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TurcoPundit
4 April 2008
  April 04, 2008

040408f - 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 NYT U.S. Study Finds Progress in Iraq, but Fragile Security and Potential for Terror Attacks

Time The Best of Rivals (The Well / Campaign '08)
One of these men could be the next Secretary of State--and they each reflect how Clinton or Obama would conduct foreign policy

Prepared Testimony Before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations - Council on Foreign Relations Biddle 4-2-08 Testimony (39K PDF)


Financial Times Last chance for the US to shape the new global order Foreign policy issues are piling up for the next US president. The urgent must be separated from the important, but the big risk faced by the new president will be of being overwhelmed by the avalanche of problems demanding instant decision, writes Philip Stephens

Shia cleric urges Iraqis to join rally Moqtada al-Sadr calls on Iraqis of all sects to join protests against the US occupation to mark the fifth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad

Iran boosts nuclear enrichment plant In spite of UN’s repeated anti-enrichment demands, the country is installing more centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear site, insisting that the programme is purely peaceful

WINEP Provincial Politics in Iraq: Fragmentation or New Awakening? Gulf experts Michael Knights and Eamon McCarthy examine the challenges and options facing Iraqi leaders as they seek a formula for enhancing local governance.

NATO Bucharest Summit Declaration

The Times Putin beats Bush in the battle of the legacies

Russia's new abrasiveness gave Nato something serious to think about, but the summit revealed a deep split on how to deal with it

Bronwen Maddox

Nato summit: setback for expansion plan Russian President succeeds in blocking immediate membership of Ukraine and Georgia, against US wishes

Analysis: European Missile Defense OK'd

The Economist Israel at 60 The dysfunctional Jewish state The best 60th birthday present Israel could give itself is a new political system

A special report on Israel The next generation Israel at 60 is as prosperous and secure as it has ever been, but its future looks increasingly uncertain

Credit crisis Fixing finance Crises are endemic to financial systems. Attempts to regulate them away may do more harm than good:

IHT Win-win in the Caspian

By BORUT GRGIC AND ALEXANDROS PETERSEN

A Caspian region in limbo will present security problems for Europe, Russia and the United States.

Weekly Standard Iraq's Benchmarks Who's Moving the goalposts now?

The Basra Business What we know and what we don't.

New York Times 81% in Poll Say Nation Is Headed on the Wrong Track Americans are more dissatisfied with the country’s direction than at any time since the New York Times/CBS News poll began asking about the subject in the early 1990s. Complete Poll Results (pdf)

More Than 1,000 in Iraq’s Forces Quit Basra Fight The desertions in the heat of a major battle cast fresh doubt on the effectiveness of the American-trained Iraqi security forces.

Rising Leader for Next Phase of Al Qaeda’s War The growing prominence of Abu Yahya al-Libi tracks Al Qaeda’s emphasis on information in its war with the West.

Memo From New Delhi: India Tiptoes in China’s Footsteps to Compete but Not Offend

U.S. Study Finds Progress in Iraq, but Fragile Security and Potential for Terror Attacks

Ha’aretz Intelligence sources: Syria hasn't called up reserve forces Israeli defense officials reject reports of irregular military activity by Syrian forces on other side of border

ANALYSIS: Zigzag response to Syria tensions doesn't signal war Contradictory Israeli statements show tension in North still exists, but current fears of war appear exaggerated

Iran links up more centrifuges as it continues nuclear program Diplomats: Tehran speeds up process that can make nukes; move shows Iran's will to ignore sanctions

Los Angeles Times Superdelegates no longer looking super for Clinton In three months, her lead over Obama in superdelegates slips from 106 to 30

Al-Qaeda #2: We'll Attack Iran

New Republic The Pakistan Paradox Making clear that the United States will respect Pakistani interests and needs is one part of statecraft; so is making sure there are no illusions about American interests. Ambassador Dennis Ross discusses Washington's latest concerns in light of the country's ongoing political makeover

NPQ Lester C. Thurow: THE LEAST PAINFUL COURSE FOR AMERICAN CRISIS: LET THE DOLLAR FALL

CFR France Mulls Rejoining NATO Military Command - Council on Foreign Relations

Time Back in Baghdad ( TIME's former bureau chief finds Iraq's capital has changed in many ways, mostly for the better. But the gains that have been made are fragile


Der Spiegel Bush, NATO Want More: Berlin's Naive Afghanistan Hopes

Guardian In backing the Basra assault, the US has only helped Sadr Jonathan Steele: The tacit promotion of Shia civil war has left the militias stronger and fuelled scepticism about the much-hyped surge

Russia hopes deal will avert US crisis Moscow's proposals could ease heightened tensions over Washington's missile defence system

Nato: Few new troops for Afghanistan Nato leaders reaffirm commitment to fighting the war but pledge to send equipment and not troops

Washington Post Assault Exposes U.S., Iraqi Limits The failed offensive in Basra demonstrates the weakness of the American-backed prime minister

Missile Defense Endorsed By NATO A Victory for Bush; Czechs Set Deal to Host Radar Facility

Taliban Clusters Near Afghan-Pakistan Border Insurgents have created a haven along the border from which they stage attacks in both countries, thwarting U.S. efforts to stabilize the region

When Liberalism's Moment Ended

By E. J. Dionne Jr Forty years ago, American liberalism suffered a blow from which it has still not recovered

MEMRI Apr 2 IA# 430 - Power Struggle in Iran – Part IV: Staged Majlis Elections, Elimination of Reformist Political Representation, Abolition of 'Rule of the Jurisprudent'

The Iraqi whirlwind, Paul Rogers

H2 The Economist Turkey's government Courtroom drama The constitutional court's case against Turkey's ruling political party is a dangerous mistake

'Demokrasi, laiklikten önce gelir'

Turkey The secularists fight back The constitutional court takes on Turkey's ruling party

AKP, ABD 'nin darbeye yeşil ışık yakmasından çekiniyor!

"ABD'nin PKK planı yok"

Germany's Turkish minority Two unamalgamated worlds Germany's Turks do not properly belong. But what is it that they should belong to?

FT S&P cuts Turkey's credit outlook

ERDAL ŞAFAK Lüksemburg'da hâkimler var (!)

Adalet Divanı'nın PKK kararı

'Uygulama sürer'
Mahkeme kararını gazeteci Zeynel Lüle'yle değerlendirdik

Kafa karıştıran Divan kararı

‘Karar geçersiz PKK hâlâ terör listesinde’

EU court rules PKK improperly listed on 2002 terror watch list

CSM Turkish case revives secular vs. Islam debate Court will hear arguments on whether to shutter Turkey's Islamic-rooted ruling party

Wexler 'Demokratik İlkelerin Tehlikeye Girmesi'

ESI Turkey's dark side.Party closures, conspiracies and the future of democracy

Le Monde L'islamisme turc face à ses juges, par Caroline Fourest

Turkey’s true friends by Joshua Walker*

Endişeler giderilmeli

Biz demokrasiyi destekliyoruz AKP’yi değil

Avrupa'nın adaleti

EU court fuels anti-EU sentiments

NPQ Zeynep Karahan Uslu: IS THE CONSTITUTIONAL COURT AGAINST MODERN DEMOCRACY IN TURKEY?

EDM BROWBEATEN INTO LIBERALISM? AKP DISCUSSES REFORM PACKAGE

Turkey's Dark Side - Deep States From Ankara to Belgrade

Guardian Crossing the dead zone for coffee - a historic moment for divided island

Independent The Big Question: Is Cyprus on the brink of bridging Europe's last great political divide?

