| H1 New York Times Petraeus Urges 45-Day Halt in Weighing New Iraq Troop Cuts Progress “fragile and reversible.” VIDEOS Iran Says It’s Installing New Centrifuges A Mystery in the Middle East | Stratfor The Arab-Israeli region of the Middle East is filled with rumors of war. Debate between John Mearsheimer" and Norman Finkelstein on the Israel lobby and the Iraq war Part 2 The Ongoing Lessons of the Afghan and Iraq Wars Source: Center for Strategic & International Studies Full Paper (PDF; 3.8 MB) MESH Iraq: assessment and recommendations by Adama Garfinkle Washington Post A Plea From Petraeus Extending the Drawdown in Iraq Could Imperil Gains, General Tells Lawmakers The Iran Problem By David Ignatius, Any version of a war against Iran is a bad idea Editorial Iraq Report Redux The facts there have changed; the debate here, less so. Iran Claims To Install New, Faster Centrifuges Machines to Go Online In a Few Months, After Testing, President Says Sadr Cancels Million-Man Rally in Baghdad Iraq's Real Gains By Barham Salih Iraq closed its fifth year of freedom with tangible improvements in security, the economy and national reconciliation. Salon Sizing up Petraeus on Iraq The top U.S. general gave Congress an upbeat assessment of the war Tuesday. Here's the reality behind the rhetoric. By Mark Benjamin Gen. Petraeus' Testimony to the Senate Armed Services Comm. U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker's Opening Remarks: Senate Armed Services Committee Hearing on Iraq Neocon Nation: Neoconservatism, c. 1776 - Robert Kagan, World Affairs Foreign Policy Why the Surge Doesn’t Matter By Blake Hounshell IMF The credit crisis, triggered by the U.S. subprime mortgage meltdown, is spreading to other mortgage and corporate debt markets and could have profound financial system and macroeconomic implications, according to the IMF's latest Global Financial Stability Report. Read the report NPQ Jacques Attali: THE GLOBAL ECONOMIC CRISIS: IMAGINING THE WORST-CASE SCENARIO Los Angeles Times Editorial Staying in Iraq for proxy war Al Qaeda in Iraq is weakened. Do U.S. forces really need to stay to counter Iranian influence? In Iraq, Muqtada Sadr threatens to end cease-fire The Shiite cleric also cancels plans for a massive protest march after complaining about harassment from the authorities McClatchy Iraq hearings highlighted differences among the candidates Obama took the toughest line, pressing Ambassador Ryan Crocker on whether Iraq would ever be free enough of Iranian and al Qaida influence to allow U.S. troops to leave. Clinton used much of her time to restate her Iraq war position. McCain, while distancing himself from the "mismanagement" of the war, voiced support for staying. IHT Beware an angry China By PHILIP BOWRING Nationalism is more often aroused by setbacks than success, so the Tibet problems and the possible threats to a triumphal Olympics are stirring it in China. THE NATO SUMMIT A mockery of enlargement By IVO DAALDER AND JAMES GOLDGEIER When NATO leaders met last week, they did tremendous damage to enlargement policy as a whole. WSJ Europe's Caspian Opportunity
By Alexandros Petersen and Manja Vidic Seizing it will secure the EU's energy future. Why Iraq Matters - Frederick Kagan, National Review Petraeus' Anaconda Strategy - Austin Bay, RealClearPolitics Financial Times IMF puts cost of credit crisis at $945bn The financial sector faces potential losses of almost $1,000bn as a result of the credit crisis, the IMF said, warning of further losses and writedowns on prime mortgages, commercial real estate, leveraged loans and consumer finance IMF releases an Instability Report It is the extent of the economic slowdown caused by the credit turmoil that will determine whether there is more financial pain to come. The squeeze is not yet over. The IMF may yet be called upon to rescue somewhere before it is Why Greenspan does not bear most of the blame The former chairman of the Federal Reserve, once lauded as the ‘maestro’, has, to his discomfort, become the scapegoat for the crisis. Much of the criticism is highly unfair, writes Martin Wolf, but there are areas where he is wrong Guardian The occupation has frozen Iraq. All else is tinkering Simon Jenkins: Yesterday's declaration by General Petraeus that the surge must go on will simply prolong the country's agony Food price rises threaten global security - UN Rising food prices could spark worldwide unrest and political instability, says UN's top humanitarian official The Iraq stalemate Marina Ottaway: Tuesday's testimony in Washington offered two irreconcilable visions of Iraq - one of confidence and progress, the other of chaos and failure A convenient culprit Dilip Hiro: The US says Iranians were involved in the recent fighting in Basra - but Iran later helped to broker a ceasefire Iran's benign influenceStephen Kinzer Today's hearing on Iraq focused on Iran's 'malignant' influence - but rather than counter it, the US should use it to help create stability Unlawful combat Phil Shiner For America and the United Kingdom, staying in Iraq without an exit date would be illegal. Here's why Crocker: Al Qaeda on Afghanistan-Pakistan border bigger threat than in Iraq. Iran's US Policy in a Nutshell BloggingHeads Juan Cole & Daniel Drezner: Decolonization Edition
Should the GOP Want to Win in '08? - Charlie Cook, National Journal Time Setting the Terms of the Iraq Debate Al Qaeda's Third Front: Saudi Arabia By: Bruce Riedel and Bilal Y. Saab | The Washington Quarterly After the September 11 attacks, Osama bin Laden launched a third front beyond Afghanistan and Iraq: his own homeland in Saudi Arabia. Saudi authorities have so far successfully countered al Qaeda's offensive, but the war inside the kingdom is far from over The Last Days of Cheap Chinese By: Alexandra Harney | Slate
Why American consumers are about to start paying more for clothes, electronics, toys, and just about everything else. Exclusive: Ahmadinejad denies al Qaeda’s 9/11 attack on America Asia Times Iraqi rogues and a false proxy war
The strong resistance put up against United States and Iraqi forces in Basra was by rogue militiamen who have split from Muqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army and come under Iranian control. That, anyway, is the line General David Petraeus is expected to follow in his congressional testimony. Yet there is no evidence such Iranian-backed special groups exist, and Tehran's real strategy in Iraq bears no resemblance to the one portrayed in the US proxy war narrative. - Gareth Porter Kevin Drum So How is Muqtada al-Sadr Really Doing?
