Delegate Calculator With revotes unlikely in Michigan and Florida, Hillary Clinton's hope is fading.

How Did I Get Iraq Wrong?

I didn't realize how incompetent the Bush administration could be.
Jeffrey Goldberg

How Did I Get Iraq Wrong? Rather than bore you with the answer, here are lessons from the experience.
William Saletan

Man Up! A new poll suggests Clinton's gender is a larger issue for voters than Obama's race is.
Mark Blumenthal and Charles

Lessons from the history of trade: Globalisation is fundamentally political, not technological.

Social exclusion and the gender gap in education
Source: World Bank Policy Research Working Papers

H21

Do assassinations change history? It's a tangled question.

150 million books, 1 search engine

The science of religion Where angels no longer fear to tread Science and religion have often been at loggerheads. Now the former has decided to resolve the problem by trying to explain the existence of the latter

Arthur C. Clarke, whose visions of the future became scientific fact, is dead at the age of 90... NYT ... LAT ... WP ... AFP ... Guardian ... Telegraph ... London Times ... Salon

Nine in 10 dry cleaners fail stain test Standards of dry cleaning across the country are "unbelievably poor", a consumer watchdog has disclosed.

Tony Karon Spare Us More ‘Globalization & Football’

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