Daily Telegraph Cyprus barrier: an open and shut case

FT Cypriots reunite as Ledra street reopens

The Times Cyprus in step towards unity as barricade falls

Daily Star Cyprus' leaders have shown the way out of schoolyard politics

Barçın Yinanç AB ile AKP gizlice anlaştı mı

Cengiz Aktar Bu kargaşada Kıbrıs’a dikkat

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

PKK'lı itirafçı anlattı

"Baskına 500 PKK'lının katıldığını resmi toplantılardaki konuşmalardan duydum. Saldırıda 14 uçaksavar, sayısını bilmediğim füze gibi ağır silahlar kullanıldı"

Örgüt içi kavga telsiz anonslarında

PKK'da liderlik çekişmesi başladı

Komandolar ablukaya aldı

Afganistan’a asker giderse vuracaklardı

İşte PKK'nın şeytani plan

'ABD, PKK'nın statüsünü değiştirmeyecek'

Syria's Repression Of The Kurds

DTP kapatılsın AKP açık kalsın

US report sees Turkey as possibly joining in a nuclear arms race

Serdar Akinan
PKK terör örgütü değildir!

MAHMUT ÖVÜR"CHP'nin Kürt raporlarını raftan indireceğim"

Cevdet Aşkın Erdoğan'ın U-dönüşü, PKK'nın yeni silahı

Karayılan’ın en yakın adamı Bestler-Dereler’de öldürüldü

Kakayi: Beşikçi, bağımsız bir Kürd devletinin varlığını kabul etmeden, kardeşlik duyguları olmayacağını belirtti

[20. ARAP BİRLİĞİ ZİRVESİ ] Birlik'in en önemli problemi ayrılık

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

İslamlaşma ile laikleşme arasında Türkiye

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

Oyalamayın artık bunlardan bıktık

'Rumlar taviz verdik duygusundalar'

Cyprus' New Crossing Meets Trouble

Cypriot checkpoint reopens -- then closes again

Guardian Crossing the dead zone for coffee - a historic moment for divided island

Independent The Big Question: Is Cyprus on the brink of bridging Europe's last great political divide?

Daily Telegraph Cyprus barrier: an open and shut case

FT Cypriots reunite as Ledra street reopens

The Times Cyprus in step towards unity as barricade falls

Sarkozy'den Gül'e: AB sürecini tıkayan pozisyonda değiliz

AB, Adalet Divanı'nın kararına karşı çıktı: PKK terör örgütüdür

Gül'den AB'ye tam üyelik kulisi

Bir duvar yıkıldı Lefkoşa birleşti

‘Tepki’ mektubu

Rıdvan Budak, AKP’yi kapatma davasını eleştiren Olli Rehn’e, yazdığı mektupla tepki gösterdi

Cyprus: Symbolic Crossing Opened

STELYO BERBERAKİS
NATO 2, Bush 1

Kadri Gürsel Zirvenin kaybedenleri

Sami Kohen “Alakart” değişiklik!

Faruk Şen EXPO'dan çıkarılacak dersler

Zeynel Lüle AB'de İstanbul vitrini

Türkler kapıyı lokmayla açtı, Rumlar bahane bulup üç saat kapattı

10. Uyum Paketi Meclis'e geliyor

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Kriz Kıbrıs'ı da etkiler

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

AB, Adalet Divanı'nın kararına karşı çıktı: PKK terör örgütüdür

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Erdoğan AB'yi uyardı: Kararınızı verin, bizi oyalamayın

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Yunanistan'da ilk kez Türkçe ders kitabı hazırlandı

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Füze savunma sisteminin yolu açıldı

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Temel meselelerde Türkiye ne diyor?

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Türkiye'nin AB sürecini tıkayan pozisyonda değiliz

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Hedo Okur Tuncay Nihat Altintop

Serdar Turgut Gazetelerin sonu

Korutürk, Dışişleri Müsteşar Yardımcısı

Hayal'i bırakan hakim, iki askeri yargılayacak


Son kahramanın sessiz vedası

Albay konuşursa çözülür

Astsubayların yargılandığı kritik davaya derin atama

Gazdan fazla para almış

Ankaralıların doğalgaz için fazladan para ödediği ortaya çıktı

Büfe ve üst geçit de kaldırılmış

Topbaş’ın Saray Muhallebicisi için başka özel uygulamaların da yapıldığı iddia edildi

Beltur kriterleri

Fransa’da cumhurbaşkanı Türkiye’de bakan uğurladı

11 ay evde hapis yatacak

Madımak için şok sözler

Counterterrorism Blog: Turkish Government Reaches Final Decision to Freeze al-Qadi's Assets

Erdoğan'a suikast girişimi endişesi

Kazim-Richards home from home but thinking of England

Paperback: The Bastard of Istanbul, by Elif Shafak

Americans lag only Turkey in discrediting evolution

13 yeni üniversite daha

4 Nisan 2008 Basın Özeti

H3Erdoğan’dan AB’ye rest

AB’den kesin tavır: PKK listeden çıkmaz

‘Kapatma davası sürerken anayasa değiştirilemez’

Hedefimiz kapsamlı anayasa değişikliği

Romantik taleplere zaman yok

Baykal, Erdoğan ile görüşmeye sıcak bakmıyor

Babacan başbakan olacak iddiası

MHP ve DSP de dava sürerken değişiklik yapmış

Milliyet Son Dakika

Cengiz Çandar Avrupa Adalet Divanı, Standard&Poors ve Fenerbahçe

Ahmet Taşgetiren Muhafazakâr kitleler dövülünce... ( 04.04.2008 )

Ruşen - Çakır Erdoğan-Baykal uzlaşması: Neden olmasın?

Taha Akyol Hangi tehlike?

Fikret Bila Baykal’ın sorumluluğu var mı?

Murat Yetkin

Şamil Tayyar Söz savcıda

Sami Kohen “Alakart” değişiklik!

Konuşursa cinayet çözülür

301’inci madde 10. Uyum Paketi’yle Meclis’e gelecek

AKP’nin 301 hamlesi hazır gibi

Tasfiye süreci Baykal’ı götürecek

138’i yeni hatırladılar

Şimdi neden olmuyor?

MHP'den AK Parti'ye şartlı yeşil ışık

Serdar Turgut Büyük oyunun hedefi

Değiştirmezse ‘defin yazısı’ alır

Democratic jihad?
Burak BEKDİL

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

Fehmi Koru: Tercih Ak Parti yönetiminin

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Ali Bayramoğlu: Hangi yöne gideceğiz?

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Taha Kıvanç: Fener hakkıyla galip

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Hayrettin Karaman: Türkiye'ye göre laiklik

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Tamer Korkmaz: “11 Eylül'le korkutan” Bush ve NATO'su…

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

İbrahim Karagül: Hem Ergenekoncu, hem Mossad'cı, hem İslamcı..

İsmet Berkan - Ergenekon'un yakın tarihi

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Türker Alkan - Sadece yasalar yetmiyor

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Hasan Celal Güzel - Jüristokrasi'nin tehdidi ve gerçekler

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Haluk Şahin - Aptal ya da salaklar için Amerika

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Murat Yetkin - 'Diyalog olmasın' baskısı

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Hakkı Devrim - Türbansız resim isteyene ve indirimli şarap satana ceza

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

H. Gökhan Özgün - Kanunlara saygılıyız, yani terörist değiliz

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Namık Kemal Zeybek - Birazdan daha çok dünya bilgisi

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Murat Belge - Niçin 'münazara'?

