031909f - FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW (FPR) - ‘Relevant news, views, comments and analyses for informed debate’ Compiled by Şanlı Bahadır Koç U.S. / Britain / Turkey / Magazines / Think-tanks / Blogs / Misc /Books / Quickread / Numbers / Reports - Subscribe to FPR FPR Table - H4 NYT WP GU H7 ME Isr H10 CSM IHT Eur FSU Asia H13 Times WSJ FT LAT H16 USP DT Ind H19 Mil Int Ter Wonk H21 Misc

H1 Study on a Possible Israeli Strike on Iran's Nuclear Development - Abdullah Toukan and Anthony Cordesman (Center for Strategic and International Studies)

USIP More Than "Shiites" and "Sunnis": Post-Sectarian Strategy in Iraq

CEPS The Strategic Consequences of the Global Financial and Economic Crisis

March/April issue of Foreign Affairs. The Precedents for Withdrawal Bennett Ramberg As Washington ponders how long to stay in Iraq, it would do well to remember the limited impact of the United States' withdrawal from Vietnam and Cambodia in the 1970s, Lebanon in the 1980s, and Somalia in the 1990s.

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 Understanding Iranian Foreign Policy BY: R.K. Ramazani | World Politics Review Understanding Iran's foreign policy is the key to crafting sensible and effective policies toward Iran and requires, above all, a close analysis of the profound cultural and psychological contexts of Iranian foreign policy behavior.

Ha’aretz – Yossi Melman / What we mean when we talk about Iran nukes Israel, U.S. haven't synchronized watches when it comes to Iran's doomsday clock

Report: IDF chief gave U.S. fresh intel on Iran nukes program

Assad: Olmert agreed to give up all of the Golan

IDF soldiers: We killed Gaza civilians under lax rules of engagement

Forward Debate Over ‘Israel Lobby’ Clout Returns

Guardian  To free Iraq, resistance must bridge the sectarian divide Seumas Milne: As anti-occupation leaders recognise, the US could still exploit their divisions in an effort to offset its strategic defeat

 Afghan confidence in Nato forces low, poll shows Nearly two-thirds of Afghans believe security situation in communities has worsened since 2004

 Pakistan anger at US attack plan America suggests extending military strikes on terror targets into the vast province of Baluchistan

 This torture scandal reveals us as an ineffective Jeeves to our US master Timothy Garton Ash: Britain would be a far better friend to the States if we stopped playing the demeaning role of the faithful retainer

Washington Post David Kilcullen's Road Map for Afghanistan By David Ignatius, Australia's David Kilcullen may have the best map for success in Afghanistan

Obama's Foreign Venture David Ignatius | Is the president moving foreign policy too far too fast? Some foreign diplomats think so.

New York Times Fed to Buy $1 Trillion in Securities to Aid Economy The Fed dramatically increased the amount of money it will create out of thin air to thaw frozen credit markets.

Iraq Considers Giving Foreign Oil Investors Better Terms

After Gaza, Israel Grapples With Crisis of Isolation Israel’s Foreign Ministry is embarking on a campaign to improve Israel’s image via cultural diplomacy.

“Interview with President Bashar al-Assad” by Alix Van Buren in La Repubblica

Another Round of Ahmadineboom - Pepe Escobar, Asia Times With the reformist bloc split ahead of Iran's presidential elections on June 12, the road to victory now seems clear for incumbent Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who has just launched a charm offensive to calm the hardcore ayatollahs in Qom and upstage his only likely rival. The word in Tehran is that an Ahmadinejad second term would solidify all of Iran's fundamentalist factions. Hawks in Israel are already polishing their bombs.

 Learning the Skills of Being a Regional Power BY: Fyodor Lukyanov | The Moscow Times The economic crisis is obviously having a strong impact on global politics, but nobody is venturing to predict what the new alignment of forces will be.

Iran: Rafsanjani Not Down, Not Out BY: Kamal Nazer Yasin | ISN Security Watch A triumphal state visit to Iraq aimed at isolating the Iranian radicals and an important re-election boost Rafsanjani's position in the hierarchy, but the fight is not over

Independent The Big Question: Why is Russia building up its armed forces, and should the West worry?

