080508f - 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 Iraq, US Reach Deal on 2011 Pullout

New York Times Iran Issues New Warnings After Defying a Deadline

Proposal May End Stalemate on Iraqi Provincial Elections

White House Memo: Pressure From All Sides as Bush Visits China

News Analysis: In Gaza, a Blurry Line Between Enemies and Friends

Not Quite Ready to Go Home

By STEPHEN BIDDLE, MICHAEL E. O’HANLON and KENNETH M. POLLACK

Much important work remains to be done in Iraq, yet it cannot be completed without the longer presence of a significant number of American combat troops.

DAVID BROOKS Where’s the Landslide? Barack Obama’s ability to stand apart means that people on almost all sides of any issue can see parts of themselves reflected in his eyes. But it does make him hard to place

Islamist Parties and Democracy

Tamara Cofman Wittes, Journal of Democracy Download

Daily Star What is the sustainable value of the US dollar? By Martin Feldstein

Guardian How to deal with Iran's nuclear programme Andrew Grotto: Since Iran has refused to freeze its nuclear programme, the US should push for both sanctions and broader diplomacy

Top Assad aide assassinated in Syria Killing of right-hand man to president triggers intense speculation about a crisis inside Damascus regime

US eyes up Pakistan's lawless lands Simon Tisdall: The prospect of direct US military intervention against al-Qaida in Pakistan is increasing, but

they may regret taking action

End of financial triumphalism?

Kenneth Rogoff: The latest crisis has left little doubt that the entire system for global financial regulation is in serious need of an update.

Wall Street Journal Radical Iraq Cleric in Retreat Muqtada al-Sadr plans to disarm his once-feared Mahdi Army militia and remake it into a social-services organization. The repositioning reflects an effort by the anti-American Shiite cleric to regain grass-roots support and weed out some extremists

Asia Times SPENGLER
Israeli pre-emption better than cure The critical mass of three Islamist states - Iran, Turkey and Pakistan - threatens to create an upheaval that can be contained only by wars of attrition. The outlook is grim, not least because the US State Department is repeating in Turkey the errors that helped bring Islamist governments to power in Iran and Pakistan. Israel is the only player with the perspicacity and power to stop the slide to regional war.

Asia Times Iran heartened by India's nuclear vote The United States-India nuclear agreement, which has been endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency, represents a timely diplomatic boon for Iran, which can now point at the US's flexible application of its nuclear policies with regard to Delhi as a reference point in Tehran's nuclear negotiations. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi

Lobe US Gets No Traction in the Middle East

In his new book, Ron Suskind writes that the White House once ordered the CIA to forge a letter showing a link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaeda

Independent Leading article: Two nations that hold the key to Middle East peace

Patrick Cockburn: Iraq better? With three wars going on?

Robert Fisk: Syrian leader gets top billing in Middle East by doing nothing

Ha’aretz – Israel concerned over U.S. idea to open interests section in Iran Opening U.S. interests section will have major influence on Israel's freedom of military movement vis a vis Iran

Israel denies involvement in Syrian general's assassination

Jerusalem Post Assad's Visit to Tehran Shows Syria-Iran Ties Strong

'Murdered Syrian officer knew too much' Speculation abounds over reported assassination of close Assad aide; Syrian press yet to comment.

Ending the Silent Russian-European War By: Igor Yurgens | The Japan Times Europe's demand for energy makes diversification of Russia's economy seem a distant prospect -- especially in view of how Russia's bureaucracy repels foreign business.

A world split apart, Alexander Solzhenitsyn

CSIS Sadr and the Mahdi Army: Evolution, Capabilities, and a New Direction 08/04/2008

The Times Iran delays nuclear discussion Iran has achieved, yet again, what it wants: paralysis of the international wrangling over its nuclear programme

Exclusive: Secret deal kept British Army out of Basra battle US and Iraqi forces were left to fight the al-Mahdi forces alone despite the 4,000 British troops stationed in the area

Top Syrian military official assassinated The death of General Mohammed Suleiman, right hand man to the Syrian president, prompts speculation of a rift within the Damascus regime

Turkic people at odds with China

The mainly Muslim Uighurs live in Xinjiang region have enjoyed varying degrees of autonomy over the past century

Financial Times Oil falls as fears for growth intensify Crude oil prices fell below $120 a barrel for the first time in three months amid mounting worries about slowing economic growth and signs of rising supplies from Opec, the oil exporting countries cartel

Repel the calls to contain competitive markets The economic edifice that fostered the surge in global trade is being pilloried for the pause and partial retrenchment. The cause of economic despair is humanity’s propensity to sway from fear to euphoria and back, writes Alan Greenspan

The Big Freeze part 2: future of banking Investment banks with weakened balance sheets may find their most profitable activities curbed

McCain and Obama trade blows on energy Candidates step up tetchy exchange over petrol prices, with Barack Obama accusing his rival of being in the ‘pocket of big oil’ and John McCain accusing his opponent of hypocrisy

Editorial comment: A constant critic Putin awarded Solzhenitsyn a state prize for his humanitarian work in 2007. It was a belated recognition. The dissident writer would probably have disapproved

WSJ While Diplomats Dither, Iran Builds Nukes By John R. Bolton With each passing day the military option becomes less viable.

Europe's Caucasian Moment By Borut Grgic And Alexandros Petersen Achieving peace in Abkhazia is not impossible.

Rand Future US Security Relationships with Iraq and Afghanistan: US Air Force Roles

CSIS A Strategic Approach To The Global Food Crisis REPORT | TASK FORCE | EVENT | LISTEN | Watch

Sarkozy, France and NATO Cicero Foundation This 21-page paper examines whether President Sarkozy's rapprochement to NATO is sustainable

So globalization, by making nations richer, will make them democratic? Not if we enrich entrenched, anti-democratic powers... more»

Bribery, corruption, extortion are the Afghan way, from the top of society to its very bottom. But that’s just the start, as Sarah Chayes explains... more»

Is America in Decline? Becker --- Is America in Decline? Posner's Comment

BBC Iran faces new sanctions warning Iran faces new sanctions if it does not respond positively to incentives to rein in its nuclear activities, the US and UK say.