BÜLENT KORUCU - AK Parti'yi 'Ecevit' kurtarır mı?

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

MUSTAFA ÜNAL - Daha fazla demokrasi

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

İHSAN DAĞI - Kalıcı ve meşru uzlaşı

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

MÜMTAZ'ER TÜRKÖNE - "Yeni bir başlangıç"

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

HÜSEYİN GÜLERCE - Kuzu da artık kuzuya benzemiyor...

Gülay Göktürk Hayaller uyuşmayınca...

Ali H Aslan No more freedom of persecution

Güler Kömürcü ‘Milli’yim demek mi daha tehlikeli? PKK’yı övmek mi?

Hasan Ersel Madison ve demokratik toplumda çoğunluk

KORAY DÜZGÖREN

Bu yol ayrımında tarafsız olmak...

Bülent Keneş One disaster more instructive than 1,000 pieces of advice

YASİN DOĞAN Moralleri yüksek tutmak önemli

Ertuğrul Özkök Bir aile fotoğrafı

Ahmet Hakan Ey laikler

M Ali Birand Artık 301’den söz etmeyin, ayıp oluyor…

Cüneyt Ülsever

Enis Berberoğlu

Oktay EkşiBush’un ipi

Özdemir İnce Suç ’faşist Anayasa’da mı?

Yalçın Bayer Gerçek ’yargı darbesi’ budur

Mehmet Y Yılmaz Bir başbakan istifa etti

Yalçın Doğan Hedef buzdağının görünen yüzü

Tufan Türenç Bu psikolojiden hiçbir başbakan kurtulamadı

Hasan Cemal Demokrasi sorunu çözülmeden, aş ve iş sorunu da çözülmez!

Aralarına siyasi şov mu girdi?

İsveç’teki gezisine Başbakan ile TOBB Başkanı Hisarcıklıoğlu da davetliydi. Ancak...

Albay konuşursa çözülür

Astsubayların yargılandığı kritik davaya derin atama

Kriptoyu kim sızdırdı?

AKP ve MHP 301 için karşı karşıya geliyor AKP, 301. Madde’yi Meclis’e sunacak. MHP değişmemesi için tepkisini bilbordlara taşıyacak

Mehmet Altan Rota neredeydi ki?

Eser Karakaş AKP’yi eleştirmek

Nasuhi Güngör Kaybeden sadece Erdoğan mı olur?

Mustafa Akyol And The Show Trial Begins...

MUHARREM SARIKAYACHP ve MHP'nin AB randevusu...

ERDAL ŞAFAK Lüksemburg'da hâkimler var (!)

ENGİN ARDIÇ Hükümeti eleştiren yazı

ERGUN BABAHAN

EMRE AKÖZKurt kafasına koymuş: Kuzuyu yiyecek

Umur Talu

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN Havada yüzen köprü

NAZLI ILICAK Komisyona gelmediler

MEHMET BARLASTürkiye de Fenerbahçe gibi kendine attığı golden sonra galibiyete gidebilir mi?

MAHMUT ÖVÜR"CHP'nin Kürt raporlarını raftan indireceğim"

YAVUZ DONAT

Ece Temelkuran Marjinal

Nagehan Alçı TBMM A.Ş.

Mehmet Metiner Hukuk fetişizmi

Mehmet Tezkan

AKP’lilerin gizlemeye çalıştığı gerçekler!

MHP ve DSP de dava sürerken değişiklik yapmış

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

10. Uyum Paketi Meclis'e geliyor

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Alman parlamenterler, AK Parti'ye açılan kapatma davasına inanamadı

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Yargıya şimdi de 'kaos çıkar' baskısı

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Hak-Par ile Kadep, CHP tüzüğü yüzünden birleşemedi

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Türk-İş'ten Baykal'a: Kılıçdaroğlu bizi rencide etti, gereğini yapın

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Yargıtay, Erbakan'ın 'ev hapsi'ni onayladı

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Soylu, demokrasi yürüyüşüne başlıyor


ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

Notu düşürülen Türkiye küresel piyasaların önüne atıldı

Enflasyon hortladı

Güven Sak Şimdi kriz bitmiş mi oldu

S&P Türkiye'nin not görünümünü negatife çevirdi

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Enflasyon yeniden çift hane

Ertuğ Yaşar Kriz çapalarla önlenir

Hurşit Güneş İhracattaki artışla böbürlenilmeli

Ercan Kumcu

Erdal Sağlam

Metin Münir Devlet eliyle milyarder yaratma yöntemleri

Güngör Uras Market fiyatı başka TÜFE başka

Cost of AK Party closure case to economy soaring

IMF-Türkiye ilişkilerinin geleceği

FDI issues in Turkey (II)
NESE YAHYA

Deniz Gökçe
Dolar ne anlatıyor?

İBRAHİM KAHVECİ

Piyasalar az mı sarsıldı? O zaman korkun

H4 New York Times U.S. Study Finds Progress in Iraq, but Fragile Security and Potential for Terror Attacks

81% in Poll Say Nation Is Headed on the Wrong Track Americans are more dissatisfied with the country’s direction than at any time since the New York Times/CBS News poll began asking about the subject in the early 1990s. Complete Poll Results (pdf)

More Than 1,000 in Iraq’s Forces Quit Basra Fight The desertions in the heat of a major battle cast fresh doubt on the effectiveness of the American-trained Iraqi security forces.

Rising Leader for Next Phase of Al Qaeda’s War The growing prominence of Abu Yahya al-Libi tracks Al Qaeda’s emphasis on information in its war with the West.

Editorial There Were Orders to Follow Reading the memo of John C. Yoo makes it clear how deeply the Bush administration corrupted the law to give cover to existing and plainly illegal policies.

Memo From New Delhi: India Tiptoes in China’s Footsteps to Compete but Not Offend

U.S. Study Finds Progress in Iraq, but Fragile Security and Potential for Terror Attacks

DAVID BROOKS The View From Room 306 If Barack Obama’s campaign represents anything, it is the triumph of Martin Luther King Jr.’s early-’60s style of activism over the angry and reckless late-’60s style.

Stay in It to Win It By ROBERT SHRUM Calls for Hillary Clinton to concede now, before the race is lost, are premature

H5 Washington Post Assault Exposes U.S., Iraqi Limits The failed offensive in Basra demonstrates the weakness of the American-backed prime minister

Missile Defense Endorsed By NATO

A Victory for Bush; Czechs Set Deal to Host Radar Facility

Taliban Clusters Near Afghan-Pakistan Border Insurgents have created a haven along the border from which they stage attacks in both countries, thwarting U.S. efforts to stabilize the region

When Liberalism's Moment Ended

By E. J. Dionne Jr Forty years ago, American liberalism suffered a blow from which it has still not recovered.

The Fabulist Vs. the Saint By Charles Krauthammer, Hillary Clinton's imagination takes on her seemingly untouchable opponent.

AFTER 9/11, A SECRET MEMO

Administration Asserted a Terror Exception on Search and Seizure

Kennedy and Levin Want New Report on Iraq Released

Editorial Tortured Logic An infamous memo gets a public vetting -- five years too late.

A Hint of Tolerance Saudi Arabia's king proposes a dialogue with Christians and Jews.

8 Accused in Transatlantic Bomb Plot Go on Trial British Muslims Targeted Seven Flights, Court Told

Two Black Americas By Eugene Robinson, There is one group of black Americans that has achieved success and one that hasn't.