Financial Times Lessons for the west from Asian capitalism Its approach will dominate, says Kishore Mahbubani

India’s messy democracy works rather well David Pilling looks to next month’s elections

Precarious podium

As Europe’s leaders gather for a Brussels summit, not only are national finances under strain but so is the willingness to co-operate

Gazans suffer as rebuilding effort stalls The war for Gaza may be over, but the battle for reconstruction has barely begun. It is a fight being waged far from the rubble that is piled up all over the densely populated Palestinian territory

Christian Science Monitor Key Afghan insurgents open door to talks The Haqqani network has agreed to discuss a peace proposal with government-backed mediators.

Gremlins in Kremlin's arms surge

A conventional and nuclear buildup will end up hurting Russia's economy.

The liability of political limbo in Israel It threatens the very existence of the state.

H2

Let Turkey and Armenia Work Out Their Differences - The Washington Note

Outlines of a Kurdish deal loom in N. Iraq

Iraqi President Talabani tells PKK to lay down arms

US intelligence alerts Turkish police to possible al Qaeda attacks ...

Turkey and Russia on the Rise

Russia and Turkey, both ascendant Eurasian powers, are sorting out their respective spheres of influence

Turkey's return to glory Al-Arabiya

Turkey offers the US a path out of Iraq

US requests Turkish help for Iraq pullout

The PKK would not cooperate with the ‘Grand Kurdish Plan’

Greek Cypriots oppose full EU membership for Turkey: poll — EUbusiness.com n

İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası Dış Basında Türkiye – BBC Türkçe 0700 1800 – VOA Türkçe 0630 1345 2130 DW - (UTC) 0830 1130 1530 Turkish Press Review Google News Turkey TurcoPundit ASAM

Google News Fırat News Agency KurdishMedia Kurdish Kurdish Aspect Dış Basında Irak BBC Monitoring Inter-national

Talabani: A Kurdish Conference in April or May

Mosul Still a War Zone

The PKK would not cooperate with the ‘Grand Kurdish Plan’

Cevdet Aşkın

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

Parsing the Views of the US State Department�s New Point Man for Europe and Eurasia BY JOSHUA KUCERA The State Department�s new point man on Europe and Eurasia is a specialist on France and Turkey who was a close adviser to the election campaign of President Barack Obama.

The quiet (political) death of Nabucco

EU downgrades Nabucco pipeline project

Turkey warns US bill could harm efforts to improve ties with Armenia

Greek Cypriots oppose full EU membership for Turkey: poll

European Criticism of Turkey's Party Closure Laws Reignites Debate on Constitutional Reforms

Turkey plans new base on Black Sea following Russia-Georgia war

'Soykırım Tasarısı' Yeniden Gündemde

TURKEY'S RETURN TO GLORY | MarcGopin.com

Alfa reduces Turkcell stake

Hedo Okur Tuncay Nihat Altintop

Is access to clean water a basic human right? A growing movement thinks so, saying it will guarantee that the poor have water. But at a water conference in Turkey, officials voice concern about implementing such a right.

Turkey lira at firmest level in month as dollar drops

Russian clubs paying more attention to Turkcell Super League

The Writing Life: Maureen Freely
Washington Post

H3

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

Ahmet Taşgetiren

Ruşen - Çakır

Taha Akyol

Fikret Bila

Hasan Cemal

Murat Yetkin

İsmet Berkan

Fehmi Koru

Taha Kıvanç

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Ali Bayramoğlu

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Hasan Ünal

Ahmet Hakan

M Ali Birand

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Enis Berberoğlu

Oktay Ekşi

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Mehmet Y Yılmaz

MUHARREM SARIKAYA

ERDAL ŞAFAK

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Umur Talu

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

NAZLI ILICAK

MEHMET BARLAS

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Ekonomi

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

Ercan Kumcu

Erdal Sağlam

H4 New York Times Fed to Buy $1 Trillion in Securities to Aid Economy The Fed dramatically increased the amount of money it will create out of thin air to thaw frozen credit markets.

Iraq Considers Giving Foreign Oil Investors Better Terms

After Gaza, Israel Grapples With Crisis of Isolation Israel’s Foreign Ministry is embarking on a campaign to improve Israel’s image via cultural diplomacy.

NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF The Daily Me As we ignore traditional news media more and more and go online for “news,” we become our own editors. Heaven help us.

A Prison of Words

By NOAH FELDMAN While President Obama has stricken the term “enemy combatant” from the war-on-terrorism lexicon, his policies may not be all that different from those of the Bush administration.

Treasury Secretary Facing a Defining Moment Questions about why Timothy F. Geithner did not know sooner about the A.I.G. bonuses and act to stop them could threaten the president’s economic agenda.

U.S. Plans Expanded Afghan Security Force

‘Stop-Loss’ Will All but End by 2011, Gates Says

H5 Washington Post Fed to Pump $1.2 Trillion Into Markets

Greatly Expanded Purchases Are Designed to Lower Interest Rates, Stimulate Borrowing

David Kilcullen's Road Map for Afghanistan By David Ignatius, Australia's David Kilcullen may have the best map for success in Afghanistan

Obama's Foreign Venture David Ignatius | Is the president moving foreign policy too far too fast? Some foreign diplomats think so.

Editorial Saving Pakistan The U.S. will need to foster political stability if it wants success against al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

A Wave of Populism, a Test for Obama By E.J. Dionne Jr., Why are the people considered the problem, and not AIG's executives?

Fighting Our Must-Win War

The 'Minimalist' Path Is Wrong for Afghanistan By John McCain and Joseph Lieberman

Civilians to Join Afghan Buildup

'Surge' Is Part of Larger U.S. Strategy Studied by White House

Reconciliation Urged in Pakistan Crisis Ruling Party Attempts to Regroup, Persuade President to Reach Out to Rival

Britain to Release Interrogation Guidelines Documents Will Detail Methods Of Interrogation

Britain's Financial Watchdog Urges Broad Regulatory Changes in U.K. and Region Prescriptions Include New, European-Wide Banking Regulator

Army to Phase Out 'Stop-Loss' Practice

AIG Chief Asks That Awards Be Returned

On Hill, He Is Urged To Name Executives Who Kept the Money

H6 Guardian  To free Iraq, resistance must bridge the sectarian divide Seumas Milne: As anti-occupation leaders recognise, the US could still exploit their divisions in an effort to offset its strategic defeat

 Afghan confidence in Nato forces low, poll shows Nearly two-thirds of Afghans believe security situation in communities has worsened since 2004

 Pakistan anger at US attack plan America suggests extending military strikes on terror targets into the vast province of Baluchistan

 This torture scandal reveals us as an ineffective Jeeves to our US master Timothy Garton Ash: Britain would be a far better friend to the States if we stopped playing the demeaning role of the faithful retainer

MI5 faces new rules on
terror interrogations

Prime minister orders fresh guidelines on questioning terrorism suspects abroad

Series of allegations that finally forced Brown to act

Analysis: a tacit admission that all is not well

Protect the believers, not the belief Agnes Callamard: Proposals on the so-called defamation of religion are splitting the UN and putting at risk the principle that security relies on the freedom of expression

H7

Iran: Rafsanjani Not Down, Not Out BY: Kamal Nazer Yasin | ISN Security Watch A triumphal state visit to Iraq aimed at isolating the Iranian radicals and an important re-election boost Rafsanjani's position in the hierarchy, but the fight is not over

Mistrust reigns

Diplomatic progress still eludes Syria and the US

Talking with the Mullahs
National Review

Katie White and Steve Bowden, "Exiting Iraq Responsibly," Center for American Progress, March 17, 2009

Syria's very special court Obama is right to reach out to Damascus, but he should have no illusions about what the Syrian regime is like. (Boston Globe)

Khatami Withdrawal Shakes Up Iran Presidential Race

Population: Some Boom, Some Decline

Great Powers: America and the World after Bush

Another Round of Ahmadineboom - Pepe Escobar, Asia Times With the reformist bloc split ahead of Iran's presidential elections on June 12, the road to victory now seems clear for incumbent Mahmud Ahmadinejad, who has just launched a charm offensive to calm the hardcore ayatollahs in Qom and upstage his only likely rival. The word in Tehran is that an Ahmadinejad second term would solidify all of Iran's fundamentalist factions. Hawks in Israel are already polishing their bombs.

