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H1

Helena Cobban US Iraq policy beyond November 4

Foreign Policy Consequences of an Obama Presidency - Ralph Peters, NYP

America's Hard Sell By: Bruce W. Jentleson and Steven Weber | Foreign Policy Although their presidencies had little in common, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush all spoke about the world from essentially the same starting point. In a time of sole-superpower dominance, most of the world had seemingly come to understand that the utility of military force was on the decline.

Iran Scrambles to Stem Oil Price Plunge By: Ramin Mostaghim and Borzou Daragahi | Los Angeles Times Not only is its economy dependent on oil, but the commodity is the centerpiece of the nation's goal of reclaiming its status as a regional superpower

Financial Times Super-Sarko’s plans for the world Even as the EU calls for new global regulations, it is quietly ignoring some of its own core principles. Will abandonong the ‘community method’ in favour of action by national governments lead to a sustained effort to roll back Brussels’ power, asks Gideon Rachman

The International Monetary Fund must be a global asset manager

The IMF could be a powerful stabiliser in markets if it managed some reserve assets of the surplus countries, write Michael Bordo and Harold James

Winner matters little to Arabs

Arab leaders will have to take account of one reality: the Middle East will not take the next president’s immediate attention. With the US facing its worst financial crisis in decades the focus will, above all, be on domestic problems.

Drezner Realist Republicans, R.I.P.?

The Powell Endorsement and the End of the Republican Foreign Policy Establishment .

Stratfor The United States, Europe and Bretton Woods II

Time Iraqis Balk at a U.S. Troop Deal, but Can They Say Goodbye?

Yedioth Ahronoth 'Iran lacks material for bomb'
IAEA chief says Tehran yet to obtain necessary raw unenriched uranium to build even single nuclear weapon. Meanwhile another round of UN Security Council talks on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program fails to yield results

America’s bear hug

Efforts to prevent Iran strike by lavishing us with gifts come with a price, Ephraim Sneh writes

Los Angeles Times Swing voters' unease over McCain grows Those polled are leaning toward Obama largely because of differences in demeanor in dealing with the financial crisis.

Iraq sends draft of U.S. security pact to Cabinet Shiite officials say they still want revisions to the language of the document, which requires U.S. forces to leave Iraq by the end of 2011 unless they are asked to stay on

For Iraq, falling oil prices could have silver lining The federal government may be forced to rethink its budget, but with so much at stake, Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds may be compelled to reach an agreement on stalled oil legislation

Oil prices force Russia to confront problems The government had grown aggressive and haughty on soaring oil revenue, but the dip back to $70 is forcing a reassessment

The missing ingredient for an Iraq recovery: trust Sectarian violence may be down, but Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds remain wary of the future and one another.

The Times Bear market

Is Putin waiting to take advantage of the Russian oligarchs' huge losses?

Independent Orange Revolution implodes to leave a nation in despair Ukraine's leaders are at war, their country is verging on bankruptcy and Russia is growling on their doorstep.

Salon Why is Barack Obama now electable? From the youth vote to Sarah Palin's outdated embrace of the rural mystique, Salon's panel of demographers and consumer trend experts talks about how America is changing

By Walter Shapiro

Jerusalem Post New Approaches to Halt Iran's Nuclear Program - Bennett Ramberg The West cannot buy the mullahs off. The time has come to explore another approach, one that challenges the values that sustain Iran's atomic ambitions. For the mullahs, one value dominates - preservation of the theocratic regime. In this view a nuclear Iran provides security, international influence, and prestige while buttressing popular support. Iran's values, however, can become the West's sword.

Stratfor Geopolitical Diary: The World on Hold

MESH The Bush legacy (1)

Ha’aretz – IAEA chief: Iran not close to developing nuclear weapons ElBaradei: Tehran lacks components to develop atomic bombs; Major powers fail to agree on sanctions

NYU poll: Two-thirds of U.S. Jews back Obama over McCain Survey shows Republican candidate garners 75 percent support among the Orthodox voters

Israel mulling non-aggression treaty with Lebanon

Saudi official presents new Israeli-Palestinian peace plan

Iran Gains from Georgia Confrontation By: John C. K. Daly | Eurasia Daily Monitor
In the aftermath of the August Georgian-Russian confrontation, a new Caspian geopolitical reality is slowly emerging from the fog of war. The clash highlighted the vulnerability of Western-funded and built Caspian export pipelines, which, by transiting the Caucasus, avoided both Russian and Iranian territory

Washington Post Editorial What Colin Powell Also Said His comments on Muslims in America bear repeating -- and repeating

Economic Stimulus Gains Traction

Bernanke Offers Limited Support for New Spending

A New Breed Grabs Reins in Anbar U.S.-Backed Sheiks Reshaping Own Areas and, Potentially, the Future of Iraq

New York Times Obama Appeal Rises in Poll; No Gains for McCain

Signs of Easing Credit and Stimulus Talk Lift Wall Street

3 Oil-Rich Countries Face a Reckoning

Guardian Friendly fire

Editorial: Even without the challenge of a resurgent Russia, Nato is buckling under the weight of its own contradictions

