042608f - 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

Los Angeles Times Iran said to be arming militants The chairman of Joint Chiefs says Tehran is sending more arms into Iraq despite its vow to stop

Joint Chiefs Chairman Assails Iran’s Role in Iraq

Shiite Cleric Tells Followers to End Fighting and Unite Iraqis

MESH US-Syria: Who’s converting whom? Peter W. Rodman – Jon Alterman

Kevin Drum / Washington Monthly: Syrian Reactor Update SYRIA FOLLOWUP....

SyriaComment Syria’s Reactor

ArmsControlWonk Why now? [14]

Independent Leading article: Intelligence or propaganda?

Jim Lobe Hawks Resurgent?

BBC US Syria Claims Raise Wider Doubts

Washington Post Sadr Extends Cease-Fire, Clarifies 'Open War' Threat

Party Fears Racial Divide Attacks Could Do Lasting Harm, Democrats Say

U.S. Scrambles to Address International Food Crisis The Bush administration and Congress have been caught flat-footed by rapidly escalating global food prices and are scrambling to respond to a crisis that they increasingly view as a threat to U.S. national security, according to government officials, congressional staffers and human rights experts.

How to Make Deals with Devils - In the End, Every President Talks to the Bad Guys Leslie H. Gelb

Financial Times The curious Syrian nuclear affair One US video show does not shine a light through the regional murk. But it should remind us there is too much dry tinder out there for anyone to be careless with matches

Reactor claim fuels Arab fears of strike The political storm in Washington over North Korea’s alleged assistance for a nuclear reactor in eastern Syria may be welcomed by Arab states that favour more intense international pressure on Damascus, but the Arab public will greet the claims with scepticism

Doubts raised over strength of US intelligence When the Central Intelligence Agency rolled out evidence to support allegations that North Korea had helped Syria build a nuclear reactor, officials said they had “low” confidence that Syria was developing the reactor to produce nuclear weapons

Blood Barrels By: Michael L. Ross | Foreign Affairs The world is far more peaceful today than it was 15 years ago. There were 17 major civil wars -- with "major" meaning the kind that kill more than a thousand people a year -- going on at the end of the Cold War; by 2006, there were just five.

Al Hayat Will the Middle East Go Up in Flames this Summer? Patrick Seale - These are dangerously unsettled times in the Middle East. There are so many bitter scores to settle, so much violent dissension, such implacable hatreds, that it would take only a spark to set the whole region alight. Or so it would seem. Many observers predict a hot and bloody summer.

Israel Spy Nest: Bigger Than We Thought

William Arkin Syria's Nuclear Weapon: What to Do

Cheney camp 'behind Syrian reactor claim'

Ha’aretz – Abbas: I failed in U.S., no progress in peace talks

IAEA slams U.S. for hiding intel on alleged Syrian reactor

Why Does Ahmadinejad Want Russian Troops in Iran? By: Amir Taheri | Asharq Alawsat
Why is the leadership in Tehran anxious to give Russia the right to land troops in Iran? The question is not fanciful. The Islamic Republic is conducting a devious campaign to prepare public opinion for that eventuality

Analysis: Petraeus on Iraq vs. Afghanistan (UPI) -- If Gen. David Petraeus is confirmed as commander of U.S. Central Command, his broader responsibilities may force him to reconsider his thinking about U.S. commitments in Iraq in order to properly resource the U.S. effort in Afghanistan, say some analysts and military observers.

Time Obama vs. Clinton = Shrinking Democrats (Cover Story)
How Obama and Clinton are diminishing each other and turning a big campaign into a small one

Guardian My Middle East dialogue David Abrahams: Jimmy Carter was right on Hamas. We mediators can take more risks than elected politicians

Yedioth Ahronoth Syria says has nothing to hide
CIA evidence regarding nuclear reactor is 'prefabricated, false and futile,' says Syrian envoy to UN, adding Damascus 'not afraid' of any IAEA investigation. Meanwhile President Bashar Assad slams US claims as 'illogical'

This story isn’t about Israel

Syrian nuke affair is about domestic US politics; Israel a supporting actor, Nahum Barnea writes

Debka Exclusive: Closest aide of Hamas hard-line Khaled Meshaal dies in suspicious "accident"

Analysis: Assad caught red-handed may now go for revenge

Mullen: We Have to Deal with Iran –

ElBaradei slams Israel for attacking Syrian nuclear reactor

Syria's Covert Nuclear Activities (White House)

Video: CIA Report on Syrian Nuclear Reactor (Washington Post)

Dennis Ross: Iran Could Be a Nuclear Power by 2009

Salon Skepticism Toward Bush Claims About Syria and North Korea by Glenn Greenwald

IHT Aux armes, citoyens!

