052008f  - FOREIGN PRESS REVIEW (FPR) - ‘Relevant news, views, comments and analyses for informed debate’ Compiled by Şanlı Bahadır Koç    U.S. / Britain / Turkey / Magazines / Think-tanks / Blogs / Misc /Books / Quickread / Numbers / Reports  - Subscribe to FPR  FPR Table - H4 NYT WP GU  H7 ME Isr H10 CSM IHT Eur FSU Asia H13 Times WSJ FT LAT H16 USP DT Ind H19 Mil Int Ter Wonk  H21 Misc

H1 New York Times Obama Expected to Hit Milestone in Tuesday’s Votes Barack Obama is poised to have a majority of pledged delegates after balloting in Kentucky and Oregon, but the situation is delicate as he tries to unify his party.

 

CRS “The National Security Council: An Organizational Assessment,” updated April 21, 2008.

  

 Who's The Real Appeaser? - Fareed Zakaria, Newsweek This administration's few successes have come when it's agreed to engage with adversaries

 

IDF Intelligence Briefing - Ari Shavit (Ha'aretz)

 

Christian Science Monitor The heart of Lebanon's strife Violence is rooted in the flawed 1943 power-sharing pact. By Mohamad Bazzi

 

Bush's Nazi-Iran Analogy Makes Attack Seem More Likely  by Jim Lobe

 

Will Jewish Votes Cost Obama the White House? - Mike Madden, Salon

 

WSJ Obama and the Jews By Bret Stephens Global View: Does he really believe he understands Israel better than Israelis themselves?

 

Jerusalem Post Obama's unique appeasement style

[ CAROLINE GLICK

 

Self-made Nakba [ BARRY RUBIN

 

Financial Times Irrelevance, Europe’s logical choice Europe’s political leaders are forever swearing to turn a united Europe into a new superpower. But European citizens seem unconvinced. Being a superpower can be a burdensome and bloody business and many Europeans want to keep their heads down, writes Gideon Rachman 

 

US begins to break foreign oil ‘addiction’ High prices, more efficient cars and the use of ethanol significantly cut the share of oil imported into the US for the first time since 1977 

 

A transatlantic opportunity for Britain  Philip Stephens sees a chance to review ties 

 

US, Russia among least peaceful nations Iceland ranks first on the Global Peace Index, an annual study analysing countries in terms of international policy and domestic conditions

 

Running on empty? Even oil executives are voicing concern over future output levels. Yet high prices could bring compensating changes

 

Need for Religion in Foreign Policy - Adrian Wooldridge, World Affairs

 

Afghanistan: State and Society, Great Power Politics, and the Way Ahead: Findings from an International Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2007
Source: RAND Corporation Full Document (PDF; 839 KB)

 

Wall Street Journal The Democrats' Dangerous Trade Games
By C. Fred Bergsten Nancy Pelosi has damaged the credibility of the U.S. .

 

Los Angeles Times Food crisis creates an opening for Muslim fundamentalists

In the Middle East, Islamist charity programs fill a gap by feeding the hungry as prices soar - and their political allies gain ground

 

Sons of Iraq? Or Baghdad's Sopranos?

Working with a U.S.-funded Sunni guard force can be a lot like dealing with the mob. Some of the armed men act like the dons of their neighborhood

 

Bush criticizes Arab nations for repression

 The president wraps up his five-day trip by calling on Middle East nations to embrace economic reforms and women's rights

 

Save Us From the Rescuers By: David Rieff | Los Angeles Times
We should be skeptical of the aid agencies' claims that, without their intervention, an earthquake or cyclone will be followed by an additional disaster of equal scope because of disease and hunger. The fact is that populations in disaster zones tend to be much more resilient than foreign aid groups often make them out to be. And though the claim that only they can prevent a second catastrophe is unprovable, it serves the agencies' institutional interests -- such interventions are, after all, the reason they exist in the first place.

 

IHT  Israel's 'American problem' By JEFFREY GOLDBERG

U.S. political leaders and American Jews need to rethink what it means to be pro-Israel.

 

Obama and Israel By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN The notion that a President Barack Obama would have a desire to walk away from America's bipartisan consensus on Arab-Israeli peace is ludicrous.

 

France acknowledges contacts with Hamas Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner emphasized that there were no negotiations with Hamas, labeled a terrorist group by both the United States and the European Union

 

As China opens up, it keeps a wary eye on the former U.S.S.R.

By PHILIP TAUBMAN

China's Communist Party has long worried about losing power and having the country split up like the former Soviet Union. With openness about earthquake coverage, the comparison is more pressing.

 

Shaping a Nuclear Iran By: Ray Takeyh | The Washington Post
If Washington is going to mitigate the Iranian nuclear danger, it must discard the formula of exchanging commercial contracts for nuclear rights and seek more imaginative solutions.

 

Asia Times The mythical post-American era There is increasing talk of the decline of the United States and what the post-American world will look like. The ground realities are that the US's economic dominance will be challenged, notably by China and India. But there is no conclusive evidence that America's decline is "inevitable", or even that a new world is emerging with power centers that are capable of counterbalancing the United States. - Ehsan Ahrari

 

SPENGLER The monster and the sausages Call it the missing "link" in deciphering German President Horst Koehler's denouncement of the world financial market as a monster for making "massive leveraged investments with minimal capital". Think of a sausage: the gross parts of a pig are ground into an appetizing package. Just don't blame the sausage-maker, Koehler, when it is time for financial heartburn.

 

Guardian Free trade escapes US onslaught Bill Emmott: Fears of a protectionist backlash by economic nationalists have proved unfounded on both sides of the Atlantic

 

Past Problems Threaten Future Russian-Indian Arms Deals By: Richard Weitz | World Politics Review  Russian defense firms have been counting on continuing orders from India to help cushion the decreasing opportunities in China. Although the Indian market appears to have some growth potential, major problems with past deals could lead New Delhi to decrease its future purchase of Russian weapons.

Bring on the Foreign Policy Debate By: John R. Bolton | The Wall Street Journal The Obama view of negotiations as the alpha and the omega of U.S. foreign policy highlights a fundamental conceptual divide between the major parties and their putative presidential nominees. This divide also opened in 2004, when John Kerry insisted that our foreign policy pass a "global test" to be considered legitimate.

Round One to the Dove with the Dodgy Name By: Michael Tomasky | The Guardian Republicans used to beat Democrats on foreign policy every time. But now Obama is changing the nature of the fight.

