082608f - FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW (FPR) - ‘Relevant news, views, comments and analyses for informed debate’ Compiled by Şanlı Bahadır Koç U.S. / Britain / Turkey / Magazines / Think-tanks / Blogs / Misc /Books / Quickread / Numbers / Reports - Subscribe to FPR FPR Table - H4 NYT WP GU H7 ME Isr H10 CSM IHT Eur FSU Asia H13 Times WSJ FT LAT H16 USP DT Ind H19 Mil Int Ter Wonk H21 Misc

H1 NYT U.S. to Leave Iraq by 2011, Maliki Says

Maliki: Timetable Agreed; US Denies

Stratfor Geopolitical Diary: The Black Sea and Reviving the Cold War Russia began the week with more blunt messages to the West. Its recent belligerence may have gotten it more than asked for, however.

Foreign Policy Seven Questions: Bernard Lewis on the Two Biggest Myths About Islam

Newsweek The Rise of the Putin Doctrine Josef Joffe As the West celebrated 'soft' power, Putin went back to 'hard' power, using gas to cow his neighbors.

Stratfor Iran: Reaping Benefits From a BTC Shutdown

If Iran becomes a regular transit option for oil from Azerbaijan, the entire region could experience a shift.

Georgia and Kosovo: A Single Intertwined Crisis The Kosovo question, which set the stage for the rise of Putin and current and future crises, will stand out as a turning point in the history of the coming period

Financial Times Why Obama looks vulnerable A dark cloud of anxiety hovers over the Democratic party convention. A horrible truth is beginning to dawn on the delegates. Barack Obama is not the “once in a generation” political genius they thought they had discovered. On the contrary, he is a weak candidate for the presidency, writes Gideon Rachman

Exiting Iraq The US presidential election has helped concentrate minds in Washington on withdrawal – but an orderly departure is still far from guaranteed

Maliki confirms deadline for US pull-out Iraqi PM tells tribal leaders an agreement had been reached in negotiations on a security pact with the US to end any foreign military presence in Iraq by the end of 2011

Iraq says date for pull-out by US is agreed The US has agreed to withdraw all troops from Iraq by 2011, Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, said yesterday. But his comments, which go to the heart of the...

A bad nuclear deal The next president should ditch the US-India accord and opt for an approach that reforms the rules of the nuclear game for America’s friends and foes

Georgia fall-out casts shadow on Iran talks UN discussions begin next month on a new set of sanctions designed to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions, an issue that could make the Georgia crisis look like a passing summer squall

The Kosovo Precedent Bites Georgia

Washington Post Maliki Demands All U.S. Troops Pull Out by 2011 Iraqi Leader Pushes Hard on Accord

Biden's Blink on Iran By Michael Rubin, Obama picked Biden for experience, but he might also have considered judgment.

Cheney To Visit Georgia Next Week Ukraine, Azerbaijan Also on Itinerary

Governing Coalition Collapses in Pakistan Dispute Over Presidency, Fate of Judges

As Georgians Assess Damage, Anger Likely to Grow – With Their Govt

The Times Don't pick a fight you can't finish When he visits Kiev, the Foreign Secretary should remember the threats posed by Nato's drive eastwards

Anatol Lieven

The New New World Order

The West's foreign policy priority is no longer terrorism: it is to tame the new great power nationalisms and harness them to democratic ideals

Russian threat to Nato supply route Diplomat says agreement allowing Nato to take supplies to Afghanistan through Russia and Central Asia could be suspended

Plot to Kill Obama: Shoot From High Vantage Point — DENVER (CBS4) ― CBS4 has now learned at least four people are under arrest in connection with a possible plot to kill Barack Obama at his Thursday night acceptance speech in Denver. All are being held on either drug or weapons charges

U.S. Troop Deal Signals Major Iraq Policy Shift: ; ANALYSIS

Independent The Big Question: Will Iraq disintegrate if the United States withdraws its troops?

Leading Article: The entwined fate of two terrorised nations

Pakistan and Afghanistan face the same Taliban threat

Slate Which breakaway state will be the next South Ossetia?

Ha’aretz – Obama: World must press Iran before Israel strikes U.S. Democratic presidential candidate: We have to act before Israel feels like its back is to the wall

New Republic 'Diplomacy For Barack Obama Is More Than An Instrument, It Is A Mentality' by Leon Wieseltier

RFE RL Could Peninsula Become Next Flashpoint? Ukrainian fighter jets swooped low over the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, and tanks and armored personnel carriers rumbled along the city's main Khreschatyk Boulevard as part of the country's Independence Day celebrations. But many in the crowds marking the country's 17th year as a sovereign state likely wondered if the jets and tanks might soon be headed into a real conflict with a resurgent Russia. More

New York Times DAVID BROOKS The 21st-Century Man Barack Obama is already an elusive Rorschach test candidate, and now he’s being pulled by his party in a thousand directions.

Enclave Hails Tight Embrace From Moscow While Russian Parliament voted unanimously to support independence for South Ossetia and Abkhazia, most Western countries support Georgia’s territorial integrity.

E.U. Treads Gingerly in Georgia Crisis

Editorial The Good Fighter

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has a responsibility to her party to concede defeat gracefully and rearm for another good fight.

U.N. Envoy’s Ties to Pakistani Are Questioned Zalmay Khalilzad is facing angry questions over his unauthorized contacts with Asif Ali Zardari, a contender to succeed Pervez Musharraf as president of Pakistan

MESH ‘American Ascendance and British Retreat’

Russia and the Middle East

Newsweek Was There a Plot to Kill Obama?

International Reaction to Biden

The World’s Most Powerful No.2s

Guardian Fighting talk

Editorial: Under Russia's 'peacekeeping' plan, it would create a network of checkpoints around Georgia's main Black Sea port

Letting the Iraqis take control

Lawrence Korb: The Bush administration has long refused to set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. So why is it doing so now?

