070208f - 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 IHT Unconventional wisdom about Russia By HENRY A. KISSINGER A new phase of Russian politics is under way. Washington would be wise to give Moscow some space

Does America Need a Wartime President? - Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek

Washington Post Spy Games in Iran U.S. Half Steps Mask Indecisive Policy By David Ignatius, U.S. spy games in Iran may look plausible on paper, but they mask a broader failure.

U.S. Embassy Cites Progress in Iraq Most Congressionally Set Benchmarks Met, Report Finds

Iran Appears to Warm to Diplomacy

U.S. Deaths Rise in Afghanistan

June Is Deadliest Month for Troops as Country Sees Taliban Resurgence

Air Force Finds Lax Nuclear Security Most overseas storage sites for U.S. nuclear weapons, particularly in Europe, need substantial improvements in physical security measures and the personnel who guard the weapons, according to a newly available Air Force report.

Sunni Bloc to Rejoin Government

Boycott Would End With Assignment of Iraqi Cabinet Posts

Financial Times Iran says offer is acceptable ‘in principle’ Tehran could resume nuclear negotiations on the offer put to it by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, suggests an adviser to its top leader

Iraq’s Sunni edge closer to reconciliation The leaders of the political bloc, which is on the verge of rejoining the Shia-lead government after a year-long boycott, say enough has been done to address their demands

Obama camp signals robust approach on Iran The prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran is the biggest threat facing the world, according to one of Barack Obama’s senior foreign policy advisers

Lessons to be learnt from the financial crisis The aim of this year’s report by the Bank for International Settlements is clear: it is to reduce the frequency and severity of crises. It is not enough to say that we can clear up afterwards. That is too complacent and too one-sided, writes.Martin Wolf

Europe is failing to restore idealism An impression across Europe – not least among the young – is that the EU is in danger of offering pseudo-democracy, writes Larry Siedentop

MESH What will Iran do, if hit?

CRS “Iran’s Nuclear Program: Status,” June 23, 2008.

CRS “Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA): What Is It, and How Might One Be Utilized In Iraq?,” June 16, 2008.

Los Angeles Times U.S. spy satellites set sights on Iraqi army, officials reveal The U.S. has been caught off guard by recent Iraqi military operations. The surveillance reflects breakdowns in trust between the two forces

Iraq legislators seek to fine-tune a bill

The lawmakers postpone their summer break in hope of finalizing legislation on provincial elections scheduled for October

Iran remarks point to split in leadership

Ali Akbar Velayati warns against 'provocative' statements on the nuclear dispute, apparently in reference to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his loyalists

IRAN QUIETLY SUPPORTED A PARTITIONING OF IRAQ
EurasiaNet

Christian Science Monitor

The alternative to an Israeli attack on Iran Serious diplomacy, not military action, will bring regional security. By Shlomo Ben-Ami and Trita Parsi

Reality check on Middle East talks Motivation is there, but peace will take time.

Will the U.S. open an office in Iran? Secretary Rice has floated the idea of an interests-section office – a step down from an embassy.

Changing Values among Western Publics from 1970 to 2006 Source: World Values Survey Full Document (PDF; 637 KB) See also: Inglehart-Welzel Cultural Map of the World

The Return of Thomas Malthus - Robert Kaplan, The Atlantic

Obama Win Offers Brand America a Global Lift By: Frederick Kempe | Bloomberg The U.S. would profit globally from a failed Obama presidency more than it would from a successful McCain presidency.

IHT Global security and propaganda By DMITRY ROGOZIN Where is the alleged Russian aggressiveness?

Wrong on Russia By STEPHEN F. COHEN U.S.-Russian relations are worse today than they have been in 20 years.

From Ethics and International Affairs, Allen Buchanan (Duke) and Robert O. Keohane (Princeton): The Legitimacy of Global Governance Institutions.

The Master and Medvedev By: Jeffrey Tayler | The Atlantic The instatement of the Medvedev-Putin duo opens an era potentially fraught with danger. Not only does any form of power-sharing run counter to the currents of Russian history, but Medvedev’s electoral victory followed nasty factional struggles among those passed over by Putin—struggles that could still bear bitter fruit.

Al Qaeda's Plan B By: Amir Taheri | New York Post Middle East analysts think that a new book by Al Qaeda's chief theoritician may indicate a major change of strategy by the disparate groups that use al Qaeda as a brand name

Israel-Iran: Attack or Feint By: Dominic Moran | ISN Security Watch In the wake of a major Israeli military exercise earlier this month, speculation is growing that the recurrent failure of diplomatic efforts is fostering a deterioration that may lead to a US or Israeli strike on Iranian nuclear facilities

From Commentary, an article on why Iraq was inevitable.