Iran Paper Analyses Syrian President Visit (View Article)

The Times Has China got a terrorist problem? The Uighur attack in the northwest was shocking but not a precursor to a bigger outrage Rosemary Righter

Delicate China With only four days to the start of the Olympics, China is growing nervous about political challenges from within the country

IHT Beijing's Catch-22

By VICTOR D. CHA China will be a different country after the Games - whether the Chinese Communist Party likes it or not.

Top of the Agenda: China Border Attack - Council on Foreign Relations

Moscow's Triangular Diplomacy By: Alexander Veytsman | The Moscow Times The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Over three decades ago Richard Nixon pioneered a ""triangular diplomacy"" by forming two separate alliances with China and the Soviet Union, which had adversarial relations with each other in the early 1970s.

Daily Telegraph McCain level with Obama after strategy shift

John McCain's change to more open attacks on his rival seems to be paying off dramatically as the latest poll showed he had managed to draw level with Barack Obama.

Al Hayat Why Do Iran and Its Allies Bet on Barack Obama?

Raghida Dergham - Russia embarks on a diplomatic and political confrontation with the US because it feels that American politics is so shaky and unfocused that it offers Moscow the opportunity to impose bilateral and international equations; equations that would help it retrieve its special position in the balance of powers and strengthen its leadership in oil alliances as well as in new strategic alliances

Barron’s Interview and Video with Roubini: “Yes, That’s $2 Trillion of Debt-Related Losses”

Geopolitical Diary: Asia and the $120 Oil Mark Stratfor

• 'An NRO Symposium on Peter W. Rodman' [incl. Rumsfeld, Feith], National Review Online

Uigher Terrorism’s Rapid Rise

Newsweek The Tradeoffs of Going Green

YaleGlobal Wave Goodbye to the Invisible Hand

A Look at Nuclear Programs in Iran, North Korea, India

H2 Guardian Turkey gets anti-Islamist army chief Uncompromising message of support for country's secular system sent out by supreme military council

YAVUZ DONAT İngiliz bilirkişiden "hasar tespiti"

Asia Times SPENGLER
Israeli pre-emption better than cure The critical mass of three Islamist states - Iran, Turkey and Pakistan - threatens to create an upheaval that can be contained only by wars of attrition. The outlook is grim, not least because the US State Department is repeating in Turkey the errors that helped bring Islamist governments to power in Iran and Pakistan. Israel is the only player with the perspicacity and power to stop the slide to regional war.

Israel stays out of Turkish deal out of fears of US Jerusalem Post

Foreign Policy Meet Fethullah Gülen, the World’s Top Public Intellectual

Brookings The Implications of Turkey’s Constitutional Court Decision

In Turkey, a Democratic Disaster Narrowly Averted By: Jonas Clark | World Politics Review

Independent Yasmin Alibhai-Brown: No welcome – now the Turks don't even want to join Europe

EDM ISLAMISTS AND SECULARISTS VYING FOR TURKEY’S PAST AS WELL AS ITS FUTURE

Sami Kohen Ortadoğu’da “Türk opsiyonu”

‘Türkiye, Danimarka değil İran’a seyirci kalmayız’

Bodrum'da sürpriz buluşma

İran: Türkiye'nin arabuluculuk rolü yok

Ahmadinejad’s Turkey visit set for Aug. 14

Babacan: Şekline değil, özüne bakın

Batı ile açık oyna nükleer silaha izin yok

Turkey Picks Army Boss, Public Tension Seen Easing

Turkish problem-solving policy to boost chances at UN Security Council

Republic and coups by HERKÜL MİLLAS*

FT Constitution 'too tight' in Turkey

"Türkiye AB ile ilgili adımları hızla atmaya devam edecek"

İran'dan şok eden teklif

Demokrasi Türkiye’ye hâlâ çok uzak NIcholas Birch

Erdoğan reform ve yeni anayasadan geri adım atmamalı

AKP'nin savaşında birden fazla kazanan var

ABD'den Kerkük için uzlaşı çağrısı

The Turkish Crisis, the Generals and the Left Socialist Project

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

Alman istihbaratı: PKK'nın işi değil

Serpil Yılmaz Erbil kendi evlatlarını yemeye başladı

Hüsnü Mahalli Bizim coğrafya

Bejan Matur Bir Kürt muhalefeti hemen şimdi

Polis, PKK’lı son bombacıyı arıyor

PKK rejects Güngören link, points to German intelligence

Barzani: Iraq Falls Apart if Constitution Violated

Large Number of Kurdish Returnees to Kirkuk Not Registered for Elections

Kurdish Lawmaker: Kirkuk Council’s Request Not Yet Officially Reached Kurdish Parliament

The Sole Solution to the Kirkuk Problem

DİSK: Ordu Valisi Kaban suç işliyor

"Güngören'de delil olmayabilir"

Cevdet Aşkın

Kerkük’ün tek taraflı ilhakına izin verilemez

Turkish Foreign Minister Warns Against Unilateral Decisions in Kirkuk (View Article)

Kurdish Writer Views Signifiance of Reported Arrest of Kurdish Leader in Syria (View Article)

Iraqi Kurdish Press Highlights 4 Aug 08 (View Article)

Iraqi Politicians Interviewed on Kirkuk Issue, Government Stance (View Article)

Iraqi, Kurdish Blocs Agree on Election Law Amendments - Website (View Article)

Kerkük’ün kaderi oylanıyor

Anıtkabir'siz ziyarete askersiz karşılama

İBRAHİM KARAGÜL

'Anıtkabir krizi' nasıl çözüldü!

