Enriched and emboldened by its oil and gas wealth, the Russia of President Vladimir Putin is acting like a bully. It wants the oligarch Boris Berezovsky extradited from Britain, on evidence that has yet to convince the British courts. And it refuses to extradite one of its own citizens on rather stronger charges of the [...]

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With the Cold War long over, the CIA no longer faces any real competition, right? Wrong. The world’s top espionage agencies are as busy as ever. This week, the FP List looks at the countries that best know how to wield a cloak and dagger.
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US special envoy on North Korean human rights Jay Lefkowitz has broken ranks with the State Department’s engagement policy, warning that Pyongyang intends to keep its nuclear weapons beyond the end of George W.Bush’s presidency.
“North Korea is not serious in disarming in a timely manner,” Mr Lefkowitz said in a speech and comments implicitly questioning [...]

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In a hypothetical future scenario, the U.S. and China are poised to clash — likely over Taiwan.
The democratic Republic of China, commonly called Taiwan — which America backs and the communist People’s Republic of China considers part of its territory — frequently irritates Chinese leaders with calls for greater independence from the mainland. But while [...]

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Déjà vu in Holland: A Dutch politician plans to release a film that rips the Koran for promoting violence and intolerance. Politicians and Muslim leaders alike are afraid of a repeat of 2004, when filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered on the streets of Amsterdam. By Patrick McGroarty more…

Challenging Islam: The Odyssey of Ayaan Hirsi [...]

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Nato must prepare to launch pre-emptive nuclear attacks to ward off the use of weapons of mass destruction by its enemies, a group of former senior military officials has warned.
Calling for a major change to Nato’s approach to defending its members and their interests, the authors of the report, which has been handed to Nato [...]

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North Korean President Kim Jong-il will soon celebrate his 66th birthday amid widespread, though unconfirmed, rumors of deteriorating health. The Kim regime is unquestionably the world’s most anachronistic government, and even absent rumors of his imminent death, Kim’s totalitarian regime will eventually join the corpses of the Soviet Union, East Germany and other former dictatorships. [...]

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Gaza Strip in blackness as Israel continues full blockade
Globe and Mail, Canada - 4 hours ago
“We are not asking you to wage a military war against Israel … but just stand with us in pride and honour.” Israel has used fuel cuts before to pressure …
Darkness falls on Gaza as Israel takes Times Online
Iran calls for [...]

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Is the United States starting a new arms race? Reviewing the Gulf package, Anthony H. Cordesman, a specialist in Middle East national security affairs at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said a surge of arms sales to countries in the region is just beginning.
With oil and gas exports providing $2 trillion in [...]

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The pre-dawn launch Monday of a new reconnaissance satellite further establishes Israel as one of the world’s superpowers in space, and grants it an important further intelligence advantage over its rivals.
The primary intelligence contribution of the TECSAR satellite, manufactured by Israel Aerospace Industries, lies in improving capabilities of intelligence gathering and coverage over Iran.
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Israel [...]

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