Rich countries once used gunboats to seize food. Now they use trade deals George Monbiot: The world's hungriest are the losers as an old colonialism returns to govern relations between wealthy and poor nations

The kind of cop we need Tim Montgomerie: Europeans adore Obama, but long-term global security calls for a strong leader, in Bush's mould

China: a new openness to the world? Daniel A Bell: My experience of China during the Olympics was a positive one, where home fans and media celebrated other nations' success as well as their own

Britain's secret propaganda war against al-Qaida Counter-terrorism unit targeting media organisations to 'taint the al-Qaida brand'

Secret paper shows battle against al-Qaida brand

Wall Street Journal Russia Is Dangerous But Weak

By Bret Stephens Putin squandered a chance to lead the 'coalition of the unwilling.

A Bear Energy Market
By Zeyno Baran State of the Union: Only a united Europe can withstand Russia's gas stranglehold.

Russia's Aggression Is a Challenge to World Order
By Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman Supporting Georgia is only the first step toward safeguarding freedom in Europe.

We Can Help China Embrace the Future
By Tony Blair The West should approach Beijing without fear or ignorance.

Los Angeles Times The rise of Russia Should we prepare of an era of expanding Russian hegemony? Andrew Meier and Michael C. Moynihan debate

Iraq Prime Minister Nouri Maliki demands firm withdrawal date

The leader wants all U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011. His words seem to rule out the presence of U.S. military advisors, special forces and air support after the withdrawal date.

Baghdad's misguided crackdown on the Sons of Iraq By Shawn Brimley and Colin Kahl Prime Minister Maliki's Shiite-dominated government risks security gains by taking on U.S.-backed Sunni forces

Asia Times Let's talk about World War III Echoing World War 1, the most important elements for World War III are already in place. Russian troops can overwhelm the Georgian military, but will stand no chance against the United States unless Moscow resorts to limited use of nuclear weapons against a few US bases in Europe and aircraft carriers in the Mediterranean. It will be mainly conventional war, spiced with some nuclear mushrooms here and there. The world will not be annihilated - and there is just a chance that it can avoid this scenario altogether. - Nikolai Sokov

A really rough stretch for Pax Americana In a "breathtaking" two weeks of foreign policy failures, Washington has seen bloody attacks in Afghanistan and Pakistan, the possibility of renewed civil war in Iraq and the embarrassment of Russia's invasion of Georgia. In sum, the Pax Americana era, in which the US maintained a monopoly on the use of military force, came to an end. - Jim Lobe

Russia, Iran: Crisis of the West By: Paul Rogers | Open Democracy The military and political leaders of the United States and Europe could be forgiven in August 2008 for recalling the English phrase "it never rains, but it pours." For they are currently faced by a series of security problems in relation to Russia, Afghanistan and Iran, each of which is testing in its own right but which together strain their resources (and perhaps nerves) to the limit

Georgia war rooted in US 'self-deceit' Saakashvili had encouragement from his "buddies in the White House" or not, the deeper roots of the Russia-Georgia war lie in US bureaucratic self-deceit about the objective of expanding the North Atlantic Treaty Organization up to the borders of a highly suspicious and proud Russia in the context of an old and volatile ethnic conflict. - Gareth Porter

Give Iraqis what they want

As Nouri al-Maliki calls for a date for withdrawal, President Bush should honor Iraqis' wishes. (Boston Globe

Time Picking Up the Pieces in Pakistan

YaleGlobal The India-China Paradigm Is Passé

Betraying the Awakening Council By: Tariq Alhomayed | Asharq Alawsat It's assumed that the least members of the Awakening Council can expect for their sacrifices in fighting and expelling the Qaeda Organization, and their efforts in maintaining security in hell-like areas for the Americans and the Iraqi government, such as Fallujah, is recognition

Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Political Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests (PDF; 259 KB) Source: Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists)

Picking Presidents and Foreign Policy - Council on Foreign Relations

Jerusalem Post Rice: Joint document in Sep. unlikely

Lands in Israel to push peace; Peace Now: Tenders in settlements up by 550% this year.

In Washington: Will America pay the price if Israel hits Iran?

[ MJ ROSENBERG,

Our World: Three guys, a trailer and Israel's survival

[ CAROLINE GLICK

Dangerous talks with Syria

A cynical PM has turned Israel's vital interests into playthings

Go East, Uncle Sam By: Francesco Sisci | Asia Times
The Byzantine Empire extended its life by 1,000 years by cleverly balancing its interests with those of its allies and adversaries. Starting with Russia and Iran, the United States has a lot more to gain by playing the same game, rather than by being confrontational.

Putin's Gold Medal War By: Chris Patten | The Moscow Times
What does the ""Olympics War,"" otherwise known as Russia's invasion of Georgia, really mean? The war itself, of course, was predicable and predicted. Its results are equally clear.

How We Learned to Stop Worrying About National Interest… by Doug Bandow

The Economist Economics focus: Lessons from a “lost decade”

Will America follow Japan into a decade of stagnation?

Commentary Biden's Brilliance

Noah Pollak WEB EXCLUSIVE. Joseph Biden is widely regarded as a foreign policy expert. So why was his major contribution to the Iraq debate so foolish?