From World Affairs, Peter Beinart on The Other Wilsonianism (and more on the state of patriotism).

Lobe Does Iran Have Bush Over a Barrel?

Guardian Obama's shuffle to the right suggests this man is ruthless enough to win Jonathan Freedland: His U-turns may trouble Democrats, but they are the mark of a man who is determined not to be another principled loser

Poland threatens Lisbon treaty rescue Czech Republic stalls treaty in supreme court and Polish President suspends ratification

The Times The Lisbon treaty: Sarkozy's next move With the rejection of the treaty; France must rethink its EU presidency

Al-Qaeda finds three safe havens for training Western intelligence sources say Osama bin Laden's terrorist organisation is regrouping in Pakistan, Somalia and Algeria

FT Medvedev must act in BP row

Russia’s president should deliver on law-and-order pledge. If he does not, the country’s reputation with foreign investors will suffer

Israel divides but does not define Jewish vote As Barack Obama and John McCain pursue a variety of ethnic and religious constituencies in their campaigns, the lesson of previous elections is that, if it ever existed, there is no longer a “Jewish vote” that responds automatically to unswerving and uncritical support for Israel

H2 Guardian Democracy and the law Editorial: The Turkish legal system is becoming a more and more hazardous battleground for the country's ruling Justice and Development party (AKP) and its secular opponents

The Times Turkey's past is ruining hopes of a liberal future by Bronwen Maddox

Analysis: battle for Turkey's soul reaches climax Turkey is still struggling to reconcile a growth in moderate Islam with the strictly secularist nature of the republic

Guardian Turkish court hears attempt to ban AKP Police arrest 24 people suspected of acting in a secular-nationalist cabal to overthrow government

FT FRONT PAGE - FIRST SECTION: Coup inquiry arrests add to fears over Turkey's long-term stability

WORLD NEWS: Cyprus leaders to start talks on peace settlement Greek and Turkish Cypriot leaders appear to have resolved a deadlock on questions of sovereignty and citizenship after hours of discussions held under UN auspices

Independent Turkish generals held over plot to kill Nobel laureate Turkish police have arrested two retired top generals they believe were members of a state-backed gang suspected of a slew of high-profile killings and a plot to murder the Nobel Prize-winning novelist Orhan Pamuk.

Dünya basınından Ergenekon başlıkları...

ABD Dışişleri'den "Ergenekon" yorumu

Fransa'dan sert başlangıç

"Dava Türkiye'yi AB'den uzaklaştırıyor"

TURKISH POLICE DETAIN SENIOR RETIRED GENERALS Eurasia Daily Monitor

Turkey widens coup probe, AK Party court case starts Reuters

Turkey seizes 21 as plotters
International Herald Tribune

'Plotters' seized as tension mounts in Turkey CNN International

Turkey Arrests Ex-Generals for Links With Alleged Coup-Plotters
Bloomberg

DT Turkey's ruling AKP party faces ban

The Times Turkish court told to disband 'Islamist' party

Turkey's chief prosecutor tells the nation's highest court to outlaw the governing party for alleged Islamist activity

21 detained in Turkish coup inquiry

Turkish authorities detained the ultra-nationalists, including two retired generals, as part of investigation into suspected coup

The National Turkey Arrests Leader's Critics

SETA Turkey and Northern Iraq on the Course of Rapprochement A 9-page Turkish policy brief tracing recent developments in Turkish policy towards Northern Iraq Aylin S. Gorener

Turkey's Ruling Party on Trial
The Media Line

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

New strategy needed in struggle against PKK, says Güzelgöz

SETA Turkey and Northern Iraq on the Course of Rapprochement A 9-page Turkish policy brief tracing recent developments in Turkish policy towards Northern Iraq Aylin S. Gorener

[Yorum - M. Naci Bostancı] Kürtçe kanal ne yapmalı?

Cevdet Aşkın

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

Russian foreign minister visits Turkey to talk bilateral issues, Iran

Türkiye İçin Zorlu Altı Ay

Profesör Beril Dedeoğlu,

'Türk işgaline karşı birlikteyiz'

Hedo Okur Tuncay Nihat Altintop

Guardian Istanbul to Aleppo by train

In the first part of her overland journey into the Middle East, Vicky Frost boards the Toros Express in Istanbul bound for Aleppo

H3 Tsunami gibi

4 yıldızlı gözaltı

Ergenekon'da büyük gözaltı

Başbuğ'dan Ergenekon açıklaması

Ergenekon'da Sarıkız operasyonu

Gözaltı emri niye iki gün bekletildi

1. 5 ile giden 5 sarı zarf aynı anda açıldı

Erdoğan gözaltıları Başbuğ’a söylemiş olmalı

‘Sarıkız’ da iddianameye girecek mi?