Next Public Event: "Iran and the United States: Outlook for the Next Decade?" Is Neoconservatism Jewish?
Peter Berkowitz. | H2 Demokratik laiklikten yanayız AB'den sert uyarılar MR. BARROSO’YA DÜŞEN GÖREV THE AKP SCRABBLES FOR AN ANTI-CLOSURE STRATEGY Eurasia Daily Monitor By Gareth Jenkins Ankara müzakerelerin neresinde? En kötü senaryoda bile müzakereler kesilmez Turkish Bid to Ban Party Poses EU Risk, Solana Says (Update2) GulfNews Sign of maturity in Turkey By Amir Taheri CENGİZ AKTAR Crocker'dan Kongre'de Türkiye yorumu EurasiaNet TURKEY: GOVERNING PARTY TAKES ACTION TO EVADE COURT BAN
Yedioth Ahronoth Rockets as Turkish MPs visit Google News Fırat News Agency KurdishMedia Kurdish Kurdish Aspect Dış Basında Irak BBC Monitoring Inter – national NYT BOOKS OF THE TIMES; In Northern Iraq, the Kurds Find Success Amid Struggle For the first time in nearly a century the Kurds hold a winning hand — from which they need to discard the trump card of nationhood. Cevdet Aşkın Ankara'nın gözü Erbil'de, PKK'ya tavrın eli kulağında
Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber Dış Basında Türkiye-AB İlişkileri Günlük Haftalık Anayasamız AB’ye % 100 uyumlu değil Solana warns of grave consequences if AK Party banned Bahçeli calls on Erdoğan to give up EU fascination Positive atmosphere expected in talks with EU pair in Ankara Babacan: AB konusunda büyük reform gündemi var İsmail Küçükkaya
İç siyaset gölgesinde AB atağı Göktürk brifinginde tartışma çıktı Amanda Akçakoca Barroso and Rehn head for Ankara Küreselleşme, Avrupa Birliği perspektifi ve Türkiye
HAZAL ZENGİNGÜL Barroso: Kapatma davasına şaşırdık Kara Kuvvetleri Komutanı Başbuğ KKTC'de ABD'li Büyükelçi: "KKTC Türklerini muhatap almalıyız" 301 AKP için şeref imtihanı Beril Dedeoğlu Strasbourg’ta bir başlangıç Neler değişiyor?
AKP'nin Türk Ceza Kanunu'nun 301 ve 305. maddelerinde değişiklik talebi AB’ye 301 jestine CHP engelI AKP closure case to test Turkey's EU commitment AKP foots the bill for turning away from EU Mehmet Altan Müzakere Hadi Uluengin AB ipine sarıl! Karabakh: Possibly Exhausted Peace By: Haroutiun Khachatrian | ISN Security Watch Recent moves by Azerbaijan to criticize and question the OSCE Minsk Group, the international mediating force in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, have experts and observers concerned that the peace process may have reached its end along with chances for peaceful resolution AB süreci, demokrasi ve laikliğin garantisi Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.
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When troubled Turkish 21-year-old Basak Aydintug murdered her domineering mother she broke one of the world's most entrenched taboos and the shocking crime has fascinated the press. The mother has received post-mortem acclaim for her brilliance as a person and a doctor; and Basak will probably have a film made about her. But a subsequent matricide has failed to engage the public, drawing questions about the Turkish media's preference for photogenic murderesses. Turks working abroad exceed 1.2 million Çakıcı’nın cezasına Yargıtay’dan onama | H3 Yasemin Çongar Yüksek yargı mensuplarının vicdanları rahat mı? İşte Taraf Gazetesi'nde yer alan o haber Yargıtay'dan Genelkurmay açıklaması Hasan Cemal Genelkurmay andıcı ile 10 noktada asker sorunu! Kaos bombası Parti, kapatmadan önce uyarılmalı Şener’e ‘omurgalı ol’ eleştirisi RP kapatılırken neredeydiniz? AK-TRT 22 Temmuz’a dönüş Bırak şeriat işlesin parmak acısın!
