043009f - FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW (FPR) - ‘Relevant news, views, comments and analyses for informed debate’ Compiled by Şanlı Bahadır Koç from ASAM (Eurasian Center for Strategic Studies) -- 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 FT Editorial Obama’s hundred days of ambition If he succeeds in his policy goals he will be regarded as a great president, and rightly so. If he fails, he will be accused of hubristic overreach, with equal justification. He has set himself Herculean challanges

Washington Post Gen. James Jones's Outlook as Barack Obama's National Security Adviser By David Ignatius, Will the national security adviser's low-key style work when sharp disagreements arise?

Obama Emphasizes Sharp Departures From Bush Policies President Reflects on First 3 Months in Office Q&A Transcript

Los Angeles Times It's Day 100, and President Obama returns to theme of hope He says he is "pleased . . . but not satisfied" with his administration's progress in the face of major issues including the economy and swine flu.

Obama's doing the best with a short stack By Gideon Rose Unlike the two previous presidents, he seems to know how to calculate the odds...

More than "Shiites" and "Sunnis" NUPI This 32-page Norwegian policy report presents the consensus view of a group of distinguished Iraqi academics and professionals brought together to discuss a strategy to achieve sustainable political reform in Iraq

· The Obama Doctrine BY: Ralph Peters | New York Post After a mere 100 days, the "Obama Doctrine" for our foreign and security poli cies has emerged. And it's terrifying.

WINEPMyths, Illusions, and Peace: Finding a New Direction for America in the Middle East

April bloodiest month in Iraq in a year as security plummets More than 200 people have been killed this month in a series of explosions in Baghdad, the most recorded in the Iraqi capital since March 2008. Iraqis fear the toll will continue to rise as American troops draw down. On Wednesday, explosions in the capital killed at least 43.

Financial Times US taxpayers face bill of $1,900bn, fears IMF

Efforts to stabilise the financial system could end up costing US taxpayers about 13.3 per cent of annual output, or $1,900bn over the next five years, according to analysis by the International Monetary Fund

Obama foreign policy spotlights engagement

US president Barack Obama has made clear his belief that engagement itself is the abiding theme of his foreign policy

US economy shrinks 6.1% The US economy continued to contract in the first quarter of this year as business investment collapsed in the face of eroding global demand

Congress approves $3,400bn budget

Congress passed a $3,400bn budget resolution that laid the foundation for healthcare reform and a series of other Democratic policy goals, handing President Barack Obama a key victory on his 100th day in office

US Won't Set Timelines for Iran Talks

Stratfor Iran: Squeezed by Turkmenistan and Russia

A deal between Turkmenistan and Russia is bad news for Iran

The Times Retreat from Afghanistan The temporary dispatch of only 700 troops to bolster British forces in Afghanistan is the worst of all worlds: sending too few reinforcements to achieve the end promised

Wall Street Journal U.S. Plans New Talks With Syria Obama is dispatching two high-level envoys to Syria for a second round of talks focused on securing the Iraqi border and supporting the Arab-Israeli peace process.

Obama Outsources His Presidency By Karl Rove He may come to regret letting Congress write his major legislation.

National Interest The Last Temptation of Risk by Barry Eichengreen For the past forty years, it seemed economic theory had conquered the market. Analysts had learned to manage risk and keep inflation low. The skeptics were sidelined. The ivory tower became a narcissistic echo chamber. Even though the economic theorists were right in principle, they fell victim to herd behavior.

Ha’aretz – Aluf Benn: Netanyahu will have to work to restore U.S. ties U.S. officials to tell PM in Washington that Israel will have to give something in return for action on Iran

Ari Shavit: Obama in 2012, after he fails to deal with Iran A decision to thwart Tehran's nuclear ambitions could have prevented Mideast chaos and U.S. decline

Peres: Bombing Iran may not be the 'best solution' President says attacking Iran nuclear sites would only postpone its ability to build atom bomb

Israel warns EU to stop criticizing Netanyahu government Foreign Ministry official: Israel will block EU from participating in peace process if criticism continues.

'Netanyahu will surprise us all with serious Syria talks' Minister Ben-Eliezer says PM will base plan for peace with Palestinians on two-state solution

The binationalism vogue If the two-state option melts away, the burden of coping with a binational reality will fall on all of us.

Jerusalem Post PM to tell Obama he accepts 'some form' of Arab peace plan

Israeli official denies move is radical departure from previous policy; Lieberman to make first trip to Europe as FM.

The US-Israel linkage-war

· Hezbollah, Allies Positioning to Win Election BY: Sam F. Ghattas | Associated Press With quiet campaigning and moderate talk, Hezbollah is building its strength for Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary elections - and the militant Shi'ite Muslim group and its allies stand a good chance of winning.

Guardian Iraqi strongman tightens his grip

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad reports on how a leader once seen as weak is now being compared to Saddam Hussein

· Europe's future depends on voters. But not on the European elections Timothy Garton Ash: The EU is not a single democracy. The parties are shaping up for a big scrap in June, but the issues will be domestic

· Gordon Brown redefines British goals in Afghanistan Objective is no longer to create a western-style democracy but to help set up a functioning state, PM says

The frozen conflicts start to thaw Simon Tisdall: Under pressure from Brussels, Europe's 'wild east' is coming in from the cold – but plenty of obstacles still remain. Most significant in strategic and economic terms is the burgeoning rapprochement between Turkey and Armenia

WHO raises swine flu pandemic alert level

• Pandemic alert raised to level five
• US confirms first death outside Mexico

Hawks soften rhetoric on Iran
Against the backdrop of US President Barack Obama's moves to engage Tehran, a group of neo-conservative hawks gathered to discuss what they consider provocative actions by Iran. But in a departure from the George W Bush era, they are no longer talking tough, even recognizing the futility of invasions and sanctions.