Ergenekon terör örgütünün beş dalgası

Dokuz gizemli telefonun sırrını O biliyor

Oğlumun CD’lerini bile götürmüşler

Anayasa Mahkemesi'nden kapatmaya karşı özgürlükçü yorum

Başsavcı: AKP şeriat istiyor

Yargıtay Başsavcısı Abdurrahman Yalçınkaya, son sözünü söyledi: AKP açık ve yakın bir tehlike

Paşa'ın ofisinde gizli belge

• Ordu biliyor muydu?

• Operasyona kim ne dedi?

• Aygün iddialara ne dedi?

• Tutuklu 5 gazeteci

• Şimdi sıra kimde korkusu

• Tuvalete gizlenen Glock!

• Senaryoları boşa çıkacak

• Ve iddianame geliyor

• Paşalar İstanbul'a getirildi

• Nazlı Ilıcak'a canlı tehdit

OPERASYONUN HEDEFİNDE HANGİ ESKİ GENELKURMAY BAŞKANI VAR?

Tarafsız Bölge'de Ergenekon soruşturması tartışıldı

9. Taraf'ın köstebeği asteğmen çıktı!

AKP ve DTP umutlandı

Mahkeme, AKP ve DTP davalarına ışık tutacak kararını açıkladı

Paşalar nerede yargılanacak?

Hukukcular, askerlerin hangi mahkemede yargılanacağını değerlendirdi

Talimatı ben vermedim

Başsavcı: Operasyonları önceden biliyordum, ama izni ben vermedim...

Son Dakika Milliyet Hürriyet Zaman

Cengiz Çandar Türkiye'de Ergenekon ile uyanmak

Ahmet Taşgetiren Kapatma davası ve milletin eğilimi

Ruşen - Çakır

Taha Akyol Yargıda dönüm noktası

Fikret Bila Hukuk ile siyaset arasındaki mesafe

Hasan Cemal Aklınızı ekmek peynirle yediyseniz, AKP’yi kapatın!

Murat Yetkin

İsmet Berkan ‘Büyük’ Ergenekon!

Bilal Çetin Çete temizliği mi, muhalefeti sindirme harekatı mı?

Fehmi Koru

Taha Kıvanç

Şamil Tayyar

Ali Bayramoğlu Dokunulan orgeneraller, ve miladın üç boyutu…

Yasemin Çongar

Ertuğrul Özkök

Ahmet Hakan Başıma bir şey gelmeyecekse

M Ali Birand Hesaplaşma günleri yaşanıyor

Cüneyt Ülsever Manzara-i umumiye

AKP davası ve Ergenekon
AVNİ ÖZGÜREL

Enis Berberoğlu

Oktay Ekşi

Özdemir İnce

Mehmet Y Yılmaz

Nuray Başaran Dokunulabilir demokrasi

Can Dündar Heryerekon soruşturması

Okay Gönensin

Darbeye darbe mi?

Güngör Mengi

Kasvetli bir gün...

MUHARREM SARIKAYA

ERDAL ŞAFAK

ENGİN ARDIÇ

ERGUN BABAHAN

EMRE AKÖZ

Umur Talu

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

NAZLI ILICAK

MEHMET BARLAS

MAHMUT ÖVÜR

YAVUZ DONAT

'B..k çuvallarında boğulacaklar'

Ekonomi

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

Ercan Kumcu

Erdal Sağlam

Turkish Lira, Stocks Slide After Alleged Coup Arrests (Update1)

H4 New York Times Softer Tone From Iran Has Experts Guessing

MAUREEN DOWD The Wrong Stuff Maybe instead of refighting the Vietnam War the candidates can catch that bin Laden fiend who’s running around free.

China’s Inside Game By APRIL RABKIN In Beijing, the Olympic Games are primarily for domestic consumption, justifying the government’s new global power to its own people.

The Full Measure of Bush's Legacy

By CHRIS SUELLENTROP The Bush legacy is more far-reaching than has been acknowledged

Editorial Not Winning the War on Drugs Despite the billions of dollars the United States has spent battling the cartels, it has hardly made a dent in the cocaine trade.

Afghan Death Toll Up as Iraq’s Falls

21 Detained in Turkish Coup Case

Memo From Beijing: Quake Revealed Deficiencies of China’s Military

Poland Won’t Sign European Treaty

World Briefing | Europe: France: Army Chief of Staff Quits Over Bullet Debacle

U.S. Agrees to Lift Immunity for Contractors in Iraq

Deepening Cycle of Job Loss Seen Lasting Into ’09 Experts say the troubles dogging the economy will be stubborn, leaving in place a combination of tight credit and scant job opportunities perhaps well into next year.

