Semaine du 10 au 16/03/2007


Etats-Unis - America's Role in the World - Results of a New Poll
Matt Bennett, Sharon Burke, Bill Galston and Elaine Kamarck, Third Way 12/03/07

"A new poll taken as we approach the fourth anniversary of the Iraq War reveals that Americans are anxious about the nation’s role in the world..."


Etats-Unis - The Long War: The United States as a Self-Inflicted Wound
Anthony H. Cordesman, Center for Strategic & International Studies March 13, 2007

"Key Self-Inflicted Wounds

• Fight long wars with short term, partial and inadequate solutions.
• Underestimate risks, benefits, options like diplomacy, containment, deterrence.
• Fight the war we want, rather than the war we face: No real strategy for conflict termination and grand strategy.
• Deny the scale and nature of civil tensions and conflict: Sectarian, ethnic, tribal, economic, and governance.
• Confuse counterinsurgency with stability operations and nation building.
• Ethnocentricity: “Democracy” versus governance and local culture, and values.
• Underestimate the resources required and under-react as crisis or conflict develops.
• Deny the seriousness of the situation as it develops to Congress, American people, and ourselves..."

Irak, Etats-Unis - The New Strategy in Iraq: Uncertain Progress Towards an Unknown Goal
Anthony H. Cordesman, Center for Strategic & International Studies March 14, 2007

"There are many definitions of “strategy,” some of which are virtually indistinguishable from “tactics.” To use one of the better dictionary definitions, however, “strategy” is “the science and art of employing the political, economic, psychological, and military forces of a nation or group of nations to afford the maximum support to adopted policies in peace or war.”

By this definition, and any other meaningful definition of “strategy,” a meaningful US strategy in Iraq cannot simply focus on winning in Baghdad and going on with efforts to fight the insurgents in the most troubled. A meaningful US strategy in Iraq has to combine all of the necessary means to achieve a clearly defined objective and it has to have an end game..."


Irak, Etats-Unis - Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq: March 2007 Report to Congress
U.S. Department of Defense 03/07

"This report to Congress, Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq, is being submitted pursuant to Section 9010 of the U.S. Department of Defense Appropriations Act 2007, Public Law 109-289.1 The report includes specific performance indicators and measures of progress toward political, economic, and security stability in Iraq, as mandated in the above-referenced legislation. This is the seventh in a series of reports on this subject. The previous report was submitted in November 2006..."


Amérique latine, Etats-Unis - Bush's Latin America tour unproductive
Commentary by Sam Logan for ISN Security Watch (15/03/2007)

"Without control of Congress, Bush can make no promises to Latin America and his tour through the region was little more than a photo opportunity..."


Afrique, Etats-Unis - The US and Africa: eyes on the prize
By Paul Rogers for openDemocracy.net (16/03/07), via ISN

"The new United States defense budget involves a substantial increase in spending and a redirection of many military programs towards counterinsurgency and responding to asymmetric warfare. It also entails a relatively little-noticed change in the orientation of the US military towards Africa, announced on 9 February 2007: the planned establishment of Africa Command (Africom).

At first sight this may appear a surprising move, given the comparatively less prominent place of Africa in the global war on terror compared with the middle east or south Asia. One way to explain the policy decision is to put it in the context of the establishment of another US military command almost a generation ago..."


Colombie, Etats-Unis - Colombia and the United States–The Partnership: But What Is the Endgame?
Strategic Studies Institute, U.S. Army War College March 12, 2007

"American Ambassador to Colombia, 1994-97, Myles R. R. Frechette provides authoritative, eloquent, and impassioned perspectives on both the achievements and failures of American and Colombian efforts. He argues that American policy made analytical errors that need to be rectified, including underestimating the long-term complexity and interrelated nature of the problem, while both nations overestimated the amount of support that Colombia would receive from the international community. Moreover, nation-building and the rule of law are strategic imperatives which American policy must take seriously. Finally, it is critical to appreciate that Colombian cultural characteristics sharply influence what Colombians will do on their own behalf..."


Chine, Europe - Europe itching to lift China arms ban
By Federico Bordonaro, Asia Times 15/03/07

"China has expressed strong disapproval of the recent US decision to sell a variety of air-to-air missiles to Taiwan. But while Beijing may be genuinely unhappy with the sales, it does provide China's leaders with a useful lever with which to pressure Europe to lift the arms embargo it imposed after the Tiananmen crackdown in 1989..."


