| H1 Shoes hurled at Mr Bush (video) New York Times Report Spotlights Iraq Rebuilding Blunders An unpublished federal history of the U.S.-led reconstruction of Iraq depicts the effort as crippled by poor planning, waste and deception, leading to a $100 billion failure. ‘Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience’ Original Full Text Report (508 pages; PDF) + Full Text, Annotated Report (HTML), Searchable + Interactive Guide to the Report + Organizational Chart for the Iraq Reconstruction How Obama Can Keep America Safe Five writers with backgrounds in national security advise President-elect Barack Obama on how to reform our intelligence agencies, protect the American homeland and fight Al Qaeda abroad. THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Cars, Kabul and Banks When Barack Obama takes office he will have to make mammoth decisions. The bases of those decisions should be on the things themselves, the core truths about each. LRB - America concedes: Patrick Cockburn writes about the significance of the new Status of Forces Agreement. Asia Times Change or deja vu? Obama divides Iran Iran is split down the middle on whether United States president-elect Barack Obama has the freedom to change entrenched Washington policies. One view is that he offers a chance for Iran to end its decades-long conflict with the US. Others say he's just a puppet of powerful forces - especially the pro-Israel lobby - that are hostile to Iran. - Gareth Porter New Report Explores Impact of Lifting U.S. Iran Sanctions on the Global Economy, Trade and the Price of Oil Source: National Foreign Trade Council Full Paper (PDF; 255 KB) Genocide Prevention Task Force Delivers Blueprint for U.S. Government to Prevent Genocide and Mass Atrocities
Source: Genocide Prevention Task Force (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The American Academy of Diplomacy, and the United States Institute of Peace) View & Download the Report Obama's Ross: Our Loss The Nation Why Keynes is the Man of the Year - Robert Skidelsky, NY Times Magazine Obama must not make the same mistakes as Bush Tony Karon: In a TV interview last week, Barack Obama outlined an Iran policy that continued the basic thrust of the one pursued by President George Bush: a “carrot-and-stick” to prevent Iran attaining nuclear weapons, offering economic incentives for compliance but threatening intensified sanctions for continued defiance Ha’aretz – Obama to base his Middle East policy on army of envoys Israeli gov't sources: Dennis Ross and Colin Powell among candidates being considered for post Hamas chief: We won't renew Gaza truce with Israel Defense officials expect tense tense week as cease-fire nears end; Israel: Won't continue truce unilaterally Bar’el Washington is calling It would be best to assume that Israel's distress will not change Obama's intentions, and that dialogue with Iran will be the new strategy. It could be a refreshing change
Dealing with Revisionist Russia - Ronald Asmus, Washington Post
Beyond Pax Americana? - Jamie Metzl, RealClearWorld Stratfor Geopolitical Diary: The Strategic Costs of the War in Iraq Perhaps the greatest consequence of the Iraq war is the window of opportunity it has opened for other countries Is Afghanistan Worth Saving? - M. Ashraf Haidari, Diplomatic Courier Obama's Options on Iran - Hossein Askari, Los Angeles Times From NBER, why do foreigners invest in the United States? Foreign Policy Why Not to Engage Iran (Yet) LA Times Israel's crisis of leadership By Benny Morris Neither Labor, Likud, Kadima nor Meretz offers clear political certainties. By Eyad El-Sarraj An Israeli blockade curtails food, fuel, medicine and travel. Uneasy peace prevails for India's Muslims Many of India's 150 million Muslims feared a violent backlash after the Mumbai attacks, blamed on Islamic extremists, and have gone the extra mile to prove themselves loyal. CSM Ideological clash of two jihadi titans shakes Al Qaeda A growing feud between Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's chief lieutenant, and Sayyed Imam al-Sharif, the jailed ex-leader of Egypt's Islamic Jihad, could weaken support for Al Qaeda. Asia Times CHAN AKYA
Honey, I switched the medication Every government in the world is engaged in exactly the wrong course of action in response to the current crisis. As the largest borrowers attempt to bump up their borrowings, the largest savers are attempting currency devaluation to increase production. Both groups are doomed to fail, and improvement to the global economy is most unlikely over the near future. The Aimless War: Why Are We in Afghanistan? - Joe Klein, Time Obama's Afghanistan Hurdles - Robert Kaplan, The Atlantic The Quiet Warrior Robert D. Kaplan: A new paradigm for the presidency. A response to Joseph Nye, Jr. China and India: Suddenly Vulnerable - The Economist Washington Post Clean up the Afghan government, and the Taliban will fade away. By Sarah Chayes, We are losing in Afghanistan because we've installed a bunch of goons. An Opportunity for Obama to Defuse Nuclear Tension By Jim Hoagland 5 Myths About Our Sputtering Economy By James P. Moore Jr The U.S. is by no means on its last legs. Here are a few key myths that need to be dispelled. The Day the Door to China Opened Wide By Richard Holbrooke, How Jimmy Carter's vision and determination led to a real breakthrough with China. U.S. Troops Will Remain in Iraqi Cities After June Deadline, Top Commander Says The Next President and a Post-Colonial Worldview By David Ignatius, Can he show this angry world a different American face? Jeffrey E. Garten World leaders have spent trillions on confused, inadequate rescue plans. They need to spend more. Gilles Kepel Desperation led Zawahiri to lash out at Obama on a recent audiotape. Al Qaeda has plenty to be nervous about. Michael Pettis China, especially, does not seem to understand that the fundamental problem has been Chinese overcapacity. Guardian Exclusive: behind the lines with a resurgent Taliban A Guardian report from a Taliban veteran's compound in Afghanistan and on the battlefield When will the oil run out? George Monbiot puts the question to Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency Video: George Monbiot meets ... Fatih Birol Oil supply will peak in 2020, says energy agency Wall Street titan who fell to earth How Bernie Madoff, seemingly the ultimate pair of safe hands, managed to defraud investors After the fighting stops Conor Foley: The European Union's soft power offers the best chance for Georgia's future After the pax Americana Jamie F Metzl: Unless other countries step forward for the common good, a post-American world could be a frightening place Europe's leadership crisis Giuliano Amato, Etienne Davignon, Jean-Luc Dehaene and Wim Kok: As the global financial crisis unfolds there is an urgent need for a coordinated EU-wide policy response Israeli poll favourite Netanyahu reins in right Favourite to win the general election heads off hardline right-wingers in his Likud party Financial Times Arab nations to meet for talk on Iran Arab states anxious about a change in US policy towards Iran are meeting world powers this week, in an attempt to establish a regular channel of communication over Gulf security that would survive into the next US administration • 'Obama's Middle East Policy: What the Arab World Expects', Carnegie Endowment for International Peace Tom Barnett The world still needs America to lead KnoxNews. Christian Science Monitor Pakistan's top general reins in own Army Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani has been curtailing the political influence of a military accustomed to running the country Barack Obama, and America's place in the world US domination is giving way to greater balance. 21st-Century Sultanate How Vladimir Putin built Russia’s corporatist state.