Economic Scene: Dispelling the Myths of Summer

A Slight Gain After an Up-and-Down Session

China Inspired Interrogations at Guantánamo An interrogation class at Guantánamo Bay was based on a 1957 study of Chinese Communist techniques used to obtain confessions, many of them false, from American prisoners

Obama Seeks Bigger Role for Religious Groups Barack Obama outlined a plan to expand federal spending on faith-based initiatives, a goal set by President Bush.

Nuclear Agency Weighs Attack Threat at Plants

H5 Washington Post Spy Games in Iran U.S. Half Steps Mask Indecisive Policy By David Ignatius, U.S. spy games in Iran may look plausible on paper, but they mask a broader failure.

U.S. Embassy Cites Progress in Iraq

Most Congressionally Set Benchmarks Met, Report Finds

Iran Appears to Warm to Diplomacy

U.S. Deaths Rise in Afghanistan

June Is Deadliest Month for Troops as Country Sees Taliban Resurgence

Air Force Finds Lax Nuclear Security

By Walter Pincus, Page A02

Most overseas storage sites for U.S. nuclear weapons, particularly in Europe, need substantial improvements in physical security measures and the personnel who guard the weapons, according to a newly available Air Force report.

Sunni Bloc to Rejoin Government

Boycott Would End With Assignment of Iraqi Cabinet Posts

French Army Chief Quits Over Shooting

Globalization Requires Safety Net, U.N. Says

Groups Sue U.S. for Data On Tracking By Cellphone

Obama Proposes Expanding Faith-Based Program

Message to U.S. Preceded Nuclear Declaration by North Korea

The Audacity of Cynicism

By Michael Gerson, Page A15

There are many excuses for political opportunism, but it is not a virtue.

Reporting Among Gangsters

By Jeffrey Gedmin, In Uzbekistan, the state of independent media is 'absolutely dire.

French Army Chief Quits Over Shooting

Editorial An African Failure The continent's leaders respond weakly to Robert Mugabe's murderous repression

When a Flip Isn't a Flop By Ruth Marcus, Not every shift in position is a one-size-fits-all transgression.

H6 Guardian Obama's shuffle to the right suggests this man is ruthless enough to win Jonathan Freedland: His U-turns may trouble Democrats, but they are the mark of a man who is determined not to be another principled loser

Poland threatens Lisbon treaty rescue Czech Republic stalls treaty in supreme court and Polish President suspends ratification

Miliband backs strong EU military force Foreign secretary supports Sarkozy's call for European military capability but admits 'EU lacks a clear mission'

Sarkozy: all or nothing at all? Agnes Poirier: The French president wants to use France's presidency of the EU to rescue the Lisbon treaty, but Europe is wising up to him

The new authoritarianism

John Kampfner: What liberty means to me: More and more of us are willing to trade freedom for wealth or security

Interventionism's moral imperative

Janine di Giovanni: Foreign policy experts have plenty of reasons not to get involved, but they should try meeting civilians in mortal terror

Barack Obama's patriot games Michael Tomasky: Democrats should oppose the right's definition of patriotism, but Obama's quest to prove his love of the US may not help him

Jordan appoints ambassador to Iraq after five-year absence

The shifting sands of freedom

What liberty means to me: Unless there's a space where the state can't reach, there's no start to liberty

Turbulent times in Malaysia

Sholto Byrnes: With Anwar Ibrahim embroiled in scandal and rumours of corruption tainting the political class, Asia's island of stability is being shaken

Candidates say the darndest things

Morra Aarons: While Obama's message is controlled to the point of seeming artificial, McCain gets away with saying the most impolitic things

Only when politicians have regained the trust of the people will they be rewarded with more voters

Marcel Berlins: Young people in particular don't see voting as a solemn duty, or even as a gesture for the privilege of living in a democracy

Sanctions are a coward's war. They only boost brutal rulers Simon Jenkins: Exhortations to stop buying from Zimbabwe may sound bold but such a strategy makes the poor poorer and the evil richer

Climate valued over economy - poll

Guardian/ICM poll suggests environmental action is not collapsing in the face of possible recession

Guardian/ICM poll results in full (pdf)

Green energy is the modern gold rush Investors are falling over themselves to put cash into the search for cleaner fuels

BP edged further out of Russia

Russian partners thought to have used state resources to block visas for all TNK-BP international staff

From triumph to torture John Pilger: Israel's treatment of an award-winning young Palestinian journalist is part of a terrible pattern

Britain makes Merkel and Sarko look like the lefties John Harris: High-paid executives worried by change in Europe can take solace from Labour - here they are still untouchable

Miliband backs strong EU military force Foreign secretary supports Sarkozy's call for European military capability but admits 'EU lacks a clear mission'

H7

Nuclear Waste? By: J. Peter Scoblic | The New Republic The 40th anniversary of the nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty finds the NPT more vulnerable--and more vital--than ever.