In Iran, A Futile Quest for Power - Mehdi Khalaji, The Guardian

Forget Iran's president, the power is Ayatollah Khamenei's
By Mehdi Khalaji

Who's In Charge of US Foreign Policy? - Christopher Badeaux, New Ledger

Carter meets with national security adviser

Saudi Arabia's Shiites Stand Up - Mai Yamani, RealClearWorld

Destroy Nuclear Facilities Now - Washington Times opinion

Iran: The Struggle for the Presidency

Tehran's foreign policy approach remains unclear when there are less than three months remaining until the presidential election.

The Americans need to apologize
Improved relations with Washington are not completely off the cards, but Iran has yet to receive any so-called olive branch, let alone an apology, member of parliament Dr Kazem Jalali tells Omid Memarian. A difficulty, he says, is that Iran's Arab neighbors would prefer to see Tehran in continual conflict with the West

 Stepping Aside in Iran

The Economist As Iran heads towards presidential polls in June, the contest is shaping into something of a referendum on the nature of the Islamic Republic.

Real Change in the Middle East or Business as Usual? Patrick Seale - Will President Barack Obama manage to resolve the intractable Arab-Israeli conflict, which has held the world hostage for the past sixty years? Or will he be driven by events to revert to the more modest aim of conflict-management, which has characterised the policies of his predecessors in the White House?

Beware of hybrid Assad Farid Ghadry outlines conditions that must be met before returning Golan to Syria

Syria's very special court

Obama is right to reach out to Damascus, but he should have no illusions about what the Syrian regime is like. (Boston Globe)

 Support Iran Even If Guilty BY: Hamad Al-Majid | Asharq Alawsat Due to its strong and systematic missionary work, Iran has been able to gain a foothold in a large number of Sunni states in Africa and South-East Asia whose population know as much about Shiite ideology as they do about Confucianism or Zoroastrianism.

Why Does a Tiny Gulf State Need $11.5 Billion in Weapons?

No French Deals with Syria at Lebanon's Expense Randa Takieddine - The importance of the visit by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to France is important for the re-affirmation by French President Nicolas Sarkozy that there will be no deal between France and Syria over the International Tribunal for Lebanon or at the expense of the independence and sovereignty of Lebanon.

Jailing democracy activists is not a wise course for Damascus

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

Iraq Considers Giving Foreign Oil Investors Better Terms

Is the Iraq war over? Iraqis, Americans see it differently

Mosul Still a War Zone

 Stage Is Set for U.S.-Iran Encounter The U.S. is dispatching a diplomat to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's conference on Afghanistan, setting the stage for the first U.S.-Iran encounter under the Obama administration.

Syria's Assad Praises Obama, Wants Meeting

Russia Confirms Iran Missile Contract Russian news agencies say a top defense official has confirmed that Russia signed a contract two years ago to sell S-300 air-defense missiles to Iran but that none of the weapons have been delivered.

High Russian official: Moscow is gradually fulfilling S-300 air defense contract with Iran

Arab League Rejects Arrest for Sudan's President –

Syria's Assad Ready to Mediate with Iran: Report

Syria’s Assad praises Obama Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said he hopes to meet US President Barack Obama and has expressed his willingness to help mediate between the West and Iran

 Kuwait's Ruler Dissolves Parliament Kuwait's ruler dissolved parliament and called for elections, a move that could end weeks of a deadlock that has stalled a bailout program for the Gulf nation's banks.

Fresh attack on Koreans in Yemen

A suicide bomber targets a South Korean delegation visiting Yemen after a deadly attack on tourists on Sunday.

Baghdad's water still undrinkable 6 years after invasion

Report blasts London stance on Hezbollah (UPI) -- London's decision to consider talks with the Lebanese Hezbollah complicates regional efforts at developing a coordinated policy toward Beirut, an analysis said.