H2

Montrö, Boğazlar ve Gürcistan krizi HASAN CELAL GÜZEL

Savaş Süzal Joe Biden Türkiye düşmanıdır

Ankara'nın yeni aktörleri -

Think tankler: Savaşı iki ay önce söyledik, ama... -

Jammer zirvesi

ABD Büyükelçiliği’nin ‘içki dayağı’ takibi

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

PKK’dan önce de sorun vardı

NYT - Kurdish Control of Kirkuk Creates a Powder Keg

NYT Letter Getting Tough on the Kurds

PKK'dan 'çatı terör örgütü'

10. Kürtleri bölen dava

Cevdet Aşkın

Bombayı telsizle patlatmışlar

Terörist inleri yok ediliyor

Kaçağın rantı PKK’ya

1. Ordu'ya saldıran örgüt 'Kıvılcım' çıktı -

Village guards dismiss allegations of military links to Ergenekon

Iraq: UN to offer ‘options’ to solve territorial disputes

The PKK and Kirkuk

Balancing atop Kurdish trapeze

Nuray Başaran Ortadoğu'da büyük değişim

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

Kazakhstan Won't Withdraw From Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline

KKTC slams Greek Cypriot move on oil exploration

İBRAHİM KARAGÜL Karadeniz'de savaş, dört yıl önceki uyarı

Şahin Alpay Kafkaslar'da kim kazandı?

İhsan Dağı 'Soğuk Savaş'çıların dönüşü

Fikret Ertan Beş günün faturası

Halit Kakınç Kafkasya Sınavı’nda Türkiye sınıfta kaldı!

Assessing the Georgian crisis (2)

Cypriots look to rid island of British fugitives As the island prepares for talks on unification the Turkish north looks to clean up its image by banishing British criminals

Obama's VP pick cold to Turkey

Bakü-Tiflis-Ceyhan Yeniden Faaliyette

Ruslar blöf yapıyor zannettim

Kosova, tanınma için Türkiye'den destek istiyor

Sami Kohen Moskova’nın rövanşı

Rauf Denktaş TMT ellinci yılında

Gül now has another reason to go to Armenia
Barçin YİNAN

Gemiler boğazlardan, tanıma kararı meclisten geçti

Kafkaslar dönüm noktasında Vartan Oskanyan

Two days with Joe Biden: Cassandra joins charisma DENNIS REDMO

Can Ataklı

Hedo Okur Tuncay Nihat Altintop

[Yorum - Herkül Milas] 1908 ne değildi?

What is Eastern Question?

Before Montreux | London Straits Convention

Elif Şafak Babamdan Hayaller: Obama'yı okumak

News, commentary and the exercise of judgment DAVID JUDSON

'Failed' Turkish soap opera runs amok on Arab TVs

Seyfettin Gürsel Türkiye Pekin'de çok başarısız

Deniz Gökçe
Olimpiyat sonrası değerlendirme!

Yasaklı Atatürk belgeseli - İZLE

'Zarflar 24 Eylül'de açılacak, bütün şirketler hazır olsun'

Minister pledges no postponement in nuclear tender

Documents reveal dark face of controversial JİTEM

Birand Balık çiftlikleri devletin ayıbıdır...

Serpil Yılmaz Aytaç Yalman: Her şeyde geç kalmadık mı?

Derya Sazak Dereden tepeden

Dünyayı çarpan çılgın Türkler... Pentagon'u hackleyen 29 kişinin 13'ü ilkokul mezunu.

Tatar Paşa'ya aile boyu fişleme

Serdar Turgut
Nişanyan vakası ve evlilik üzerine

Vali Güler’in kardeşine seks şantajı!

Ergenekon devlete 100 bin YTL’ye patladı

Askeri arşivler güvende mi

Pamuk’tan müzenin romanı
Yeni kitap cumaya Orhan Pamuk’un yeni romanı ‘Masumiyet Müzesi’ cuma günü çıkıyor. ‘Masumiyet Müzesi’ Pamuk’un kurduğu müzenin de adı.

New York'ta karnaval gibi Türk günü festivali

Turkish Festival brings joy to NY

Türkiye, Google’ın ‘porno’ şampiyonu

H3

‘Uzlaşma’da tartışma

Yeni bir hezimet istemeyen sol partiler, yerel seçimlere sıkı hazırlanıyor

Kapatma dialogları

Astsubayın dehşet itirafları

Çürük elmalar, kamu gücünü istismar ediyor

MHP'ye göre AK Parti, yolsuzlukla mücadelede sınıfta kaldı

Gaffar Okkan suikastı Ergenekon işi mi?

Genç Ergenekoncular rahatsızmış !

'Derin Sol' öldü, yeni aktör kim olacak? -

Bu da Ergenekon'un meczubu

Handover week for Turkish Armed Forces

'Sosyetik fişleme' yaptıran paşadan kuvvet komutanlarına hakaret

Darbeyi MİT'e söylemiş

AKP’den karşı yolsuzluk atağı

Gazeteye sarılı bombanın yazışmaları Kerinçsiz'den çıktı

Son Dakika Milliyet Hürriyet Zaman

Cengiz Çandar

Ahmet Taşgetiren Bilinç sorgulamaları

Ruşen - Çakır

Taha Akyol

Fikret Bila Rehn ve Arato’nun önerileri

Hasan Cemal Erdoğan’ın yol haritası var mı?

Murat Yetkin Moskovada kritik görüşme

İsmet Berkan Ergenekon ve sol

Fehmi Koru Dönemin sihirli sözcüğü: 'Uzlaşma'

Taha Kıvanç Ergenekon'u Danıştay'la çözmek...

Oray Eğin İktidarın iki Taha’sı

Şamil Tayyar

Erhan Çelik Ergenekon iddianamesinde birileri(!) unutuldu mu?

Sabahattin Önkibar Abdüllatif Şener, Tayyip beye alternatif olabilir mi?

KÜRŞAT BUMİN 'Döktükleri kanda boğulmaları' mı beklenecek?

Ali Bayramoğlu

Yasemin Çongar

Ertuğrul Özkök Sünnet midir, farz mı

Can Dündar Tükenmeyiz eritmekle!