BY LEON ARON America is not declining: Demographic and economic trends suggest that the age of American dominance won’t end anytime soon. IHT U.S. security By PETER BERGEN How worried should America be about Al Qaeda? Out of sight, out of mind? By REUEL MARC GERECHT Obama will come to see the value of rendition CSIS Future Operating Environment in Iraq Future Operating Environment in Iraq A review of Beyond Terror and Martyrdom: The Future of the Middle East by Gilles Kepel (and an interview). Security First: U.S. Priorities in Israeli-Palestinian Peacemaking A new Washington Institute Strategic Report offers concrete steps the new administration can take to help develop a Palestinian security system capable of both enforcing law and order and combating terrorism CEPS Beyond dependence: How to deal with Russian Gas NEW: Brown may defy Obama over Afghanistan Will Obama Be the Next Carter? - Philip Jenkins, American Conservative The Fed Still Has Plenty of Ammunition By Frederic S. Mishkin Don't believe critics who say that monetary policy is not an effective tool. Peaceful Protest Gains
In Kashmir Fight While Kashmir has galvanized Islamic radicalism to violence, the armed struggle is waning in the disputed region, where India now largely faces a potentially more challenging foe: peaceful campaigners for self-determination. Analysis: What is the next war? -- Part 3 Known Unknowns: Unconventional "Strategic Shocks" in Defense Strategy Development SSI This 52-page US paper on unconventional strategic shock provides defence policy teams with a clear warning against excessive adherence to past defense and national security convention. Intellectual Firepower John Nagl: New threats require new think-tanks From Strategic Studies Quarterly, Colin S. Gray (Reading): Understanding Airpower: Bonfire of the Fallacies. Abolish the Dept. of Homeland Security - Jeffrey Rosen, The New Republic | H2 Center for American Progress The Neglected Alliance - Restoring U.S.–Turkish Relations to Meet 21st Century Challenges By Spencer P. Boyer, Brian Katulis Read the full report (pdf) Murat Yetkin Kriz Grubu: 2009 Türkiye-AB için ‘Tamam mı, devam mı?’ yılı olabi Alternative status back on the agenda for Turkey One option is to extend the Customs Union, says a senior EU official, adding that this should not be confused with privileged partnership. Turkey and Europe: The Decisive Year Ahead" Fatih Çekirge Dikkat! Kırmızı çizgide alarm var 'Turkey in Europe: The economic case for Turkish membership of the European Union' Download the pamphlet in full Ha’aretz Turkish foreign policymaker: Iran poses threat to Turkey Faruk Loğoğlu Turkey, Armenia and President-elect Obama: what next? Turkey's Faltering Reform Drive - Daniel Steinvorth, Der Spiegel Turkey's Faltering Reform Drive Semih İdiz Harvard profesörünün garip Türkiye tezleri Kerkük için yeni öneriler gerekiyor David Ignatius Umudum, Türkiye’nin geçmişini anlaması Independent Turkish academics in apology to Armenians A 'rabbi' in the underground Ha'aretz Daniel Levi, Daniel Guney or Tuncay Guney? United States Military Relations with Turkey Turkey needs an intelligence coordination mechanism, says Güven Position could alienate potential intermediary ‘Soykırım yok’ diyen Lewy’nin ‘onur davası’ 'Ermenilerden özür diliyorum' internette ÖMER TAŞPINAR Empati ve özür USIP Apology in Reconciliation Processes AB’nin gözü bu davalarda Time to look the IMF squarely in the eye The US road through Turkey
Christian Science Monitor Obama’s Turkish Partners
Newsweek Eleventh hour in Turkey’s EU saga Dışişleri Bakanlığı:Müzakere süreci tam üyelik hedefi ile devam ediyor Ankara'ya alternatif statü senaryoları yine AB gündeminde Nabucco'dan gaz almaya 70 yabancı şirket talip Turkey turns to OIC as its EU trade ebbs İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası Dış Basında Türkiye - BBC Turkish 0700 VOA Turkish Press Review Google News Turkey TurcoPundit ASAM Google News Fırat News Agency KurdishMedia Kurdish Kurdish Aspect Dış Basında Irak BBC Monitoring Inter-national PKK’yı Kandil’den çıkarma planı Artık Kürtler birbirini vurmaz Barzani: Diyalogla PKK silahı bırakır AHMET ALTAN / KUM SAATİ
Plan Öcalan (PKK, DTP) ve Kürdistan ! .. Ankara Kriterleri’ne Uyum Nasıl Gerçekleşiyor? Talabani says he may visit Kirkuk with Gül next week Turkey feels uneasy on Talabani's Kirkuk visit statement-report Kurdistan: In the Shadow of History
Christian Science Monitor Kürtçe TV'ye Şivan gelsin Maliki's tenure on ice as rift with Kurds widens Christian Science Monitor Turkey and northern Iraq must deal with mutual prejudices [Yorum - Fehmi Hüveydi] Türkiye'de yaşanan bu [Yorum - Hasan Ebu Talib]Türkiye ve Mısır stratejik ortaklığına doğru DTP, K.Irak'ta 'Kürt birliği' peşinde Report: Ankara, Baghdad, Arbil coordinate to curb PKK Kerkük’teki saldırıyı Türkçü örgüt üstlendi Barzani mesajı DTP delegation meets with Barzani in Iraq Iraq's Kurd Problem By Erik Fogg Talabani in Kurdistan on ethnic talks TLS A Kurdish imagination Forget the optimistic reports – the Kurds have embraced the work of a novelist who tells a different story HAKAN ALBAYRAK Egemen Bağış'ın konuşması ve yükselen beklentilerimiz [CAFE CAPITAL] Local elections as a referendum Çok tartışılan Kürtçe TV'nin adı ne olacak? Disputed Kirkuk a center of Kurds' struggle for power CNN International BBC Kirkuk faultline Tension and violence in the ethnically-mixed city Kerkük’ün altı servet ama üstü sefalet A CHP vision of the Kurdish issue Kurds say Property Law Discriminatory Institute for War and Peace Reporting Restaurants of Kirkuk New Yorker
Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber Dış Basında Türkiye-AB İlişkileri Günlük Haftalık Dışişleri Bakanlığı:Müzakere süreci tam üyelik hedefi ile devam ediyor Can Dündar Avrupa Konseyi 6 milyon yeni seçmeni inceliyor EU sees true reformist in Turkey’s president The National Foreign Ministry: 89,000 minorities live in Turkey Ali Bulaç AB'nin göremediği! Rıza Türmen Guantanamo ayıbı ve Türkiye A crisis of values in Greece by HERKÜL MİLLAS* Hikmet Bila Tasos'un Yaptığı Yusuf Kanlı 2008: Yet another ’lost year’ Tassos Papadopoulos, Former President of Cyprus, Is Dead at 74 New minorities report limits status of Patriarch The man behind the political figure
Cyprus Mail Thousands of Assyrians Rally in Sweden in Support of Besieged Monastery in Turkey Hristofyas, AB liderler zirvesi sonuçlarına müdahale ettik Turkey: Workplace Safety Becomes an Issue BY YIGAL SCHLEIFER
In the Tuzla industrial zone on the outskirts of Istanbul, some 48 shipyards are crammed around a small bay, the skyline dominated by massive cranes and the hulls of half-built tankers. Tuzla is the center of Turkey�s shipbuilding industry and in the last few years, as the global demand for shipping tankers has grown, it has been booming. Turkey: Ancient Pagan Temple Site Yields New Archeological Clues on Origins of Farming ECEVİT KILIÇ
Türkiye'de 1000 anarşist var Wolf in the fold: agents as journalists A cloud on the Anatolian horizon
The Post – Üskül: Cezaevinde cinsellik ödül olabilir Papa'nın günah dediği Diyanet'ten onay aldı ENGİN ARDIÇ
"Sinema değil" demiştim... Turkey can become leader in science, says İhsanoğlu | PKK'ya 'silahı bırakın' çağrısı yapılacak 'Tanık koruma sağlanırsa ifade veririm' Üzeyir Garih'in katili Karadağ'ın askeri 2. Erdoğan'ın masasındaki çok özel anket İşte Veli Küçük Paşa'nın ilk sözleri Köylü İslam’ı kente taşıyanlar Ergenekon’da imza çelişkisi Ergenekon’da ifade sırası sanık Veli Küçük’te Ergenekon'da savunma sırası Veli Küçük'te Tuncay Güney, MİT adına Ergenekon'a sızmış 'Aynı safta olduğumuz Cumhuriyet'in avukatlarından taarruz yedik' O şimdi Baykalcı Cezaevlerinde 101 bin kiş... Yoksullara 6 müjde 7 yıldır Türkiye'ye dönemiyor Cezaevleri nüfusu 100 bin kişiyi aştı Ergenekon şüphesi ortadan kalktı AK Parti'de temayüller tamam söz Erdoğan'da Ankara'da nefes nefese yarış Halkın % 85'ine göre Türkiye 'çok eşitsiz' Eymür'le Princess Otel'de görüştük 'CHP açılımında samimiyse başörtüsü meselesi çözülür' Bütçe maratonu başlıyor Devlet, Caferi imamları da kadroya alıyor Trabzon'da ele geçirilen bombalarda Ergenekon şüphesi Son Dakika Milliyet Hürriyet Zaman GH Türkiye Birinci Sayfalar Akşam Birgün Bugün Cumhuriyet Dünya Hürriyet Milli Gazete Milliyet Posta Radikal Referans Sabah Star Taraf Tercüman Türkiye Vakit Vatan Yeni Şafak Zaman Arşiv Video NTV CNNTürk Milliyet Cengiz Çandar Steven Chu ve bizim Süryaniler Azınlıklarımız ile “Birinci Sınıf” Kürtlerimiz... Ahmet Taşgetiren Ruşen - Çakır Steven Chu ve bizim Süryaniler Ege CANSEN Türk olmanın dayanılmaz azabı Taha Akyol Bilim ödülü Fikret Bila Hasan Cemal Murat Yetkin Kriz Grubu: 2009 Türkiye-AB için ‘Tamam mı, devam mı?’ yılı olabi İsmet Berkan Fehmi Koru Durum muhasebesi Taha KıvançFaşizm hülyası böyle bir şey olmalı TAMER KORKMAZ Korku Şamil Tayyar Solda ittifak, AK Parti ve MHP tabanını nasıl etkiler? [Yorum - Prof. Dr. Ergun Özbudun] Anayasa'nın değiştirilemez hükümlerinin bağlayıcılığı Ali Bayramoğlu Yasemin Çongar Ertuğrul Özkök Hasan Ünal Ahmet Hakan Baykal’a kitap tavsiyesi M Ali Birand Cüneyt Ülsever Enis Berberoğlu Mehmet Altan Bir Tuğgeneral portresi İsmail KüçükkayaHüsamettin Özkan’a Derviş’i sordum İktidar “yardımla” mı mamur? TARHAN ERDEM Oray Eğin
Bu komiser neden önemlidir? Kürşat Bumin: Bir de 'sözde kütük' lafı yaratılmasın lütfen Oktay Ekşi Özdemir İnce Mehmet Y Yılmaz Anayasa’nın ’vatandaşlık tanımı’ unutuldu MUHARREM SARIKAYA ERDAL ŞAFAK Son ilaç ENGİN ARDIÇ ERGUN BABAHAN EMRE AKÖZ Umur Talu EKREM DUMANLI - O pencereden bu şölen görünmez! HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN Türban sola bakmıyor Serdar Turgut
Piyasalar açılış çanı çalmadan Atılgan Bayar
DSP, Baykal’a yardım ediyor Serdar Akinan
Susmamak NAZLI ILICAK 1994'ten bu yana MEHMET BARLASDünya değişmeye çalışırken biz eskisi gibi devam edebilir miyiz? MAHMUT ÖVÜR YAVUZ DONAT Mustafa Akyol Kapitalizm sekülerleştirir mi? TAMER KORKMAZ Oynatalım… Ardan Zentürk KRİZ: Rejim tehdidi Eser Karakaş Cevapsız sorular ve fikr-i takip Nasuhi Güngör Alevi zirvesi -II- Ekonomi Osman Ulagay Entelektüel birikimle atılım umudu Hasan Ersel Ekonomik paket nasıl güçlü olur Ali Ağaoğlu Piyasalar yılın son 2 haftası nasıl bir seyir izleyecek? ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM Ercan Kumcu Erdal Sağlam Piyasalar yılbaşına kadar idare eder ama... Hurşit Güneş Sanayi çökerken cari açık da daralıyor Yaman Törüner Ekonomik buhran bir dünya savaşına yol açabilir mi? Güngör Uras Ayşe Hanım Teyzem soruyor: Parası olmayan hastaneye nasıl gidecek? Serpil Yılmaz Bankaların kredi borçlarına Hazine garantör olabilir OKAN MÜDERRİSOĞLU