Amid the rubble of global finance, a blueprint for Bretton Woods II

Jeffrey Sachs: Durable reform must tackle climate change and world poverty as well as market regulation

God bother in Wasilla Geoffrey Wheatcroft: The resurgence of religion now marks the widest divide between US and European politics

Adapt now, or lose Robert Fox: Nato needs to be redefined. Allowing the regime of national opt-outs to continue invites failure in Afghanistan and elsewhere

Young Iranians need their own Obama Simon Tisdall: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's sinking popularity has opened the door to challengers, but so far they all feel worryingly familiar

If an hour is a long time in politics, we must start thinking in centuries George Monbiot: From banking to the climate, the wreckage of short-termism is stark, and the need for a 100-year committee is plain

Daily Telegraph Why Obama should be the next President Boris Johnson wants the Democrat to win because he stands for hope, is talented and passionate, and because he is black

Christian Science Monitor

US referees Iraq's troubled Kurdish-Arab fault line At a flash point for violence, an Army general plays diplomat.

Crisis spares Russia's 'average Joe' But the 25 richest Russians listed by Forbes have lost a combined $230 billion – a possible opportunity for the Kremlin to bolster conservative business allies.

China's economy cools Its growth rate slowed to 9 percent in the third quarter as exports to the US and Europe start to slacken

Wall Street Journal Bernanke Endorses Obama

Friedberg and Schoenfeld: The Dangers of a Diminished America In the 1930s, isolationism and protectionism spurred the rise of fascism

Powell Catches the Beltway Breeze By Bret Stephens
An endorsement of Obama dictated by political winds.

Widening the Gap STATE OF THE UNION By Malte Lehming U.S.-German relations will likely worsen no matter who follows Bush.

Kevin Drum The Upcoming GOP Civil War

USA Today Iraqi Tribes Caught Between Rival Shi'ite Parties

Bretton Woods, The Sequel? - Council on Foreign Relations

H2 "Turkey: Partnership on the Brink" by Zeyno Baran, Journal of International Security Affairs, Fall 2008 Download PDF (141 KB)

H3 Başbuğ Aktütün’de ne olduğunu biliyor

Bin 200 teröristin katıldığı Kandil toplantısına operasyon yapılmamış

'Ergenekon'un 1 numarası Fenerbahçe'de ofisinde kadrosunu revize ediyor'

İçişleri Bakanlığı, İç Güvenlik Bakanlığı'na dönüşebilir -

Kılıç: Gerekçeli karar tamamlandı

MHP sola açılıyor!

Ergenekon davasına salonunun yeniden tanzimi için 2 gün mola

Balık istifi duruşma

Tutuklular ayrı yargılanacak

Şahin: Mahkeme salonu sorunu aşılacak

Derin devlet ve arkadaşları...

ABD 'gizli' Gülen belgelerini açtı

7 ay sonra ilk kez konuştu

800 sayfalık savunma hazırlamış

Susurluk mahkum oldu: Şahin ve Eken'e 6'şar yıl

Ergenekon resmi hala çok eksik

Deniz Feneri belgesini 'hızlı gönder' talimatı

Çarkın'dan şok itiraf

16 Mart katliamı zamana gömüldü

Kapatma davasına 'nokta'

Son Dakika Milliyet Hürriyet Zaman GH Türkiye

Video NTV CNNTürk Milliyet

Cengiz Çandar Viyana'daki Türk

Ahmet Taşgetiren Müthiş ülke Müthiş hafta "Gavur Dağı'ndan Öte" tartışmasının anlamı

Ruşen - Çakır İki ucunda hırpalanacağı bir dava süreci

Taha Akyol Barzani ile görüşmek

Fikret Bila Ergenekon davasının yarattığı cepheleşme

Hasan Cemal Bir Ankara hayalim var!

Murat Yetkin Hal ve gidiş

İsmet Berkan Yargılanan ne?

Fehmi Koru Asker, siyasetçi ve medya

Taha Kıvanç Oryantalist gazetecilik

Eser Karakaş Genelkurmay hemen MSB’ye bağlanmalı

Şamil Tayyar

Bilal Çetin Ergenekon ve “odak” tesadüfü...

Nuray Başaran Gözler Ergenekon'da ama asıl kararlar Ankara'da

Ali Bayramoğlu Güneydoğu alevi ve Ergenekon… Asker-basın gerginliği: Kim haklı?

Yasemin Çongar

Ekrem Dumanlı Bu mantıkla Gladyo sonsuza kadar yaşar

Ertuğrul Özkök Medya çetesinin son ismi

Hasan Ünal ‘Dünya Karar Ligi’ yalanları

Ahmet Hakan Bir akşam Moda’da

M Ali Birand Gerçek Ergenekoncu cezalandırılmalı

Cüneyt Ülsever

Enis Berberoğlu Ahmet Özkan’ın hayat hakkı Apo’dan daha mı değersiz?

