Arabie Saoudite, Royaume-Uni - Yamamah : Cachez cette corruption au nom de l'intérêt national

'National interest' halts arms corruption inquiry
Guardian 15/12/06

"A major criminal investigation into alleged corruption by the arms company BAE Systems and its executives was stopped in its tracks yesterday when the prime minister claimed it would endanger Britain's security if the inquiry was allowed to continue..."

The arms deal they called the dove: how Britain grasped the biggest prize
Guardian 15/12/06

"The deal of the century, as it came to be known, took three years to complete. But when it was finally signed by Prince Sultan, the Saudi defence minister, on the Caribbean island of Bermuda in 1988 it provided British Aerospace with a stream of revenue worth around $2bn (£1.02bn) a year, with a current total that stands at more than $40bn..."


Saudi 'slush fund' investigation discontinued
Times 14/12/06

"A two-year corruption investigation by the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) into a £60 million "slush fund" that was allegedly set up for members of Saudi Arabia's royal family was discontinued today..."


Up in arms
Guardian 29/11/06

"It is unusual for the Guardian to be attacked as too supportive of law and order. But in the last few days, Mike Turner, chief executive of Britain's biggest arms company, BAE Systems, has led a chorus of claims that the nation's economy is imperilled by this newspaper's support for the police..."


BAE secret millions linked to arms broker
Guardian 29/11/06

"Secret payments of millions of pounds from Britain's biggest arms company have been found in Swiss accounts linked to Wafic Said, a billionaire arms broker for the Saudi Royal family, according to legal sources..."


Lire également, Read also :

A dangerous precedent for corporate corruption
FT 17/12/06

"...A necessary, but not sufficient condition for an anti-corruption climate is the right system of legal incentives. In Germany, bribes to foreign officials were tax deductible until 1999. In other words, corruption was not only condoned, but officially encouraged. This is no longer the case.

The UK seems to be moving in the opposite direction. The statement by Lord Goldsmith, the UK’s attorney-general, that “the wider public interest...outweighed the need to maintain the rule of law” in the case of BAE Systems may set a dangerous precedent. If bribery can occasionally be in the national interest, then it cannot be morally wrong in principle. It is a relative crime, depending on who does the bribing and who gets bribed..."


Arms and the man
Guardian 15/12/06

"For a prime minister who once taunted his predecessor as someone "knee deep in dishonour" over an arms deal and who promised that he would be "purer than pure" in office, yesterday was a shabby, shaming day, among the most inglorious he has spent in office. First Tony Blair was interviewed by Scotland Yard at Downing Street, which in itself was an extraordinary thing. Nothing like it has ever happened before. Then, in the House of Lords, the attorney general hauled up the flag of surrender in the face of Saudi demands that the Serious Fraud Office stop its investigation into BAE Systems' arms deals with Saudi Arabia, amid fears for its vast contract to sell Typhoon fighters..."


Blair questioned by police on day of 'burying bad news'
Independant 15/12/06


Venezuela, Etats-Unis - What a Chávez Win Means in Venezuela and for U.S. Policy
by Stephen Johnson, Heritage 12/12/06

"To no one's surprise, Venezuela's authoritarian president, Hugo Chávez swept to re-election victory on December 3. Chávez clearly intends to turn Latin America and the Caribbean toward authoritarianism and closed markets. To counter those aims, the United States must ratify promised trade ties with allies. It must enhance security cooperation to counter new threats and check any potential arms race advanced by Chávez. Finally, America must strengthen support for fragile democratic and market institutions to keep other countries in the region from sliding toward economic decline, strongman rule, and conflict..."


Equateur - What Correa's Win Means in Ecuador
by Stephen Johnson, Heritage 29/11/06

"Presidential runoff elections in Ecuador on November 26 appear to have produced a handy victory for radical young economist Rafael Correa over banana magnate Alvaro Noboa. Washington has an interest in a friendly, stable Ecuador, but this outcome may not be conducive to friendship or internal stability. The president-elect has expressed hostility toward U.S. policies, particularly free markets. At home, he could encounter stiff opposition from a congress he promised to dissolve..."