By WILLIAM PFAFF The French Revolution was the event that changed the history of Western civilization.

Georgia steps up its diplomatic push for NATO membership Officials from the Caucasus country fear that Russia will do everything possible to destabilize it before NATO membership talks can begin in December.

The Slow Birth of a Nation By: Walter Mayr | Der Spiegel
Two months after Kosovo declared independence, thousands of foreign experts have descended on its capital to shape Europe's youngest republic into a constitutional state -- although its status is still disputed. Soon the EU will take over, and its team can expect a country ruled by corruption and organized crime

Trends and drivers of change in the EU energy sector: Scenarios
Source: Eurofound Full Report (PDF; 356 KB)

China Shows Interest in Iran-Pakistan-India Gas Pipeline Project

Syria: Fighting for the Status Quo
World Politics Review

Dan Drezner The world is in deep, deep trouble

Time Why China's Burning Mad A virulent nationalism sweeps the country as Chinese feel slighted--by foreign media, pro-Tibet protesters, even France. Is this any way to welcome the world to the Olympics?

How to End the Global Food Shortage (Power Of One)
The world saw it coming but did little. Now the global food shortage has become a crisis. Here's how to end it

'It's Almost Like They Formed An Axis or Something' by Eli Lake

Wall Street Journal Russia's Pre-Olympic Nightmare
By Garry Kasparov
Will we have to wait for the 2014 winter games before somebody pays attention to us

H2 Taburu basmaya gelen PKK'lılara anında sert yanıt

EDM TURKEY LOOKS TO ENGAGEMENT RATHER THAN CONFRONTATION WITH IRAQI KURDS

Türk jetleri Zap ve Metina’yı vurdu

EurasiaNet TURKISH-AMERICANS TAKING STEPS TO BUILD THEIR INFLUENCE IN WASHINGTON

ISRAEL: Turkey mediates possible Syria deal

Turkey vying to be energy hub, but how?

Ezilen bayrak Ermeni utancı

Turkish PM due in Damascus Aljazeera.net

Turkey bans foreigners from buying land—at least for now

UNHCR deplores Turkey's deadly refugee expulsions

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

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

‘MİT Müsteşarı, Barzani ile görüştü’ iddiası

Cudi’de operasyon: 1 binbaşı, 1 er şehit

Iraqi Kurds welcome MGK decision giving go-ahead for dialogue

2 Turkish soldiers killed in clash with Kurdish rebels

Cudi'de şehit sayısı 3'e çıktı

Cevdet Aşkın MGK'dan Barzani'ye vize, Öcalan'dan AKP'ye son çağrı

Cengiz Çandar Ham Hayaller; Somut Gerçekler...

Sami Kohen Şartlar şimdi daha müsait, ama...

İlter Türkmen Ortadoğu’nun bitip tükenmeyen krizleri

Golan’a Hatay modeli önerisi

Erdoğan�a Golan mektubu

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

Sarkozy ve Türkiye

Sarkozy'nin anayasa değişikliği planı ve Türkiye'nin AB üyeliği

Türkiye'nin üyeliği referanduma gider

Güven Sak İstikrarın yolu AB sürecinin yeniden keşfinden geçer

Abdülhamit Bilici The EU has mistakes, too

Sadi Somuncuoğlu Türkiye Avrupa Parlamentosu'nun düşmanı mı?

Referandum Türkiye için

Klaus Jurgens Austrian foreign policy at a crossroads

AB’nin AKP davasıyla ilgili tutumu ’garip’

US congresspersons deny claims of backing AK Party closure

Türkiye-Ermenistan ilişkileri için umut var -

Annan sadece referans

Turkey Slams Argentina in Genocide Row

Armenia's 'Christian holocaust'
Jerusalem Post

'Türk firmalar yatırım yapsın'

Hedo Okur Tuncay Nihat Altintop

3. 'Ben üstünüm çünkü Türk'üm

Dağlıca davası artık gizli değil

Tuncel: Yasin'i Muhsin başkanla görüşeceğim

'Jandarmanın gelmesi yeterli'

Seismologists: Moderate earthquake shakes Turkey

US targets China, Russia, 7 other nations on copyrights

Akin Film Big Winner At German Awards

Yalçındağ: Öncelik doğurganlık değil TÜSİAD: Tablo vahimleşebilir riskler yeterince algılanmıyor

Askerlerin maaşlarını ödeyecek iki yeni banka

Bırakın komedyenler birbirlerini yesinler

Musevi mezarlığına gecekondu talanı...