Şahin Alpay "Vatanseverlik askerlerin tekelinde değildir"

Mümtazer Türköne Ergenekonculuk

TAMER KORKMAZ

Dezenformasyon Misyoneri

Can Dündar Çakma

Yaman Törüner Deniz Feneri’ni aklama operasyonu başlıyor!..

Oktay Ekşi Dünya Demokrasi Forumu

Özdemir İnce Anadilde eğitim öğretim çıkmazı

Mehmet Y Yılmaz

Sabahattin Önkibar DTP ağzıyla konuşan Cumhurbaşkanı...

[Yorum - Mustafa Şentop] Davayı sulandırmak için her yol denenecek

MUHARREM SARIKAYA Merkez sağda yeni arayışlar

Lale Sarıibrahimoğlu Ergenekon trial: a test for Turkish democracy

ERDAL ŞAFAK İki günün fotoğrafı

ENGİN ARDIÇ

Okay Gönensin Olayın esasını gizleme çabaları

Mustafa Mutlu Böyle soruşturmaya böyle yargılama!

Mine Kırıkkanat Geçmişte komünistler nasıl yapardı?

Sami Selçuk Ahlak etik ve hukuk

ERGUN BABAHAN 16 Mart'tan Ergenekon'a

EMRE AKÖZ Sandığınız kadar postmodern değiliz

Mehmet Tezkan Bu curcunada dava karambole gitmesin!

Fatih Altaylı Yok hükmünde

Umur Talu

Sıvasız evlerin ölü çocukları

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

NAZLI ILICAK Ekren iş başında

MEHMET BARLAS AK Parti hangi çevreden hangi merkeze kayıyor?

MAHMUT ÖVÜR 'Ergenekon' yargı önünde

YAVUZ DONAT Ergenekon ve yargı

Ekonomi

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

Ercan Kumcuİleriye yönelik riskler (2)

Erdal Sağlam Yurtdışından 15 milyar $ bekleyen hükümetin gözü 'yastık altı'nda

Seyfettin Gürsel Bütünlük yok

Güven Sak Güney Kore hükümeti krizi fırsata çevirmeye çalışıyor

DB: Özel sektör borcunu yakından izleyin

İBRAHİM KAHVECİ

Bankacılıkta sorunumuz, sorumsuz kamu denetiminde

Hurşit Güneş Başbakan ekonominin hamsi yediğini düşünüyor

Güngör Uras Dışarıdan bavulla para gelmez

Sami Kohen Fatura yoksula çıkıyor

Nerede bu arkadaşlar?
MAHFİ EĞİLMEZ

Gecikmenin maliyeti büyük
KORKMAZ İLKORUR

İş âleminin ‘son kalesi’ bu seçimde düşmez
FUNDA ÖZKAN

Cemahiriye’den dönen Yıldırım: Vergi almayalım!

OKAN MÜDERRİSOĞLU
Yastıkaltı servete de af geliyor

MELİHA OKUR
Türkiye'nin kriz güncesi!

Aydın Ayaydın “Bize bir şey olmaz”

Asaf Savaş Akat Made in China

H4 New York Times Obama Appeal Rises in Poll; No Gains for McCain

Signs of Easing Credit and Stimulus Talk Lift Wall Street

Amid signs that credit was beginning to flow more easily, investors sent the Dow up 413 points. The S.&P. gained 4.8 percent

3 Oil-Rich Countries Face a Reckoning

DAVID BROOKS Patio Man Revisited For all the talk of plumbers, investment bankers and elitists, Patio Man — the quintessential suburban American — is still at the epicenter of national politics.

BOB HERBERT The Real Scandal The real threat to democracy is the nonstop campaign by the G.O.P. and its supporters to disenfranchise American citizens who have every right to cast a ballot.

This Bailout Doesn’t Pay Dividends Although there are many things to like about the government’s plan to bail out banks, the failure to suspend dividends is not one of them.

Pakistani Legislators Show Little Appetite for a Fight

86 on Trial in Turkish Coup Case

Opposition in Georgia Makes Call for Protests

Memo From London: Dear Prudence: Recession May Bring Return of Traditional Values

In Serbia, Top U.S. Officer Seeks Military Cooperation

Laws Allow Donors to Surpass Limits in Campaign

H5 Washington Post Editorial What Colin Powell Also Said His comments on Muslims in America bear repeating -- and repeating

Economic Stimulus Gains Traction

Bernanke Offers Limited Support for New Spending

A New Breed Grabs Reins in Anbar

U.S.-Backed Sheiks Reshaping Own Areas and, Potentially, the Future of Iraq

Party Like It's 1964 By Richard Cohen, Bush and McCain have constructed a mean, exclusive, retrograde Republican Party.

A Catholic Shift to Obama?

By E. J. Dionne Jr. This election could hang on the struggle between Catholic voters and their consciences.

Bush in the Rearview Mirror

By Dan Froomki

The Power of Powell's Rebuke

By Eugene Robinson, He must wonder what in the world happened to his once-grand old party.