U.N.: Six million children in Ethiopia face malnutrition risk

 

RFE/RLPresidential Summit To Explore Gas Options

Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov comes to Azerbaijan for the first visit by a sitting Turkmen president in more than a decade, highlighting recent fence mending and shared interests

H2   Turkey's AK Party expects to be closed - sources

  

AKP'li bir bakan: Bizi kapatacaklar

 

ALİ H. ASLAN - ABD'nin, çileden çıkaran Türkiye politikası

 

ÖMER TAŞPINAR  Türkiye ABD'nin gündeminde değil

 

WSJ We Are Making Progress in Iraq
By Nechirvan Barzani The oil law is moving in parliament

 

Barzani Rice ve CIA Direktörü ile görüştü

 

Israeli Source Says USA Asked Turkey to Assist Syrian-Israeli Talks

 

 Rubin fights the ‘dark side’ in his ‘wonderland’: bad advice on Turkey for the US administrationby ŞABAN KARDAŞ*

 

Newsweek: Türkiye'de siyasi durum istikrarsızlaştı

 

EDM FIGHTING THEM ON THE BEACHES: TURKISH SECULARISTS AND ISLAMISTS PREPARE FOR THE VACATION SEASON

 

Babacan planning to visit Washington early next month

 

US companies battle for Turkish helicopter project

 

‘Foreign companies can’t comprehend the closure case’

 

Israeli arrested in Turkey after gun found in suitcase Ha'aretz

 

Zeit: Laikler son direnişe girişti

 

Turkish Ambassador to US Calls Iran "a threat to Turkey as well as ...

 

Energy prices to push Turkey c/a gap wider in 2008

 

Turkey rushes to ratify ‘Kyoto’ before Parliament breaks

 

Hedef, Türkiye'nin demokrasi ülkesi olmasını engellemek

 

Emerging Turkey extends economic reach globally

 

Turkey, Smoking Nation, Tries Out Ban New York Times

 

Turkey: Bleak future prospects as youth mark their day

 

İstanbul favori şehrim

 

Parasını verelim arşivleri açın

 

İç Basında Türk Dış Politikası  Dış Basında Türkiye - BBC Turkish 0700 VOA TSİ 06:30 Turkish Press Review Google News Turkey TurcoPundit      

 

 

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

 

Kuzey Irak'a mesaj verdi: PKK'ya karşı somut adımlar gelirse, diyaloğumuz derinleşir

 

Iraqi Kurdish prime minister visits US

 

Cevdet Aşkın Talabani'den PKK'ya barışçıl çözüm, Ankara'dan Erbil'e yakın takip

 

Savaş Süzal Washington'da PKK değerlendirmesi

 

Article 140 and the Future of Iraq
Kurdish Globe

 

Baathist turns focus to Kurdish north

 

Iraqi Kurdish Press Highlights 18 May 08

 

Iraqi Kurdish Press Highlights 17 May 08

 

Turkey warns against imposing change in Middle East

 

Turkish FM stresses tangible measures against PKK

 

Hüsnü Mahalli Bush’un İran sevdası

 

Lübnan krizi  NURAY MERT

 

K. Irak yönetimiyle temaslara devam

President Barzani expresses support of Baghdad

 

Bush, Türk demokrasisini örnek gösterdi

 

Young Civilians spend nights with poor Kurdish families on Youth Day

 

Middle East musings (By Tulin Daloglu)

 Zana, İngiltere parlamentosunda Kürdçe konuşma yaptı

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Artık Kürd sorununun siyasi çözümünden söz eden yok

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

Kürd sorununa kalıcı çözüm” ve “Ateşkes” oylanacak

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

 

İBRAHİM KARAGÜL

Meğer büyük bir savaş son anda engellenmiş!

 

PKK'da sevgili huzursuzluğu

 

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

 

Avrupa'da yükselen sağ, AB üyeliğini tehdit ediyor

 

Türkmenistan Devlet Başkanı Bakü'de

 

Bakü'de Nabucco için umut doğdu

 

Türkiye’den gelecek barış suyuna Rumlardan geçit yok

CHP, anti-AB'ci imajından kurtulmak için atağa geçiyor

 

Kıbrıs gezisinin düşündürdükleri
ERDAL GÜVEN

 

Common Security Concerns Kept US And Turkey Together , Yalcindag

 

Armenian Lobby In US Submits New Bill Against Turkey

 

 'AKP'li mi olmalıyız?'

 

Xenophobia across Europe threatens Turks, Turkey’s EU accession ...

 

Turkey's top business association releases Armenian bill report

 

Brussels reaffirms Med union won’t affect Turkey

 

George Bush'un Türkiye'yi örnek göstermesi normal

 

Cem Özdemir: Kıbrıs ’ta başarı sağlanamazsa bölünme olur

 

Türkiye, AB’nin Taklit Mallar Listesinde

 

APden 1 Mayıs uyarısı geliyor

 

Yaman Törüner Yine Gümrük Birliği

 

İngiltere’den ‘Ankara Anlaşması’yla ilk izin

 

FİKRET ERTAN - Medvedev'in Kazakistan ziyareti

 

İngiliz’in döneminde bile kutladık

 

Türkiye’ye bir Obama lazım...

 

Laiklik kaygılarına daha hassas olmalıyız

 

ATHENS — Greece and Turkey have concluded a rare military exercise.

 

Turkey approved to become full member of EBRD

 

Orhan KİLERCİOĞLU Is solution possible in Cyprus?

 

Albright onuruna yemek

 

Turkish society’s perception of Christianity (1)by Kudret Bülbül*

 

Hedo Okur Tuncay Nihat Altintop

 

Guardian Orhan Pamuk's Istanbul

Ben Quinn follows the Nobel-prizewinning writer's guide to the city

 

Bale yapsanız o kadar insan ölmez

Açık lise sınavında türbanlı yokmuş!

 

Turkey, Smoking Nation, Tries Out Ban New York Times

 

Reluctant Turks prepare for smoking ban

 

3 çocuk ısrarının sırrı

 

Turkey rushes to ratify ‘Kyoto’ before Parliament breaks

 

Ali Rıza Efendi ile Zübeyde Hanım evliliğinin trajik hikáyesi

 

İlanda Baykal neden yok?

