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H1  Guardian Thousands die in
Chinese earthquake
Rescuers struggle to reach victims as state media put death toll at 10,000 in worst affected province

 

Daily Star Four days that changed the Middle East Rami G. Khouri writes that the consequences of what has happened in the past week in Lebanon may portend an extraordinary but constructive new development: the possible emergence of the first American-Iranian joint political governance system in the Arab world.

 

Foreign Policy Brain Trusts: McCain Advisers Council on Foreign Relations

 

Financial Times Oily truth about US foreign policy  In 1973, the US imported 33% of its oil; today it imports about 60%. So far, US politicians have responded to this problem with a mix of wishful thinking and anger, writes Gideon Rachman

 

MIDDLE EAST FOCUS: Can the Arabs pull Lebanon back from the brink?

 

Food investment, not imperialism

There is a risk powerful nations will use aggressive foreign policies to secure food supplies and exclude competitors, but it has not arrived yet

 

Showdown between Hizbullah and Beirut - David Schenker
Sadly, for Washington, there are few realistic policy options to reverse the Hizbullah coup.   (Washington Institute for Near East Policy)

 

The Times Who's afraid of big bad China? Why? Chinese success is good for the world. And the more we discover about China the better Chris Patten

 

Preventing an Arms Race in Outer Space By: James Carroll | The Boston Globe The American Academy of Arts and Sciences recently published "Russian and Chinese Responses to US Military Plans in Space," a stark look at where the American project is taking the world.  Download the Paper (952 KB)

 

Debka Exclusive: Syria hardens positions, retracts peace feelers to Israel

 

Wall Street Journal From Lebanon to HezbollahstanBy Bret Stephens
Global View:
When did the transformation begin?

 

Christian Science Monitor

Medvedev's test case with the West Russia's new president inherits a tinderbox in Georgia, a NATO aspirant.

 

The Danger of Isolationism By: Andrei Kortunov | The Moscow Times Russia has only two allies -- its army and navy."" This phrase, which was originally uttered 150 years ago by Tsar Alexander III, has become quite popular over the past several years to describe Moscow's shortage of allies.

 

China's Energy Security Moves It Closer to the Middle East By: Weiming Zhao | The Daily Star
Energy consumption in China is growing as fast as the rapidly growing Chinese economy. China has changed from a net oil exporter to a net oil importer. In recent years, 40 to 50 percent of the oil that China consumes is imported. Of that, 60 percent comes from the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar and Sudan are the main suppliers.

 

Asia Times China's weakness
the greater danger

Claims that China is an emerging superpower overlook the reality that the ineffectually governed country will struggle for decades to get and stay beyond subsistence. The West, rather than fearing China's expansion, should be preparing for a dramatic setback in Chinese economic growth and resulting breakdowns in domestic order.

 

WSJ The Challenge From ChinaBy Mark Helprin
Americans would be foolish to take our military superiority for granted.

NYT DAVID BROOKS The Neural Buddhists The cognitive revolution is not going to undermine faith in God — it’s going to challenge faith in the Bible.

 

Washington Post Editorial Inauspicious VisitPresident Bush's tour of the Middle East is timed to highlight his failures

 

U.S. Outlook Is Worst Since '92, Poll Finds Results Give Democrats Edge

 

Weak and Failing States: Evolving Security Threats and U.S. Policy (Updated 18 April 2008) (PDF; 197 KB) Source: Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists)

 

Ha’aretz  Bush to Haaretz: Peace process not contingent on one man U.S. president offers words of support for Olmert, saying he is 'an honest guy' and a 'strategic thinker.' Interview with Bush: the transcript

 

Lebanese army says will use force from Tues. to stop fighting Country embroiled in worst crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, as death toll reaches over 80

 

ANALYSIS / In Lebanon, the new reality has taken over

 

Jerusalem Post 'Accept truce, or resistance will go on' Hamas says negotiations over Schalit's release will begin only after Israel agrees to hudna proposal

 

America's elusive search for Arab-Israeli peace Its optimistic, split-the-difference world view doesn't suit the regional reality.

 

Our World: How Lebanon was lost [ CAROLINE GLICK

 

Palestinian state - as elusive as ever Palestinians still blaming their suffering on everyone but themselves.

 

Obama should thank Hillary If Obama is lucky, Americans will be more concerned with the economy.

 

The Other Mideast Talks
Newsweek

 

Yedioth Ahronoth How Syria hid the reactor US report warns tactics employed by Damascus to conceal nuclear facility may be used by others

 

The Syrian option/ Yaron London As Hizbullah inches closer to Lebanon takeover, we must reassess new options

 

WSJ Brazil Joins New Economic Powers Brazil seemed out of its league when compared to dynamic emerging economies of Russia, India and China. But without great fanfare, Brazil's economy has turned a big corner. Already a power in agriculture and natural resources, it has added an elusive ingredient: a currency with staying power.

 

Lebanon's Sunni Bloc Built Militia, Officials Say By: Borzou Daragahi and Raed Rafei | Los Angeles Times The Future movement used a security firm to assemble a private force, officials say. But the fighters were no match for the Shiite group Hezbollah.

 

PostGlobal Israel Will Thrive, Flaws and All

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanýlabilir deðil.

Israel Must Adapt To Survive

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanýlabilir deðil.

Arabs Must Accept Israel

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanýlabilir deðil.

 

H2   Web exclusive: 'We are all Kemalists' by Nicholas Birch | Prospect Magazine May 2008 issue 146 Turkey's supposedly antagonistic "democratic Islamists" and "authoritarian secularists" are actually cut from the same cloth

  

Reuters Can Turkey survive without an IMFcrutch?
 