Iraqi Refugees Desperate for a Haven Nation By: Cesar Chelala | The Japan Times Several recent reports on the situation in Iraq draw attention to the desperate plight of nearly 5 million Iraqi refugees. If the situation is not better addressed, hundreds of thousands of lives, including women and children, will be jeopardized

Gulf Oil Countries Mull Iran Bypass By: Rachelle Kliger | The Media Line Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are reportedly mapping out alternative oil export routes, in the event that Iran would cut off major oil shipping lines if its nuclear facilities were attacked

Military Success Masks Failures on Other Goals - USA Today editorial

Boston Globe The costs of waiting for Big Oil to do the right thing NOTWITHSTANDING a shift by big business to become more socially responsible, Big Oil prides itself in being an island of bullheadedness and smugness. (By Joseph P. Kennedy II and William F. Achtmeyer, Boston Globe)

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

Iraq efforts on 15 of 18 benchmarks 'satisfactory,' report finds

U.S. Won't Allow Iran to Shut Key Gulf Oil Route

Last US 'Surge' Brigade Begins Leaving Iraq

FACTBOX - Key points about Iraq's long-term oil contracts

Americans named participant in Iraq oil contracts with Big Oil
Iraq Oil Report

Iraq FM: No Choice but to Sign Security Deal

Israeli Threats to Iran Seen as Bluff - for Now

Iraqi oil: Deal or no deal?

Maliki Vows Arabs Will Get Priority in Reconstruction Deals

US says Israel-Iran story false
The US state department criticises reported comments by a defence official that Israel was getting closer to attacking Iran

Inside Iraq Baghdad residents on improving life in the city

Abu Ghraib inmates sue US firms Four Iraqi men say they are suing US military contractors for torturing them at the Abu Ghraib prison near Baghdad.

Talabani speaks out against Hezbollah

Sunni bloc set for return to government

H9 Ha’aretz –

IDF Deploys Robots in the Field -

Jerusalem Post Who Is Responsible for the Palestinian Catastrophe? - Irwin Cotler

UN Report Ignores Hizbullah Violations

Yedioth Ahronoth

Ex-intelligence official: World expects Israel to bomb Iran

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

Swapping Live Terrorists for Dead Soldiers By: Benny Morris | Los Angeles Times Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and the rest of the region's terrorists are no doubt rubbing their hands with joy. Israel has once again been humiliated by its Arab foes, and Nasrallah's depiction of the Jewish state as a "cobweb" polity, a Middle Eastern paper tiger, has been significantly reinforced.

Boston Globe Israel still paying for its defeat

IT WAS two years ago this month that Israel and Hezbollah went to war. On July 12, 2006, Hezbollah, an Iranian-sponsored and Syrian-backed political and terrorist organization, staged an unprovoked raid across the Lebanon-Israel border, killing three Israelis and kidnapping two others, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser. The war that ensued - a war for which Hezbollah had openly prepared ... (By Jeff Jacoby, Boston Globe)

How Might Israel Attack Iran's Nuclear Sites?

W Bank in 'grave' water crisis

The West Bank is facing grave water shortages partly because of "discriminatory" Israeli policies, an Israeli rights group says.

Dire straits in north West Bank

Obstacles to peace: Water

New round of Israel-Syria talks

Israel's Ugly Exchange - New York Post editorial

H10 Christian Science Monitor

The alternative to an Israeli attack on Iran Serious diplomacy, not military action, will bring regional security. By Shlomo Ben-Ami and Trita Parsi

Reality check on Middle East talks Motivation is there, but peace will take time.

Will the U.S. open an office in Iran? Secretary Rice has floated the idea of an interests-section office – a step down from an embassy.

High hopes abroad for a new U.S. president A word of caution about great expectations for a new US president

Obama would overhaul Bush's faith-based initiatives

But in supporting religious charities, he runs the risk of alienating some Democrats

Could North Korea still build nukes? Destruction of its nuclear cooling tower was important but largely symbolic.

Vacant homes spread blight in suburb and city alike

Amid housing bust, foreclosures vex communities trying to hold dereliction and crime in check.

Abkhazia's tourism fights to regain fabled legacy Russians are flocking back to the Black Sea beaches, although a string of recent bombings exposes the breakaway republic's ongoing tensions with Georgia.