'Küresel alanda medyada yatırıma devam edeceğiz'

Serdar Turgut
İyi yazar olmak

H3 Yasaklarla Türkiye bir yere varamaz

Kılıç’tan ‘köşeli’ mesajlar

Anlayana önemli mesajlar

Toplumdaki korku göz ardı edilemez

Hukuk dışılık bizi batırır

Yargıç yasaların dışında bir misyon üstlenemez

Herkese Kılıç çekti

Haşim Kılıç’tan 5 kritik mesaj

Top judge urges stronger democracy

Erdoğan, Bahçeli'ye yeşil ışık yaktı

Cumhurbaşkanı atadığı kişilerce yargılanamaz

Taksim inadı

MHP’nin oyununa geldik

CHP’liler bugün sandık basında

CHP’de Umut Oran’ın en büyük avantajı

Gül: Katar Emiri ile Çalık’ı ben tanıştırdım

Aydınlardan ‘ayaklar’a tepki

Milliyet Son Dakika

Cengiz Çandar Ham Hayaller; Somut Gerçekler...

Ahmet Taşgetiren Kim bunlar?

Ruşen - Çakır

Taha Akyol Hukukçu böyle konuşur

Fikret Bila Vahit Erdem’in özeleştirisi

Hasan Cemal Anayasa Mahkemesi Başkanı’nın güzel konuşması üzerine...

Murat Yetkin

İsmet Berkan

Fehmi Koru Ellerimiz havada

Taha Kıvanç Son pişmanlık fayda etmez

Şamil Tayyar

Ali Bayramoğlu İstanbul'da bir savcı, Gladyo, Ergenekon…

Yasemin Çongar

Ertuğrul Özkök Sınır tanımayan gazeteciler

Serdar Turgut CHP kurultayı

Kurultay vakti

CHP kurultayı partiye yeni bir atılım için yön verebilecek mi?

Ahmet Hakan

M Ali BirandŞampiyonluk şart değil GS yensin, yeter… BAYKAL, CHP’YE İNCE AYAR YAPAMAZSA

Cüneyt Ülsever

Yalçın Doğan Bugün bir kurultay varmış

Enis BerberoğluEbced hesabıyla 14 Mart

Oktay EkşiKılıç’ın ilk konuşması

Özdemir İnce Sarkozy düzeninin iflası

Yalçın Bayer Fetvacılar neden susuyorsunuz!..

Tufan Türenç İktidarlar bir gün gelir sona erer

Mehmet Y Yılmaz’Yarı resmi gazete’ yöneticileri kızdılar!

MUHARREM SARIKAYA

ERDAL ŞAFAKKadro mu, vizyon mu?

ENGİN ARDIÇ Angara'da Anayasso

ERGUN BABAHAN Yüksek yargıdan asıl beklentimiz

EMRE AKÖZ Kaçan '1 Mayıs' fırsatı

Umur Talu

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

Muhalefet mi, seçenek mi?

NAZLI ILICAK Söz ola kese savaşı...

MEHMET BARLAS Hayata her gün alfabeden başlamanın dayanılmaz ağırlığı

MAHMUT ÖVÜR CHP il başkanları 9 saat ne konuştu?

YAVUZ DONAT "Adana, Paris, Kayseri, Konya" hattı

Esas kavga PM’de

Erdem: Hep aynı isimler bakan oluyor

Türbanda MHP’nin oyununa geldiniz

Bakan Şimşek ne demek istedi?

Cengiz Aktar

Necati Doğru

CHP’de muhalifler de birbirine girdi

Canınızı sıkmayın parti kapatılamaz

İşçilerin ‘1 Mayıs birliği’ çatırdadı

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

Ercan Kumcu

Turkey to decide on new roadmap with IMF in August

Erdal Sağlam IMF gitti, işsizin parası harcanmaya başlandı

Türkiye'de ekonominin merkezinde siyaset var

Hacer GEMİCİ Elektrik yasası için 'lobi savaşları' başladı

MELİHA OKUR Egemenlik Güç Fonları!

Türkiye'ye kredi akıyor

Ege Cansen Pul parası kurban parası

Türk Ekonomisi Küresel Krizleri Nasıl Atlatır?

IMF ekonomisti Ayhan Köse, son ekonomik gelişmeleri Türkiye açısından değerlendirdi

Joint Chiefs Chairman Assails Iran’s Role in Iraq

Shiite Cleric Tells Followers to End Fighting and Unite Iraqis

White House Had Extensive Discussions with Israel Before Airstrike on Syrian Reactor

In Zimbabwe, Raid on Opposition Party and Election Monitors

H5 Washington Post U.S. Weighing Readiness for Military Action Against Iran

Sadr Extends Cease-Fire, Clarifies 'Open War' Threat

Party Fears Racial Divide Attacks Could Do Lasting Harm, Democrats Say

U.S. Scrambles to Address International Food Crisis The Bush administration and Congress have been caught flat-footed by rapidly escalating global food prices and are scrambling to respond to a crisis that they increasingly view as a threat to U.S. national security, according to government officials, congressional staffers and human rights experts.