Bankaların duyarlılık analizi Bugün aynaya bakıyoruz! UĞUR GÜRSES Brezilya’nın yapamadığı, bizim yapabileceğimiz FATİH ÖZATAY İBRAHİM KAHVECİ Borsa fırlar faiz çöker Ergenekon'un üstü kapatılırsa krizi o zaman görün! Coca-Cola yönetim kurulu Muhtar Kent’e büyük güven duyuyor |
| H4 New York Times How Obama Can Keep America Safe Five writers with backgrounds in national security advise President-elect Barack Obama on how to reform our intelligence agencies, protect the American homeland and fight Al Qaeda abroad. Report Spotlights Iraq Rebuilding Blunders An unpublished federal history of the U.S.-led reconstruction of Iraq depicts the effort as crippled by poor planning, waste and deception, leading to a $100 billion failure. THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN Cars, Kabul and Banks When Barack Obama takes office he will have to make mammoth decisions. The bases of those decisions should be on the things themselves, the core truths about each. Pragmatism, Viewed Pragmatically A discussion of Barack Obama’s approach, so far, to the transition and to assembling a cabinet. Fears of New Ethnic Conflict in Bosnia The Remedist By ROBERT SKIDELSKY Why John Maynard Keynes is the man of the year. The 17th Floor, Where Wealth Went to Vanish Investigators are trying to piece together what Bernard L. Madoff did with the billions entrusted to his firm. Diplomatic Memo: A Defense Secretary at Work for 2 Commanders in Chief Afghanistan and Neighbors Discuss Close Cooperation Iraqi Journalist Hurls Shoes at Bush University in Athens, Epicenter of Riots, Is Drawing a Potent Mix of Radicals Editorial Questions for Mr. Geithner As president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Timothy Geithner let Lehman Brothers fail and then bailed out American International Group. He needs to explain why before he becomes Treasury secretary. PAUL KRUGMAN European Crass Warfare Europe’s economy is in trouble. But Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, and her economic officials stand in the way of a much-needed European rescue plan. Once in office, Barack Obama promised to address a major Islamic forum to redefine America’s struggle. There is no better place to make the speech than Indonesia. WILLIAM KRISTOL Left and Right, Piling On An undeserved disdain, even casual contempt, seems to characterize the attitude of the political and media elites toward the American auto industry. Russian Antigovernment Protesters Detained Hamas, Showing Split, Hints It May Extend Truce In Visits, British Prime Minister Tries to Defuse Tensions of India and Pakistan In Surprise Visit, Bush Affirms Commitment to Afghanistan Asian Leaders Focus on Growth at 3-Nation Summit Meeting Iraqi Victims Talk to U.S. Prosecutors Troops to Stay Longer in Iraq as Support, U.S. Says Editorial The State of the Forces Hollow Reserves Relieving the stress on the National Guard and the Reserves — allowing them to fulfill their primary missions — is necessary for national security. NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF A Finger in the Dike There are sound arguments against an auto bailout, but none trump the argument for one — when conditions are so fragile, we can’t risk a staggering blow to the national economy The Lasting Effects of Political Poison Ten years ago this week, Bill Clinton was impeached by the House of Representatives. Memories of his trials put Barack Obama’s aides on alert as scandal broke in Illinois A Champion of Wall St. Reaps the Benefits In Washington, Senator Charles E. Schumer is beneficiary, advocate and overseer of an industry that is his hometown’s most important business. Obama’s Friends Form Strategy to Stay Close Barack Obama’s closest friends have promised to stay tight-knit once the first family enters the White House. Bad Times Draw Bigger Crowds to Churches Many ministers have jettisoned standard sermons to preach instead about the economic crisis. FRANK RICH Two Cheers for Rod Blagojevich Gov. Rod Blagojevich of Illinois is a timely national whipping boy for an era of corruption and profound lack of accountability By KEVIN SACK Health care and the economy share a sickbed. Barack Obama placed a heavy bet last week that they can recover together | H5 Washington Post Clean up the Afghan government, and the Taliban will fade away. By Sarah Chayes, We are losing in Afghanistan because we've installed a bunch of goons. An Opportunity for Obama to Defuse Nuclear Tension By Jim Hoagland 5 Myths About Our Sputtering Economy By James P. Moore Jr The U.S. is by no means on its last legs. Here are a few key myths that need to be dispelled. U.S. Troops Will Remain in Iraqi Cities After June Deadline, Top Commander Says The Day the Door to China Opened Wide By Richard Holbrooke, How Jimmy Carter's vision and determination led to a real breakthrough with China. The Next President and a Post-Colonial Worldview By David Ignatius, Can he show this angry world a different American face? Shoe-Throwing Incident Mars Bush's Farewell Visit to Iraq President Defends War in Surprise Farewell Visit Before Ducking an Iraqi Journalist's Rejoinder A War's Impossible Mission By P.J. Tobia, Did some U.S. troops cross a line in Afghanistan? The Focus on Energy Independence Is Misplaced We're Focusing on the Wrong Goal By Roger Sant and Michael Kinsley The goal has become a patriotic cliche. But it's a muddled concept and a red herring Lobbying Is Democracy in Action By Robert J. Samuelson, Washington is preparing for a lobbyist stampede, despite Obama's vow to "change" how the system works. Official History Criticizes Iraq Reconstruction Efforts Draft Cites Massive Waste, Bad Planning IG's Report Highlights 'Material Weaknesses,' Financial Mismanagement at the Pentagon Special Envoys Give Career Diplomats Special Heartburn The economic downturn has driven up unemployment for just about everyone. But not for a small group of "special" people. We're hearing plans are afoot at the State Department to have a string of "special envoys" appointed to handle top-priority trouble areas around the world. A Military That Reflects the Red-Blue Divide? By Danielle Allen, Page A21 Why do red states have much higher military membership rates than blue states? Pakistan Says Indian Fighter Jets Breached Its Airspace Minister Says 'Our Forces Are Alert' After Indian Incursions Make Sure All That Spending Is Well Supported By Joel Kotkin A rule for infrastructure: If it's flashy, it's probably not worth building. Editorial Policy of Abuse A Senate committee shows how Bush administration decisions led to the mistreatment of prisoners. Climate Change Lessons It's not easy going green U.S. Will Push U.N. for Somalia Mission Peacekeeping Force Proposed to Stop Pirates, Reemergence of Islamist Militants In Russia, a Grisly Message Marks Rise in Hate Crimes HOW THE NEW DEAL COMPARES By Alec MacGillis, Plans for a massive stimulus package are drawing comparisons both to the New Deal of the 1930s and to the interstate highway program begun in the late 1950s. Next Climate Summit May Turn on Rich Nations' Approach to Poor Ones Government's Test: Reforming Health Care By David S. Broder Blinded Woman Invokes Islamic Retribution After a spurned suitor pours a bucket of sulfuric acid over her head, Ameneh Bahrami persuades an Iranian court to order the same chemical be placed in his eyes Britain's Brown Meets With Pakistani Leader, Vows to Provide Intelligence on Mumbai Attacks British Prime Minister Vows to Provide Information on Mumbai Attacks Bush's Sensitive Side Is Showing Aides, President Accentuating The Positive Campaign Finance A victim of President-elect Obama's success Gen. Shinseki's Silence By Lawrence Di Rita, It's the clash that never was, but his silence on correcting the record has been deafening. Uncertainty Clouds Transition at NASA Obama Has Not Offered Specifics About Future of Space Program or Top Official '08 Voter Turnout Rate Said to Be Highest in 40 Years | H6 Guardian Exclusive: behind the lines with a resurgent Taliban A Guardian report from a Taliban veteran's compound in Afghanistan and on the battlefield In pictures: Interviews with the real Taliban Q&A: The Taliba When will the oil run out? George Monbiot puts the question to Fatih Birol, chief economist of the International Energy Agency Video: George Monbiot meets ... Fatih Birol Oil supply will peak in 2020, says energy agency Wall Street titan who fell to earth How Bernie Madoff, seemingly the ultimate pair of safe hands, managed to defraud investors After the fighting stops Conor Foley: The European Union's soft power offers the best chance for Georgia's future After the pax Americana Jamie F Metzl: Unless other countries step forward for the common good, a post-American world could be a frightening place Europe's leadership crisis Giuliano Amato, Etienne Davignon, Jean-Luc Dehaene and Wim Kok: As the global financial crisis unfolds there is an urgent need for a coordinated EU-wide policy response Obama should visit Oklahoma, talk to the CIA and woo more Republicans Michael Tomasky: With these few symbolic steps the president-elect can take the moral high ground and isolate his conservative enemies Pressure on Emanuel over Senate scandal Barack Obama's choice for chief of staff had conversations with disgraced governor taped by FBI Shoes and insults hurled at Bush on Iraq visit Iraqi journalist calls US president a 'dog' and throws shoes at him at press conference in Baghdad Divisions deepen in Armenia as country braces for MPs' trial Former foreign minister among seven accused of usurping state power at 'vote-rigging' rally in March Battling RussophobiaAnna Matveeva: Anti-Russian stereotypes have become commonplace in the west. It's up to the media not to spoil a vital relationship The power of gas John Springford: Europe should work with the US to contain Russia's gas monopoly Letting Germany back in Denis MacShane: Isolating Germany via the new Brown-Sarkozy axis does Europe, and Britain, no favours Germany: the new dirty man of Europe George Monbiot: The new emissions agreement is a disaster. Angela Merkel is prepared to go green only when it doesn't hurt big business A legal time bomb in Iraq Bruce Ackerman and Oona Hathaway: Obama must return US foreign policy to the rule of law - and the mandate for war is about to expire PM offers Pakistan pact to stop terror Gordon Brown confronts Islamabad on record of exporting terrorism, revealing links to many UK plots Brown's al-Qaida blame game Tariq Ali: He should accept Britain's responsibility for encouraging terror attacks rather than pointing the finger at Pakistan We're not all middle class now Chris Trude: It's time society respected the values of the working class and the contribution they have