061908f - 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 Deals With Iraq Are Set to Bring Oil Giants Back Four Western oil companies are in talks with Iraq’s Oil Ministry for no-bid contracts to service the country’s largest fields.

Washington Post The Right Iraq Footprint By David Ignatius, We may be entering into a period of transitional diplomacy in Iraq

Iran on Its Heels In Tehran's Setbacks, an Opportunity in Iraq By Vali Nasr, Tehran's setbacks offer an opportunity in Iraq.

Foreign Policy's Best Hope By David S. Broder, Joe Biden and Richard Lugar offer a promising partnership on American foreign policy.

Editorial Truce in Gaza A Middle East conflict is postponed

Boston Globe What's next for Iraq? THE MONTH OF May saw the lowest US casualties in Iraq since early 2004. But counterinsurgencies are not won on points, otherwise Algeria would be part of France and South Vietnam would be an independent country. Progress in Iraq can only be judged by a close examination of political trends, indeed of whether the US strategy in Iraq is producing ... (By Barry R. Posen)

MESH ‘A Choice of Enemies: America Confronts the Middle East’

Saudis, oil, and US elections

Wall Street Journal Israel's Truce With Hamas Is a Victory for Iran
By Michael B. Oren Moderate Palestinians are losers too.

Pivoting to Victory
By James Taranto Is Barack Obama preparing to sell out Democrats who crave defeat in Iraq

Obama, McCain Divide on a Key Strategy Point by Eli Lake

Independent Hamish McRae: Happy birthday to the euro – but the real test for the currency lies ahead

Adrian Hamilton: This meeting in Saudi Arabia won't solve oil prices

Leading article: An uncertain step towards peace

RFERL Washington's Dilemma -- To Negotiate Or Not? One of the most hotly debated issues in the current U.S. presidential campaign has been how to deal with Tehran. We asked two leading U.S. analysts about the options

Guardian Instead of bullying the Irish, Europe should be working on plan D - and E Timothy Garton Ash: As Britain moves to ratify the Lisbon treaty, EU politicians are wrong to threaten Ireland. We're all in the same boat

Europe holds the key to Iran Ilan Berman: If Europe is serious about preventing a nuclear Iran, it should put its money where its mouth is

Rare opportunity to talk Editorial: The ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is good news from a theatre of war that rarely fails to produce the bad variety

Dividends of truce Ian Black: Only a foolhardy observer would predict peace is about to break out in the Middle East

Expanding American Oil Production - President George W. Bush

Ha’aretz ANALYSIS / For truce architect, Israel chose lesser of two evils Top Israeli negotiator Gilad thinks face-off with Hamas is inevitable, but Israel must exhaust other options

Jerusalem Post Final stage of Gaza truce may include multinational Arab force

'Post' learns Israel not opposed to idea since it could lead to Arab countries taking responsibility for Gaza, Fatah regaining control.

'Israel-Syria direct talks not far away' Olmert tells French paper negotiations could open once precise agenda, issues to discuss decided on

Yedioth Ahronoth 'Proof Syria built reactor' Le Monde reports IAEA has evidence proving Damascus was developing nuclear reactor

Financial Times What dream will Europe dream now? The French, Dutch and Irish voted No to Europe because they have no other means to express displeasure with the way it is being run. European citizens would be less cynical if they were regularly invited to choose the people who run its affairs, says Charles Wyplosz

French defence: knowledge is key

The French do not change their national security strategy often but, when they do, they change it in radical ways, writes François Heisbourg

Saudi Arabia faces an oil dilemma

Investment in Middle East refineries is needed. But, with Riyadh fearful that would lead to a price collapse, do not expect relief soon

Time to focus on Europe’s success Enlargement has been a success story. If that positive story is not told, there is a danger of a backlash that will tie the region up in nationalist knots

Bloc urged to show it still has muscle France will call on the EU to back measures against rising oil and food costs and show citizens its capacity for action in spite of Ireland’s rejection of the Lisbon treaty

Christian Science Monitor

Hamas, Israel truce greeted with skepticism and hope The temporary cease-fire deal bids to end attacks from Gaza militants and the Israeli army and improve life in the impoverished coastal strip

Asia Times Attacking Iran: The last resort The wrong questions are being asked in the debate over whether to undertake "preventive" military action against Iran's nuclear program, according to a new report by a Washington think-tank. And should the correct questions be asked, the United States would then need to get the international community firmly on board, the report says. - David Isenberg

Egypt’s Muslim Brothers: Confrontation or Integration?,* the latest report from the International Crisis Group

General who probed Abu Ghraib says Bush officials committed war crimes General who probed Abu Ghraib says Bush officials committed war crimes "There is no longer any doubt as to whether the current administration has committed war crimes," retired Army Major Gen. Antonio Taguba wrote in a new report on medical evidence that U.S. troops abused prisoners in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo. "The only question that remains to be answered is whether those who ordered the use of torture will be held to account."

MEMRI The Iranian Roots of Hizbullah - Nimrod Raphaeli

Understanding the Correlation between Oil Prices and the Falling ... - Council on Foreign Relations

Movement in Middle East Peace Talks - Council on Foreign Relations

Joseph A. Palermo: John McCain and the "Project for a New American Century"

McCain on Iran: Bush all over again An alarmist John McCain is using Iran as a political weapon against Barack Obama -- even as he misjudges our Middle East adversary.
By Hooman Majd

Rising Risk of a Military Confrontation between Israel and Iran?

H 2 Newsweek Commentary: Is Turkey Headed for a Coup? All Turks want is peace and prosperity, but they may soon have to stand up to the generals by Grenville Byford

WSJ Turkish Regress
An experiment in liberal Muslim democracy goes awry.

McClatchy Genocide issue may cloud Armenia envoy nominee's hearing

Semih İdiz AKP’yi kapatma kararı AİHM’den döner