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| The Geopolitical Great Game: Turkey and Russia Moving Closer |
| 28.02.09 02:12 |
f.USSR |
| Despite the problems of the ruble and the weak oil price in recent months for the Russian economy, the Russian Government is pursuing a very active foreign policy strategy. Its elements focus on countering the continuing NATO encirclement policy of Washington, with often clever diplomatic initiatives on its Eurasian periphery. Taking advantage of the cool relations between Washington and longtime NATO ally, Turkey, Moscow has now invited Turkish President Abdullah Gul to a four day state visit to discuss a wide array of economic and political cooperation issues. |
| F. William Engdahl |
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| China breaks its silence on Afghanistan |
| 25.02.09 13:37 |
Asia rising |
| In the violent, lethal environment in which he lived and survived to eventually lead Beijing′s march towards socialism with Chinese characteristics, Deng Xiaoping had great reasons to be cautious. In regards to China′s international approach, Deng had this to say: "Observe calmly; secure our position; cope with affairs calmly; hide our capacities and bide our time; be good at maintaining a low profile; and never claim leadership." |
| M K Bhadrakumar |
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| An Impending Geopolitical Earthquake? |
| 22.02.09 12:46 |
Global Security |
| The financial and economic turmoil the world is currently experiencing will certainly have many serious consequences beyond those fields. Indeed, its geopolitical fallout could be far more serious than commonly acknowledged and it is an element that cannot be neglected by neither statesmen nor analysts. |
| José Miguel Alonso Trabanco |
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| Ship of Fools |
| 10.02.09 11:28 |
Americas on the move |
| The Russians, overflowing with energy and mineral resources, and not in debt, have learned that the US government is not to be trusted. Russia has watched Reagan’s successors attempt to turn former constituent parts of the Soviet Union into US puppet states with US military bases. |
| ICH |
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| Turkish snub changes Middle East game |
| 04.02.09 22:16 |
Middle East |
| There are different ways of looking at the Justice and Democratic Party, or AKP, which rules Turkey. Militant secularists and Kemalists allege it is a Trojan horse of Salafists whose members masquerade as democrats. Others say the AKP is so extremely moderate that it might get ostracized as infidel if it were transplanted to Iran or Afghanistan. |
| M K Bhadrakumar |
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| Is American Air Power on the Verge of Collapse? |
| 04.02.09 15:50 |
Americas on the move |
| The APA report is direct and unequivocal – Russian radar and missiles have improved to the point where the US fleet of F-15s, F-16s and F/A-18s, as well as the planned Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), are not capable of surviving against these systems and unless the Americans build another four hundred-plus F-22s, they will lose the strategic advantage they have held since the end of the Cold War. |
| defense.professionals |
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| Biden may hold unclenched Iranian hand |
| 30.01.09 16:08 |
Iran |
| Eyes trained to watch the Hindu Kush must now turn askance toward Germany where the 45th Munich Conference on Security Policy is scheduled to take place next weekend. Organizers of the annual event revealed on Thursday that among the 300 prominent figures from the international arena of foreign, security and defense policy will be a "very high-ranking personality" from Tehran. |
| M K Bhadrakumar |
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| Russia stops US on road to Afghanistan |
| 27.01.09 14:07 |
f.USSR |
| Precise, quick, deadly - the skills of a soldier are modest. But then, US Central Command chief General David Petraeus is more than a soldier. The world is getting used to him as somewhere more than halfway down the road to becoming a statesman. Sure, there may be warfare's seduction over him still, but he is expected to be aware of the political realities of the two wars he conducts, in Iraq and Afghanistan. |
| M K Bhadrakumar |
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| China pulls the frolicsome hands of the American bankers out of its pocket politely but firmly |
| 23.01.09 22:48 |
Economics |
| Last week the expectations of war between India and Pakistan recovered. The theme of «Just on the point of banging!» is popular among quite prosperous citizens in stable countries. This is a result of the lack of adrenaline. But it is not about that. Of course, the peaceful process on the state of Jammu and Kashmir has been deranged after the attacks in Mumbai. Of course, after the resignation of Musharraf and coming to power of the democratic government Pakistan hardly controls the situation not only in the country, but in Islamabad as well. And the current crisis does not add stability. Of the requested $ 10 billion the IMF has allocated only 7.6 billion to Islamabad, and with its famous conditions. Ms. Rice as usual reproached it with poor care for terrorists. It seems that the division of Pakistan is not far off, if not supported by its army, which is said to consist of the Taliban. |
| Natalya LAVAL warandpeace.ru |
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| Death agony of Thatcher deregulated finance model |
| 23.01.09 15:08 |
European trends |
| During the end of the 1970’s into the 1980’s British Conservative Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and the City of London financial interests who backed her, introduced wholesale measures of privatization, state budget cuts, moves against labor and deregulation of the financial markets. She did so in parallel with similar moves in the USA initiated by advisers around President Ronald Reagan. The claim was that hard medicine was needed to curb inflation and that the bloated state bureaucracy was a central problem. For almost three decades, Anglo-American university economic faculties have turned to Thatcherite deregulation of financial markets as ‘the efficient way,’ in the process, undoing many of the hard-fought gains secured for personal social security, public health care and pension security of the population. Now the ‘poster child’ economy of the Thatcher Revolution, Great Britain, is sinking like the proverbial Titanic, a testimony to the incompetence of what is generally called Neo-liberalism or free market ideology. |
| F. William Engdahl |
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