020108f  - FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW (FPR) - ‘Relevant news, views, comments and analyses for informed debate’ Compiled by Þanlý Bahadýr Koç    U.S. / Britain / Turkey / Magazines / Think-tanks / Blogs / Misc /Books / Quickread / Numbers / Reports  - FPR Table - Subscribe to FPR

H1 The Economist  Nuclear proliferation Has Iran won? 

 Iran's ayatollahs have wriggled off the nuclear hook, but there is a way to put them on again  

 

Iran's nuclear programme As the enrichment machines spin on How America's own intelligence services have brought international policy on Iran to the edge of collapse

 

IHT  Putting Pakistan together again By SELIG S. HARRISON

The Pakistani state is not likely to survive for long unless it is radically restructured

 

Foreign Policy Ask the Author: Graham Fuller

"In Search of Moderate Muslims"
Commentary Joshua Muravchik and Charles P. Szrom

 

TNI Mesopotamian Muddle

Dennis Ross

 

Dan Drezner Hegemonic decline, revisited

 

The Washington Independent: Security Gains From 'Surge' Backsliding

 

McClatchy U.S. casualties rise in Iraq after falling for 4 months

 

Mosul, the next major test for the U.S. military in Iraq

 

The Economist How jihad went freelance Al-Qaeda has evolved from a single group to an amorphous movement. Does that make it less dangerous or more so?

 

The Times $3 trillion budget leaves little for Bush to bank on President Bush has reached a landmark spending figure but the proposals illustrate the tough choices that his successor will face

Bronwen Maddox

 

Mission Seep Nato is in severe danger of letting Afghanistan slip away

 

Iraqi oil production hits post-invasion record Better security means production is expected to pass the prewar level of 2.6 million barrels a day by the end of the year

 

Martin Peretz / The New Republic: Can Friends of Israel—and Jews—Trust Obama?

 

Guardian Infatuated with Sarkozy's infatuation, France is blind to his recklessness Simon Jenkins: The president is eager to give France a new world confidence, but he has so far proved impetuous in matters of heart and state

 

Failing state Afghanistan: It is hard to be hopeful about Afghanistan. Sliding away from progress, the country has begun a fretful, violent descent towards calamity that all the efforts of Nato, aid agencies and Afghans seem unable to stop

 

Bin Laden aide killed in US strike
Al-Qaida figure in Afghanistan, seen as one of Bin Laden's top six lieutenants, is killed

 

Demise of al-Qaida's 'director of communictions'

 

Iraqi MP: US Oil Firms Offered $5 Million to Each MP to Vote for Oil Law

 

Asia Times Bombs away over Iraq: Who cares?When, in April 1937, the German Condor Legion dropped 45,000 kilograms of explosives on the Spanish town of Guernica, international outrage followed, and Pablo Picasso was inspired to paint his now famous Guernica. When the US Air Force recently loosed 45,000 kilograms of bombs on a small Sunni farming district in Iraq, there was hardly a peep. These days, only "insurgent" suicide bombings warrant media attention, while the US's air "surge" is politely played down. - Tom Engelhardt

 

Towards a new 'Suez crisis'
Just as threats to the pound forced Britain to climb down during the Suez canal crisis in 1956, pressure on the dollar could force a change in the United States' attitude towards Iran - Alan G Jamieson

 

Obama: Most Liberal Senator In 2007 - Friel, Cohen & Victor, Nat'l Journa

 

Iraq War Killed a Million, Says Survey

 

[Fbis] OSC: OSC Analysis: Iran -- Reformists Debate Future After Majles Disqualifications  

 

New Guide Outlines Iraq Government Structures, Responsibilities Source: RTI International A newly released handbook provides the first comprehensive overview of the organization and workings of Iraq’s government systems Republic of Iraq District Government Field Manual, Volume I, Version 1 — Operating Procedures (PDF; 1 MB) + Volume II: Resources — Operating Procedures (PDF; 1.3 MB)  + Volume I, Version 2 (pocket edition) (PDF; 1 MB)

 

Heritage The EU Reform Treaty: Why Washington Should Be Concerned

 

Afghanistan Study Group Final Report, January 30, 2008 (PDF; 417 KB) Source: Center for the Study of the Presidency
From media advisory (PDF; 22 KB)  Highlights from Afghanistan Study Group Final Report (PDF; 109 KB)

 

Iran's foreign minister to step down?

 

Washington Times U.S. energy security (By S. Rob Sobhani)

 

Ha’aretz  Top IDF brass: Winograd war report is an 'earthquake' Military advocate general: Report does not require delaying advancement of officers involved in the war

 

Al Awsat A Temptation to Resist : Amir Taheri

 

• 'Israel’s War With Hezbollah Was Not a Failure' by Martin van Creveld, Forward  

 

Jerusalem Post Analysis: 33 years after Agranat, the IDF is left to pick up the pieces again  With enlistment numbers dropping, the top command will face many more challenges in the years to come

 

Analysis: Decisions, decisions
Jerusalem Post  By AMIR MIZROCH

 

Financial Times Olmert is alone after Annapolis Most people want Middle East peace, but far fewer seem ready to accept the short-term risks unavoidable in the quest for long-term security, writes Philip Stephens

 

Buyers, not savers, caused America’s deficit As Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan misunderstood the nature and seriousness of America’s current account deficit. Policymakers today must take heed, says Richard Duncan

 

Washington Post The NATO Emerging in Afghanistan By Victoria Nuland,  On-the-job training in how to fight a 21st-century insurgency.

 

The McCain Divide? The GOP vs. Conservatives By E. J. Dionne Jr., 

Some on the right feel it would be less damaging to their cause to lose the 2008 election than to win with John McCain

 

Clawing for a Legacy By Charles Krauthammer Obama's assessment is so obviously true: Reagan was consequential. Clinton was not.

 

DAVID BROOKS The McCain Transition John McCain has to transition from being an insurgent to being the leader of a broad center-right coalition.

 

McClatchy Clinton, McCain likely gain most from dropout candidates

 

Arming the Middle East  by Stephen Zunes

 

The Economist Israel, Egypt and the Gaza Strip The shifting balance of power 

 

Time Voter's Guide To the Issues

 

Why the Surge Worked  A year after Bush sent 30,000 additional troops to Iraq, violence is down and al-Qaeda is in retreat. But the gains are still too fragile

 

Daily Star The US should let Iran's contradictions play out y Mark Fitzpatrick

 

Analysis: The Oil Paradox: A worldwide slowdown won't end the oil price boom anytime soon A worldwide slowdown won't end the oil price boom anytime soon.

 

Campaign 2008: The Role of Foreign Policy

 

Time Still Trying to Squeeze Iran

 

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H2 NYT Kurds’ Power Wanes as Arab Anger Rises  Once in a position of enormous strength, Iraqi Kurds are now pursuing policies that are antagonizing other factions and uniting most Sunnis and many Shiites.

 

CSIS US-Turkish Relations: Another Honeymoon? Read More

 

Economist Turkey, the Kurds and Islam The AK government uses Islam to win over Kurdish support

 

Wilson: Hava saldýrýlarý PKK'ya önemli ölçüde zarar verdi

 

Türk Amerikan Ýliþkilerinin Geleceði

 

Wilson: Hiç türban takmadým!