 

Güngör Uras THY, 75 yaşında dünya ölçüsünde başarılı bir KİT

 

Serdar Turgut Kötülük insanın içinde

Sigara yasağı tiryakileri kapı önüne çıkardı

 

İstihbaratta ihmal

 

Kaza değil resmen cinayet

 

Başbayanlar arasında hassas dengeler Gül’ün Cumhurbaşkanı seçilmesinin ardından Hayrünnisa Hanım ile Emine Hanım’ın resmi programlarda bir elin parmaklarını geçmeyecek kadar az bir araya gelmeleri neyle açıklanabilir?

 

25 percent of İstanbul water wasted or stolen

Atatürk,20. yüzyılın en büyük lideri

 

Gözünde bulaşıcı iltihap var

 

‘Pasha supports the Turkish “Fuelless Motored Machine”’

 

Başkanın temiz dediği suya bakanlık pis dedi

 

'Dağdan mı geldiniz?'

Şarkıcı Demet Akalın, Bodrum konserinde alkışlamayan seyirciye "Dağdan mı geldiniz, Diyarbakır'dan mı? İnsan bir tempo tutar" dedi.

 

Terim: Vekil çok, ben tekim Sakık: O vekilleri halk seçti

 

20 Mayıs 2008 Basın Özeti

H3 Denizde kum Ankara'da senaryo

 

AKP kulisleri karıştı!

 

Kimse fitne fesat çıkarmasın

 

Olay aynı, tanıklar aynı anlatılanlar farklı farklı

 

More than 80 percent of Turks against coups d'état

 

Toptan: Türkiye ’Oh’lu bir imkánı aramazsa yazık olur

 

ASLI AYDINTAŞBAŞ HABERTURK.COM'DA

 

Baykal'ın aklında erken seçim var

 

Kanadoğlu: "Laikliğin evrensel tanımı yoktur"

 

Mumcu'dan Köşk'e mektup var

 

Bakan Aydın ’dan
tartışılacak 'TRT' yanıtı

 

Vatan gazetesine Dolmabahçe cezası!

 

"AKP yanlış yolu tercih etti"

 

Son Dakika Milliyet Hürriyet Zaman

 

Cengiz Çandar Washington, Brüksel’e yaklaşırken; 19 Mayıs’ta Madeleine Albright ile...

 

Ahmet Taşgetiren Üçüncü yol ehven-i şer midir?

 

Ruşen - Çakır AKP’nin önündeki 6 seçenek 45 günde nasıl 3’e düştü! 

 

Mahkeme önündeki seçenekler

 

Taha Akyol Nutuk üzerine araştırma

 

Fikret Bila

 

Hasan Cemal Hey, yoksa cigarayı bırakmanın pişmanlığı mı?

 

Murat YetkinAnkara’da seçim senaryoları

 

İsmet BerkanÇıkmazdan çıkış için ortak akıl

 

Fehmi Koru Münasebetsizlik ancak bu kadar olur

 

Taha Kıvanç Garanti veriyorum, yetmez mi?

 

Şamil Tayyar Sağlar’ı kim kandırdı?

 

Eyüp Can Haşim Kılıç’ın umudu

 

Ali BayramoğluSiyaset canlanmadan perde kapanmaz…

Bilal Çetin AKP’nin ruh hali...

 

Yasemin Çongar

 

Ertuğrul ÖzkökBüro şefinin robot portresi

 

Güneri Civaoğlu Gül’ün sezgisi

 

Ahmet Hakan

 

M Ali BirandOtağtepe kriterleri tek tek açıklanıyor

 

Cüneyt ÜlseverKarıştırılan iki kavram: Hukuk ve kanun

 

Enis BerberoğluTürban raporuna güvenen yanılır (mı?)

 

Hakan Aygün İşte Dolmabahçe diyaloğu...

 

Oktay EkşiSigara yasağı

 

Özdemir İnce

 

Mehmet Y Yılmaz

 

Mustafa Akyol Why Most 'Educated' Turks are Hopelessly Illiberal?

 

Mustafa Karaalioğlu Kim ana eksen, kim marjinal?

 

Sami Selçuk Böyle de konuşulmaz ki (!)

 

Mahir Kaynak Siyaset nerede?

 

Yağmur Atsız Ortak değerler değil ortak kurallar

 

Kerim Balcı Bothersome leaks

 

Andrew Finkel Charm has its limits

 

Ali Bulaç Mindset of judge not fond of parties

 

İlter Türkmen Türban yasasının akıbeti

 

EKREM DUMANLI - Saygısızlığın asıl sebebi

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

BÜLENT KORUCU - Majestelerine saygınız sonsuz, ya Cumhurbaşkanı'na?

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

ŞAHİN ALPAY - Mardin çözüm umudunu koruyor

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

İHSAN DAĞI - AK Parti kapatılmaz, ama...

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

LEYLA İPEKÇİ - Güneydoğulu dillerde yaşamak

 

Bilgiler geçici olarak kullanılabilir değil.

İlnur Çevik The Turkish Parliament speaker does not see the real goal of the adversaries

 

The contradictions of Turkish secularismby Sevgi Akarçeşme*

 

Güler Kömürcü Kadersel karar tarihleri öne mi çekildi?

 

TAMER KORKMAZ

Mahşerin İki Atlısı

 

[YORUM -DOÇ. DR. MUSTAFA ŞENTOP] Başörtüsü davası ile kapatma davası arasındaki ilişki

 

Gözleri çekik olmayan Türk?
NAMIK KEMAL ZEYBEK

 

İzlenmek MURAT BELGE

 

Yalçın Doğan Son kara delik

 

Sabahattin Önkibar Baykal'a göre Tayyip Erdoğan tutuklanmaktan korkuyor

 

Güven Sak Tuzla tersanelerindeki ölümler mi önemli, 3 çocuklu aileler mi

 

Nuray Başaran Son yaşananlar ve gözden kaçanlar

Mehmet Tezkan Laik demokrasiden ‘Müslüman demokrasi’ye..

Can Ataklı Kapatma ve siyasi yasak gelmesi üzerine çeşitlemeler

 

MUHARREM SARIKAYASezer: Solda ittifak yok...

 

ERDAL ŞAFAK"Oh" dedirtecek formül

ENGİN ARDIÇ

 

ERGUN BABAHANYalan ve iftira

 

EMRE AKÖZSulandırılan bayramlar

İyimser bir yazı denemesi
TÜRKER ALKAN

 

Umur TaluAslında kardeşsiniz!

 

HASAN BÜLENT KAHRAMAN

 

NAZLI ILICAK Büyükanıt'a iftira

 

MEHMET BARLASAgitprop modeli siyasetin sonu felakettir

 

MAHMUT ÖVÜRTurizmde yüzler gülüyor!