Serdar Turgut Yaratıcı fişleme toplumu

Sedat Ergin Başbakan Erdoğan çevrecilere neden kızıyor?

Ahmet Hakan

M Ali Birand

Cüneyt Ülsever Büyükanıt’ı uğurlarken!

Enis Berberoğlu Neler oluyor hayatta

Oktay Ekşi Yolsuzluk ve AKP

Bekir Coşkun ’Yeni Türkiye...’

Yalçın Doğan Çevre ihlalleri Boğaz’a köprü olur

Özdemir İnce 1950’den bu yana tarikatların intikamı (2006)

Mehmet Y Yılmaz ’Pervaneler’ adına çok üzüldüm!

MUHARREM SARIKAYA 75 bin kadın

Kerim Balcı Ergenekon occupation

ERDAL ŞAFAK Enerji platformu

ENGİN ARDIÇ

ERGUN BABAHAN Türkiye'yi doğru anlamak

EMRE AKÖZ Prof. Celal Şengör bunu hep yapıyor

Umur Talu İtirafçı!

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

NAZLI ILICAK Bodrum dönüşü

MEHMET BARLAS "Boğazlar Rejimi"ne bakarak da tarihi yeniden yazabiliriz...

MAHMUT ÖVÜR Gaffar Okkan suikastı Ergenekon işi mi?

YAVUZ DONAT

Güngör Mengi

Aydın Ayaydın

Okay Gönensin

Ekonomi

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

Yerlinin döviz aşkı saflıktan değil ihtiyaçtan

Ercan Kumcu

Erdal Sağlam Küresel daralmanın içeriye etkisi

Hükümetin notu ortada Türkiye hâlâ yatırım yapılamaz ülke

MELİKŞAH UTKUTeşvik üzerine

Güven Sak Jackson Hole Konferansı, uluslararası kriz için bilinenleri tekrarladı

Hurşit Güneş Pekin’de alınan sonuç ekonomik zafiyetten değil

Yaman Törüner Petrol fiyatı ve etkileri

Güngör Uras Çekirdeksiz kuru üzümden Ege piyasasına 600 milyon YTL girecek

Sanayi Bakanı Zafer Çağlayan’a Allah yardım etsin

Financial waste in Turkey soars

H4 New York Times U.S. to Leave Iraq by 2011, Maliki Says

DAVID BROOKS The 21st-Century Man Barack Obama is already an elusive Rorschach test candidate, and now he’s being pulled by his party in a thousand directions.

Enclave Hails Tight Embrace From Moscow While Russian Parliament voted unanimously to support independence for South Ossetia and Abkhazia, most Western countries support Georgia’s territorial integrity.

E.U. Treads Gingerly in Georgia Crisis

Editorial The Good Fighter

Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton has a responsibility to her party to concede defeat gracefully and rearm for another good fight.

U.N. Envoy’s Ties to Pakistani Are Questioned Zalmay Khalilzad is facing angry questions over his unauthorized contacts with Asif Ali Zardari, a contender to succeed Pervez Musharraf as president of Pakistan

Fractious Coalition in Pakistan Breaks Apart

BOB HERBERT The Dog That Isn’t Barking The race issue in Barack Obama’s campaign can come up in peculiar and jolting ways.

Israel Frees 198 Palestinians Before Rice Arrives for Talks

Finding Fault With Biden

By CHRIS SUELLENTROP

Not all in Barack Obama’s camp are happy with the selection of the candidate’s running mate.

G.O.P. Tries to Upstage Democrats Political parties are no longer content to cede the stage to their rivals during their conventions

Fighting Cancer, Kennedy Adds an Opening Spark Senator Edward M. Kennedy, struggling with terminal brain cancer, made a triumphant appearance.

Text of Senator Kennedy’s Remarks

Stalwarts for Clinton, in Search of Catharsis

Second-Place Citizens For supporters of Hillary Clinton, paying homage to women’s progress at the Democratic National Convention will be akin to slathering sweet icing on a bitter cake

Britain’s Thatcher Has Dementia

Afghans Want a Deal on Foreign Troops

H5 Washington Post Maliki Demands All U.S. Troops Pull Out by 2011 Iraqi Leader Pushes Hard on Accord

Biden's Blink on Iran By Michael Rubin, Obama picked Biden for experience, but he might also have considered judgment.

Cheney To Visit Georgia Next Week

Ukraine, Azerbaijan Also on Itinerary

Governing Coalition Collapses in Pakistan Dispute Over Presidency, Fate of Judges

Russian Parliament Backs Regions in Georgia Resolution Urges Recognition of Independence

Obama, Kennedy Electrify Crowd

Two of Barack Obama's most important allies, his wife Michelle and ailing Sen. Ted Kennedy, make the case for the candidate on convention's first day.

Clinton Is Trying To Move Forward

Obama Signaled Early That He Was Unlikely To Pick Her for No. 2

Georgia's Russians Express Shame, Anger Over Moscow's Actions

To Shore Up Abbas, Israel Releases Jailed Palestinians

'Show of Power,' Indeed By Anne Applebaum, The 2012 London Olympics will be just like Beijing's, except a lot less sinister and a lot more fun.

Sudanese Troops Attack Darfur Refugee Camp Up to 27 Civilians Reported Killed in Ensuing Gun Battle

Not All Clinton Backers Feeling the Love From Obama

Obama's Task Dan Froomkin

The Outspoken Obama She Hasn't Always Liked Being a Politician's Wife, But She's Stepping Up to The Role and the Podium

Clinton's Thankless Job By Marie Cocco, Clinton can't win tonight. But then, she knows that.

Biden Son's Service In Iraq Complicates Succession Question

The Worrywart Party By Eugene Robinson, Democrats have one task to accomplish this week: Snap out of it.