On the ground: Iraqis take lead in operations, humanitarian missions

The Iraq War: pipelines and pipedreams

H9 Ha’aretz – Yossi Melman / What we mean when we talk about Iran nukes Israel, U.S. haven't synchronized watches when it comes to Iran's doomsday clock

Report: IDF chief gave U.S. fresh intel on Iran nukes program

Assad: Olmert agreed to give up all of the Golan

IDF soldiers: We killed Gaza civilians under lax rules of engagement

ANALYSIS / Can Israel dismiss its own troops' stories from Gaza?

Hamas: IDF arrests political leaders in the West Bank

ANALYSIS / Seven myths of the Shalit deal failure debunked

The lead is castIt would be appropriate to investigate the problems from outside the IDF and root them out before the rot destroys the IDF and Israeli society.

Thinking outside two boxes Along with dealing with Iran and the economy, the new government will have to lead a national process of rethinking possible solutions to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Jerusalem Post 'Talks ongoing for Israeli F-35 systems'

Pentagon officials deny Defense Ministry's claim: Budgetary constraints exclude Israeli electronics.

Lebanon rules out talks with Israel

After visit to France, Suleiman explains regional peace summit is best way to resolve differences.

'Rise in anti-Semitism understandable'

British director Ken Loach: Gaza op "one of great crimes of past decades."

Yedioth Ahronoth Put our Zionist ego aside/ Daum

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

Egypt Seeks Softer U.S. Stance on Hamas

Is a global rebranding what Israel needs?

Forward Debate Over ‘Israel Lobby’ Clout Returns

The End of Israel? by David Pryce-Jones

Durban II: Diplomats Amend UN Racism Text

Another controversial choice for NIC chair?

Charles Freeman and the 'Israel Lobby' - Cathy Young, RealClearPolitics

Hamas, Fatah and Lessons of the IRA - Crispin Thorold, The National

Arab-Made Misery in Gaza - Nonie Darwish, Wall Street Journal

Five portfolios tempt Labor's Barak to join Netanyahu's government

Incoming Israeli FM urges strategic partnership with Russia

Saudis create anti-Israel Palestinian "militia" in Gaza to combat Hamas

US Army Confirms Israeli Nukes

Israel's voice of reason: Amos Oz on war, peace and life as an outsider To thousands of fellow Israelis, he's a dangerous radical. To others, he's the nation's liberal conscience.

Gazans suffer as rebuilding effort stalls The war for Gaza may be over, but the battle for reconstruction has barely begun. It is a fight being waged far from the rubble that is piled up all over the densely populated Palestinian territory

More Israeli women dodging the draft

The Middle East shouldn’t fret about Charles Freeman’s exit Michael Young : When the former US ambassador Charles “Chas” Freeman last week decided not to accept his appointment as chairman of the National Intelligence Council, many people put this down to the workings of the pro-Israel lobby in Washington

H10 Christian Science Monitor Key Afghan insurgents open door to talks The Haqqani network has agreed to discuss a peace proposal with government-backed mediators.

Gremlins in Kremlin's arms surge

A conventional and nuclear buildup will end up hurting Russia's economy.

The liability of political limbo in Israel It threatens the very existence of the state.

Is access to clean water a basic human right?

Lawmakers target 'outrageous' AIG bonuses

Members of both parties are mad at the insurance giant. But big questions remain over what they can do about it.

ASIA

India's New-Found Irrelevance in US Policy - Harsh Pant, Rediff

Hostile China Tests Obama - Gordon Chang, Pajamas Media

Bringing India's foreign policy home India's famed "cart before the horse" economic policy has spilled over into the arenas of foreign policy and defense, dominated by improving relations with the United States and Europe while facing up to China. But New Delhi's focus abroad has been at the expense of its security, as the country faces increased instability in its own backyard. - Chietigj Bajpaee (Mar 18,'09)

No Chinese rockets for US satellites – yet
United States policy has kept US satellites off Chinese rockets for more than a decade. Now, many US space companies want to change the rules. The Japanese may not be too pleased in the process. - Peter J Brown

India: Defense Priorities and Expanding Arms Access

Despite clearing another hurdle for a major defense deal with the United States, India's long-range military development faces a more fundamental challenge. (With STRATFOR maps)