How to Make Deals with Devils - In the End, Every President Talks to the Bad Guys Leslie H. Gelb

The Games Oil Prices Play

What Are They Up To Now? By Dan Froomkin President

Osama the Dread: What communists and Islamists have in common.

Yielding To N. Korea Too Often By Winston Lord and Leslie H. Gelb The Bush administration gives plausible reasons for a bad nuclear deal with North Korea.

Accusing N. Korea May Stall Nuclear Pact Both Nations Cite Progress, but Allegations About Aid to Syria Chill Lawmakers

Mugabe Opponents Seized in Police Raid

China to Meet With Dalai Lama's Emissary

H6 Guardian My Middle East dialogue David Abrahams: Jimmy Carter was right on Hamas. We mediators can take more risks than elected politicians

Who couldn't pity our poor, useless, chiselling bankers? Marina Hyde: The hardest part of the credit crisis is being told to see the former masters of the universe as victims, not low-level persecutors

Speak for England, Gordon, and stop all this flag-waving Martin Kettle: If the prime minister thinks this kind of identity promotion will create a cohesive society, he is deluding himself

IAEA to probe Syria nuclear reactor claim

Watchdog attacks US for withholding evidence and also criticises Israel for bombing alleged plant

Evidence-based bombing

Scott Ritter By publishing intelligence on a possible Syrian nuclear facility, the US has endorsed after the fact Israel's illegal use of force in attacking

The Petraeus effect Stephen Kinzer: By signalling an aggressive posture by the US toward Iran, the promotion of George Bush's favourite general is a dangerous miscalculation

Putting names to places

Sasha Abramsky US elections 2008: To break the stalemate, Clinton and Obama should start saying who they want in their White House

Time for a change Michael Tomasky US elections 2008: Barack Obama's campaign needs to refresh its message and energy to get back on track

How Big Oil got bigger - and befuddled the pundits

Let's Get to Work By: U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon |
It kills a million people each year. Yet malaria is both preventable and treatable. That's why I believe we can end malaria deaths in Africa by 2010

When low prices come at a cost

Leader: Higher prices may sometimes be justified, but a conspiracy of producers against the public is always the wrong way to bring them about

Jihadis get short shrift as US minds its language Bush administration directs employees to rephrase the way they refer to America's enemies

Chinese agree to meet Dalai Lama envoys Tibetan leader's aide says dialogue with Chinese government is a 'positive step'

Moonies founder's son to lead church Harvard-educated son takes over in what is seen as an attempt to widen controversial organisation's appeal

H7 Cheney camp 'behind Syrian reactor claim'

Why Does Ahmadinejad Want Russian Troops in Iran? By: Amir Taheri | Asharq Alawsat
Why is the leadership in Tehran anxious to give Russia the right to land troops in Iran? The question is not fanciful. The Islamic Republic is conducting a devious campaign to prepare public opinion for that eventuality

Analysis: Petraeus on Iraq vs. Afghanistan
(UPI) -- If Gen. David Petraeus is confirmed as commander of U.S. Central Command, his broader responsibilities may force him to reconsider his thinking about U.S. commitments in Iraq in order to properly resource the U.S. effort in Afghanistan, say some analysts and military observers.

Food Riots Expose Danger of Ignoring Agriculture in 'Development' Strategies By: Michelle Sieff | World Politics Review According to the major multilateral institutions there are several causes of recent food price inflation, including droughts, the Western push to use biofuels made from corn to reduce dependence on fossil fuels, and increased demand for meat and dairy products from richer Asian countries

Chicago Tribune Syria's Nuclear End Run - Editorial

Reinventing Energy By: Jeffrey D. Sachs | The Moscow Times
The world economy is being battered by sharply higher energy prices. While Russia and OPEC countries are reaping huge profits, the rest of the world is suffering as the price of oil has topped $110 per barrel and that of coal has doubled

The Second Draft of History By: Larry Di Rita | National Review
To date, the literary chronicles of the Bush administration, and the Iraq war in particular, have been chock full of “if they’d only listened to me” assertions by midlevel, often anonymous sources -- heavy on anecdote and assertion and light on documentary evidence and analysis.

Al Hayat The Crises of Lebanon and Iraq in Kuwait Randa Takieddine - There are those who believe that time is on the side of the parliamentary majority in Lebanon, and not Syria. However, others in France believe that the allies of Iran and Syria in Lebanon will benefit from the vacuum over the long term, and that the Lebanese state is gradually fading away.