 

YAVUZ DONATFitne fücur, Ankara'da durum budur

 

ÖTV’nin yarısı belediyeye

‘Kökün türban mı Karacaoğlan mı!’

Bakan’ı istifaya çağırdılar

 

ABDURRAHMAN YILDIRIM

IMF sonrası, 'yüksek faiz düşük kura' dönüş mü?

 

Ercan KumcuPara politikasında sıkılaştırma

 

Ergin Yıldızoğlu ‘Küresel Stagflasyon’

 

Erdal SağlamGençlere sorumluluğumuz iyi eğitim

 

Gıda almak için servet harcayacağız

 

Hoş geldin popülizm
MAHFİ EĞİLMEZ

 

Merkez bankacılığı tartışılıyor
KORKMAZ İLKORUR

 

Energy prices to push Turkey c/a gap wider in 2008

 

TÜSİAD'dan hükümete IMF tavsiyesi

 

Eser Karakaş Küreselleşme, ABD ekonomisi ve biz

 

Turkey does dangerous dance with hedge funds

 

Turkey importing inflation, says trade minister

 

Seyfettin Gürsel İşgücü piyasasında karmaşık dinamikler

 

Murat Yülek Agriculture may reshape the world -- and Turkey

 

İBRAHİM KAHVECİ

Anadolu'da girişimcilik ve Ankara'nın frenleri

 

Asaf Savaş Akat

İlk çeyrekte sanayi üretimi

 

Aydın Ayaydın

Başbakanlık onayına sümenaltı skandalı

H4 New York Times Obama Expected to Hit Milestone in Tuesday’s Votes Barack Obama is poised to have a majority of pledged delegates after balloting in Kentucky and Oregon, but the situation is delicate as he tries to unify his party.

Editorial Mr. Bush’s Travels The next president will have to appoint a skilled and creative team of advisers on the Middle East and be a more honest broker than President Bush has been.

 

Thomas L. Friedman: Obama and the Jews

 

Op-Ed Contributor: Israel’s ‘American Problem’

 

Hizbullah's Actions Ignite Sectarian Fuse in Lebanon

 

General Apologizes for Desecration of Koran

DAVID BROOKS Talking Versus Doing Barack Obama’s vote for a recent farm bill may help him win Iowa, but it will lead to higher global food prices and more hunger in Africa.

 

Many Hands, Not Held by China, Aid in Quake  Thousands of Chinese have streamed into the quake region or donated record sums of money in a striking and unscripted public response

France Admits Contacts With Hamas

 Memo From Tehran: Iranian Clerics Tell the President to Leave the Theology to Them

 

Iraqi Forces Find Weapons Cache in Baghdad Mosque

 

U.S. Says It Is Holding 500 Youths in Iraq

 

McCain Finds a Thorny Path in Ethics Effort  The messy process of trying to purge John McCain’s campaign of conflicts of interest has so far focused only more attention on the backgrounds of his advisers

Obama Talk on Iranians Draws Fire From McCain

 

H5 Washington PostShaping a Nuclear Iran - Ray Takeyh

 

Rice and Baloney By: Sebastian Mallaby | The Washington Post
We are now several months into the global food crisis, which is a much bigger deal than the subprime meltdown for most people in the world. And yet the response to this crisis from governments the world over has been lackadaisical or worse.

 

Iran Remains Key Concern as Bush Returns By: Michael Abramowitz |
As he toured the Middle East over the past five days, President Bush tried to shore up support for his strategy of isolating Iran in meetings with the leaders of Israel, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian territories. But the one session that did not take place laid bare the problems his administration faces as it tries to persuade its allies to keep the faith

 

France Discloses 'Contacts' With Hamas Former Envoy Met Top Leaders

 

Putin's Puppet Press By Masha Lipman In today's Russia, journalists know better than to press top officials.

 

Democrats Observe A Fragile Cease-Fire

 

The Hitler Analogy By Anne Applebaum,  Frustration with the inexplicable need to inject the Nazis into current political debate.

 

Why She Fights On By Richard Cohen,  In 2012, she will be positioned to run as a gritty fighter who would not quit.

 

Hizbullah Emerges Ahead in Lebanon

 

Mutual Dismay Over Jewish Settlements Israeli Premier Seeks To Balance Growth

 

New Troops in Iraq Will Keep Number at 140,000

 

With the Junta or Without It

There's only one priority in Burma: aid for the thousands who have been abandoned.

 

King as He Was By Eugene Robinson Like most great figures in history, Martin Luther King was a complicated man.

 

Candidates Vie to Be The Anti-Lobbyist Obama Cites Conflicts in McCain Camp

 

Justices Uphold Child Porn Law

Case Involved Criminalization Of 'Pandering'

 

H6 Guardian Free trade escapes US onslaught Bill Emmott: Fears of a protectionist backlash by economic nationalists have proved unfounded on both sides of the Atlantic

 

France admits contacts with Hamas

Contacts with Hamas leaders in breach of an international boycott were informal, Paris insists

 

Ding! Round one goes to the dove with the dodgy name  Michael Tomasky: Republicans used to beat Democrats on foreign policy every time. But now Obama is changing the nature of the fight

 

Pakistani army attack Taliban area

200,000 inhabitants of remote mountain village driven from homes in siege on militant stronghold

 

What's your terror rating? Jason Burke The idea that we can prevent terrorism by testing people for their susceptibility to radical ideas is badly misguided

 

Bush urges more freedom in Arab states

 

Labour's poll rating worst since Thatcher Confidence in PM is disintegrating as Tories open biggest lead since 1987, Guardian/ICM poll reveals

 

Ban on hybrid embryos fails

MPs vote by majority of 160 that hybrid embryos should be allowed, and by a majority of 179 that 'saviour siblings' should not be banned

 

A fruitless evil  Philippe Sands: The outcome of the squalid treatment of a Guantánamo prisoner once labelled the 20th hijacker shows torture doesn't even work

 

The gathering storm Dylan Loewe: US elections 2008: A string of Republican losses suggests that US politics is ripe for a Democratic revolution

 

This government has been the most rightwing since the second world war George Monbiot: The prospect of a Tory in No 10 does worry me - but no more so than another term for this cabinet of war criminals

 

The war to end all wars Rosie Boycott: The climate change threat needs drastic action. Only a cross-party approach can deliver it,

 

Buffett has $35bn to spend in four-city shopping spree  World's richest person tries to raise European profile by planning to buy more companies

 

H7 Interview: Tensions Rise As Tehran Expands Regional Influence  

 

Food Crisis Creates an Opening for Muslim Fundamentalists - Borzou Daragahi (Los Angeles Times)

 

Former Iranian Envoy to Syria Discusses Role in Founding of Hezbollah - Part 1

 

Press Briefing By the National Security Advisor, Stephen Hadley

 

Remarks By the President to the World Economic Forum

 

Why Doha When Beirut Has a Parliament? By: Chibli Mallat | The Daily Star
With the parties meeting in Qatar, we must not allow the dialogue to equate the aggressor and the victim, or allow the state to surrender the basic principle of its monopoly over the use of force. We may not be able to force Hizbullah to disarm, but there can be no place in the government for a group that wields its weapons against fellow citizens.