McCain Emphasizes Distance From Bush Criticism of Administration Stepped Up

The Iceland Syndrome

By Anne Applebaum, If you wanted to destabilize a country, wouldn't this be an excellent time to do it?

Democrat Remains Well Ahead

McCain Gains On Some Issues

Obama Blitzes Florida As Early Voting Starts Sen. Clinton Adds Emphatic Endorsement

Today's Boo Radley: American Muslims Wajahat Ali | They voted Bush in 2000. Today's candidates spurn them - at their own peril.

Military Won't Follow
Powell to Obama Planet War | The political general has already lost his bond with the military

Blaming the Bean-Counters

Accounting rules did not cause the financial crisis; changing them won't end it

Zimbabwe's Bitter End As the economy collapses and mass starvation looms, Robert Mugabe still refuses to yield power

Black Turnout Could Decide House Races Obama Poised to Help 10 White Democrats

Fear of Failure Helped Fuel Obama's Record Fundraising

H6 Guardian Friendly fire

Editorial: Even without the challenge of a resurgent Russia, Nato is buckling under the weight of its own contradictions

Amid the rubble of global finance, a blueprint for Bretton Woods II

Jeffrey Sachs: Durable reform must tackle climate change and world poverty as well as market regulation

God bother in Wasilla Geoffrey Wheatcroft: The resurgence of religion now marks the widest divide between US and European politics

Adapt now, or lose Robert Fox: Nato needs to be redefined. Allowing the regime of national opt-outs to continue invites failure in Afghanistan and elsewhere

Young Iranians need their own Obama Simon Tisdall: Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's sinking popularity has opened the door to challengers, but so far they all feel worryingly familiar

If an hour is a long time in politics, we must start thinking in centuries

George Monbiot: From banking to the climate, the wreckage of short-termism is stark, and the need for a 100-year committee is plain

China's economic boom falters

Powerhouse sends warning to the world as growth dips below 10% for first time in three years

Moscow's oligarchs facing future of nyet profit

IMF steps in to help Iceland

Obama and Clinton join forces

Former Democratic rivals unite in bid to win over undecided voters in swing state of Florida - Hillary Clinton still harbours hopes of a presidential run, even if Obama was to be a two-term president

McCain runs low on campaign money Democratic rival raised $150m in September, but warns election will be close

Evangelicals ponder prospect of Obama win Conservative Christians fear potential loss of power in Washington as Democrats widen lead

How McCain picked 'insider' Palin

Which candidate would make the US greener?

Obama to visit ailing grandmother

Family emergency forces Democratic candidate to cancel campaign events on Thursday and Friday

Nato chief attacks lack of will on Afghanistan General John Craddock demands reform of the alliance and the way it makes decisions

Palestinian group says Israelis killed 68 children in Gaza in year

Military used 'disproportionate and excessive lethal force' says human rights group

H7 Iran Gains from Georgia Confrontation By: John C. K. Daly | Eurasia Daily Monitor
In the aftermath of the August Georgian-Russian confrontation, a new Caspian geopolitical reality is slowly emerging from the fog of war. The clash highlighted the vulnerability of Western-funded and built Caspian export pipelines, which, by transiting the Caucasus, avoided both Russian and Iranian territory

From PUP, the introduction to Globalizing Capital: A History of the International Monetary System by Barry Eichengreen

The grand illusion of American power The grand imperial overreach by the Bush administration never had a chance. (By H.D.S. Greeway, Boston Globe)

Al-Qaeda in Iraq: Another Case of Failed Interventionism? by William S. Lind

Arab League Chief, Amr Musa Talks to Asharq Al-Awsat

Obama and the Rebirth of America - Malcolm Fraser, The Age

Is the World Ready for a 'New' America? - Mona Makram Ebeid, Al-Ahram

The Talibanisation of Pakistan - Syed Mansoor Hussain, Daily Times

Why Tehran Fears Livni - Meir Javedanfar, Middle East Analyst

The Dollar's Strength Is a Mystery - AV Rajwade, Rediff

Pakistan Steps Up Antiterror Fight - Morton Kondracke, Washington Times

First Justice, Then Peace in Sudan - Ana Uzelac, Christian Science Monitor

Clearing the path toward a nuclear renaissance The United States should be a leader in making nuclear power safe for this world of diversity. (By Richard K. Lester, Boston Globe)

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

Rice defends Middle East legacy

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice says the Middle East is a better place for the policies of President Bush

US Presses Iraq on SOFA as Support Dries Up

ElBaradei: Iran Nowhere Near Acquiring Nukes

Syrian, Romanian Presidents Steps to Consolidate Ties

The Missing Ingredient for an Iraq Recovery: Trust - Los Angeles Times

For Iraq, Falling Oil Prices Could Have Silver Lining - Los Angeles Times

Talabani Stresses Consensus in Ruling Iraq

Iran Scrambles to Stem Oil Price Plunge - Los Angeles Times

US-Iraq Deal Would Whittle Troops' Immunity

Iran weighs in on SOFA

Beirut 25 years ago: Not just another Sunday

H9 Ha’aretz – IAEA chief: Iran not close to developing nuclear weapons ElBaradei: Tehran lacks components to develop atomic bombs; Major powers fail to agree on sanctions