Dean's 50-State Strategy Continues to Generate Debate

H6 Guardian Fighting talk

Editorial: Under Russia's 'peacekeeping' plan, it would create a network of checkpoints around Georgia's main Black Sea port

Letting the Iraqis take control

Lawrence Korb: The Bush administration has long refused to set a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. So why is it doing so now?

Rich countries once used gunboats to seize food. Now they use trade deals

George Monbiot: The world's hungriest are the losers as an old colonialism returns to govern relations between wealthy and poor nations

The kind of cop we need Tim Montgomerie: Europeans adore Obama, but long-term global security calls for a strong leader, in Bush's mould

China: a new openness to the world?

Daniel A Bell: My experience of China during the Olympics was a positive one, where home fans and media celebrated other nations' success as well as their own

Britain's secret propaganda war against al-Qaida Counter-terrorism unit targeting media organisations to 'taint the al-Qaida brand'

Secret paper shows battle against al-Qaida brand

Russian vote sets up clash with west

MPs back independence for South Ossetia and Abkhazia despite strong criticism from the US and EU

Pakistan coalition fails in acrimony

Islamabad poised for renewed political convulsions rather than unity required to take on extremists

All eyes on Clinton and party unity

Clinton supporters' slowness to embrace Obama leads to fears internal strife could upset election bid

Bill's still angry but support is there

Michelle Obama speaks of Barack's qualities as a man, husband and father

Primetime speech intended to bring Barack Obama's narrative into the homes of millions of American voters

A warming theory that has melted away Björn Lomborg: In defending his strategy for fighting climate change, Oliver Tickell abandons his entire argument

Ukraine's Atlantic future Viktor Yushchenko: The South Ossetian crisis unnerved us. To ensure our security, we need to be embraced by Nato

'Keep migrants to boost economy'

Thinktank warns entrepreneurial spirit of migrant communities will be lost with current policies

Barack Obama needs some drama

Ian Leslie: Avoiding displays of anger can be detrimental. To connect with the US public, presidential

Is Ukraine next? William Harrison: Those who think that Crimea is the next South Ossetia ignore their differences, and Russia's more likely gameplan

candidates should show some emotion

H7 U.S. Troop Deal Signals Major Iraq Policy Shift: ; ANALYSIS

Give Iraqis what they want

As Nouri al-Maliki calls for a date for withdrawal, President Bush should honor Iraqis' wishes. (Boston Globe

Betraying the Awakening Council By: Tariq Alhomayed | Asharq Alawsat It's assumed that the least members of the Awakening Council can expect for their sacrifices in fighting and expelling the Qaeda Organization, and their efforts in maintaining security in hell-like areas for the Americans and the Iraqi government, such as Fallujah, is recognition

Terror in Algeria The Economist
Some 60 people have been killed in a series of car bomb explosions over two days in a region to the south-east of Algiers, marking a major escalation in the activity of Islamist underground groups that have acquired new purpose since affiliating with al-Qaida in 2006

Forward All of Lebanon Is Not Hezbollah

Firas Maksad | Thu. Aug 21, 2008

In a very significant and potentially dangerous move, Israel’s security Cabinet recently decided to reverse its long-standing policy of distinguishing between Hezbollah and the democratically elected Lebanese government

Did the Decider Lose Iran?
Noam Neusner

Daily Star The danger of viewing Syria through the prism of Lebanon

SyriaComment Lebanese Sovereignty: Where Does Syria Stand?

Al Awsat The Latest Syrian Miscalculation

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

Iraq seeking 2011 troop pullout
The Iraqi PM Nouri Maliki speaks in detail about a deal to bring an end to the foreign troop presence by 2011.

Iraqi Tribal Leaders, Clerics Condemn Security Agreement - Al-Alam

Iraq says U.S. agrees to pull troops by 2011

Dazed Iraqi teen suicide bomber says she didn't want to die

Maliki demands 'specifc deadline' for U.S. troop pullout

Iran Says It Is Building Submarines to Protect Vital Oil Route

How Big Is Iran's Military?

Khamenei's Approval Bolsters President

Iran Leader Warns Ahmadinejad on Inflation

Iraq suicide bomb attack kills 25

Drought stricken, Iran buys US wheat for first time in 27 years...

H9 Ha’aretz – Obama: World must press Iran before Israel strikes U.S. Democratic presidential candidate: We have to act before Israel feels like its back is to the wall

ANALYSIS / On verge of Rice visit, Israel and PA far from peace accord

Peace Now: W. Bank settlement construction nearly doubled this year

UN: Lebanon-Syria border still wide open to smugglers Hezbollah believed to have significantly upgraded its arsenal with arms from Iran transferred via Syria

Jerusalem Post Rice: Joint document in Sep. unlikely

Lands in Israel to push peace; Peace Now: Tenders in settlements up by 550% this year.

In Washington: Will America pay the price if Israel hits Iran?

[ MJ ROSENBERG,

Our World: Three guys, a trailer and Israel's survival

[ CAROLINE GLICK

Dangerous talks with Syria

A cynical PM has turned Israel's vital interests into playthings

Israel follows French FM's Syria trip

Syrian FM says Israel talks haven't progressed enough for parties to hold direct negotiations.

Just another conventional politician

Those not blinded by Obamania may agree that Biden was a terrible choice.