David Leonhardt / New York Times:

After the Great Recession

U.S., Russia: Mother of All Deals? - Amitai Etzioni, Moscow Times

The Great Experiment: Quest for a Global Nation Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution

Saudis Learn to Embrace Iran - Washington Times

Is Obama Fiddling While Iraq Burns? by Robert Dreyfuss

Obama Has to Be World's Sheriff - Paul Johnson, Forbes

Throwing the Book at Tehran BY: MIchael Jacobsen | The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

While the Treasury action was hardly surprising -- given the number of Iran-related designations over the past several years -- the role of other law enforcement agencies in the Iran effort is a fairly recent trend, one that the Obama administration should encourage as negotiations with Tehran move forward.

· Sleepwalking Toward the Exit BY: Michael Moran | Global Post

The American public, fatigued by the years of carnage and funerals, the dissembling and deception of their former leaders, simply hope for the best in Iraq. The day-to-day warfare there, once breathlessly reported and followed, is largely tuned out.

Christian Science Monitor

US officials ratchet up pressure on Pakistan over Taliban militants

On eve of White House summit, Pakistani officials push back against the impression that they're responding to Washington pressure.

Gates's next lever to reshape the Pentagon: QDR This week, the Defense Department will begin the Quadrennial Defense Review, a year-long study that should help the secretary put his stamp on the military.

Geopolitical Diary: Suspects' Release and a Syrian Comeback in Lebanon

In clearing its way out of a tribunal over former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri's assassination, Syria has gotten its wish to hold onto influence in Lebanon.

Independent Brutal reminders that peace in Iraq is far from assured

As British troops pull out of Basra, a stabbing and car bombing show that stability is still a long way away

The next emerging market? Iraq sets out its stall

Leading article: A timely end to an unwise and mismanaged intervention

Is this the price of America's new friendship with Syria? Robert Fisk: Pro-Damascus generals held for the assassination that sparked turmoil in Lebanon walk free after four years

Adrian Hamilton: Demonising Pakistan will not solve Afghanistan

Pakistan shares nuclear secrets; Move to allay fears over Taliban advance...

China inches towards closer ties with Japan

China tenatively commits to improving relationship with WWII enemy during visit to Beijing by Japan's prime minister Taro Aso

Juggling Act The draft of a document slated for release at an upcoming EU Eastern Partnership summit suggests the bloc is struggling to make the program an ideal fit. The debate reflects the inconvenient reality that most invitees fall far short of the democratic and rights standards promoted by the EU itself

Migrants boost EU economy, says study Migration from eastern to western Europe is boosting the economy of the European Union by nearly €50bn a year, or about 0.8 per cent of gross domestic product, according to a report sponsored by the European Commission

Why Is Germany So Calm about Crisis? - J. Moreno & S. Simons, Der Spiegel

Hedgehogs and Foxes

by Daniel W. Drezner

American schools turn out hundreds of international relations graduates each year. But is IR a politically irrelevant discipline?

H2 New York Times Letter From Europe Stakes High in Armenia-Turkey Talks

Turkey's Top Officer Denies Plot to Topple Government

Turkey's Army Chief Dismisses Israeli Criticism of Joint Exercise With Syria

Turkey Blast Kills Nine Soldiers

:Q&A-Significance of attacks in Turkey | Reuters

Turkey Armenia set for agreed road map

Commander says Armenia border opening linked to Karabakh

Turkey may hit wall in Armenian dialogue

Kurds want US forces to remain in northern Iraq World Tribune

Erdogan set to play his two trump cards The National

Guardian Tackling the Turkish taboo Robert Ellis: Public discussion of the Armenian genocide is still risky, but signs that Ankara is softening its stance are encouraging

'Turkey not worried by Israeli reaction'

Turkey and Armenia's Rapprochement Watched Carefully by Azerbaijan

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

Campaigning For Kurdish Parliamentary Elections Begins RadioFreeEurope/ RadioLiberty

Kirkuk petition stokes tensions For the complete report from Niqash click on this link

FT Soldiers killed in Turkey attacks

Barham Salih (BarhamSalih) on Twitter

1. Soli Özel dış siyaset ile ilgili çarpıcı yorumlarına devam ediyor

Turkish soldiers killed in roadside bombing

Cevdet Aşkın

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

Armenia: Turkey Policy Prompts Government Member to Join Opposition
Armenia’s framework agreement with Turkey on the possible normalization of relations is already changing the face of politics in Armenia. Citing insurmountable disagreements with Armenia’s policy toward Turkey, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutiun pulled out of the government’s ruling coalition on April 27 and announced it would join the opposition.

Turkey goes cold on EU membership bid

Turkish entrepreneurs expected to invest 10 billion euro in EU by 2020

Hastert goes (back) to work for Turkey

Europe, Islam and Turkey | Pakistan Daily

Suicide Attack Foiled at University in Turkish Capital

Hedo Okur Tuncay Nihat Altintop

Armenians and the Turkish language

1933 | Trotsky Interview in Buyukada by Georges Simenon

Turkish Stocks, Lira Climb on Bank Regulator’s Profit Forecast - Bloomberg.com

OMV denies report it is in talks with Dogan | Deals | Reuters

Turkey predicted to become next super-power

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

Şamil Tayyar

Ali Bayramoğlu

Yasemin Çongar

Ertuğrul Özkök

Hasan Ünal

Ahmet Hakan

M Ali Birand

Cüneyt Ülsever

Enis Berberoğlu

Oktay Ekşi

Özdemir İnce

Mehmet Y Yılmaz

MUHARREM SARIKAYA

ERDAL ŞAFAK

ENGİN ARDIÇ

ERGUN BABAHAN

EMRE AKÖZ

Umur Talu

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

NAZLI ILICAK

MEHMET BARLAS

MAHMUT ÖVÜR

YAVUZ DONAT

Ekonomi

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

Ercan Kumcu

Erdal Sağlam

H4 New York Times World Health Organization Raises Swine Flu Alert Level On the day that a Mexican toddler became the first person to die of the disease on United States soil, the W.H.O. warned that a “pandemic is imminent.”

