Former general Reinhard Günzel, head of Germany’s KSK elite forces until 2003, wrote in a recently published book “Secret Warriors”: “The commando soldiers know exactly where their roots lie.” The missions of the Wehrmacht’s Brandenburg division had been “legendary” among his troops, writes Günzel, who was fired in 2003 for praising a speech by a [...]

read more....

n April 11, 2007, Algeria’s capital of Algiers was hit by two attacks that killed at least 24 people and wounded more than 200. Various car bombs exploded simultaneously, damaging the prime minister’s office and devastating one of the suburbs of the city, Bab Ezzouar. Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a new (or rebranded) terrorist [...]

read more....

I find it terrible,” explained a leading Dutch historian to journalist Ian Buruma, “that we should be offering social welfare or subsidies to people who refuse to shake hands with a woman.”
How Europeans understand the millions of Muslims in their midst has emerged as a central question of European politics. Danish cartoons, soccer-fan terrorists from [...]

read more....

A February 2007 Gallup poll indicated that 66 percent of surveyed Americans believe the United Nations is doing a poor job. It’s the worst global body rating in Gallup polling history. And it may worsen once the American public reads the recently published State Department report on U.S. voting practices for 2006.
[...]

read more....

Syrian information minister says Damascus wants peace, but will resort to violence if Israel rejects peace proposal; ‘any nation living under occupation has the prerogative to resist,’ he says.
“If Israel rejects the Arab League peace proposal, resistance will be the only way to liberate the Golan Heights,” warns Syrian Information Minister Muhsen Bilal, at a [...]

read more....

India can offer some lessons on non-proliferation in a new nuclear age
In recent years, India and the deeply unstable Pakistan have both declared their nuclear-weapons programs. Neither was a signatory to the NPT. North Korea joined, but left. Iran is a member, but stands accused of breaking the rules. Israel is not, and remains [...]

read more....

Russia and Brazil have always seen eye-to-eye on such issues as the importance of a multipolar world and the UN’s role in modern society, and this mutual understanding is a key factor in relations between the two countries in other areas, too. Russian President Vladimir Putin believes that “we can cooperate in many fields, and [...]

read more....

TEHRAN, April 16, 2007 (UPI) — Iran issued tenders for two more nuclear reactors, which would increase the demand for fuel from Tehran’s controversial uranium-enrichment program.
The two reactors will be built in Bushehr, where Russia is building a reactor. That work has been delayed by a squabble between Moscow and Tehran, and it comes amid [...]

read more....

National Review Online: U.S. Vulnerable To New Threats Abroad
Last week, Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced that the Pentagon was extending the tours of most active-duty Army units in Iraq and Afghanistan. “Our forces are stretched, there’s no question about that,” he said. No kidding. More than five years after September 11, the United States is [...]

read more....

According to Lavrov, the Russian answer to the problem (read: straw man) Moscow has constructed is discussion within the Russia-NATO Council in which “public opinion” (his term) will be taken into full account. In other words, Lavrov wants the matter opened up to a broad propaganda campaign that Moscow can use to obfuscate the issue.
The [...]

read more....

However, Japan, India and other wary neighbors also observe the progress of China’s military modernization and its acquisition of submarines, warships, aircraft, missiles and other weapon systems that enable it to project power much further away from its shores. Since China has longstanding disputes to land or sea territory with India, Japan and several [...]

read more....

The fourth Beidou satellite, however, is reported to be more accurate and looks like China’s way of confirming rumors it is taking Compass global and into competition against GPS. China has previously admitted that Beidou will form the basis for Compass.
Some Western military analysts believe Beidou and its three satellites can also provide targeting information [...]

read more....

But in Beijing, U.S. negotiator Christopher Hill —intercepted by reporters on his way to his hotel room to pack his bags, catch a few hours sleep and depart for Washington — didn’t sound so optimistic.
“A number of things we are supposed to happen in 60 days, and those things have not happened,” Hill said. “We [...]

read more....