made to this country The spirit of optimism Andrew Gamble: We must fight the belief that political decisions are pre-ordained and that participation is futile The Mumbai terror attacks prove the partitioning of India and Pakistan was a tragic mistake Sarfraz Manzoor: The enmity meant to lurk inside every Pakistani towards India has always seemed ridiculous to me; it is like hating one's own past What part of Ireland's 'no' does the EU not understand? Brendan O'Neill: Asking the Irish to vote again on the Lisbon treaty is arrogant, insulting and undemocratic A new operating system Ali Eteraz: It's great that Barack Hussein Obama wants to 'reboot' relations with Muslims, but he should think big Beyond laissez-faire Editorial: In just 10 years' time more than half of Britain's power will have to come from global markets Espionage and corgis Peter Preston: BBC writers may struggle to find suitably ludicrous plotlines for another Spooks series. Try these Softly, softly oust Mugabe Jonathan Steele: If he's offered a quiet exit with judicial immunity Zimbabwe's leader might just be tempted to go Besieged and stressed Gazans fall victim to black market painkiller Thousands of young men addicted to prescription painkiller used to alleviate stress, says doctor French MPs to debate Sunday opening plan Sarkozy's proposal meets widespread resistance as French fear erosion of family life No island is an island Editorial: In any collision between tax havens and the modern world, the world must prevail every time Stabbing of German police chief raises fear of far-right crime Number of crimes related to rightwing extremists in Passau, Bavaria, has more than doubled in past year Israeli poll favourite Netanyahu reins in right Favourite to win the general election heads off hardline right-wingers in his Likud party How Eta went to war over the environment Basque separatist movement seeks to display its eco credentials by sabotaging a new high-speed rail link A history of violence: five decades of ETA Basque movement's roots lie in a long tradition of separatism and resistance to central Spanish authority Pound slips below euro on Britain's high streets Government faces backlash over plans to rescue economy after pound falls in value to less than a euro What a mess our young have to face. No wonder they riot Nick Fraser: With the dismal bequest left by his generation, a film-maker and father argues the Greek unrest should be no surprise to us If we're going to spend, then let's invest in Britain's future Andrew Rawnsley: Rather than encourage people to squitter money on imports, the government should build us an infrastructure fit for this century Spend or save? Free-marketeers and the Keynesians row over the road to salvation Will Hutton: Germany's criticism of Brown's switch from conservative free-market policies to 'crass Keynesianism' must have had him spitting blood Mr Brown must honour the trust placed in him Editorial: The economic fortunes of the country are pegged to people's trust in government as never before What the future holds for ... How the credit crunch will affect employment, property, young people and the elderly in Britain |
LRB - America concedes: Patrick Cockburn writes about the significance of the new Status of Forces Agreement. Asia Times Change or deja vu? Obama divides Iran Iran is split down the middle on whether United States president-elect Barack Obama has the freedom to change entrenched Washington policies. One view is that he offers a chance for Iran to end its decades-long conflict with the US. Others say he's just a puppet of powerful forces - especially the pro-Israel lobby - that are hostile to Iran. - Gareth Porter From Policy, an article on the myth of OPEC: It has little to do with high oil prices Iraq's elections: What's at stake?
Daily Star ‘Hard Lessons: The Iraq Reconstruction Experience’ Original Full Text Report (508 pages; PDF) + Full Text, Annotated Report (HTML), Searchable + Interactive Guide to the Report + Organizational Chart for the Iraq Reconstruction Cyber Warfare in 21st Century - Joseph S. Nye, RealClearWorld
Iraq at the End of Surge - Michael Totten, Commentary
Bush-Cheney: How Not to Spread Democracy - Ian Buruma, Globe & Mail Obama's Forlorn Hope on Iran : Amir Taheri TNI Obama’s All-Star Lineup by Nikolas K. Gvosdev Obama has a seasoned team. But he needs to order its members to focus on specific areas if he wants to be successful in enacting his agenda. Scowcroft, Gates, Jones: Go Slow on Iraq The Nation. Obama Pick of Jones Highlights Energy Security, Climate Trade-Offs InsideDefense WINEP The EU and Syria Move Closer The European Union is scheduled to initial an ill-advised association agreement with Syria on December 14. Though it appears to be a cost-free diplomatic gain for Damascus in Europe, the Obama administration can push Brussels to demand that Syria live up to the agreement's commitments on Lebanon, proliferation, and human rights Boston Globe Gates on balance An analysis of the foreign policy philosophy of Robert Gates, and an explanation of how Obama was right to keep him on. (Boston Globe) McClatchy Iraqi who threw shoes covered U.S. bombing of Shiite area Friends said that the Iraqi television journalist who hurled two shoes at President Bush on Sunday during a joint news conference Bush was holding with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki had been deeply affected by the carnage he saw earlier this year when U.S. aircraft bombed Baghdad's Sadr City neighborhood. The journalist was wrestled to the ground and detained. Bush was unhurt Top US diplomat on the Middle East David Welch Urges Effective Diplomacy on Iran and Continuity on the Peace Process Ali Khan - The Golan and Quneitra Iran Presidential Election: Key Issues Will Be Economy, Ties With West Mohamed ElBaradei: POLICY TOWARD IRAN A FAILURE The Great Wall Between Iran, US - Mahan Abedin, Asia Times Daily Star The Middle East needs media freedoms even more than other parts of the world 60 years of refugeehood and human rights By Rami G. Khouri Can Obama show the world a different American face? By David Ignatius GOP apologists argue that history will vindicate Bush and Cheney just as it exonerated Truman and Marshall. Don't count on it. (By Timothy M. Gay, Boston Globe) Dec 12 IA# 479 - Calls in Iran to Topple Egyptian, Saudi Regimes Geopolitical Diary: The Significance of Pirates The United States is pushing the U.N. Security Council to authorize an escalation in the fight against Somali pirate | H8 IraqSlogger Google News Iraq Iran Syria Mideastwire.com - NPR Iraq Parliament: No limit has been set to discuss oil and gas law Bush thanks Iraqi leaders for security pact help UNAMI addresses women's rights in Iraq | H9 Ha’aretz – Obama to base his Middle East policy on army of envoys Israeli gov't sources: Dennis Ross and Colin Powell among candidates being considered for post ANALYSIS / Who wants to end the Hamas-Israel ceasefire? Contradictory statements from Hamas leaders reflect disagreement among its ranks, Israeli analysts say Eldar Enough already Netanyahu is actually suggesting to pull the rug out from under the feet of the pragmatic Palestinian camp and extending the conflict over many years instead of resolving it as soon as possible. Hamas chief: We won't renew Gaza truce with Israel Defense officials expect tense tense week as cease-fire nears end; Israel: Won't continue truce unilaterally Bar’el Washington is calling It would be best to assume that Israel's distress will not change Obama's intentions, and that dialogue with Iran will be the new strategy. It could be a refreshing change Turkish foreign policymaker: Iran poses threat to Turkey 'Winning the war on radical Islam will be tough, but can be done' A judicial and moral miscarriage The authorities' leniency toward the settlers has turned into one of the occupation's most twisted phenomena. Top Hamas leader to Haaretz: U.S. sanctions to blame for Gaza crisis IN DEPTH / In Pakistan, the question is who is the greater enemy: India or Taliban The substance of semantics If we can indeed identify a significant change in the Arab world's approach to Israel since the 1967 Six-Day War, then direct negotiations with Israel may be possible Livni camp fears Mofaz takeover during Kadima primary Amos Oz: Mideast conflict kept alive by fanatics Yehuda Ben-Meir: We must not give into Hamas demands As truce nears end, Israel tells Hamas: We will respond to Gaza fire Madoff Wall Street fraud threatens Jewish philanthropy Barak weighs compensating Palestinians for damage caused by settlers Rights watchdog: After U.S., Israel is least egalitarian country in West [ BARRY RUBIN, Comeback Kid Netanyahu and the Likud take off in the polls Professor Alvin H. Rosenfeld breaks taboos and airs dirty laundry in his probe of 'progressive Jews.' Syria, as It Is - Jerusalem Post Israel can't afford illusions when it comes to defeating Hamas. IAF officials say Pentagon plan to buy stealth jets may include push to end congressional sales ban 200,000 Palestinians attend 21st anniversary celebration of Hamas founding in the Gaza Strip Yedioth Ahronoth 'Hamas won't renew truce'
Mashaal says Islamist group won't renew ceasefire after it expires later this month, but spokesman in Gaza says no final decision reached. Israeli official: 'If there is fire from the other side, it won't be one-sided' Watering an evil flower Terrorists need sensational media coverage; let’s not give it to them, Guy Bechor says The prisoner’s dilemma State of Israel faces a difficult moral dilemma over the Gilad Shalit affair, Eitan Haber writes Daily Alert.org – Hebrew Press Editorials (2008) - Middle East Progress - EJC Israeli Press Review – Google News Israel - Palestine Security First: U.S. Priorities in Israeli-Palestinian Peacemaking A new Washington Institute Strategic Report offers concrete steps the new administration can take to help develop a Palestinian security system capable of both enforcing law and order and combating terrorism • 'Policy Options: The Obama Administration and the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict' by Shai Feldman and Khalil Shikaki, Crown Center, Brandeis Mark Lippert, Chief of Staff at the NSC by Steven J. Rosen What Israel's elites should have done by Hugh Fitzgerald Israel's Crisis of Leadership - Benny Morris, Los Angeles Times In Her Own Words: Hillary Clinton on the Middle East The Institute offers a collection of secretary of state designate Senator Hillary Clinton's statements over the past two years on key Middle East issues, including the Arab-Israeli peace process, Iraq, Iran, the battle of ideas, and the war on terror Western powers press Israel to ease Gaza cash crunch FT Business can help unlock Palestine’s potential Salam Fayyad on pursuing independence The new promise in Washington may be unrealistic By Shlomo Ben-Ami Obama's Ross: Our Loss