Ulusalcı dernekler bölücü çıktı

Erdoğan ve Esad ailece yemek yiyecek

Irak’ta yine Kerkük krizi

Can Ataklı

Mustafa Mutlu

Al Hayat Where Countries Protect Themselves Elias Harfoush –

Iraqi president returns to Rochester

DTP-polis gerilimi Meclis’e taşındı DTP'li Özçelik, “haksız trafik cezası” iddiasıyla Siirt Emniyet Müdürü’nü hükümete şikayet etti

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

Babacan: AB Ulusal Programı ay sonu hazır

Turkey's role in Cyprus
Washington Times

Cypriot Weekly Says Cyprus Possibly Biggest Magnet for Illegal Entry into EU (View Article)

Türkiye geçiş değil artık varış noktası

ABD'den Türkiye'ye iki fırkateyn daha

CEPS What is Happening in Turkey? Party Closure and Beyond

Ermenistan'da camiye Türkiye'de kiliseye bakım

Hedo Okur Tuncay Nihat Altintop

Kayıp bulunamıyor!

Ölümler Meclis’te

Tarih Kurumu'nun yeni başkanı koltuğa oturdu

Halaçoğlu 15 yıllık koltuğunu devretti

Kutuda teslim

Yangın 5. günde kısmen kontrol altında

Türkiye’de günlük 5 YTL’ye tatil

Resmi kurs aylardır kapalı

WORLD BRIEFING | EUROPE; Turkey: Inquiry on Deaths of Newborns at Hospital

Ses kaydı YouTube'a düşen Paşa emekliye ayrıldı

Dünya gizli servisleri Türkçe bilen ajanlar arıyor

Eylemci Yasemin Çongar hangi gazeteye manşet olmuştu!

TRT arşivleri Kalan’la gün ışığına çıkıyor

H3 Dikkat komutan masada

YAŞ kararları açıklandı

TSK’da Başbuğ dönemi

TSK'nın 10 yılı şekillendi

Sürpriz Jandarma'da

İhraç yok

Yeni komuta kademesi belirlendi bu kez ihraç yok

CIA Ergenekon'un kontrolünü nasıl kaybetti? 'Ergenekoncu Çatlı, Sabancı suikastini organize etti'

Mecburi istikamet reform

‘TİT Ergenekon’un bir hücresidir’

İhraçsız yaş

'Gerekçe demokrasi açısından önemli'

Liberaller paramparça

Ergenekon’dan çıkan yeni ilişkiler

Taziyedeki Ergenekon imzası kimin

Ergenekon linked to Mumcu murder

Hiç utanmadınız mı?

Gölge ordudan Ergenekon'a-3
Gazi’de Yeşil değil Beyaz vardı

Bu deliller dost bırakmaz

AKP, CHP’den umutlu

Karar demokrasinin yarıçapını belirleyecek

Konuşan her tanık bir olayı aydınlattı

8 kritik isimden 4'ü emekli oldu

CHP, Kılıç'ın çağrısına karşı çıktı, 12 Eylül anayasasına sadakat istedi

Ankara'da rota
Yargının kararının ardından AKP hükümetinin rotası

Güngören faillerinin, bombayı patlatıp seyrettiği ispatlanamadı

AKP’nin yerel seçim hedefi yüzde 50 oy

Danıştay saldırganı Arslan, Tekin'in telefon rehberinde

Tekin’in yanında suikast emri

‘Taşın altına elimi değil başımı koydum!’ 1 ay içinde parti kuracağını açıklayan Pamukoğlu Paşa VATAN’a konuştu

'Maç daha bitmedi'

Baba Arslan’dan suç ortaklarına harçlık

Dosyadaki tuhaf bir konuşma!

‘Küçük soruşturması’nı istihbarat şubesi kapattı

'Muzaffer Tekin'in intiharı inandırıcı değil'

Muvazzaf askerlerden Küçük'e fişleme raporu

Ogün’ü Hrant’a iki kişi götürdü

1996’daki YAŞ’tan beri ilk kez ihraç kararı çıkmadı

Susurluk timinin infazı Ergenekon dosyasında

"Anayasa değişkliğinin gündenme gelmesi Türkiye'ye 1 yıl kaybettirir"

Başbakan'ın bacanağı da Ergenekon dosyasında

Yeni binayı konuştuk

Ortada cinayet var, 263 yetmez

Danıştay-Ergenekon bağlantısının imzası

Ergenekon'un asıl gövdesi dışarıda

Küçük'ün elini öptük Başkan'ı bombaladık

Haşim Kılıç, Gül ile Erdoğan'ın Çukurambar'da yaptıkları görüşmeye katıldığına ilişkin iddiaları yalanladı

Londra'ya kaçan Çömez kafeteryada görüntülendi

Başsavcı Savaş ve Erbakan da hedefti

Malki’nin listesi kayıp değil

Çiçek: Kabul edilebilir bir olay değil

Uğur Mumcu gazetesiyle davalı ölmüş

Eski MİT'çiye şok suçlama

Son Dakika Milliyet Hürriyet Zaman

Cengiz Çandar Tayyip Erdoğan'ın Ergenekon'la da 'uzlaşma'sını istiyor musunuz

Ahmet Taşgetiren Başörtüsü: Çözümsüzlük çözüm değildir "Türkiye projesi"

Ruşen - Çakır

Taha Akyol Kuran kursları

Fikret Bila Org. İlker Başbuğ’un özellikleri

Hasan Cemal Asker sorunu, sivil sorunu!

Murat Yetkin Orduda yangın soğutma ve yeniden yapılanma devam ediyor

İsmet Berkan Avrupa çıpasına sarılmak

Fehmi Koru Uygar bir zeminde

Taha Kıvanç Dördüncü kişi ben değildim

M Ali Birand Org. Başbuğ en zor dönemde, en zor göreve geldi

Eser Karakaş: 'AK Parti uzlaşırsa siyasette biter'

[Yorum - Ergun Özbudun] AK Parti kararı ve sonrası

Eylemin varlığı, tanımı ve yaptırımını oylamak

SAMİ SELÇUK

İsmail Küçükkaya
Tarihi şûranın şifreleri...