 Turkish jets bomb northern Iraq for 3rd straight night

 

EDM TURKS BECOMING MORE PESSIMISTIC AND INTROSPECTIVE

 

Gen. Baþbuð to be more restraint but...

 

Turkey’s Military and its Role in Politics

 

FT MARKETS & INVESTING: Türk Telekom in record fundraising

 

Clinton Kapatma davasýný izliyoruz, Türkiye'de demokrasiden tarafýz

 

Terörle mücadele için ‘Ýran’la iþbirliði yapýlabilir’ mesajý

 

·  Ambassador Wilson’s interview with Mustafa Balbay, Cumhuriyet Newspaper, Ankara (May 8, 2008)

 

 Ambassador Wilson’s interview with Fikret Bila, Milliyet, Ankara (May 8, 2008)

 

Ýç Basýnda Türk Dýþ Politikasý  Dýþ Basýnda Türkiye - BBC Turkish 0700 VOA TSÝ 06:30 Turkish Press Review Google News Turkey TurcoPundit      

 

 

Google News Fýrat News Agency KurdishMedia Kurdish Kurdish Aspect Dýþ Basýnda Irak  BBC Monitoring Inter-national

 

4 ajaný yakalandý

 

Four Iraqi Kurdish agents arrested at southeastern border

 

PKK is fighting back but without Iraqi Kurdish backing

 

PKK Irak’tan tasfiye ediliyor sýra Türkiye’de

 

Cevdet Aþkýn

 

Ýlnur Çevik PKK is fighting back but without Iraqi Kurdish backing

 

Hasan Cemal Kuzey Irak’ta baþlayan olumlu süreci devam ettirmek için...

 

3 bin 500 PKK'lýya sivil operasyon - Haþim Söylemez

Bilal Çetin

Teslim olan iki PKK’lý serbest

Ajanlar tutuklandý!

 

Ýran’dan PKK’ya operasyon

 

‘Yeni bombardýman’ iddiasý

 

Tamer Korkmaz: Haritalarý ellerinde kaldý!

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanýlabilir deðil.

Ýbrahim Karagül: Hizbullah Beyrut'u aldý, ABD Lübnan'ý kaybetti

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanýlabilir deðil.

Türkiye, Golan ihtilafý için ideal bir arabulucu; ama çözüm zaman alacak

 

 

 

Google News Greece Cyprus Turkish Cypriot Press ABHaber Dýþ Basýnda Türkiye-AB Ýliþkileri Günlük Haftalýk

 

M Ali BirandTürkiye'nin gerçek muhalefeti: AB

 

 ERDAL ÞAFAK AB'nin rüþvetleri

 

Ýlter Türkmen Talat-Hristofyas ikilisi ve çözüm

 

Cengiz Çandar Kýbrýs’ýn iki yanýnda...

 

Modern Müslüman demokrasisi cesaretlendirilmeli

 

The new balance in Cyprus
BARÇIN YÝNANÇ

 

How Mr Anderson gets Cyprus wrong Silvia TÝRYAKÝ

 

Back to Delphi: Greeks, Turks meet each other Ariana FERENTINOU

 

Recognition issue restricts N. Cyprus's ability to fight terrorism

 

Turkish political crisis bodes ill for Cyprus Cyprus Mail

 

Lessons from the motherlands
Cyprus Mail

 

‘Turkey should improve its image'

 

Derya Sazak Talat, AB, asker

 

TTK: We have documents refuting Armenian claims

 

OIC head Ýhsanoðlu condemns ‘unjust embargo' on KKTC

 

Can Dündar Sýrbistan dersleri

 

Hasan Kanbolat Queen makes official visit to Turkey

 

Nuh Gönültaþ CHP, Deniz Baykal ve arkadaþlarý nasýl AB düþmaný oldular!

 

Ermenistan’a ilk Türk kafilesi

 

AB Türkiye için hazýr olmalý

 

Güler Kömürcü
Kraliçem sen çok yaþa...

 

 

Hedo Okur Tuncay Nihat Altintop

 

Neden saklýyorsunuz?

Türk Telekom’dan hisse alan yabancýnýn kimliði ‘SIR’ kaldý

 

ÖSS’de katsayý yerine puan sistemi

 

Sabancý Üniversitesi’nden Hotamýþlýgil’in laboratuvarýna

 

Ruþen - Çakýr Nedir bu “Galatasaray ruhu?”

 

Diva’nýn cenazesinde medeniyetler ittifaký

 

Erdoðan’a ’attýðýný vuran’ müdür

 

Ercan: Birikmiþ gerginlik depremle boþalacak

 

Beni korkunç gösteriyorlar

 

Smokin giyecek

 

Hastane: Ýyileþti, taburcu ettik

 

Danýþtay’da baþkan yarýþý

 

Dünyanýn besin merkezi Türkiye!

 

Anadolu'nun giriþimci ruhu kraliçeleri kendine çekiyor

 

'Vurgun 58'de 14 gözaltý

 

Yayýnevi cinayetinin kilit ismi olayý hatýrlamýyor!  

Ýki þanslý eniþte daha

VATAN'ýn dün manþetten duyurduðu "Eniþtelere kýyak terfi" atamalarýna iki örnek daha...