H6 Guardian In backing the Basra assault, the US has only helped Sadr Jonathan Steele: The tacit promotion of Shia civil war has left the militias stronger and fuelled scepticism about the much-hyped surge

Russia hopes deal will avert US crisis Moscow's proposals could ease heightened tensions over Washington's missile defence system

Nato: Few new troops for Afghanistan Nato leaders reaffirm commitment to fighting the war but pledge to send equipment and not troops

Al-Qaida deputy goes online to justify attacks In Q&A, Zawahiri denies innocent people killed and claims Bin Laden is 'healthy and well'

An American lifelineNicolaus Mills The Marshall Plan, which became law 60 years ago today, offers lessons for how the US should approach the job of rebuilding war-torn nations

The writing on Clinton's wall

Dylan Loewe US elections 2008: As the campaign wears on, Hillary's hypocrisy is growing - and the public and media are starting to recognise it

The road from Kyoto Gwyn Prins: The strategy has failed. The world must follow Japan in a radical rethink of climate change policy

Mugabe: I will quit, as long I do not face prosecution

H7 Girding for war with Israel? Recent events serve as a reminder of how menacing behavior from Iran and Syria keeps the Middle East on a hair trigger.

Daily Star A regional solution in Iraq would help contain Iran
By Mohammad K. Shiyyab

Maliki Threatens Surge Gains By: Trudy Rubin | Miami Herald
The sudden surge of violence in Iraq, less than two weeks before Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker are due to testify before Congress, may indeed be a defining moment, as President Bush said last week. The grim question is whether it will define things for better or for worse

Hearts and Minds, Again By: Daniel Henninger | The Wall Street Journal Is it uncharitable to suggest that when the fighting erupted in Basra last week between Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army and the U.S.-trained Iraqi army, some opponents of the war hoped it would become George Bush's Tet Offensive?

The Slow Boat to the Hariri Tribunal By: Michael Young | The Daily Star When Syria's foreign minister and one of its Lebanese marionettes both mention the Hariri tribunal in the space of two days, you know the topic is gaining ground in the Syrian attention span

Beware of Tampering With the Arab Peace Initiative By: Tariq Alhomayed | Asharq Alawsat
In its closing statement, the Damascus Summit called for the re-assessment of the peace strategy with Israel, furthermore setting the coming May as the latest deadline. This formula appears to be the middle ground in terms of the demands that were proposed during the summit with regards to the reconsideration of the Arab Peace Initiative

Whittling at al-Sadr

In southern Iraq and east Baghdad, Sheik al-Sadr once again lost street face. Despite the predictable media umbrage, this translates into political deterioration

Commentary: Boom to bust
By ARNAUD DE BORCHGRAVE
UPI Editor at Large (UPI) -- Borrowing $2 billion to $3 billion a day from other countries to maintain the world's highest standard of living, based on conspicuous consumption, in an age of growing world shortages, while fighting two wars whose costs will soon ring up a $1 trillion tab, is tantamount to living on borrowed time.

What schools didn't teach about empire
In Iraq, in Afghanistan, and at home, the position of the globe's "sole superpower" is visibly fraying. The United States that was once proclaimed an "empire lite" has proven increasingly light-headed, and it can't seem to make a move in its own interest that isn't a disaster. The justifications for empire, embedded in US culture - that war is necessary for security, that expansion is fundamental to civilization - have begun to lose their hold. - Howard Zinn

Petraeus' Grand Delusions
by Tom Engelhardt

Daily Star Bush's 'freedom agenda,' a last hurrah spending-wise By Stephen McInerney

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

Report: Security in Iraq Is Improving

Massive Shiite protest planned in Iraq; more battles possible

Al-Maliki vows crackdown on 'criminal gangs' in Baghdad

Iraq Press Roundup

Apr 3 SD# 1886 - Iraqi Tells Bizarre Story of Recruitment to a Messianic Shi'ite Terror Group

Conflicting Statements on Monitoring Stations

Iraq's Sadr Calls for Million-Strong Demonstration

Iraq: In Al-Basrah Aftermath, Iran's And Al-Sadr's Gain Is Al-Maliki's Loss

US air strikes resume in S. Iraq as Moqtada Sadr calls for mass march against US “occupation”

China to Build Oil Refinery in Syria Near Alleged Nuclear Plant Bombed by Israel

Saudi Writer Urges "Open" Discussion With Iran, Syria to End Damascus "Dualism"

Iraq Oil Profits Being Misused?

China: No Iran Intelligence Went to UN Nuclear Agency

Kuwait to mediate between Riyadh, Damascus - daily

Daily Star More religion makes peace less likely
By Raja Kamal

Arabs Without Oil Hard Hit by Food Price Spiral

Garner advocated federalized Iraq

H9 Ha’aretz Intelligence sources: Syria hasn't called up reserve forces Israeli defense officials reject reports of irregular military activity by Syrian forces on other side of border

ANALYSIS: Zigzag response to Syria tensions doesn't signal war Contradictory Israeli statements show tension in North still exists, but current fears of war appear exaggerated

Iran links up more centrifuges as it continues nuclear program Diplomats: Tehran speeds up process that can make nukes; move shows Iran's will to ignore sanctions

Editorial With friends like these

Top Palestinian official calls for halting peace talks with Israel

Former Al-Aqsa commander: We failed entirely in the Intifada Zakariya Zubeidi has disarmed, but he doesn't foresee peace - the Palestinian people, he declares, 'is finished

The Iranian bomb and the chain reaction (WTR)

Intermarriage pushes the question: what does it mean to be Jewish?

Europe's Jews deserve better

The lie of peace and the nonsense of security

A state or a circus?Peretz says to Barak: 'You're obsessed with becoming prime minister,' and Barak, without skipping a beat, says: 'And you're just pathetic.' The truth is that they're both right.

Jerusalem Post

Yedioth Ahronoth Iran installs new centrifuges
Diplomats say Islamic Republic installing advanced centrifuges in Natanz weapons facility in move said to show it has no intention of suspending nuclear program despite UN Security Council demands

The risks of fortification Uzi Landau warns fortification efforts carry destructive message suggesting Israel will stand for citizens living under fire

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

Don't Push Hamas to the Table - Michael Young (Washington Post)

Palestinians, Israelis split over efforts Within days after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice finished another round of Middle East shuttle diplomacy, Israelis and Palestinians are already at odds over a series of confidence-building measures aimed at breathing new life into the stuttering peace process.

• 'Israel in counterfactual history' by Oliver Kamm


Campus Conflict By: Seth Freedman | The Guardian Universities bring Israelis and Palestinians together. They have a vital role in breaking down barriers for the Middle East's next generation.

Israel passes Reservist Corps overhaul (UPI) -- A new bill has been passed in Israel overhauling the country's Reservist Corps in response to lessons learned after the recent war with Lebanon.

H10 Christian Science Monitor U.S., Europe gulf opens at NATO summit European objections keep Georgia, Ukraine off membership track, but US plans for missile-defense program in Europe gets an endorsement

Turkish case revives secular vs. Islam debate Court will hear arguments on whether to shutter Turkey's Islamic-rooted ruling party

NATO summit highlights U.S.-Europe divide on Russia Opposition to Ukraine and Georgia's US-backed membership bids, led by Germany, is widely seen as an effort to preserve Europe's growing energy ties with Moscow

Clinton down, but not out of running She needs to win nearly all the remaining contests, analysts say, and persuade superdelegates that she has a better chance than Obama of beating John McCain.

ASIA

IHT The Taiwan template

By HUMPHREY HAWKSLEY

After decades as a flashpoint for war, the Taiwan-China conflict is, in effect, no more.