Obama ‘Gravely Concerned’ About Pakistan

ROGER COHEN Of Loos and LanguageIt’s strange that President Obama, who is far more eloquent than his predecessor, can communicate so well in a world whose lingua franca has become bad English.

Economic Decline in Quarter Exceeds Forecast

The government reported gross domestic product shrank at a 6.1 percent yearly rate, but the numbers suggested that the worst of the recession may be easing.

How to Prevent a Pandemic

By NATHAN WOLFE If more attention were paid to how human-animal interactions enable new viruses to emerge, perhaps the swine flu virus could have been detected sooner.

Containing Flu Is Not Feasible, Specialists Say Closing borders or restricting travel to thwart a flu virus would provide a marginal benefit at a very heavy economic cost, analysts say.

Suspects in Hariri’s Death Released

Baghdad Is Shaken by a Series of Bombs

Civilians Flee as Pakistani Forces Hit Resistance

Britain to Add 700 Troops to Afghan War

Turkey’s Top Officer Denies Plot to Topple Government

Updates on Flu Spotlight New York’s Health Chief

School Days Are Disrupted, by Facts and Fears of Flu

G.O.P. Debate: A Broader Party or a Purer One? A fundamental debate broke out among Republicans on Wednesday over how to rebuild the party in the wake of Senator Arlen Specter’s departure.

Editorial Sri Lanka’s Dirty War The international community should withhold financial aid to Sri Lanka until all civilians are evacuated from the war zone and aid workers have full access to refugee camps

It’s Still My Party

By CHRISTINE TODD WHITMAN

Moderate Republicans should use Senator Arlen Specter’s switch as the impetus to force a re-evaluation of where our party is going — a review that can happen only from the inside.

H5 Washington Post Gen. James Jones's Outlook as Barack Obama's National Security Adviser By David Ignatius, Will the national security adviser's low-key style work when sharp disagreements arise?

Obama Emphasizes Sharp Departures From Bush Policies President Reflects on First 3 Months in Office

Attacks Across Baghdad Leave At Least 48 Dead, Scores Injured

Signs of Hope Amid Economy's Steep Dive Household Spending Rose as U.S. Output Fell

Tracking How Stimulus Dollars Are Tracked Observers Offer Ideas About Web Site

In India, a Grass-Roots Shift New Parties Compete in Election as Mumbai Attacks Spur Greater Political Engagement

System Set Up After SARS Epidemic Was Slow to Alert Global Authorities

Milk the Drama, Obama

By Dana Milbank, There must have been 50 ways to celebrate the 100 days.

Editorial Courting Mr. Chávez

The Obama administration seeks to please a strongman by ignoring his crackdown on domestic opposition

Washington Unreconciled on 'Reconciliation' and Torture

By George F. Will, In Washington, the opposite of reconciliation.

Arlen Specter Defects -- Again

By David S. Broder, An opportunistic move by one of the most opportunistic politicians of modern times.

The Cutter and the Bank By Harold Meyerson, A tale about the bank bailout, an angry congressman and the president's suits.

Europe Seen Willing to Taking Detainees: Holder Says He's 'Pleasantly Surprised' Holder 'Pleasantly Surprised' by Allies

H6 Guardian Iraqi strongman tightens his grip Ghaith Abdul-Ahad reports on how a leader once seen as weak is now being compared to Saddam Hussein

· Europe's future depends on voters. But not on the European elections Timothy Garton Ash: The EU is not a single democracy. The parties are shaping up for a big scrap in June, but the issues will be domestic

· Gordon Brown redefines British goals in Afghanistan Objective is no longer to create a western-style democracy but to help set up a functioning state, PM says

The frozen conflicts start to thaw Simon Tisdall: Under pressure from Brussels, Europe's 'wild east' is coming in from the cold – but plenty of obstacles still remain

WHO raises swine flu pandemic alert level • Pandemic alert raised to level five • US confirms first death outside Mexico

Obama: 'Waterboarding was torture'

US president cites Churchill's refusal to use torture during the Blitz in rejecting interrogation technique

Israel-Palestine is already a de facto single state Antony Lerman: The control Israel exerts on Gaza and the West Bank suggests time is running out for proponents of a two-state solution

Brown's not-new non-strategy for Afghanistan Robert Fox: Sending 700 more troops to Helmand for a few months is neither here nor there. Brown's AfPak bluster is likely to end as blunder

· US car industry: Downsizing in Detroit Editorial: The Detroit Three - the trio of carmakers that were the industrial embodiment of the American century - can well become the Detroit Two

· Silence covers 'zone of death' From the archive: 30 April 1986
Area around Chernobyl nuclear plant was last night enclosed by tight security and wall of official silence

H7 More than "Shiites" and "Sunnis" NUPI This 32-page Norwegian policy report presents the consensus view of a group of distinguished Iraqi academics and professionals brought together to discuss a strategy to achieve sustainable political reform in Iraq

Time Lebanon Frees Hariri Suspects: Is the Cedar Revolution Over?

A haphazard hundred days masked as ‘change’ from Obama

Michael Young : The United States' policy jumble in the Middle East may well bring greater instability

Guardian Iraqi strongman tightens his grip

Ghaith Abdul-Ahad reports on how a leader once seen as weak is now being compared to Saddam Hussein

Saudis Learn to Embrace Iran - Washington Times

Is Obama Fiddling While Iraq Burns? by Robert Dreyfuss

How To Understand Syria's Assads by Marty Peretz

Der Spiegel Is 2009 the New 1929?: Current Crisis Shows Uncanny Parallels to Great Depression

Help Wanted: The World Needs an Energy Framework

Newsweek Hirsh: As Foreign Policy Takes Center Stage, So Will Hillary

Obama Aims To Change World Perceptions Of US
NPR

The road to peace runs through Damascus? (UPI) -- Washington could employ soft diplomacy in the Middle East by courting Damascus in an effort to moderate the regional behavior of Iran, analysts said.