Şamil Tayyar

AYM kararı ve siyasî partiler
HASAN CELAL GÜZEL

18 küçük kız
NURAY MERT

Ali Bayramoğlu Mumcu, Küçük, Güney... Yeni bir sayfa: Şimdi ne yapmalı?

Yasemin Çongar Hakkındaki siyasi karar sonrası AKP’nin üç siyasi seçeneği

Ertuğrul Özkök İlker Paşa sizden

Hakan Aygün Çukurambar zirvesi açıklanmalı!

Sabahattin Önkibar Çukurambar karanlığı!

Güngör Mengi

YAŞ soruları

Ahmet Hakan

Cüneyt Ülsever Kapatılmamanın ardından dış dinamikler

Enis Berberoğlu Çeteyle kavga cezasız kalmaz

Ekrem Dumanlı Kim, ne yapmalı?

İhsan Dağı Uzlaşının şartı

Mümtazer Türköne Sol öldü mü?

Oktay Ekşi Yanan biziz

Özdemir İnce Darbeci liberaller

Mehmet Y Yılmaz

Hadi Uluengin Bir Güngören klasiği

Bülent Korucu AK Parti psikolojik savaşı kaybetmemeli

Türk sosyal demokrasisinin krizi...ORAL ÇALIŞLAR

AKİF EMRE

MUHARREM SARIKAYA

ERDAL ŞAFAK Geride bıraktıklarımız...

TAMER KORKMAZ

Ergenekon-1993

ENGİN ARDIÇ

ERGUN BABAHAN Susurluk'un üstüne gidilmiş olsaydı

EMRE AKÖZ Rektörlerin çiftliği olan üniversiteler

Umur Talu Arşiv büyük...

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

NAZLI ILICAKHayat, engelli koşu

MEHMET BARLAS "Ilımlı İslam" modeline uygun bir "Ilımlı demokrasi" mi?

MAHMUT ÖVÜR 'Yasaların denetimi'ni siyasi hayata kim soktu?

YAVUZ DONAT İngiliz bilirkişiden "hasar tespiti"

'Kurtulmuş Saadet'in başına geçecek'

‘Cenaze evinden medet umuyor’

Haşim Kılıç hükümetle aynı masada

Ekonomi

Elektrik zamlarının etkisiyle temmuz enflasyonu son dört yılın zirvesinde

S&P: Cari açığınız yüksek, IMF ile anlaşın

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

Ercan Kumcu Erken gevşemenin maliyeti

Erdal Sağlam

Türkiye IMF ile anlaşmalı

Hurşit Güneş İşadamlarının enerji tutkusu nükleere kayıyor

Güngör Uras Elektrik ve doğalgaz zamları TÜFE ve ÜFE’nin önünde koşuyor

Seyfettin Gürsel Öngörülebilir akıldışılıktan öngörülemez akıldışılığa

Güven Sak 'Çünkü annesi burada' en önemli teşvik olmalıdır

Yaman Törüner Sonraki 11

Bu kez 1 dolar=1 YTL olacak mı

OKAN MÜDERRİSOĞLU
Hükümet 4.5 yılda memura 16 milyar YTL dağıtacak

ŞEREF OĞUZ Kredi notu şantajı

Deniz Gökçe
Kaderimiz kimlere endeksli?

Asaf Savaş Akat Nerede kalmıştık?

Kararın ekonomik sonuçları
MAHFİ EĞİLMEZ

Herkes reform diyor ama...
KORKMAZ İLKORUR

Eser Karakaş Özel sektör ne yaptı?

H4 New York Times Iran Issues New Warnings After Defying a Deadline

Proposal May End Stalemate on Iraqi Provincial Elections

White House Memo: Pressure From All Sides as Bush Visits China

News Analysis: In Gaza, a Blurry Line Between Enemies and Friends

Not Quite Ready to Go Home

By STEPHEN BIDDLE, MICHAEL E. O’HANLON and KENNETH M. POLLACK

Much important work remains to be done in Iraq, yet it cannot be completed without the longer presence of a significant number of American combat troops.

DAVID BROOKS Where’s the Landslide? Barack Obama’s ability to stand apart means that people on almost all sides of any issue can see parts of themselves reflected in his eyes. But it does make him hard to place.

Reverence for Solzhenitsyn, but No National Mourning

G.O.P. Drops in Voting Rolls in Many States Voting experts say the registration numbers may signal the beginning of a shift that could affect local, state and national politics over several election cycles.

Does Obama Need Bill Clinton's Blessing?

Editorial Guns and Poppies The United States and the rest of the international community must work harder, smarter and more cooperatively to rescue the narco-state of Afghanistan

Solzhenitsyn in Search of the Russia That Always Eluded Him

By SERGE SCHMEMANN

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn struggled to the end to sustain his spirit of moral resistance and maintain the power and purity of his great literary works.

BOB HERBERT The Winning Hand The fastest, cheapest, easiest and cleanest step toward a sane energy environment is the powerful combination of efficiency and conservation

Obama, in Shift, Urges Tapping Oil From U.S. Reserve

Bosnia Fugitive Is Hero to Some, Butcher to Others

Italy Begins Military Effort to Quell Crime

Getting in Shape for Games, China Strengthens Ties With Neighbors

Peter Rodman, Foreign Affairs Expert, Dies at 64

World Briefing | Europe: Russia: Putin Says Moscow to Restore Ties With Cuba

Ambush in China Raises Concerns as Olympics Near Officials labeled the attack terrorism and suggested the culprits were from a group seeking independence for China’s Uighur minority.

Pressure Grows for F.B.I. to Show Anthrax Evidence

H5 Washington Post Bush Says It's 'Important to Engage' China

Dionne: Obama's Unavoidable Issue

Last week's dust-up over race between McCain and Obama was entirely disappointing.

Why Is It Still Close? | Why isn't Obama breaking away from McCain?