Turning point for Tibet

By LODI GYALTSEN GYARI

President Hu Jintao has an opportunity to transform China's policy on Tibet.

Pakistan: New Government Announces Major Reforms In Tribal Areas

Afghan opposition group engages in peace talks with the Taliban

Fixing Afghanistan (By Fred Gedrich)

German Politician Compares Dalai Lama to Ayatollah Khomeini

The Dalai Lama as Dupe By: Elliot Sperling | Los Angeles Times The Dalai Lama's rationale for keeping Tibet in China has always had a certain logic to it: China is a great country, and Tibet would benefit by being part of it. Alas, most of the benefit to being a part of China on display in recent weeks has not been very tempting

China Confirms Protests by Uighur Muslims By: Howard W. French | The New York Times
Chinese officials said Wednesday that they were grappling with ethnic unrest on a second front, in the northwestern region of Xinjiang, where Uighur Muslims protested Chinese rule last month even as Tibetans rioted in the southwest

China's stripes unchanged (By James Lyons)

Chinese nationalism Land of the Yellow Emperor The dangers of confusing patriotism with ethnic pride

Taliban welcome back an old friend The release of a video featuring legendary Afghan mujahideen leader Jalaluddin Haqqani, whom many believed dead since he disappeared from the public eye several years ago, is a major boost for the Taliban. Not only does Haqqani pledge his considerable support for the Taliban, his return to the scene will galvanize Pashtun tribal leaders and serve as a unifying force for the Taliban-led resistance. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

H11 IHT Win-win in the Caspian

By BORUT GRGIC AND ALEXANDROS PETERSEN A Caspian region in limbo will present security problems for Europe, Russia and the United States.

NATO backs U.S. missile defense plan for Europe NATO leaders also agreed Thursday to provide more troops for Afghanistan, but the alliance refused to let Ukraine and Georgia begin a process for membership.

The leader of Europe? Answers an ocean apartMost Americans think it's Britain, while Europeans, especially the French, tend to think it's Germany, says a new poll by Harris Interactive for the International Herald Tribune and France 24 television

Former Kosovo leader acquitted of war crimes

EUROPE European press review

Der Spiegel Jilted Macedonia Walks out of NATO Summit A disappointed Macedonia warned Thursday that its failure to join NATO could lead to instability in the region. While Ukraine and Georgia were also rejected, the two countries welcomed the pledge that they would one day be part of the alliance

Greece Blocking NATO Expansion: Which Macedonia Was Alexander the Great From?

The Economist France and defence Gaullist no more?

The NATO summit With allies like these The world's mightiest defence club fractures over plans to expand

Charlemagne The perils of three-legged races The futile notion that Europe can be run by its top trio

Kosovo Constitution Approved by EU By: Renata Goldirova | EU Observer The European Union has given its blessing to Kosovo's constitution, saying it is in line with the international standards that Pristina committed itself to when declaring independence from Serbia on 17 February

H12 RFE/RLOff The MAP, For Now Aspirations by Georgia and Ukraine to begin the process of NATO membership have been put on hold at the alliance's ongoing summit in Bucharest. Neither country appears to be particularly bothered by the decision, however, with both capitals calling the developments "historic."

Commentary: Back On Track? Germany And The Georgian And Ukrainian NATO Bids

Putin Scores Big Win Over US in Bucharest

Georgia: Latest Peace Proposal For Abkhazia A Nonstarter

Caucasus: Chechnya, Kabardino-Balkaria Compete For New Oil Refinery

EDM A DECISIVE WEEK IN EAST-WEST RELATIONS


- TWO NEW PARTIES TO COMPETE WITH EACH OTHER AND TYMOSHENKO


- KARABAKH PEACE IN QUESTION AFTER ARMENIAN VOTE

Google News Azerbaijan

Der Spiegel Divided Ukraine: Nyet to NATO in Crimea The government in Kiev wants to go west. But a big chunk of Ukraine identifies more closely with Russia. Nowhere is the split more evident than in the Crimea peninsula

Missile Defense: The U.S.-Russia-Iran Knot By: Tom Sauer and David Webb | Open Democracy
The installation of United States military systems in Poland and the Czech Republic will provoke a dangerous new arms race

The Russophobia Card By: Andrei Tsygankov | The Moscow Times
The U.S. presidential candidates are increasingly playing the Russophobia card in their campaigns. In addressing Russia, Senators John McCain and Hillary Clinton have resorted to insulting President Vladimir Putin as a KGB spy who has no soul

In Kiev, Bush Pushes NATO Membership for Ukraine By: Richard Weitz | World Politics Review George W. Bush completed his first (and probably last) trip to Ukraine as president this week. Although the two countries signed a Trade and Investment Cooperation Agreement and other bilateral accords during the visit, Bush's public meetings in Kiev were dominated by questions concerning both governments' desire for Ukraine to strengthen ties with NATO

An end to Putin-mania?

Swallowing shameless lies

Alexander Solzhenitsyn: Ukrainian politicians are misusing the term 'genocide' because they can rely on the west not to know any better

H13 The Times Putin beats Bush in the battle of the legacies

Russia's new abrasiveness gave Nato something serious to think about, but the summit revealed a deep split on how to deal with it

Bronwen Maddox

Nato summit: setback for expansion plan Russian President succeeds in blocking immediate membership of Ukraine and Georgia, against US wishes

Nato has betrayed its great record

There is no reason we should accede to Russia's demands and much justification for flouting them Oliver Kamm

Eastern Front Britain should be urging Nato to stand up to Russia

New Labour (1997 model) is now so old-fashioned New Labour is learning the limits of pragmatism and Gordon Brown is driving the Government forward better to defend its convictions David Miliband

Clinton fights to show Obama is unelectable Senior Democrats are told in private that 'Barack Obama cannot win' as 250 out of 800 party delegates have yet to declare

Wall Street Journal The Battle of Bucharest
By Matthew Kaminski
The cause of freedom and security for Eastern Europe was dealt a blow at this week's summit.

Hope, panic may be overblown in outlook on U.S. economy

H14 Financial Times Last chance for the US to shape the new global order Foreign policy issues are piling up for the next US president. The urgent must be separated from the important, but the big risk faced by the new president will be of being overwhelmed by the avalanche of problems demanding instant decision, writes Philip Stephens

Shia cleric urges Iraqis to join rally

Moqtada al-Sadr calls on Iraqis of all sects to join protests against the US occupation to mark the fifth anniversary of the fall of Baghdad

Iran boosts nuclear enrichment plant

In spite of UN’s repeated anti-enrichment demands, the country is installing more centrifuges at its Natanz nuclear site, insisting that the programme is purely peaceful

COMMENT: Four falsehoods on immigration By Martin Wolf

Russia and EU must clear the air

A partnership on climate change would develop, deploy and transfer cleaner technologies while also improving relations, writes Risto Penttilä

Think globally on financial regulation The US should examine other financial systems for ideas from which it might benefit and engage with its partners

A costly thirstThe case is being made for water quotas coupled with a trading system similar to that for carbon emissions

Europe endorses missiles plan

Nato’s European leaders have endorsed US plans to build a missile defence system in Europe, strengthening President George W. Bush’s hand as he prepares for talks at the weekend with Vladimir Putin, Russian president

Europe endorses missiles plan

Nato’s European leaders have endorsed US plans to build a missile defence system in Europe, strengthening President George W. Bush’s hand as he prepares for talks at the weekend with Vladimir Putin, Russian president

US seeks to console Ukraine and Georgia President George W. Bush’s aides said the two countries could yet take a significant step towards joining the alliance before he leaves the White House, even though their membership aspirations were largely rebuffed at an annual ­summit