 

Asker kaçaklarý vatandaþ kalacak

 

Leyla Gencer, Turkish-Born Soprano and a Popular Star of La Scala, Dies

 

13 Mayýs 2008 Basýn Özeti

H3 Ak Parti'de 31 Temmuz seferberliði

 

3 bin 500 PKK'lýya sivil operasyon - Haþim Söylemez

PKK kendi devlet sistemini kurmuþ - Gamze Polat

 

‘Ulusalcý’ Kanaltürk muhafazakâr Koza’da

 

Ulusalcý kale düþtü

 

Tuncay Özkan'dan ilk açýklama

 

Tuncay Özkan kaç kiþiyi þaþýrttý.com

 

Beni kenara koymak kolay deðil

 

Genelkurmay, CHP'yi de fiþlemiþ

 

Yekta Güngör Özden’den 'ajan' suçlamasýna tepki

YORUMSUZ!

 

 

Pastörün isyaný

Erdoðan’ýn genç nüfus kaygýsý

 

ÖSS'ye Ýngiliz modeli

Senenin her aný sýnav

 

Lüks otoda suikast silahý

 

Susurluk gibi

 

Milliyet Son Dakika

 

Murat Yetkin Genelkurmay PKK’ya yol gösteriyor

 

Cengiz Çandar Kýbrýs’ýn iki yanýnda...

 

Ahmet Taþgetiren Sömürge valisi söylemi

 

Ruþen - Çakýr  

 

Taha Akyol Deniz Gezmiþ efsanesi

 

Fikret Bila

 

Hasan Cemal Kuzey Irak’ta baþlayan olumlu süreci devam ettirmek için...

 

Murat Yetkin Genelkurmay PKK’ya yol gösteriyor

 

Ýsmet Berkan Demokrasi kurmak

 

Fehmi Koru Kýbrýs'ta çözüm hem yakýn, hem uzak

 

Taha Kývanç Cumhurbaþkaný ve redingotu

 

Tek yol: Referandum HASAN CELAL GÜZEL

 

Eyüp Can Ankara’da yeni senaryo: AK Parti kapatýlmayabilir

 

Þamil Tayyar

 

Ali Bayramoðlu Siyasi kriz ve sonrasý

 

Yasemin Çongar

 

Ertuðrul Özkök

 

Oray Eðin Bir satýþýn anatomisi

 

‘Batý’ gözüyle laiklik (1)
NURAY MERT

 

Ahmet Hakan

 

M Ali BirandTürkiye'nin gerçek muhalefeti: AB

 

Cüneyt ÜlseverDünyadaki devinimler ve kapatma davasý (I)

 

Enis BerberoðluKim, neden uzatýr?

 

Okay Gönensin

Gül yerinde kalabilir mi? Erdoðan aday olabilir mi?

 

Mehmet Altan Sabancý’yý kim öldürdü?

 

Berat Özipek En kötü senaryo

 

Nuray Baþaran Herkes terk ettiðinde

 

Andrew Finkel Politics of change or changing politics?

 

Yalçýn Bayer Türkiye bu ilginç sözleri konuþuyor

 

Oktay EkþiYargý reformu

 

Özdemir Ýnce Lagendayýk Eniþte Erdoðan’ýn yerine oynuyor

 

Mehmet Y YýlmazOrtalama Türklerle ilgili bir araþtýrma

MUHARREM SARIKAYA'Tavuk oyunu...'

Kemalizmi dinin alternatifi gibi görmek

Mustafa Mutlu

Kanaltürk’ün Ýpek’e satýlmasýný, Tuncay Özkan’la konuþtum!

 

 

Perinçek'in paþalarý -

Mehmet Tezkan

Þener: “AK Parti benden vazgeçemez, ben de AK Parti’den vazgeçemem”

 

Eser Karakaþ Güvenlik sektörü krizi

 

ERDAL ÞAFAK AB'nin rüþvetleri

 

ENGÝN ARDIÇ

 

ERGUN BABAHANYeni dünya düzeni

 

EMRE AKÖZYalanlarý deþifre etmek kabahat mi?

 

Umur TaluSüper benzin yoksa süper güç de yok!

 “Beni beðenmeyenler gitsin, kendi partilerini kursun...”
ALTAN ÖYMEN

 

Basýn ve önyargýlar
TÜRKER ALKAN

 

Hadi Uluengin Sansürlendim mi

 

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

 

NAZLI ILICAK Çörtoðlu ve juristokrasi

 

MEHMET BARLASBizi Penelope mi, tavus mu, Phoenix mi, Sisyphus mu simgeliyor?

 

MAHMUT ÖVÜR Merkez saðcýlar da 'Zeytin Dalý' peþinde!

 

YAVUZ DONAT  Medya

 

Türkeþ TMT'yi benden öðrendi, boynuma sarýldý

Aydýn Ayaydýn

Yiðit Bulut

Sabahattin Önkibar Yargý'ya darbe hazýrlýðý!

Seçim olsa AKP’ye oy veririm

 

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

En renkli simanýn çarpýcý sözleri: Borsa beladýr küçüklere yer yoktur

 

Ercan Kumcu Enflasyonla kaynak yaratýlmaz

 

Seyfettin GürselKüreselleþme, enflasyon ve para politikasý

 

Güven Sak Brezilya'nýn yaptýðý ama bizim yapamadýðýmýz nedir

 

Erdal SaðlamIMF’siz ekonomi yönetimi þimdi görülecek

 

Merkez Bankasý'ndan üçlü uyarý

 

Turkey Raises $1.9 Billion in Telekom Share Sale, Biggest IPO

 

Murat Yülek Fiscal policy at critical juncture

East-West gap in Turkey widening

 

IMF urges Turkey speedy decision on future relations

 

Turkey's Akbank says doesn't expect Citi stake sale

 

Sýra vergiye geldiðinde iþadamlarý yoksul çýktý

 

Türkiye, hedge fonlar için yolgeçen haný

 

Politikasýz Türkiye...
KORKMAZ ÝLKORUR

 

Çiçek: MB’yle aramýzda sorun yok

 

Telekom dünyanýn beþinci büyük halka arzý

 

Deniz Gökçe
Faiz dýþý fazla neden indi?