 U.S.-Turkish Military Cooperation Deepens After Rough Patch By: John C. K. Daly | Eurasia Daily Monitor
The United States seems finally to have abandoned its hesitant attitude on supporting Turkey’s fight against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), but Ankara is increasingly driving the agenda.

 

EDM TURKEY STILL HANGING ON THE MILITARY’S WORDS AND SILENCES

 

FT Turkey rectors to block easing headscarf ban The influential figures at Turkey’s state universities are to meet in Ankara to unite against a government proposal to ease the ban on wearing the Muslim headscarf on campus

 

Istanbul fireworks blast kills 20

 

 Turkish Planes Bombard Iraqi Kurdistan Border Areas

 

Paþalarýn suskunluðu

 

The return of the scarves  Rural Kurds revive an old Armenian tradition

 

Turkey warned over Iranian banks
BusinessWeek

 

Turkish Islam and the headscarf

 

BBC Monitoring Quotes From Turkish Press 31 Jan 08

   

 Kurdish TV Airs Images of Hospital "Targeted", Hit in Turkish Iraq Air Strikes

 

HRW’den Türkiye’ye ifade özgürlüðü uyarýsý

 

Dozens killed or injured in Turkey fireworks blast

 

Ermeni lobisi ABD baþkanlýk yarýþýnda Obama'yý destekleyecek

 

Saygun, Washington'da PKK mesaisi yaptý

 

Ross Wilson: Türban Türkiye'nin iç meselesi...

 

Türk Ýslamcýlar demokrasiyi sevdi
NÝZAR AGÝRÝ

 

Finally, Turkish army is respecting democratic values!’
Aljazeera.com

 

Google News Fýrat News Agency KurdishMedia Kurdish Kurdish Aspect  BBC Monitoring

 

Ýran'la 'gaz' imzasý Þubat'ta atýlýyor

 

Iraqi Kurd Leader Demands Iraq Apology Over Anfal

 

Türkmenlerden 'bizi koruyun' çaðrýsý

 

ABD'nin dikkatini, sýnýrdaki 100 bin askerle çektik

 

Talabani: Kerkük sorununa Türkiye karýþabilir

 

Köyden göç eden Kürt analara gidiyor

 

Provakatör fazla mesaide!

 

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Medya Tetikçileri yine iþbaþýnda

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Kürdistan için güvenli sýnýrlar

 

 

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Alýnak: Uzlaþma deðil kriz siyaseti izlenmeli

 

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Iraqi Troops Mass for Operation in Mosul By: Alissa J. Rubin | The New York Times
The unsettled situation in northern Iraq continued Wednesday as Iraqi troops massed in Mosul to fight Sunni Arab extremists, and a Turkmen political group in Kirkuk threatened to resort to arms in response to the kidnapping and killing of Turkmens by extremists.

 

[Fbis] OSC: Al-Iraqiyah Roundup -- Iraqi President Talabani Meets Kirkuk Chieftains; Update  

 

Iraqi Kurdish Paper Criticizes President's Stand on Execution

 

08:25 Bombalý eyleme gelen terörist sýnýrda yakalandý

 

Bianet :: Headscarf Debate Diverts Attention from Kurdish Issue and Economic Crisis

 

Turkish PM: No objection to cooperation with Israel

 

Kurds cry out against corruption (1): Whoever not corrupted in ...

 

"Turkmen Conference" for Common Kirkuk Position

 

Beneath the desert sands flows lifeblood of economic recovery

 

ITC wants Turkmen force for protection against ‘genocide’

 

Ýslam dünyasýnýn en büyük þirketleri

 

Filming on the borders of fiction, documentary and identity

 

EU, Iraq Pursue Closer Energy Ties

 

Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber

 

Turkey and Postnational Europe: Challenges for the Cosmopolitan Political Community -- Baban and Keyman 11 (1): 107 -- European Journal of Social Theo

 

WORLD NEWS: CDU officials join racism row

 

Avrupalý Sosyalistler CHP ile yine ters düþtü: Baþörtüsü yasaðý kalkmalý

 

Rumlar Schröder'in ziyaretine inanamýyor

 

Karamanlis kâbus yaþýyor

 

Fransa'da Türk Adaya Ermeni Baskýsý

Ýsveç'ten Kuzey Irak'a uçuþa izin

 

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Balkans: Eager for results by HAJRUDIN SOMUN *

 

Genocide; is it a question of national identity?

 

Sözde soykýrýmý ders kitabina aldýlar

 

Atina Parlamentosu'nda hassas denge

 

Güler'e 'Atom bombasý yapacak mýsýnýz' diye sordu

 

'Ýstanbul'a gelince türbaný görecekler'

 

EU regulation challenges Turkish chemicals - Turkish Daily News Jan 31, 2008

 

Turkish Cypriots Set to Implement 12 EU Policy Chapters - Official

 

Turkish Cypriot Parties, NGOs Establish Cyprus Peace Platform

 

Turkish Cypriot Faults EU for Cyprus Entry in UK Parliament

 

 

Gila Benmayor Eðitim sistemimize Güney Kore modeli mi?

 

Denetleme Kurulu kaza uyarýsý yapmýþ

 

Oy vermeyenlerin profili çýkarýlýyor

TÜÝK, Erdoðan’ýn talimatý ile son seçimde oy kullanmayanlarýn profilini çýkartmak için kollarý sývadý

 

Ergenekon'u soruþturan baþsavcýlýk, diðer çete davalarýný da inceliyor

 

Daðlýca'da kaçýrýlan 8 asker hâkim karþýsýna çýkýyor

 

BBP Genel sekreteri Topçu: Biyogüvenlik komisyonu mutlaka kurulmalý

 

08:05 Erdoðan'ýn Özel Kalem Müdürü istifa etti

Ersever'in arþivi Küçük'te miydi?

 

8 askerin yargýlanmasýna baþlandý

 

Savunmanýn devleri Ýstanbul'da buluþuyor

 

04:00 Oruç tutmayanlara yemek çýkarmayan 3 yöneticiye ceza

 

 

 

 

 

H3 Murat Yetkin - Sivil-asker dengesi yeniden mi kuruluyor?

 

BÖLÜKBAÞI, TEZKERE FÝYASKOSUNU VE ABD ÝLE MÜZAKERELERÝ YAZDI Askerler de sorumlu

 

GÜNDÜZ AKTAN'DAN TÜRBAN YORUMU:Bu tartýþmalarýn içinde olmamak için ABD'deyim "Yasak tamamen kalkmaz. Çünkü Anayasa'mýz buna müsait deðil" diyen Aktan, türban oylamasýna katýlmama yönünde iþaretler verdi

 

Bahçeli'den TÜSÝAD'a jet cevap: Millî konulardaki duruþunuz sicilinize kayýtlý

Ruþen Çakýr Türban sorununda “keþke”ler ve “gerçek”ler

 

AKP’nin ‘yerel seçim’ manevrasý

 

 5 milyon seçmen eksik yazýlmýþ olabilir mi?

 

Baykal Kelime-i Sehadet’in yerini türban almýþ

 

Cengiz Çandar Talabani'ye Türkiye yolu açýlýyor

 

Ertuðrul Özkök El kaldýranlara ricam

 

Ahmet Hakan Türban býkkýnlýðý

 

M Ali Birand MHP’nin türban için ince hesaplarý var …

 

Baykal'dan iki TSK açýklamasý

 

'TÜSÝAD'ý çalýþýyoruz'

 

Oktay Ekþi Bahçeli’ye sorular...