The Nation Gaza crowds for Hamas anniversary
Tens of thousands of Hamas supporters gather in Gaza City to celebrate the 21st anniversary of the militant group's founding. From TAP, is the Labor Party of Israel on the verge of becoming history? With elections set for Feb. 10, polls show the party fading away Engaging Iran Not the Solution - E. Asculai & E. Landau, Jerusalem Post Report: Michel Aoun met Mossad agents in Paris Ynetnews Madoff Arrest Sends Shockwaves Through Jewish Philanthropy Q&A with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas |
| H10 Christian Science Monitor Ideological clash of two jihadi titans shakes Al Qaeda A growing feud between Ayman al-Zawahiri, Osama bin Laden's chief lieutenant, and Sayyed Imam al-Sharif, the jailed ex-leader of Egypt's Islamic Jihad, could weaken support for Al Qaeda. Barack Obama, and America's place in the world US domination is giving way to greater balance. Next move in Fed's most activist year In its latest effort, the bank may cut rates to below 1 percent Tuesday. Bush's final Iraq visit marks gains, meets contempt While President Bush traveled to Baghdad Sunday to hail progress, the war is far from over in places like Mosul where US and Iraqi forces still battle insurgents linked to Al Qaeda in Iraq. Despite policy pullbacks and some appointments, most liberals are happy. Pakistan's top general reins in own Army Army Chief Ashfaq Kayani has been curtailing the political influence of a military accustomed to running the country. Barack Obama, and America's place in the world US domination is giving way to greater balance. Israel's plan to free Palestinian prisoners is foolish – and illegal No nation has the authority to pardon violations of international law Stop pampering Pakistan's military The Mumbai attacks underscore the importance of rooting out institutional support for terror A sanctuary for dissent in Greece? Greek law keeps police away from universities, but some fear the immunity clause meant to protect free speech is now being used to harbor bastions of violence. Japan cracking US pop culture hegemony Japan is quietly emerging as a global trendsetter in pop culture, as well as in green technology and environmental practices. Tough line on auto bailout may extend to other industries Congress's rescue of financial institutions may prove the exception, as automakers learned last week. Rescue US autoworkers first Give them a way to get out of companies due for downsizing. Will Obama ease US policy toward Cuba? A new approach could represent a relatively easy first step down a generally more controversial path of engaging with America's adversaries. ASIA The Economist China and India Asia's two big beasts are shivering. India's economy is weaker, but China's leaders have more to fear China's reforms The second Long March Time Wanted: A New Miracle (China) By BILL POWELL / SHANGHAI China's remarkably successful economic growth model is being sorely tested by the global downturn. Here's how the country can get its boom back Are We Delivering Coherently in Afghanistan? NUPIA 12-page Norwegian background paper on Afghanistan, discussing three issues: - the relationship between the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), UNAMA and Afghan authorities - donor coordination - transfer of authority to civilian actors in insecure areas FT Asia faces a tough 2009 as output decreases Michael Pettis on overproduction Zakaria: Pakistan Must Choose China’s Insecurity and Search for Power CIS This 22-page Australian paper examines the thoughts of some of China’s leading strategic thinkers and policymakers. It shows how China’s leaders and thinkers view the world and China within it, and how they view ‘power’ and seek security within the system. The search for a US envoy for Iran In light of president-elect Barack Obama's desire to engage Tehran without preconditions, the need for a special United States envoy on Iran is all the more pressing. This could coincide with the revival of the "freeze-for-freeze" plan under which Iran would temporarily suspend its uranium-enrichment program in exchange for the US's suspension of any more sanctions. Both initiatives require a considerable change in attitudes. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi Stratfor India, Pakistan: A Psychological Escalation Pakistan said two Indian fighter jets violated its airspace Dec. 13. Such an incursion would signify increased pressure from India on Pakistan to act against militants Emerging Strategic Ties in Asia - Harsh Pant, Japan Times Don't Expect Bailout from Asia - David Pilling, Financial Times Japanese Prime Minister Taro Aso Follows in Predecessors' Floundering Footsteps Japan has become a land of incredible shrinking prime ministers.
Keep China on Capitalist Road - Fred Hu, Wall Street Journa
Brinkmanship in South Asia From NYRB, the following is the text of Charter 08, signed by hundreds of Chinese intellectuals. Pakistan's military takes a big hit Pakistani authorities have wasted no time in implementing the declaration by the United Nations of the Jamaatut Dawa as a terror organization. Leaders of the group - now internationally designated as linked to the outfit involved in the Mumbai attack - have been rounded up, and its assets frozen. Significantly, the action was taken against the wishes of the military, which was outmaneuvered. Next, Islamabad's leaders have to tackle the country's all-powerful spy agency. - Syed Saleem Shahzad Bush arrives in Kabul for talks US President George W Bush arrives in Afghanistan on a surprise visit, his last before stepping down in January. China taken off US missile hit list - again The US Treasury Department has declared that China Great Wall Industry Corp has broken its traditional ties to Iran involving troubling missile technology exports, but the recent launch of a new long-range missile by Tehran may turn the spotlight back on China. - Peter J Brown The deployment of Hazara policemen in Pashtun areas of Afghanistan has in the short run worked well for NATO, as it did for the British long ago... more» China: From Mao to Now - Tom Grimmer, Globe & Mail China and India: Suddenly Vulnerable - The Economist Turning point for India's foreign policy
India is in need of a foreign policy overhaul now that the United States has its eye on a broader Afghanistan strategy that will have direct implications on the power play New Delhi had envisioned. Given that the central part of Washington's revised plans will involve a long-term US investment in Pakistani power structures, India needs to realize that its super-power ambitions cannot be underpinned by a single partnership. - Zorawar Daulet Sing Time Can India and Pakistan Lower Tensions Over Kashmir? The terrorist strikes on Mumbai have reignited a six-decade-old dispute between India and Pakistan, with worrisome consequences for the U.S. Failing Afghanistan - Sarah Chayes, Washington Post
Our Pakistan Problem - Reuel Marc Gerecht, Weekly Standard
Afghanistan: Assessing the Way Forward BY JOSHUA KUCERA
Afghanistan wants the US to take a more prominent role in military operations in that country by increasing the number of American troops in the country, building up the Afghan security forces more quickly and making a stronger effort to reduce civilian casualties and friendly fire deaths of Afghan security forces, the country�s ambassador to Washington says Fallout from Pentagon's gaffe spreads As nuclear disarmament talks with North Korea again break down, Tokyo and Seoul are reeling from the Pentagon's "mistake" of describing North Korea as a nuclear power and from remarks by US Defense Secretary Robert Gates claiming North Korea has built several nuclear bombs. - Kosuke Takahashi NATO seeks out new Afghan supply routes Faced with disruption to its supply lines to Afghanistan that pass through Pakistan, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization is discussing alternative routes with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Belarus and Ukraine. This initiative is all the more important as Washington resets its sights on Afghanistan, and indicates a move towards regional security cooperation that will ultimately entail bringing Russia on board. - Roger N McDermot President Bush is squandering what could have been his one foreign policy achievement - a denuclearized Korean peninsula - and is instead bequeathing to Obama a dangerous stalemate. (Boston Globe) A Boston Latin junior arrived in China for a study-abroad program expecting what the Western media has been harping on for ages: a stifling political climate, even more stifling pollution, and indescribable poverty. But that's not what she found. (By Annie Osborn, Boston Globe) | H11 IHT U.S. security By PETER BERGEN How worried should America be about Al Qaeda? Out of sight, out of mind? By REUEL MARC GERECHT Obama will come to see the value of rendition Greek cities enjoy calm after week of riots Athens was calm Sunday after eight days of the worst riots Greece has seen in decades, but youths who have protested daily since Dec. 6 have vowed to remain on the streets until their concerns are addressed As draft ends, Polish military faces struggle to modernize Poland's attempt to transform its military is occurring in a season of turmoil, as its soldiers have left Iraq and are expanding their presence in Afghanistan. EUROPE European press review Sarkozy: President on the Precipice - C. Dickey & T. McNicoll, Newsweek
The French Presidency of 2008: The Unexpected Agenda SIEPS A 57-page Swedish report on the Sarkozy presidency of the EU focusing on the presidency priorities and the ongoing European agenda on the one hand and on the influence of domestic politics and external events on the other. Energy Challenges in the Middle East and North Africa FRIDE This 20-page Spanish working paper demonstrates the inextricable links between the energy trade and the future governance of the MENA region and outlines some of the related challenges to EU policies TNI Nobel Peace Prize for War by Dimitri K. Simes On his blog Subjective Evaluation, Dimitri K. Simes notes that Martti Ahtisaari, latest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, hardly deserves it. As an architect of Kosovo’s independence, he helped cause a war. Kosovo Fights Serbia -- As Serbia Fights Everybody A dispute over the configuration of Kosovo's next international law-and-order mission comes as Belgrade finds itself increasingly at odds with its neighbors Towards a European Defence Market ISS-EU This 126-page paper examines the implications of proposed new EC procurement and trade directives aimed at streamlining defence market legislation. Second European Quality of Life Survey - First Findings
