Semaine du 05 au 11/05/2007


Turquie, Europe, Asie centrale - Turkey stakes a Central Asian claim
By Federico Bordonaro, Asia Times 12/05/07

"The Turkish Foreign Ministry outlined Ankara's ambitious Central Asian strategy in an interesting comment in the EU Observer on May 3. The administration of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan thinks Europe should consult Turkey on Central Asia as the latter becomes increasingly important for Euro-Atlantic energy security. Hence Turkey is redrawing its diplomatic strategy in the region with a clear goal in mind: being the indispensable nation for Western interests in Central Asia..."


Etats-Unis, Relations internationales - How the Influence of Religion Makes the Foreign Policy of the Bush Administration Revolutionary, and How This Has Affected Our Relations with European Allies
College Undergraduate Research Electronic Journal, University of Pennsylvania 01 May 2007

"It is widely recognized that the rhetoric and actions of the Bush administration are strongly marked by religious terminology and principles, particularly those o evangelical Christianity. The prominence and new political sophistication of religious groups imply that its current character is a departure from the past. Yet while religious conservatives are seen as a significant force in domestic and electoral politics, their influence in the arena of foreign policy is not generally a topic of serious debate. The omission is significant; not only do domestic politics often influence the direction of foreign policy, but in the case of the religious wing of the Republican Party, there have recently been a considerable number of direct statements and positions taken with regard to international issues. The evidence that there is a political effect from the Christian evangelicals is seen in the fact that their positions have frequently been reflected by US foreign policy under the Bush administration, particularly the policies on terrorism and Iraq. More often the neoconservative wing of the Republican Party tends to be given credit for these policies, but their collaboration with religious conservatives is not often considered. One of the purposes of this thesis will be to demonstrate the alliance between these two factions. My argument that ideology, both religious and political, has been instrumental to the foreign policy of the Bush administration, will be demonstrated trough a comparison of he political dimensions of these ideologies, the examination of key administration figures, and a critical assessment of alternative argument that discounts the importance of ideology..."


France - Sarkozy and the World
Council on Foreign Relations May 7, 2007

"...In the United States, at least, the optimism that Sarkozy somehow will reinvigorate French foreign policy and vastly improve ties with Washington appears to be based on pundits’ estimates of his character rather than any concrete policy changes in the offing..."


Lire également, côté néoconservateurs :

The Sarkozy Revolution: Five Recommendations for the New French President
by Nile Gardiner, Ph.D. Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom, May 9, 2007

"The victory of Nicolas Sarkozy in the French presidential election presents the best hope for French political reform since the publication of Alexis De Tocqueville's L'Ancien Régime in 1856. Sarkozy, the son of a Hungarian immigrant, has vowed to transform France from a backward-looking, outdated, rapidly declining country into a modern, globally focused nation. In almost messianic terms, he has pledged a break with the past and a new era for the French people.

Arrayed against him, however, is a powerful coalition of vested interests, from the communist-dominated trade unions to the elites who dominate the civil service, not least the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Quai d'Orsay. In addition, the new French president must contend with long-term civil unrest in the immigrant-dominated suburbs of France's major cities, where mobs of largely Muslim youths are already rioting against the new regime. Out of all European Union countries, France is by far the most resistant to change, with the deepest entrenched vestiges of socialism and hostility to the free market.

If Sarkozy is serious about transforming France, he will have to lead a Herculean effort. On the domestic front, he must confront the biggest elephants in the room: the 35-hour workweek and job protection laws that have contributed to a 20 percent unemployment rate among young people. In Europe, Mr. Sarkozy must show that he is serious about reforming the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the largest protectionist racket in the world, and bring an end to French bullying within the EU. On the world stage, France must become serious about confronting the biggest threats of the day, from the rise of a nuclear-armed Iran to global terrorism. It is in the U.S. interest to have a France that is firmly anchored to the transatlantic alliance and looks to Washington and London, not just Brussels, to advance its foreign policy agenda..."


Au Revoir
by Laurent Murawiec, From the May 8, 2007 National Review Online

"Good news for the French, good news for us: Nicolas Sarkozy’s impressive victory in this weekend’s French presidential election sounds the death knell of key components of French political exceptionalism.

GAULLISM AT HOME…
First, the Gaullist exception in both the domestic field and in international affairs has finally been done away with..."