Big trouble for Big Three automakers Shares of General Motors are trading at prices last seen in the 1950s

Trouble brews in two Asian democracies Newly elected leaders in Thailand and Malaysia face mounting domestic discontent.

ASIA

IHT Mud in Malaysia By PHILIP BOWRING The struggle for power in Malaysia has become more vicious and the outcome less certain.

Olympic Pollution, Oil Bubblemania, Give Japan Credit By: William Pesek | Bloomberg
On the economic implications of China's bad air; steering clear of the greenback amid rising commodity prices; and a credit upgrade in Asia's biggest economy

One Steel Mill Holds Key to the Nuclear Revival By: Todd Crowell | Asia Sentinel The company is the only steel mill in the developed world capable of forging the ultra-large reactor pressure vessels. As such it holds the key to the nuclear revival. If it is true, as the World Nuclear Association maintains, that at least 130 new nuclear reactors will be built by 2030, that should keep the Japanese steel workers in this small seaside town busy for a long time

Taliban Border Havens Targeted By: David R. Sands | The Washington Times Last week's Pakistani offensive against an Islamist warlord near Peshawar was just an example of what is in store for any extremists who challenge the nation's new government militarily, Pakistani Ambassador Husain Haqqani said in an interview Monday

H11 IHT Unconventional wisdom about Russia By HENRY A. KISSINGER A new phase of Russian politics is under way. Washington would be wise to give Moscow some space

Global security and propaganda

By DMITRY ROGOZIN Where is the alleged Russian aggressiveness?

Wrong on Russia By STEPHEN F. COHEN U.S.-Russian relations are worse today than they have been in 20 years.

Pursuit of EU treaty 'pointless,' Kaczynski says The Polish president's comment cast fresh doubt on the accord to build a more united Europe. It drew a sharp response from France, which assumed the six-month leadership of the European Union with some ceremony but dwindling hopes of delivering substance

At end of tenure, UN advocate for rights expresses hope Louise Arbour has been doing a job with an objective that many would call impossible: to safeguard human rights. Yet as she steps down, she is not entirely pessimistic

French Army chief resigns over shooting accident

By KATRIN BENNHOLD

President Nicolas Sarkozy accepted the resignation of General Bruno Cuche and ordered the army to review its safety rules after an incident in which 17 people were hurt in a military exercise.

EUROPE European press review

Sarkozy the European: France's EU Presidency By: Judah Grunstein | World Politics Review With the impact of his domestic reforms stymied by the increased cost of fuel and food commodities, and his image tarnished by personal excesses and professional lapses, Sarkozy was counting on using the parallel track of the EU presidency to reinject some dynamism into his flagging first term in office

France terror laws 'flout rights'
Anti-terrorism laws in France violate human rights and prevent suspects from getting a fair trial, a human rights group says

EU trade chief lambasts Sarkozy

EU Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson accuses French President Nicolas Sarkozy of undermining him.

Q&A: The Lisbon Treaty

Sarkozy, Chastened by Chad, Seeks Money, Men for EU Defense Arm By: James G. Neuger | Bloomberg News The European Union's biggest peacekeeping mission, the dispatch of 3,700 troops to Chad this year, got off to an inauspicious start: EU governments repeatedly delayed the deployment, halted troop transports when fighting broke out in February, and ultimately had to rely on Russian helicopters to ferry the force to the African desert

H12 RFE/RL

Google News Azerbaijan

FT REPORT - KAZAKHSTAN 2008

The Master and Medvedev By: Jeffrey Tayler | The Atlantic
The instatement of the Medvedev-Putin duo opens an era potentially fraught with danger. Not only does any form of power-sharing run counter to the currents of Russian history, but Medvedev’s electoral victory followed nasty factional struggles among those passed over by Putin—struggles that could still bear bitter fruit.

Georgia Launches a Three-Track Diplomatic Effort on Abkhazia By: Vladimir Socor | Eurasia Daily Monitor Georgia has ruled out a confrontational response to Russia’s accelerating seizure of Abkhazia since April 16. Eschewing a military standoff, Tbilisi has devised a political-diplomatic response in expectation of Western support for such an approach

Medvedev's Sweet-Talking Narrows the Rift in EU-Russia Relations By: Pavel K. Baev | Eurasia Daily Monitor President Dmitry Medvedev has every reason to consider the Russia-EU summit in Khanty-Mansiisk last week a personal success, judging from how his European partners have praised the friendly atmosphere and very constructive character of the talks.