The Virtual Race between Negotiation Tracks… and Lebanon
Dar Al-Hayat

Persian Gulf: A new article from the journal strategy + business says Middle Eastern oil states, particularly in the Persian Gulf, are investing the proceeds of the recent oil boom more cleverly than they did the last time they reaped such windfalls.

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

Mullen: We Have to Deal with Iran –

ElBaradei slams Israel for attacking Syrian nuclear reactor

Syria's Covert Nuclear Activities (White House)

Video: CIA Report on Syrian Nuclear Reactor (Washington Post)

Dennis Ross: Iran Could Be a Nuclear Power by 2009

Pentagon Reports on Iraq's Military Are Suspect, Audit Says

Iraq PM Sets Conditions to End Crackdown

Report: US Found Date-Stamped Iranian Weapons in Iraq

Iraq militias 'recruit child bombers' Insurgent groups in Iraq are recruiting children for suicide attacks, according to a senior UN official.

Doubts about Iraqi forces

Iraq violence in figures

Syria 'had covert nuclear scheme' The US accuses North Korea of helping Syria build a nuclear reactor "not intended for peaceful purposes".

UN probes US Syria reactor claim The UN's nuclear agency is to investigate US claims that Syria was building a secret nuclear reactor.

Diplomatic puzzle
Questions remain after US claims of a Syrian nuclear programme

'Not yet ready'
Doubts surround Iraq's forces after offensive in Baghdad and Basra

Iraq's Unemployed Despair About the Future

Ethiopian Troops Accused of Mosque Killings By: Xan Rice | The Guardian
Ethiopian troops were accused yesterday of slitting the throats of seven Somali men during a raid on a Mogadishu mosque that left 21 people dead, including the imam.

Iraqi Official Al-Rubay'I Praises Saudi Anti-Terrorism Ties, Condemns Syrian, Iranian Moves

H9 Ha’aretz – Abbas: I failed in U.S., no progress in peace talks

IAEA slams U.S. for hiding intel on alleged Syrian reactor

Yossi Sarid: If it runs like apartheid and acts like apartheid... There is no hint of similarity between South Africa and Israel, and only a sick mind could draw such shadowy connections between them; stilll, it is entirely clear why the word apartheid terrifies us so.

The Motives of the FBI - Yoel Marcus

Less 'Jewish genius,' more common sense

Eldar Four sides, one shelf Before Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signs away the entire Golan Heights, he would do well to think about Jerusalem.

U.S.: Syrian reactor was almost complete

'One day they told me I'm no longer Jewish'

Jerusalem PostElBaradei slams Israel for Syria attack

Says strike on alleged nuclear reactor undermines "due process" vital to stopping proliferation.

Stopping Iran [ DAVID HOROVITZ

Yedioth Ahronoth Syria says has nothing to hide
CIA evidence regarding nuclear reactor is 'prefabricated, false and futile,' says Syrian envoy to UN, adding Damascus 'not afraid' of any IAEA investigation. Meanwhile President Bashar Assad slams US claims as 'illogical'

This story isn’t about Israel

Syrian nuke affair is about domestic US politics; Israel a supporting actor, Nahum Barnea writes

Le Pen: Auschwitz gas chambers a lie

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

Debka Exclusive: Closest aide of Hamas hard-line Khaled Meshaal dies in suspicious "accident"

Analysis: Assad caught red-handed may now go for revenge

Sixty Years of Determined Survival By: Uri Dromi | Miami Herald
Israel is celebrating its 60th anniversary, and this creates some fuss in the world media. Having just passed this age myself, I can say that this is a good age to fondly reflect on your past achievements, while still having a lot of plans in store for the future

Israel Spy Nest: Bigger Than We Thought

Israeli Officials Slam US for Syria Comments

Israel rejects Hamas cease-fire offer as humanitarian crisis deepens in Gaza Israel says offer is a bid to buy time. The UN said it ran out of fuel to distribute aid.

Abbas: Bush Mid- east talks a failure Palestinian pres. rues no progress, returns home with little to show for visit

Israel's Peres "Doubts" Syria's Al-Asad Wants Peace

Peres: The Golan Must Not Be Given to the Iranians

H10 Christian Science Monitor

ASIA

Time The Best of Asia
Asia is a constellation of rich experiences, unforgettable places and cultural quirks. Every year, we choose the brightest stars and share them with you. Whether you seek diversions for Mind, Body or Soul you'll find them here

YaleGlobal China Ascendant – Part I

CFE Treaty: Prospects for Asia Reinvigoration, Expansion By: Eric Hundman | Center for Defense Information
As concern about Russia-China relations grows, one possible mechanism to reduce conflict potential is a conventional arms limitation treaty.