Yedioth Ahronoth 'Surge in settlement building'
Peace Now report says Israel 'trying to erase Green Line' by nearly doubling construction in West Bank in 2008. Group warns annexation of isolated settlements to larger blocs will make it impossible to separate from Palestinians

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

What Georgia Crisis Means for Israel By: Frida Ghitis | Miami Herald
A war between a resurgent Russia and tiny Georgia over the microscopic region of South Ossetia should have little impact on another miniature country on the shores of the Mediterranean. And yet, the course of this conflict points in a direction that should trouble those who care about Israel and about the prospects for peace in the Middle East

Israel's Outposts Seal Death of Palestinian State by Jonathan Cook

Syria-Israel Talks Focused on Border

FM: France Willing to Push Forward Peace Process Between Israel, Syria

Forward On the Jewish Agenda(s), Part 1
Kenneth Bandler, William C. Daroff, Abraham H. Foxman, Jaime Rapaport, Barbara Weinstein and David Zwiebel

The Jewish Week Wake-Up Time for Rice – Editorial

Containing Hamas is no piece of cake
By Gamal A. G. Soltan

BBC Rice in Mid East on peace mission Condoleezza Rice arrives in the Middle East as part of US efforts to secure a peace deal by the end of the year.

Author of fake Holocaust memoir admits: I'm not even Jewish

H10 Christian Science Monitor

Russia's gains in Georgia may leave it more isolated

In the coming weeks, the West will be shaping a long-term response to what many see as Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's bid to change the post-cold-war world.

Bush struggles with legacy on Mideast peace

Ms. Rice concludes a one-day trip to the region Monday. Her 22 visits have netted little progress.

Basra gains revive talk of British exit

The British role in the southern Iraqi oil city, once lorded over by Mahdi Army militiamen and criminal gangs, may end in early 2009 if new security gains take hold.

What may keep Putin up at night

Russia's economic future looks bleaker after the invasion. Just ask its oligarchs.

U.S. builds new detention center in Afghanistan

The new facility, which will hold up to 1,100 detainees, is aimed at replacing the controversial existing one at Bagram.

ASIA

Pakistan: Challenges After Musharraf By: Harsh V. Pant | ISN Security Watch The resignation of Pervez Musharraf should bode well for Pakistan, but unresolved political and economic difficulties still put the country at risk

Pakistani Govt Hangs by Thread

India, US Begin Reworking Draft Nuclear Deal

Musharraf's Pakistan had true potential Pakistan's Pervez Musharraf was sincere about wanting a secular, moderate country, but his tragedy was that he began to believe that the state was him and he was the state. (By H.D.S. Greenway, Boston Globe)

Iran Paper Says Musharraf's Resignation May Serve As "Temporary Pain- Killer"

Nonnuclear High Ground By: Kiroku Hanai | The Japan Times
The Japanese government follows a contradictory defense policy in placing itself under the American nuclear umbrella while denouncing the possession of nuclear weapons

Two Countries, Different Aims By: Shashi Tharoor | The Washington Post
It has become rather fashionable these days to speak of India and China in the same breath. But if anyone wanted confirmation that such twinning is preposterous, all they'd have to do is look at the medals tally at the Beijing Olympics

Report From a Forgotten War By: Oliver North | The Washington Times
Here in the "Forgotten War," Islamic radicals -- the Taliban and al Qaeda -- are making a major push to destabilize the Karzai government

H11 IHT Georgian enclave hails tight embrace from Moscow

By ELLEN BARRY AND MATT SIEGEL

While Russian Parliament voted unanimously to support independence for South Ossetia and Abkhazia, most Western countries support Georgia's territorial integrity.

EUROPE European press review

France Calls Summit on EU-Russia Relations By: Phillipa Runner | EU Observer The move follows a telephone call between French president Nicolas Sarkozy and Russian president Dmitry Medvedev on Saturday, in which Mr Sarkozy fruitlessly urged Russia to withdraw from the Georgian towns of Poti and Senaki

NATO Membership Vital to Our Security, Says Ukraine's President Yushchenko By: Tony Halpin | The London Times
Alarmed by Russia's invasion of Georgia, President Yushchenko marked the anniversary of Ukrainian independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union by calling for a steep increase in defence spending and a speedy entry into Nato

Poland Probes 'Secret CIA Jail'

H12 RFE/RL

Cheney to Visit Georgia, Ukraine in September

Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia: Political Developments and Implications for U.S. Interests (PDF; 259 KB) Source: Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists)

US anger at Russian Georgia vote

President Bush urges Russia's president not to recognise Georgia's rebel enclaves as independent.

Kazakhstan Won't Withdraw From Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline

Saakashvili Will Coordinate Response to Russia With Other Nations

Duma Asks President Medvedev to Recognize Abkhazia, S. Ossetia's Independence

Georgian Opposition Leader Urges Government to Sever All Ties With Russia

Bush Presses Russia Not to Recognize Abkhazia, S. Ossetia

Putin Says No Advantages for Russia From WTO

Google News Azerbaijan

Putin's Gold Medal War By: Chris Patten | The Moscow Times
What does the ""Olympics War,"" otherwise known as Russia's invasion of Georgia, really mean? The war itself, of course, was predicable and predicted. Its results are equally clear.

H13 The Times Don't pick a fight you can't finish When he visits Kiev, the Foreign Secretary should remember the threats posed by Nato's drive eastwards

Anatol Lieven

The New New World Order

The West's foreign policy priority is no longer terrorism: it is to tame the new great power nationalisms and harness them to democratic ideals

Russian threat to Nato supply route Diplomat says agreement allowing Nato to take supplies to Afghanistan through Russia and Central Asia could be suspended

Pakistan's ruling coalition collapses Main coalition party pulls out, claiming reneged deal over judges and erasing post-Musharraf euphoria

Clinton-Obama tension threatens to boil over Hillary Clinton's team try to quash rumours of continuing rift, but some of her delegates are planning to vote for McCain

Medvedev has final say on regions' recognition Russian President may defy international pressure on the recognition of Ossetia and Abkhazia as independent states

Ted Kennedy proclaims Obama America's hope and dream The lion of the Democratic party reduced many to tears with his call to arms

Lessons for London The next Olympics cannot afford to imitate the ones just ended, nor does Britain wish to convey the same political message as China

Uninspiring Insider Obama will disppoint those looking for change by his choice of running-mate

If things are so bad, why are they good? Tales of the decline of Britain are gloomy. Our Olympic success is one of many things to celebrate David Aaronovitch

200 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel Gesture aimed at bolstering moderate Palestinian leadership ahead of Condoleezza Rice's visit to the region for peace talks

Girl suicide bomber, 13, hands herself in to police The teenager, who was wearing a vest packed with explosives, also led Iraqi police to another suicide vest

Wall Street Journal Russia Is Dangerous But Weak

By Bret Stephens
Global View: Putin squandered a chance to lead the 'coalition of the unwilling.