Spanish economy heads for hard landing Figures show the property bubble’s burst has hit the manufacturing and services sectors, with falls in new orders, weaker domestic demand, lower activity and high costs

Lebanon candidate to quit as army chief Michel Suleiman announces that he will leave his military post three months early, voicing anger over the political bickering that is blocking his appointment as president

Software wars Microsoft has again shown it is ready to play rough to get its way – so much so that European Union antitrust regulators have started an investigation

How to restore the future in Zimbabwe The country still has huge potential: a broad resource base, a skilled diaspora and a well of international sympathy to tap

America’s poor go to the periphery The pattern of urban wealth and poverty has changed markedly since the US race riots of the late 1960s

Buying fake Ralph Lauren akin to facilitating nuclear terrorism?Clive Crook’s blog: A new film based on Moises Naim’s book about illegal trafficking tends to oversimplify the issues

Rich countries' overseas aid behind pledges

H15 Los Angeles Times Superdelegates no longer looking super for Clinton In three months, her lead over Obama in superdelegates slips from 106 to 30

In Egypt, Islamist runs against the odds A harassed lawyer belonging to the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood conducts a shadow campaign for a village council seat

In Iraq, Maliki warns of more offensives After the Basra standoff, the Iraqi prime minister speaks harshly of Muqtada Sadr's followers

NATO backs U.S. missile shield

By James Gerstenzang

The alliance endorses the defense plan in Central Europe opposed by Moscow. It also agrees to admit two Balkan nations and takes a step toward admitting two others. >>


Editorial

Making Up With Vladimir By: Rosa Brooks | Los Angeles Times
The U.S.-Russia relationship that started well under Bush has soured. The president must repair it

The torture memos, declassified

H16 American Politics

New Republic Right Now, We Need Liberals The word may be too toxic for Obama and Clinton to use--but to bring the change the U.S. needs, they should embrace liberalism's proud history.
by Eric Rauchway

The Economist Demolition derby The Democrats may be throwing away their chances of retaking the White House

John McCain Warrior or warmonger? Do voters want a war hero as commander-in-chief?

Hillary's Biggest Mistake by Dick Morris

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

The Patriotism Problem (In The Arena)
Obama's candidacy is a tribute to what's right about America. He needs to start saying so

Obama’s fundraising puts heat on Clinton Barack Obama’s record-breaking online fund-raising continued in March, netting $40m from almost half a million donors in spite of his defeats to Hillary Clinton in Texas and Ohio at the start of the month

McCain's VP dilemma Though Lieberman's name floated, GOP candidate must court evangelicals

Another Clinton fundraiser has a suspect past

The most insignificant job ever?

Few big jobs have been reviled with as much intensity as the vice-presidency of the United States

Gerard Baker

'Air carnage planned in the name of Islam' A British terrorist cell planned to detonate suicide bombs on seven transatlantic flights over North America, a court hears

H17 Daily Telegraph Posturing puts Nato at risk Nato may have won the Cold War but it will be a long time before it proclaims victory in Afghanistan, writes Con Coughlin

Nato's fine line Nato has a delicate line to tread in handling the wishes of Georgia and Ukraine for membership

'Airline terror plotters planned bigger 9/11' A gang of British Muslims plotted to cause "carnage on an almost unprecedented scale" with simultaneous suicide bombings on up to 18 transatlantic airliners, a court has heard

Fears for Barack Obama assassination Four decades after Martin Luther King was murdered, black Americans fear that Obama could also fall to an assassin's bullet.

H18 Independent Court told of plot to bomb transatlantic airliners

Eight British Muslims came within days of blowing up at least seven transatlantic airliners using liquid bombs disguised as soft drinks in a suicide plot which would have led to "death on an almost unprecedented scale", a court was told yesterday

Revealed: Livingstone's five children with three women

Sarkozy comes to Bush's rescue with 1,000-strong force for Afghanistan

Leading article: Protest is a price Beijing must pay for the Olympics

Yelena Tregubova: Free at last from President Putin's fearsome grip

H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism

Lawmakers Hold $200 Million in Defense Stocks

DNI Issues New Information Sharing Strategy

IEDs Go Beyond Iraq, Afghanistan

Saudi Arabia Is Prime Source of Terror Funds, U.S. Says

H20 Slate

The TIME 100
To help select the world's most influential people, previous honorees offer their nominations when asked, Who should be on this year's list?

H21 DNA shows humans were in N. America over 14,000 years ago

The end of the line? Jon Henley reports on the uncertain fate of the semicolon, this most subtle and misused of punctuation marks

In praise of ... cherry blossom

Chipping away at world's mysteries

Stonehenge is one of those historical artefacts whose beauty and inspiration lie in their mystery

Ben Macintyre

Naomi Campbell arrested at Heathrow

Religion is good for you

New study proves what observant Jews have known all along – religious people are happier

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Comments:
There’s clearly an array of powers at work creating the case right now for a war on the Pashtun tribal regions. These things don’t just happen in a vacuum. Wars seem to start with the careful choreography of the news media. The war masters, the maestros, start feeding their lap dogs, the press. The music is then played by the press for the rest of us to hear.

Notice how all the papers are beginning to play the same thing about the Afghan and Pakistan border? The theme of “lawless frontier” is being played every week. The sound drowns out the reality of a noble 5000 year old culture of some 42-million people.

We hear instead about the vilified denizens of a “lawless tribal frontier.”

What you missed it? Well, it’s only been playing for about two weeks. You need to tune in to the inside pages. The maestros have been composing for a while longer…. Their creative juices kicked in about the time Sen. Obama, answering one of those deadly sucker-punch sound bite questions showed us his war face telling us he would take action on “high-value terrorist targets" in Pakistan if President Pervez Musharraf "won't act.

That’s the sunshine it took to start the war-sap flowing. War-sap is sticky stuff, its residue has been known to encapsulate the creatures that get too near and preserve them there for posterity.

There is a legal system in place of course, in this lawless frontier. It’s been there for 5000 years. The Pashtun call the system the jirga. But its not part of the sharia law, it’s unique to the Pashtun and precedes Islam by thousands of years. But we don’t sing about that just now.

Please, I definitely don’t want the Pashtun to start signing their homeland song either. I don’t want to learn that an 1893 border line drawn with the blessing of Queen Victoria divided a group of mountain dwellers along the Afghan and Pakistan boarder in two.

I thought mountain ridges where proper borders. Everybody uses them. I just can’t handle the sound of another this-a-stan or that-a-stan popping up. So please, I don’t want to know about a Pashtunistan. And I definitely have no interest in anything 5000 years old, if it means Obama can catch Osama on good intelligence, bring it on! That should be Commander Obama’s war face call: “Bring it on!” Hmmmm, that sounds familiar.

What is this Pashtuni-whatever, Pashtunwali, anyway?

It’s a code of conduct. The Pashtun openly express somewhat defiantly, total cultural independence and have seen conquering armies and powers come and go through the millennia. Probably because of their original geographic high mountain foothold they could stand off vast armies with terrain advantage. Well it’s about time maybe for all that to stop.

If the Pashtun just hang in there with there non-violent thesis a few more generations, they'll be the dominant culture of the entire region with the new awakening of intellectual prowess and coming Islamic Reformation which is beginning right now. Their hopes of control over their resources, a name for themselves, and an end to fundamentalist radical Islamic persecution will fade away and they will be the dominant culture. They would be wise to muster whatever assets are needed, magically go find Osama bin Laden and turn him over to the world court thus avoiding a coming war in the tribal area.