 

Cevdet Aþkýn

 

Ahmet Taþgetiren 

 Gülünçlüðü sorgularken... ( 01.02.2008 )

 

Taha AKYOL Üniversite, bilim ve din

 

Fikret BÝLA Özbudun'un Refah davasýndaki görevi ve yaklaþýmý

 

Üniversite türbana karþý ayakta

 

 Ruhsatsýz cinayet

 

Hasan Celal Güzel - 'TSK bir suç örgütü deðildir'

 

Haluk Þahin - Türban sorunu böyle çözülmez

 

Ýsmet Berkan - 'Control freak'

 

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Eser Karakaþ 1908-2008: Ýttihatçýlardan Ergenekoncular’a

 

Nasuhi Güngör TÜSÝAD, TSK ve gündem

 

Þamil Tayyar ‘Çene altý’nýn mimarý Ýlhan Paþa

 

Hasan CEMAL Özgürlüklerden korkmayýn, asýl yasaklardan korkun!

 

'Karþý devrim'le karþý karþýyayýz

 

It's About Freedom, Not Scarves By: Mustafa Akyol | Turkish Daily News
The Kemalist mindset is not too different from that of the Taliban, who, too, forced women to abide to a compulsory dress code for the sake of a collectivist utopia.

 

MHP ile AK Parti arasýnda 'hain' tartýþmasý

 

Gila Benmayor Eðitim sistemimize Güney Kore modeli mi?

Fera Týnç Türban, reformlarý sulandýracak

 

Türban teklifi Komisyon'da görüþülüyor

 

Hesabýný kim verecek?

 

Iþýl Karakaþ: AÝHM'nin türban içtihadý belli

 

Ergenekoncular Ýstanbul esnafýný haraca baðlamýþ

 

Ýç Basýnda Türk Dýþ Politikasý 

Dýþ Basýnda Türkiye-AB Ýliþkileri Günlük Haftalýk -  Dýþ Basýnda Irak  BBC Turkish 0700 VOA TSÝ 06:30  Dýþ Basýnda Türkiye Turkish Press Review Google News Turkey Turquie Türkei  TurcoPundit      

 

Fehmi Koru: Türkiye'nin önü açýk

 

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Ali Bayramoðlu: Bir utanç dosyasý daha: Düþünceye hacir…

 

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Taha Kývanç: Bir hatýrlatma ve bir açýklama

 

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Hayrettin Karaman: Yoksulluk zenginlerin de meselesidir

 

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Tamer Korkmaz: “Rektör”dür, “Yasakçý”dýr, “Yabancý”dýr…

 

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Ýbrahim Karagül: Jitem'den Uður Mumcu'ya, Ergenekon'dan Hizbullah'a

 

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Fatma K. Barbarosoðlu: Daha fazla demokrasi, herkes için demokrasi!

 

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Yusuf Kaplan: Osmanlý'yý durdurdular; þimdi sýra Türkiye'de!

 

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Üniversite kaygýlý

 

AB diplomatladý: Türbanda geniþ uzlaþý iyi olur

 

Ýzmir’de türban gerginliði

 

Vatandaþýný tehdit olarak gören devlet ilerleyemez

 

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Baþörtüsü, üniversitelerde hiçbir zaman huzursuzluk çýkarmadý

 

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Yasa neyi emrediyorsa onu uygularýz

 

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Çiçek: Kimse Anayasa Mahkemesi üzerine ipotek koymasýn

 

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Büyükanýt'ýn sözlerini yorumladý: Kimse gölge etmesin yeter

 

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Kuzu, 'þahsi kanaat' sözüne açýklýk getirdi

 

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 CHP'nin saðlam kaleleri bölünecek

 

Yalýn Doðan Ya bizdensin ya düþman

 

Özdemir Ýnce Nato kafa nato mermer

 

Mehmet Barlas Ýktidarý eleþtirirken mutlaka “Medya susturulmuþ” da demelisiniz …

 

Yalçýn Bayer  Madrid’deki turizm fuarýnda Büyükþehir’in türbaný çýktý

 

Mehmet Y Yýlmaz Hediyelerle ilgili bir ’ahlak’ sözleþmesi

 

Tufan Türenç Arý kovanýna çomak soktular

 

Güneri CIVAOÐLU
Miðfer deðil, baþörtüsü

 

Bekir Coþkun Kültür Baþkenti’nde patlama...

 

Ýsmet Berkan - 'Control freak'

 

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Türker Alkan - Kaybet-kaybet

 

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H. Gökhan Özgün - Ýki mezhebin ulemasý kapýþýyor

 

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Hakký Devrim - Büyükanýt'ýn gel-gel haberi

 

BÜLENT KORUCU - Baþörtüsü þeklini Baykal belirlesin!

 

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MUSTAFA ÜNAL - Büyükanýt'ýn mesajý

 

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ÝHSAN DAÐI - 'Ýlerici', 'Gerici', 'Üçüncü Yol'cu

 

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HÜSEYÝN GÜLERCE - Silahlý Kuvvetler ve çeteler...

 

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Babacan'dan söz: 301 çok yakýnda

 

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04:00 Referanduma gitme

 

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Ece TEMELKURAN
Baþörtülü 'bebekler'

 

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'Kimse gölge etmesin baþka þey istemeyiz'

 

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Mumcu'dan türban çözümü

 

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Ankara'da sýcak gündem

 

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AKP’li Kuzu: Büyükanýt fevkalade sorumlu

 

Parlak: Baþörtüsüne izin vermeyeceðiz

 

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MUHARREM SARIKAYAAnayasal deðiþim

 

ERDAL ÞAFAKBurasý Türkiye

 

ERGUN BABAHANUtanmak ve hesap sormak

 

EMRE AKÖZ Muhafazakâr-ataerkil aileler türbana özgürlük istiyor mu?

 

Umur TaluKöle düzeni bu!

 

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMANTürban ilk kez resmen yasak/lanýyor!

 

NAZLI ILICAKSarý Kýz ve Ay Iþýðý

 

MAHMUT ÖVÜRTürban konusunda "ulema" neden susuyor

 

YAVUZ DONAT Türk-Alman üniversitesi
Serdar Akinan
Enkaz altýnda

 

 

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

'Her an sürprizle karþýlaþabiliriz'

 

Ercan Kumcu Bize bir þey olmaz edebiyatý

 

Faiz indirimi çözer mi?
Uður Gürses

 

Türk-Ýþ'in zor günleri
ENGÝN ÜNSAL

 

Erdal Saðlam

 

Hurþit GÜNEÞ
FED çok geç kaldý, tüm dünya daha yavaþ büyüyecek

 

Vahap Munyar 18 milyar dolar mortgage zararý yazan Citigroup Akbank’ý býrakýr mý

 

Merkez Bankasý'ndan yerel seçim uyarýsý

OKAN MÜDERRÝSOÐLU
'Dalganýn ortasýndayýz ihtiyatlý olun'

OKAN MÜDERRÝSOÐLU
Küresel riskler 3 þekilde etkileyebilir

 

2015 kadar 903 bin konuta ihtiyaç var

09:05 Ocak ayýnda borsa yüzde 23.12 deðer kaybetti

 

Güngör URAS
Merkez enflasyon hedefini tutturamýyor

 

Deniz Gökçe
ABD’de büyüme oraný ve faiz kararý açýklandý...