Taliban bitten by a snake in the grass

Over the past few months, attacks in Khyber Agency in Pakistan by the Taliban and their al-Qaeda associates on supplies destined for the Western coalition in Afghanistan have proved highly successful. Despite operating in unfamiliar and unfriendly territory, the Taliban managed to obtain a foothold through a tribal leader, seemingly outwitting US intelligence. Then things went horribly wrong, and the Khyber operation is in tatters. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

LA Times China's view of Tibet By Kishore Mahbubani Western leaders' grandstanding on Tibet ignores both history and the situation on the ground.

White House Revises N. Korea Nuke Deal By: Nicholas Kralev | The Washington Times The Bush administration is renegotiating a tentative deal with North Korea on a declaration of its nuclear activities to include better verification provisions, after the agreement upset some on Capitol Hill and even in the administration, officials said yesterday.

Playing games with North Korea

Pyongyang's promises to forsake future sales of nuclear technology must be vigilantly monitored and verified along with all of its nuclear activities.

Japan: Japan’s defense ministry is setting up a new panel (Yomiuri) that will have an influential role advising on Japanese defense policy

India: The Economist reports on a massive Indian irrigation project, the largest public works project in the world, which just got bigger.

Greg Sheridan / The Australian:

Esteem for US rises in Asia, thanks to Iraq war

North Korea's Role in U.S.-China Relations By: Tom Plate | The Japan Times
At "The Committee of 100's" most recent meeting, Chinese-American lobbyists reminded the U.S. that it was time to face the fact that no matter what, China will keep on rising

Pakistan's black revolution

Anne-Marie Slaughter

When Pervez Musharraf dismissed some of his country's most important judges, it was an army of lawyers that came to their aid

Weapons Wal-Mart By: James Jay Carafano | New York Post
The Bush administration seems to be playing a double game - trying to keep North Korea from proliferating weapon and missile technology, while at the same time negotiating in the Six-Party talks (among the US, North Korea and neighboring countries) to get Kim Jong-Il to give up his nuclear-weapons program

Report: US Lacks Pakistan Strategy

Back to the Hard Line on N. Korea By: Donald Kirk | Asia Times
The US White House's revelations on North Korea's apparent collaboration in building a nuclear reactor in Syria indicate a move by George W Bush administration hawks to hold Pyongyang to account, just when the State Department was poised to let the country off with a face-saving memorandum. Seoul will be pleased

H11 IHT Aux armes, citoyens!

By WILLIAM PFAFF The French Revolution was the event that changed the history of Western civilization.

Georgia steps up its diplomatic push for NATO membership Officials from the Caucasus country fear that Russia will do everything possible to destabilize it before NATO membership talks can begin in December.

DAWDLING ON DOHA

Trade agreement needed now

By ANGEL GURRÍA A new trade agreement would bring large and widespread economic gains

EUROPE European press review

The Slow Birth of a Nation By: Walter Mayr | Der Spiegel
Two months after Kosovo declared independence, thousands of foreign experts have descended on its capital to shape Europe's youngest republic into a constitutional state -- although its status is still disputed. Soon the EU will take over, and its team can expect a country ruled by corruption and organized crime

Trends and drivers of change in the EU energy sector: Scenarios
Source: Eurofound Full Report (PDF; 356 KB)

Sarkozy’s new modesty impresses, substance doesn’t

Analysis: Germans spy on Afghan minister -- Germany's top intelligence official may have to resign because his agency spied on an Afghan government official.

Italian right may conquer Rome for first time in six decades

Sixty-five years after the fall of Mussolini, the fascists are back at the gates of Rome. Leading the charge is Gianni Alemanno, a firebrand leader of Italy's neo-fascists, whose promise to get tough with illegal immigrants is threatening to knock the left out of city hall when Rome votes in the second round of the mayoral election this weekend.

H12 RFE/RL

Dispute Escalates Over Breakaway Regions Georgia's president says Russia "has crossed the line" in its dealings with Tbilisi and the breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Moscow is unapologetic.

Google News Azerbaijan

Russia Offers Georgia a Stick and a Carrot By: Pavel Felgenhauer | Eurasia Daily Monitor
Moscow's overall strategy seems to be aimed at changing Georgian pro-Western policies by a combination of pressure and offers of perks.

Russia adds media restrictions after report alleging Putin had affair...

Outside View: Overcoming nuclear legacy By BENNETT RAMBERG (UPI) -- The failure of Presidents Bush and Putin to move "beyond past strategic principles, which focused on the prospect of mutual annihilation" is unacceptable.