Talking with the 'Moderate' Taliban - Washington Times editorial

The Global Recession Will Stop at India's Border BY: Shashi Tharoor | The Daily Star With the world's most developed economies reeling under the incubus of what is already being called the Great Recession, India at the beginning of the year took stock and issued a revised estimate for GDP growth in the 2008-2009 fiscal year. Its projection came out at a healthy 7.1 percent

Outside View: Punjabi power and Zardari (UPI) -- Regular readers of this column will not have been surprised at recent developments in Pakistan, in which army chief Ashfaq Kayani enforced the surrender of the Pakistan Peoples Party-led government to the demands of the Pakistan Muslim League-N chief, Nawaz Sharif. The core purpose of Kayani's institution is to ensure the continued supremacy of Wahhabi Punjabis over all other groups in Pakistan, a mission that it has fulfilled thus far.

 Victory for Civil Law in Pakistan a First Step BY: Arif Rafiq | World Politics Review A movement led by black-coated lawyers achieved a defining victory for the rule of civil law in Pakistan on Monday with the restoration of illegally deposed Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.

Kyrgyzstan: Is China the Hidden Power in Bishkek?
BY UMED BABAKHANOV
The ongoing Manas air base controversy has highlighted questions surrounding the US and Russian roles in Kyrgyzstan. But for many Kyrgyz, China is the outside power that wields the most influence in the Central Asian nation. It is reaching a point where Chinese immigration into Kyrgyzstan is emerging as a politically sensitive topic

Obama's Afghanistan 'surge': diplomats, civilian specialists President Barack Obama is planning a major "surge" into Afghanistan of diplomats and civilian specialists steeped in running elections, fighting corruption and battling narcotics trafficking as part of a counterinsurgency strategy to stabilize the country, current and former U.S. officials said on Wednesday

Karen DeYoung / Washington Post:

Hundreds of New Civilian Employees Proposed for Afghanistan — Hundreds of additional U.S. diplomats and civilian officials would be deployed to Afghanistan as part of the new civil-military regional strategy that President Obama's top national security advisers plan to present for his signature next week …

Defeat stalks Pakistan's accidental president

China sees an
opportunity in failure
Beijing has invested substantial effort in preparing for April's global summit in London, even though it is most likely the talks will not come up with a formula to restore the world's economic growth. Such a failure could open the door for China to advance its aspirations for the creation of a new financial order.

Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani Islamic Organization that is part of Global Jihad, was Responsible for the Mumbai Terrorist Attack IICC

Stage Is Set for U.S.-Iran Encounter The U.S. is dispatching a diplomat to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's conference on Afghanistan, setting the stage for the first U.S.-Iran encounter under the Obama administration.

H11 IHT Amid crisis, E.U. leaders feud over small change

By STEPHEN CASTLE

E.U. leaders were meeting Thursday and Friday in an attempt to reassure nervous voters and markets, but the talks in Brussels are likely to be dominated by disputes over how to spend stimulus funds

U.S. and NATO allies facing hard questions At NATO's 60th anniversary summit meeting next month, the stage is set for celebrations and self-congratulations. But President Barack Obama may have to face some very uncomfortable questions about the alliance's future.

Flying under cover

By MELATI ABDUL HAMID

A woman in a headscarf travelling alone and listening to her iPod is a cause for concern to many.

TALKING TO THE TALIBAN

Did anyone ask Afghan women?

By PATRICIA LALONDE

The Afghan women I know cannot conceive of a "moderate" Taliban, not to mention negotiations with them

EUROPE European press review

Jean-Claude Trichet: Like the single currency, our European culture binds us together

Eastern Europe's Financial Earthquake - Council on Foreign Relations

 Paris, U.S. Advisors Back Russian Veto Over NATO Enlargement BY: Valentina Pop | EU Observer French defence minister Herve Morin on Tuesday (17 March) said any future NATO enlargement must take Russia into account, while a US high-level commission advised President Barack Obama to stop encouraging Georgia and Ukraine to join.

France set for nationwide strike

More than a million people are expected to take part in France's second nationwide strike in two months.

After the Fall of Wall: A Report Card on Post-Cold War European Integration

  Britain Offers to Reduce Nuclear Arsenal in Disarmament Deal BY: Nigel Morris | The Independent The number of Trident warheads carried on the new fleet of submarines planned to protect Britain would be cut from 16 to 12 if other nations also agreed to reduce their nuclear stockpiles.