 

Bu yasa hatalý
MAHFÝ EÐÝLMEZ

 

OKAN MÜDERRÝSOÐLU
Faiz artýrým talebine ABD örnekli savunma

H4 New York Times Powerful Quake Ravages China, Killing Thousands An earthquake struck in China, toppling thousands of buildings and killing at least 10,000 people.

Editorial Not a Time for Rivalry Political leaders who have Pakistan’s interests at heart should be able to find a compromise that restores its dismissed judges and promotes judicial reform.

DAVID BROOKS The Neural Buddhists The cognitive revolution is not going to undermine faith in God — it’s going to challenge faith in the Bible.

 
A Two-for-One Campaign  By GEORGE McGOVERNTo reduce the risk of the kind of divisions that afflicted Democrats during my campaigns, I have a proposal that I hope Senators Clinton and Obama and our party will consider.

 

 

McCain Differs With Bush on Climate Change  Senator John McCain called for a limit on greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.

BOB HERBERT Here Come the Millennials Senator Barack Obama has tapped into a generation that is in danger of being left out of the American dream.

Editorial The Myth of Voter Fraud Requiring voters to prove their citizenship is not based on any evidence of voter fraud, but rather on Republicans’ electoral calculations

Political Memo: Clinton Running Hard in Campaign’s Last Laps  

 

Confronting Questions, Obama Assures Jews of His Support

 

 

H5 Washington Post Editorial Inauspicious VisitPresident Bush's tour of the Middle East is timed to highlight his failures

 

U.S. Outlook Is Worst Since '92, Poll Finds Results Give Democrats Edge

 

Quake in China Kills Thousands

7.9-Magnitude Temblor, Centered in Sichuan, Is Country's Worst in Decades

 

Study Says Foreigners In U.S. Adapt Quickly

 

Climate Change in Washington At least on global warming, there will be no third term for the Bush administration

 

The Right Path With N. Korea

By Siegfried S. Hecker and William J. Perry,  It's the plutonium, stupid

 

 

 

Pakistani Party Quits Cabinet Over Justices Sharif Pulls Out After Talks Break Down

 

Putin Chooses Cabinet, Retaining Key Officials

 

Post-Crucible Clinton By E. J. Dionne Jr Hillary Clinton still has a lot to win this year, but not the presidency.

 

For Obama, the General Election Is Calling With Clinton Poised To Win W.Va., He Turns To Battleground States

 

McCain Breaks With Bush on Climate Policy

 

Racist Incidents Give Some Obama Campaigners Pause

H6 Guardian Thousands die in
Chinese earthquake
Rescuers struggle to reach victims as state media put death toll at 10,000 in worst affected province

 

Bush offers to share spy satellite data

 

World CO2 levels at new high - UN

Scientists say carbon dioxide levels now at 387 parts per million, up almost 40% since industrial revolution

 

Hizbullah capture strategic village

Niha provides crucial link between Iranian-backed group's stronghold and bases in Beirut suburbs

 

The chasm within David Landau: A stripped-down welfare state plus migration have opened up ominous new divisions in Israeli society

 

US delegation gets cool reception over offer of help for Burma

Military team leaves empty-handed after regime refuses to give firm commitment about aid

 

Clinton eyes landslide primary win

But Obama now just 159 delegates short of the 2,025 needed to secure the Democratic nomination

 

The uses and abuses of intervention

Simon Tisdall: It would be easier to face down the Burmese regime's defiance if we hadn't intervened in the wrong ways elsewhere

 

Facing up to our responsibilities

Gareth Evans Given the Burmese regime's inflexibility so far, there may be a case under international law for forcing it to accept disaster relief

 

The survivors' stories leave no doubt: Guantánamo makes us all less safe George Monbiot: Official accounts reveal with chilling clarity that acts carried out in the name of the war on terror have backfired dreadfully

 

Wrong then, wrong again Dean Baker: The same economists who failed to spot this year's financial meltdown are now predicting that everything will soon be fine

 

Not paying their dues Prem Sikka

Global companies are evading tax in the developing world. The money lost could go towards alleviating poverty and saving lives

 

H7  

Daily Star Four days that changed the Middle East Rami G. Khouri writes that the consequences of what has happened in the past week in Lebanon may portend an extraordinary but constructive new development: the possible emergence of the first American-Iranian joint political governance system in the Arab world.

 

Middle East: Are Iran, Syria Playing Any Roles In Lebanon Fighting?

 

TIME says Sadr has won another round

 

Islam in Africa (PDF; 67 KB)
Source: Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists)

 

Human Security and Human Development in the Arab Region

 

 

 Helena Cobban Earth to GWB: The Lebanese Army isn't on your side any more!

 

The Other Mideast Talks
Newsweek

 

Al Awsat Iran and the Fearful Arabs : Tariq Alhomayed

 

Hezbollah's street fight just a first step
Hezbollah, in taking its political grievances to the streets, was able to take military control of Beirut in less than 48 hours, while the Lebanese army looked on. The display of force by the opposition Shi'ite group does not leave the government much margin for maneuvering

 

Al Hayat   Columnist Elais Harfoush describes Hezbollah’s “victory” in Beirut as one tainted with bitterness.