"…AND ABROAD
In international affairs, de Gaulle repeatedly broke ranks with Atlantic solidarity; he tried to sunder NATO and flirted with Moscow. De Gaulle foolishly France, with him at it head, as the leader of an international “third way” in which the “non-aligned” and the Soviet bloc would join him. The Islamic world, Latin America, and Asia would heed his anti-American call. De Gaulle’s successors kept up that tradition, though with partial exceptions: President Pompidou improved relations with Richard Nixon somewhat; Socialist president Mitterrand supported Reagan’s deployment of the “euro-missiles” (but furiously opposed missile defense).

Jacques Chirac turned out to be the most virulent hater of America, ready to go to almost any length to harm the U.S.

Sarkozy’s very first statement upon being elected pointedly emphasized a strong alliance with and friendliness toward the United States. This is an enormous change: For the first time since the strongly Atlantic-oriented Fourth Republic, Paris will not be anti-American. This does not mean that Sarkozy’s France will be “aligned” with, or a mere appendix of, American diplomacy — in his speech, Sarkozy first underlined that he was “a good European” and favorable to a stronger Europe. Rather, it means that Sarkozy’s France will stop trying to berate, harass, and scoff at the United States at every opportunity; that Sarkozy’s France will stop trying to lead a worldwide anti-American coalition, as was the case under the bumbling but tenaciously noxious stewardship of Jacques Chirac. The professional America-loathers at the French foreign ministry, the Quai d’Orsay, will have to watch their step. Israel will be able to count on a more level playing field and less Islamophilia. Washington can do business with Nicolas Sarkozy, whereas Chirac only wanted to do injury to America. The European Union can again envision a center-right French-German leadership that is not intent on pitting the EU against America..."


Afghanistan - Afghanistan’s Drug Trade and How it Funds Taliban Operations
Jamestown May 10, 2007

"The opium economy in Afghanistan is a key component of the counter-insurgency campaign, yet remains one of the most difficult issues to tackle. It is a critical problem facing international efforts to create a functional government in Kabul that can prosecute counter-terrorism on its own territory. A successful counter-narcotics intervention would have the added benefit of undermining an important terrorist funding source in arenas as diverse as Chechnya, Xinjiang and Central Asia. While coalition and Afghan officials regularly acknowledge the power that the narco-economy has over their ambitions, it has proven exceptionally challenging to turn this into a national strategy that incorporates counter-narcotics into counter-insurgency and provides the resources for its execution..."


Afghanistan, Pakistan - South Waziristan’s Maulvi Nazir: The New Face of the Taliban
Jamestown May 10, 2007

"Pakistan is experimenting with the Taliban yet again. The primary focus of the effort is to de-link the Taliban from al-Qaeda and bring them back into the Pakistani sphere of influence. Uzbek militants have been the first “casualty” of this re-alignment. Potentially, remaining Arab militants will be next. Tribal forces in South Waziristan under the leadership of Maulvi Nazir are at the forefront of this “movement.” Extremist notions of religion remain their bread and butter, but new political objectives also guide their activities on the ground. This, in short, defines the neo-Taliban phenomenon. It is critical to understand the background, motivations and alliances of Maulvi Nazir to fully comprehend what is transpiring in the region..."


Colombie - Colombia’s New Armed Groups
ICG Latin America Report 10 May 2007

"The disbanding of the paramilitary United Self-Defence Forces of Colombia (AUC) between 2003 and 2006 is seen by the administration of President Alvaro Uribe as a vital step toward peace. While taking some 32,000 AUC members out of the conflict has certainly altered the landscape of violence, there is growing evidence that new armed groups are emerging that are more than the simple “criminal gangs” that the government describes. Some of them are increasingly acting as the next generation of paramilitaries, and they require a more urgent and more comprehensive response from the government..."


Soudan - Sudan: arms continuing to fuel serious human rights violations in Darfur
Amnesty International 8 May 2007

"Arms, ammunition and related equipment are still being transferred to Darfur in the west of Sudan for military operations in which extremely serious violations and abuse of human rights and international humanitarian law are committed by the Sudanese government, the government-backed Janjawid militias(1) and armed opposition groups..."


Presse - Freedom of the Press 2007: A Global Survey of Media Independence
Freedom House 2007

"In advance of World Press Freedom Day, on May 3rd, Freedom House has released several critical tools to highlight data from its annual survey of global press freedom, and to help explain the newest findings in their historical context. The current edition of the survey, Freedom of the Press 2007, points to improvements in several countries such as Italy, Nepal, Colombia, and Haiti; however, it shows mixed trends in Africa, as well as a continuation of a longer-term pattern of decline in press freedom in Asia, Latin America, and the former Soviet Union..."