 

ScienceDirect - Economic Modelling : An analysis of regime shifts in the Turkish economy

 

Türkiye 15,5 milyar dolar dýþ borç ödeyecek

H4 New York Times Drawn and Quartered By SELIG S. HARRISON Given enough American pressure, a loosely united, confederated Pakistan could be preserved by reinstating and liberalizing the 1973 Constitution.

 

One on One in Debate, Democrats Set Aim at G.O.P.  Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama delivered their final arguments on who is better prepared for the White House.

Debate Recap | Transcript

TV Watch: An Evening of Dueling Niceties

 

China’s Inflation Hits American Price Tags  Higher costs in China could spell the end of an era of ultra-cheap goods, as well as the beginning of China’s rise from the lowest rungs of global manufacturing.

 

In Report, Officers Call for Major Overhaul of NATO

DAVID BROOKS The McCain Transition John McCain has to transition from being an insurgent to being the leader of a broad center-right coalition.

 

Support for Israeli Premier Amid Calls to Resign

 

Fireworks Explosion in Istanbul Kills 22

 

Chinese Blizzards Reveal Rail Limits

 

Rights Group Says U.S. Is Too Eager to Endorse Suspect Elections

 

China Accuses Online Activist of Subversion

 

Suicide Attack in Mosque Kills an Afghan Deputy Governor

 

Senior Qaeda Commander Is Killed by U.S. Missile

 

US Seeks Deal for Broad Goals in Iraq

 

As McCain Wins, Critics on Right Look Again  The possibility that Senator John McCain may carry the Republican banner is causing anguish for the right

 

Enlisting New Donors, Obama Reaped $32 Million in January  Senator Barack Obama tapped 170,000 new contributors to rake in nearly double the highest one-month total for any candidate in this election cycle.

 

Research Groups Boom in Washington

Editorial Pakistani P.R. The cracks in Pervez Musharraf's sunny public-relations facade in Europe last week were not hard to see

PAUL KRUGMAN The Edwards Effect The two Democratic candidates left standing are, to a large extent, running on the platform that John Edwards built

 

H5 Washington Post The NATO Emerging in Afghanistan By Victoria Nuland,  On-the-job training in how to fight a 21st-century insurgency.

 

Al-Qaeda Figure Is Killed in Pakistan

Senior Commander Blamed in Bombing At U.S. Afghan Base

 

The McCain Divide? The GOP vs. Conservatives By E. J. Dionne Jr., 

Some on the right feel it would be less damaging to their cause to lose the 2008 election than to win with John McCain

 

Clawing for a Legacy By Charles Krauthammer Obama's assessment is so obviously true: Reagan was consequential. Clinton was not.

 

Head to Head, Clinton, Obama Shelve Rancor Democrats Point to Differences -- Especially With Republicans Clinton, Obama Debate Change vs. Experience  The candidates, five days before Super Tuesday, fall back on the paradigm that has defined the competition, but draw sharp policy differences

 

Bush Signals Troop Level May Stay Stable

 

Fears of Global Fallout Set In

As the ripple effect of the U.S. subprime-mortgage collapse spreads around world, boom times end.

 

Eltahawy: Change? Competence? Not In Egypt

 

Power Barometer: Bad News for Gaza

 

Rights Group Faults U.S. for Support of Autocrats

 

A Matchup Starts to Take Shape By David S. Broder,  Heading into Super Tuesday, a degree of order is finally emerging in the dramatic races for the presidential nominations of both parties.

 

A Good Fight By Peter Beinart,  The Clinton-Obama race is close, fierce and at times petty, but enduring the nastiness could actually help him or her in the general election.

 

Is McCain a Conservative? By Robert D. Novak

Describing Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito as too conservative isn't the best way to convince skeptics

 

What A.Q. Khan Knows  How Pakistan's Proliferator Could Help in Pyongyang By Selig S. Harrison 

 

Editorial Four in the Forefront The departure of John Edwards and Rudolph Giuliani brings the presidential race into focus.

 

'Appalling Gap' Found in Homeland Defense Readiness National Guard, Reserve Forces Lack Sufficient Personnel, Training to Respond to Crisis in U.S., Report Says

 

In North Korea, Process Over Progress By Michael Gerson By my count, at least five former high-level Bush administration officials are deeply disillusioned with the current policy on North Korea.

 

The Electability Thing y Eugene Robinson,  One could make the argument that all four of the leading candidates still remaining are potentially unelectable.

 

 2009 Budget Seeks Spending Freeze

Bush Looks to Cut Health Programs

 

H6 Guardian Infatuated with Sarkozy's infatuation, France is blind to his recklessness Simon Jenkins: The president is eager to give France a new world confidence, but he has so far proved impetuous in matters of heart and state

 

Failing state Afghanistan: It is hard to be hopeful about Afghanistan. Sliding away from progress, the country has begun a fretful, violent descent towards calamity that all the efforts of Nato, aid agencies and Afghans seem unable to stop

 

Bin Laden aide killed in US strike
Al-Qaida figure in Afghanistan, seen as one of Bin Laden's top six lieutenants, is killed

 

Demise of al-Qaida's 'director of communictions'

 

Iraqi cleric threatens to end militia freeze Senior aides to Shia cleric Muqtada al-Sadr warn US and Iraqi government to halt attacks on Sadr's followers

 

Clinton and Obama try detente

Rivals debate Iraq, experience and healthcare - but strive for Democratic party unity

 

McCain and Obama gain momentum
Schwarzenegger endorses Republican frontrunner
The man Democrats fear most

 

Race tightens as candidates head to California With the Democratic contest now a one-on-one duel, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama are venturing west

 

Olmert absolved despite Lebanon
Inquiry does not blame Israeli PM, but says war did not achieve goals

 

UK and US accused of hypocrisy over despots · Human rights group says west ignores flawed polls
· Countries only act when it is politically convenient

 

Watched to Death By: Yvonne Roberts
In watching 24-hour coverage of the horrific violence in Kenya, are we keeping abreast of the news -- or turning into voyeurs?

H7  

 

Arming the Middle East  by Stephen Zunes

 

The Economist Israel, Egypt and the Gaza Strip The shifting balance of power 

 

Gaza  A Hamas hardliner 

 

Gaza and Kenya  Young, alive but not very heaven 

 

Israel's war in Lebanon  A prime minister gets away with it 

 

Lebanon  Sliding back to civil war? 

 

Documentary: Arab unity
Two parts, Al Jazeera.

 

Were They Really So Wrong?
Jewish Exponent Neocon ideas are believed to have sunk Bush, but are the alternatives realistic?

 

Is Iraq “the single worst strategic mistake in American history”? When it comes to mistakes, Iraq has a lot of competition, starting with Korea... more»

 

Estimating Excess Mortality in Post-Invasion Iraq
Source: New England Journal of Medicine

 

WINEP Setbacks in Arab League Mediation on Lebanon

 

Daily Star The US should let Iran's contradictions play out
By Mark Fitzpatrick

 

Winograd acknowledges one lost opportunity but misses a larger one

 

Talking about Lebanon with Bobby Fischer
   
By Julie Flint

 

Al Hayat Pre-Summit Mines Mohamed Salah - Arabs have lost the ability to make big decisions or decisive stances that achieve the interests of individual states. Whether the meetings of the Arab League board are held at the level of foreign ministers or as part of a urgent and exceptional or regular sessions, the differences among Arab states persist

 

Newsweek Victor: The Oil Paradox

 

Juan Cole Cole in Salon: "Blowback from the GOP's Holy War'

 

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanýlabilir deðil.