 

Tony Karon, a New York-based analyst, writes that last week’s events in Lebanon suggest that the Bush administration remains intent to the very end on repeating the strategies that have failed in Gaza and Basra and Sadr City, expecting that the result in Beirut would somehow be different.

 

The Lesson of Lebanon - Noah Pollak

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

 

Lebanon's Sunni Bloc Built Militia, Officials Say By: Borzou Daragahi and Raed Rafei | Los Angeles Times
The Future movement used a security firm to assemble a private force, officials say. But the fighters were no match for the Shiite group Hezbollah.

 

Attacks persist despite cease-fire Iraq Shi'ite gunmen are continuing to attack U.S. and Iraq's security forces in Sadr City despite the announcement of a new cease-fire agreement between the government and the militia of radical cleric Muqtada al-Sadr

 

Rising inflation poses challenge to Iran -IMF

 

Hizbullah Leaves West Beirut After Beating Lebanese Government Challenge

 

Druze plead for U.S. help in Lebanon Druze Lebanese, under fire from Hezbollah fighters, pleaded with the United States for an emergency airlift of weapons over the weekend, illustrating growing fears among Christians, Sunni Arabs and Druze that the hard-line Shi'ite militia was preparing to take over the entire country.

 

H9 Ha’aretz  Bush to Haaretz: Peace process not contingent on one man U.S. president offers words of support for Olmert, saying he is 'an honest guy' and a 'strategic thinker.' Interview with Bush: the transcript

 

Lebanese army says will use force from Tues. to stop fighting Country embroiled in worst crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war, as death toll reaches over 80

 

ANALYSIS / In Lebanon, the new reality has taken over

 

Israel on alert as clashes rage across Lebanon for sixth day

 

Obama: Jewish state is a fundamentally just idea (WTR)

 

"Double-ness, lying and imposture have a special significance for an American Jew"

 

Jerusalem Post Bush to the Post: Abbas is a viable partner for peace US president tells Israeli journalists there must be a Palestinian state, says Olmert is "an honest guy," calls Iran "the biggest threat."

 

'Accept truce, or resistance will go on' Hamas says negotiations over Schalit's release will begin only after Israel agrees to hudna proposal

 

America's elusive search for Arab-Israeli peace
Its optimistic, split-the-difference world view doesn't suit the regional reality.

 

Our World: How Lebanon was lost

[ CAROLINE GLICK

 

Palestinian state - as elusive as ever Palestinians still blaming their suffering on everyone but themselves.

 

Obama should thank Hillary If Obama is lucky, Americans will be more concerned with the economy.

 

Yedioth Ahronoth How Syria hid the reactor US report warns tactics employed by Damascus to conceal nuclear facility may be used by others

 

The Syrian option/ Yaron London As Hizbullah inches closer to Lebanon takeover, we must reassess new options

 

Jerusalem says truce 'viable'
Israel to refrain from military response to deadly Qassam attack in hopes of allowing Egyptian truce initiative genuine chance. State officials say agreement an opportunity to free Shalit while blocking Hamas' growth in Gaza

 

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

 

SPENGLER Why Israel is the world's happiest country
At the 60th anniversary of its founding, it could be said that Israel is the happiest nation on Earth. It is one of the wealthiest, freest and best-educated; and it enjoys high fertility and life expectancy rates. The light heart of the Israelis in face of continuous danger is a singularity worthy of a closer look

 

Goldberg:  Obama on Zionism and Hamas See also David Frum

 

What is Obama's Stance on Israel? - Philip Klein, The American Spectator


Can Israel Survive for Another 60 Years? - Christopher Hitchens, Slate

 

Hamas condemns the Holocaust

Bassem Naeem: We are not engaged in a religious conflict with Jews; this is a political struggle to free ourselves from occupation and oppression

 

H10 Christian Science Monitor

Medvedev's test case with the West Russia's new president inherits a tinderbox in Georgia, a NATO aspirant.

 

1968: the year the dream died

The jig was up, and social revolution fell apart.

 

 Pro-European tilt in Serbian vote The Democratic Party received 39 percent of the vote to Radicals' 29 percent. But coalition-building maneuvers mean the shape of the next government is still unclear.

 

China moves quickly in quake zone The country's deadliest quake in three decades hit central China Monday.

 

ASIA

 

Asia Times Another Pakistani D-Day over militants The peace deals between the Pakistani government and militants in the tribal areas have been exposed for what they were, a delaying tactic for the Taliban to send fresh fighters into Afghanistan. The new government in Islamabad, provided it staves off a political crisis, and its United States ally now have to make the hard decision whether to fight fire with fire or risk losing the battle against militancy. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

 

Dawn In an editorial on Pakistan’s relations with the rest of the world, the paper says overdependence on the U.S. does not serve Pakistan’s interests, adding that what common sense suggests is a broadening of Pakistan’s relations with other, equally important, players on the global stage.

 

China's Energy Security Moves It Closer to the Middle East By: Weiming Zhao | The Daily Star
Energy consumption in China is growing as fast as the rapidly growing Chinese economy. China has changed from a net oil exporter to a net oil importer. In recent years, 40 to 50 percent of the oil that China consumes is imported. Of that, 60 percent comes from the Middle East. Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar and Sudan are the main suppliers.