 

The Real Iraq - Michael Totten, City Journal

 

BBC Getting nasty
How foreign policy is already playing in the US election

 

Soros warning

Billionaire investor tells BBC global boom may be over

 

 

Darfur: Dimensions and Dilemmas of a Complex Situation
UCDP A 142-page report on the current crises in Darfur

 

Walker's World: Bush with the pharaohs
By MARTIN WALKER
 (UPI) -- Bush may have been consistent in telling his Egyptian hosts they needed more democracy, but he was neither realistic nor even relevant.

 

How to rule the world after Bush
The "free trade" elite in the United States, upset by the George W Bush administration's neo-conservative go-it-alone nationalism that disregarded multilateral means of securing influence, wants a "guerrilla assault" to return to the softer empire of corporate globalization. These corporate globalists are now bidding to control the direction of the US's economic policy, and they see the Democrats as their best chance. - Mark Engler

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

 

Iran Should Solve Differences With Saudi Over Lebanon - Paper

 

Lebanese unity plan 'in trouble'
The Qatari hosts of Lebanon crisis talks await a response from rival factions to a unity cabinet proposal

 

Bush to Press Mideast Leaders to Isolate Iran

 

U.S.-Syrian Trade on Rise Despite Tensions

 

Bin Laden Lashes Out at Arab Leaders

 

Iraq to Hold Provincial Polls on Different Days

 

Former Iraqi PM Allawi Interviewed on Regional Tour, Iran, Other Issues

 

Iraqi Security Official Comments on Iran-US Talks, "Terrorists" From Syria

 

Iranians-Swiss in Gas Deal, Despite U.S. Pressure By: Yaniv Berman | The Media Line The National Iranian Gas Export Company (NIGEC) has signed a long-term agreement with the Swiss-based EGL Group to bring natural gas from Iran to Europe, beginning in 2009

 

Hard-Liners' Win in Kuwait Puts Reformers' Goals in Doubt By: Jamie Etheridge | The Christian Science Monitor
Economic development was key for many Kuwaitis, but Saturday's parliamentary poll seated tribal leaders and Islamists, signaling more political stagnation ahead. While women won the right to vote in 2005, no female candidates were elected

 

Lebanon Resumes Fragile Dialogue By: Dominic Moran | ISN Security Watch
Compelled by the worst violence since the civil war, Lebanese leaders board separate flights to Doha as reconciliation talks resume amidst deepening political and communal crises

 

Iraqis Who Helped the US Face Grave Danger

 

Al Jazeera English Tries to Extend Its Reach

 

 

H9 Ha’aretz  IDF Intelligence Briefing - Ari Shavit

 

Separating the Gaza Population from Its Radical Leadership - Amir Oren

 

Arens: Truce with terrorists - ludicrous, self-destructive

 

Amos Harel: Iran's fingerprints all over Gaza strife

 

Harel & Issacharoff: Can Israel deter Hezbollah and Hamas?

 

What makes Nancy Pelosi pro-Israeli?  Pelosi's pro-Israeli dictionary

 

Israel, the largest Jewish ghetto? (WTR)

 

Conference asks: Iraqi Israeli, Arab Jew or Mizrahi Jew?

 

Jerusalem PostOlmert skeptical of cease-fire, but going along for MubarakHamas likely to accept Barak's truce proposal in meeting with Suleiman, but PM says IDF preparing for large-scale Gaza operation

 

Urban Legend

The idea that US Jews could speak with one voice on Israel couldn't have originated within the community.

 

Obama's unique appeasement style

[ CAROLINE GLICK

 

Self-made Nakba [ BARRY RUBIN

 

Negotiating through the drums of war [ GERSHON BASKIN

 

Have we lost our mission statement? Neither secular nor 'exclusivist' Jews want to be a light unto the nations.

 

US ElectionsWhy they can't stop talking about talking with Hamas.

 

'Truce doesn't mean end of resistance'

 

'Bush pledged funding for Arrow 3'

 

Yedioth Ahronoth America is tired US silence on Lebanon coup shows we can only count on ourselves, writes Nahum Barnea

 

Cairo is the key/ Ron Ben-Yishai

 

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

 

Will Jewish Votes Cost Obama the White House? - Mike Madden, Salon

 

WSJ Obama and the Jews By Bret Stephens
Global View:
Does he really believe he understands Israel better than Israelis themselves?

 

Israel's 'American Problem' By: Jeffrey Goldberg | The New York Times American Jewish leaders, who live in Chicago and New York and behind the gates of Boca Raton country clubs, loathe the idea that Mr. Olmert, or a prime minister yet elected, might one day cede the Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem to the latent state of Palestine.

 

Air Force Chief: Expect Thousands of Rockets on Israel in Future War

 

IDF: Iran-Trained Terrorist Arrested in Gaza Raid

 

Israel to Egypt: IDF Will Not Act in Gaza If Hamas Stops Firing Rockets

 

Egypt discusses Hamas with Israel The Egyptian president meets Israel's defence minister amid Egyptian efforts to broker a truce in Gaza with Hamas

 

Mullen, Israeli General Meet to Discuss Iran Strategy

 

Palestinian Police Training: Too Little, Too Late By: Steven Smith | International Herald Tribune
The first graduates of General Keith Dayton's Palestinian police-training program will soon hit the hard streets of the West Bank. Unfortunately, they will do so without the firearms, radios and first-aid equipment that they have been promised after graduating from a training program so fraught with problems that it can hardly be called a training program at all.

H10Christian Science Monitor The heart of Lebanon's strife Violence is rooted in the flawed 1943 power-sharing pact. By Mohamad Bazzi

 

Myth of the white working-class voter You might as well poll left-handed divorcées.

 

What Clinton gains from carrying on By finishing out the primaries, Clinton keeps faith with her fans – and maybe helps retire her debt.