Armenia needs real, not symbolic, help

Armenia: Yerevan, Moscow Set Up Uranium Venture

Russia Ready to Use Military Force in Georgia

RUSSIA AND ITS ALLIES CONDUCT EURASIAN AIR DEFENSE DRILL

- CHERNOBYL DISASTER IS OFFICIALLY OVER

- KARIMOV, BAKIYEV REACT DIFFERENTLY TO NAZARBAYEV'S CENTRAL ASIA UNION

H13 The Times Bush's 'brain' attacks Obama's campaign Karl Rove, architect of Republican victories in the last two presidential elections, reveals the candidate's frailties

Obama and Clinton: the tripping points In the biggest democratic contest on Earth the smallest things may be decisive in the end

Ben Macintyre

Wall Street Journal Russia's Pre-Olympic Nightmare
By Garry Kasparov
Will we have to wait for the 2014 winter games before somebody pays attention to us?

H14 Financial Times The curious Syrian nuclear affair One US video show does not shine a light through the regional murk. But it should remind us there is too much dry tinder out there for anyone to be careless with matches

Reactor claim fuels Arab fears of strike The political storm in Washington over North Korea’s alleged assistance for a nuclear reactor in eastern Syria may be welcomed by Arab states that favour more intense international pressure on Damascus, but the Arab public will greet the claims with scepticism

Doubts raised over strength of US intelligence When the Central Intelligence Agency rolled out evidence to support allegations that North Korea had helped Syria build a nuclear reactor, officials said they had “low” confidence that Syria was developing the reactor to produce nuclear weapons

West Village to West Bank

Niall Ferguson on Tony Judt’s new collection of essays

Boost for Serbia’s bid to join EU

The prospects of Serbia taking its first steps towards membership this year have greatly improved after signs that Belgium and the Netherlands are softening their opposition

China and EU address trade issues

China has “recalculated” its approach to trade with Europe and is more committed to improving relations with its biggest export market than at any time in the last four years, according to Europe’s trade commissioner

German secret service rapped over Afghan spy claims Germany is taking disciplinary measures against several senior secret service agents following revelations that the BND foreign intelligence agency spied on an Afghan government minister and a German journalist

Olympics chief tells west not to hector China The west must stop hectoring China over human rights, the Olympics chief has warned, even as Beijing showed the first signs of bowing to international protests by saying it would hold talks with aides to the Dalai Lama

Democrat choice 'by end June'

The Democratic party's "superdelegates" have every right to overturn the popular vote and choose the candidate they believe would be best equipped to defeat John

Lunch with the FT: Mikheil Saakashvili Georgia’s president tells Gideon Rachman he wants a cultural transformation in his country – to change it from a Soviet mentality to a western one

Food or fuel? The policy choice becomes agonising The US and Europe could open their markets to more ethanol from Brazil, where the impact on agriculture could be small, writes Ed Crooks

Gideon Rachman’s blog Sarkozy at bay: In last night’s television interview, Sarko’s line on China and the Olympic torch protests in Paris seemed both brave and slightly delusional

H15 Los Angeles Times Iran said to be arming militants The chairman of Joint Chiefs says Tehran is sending more arms into Iraq despite its vow to stop

Muqtada Sadr says Iraq truce still stands The Shiite cleric urges his followers not to fight Iraqi troops and says his threat of war is aimed only at U.S.-led forces

U.S. offers evidence of North Korea-Syria nuclear plant

The disclosure to Congress, aimed at pressuring those countries as well as Iran, is greeted with skepticism by some experts and foreign officials

China's view of Tibet

By Kishore Mahbubani Western leaders' grandstanding on Tibet ignores both history and the situation on the ground.

The IMF's dwindling fortunes

Pride comes before a tumble

Joel Stein How the Web has given rise to a system for classifying the complexity of thoughts.

H16 American Politics

Gallup Daily: Obama and Clinton Tied at 48% to 47%

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

National Journal Online:

Q&A: David Plouffe — Obama's Manager Discusses Clinton's Negatives & The Delegate Race

Bill Clinton Seizes Bigger Role in Campaign

Bill Clinton is pulling out all the stops for Hillary Clinton's comeback. His relentless approach to battling Barack Obama is becoming key to Hillary's newfound momentum. But the New York senator still faces long odds in her quest to overtake Sen. Obama on the road to the Democratic nomination.

Can Obama really end the war?

Clyburn Warns Democratic Party The Trail | S.C. representative warns of potential rift between African Americans and Clinton

From Taki's Top Drawer, a look at why nationalism is what we need now: The case for an “unpatriotic conservatism”;

H17 Daily Telegraph The bomber's moral disconnect Sam Leith has found nothing this week so hypnotic and perplexing as the footage shown at the trial of the four suspects linked to the July 7 bombings.

Berlusconi's wife: Italy must split up

Silvio Berlusconi's wife has added her voice to growing calls for Italy to be partitioned.