 

China's weakness
the greater danger

Claims that China is an emerging superpower overlook the reality that the ineffectually governed country will struggle for decades to get and stay beyond subsistence. The West, rather than fearing China's expansion, should be preparing for a dramatic setback in Chinese economic growth and resulting breakdowns in domestic order.

 

China and Japan tiptoe into a 'warm spring'
Chinese President Hu Jintao's five-day visit to Japan was an important step towards stabilizing relations between the two powers. Clearly, a positive Sino-Japanese relationship serves the interests of the region - and the United States - but territorial disputes, food safety issues and rising nationalism in both countries remain unresolved. - Jing-dong Yuan

 

China's earthquake death toll reaches 8,500

 

New consumer price data shows Chinese inflation continuing to rise (Xinhua).

 

Indian Communists to block nuclear dealThe country’s main Communist party has vowed to continue to block a landmark civil nuclear deal with the US, saying it will not be ratified before George W. Bush leaves office   

 

China and Japan: the symbolism of politics , James C Farrer

 

Gvosdev Not Misreading India

 

Let the Asians Push Aid to Burma By: Ramesh Thakur | The Japan Times
If the Asians come on board, political progress will be swift in unblocking obstacles in Burma to the effective delivery of aid to survivors of a devastating cyclone

 

People’s Daily In an editorial, the state-run newspaper reiterates China’s “solemn commitment” to hold a successful Olympic Games, and says it is upholding that commitment with a more self-confident posture and more openness of mind, so as not to disappoint the world.

 

Afghanistan: A Critical Battle in the Country’s Culture War Looms BY DEIRDRE TYNAN
On the battlefields of southern and eastern Afghanistan, Islamic insurgents are struggling to persevere in the face of the formidable firepower of NATO and American forces. In the country’s culture war, however, religious radicals are poised to achieve a spectacular victory, according to two self-styled free speech advocates.

H11 IHT Serbian vote result sets up a showdownThe coalition determined to bring Serbia into the European Union made a surprisingly strong showing in parliamentary elections, but it faces a protracted power struggle with nationalist rivals who vowed to join forces to form a government.

 

Putin, as prime minister, keeps his inner circle intactPrime Minister Vladimir Putin announced the formation Monday of a new Russian government, reappointing several top ministers and maintaining the power of his inner circle.

 

 FARMING FOR THE FUTURE

Change we can stomach

By DAN BARBER When it comes to nutrition and our agricultural future, bigger isn't better.

 

Apostate president?

By EDWARD N. LUTTWAK Obama's conversion to Christianity is the worst of all crimes that a Muslim can commit, worse than murder.

 

Sarko and the spirit of '68

By SERGE SCHMEMANN

Not surprisingly, May '68 and Nicolas Sarkozy's first year as president of France are being treated quite differently.

 

The lucrative arts of war and not paying taxes

Companies enriched by taxpayers in the war boom should not be able to compound their profits by not paying their fair share of taxes in the U.S.

 

INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE

Fifteen years of progress

By ARYEH NEIER

Despite some notable successes, the prevention of war crimes remains elusive.

 

 

EUROPE European press review

 

EU: Green Light for Galileo By: Ekrem Krasniqi | ISN Security Watch
The EU clears the last political hurdle for the launch of the Galileo satellite navigation system by 2013.

 

 

“U.S.-French Commercial Ties,” updated April 7, 2008.

 

Kosovo: RFE/RL reports that not much has changed in the bitterly divided Kosovo city of Mitrovica since the Serb province declared independence three months ago.

 

Europe by degrees Giuliano Amato  Europe needs pragmatists to ask the right questions of the reform treaty: otherwise it will fail the EU's founding ideals

 

Send in the clowns

Ian Buruma Europeans like to sneer at American politics, but candidates in the US have a much better understanding of the power of comedy to ask questions

FT Greying Germany finds pensions a political issue With over-50s making up half the electorate, politicians are scared of alienating the silver vote

 

H12 RFE/RLGeorgia: Visiting EU Delegation Offering Support, But Little Else

 

The Danger of Isolationism By: Andrei Kortunov | The Moscow Times
Russia has only two allies -- its army and navy."" This phrase, which was originally uttered 150 years ago by Tsar Alexander III, has become quite popular over the past several years to describe Moscow's shortage of allies.

 

Google News Azerbaijan

 

Official to US: Azerbaijan "Proceeding on Its Own Path"
Six months ahead of Azerbaijan’s presidential elections, American criticism of President Ilham Aliyev administration’s political practices suggest that the normally strong relations between Washington and Baku have hit a speed bump. Some local analysts contend that the sharp exchanges are not that unusual during a campaign season, and have little significance for long-term relations

 

Georgia: US and EU support for Tbilisi Grows amid Escalating Tension with Russia
With Georgian-Russian tension over the break-away territory of Abkhazia continuing to rise, the United States and European Union are stepping up diplomatic intervention efforts.

 

EDM UNCONVENTIONAL GAS EXTRACTION IN HUNGARY


- HOW LONG CAN MEDVEDEV AND PUTIN SHARE POWER?

WILL PRESIDENT MEDVEDEV’S FIRST CRISIS BE GEORGIA?

 

Further delays likely at Kazakh oil field The start of production at one of the world’s biggest oil fields faces further delays as oil companies developing it battle with the Kazakh government over timing and budget

 

Georgia in peril

The pro-Western Georgian government bordering Russia needs the assistance of the West in order to combat Russia's growing assault on its territorial integrity.