And, how come they sound more like American cowboys than foreigners? Darn it, if we are going to start another little war, can’t we start it with some body that doesn’t live like my great, grandfather? The old Pashtun nationalist non-violent Kahn Abdul Gaffari Kahn 1930's photo, even looks like grandpa!

Setting aside the Pashtun mostly pray to the same God I do, grandpa did, and great grandpa too, how on earth did they adopt the same code as the old cowboy code of the west?

According to “lawless frontier” musical score, the first impressions I hear is Pashtun love rifles, chewing green tobacco, and appreciate a good sense of humor. So what's not to like? I can’t go to war on that.

If I fell out of the sky and landed in a group of people like that, I'd get along just fine, especially if I were being chased by the law. What they call Nanawateh we call asylum. Nanawateh is extended even to an enemy, just like the Cowboy Code of the Old West. Except if you are granted asylum (called Lokhay Warkawal) by the Pashtun elders as a group you're in like Flynn! They protect you even if it means forfeiting their own lives. Man that is lawless. Imagine a code of living where a principal was so honored, that it exceeded my duty to the state. Hmmm. Now that is lawless. Isn’t it?

Better to just seek hospitality, then they’ll treat you like a king, which makes me want to open a 5-Star hotel somewhere in the snowy peaks along the boarder if I can find a few acres for a ski-lift not planted in opium poppies, viewed on Google Earth satellite, not that anyone is actually checking the carefully cultivated fields above 6,000 feet along the borders. I would feel right at home there, not unlike parts of Tennessee or California.

Look at the forces arrayed here. My little fantasy war is going to happen.

The Democrats need to show they can be trusted with national defense again, be it Hillary or Obama. And McCain says fight to win.

The second verse of the song is still being written: Floating the contingency balloon. Up, up, and awa-a-a-ay, in my beautiful ball-o-o-o-on….

Obama or Hillary, or McCain get sworn in January 20, 2009. By mid June, whoever is President is going to make a push into the boarder regions the so-called "lawless frontier tribal zones” and “on good intelligence,” unless of course my leader does it first before June 20th. The operation will be Pakistan’s (well okay we’ll give them a few billion). It will be a fast coordinated air-ground attack with airborne US intelligence and lots of surrounding US air cover as a safety check to insure the operation stays within operational parameters. Pakistani’s will not go into Afghanistan and vice a versa. Meantime the Pakistan Navy will be backed up (some would say surrounded and outgunned) by the US Navy to keep a lid on the operation seeing to it they don’t launch an attack on India by Pakistan Islamic fundamentalist-leaning ground forces. We’ll hold India’s hand throughout the entire episode and offer security where needed.

Up, up and awa-a-a-ay in my beautiful …. This thing’s going to happen regardless of who wins.

You can’t deny the poetic justice in someone with a Muslim name (Obama) catching a renegade terrorist (Osama). Can you imagine the songs that we could write about that? To the tune of “Froggy went a courting.”

Obama went a hunting and he did hunt, uh-huh
Obama went a hunting and he did hunt, uh-huh
Obama went a hunting and he did hunt, he hunt Osama on the Mount
Obama went a hunting and he did hunt, un-huh. …..

The best time to wage this little war would be during the Chinese Olympics. China would likely remain quiet with their hands temporarily full with the Olympics.

So my fantasy, glorious, contingency war needs to be brief, violent, and force the Pashtun jirga to rethink their long term cultural interests. It needs to end with Osama in a holding tank, brought up on charges in the world court.

If it fails? Well what do you expect from the lawless tribal frontier area in Pakistan with questionable army allegiance? Corruption is everywhere.

I’d still like to open a 5-star hotel with some good ski-runs. You don’t suppose the opium production their so good at, has anything to do with the foolishness of some of our drug laws? Nah.

Victor Davis Hanson says you have to look at war with a long term perspective in order to understand its meaning. Long term is real long term. It may well turn out that while many say Bush's legacy must be a failure, history may have a completely different take on things, long after both you and I and our great grand children have come and gone. It may turn out, that doomed legacy of a Bush Presidency we hear so often this campaign-cycle ends up being written 1000 years from now as the President who started Islamic Reformation (* See Footnote) and brought freedoms that enabled thinking people to ask questions about religious practices that eventually changed the world and started the east and the west talking again.

The Ritz, I like that franchise, a 5-star Ritz, 18-hole world class golf course, mini-conference center with A Pashtun bag-piper paying my old favorite, “The Ass in the Graveyard” with double malt scotch, in the bracing night air.

Respectfully,
Warbucks

Footnote: Reformation: "Christianity has the advantage of having been able to interpret its religious texts in their historical context, thus arriving at the distinction between what belongs to the bedrock of faith and what is related to culture: a distinction that Muslims have difficulty making." ... This was a topic of discussion in Muslim and Christian dialogue in Brussels, April 17, 2008. And from Pope Benedict XVI during his visit to the US in April 15-21, while visiting a synagogue in New York, with about 200 representatives of other religions, including Islam, to the Muslims the Pope said that interreligious dialogue "aims at something more than a consensus for advancing peace." The greater objective of dialogue is "to discover the truth" and keep the deepest and most essential questions awake in the hearts of all men. "Confronted with these deeper questions concerning the origin and destiny of mankind, Christianity proposes Jesus of Nazareth. He, we believe, is the eternal Logos who became flesh in order to reconcile man to God and reveal the underlying reason of all things. It is he whom we bring to the forum of interreligious dialogue. The ardent desire to follow in his footsteps spurs Christians to open their minds and hearts in dialogue.... Dear friends, in our attempt to discover points of commonality, perhaps we have shied away from the responsibility to discuss our differences with calmness and clarity..... The higher goal of interreligious dialogue requires a clear exposition of our respective religious tenants."
 
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Orta Doğu'da Durum Raporu 25 Mayıs 2011
Bin Ladin’in Öldürülmesi Üzerine Notlar 25 Mayıs 2011
Bin Ladin’in Öldürülmesi Üzerine 15 Kısa Not 3 Mayıs 2011
ABD ve Karadeniz Nisan 2011