Most of Barack Obama's toughest choices still lie ahead By Shlomo Ben-Ami

Obama Has to Be World's Sheriff - Paul Johnson, Forbes

Throwing the Book at Tehran BY: MIchael Jacobsen | The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

While the Treasury action was hardly surprising -- given the number of Iran-related designations over the past several years -- the role of other law enforcement agencies in the Iran effort is a fairly recent trend, one that the Obama administration should encourage as negotiations with Tehran move forward.

· Sleepwalking Toward the Exit

BY: Michael Moran | Global Post

The American public, fatigued by the years of carnage and funerals, the dissembling and deception of their former leaders, simply hope for the best in Iraq. The day-to-day warfare there, once breathlessly reported and followed, is largely tuned out.

· A Moral Reason for Abandoning the U.S. Embargo of Cuba

BY: Alvaro Vargas Llosa | The New Republic Sometimes, sanctions work, sometimes they don't. A study by Gary Hufbauer, Jeffrey Schott, Kimberly Elliot and Barbara Oegg titled "Economic Sanctions Reconsidered" analyzes dozens of cases of sanctions since World War I. In about a third of them, they worked either because they helped to topple the regime (South Africa) or because they forced the dictator to make major concessions (Libya).

Abroad, Obama Still Walks on Water - John O'Sullivan, New York Post

The Global Politics of Swine Flu - Kaveh Afrasiabi, Asia Times

Swine Flu No Rerun of 1918 Pandemic - Don Martin, National Post

Doc's Talk: 100 Days of the New Security Strategy

McClatchy At former British prison, Somali pirates tell their side Their exploits have turned the inky-blue waters of the Indian Ocean into a perilous gantlet for ships and an unlikely security challenge for world leaders. But behind the bare brick walls of a desolate former British colonial prison here, five jailed Somali pirates didn't seem very fearsome at al

World health officials urge governments to prepare for pandemic The global threat from the swine flu outbreak reached its highest level yet on Wednesday as the World Health Organization urged government, business and health officials to start planning in earnest for a pandemic, which now appears unavoidable.

Al Awsat The Muslim Brotherhood and the Shia : Tariq Alhomayed

Daily Star The Special Tribunal and its decisions should be fully supported

Michel Sleiman, our election wild card By Michael Young

Foreign Policy Torture Isn't Conservative BY KEN ADELMAN

SEVEN QUESTIONS Hans Blix: Nuclear weapons are "expensive theoretical gadgets"

The global politics of swine flu The United States and the European Union are already at odds over the outbreak of swine flu. And if this is merely the first phase of the deadly attack, subsequent waves will cause greater disruptions in world trade, transport and trans-border human movement, making a whole new logic of de-globalization inevitable. - Kaveh L Afrasiabi

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

April bloodiest month in Iraq in a year as security plummets More than 200 people have been killed this month in a series of explosions in Baghdad, the most recorded in the Iraqi capital since March 2008. Iraqis fear the toll will continue to rise as American troops draw down. On Wednesday, explosions in the capital killed at least 43.

Iraqi Parliamentary elections to (maybe) be pushed back two months

Lebanon releases Hariri suspects

Four generals in custody over the killing of former Lebanon PM Rafik Hariri are freed from jail after four years.

US Won't Set Timelines for Iran Talks

· Hezbollah, Allies Positioning to Win Election BY: Sam F. Ghattas | Associated Press With quiet campaigning and moderate talk, Hezbollah is building its strength for Lebanon's June 7 parliamentary elections - and the militant Shi'ite Muslim group and its allies stand a good chance of winning.

EU, Washington issue warnings to Iran

(UPI) -- The European Union embraced the Washington policy of engagement with Iran as a bipartisan effort on Capitol Hill intensifies efforts at coercive diplomacy.

UNAMI: Human rights in Iraq a concern

(UPI) -- The U.N. Assistance Mission for Iraq said Wednesday the human rights situation in Iraq remains a top concern despite modest security improvements.

Generals released in Hariri investigation

(UPI) -- Four Lebanese generals held in connection to the 2005 assassination of former Lebanese premier Rafik Hariri were released from custody Wednesday.

Triple car bomb strikes Baghdad
Three car bombs kill at least 41 people in the Shia district of Sadr City in Iraq's capital, Baghdad, police say.

April Iraq's Deadliest Month in Over a Year

Iraq Moves to Dissolve National Security Council

Hariri assassination suspects freed In an unexpected twist, the UN tribunal investigating the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri has ordered the release of four senior Lebanese officials

Attacks Have Ripple Effect on Iran-Iraq Ties

Iran Ex-Revolutionary Guards Chief to Run for President

Iran's Khatami Throws Weight Behind Reformist Mousavi

Former IRGC chief's presidential bid

(UPI) -- Former commander of the Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps Mohsen Rezaei officially announced his bid for Iran's presidency Wednesday on the Principlist ticket.

Dispute within the Brotherhood

H9 Ha’aretz – Aluf Benn: Netanyahu will have to work to restore U.S. ties U.S. officials to tell PM in Washington that Israel will have to give something in return for action on Iran

Ari Shavit: Obama in 2012, after he fails to deal with Iran A decision to thwart Tehran's nuclear ambitions could have prevented Mideast chaos and U.S. decline

Peres: Bombing Iran may not be the 'best solution' President says attacking Iran nuclear sites would only postpone its ability to build atom bomb

Israel warns EU to stop criticizing Netanyahu government Foreign Ministry official: Israel will block EU from participating in peace process if criticism continues.

