It is not surprising that Western would-be mediators cannot end a conflict when they do not understand why it exists. Neither the Arab-Israeli nor the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is based on a misunderstanding, Israeli intransigence, or a gap that can be closed by well-meaning but ignorant conflict managers.
The reason the issue persists is twofold. First, the [...]

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It appears that the Iranians are much smarter than we are in the West. It never really made sense for Iran to build a bomb unless America looked like it was going to attack. The smarter option, and the one the Iranians are taking, is to NOT build a bomb, but to build many bombs [...]

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South Korea is in immediate danger. Our enterprises, many of which are world leaders in shipbuilding, iron and steel, semiconductors and automobiles, have become targets of Chinese spies. Not a few South Korean businesses have already suffered from direct or indirect spying by China. European nations and the U.S. are issuing alerts on China’s industrial [...]

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Iran nuke study pulls military option off the table
Ha’aretz, Israel - 3 hours ago
Professionals will now argue passionately, continuing the debates between Israel’s assessment (an Iranian bomb in 2009-2010) and the American one (a bomb in …
ANALYSIS: Iran nuke study pulls military option off the table Independent Media Review Analysis (IMRA)
all 4 news articles »

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Israeli intelligence believes Iran is still trying to develop a nuclear weapon, Israel’s defense minister said Tuesday, disputing a U.S. intelligence assessment that Iran has halted its program.
“It’s apparently true that in 2003 Iran stopped pursuing its military nuclear program for a time. But in our opinion, since then it has apparently continued that program,” [...]

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US, Chinese hold military talks amid strains over port calls
AFP - 19 hours ago
Top US military officials expressed surprise and anger last week after China abruptly cancelled a long-planned Hong Kong port call over November 21-24 by …
Port incident strains US-China talks Washington Times
China upset at Kitty Hawk’s Taiwan Strait transit Reuters
China upset over US carrier’s [...]

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In a SPIEGEL interview, French sociologist Laurent Mucchielli talks about the riots in the Paris suburbs and the country’s unsuccessful policies for integrating immigrants and their children. He accuses French President Nicolas Sarkozy of using the language of war to characterize the recent riots in a way that could spark even greater violence. more…

Simmering Suburbs: [...]

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Nor was there any doubt that the poll was rigged. “The election was not fair and failed to meet standards for democratic elections,” concluded the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) and the Council of Europe in a joint statement. Nothing was left to chance to ensure a high turnout. In Moscow your [...]

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The chief of the Indian Navy, Admiral Sureesh Mehta, today signalled that the security establishment was re-thinking relations with India’s traditional military equipment supplier after Russia’s repeated failure to adhere to contracts that fix prices and delivery schedules.
“Where is our relationship with Russia going?” the admiral wondered aloud rhetorically. He was asked for his response [...]

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The United States released a new National Intelligence Estimate (NIE) on Dec. 3. It said, “We judge with high confidence that in the fall of 2003, Tehran halted its nuclear weapons program.” It went on to say, “Tehran’s decision to halt its nuclear weapons program suggests it is less determined to develop nuclear weapons than [...]

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