Russie  - Official Patriotism in Russia: Its Essence and Implications
Douglas W. Blum.  Center for Strategic and International Studies 12/06

"After a brief burst of optimism following the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russia fell into a funk. The economy failed to take off, and by the end of the decade it was no better – and in some ways even worse – than it had been at its start. In foreign affairs, relations between Russia and the West became increasingly strained due to a series of perceived diplomatic setbacks and snubs (including resistance to Russian membership in the World Trade Organization and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s interventions in the former Yugoslavia). There was deep humiliation and rage over the failed campaign in Chechnya from 1994 to 1996; as the decade wore on, this was coupled with anxieties about the emergence of a terrorist threat associated with Islamic radicalism emanating from Russia’s southern fringe. Not only did this threaten national security from without, it also raised concerns about the viability of a civic national identity for polyglot Russia, whose population was composed of well over 100 ethnicgroups, including roughly 20-25 million Muslims. Yet another disturbing trend was globalization and the loss of national identity it seemed to portend, particularly its negative effects on the younger generation’s worldview. By the late 1990s, it was impossible to ignore the evidence of rampant drug abuse, crime, anomie, and alienation..."


Russie, Tchétchénie - The Changing Context of Russian Federal Policy in the North Caucasus
Mark Kramer.  Center for Strategic and International Studies 12/06

"A year ago, the prospects for stability in the North Caucasus appeared dim at best. Violent clashes, bombings, and terrorist attacks in Chechnya remained common and continued to produce bloodshed, misery, and destruction. Even more troubling was the accelerated spread of extremist violence and sociopolitical instability from Chechnya into neighboring Dagestan and Ingushetia, where bombings, assassinations, and other terrorist attacks became a daily occurrence. Coordinated attacks by young rebels on police stations and other official sites in Nalchik, the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, in October 2005 – attacks that left more than 140 people dead – caused many observers to fear that a growing wave of instability in the North Caucasus would spin out of control. Some even worried that violence in the North Caucasus would ignite upheavals elsewhere in the Russian Federation..."


Etats-Unis, Irak - Rights and Wrongs of Fixing Iraq
Brooking, December 6, 2006

"US policy in Iraq must come to grip with two realities: Iraq is in a civil war, and Iraq is a failed state. The Baker-Hamilton report issued Wednesday moves the debate on Iraq in a constructive direction. But if policymakers fixate on the formula of transferring responsibility to rapidly-expanded Iraqi forces with more embedded US trainers but fewer US troops, then expect more violence, more instability and more US casualties..."


Lire également, Read also :

A Civil War -- and Worse
by Andrew J. Bacevich, Boston Globe 04/12/06


Etats-Unis, Irak - Close the Bases
By LARRY DIAMOND, NYT 10/12/06

"A MONG the 79 recommendations of the report is one addressed explicitly to President Bush: He “should state that the United States does not seek permanent military bases in Iraq.” Why is this so important? Since May 2003, a growing number of Iraqis and most of the Sunni minority have felt their country was under American occupation. This has been one of two factors driving the vicious Sunni insurgency..."


Etats-Unis, Iran - The Bottom Line on Iran: The Costs and Benefits of Preventive War Versus Deterrence
Justin Logan.  CATO Institute 04/12/06

"It appears increasingly likely that the Bush administration’s diplomatic approach to Iran will fail to prevent Iran from going nuclear and that the United States will have to decide whether to use military force to attempt to delay Iran’s acquisition of a nuclear weapons capability. Some analysts have already been promoting air strikes against Iran, and the Bush administration has pointed out repeatedly that the military option is “on the table.” This paper examines the options available to the United States in the face of a prospective final diplomatic collapse..."