NYU poll: Two-thirds of U.S. Jews back Obama over McCain Survey shows Republican candidate garners 75 percent support among the Orthodox voters

Israel mulling non-aggression treaty with Lebanon

Saudi official presents new Israeli-Palestinian peace plan

Akiva Eldar: We must be firm on dividing Jerusalem

Bradley Burston: Daniel Pearl, Gilad Shalit, and the exercise of power

Egypt presents Fatah, Hamas with Palestinian unity proposalCairo paper calls on Abbas to continue peace talks with Israel, but says any deal needs Hamas approval

Jerusalem PostAbbas hints he might not leave office when his term ends

Iran sanction talks produce no result 6-nation talks end with no consensus; diplomats: Countries committed to stick-and-carrot diplomacy

The financial crisis and Jewish values [ SHMULEY BOTEACH

Yedioth Ahronoth 'Iran lacks material for bomb'
IAEA chief says Tehran yet to obtain necessary raw unenriched uranium to build even single nuclear weapon. Meanwhile another round of UN Security Council talks on the Islamic Republic's nuclear program fails to yield results

America’s bear hug

Efforts to prevent Iran strike by lavishing us with gifts come with a price, Ephraim Sneh writes

Iran busts pigeon spy ring?

West using pigeons to spy on nuclear facilities, Iran says in follow-up to last year's squirrel plot

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

Philip Weiss Obama Will Use Holbrooke as Cover for Prog Agenda as George W. The very fact that Richard Holbrooke and Dennis Ross had to form that ridiculous front group indicates that they see the writing on the wall, that they are only being used by the Obama campaign to ameliorate certain constituencies the same way Brent Scowcroft and Colin Powell were used by Bush in 2000.

Self-Induced Nakba - Philip Carl Salzman
Palestinians and their partisans explain their unfortunate situation as a result of Western imperialism and colonialism. Yet there is a certain inconsistency in the Arab and Muslim narrative about imperialism and colonialism.

Palestinian group says Israelis killed 68 children in Gaza in year

Military used 'disproportionate and excessive lethal force' says human rights group

H10 Christian Science Monitor

US referees Iraq's troubled Kurdish-Arab fault line At a flash point for violence, an Army general plays diplomat.

Crisis spares Russia's 'average Joe' But the 25 richest Russians listed by Forbes have lost a combined $230 billion – a possible opportunity for the Kremlin to bolster conservative business allies.

China's economy cools Its growth rate slowed to 9 percent in the third quarter as exports to the US and Europe start to slacken.

Why the economy fares much better under Democrats On job and income growth, the record couldn't be clearer.

Build steam for nuclear power Nuclear power can be a safe, clean, major source of electricity.

Afghan Taliban target Christian aid worker While the insurgents have singled out Christians, there's also a rise in attacks on all aid workers.

ASIA

Nato's Afghan effort 'disjointed' A top Nato commander says Western efforts in Afghanistan are "disjointed" and that political will is wavering.

Afghanistan Before the Elections By: Huda Al Husseini | Asharq Alawsat
In the first meeting of its kind, a number of senior NATO officials met with the Afghan ambassador to Brussels and the ambassadors of the five Central Asian NATO member countries last Monday

China is stunningly bad at managing its own reputation — here's why

The West Is at a Loss in Afghanistan By: Susan Koelbl | Der Spiegel
More and more military and civilian leaders are voicing pessimism when it comes to the NATO mission in Afghanistan. As the fight continues, ideas for how to break through the ongoing stalemate are few. Some are beginning to think that victory -- for either side -- is impossible

India's unmanned moon mission may launch race for lunar landgrab

Officials at Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) remain tight-lipped about possibility of a lunar land grab

US Praises Air Strikes, Against Pak Peace Talks

Pakistani Legislators Show Little Appetite for a Fight

Pakistan Eyes 'Peace Pipeline' for Region By: Shahan Mufti | The Christian Science Monitor
The Iran-Pakistan-India (IPI) pipeline proposal is a $7.5 billion project that would transport gas from the western Iranian Pars gas field to India through Pakistan along a 1,500-mile route. The country hopes to make itself a major energy player linking the gas in Central Asia and the oil in the Middle East to the fast-growing economies of China and India.

Life After the Bubble: How Japan Lost a Decade By: Jim Impoco | The New York Times
Is America the new Japan? Or more precisely, Japan circa 1990, just as it was staggering into its Lost Decade. As recently as six months ago, the notion that the United States would face a decade or more of Japanese-style economic malaise seemed preposterous.

North Korea: Settling for Half a Loaf By: Ralph Cossa | The Japan Times
Overlooked in the debate over whether the Bush administration again blinked first in its latest face-off with North Korea is a significant potential breakthrough.

H11 IHT ENERGY INDEPENDENCE The limits of nuclear power By DANIEL B. BOTKIN There is no way that nuclear power can play a dominant role in the world's energy supply.