Spotlight still on Barack Obama's pastor

Barack Obama's efforts to shift attention away from his controversial former pastor suffered a setback after a new interview

Sunday Times Rich List 2008 revealed

H18 Independent UN targets US over delay in Syrian nuclear evidence The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog has reacted with fury at the United States' delay in passing on intelligence, after Washington accused North Korea of helping Syria to build secretly a nuclear reactor.

Leading article: Intelligence or propaganda?

UK troops to hand control of Helmand 'hot spots' to Afghan army

British troops in southern Afghanistan could hand control of key areas to Afghan forces within months

H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism

Political Maneuver in Counterinsurgency

NATO's Counterinsurgency Doctrine - Kip, Abu Muqawama

Classic COIN Counter-attack - Tom Barnett, Thomas PM Barnett

Ground Forces Win Post-wars - Tom Barnett, Thomas PM Barnett

Major U.S. Arms Sales and Grants to Pakistan Since 2001 (updated April 23, 2008) (PDF; 38 KB)
Source: Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists)

Dogs of War: Cost-effective: Myth or fact?
By DAVID ISENBERG
WASHINGTON, April 25 (UPI) -- If you've heard it once, you've heard it countless times: Governments and corporations turn to private military contractors because it is more cost-effective than using regular military forces. But is it true?

H20 Slate Three Reasons To BelieveThe best cases for why Clinton and Obama are electable.
John Dickerson

The Final Showdown? Two new polls show Obama with a slim lead in Indiana.

The Hillary Deathwatch

Clinton will need better numbers in Indiana to prove she can survive.

Standard Operating Procedure

Errol Morris' documentary about the Abu Ghraib torture photographs.

PAPER: Gore Ducks, as Backlash Builds Against Biofuels...

Summary Estimates for Multinational Companies: Employment, Sales, and Capital Expenditures for 2006
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis Worldwide employment by U.S. multinational companies (MNCs) increased 3.3 percent in 2006, to 31.3 million workers, following a 1.4-percent increase in 2005. Employment in the United States by U.S. parent companies increased 2.7 percent, to 21.9 million workers, following a 0.8-percent increase. The employment by U.S. parents accounted for almost one-fifth of total U.S. employment in private industries. Employment abroad by the majority-owned foreign affiliates of U.S. MNCs increased 4.7 percent, to 9.4 million workers, following a 3.0-percent increase. Worldwide capital expenditures by U.S. MNCs increased 17.8 percent in 2006, to $547.6 billion, following an increase of 7.2 percent in 2005. Capital expenditures in the United States by U.S. parents increased 16.5 percent, to $394.2 billion, following an increase of 9.0 percent. Capital expenditures abroad by majority-owned foreign affiliates increased 21.3 percent, to $153.4 billion, following a 2.4-percent increase.

Sales by U.S. parent companies increased 7.5 percent in 2006, to $8,283.7 billion, following a 9.1-percent increase in 2005. Sales by majority-owned foreign affiliates increased 10.3 percent, to $4,113.9 billion, following a 12.6-percent increase

Data Governance - Managing Information As An Enterprise Asset: Part I - An Introduction (PDF; 319 KB)
Source: National Association of State Chief Executive Officers (NASCIO)

World: Seeking Food Security In An Uncertain World
BY BREFFNI O'ROURKE
Starting in the 1960s, environmentalists warned that the world was about to run out of food as populations grew and agricultural land was exhausted. The future arrived more quickly than anyone expecte

H21 More mortal than some Christopher Caldwell on lifespan inequality

Scanning world's every book means turning many, many pages

Could gene test spot a new Ronaldo? Sports scientist says at least one football club has looked at using genetic screening to spot talent

Here's a reconsideration of Richard Dawkins and his selfish meme

The Dawkins rap

He's smarter than you, he's got a science degree

Photo exhibit shows Paris under Nazi occupation, minus the misery

Why Work? Business, Professions and the Common Good

The political psyche: What makes politicians behave the way they do?

From The New Yorker, what can tribal societies tell us about our need to get even? Jared Diamond wants to know.

NY TIMES NEWSROOM 'BRACING FOR BLOODBATH'; FIRST-EVER MASS FIRING OF JOURNALISTS...

From Intelligent Life, an article on the rise and fall of The Beeb

If America declines, don't expect anyone to talk about it: An excerpt from Kevin Phillips' Bad Money (and more and more).

An atheist church? “The last thing atheists want to see is their rational set of ideas yoked up with the trappings of a religion,” says Daniel Dennett... more»

Black inequality no longer simply a matter of discrimination. It begins by placing blacks into more or less favored statuses in childhood, sorting them by class and gender... more»

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