Source: European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions Full Document (PDF; 416.45 KB) Newsweek What The Socialist Implosion Means For France The (Really) Moderate Muslims of Kosovo - Michael Totten, City Journa Eurocrats Won't Take 'No' for Answer - Daniel Hannan, The Telegraph
Greek Riots Leave the Euro in Danger - David Frum, National Post
Obama Must Engage Europe on Behalf of Mideast Peace By: Muriel Asseburg | The Daily Star
The Middle East peace process should be one of the main foreign policy priorities of the incoming US administration - not least because of the rapidly diminishing feasibility of a two-state settlement and the danger of a renewed escalation of violence. Germany's Frau Nein Isn't Budging - Rosemary Righter, The Times Losing Control, Greece is Burning - Takis Michas, Wall Street Journal 2008 Energy and Environment Report
Source: European Environment Agency Economic Globalisation: A Challenge for Official Statistics
Source: European Free Trade Association | H12 RFE/RL A New Framework For Better US-Russia Relations
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty Time Russia's Big Chill By PETER GUMBEL The oil boom that fueled Russia's extraordinary growth is over. As energy prices collapse, the nation braces for a less certain future Google News Azerbaijan Dealing With Revisionist Russia - Ronald Asmus, Washington Post The Georgia-Russia Stalemate: Do's and Dont's for Avoiding a New Cold War Security & Defence Agenda A 32-page discussion paper relecting on the implications for the EU of the August 2008 conflict between Georgia and Russia The Caucasus Crisis: International Perceptions and Policy Implications for Germany and Europe SWP A 59-page German research paper consisting of several brief analyses examining how the Caucasus crisis has been perceived in the most important affected states and international organizations and outling the ensuing options Win-win opening for Russia and OPEC The collapse in global energy prices is undermining the economic and geopolitical goals of several leading oil producers. That bolsters the case for closer coordination between Russia and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries oil cartel, paving the way for a new and more formal global axis of energy. - W Joseph Stroupe 21st-Century Sultanate How Vladimir Putin built Russia’s corporatist state.
BY LEON ARON Resizing Russia's Weight - Paul Taylor, Moscow Times Russia Courts Muslim World - Jacques Levesque, Le Monde Diplomatique Armenia: Dim Outlook for Media Freedom, Reporters Say
Despite heavy government emphasis on the importance of freedom of speech, the violence against Armenian journalists is continuing. Civil society leaders and reporters contend that officials' sluggish response masks either rank incompetence or an intention to keep the lid on government criticism. Government officials reject the charges as groundless Georgia: Ex-PM Plans Party for "Fresh" Leaders Former Georgian Prime Minister Zurab Noghaideli -- a figure better known for his business interests than for his political charisma - is launching a new political party. While Noghaideli's supporters maintain that they will modernize Georgian politics, some observers believe that his political appeal is limited. Russian police arrest dozens of protesters The arrests were the latest sign that public expression of dissent against the authorities will not be tolerated under President Dmitri Medevev any more than it was under his predecessor. Brutal killing of migrant worker in Moscow is investigated as hate crime |
H13 The Times Britain faces humiliating Iraq withdrawal Forces to leave by July 2009 under a proposal that lumps the 4,100 troops with Romania and Estonia NEW: Brown may defy Obama over Afghanistan A man wanted by Interpol for his links to terrorists in Tunisia has been advising Scotland Yard Almost 150 years after the Civil War, the Union and Confederacy are squaring off again over the dilemma facing Big Three Anatole Kaletsky Never mind Plan B. Let's look at C, D and E Nato needs to rethink its strategy and logistics for a long stay in Afghanistan. In return, President Karzai must make a concerted attack on endemic corruption Think Tank: New ideas for the 21st Century: The right nudge for the jobless By Chris Grayling ... Hers is the true voice of German opinion, whatever the declarations of European unity may suggest to the contrary The protests began over a police shooting but now some see in them a warning to governments to solve the economic slump fast The deadlock over Hamas attacks has made life desperate As the West battles to avert a regional war between India and Pakistan, Islamabad has made crucial concessions Gordon Brown risks all on rescue plan as Germany rounds on him Pakistan 'linked to 75% of all UK terror plots' Gordon Brown pressures Pakistan to clamp down on militants linked to India and UK attacks; offers £6m in anti-terror aid EXCLUSIVE: Blacklist terror charity still open Without your support the violent religious extremism that we are trying to treat would spread and worsen Tassos Papadopoulos: Greek Cypriot President The Fed Still Has Plenty of Ammunition By Frederic S. Mishkin Don't believe critics who say that monetary policy is not an effective tool. Peaceful Protest Gains
In Kashmir Fight While Kashmir has galvanized Islamic radicalism to violence, the armed struggle is waning in the disputed region, where India now largely faces a potentially more challenging foe: peaceful campaigners for self-determination. Emanuel, Blagojevich Aides Discussed Seat Obama had begun thinking about his Senate successor even before the election, and dispatched Rahm Emanuel days after the vote to contact aides of Blagojevich to begin talking up candidates White House Sizes Up Auto Rescue The Bush administration was weighing a much-larger rescue effort for the Big Three but faces funding and other logistics questions Subscriber Content Read Preview Bernard Madoff's alleged Ponzi scheme made victims of magnate Mortimer Zuckerman and the foundation of Holocaust survivor Elie Weisel. Banks including Spain's Grupo Santander and France's BNP Paribas said their clients and shareholders face billions of euros of losses from the scandal. U.S. Troops May Stay in Iraqi Cities INFORMATION AGE
By L. Gordon Crovitz
A new report says cyberwar isn't science fiction Bush Was No Unilateralist By Kimberley A. Strassel
The Weekend Interview: The president's longest-serving senior diplomat says conventional wisdom is wrong. Rectitude Chic DECLARATIONS By Peggy Noonan The first Christmas in the age of restraint. Defiance on display. Another Week, Another Financial Drama - Theo Francis, BusinessWeek
The $50 Billion Ponzi Scheme - Frank, Lattman, Searcey & Lucchetti, WSJ
A new report warns Obama about our aging nuclear weapons. SEC Charges Bernard L. Madoff for Multi-Billion Dollar Ponzi Scheme
Source: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission An excerpt from Panic: The Story of Modern Financial Insanity by Michael Lewis (and more and a review). Treasury Releases Semiannual Report on International Economic and Exchange Rate Policies
Source: U.S. Department of the Treasury Over 3 million jobs would disappear if U.S. auto-makers go bankrupt
Source: Economic Policy Institute What is financial journalism for? Ethics and responsibility in a time of crisis and change
Source: Polismedia/London School of Economics Full Report (PDF; 341 KB) | H14 Financial Times Arab nations to meet for talk on Iran Arab states anxious about a change in US policy towards Iran are meeting world powers this week, in an attempt to establish a regular channel of communication over Gulf security that would survive into the next US administration The long road to healthcare reform Reforming US healthcare is a heroic undertaking, crucial to economic prospects. Now, on top of the difficulties that sank a previous plan, it must bid for financial and political resources against the vast outlays that the recession will pre-empt, writes Clive Crook European unity carries a price It was easy for Europe to posture as leaders on climate change while Bush was in the White House. The EU must more conviction if it is to persuade Obama to follow its lead Trichet warns on fiscal indiscipline ECB chief says policymakers must keep to rules Berlin’s next stimulus awaits Obama Clarity sought on president-elect’s policies Berlin’s next stimulus awaits Obama Clarity sought on president-elect’s policies UN to drive Middle East peace settlement The United Nations Security Council is tomorrow set to adopt its first resolution on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in five years, to keep alive a search for a … Middle East: Forgotten flowering Emboldened by a shift in US priorities, regimes are reversing Islamist parties’ political gains, undermining moderates within them and alienating voters Asia faces a tough 2009 as output decreases Michael Pettis on overproduction Copyright extension is out of tune with reality Andrew Gowers on intellectual property Complacency rules as time slips away Wolfgang Münchau on the recession Business can help unlock Palestine’s potential Salam Fayyad on pursuing independence Arab nations to meet for talk on Iran Global Warming: How Not to Mobilise the Masses By: Philip Stephens | Financial Times
Instead of talking about the cost of doing something, leaders would do better to emphasise the price of doing nothing. Of course, the shift to a low carbon economy will not be painless. But nor is global warming and the way to mobilise the masses is to recast the argument. HSBC joins victims of Madoff’s alleged fraud Bank has $1bn potential exposure Lex Madoff with ya money Bush feels heat over auto loan Republicans call for tougher demands Iraqi journalist throws shoes at Bush US president in Afghanistan after Iraq visit Economists’ Forum Will Americans demand the cars that Congress wants the big three to build?: The basic problem is that Americans like to drive sport-utility vehicles, minivans and small trucks Arab rich list charts Prince Alwaleed’s losses Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, Citigroup’s biggest individual shareholder, has lost almost a fifth of his personal wealth in the past year due to the credit crunch, according to a local magazine Sarkozy praised for Brussels agreement Nicolas Sarkozy, France’s president, is basking in the praise of his fellow European Union leaders after steering them to summit agreements on how to fight climate change and economic recession Greek clashes to continue The ongoing protests expose the precarious position of Costas Karamanlis, prime minister, and his centre-right government Analysis: In the face of fragility For central banker Trichet, recklessness caused the current financial and economic turmoil – and there are dangers too in throwing public money at it Norway set to dip into $332bn oil fund Oil-rich nation seeks to offset slowdown | H15 Los Angeles Times Bush makes surprise visit