No economy is an island

As the world's powers struggle to save their own financial systems, they must not overlook assisting countries that did not cause this crisis but are its victims.

Greece braces for widespread strikes

Greek shopkeepers and plumbers will join air traffic controllers, public servants and teachers in walking off the job this week as unions and trade groups strike against the government's economic policies

3 oil countries face a reckoning

Plummeting oil prices are raising questions about whether Venezuela, Iran and Russia can sustain their bids to challenge United States hegemony.

Boom times in Britain are over and not everybody minds Many are wishing for a return to traditional values like thrift and prudence, and an end to indulgence.

Top American military officer visits Serbia The top American military officer traveled Monday to the only country in Europe ever bombed by NATO to seek increased cooperation between the armed forces of the United States and Serbia and a lessening of tensions over an independent Kosovo

EUROPE European press review

France unveils bank rescue plan
The French government will inject 10.5bn euros into the country's six largest banks, the finance minister announces.

Europe's self-other politics , Krzysztof Bobinski

H12 RFE/RL

Google News Azerbaijan

Time to Rejoin the International Community By: Alexei Bayer | The Moscow Times Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin recently said that the financial crisis has undermined confidence in the United States as the leader of the free world and destroyed trust in Wall Street -- perhaps forever. It is an amusing assertion

After Summer War, Identity Crisis Grips Abkhazia By: Paul Rimple | The Christian Science Monitor
While the tiny Black Sea republic, recognized only by Russia and Nicaragua, has defiantly proclaimed its independence from Georgia for 15 years, it's having trouble letting go of its ties to Russia.

Too Soon to Kiss and Make Up The Economist
The European Union should not give Russia a new partnership deal until it genuinely withdraws from Georgia.

CSM Crisis spares Russia's 'average Joe' But the 25 richest Russians listed by Forbes have lost a combined $230 billion – a possible opportunity for the Kremlin to bolster conservative business allies.

Stratfor Geopolitical Diary: The Kremlin's 'Anti-Crisis' Power Move A package of short-term loans to Russian banks appears to be part of the Kremlin's plan to consolidate state control

Opposition in Georgia Makes Call for Protests

H13 The Times Bear market

Is Putin waiting to take advantage of the Russian oligarchs' huge losses?

Crash! Disaster! Enough crazy talk If we are not careful, everyone will start believing the overheated rhetoric about our exaggerated crisis Michael Blastland and Andrew Dilnot

Nato accused of ‘wavering' political will Nato’s mission in Afghanistan is being undermined by troop shortages and operational restrictions imposed by nations

Fed chief - US may need a new bailout US stocks soar as Ben Bernanke opens door for another 'significant' fiscal package to cushion a 'protracted slowdown'

War diary film opens Red Army wounds A Woman in Berlin exposes horrors of postwar occupation in Germany and threatens to stir resentment against Russians

Obama and Clinton block McCain

Party rivals join forces to capitalise on their lead in polls with intense campaigning, starting with a charge to win Florida

Chinese economic growth slows to single digits GDP growth rate in the world's fastest-growing economy moves, for the first time in four years, below 10 per cent

Praying in aid Those who take advantage of an aid mission to spread their faith often harm the causes and beliefs that they are seeking to advance.

Wall Street Journal Bernanke Endorses Obama

Friedberg and Schoenfeld: The Dangers of a Diminished America In the 1930s, isolationism and protectionism spurred the rise of fascism

Powell Catches the Beltway Breeze By Bret Stephens
An endorsement of Obama dictated by political winds.

Widening the Gap STATE OF THE UNION By Malte Lehming U.S.-German relations will likely worsen no matter who follows Bush.

The Audacity of Barack Obama

By Charles R. Kesler From the Claremont Review of Books: He thinks liberals can get beyond the old debate by finally winning it.

L'affaire IMF Europeans and double standards.

Get Ready for the New New Deal

By Paul H. Rubin Obama is much more dangerous to economic freedom than FDR

The Politics of Reassurance

By James Taranto
Biden's latest gaffe illustrates why Obama values the Powell endorsement.

William McGurn: Obama Talks Nonsense on Tax Cuts

Bush says economic 'panic' easing

President Bush says Americans are feeling "more relaxed" about their economic prospects, after a bail-out of the financial system

H14 Financial Times Super-Sarko’s plans for the world Even as the EU calls for new global regulations, it is quietly ignoring some of its own core principles. Will abandonong the ‘community method’ in favour of action by national governments lead to a sustained effort to roll back Brussels’ power, asks Gideon Rachman

The International Monetary Fund must be a global asset manager

The IMF could be a powerful stabiliser in markets if it managed some reserve assets of the surplus countries, write Michael Bordo and Harold James

Be very wary of the bull market in Browns Philip Stephens on the journey from nemesis to hubris Other leaders are asking whether this is the same politician who long scorned their demands for tighter regulation, writes Philip Stephens

Winner matters little to Arabs

Arab leaders will have to take account of one reality: the Middle East will not take the next president’s immediate attention. With the US facing its worst financial crisis in decades the focus will, above all, be on domestic problems.