Türkiye Beşar’a Ne Demeli? Suriye'de “52 Cuma” Reformsuz Geçmez 20 Nisan 2011
Amerika-Sonrası Dünyanın Provası Olarak Libya Krizi ve Türkiye 22 Mart 2011
“Demokratikleştiremediklerimizden misiniz?”: Orta Doğu’daki Değişim Dalgasının Neden, Şekil ve Olası Sonuçları 10 Şubat 2011
Analiz Üzerine Notlar 14 Ocak 2011
Wikileaks Üzerine Notlar ve Yorumlar 23 Aralık 2010
Enerji ve Güvenliği Üzerine Notlar 29 Kasım 2010
Amerikan Travması ve Kongre Seçimleri 23 Kasım 2010
Füze Savunması Üzerine 20 Soru ve 5 Seçenek 20 Ekim 2010
Obama Ekibinde Yaprak Dökümü - Beyaz Saray’dan Kaçış mı? 12 Ekim 2010
"Kürt Devleti" Üzerine Notlar ve Çeşitlemeler 23 Eylül 2010
Mullen’ın Ankara Ziyareti 7 Eylül 2010
ABD’nin Afganistan’daki Seçenekleri 24 Ağustos 2010
Financial Times Haberinin Türk-Amerikan İlişkileri Üzerine Düşündürttükleri 18 Ağustos 2010
İsrail-ABD-İran-Türkiye Dörtgeni 26 Temmuz 2010
Bay Netanyahu Washington’a Gitti: Böyle mi Olacaktı, Obama? 16 Temmuz 2010
Stratejik Dehlizlerde Derinlik Sarhoşluğu: Bir AKP Dış Politikası Eleştirisi Temmuz 2010
Rus Casusluk Olayı: "John Le Carre mi, Austin Powers mı?" 5 Temmuz 2010
“Mahalleye Hoş Geldin”:Türkiye’nin Orta Doğu’da İlk Günü 02 Haziran 2010
Nükleer Takas: “Savaşı Bitiren Anlaşma” mı, “Acem Oyunu” mu? 20 Mayıs 2010
ABD Irak’tan Çekilirken Riskler ve Hesaplar 1 Mayıs 2010
ABD-İsrail İlişkilerinde “Normalleşme” Sancıları 22 Nisan 2010
Obama’nın Nükleer Cazibe Taarruzu: Bardağın Üçte Biri Dolu 9 Nisan 2010
ABD-İsrail İlişkilerinde “Tektonik Kayma” mı? 5 Nisan 2010
Irak Seçimleri: Sonun Başlangıcı, Başlangıcın Sonu 19 Mart 2010
Ermeni Karar Tasarısı Üzerine Notlar, Yorumlar ve Öneriler 8 Mart 2010
Ermeni Karar Tasarısı Üzerine Notlar, Yorumlar ve Öneriler 8 Mart 2010 (word)
Bütçe Açığı ve Amerikan Gerilemesinin Ekonomi Politiği 19 Şubat 2010
Cemaat-skeptic 6 Ocak 2010
AKP bir seçim daha kazanırsa burası FC olur 4 Ocak 2010
ABD bu işin neresinde? 29 Aralık 2009
Türkiye-Ermenistan Protokolü Üzerine Düşünceler 3 Eylül 2009
"Obama’nın Savaşı":AfPak Üzerine Notlar 20 Nisan 2009
Obama’nın Ardından 17 Nisan 2009
Obama’nın Türkiye Gezisi ve Türk-Amerikan İlişkileri 19 Mart 2009
ABD ve Orta Doğu Barış Süreci Mart 2009
Obama’nın “Kırkı Çıkarken” Mart 2009

ABD-PKK “İlişkisi” Üzerine Notlar Şubat 2009
Mahşerin Üç Atlısı: Ross, Holbrooke ve Mitchell 5 Şubat 2009
SOFA ABD için Irak’ta “Sonun Başlangıcı” mı? Ocak 2009
Obama Döneminde ABD ve Asya 15 Ocak 2009
Obama’nın Güvenlik Kabinesi Üzerine Notlar 4 Aralık 2008
Yeni ABD Başkanı Obama ve Türk-Amerikan İlişkileri 6 Kasım 2008
ABD Başkanlık Seçimlerinin Türk-Amerikan İlişkilerine Muhtemel Etkileri 30 Ekim 2008
ABD Başkanlık Seçimleri Ekim 2008
Obama’nın Biden’ı Tercihinin Bir Tahlili 26 Ağustos 2008
Amerikan Sağı Üzerine Notlar Ağustos 2008
Gürcistan Krizi, ABD ve Türkiye 11 Ağustos 2008
Obama'nın Dış Gezisi 29 Temmuz 2008
Başkan Bush’un Avrupa Gezisi ve Transatlantik İlişkileri 18 Haziran 2008
ABD Seçimleri (ppt) - 10 Haziran 2008
"Sessiz Tsunami": Global Gıda Krizi (ppt) - 29 Nisan 2008
Amiral Fallon'un İstifası 13 Mart 2008
ABD ve PKK İlişkisi Üzerine Notlar 22 Kasım 2007
“İçeride Liberal, Dışarıda Şahin”: K. Irak’a Harekat Üzerine Notlar 25 Ekimy 2007
K.Irak'a Ekonomik Müeyyideler Üzerine Sorular 25 Ekimy 2007
Irak "Hamle"sinin Muhasebesi Eylül 2007
Türk-Amerikan İlişkileri - Yeni Dönemin Gündemi Eylül 2007
ABD, K. Irak ve Türkiye Üzerine Notlar ve Sorular Haziran 2007
ABD ve Orta Doğu: "Müflis mirasyedi" mi "stratejik deha" mı? Mayıs 2007
Recommendations for Strengthening U.S.-Turkish Relations February 26, 2007
ABD'nin Irak'taki Seçenekleri Ocak 2007
'Topal Ördek'le İki Yıl Daha: 2006 Kongre Seçimleri Aralık 2006
U.S.: Empire, Gulliver or the “First Among Unequals” (ppt) - ASAM 2023 Conference - October 2006
Türk-Amerikan İlişkilerinde “İkinci Bahar” mı, “Sonun Başlangıcı” mı? Stratejik Analiz - Haziran 2006 -
Irak’ta Direnişin ve İşgalin Gölgesinde Demokrasi Deneyi Avrasya Dosyası - İslam ve Demokrasi Özel Sayısı
Gurur ve Önyargı: ABD İran Gerginliği ve Türkiye Stratejik Analiz Nisan 2006 - (pdf)
Arzın Merkezine Seyahat: ABD Ulusal Güvenlik Konseyi - Journey to the Center of the World: U.S. National Security Council Avrasya Dosyası 2005
Dört Tarz-ı Siyaset: Türk-Amerikan İlişkileri ve Başbakan Erdoğan’ın Washington Ziyareti Temmuz 2005
11 Eylül’den Sonra Türk-Amerikan İlişkileri: Eski Dostlar mı Eskimeyen Dostlar mı? Avrasya Dosyası - 2005
“Dört Yıl Daha”: Yeni Bush Yönetimi ve Dünya Aralık 2004
2004’ten 2005’e Türk-Amerikan İlişkileri Aralık 2004
Türkiye, Iraklı Kürtler ve Statükonun Meşruiyeti Nisan 2004 - eksik
Askerî Alanda Devrim: Askerî Bir Senfoni Ocak 2004
Çirkin Amerikalı’ ile ‘Güven Bunalımı’: ‘Süleymaniye Krizi ve Türk-Amerikan İlişkileri Temmuz 2003 - ( pdf )
The Middle East: A Land of Opportunity and Peril for Turkey - May 2003
Türk-Amerikan İlişkileri Üzerine Notlar: Ataerkil Yapıdan Tüccar Mantığına mı? Mayıs 2003
Türkiye, ABD ve Irak Harekâtı: Hayır Diyebilen Türkiye? - Şubat 2003
Değişim, ‘Sense of Proportion’ ve Tarihin Yararları ile Sınırları Üzerine Nisan 2003
ABD Güvenlik Politikalarında Güç Kullanımı ve Caydırıcılık Ağustos 2002
“Yalnız Kovboy” ya da “Eşit Olmayanlar Arasında Birinci”: ABD Dış Politikasında Tektaraflılık-Çoktaraflılık Tartışmaları Mart 2002
İyi, Kötü ve Çirkin: ABD'nin Orta Doğu Politikaları Ocak 2002
Unilateralism corrupts, absolute unilateralism corrupts absolutely Turkish News, May 21, 2002
ABD ve Afganistan: Çıkış Var mı? Kasım 2001
Realism and Change
Crime and Punishment - Deterrence and its Failure in Theory and Practice 2001
“Tüketebileceğimizden Daha Fazla Değişim” ya da Eskimeyen Dünya Düzeni Ekim 2001
“ABD-AB İlişkilerinde Metal Yorgunluğu” Haziran 2001
It never rains circa. 1991.
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