O gece ‘AKP’yi kapatma hazırlığı var’ diye uyarmış Milliyet Son Dakika Ahmet Taşgetiren • Erdoğan ve Büyükanıt neyin neresinde? ( 09.04.2008 ) Ruşen - Çakır Erdoğan kapıyı araladı, Baykal yüzüne çarptı Taha Akyol ‘Bağımsız’ yargı Fikret Bila AKP’nin yol haritası Fehmi Koru Taha Kıvanç Murat Yetkin Barroso'yu beklerken... Şamil Tayyar Askeri Şura hesaplaşması mı? Nuray Başaran AK Parti ile Erdoğan'ın Brütüs'leri ve yol haritası Mustafa Akyol Evet, İslam Türkiye’nin ‘çimentosu’ dur Göktürk brifinginde tartışma çıktı [NEWS ANALYSIS] AK Party considers all possibilities in closure case Hukukçular yeni 301’den memnun değil Her tarafımız el bombasıyla dolu O baldıran zehri içti, bizimki (Erdoğan) Cheney’ye ağlaşıyor 301’i yeni adımlar izleyecek Cumhurbaşkanına 301 görevi yanlış İki paşaya suç duyurusu Paşa sivilde yargılanabilir Bahçeli’den 301 uyarısıMHP Genel Başkanı: Onur imtihanıyla karşı karşıyasınız
Balıkesir'de AKP'li belediye, Atatürk Parkı'ndaki restoranı koşullu kiraya verdi. İşte ihalenin detayı Ergenekon suspect announced coup last year İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası Dış Basında Türkiye - BBC Turkish 0700 VOA Turkish Press Review Google News Turkey TurcoPundit Fehmi Koru: Yabancılar ve lâiklik Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.
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Gülay Göktürk “Kökü dışarda” Eser Karakaş TSK, andıç ve düşündürdükleri Nasuhi Güngör Andıçlar neden dökülüyor? Mensur Akgün TSK hepimizin ve hepimize lazım Ahmet Hakan Ayıp Mustafa ayıp M Ali Birand AB ile yeni bir başlanğıç olabilir... Cüneyt ÜlseverBirbirimizi nasıl algılıyoruz? Enis Berberoğlu Oktay Ekşi Bu ne sür’at? Özdemir İnce Mehdi yaratma sanatı ve kullanım kılavuzu Mehmet Y YılmazMHP sempatizanı olmasına hiç şaşırmadım Yalçın Bayer AKP’nin kapatılma ihtimaline hazırlık mı? Yalçın Doğan Türkiye’nin kaderi 1215 delegede Bülent Keneş ‘Open coup’ and the rule of law Yavuz Baydar http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/yazarDetay.do?haberno=138469 MUHARREM SARIKAYAHükümetin 1 Mayıs kararı ERDAL ŞAFAKOrtak akıl ENGİN ARDIÇBu da Ardıç'ın andıçı ERGUN BABAHANTetikçiler ve destekçileri EMRE AKÖZAndıçta adı geçenler kendileriyle gurur duymalı
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| H4 New York Times Petraeus Urges 45-Day Halt in Weighing New Iraq Troop Cuts Gen. David H. Petraeus, the senior U.S. commander in Iraq, warned Congress that progress there was “fragile and reversible.” By DAN SCHNURIf the Democratic Party nomination is still unresolved by the end of May, it will need a power broker to fill the leadership void. The Torch and Freedom In the spirit of the Olympic ideals, we are prepared to help China — free of charge. Here’s what you do: Stop arresting dissidents. Editorial Immigration, Outsourced Not content to botch immigration policy all by itself, Congress has handed large parts of the job to others to mishandle. | H5 Washington Post A Plea From Petraeus Extending the Drawdown in Iraq Could Imperil Gains, General Tells Lawmakers The Iran Problem By David Ignatius, Any version of a war against Iran is a bad idea Editorial Iraq Report Redux The facts there have changed; the debate here, less so. Iran Claims To Install New, Faster Centrifuges Machines to Go Online In a Few Months, After Testing, President Says Sadr Cancels Million-Man Rally in Baghdad Iraq's Real Gains By Barham Salih Iraq closed its fifth year of freedom with tangible improvements in security, the economy and national reconciliation. ANALYSIS Frustrated Senators See No Exit Signs Iraq and the Special Theory of Relativity By Dana Milbank You can't tell the enemy in Iraq anymore without a scorecard. High Finance Laid Low By Robert J. Samuelson, No group is now more resented than bankers, traders and hedge fund managers. Let the Games Go On By Joan Chen, Let's celebrate the Olympics for what the Games are meant to be -- a bridge for friendship, not a playground for politics. China Uses Heavy Hand Even With Its Gadflies Bush's Economic Pom-Poms By Dan Froomkin | H6 Guardian The occupation has frozen Iraq. All else is tinkering Simon Jenkins: Yesterday's declaration by General Petraeus that the surge must go on will simply prolong the country's agony Food price rises threaten global security - UN Rising food prices could spark worldwide unrest and political instability, says UN's top humanitarian official The Iraq stalemate Marina Ottaway: Tuesday's testimony in Washington offered two irreconcilable visions of Iraq - one of confidence and progress, the other of chaos and failure A convenient culprit Dilip Hiro: The US says Iranians were involved in the recent fighting in Basra - but Iran later helped to broker a ceasefire Iran's benign influenceStephen Kinzer Apr 08 08, 07:30pm: Today's hearing on Iraq focused on Iran's 'malignant' influence - but rather than counter it, the US should use it to help create stability Unlawful combat Phil Shiner Apr 08 08, 08:30pm: For America and the United Kingdom, staying in Iraq without an exit date would be illegal. Here's why No end in sight Leader: British troops are out of the action in Iraq, whatever is taking place around them, and should be withdrawn now McCain and Clinton clash over troops Democratic and Republican rivals disagree over the presence of US forces in Iraq during Senate hearing
All the patriotism in the world couldn't save McCain from The Stare Suzanne Goldenberg: It was McCain's turn to feel those blue eyes boring into him as he spoke up for a deeply unpopular war in Iraq Unholy trinity Lee Marsden Apr US elections 2008: John McCain's neoconservative foreign policy has won him the unlikely support of the religious right Diplomat attacks war planning Diplomat attacks war planning Where do the candidates stand on Iraq? Profile: General David Petraeus The Teflon general with a liking for the limelight The credit crunch is about to get very personal Deborah Hargreaves: With global losses put at just under a trillion and house prices falling, the financial crisis will soon be hitting home Sarkozy faces down motion of no confidence over US stance Socialists accuse president of dangerous 'Atlanticist drift' over decision to send a further 700 troops to Afghanistan The Commander Fallacy By: James Denselow | The Guardian