Terrorisme - Sharing the Dragon’s Teeth: Terrorist Groups and the Exchange of New Technologies
RAND Corporation 2007

"Terrorist groups — both inside and outside the al Qaeda network — sometimes form mutually beneficial partnerships to exchange “best practices.” These exchanges provide terrorist groups with the opportunity to innovate (i.e., increase their skills and expand their reach). Understanding how terrorist groups exchange technology and knowledge, therefore, is essential to ongoing and future counterterrorism strategies. This study examines how 11 terrorist groups in three areas (Mindanao, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and southwest Colombia) have attempted to exchange technologies and knowledge in an effort to reveal some of their vulnerabilities. The analysis provides the Department of Homeland Security and other national security policymakers with insight into the innovation process and suggests ways that government policies can create barriers to terrorists’ adoption of new technologies..."


Terrorisme, Internet - Archived: U.S. Congressional Hearing: The Internet: A Portal to Violent Islamist Extremism
Hearing before the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, 5/3/07


Terrorisme, Internet - NETworked Radicalization: A Counter-Strategy
Homeland Security Policy Institute 2007

"Through a compelling ‘call to action’ based on myths and falsehoods, terror networks have made savvy use of the Internet to radicalize potential recruits worldwide. With the “war” now shifting to one of ideology, cyberspace is the battlefield, and the United States has not yet developed an effective narrative as part of its counter strategy. That’s the conclusion of a new report issued by The George Washington University’s Homeland Security Policy Institute (HSPI) and the University of Virginia’s Critical Incident Analysis Group (CIAG) titled, “NETworked Radicalization: A Counter-Strategy.” The report is the second in a series addressing the issue of terrorist radicalization..."


Criminalité économique - Anti-Corruption Training Manual (Infrastrcture, Construction and Engineering Sectors)
Transparency International 04/07 (via Chartered Institute of Building)

"This Anti-Corruption Training Manual aims to help users achieve a better understanding of corruption and how to avoid it. It can be used by individuals, and also by companies as part of their corporate training.

1. Section 1 provides an overview of what constitutes corruption, who may be liable for corruption, and how it may be avoided.
2. Section 2 provides 47 detailed examples of corruption throughout the project cycle. Each example also lists the possible criminal offence which may have been committed under the law of England and Wales.
3. Section 3 provides some simple anti-corruption rules which individuals should follow (and which companies could impose on their employees) to try to ensure that no corruption offence is committed.
4. Section 4 provides practical advice as to what individuals and companies should do when faced with a potentially corrupt situation.
5. Section 5 provides an explanation of the relevant criminal law of England and Wales (with cross references to the examples in Section 2).

Climat - Stop Climate Change: It Is Possible
World Wildlife Fund 03 May 2007

"From 30 April - 4 May 2007, the third working group of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meets in Bangkok to summarize the best available science on how to stop climate change. Specifically, discussions center on the costs of climate action, the wide policies and measures available, and the speed with which climate action will be able to deliver the deep emissions cuts required to keep the climate safe.

In this briefing WWF wants to showcase a number of concrete initiatives from around the world that show that politicians, businesses and ordinary people are already taking real actions to save the climate. This short briefing note of inspiring actions stands in sharp contrast to the doom and gloom that dominate reporting of the climate challenge..."


Lire, Read :

Working Group III Report “Mitigation of Climate Change”
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Summary for Policymakers
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)


Monde arabe - The Challenge of Economic Reform in the Arab World: Toward More Productive Economies
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace May 2007

"A new study by the Carnegie Endowment finds that previous attempts at economic reform have not alleviated the economic problems of Arab countries, failing to dismantle state-dominated economies with high restrictions on private investments.  Arab countries represent only 4 percent of world trade and have the highest unemployment rate in the world at 12.2 percent. The per capita GDP in these nations has fallen in recent decades and public debt has hit a critical level in several countries.

In this Carnegie Paper from Carnegie’s Middle East Center, The Challenge of Economic Reform in the Arab World, Sufyan Alissa examines the major factors responsible for hindering meaningful economic reform in the Arab world.  Governments and established elites have little incentive to create reforms that could threaten their economic and political interests.  Furthermore, governments and institutions in the Arab world have limited capacity to plan, implement and manage reform programs, and have little agreement on what true reform would entail..."


Internet, Web 2.0 - The Python in the Garden
Boston Consulting Group 05/07

"The second generation of the commercial Internet is about more than social networking for teens. Web 2.0, as it is commonly called, has the potential to strengthen competitive advantage while lowering costs, up-end entire industries, and even redefine some of the traditional rules of strategy. This Perspective defines the key principles of Web 2.0 and describes their implications for supply chain, enterprise collaboration, and the mobile telephony industry. It argues that incumbents are well positioned, but only if they act..."