 

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

 

 

Bush Signing Statement Waives Ban on Permanent Iraq Bases

 

New Commander's Baghdad Strategy: 'Preserve Gains'

 

US Teams Seek Progress in Iraq Provinces

 

US Cool on Maliki's Vow of Final Drive Against Mosul

 

Iran Conservative Coalition to Unveil Candidates

 

Iraq 'set for oil price windfall'

 

[Fbis] OSC: OSC Report: Lebanon -- Hizballah Hints at Withdrawing Support for Sulayman  

 

Bitter Winds Buffet Iraq's New Flag

 

Ahmadinejad Sees Nuclear Energy in Iran by 2009 By: Nazila Fathi | The New York Times
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran said Wednesday that his country would produce nuclear energy by next year and condemned Israel as a “filthy entity” that would soon collapse

 

[Fbis] OSC: Iraq -- Al-Mahdawiyah Movement Accuses Clerics of Indulging in Mundane Affairs  

 

[Fbis] OSC: Iraqi Force Prevents Iranian Ambassador From Visiting Head of Al-Tawafuq Front  

 

[Fbis] OSC: Iraqi Interior Minister Al-Bulani Expects Further Reduction in Attacks in 2008  

 

The Arab World's Exception: Women Are on the Rise in Algeria

 

BBC Monitoring Headlines, Quotes From Iraqi Press 31 Jan 08

 

Pentagon Official: US Arms for Iraqis Ending Up in Terrorist Hands

 

Iraq Looks to Reclaim Tradition with Revival of Agricultural Sector

 

Al-Ahram Weekly on Egypt and Gaza

 

Syria Moves the Goalposts on the Lebanese Presidency

H9 Ha’aretz  Top IDF brass: Winograd war report is an 'earthquake' Military advocate general: Report does not require delaying advancement of officers involved in the war

 

Fall on the right swordIf Olmert thought he was going to be 'let off' by the Winograd Committee, like he got away from the large number of other investigations against him, he was mistaken

 

Lebanon: Winograd sets scene for future war

 

Winograd Report / In war's final days, Israel evaded painful concessions

 

Who will trust him in the next warThe only reason Prime Minister Ehud Olmert must be replaced is his incompetence.

 

An army run like a jungleDuring the Lebanon war it was clear the army was not delivering the goods the political leaders expected. But there was no room for Olmert and Peretz to be surprised.

 

High-stakes rollerIf a report were to be written about the Winograd war probe report, it would discern "serious failures" in it.

 

The Winograd report is one of Israel's wisest texts.

 

Confused? So are we

 

Not despite Iraq - because of Iraq

 

Haaretz-Dialog poll: Third of public calls for Olmert to stay  

 

Construction halted at site near J'lem despite pledge to Shas

 

Israel's new TESCAR spy satellite transmits first top quality images 23:47

 

Netanyahu: Olmert is incompetent, not fit to lead state

 

Senior Labor Party sources: Barak expected to stay in office

 

Rosner's Guest: Too many Jewish organizations?

 

Amnesty Int'l: Winograd report didn't tackle Israel's war crimes 01:51

 

Gunmen shoot at Israeli embassy in Mauritania

 

Jerusalem Post Analysis: 33 years after Agranat, the IDF is left to pick up the pieces again  With enlistment numbers dropping, the top command will face many more challenges in the years to come

 

Analysis: Olmert survives again

With one paragraph, Winograd took hale gusts out of any public outcry.

 

Analyze This: Olmert must look beyond mere survival Each Kassam, terror attack, halt in talks with PA and illegal outpost will now exact a political price

 

Defense minister will decide on...

In wake of Winograd, Barak won't quit gov't or push for elections, but weighs pressing Kadima to replace...

 

Mashaal: Schalit alive in good condition

Says he's "astonished" Israel so worried about one soldier when it holds 12,000 Palestinian prisoners

 

One on One: Out of Egypt

Why the Muslim Brotherhood is key to the 'Islamic universe'.

 

We could do a lot worse than Livni

[ DAVID KIMCHE

 

Letter from Saudi Arabia to Caroline Glick  H.A. , JAN

 

Analysis: A small victory for Israel in UNSC

 

Nasrallah: Winograd proves we won

 

Yedioth Ahronoth End of democracy  Winograd committee’s wish to outlaw mistakes would lead to paralysis, Yoram Kaniuk says

 

Army needs reeducation Deteriorating IDF values more worrisome than technical aspects of poor performance

 

Will we see an earthquake?

 

Daily Alert.orgMiddle East Progress - EJC Israeli Press Review Google News Israel - Palestine

 

Martin Peretz / The New Republic:
Can Friends of Israel—and Jews—Trust Obama?

 

The Economist The Gaza Strip

Hamas won't go away 

 

BBC Egypt tightens Gaza border gaps  Egypt stops Palestinians vehicles from crossing the Gaza border, as talks begin in Cairo to resolve the crisis.

Crisis puts Egypt on the spot

Breach key to Gaza's future

 

Israeli embassy in Mauritania attacked

 

 My Jewish Problem—And Ours

 

Winograd views
Israelis react to Lebanon war report

 

Gazans Want to Get Deeper Into Egypt

 

Churchill and the Jews by Martin Gilbert Churchil's Promised Land by Michael Makovsky

Reviewed by Hillel Halkin

 

Abdul studies by day, but at night he builds bombs for the Islamic Jihad in Gaza. He and his friends can produce 100 every night... more»

 

Gaza Strip will never be part of Egypt, says Mubarak - in another barbed comment against Israel

 

Israel’s future defense concepts must apply maximum security to the home front

 

Olmert's Shame By: Barbara Opall-Rome | New York Post
Luckily for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, modern Hebrew has no word for "accountability" -- and even the concept has trouble breaking through in Israel's political system.

 

Light Through the Wall By: Fida Qishta | International Herald Tribune
Israel placed Gaza under a siege after Hamas won the Palestinian elections and tightened the siege after Palestinians captured an Israeli soldier near Rafah in late June 2006. We have had little electricity, fuel, money, food or medicine since.

 

A Barrage Against Israel By: Robin Shepherd | The London Times
Yesterday's publication of the Winograd report into Israel's prosecution of the 2006 campaign against Hezbollah in Lebanon provides a new opportunity for commentators to demonstrate their capacity for sober, balanced analysis.

 

[Fbis] OSC: Israeli Poll: Majority Believe Olmert Should Resign, Netanyahu Top Choice for PM  

H10 Christian Science Monitor

 Fed's main task: Save the banks

Aggressive moves to cut interest rates by America's central bank are intended to stave off a financial meltdown.

 

 

ASIA

 

China battles rising prices, snowstormsWith monthly inflation at 6.5 percent, Beijing applies its first price controls in 15 years

 

China's Complicit Capitalists - Far Eastern Economic Review

Kellee S. Tsai says the idea that Chinese capitalists will foster political reform is pure hokum.