 

H13 The Times Who's afraid of big bad China? Why? Chinese success is good for the world. And the more we discover about China the better Chris Patten

 

Socialists hold key to power in Serbia Pro-EU alliance emerges as biggest party after yesterday's polls, but may need Socialists to form government

 

Good morning Serbia

Brussels must move swiftly to reward the victorious Democratic Party

 

China death toll mounts as landslides hinder rescue Almost 10,000 confirmed to have died but tens of thousands more are feared to have been been killed in one town alone

 

Pakistan plunges into fresh political crisis Government future in doubt after Nawaz Sharif said he was pulling his ministers out of the coalition over the judges stand-off

 

Burma accused of 'crime' against its people Disaster relief agencies say that by keeping its borders closed to aid the junta is guilty of humanitarian crimes

 

Burma - the case for intervention

Ignore the mealy-mouthed arguments that blame the West rather than the pernicious junta

David Aaronovitch

 

Clinton talks unity as defeat sinks in West Virginia primary expected to deliver Hillary Clinton a resounding victory but she is said to have accepted she cannot win

 

Wall Street Journal From Lebanon to HezbollahstanBy Bret Stephens
Global View:
When did the transformation begin?

 

McCain's Climate 'Market'
His cap and trade proposal is Obama lite.

 

A 'Special' Relationship
By Daniel Schwammenthal State of the Union:
Germans should make the case for Israel out of shared values.

 

Possessions now sold in US credit crisis

 

 

Gary Becker, Myron Scholes, Michael Spence, Ed Phelps discuss the depth of the U.S. financial crisis, its effect on the rest of the world and the commodity price rises.

H14 Financial Times Oily truth about US foreign policy  In 1973, the US imported 33% of its oil; today it imports about 60%. So far, US politicians have responded to this problem with a mix of wishful thinking and anger, writes Gideon Rachman

 

MIDDLE EAST FOCUS: Can the Arabs pull Lebanon back from the brink?

 

Food investment, not imperialism

There is a risk powerful nations will use aggressive foreign policies to secure food supplies and exclude competitors, but it has not arrived yet

 

Pro-EU alliance wins Serbia election

The pro-EU alliance led by Boris Tadic, Serbia’s president, faces a struggle to form a government after winning the advantage over hardline nationalists in snap elections as a sizable chunk of voters demanded EU integration despite the loss of Kosovo

 

Serbs opt for EU Assuming a pro-western coalition can be formed, it must maintain the positive momentum generated by the polls through EU-oriented reforms 

 

Putin moves allies to his new cabinet

Vladimir Putin has shifted several of his most powerful former presidential officials to the Russian government, reinforcing the impression that as prime minister he will remain the centre of power in Russia

 

Further delays likely at Kazakh oil field The start of production at one of the world’s biggest oil fields faces further delays as oil companies developing it battle with the Kazakh government over timing and budget

 

Lebanese PM stands firm

Fouad Siniora warns that Hizbollah undermined its own ability to confront Israel when it used weapons against its rivals at home and deepened the divisions in the country

 

US alerts banks to risks of Iran support  The Bush administration is seeking to broaden the scope of its enforcement tools to rein in Iran’s nuclear programme, including greater scrutiny of global banks that may be violating US export control rules by financing prohibited transactions

 

Unskilled workers struggle with tide of job losses US payrolls have declined for four consecutive months, but job losses have to date been moderate compared with previous recessions. Lay-offs have been concentrated in manufacturing, retail and ­construction

 

Diary of a nobody The Blair years have escaped proper scrutiny in memoirs. But there are questions relating to the Iraq war that deserve scrutiny now

 

Beware parallels between America and Japan Takatoshi Ito sees differences between the crises

 

McCain makes climate change pledge John McCain vowed to put the US at the heart of international efforts to tackle global warming, proposing aggressive targets to reduce domestic greenhouse gas emissions and the creation of a cap-and-trade system to encourage investment in green technology

 

Coalition presses Congress over ethanol  The global food crisis is inspiring a broad new coalition on Capitol Hill seeking to change US policies on ethanol production

 

China quake death toll nears 10,000

Hundreds of children buried as schools collapse

 

Salmond’s winning hand Following the lead of nationalists in Quebec, the head of the Scottish Nationalist party can wrench ever more power from Westminster without forcing a break, writes Philip Stephens

 

Wages the least of Europe’s worries The ECB should stop trying to put out the inflation fire and instead end the growth freeze by cutting interest rates, writes Andrew Watt

 

HSBC sees further pain in US housing The bank, one of the first to suffer from the subprime mortgage meltdown, said any recovery in the US housing market was unlikely this year as it revealed it had set aside $5.8bn as a result of the credit turmoil in the first quarter

 

H15 Los Angeles Times Israel at 60 Judea Pearl and George Bisharat look back at six decades of Israeli-Palestinian relations.

 

Editorial

 

Lebanon's Sunni Bloc Built Militia, Officials Say By: Borzou Daragahi and Raed Rafei | Los Angeles Times The Future movement used a security firm to assemble a private force, officials say. But the fighters were no match for the Shiite group Hezbollah.

 

Lebanon reaches out for international help

 

Dispute over judges deepens rift in Pakistan ruling coalition

 

Shiite Muslim factions sign Sadr City deal

The agreement clears the way for Iraqi soldiers to operate in the Baghdad slum largely controlled by a radical cleric. But will all groups adhere to the accord?