A Bear Energy Market
By Zeyno Baran
State of the Union: Only a united Europe can withstand Russia's gas stranglehold.

Russia's Aggression Is a Challenge to World Order
By Lindsey Graham and Joe Lieberman Supporting Georgia is only the first step toward safeguarding freedom in Europe.

We Can Help China Embrace the Future
By Tony Blair The West should approach Beijing without fear or ignorance.

On Diplomacy, Biden Knows Who and How

By Jim Rosapepe
I never saw a senator with more knowledge or better instincts.

H14 Financial Times Why Obama looks vulnerable A dark cloud of anxiety hovers over the Democratic party convention. A horrible truth is beginning to dawn on the delegates. Barack Obama is not the “once in a generation” political genius they thought they had discovered. On the contrary, he is a weak candidate for the presidency, writes Gideon Rachman

Exiting Iraq The US presidential election has helped concentrate minds in Washington on withdrawal – but an orderly departure is still far from guaranteed

Maliki confirms deadline for US pull-out Iraqi PM tells tribal leaders an agreement had been reached in negotiations on a security pact with the US to end any foreign military presence in Iraq by the end of 2011

Iraq says date for pull-out by US is agreed The US has agreed to withdraw all troops from Iraq by 2011, Nouri al-Maliki, Iraq's prime minister, said yesterday. But his comments, which go to the heart of the...

A bad nuclear deal The next president should ditch the US-India accord and opt for an approach that reforms the rules of the nuclear game for America’s friends and foes

Georgia fall-out casts shadow on Iran talks UN discussions begin next month on a new set of sanctions designed to rein in Iran’s nuclear ambitions, an issue that could make the Georgia crisis look like a passing summer squall

The Fed and the credit crunch

A priority must be to recapitalise Freddie and Fannie, but with the minimum giveaway to private investors and a clear plan to privatise both in the end

Saakashvili blames crisis on Russia

The president has accused Moscow of deploying tanks into the disputed region of South Ossetia before Georgian forces attacked earlier this month

Saakashvili interview transcript

Economists’ Forum What does this authoritarian moment mean for developing countries? Markets and capitalism will not do their political cleansing job automatically, says Pranab Bardhan

Duma backs South Ossetia independence Russia moved a step closer to breaking up Georgia and throwing down a gauntlet to Nato, as both houses of parliament in Moscow on Monday voted overwhelmingly to recognise the separatist republics of South Ossetia and Abkhazia

Officials have plans for Iran’s oil fund The once-guarded oil contingency fund seems to be up for grabs within government

Campaign must ‘get down to street level’ Senior Democrats kicked off the presidential convention admitting that Barack Obama’s campaign was going through a prolonged tough patch, following John McCain’s decision to sharpen his attacks on the Democratic candidate over the past few weeks

Obama advisers deny talk of Clinton rift Barack Obama’s advisers suggested speculation of mounting tension between his campaign and that of his former rival came from outsiders of both camps

Atomic overtures As German voters question the wisdom of scrapping all nuclear reactors by 2012, power groups hope that an offer to give up some of their profits will swing the debate in their favour

ECB under fire for handling of downturn Europeans are scathing about their governments’ responses to the economic downturn across the continent, but the European Central Bank faces greater public criticism for its handling of the crisis than the Bank of England

Prisoners freed in gesture to Abbas

Israel on Monday freed 198 Palestinian prisoners out of an estimated 9,000 held in Israeli jails, hours before the US secretary of state was to arrive to boost faltering peace talks

Existing home sales fail to dispel US gloom Sales of previously owned homes rose by 3.1 per cent in July, beating expectations, as lower prices lured bargain hunters into areas hit hardest by the US mortgage crisis

Explanations that are exciting only to economists

H15 Los Angeles Times The rise of Russia Should we prepare of an era of expanding Russian hegemony? Andrew Meier and Michael C. Moynihan debate

Iraq Prime Minister Nouri Maliki demands firm withdrawal date

The leader wants all U.S. troops out of Iraq by the end of 2011. His words seem to rule out the presence of U.S. military advisors, special forces and air support after the withdrawal date.

Baghdad's misguided crackdown on the Sons of Iraq By Shawn Brimley and Colin Kahl Prime Minister Maliki's Shiite-dominated government risks security gains by taking on U.S.-backed Sunni forces.

Obama flubs the 'presidential' test By JONAH GOLDBERG His choice of Biden for the ticket reveals that his campaign rhetoric is just empty words.

Parliament wants Russia to recognize independence of South Ossetia, Abkhazia Megan K. Stack

Lawmakers ask President Dmitry Medvedev to make the distinction, a move that could exacerbate tensions between Russia and the U.S., which backs Georgia's territorial integrity

Pakistan's ruling coalition collapses; government bans Taliban

The coalition disintegrates amid arguments about issues including selection of the country's next president. The ban on Pakistan's Taliban movement is largely symbolic

. Ahmadinejad appears to get a key nod The supreme leader of Iran, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, seems to have strongly endorsed the controversial president for another four-year term

U.N. troops offer lessons in peace in Lebanon Yoga, French poetry, pizza making -- the international forces stationed there give war-weary residents a respite from their cares

Nations contributing troops in Iraq

Contributing nations

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said Monday that his government wants foreign troops out of the country by the end of 2011. Here is a table, by country, of coalition forces still in Iraq:

China's gold medals came at a high price

Athletes sacrificed dearly -- one was separated from her toddler, one was banned from eating dinner, one missed a parent's funeral. While Americans spoke of fun, the Chinese were on a 'sacred mission.