On a Mission for Russia

Lipman: Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a premodern giant who defied the limits of human ability. | Editorial

Applebaum: What He Revealed

What Bush Should Ask for in Beijing

By Sasha Gong He ought to use this opportunity to push for an agreement with the Chinese on the free exchange of information

Obama Urges Opening Up Oil Reserves Policy Shift Is His Second in a Week on Energy Issue; McCain Urges Immediate Drilling

Syrian General Who Oversaw Arms Shipments Assassinated

Answering McCain's Attacks By Fred Hiatt, Obama could turn the conversation around in town hall debates

Who's Raising Race? Eugene Robinson | It's apparently problematic to attempt to describe the GOP's obvious game plan.

McCain's Problem Isn't the GOP

L. Brent Bozell

| McCain cannot win in November unless he has his conservative base energetically working for his election.

U.S. May Have Taped Visits to Detainees Foreign Countries Sent Interrogators

Russia's Heroic Literary Curmudgeon

Onetime Dissident Acclaimed Even by Those Who Disagreed With Him

Gazans' Access To Care Faulted

Israeli Interrogation Criticized in Report

Two U.S. Soldiers Killed in Baghdad Bombings

Islamism and Heavy Metal

Islam's Advance | Two forces with more in common than you might expect.

The Book on the Shelf

Richard Cohen | Amizon's Kindle represents the beginning of the end of books.

The Tripping President By Dan Froomkin

H6 Guardian How to deal with Iran's nuclear programme Andrew Grotto: Since Iran has refused to freeze its nuclear programme, the US should push for both sanctions and broader diplomacy

Top Assad aide assassinated in Syria Killing of right-hand man to president triggers intense speculation about a crisis inside Damascus regime

US eyes up Pakistan's lawless lands

Simon Tisdall: The prospect of direct US military intervention against al-Qaida in Pakistan is increasing, but they may regret taking action

End of financial triumphalism?

Kenneth Rogoff: The latest crisis has left little doubt that the entire system for global financial regulation is in serious need of an update.

The stakes could not be higher. Everything hinges on stopping coal

George Monbiot: The climate camp must succeed. In the absence of political backbone, our only hope is an avalanche of public revulsion

Rose-tinted reflections Yiyi Lu: The Olympics provides the Chinese with a rare opportunity to test their perceptions of the west

This nudging stuff is nothing new - and it's all a bit shaky

James Harkin: The Tories' set text for summer is of a piece with another great read, The Tipping Point. Trouble is, the theory doesn't hold

A great Russian out of his time

Editorial: When writers judge his tone, the word 'thunderous' comes to mind

The other Solzhenitsyn William Harrison: Praise his critique of the Soviet system certainly, but remember that it was informed by a deeply reactionary pan-Slavism

Kadima: in search of the way forward Petra Marquardt-Bigman: As Kadima looks among the doves and hawks for a new leader, one issue still trumps all others: Iran

China on Olympic terror alert after border attack Games organisers insist stadiums safe as 16 policemen killed in raid by separatists

Obama shifts policy on offshore oil

Democratic candidate makes U-turn as cost of fuel becomes the dominant issue in presidential race

FBI: Federal Bureau of Idiots

Ian Williams: Given its previous bungling, can anyone believe the FBI's claim to have solved the 2001 anthrax mystery?

H7 Asia Times Iran heartened by India's nuclear vote The United States-India nuclear agreement, which has been endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency, represents a timely diplomatic boon for Iran, which can now point at the US's flexible application of its nuclear policies with regard to Delhi as a reference point in Tehran's nuclear negotiations. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi

Washington Institute Increasing Pressure on Iranian Opposition in Iraq Conflict between Iraqi political pressure, humanitarian interests, U.S. law, and sometimes competing American policy goals in the region make resolution of the growing conflict over control of an Iranian opposition camp in Iraq difficult at best. By Raymond Tanter

Debka Syrian sources confirm death of Assad confidential aide and his nuclear link

New Republic Devils' Advocates
Despots and the lobbyists who love them . by James Kirchick

Weekly Standard Peter W. Rodman, 1943-2008
A patriot and a gentleman.
by William Kristol

So globalization, by making nations richer, will make them democratic? Not if we enrich entrenched, anti-democratic powers... more»

Bribery, corruption, extortion are the Afghan way, from the top of society to its very bottom. But that’s just the start, as Sarah Chayes explains... more»

Daily Star Syria's comeback, Lebanon's independence
By Rami Naser

Return to a regional conference on Mideast peace
By Carlo Strenger

Sectarian Tensions Heat Up in Lebanon By: Simon Roughneen | The Washington Times
Renewed fighting last week in the northern city of Tripoli, a Sunni-dominated region, underlined the precariousness of the peace agreement reached in Qatar in May between the Hezbollah-led opposition backed by Syria and Iran and the Western-supported March 14 movement, named for the start of the Cedar Revolution triggered by the Hariri assassination in February 2005

A Reinforced Obstacle to Democracy CEPS A 22-page working paper on the relationship between energy and democracy

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

Iran faces new sanctions warning Iran faces new sanctions if it does not respond positively to incentives to rein in its nuclear activities, the US and UK say.

Top Syria official 'assassinated'
A senior military official close to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad is assassinated, according to Arab media reports.

Iraqis see compromise on Kirkuk standoff

Iraqi Politicians Interviewed on Kirkuk Issue, Government Stance

Elections Bill in Iraq Stalls On Kirkuk

Iran Paper Analyses Syrian President Visit (View Article)

Al-Asad's France, Iran Visits Proved "Correctness" of Syria's Approach - NPF (View Article)

Daily Assesses Positive Results of Syrian President's Visit to Iran (View Article)

Syrian President's Tehran Visit Not Affecting Israel-Syria Indirect Dialogue (View Article)

Syrian General Slain by Sniper -

Roadside bomb kills 2 US soldiers in Baghdad (AP)

Iran tests 'new weapon' for use at sea

Tehran threatens to cut world oil supply

H9 Ha’aretz – Israel concerned over U.S. idea to open interests section in Iran Opening U.S. interests section will have major influence on Israel's freedom of military movement vis a vis Iran

Israel denies involvement in Syrian general's assassination

Defense Minister: Gaza operations are on way

Why would Hezbollah want to carry out an attack in West Africa?