 

The Economist Suharto 

 

The death of Suharto Epitaph on a crook and a tyrant 

 

Afghanistan's tribal complexity In the dark 

 

Pakistan On edge 

 

Asia Times Russian turbulence for Indian airbase
An Indian military outpost in Tajikistan was expected to irritate Islamabad and Beijing, not Moscow. Russia's pressure, which has led to the project being stalled, is a wake-up call for India's big-power dreams and a reminder to Delhi that it can't expect a strategic beachhead in Central Asia if it continues to pursue close ties with the Americans. - Sudha Ramachandran

 

Mission creep in AfghanistanThe new-wave United States counter-insurgency approach looks a lot like old-school peacekeeping as the military reaches out to Afghanistan's younger generation. Troops on the ground tell Philip Smucker that taking the fight to the enemy these days is not simply a matter of firing off bombs and bullets

 

What A.Q. Khan Knows By: Selig S. Harrison | The Washington Post
Either Kim Jong Il or Pervez Musharraf is lying about whether Pakistan's Dr. Strangelove, Abdul Qadeer Khan, gave centrifuges to North Korea for uranium enrichment.

 

Mission Creep in Afghanistan By: Philip Smucker | Asia Times
The new-wave United States counter-insurgency approach looks a lot like old-school peacekeeping as the military reaches out to Afghanistan's younger generation.

 

Pakistani Taliban Warlord Arises as Terrorist Leader

 

Karzai Doubts More Troops Would Help Afghan Situation

 

New Bid to Control Pakistan’s Tribal Belt By: Paul Sappenfield | The Christian Science Monitor
After years of Pakistani indecision and US deference, the fight against Pakistan's terrorists, it appears, is now entering a new stage.

 

Have Asian economies really "decoupled" from the United States? The Financial Times takes a look at how the East is handling the U.S. economic slowdown.

 

Calls Grow for Shift in Afghan Policy By: David R. Sands | The Washington Times
The Bush administration faces increasing pressure to make a major policy course correction on Afghanistan, shifting the focus from Iraq to fight a resurgent terrorist threat and build up the faltering government in Kabul.

 

CFR C. Peter McColough Series on International Economics: Rebalancing the US-China Economic Relationship (Video)

 

From Virginia Quarterly Review, a special series of Dispatches from Afghanistan.

 

Pakistan's Political Future: An Alternative Perspective
CSIS
The 23-page transcript of an address on Pakistan's political future and the discussion following it


Wild weather hits power supply
China's president urges miners to step up coal production as winter storms strain supplies

 

Delhi's Tentative Step Into the 21st Century By: Jo Johnson | Financial Times
Many had come to believe that they would never see this day. More than two years behind schedule, the expressway linking New Delhi to its airport and to Gurgaon, a fast-growing satellite city teeming with malls and call centres, has opened at last.

 

Japan-China Relations: Building a Creative Partnership Requires Creative Approaches By: Fan Li and Qinghong Wang | The Japan Times
Rather than a top-down approach to bridge building, Japan and China need stronger ties at a civil level to spread ideas faster than any government can.

 

U.S. Urges Fairness in Pakistani Election By: Robin Wright | The Washington Post
With just 18 days until a pivotal election, the United States is pressing Pakistan to help end the intimidation of candidates and voters by intelligence officers and local government officials, which could discredit the election's outcome and provoke new instability, according to U.S. and Pakistani sources.

 

Pakistan's New Breed of Ruthless Leaders By: Susanne Koelbl | Der Spiegel
A new generation of Taliban fighters has taken over in Pakistan's tribal regions near the Afghan border. Their ruthless leader is believed to have been involved in the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto.

 

Spring rush

Transport disruptions mean China’s migrant workers are being urged to party at the factory

 

 

Say No to Nukes in the Arctic By: Daisaku Ikeda | The Japan Times
The Arctic is the barometer of the globe's environmental health. The testing and deployment of nuclear weapons in the region threatens to compound global warming.

 

Talibanization and nukes

One wing of the Taliban movement, led by Baitullah Mehsud, who is said to have ordered Benazir Bhutto's assassination, wants to focus on the Talibanization of Pakistan.

 

 

Has Defeat at the Polls Deterred Chávez? By: Marifeli Perez-Stable | Miami Herald
Hugo Chávez is all over the place. One day, he's basking in the release of two Colombian women held hostage by the FARC for years. The next he's asking Alvaro Uribe's government to grace the narcoguerrillas with "belligerent status," a nonstarter if there ever was one.

 

Uncle Sam's Latin Challenge By: Peter Brookes | New York Post
Latinoamericanos accuse Uncle Sam of neglecting their needs at the same time they chastise us for unwelcome meddling. And the rise of leftist anti-Yanqui leaders has many Norteamericanos lamenting what they see as a precipitous decline in America's influence to the South.

 

H11 IHT  Putting Pakistan together again By SELIG S. HARRISON

The Pakistani state is not likely to survive for long unless it is radically restructured.

 

Don't dump Olmert By URI DROMI Israelis prefer to carry on with their prime minister rather than rock the boat even further.

 

Report calls for a radical overhaul of NATO group of former senior officers has called for a radical overhaul of the Atlantic alliance, which they say is paralyzed by cumbersome decision-making rules and inequitable funding arrangements.

 

South Carolina, then and now y WILLIAM PFAFF  Truman made the U.S. Army into the most important tool of black liberation since Emancipation.

 

Inflation hits record pace in euro zone nalysts see the data as stiffening the European Central Bank's resolve to hold fast on interest rates next week

 

Brussels warns France on protecting Société Générale

 

Name-calling and shouting disrupt European Parliament
The Parliament sees itself as a symbol of European reconciliation and any mention of Nazism and World War II is considered by many as off limits. That taboo was broken on Thursday

 

 

EUROPE European press review

 

A review of The Monopoly of Violence: Why Europeans Hate Going to War by James J. Sheehan (and more and more).

 

A new Cold War face-off is looming in the Balkans
   
By Morton Abramowitz

Heritage The EU Reform Treaty: Why Washington Should Be Concerned

 

Conservative Dissent on Kosovo

 

Merkel’s CDU tries to cool racism row The German chancellor’s Christian Democrats have sought to deflect accusations of xenophobia that have seen support for the party plummet in a regional poll

 

Slovenia heads EU as Balkan neighbors begin to stir

Serbs vote Sunday in polls in which Kosovo independence is a central issue. Slovenia was once part of Yugoslavia

 

Electoral reform tops concerns as Italy seeks new governmentAs economic woes mount, Italians want to make it more difficult for members of small coalitions to topple a government

 

Italy's government Unsteady as she goes 

 

Inflation in the eurozone is at a 14-year high

 

Kosovo declaration 'not imminent'
Kosovo's PM Hashim Thaci hints that an independence declaration may be delayed, but does not say how long.

 

[Fbis] OSC: Basescu Says Romania To Refuse To Recognize Kosovo Independence  

 

Decoupling: Can Europe Avoid a Recession? CEPS
A 3-page commentary exploring whether Europe will follow the US into a likely recession

 

The European Union as a Normative Foreign Policy Actor CEPS

 

Book Launch: Preying on the State: The Transformation of Bulgaria After 1989

 

Biofuels and Development: Will the EU Help or Hinder? ODI

 

Climate Change Meets Trade
CEPS A 2-page commentary outlining challenges facing the EU resulting from the emergence of a global joint climate-trade agenda

 

Ownership Unbundling in Energy Markets IFRI An overview of the European debate on the ownership and regulation of energy transport infrastructure in Europe

 

Third man’s key role in Serbian poll

With Serbia again on the verge of a historic election finale, Velimir Ilic’s loyal supporters can swing the run-off result on Sunday either way, analysts say

 

H12 RFE/RL

 

Google News Azerbaijan

 

Georgia's Future Path By: Alcee L. Hastings and Lloyd Doggett | The Washington Times Since 2003, little Georgia has played an outsized role in post-Soviet politics and history. It was here that the opposition first rejected a fraudulent election and mobilized a popular resistance movement that succeeded in ousting President Eduard Shevardnadze.