 

Bush contrasts Arab, Israeli paths

In speeches during his Mideast swing, the president lectured Arab regimes but praised Israel.

 

Dalai Lama meets a top German official – but only one European leaders are struggling to balance growing trade ties with China and deep public sympathy for Tibetans and their exiled leader, wrapping up his first stop on a global tour

 

Barack Obama - Muslim Apostate? By: Shireen K. Burki | The Christian Science Monitor
Osama bin Laden must be chuckling in his safe house. After all, the 2008 campaign could very well give Al Qaeda the ultimate propaganda tool: President Barack Hussein Obama, Muslim apostate. The fact that Senator Obama – the son of a Muslim father – insists he was never a Muslim before becoming Christian is irrelevant to bin Laden.

 

ASIA

 

As China opens up, it keeps a wary eye on the former U.S.S.R.

By PHILIP TAUBMAN

China's Communist Party has long worried about losing power and having the country split up like the former Soviet Union. With openness about earthquake coverage, the comparison is more pressing.

 

Past Problems Threaten Future Russian-Indian Arms Deals By: Richard Weitz | World Politics Review Russian defense firms have been counting on continuing orders from India to help cushion the decreasing opportunities in China. Although the Indian market appears to have some growth potential, major problems with past deals could lead New Delhi to decrease its future purchase of Russian weapons.

 

Pakistani militants savor a sweet deal
The Pakistani Taliban will be pleased to have secured the release of 55 militants, including top Taliban commanders, not to mention a US$287,000 payment. In return, the government will welcome back its envoy to Afghanistan and dozens of security officials held captive by the militants. The real winners, though, are the militants, who orchestrated the prisoner exchange and who aim to step up the pressure on Islamabad. - Syed Saleem Shahzad

 

Chinese Foreign Policy in Hu's Second Term: Coping with Political Transition Abroad  FPRI A US paper analyzing China's challenge of juggling a passive foreign policy with its new role as a global power

 

Indian Inflation Spurs Intervention Call By: Joe Leahy and Amy Lee | Financial Times
Sitaram Yechury, a leader of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), does not come across as a fist-banging apparatchik. The urbane, grey-haired Mr Yechury speaks with calm assurance in a soft voice. But his views on managing India’s soaring inflation rate – which hit a 3½-year high of 7.83 per cent in early May – would horrify any market economist

 

Malaysia’s Prime Minister Goes After His Nemesis By: Jed Yoong | Asia Sentinel  A royal commission investigation into judicial corruption in Malaysia has turned into a weapon in the struggle for primacy between Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi and his rebellious predecessor and relentless critic, Mahathir Mohamad.

 

Afghanistan: State and Society, Great Power Politics, and the Way Ahead: Findings from an International Conference, Copenhagen, Denmark, 2007
Source: RAND Corporation Full Document (PDF; 839 KB)

 

Building Democracy and Fighting Terrorism in Pakistan: A Role for the EU
EPC

 

Another China Trade Opportunity By: Jeremy Haft | The Wall Street Journal As the Chinese recover from the aftermath of the devastating earthquake, it's worth remembering that they can't rebuild Sichuan province alone. They need America's help.

 

China's Silver Lining By: James Fallows | The Atlantic
Why smoggy skies over Beijing represent the world’s greatest environmental opportunity.

 

CRS “Japan’s Nuclear Future: Policy Debate, Prospects, and U.S. Interests,” May 9, 2008.

 

NATO Rejects UN Report on Afghan Civilian Killings

 

100,000 Were Killed by America's Korean Ally

H11 IHT  Israel's 'American problem' By JEFFREY GOLDBERG

U.S. political leaders and American Jews need to rethink what it means to be pro-Israel.

 

Obama and Israel By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN The notion that a President Barack Obama would have a desire to walk away from America's bipartisan consensus on Arab-Israeli peace is ludicrous.

 

France acknowledges contacts with Hamas Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner emphasized that there were no negotiations with Hamas, labeled a terrorist group by both the United States and the European Union

 

Sarkozy set to collide with culture of protest By JOHN VINOCUR

 Nicolas Sarkozy was elected as a reformer, so he has no choice but to confront the French notion that political change can be vetoed in the streets.

 

ISLAM AND THE OLYMPICS Bar countries that ban women athletes

By ALI AL-AHMED Countries banning women from participation in the Olympic Games should be suspended from the Olympic community

 

Dalai Lama is snubbed during visit to Germany

The spiritual leader ended a five-day visit that was mired in controversy because only one government minister agreed to meet with him.

 

Comment stirs confusion in France over 35-hour workweek

The head of France's governing party called Monday for a definitive end to the nation's 35-hour week - but within hours he was contradicted not only by the government but by President Nicolas Sarkozy himself.

 

 

 

EUROPE European press review

 

Global competition and European companies’ location decisions - Background paper Source: Eurofound Full Paper (PDF; 392 KB)

 

Revisiting the European Security Strategy: Beyond 2008  EPC

 

Veil drama

Row in Denmark over judges' headscarf ban

 

German Minister Criticized for Planned Meeting with Dalai Lama Der Spiegel
The Dalai Lama is currently visiting Germany. Only one member of the government is prepared to meet with him -- sparking a storm of unrest within the government. "These days, being courageous means not meeting the Dalai Lama," commented Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier

H12 RFE/RLPresidential Summit To Explore Gas Options

Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov comes to Azerbaijan for the first visit by a sitting Turkmen president in more than a decade, highlighting recent fence mending and shared interests.

 

Uzbekistan: Authoritarian President Publishes Tome On ‘Morality’

 

Analysis: Georgian Opposition Sounds Alarm Over Parliamentary Elections

 

Google News Azerbaijan

 

New Leaders Unlikely to Ease US-Russian Tensions

 

EDM OBSERVERS DEBATE WHETHER THE SILOVIKI HAVE WON OR LOST


- THE NORTH CAUCASUS IS THE KEY SECURITY CHALLENGE FOR PRESIDENT MEDVEDEV

- GEORGIA HOLDS PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS IN A DANGEROUS SECURITY ENVIRONMENT

 

Past Problems Threaten Future Russian-Indian Arms Deals By: Richard Weitz | World Politics Review Russian defense firms have been counting on continuing orders from India to help cushion the decreasing opportunities in China. Although the Indian market appears to have some growth potential, major problems with past deals could lead New Delhi to decrease its future purchase of Russian weapons.