Politicians say it's up to the military, and the military don't want to criticise the politicians. Now wonder Iraq is a mess Royally let down Beatrix Campbell So we know the causes of Diana's death, but one question remains: why is 21st century Britain even a monarchy? The party's over Michael Meacher Economies in crisis: Self-regulation hasn't worked. We must rein in financial institutions if we want to avoid future disasters |
| H7 U.S. gets mixed news on nukes Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice received mixed news yesterday on nuclear proliferation: a tentative agreement with North Korea that could break an impasse in negotiations and an Iranian claim that the country was expanding its nuclear capabilities. More Troops or Fewer Troops? - Bronwen Maddox, London Times
Beyond 'Benchmarks' - Rich Lowry, National Review
Why Iraq Matters - Frederick Kagan, National Review Petraeus, Crocker Impart Little Good News - Michael Hirsh, Newsweek
The Goal Posts Move Forward - Rich Lowry, National Review
Arabs Must Take a Long, Self-Critical Look in the Mirror - Emilio Karim Dabul Tell Us Something We Don't Know - Matthew Yglesias, American Prospec A Plan on Iran By: Max Hastings | The New York Times
Few informed people doubt the tactical success of General Petraeus’s operations since the “surge.” Uncertainty focuses squarely where it always did: on whether, as an American officer once put it to me, there is “anything to join up to” politically From the Journal of World-Systems Research, David Scott (Brunel): The 21st Century as Whose Century?; Memo to Prez and everyone else: How to organize a US pullout from Iraq Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil. Iran's US Policy in a Nutshell Austin Bay Blog:
Petraeus-Crocker Testimony — The Anaconda Chart Nation v. Weekly Standard on Iraq Al Awsat The Consequences of Invading Basra : Huda al Husseini Salon Sizing up Petraeus on Iraq The top U.S. general gave Congress an upbeat assessment of the war Tuesday. Here's the reality behind the rhetoric.
By Mark Benjamin | H8 IraqSlogger Google News Iraq Iran Syria Mideastwire.com - NPR Iraq US 'must suspend' Iraq withdrawal The top US military leader in Iraq calls for troop withdrawals to be suspended to protect gains made in improved security. In quotes: Candidates speak In pictures: Senate Iraq hearing Watch: Petraeus on Iraq
Iran 'installing new centrifuges'
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad claims Iran is installing 6,000 new centrifuges and casts doubt on the US 9/11 attacks. Baghdad under anniversary curfew Baghdad imposes a one-day vehicle curfew on the fifth anniversary of its capture by American forces. Who dares wins?
The dangers facing British special forces operating in Iraq
As Petraeus testifies, Baghdad teeters on edge of erupting Envoy urges U.S. to be patient, use sway Hizbullah Trained Iraqi Shiite Militia Israel's Foreign Minister to visit Qatar Basra a message to militants -- Maliki (UPI) -- Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said the incursion into Basra showed the strength of Iraqi national forces and their resolve against militias.
Report: Saddam Transferred WMDs to Syria (Jerusalem Post) Petraeus: Iraq progress 'reversible' Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Discusses Lebanese, Israeli Issues Waves of Violence Hit Yemen By: Yaniv Berman | The Media Line
The Yemeni security forces are stretching their resources across the country as clashes kill dozens in the north, protests in the south continue and American citizens are targeted in the capital 'Sana Gulf: Three experts discuss female political involvement in the Gulf region in the April issue of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace’s Arab Reform Bulletin Yemen can't shake culture of firearms (By Khaled Fazaa al-Hammadi) Iran News Round Up [Michael Rubin] An illustrated column: A tourist in Iran This is a country where your taxi driver might be a poet who knows 10,000 verses by heart. Forgotten hostages
The plight of the many Iraqis taken for ransom by kidnappers | H9 Ha’aretz – U.S. wants to hold summit at Sharm during Bush visit Beilin says Mubarak and Bush would host the summit, and will invite Olmert, Abbas and Abdullah Bradley Burston: I want the Palestinians to win Guest: "Enough with occupation guilt; Gaza isn't Auschwitz" Ahmadinjad's claim follows installation of 6,000 new centrifuges; Rice: Iran faces continued isolation Beilin: Bush wants 2nd ME summit in May Tells 'Post' move would be "idiotic" without knowledge deal can be reached on core issues [ BEREL WEIN Yedioth Ahronoth Rockets as Turkish MPs visit Qassam siren catches Ankara lawmakers touring Sderot before meetings with Peres, Livni Hamas under pressure Daily Alert.org – Hebrew Press Editorials (2008) - Middle East Progress - EJC Israeli Press Review – Google News Israel - Palestine ALTERNATIVE AIPAC?: The New York Jewish Week reports on the impending launch of a new Israel lobby. Jewish doves are flocking together to form the “J-Street Project,” which, the newspaper reports, “is expected to raise money for congressional candidates who advocate a stronger U.S. leadership role in ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and multilateral solutions to the region’s problems.” SPIEGEL Interview with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak: 'Nobody Can Push Me'
An Israel-Hamas coalition for peace IT'S BECOMING increasingly clearer that reaching an Israeli-Palestinian agreement requires finding a way to bring Hamas into the process. This must be done without compromising Israeli or American interests. (By Geoffrey H. Lewis and Seymour D. Reich, Boston Globe) You know the drill