Obama would consider role for Powell Barack Obama said he would consider a formal government role for Colin Powell, the Republican former secretary of state who endorsed him at the weekend, if he is elected to the White House

Bernanke backs new stimulus before year’s end The prospect of a second fiscal stimulus package being approved before the end of the year rose after Ben Bernanke backed the notion and the White House indicated President George W. Bush was “open to the idea”

Can the emirate still defy gravity?

Our sorry need for others to apologise Michael Skapinker on self-justification

Storm front to sweep Europe

Unsettled conditions prevail across the Continent’s economies, blackening the outlook after the arrival of a full-blown banking sector crisis sent confidence plummeting

Southern comfort? For four decades, formerly segregated Virginia has backed Republicans for president – but in two weeks this may change

Darling’s limited treatment options

Growth dividends have already been spent. It is therefore particularly important that the UK Treasury comes clean about the state of public finances

The bull of Omaha Sage advice from Buffett but market timing is tricky. For those who are not as smart as him, humility is the best approach

France injects €10.5bn into top six banks Paris is to recapitalise France’s six largest banks in an effort to shore up their balance sheets and ensure they continued to provide credit

Iceland to announce $6bn IMF-led rescue The country is poised to announce a deal, led by the International Monetary Fund and supported by other central banks, to help stabilise its economy after its banking system collapsed

Gulf forecast to escape worst of the turmoil The International Monetary Fund expects growth in the Middle East to tail off slightly next year due to lower oil prices, but says the region should be largely resilient to the global crisis

H15 Los Angeles Times Swing voters' unease over McCain grows Those polled are leaning toward Obama largely because of differences in demeanor in dealing with the financial crisis.

Iraq sends draft of U.S. security pact to Cabinet Shiite officials say they still want revisions to the language of the document, which requires U.S. forces to leave Iraq by the end of 2011 unless they are asked to stay on

For Iraq, falling oil prices could have silver lining The federal government may be forced to rethink its budget, but with so much at stake, Shiites, Sunnis and Kurds may be compelled to reach an agreement on stalled oil legislation

Oil prices force Russia to confront problems The government had grown aggressive and haughty on soaring oil revenue, but the dip back to $70 is forcing a reassessment

The missing ingredient for an Iraq recovery: trust Sectarian violence may be down, but Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds remain wary of the future and one another.

Kremlin confidently confronts economic turmoil as Russians fret

The nation's leaders devise a series of populist projects to reassure citizens. Amid fuel subsidies for farmers, housing upgrades and other assistance, 'it isn't that bad,' Putin says.

Falling oil prices The effects of falling oil prices are being felt around the world as countries such as Venezuela, Iran and Russia are forced to reassess strategies and priorities

Editorial McCain's old voter-fraud saw McCain's assertion that ACORN is 'destroying democracy' undercuts real efforts to improve the system

A Christian exodus Religious cleansing is taking place in many Muslim Middle Eastern states.

Religious Cleansing in the Muslim Middle East - Editorial
The religious cleansing of Christians in Iraq is part of a larger pattern in which a faith with origins in the Middle East is being driven out of its native region. From Iraq to Lebanon, which once claimed a Christian majority, to Bethlehem, the West Bank town revered as the birthplace of Jesus, intra-Muslim violence and the Arab-Israeli struggle have combined to persuade (and in some cases force) Christians to relocate to Europe or North America.

H16 American Politics

ABC News/Wash Post: Obama +9

CNN/Opinion Research: Obama +5

RCP Average: Obama +5.8

Angry attacks on Obama have many roots An ugly line has been crossed in this presidential campaign, one in which some people don't mind calling Barack Obama a dangerous Muslim, a terrorist and worse. Experts agree on the reasons: Obama, the Democratic nominee, is different from any other major presidential candidate in history in many ways, and people often don't accept such change gracefully

George Packer In / New Yorker: FIRST COLIN POWELL, NOW... Ken Adelman is a lifelong conservative Republican. Campaigned for Goldwater, was hired by Rumsfeld at the Office of Economic Opportunity under Nixon, was assistant to Defense Secretary Rumsfeld under Ford, served as Reagan's director of arms control …

Rick Davis: Campaign Rethinking Playing The Rev. Wright Card

Big Government Gets Bigger Under Bush

From The Washington Monthly, contributing editors to consider the looming challenges that America is likely to face — in the economy, education, the courts, and other areas — during an Obama or McCain presidency.

Salon Why is Barack Obama now electable?

Closet racism Might white voters abandon Obama on election day?