 

Putin's Gulag Stability - Oleg Kozlovsky, Washington Post

 

Spy Charges Fuel Georgian Tensions By: Francesca Mereu and Alexander Osipovich | The Moscow Times The Federal Security Service said Friday that its agents had caught a Georgian spy and accused Tbilisi of aiding rebels in the North Caucasus in an episode likely to heighten tensions between the countries

 

Transit Threat By: Vladimir Solovyov | Kommersant Belarusian President blackmails the EU using the energy resources trump card.

 

Azeri, Turkmen Leaders Start Talks in Baku

 

Georgia: Optimism Prevails in Tbilisi-Controlled Section of Abkhazia
A EURASIANET PHOTO ESSAY BY ELIZABETH OWEN
"We want to go that way," said an ethnic Georgian woman, brusquely pointing at a dirt road leading from the Georgian-controlled Upper Kodori Gorge into separatist-controlled Abkhazia. "Why can’t we go back?"

 

Afghanistan: NATO Allies Experiencing "Battle Fatigue"
A EURASIANET COMMENTARY BY RICHARD WEITZ
In early April, NATO allies reaffirmed their commitment to Afghanistan’s democratization process, issuing a statement that proclaimed the International Security Assistance Force in Kabul to be the alliance’s "top priority." Nevertheless, a growing number of Afghans, Europeans, and Americans involved in counter-insurgency operations privately profess that they are war-weary. This dichotomy is raising the possibility that many foreign actors involved in Afghanistan are willing to scale back reconstruction objectives in order to end the fighting, declare victory, and leave

H13 The Times Cluster bombs: victory now may mean loss later

If Britain achieves an ugly compromise in Dublin, like the bombs themselves, it may bring short-term relief at a long-term cost Bronwen Maddox

 

A salute to arms More should be done to bolster respect and support for the Armed Forces

 

Wall Street Journal The Democrats' Dangerous Trade Games
By C. Fred Bergsten Nancy Pelosi has damaged the credibility of the U.S.

 

We Are Making Progress in Iraq
By Nechirvan Barzani
The oil law is moving in parliament.

 

Obama and the Jews By Bret Stephens Global View: Does he really believe he understands Israel better than Israelis themselves?

 

Clinton Keeps Up Fight as Tensions Rise

 Clinton is vowing to stay in the race even as her staff and supporters show signs of fraying. She is getting conflicting advice from within her own camp, as some aides warn of injury to her political future while others push to continue the fight.

 

Europe's Soft Powerlessness
By Andrew Stroehlein
State of the Union:
Brussels goes easy on the Uzbek strongman.

 

The Lawyers War
The guerilla campaign against military commissions.

 

Khosla's Conspiracy
The Silicon Valley billionaire says don't blame the food crisis on ethanol.

 

H14 Financial Times Irrelevance, Europe’s logical choice Europe’s political leaders are forever swearing to turn a united Europe into a new superpower. But European citizens seem unconvinced. Being a superpower can be a burdensome and bloody business and many Europeans want to keep their heads down, writes Gideon Rachman 

 

US begins to break foreign oil ‘addiction’ High prices, more efficient cars and the use of ethanol significantly cut the share of oil imported into the US for the first time since 1977 

 

A transatlantic opportunity for Britain  Philip Stephens sees a chance to review ties 

 

US, Russia among least peaceful nations Iceland ranks first on the Global Peace Index, an annual study analysing countries in terms of international policy and domestic conditions

 

Running on empty? Even oil executives are voicing concern over future output levels. Yet high prices could bring compensating changes

 

A Bear market JPMorgan’s move to helped sacked staff has merit, but Wall Street and the City may find that the normal levels of business brutality still work best 

 

Taking on the free trade bogeyman

America’s presidential contenders are missing the point: a protectionist response against competition would do nothing to address the real problems

 

Arab ministers struggle to save Lebanon talks Several proposals failed to win a consensus from the pro-western governing coalition and the Iran-backed Hizbollah-led opposition on the fourth day of talks in Doha 

 

Beirut rivals take battle to Arab League

Lebanon’s government coalition and the Hizbollah-led opposition forced to engage in talks as mediators struggled to broker an agreement that will restore political balance

 

Township tensions The violence against immigrants should serve as a warning to South Africa’s rulers that the patience shown by the country’s poor has an end 

 

 McCain stands up for free trade

John McCain argued that low taxes and free markets were the best remedy for the US’s slowing economy and cast Barack Obama as a traditional “big-government Democrat” who would raise taxes and stifle growth

 

Germany through the looking glass

For a country that is so good at globalisation, Germany’s political class is not exactly embracing the idea: raving about locusts, monsters and mutants 

 

Inflation is a subtler threat than it appears Governments need to act, says George Magnus 

 

How to cure America’s health system A universal voucher is the way forward 

 

New EBRD head promises review

 

German rift over Dalai Lama visit

Splits on key foreign policy issues that have dogged Germany’s uneasy grand coalition government come to the fore as Tibet’s spiritual leader visits Berlin 

 

Apartheid is too much for American justice Michael Skapinker on companies and human rights 

H15 Los Angeles Times Food crisis creates an opening for Muslim fundamentalists

In the Middle East, Islamist charity programs fill a gap by feeding the hungry as prices soar - and their political allies gain ground

 

Sons of Iraq? Or Baghdad's Sopranos?

Working with a U.S.-funded Sunni guard force can be a lot like dealing with the mob. Some of the armed men act like the dons of their neighborhood

 

Bush criticizes Arab nations for repression

 The president wraps up his five-day trip by calling on Middle East nations to embrace economic reforms and women's rights

 

In Iraq, U.S. apologizes for soldier using Koran in target practice

American military commanders apologize to Iraqi tribal leaders and promise that the soldier, who has been removed from Iraq, will be disciplined

 

Barack Obama expects big day in Oregon and Kentucky primaries

 

Morocco arrests 11 suspected of extremist ties to Belgium

Police in Europe, surprised by the raids, are investigating whether the group may have plotted attacks in Brussels.

 

Congregations come to grips with gay marriage Liberals and conservatives alike discuss whether to allow same-sex weddings in their places of worship

 

Clinton's 'curious support': Rove

By Andrew Malcolm BLOG: The Democrat draws ammunition for her campaign from an unusual source: Karl Rove's colorful maps.