 

[Fbis] OSC: Russia's Medvedev says state corporations are 'no sacred cows'  

 

Medvedev's Amorphous Political Agenda By: Georgy Bovt | The Moscow Times
As a presidential candidate, what values and ideas does First Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev stand for? According to the latest VTsIOM survey, with only five weeks remaining until the March 8 presidential election, 65 percent of the people still have no idea

 

[Fbis] OSC: Ukraine's Yushchenko Expects WTO Membership To Provide 'Leverage' Against Russia  

 

Liberals Call for Friendlier Face Abroad By: Caterina Stewart and Anna Smolchenko | The Moscow Times
Two of the country's top liberal government officials broke ranks with the Kremlin on Wednesday, calling for a change in the country's increasingly strident foreign policy to ensure a stable platform for investors.

 

Russia's Regression - Michael Weiss, Weekly Standard

 

The Economist Russia's presidency

The pseudoelection 

 

H13 The TimesMcCain's amazing bloodless coup What happened this week could have ramifications greater than a black or woman president Gerard Baker

 

$3 trillion budget leaves little for Bush to bank on President Bush has reached a landmark spending figure but the proposals illustrate the tough choices that his successor will face

Bronwen Maddox

 

Mission Seep Nato is in severe danger of letting Afghanistan slip away

 

Iraqi oil production hits post-invasion record Better security means production is expected to pass the prewar level of 2.6 million barrels a day by the end of the year

 

Iraq's lifeblood flows under the desert sands The success of a heavily guarded oil pipeline is welcome not just for Baghdad but for the world

 

Big Oil vs Bad Oil

There is nothing wrong with making a profit, but Shell must stop drilling tar sands

 

Obama fundraiser 'close friend' of corrupt Iraqi

Tony Rezko was jailed over undeclared payment of $3.5 million from an Iraqi-British billionaire, The Times has learnt

 

Wall Street Journal

NATO's Afghan Failure
Canada calls NATO's bluff on Afghanistan. Review & Outlook

 

Buried WMD Scoop
What Saddam told his U.S. interrogator. Review & Outlook

 

The McCain Calculus
By Kimberley A. Strassel
Potomac Watch:
Simply put: The Arizona senator has a better chance to win.

 

Romney's Convictions
Mitt Romney has emerged as the last Republican with a chance to stop John McCain. The main doubt has been whether he believes in anything enough to stick to it if he did become President. Review & Outlook,,

 

Journalism Is Not a Capital Crime
By Khaled Hosseini
The death of Sayed Parwez Kaambakhsh would be a huge setback for Afghanistan.

 

Asia Times Bernanke hits
the joy button

Alan Greenspan's small though gradual interest rate changes limited the risk of damaging the economy. His Fed successor, Ben Bernanke, shows no such restraint as big rate cuts pile up in quick succession. But there will come a time when he will have to stop. - Julian Delasantellis

 

H14 Financial Times Olmert is alone after Annapolis Most people want Middle East peace, but far fewer seem ready to accept the short-term risks unavoidable in the quest for long-term security, writes Philip Stephens

 

Buyers, not savers, caused America’s deficit As Federal Reserve chairman, Alan Greenspan misunderstood the nature and seriousness of America’s current account deficit. Policymakers today must take heed, says Richard Duncan

 

High time for all of us to ‘buck up’ It is far from obvious that we face a major worldwide recession, and there is no need to talk ourselves into one, writes Samuel Brittan

 

Global investment forecast to drop

 

Fed attacks in the face of uncertainty

The Fed has more data than anyone on the state of the US economy, so the only choice is to trust it to run the risks it judges necessary

 

Grasping the nettle arling could use this year’s Budget to launch a three-year plan designed gradually to tighten fiscal policy further by – say – £3bn-4bn a year 

 

Kremlin economics Putin’s drive to restore Russia’s lost great-power status through assertive foreign policy has widespread support. It may not change much under Medvedev 

 

Eurozone inflation soars to 14-year high A surge to 3.2 per cent has strengthened the European Central Bank’s case for resisting interest rate cuts even as the region’s growth slows 

 

Copy China and invest abroad, says MedvedevRussia’s most likely next president has urged his country’s business people to follow the Chinese example and go on a buying spree of foreign companies to bolster the economy Russian business must ‘win new markets’

 

Opec set to keep unchanged output

Set to rebuff oil-consuming countries’ pleas

 

US strategy on Taliban attacked

The Bush administration faced domestic criticism over Afghanistan as legislators from both parties and a Nato general hit out at what they say is a failing effort to defeat the insurgents

 

US developer in $1bn Dubai property test case

Capital Partners is suing a quasi-governmental company, claiming its investment in a project in the emirate was unjustly cancelled amid a contractual dispute

 

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: Government meddling will provoke resource wars

 

WORLD NEWS: Bipartisan rift hits economic stimulus plans

 

The McCain surge Clive Crook’s blog: For all the things they dislike about John McCain, Republicans seem to like his character. And above all, of course, they like his electability

 

Against crude Keynesianism

Economists’ Forum: Do we need to revise our view of what conventional monetary and fiscal policy ought to be, asks Robert Skidelsky

 

Can the Fed cut stave off a recession?

Forum: The Federal Reserve has cut interest rates by a further 50 basis points. Will it be enough?

 

FT.com / Comment & analysis / Comment - Stop behaving as whiner of first resort  "The same voices that supported tough macroeconomic policies ... in east Asia, Russia and Latin America are today pushing for a significant relaxation in the US to deal with the so-called subprime crisis."

 

German unemployment falls sharply

The German economy continued to create jobs at a brisk rate in January, according to fresh statistics released by the Federal Labour Agency showing a seasonally adjust fall of 89,000 in the number of jobseekers 

 

 

 

H15 Los Angeles Times Clinton targets Obama in run-up to Super Tuesday In Hollywood, the remaining candidates point to differences between themselves, and the Republicans

 

Obamania in action Rosa Brooks

His good judgment and experience are winning over party stalwarts.

 

A gentler capitalism y David Callahan A sea change may be afoot in how American business views its role in society

Trying to mend his faith

By Richard Fausset  Jimmy Carter has brought together warring factions, but it's divisions in his own church that he can't seem to resolve

 

H16 American Politics

 

Clinton, Obama debate -- cordially

 

The Economist America's election Once again, the greatest show on earth 

 

Obama: Most Liberal Senator In 2007 

 

McCain's Unseen Adversary: Ageism

 

Donors break record to back Obama

Barack Obama said he had raised a record-breaking $32m in January, a powerful demonstration of his ability to stay in the race beyond next week’s Super Tuesday vote and all the way to the Democratic convention in August if ­necessary.

Obama seeks Latino vote to win California

Commercials promoting Barack Obama’s campaign for US president are in high rotation in California on Univision, the Spanish-language television channel that rivals the main US networks for viewer share in the southern part of the state

Mike Huckabee: a conservative with a social gospel

 

Obama on the record

Candidate Barack Obama frequently promises to soar above partisan politics. But the theatrics of such declarations keep bumping into the reality of Mr. Obama's left-liberal record in Washington and the left-liberal record in Illinois state politics which preceded it.