H13 The Times The Lisbon treaty: Sarkozy's next move With the rejection of the treaty; France must rethink its EU presidency

Al-Qaeda finds three safe havens for training Western intelligence sources say Osama bin Laden's terrorist organisation is regrouping in Pakistan, Somalia and Algeria

EU faces deadlock over Lisbon Treaty Lech Kaczynski wrecks first day of French EU presidency, saying that ratifying the document would be 'pointless'

'French FBI' replaces legendary snoopers' network The 6,000-strong Central Directorate of Internal Intelligence to handle terrorism, serious crime and other security threats

The race debate: nothing to do with race Yes, African-Americans are biologically different from Ashkenazi Jews, but race is utterly useless for scientific research Kenan Malik

'Obama panders to protectionists'

John McCain flew to Colombia to once more declare his support for the free-trade deals opposed by opponent Barack Obama

Wall Street Journal Bush's Third Term
Who says John McCain is the worthiest heir apparent?

After Guantanamo
By David B. Rivkin Jr.
And Lee A. Casey
The Supreme Court has handed Congress a whole bunch of problems.

Patriotism Again
By James Taranto What sets Obama apart from past Democratic nominees.

H14 Financial Times Iran says offer is acceptable ‘in principle’ Tehran could resume nuclear negotiations on the offer put to it by the five permanent members of the UN Security Council and Germany, suggests an adviser to its top leader

Iraq’s Sunni edge closer to reconciliation The leaders of the political bloc, which is on the verge of rejoining the Shia-lead government after a year-long boycott, say enough has been done to address their demands

Obama camp signals robust approach on Iran The prospect of a nuclear-armed Iran is the biggest threat facing the world, according to one of Barack Obama’s senior foreign policy advisers

Lessons to be learnt from the financial crisis The aim of this year’s report by the Bank for International Settlements is clear: it is to reduce the frequency and severity of crises. It is not enough to say that we can clear up afterwards. That is too complacent and too one-sided, writes.Martin Wolf

Europe is failing to restore idealism An impression across Europe – not least among the young – is that the EU is in danger of offering pseudo-democracy, writes Larry Siedentop

Medvedev must act in BP row

Russia’s president should deliver on law-and-order pledge. If he does not, the country’s reputation with foreign investors will suffer

Israel divides but does not define Jewish vote As Barack Obama and John McCain pursue a variety of ethnic and religious constituencies in their campaigns, the lesson of previous elections is that, if it ever existed, there is no longer a “Jewish vote” that responds automatically to unswerving and uncritical support for Israel

WORLD NEWS - FRENCH EU PRESIDENCY: Accusations and discord mark power handover

Obama adopts faith-based welfare aid Barack Obama continued his steady march towards the political centre by announcing that he would expand George W. Bush’s controversial programme to contract out welfare assistance to religious charities and treat it as the “moral centre” of an Obama administration

FT REPORT - KAZAKHSTAN 2008

TNK-BP chief prepares staff to leave Russia The BP-backed chief executive of TNK-BP, its Russian oil venture, has warned foreign staff in an email that he and all other foreign employees could be forced to leave Russia by the end of the month because Moscow authorities had not renewed work visas

Defence options put Romania in the hot seat Bucharest is reconsidering a planned €4.5bn jet fighter order and instead spend the money on equipment needed to support its contingents in Iraq and Afghanistan

Iceland pays price for financial excess Robert Wade on Iceland’s ‘great unwind’

Russia behaves badly again John Gapper’s blog: There is so much wealth tied up in Russian oil that the country can disregard an international outcry

H15 Los Angeles Times U.S. spy satellites set sights on Iraqi army, officials reveal The U.S. has been caught off guard by recent Iraqi military operations. The surveillance reflects breakdowns in trust between the two forces

Iraq legislators seek to fine-tune a bill

The lawmakers postpone their summer break in hope of finalizing legislation on provincial elections scheduled for October

Iran remarks point to split in leadership

Ali Akbar Velayati warns against 'provocative' statements on the nuclear dispute, apparently in reference to President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his loyalists

Talking isn't appeasement By Wendy R. Sherman Negotiating with North Korea has produced the positive results that years of Bush's name-calling and bluster couldn't.

Editorial

Swapping Live Terrorists for Dead Soldiers By: Benny Morris | Los Angeles Times Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah and the rest of the region's terrorists are no doubt rubbing their hands with joy. Israel has once again been humiliated by its Arab foes, and Nasrallah's depiction of the Jewish state as a "cobweb" polity, a Middle Eastern paper tiger, has been significantly reinforced.

Can Obama rescue Bush?

Jonah Goldberg If the Democrat wins the White House and does his job right, he just might make his predecessor look good.