H16 American Politics WSJ Hillary's Missed Moment
No loser since Ronald Reagan had a stronger claim to be the veep.

The Racism Excuse
Liberals blame Americans for Obama's fall in the polls.

Gallup Daily: Race Tied as Democratic Convention Starts

What do women want?

As the Democratic convention opens, John McCain tries to stoke the disappointment of Hillary Clinton's supporters. But in the end, women will vote on bread and butter issues, not on questions of identity. (Boston Globe)

Pelosi Tells Disappointed Clinton Supporters to Avoid 'Victim Politics'...

Clinton delegates back Obama, but poll shows concern..

MJ: Biden's worldview.

Newsweek Fineman: Blue-Collar Democrats Worry About Obama

Democrats praise 'new hope' Obama

The wife of Barack Obama joins Democratic leaders in praising his values, ahead of his nomination as presidential candidate.

Excerpts: Michelle Obama

WSJ Economy Challenges Obama Agenda

Obama is proposing to use the government to remake economic policies in a way that Washington hasn't seen in decades. If an Obama administration pursues an activist agenda, it could alienate the rising number of conservative Democrats.

Der Spiegel West Wing: Democrats Divided by an Obama-Shaped Wedge

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

Hillary's clout is key at Democratic Convention

If she signals ambivalence, some supporters could stay home this fall

Will Obama's race matter?

Clinton Advisers Skipping Obama Speech

The Biden Betrayal
by Stephen Zunes

H17 Daily Telegraph China is changing, but the walls are still there Boris Johnson says that fears of the Middle Kingdom being taken over by McDonald's are wide of the mark - you can't eat a hamburger with chopsticks.

Russia mocks West's displeasure over Georgia

Kremlin claims it is happy to be locked out of international community

Russia cannot limit its neighbours' liberty

The invasion of Georgia must not be quietly accepted by the West: remember the Prague Spring, warn David Cameron and Mirek Topolánek.

Michelle Obama: Barack and The American Dream Michelle Obama told the Deomcratic convention that her husband Barack share Americans' bedrock values and belief in a dream of a better future

Meddling Sarkozy

The ineffable Nicolas Sarkozy has, in his capacity as holder of the EU's rotating presidency, issued a statement lauding the athletic prowess not only of France's Olympians but also of Europe's.

Voters want more from Obama Way, way back in January, after his victory in the Iowa caucuses, Barack Obama defined change as the primary theme of his campaign.

Zardari 'suffering from severe mental problems'

Asif Ali Zardari, the widower of former Pakistan prime minister Benazir Bhutto and himself a leading contender for the country's presidency, was suffering from severe mental illness as recently as last year, it has been reported

H18 Independent The Big Question: Will Iraq disintegrate if the United States withdraws its troops?

Leading Article: The entwined fate of two terrorised nations

Pakistan and Afghanistan face the same Taliban threat

Economy 'as bad as the Seventies' Pressure is mounting on Gordon Brown to find help for hard-pressed families as the new Deputy Governor of the Bank of England warned that the financial situation was at least as bad as that of the 1970s.

Leading Article: There is no magic bullet

Foreign presence 'to leave Iraq in 2011'

H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism

Guardian Britain's secret propaganda war against al-Qaida Counter-terrorism unit targeting media organisations to 'taint the al-Qaida brand' Secret paper shows battle against al-Qaida brand

Conditions May Be Ripe for Al Qaeda in Somalia By: Edmund Sanders | Los Angeles Times
U.S. counter-terrorism efforts have alienated many Somalis, and a leader of the hard-line Islamic group Shabab says it is ready to unite with Bin Laden's organization.

Exposing the CIA's 'most secret place'
Long Chen, the air base for the vast bombing and ground operations conducted by the CIA in Laos during the Vietnam War, is the subject of The Most Secret Place on Earth, a new film that also explores the plight of ethnic Hmong tribes, who were backed by the CIA until US withdrawal from Indochina in 1975.

Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Weapons and Missiles: Status and Trends Source: Congressional Research Service (via OpenCRS)

Air Force Faults Pilots In Collision of F-15s

Probe Finds No Structural Flaws in Jets

H20 Slate David Greenberg / Slate:

WHY BIDEN'S PLAGIARISM SHOULDN'T BE FORGOTTEN.

H21 Going Off the Rawls. How libertarians have adopted the liberal left’s favorite modern philosopher... more»

Samuel Pepys: intelligent, curious, decent, and diligent, with an abiding interest in music, food, women and the life of the city... more»

Mister Jalopy wants to make a better world

By LAWRENCE DOWNES

Manufacturers should make products that consumers can easily maintain, repair, repurpose or even reinvent

Alexander Solzhenitsyn was a seer of evil, a writer and witness who made clear that illusions about communism were not just stupid, but wicked... more»

The mini-cow is the solution to rising food prices. No taller than a German shepard, it gives 16 pints of milk a day. Plus, it mows the lawn... more»

Save the Males: feminism today has neutered men and deprived them of their noble, protective role in society, says Kathleen Parker... more»

Why Neanderthal man may not have been as stupid as he looks Neanderthals were not as stupid as they have been portrayed, according to a study showing their stone tools were just as good as those made by the early ancestors of modern humans, Homo sapiens.

Happiness on the medal stand: It's as simple as 1-3-2.

Facebook Population: A Global Breakdown

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