Looking to Super-Duper Tuesday

Is Hollywood for Hillary? Are Arizona’s Jews for McCain? Will Massachusetts follow Ted Kennedy’s lead? The Forward staff offers a coast-to-coast survey of the national mood in the run-up to Super Tuesday

 

Gallup Daily: Tracking Election 2008  —

 

Bill Clinton: Clawing for a Legacy - Charles Krauthammer, Washington Post

 

The Giuliani Campaign, RIP

 

The Republicans

Goodbye, Rudy Tuesday 

 

 

Disowned by the Ownership Society - Naomi Klein, The Nation

 

realclearpoliticsABC’s The Note US News Political Bulletin

Early Bird GovExec Swamp Gas The Swamp

 

Recession fears
Tracking the growing troubles of the US economy in graphics

WORLD NEWS: Democratic rivals eye Edwards' supporters

 

Salon How close were Barack Obama and Tony Rezko?

H17 Daily Telegraph The state of Gaza should shame us all We have invested our hopes in the promise of a renewed peace process, but this has allowed us to turn from the realities of the suffering, says Oxfam's Barbara Stocking

 

A battle of experience v charisma

Senator John McCain and Barack Obama make a fascinating contrast and, if nominated by their respective parties, the contest would be scintillating

 

Clinton sets sights on the black vote Hillary Clinton has mounted a carefully choreographed appeal to black voters in Georgia in her bid to dent Barack Obama's popularity in the southern states.

 

Middle America warms to Obama

The temperature had dropped to minus 20, but the citizens of Kansas City were not to be deterred from keeping their date with Barack Obama, writes Con Coughlin.

 

Basra has seared the British Army's soul Allan Mallinson believes the MoD report on abuse and death in custody of Iraqi civilians is even more damning than first appeared.

 

Why won't bankers say sorry for mess?

As headline follows headline of financial catastrophe today and economic doom tomorrow, there are plenty of villains to choose from, writes Martin Vander Weyer

 

White boys are school 'underclass'

Leader: Save our schools

 

H18 Independent  Robert Fisk: The curious case of the forged biography It arrived for me in Beirut under plain cover, a brown envelope containing a small, glossy paperback in Arabic, accompanied by a note from an Egyptian friend. "Robert!" it began. "Did you really write this?"

 

Hillary courts Deep South vote in Obama's backyard

 

An online glimpse of Putin's heir

He enjoys endless coverage on state television, the personal backing of President Vladimir Putin, and polls say he is expected to win seven out of every 10 votes.

 

Oil fields of plenty? Despite making £93m a day, Royal Dutch Shell has not impressed the markets, concerned by resource nationalism and rising extraction costs.

 

Freedom Of Information: Government blocks access to secret military papers on Diego Garcia

H19Military Intelligence Terrorism

 

"The Warrior Ethos and Soldier Combat Skills," U.S. Army Field Manual FM 3-21.75, January 2008 (316 pages in a very large 28 MB PDF file). "Modern combat is chaotic, intense, and shockingly destructive," the document states. "In your first battle, you will experience the confusing and often terrifying sights, sounds, smells, and dangers of the battlefield--but you must learn to survive and win despite them."

"The Warrior Culture, a shared set of important beliefs, values, and assumptions, is crucial and perishable. Therefore, the Army must continually affirm, develop, and sustain it, as it maintains the nation's existence."

 

Sources: Al Qaeda's No. 3 man killed 

 

Did the CIA just pull off another Predator drone strike in Pakistan

 

Ministers face tough choices on weapons cuts Guardian

Richard Norton-Taylor

Ministers and officials are drawing up plans for sweeping cuts and delays in most of Britain's big weapons projects as they face the biggest crisis in the defence budget since the end of the cold war, according to government and independent sources. Huge orders for aircraft carriers, ships, fighter jets, and hi-tech vehicles are accumulating at a time when running costs are (...)

 

Estimating Excess Mortality in Post-Invasion Iraq
Source: New England Journal of Medicine

 

Modernize U.S. Reserve and Guard, federal panel says

Deployments are up nearly fivefold since 2001, but they operate like a cold-war force.

 

Israeli space satellites in danger?

 

Al Qaeda commander in Pakistan reportedly killed in U.S. missile strike

 

Averting jihad
How the Saudis are tackling potential terrorists in jail

 

Final Report to Congress and the Secretary of Defense, January 31, 2008 400 pages; PDF.
Source: Commission on National Guard and Reserves   The U.S. military isn’t ready for a catastrophic attack on the country, and National Guard forces don’t have the equipment or training they need for the job, according to a report

 

Domestic Spy War Intensifies

 

Hearing to Be Secret in KBR Iraq Case

 

US military suicides reach record level
Last year, 121 active members of the army took their own lives, up 20% on the previous year

H20 Slate   

 

Britain looks to the sea for clean energy Britain is looking toward a 10-mile-long barrier to harness the tides and a landscape dotted with giant wind turbines in the headlong rush to keep its industrial wheels turning and its homes warm

 

By 'bagging it,' Ireland rids itself of a plastic nuisancereland passed a plastic bag tax in 2002, and within a year nearly everyone bought reusable cloth shopping bags, which have made plastic bags socially unacceptable.

Environment: The Anglo-German Foundation, a research institute focused on industrial policy, has a report discussing models for environmental tax reform (PDF) in the Germany and Britain.

U.S. scraps ambitious clean-coal power plant

Citing high costs of FutureGen, the Energy Department funds less ambitious projects.

Restocking China's Environmental Tool Kit

Divisive issue
Vast US fence takes shape along border with Mexico

H21 One million people commit suicide every year globally
 
Research Groups Boom in Washington

 

The Next Question: How Can We Improve the Lives of America’s Children?

 

In praise of ... Martin Amis
A stylist with the trick of defamiliarising the familiar, Martin Amis is also a keen student of the public realm. His writing on Islamist terrorism has made him enemies; his opinions are sometimes cruder and shallower than the language that dresses them

 

Power to the People by Michael Mandelbaum
Reviewed by Arch Puddington
 
The Man on Whom Everything Was Lost Joseph Epstein  Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. led a charmed life; obliviousness, personal and political, helped.

 

The Führer Myth: How Hitler Won Over the German People

 

The severing of two undersea cables has disrupted Internet access to much of the Arab world and beyond, affecting 70 percent of Egypt's network and even 60 percent of India's.

 

Web disturbances set to continue

Disruption to internet services in south Asia and the Middle East continues after undersea cable damage.

 

Sports, dictators and democracy

By JONATHAN ZIMMERMAN

Sports provide a convenient tool for one part of a nation to oppress the rest of it.

 

How will technology change the way we shop, learn and entertain ourselves? A look ahead 10 years, and imagine a whole different world.

 

AC Grayling reviews Counterknowledge: How We Surrendered to Conspiracy Theories, Quack Medicine, Bogus Science and Fake History by Damian Thompson (and more and more and more).

 

Google profits disappoint Wall Street

Share price plunges after disappointing profits raising fears over America's economic slowdown

 

 Unions brand Shell's profits 'obscene'

Biggest annual profits in British corporate history cause storm of protest from trade union leaders

 

Google Universal Search: 2008 Edition

 

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