Iran, Russie - Russia's changing Iran policy
Commentary by Sergei Blagov in Moscow for ISN Security Watch (14/03/07)

"Russia's state-run Atomstroiexport company announced on 12 March that the Iranian-based Bushehr plant would not become operational sooner than November due to delays in funding commitments from Iran. The company said that even if Iran renewed funding, Bushehr would not join Iran's power grid before 2008. On 13 March, the company voiced confidence that Iran would pay up, warning that if it failed to do so, the project could be shelved.

Russian nuclear power agency Rosatom said that under an agreement signed last September Iran was due to pay Russia US$25 million a month, but paid nothing in February. Rosatom said the lack of funds would affect the date arranged to send nuclear fuel to Iran. Iran's Atomic Energy Organization has reportedly denied Russia's claim of payment delay, insisting that Tehran has honored all its financial commitments..."


Liban - Experts: UNIFIL stronger, but still lacking
By Brooks Tigner in Brussels for ISN Security Watch (15/03/07)

"Without a change in its mandate or a change in attitude by its host government, the UN's peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon is doomed to ineffectiveness and cannot prevent another conflict in the war-weary country, say political and military experts familiar with the region's long-simmering problems.

UNIFIL, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, does not have the means or will to halt arms smuggling across the border from Syria and, moreover, it shies away from conflict with the Iran-backed Hizbollah faction, which is re-arming itself after last summer's brutal so-called rocket war with Israel, they said.

"Iran is de facto a major player in the region and until that is tackled, UNIFIL remains an ineffectual force and deterrent," Kassem Ja'afar, a Lebanese diplomatic consultant in Qatar, said during a 13 March panel debate here organized by the Transatlantic Institute to assess UNIFIL's performance. "I wish the situation was brighter than that, but it isn't."..."


Thailande - Southern Thailand: The Impact of the Coup
ICG Policy Report, 15 March 2007

"Six months after the coup which overthrew Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawata, Thailand still faces a serious security threat in the Muslim South and a real risk of communal violence..."


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Malaysia's Role in Thailand's Southern Insurgency
Jamestown March 15, 2007


Allemagne - Islam and Identity in Germany
ICG Policy Report, 14 March 2007

"Germany’s leaders should concentrate on the practical problems that undermine social cohesion – political alienation, over-zealous policing and economic inequality – and avoid the temptation to score domestic political points with hard-line rhetoric about Turkish and other Muslim immigration..."


Défense, Europe - B.M.D. Debate Heats Up in Europe
By Federico Bordonaro, PINR 13/03/07

"After the United States last month officially initiated talks with Poland and the Czech Republic about the installation of missile defense facilities in their territories, a heated political debate on the issue followed in Europe. The Pentagon plans to establish radar bases in the Czech Republic and interceptor missiles in Poland.

Moscow expressed irritation at Washington's objectives and used language reminiscent of the Cold War era, while Berlin and Paris reacted cautiously and called for a renewed strategic dialogue between the United States and Russia (via N.A.T.O. and multilateralism) in order to clarify important political and military aspects of the issue..."


Défense, France - Donnons plus d'espace à la Défense : Orientations d'une politique spatiale de défense
Délégation à l'information et à la communication de défense (DICoD) 02/07

"Le ministère de la défense vient d’éditer un dossier sur les «Orientations d’une politique spatiale de défense pour la France et l’Europe» dans la collection Analyse et références de février 2007.

Ce document présente les orientations clés données par le rapport du Groupe d’orientation stratégique de la politique spatiale de défense (GOSPS), placé sous la présidence de l’ambassadeur de France François Bujon de l’Estang. C’est un dossier de réflexion pour contribuer au dialogue entre divers partenaires civils et militaires, industriels et institutionnels, en France et en Europe..."


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POLITIQUE SPATIALE : L'AUDACE ou LE DÉCLIN - Comment faire de l'Europe le leader mondial de l'espace
Office parlementaire d'évaluation des choix scientifiques et technologiques 02/07


Terrorisme - Transcript of CSRT (Khalid Sheikh Mohammed) Hearing
United States Department of Defense Tribunals/Administrative Review Boards (Revised as of 3/15/2007)

"Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, REVISED, March 15: "I was responsible for the 9/11 operation from A to Z" and "I decapitated with my blessed right hand the head of the American Jew, Daniel Pearl, in the city of Karachi, Pakistan"..."