Israelis hold major defence exercise amid fresh fears of attack PA Security Crackdown on Armed Militias Won't Prevent Terror Attacks
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| H10 Christian Science Monitor Petraeus to Congress: reassess Iraq before further troop cuts The US strategy would effectively end Bush's role in the war, pushing decisions to his successor. Basra strike against Shiite militias also about oil Iraq's oil minister says the assault helped curb oil smuggling. Amid violent riots, Egyptian elections fizzle The opposition Muslim Brotherhood, facing repression, failed to harness growing public discontent. UN's Ban, U.S. push to add Darfur peacekeepers – and soon The secretary-general says the situation in Sudan's violence-torn province 'remains grim.' Olympic boycotts – a bad idea They don't work. Instead, promote the Olympic truce. ASIA IHT Beware an angry China By PHILIP BOWRING Nationalism is more often aroused by setbacks than success, so the Tibet problems and the possible threats to a triumphal Olympics are stirring it in China. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization - Council on Foreign Relations
Asia Times China gets energy issues down on paper
China has made a breakthrough in its approach to a central feature of its fast-growing economy merely by drawing up a white paper outlining a national energy strategy. As Beijing strives to meet its often conflicting challenges, it needs to set about refining that strategy, ideally with substantial help from the international community. Embattled Karzai beams after Bucharest The North Atlantic Treaty Organization meeting last week may have given Afghan President Hamid Karzai the crucial support he needs to reconcile strained relations with the West and domestic turmoil with his intention to seek re-election in 2009. This support will also prove wrong politicians in Afghanistan who prematurely believe the Western allies have already abandoned Karzai. - Haroun Mir Reshaping the US-Indian Nuclear Deal to Lessen the ...
Council on Foreign Relations Olympic torch rallying China's critics For some years, China's boom and the war on terror have overridden human rights concerns. Tibetan leaders struggle to speak for split populace The government in exile is popular but faces pressure from moderates and radicals. How Worldwide Inflation Will Aid Japan By: Alexander Kinmont | Financial Times For 30 years action by one central bank has consistently marked the top of the global cycle. It is now clear that the Bank of Japan extended its record of maladroit tightening in 2007. Afghanistan: General McNeill Warns of a More Ruthless Taleban By: Nick Meo | The London Times Al-Qaeda is seeking increasingly to join the fight against Nato troops in Afghanistan while younger, more ruthless leaders are rising within the ranks of the Taleban, the commanding general of the alliance has claimed India joins queue for Africa's resources India unveils new strategy of 'resource diplomacy' in Africa, hosting summit meeting and offering financial help China Orders Tibetans 'Reeducated' About Dalai Lama By: Barbara Demick | Los Angeles Times Class materials denounce exiled leader as a reactionary. The effort may have incited some recent unrest. Malaysia’s Prime Minister Under Fire By: Jed Yoong | Asia Sentinel Almost a month after Malaysia’s national election, the political battleground is getting bloodier inside the Barisan Nasional, the national governing coalition, particularly inside the United Malays National Organisation, the leading ethnic party in the coalition. China trade crosscurrents By James A. Dorn Congress ought to be more concerned with excessive government spending and the massive imbalances in Social Security and Medicare than with the U.S.-Sino bilateral trade deficit and the dollar-yuan exchange rate. | H11 IHT Beware an angry China By PHILIP BOWRING Nationalism is more often aroused by setbacks than success, so the Tibet problems and the possible threats to a triumphal Olympics are stirring it in China. THE NATO SUMMIT A mockery of enlargement By IVO DAALDER AND JAMES GOLDGEIER When NATO leaders met last week, they did tremendous damage to enlargement policy as a whole. QUESTIONS FOR AMERICA'S FIELD COMMANDERS Back from Iraq, again facing fire General David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker, America's top two men in Iraq, are in Washington to testify before the U.S. Congress. Three military and diplomatic experts were asked to suggest the questions they would like to have asked Moscow wants its people on site at U.S. missile projects Spanish leader promises to spur the economy Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said economic growth and employment rates would be lower than during his first term but insisted that Spain faced the downturn "in very good condition." EUROPE European press review Sarkozy faces down motion of no confidence over US stance Socialists accuse president of dangerous 'Atlanticist drift' over decision to send a further 700 troops to Afghanistan The terrorists who didn't bark THE AMERICAN invasion and occupation of Iraq has had many nasty consequences, but European counter-terrorist officials are now saying that one consequence they feared has not materialized - European Islamists going to Iraq and returning home as battle-hardened jihadists. (Boston Globe) Home-Grown Terrorism Rising in EU By: Renata Goldirova | EU Observer The number of arrests connected to terrorism doubled in the European Union in 2007, while the overwhelming majority of attacks carried out in its territory were linked to separatism, the EU's police office, Europol, said in a report released on Monday (7 April). Governance of Spain: Between Rock, Hard Place By: Sebastian Balfour | Open Democracy The result of the Spanish elections of 9 March 2008 raises more questions than it answers. The Partido Popular (Popular Party / PP) conservative opposition can no longer claim that the socialist administration of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was the freak outcome of the Madrid train bombings three days before the 14 March 2004 elections; yet the narrow victory of the socialists places them in an uncomfortable position - between a rock and a hard place Bullying in Bucharest Uffe Ellemann-Jensen The Nato summit saw Ukraine and Georgia's hopes dashed and Greece throwing its weight around: a disappointing show Unreliable definitions David Cronin The EU has guidelines to help it determine what constitutes terrorism, but their list has long been based more on opportunism than objectivity Missile defense (By Helle Dale) Extended Governance: The European Union
