Etats-Unis, Iran - THE NEXT ACT
Is a damaged Administration less likely to attack Iran, or more?
by SEYMOUR M. HERSH
The Newyorker Issue of 2006-11-27 - Posted 2006-11-20

"A month before the November elections, Vice-President Dick Cheney was sitting in on a national-security discussion at the Executive Office Building. The talk took a political turn: what if the Democrats won both the Senate and the House? How would that affect policy toward Iran, which is believed to be on the verge of becoming a nuclear power? At that point, according to someone familiar with the discussion, Cheney began reminiscing about his job as a lineman, in the early nineteen-sixties, for a power company in Wyoming. Copper wire was expensive, and the linemen were instructed to return all unused pieces three feet or longer. No one wanted to deal with the paperwork that resulted, Cheney said, so he and his colleagues found a solution: putting "shorteners" on the wire—that is, cutting it into short pieces and tossing the leftovers at the end of the workday. If the Democrats won on November 7th, the Vice-President said, that victory would not stop the Administration from pursuing a military option with Iran..."


ONU, Ouest, Monde musulman - Alliance of Civilizations - THE REPORT

"To advance the Alliance of Civilizations, the UN Secretary-General established a High-level Group of eminent personalities and tasked this Group with generating a report containing an analysis of the rise in cross-cultural polarization and extremism and a set of practical recommendations to counter this phenomenon.  The High-level Group met five times from November 2005 to November 2006, at the conclusion of which it produced a report which takes a multi-polar approach within which it prioritizes relations between Muslim and Western societies..."


Ouest, Monde musulman, Moyen-Orient - Istanbul report analyzes Christian-Muslim tensions
ISN 14/11/06

"Resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict will be key to bridging the growing gap between the West and the Muslim world.

That's one of the main findings of a United Nations-backed panel of scholars, politicians and other experts from around the world. The group - part of the "Alliance of Civilizations" - presented its report to UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in Istanbul yesterday..."


Corée du Nord - North Korean Civil-Military Trends: Military-First Politics to a Point
Gause, K./ Strategic Studies Institute of the US Army War College, 2006

"Civil-military relations is one of the most challenging dimensions to deal with regarding North Korea. Since 1998, Pyongyang's foremost policy has been declared as "military-first." While experts debate the precise meaning and significance of this policy, considerable consensus exists that it gives the leading role to the Korean People's Army (KPA. Hence, military leaders in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea are very powerful and influential figures. Who are they? What kind of power and influence do these leaders wield, and how do they exert it? How do KPA leaders interact with dictator Kim Jong Il and their civilian counterparts? Mr. Ken Gause sets out to answer these questions in this monograph..."


Afghanistan, Education, NGOs - Education and the role of NGOs in emergencies: Afghanistan 1978-2002
Mohammed, H.; American Institutes for Research/ US Agency for International Development (USAID), 2006

"In political and social crisis and emergencies the role of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) as frontline service providers is critical, as chronic unrest and fragmentation render the capacity of the state to provide public service ineffective or virtually non-existent. In such situations, resources are often channeled through NGOs that take on quasi-governmental roles in delivering social services, including education..."


Sociétés militaires privées - Corporate mercenaries: the threat of private military and security companies
War on Want, 2006

"Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) sell security and military services at home and overseas. Over the last 10 years these companies have moved from the periphery of international politics into the corporate boardroom, becoming a ‘normal’ part of the military sector..."


Globalisation, Sécurité - Regional governance architecture and security policy
Fawcette, L./ Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung e.V. (FES), 2006

"This paper examines the linkages between globalisation and security. It highlights that as a result of globalisation, conflict in one part of the world can now very realistically affect people in another part of the world. The paper also explores the impact of regional institutions on global security and governance issues."


Terrorisme, Jihad - RAND Voices of Jihad Database

"This online database is a compilation of speeches, interviews, statements, and publications of jihadist leaders, foot soldiers, and sympathizers. Nearly all content is in English translation, and has been collected from publicly-accessible websites. Original links are provided, along with excerpts and full-text content when available..."


Climat, Afrique - Climate change in Africa: linking science and policy for adaptation
Corbera, E.; Conway, D.; Goulden, M.; Vincent1, K. / Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, 2006

"The Tyndall Centre jointly with the International Institute for Environment and 
Development organised a one day workshop entitled Climate Change in Africa: Linking Science and Policy for Adaptation, held in the Royal Society, London, on the 30th of March 2006. The workshop brought together over 70 participants across the UK government, international NGOs and research communities to: review the state of knowledge on Africa and climate change; to identify capacity constraints in African research networks limiting their effectiveness in both research and influencing climate adaptation policies; to use examples of existing research and development programmes aimed at reducing vulnerability to current climate variability (and other stressors); and to draw out the lessons for policy-makers involved in developing programmes on climate change in Africa. Below we provide a synthesis of the key messages related to these objectives..."


Développement - World development report 2007: development and the next generation
World Bank/ World Bank, 2006

"The time has never been better to invest in young people living in developing countries—that is the message of this year’s World Development Report, the twenty-ninth in the series. The number of people worldwide aged 12–24 years has reached 1.3 billion, the largest in history. It is also the healthiest and best educated—a strong base to build on in a world that demands more than basic skills..."