to Baghdad During a farewell trip to Iraq, where 4,060 U.S. troops have died, the president says, "The war is not over." Video: Journalist throws shoe at Bush By Benny Morris Neither Labor, Likud, Kadima nor Meretz offers clear political certainties. By Eyad El-Sarraj An Israeli blockade curtails food, fuel, medicine and travel. Uneasy peace prevails for India's Muslims Many of India's 150 million Muslims feared a violent backlash after the Mumbai attacks, blamed on Islamic extremists, and have gone the extra mile to prove themselves loyal. Resurrecting the moderate Republican By Marc B. Haefele Sure, Dewey lost. But another middle-of-the roader, Eisenhower, won. It could happen again Bush ducks shoes thrown at him in Iraq Both thrown by a man identified as an Iraqi journalist miss the president at a news conference with Iraq's Nouri Maliki. Security officials and journalists wrestle the shoe-thrower to the ground. Editorial Tehran diplomat says nuclear sanctions have united Iran Ali Asghar Soltanieh, Iran's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, says his country and the West suffer from a 'confidence deficit' on both sides A week on, protesters still on Greece's streets Greek youths taking part in protests every day since the boy's death are angry not just at the police but at an increasingly unpopular government and over economic issues In Lebanon, rivals unconvinced by warlord's apology Samir Geagea, a fearsome Christian militia leader during Lebanon's civil war, says he had a change of heart after studying mysticism and religion in prison. |
| H16 American Politics Biden to shrink VP role — big time — Joe Biden is laying plans to significantly shrink the role of the vice presidency in Barack Obama's White House, according to an official familiar with his thinking. McCain scolds GOP for whacking Obama Sarah Baxter / Times of London: Senate scandal snares Obama's chief aide — THE bullish, foul-mouthed but effective Chicago arm-twister Rahm Emanuel has come under pressure to resign as Barack Obama's chief of staff after it was revealed that he had been captured on court-approved wire-taps discussing the names of candidates for Obama's Senate seat Peter Baker / New York Times: The Lasting Effects of Political Poison Christopher Hayes / The Nation:
The Pragmatist — In case you haven't heard, Barack Obama is a pragmatist. No Southerners yet in Obama Cabinet From Policy Review, an article on the 2008 Democratic Shift: How voters have changed and why; progressive dreams: A review of When the White House Was Ours by Porter Shreve; and a review of Ending Poverty by Joseph V. Kennedy. Will Obama continue to build the Democratic Party organization? Should liberals be disappointed in Obama so far? Absurd, they should be thrilled. Learning from the Bush legacy: Conservatives sold their soul to back George W. Bush — can they get it back? realclearpolitics memeorandum Daily Beast Cheat Sheet Politico ABC’s The Note – MSNBC FirstRead – Time ThePage Politico Playbook PoliticsHome fivethirtyeight US News Political Bulletin From TAP, the 2008 election was defined as much by things that didn't happen — from racism denying Obama the presidency to working-class men finding him too elitist — as things that did Will Obama's stimulus plan help even small town America? The president-elect has provided few hard details of the stimulus proposal that he and Democrats in Congress hope to push soon after the Jan. 20 inauguration. But economists expect his plan to include stepped-up federal aid to state governments and perhaps a payroll-tax holiday or middle-class tax rebate. The question is will that help economically deprived areas like Dillon, S.C. With election in past, McCain declines to back Palin for 2012 How secular is America?: Will Barack Obama's presidency usher a new age of tolerance in a country that has seen religious discrimination rise after September 11, 2001? From Esquire, a look at what Obama's 27-year-old speechwriter Jon Favreau learned from George W. Bush. Paul Gottfried on the decline and rise of the alternative Right. | H17 Daily Telegraph Our forces need allies in Aghan battle If anyone still needs an illustration of the hideousness of the Taliban, its use of a 13-year-old boy as a suicide bomber provides it. Brown: 20 UK terror attacks being planned in Pakistan More than twenty serious terrorist plots targeting Britain are being planned in Pakistan, claims Prime Minister. British agents want to interview surviving suspect Two former heads of the millitary, Lord Boyce and Lord Craig, have accused the Government of failing the Armed Forces. Violence across Greece continued into its second week on Sunday as demonstrators firebombed banks and police stations. Russia is an old country which has suddenly rediscovered its youth, observes Iain Dale. From the moment you leave the airport you feel as if you have landed in America-on-steroids | H18 Independent Pound to be left to its fate Treasury says protecting the currency is 'not a first-order issue' as Euro readies to overtake sterling for the first time The man who can't wait to be President He's lined up a cabinet of stars, and hired a White House team more glamorous than the cast of The West Wing. He cracks proper jokes at his press conferences, and has even made peace with his enemies. The Obama presidency is off to a flying start – before it's even begun. Rupert Cornwell reports from Washington Turkish academics in apology to Armenians The Chicago Tribune Company is bankrupt – and The New York Times is deep in debt. Can there be any future for printed news in the US? Stephen Foley reports from New York Leading article: Obama can out-green Poznan Gordon Brown proposed a new “pact against terror” with Pakistan today and pledged £6m to help defuse radicalism. Goldman faces $2bn loss – its first since 1929 Ban Ki-moon: The way out of this economic crisis is to invest in a green future Leading article: The wrong moment to be strutting the world stage A popular cartoon in Punch magazine at the end of the First World War showed President Woodrow Wilson, founder of the League of Nations, stepping over the Atlantic Ocean in order to attend the Versailles peace conference. "Now to get back to a continent where I'm appreciated," he says, crossly. |
| H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism Analysis: What is the next war? -- Part 3 Known Unknowns: Unconventional "Strategic Shocks" in Defense Strategy Development SSI This 52-page US paper on unconventional strategic shock provides defence policy teams with a clear warning against excessive adherence to past defense and national security convention. Intellectual Firepower John Nagl: New threats require new think-tanks From Strategic Studies Quarterly, Colin S. Gray (Reading): Understanding Airpower: Bonfire of the Fallacies. Stuart Bowen's SIGIR report: Hard Lessons, the Iraq Reconstruction Experience. Forceful Engagement: Rethinking the Role of Military Power in US Global Policy Project on Defense Alternatives This 16-page report reviews and critiques the evolving role of force and the armed forces in US foreign and security policy since the end of the Cold War Are We Delivering Coherently in Afghanistan? NUPIA 12-page Norwegian background paper on Afghanistan, discussing three issues: - the relationship between the Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), UNAMA and Afghan authorities - donor coordination - transfer of authority to civilian actors in insecure areas Reviewed by SCOTT MALCOMSON Two books discuss the humanitarian “responsibility to protect.” Senate Armed Services Committee Inquiry Into the Treatment of Detainees in U.S. Custody (PDF; 80 KB) Source: U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee (via Washington Post) Washington Post story: Consolidating Disarmament: Lessons from Colombia’s Reintegration Program for Demobilized Paramilitaries USIP This 16-page US report examines Colombia’s experience with reintegration with the intention that other countries may be more likely to succeed in consolidating and making permanent their own combatants’ disarmament Clark Hoyt / New York Times:
Separating the Terror and the Terrorists. Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency Issues Report
Source: Center for Strategic and International Studies Full Report (PDF; 824 KB) Cyber Warfare in 21st Century - Joseph S. Nye, RealClearWorld Heritage The Quadrennial Homeland Security Review: A Vital Tool for the Obama Administration Can We Afford Our Own Future? Why aerospace and defense programs are often late and overbudget – and what can be done to fix the problem
Source: Deloitte LLP Michael Isikoff / Newsweek: The Fed Who Blew the Whistle Former intel analyst Gregory Treverton reports on post 9/11 intel reforms in the new issue of Democracy. George Packer on the lessons of Mumbai. From Air & Space Power Journal, a review of Uneasy Balance: Civil-Military Relations in Peacetime America since 1783 by Thomas S. Langston; and a review of Who Guards the Guardians and How: Democratic Civil-Military Relations. A review of Constructing America's War Culture: Iraq, Media, and Images at Home. Chemical and Biochemical Non-lethal Weapons SIPRI This 50-page Swedish policy paper describes and analyses biological and chemical substances that have the potential to be used as weapons or can improve the efficacy of other, more traditional, weapons A review of How Terrorism Is Wrong: Morality and Political Violence by Virginia Held (and more). Reagan, Gorbachev and Bush at Governor’s Island: Previously Secret Documents from Soviet and U.S. Files on the 1988 Summit in New York, 20 Years Later
Source: National Security Archive Towards a European Defence Market ISS-EU This 126-page paper examines the implications of proposed new EC procurement and trade directives aimed at streamlining defence market legislation. Hollow reserves Relieving the stress on the U.S. National Guard and the Reserves - allowing them to fulfill their primary missions - is necessary for America's national security. Should Obama continue Bush's war on terrorism?