H16 American Politics

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup:

Americans Worry McCain Would Be Too Similar to Bush

Jonah Goldberg / USA Today:

Obama's real patriotism problem

Forging a Conservative Future: 'Grand New Party' by Eli Lake

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

Obama to expand Bush's faith based programs —

H17 Daily TelegraphPoles apart

While Mr Sarkozy rails against European institutions, that is because he wants them to be even less Anglo-Saxon and more protectionist than they already are.

Polish president: EU treaty now pointless

Poland's President Lech Kaczynski has defied Nicolas Sarkozy on the first day of his French European Union Presidency by refusing to sign the Lisbon Treaty.

Sarkozy takes EU presidency

Key points of Sarkozy's EU plan

H18 Independent Leading article: France's opportunity

H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism

IDF Deploys Robots in the Field -

Saudi Charged in Attack on U.S. Destroyer –

Is Osama bin Laden Dying ... Again?

Executive Order: Reforming Processes Related to Suitability for Government Employment, Fitness for Contractor Employees, and Eligibility for Access to Classified National Security Information
Source: White House, Office of the Press Secretary

CRS “The National Bio- and Agro-Defense Facility: Issues for Congress,” updated May 19, 2008.

“Boumediene v. Bush: Guantanamo Detainees’ Right to Habeas Corpus,” June 16, 2008.

A Ragtag Insurgency Gains a Qaeda Lifeline By: Souad Mekhennet, Michael Moss, Eric Schmitt, Elaine Sciolino and Margot Williams | The New York Times Today, as Islamist violence wanes in some parts of the world, the Algerian militants — renamed Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb — have grown into one of the most potent Osama bin Laden affiliates, reinvigorated with fresh recruits and a zeal for Western targets

The Australian Army Journal Special Edition: Counterinsurgency

A look at how terrorism paranoia killed 1,600 Americans in 2002.

Video: Nation builders or warriors?

Video (10min 01sec), In his fourth film about what life is really like for the US military in Afghanistan John D McHugh talks to Charlie company as they attempt to follow the Counterinsurgency Field Manual

H20 Slate

Resetting Earth's thermostat: In the race to respond to climate change, it's time to invest in an alternative solution — geo-engineering.

H21

Soccer is War? Not Anymore By: Ian Buruma | Los Angeles Times
I have never seen such harmony between the supporters of different nations as in this year's championship. The carnival spirit that prevailed -- the flying of Turkish and German flags side by side in German streets when the two nations met in the semifinals, the joint Spanish-German celebrations after the final -- all this suggests something fresh. at the very least, national identities in Europe are no longer quite so colored by memories of war

World Values Survey finds happiness is rising around the world.

Happiest country on Earth

From Esquire, does America have any culture? Chuck Klosterman goes to Germany to teach a class; his students teach him a lesson about how the world views us.

A new issue of New Perspectives Quarterly is out, on post-globalization

E.L. Doctorow on Bush's rejection of knowledge: Just as Moby-Dick was too much for Ahab, our new century may be too difficult for us to comprehend.

Is the golden age of biography now past? What future for a genre where the best subjects have been written about over and over and over again?... more»

“Ay, in the very temple of Delight / Veiled Melancholy has her sovran shrine.” John Keats knew her intimately, and delight as well... more»

Camille Paglia is a pro-sex feminist who’s still for porn and prostitution. But champions of chastity, she says, also stand in a great feminist tradition of defying groupthink... more»

19 Aphorisms to Jaundice Your Day

Google News Slate Today's Papers SWJ Blog Media Roundup CFR Daily Brief CFR Daily Opinion Roundup memeorandum antiwar.com book forum FBIS University Channel DocuTicker Arts & Letters Daily PolicyPointers cursor raw story fora.tv

realclearpolitics Drudge Report

Current News Early Bird OpinionSource truthout Dayan Current Contents Blogometer Wikipedia technorati Slate's Today's Blogs ABC’s The Note eurointelligence The Page First Read

IraqSlogger Global Power Barometer Juan Cole - Kevin Drum - Gideon Rachman - Belgravia Dispatch - washington realist - Tom Barnett - democracy arsenal - - Josh Marshall - Daniel Drezner - Laura Rozen - the washington note - David Corn - SyriaComment - Israel-Syria Peace Society - William Arkin - Phil Carter - Helena Cobban - MatthewYglesias - Oxblog - Brad DeLong - coming anarchy / Wonkette William Arkin Tom Hayden -

PostGlobal - AmericaAbroad -The Corner - Passport - huffingtonpost / Pajamas Media / Open University / CounterterrorismBlog Today in Iraq / OutSide the Beltway - InstaPundit - winds of change Kausfiles - Becker Posner-andrewsullivan.com - Registan - armscontrolwonk - IsraPundit Regime Change Iran – Martin Kramer - Dani Rodrik