 

H16 American Politics

 

Gallup Daily: Obama Pulls Ahead of Clinton, 50% to 43%

 

Dems to Clinton: Don't Say Anything to Hurt Us 

 

Superdelegates put Obama within reach of nomination

 

Goldberg:

Obama on Zionism and Hamas 

 

Remarks By John McCain on Climate Change Policy

 

Post-Crucible Clinton - E. J. Dionne, Washington Post


The Obama Rules - Rich Lowry, National Review

Will Whites Vote for Obama? - John Judis, The New Republic

 

realclearpolitics memeorandum  ABC’s The Note US News Political Bulletin Early Bird GovExec Swamp Gas The Swamp

 

Tom Matzzie / The Huffington Post: How John McCain Can Rescue the Republican Party  —  The winds of change have brought Democrats a big advantage in the races for the White House, U.S. House and Senate in 2008.  The opportunity for the emergence of a governing Democratic majority is unprecedented.

 

McCain's judicial confusion

Dylan Loewe: US elections 2008: Fears of a right-wing Supreme Court will bring disillusioned Democrats back to the party

 

Bob Barr joins battle for presidency as Libertarian

The former Republican would be a wild card in race and could hurt Sen. John McCain

 

H17 Daily Telegraph 'Tens of thousands' dead in China quake

Tens of thousands of people are feared dead after the biggest earthquake in three decades struck China.

 

Hillary Clinton 'about to quit'

Referral to next president as "he" fuels speculation.

 

Lebanese army to 'impose order'

The Lebanese army, which has virtually watched Hizbollah militants take control of parts of Beirut unopposed, has vowed to use force to impose law and order today.

 

It's so British to let firms become foreign Tracy Corrigan asks: what is it that makes a company British? Where it pays tax, who owns it, what cricket team it sponsors?

 

H18 Independent  Frantic search for thousands trapped by Chinese quake China was last night facing the fallout from its worst natural disaster in three decades with at least 9,000 people known to have been killed in a massive earthquake that struck the mountainous province of Sichuan. Tens of thousands more people are feared dead or trapped in the rubble with 80 per cent of buildings reportedly razed to the ground in many areas.

 

Al-Sadr ceasefire allows troops to enter Shia slum

 

Putin's hardliners keep places in new cabinet Vladimir Putin, in his new role as Russia's Prime Minister, announced a new cabinet of ministers yesterday that appears to bear out predictions that he will remain the real centre of power in the country.

 

Violence grips Lebanese city as peace talks loom

 

Housing market worst for 30 years

Confidence in Britain's housing market has sunk to its lowest level for more than 30 years, new figures reveal, as property prices continue to fall and mortgage lenders restrict home loans.

 

H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism

 

Preventing an Arms Race in Outer Space By: James Carroll | The Boston Globe The American Academy of Arts and Sciences recently published "Russian and Chinese Responses to US Military Plans in Space," a stark look at where the American project is taking the world.  Download the Paper (952 KB)

 

Congressional Research Service  “Defense: FY2009 Authorization and Appropriations,” May 5, 2008.

 

Organizing the U.S. Government for National Security: Overview of the Interagency Reform Debates (PDF; 133 KB) Source: Congressional Research Service (via Federation of American Scientists)

 

“Strategic Airlift Modernization: Analysis of C-5 Modernization and C-17 Acquisition Issues,” updated April 15, 2008.

 

“Director of National Intelligence Statutory Authorities: Status and Proposals,” updated April 17, 2008.

 

Virtual Iraq  When Travis Boyd agreed to become a subject in the Virtual Iraq clinical trial, in the spring of 2007, he became one of about thirty-five active-duty and former members of the military to use the program to treat their psychological wounds

 

Program Tracks Nuclear Materials Worldwide

 

How to Be All That You Can Be: A Look at the Pentagon’s Five Step Plan For Making Iron Man Real
Source: 21st Century Defense Initiative, Brookings Institution

 

Coll The Bin Ladens

 

The mental suffering of American soldiers

The alarming rates of trauma and suicide among war veterans cannot be neglected.

 

H20 Slate   

 

The List: The World’s Most Dangerous Gangs

 

Think Again: The Peace Corps
  In the eyes of Americans, no government agency better exemplifies the optimism, can-do spirit, and selfless nature of the United States than the Peace Corps. But according to this former Peace Corps country director, it has never lived up to its purpose or principles

 

Unjust Debt Robs Poor Nations of Better Future By: Desmond Tuto | Miami Herald
Too many of the world's poor children needlessly starve or go without education because too many impoverished nations -- even after the laudable debt relief provided to date -- are still funneling scarce resources to multilateral banks instead of paying for needs at home.

 

Nuclear Power’s Role in Generating Electricity
Source: Congressional Budget Office

H21

Radar goes inside the world's elite secret societies

 

Has science made belief in God obsolete? An excerpt from The Big Questions in Science and Religion by Keith Ward.

 

Scientists know better than you, even when they're wrong: Why fallible expertise trumps armchair science—an interview with Harry Collins

 

From New Statesman, a special issue on 1968, including humanity's last rage: Peter Wilby wonders whether 1968 changed everything — or nothing at all; and more by Eric Hobsbawm and more by Noam Chomsky

 

 Teen rappers drop some verse about The Economist

 

Should philosophy have something to say to non-philosophers? Should philosophy be pursued only by those trained in philosophy? Cogito poses some big questions to four British and US philosophers.

 

Britain having hottest May since 1772

Google triumphant Its lead in advertising on the web seems assured now Microsoft has dropped its Yahoo bid

 The revenge of e.e. cummings We had to LOL when we read how txt-msg lingo is replacing stndrd english in student academic pprs.

 

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