Terrorisme - Europe's Emerging Counter-Terrorism Elite: The ATLAS Network
Jamestown March 15, 2007

"Special operation forces, or in police terminology special intervention teams, are an essential asset in any counter-terrorism operation. Their deployment can be needed during a terrorist incident or as a logical follow-up on gathered intelligence with the aim to arrest terrorists and prevent an attack. The need for well-trained intervention units in Europe was first demonstrated during the 1972 Olympics in Munich when Palestinian terrorists kidnapped members of the Israeli Olympic team and the subsequent action to rescue the hostages failed tragically. Following this incident, most European countries created their own counter-terrorism special intervention units that were embedded in either police or military structures. Examples of present-day special intervention units in Europe are the renowned British SAS, French GIGN and German GSG-9 and the lesser-known units like the Austrian COBRA, Danish AKS, Dutch DSI, Estonian K-Commando and Finnish Karhuryhmä. Although the character of global terrorism has changed—broadly speaking from bombings and hijackings to suicide attacks—the need for special interventions has not decreased. On the contrary, contemporary terrorists tend to have little risk-aversion, meaning that specialized intervention is needed more than ever. This can be illustrated by the incident in April 2004 when a Spanish police officer was killed and 11 wounded as the alleged ringleader of the Madrid bombings, Sarhane ben Abdelmajid Fakhet, blew himself up together with three accomplices when the police raided their apartment. There is also the instance in November 2004 when a terrorist suspect threw a hand grenade, wounding three Dutch police officers part of an intervention unit, illustrating the dangers that police face when engaging terrorists..."


Terrorisme - Maritime Security: Public Safety Consequences of a Terrorist Attack on a Tanker Carrying Liquefied Natural Gas Need Clarification
GAO-07-316, February 22, 2007

"The United States imports natural gas by pipeline from Canada and by tanker as liquefied natural gas (LNG) from overseas. LNG--a supercooled form of natural gas--currently accounts for about 3 percent of total U.S. natural gas supply, with an expected increase to about 17 percent by 2030, according to the Department of Energy (DOE). With this projected increase, many more LNG import terminals have been proposed. However, concerns have been raised about whether LNG tankers could become terrorist targets, causing the LNG cargo to spill and catch on fire, and potentially explode. DOE has recently funded a study to consider these effects; completion is expected in 2008. GAO was asked to (1) describe the results of recent studies on the consequences of an LNG spill and (2) identify the areas of agreement and disagreement among experts concerning the consequences of a terrorist attack on an LNG tanker. To address these objectives, GAO, among other things, convened an expert panel to discuss the consequences of an attack on an LNG tanker..."


Sécurité - Mapping the Mal Web
McAfee, Inc. March 12, 2007

"Online safety risks are a truly global issue. Yet differences in threats vary significantly by country and other factors, for example:

• A consumer is almost 12 times more likely to encounter a drive-by-download while surfing Russian domains as Columbian ones.
• Registering at a Web site in India results in a 4.3% chance of getting spammy e-mail. Taking the same action with a domain registered in China yields a 7.2% chance.
• 5.2% of Vietnamese Web sites have risky downloads. Just 0.5% of Singaporean sites host such files.
• 2.7 million times every month, casual Web surfers visit risky Dutch Web sites. Even though Hong Kong has approximately the same percentage of risky Web sites, those risky domains receive just 52,000 clicks each month..."

Médias - State of the News Media 2007
Project for Excellence in Journalism (Pew Research Center)

"The State of the News Media 2007 is the fourth edition of our annual report on the health and status of American journalism..."


Information technology - Digital Prosperity: Understanding the Economic Benefits of the Information Technology Revolution
The Information Technology & Innovation Foundation March 13, 2007

"There have been surprisingly few attempts to catalogue what is known about the economic impact of information and communications technology (IT). In a new report, ITIF does just that, examining the impact of IT in five key areas: 1) productivity; 2) employment; 3) more efficient markets; 4) higher quality goods and services; and 5) innovation and new products and services. The report finds that the integration of IT into virtually all aspects of the economy and society is creating a digitally-enabled economy that is responsible for generating the lion’s share of economic growth and prosperity, both here and abroad, including in developing nations. Importantly, the “IT engine” does not appear likely to run out of gas anytime soon and should power robust growth for at least the next decade, provided that policy makers take the right steps. Toward that end the report lays out five key public policy principles for driving digital prosperity: 1) give the digital economy its due; 2) actively encourage digital innovation and transformation of economic sectors; 3) use the tax code to spur IT investment; 4) encourage universal digital literacy and adoption; and 5) do no harm..."