Jerusalem Post Assad's Visit to Tehran Shows Syria-Iran Ties Strong

'Murdered Syrian officer knew too much' Speculation abounds over reported assassination of close Assad aide; Syrian press yet to comment.

Another Nail in Fatah's Coffin - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)

Cantor - McCain's key to Jewish votes? Congressman emerges as serious candidate for VP job; McCain campaign refuses to confirm reports.

Yedioth Ahronoth 'Hizbullah has right to arms'
Lebanese unity government okays policy paper affirming right of 'the resistance' to liberate territories under Israeli control. Pleased with achievement, veto-wielding Hizbullah already sets sights on new goal – ending IAF sorties

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

Alpher The Economic War Against the Palestinians Has Failed

Peace Talks with PA Purely Cosmetic - Ofir Shelach (Maariv-Hebrew, 1Aug08)
According to the IDF General Staff, the IDF is the only force preventing a Hamas takeover in the West Bank.

Daily Star Hamas and Fatah are a bigger threat to the Palestinians than Israel

Gaza clansmen exiled as Hamas grabs Fatah bastion (AP)

Hamas 'releases Fatah official' Hamas says it has released the top representative of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah party in Gaza.

H10 Christian Science Monitor

An Olympic lift to U.S.-China relations May the Games help break down walls of fear.

U.S. Army hopes to keep native Arabic speakers Incentives likely to include large payments to soldiers now working as translators.

Russia's other Olympic powerhouse – in parliament

In a controversial bid to gain support, the ruling United Russia party has bolstered its ranks with eight Olympic medalists, a popular singer, and a prima ballerina from the Bolshoi Ballet.

Solzhenitsyn and piercing pens

The literary dissident rightly observed the power of the pen to 'defeat lies.'

Solzhenitsyn: exiled then exalted in Russia The Nobel Prize-winning writer gave voice to millions imprisoned in Stalin's Gulag. He died Sunday.

Democrats unrelenting in oversight of Bush administration

With elections ahead, Congress is expected to keep spotlight on alleged misdeeds.

U.S. spending obligations surge

Recent bills – for students, GIs, housing market – add to long-term budget commitments.

ASIA

Beyond China-Bashing By: Fareed Zakaria | The Washington Post To say that today's China is the same as Mao's totalitarian state is to be ignorant, ideological, or both.

FT China’s repression of civil society will haunt it Minxin Pei on a suppressed civil society

Press Gaggle by Dana Perino and Dennis Wilder, NSC Senior Director for Asian Affairs (View Article)

Asia Times Delhi risks a stumble at the finish line
Now that its nuclear accord with the United States has been endorsed by the United Nations' nuclear watchdog, India has only the 45-member Nuclear Suppliers Group to win over. Any obstacles here will be made worse if Delhi insists on gaining "clean and unconditional" approval. - Sudha Ramachandran

China grenade attack kills 16 police

Olympics will be safe, says China

China stresses the Beijing Olympics will be safe following an attack that killed 16 policemen in the north-west of the country.

How big is the Xinjiang threat?

Q&A: China's Uighur problem

McClatchy China fails to keep promises it made to win Olympic games With four days left before the start of the 2008 Summer Games, Chinese officials have not lived up to key promises they made to win the right to host the Olympics, including widening press freedoms, cleaning up their capital city's polluted air and respecting human rights. Thick smog covers Beijing, human rights violations continue and the Internet is still restricted

The Road to Beijing By: Jay Nordlinger | National Review
The Olympics are, indeed, a pivotal moment for China, and its Communist government (if the two can be separated). Other countries are facing an important moment too, where their China policies are concerned. These Olympics have raised the questions “What is China?” and “How is the world to treat it?”

What Bush Should Ask for in Beijing By: Sasha Gong | The Washington Post The U.S. president ought to use this opportunity to push for an agreement with the Chinese on the free exchange of information.

China Farms Abroad By: Brian McCartan | Asia Sentinel
As other countries have pushed their industrial bases thousands of miles offshore in search of resources and labor, China is doing the same thing with agriculture, expanding as far away as Africa in its effort to feed its people.

H11 IHT Beijing's Catch-22

By VICTOR D. CHA China will be a different country after the Games - whether the Chinese Communist Party likes it or not.

Two ways of looking at the Lisbon Treaty Unless the Irish, who rejected the Lisbon Treaty in a referendum in June, can be persuaded to vote again, Lisbon will die - and diplomats are wondering whether that would be such a bad thing.

Solzhenitsyn, 20th-century oracle, dies The Nobel Prize-winning author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, whose literary struggles revealed the afflictions of Soviet Communism, died late on Sunday in Moscow at 89

.

Iraq's next political test: Kirkuk and its oil wealth Now that violence is way down, Iraqi leaders have no excuse not to peacefully decide the future of Kirkuk.

EUROPE European press review

Sarkozy, France and NATO Cicero Foundation This 21-page paper examines whether President Sarkozy's rapprochement to NATO is sustainable

Europeans are greeting Barack Obama as their savior; but how long will the love last if he wins the presidency?

Serbia Hunting Final Fugitives Amid EU Bid By: Renata Goldirova | EU Observer Serbian president Boris Tadic has vowed Belgrade will "fulfil its international obligations" by hunting down two remaining war crimes fugitives - general Ratko Mladic and former Croatian Serb leader Goran Hadzic.