'Netanyahu will surprise us all with serious Syria talks' Minister Ben-Eliezer says PM will base plan for peace with Palestinians on two-state solution

The binationalism vogue If the two-state option melts away, the burden of coping with a binational reality will fall on all of us.

Jerusalem Post PM to tell Obama he accepts 'some form' of Arab peace plan

Israeli official denies move is radical departure from previous policy; Lieberman to make first trip to Europe as FM.

The US-Israel linkage-war

Obama: Bond With Israel 'Unshakable'

Yedioth Ahronoth Peres to 'soften' Obama
President to head to Washington this weekend for meeting with American counterpart ahead of PM Netanyahu's US visit in mid May, to tell him Israel wants peace. FM Lieberman to make his first official trip to Europe next week

Egypt warns Iran, Hizbullah

Egyptian president says 'will not tolerate those who try to tamper with Egypt's security, stability'

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

Labor Issues ‘Two-State’ Warning to Netanhyahu BY: Vita Bekker | The National While Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s new right-wing prime minister, remains silent on his approach to Palestinian statehood, his more left-leaning coalition ally stated yesterday that he expects him to support a two-state solution during a key visit to Washington next month

Israel-Palestine Is Already a De Facto Single State BY: Antony Lerman | The Guardian The control Israel exerts on Gaza and the West Bank suggests time is running out for proponents of a two-state solution.

CSM In Israel, Jews and Arabs aim to bridge 'independence' and 'catastrophe' narratives As the Jewish state celebrates Independence Day on Wednesday, a small but growing band comes together to share experiences.

The Obama-Netanyahu Schism--4/30/2009 12:00:00 AM

H10 Christian Science Monitor

US officials ratchet up pressure on Pakistan over Taliban militants

On eve of White House summit, Pakistani officials push back against the impression that they're responding to Washington pressure.

Gates's next lever to reshape the Pentagon: QDR This week, the Defense Department will begin the Quadrennial Defense Review, a year-long study that should help the secretary put his stamp on the military.

Silver lining of shrinking economy: consumer spending up

Economic activity in the US plunged 6.1 percent in the first quarter of this year, but free-fall in consumer spending stopped.

House passes $3.6 trillion budget plan

The plan, which will help fund Obama's healthcare reform and education agenda, is also on track to pass in the Senate Wednesday

Fed: Pace of US economy's decline is easing

Fall in US GDP worst in 51 years

Where did all the bailout money go?

The government has pledged $11.3 trillion for economic rescue – and has spent one-quarter of that. On what?

What Afghanistan can learn from the Taliban They clearly went too far to end corruption, but some tactics worked.

Obama channels FDR in prime time press conference

Banks failing and the economy in shambles, the new U.S. president reassured a nationwide audience that his administration was putting America back on the right track.

Will Specter be the center's pivot?

Washington looks to be heading toward one-party rule. It needs a tempering middle.

Beyond Specter, Republicans have a steep hill to climb

To overcome scary electoral math, the GOP must recast its principles.

ASIA

Pakistan shares nuclear secrets; Move to allay fears over Taliban advance...

China inches towards closer ties with Japan

China tenatively commits to improving relationship with WWII enemy during visit to Beijing by Japan's prime minister Taro Aso

· Russia and China Announce New Era of Military Cooperation

BY: Tony Halpin | The London Times Russia and China announced plans for an intensified programme of military cooperation yesterday as part of a burgeoning “strategic partnership”.

Taliban Advance in Pakistan Prompts Shift by US

White House Split on Pakistan Drone Strikes

Pakistanis Conflicted on Militant Battle

Planet Holbrooke BY LAURA ROZEN

In India, a Grass-Roots Shift

New Parties Compete in Election as Mumbai Attacks Spur Greater Political Engagement

A helping Chinese hand
China's US$25 billion aid and credit package for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is part of its strategy to strengthen already booming economic ties with the region through soft power. By wooing developing nations such as Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia with strings-free aid, China can also secure valuable infrastructure and natural resource deals - and usurp American influence in the region. - Brian McCartan

A capital idea for Afghanistan
With the United States' new strategy for Afghanistan and Pakistan already under attack, a symbol of hope is badly needed for the former. Replacing Kabul with a new capital in a more central part of the country might serve that purpose well. - Peter J Brown

Scores of Pakistani Forces Captured During Buner Offensive

Petraeus Parallels Iraq, Afghanistan Strategies - Fred W. Baker III, American Forces Press Service.

US Training of Pakistan Army to Grow - Julian Barnes, Los Angeles Times. T

Taliban Threatens Wave of Attacks Against US Surge

Obama says he's 'gravely concerned' about Pakistan

Adrian Hamilton: Demonising Pakistan will not solve Afghanistan

Japan in surprise economy boost

Industrial output in Japan rose in March for the first time in six months, according to official government figures.

· U.S. May Fast-Track Aid to Block Taliban BY: Raza Khan and Christina Bellantoni | The Washington Times

The Obama administration is considering expediting aid to Pakistan, where militants are advancing on the capital and posing a threat to a cluster of strategic installations, including a major dam, a key bridge and the country's largest weapons and ammunition complex.

· Falling Short on Afghanistan

BY: PADDY ASHDOWN and JOSEPH INGRAM | International Herald Tribune

Lessons drawn from Bosnia and East Timor can be used to coordinate international aid.

CFR's Scott Snyder says in a new interview that questions about a possible regime succession make negotiating with North Korea more difficult at the moment.