NewGov Europe
This 4-page policy brief describes the macro institutional set up of the EU's neighbourhood policies Europe's Power to Lead Project Syndicate Politics of fear: Northern League may become thorn in side of Berlusconi Party that plays on crime and immigration could help to shape new government John Hooper: The great contender Walter Veltroni, the 'but also' man Q&A: the Italian elections NATO: The BBC surveys the European press reaction to last week’s NATO summit. EU warns Bulgaria after killings The EU calls on Bulgaria to take "urgent action" to fight organised crime after two high-profile killings. Thirst for change
Economic malaise dominates run-up to Italian election The glory that was Rome Charlotte Higgins: Silvio Berlusconi claims his Latin is so good he could chat over lunch with Julius Caesar. But what would Caesar say to him? | H12 RFE/RL EurasiaNet Central Asia and Caucasus: Experiencing Rapid Growth - Report BY JOSHUA KUCERA The economies of the post-Soviet Eurasian states are growing faster than Asia as a whole, and are suffering from higher-than-average inflation, according to a new report issued by the Asian Development Bank Georgia: Tbilisi Residents Are Cautiously Optimistic Over NATO Chances In the wake of the recent NATO summit, Georgians seem to retain optimism over their country’s efforts to gain membership in the alliance, despite the hesitation shown by some alliance members in accepting Tbilisi into the defense organization. EDM THE PRO-MAP FACTION SUCCEEDS AT NATO SUMMIT
- IS THE PARTY OF REGIONS SLIDING INTO CRISIS?
Karabakh: Possibly Exhausted Peace By: Haroutiun Khachatrian | ISN Security Watch Recent moves by Azerbaijan to criticize and question the OSCE Minsk Group, the international mediating force in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, have experts and observers concerned that the peace process may have reached its end along with chances for peaceful resolution Russia seeks missile base access Russia demands permanent access to planned US missile defence sites in Poland and the Czech Republic Russia to Take Military-Technical Measures in Reaction to Missile Defense Elements in Europe - Lavrov Moscow Perplexed By U.S. Proposal Implying Reciprocity on Missile Defense Issues - Lavrov Russian Foreign Minister Answers Questions on Wide Range of International Issues Russia Should Secure Permanent Presence at Missile Defense Facilities in Europe - Lavrov Russia to parade military as defense industry decays (By David R. Sands) Outside View: Bush, Ukraine look westward By ALEXANDER KARAVAYEV (UPI) -- Why has the United States suddenly started to pay attention to Ukraine in the last few months of President Bush's administration? Nato Not Ready to Understand Russia's Concerns Over Enlargement - Lavrov Google News Azerbaijan Sochi Summit Fails to Solve U.S.-Russian Missile Defense Dispute By: Richard Weitz | World Politics Review
George W. Bush and Vladimir Putin made what looks to be their last personal attempt as incumbent presidents to resolve the protracted dispute over European missile defenses at their Sochi summit this weekend. West's Criticism, Not NATO, Worries Putin By: Alexander Golts | The Moscow Times
At a security conference in Munich last year, Vladimir Putin caused a scandal by suggesting that he looked at world events through Cold War eyes Russia to Solve Transdniestrian Conflict By: Vladimir Soloviev | Kommersant
Moldova’s President Vladimir Voronin and Transdniestria’s leader Igor Smirnov talked to each other on the phone on Monday, first time in the last seven years. They agreed to meet so as to discuss the opportunities for reconciliation between the Dniester’s two banks When Genocide Isn't Genocide By: Jonah Goldberg | Los Angeles Times Last week, Russia's lower house of parliament passed a resolution insisting that Josef Stalin's man-made 1932-33 famine -- called the Holodomor in Ukrainian -- wasn't genocide |
| H13 The Times US Iraq general wants indefinite troops freeze In testimony that singled out Tehran as a malevolent force General Petraeus warned that progress in Iraq was 'fragile' Iraq fighting rages as US debates war strategy Rebel cleric Hojestoleslam Moqtada al-Sadr has warned the freeze on militia activities could be lifted unless fighting stops Iran: we now have 6,000 nuclear centrifuges President Ahmadinejad uses national nuclear day to announce the expansion of its controversial atomic programme Hallmark of the Iraq debate is its unreality General David Petraeus is probably pivotal to the outcome of the presidential election in November Gerard Baker Zimbabwe faces starvation as mobs hit farms Wall Street Journal Volcker's Demarche
The former Fed chief says we're already in a 'dollar crisis.' 'See No Progress'Democrats are now refusing to acknowledge the positive results achieved by the surge in Iraq. Europe's Caspian Opportunity
By Alexandros Petersen and Manja Vidic
Seizing it will secure the EU's energy future. The Trouble With Brand HillaryBy Michael Zeldin
Mrs. Clinton risks being branded a serial exaggerator, and worse.