RFID, Sécurité - La Déclaration de Budapest ou les dangers du passeport biométrique à RFID

Déclaration de Budapest sur les Documents de Voyage à Lecture Automatique FIDIS Press Release


Liban - Une crise politique programmée

Les ministres chiites démissionnent du gouvernement libanais
Le Monde 13/11/06

"Le Liban a plongé, samedi 11 novembre, dans une crise gouvernementale aiguë. Les cinq ministres chiites, qui représentent les deux grandes formations de leur communauté, Amal et le Hezbollah, ont présenté leur démission. Un sixième ministre, proche du président de la République Emile Lahoud, a également démissionné lundi 13 novembre..."


As Hezbollah Seeks Power, Lebanon Is Feeling Edgy
NYT 13/11/06


Lebanon crisis reignites wider 'cold war'
CSMonitor 13/11/06

"Five Shiite ministers quit Lebanon's government this weekend, ending talks and sparking a political upheaval..."


Lebanon cabinet 'not legitimate'
BBC 12/11/06

"Pro-Syrian Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has said the government has lost its legitimacy after a series of ministerial resignations..."


Lire, Read :

The struggle for Lebanon
ISN 06/11/06

"Lebanon's deeply fragmented political scene is trapped in a deepening crisis amid power plays by major regional actors and a significant rise in inter-communal tensions..."


Presse - Etranges publications d'excuses dans la presse française !

Ben Laden, l'enquête impossible ?
Le Monde 11/11/06

"C'est une étrange publication judiciaire, parue dans Le Figaro, mardi 31 octobre, puis dans Le Monde, le lendemain. Sous l'intitulé "publicité", elle est titrée : "Présentation d'excuses au cheik Khalid Bin Mahfouz et au cheik Abdulrahman Bin Mahfouz" et signée de Jean-Charles Brisard et Guillaume Dasquié..."


« La vérité interdite » : quand la censure vient d'outre-Manche
leblogmedias 02/11/06

"Parfois certains encarts publicitaires méritent qu’on s’y attarde. Ces derniers jours, dans Le Figaro puis dans Le Monde, on a pu lire un texte signé par Jean-Charles Brisard et Guillaume Dasquié, intitulé « Présentation d’excuses au cheik Khalid Bin Mahfouz et au cheik Abdulrahman Bin Mahfouz ». De quoi s’agit-il ?..."


Voir, See :

Le site binmahfouz.info


Etats-Unis, Iran - Une armada navale américaine pour intimider Téhéran ?

U.S. naval armada set to sail into Gulf to 'intimidate' Iran
World Tribune 10/11/06

"The U.S. Navy has gathered aircraft carriers and troop transports for entry in the central Gulf. Included, officials said, were at least 10 warships that would arrive in the region over the next few days.

"The reason is to intimidate the Iranians," an official said. "There are two crises: Iraq. The second is Iranian efforts to recruit Iraq and Gulf Arab states in an alliance."

Officials said Iran may have been behind the destruction of a Kuwait refinery over the weekend, Middle East Newsline reported. They said the reports that the refinery was demolished by an "accident" was incorrect..."


Lire également, Read also :

Iran: Maneuvers and more maneuvers
By Kaveh L Afrasiabi, Asia Times 09/11/06


Droits de l'homme - Poursuites criminelles contre Donald Rumsfeld en Allemagne ?

Exclusive: Charges Sought Against Rumsfeld Over Prison Abuse
Time 10/11/06

"A lawsuit in Germany will seek a criminal prosecution of the outgoing Defense Secretary and other U.S. officials for their alleged role in abuses at Abu Ghraib and Gitmo..."


Chine, Afrique - Sommet Chine-Afrique : La nouvelle route de la soie

'Win-win' deals at China-Africa summit
By Antoaneta Bezlova, Asia Times 08/11/06

"A flurry of trade deals worth US$2 billion were signed during an unprecedented China-Africa summit aimed at forging closer links with the resource-rich continent. But while talking business in Beijing, China showed susceptibility to criticism that it was behaving like a modern colonial power..."


IN A FORTNIGHT
Jamestown 08/11/06

"The two-day Beijing summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) concluded with additional pledges of support from China in the form of bilateral and multilateral cooperation, loans and lucrative contracts..."


Lire également, Read also :

China mixes rice and neo-colonialism
By Kent Ewing, Asia Times 06/10/06

"When China, one of the world's most corrupt countries, starts dishing out tens of billions of US dollars in aid and business contracts in Africa, the world's most corrupt continent, alarm bells go off in Washington and other Western capitals. The fact that China turns a blind eye to widespread human-rights abuses on the continent further heightens concerns in the West..."


China's soft-power diplomacy in Africa
By Antoaneta Bezlova,  Asia Times 23/06/06

"Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao's extensive tour of Africa this week - part of Beijing's quest to secure future energy supplies and raw materials for the country's economy - is also being used as a platform to advance China's foreign-policy orientation on the continent and elsewhere in the developing world..."


Voir, See :

Africa's Silk Road - China and India's New Economic Frontier
World Bank