Time Asia's Hard-hit Exporters See a Glimmer of Economic Hope

Why China's State-owned Companies Are Making a Comeback

· China's Gold Ambitions BY: Philip Bowring | Asia Sentinel

China's announcement that it has more than doubled its official gold holdings to over 1,000 tonnes is significant as much for the politics of its timing as for the news itself. Indeed it is only one of several recent announcements made to position China for greater influence as the world financial system faces the prospect of its biggest changes since the 1971 Smithsonian Agreement.

UN Accuses Sri Lanka of Shelling Civilian 'Safe Zone'

· A Helping Chinese Hand BY: Brian McCartan | Asia Times

China's US$25 billion aid and credit package for the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations is part of its strategy to strengthen already booming economic ties with the region through soft power.

Taiwan wins rare UN invite

With nod from China, it will attend next month's World Health Assembly, but only as an "observer."

Fatal flaws that wrecked Thailand’s promise

David Pilling on a country in turmoil

H11 IHT

EUROPE European press review

· Europe's future depends on voters. But not on the European elections

Timothy Garton Ash: The EU is not a single democracy. The parties are shaping up for a big scrap in June, but the issues will be domestic

Juggling Act The draft of a document slated for release at an upcoming EU Eastern Partnership summit suggests the bloc is struggling to make the program an ideal fit. The debate reflects the inconvenient reality that most invitees fall far short of the democratic and rights standards promoted by the EU itself

Migrants boost EU economy, says study Migration from eastern to western Europe is boosting the economy of the European Union by nearly €50bn a year, or about 0.8 per cent of gross domestic product, according to a report sponsored by the European Commission

EU faces year of tough challenges For European Union policymakers, a combination of soaring budget deficits and feeble economic recovery threatens to make 2010 a year of challenges no less demanding than those of the past 12 months

Why Is Germany So Calm about Crisis? - J. Moreno & S. Simons, Der Spiegel

Euro area external trade deficit 2.0 bn euro ; 10.6 bn euro deficit for EU27 (PDF; 236.9 KB) Source: Eurostat

NATO Is Not Out of Business - Couloumbis, Ahlstrom & Weaver, RCW

France urges Mexican flight ban

France says it will request an EU-wide ban on all flights to Mexico, source of the swine flu outbreak.

· Muslim Radicalisation's Socio-Economic Roots

BY: Tahir Abbas | The Guardian In the UK Muslims are more vulnerable to radicalisation when they are poor, northern and discriminated against.

Do Balkans Belong to Europe? - Hajrudin Somun, Today's Zaman

At Europe's doorway, a Greek city grapples with growing illegal immigrant problem Afghan immigrants often make their way to Patras, where they become entangled in EU asylum laws

FRANCE-SPAIN: In an address to the Spanish parliament yesterday, French President Nicolas Sarkozy announced a joint summit (AFP) to tackle terrorism, including the Basque separatist group ETA, as well as drug trafficking and illegal immigration.

H12 RFE/RL

Google News Azerbaijan

U.S., Russia: Mother of All Deals? - Amitai Etzioni, Moscow Times

· Numbers Declining, Risks Mounting in Tbilisi Demonstrations

BY: Vladimir Socor | Eurasia Daily Monitor As crowds dwindle to near-insignificance at the Tbilisi protest rallies, their leaders are abandoning the failed tactics of mass mobilization, shifting to new efforts designed to spark violence and blame it on the authorities.

Russia Balance Sheet Published

NATO Resumes Russia Contacts, Differences Linger

· Russia Insists It Won't Militarize the Arctic

Kazakhstan: Central Asian Leaders Clash over Water at Aral Sea Summit
A summit on the future of the shrinking Aral Sea ended in Almaty without making any tangible progress on resuscitating the endangered sea. If anything, the meeting succeeded only in stoking acrimony among participants on the water-use issue.

Gazprom waives Ukraine gas fines Russia’s state-controlled energy giant has agreed to waive hefty fines upon Ukraine, which purchased only a third of planned natural gas supplies so far this year after its recession-battered economy shrank sharply

Ukraine's Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko says she has successfully solved Ukraine's gas supply disputes (Ria Novosti)s with Russia at meetings with her Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin.

Nato expels Russian envoys Nato has ordered the expulsion of two Russian diplomats in retaliation for a spy scandal in which a senior Estonian official was jailed for passing on top-level secrets about the western alliance to Moscow

H13 The Times Retreat from Afghanistan The temporary dispatch of only 700 troops to bolster British forces in Afghanistan is the worst of all worlds: sending too few reinforcements to achieve the end promised

The longest assisted suicide in history The Budget is a death blow for Labour - because Brown prefers playing politics to proper strategy Anatole Kaletsky

Victory without humanity can be no triumph We have seen for ourselves why an international relief effort is now urgently needed in Sri Lanka David Miliband and Bernard Kouchner

Pandemic level raised amid 'imminent' emergencyWorld Health Organisation raises the alert level to one beneath the maximum level, as swine flu continues to spread

Key town seized from Taleban in major offensive Pakistani army commandos dropped by helicopters behind Taleban lines swiflty recaptured Dagar, the main town in Buner district

China inches towards closer ties with Japan China tenatively commits to improving relationship with WWII enemy during visit to Beijing by Japan's prime minister Taro Aso

I know those car-alarm moments

‘In the Loop' certainly strikes a chord. It is a work of near-genius, almost too clever Matthew Parris

I’m not a miracle worker, Obama tells America President Obama marks 100th day in office by pleading for patience and warning that America faces 'a long journey ahead'

End of an era as Britain takes a back seat The British Army once boasted mastery of counter-insurgency operations all over the world

Donkey ‘suicide’ bombing is latest tactic A tethered donkey laden with explosives was detonated as British armoured vehicle passed in southern Afghanistan

Military loses battle over troop boost Gordon Brown has rejected plea from commanders for 2,000 permanent British troop reinforcements in southern Afghanistan

Wall Street Journal U.S. Plans New Talks With Syria Obama is dispatching two high-level envoys to Syria for a second round of talks focused on securing the Iraqi border and supporting the Arab-Israeli peace process.