 

The fear of white decline

Gregory Rodriguez: Hillary Clinton's outreach to working-class voters signals the group's declining economic security

 

 

White House criticizes NBC News' editing of Bush interview

H16 American Politics

 

The Fall of Conservatism - George Packer, The New Yorker

 

The Conservative Movement: From Failure to Threat  by Paul Craig Roberts

 

Will Jewish Votes Cost Obama the White House? - Mike Madden, Salon

 

The Prize Clinton Isn't Owed - George Will, Washington Post

 

U.N. puts its scope on U.S. racism U.N. expert on racism and xenophobia arrived in Washington yesterday for a three-week fact-finding visit to examine human rights lapses in the United States.

 

Striking out on energy

President Bush and Sen. John McCain went to bat on energy policy recently. And guess what? They both struck out. Mr. Bush went hat in hand to the Saudis and asked for more oil production in order to bring down world prices. He whiffed. They said no for the second time this year.

 

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

 

Clinton to Obama: 'If you don't have the votes, it doesn't matter'

 

McCain's Path to Victory - Dick Morris, Washington Post

 

If Not Hillary, Another Woman? - Kate Zernike, New York Times

 

McCain Can Run, but Bush Won't Hide - Frank Rich, New York Times

 

Obama vs. Murdochization of Media - Katrina vanden Heuvel, The Nation

 

The Next President & the Economy - James Pethokoukis, US News & WR

 

The Next American Frontier - Michael Malone, Wall Street Journal

 

Dems Will Lose This Foreign Policy Debate - John Bolton, Wall St. Journal

 

Are Today's Immigrants Assimilating? - Jacob Vigdor, Boston Globe

H17 Daily TelegraphGordon Brown avoids cracks in the euro The euro's one-size-fits-all approach is not appropriate for this turbulent financial climate. To give Brown credit where it is due, his hostility to it has paid dividends.

 

MPs back the creation of hybrid embryos Scientists will be allowed to create hybrid human-animal embryos after MPs overwhelmingly voted in favour of radical stem cell research.

 

Exodus of two million Britons Two million have left the UK in a decade.

 

 

H18 Independent  Obama to 'complete circle' in Iowa as final votes loom Barack Obama will make a symbolic return trip to Iowa tonight even as results from the primary votes in Kentucky and Oregon begin to flow in

 

Georgia's leader vows to prevent Russia reviving the Soviet Union

This week's parliamentary polls come at a crucial time in Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili's battle with the Kremlin. With both countries refusing to blink first in the showdown over the renegade province of Abkhazia there is a very real prospect of war.

 

Lebanon: So Just Where Does the Madness End?  by Robert Fisk

 

The Big Question: Has research on embryos produced any significant medical advances yet?

Tories set to crush Labour

 

H19 Military Intelligence Terrorism

 

Pentagon announces deployments of more than 42,000 troops

 

What's your terror rating?

Jason Burke May 19 08, 04:00pm: The idea that we can prevent terrorism by testing people for their susceptibility to radical ideas is badly misguided

 

40,000 told to prepare for action Pentagon officials notified about 40,000 active-duty and National Guard soldiers yesterday that they will be deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan in the upcoming months and years.

 

 

Better Secrecy for Open Source Intel Collectors Urged

 

Open Source Center Keeps Public in the Dark

 

Rethinking Counterinsurgency: RAND Counterinsurgency Study — Volume 5 Source: RAND Corporation Summary (PDF; 325 KB) + Full Document (PDF; 645 KB)

 

“Homeland Security Department: FY2009 Request for Appropriations,” May 6, 2008.

 

India's CRPF urges new intelligence wing
 An Indian paramilitary force has proposed setting up a separate intelligence wing to help it counter Maoist insurgency within the country.

 

Homeland security: The week ahead
 (UPI) -- Foreign policy, and in particular relations with so-called rogue states like Iran and Syria, has taken center stage in the presidential election campaign this week -- with the row over President Bush's comments in Israel about appeasement. What other security-type stories are we going to see on the news agenda over the next seven days?

·                                 H20 Slate   Travels in the Former Soviet Union

South Ossetia is a self-proclaimed independent country that is, in fact, neither.
Joshua Kucera

 

Save Us From the Rescuers By: David Rieff | Los Angeles Times
We should be skeptical of the aid agencies' claims that, without their intervention, an earthquake or cyclone will be followed by an additional disaster of equal scope because of disease and hunger. The fact is that populations in disaster zones tend to be much more resilient than foreign aid groups often make them out to be. And though the claim that only they can prevent a second catastrophe is unprovable, it serves the agencies' institutional interests -- such interventions are, after all, the reason they exist in the first place.

 

Send in the Latrines By: Rose George | The New York Times
Food, shelter and clean water are what aid agencies emphasize. But human excrement is a weapon of mass destruction, transferring diseases such as cholera, meningitis and typhoid.

 

Understanding and Containing Food Price Inflation
Source: Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research

H21 From the cosmic to the commonplace By MICHAEL JOHNSON How does a thinker from the 16th century keep his momentum going?

 

Postwar Britain: shabby frocks, sallow faces, and dreary meals of ground meat stretched with grated potato and oatmeal... more»

 

My space If we really want to explore space, maybe we should sell it off to the highest bidders (By Drake Bennett, Boston Globe)

 

The freedom to say 'no' Why aren't there more women in science and engineering? Controversial new research suggests: They just aren't interested. (By Elaine McArdle, Boston Globe)

 

Our hypocrisy obsession forces politicians to tour the daytime-TV sofas trying to show their human side. It doesn’t work: we end up trusting them even less... more»

 

Surprising insights from the social sciences

 

Universities award honorary degrees with many noble motives in mind. Getting a rich person to give them money is only one. Sheer vulgar publicity is another... more»

 

Geek + nerd = ? Ian Stewart  

Mathematics is a despised subject - and yet modern life depends on it and several of the world's richest people are mathematicians

 

How I learned to live with divorce

 

Moscow's Stray Dogs Have Cushy Lives

 Moscow's stray dogs can often be spotted traveling on the subway and waiting to cross the street with pedestrians. They've adapted their habits and begging strategies to a rapidly changing city, prompting zoologists to study their techniques.

 

Google may be Yahoo's white knight  Dominant force in market ran trial of its technology on Yahoo's site in the US during takeover talks

 

Bollywood goes global with Hollywood movie deal  Anil Ambani announces his media group will be making 10 Hollywood movies for a billion dollars

 

Bombay Boulevard As Hollywood weds Bollywood, will Oliver Stone's George Bush movie benefit?

 

No Crisis For Boys In Schools, Study Says Academic Success Linked to Income

 

Roman's empire: where Abramovich spends his billions

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