Don't trust the opinion polls

Peter Tatchell: The scale of voter disenfranchisement in America could put the Republicans back in the White House

From The New Yorker, Jane Mayer on how John McCain came to pick Sarah Palin

King of the World Says McCain Pretty Much Giving Up on Several Battleground States

McCain camp looking for way to win without Colorado

NYU poll: Two-thirds of U.S. Jews back Obama over McCain Survey shows Republican candidate garners 75 percent support among the Orthodox voters

CBS News: Poll: Obama Gained During Debates —

CNN Poll: Race may be tightening — Latest CNN/ORC Poll of likely voters: — Barack Obama: 51 percent — John McCain: 46 percent

Obama leads in Ohio; Joe the plumber not having big impact, poll says

Gallup Daily: Obama's Lead Edges Higher

BIDEN: OBAMA WILL BE TESTED BY 'INTERNATIONAL CRISIS' IN FIRST 6 MONTHS...

realclearpolitics memeorandum Politico ABC’s The Note – PoliticsHome fivethirtyeight US News Political Bulletin Early Bird GovExec

From Rolling Stone, a cover story on Obama's Moment.

DER SPIEGEL: Why Europeans Love Obama...

H17 Daily Telegraph Why Obama should be the next President Boris Johnson wants the Democrat to win because he stands for hope, is talented and passionate, and because he is black

Obama opens up lead in Republican states Barack Obama has pulled into the lead in several states that have not voted for a Democrat in decades, forcing John McCain to use his inferior financial resources in what were expected to be Republican wins.

H18 Independent Orange Revolution implodes to leave a nation in despair Ukraine's leaders are at war, their country is verging on bankruptcy and Russia is growling on their doorstep.

Anne Penketh: Russia will keep one eye on Ukraine and the other on relations with West

Mary Dejevsky: Scottish independence: the dream that just melted away

Killed for being Christian Gayle Williams devoted her life to mending the broken children of Afghanistan. Yesterday, on her way to work, the Taliban struck

Jean MacKenzie: Can we keep shrugging off the danger?

Leading article: The dangers of aiding Afghanistan

Obama: Face to face with white America Special report: Matt Bai joins Barack Obama on his campaign through the heartlands of the Appalachians

The state that won it for Bush in 2000 could doom McCain Florida is the focus of some of the election's fiercest campaigning – and the Republicans are trailing. David Usborne reports from Tampa

H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism

U.S. Military Faces Challenge as GI Joe Goes Hi-Tech By: Claude Salhani | The Middle East Times
The U.S. military is still the most formidable fighting force in the history of the world, having unprecedented firepower, resources, and the financial means to equip itself with the latest high tech gadgetry. However, it is not without problems as the Pentagon tries to reassess its future needs amid changing geopolitical demands and evolving threats

Jeffrey Goldberg on why airport security in America is a sham

America's Useless Terrorism List By: Lionel Beehner | Los Angeles Times
The State Department's list of "state sponsors of terrorism" is one of the biggest farces of U.S. foreign policy.

The New Army Stability Operations Manual: Fact, Fiction, and Perspective on FM 3-07

Rethinking the 2002 Iraq War Resolution By: Bernard I. Finel | World Politics Review
Six years after Congress authorized the use of force against Iraq, we have yet to internalize the key lessons we should have learned from the run up to the Iraq War.

Military Report Says Terms 'Jihad,' 'Islamist' Needed

Saudi Arabia prepares first al-Qaeda trials...

Iran busts 'spy pigeons' near nuclear site...

Helicopter-Plane Osprey Faring Well in Iraq

The List: Rebel Web Sites to Watch

H20 Slate

Palin's Campaign vs. McCain's
When Sarah Palin disagrees with John McCain, it means something. Or does it?
John Dickerson

Why the Powell Endorsement Doesn't Matter

Agriculture as a Source of Fuel: Prospects and Impacts, 2007 to 2017 (PDF; 61 KB)
Source: Conference on Biofuels, Food & Feed Tradeoffs; Sponsored by Farm Foundation, USDA’s Office of Energy Policy and New Uses

The Commodities Market Bubble
Source: Levy Economics Institute of Bard College

Options for and Effectiveness of Internet Self- and Co-Regulation
Source: RAND Corporation

H21 Many scholars think media manipulate the great mass of the nation, turning rational people into emotional mobs. They never see themselves in the mob... more»

Paul Theroux has spent many a night trying to sleep in yet another smelly rail car shared with strangers. For his readers’ pleasure, of course... more»

Swearing, says Steven Pinker, is a kind of word magic. People believe that some words can corrupt the moral order (foul language advisory)... more»

Speed is but one part of the motorcycle’s inherent mystique. There is also the constant danger, and the skill and knowledge required to ride... more»

Conversational Blindness: Answering the Wrong Question the Right Way
Source: Harvard Business School Working Papers

‘Fair Marriages:’ An Impossibility (PDF; 184 KB)
Source: Harvard Business School Working Papers

From the Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, a special issue on the biology of political behavior.

ET may exist, but would he talk to us? Even if UFOs haven't visited us, there is no reason to suppose that we are alone or will remain that way

Martin Rees

The dark side of being green Psychiatrists in the United States are warning that extreme environmental awareness may be creating a generation of “carborexics”.

A review of The American Future: A History by Simon Schama (and more and more and more).

Runciman on the problem with English football

Google Book Search Opens Pages to Readers

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