Henninger: 100 Days: 'Harry, I Have a Gift'

Obama Outsources His Presidency

By Karl Rove He may come to regret letting Congress write his major legislation.

· The Real Culture War Is Over Capitalism

By Arthur C. Brooks
Tea parties, 'ethical populism,' and the moral case against redistribution.

Obama Aims for Fast Private Sector Exit

Obama said he wants to get the government out of the private sector as fast as possible -- but would help troubled companies make "tough decisions based on realistic assumptions."

Hopeful Signs Seen in GDP Fall The U.S. economy contracted at a 6.1% annual rate in the first quarter, but inventories declined and consumer spending rebounded.

Bloomberg: Fed Is Said to Seek Capital for at Least Six Banks — At least six of the 19 largest U.S. banks require additional capital, according to preliminary results of government stress tests, people briefed on the matter said.

Gross Domestic Product: First Quarter 2009 (Advance)
Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis + Full release and tables (PDF; 1.01 KB)

H14 Financial Times Obama’s hundred days of ambition If he succeeds in his policy goals he will be regarded as a great president, and rightly so. If he fails, he will be accused of hubristic overreach, with equal justification. He has set himself Herculean challanges

US taxpayers face bill of $1,900bn, fears IMF

Efforts to stabilise the financial system could end up costing US taxpayers about 13.3 per cent of annual output, or $1,900bn over the next five years, according to analysis by the International Monetary Fund

Obama foreign policy spotlights engagement

US president Barack Obama has made clear his belief that engagement itself is the abiding theme of his foreign policy

US economy shrinks 6.1%

The US economy continued to contract in the first quarter of this year as business investment collapsed in the face of eroding global demand

Congress approves $3,400bn budget

Congress passed a $3,400bn budget resolution that laid the foundation for healthcare reform and a series of other Democratic policy goals, handing President Barack Obama a key victory on his 100th day in office

Anything to distract us from the arts of life

Jonathan Guthrie on working fewer hours

It is time for debate on how to cut public spending

David Davis suggests some ways

Homeward bound Even as appetite for risk recovers, the implosion in cross-border lending as banks return to their domestic markets will depress world finance for years to come

Madison Avenue feels the squeeze Today’s face-off between the people in suits – media planning agencies – and advertising’s creatives is fuelled by recession rather than growth, and the internet rather than television, with clients demanding extra work – such as digital campaigns – for the same money, writes John Gapper

H15 Los Angeles Times

It's Day 100, and President Obama returns to theme of hope

He says he is "pleased . . . but not satisfied" with his administration's progress in the face of major issues including the economy and swine flu.

Obama's doing the best with a short stack By Gideon Rose Unlike the two previous presidents, he seems to know how to calculate the odds...

Pakistan wrests control of town from Taliban But militants have taken over a police station and dozens of officers are hostage. The military actions are an effort to push the Taliban back into its base in the Swat Valley

Five car bombings across Baghdad kill 48 Shiite Muslims appear to be the targets, and that raises fears of a renewed Sunni insurgency. Survivors of two blasts in Sadr City say Iraqi security forces failed to protect them

U.S. training of Pakistan army to grow

Fearing Islamabad is ill equipped to battle militants, Washington aims to bolster the nation's anti-insurgency efforts

The swine flu battle

Sensible steps, not panic, are called for to contain the outbreak.

Lebanon frees 4 generals held in ex-premier's slaying A U.N.-backed tribunal orders them released for lack of evidence after a witness recants a statement alleging that the men helped plan the 2005 bombing that killed Rafik Hariri and 22 others.

The Bush memos: What do they reveal? David Kaye says the memos shouldn't obscure the fact that Bush and his senior White House officials bear responsibility for torturing. James Jay Carafano says this issue cannot be resolved in a court.

Swine flu prompts WHO to raise alert level The level goes from 4 to 5, meaning the likelihood of a pandemic "is very high or inevitable," an official says.

Bird flu blamed in Egypt child's death

Six-year-old Ali died last week, and health workers don't know the source of his disease. Bird flu has been blamed in the deaths of 26 people in Egypt since 2006, the most of any nation outside Asia.

Ken Lewis ousted as Bank of America chairman Lewis has faced sharp disapproval for his role in B of A's hastily arranged merger with Merrill Lynch

Editorial

H16 American Politics

President Obama's 100th-Day Press Briefing —Transcript

G.O.P. Debate: A Broader Party or a Purer One?

Democrats to GOP in budget plan: We don't need you

Though Democrats are asking for bipartisan support, the resolution passed Wednesday suggests they are prepared to go it alone on healthcare and education reform.

Dan Balz / Washington Post:
Will GOP Sleep Through Wake-Up Call?

realclearpolitics memeorandum

Daily Beast Cheat Sheet

Politico ABC’s The Note – MSNBC FirstRead – Time ThePage Politico Playbook

PoliticsHome fivethirtyeight US News Political Bulletin

100 days: Obama makes broad assurances to country President Barack Obama marked his first 100 days in office Wednesday with a broad assurance that the country is on the road to recovery and that there is no cause for panic on threats ranging from the swine flu to nuclear weapons in Pakistan.