Etats-Unis, Syrie - Syria's Response to the Baker-Hamilton Report
Seth Wikas.  Washington Institute for Near East Policy 05/12/06

"On December 6, the long-awaited report of the Iraq Study Group (ISG), often referred to as the Baker-Hamilton commission, will be available to the public. One of the report’s recommendations is likely to be direct talks with Iran and Syria, providing plenty of fodder for American politicians, journalists, and foreign policy experts. But what do Syrian sources have to say about the report and its implications for US policy?..."


Liban - Lebanon in Political Crisis: Three Months After the War
Featuring David Schenker and Nohad el-Machnouk, Washington Institute for Near East PolicyDecember 4, 2006

"On November 20, 2006, David Schenker and Nohad el-Machnouk addressed The Washington Institute’s Special Policy Forum. Mr. Schenker is a senior fellow at the Institute specializing in Arab politics and former Levant country director at the Pentagon. He had just returned from Lebanon prior to the forum. Mr. el-Machnouk served as a senior advisor for political affairs to the late Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri throughout the 1990s and has played a leading role in the anti-Syrian “March 14 coalition.” He is currently a columnist for al-Safir. The following is a rapporteur’s summary of their remarks..."


Liban, Syrie, Etats-Unis - Gemayel Assassination Underscores Lebanon's Need for U.S. Support in Struggle Against Syria
by James A. Phillips, Heritage 27/11/06

"The assassination of Lebanese Minister of Industry Pierre Gemayel has shaken Lebanon’s elected government at a critical moment of deepening political crisis. Gemayel strongly supported the 2005 Cedar Revolution that swept away a Syrian occupation force that had exploited Lebanon as a colony and convenient surrogate battlefield for three decades. His murder is a major psychological blow to the embattled government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora, which has struggled to consolidate Lebanon’s independence from Syria..."


ONU, Etats-Unis - Annan asks U.S. to hold firm to ideals

"Outgoing United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan Monday urged the U.S. to engage the world and avoid human rights violations in its war against terrorism. Annan said the U.S. was "in the vanguard of the global human rights movement," a lead that could "only be maintained if America remains true to its principles." "

Lire, Read :

UN Secretary-General's address at the Truman Presidential Museum and Library followed by Questions and Answers
UN 11/12/06

Lire également, Read also :

APTN/ClipSyndicate 12/12/06

In a farewell address, Annan urges America not to go it alone
IHT 11/12/06


Etats-Unis, France - A Post-Gaullist, Pro-American France?
By Gary J. Schmitt, Reuel Marc Gerecht
EUROPEAN OUTLOOK, American Enterprise Institute  December 11, 2006

"Since the suburban riots last August, the perception that France is in decline has become de rigueur in French, European, and American circles. Economically, culturally, educationally, militarily, diplomatically, and even gastronomically, France seems to have significantly diminished. But French foreign policy--which has become noticeably less anti-American since the Iraq war and tougher toward Iran’s quest for nuclear weapons--suggests that France may already be recovering from its déclinisme. A more pro-American France--a surreal idea for many foreign-affairs practitioners in Washington--may not be that far off..."


Arabie Saoudite - Think Saudi
Ehud Yaari.  Washington Institute for Near East Policy 27/11/06

"For many long years it was fair to describe the development of Saudi Arabia's foreign policy in terms of the "dynamics of inaction." The Wahhabi royal house followed an essentially cautious, awkward, defensive path of diplomacy, rarely taking the initiative, and prefering to remain in the shadowy realm of influence from behind the scenes. Recently, it appears, King Abdullah and his close aides have come to the conclusion that Saudi Arabia has to change gear and go into active mode in all the relevant spheres. Over the past few months, there has been a succession of developments that, together, have thrust Riyadh into a leading role. The Saudis are no longer waiting for anyone, but are forging ahead by themselves..."

Lire également, Read also :

Saudis give a grim 'what if' should U.S. opt to leave Iraq
IHT 13/12/06