Oil Expected to Average $101 in '08 Fed Weighs Options on Crunch The Fed is considering contingency plans for expanding its lending power in case recent steps to unfreeze credit markets fail. The talks are part of an effort at the Fed to determine its options if the credit crunch becomes more severe | H14 Financial Times IMF puts cost of credit crisis at $945bn The financial sector faces potential losses of almost $1,000bn as a result of the credit crisis, the IMF said, warning of further losses and writedowns on prime mortgages, commercial real estate, leveraged loans and consumer finance IMF releases an Instability Report It is the extent of the economic slowdown caused by the credit turmoil that will determine whether there is more financial pain to come. The squeeze is not yet over. The IMF may yet be called upon to rescue somewhere before it is Why Greenspan does not bear most of the blame The former chairman of the Federal Reserve, once lauded as the ‘maestro’, has, to his discomfort, become the scapegoat for the crisis. Much of the criticism is highly unfair, writes Martin Wolf, but there are areas where he is wrong Petraeus urges pause in troop cutsThe Pentagon will pause troop reductions in Iraq this summer to assess the impact that unwinding the surge will have on security, General David Petraeus, the US commander in Iraq, said WORLD NEWS: Pentagon opts for pause in troop cutbacks WORLD NEWS: Clash of titans fails to materialise on Capitol Hill Sadr threatens to end Iraq ceasefire Iran steps up uranium enrichment Iran has begun installing an additional 6,000 uranium enrichment centrifuges at its main nuclear facility, President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad has declared Opec rejects calls for more oil The cartel rebuffs US and European calls to raise the supply and rein in prices, saying that stocks are in ‘good shape’ and demand is set to soften in the coming months Jordan accused of key role in US renditions Jordan was accused of playing a key role in a covert US programme to transfer terrorist suspects for interrogation and torture after the attacks of September 11 Fed hints at end to big rate cutsThe period of aggressive monetary easing by the Federal Reserve that began on January 22 – and saw interest rates cut by 200 basis points in the space of two months – might be over, minutes suggest US wealth gap dramatically widensThe gap between the richest and poorest in the US has widened dramatically since the late 1980s, while the incomes of the least well-off have fallen since the start of the decade Oil to average $100 this year Europe growth rates diverge Europe’s economic ’weather map’ shows widening divergences, complicating the task of policymakers as global financial market turmoil sends storm warning signals Officious Cfius The new foreign investment rules seem likely to sow confusion and to add to the unfortunate impression that US politicians can get ahead by thumbing their noses at foreigners Playing with fire The 2008 Olympic games could – still – be a celebration of a modernised China but the event will not convince if the response to peaceful protests ahead of time is that of a regime that cannot cope with debate Fear returns as defiant Mugabe musters forces for a run-off | H15 Los Angeles Times Editorial Staying in Iraq for proxy war Al Qaeda in Iraq is weakened. Do U.S. forces really need to stay to counter Iranian influence? In Iraq, Muqtada Sadr threatens to end cease-fire The Shiite cleric also cancels plans for a massive protest march after complaining about harassment from the authorities Iran expands uranium enrichment program Security gains 'fragile' in Iraq, Petraeus warns When Genocide Isn't Genocide By: Jonah Goldberg | Los Angeles Times
Last week, Russia's lower house of parliament passed a resolution insisting that Josef Stalin's man-made 1932-33 famine -- called the Holodomor in Ukrainian -- wasn't genocide Editorial Ten Commandments back in court The Supreme Court will consider whether putting them in a park means giving other religions a place in the sun too. Obama and Clinton on trade Are they hiding their true policies? If so, they could be buying a lot of trouble. Pope's U.S. visit could have political ripples |
| H16 American Politics Should the GOP Want to Win in '08? - Charlie Cook, National Journal McClatchy Iraq hearings highlighted differences among the candidates Obama took the toughest line, pressing Ambassador Ryan Crocker on whether Iraq would ever be free enough of Iranian and al Qaida influence to allow U.S. troops to leave. Clinton used much of her time to restate her Iraq war position. McCain, while distancing himself from the "mismanagement" of the war, voiced support for staying. Iraq War Attitudes Politically Polarized Source: Gallup realclearpolitics memeorandum ABC’s The Note – US News Political Bulletin Early Bird GovExec Swamp Gas The Swamp Trade wars
Free trade and jobs at home come to fore in US election race
Republican Iraq Vets Seek 17 House Seats Difference of Opinion Two new polls. Two very different pictures of Pennsylvania. Chadwick Matlin Slate's Delegate Calculator With revotes unlikely in Michigan and Florida, Hillary Clinton's hope is fading. Is America a Center-Right Nation?