How France Might Change NATO As NATO prepares to mark its 60th anniversary next month, France's defense minister, Herve Morin, has made what some observers might regard as some counterintuitive suggestions: Consult Russia before any further expansion of the alliance, and abandon any idea that NATO's role could become global, rather than Eurocentric. Is this the right vision for a military alliance that was created to confront the once-growing sphere of the Soviet Union? Or is it a capitulation to Moscow? RFE/RL discussed France's vision of NATO's future with two veteran observers of international security affair

Angela Merkel's Bavarian Problem - Charles Hawley, Der Spiegel

Assessing the Lisbon Strategy a Year before Revision: ETUI This 105-page report provides an assessment of the Lisbon Strategy before its revision in 2010. It asks whether the EU is really moving in the direction of knowledge-based growth, examines whether the EU has witnessed the creation of more and better jobs and considers whether the Union is succeeding in attaining greater social cohesion

H12 RFE/RL

The Big Question: Why is Russia building up its armed forces, and should the West worry?

World Economic Crisis Drags Armenia into Recession

The Russia OpportunityWashington and Moscow don't have to be enemies.

Google News Azerbaijan

Russia Confirms Iran Missile Contract Russian news agencies say a top defense official has confirmed that Russia signed a contract two years ago to sell S-300 air-defense missiles to Iran but that none of the weapons have been delivered.

Engaging Ukraine in 2009 - Brookings Institution

Russia stalling on Iranian arms deal?

TEHRAN, March 18 (UPI) -- The negotiated sale of the S-300 missile system from Russia to Iran has been met with skepticism by some officials in Moscow, Iranian media reports say.

Kremlin Signals a Harder Line on Relations With the US - Andrew Osborn, Wall Street Journal

Pressing the "Reset Button" on US-Russia Relations Peterson Instiute

Azerbaijan: Opposition, Government Tussle over Referendum Turnout Despite an opposition boycott, official data shows that Azerbaijani voters have turned out in sufficient numbers to validate a controversial March 18 referendum that would provide an option for extending presidential terms of office, among other constitutional changes

Georgia: Saakashvili Administration Turns Global Economic Crisis to Its Advantage On a recent morning at Tbilisi�s central construction market, the labyrinth of passages and storefronts were largely quiet. Just three months ago, Edik, a 56 year-old shop owner, was making 700 lari ($419) in sales per day. These days, amid the global economic slowdown, a typical day generates as little as 50 lari (roughly $30) in income.

Russians See U.S. Missile Defense in Poland Posing Nuclear Threat

H13 The Times Support the Surge The Government should ignore calls to scale back Britain’s military operation in Afghanistan and send a full battalion of reinforcements instead

Confusing moralism and economics Public hatred of bankers and their booty blocks the expansion needed to stop world economic collapse Anatole Kaletsky

Vatican backtracks over Pope's condom stance Taken aback by outrage worldwide Holy See alters Pope’s remarks online to tone down comments on safe sex and Aid

Fed to buy $300bn of government debt Fed said it would mimic Bank of England's strategy of 'quantitative easing' and buy Treasury bonds over the next six months

US plan to launch drone raids deep into Pakistan President Obama advised to extend US missile strikes against suspected Taleban leaders into the Pakistani city of Quetta

Nato wants 4,000 extra troops to protect poll Four more battalions needed in Afghanistan, amid fears that the Taleban will try to sabotage elections there this summer

Wall Street Journal

Steven Pearlstein / Washington Post:
Wall Street's Dangerous Refusal to Learn

Fed pumps $1.2tn into US economy

The US Federal Reserve says it will buy $1.2 trillion worth of debt to help boost lending and promote economic recovery.