EDM MOSCOW ORCHESTRATES WAR SCARE IN SOUTH OSSETIA

- SOLZHENITSYN PRAISED BY POLITICIANS ACROSS RUSSIA’S POLITICAL SPECTRUM

- DUUMVIRATE IS TESTED AS MEDVEDEV SPEAKS UP AGAINST PUTIN

Google News Azerbaijan

Moscow's Triangular Diplomacy By: Alexander Veytsman | The Moscow Times The enemy of my enemy is my friend. Over three decades ago Richard Nixon pioneered a ""triangular diplomacy"" by forming two separate alliances with China and the Soviet Union, which had adversarial relations with each other in the early 1970s.

Wary South Ossetians Send Children to Russia The Moscow Times Georgia's breakaway republic of South Ossetia began sending hundreds of children across the border to Russia on Sunday amid increasing violence between the republic and Georgian government forces.

Georgia: Tensions Flare Over Breakaway South Ossetia In the wake of an armed clash in Georgia’s separatist-minded territory of South Ossetia, all sides are eschewing conciliatory gestures and are instead embracing aggressive rhetoric.

Berlin Consultations on Abkhazia Derailed By: Vladimir Socor | Eurasia Daily Monitor Moscow and Sukhumi have thwarted the proposed consultations in Berlin that could have launched a negotiating process toward resolution of the conflict in Abkhazia.

Ending the Silent Russian-European War By: Igor Yurgens | The Japan Times Europe's demand for energy makes diversification of Russia's economy seem a distant prospect -- especially in view of how Russia's bureaucracy repels foreign business.

Kazakhstan at Crossroads in Space By: Peter J. Brown | The Moscow Times
The politics of space are frequently eclipsed by the politics of energy, and yet disruptions in the satellite world can often have unforeseen consequences. There is a certain danger whenever you take either pipelines or satellites for granted

H13 The Times Iran delays nuclear discussion Iran has achieved, yet again, what it wants: paralysis of the international wrangling over its nuclear programme

Exclusive: Secret deal kept British Army out of Basra battle US and Iraqi forces were left to fight the al-Mahdi forces alone despite the 4,000 British troops stationed in the area

Top Syrian military official assassinated The death of General Mohammed Suleiman, right hand man to the Syrian president, prompts speculation of a rift within the Damascus regime

Turkic people at odds with China

The mainly Muslim Uighurs live in Xinjiang region have enjoyed varying degrees of autonomy over the past century

Chinese separatists blamed for massacre Attackers were overcome and arrested at the scene and confirmed as members of the Uighur ethnic minority

Obama: McCain is 'in the pocket' of the oil firms With energy dominating the opinion polls Barack Obama has unveiled a sweeping energy plan during a speech in Michigan

Has China got a terrorist problem? The Uighur attack in the northwest was shocking but not a precursor to a bigger outrage

Rosemary Righter

Delicate China With only four days to the start of the Olympics, China is growing nervous about political challenges from within the country

Alexsandr Solzhenitsyn: the novelist as prophet

The famous dissident was a towering moral witness

Putin leads tributes to Solzhenitsyn Russian prime minister calls Nobel laureate dissident writer's death 'an irreparable loss for Russia and the world'

Anthrax victim's widow condemns FBI inquiry Maureen Stevens says that the US Government has kept her in the dark about the investigation following Bruce Ivins death

Wall Street Journal Radical Iraq Cleric in Retreat Muqtada al-Sadr plans to disarm his once-feared Mahdi Army militia and remake it into a social-services organization. The repositioning reflects an effort by the anti-American Shiite cleric to regain grass-roots support and weed out some extremists

While Diplomats Dither, Iran Builds Nukes
By John R. Bolton
With each passing day the military option becomes less viable.

Europe's Caucasian Moment
By Borut Grgic And Alexandros Petersen
Achieving peace in Abkhazia is not impossible.

My Bet With Francis Fukuyama

By Bret Stephens
Global View
There is no "war" going on in Iraq.

McCain's Problem Isn't BushBy William McGurn
Main Street "The Maverick" is looking cornered and meek.

The Reform Fantasy
By James Mann
The Games haven't promoted political freedom.

Downshifting China's Economy
By Sam Baker
Rising car inventories spell trouble for growth.

Bruce Ivins Wasn't the Anthrax Culprit
By Richard Spertzel
No lone U.S. scientist made those spores.

Of Good and Evil
Solzhenitsyn told Russia's story with clarity, courage and humanity.

Weekly Standard A Recession on the Horizon?
The economy continues to grow at a modest but nevertheless positive rate.
by Irwin M. Stelzer

H14 Financial Times Oil falls as fears for growth intensify Crude oil prices fell below $120 a barrel for the first time in three months amid mounting worries about slowing economic growth and signs of rising supplies from Opec, the oil exporting countries cartel

Repel the calls to contain competitive markets The economic edifice that fostered the surge in global trade is being pilloried for the pause and partial retrenchment. The cause of economic despair is humanity’s propensity to sway from fear to euphoria and back, writes Alan Greenspan

The Big Freeze part 2: future of banking Investment banks with weakened balance sheets may find their most profitable activities curbed

McCain and Obama trade blows on energy Candidates step up tetchy exchange over petrol prices, with Barack Obama accusing his rival of being in the ‘pocket of big oil’ and John McCain accusing his opponent of hypocrisy

Greenspan warns of more bank bail-outs More banks and financial institutions could end up being bailed out by governments before the credit crisis is over, Alan Greenspan, the former chairman of the Federal Reserve, warns in an article in Tuesday’s Financial Times

There is more to life than nudging

The libertarian paternalists have made useful advances in policy, but they should not confuse nudging for a coherent political philosophy

New technologies spur rush for gas

Producers are flooding into the US to cash in on the boom in natural gas, using new methods to extract supply from unconventional resources such as shale and dense sandstone

Putin moves to bolster Cuba ties

Vladimir Putin has called for a restoration of Moscow’s influence in Cuba, once a Soviet satellite, as tensions with the US deepen over Washington’s planned anti-missile system in eastern Europe

Russia warns Georgia over breakaway province Russia has accused Georgia of using disproportionate force in its breakaway province of South Ossetia and warned it not to aggravate the crisis there, the foreign ministry said