Docs prove FBI tracks emails, cell calls, IMs The Economic Issue in the 2008 Campaign
Council on Foreign Relations, | H17 Daily Telegraph Gen Petraeus warns of Iranian influence America's commander in Iraq warns that Iranian support for Shi'ite militias poses the gravest threat to securing Iraq's stability. Shia leader wants to disband Mahdi army The fate of Iraq under General Petraeus There was no sign of rose-tinted optimism in the General's testimony to the Senate's armed services committee. Brown's lost vision of a great Britain The Prime Minister's original vision of a prosperous, decent Britain can survive, explains Irwin Stelzer - but only if he makes some adjustments. Berlusconi's next comic turn in power Malcolm Moore thinks that, for many Italians, it would be delicious to see history repeat itself, leaving Berlusconi as a clear winner without power to govern properly Property prices may fall 10pc, warns IMF | H18 Independent Financial turmoil could cost $1trn, warns IMF as global growth comes under threat The International Monetary Fund warned yesterday that losses from the financial crisis could approach $1trn (£508bn) as the turmoil spreads and threatens global economic growth. Petraeus defies Democrats with call to back war The US commander in Iraq, General David Petraeus, set himself on a collision course with the two Democratic contenders for the White House yesterday, asking for what amounted to an open-ended commitment to the war in Iraq. Sarkozy's military plans 'put independence at risk' Iran defies UN by boosting nuclear potential |
| H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism The Changing Face of Espionage in America “Changes in Espionage by Americans: 1947-2007,” by Katherine L. Herbig, Defense Personnel Security Research Center, March 2008. Gov’t Opposes Testimony of ISOO’s Leonard in AIPAC Case Speech — Defeating Terrorism by Casting a Global Net Source: Robert S. Mueller, III; Director, Federal Bureau of Investigation
From press release: Missile defense (By Helle Dale) Military Conflict By: Steve Coll | The New Yorker
In normal times, when an active four-star general implies in public that the Army is under such strain that it might flounder if an unexpected war broke out, or might require a draft to muster adequate troop levels, he could expect to provoke concern and comment from, say, the President of the United States. The terrorists who didn't bark THE AMERICAN invasion and occupation of Iraq has had many nasty consequences, but European counter-terrorist officials are now saying that one consequence they feared has not materialized - European Islamists going to Iraq and returning home as battle-hardened jihadists. (Boston Globe) HRW: CIA Sent 14 Suspects to Jordan Train and Protect Those Who Serve Us By: P.W. Singer | Miami Herald
Terrorist networks, unstable and failing states and various dangerous regimes are going to pose threats long after any end to the Iraq conflict. Even more difficult, though, will be the task of leading, and maintaining the quality of, the all-volunteer U.S. military The Commander Fallacy By: James Denselow | The Guardian
Politicians say it's up to the military, and the military don't want to criticise the politicians. Now wonder Iraq is a mess Iraq War Attitudes Politically Polarized
Source: Gallup Home-Grown Terrorism Rising in EU By: Renata Goldirova | EU Observer The number of arrests connected to terrorism doubled in the European Union in 2007, while the overwhelming majority of attacks carried out in its territory were linked to separatism, the EU's police office, Europol, said in a report released on Monday (7 April). Private Security Takes to the Sea By: Patrick Cullen | ISN Security Watch With violent maritime piracy and the risk of waterborne terrorism on the rise, states and non-state actors turn to private security Soldiers on Ground Offer Mixed Assessment - Richard Tomkins, Washington Times
The Sergeant Solution - Robert Scales, Wall Street Journal
Intel Dump has a new look and a new home.
Antimissile Milestone - Wall Street Journal editorial
Terror U: What's behind the boom in homeland-security and emergency-management majors? Department of Defense Releases Selected Acquisition Reports
Source: U.S. Department of Defense Who dares wins?
The dangers facing British special forces operating in Iraq
Navy lawyer will defend alleged 9/11 chief mastermind Russia to parade military as defense industry decays (By David R. Sands) | H20 Slate Stonewall Petraeus Testifying before the Senate, the general sticks to the script. Fred Kaplan The Bill/Hillary Gap How his free trade stance could hurt the Clinton candidacy. The Last Days of Cheap Chinese By: Alexandra Harney | Slate Why American consumers are about to start paying more for clothes, electronics, toys, and just about everything else. Peak oil?: It won't be easy but we can fix our oil and climate problems at the same time. America’s Traffic Congestion Problem: Toward a Framework for Nationwide Reform
Source: The Brookings Institution Coming Together on Climate By: Madeleine K. Albright and Niels Helveg Petersen | The Boston Globe
Following last week's climate talks in Bangkok, the world has a fresh opportunity to turn words into action From the first issue of Triple Canopy, an interview with Samantha Power, author of Chasing the Flame: Sergio Vieira de Mello and the Fight to Save the World (and more and more and more). | H21 A review of Conquest: How Societies Overwhelm Others by David Day. Herodotus and Thucydides invented history as a secular genre, distinct from the annals and king-lists of the ancient Near East... more» Rationalization and Cognitive Dissonance: Do Choices Affect or Reflect Preferences? (PDF; 65 KB) Source: M. Keith Chen, Associate Professor of Economics, Yale School of Management Herbert Von Karajan’s clapped-out legacy. Many idolize the conductor, but Norman Lebrecht cannot stand either the man or his music... more» How to do business like the Mafia The letters of jailed Cosa Nostra boss Bernardo Provenzano are full of insights into his leadership style. The result could be a how-to manual for company directors. Clare Longrigg opens the mafiosi's management handbook Running apps in Google’s data centers Tech Blog: Google now says it will make its massive computing resource available to other businesses that want to run their software on its servers and access it as a service over the internet An illustrated column: A tourist in Iran This is a country where your taxi driver might be a poet who knows 10,000 verses by heart. Bush is depicted as foul-mouthed frat boy in new Oliver Stone movie The State of the Fourth Estate |