Fed: Worst crisis since 1930s

H14 Financial Times Lessons for the west from Asian capitalism Its approach will dominate, says Kishore Mahbubani

India’s messy democracy works rather well David Pilling looks to next month’s elections

Precarious podium

As Europe’s leaders gather for a Brussels summit, not only are national finances under strain but so is the willingness to co-operate

Gazans suffer as rebuilding effort stalls The war for Gaza may be over, but the battle for reconstruction has barely begun. It is a fight being waged far from the rubble that is piled up all over the densely populated Palestinian territory

The danger of deficits lurks in Bizarro Keynesianism

Contract to sell S-300s to Tehran

The quest for a global solution is misguided Razeen Sally on responses to the economic crisis

Geithner needs to be given a chance To lose so capable a figure as the US Treasury secretary so soon might seriously destabilise the administration, calling into question Barack Obama’s judgment

Federal Reserve plan stuns investors The Federal Reserve stunned investors by announcing plans to buy $300bn of US government debt, triggering a plunge in bond yields and the dollar

IMF could not have prevented the global crisis

Menaced migrants Allowing illegal immigrants to formalise their status makes it easier to give them incentives to leave, especially if they are allowed to return when labour demand is again high

AIG reinvents the trader’s option For the taxpayer, it is a travesty to be forced to pay additional bonuses to the wreakers of havoc. But for the financial institutions involved in credit derivatives, it is even worse than that – a humiliation that should compel them to change the way they pay people, writes John Gapper

Stefan Wagstyl: Glint of hope in eastern Europe It is wrong to condemn the whole region on the basis of the headline-making and market-breaking worst cases. Amid all the gloom and doom, there are glimmers of hope

Europe urged to present united front at G20 Europe is facing a credibility test over next month’s G20 summit and if the continent fails to put on a united front the meeting is doomed to failure, according to the head of Italy’s business lobby group

H15 Los Angeles Times

Editorial Pakistan's bigger problems

The unrest rooted in the rivalry between President Asif Ali Zardari and opposition leader Nawaz Sharif...

Put print news on death watch? Are newspapers going extinct, or is it just a class of newspapers that isn't sustainable? Alan D. Mutter and Jeff Jarvis debate. »

H16 American Politics

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Bush says it's ‘essential’ to help Obama

What If Stewart Interviewed Cheney? - Arianna Huffington, Huffington Post

GOP Closes the 2010 Generic Ballot Gap - Michael Barone, US News & WR

Yes, There is a New Progressive America - Ruy Teixeira, RealClearPolitics

H17 Daily Telegraph

H18 Independent The Big Question: Why is Russia building up its armed forces, and should the West worry?

Afghans think security situation is worse than four years ago

Israel's voice of reason: Amos Oz on war, peace and life as an outsider To thousands of fellow Israelis, he's a dangerous radical. To others, he's the nation's liberal conscience.

Jean-Claude Trichet: Like the single currency, our European culture binds us together

A Pope who seems fallible

From offending Jews and Muslims to saying condoms could make Africa's Aids crisis worse, Benedict XVI appears destined to blunder

H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism

Walter Pincus / Washington Post:
Pentagon Official Warns of Risk of Cyber Attacks

Missile Defense Technology - Council on Foreign Relations

Obama names nonproliferation team BY LAURA ROZEN

Pentagon to phase out unpopular ‘stop-loss’ program — (CNN) — The military will phase out its “stop loss” program, the contentious practice of holding troops beyond the end of their enlistments, for all but extraordinary situations, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced Wednesday

Lashkar-e-Taiba, a Pakistani Islamic Organization that is part of Global Jihad, was Responsible for the Mumbai Terrorist Attack IICC

In Test, US Intercepts Short-Range Missile

H20 Slate

Voting for Peace: Building Democracies in Post-Conflict Countries

The Stakes in Limiting Climate Change Peterson Institute

Financial Globalization and Economic Policies IZA An 84-page review of the extensive literature dealing with various economic policies that could help developing economies effectively manage the process of financial globalization.

H21 10 Myths about Happiness—Which Do You Believe?

American firms outsource work they used to do themselves. Why can’t American college students outsource their essays or dissertations?... more»

Stalin would kill not just you for the wrong thoughts: he would kill your family, down to the last child. Not even the Czar at his worst did that... more»

Psychology of Abundance & Scarcity - Couloumbis, Ahlstrom & Weaver, RCW

The killer’s blood was on the weapon, but a DNA search yielded nothing. Why not comb through DNA records to find the killer’s relatives? Just might crack the case... more»

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