Inflationary challenge troubles Russia With prices rising at a rapid rate, Moscow is battling to find the right response. But analysts suggest that the economy might be subject to the whim of global markets

Editorial comment: A constant critic

Putin awarded Solzhenitsyn a state prize for his humanitarian work in 2007. It was a belated recognition. The dissident writer would probably have disapproved

In an online world, the party is over

John Lloyd on the new political audience

China’s repression of civil society will haunt it Minxin Pei on a suppressed civil society

Comment: Italy gets tough on crime while neglecting corruption

Critics wonder whether the public administration ministry is best placed to combat corruption in the public administration, writes Guy Dinmore

Italy deploys troops to fight urban crime Italian troops, some in body armour and with automatic weapons, have been deployed on urban crime patrols, fulfilling an election promise by Silvio Berlusconi, centre-right prime minister, to make Italy’s cities safer

Kuwait to lift Japan exposure

Kuwait is planning to ‘double or triple’ its investment in Japan, in a move that could take its total commitment to $50bn, according to Mustapha al-Shamali, the Gulf state’s finance minister

H15 Los Angeles Times Why McCain is still in it By Nate Silver

Statistics say Obama should win, but the Democrat will have a hard time uniting his diverse party.

Suspects in deadly attack are Uighurs, China says Two men of the Turkic Muslim minority in China's restive far west are said to have been responsible for the killing of 16 police officers

Sleeping is the enemy A former Marine combats nightmares about Iraq by struggling to stay awake. He finds compassion from fellow veterans but little relief: "I try with all my strength not to sleep."

H16 American Politics

RASMUSSEN Poll has McCain ahead...

ATV/Zogby Poll Toss-Up! McCain 42%, Obama 41% as Undecided Voters Increase...

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

Multiple Oil Company Executives Gave Huge Contributions To Electing McCain Just Days After Offshore Drilling Reversal

In another switch, Obama calls for tapping U.S. oil reserve

Obama urges opening oil reserves US presidential hopeful Barack Obama outlines his plans to tackle the cost of energy and its impact on the US economy.

Power of money The crucial importance of US election funds

The Future of Conservative Books - Harry Stein, City Journal

Spending declines as Americans struggle with rising prices

H17 Daily Telegraph McCain level with Obama after strategy shift

John McCain's change to more open attacks on his rival seems to be paying off dramatically as the latest poll showed he had managed to draw level with Barack Obama.

The Games: Beijing's on another planet We knew Beijing was going to go big on the Olympic Games, says Jim White, but no-one expected the extent to which it has given itself over so completely to a sporting event

H18 Independent Leading article: Two nations that hold the key to Middle East peace

Patrick Cockburn: Iraq better? With three wars going on?

Robert Fisk: Syrian leader gets top billing in Middle East by doing nothing

Ayad Allawi: There can be no stability in Iraq without security

Mary Dejevsky: Farewell to the keeper of Russia's conscience

Solzhenitsyn: a life of dissent

Karadzic 'lived under protectionof CIA agents until he broke deal'

China grenade attack kills 16 police

H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism

Controversial counterintelligence unit shut down by Pentagon

Thinking Small: Applying Hobbes to Counterinsurgency (Full Article PDF)

Armed Forces Journal War’s irrational motivators
The fundamental dictum guiding our diplomats and analysts has been that states and human collectives act in their own... BY RALPH PETERS

Read different BY T.X. HAMMES

Rand Dressed To Kill: Why the Number of Female Suicide Bombers is Rising in Iraq

The Strongest Tribe

Was the US public misled about the anthrax attacks?

Dan Gillmor: ABC News should reveal the sources of its false report that the anthrax attacks after 9/11 were tied to Saddam Hussein

GAO and Intelligence Oversight

New Details on the National Cyber Security Initiative

Marines ordered to stay longer in Afghanistan, official says

The first chapter from Does Peacekeeping Work? Shaping Belligerents' Choices after Civil War by Virginia Fortna.

The Latest Blow to Al-Qaeda

H20 Slate Death of a Writer

How Alexander Solzhenitsyn's The Gulag Archipelago changed the world.
Anne Applebaum

The Man Who Kept On Writing

Alexander Solzhenitsyn lived as if there were such a thing as human dignity.
Christopher Hitchens

Climate Change Science Program Issues Report on Climate Models
Source: U.S. Department of Energy Download in sections (PDFs) or as full report (PDF; 17.2 MB).

H21 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, whose books told the horrors of the Soviet gulag system, is dead at 89 ... Telegraph ... AP ... AFP ... London Times ... Irish Times ... BBC ... Guardian ... NYT ... Der Spiegel ... 1978 Harvard speech ... Putin & Gorbachev ... old Buckley column ... Daily Mail ... Guardian ... Moscow Times ... Time

Scientists are advancing slowly toward one of the most audacious goals humans have ever set for themselves: creating artificial life. They've already accomplished some steps needed to construct a simple, single-celled organism that's capable of evolving and reproducing itself — basic requirements for life.

Great minds don't think alike

Julian Baggini: Everyone listens respectfully but no one is interested in changing their opinion. So what exactly is the point of conferences?

From New Humanist, the 21st century has seen the world rocked by a variety of religious challenges to the secular state

Arianna blogs from home in Brentwood, but how is she to know what’s happening in Tehran or D.C.? As newspapers shut their foreign desks, is this the replacement?... more»

Cyberethics: The Emerging Codes of Online Conduct

Mark Bauerlein on how Theory damaged the Humanities.

NO LIFE: Martian soil may contain detrimental substance...

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 - Mark Kleiman - Belgravia Dispatch - washington realist - Tom Barnett - democracy arsenal - Josh Marshall - Daniel Drezner - Laura Rozen - the washington note - MondoWeiss - David Corn - SyriaComment - Israel-Syria Peace Society - William Arkin - Phil Carter - Helena Cobban - MatthewYglesias - Oxblog - Brad DeLong - coming anarchy / Wonkette 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