As Obama grows stronger, GOP rhetoric becomes extreme To hear Republicans tell it, Obama's first 100 days have been an unprecedented disaster. "The most harmful budget in American history," said a recent GOP missive. Said another, Obama's global warming proposals could change "the economic fortunes of the hearland . . . for generations." "They're floundering," one political scientist said

The Defector - David Broder, Washington Post

Beyond Specter, GOP Has Steep Hill to Climb - John Pitney, CSM

100-Day Lurch to the Left - Lawrence Kudlow, RealClearPolitics

Obama Reframes the Torture Debate - Alex Koppelman, Salon

After the Great Recession - David Leonhardt, New York Times Magazine

Obama Calmed the Economy in His First 100 Days - Daniel Gross, Slate

Reconciliation's Slippery Path - George Will, Washington Post

Reid's Specter deal stirs senior Dems' anger — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) deal to allow Sen. Arlen Specter to retain his seniority after he switches to the Democratic Conference has not been received well by senior senators in the party. — Several Democrats are furious

FACT CHECK: Obama disowns deficit he helped shape —

The black-white divide in Obama's popularity — On his 100th day in office, Barack Obama enjoys high job approval ratings, no matter what poll you consult. But if a new survey by the New York Times is accurate, the president and some of his policies are significantly less popular …

100 Days: An Engaged, Elusive, President - Gerald Seib, Wall Street Journal

Obama to Be Spectacular Success--or Failure? - Chuck Todd, NBC News

Obama's High Approval Ratings Won't Last - Dick Morris, The Hill

Specter's Move Signals a Decisive Shift - E.J. Dionne, Washington Post

The Republican Party Needs Moderates - Sean Trende, RealClearPolitics

Liberal Arrogance Will Be Obama's Undoing - Jonah Goldberg, LA Times

Obama: Better Than Roosevelt? - Alan Brinkley, The New Republic

The Looming Fight for 17% of the U.S. Economy - Steve Forbes, Forbes

H17 Daily TelegraphBritish campaign in Iraq comes to official end

British troops are awaiting the final order to withdraw from Iraq after six years of conflict that has cost 179 lives.

Iraq withdrawal: war tested 'special relationship' between Britain and US

Britain has been the United States' strongest ally in Iraq over the past six years, but the bloody conflict has tested the special relationship.

A war without frontiers

Telegraph View: Stability in Pakistan is just as important as peace in Afghanistan

H18 Independent Brutal reminders that peace in Iraq is far from assured

As British troops pull out of Basra, a stabbing and car bombing show that stability is still a long way away

The next emerging market? Iraq sets out its stall

Leading article: A timely end to an unwise and mismanaged intervention

Is this the price of America's new friendship with Syria? Robert Fisk: Pro-Damascus generals held for the assassination that sparked turmoil in Lebanon walk free after four years

Adrian Hamilton: Demonising Pakistan will not solve Afghanistan

Crucial flu drug for 50m Britons

As WHO raises threat level, ministers increase stockpiles to cover three-quarters of the UK population

Is Tamiflu – or a vaccine – the answer?

The Complete University Guide: End of the great divide

Oxford is in pole position again – but this year, for the first time, the new universities have clearly broken into the top half of the league table.

H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism

Reading lists

From Popular Science, an essay on The Future of the Military — Perhaps.

Apr 29 SD# 2333 - Interviews with Members of a Slaughtering Squad of Al-Qaeda in Iraq

Gates's Next Lever to Reshape the Pentagon: QDR - Gordon Lubold, Christian Science Monitor

NATO Is Not Out of Business - Couloumbis, Ahlstrom & Weaver, RCW

Piracy off the Coast of Somalia
Source: National Defense University Library

Greater Transparency Needed in Development of U.S. Policy on Cyberattack Direct to Full Text Report

· Costs of War: Dirty Little Secrets

BY: Shaun Waterman | ISN Security Watch

There is going to be accountability for the officials who authored and authorized the US interrogation program for al-Qaida detainees. The only question is how.

Army Intel Journal Back Online

British plan for new intelligence facility9 (UPI) -- The British Ministry of Defense announced plans for a new intelligence facility to strengthen operational and strategic threat-assessment capabilities.

H20 Slate · Yet Another CIA Failure BY: Christopher Hitchens | Slate CIA Director Gen. Michael V. Hayden has deplored the release of the memorandums on the grounds that they inform our enemies of how far we are prepared to go. In what conceivable world has the general been living?

Climate Change: The Case for Action Parliamentary Library - Australia

A 41-page Australian paper presenting the case for climate change mitigation

The Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism

Parliamentary Library – Australia This 25-page Australian background note provides information on the Clean Development Mechanism and its associated emissions credits

H21 Garish, tasteless, sentimental: kitsch gives us fake human feeling wrapped in a thick layer of cuteness. But so what, if people enjoy it?... more»

From The National Interest, Barry Eichengreen on The Last Temptation of Risk.

Post-Google, plagiarism is a different art: add little observations that differ from the original. Reorder paragraphs, with new quotes, spurious or ad hoc... more»

Pornocalypse Now: It’s in a fog of fake fucking that man is sleepwalking toward an abyss.

An absolutely preposterous idea for reforming academia

The traditional obituary is an art form nasty, brutish, and short, one that takes the scrambled up thing that is a human life and smashes it into a tidy narrative... more»

Why Google Wants You to Google Yourself

More and more and more on The Art Instinct by Denis Dutton

From Daedalus, a special issue on reflecting on the humanities.

In a stunning result, the winner of the annual Time 100 poll and new owner of the title World's Most Influential Person is moot (and more)

. Francis Fukuyama on Mexico and the Drug Wars (and more).

The introduction to Economists and Societies: Discipline and Profession in the United States, Britain, and France, 1890s to 1990s by Marion Fourcade.

A review of The Predator State: How Conservatives Abandoned the Free Market and Why Liberals Should Too by James K. Galbraith

Battle of the Berlusconis: Italy's first couple at war over 'harem'

Ordinary Happiness

BOOKSHELF By Wes Davis
The riches to be found in listening, looking, walking, reading -- in simply paying attention.

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Foreign Policy Blogs Passport : Tom Ricks : Dan Drezner : Stephen Walt : David Rothkopf : Marc Lynch : The Cable : Madam Secretary : Shadow Govt. : The Argument : The Call

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