Los Angeles Times Obama Faces New Calls for Cybersecurity Revamp From Islamica, an article on Al Jazeera and the information warfare. | H20 Slate Big Three, Meet the "Little Eight"
How foreign car factories have transformed the American South.
Daniel Gross | A Better Car-Bailout Plan
The Big Three would bid against one another for bailout money, and only two would get it. Eliot Spitzer Obama left with little time to curb global warming Ted Nordhaus and Michael Shellenberger on Getting Real on Climate Change: We'll never succeed in making dirty energy too expensive — let's make clean energy cheap Building on Kyoto: Towards a Realistic Global Climate Agreement The Brookings Institution This 37-page US policy brief discusses an alternative framework for international climate policy, the McKibbin-Wilcoxen Hybrid3 — an approach that focuses on coordinated actions rather than mandated, inflexible outcomes. U. S. Senate Minority Report: More Than 650 International Scientists Dissent Over Man-Made Global Warming Claims
Source: U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works A Call to Revitalize the Engines of Government Source: RAND Corporation 2008 Energy and Environment Report Source: European Environment Agency From the International Journal on Multicultural Societies, a special issue on Citizenship Tests in a Post-National Era. Broken Government: Investigative journo group the Center for Public Integrity assesses 128 executive branch failures of the past eight years. From the IMF's Finance & Development, a special issue on the financial crisis, including Olivier Blanchard (IMF): Cracks in the System: Repairing the Damaged Global Economy; Noel Sacasa (IMF): Preventing Future Crises: Priorities for Regulatory Reform after the Meltdown; an article on the crisis through the lens of history; here's a view from Japan; and a look at how recessions accompanied by credit crunches or asset price busts are deeper and longer lasting. Brad DeLong reviews Panic! The Story of Modern Financial Insanity. Conflicts of interest: Tim Harford on the commercialisation of microfinance. Assessments of Impacts and Adaptations to Climate Change (AIACC) William Easterly reviews The Bottom Billion: Why the Poorest Countries Are Failing and What Can Be Done About It by Paul Collier. Ten Things About Bankruptcy and Fraud Source: Deloitte LLP Full Report (PDF; 820 KB) U.S. Must Ensure 55 Percent of Americans Earn Postsecondary Degree by 2025 or Risk World Standing: College Board Report
Source: College Board The introduction to Hypocrisy Trap: The World Bank and the Poverty of Reform by Catherine Weaver. Peter Daou on the Revolution of the Online Commentariat. Newspapers are done for: Andrew Sullivan on how print media are in dire trouble, but blogs are no substitute. From Cato Unbound, a special issue on What Happened? Anatomies of the Financial Crisis. From The New York Times, economic experts write on the challenges facing Barack Obama when he takes office. From International Viewpoint, a crash course in capitalism: The comparison with the fall of the Berlin Wall gives some indication of this historical dimension. Was Marx right? An article on the auto industry and the bailou | H21 Religious couples have more children. So does belief increase fertility, or does having a big family actually cause people to be more religious?... more» A master bows out As pianist Alfred Brendel performs his last concert, ex-pupil Imogen Cooper salutes a musical colossus Six of the best pianists One in every 31 U.S. adults were in prison or jail or on probation or parole in 2007
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics Beethoven and the Illuminati: How the secret order influenced the great composer. Google Wants Its Own Fast Track on the Web Google has approached major cable and phone companies that carry Internet traffic with a proposal to create a fast lane for its own content. Time The Top 10 Everything Of 2008 A comprehensive look back at the year through a collection of serious and not-so-serious Top 10 lists Who wrote the Koran? Abdulkarim Soroush, a theological reformer, challenges those who claim to speak for Islam. Michael Isikoff Thomas M. Tamm was entrusted with some of the government's most important secrets. He had a Sensitive Compartmented Information security clearance, a level above Top Secret. Government agents had probed Tamm's background, his friends and associates, and determined him trustworthy. Beethoven had the classic prodigy’s trouble. He knew all about music, but didn’t know how to live and had only a hazy sense of the reality of other people... more» Something remarkable happened when evangelists for two great religions crossed paths more than 1,000 years ago: They got along. (By Philip Jenkins, Boston Globe) When did America become a marketing proposition? (By Tom Scocca, Boston Globe) More and more and more on Andrew Bacevich's The Limits of Power: The End of American Exceptionalism. Academic performance of kids in U.S. schools would be enhanced by getting rid of the worst 10% of teachers. How do you know who they are?... more» Nothing To Be Frightened Of is, it hardly need be said, an ironic title. Julian Barnes is in fact scared as hell of death... more» 100 ways to get free or crazy cheap books, Part 3 100 Notable Books of 2008 By SHERRY JONES
Reviewed by LORRAINE ADAMS A controversial novel of life with the Prophet Muhammad, as told by a wife. The irony of American politics: A reissued Reinhold Niebuhr classic sheds light on current follies. We need literary prophets and social critics – but also intellectual mystics, agnostic gnostics, and neuro-Buddhists. Try Aldous Huxley... more» The Nobel prizes owe their historic place not to any special Scandinavian wisdom, but to the sheer size of the prize purses... more» From FP, a look at the 10 worst predictions for 2008. It's official: Men really are the weaker sex. All you need is a keyboard and a few good ideas — inside the influential new world of econobloggers. We’ve all heard about dumbing down, but there is evidence that the opposite is also true — is this, in fact, the age of mass intelligence? A look at the fine art of literary rejection letters. From FT, an interview with Tom Peters, the world’s most famous management guru. Network Power: The Social Dynamics of Globalization How odd that so many physicians write so well. From Anton Chekhov to Somerset Maugham to William Carlos Williams – to Theodore Dalrymple... more» In defense of teasing: Why sticking your tongue out, mocking your parents, going for the punch line or giving a noogie really does make you a better person.
New York Times The 8th Annual Year in Ideas IssueWelcome back to the Year in Ideas issue. For the eighth year in a row, we have compiled an alphabetical digest of ideas, from A to Z (almost), that helped make the previous 12 months, for better or worse, what they were
You Have Too Much Mail By Christopher F. Chabris
Our brains, overloaded and distracted now, evolved in a simpler environment. From LRB, a review of Franz Kafka: The Office Writings; and a review of The House of Wittgenstein: A Family at War by Alexander Waugh. Panel Discusses Emerging Media Model for International News Coverage Source: Broadcasting Board of Governors Rupert Murdoch is an idiot savant who instinctively mines human weakness. He knows people need to justify giving in to their lowest impulses... more» From Wired, back to the garage: How economic turmoil breeds innovation. From Books & Culture, a review of books on happiness — given, lost, regained. Google Adds Magazine Search in Google Book Search Questions for Jonah Lehrer Mind Games The writer talks about why we love to read about not being able to make up our minds, what kind of decision-maker Barack Obama is and the blogosphere in your brain. Imagine if it were possible to recycle energy, just as we do bottles and newspapers. Well, it is, and hybrid cars are the proof. (By Chris Yule, Boston Globe) a review of The Bible: The Biography by Karen Armstrong David Foster Wallace’s fevered writing was often witness to the agony of cognition: how the twists and turns of thought hold both the best promise of truth and worst threats to it... more» A review of Passionate Uprisings: Iran’s Sexual Revolution by Pardis Mahdavi. An excerpt from All the Art That's Fit to Print (And Some That Wasn't): Inside The New York Times Op-Ed Page by Jerelle Kraus. From Newsweek, luxury shame: Why even the very rich are cutting back on conspicuous consumption |
